Heroes, films, Proposal Daisakusen, JE...oh, and Tony Leung
oo1. Heroes, S2 - I'm enjoying the episodes, but they seem so unfocused, don't they? And yet I love the details and the new questions. Hiro is my current favorite - who couldn't love him for trying to save the legends of his hero? :) Hurray for David Anders and his British accent! Hooray for drunken bumbling about in Japanese armor! And swords and pretty, feisty girls! I'm so impressed with how well Hiro has learned to control his power. The scene where he disarms the entire group of villains is adorable.
I'm fascinated by the fact that Nakamura-san and Angela had an affair sometime in the past, and I wonder who killed Nakamura-san and who tried to kill Angela. How did Peter end up without his memories in the container wearing the pendant? I also LOVE how Papa Bennett turned the tables on his idiot manager in 2.1. And Ando is awesome!
Claire's development is very interesting: last year she just wanted to be a normal girl and now she just wants to be herself. I think this is a fantastic change (even though it puts her at risk) - for starters she's a teenaged girl - she's growing and changing and she's definitely allowed to change her mind. And second, this is entirely in keeping with an important theme of the drama, which is to be true to yourself and embrace your destiny. Claire's still trying to figure out her way in the world, and I'm interested in seeing how she continues to push her own boundaries as well as those that have been imposed on her.
Nathan, my poor, drunken, broken-hearted woobie! There are no words to express my glee over his transformation in the wake of Peter's disappearance. Calling his mother "evil!" Growing a bushy beard-of-despair and what's up with the scary vision in the mirror?
And then I also love that Mohinder and HRG are working together and laying a trap. N had a huge quibble with the guy who recruited Mohinder, though - his power just doesn't make any sense from a biological perspective - the value of gold is something that is determined by humans - it doesn't have any natural value so as a power, this one falls short in the logic department (erm, how does the ability to transform things into gold enhance human survival in terms of evolution?) It's adorable that Mohinder and Matt took in Molly, but I find it hard to believe that Matt was shot and his wife still divorced him in 4 months. And also that he's so recovered after 4 months to be able to not only return to active duty, but get his promotion on a new force. I do like that it seems like a new villain has been introduced with Molly's dreams.
I don't mind the new brother/sister characters. West is annoying, but I like him, too.
I'm sure there are other points of interest, but this is what I can remember right now. ;)
oo2. Proposal Daisakusen - I finally watched the finale and I'm so disappointed. That ending was like the ultimate way to take my fragile tiny faith in the show's potential for improvement and shatter it completely. I hope this 12th episode thingy rectifies the situation because my immediate reaction upon finishing episode 11 of ProDai was: I wasted my time on a drama that went nowhere. And I hated Ken's speech - I would be so angry if I were Rei, and it's not like I love her either. Tada-san is a saint, and Rei never deserved him, and he certainly didn't deserve to be anyone's second choice. Argh.
oo3. Blade Runner: Blade Runner: The Final Cut will be released in December! This is one of my all-time favorite films, and I'm just thrilled to see them releasing a nice 25th anniversary package that restores Ridley Scott's vision as much as possible.
oo4. I love this image of Tony Leung from Ang Lee's Lust, Caution:
oo5. This NYT article about 'The Kite Runner' is incredible. I've never heard of anything like this before, in which a film studio is actually trying to relocate the film's child stars and their families to protect them from possible repercussions generated by the film.
oo6. Johnny's Ent..
- New KAT-TUN song. So KAT-TUN is doing the theme of Yuukan Club. Well, all I can say is that I hope it's good (and rock? Please). I've been keeping my expectations of Yuukan Club very low so as not to be too disappointed if I don't like it. I want to be surprised, of course, and I'd love to be excited and impressed. We'll see.
- NEWS album and single. I wish I could say I'm excited, but I'm not. I'm just not that interested in the group - they're pretty, and they have some fantastic songs, but for whatever reason, I have not been able to become interested in their personalities, so I just can't muster up much enthusiasm. It IS good for them, though, that they're actually doing something, since as a group it doesn't seem like they do very much - concerts earlier this year and then?
- KinKi Kids - a new album is always cause for celebration! :)
oo7. 3:10 to Yuma - Thanks to everyone who suggested I see this film last night (don't worry, I'm still planning to see Across the Universe) because I loved it. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and both Russell Crowe and Christian Bale gave wonderful performances! And yet...I somehow wanted so much more. I left the theater with a vague sense of disappointment because I wanted more than we got - maybe that was the point, I don't know. The end killed me, even though I was expecting it: after Charlie Prince shoots Dan, the way Wade's eyes fill with tears...I just loved the understanding that grew between the two men in such an obvious and yet understated way. Also, I loved the music.
Question, though: has anyone seen the original? And if so, how does this compare?