"You know, 'cause I hear they give away babies like free iPods..."
A little review of some of the things I’ve been watching recently.
A quick catch-up on Torchwood so far this season… I hate to start to a bad note, but Torchwood just hasn’t stayed at the standard of the season premiere, being swiftly brought down from an excellent to a simple - alright. Very disappointing.
The thing I remember most about 2.02 - “Sleeper” are the arm wrinkles - *shudder*, I can’t explain exactly why I find it absolutely disgusting, but I’d definitely take a decapitation any day than have to watch that. The aspect that drives any great show in my opinion, especially Torchwood, are the characters and 2.02 just didn’t really have that a whole lot. Seeing as Torchwood has such short seasons, I just don’t see the point in not exploring characters each episode. That’s why I much preferred 2.03 - “To The Last Man” with Tosh, Tosh and yet more Tosh, a list of three pretty great things. As for her this season, she’s adorable as ever and I quite enjoy her innocent little crush on Owen, albeit a little out of the blue, but crushes don’t always make sense.
I really enjoy when Rhys gets to get some time in the limelight, if he were part of the group he’d definitely have the Xander type role which is just why I enjoy him. I expected something quite extreme to come out of Rhys’ new found knowledge of Gwen and Torchwood, I expected and even hoped for a rift (emotional that is) to come between Gwen and the Torchwood team in regards to her letting Rhys know. Jack seemed to be heavily against letting Rhys remember what he’d done in 2.04 - “Meat”, but then in the following episodes Jack seems to have just forgotten completely. I hope they don’t drop this plotline, it has a lot of potential to be incredibly interesting and character exploring. But with records so far? Well.
Kickass!Ianto was a fascinating new addition to the show in “Meat”, very intruiging, albeit a tad random - I had no idea where this new breed of Ianto had come from. Not that I’m complaining, I hope we get another visit from this new found and pretty hot side to Ianto. I’ve enjoyed Ianto totally this season, his hilarious one-liners are always something to be treasured. It’s always interesting to see other sides of characters, rather than having them react the same to every situation they encounter.
I detested 2.05 - “Adam”. I’ll be frank and honest. It was an abysmal episode. A dwarf’s arse could bring out better stuff than what I witnessed. I’d have been a lot better off if I hadn’t watched it. It was just so random, irrelevant and such a waste of space as an episode. The actor who played Adam irritated me immensely from the very beginning - I can’t explain it, there’s something about him I just don’t like. This alternate universe he made amongst the Torchwood group… I didn’t realise this at first but I now realise it’s a complete copy of Buffy 4.17 - “Superstar”. I know Russell got a lot of his inspiration from Buffy and Angel, but c’mon there’s a line between inspiration from sources, and just blatant attempts at plot plagurism, this isn’t the only time. This season “Meat” was a complete rip off of Buffy 6.13 - “Doublemeat Palace”. And that’s just the start of the faults - Jack’s flashbacks to his very Star Trek-esque past (who just all happen to all have American accents by the by), was just so cringe worthy. Oh dear. Torchwood doesn’t do drama to a very high standard I’d have to say. The writing and acting of dramatic scenes just seem very forced, unnatural - think back on the memory wiping scene and every one reminiscing about their pasts and where they’d come from. I mean who cares? I would have done slightly, if the scene wasn’t executed the way it was. I can forgive the show for this fault, but I’d rather if they just try to forget about drama at least, until they can find out how to portray it more effectively. I’d have imagined getting another insight into Jack’s past as interesting, but really I’d rather have gone without. It was pointless, had absolutely no relevance to the episode at all, the attempt at tearjerker drama was just a weepy flop. Arrogant!Tosh was not a nice sight, Pathetic!Owen was just ridiculous, I just didn’t see the point in reversing their roles - it didn’t progress their characters at all or show a new or different side of them like “Superstar” managed to successfully. It was a nice attempt at a copy, but really we could have done without this episode. The only scenes I actually liked were the tender Gwen/Rhys scenes, they really brought everything back down to earth.
Martha. Well, just the name states the greatness already, doesn’t it? I really enjoyed Martha’s stint in Torchwood. She melded well with the whole group and I was fond of Owen and Martha’s light flirting. I’m incredibly grateful they didn’t force Martha into any sort of wild Torchwood-esque relationship with any of them, it would have been incredibly cliché for Torchwood and would have probably torn Martha apart in my books as a character. However, my gratefulness waned once succumbed to temptation and kissed Jack for absolutely little reason at the end. I just think we could have done without that really, surely she’d have thought of Ianto? I did enjoy Reset and naturally Alan Dale’s *The OC fangasm* character died in the end, though not of a heart attack this time. Owen’s death - never could have seen that coming.
Concerning Owen’s resurrection I do have mixed feelings, I wouldn’t have expected it - the execution was alright. I did enjoy Owen’s confused, angry and deranged reaction towards it. I liked the layout of 2.08 - “A Day in the Death Of”, Owen spending the episode telling his story to a suicidal woman really seemed to fit with the episode, their interaction melded well. I don’t normally take much of a shine to random guest stars, but I did quite like Maggie. Although the melodrama of Owen’s voiceovers really weren’t necessary, it felt like a cringing rip off from “The Dead Zone”.
I hope Kickass!Ianto resurfaces when it comes to Jack. The thing that irritates me about him, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, is that Jack just seems to have little regard for anyone else. He’s incredibly self-centered. As chivalrous and dashing he may be, he’s still living in his own world and needs to try and see things from others’ perspectives. I’m sure there are other Jack lovers who’ll disagree, but this is a flaw in him which just irritates me quite a bit. Ianto knows what he’s getting into when it comes to Jack, he’s not reliable and stable, but I find it incredibly annoying and disrespectful how sexual Jack is especially when he’s in a relationship. No matter how loose it is, it is a relationship and he shouldn’t be having all these intense sexual tension moments with Gwen all the time, which is pretty much how he spent all of 2.09 - “Something Borrowed”. I didn’t enjoy Jack much in 2.09, adding the fact that the writers completely stole Rhys’ limelight. I was ready and prepared to witness Rhys do something amazing for Gwen - but then Jack barges in and saves the day, yet again. Oh what originality. Though on the plus side - “Something Borrowed” was a nice change from the darker territory of death the show seemed to be treading, I really enjoy Gwen focused episodes and this one is no exception, a brief insight into Gwen’s life outside Torchwood is an out of the ordinary experience in this show.
I’m hope the season at least remains at the standard of “Something Borrowed” - just so I don’t completely give up hope in it. If we get another “Adam” standard episode, god help you, Jack.
Meet Juno MacGuff. No, seriously. A sixteen year old girl with a mouth of an unadulterated parrot, who won’t look at an armchair the same way again after finding herself pregnant.
I went to see Juno with high hopes and expectations, what I’d heard about it had been purely positive and the trailer itself just completely drew me in the first time I saw it before watching another movie. Now looking back on it, I realise the hype was completely deserved.
With almost startlingly vibrant characters (in most cases) and a simple yet telling story line the film worked on many different levels. There were few characters I didn’t fall in love with instantly, we’ll come back onto the exceptions a little later. Mr. MacGuff “why can’t she have been doing drugs?”. The movie was definitely not scared to make some fun out of the situation the characters were in and it did that relentlessly and to good effect “Hello, I’m here for a hasty abortion please.” I think that line sums of Juno’s character in one. The film didn’t following the trend of dramas sometimes being completely melodramatic where it’s either not necessary or just detrimental. Now onto the kickass, hard working Mrs. MacGuff, the best stepmother possibly ever conceived, the crazily ecstatic best friend. And the foster parents to be…
Vanessa and Mark. I found their dynamic quite interesting, having seen Jennifer Garner in the high flying spy show Alias, it was a fascinating change to see her in a more domestic environment. I really did feel for Vanessa. And that’s where this film got to me in some respects, although a part of me was a little creeped out by her sociopathic tendencies (though probably completely unintentional), I still felt for her so much throughout the whole thing, especially when she knelt down and felt the baby kick for her. For her!
The movie definitely led me into the trap of believing there was something between Juno and Mark, but I’m glad there wasn’t, it would have been too easy to go down that path of predictability, which is somewhere this movie didn’t tread at all. Although I enjoyed many of the scenes between the two, I did think they focused on Mark a little too much for my liking. I’d have just liked to have seen the views of Mr. MacGuff, Olivia or heck even Bleeker.
Hmm. Bleeker. Why on earth did they even bother to put him in this movie? Apart from fathering the child I think the movie could have got on perfectly well without him. I do understand his distance from Juno, although not really shown, inside he’s pretty freaked about an incoming baby, but I’d have preferred him to have a bigger role and not be so irritatingly pathetic. The trailer of the movie completely emphasised the relationship between Bleeker and Juno, but yet again cinema go-ers were lured into the malicious trap of false advertising and in fact barely any of the film was about the two of them, only little fragments. Which I’m not complaining about much, seeing as the focus should be how Juno deals with pregnancy, and also I haven’t particularly warmed to Bleeker much.
However much the understated atmosphere of every situation they came across was refreshing to watch in a world where any tiny thing on TV or film seems to deserve mass hysteria, I don’t really think it portrayed the effects of pregnancy very well. I enjoyed the understated seriousness masked by dry sarcasm, I thought that worked well. Of course, with me lacking a uterus, I’m not one to judge firsthand, but I do believe even with all Juno went through the ending just felt so…easy. It all fell into place. I’d even go as far as saying it almost made pregnancy look nearly appealing. After it was all over, Juno although wiser, went back to her normal life and it was like nothing had happened. Seeing as how much people are influenced by the media in general, they do have an obligation to set at least a bit of an example.
My initial reaction on leaving the cinema wasn’t really what I feel now as I write this, it was a feeling of… incompleteness. I just didn’t feel the film had gone far enough with some of the plots it had set up and could have been longer. The average film is a lot longer than the hour and half stretch Juno had, although a decent, the ending did feel a little lazy and like the screenwriter was running out of steam towards the end. I’d have liked the ending to have been unravelled a lot more.
Jump into the life of David Rice. Fifteen, slightly timid, a seemingly likeable guy. After a usual day falling through ice during an epic action sequence he suddenly finds himself elsewhere - at a library. Huh.
Although the premise gives the impression of a fairly interesting 88 minutes of money well spent, for the average movie go-er will find themselves disappointed. The film’s introduction is pleasing and it does start off well as it introduced and focused on the characters. However the pleasing viewing atmosphere quickly dissipates into a mindless action exploded mess.
To be frank, the only reason I bothered to watch the film was because me being a huge The OC fan fancied the idea of giving my self a nice dose of Rachel Bilson on a rainy Thursday afternoon. Though yet again, even in this aspect the film let me down. Like most of the characters in this film - they didn’t really seem to have much in the way of, well, character. I don’t think it was Rachel’s fault or in fact the fault of many of the actors, but they were all written rather blandly and samey. All Rachel’s character did was complain, look shocked, and of course gorgeous from time to time.
As for adult David, I felt absolutely nothing for him. No sympathy. No fondness. Just nothing. Which is the worst vibe to get from a character in a film, especially the protagonist of all people. The action was really all that drove the film, but it was difficult to engage with the action and actually fear for the characters without having connected with them at first. David and Rachel’s relationship was just ridiculously too fabricated and appeared completely false and untrue.
Jamie Bell’s character was really the most stimulating - but in a film of insipid people that’s not really much of an achievement. With all the action, it was surprising that there wasn’t even much actual story and the story it told was just full of horribly gaping loopholes which just left the viewer contemplating head scratching.
All in all, I was really only satisfied because of the fact I’d seen a film with links to The OC - Rachel Bilson and Doug Liman. Jumper in four sentences, you ask? Not much plot. Not much character development. Mindlessly pointless action. Not much else. I was actually slightly pleased to jump out of the cinema once it was all over.
A quick catch-up on Torchwood so far this season… I hate to start to a bad note, but Torchwood just hasn’t stayed at the standard of the season premiere, being swiftly brought down from an excellent to a simple - alright. Very disappointing.
The thing I remember most about 2.02 - “Sleeper” are the arm wrinkles - *shudder*, I can’t explain exactly why I find it absolutely disgusting, but I’d definitely take a decapitation any day than have to watch that. The aspect that drives any great show in my opinion, especially Torchwood, are the characters and 2.02 just didn’t really have that a whole lot. Seeing as Torchwood has such short seasons, I just don’t see the point in not exploring characters each episode. That’s why I much preferred 2.03 - “To The Last Man” with Tosh, Tosh and yet more Tosh, a list of three pretty great things. As for her this season, she’s adorable as ever and I quite enjoy her innocent little crush on Owen, albeit a little out of the blue, but crushes don’t always make sense.
I really enjoy when Rhys gets to get some time in the limelight, if he were part of the group he’d definitely have the Xander type role which is just why I enjoy him. I expected something quite extreme to come out of Rhys’ new found knowledge of Gwen and Torchwood, I expected and even hoped for a rift (emotional that is) to come between Gwen and the Torchwood team in regards to her letting Rhys know. Jack seemed to be heavily against letting Rhys remember what he’d done in 2.04 - “Meat”, but then in the following episodes Jack seems to have just forgotten completely. I hope they don’t drop this plotline, it has a lot of potential to be incredibly interesting and character exploring. But with records so far? Well.
Kickass!Ianto was a fascinating new addition to the show in “Meat”, very intruiging, albeit a tad random - I had no idea where this new breed of Ianto had come from. Not that I’m complaining, I hope we get another visit from this new found and pretty hot side to Ianto. I’ve enjoyed Ianto totally this season, his hilarious one-liners are always something to be treasured. It’s always interesting to see other sides of characters, rather than having them react the same to every situation they encounter.
I detested 2.05 - “Adam”. I’ll be frank and honest. It was an abysmal episode. A dwarf’s arse could bring out better stuff than what I witnessed. I’d have been a lot better off if I hadn’t watched it. It was just so random, irrelevant and such a waste of space as an episode. The actor who played Adam irritated me immensely from the very beginning - I can’t explain it, there’s something about him I just don’t like. This alternate universe he made amongst the Torchwood group… I didn’t realise this at first but I now realise it’s a complete copy of Buffy 4.17 - “Superstar”. I know Russell got a lot of his inspiration from Buffy and Angel, but c’mon there’s a line between inspiration from sources, and just blatant attempts at plot plagurism, this isn’t the only time. This season “Meat” was a complete rip off of Buffy 6.13 - “Doublemeat Palace”. And that’s just the start of the faults - Jack’s flashbacks to his very Star Trek-esque past (who just all happen to all have American accents by the by), was just so cringe worthy. Oh dear. Torchwood doesn’t do drama to a very high standard I’d have to say. The writing and acting of dramatic scenes just seem very forced, unnatural - think back on the memory wiping scene and every one reminiscing about their pasts and where they’d come from. I mean who cares? I would have done slightly, if the scene wasn’t executed the way it was. I can forgive the show for this fault, but I’d rather if they just try to forget about drama at least, until they can find out how to portray it more effectively. I’d have imagined getting another insight into Jack’s past as interesting, but really I’d rather have gone without. It was pointless, had absolutely no relevance to the episode at all, the attempt at tearjerker drama was just a weepy flop. Arrogant!Tosh was not a nice sight, Pathetic!Owen was just ridiculous, I just didn’t see the point in reversing their roles - it didn’t progress their characters at all or show a new or different side of them like “Superstar” managed to successfully. It was a nice attempt at a copy, but really we could have done without this episode. The only scenes I actually liked were the tender Gwen/Rhys scenes, they really brought everything back down to earth.
Martha. Well, just the name states the greatness already, doesn’t it? I really enjoyed Martha’s stint in Torchwood. She melded well with the whole group and I was fond of Owen and Martha’s light flirting. I’m incredibly grateful they didn’t force Martha into any sort of wild Torchwood-esque relationship with any of them, it would have been incredibly cliché for Torchwood and would have probably torn Martha apart in my books as a character. However, my gratefulness waned once succumbed to temptation and kissed Jack for absolutely little reason at the end. I just think we could have done without that really, surely she’d have thought of Ianto? I did enjoy Reset and naturally Alan Dale’s *The OC fangasm* character died in the end, though not of a heart attack this time. Owen’s death - never could have seen that coming.
Concerning Owen’s resurrection I do have mixed feelings, I wouldn’t have expected it - the execution was alright. I did enjoy Owen’s confused, angry and deranged reaction towards it. I liked the layout of 2.08 - “A Day in the Death Of”, Owen spending the episode telling his story to a suicidal woman really seemed to fit with the episode, their interaction melded well. I don’t normally take much of a shine to random guest stars, but I did quite like Maggie. Although the melodrama of Owen’s voiceovers really weren’t necessary, it felt like a cringing rip off from “The Dead Zone”.
I hope Kickass!Ianto resurfaces when it comes to Jack. The thing that irritates me about him, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, is that Jack just seems to have little regard for anyone else. He’s incredibly self-centered. As chivalrous and dashing he may be, he’s still living in his own world and needs to try and see things from others’ perspectives. I’m sure there are other Jack lovers who’ll disagree, but this is a flaw in him which just irritates me quite a bit. Ianto knows what he’s getting into when it comes to Jack, he’s not reliable and stable, but I find it incredibly annoying and disrespectful how sexual Jack is especially when he’s in a relationship. No matter how loose it is, it is a relationship and he shouldn’t be having all these intense sexual tension moments with Gwen all the time, which is pretty much how he spent all of 2.09 - “Something Borrowed”. I didn’t enjoy Jack much in 2.09, adding the fact that the writers completely stole Rhys’ limelight. I was ready and prepared to witness Rhys do something amazing for Gwen - but then Jack barges in and saves the day, yet again. Oh what originality. Though on the plus side - “Something Borrowed” was a nice change from the darker territory of death the show seemed to be treading, I really enjoy Gwen focused episodes and this one is no exception, a brief insight into Gwen’s life outside Torchwood is an out of the ordinary experience in this show.
I’m hope the season at least remains at the standard of “Something Borrowed” - just so I don’t completely give up hope in it. If we get another “Adam” standard episode, god help you, Jack.
Meet Juno MacGuff. No, seriously. A sixteen year old girl with a mouth of an unadulterated parrot, who won’t look at an armchair the same way again after finding herself pregnant.
I went to see Juno with high hopes and expectations, what I’d heard about it had been purely positive and the trailer itself just completely drew me in the first time I saw it before watching another movie. Now looking back on it, I realise the hype was completely deserved.
With almost startlingly vibrant characters (in most cases) and a simple yet telling story line the film worked on many different levels. There were few characters I didn’t fall in love with instantly, we’ll come back onto the exceptions a little later. Mr. MacGuff “why can’t she have been doing drugs?”. The movie was definitely not scared to make some fun out of the situation the characters were in and it did that relentlessly and to good effect “Hello, I’m here for a hasty abortion please.” I think that line sums of Juno’s character in one. The film didn’t following the trend of dramas sometimes being completely melodramatic where it’s either not necessary or just detrimental. Now onto the kickass, hard working Mrs. MacGuff, the best stepmother possibly ever conceived, the crazily ecstatic best friend. And the foster parents to be…
Vanessa and Mark. I found their dynamic quite interesting, having seen Jennifer Garner in the high flying spy show Alias, it was a fascinating change to see her in a more domestic environment. I really did feel for Vanessa. And that’s where this film got to me in some respects, although a part of me was a little creeped out by her sociopathic tendencies (though probably completely unintentional), I still felt for her so much throughout the whole thing, especially when she knelt down and felt the baby kick for her. For her!
The movie definitely led me into the trap of believing there was something between Juno and Mark, but I’m glad there wasn’t, it would have been too easy to go down that path of predictability, which is somewhere this movie didn’t tread at all. Although I enjoyed many of the scenes between the two, I did think they focused on Mark a little too much for my liking. I’d have just liked to have seen the views of Mr. MacGuff, Olivia or heck even Bleeker.
Hmm. Bleeker. Why on earth did they even bother to put him in this movie? Apart from fathering the child I think the movie could have got on perfectly well without him. I do understand his distance from Juno, although not really shown, inside he’s pretty freaked about an incoming baby, but I’d have preferred him to have a bigger role and not be so irritatingly pathetic. The trailer of the movie completely emphasised the relationship between Bleeker and Juno, but yet again cinema go-ers were lured into the malicious trap of false advertising and in fact barely any of the film was about the two of them, only little fragments. Which I’m not complaining about much, seeing as the focus should be how Juno deals with pregnancy, and also I haven’t particularly warmed to Bleeker much.
However much the understated atmosphere of every situation they came across was refreshing to watch in a world where any tiny thing on TV or film seems to deserve mass hysteria, I don’t really think it portrayed the effects of pregnancy very well. I enjoyed the understated seriousness masked by dry sarcasm, I thought that worked well. Of course, with me lacking a uterus, I’m not one to judge firsthand, but I do believe even with all Juno went through the ending just felt so…easy. It all fell into place. I’d even go as far as saying it almost made pregnancy look nearly appealing. After it was all over, Juno although wiser, went back to her normal life and it was like nothing had happened. Seeing as how much people are influenced by the media in general, they do have an obligation to set at least a bit of an example.
My initial reaction on leaving the cinema wasn’t really what I feel now as I write this, it was a feeling of… incompleteness. I just didn’t feel the film had gone far enough with some of the plots it had set up and could have been longer. The average film is a lot longer than the hour and half stretch Juno had, although a decent, the ending did feel a little lazy and like the screenwriter was running out of steam towards the end. I’d have liked the ending to have been unravelled a lot more.
Jump into the life of David Rice. Fifteen, slightly timid, a seemingly likeable guy. After a usual day falling through ice during an epic action sequence he suddenly finds himself elsewhere - at a library. Huh.
Although the premise gives the impression of a fairly interesting 88 minutes of money well spent, for the average movie go-er will find themselves disappointed. The film’s introduction is pleasing and it does start off well as it introduced and focused on the characters. However the pleasing viewing atmosphere quickly dissipates into a mindless action exploded mess.
To be frank, the only reason I bothered to watch the film was because me being a huge The OC fan fancied the idea of giving my self a nice dose of Rachel Bilson on a rainy Thursday afternoon. Though yet again, even in this aspect the film let me down. Like most of the characters in this film - they didn’t really seem to have much in the way of, well, character. I don’t think it was Rachel’s fault or in fact the fault of many of the actors, but they were all written rather blandly and samey. All Rachel’s character did was complain, look shocked, and of course gorgeous from time to time.
As for adult David, I felt absolutely nothing for him. No sympathy. No fondness. Just nothing. Which is the worst vibe to get from a character in a film, especially the protagonist of all people. The action was really all that drove the film, but it was difficult to engage with the action and actually fear for the characters without having connected with them at first. David and Rachel’s relationship was just ridiculously too fabricated and appeared completely false and untrue.
Jamie Bell’s character was really the most stimulating - but in a film of insipid people that’s not really much of an achievement. With all the action, it was surprising that there wasn’t even much actual story and the story it told was just full of horribly gaping loopholes which just left the viewer contemplating head scratching.
All in all, I was really only satisfied because of the fact I’d seen a film with links to The OC - Rachel Bilson and Doug Liman. Jumper in four sentences, you ask? Not much plot. Not much character development. Mindlessly pointless action. Not much else. I was actually slightly pleased to jump out of the cinema once it was all over.