Comments | hamsterwoman: Reading and watching roundup (such as it is)

hamsterwoman

Reading and watching roundup (such as it is)

Jul 06, 2020 11:21

Oh hey, remember how I used to consume fiction? and have thoughts about it and stuff? Let's try that again.

Books: I'm still not reading much (as an understatement). Since I stopped commuting to work, a full 4 months ago, I have finished three (in numbers: 3) books.

11. C.J. Cherryh, Cyteen -- my first novel-length Cherryh (I think I read a ( Read more... )

theater, hugo homework, dragaera, vlad taltos, a: c.j.cherryh, television, dresden files, a: kj charles, a: sarah pinsker

Comments 34

zvuv July 6 2020, 18:47:37 UTC

So, like, if I commuted by bike, it's forgivable that I hardly read? ;) I've always blamed it on my job.

hamsterwoman July 6 2020, 21:54:41 UTC

I definitely think so! I always knew having a long train commute was a big part of why I was able to keep up with my reading, and the last 4 months pretty much prove it, I think.

enchanted_jae July 7 2020, 01:56:31 UTC

I have some of the 'charm of magpies' books on my Kindle wishlist. I'll give at least one of them a try.

hamsterwoman July 7 2020, 02:12:10 UTC

They are pretty fun! I like the magic and really enjoy a number of the characters -- just not the two leads as a couple. But I also know people who absolutely love the books wholesale, so hopefully they'll work for you!

perpetual July 7 2020, 03:49:20 UTC

My opinions about Community are pretty much in line with yours, especially how the show rests on Troy&Abed. By the time I got to the later seasons I was too attached to let it go even though the cast felt so lacking, but they did end up having some moments. One part of the finale worth remembering/rewatching is the post-credits bit with the family playing the Community board game, or at least the disclaimer at the end of that.

"Remedial Chaos Theory" is probably the best episode in the series so it's hard not to think of things in terms of going downhill from there, but I pretty much always love the spoofs on other genres, paintball and lava floor particularly. My favorite other-medium episode was the 8-bit one. Everyone's sprite was so cute.

Did you hear that "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" has been removed from Netflix and Hulu? Really unfortunate, I think.

hamsterwoman July 7 2020, 15:27:39 UTC

One part of the finale worth remembering/rewatching is the post-credits bit with the family playing the Community board game,

Oh right! I do remember that part, now that you mention it (and it was fun though, I dunno, I'm not sure having that be the very last part of the show really resonated with me. On the other hand, it doesmake sense to end it with something weird and meta...)

I pretty much always love the spoofs on other genres, paintball and lava floor particularly.

I always found myself perking up for the spoofs! Loved the lava (even though I'm not sure I've ever seen an original of the thing they're spoofing -- but I'm familiar with it through fannish osmosis); paintball ones were kind of a spectrum for me depending on the genre -- I loved "Modern Warfare" (which was also the first), and from there I'd rank them as > the spy one > the Star Wars one >> the western, just because I apparently really don't care about westerns even in this spoof/meta form.

Everyone's sprite was so cute.Yes! I think in terms of purely visual ( ... )

perpetual July 8 2020, 16:06:42 UTC

Oh right! I do remember that part, now that you mention it (and it was fun though, I dunno, I'm not sure having that be the very last part of the show really resonated with me. On the other hand, it doesmake sense to end it with something weird and meta...)

What I liked was that the disclaimer managed to summarize the entire show, right down to the way shippers are bound to be disappointed. I can't remember any direct quotes myself, I just know it gave me a warmfuzzy to hear the producers speaking directly to the audience to say their goodbye.

I figure the lava was the post-apocalyptic adventure genre, right? Like Mad Max. The Western one really tickled me but that was mostly because of the guest star from Lost who is, I'll say it, more handsome than Jeff.

Yeah, all kinds of comedies are having their blackface jokes targeted right now. Some of them are pretty tasteless, so it makes sense, but I really feel like this one was innocent and a real waste of a good episode.

hamsterwoman July 8 2020, 16:57:32 UTC

Yeah, I can definitely support shows pulling episodes with blackface jokes that are, like, unexamined, but IIRC this particular one was both commented on (by Shirley?) and explained by Chang. And is the loss of a really good episode with an unusual message, too.

I figure the lava was the post-apocalyptic adventure genre, right? Like Mad Max

Yeah, that's what I was assuming, too (but I've never actually seen any of the Mad Max movies, not even Fury Road, because I don't like the genre. Probably the closest I've come to seeing a movie of this genre is Tank Girl, of all things -- which I watched for a college class on dystopias, because the lecturer's friend was doing her thesis on it. Which was an interesting way to see Tank Girl, but did not sell me on either the movie or the genre. :P

The Western one really tickled me but that was mostly because of the guest star from Lost who is, I'll say it, more handsome than Jeff.Ha! I didn't know where the stranger had come from, but I do agree he was more handsome than Jeff (I actually don' ( ... )

Thread 6

qwentoozla July 7 2020, 06:15:33 UTC

I don't think I ever actually finished season 6 of Community--it just kind of lost its appeal.

I'm so glad you enjoyed that production of Midsummer Night's Dream as much as I did! I had read the play ages ago in college but I don't think I'd ever seen a performed version (and now I don't think any other production could compare, haha). I didn't remember it particularly well and didn't realize they'd switched Oberon and Titania's lines until I saw it mentioned in the youtube comments. I did feel like Titania stood out less to me, but I liked their Puck--I felt he had a powerful fairy energy. I thought the two pairs of lovers were surprisingly great as well.

But Bottom and Oberon definitely stole the show! I definitely think it was a good move to swap the roles the way they did, because those two playing off each other was such a joy. The dance number! It makes me smile just thinking about it. XD

hamsterwoman July 7 2020, 16:47:27 UTC

I don't know that I would've bothered finishing season 6 if Netflix didn't keep autoplaying episodes at me until I ran out of season. :P Like, I don't regret watching it or anything, but I don't know that the show would have drawn me back if I'd wandered away mid-season and had to apply any effort whatsoever to watch it again.

(and now I don't think any other production could compare, haha).

Ha, likewise!

It took me a little bit for the penny to drop about the switched roles -- I think it was around the time when Titania is dosing Oberon with the flower where I was like, "hey, waaaaait a minute XD" (and I'm pretty sure that ikel89 had mentioned some stuff that should've clued me in sooner, but I thought the switch was pretty seamlessly done!)

but I liked their Puck--I felt he had a powerful fairy energyI agree about the fairy energy, actually! Like, the ways in which he was Puck were right for Shakespeare and for a fairy and for this production specifically, and I approve intellectually, but in close-up it added up to Too Much for ( ... )

bearshorty July 7 2020, 14:29:29 UTC

Thank you for the link to Jim Butcher interview. It was a lot of fun to watch. He is so mellow. And I liked learning more definitively how many more books are left in the series ( ... )

hamsterwoman July 7 2020, 17:01:27 UTC

And also, thank you for starting the sync reads for Cyteen and Song for the New Day (and for the book!)

No, thank YOU for participating! I am pretty sure your diligence was the only thing that kept the Cyteen sync read more or less on track -- I'd probably still be stuck around chapter 11 otherwise XD (I'm pretty sure that when I embark on more Cherryh I'll try to do it as a sync read again; it really helped to have company, and especially a mix of people floundering in it for the first time along with me and people who already knew what was going on from prior reads.)

I don't think I'd watched a Butcher interview before -- he was different than I thought he would be (though maybe it was the effect of quarantine and having a radioactive shower XD)

Rude Mechanicals were the best part - I loved all of them, not just Bottom, who was amazing, and I don't remember that happening beforeThat's good to know that the Rude Mechanicals in this were a cut above even compared to an excellent professional production! I was wondering if I ( ... )