Recent Viewing

[intertext]

Elizabeth: The Golden Years

It's appropriate that I start teaching Spenser next week. There was Gloriana, the Virgin Queen, up there on the screen for everyone to adore! Perhaps fortunately, I don't know enough to be annoyed about historical accuracy, or lack thereof. It was luscious eyecandy, especially with the delectable Clive Owen buckling his swash with vigour, and Cate Blanchett in armor, hair blowing in the same wind that blows away the Armada. I was taken with the sheer Girls Own Annual almost jingoism of it all - surely this would not have been PC a decade or so ago ... what has changed?? This is not to say that I did not enjoy it; I did. Just wanted to say, that's all.

Hot Fuzz

This was hilarious. So much fun. And I almost peed myself in the big shoot-out at the end.

The Descent

Courtesy of the film club - visceral, feminist horror. Rather good. Good company, too :)

And on the small screen...

Torchwood

I think so far I like this better than Dr. Who (at least recent offerings - being on record as not totally enamoured of the latest incarnation of him). It's a bit darker, a bit more textured, at least so far.

Deadwood

I suspect I'm going to have to buy my own copy of this. I keep taking the dvd's back to the store unwatched, or only half-watched, because the individual episodes are so powerful that I don't want to watch more than one in a week. The production values are fabulous - everything is so good: music, photography, acting - that each episode seems like a little movie. And the language ("limber-dicked cunt suckers" is my favourite)!!

Comments

[majrgenrl8.livejournal.com]

What amazes me about Deadwood is how they manage to make words like cocksucker fit into iambic pentameter (and that they use iambic pentameter at all).

[intertext.livejournal.com]

Yes - I just love the complexity and richness of the language. Somehow even "fucking fucking fucking fucking" sounds like poetry the way it's presented there!

[lidocafe.livejournal.com]

K, is it just me, or does a "limber-dicked cunt sucker" sound sort of like a good thing? Like, wouldn't that make a good personal ad? Doesn't every woman want her man to be a limber-dicked cunt sucker once in a while?

[intertext.livejournal.com]

hahaha. Yes. Absolutely.

[marri.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear Elizabeth is good!

I'm also glad to hear of another person who nearly peed themselves during the big Hot Fuzz final scene. (Did you laugh especially hard at the gradnma-kick? I hope you did, else I've just exposed myself - for the umpteenth time - as having a crass sense of humor.)

[intertext.livejournal.com]

Oh, the whole thing was just fabulous. It was the incongruety of "blam blam blam" violence and the context... And yes, the grandma kick was great!

[gillo]

Having been obsessed by Elizabeth since I was about nine, I'm planning on avoiding the film - I hated the original Elizabeth because what they did to the history was so painful, and I gather they don't even have

The

Tilbury speech in this one.

I adored Hot Fuzz - we saw it in the cinema six months or so ago. Lovely to see so many stars of British stage and TV prepared to make such idiots of themselves too.

Didn't like

Torchwood

so much - the characterisation is thin and too much of it seems to be at a "Look at me, I'm on BBC 3 so I can use rude words!" level. To be fair, it did get much better about halfway through the series, and I'm quite looking forward to teh beginning of the next series because of a certain guest star...

[intertext.livejournal.com]

This Elizabeth was worth it for Clive Owen, but I can see that if tinkering with history disturbs you it won't be for you. At least the sanitizing of Mary's execution was perhaps a "Good Thing."

[beable]

Keeping in mind the "first six episodes" rule that a friend of mine dearly wishes tv show producers would use, I am enjoying Torchwood. I don't much know about any of the characters other than Gwen or Captain Jack (whom I was predisposed into liking), but I expect we'll see more of them.

Only thing I can't figure out and I keep meaning to look up is whether this is meant to take place before or after end of season 3 of Doctor Who, regardless of what order CBC happens to show things in.

(The first six rule is the theory that the first six episodes of any new show should be filmed - and then tossed out on the theory that after that the characters would be properly developed. I agree with him. The only show I have ever watched that would not have benefited from it is West Wing).

[owlfish]

I think Hot Fuzz is the best movie I have seen in the last year. It's fabulous. It was even better the second time through. (That's the only time we've watched a rental twice before returning it.)