"Accomplishments"
DVDs: Finally saw The Social Network, which initially didn't interest me because, you know, I refuse to go on Facebook, but I was convinced by the movie's pedigree, namely director David Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin. I do make a point to see practically everything these two guys have done. I wasn't disappointed in the least. The script and direction are of course, top notch, and the acting isn't too shabby either. I love a film that's thematically resonant, and The Social Network delivers on that front too, as the way practically every character is written says something - ironic or not - about their inventions or role in said invention. There's an entire essay in there if I can ever write it. The extras are equally good, but two commentary tracks, the first by Fincher, the second by Sorkin and the cast (edited clips, since they are not all together). The second disc features two hours of making of material that has its own distinct style. Well worth it.
Speaking of Oscar movies, Dead Fish is a quirky British comedy-thriller I won as part of the stash up for grabs in our Oscar pool (a stash I invariably refer to as the "pile of crap". As most are devoid of extras, I thought I might try to "flip" one each week. Dead Fish features Gary Oldman as a bizarre hitman whose mobile phone gets exchanged for a petty thief's played by Primeval's Andrew-Lee Potts (for no good reason playing it American). It doesn't quite work, but it's not unpleasant. The main story's misunderstandings are fun enough, and you can't tell where it's going. And while the cast of zanies has a lot going for it (throw in Billy Zane, Terence Stamp and Robert Carlyle, among others), the subplot never really connects with the rest of the story. It's part of the joke, but it's a joke that falls flat. And though it has a vivacious style, it's over-directed, with unmotivated shots and flights of fantasy that don't fit the overall picture. In the end, I've got to ask myself: Into the collection, or back on the pile of rubbish? And this one's going on the shelf.
Three Kingdoms is a massive historical Chinese novel that has given us most recently John Woo's Red Cliff, which only tells part of the story. In the film Three Kingdoms, Daniel Lee attempts to tell the whole story through the eyes of a relatively minor character. the hero who saves the baby at the start of Red Cliff and who becomes a general in the Liu army. Many details are invented to fill out his story, of course, and it stands out as one of the best Asian films I've seen lately. Much of the credit goes to Andy Lau in the lead role, though it's also got Sammo Hung and Maggie Q in strong performances. There are some masterful martial sequences, though Lee tends to give them a too-modern frenetic look sometimes. Ultimately, it's more than a martial arts picture or a war film, and stands as a meditation on accepting one's destiny. Also on the DVD are interviews with the director and three stars, which I found mostly insightful.
For a while, I've been sitting on David Tennant's last Doctor Who DVD, the animated adventure titled Dreamland, because I wasn't keen on the art style (as opposed to the wonderful Infinite Quest's). And the art IS the problem here. While Dreamland does have good aliens and ships, and strong camera work, effects and lighting, the human (and Time Lord) figures just look like average video game characters, badly interacting with their surroundings and showing far too little expression. It's like puppeteering blow-up dolls at times. The story's fun enough however, as the Doctor visits Roswell and Area 51 in the company of two 1950s friends. The pace is very quick - blink and you might miss a transition - but action-filled and fun. It comes with an extra disc containing Doctor Who Confidential's three "Greatest Moments" specials celebrating the end of the RTD era (The Doctor, The Companions, and The Enemies). These are high on clips and low on insights, and in the case of The Enemies, though we do get to see some of the actors interviewed without their monster make-ups, the voice-over narration is worse than Julie Chen on Big Brother (i.e. badly written and full of unfunny puns). The Companions is the best of the lot, but none are anything special and I'm loathe to even call them "Greatest Moments".
Music: I've been listening to Murray Gold's Doctor Who Series 5 double album soundtrack for a couple weeks now, and I'm ready to give my verdict. I was a big fan of the Series 5 music from the off, especially since it was 1) all new cues (though Gold's driving beats are recognizable his) and 2) not as over-used as they'd been in the RTD era (read: wall to wall). Without the thunder sound effects, the Doctor Who theme is actually the most listenable for me (I usually skip over the theme tune on other soundtracks, but not this one). From there, there are hills and valleys, mostly because Gold's included so many cues, especially from the finale (22 tracks just for that). The Eleventh Hour's main themes are awesome, and Vincent and the Doctor yields some beautiful pieces. Most episodes yield something good, though the suspense-filled music of The Time of Angels and The Hungry Earth break the flow of the music with discordance (skip!). As an overall listening experience, the motifs you love return to give the album a good flow. Gold's liner notes have become less and less insightful as the records have been released, and they're now down to his basic impression of each episode. Still, the music stands up, and that's what counts.
Audios: The 8th Doctor and Lucie Miller's second season ends in a two-part finale by Nicholas Briggs which I'm sad to say disappointed me. The first part, Sisters of the Flame, is unusually slow for this range, and its humor often falls flat. Though less than 50 minutes long, it still finds time to flash back into itself, and the revelation that Karn and Morbius are somehow involved is deflated by our knowing Part II's title. It certainly doesn't help that the Doctor is absent for most of the story. The one breath of fresh air is Alexander Siddig as a friendly giant centipede police detective (you read that right) even if I didn't recognize Dr. Bashir at first.
While The Vengeance of Morbius brings back the Doctor and elicits more interest because of its Time Lord connection, it sadly does away with Siddig's centipede and is the worse off for it. Oh, Briggs knows how to produce good radio plays, of course, and Vengeance is perfectly fine in that respect. But perhaps because Part I didn't rack up any sympathy points, Part II left me a little cold as well. There's a nice WTF! cliffhanger ending to propel us into the Doc8/Lucie Series 3, but this is tacked on and not really relevant to the Morbius plot.
Back to the numbered range... The Dark Husband by David Quantick is a farce featuring the 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex that though completely ridiculous, still manages to advance their personal stories. The audio starts out with fun TARDIS banter, sends the characters on a vacation to a festival, only to find two warring peoples where festivities were expected. And then the Doctor announces he's getting married. Some fun complications ensue, as well as a sense of world-building you wouldn't expect from a story with such caricatured aliens. The 7th Doctor works best when he's up to his neck in whimsy, it seems.
Hyperion to a Satyr posts this week:
II.ii. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern
DVDs: Finally saw The Social Network, which initially didn't interest me because, you know, I refuse to go on Facebook, but I was convinced by the movie's pedigree, namely director David Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin. I do make a point to see practically everything these two guys have done. I wasn't disappointed in the least. The script and direction are of course, top notch, and the acting isn't too shabby either. I love a film that's thematically resonant, and The Social Network delivers on that front too, as the way practically every character is written says something - ironic or not - about their inventions or role in said invention. There's an entire essay in there if I can ever write it. The extras are equally good, but two commentary tracks, the first by Fincher, the second by Sorkin and the cast (edited clips, since they are not all together). The second disc features two hours of making of material that has its own distinct style. Well worth it.
Speaking of Oscar movies, Dead Fish is a quirky British comedy-thriller I won as part of the stash up for grabs in our Oscar pool (a stash I invariably refer to as the "pile of crap". As most are devoid of extras, I thought I might try to "flip" one each week. Dead Fish features Gary Oldman as a bizarre hitman whose mobile phone gets exchanged for a petty thief's played by Primeval's Andrew-Lee Potts (for no good reason playing it American). It doesn't quite work, but it's not unpleasant. The main story's misunderstandings are fun enough, and you can't tell where it's going. And while the cast of zanies has a lot going for it (throw in Billy Zane, Terence Stamp and Robert Carlyle, among others), the subplot never really connects with the rest of the story. It's part of the joke, but it's a joke that falls flat. And though it has a vivacious style, it's over-directed, with unmotivated shots and flights of fantasy that don't fit the overall picture. In the end, I've got to ask myself: Into the collection, or back on the pile of rubbish? And this one's going on the shelf.
Three Kingdoms is a massive historical Chinese novel that has given us most recently John Woo's Red Cliff, which only tells part of the story. In the film Three Kingdoms, Daniel Lee attempts to tell the whole story through the eyes of a relatively minor character. the hero who saves the baby at the start of Red Cliff and who becomes a general in the Liu army. Many details are invented to fill out his story, of course, and it stands out as one of the best Asian films I've seen lately. Much of the credit goes to Andy Lau in the lead role, though it's also got Sammo Hung and Maggie Q in strong performances. There are some masterful martial sequences, though Lee tends to give them a too-modern frenetic look sometimes. Ultimately, it's more than a martial arts picture or a war film, and stands as a meditation on accepting one's destiny. Also on the DVD are interviews with the director and three stars, which I found mostly insightful.
For a while, I've been sitting on David Tennant's last Doctor Who DVD, the animated adventure titled Dreamland, because I wasn't keen on the art style (as opposed to the wonderful Infinite Quest's). And the art IS the problem here. While Dreamland does have good aliens and ships, and strong camera work, effects and lighting, the human (and Time Lord) figures just look like average video game characters, badly interacting with their surroundings and showing far too little expression. It's like puppeteering blow-up dolls at times. The story's fun enough however, as the Doctor visits Roswell and Area 51 in the company of two 1950s friends. The pace is very quick - blink and you might miss a transition - but action-filled and fun. It comes with an extra disc containing Doctor Who Confidential's three "Greatest Moments" specials celebrating the end of the RTD era (The Doctor, The Companions, and The Enemies). These are high on clips and low on insights, and in the case of The Enemies, though we do get to see some of the actors interviewed without their monster make-ups, the voice-over narration is worse than Julie Chen on Big Brother (i.e. badly written and full of unfunny puns). The Companions is the best of the lot, but none are anything special and I'm loathe to even call them "Greatest Moments".
Music: I've been listening to Murray Gold's Doctor Who Series 5 double album soundtrack for a couple weeks now, and I'm ready to give my verdict. I was a big fan of the Series 5 music from the off, especially since it was 1) all new cues (though Gold's driving beats are recognizable his) and 2) not as over-used as they'd been in the RTD era (read: wall to wall). Without the thunder sound effects, the Doctor Who theme is actually the most listenable for me (I usually skip over the theme tune on other soundtracks, but not this one). From there, there are hills and valleys, mostly because Gold's included so many cues, especially from the finale (22 tracks just for that). The Eleventh Hour's main themes are awesome, and Vincent and the Doctor yields some beautiful pieces. Most episodes yield something good, though the suspense-filled music of The Time of Angels and The Hungry Earth break the flow of the music with discordance (skip!). As an overall listening experience, the motifs you love return to give the album a good flow. Gold's liner notes have become less and less insightful as the records have been released, and they're now down to his basic impression of each episode. Still, the music stands up, and that's what counts.
Audios: The 8th Doctor and Lucie Miller's second season ends in a two-part finale by Nicholas Briggs which I'm sad to say disappointed me. The first part, Sisters of the Flame, is unusually slow for this range, and its humor often falls flat. Though less than 50 minutes long, it still finds time to flash back into itself, and the revelation that Karn and Morbius are somehow involved is deflated by our knowing Part II's title. It certainly doesn't help that the Doctor is absent for most of the story. The one breath of fresh air is Alexander Siddig as a friendly giant centipede police detective (you read that right) even if I didn't recognize Dr. Bashir at first.
While The Vengeance of Morbius brings back the Doctor and elicits more interest because of its Time Lord connection, it sadly does away with Siddig's centipede and is the worse off for it. Oh, Briggs knows how to produce good radio plays, of course, and Vengeance is perfectly fine in that respect. But perhaps because Part I didn't rack up any sympathy points, Part II left me a little cold as well. There's a nice WTF! cliffhanger ending to propel us into the Doc8/Lucie Series 3, but this is tacked on and not really relevant to the Morbius plot.
Back to the numbered range... The Dark Husband by David Quantick is a farce featuring the 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex that though completely ridiculous, still manages to advance their personal stories. The audio starts out with fun TARDIS banter, sends the characters on a vacation to a festival, only to find two warring peoples where festivities were expected. And then the Doctor announces he's getting married. Some fun complications ensue, as well as a sense of world-building you wouldn't expect from a story with such caricatured aliens. The 7th Doctor works best when he's up to his neck in whimsy, it seems.Hyperion to a Satyr posts this week:
II.ii. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern
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