"Accomplishments"
DVDs: Flipped Angel Season 2 this week, and I must say the series it hitting its stride quite quickly. It's no surprise, seeing as the team actually has 5 seasons behind them if you count Buffy. The main draw this season is the Darla arc, allowing the epic contemporary soap opera to get increased texture from flashbacks to Angel's past. The regulars - now including the entertaining Gunn - continue to shine, Cordelia especially, and Angel hits rock bottom just in time to bounce back for a closing arc that adds Amy Acker to the cast (in an offbeat trio of episodes that admittedly fit uneasily in the show's format). The extras include commentaries on a couple of episodes, featurettes on the season, the make-up, sets and stunts, and if you're into that sort of thing, a couple of key scripts.
Executioners from Shaolin, the film that made director Lau Kar-Leung famous features Pai Mei (played by Lo Lieh), the villain made famous again in Kill Bill (as played by Gordon Liu, who also features in Executioners), squaring off against three generations of martial arts masters (beard strokes 1, beard flips 0, diabolical laughter 1) and despite being a revenge story, it's a pretty effective and wicked comedy too. I have never seen so much Crotch Fu in my life! Not only does the film contain a scene in which a new husband must defeat his new wife's virginity by finding a way to separate her Crotch Fu-enabled legs (a scene suggestive, but not at all dirty... and sure to slot into my list of "Things I can't believe I've seen"), but Pai Mei dispatches a number of dudes using his iron crotch powers! The best thing about it is the accompanying sound effect. Angels sigh when Pai Mei crotches you to death (proof on You-Tube, near the 2:20 mark). So another very enjoyable release from Dragon Dynasty, sadly with no extras attached.
Hyperion to a Satyr posts this week:
III.i. To Be or Not to Be
DVDs: Flipped Angel Season 2 this week, and I must say the series it hitting its stride quite quickly. It's no surprise, seeing as the team actually has 5 seasons behind them if you count Buffy. The main draw this season is the Darla arc, allowing the epic contemporary soap opera to get increased texture from flashbacks to Angel's past. The regulars - now including the entertaining Gunn - continue to shine, Cordelia especially, and Angel hits rock bottom just in time to bounce back for a closing arc that adds Amy Acker to the cast (in an offbeat trio of episodes that admittedly fit uneasily in the show's format). The extras include commentaries on a couple of episodes, featurettes on the season, the make-up, sets and stunts, and if you're into that sort of thing, a couple of key scripts.
Executioners from Shaolin, the film that made director Lau Kar-Leung famous features Pai Mei (played by Lo Lieh), the villain made famous again in Kill Bill (as played by Gordon Liu, who also features in Executioners), squaring off against three generations of martial arts masters (beard strokes 1, beard flips 0, diabolical laughter 1) and despite being a revenge story, it's a pretty effective and wicked comedy too. I have never seen so much Crotch Fu in my life! Not only does the film contain a scene in which a new husband must defeat his new wife's virginity by finding a way to separate her Crotch Fu-enabled legs (a scene suggestive, but not at all dirty... and sure to slot into my list of "Things I can't believe I've seen"), but Pai Mei dispatches a number of dudes using his iron crotch powers! The best thing about it is the accompanying sound effect. Angels sigh when Pai Mei crotches you to death (proof on You-Tube, near the 2:20 mark). So another very enjoyable release from Dragon Dynasty, sadly with no extras attached.
Hyperion to a Satyr posts this week:
III.i. To Be or Not to Be
Comments
In addition to the great "Angel bottoming out" arc, I also love the continued evolution of Wesley throughout this season.
My Whedon is all in reverse!