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I watched some films
Oct. 9th, 2011 07:46 pmUnusual for me, as I watch a great deal of TV but very few movies.
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bcholmes and I went to see 1911 at the Bell Lightbox. I've never been there before, so going was in itself an exciting experience. It's like a movie theatre built for people to actually watch movies in (as opposed to a movie theatre to eat popcorn in). Anyway, it's a cool space.
The film itself featured aesthetically stunning costumes and battle scenes. Alas, the plot was mainly conveyed through title cards, shots of people looking soulfully into the distance, and stirring speeches about the importance of revolution. If you know little about Chinese history—and I know shamefully little about Chinese history before the 1940s—you will be a bit lost. I enjoyed watching Jackie Chan play very much against type, but I enjoyed even more the one scene where he does what he's famous for (slide down a pipe and punch bad guys). The Chinese actors were by and large quite good; I don't know where they got their Western actors from, but they were godawful. Incidentally, if you have a fetish for Edwardian/Qing Dynasty-era clothing (*raises hand sheepishly*) you will be pleased by the level of pretty.
Then I went home, cooked some chipotle pasta, and watched the original German production of The Black Rider. Go on, click that link. You have a big hole in your life that you didn't even know was there, and you need to fill it with nightmare fuel German Expressionists performing a musical that's a collaboration between Tom Waits and William S. Burroughs. You can thank me for it in 136 minutes. There aren't subtitles, but the singing bits are in English and the plot is rather simple (spoiler: deals with the Devil always go badly), so you won't miss very much by not speaking German.
TV-wise, for those of you who are interested: I really enjoyed the series finale of Doctor Who. After a weak season, the last few episodes picked up, and the finale, while it had a few flaws, mostly rocked. Hopefully the Moff will get his act together now; I've been largely disappointed in his run, considering he was the best writer when Rusty was running the show.
As of now, my telly addictions are Fringe (still amazing), Community (hit and miss despite a strong opening; the comedy's gotten broad and loud again, which irritates me), and, inexplicably, Lost Girl. My Lost Girl addiction probably requires its own post.
Tomorrow I have an entire day off to Do All the Things. And no, I don't celebrate Thanksgiving. But enjoy yours if you're into that kind of thing.
bcholmes and I went to see 1911 at the Bell Lightbox. I've never been there before, so going was in itself an exciting experience. It's like a movie theatre built for people to actually watch movies in (as opposed to a movie theatre to eat popcorn in). Anyway, it's a cool space.The film itself featured aesthetically stunning costumes and battle scenes. Alas, the plot was mainly conveyed through title cards, shots of people looking soulfully into the distance, and stirring speeches about the importance of revolution. If you know little about Chinese history—and I know shamefully little about Chinese history before the 1940s—you will be a bit lost. I enjoyed watching Jackie Chan play very much against type, but I enjoyed even more the one scene where he does what he's famous for (slide down a pipe and punch bad guys). The Chinese actors were by and large quite good; I don't know where they got their Western actors from, but they were godawful. Incidentally, if you have a fetish for Edwardian/Qing Dynasty-era clothing (*raises hand sheepishly*) you will be pleased by the level of pretty.
Then I went home, cooked some chipotle pasta, and watched the original German production of The Black Rider. Go on, click that link. You have a big hole in your life that you didn't even know was there, and you need to fill it with nightmare fuel German Expressionists performing a musical that's a collaboration between Tom Waits and William S. Burroughs. You can thank me for it in 136 minutes. There aren't subtitles, but the singing bits are in English and the plot is rather simple (spoiler: deals with the Devil always go badly), so you won't miss very much by not speaking German.
TV-wise, for those of you who are interested: I really enjoyed the series finale of Doctor Who. After a weak season, the last few episodes picked up, and the finale, while it had a few flaws, mostly rocked. Hopefully the Moff will get his act together now; I've been largely disappointed in his run, considering he was the best writer when Rusty was running the show.
As of now, my telly addictions are Fringe (still amazing), Community (hit and miss despite a strong opening; the comedy's gotten broad and loud again, which irritates me), and, inexplicably, Lost Girl. My Lost Girl addiction probably requires its own post.
Tomorrow I have an entire day off to Do All the Things. And no, I don't celebrate Thanksgiving. But enjoy yours if you're into that kind of thing.
