![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
The time has come, the Walrus said, to
Déjà Dead (Kathy Reichs): This was on the top of my pile of summer reading, i.e. books in genres I don't usually read but will give a go if I can borrow them for free. And since I'm not at all into reading thriller/detective/forensics/coroner stories, I can't compare this to anything except C.S.I., so it makes total sense that a forensic anthropologist shows up at crime scenes and chases down bad guys. The story takes place in Montreal, mostly in parts of it I'm at least familiar with in passing, which is always fun, just because I never really expect books to be set in Canada; even when they're written by a Canadian, I'm like, "What? This takes place in my country? Cool!" And since this is Montreal, there's bilingualism going on, which is a nice, realistic touch and the French (and its translations) are for the most part accurate -- though I really wonder, would any Montreal cop actually say "Sacrebleu"? I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that in real life. What I cannot forgive Ms. Reichs, however, is a line uttered by the mother of a victim, saying that when she got home, her daughter was "déjà mort." Notice a distinct lack of feminine agreement on that adjective? Yeah, me too. $&*!@$&(*~!!! Who the hell proofread this thing?! It's the title of the damn book! At any rate, it's a fun read and, just like an episode of C.S.I., is an amusing distraction.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (John Berendt): This was also in my summer reading pile and a fine, fine book. It's one of those books that completely immerse the reader in the atmosphere of the setting (Savannah, Georgia, in this case) and make the location just as much a character as any of the people (real people, though names have been changed) whose story is being told. I must admit, even if I hadn't liked the book, I would still have loved the title. Isn't it evocative? It's also the title of a chapter about 2/3 of the way through. And isn't that a nice suprise? Titled chapters! It's something I rarely think about, but always appreciate when it's there, that the author thought about the natural divisions in the story and gave them proper names, rather than simply slap a number on the page right after a cliffhanger.
Battlestar Galactica: I'm talking about the original, baby! Yes, the one with all those wonderfully cheesy 70s costumes and haircuts. And when I say "wonderfully cheesy", I mean "Dear god, did people actually take themselves seriously looking like that?!" The outfits I can excuse (sort of), but not the hair.
I thought at first to do a compare-and-contrast review, pitting the original against the newer incarnation of Battlestar Galactica but I guess I'm too lazy for that right now. Instead, I'll settle for a list of highlights. I mean, what's not to love about a show featuring:
- A child named Boxey (as annoying as any child actor I've ever seen, with perhaps the exception of Anakin) and another child named, unless my ears deceive me, Buppus;
- A father who named his children Apollo, Athena and... Zack. Because, as we all know, Zack was the Greek god of something important, I'm sure*;
- A mechanical dog -- sorry, a daggit -- who is almost as annoying as Boxy;
- Several example of great parenting, including but not limited to letting a child wander around at night, unsupervised, on an unexplored planet;
- Cylons who are all robot, all the time. But for some reason, the production team didn't see fit to make sure the actors beneath the suits were at least of similar height, which results in two Cylon guards trying to walk in step when one is a head taller than the other;
- Super-advanced techonology like monochrome screens, dinky microphones and Egyptian-inspired helmets;
- Women who can pilot! Only as long as the men are in sick-bay, of course -- I'm surprised they didn't just go ahead and call them Pink Squadron;
- A whole fleet of people who keep repeating that they are the only human beings left, despite the fact that they constantly come across planets with human settlers;
- A multi-racial cast, if by mullti-racial you mean "includes two black men with speaking parts, a South Asian girl who utters one line, a couple of East Asians in the background and one vaguely Latino-looking extra";
- A planet of drunkards with Irish accents (subtle!);
- An evil overlord who wears a cape and sits on a raised chair in a huge, empty, darkened room, backlit as he grins and cackles to himself about the brilliance of his latest plans.
I suppose that from a historical perspective, it was a very good show for its time, but it seems very dated, especially compared to the remake. The moral issues, indeed all the issues raised, aren't given any real depth, since the show plays more as an adventure/comedy with some tragic moments. The whole premise of the story, that humanity has all but been destroyed, doesn't seem to make that much of an impact of the characters after the first few episodes. Oh sure, there are the occasional teary-eyed moments of remembrance, but they're few and far between.
* Was this a thing, in the 70s, to have a naming theme for your children but leaving one out in the cold? Because I know of a family, whose children were born in the late 60s to early 70s, who named their five kids things like Rainbow and Freedom, except for one boy whose name is something totally ordinary, like Wayne. He's neither the only son, nor the eldest or youngest child, so I can only imagine he was named after someone. Or at least I hope that's the reason. Unless he changed his own name?
Veronica Mars (season 1): I liked this quite a bit, though it took a couple of episodes for the actors to settle into their characters. The suspense was nicely drawn-out, I thought, only I really hope the "he was hiding in the back seat!" ending was meant as a parody of the genre, because it seemed much too silly to be taken any other way. One thing that surprised me is that there was nothing more than friendship between Veronica and Wallace; at the very least, I was expecting him to try to hit on her a bit. Although it must be said about Veronica's taste in guys -- Duncan? *falls asleep* Does he even have a personality? Logan managed to mostly redeem himself, much thanks to the actor's charisma. There's something compelling about his face, though I can't say I find his features very interesting. I have to next two seasons at my disposal, though I've heard they're not as good as the first, but I'm looking forward to more snark. :)
The Thin Man: I watched all 6 of the movies, only to again have my opinions confirmed, that hair and clothes were better in the 30s than in the 50s. The movies are amusing fluff, though a bit more challenging to watch than modern fluff, given that there's no colour to differentiate those men in suits. Obviously, I haven't been watching enough black and white films!
De-Lovely and Stage Beauty: Two re-watches of costume movies I really like. I want those dresses!
Déjà Dead (Kathy Reichs): This was on the top of my pile of summer reading, i.e. books in genres I don't usually read but will give a go if I can borrow them for free. And since I'm not at all into reading thriller/detective/forensics/coroner stories, I can't compare this to anything except C.S.I., so it makes total sense that a forensic anthropologist shows up at crime scenes and chases down bad guys. The story takes place in Montreal, mostly in parts of it I'm at least familiar with in passing, which is always fun, just because I never really expect books to be set in Canada; even when they're written by a Canadian, I'm like, "What? This takes place in my country? Cool!" And since this is Montreal, there's bilingualism going on, which is a nice, realistic touch and the French (and its translations) are for the most part accurate -- though I really wonder, would any Montreal cop actually say "Sacrebleu"? I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that in real life. What I cannot forgive Ms. Reichs, however, is a line uttered by the mother of a victim, saying that when she got home, her daughter was "déjà mort." Notice a distinct lack of feminine agreement on that adjective? Yeah, me too. $&*!@$&(*~!!! Who the hell proofread this thing?! It's the title of the damn book! At any rate, it's a fun read and, just like an episode of C.S.I., is an amusing distraction.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (John Berendt): This was also in my summer reading pile and a fine, fine book. It's one of those books that completely immerse the reader in the atmosphere of the setting (Savannah, Georgia, in this case) and make the location just as much a character as any of the people (real people, though names have been changed) whose story is being told. I must admit, even if I hadn't liked the book, I would still have loved the title. Isn't it evocative? It's also the title of a chapter about 2/3 of the way through. And isn't that a nice suprise? Titled chapters! It's something I rarely think about, but always appreciate when it's there, that the author thought about the natural divisions in the story and gave them proper names, rather than simply slap a number on the page right after a cliffhanger.
Battlestar Galactica: I'm talking about the original, baby! Yes, the one with all those wonderfully cheesy 70s costumes and haircuts. And when I say "wonderfully cheesy", I mean "Dear god, did people actually take themselves seriously looking like that?!" The outfits I can excuse (sort of), but not the hair.
I thought at first to do a compare-and-contrast review, pitting the original against the newer incarnation of Battlestar Galactica but I guess I'm too lazy for that right now. Instead, I'll settle for a list of highlights. I mean, what's not to love about a show featuring:
- A child named Boxey (as annoying as any child actor I've ever seen, with perhaps the exception of Anakin) and another child named, unless my ears deceive me, Buppus;
- A father who named his children Apollo, Athena and... Zack. Because, as we all know, Zack was the Greek god of something important, I'm sure*;
- A mechanical dog -- sorry, a daggit -- who is almost as annoying as Boxy;
- Several example of great parenting, including but not limited to letting a child wander around at night, unsupervised, on an unexplored planet;
- Cylons who are all robot, all the time. But for some reason, the production team didn't see fit to make sure the actors beneath the suits were at least of similar height, which results in two Cylon guards trying to walk in step when one is a head taller than the other;
- Super-advanced techonology like monochrome screens, dinky microphones and Egyptian-inspired helmets;
- Women who can pilot! Only as long as the men are in sick-bay, of course -- I'm surprised they didn't just go ahead and call them Pink Squadron;
- A whole fleet of people who keep repeating that they are the only human beings left, despite the fact that they constantly come across planets with human settlers;
- A multi-racial cast, if by mullti-racial you mean "includes two black men with speaking parts, a South Asian girl who utters one line, a couple of East Asians in the background and one vaguely Latino-looking extra";
- A planet of drunkards with Irish accents (subtle!);
- An evil overlord who wears a cape and sits on a raised chair in a huge, empty, darkened room, backlit as he grins and cackles to himself about the brilliance of his latest plans.
I suppose that from a historical perspective, it was a very good show for its time, but it seems very dated, especially compared to the remake. The moral issues, indeed all the issues raised, aren't given any real depth, since the show plays more as an adventure/comedy with some tragic moments. The whole premise of the story, that humanity has all but been destroyed, doesn't seem to make that much of an impact of the characters after the first few episodes. Oh sure, there are the occasional teary-eyed moments of remembrance, but they're few and far between.
* Was this a thing, in the 70s, to have a naming theme for your children but leaving one out in the cold? Because I know of a family, whose children were born in the late 60s to early 70s, who named their five kids things like Rainbow and Freedom, except for one boy whose name is something totally ordinary, like Wayne. He's neither the only son, nor the eldest or youngest child, so I can only imagine he was named after someone. Or at least I hope that's the reason. Unless he changed his own name?
Veronica Mars (season 1): I liked this quite a bit, though it took a couple of episodes for the actors to settle into their characters. The suspense was nicely drawn-out, I thought, only I really hope the "he was hiding in the back seat!" ending was meant as a parody of the genre, because it seemed much too silly to be taken any other way. One thing that surprised me is that there was nothing more than friendship between Veronica and Wallace; at the very least, I was expecting him to try to hit on her a bit. Although it must be said about Veronica's taste in guys -- Duncan? *falls asleep* Does he even have a personality? Logan managed to mostly redeem himself, much thanks to the actor's charisma. There's something compelling about his face, though I can't say I find his features very interesting. I have to next two seasons at my disposal, though I've heard they're not as good as the first, but I'm looking forward to more snark. :)
The Thin Man: I watched all 6 of the movies, only to again have my opinions confirmed, that hair and clothes were better in the 30s than in the 50s. The movies are amusing fluff, though a bit more challenging to watch than modern fluff, given that there's no colour to differentiate those men in suits. Obviously, I haven't been watching enough black and white films!
De-Lovely and Stage Beauty: Two re-watches of costume movies I really like. I want those dresses!