(no subject)
Dec. 29th, 2003 03:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rusty_halo- Re-read Stephen King's The Drawing of the Three, the second in the Dark Tower series. I'm actually not a big King fan, but I adore the Dark Tower series. (And the more I learn about writing, the more I appreciate King's ability, even though I'm often bored by his subject matter.) So anyway, I just read Wolves of the Calla, book 5, which was neat, although I kind of got the feeling that it was written out of obligation rather than interest. (Plus the characterization--or lack thereof--for the pivotal character Susannah is really a glaring flaw in that book in particular.) I also had re-read The Gunslinger, the first in the series, this summer, since King released a new, slightly rewritten version. And then I recently found a guide to the series in the bookstore and read that, and it gave me some things to think about, so I decided to re-read the series, starting with book 2 since I'd just read book 1. I enjoyed The Drawing of the Three, again, and I think it makes a much better introduction to the series than the first book, actually. The first is so hard to get into when you don't care about or understand the characters; it only became interesting to me once I'd read Roland's backstory in book 4, Wizard and Glass. But The Drawing of the Three takes place mostly in "our" world, so it's a lot more accessible, and it introduces new characters. (I'm particularly enamored with Eddie Dean, one of my many fictional crushes.) So yeah, that was fun. Next up, The Waste Lands, but first I have to catch up with LJ and fanfiction and school, so I might end up saving it for this summer, when school is finally over.
- Watched The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and A Fistful of Dollars while cleaning my room. I got to thinking about them since they partly inspired the Dark Tower series. Plus I bought The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on DVD a while ago and hadn't gotten around to watching it yet. That's definitely a film that must be seen in widescreen--it's so gorgeous, definitely one of my favorites, from a purely film-school perspective. (That's another thing I realized recently--I've taken enough classes in the Tisch School of the Arts' Cinema Studies program that, if I were in the College of Arts and Sciences, I'd qualify for a minor in Cinema Studies. Alas, Gallatin, the school I'm in, only gives degrees in "Individualized Study," but still, that struck me as really cool.) Plus, young Clint Eastwood is so hot. Yet another fictional crush.
- Watched Gone with the Wind, also while room-cleaning/organizing. Yet another beautiful film, definitely worth appreciating on a technical level at least. The subject matter is so politically incorrect it's, like, too much for me to even worry about analyzing, so I just sat back and enjoyed the good parts.
- Put in Nirvana's In Utero to test my old tape player, and ended up sitting there listening to the whole record in awe. That's one of the best, ever. I know it inside out and must've listened to it thousands of times, but it's been years, and I'm glad I rediscovered it.
-Sorted through old videotapes and found numerous treasures, including old episodes of the syndicated Jon Stewart Show, every Methos episode of Highlander, every episode of The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr (now that was a great show), and just about every music video I've enjoyed, ever. Should be fun stuff to watch when I get some time.
What I didn't do was anything online, including reading fanfic and updating my site. So I'm going to work on that now. Or, um, since it's 3:45am, maybe tomorrow.
- Watched The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and A Fistful of Dollars while cleaning my room. I got to thinking about them since they partly inspired the Dark Tower series. Plus I bought The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on DVD a while ago and hadn't gotten around to watching it yet. That's definitely a film that must be seen in widescreen--it's so gorgeous, definitely one of my favorites, from a purely film-school perspective. (That's another thing I realized recently--I've taken enough classes in the Tisch School of the Arts' Cinema Studies program that, if I were in the College of Arts and Sciences, I'd qualify for a minor in Cinema Studies. Alas, Gallatin, the school I'm in, only gives degrees in "Individualized Study," but still, that struck me as really cool.) Plus, young Clint Eastwood is so hot. Yet another fictional crush.
- Watched Gone with the Wind, also while room-cleaning/organizing. Yet another beautiful film, definitely worth appreciating on a technical level at least. The subject matter is so politically incorrect it's, like, too much for me to even worry about analyzing, so I just sat back and enjoyed the good parts.
- Put in Nirvana's In Utero to test my old tape player, and ended up sitting there listening to the whole record in awe. That's one of the best, ever. I know it inside out and must've listened to it thousands of times, but it's been years, and I'm glad I rediscovered it.
-Sorted through old videotapes and found numerous treasures, including old episodes of the syndicated Jon Stewart Show, every Methos episode of Highlander, every episode of The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr (now that was a great show), and just about every music video I've enjoyed, ever. Should be fun stuff to watch when I get some time.
What I didn't do was anything online, including reading fanfic and updating my site. So I'm going to work on that now. Or, um, since it's 3:45am, maybe tomorrow.
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(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-29 11:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-02 06:14 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-29 04:28 pm (UTC)I had GWTW on the TV while I dozed yesterday because of this damn cold and woke up enough to enjoy various parts. For me, its always been the big honkin' cherry on top of the incredible year that was 1939 in Hollywood; so many damn good films under a system that for better or worse we'll never see again. Sure it's politically incorrect, but it's also great fun. As you said, just watch and don't analyze.
I will also confess to a personal connection as Butterfly McQueen (who played Prissy) was our artist-in-residence at my high school for a semester. She was a wonderful lady, far more talented than you ever saw on the screen and although she was somewhat larger than she was in 1939, the Titania she played for us was lighter than air.
The Adventurs of Briscoe County, Jr. -- now there's a show I'd buy if they ever put it out on DVD.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-02 06:17 am (UTC)I think part of being a cinema studies student is developing an interest and appreciation for older films. I used to have no use for them, so I'm glad that I can appreciate them now.
Man, they so need to release "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." on DVD. I've got the videotapes, but they're all disorganized and edited for syndication. I loved that show so much--I remember back when X-Files was just "that show on after 'Brisco'"!
Wow
Date: 2003-12-29 08:34 pm (UTC)It's good to get a break from the whole online thing once in a while, isn't it? For the plugged people like us - it's actually a good thing to breath and actually laugh out loud instead of LOL.
You go girl!
Re: Wow
Date: 2004-01-02 06:18 am (UTC)That's exactly what it is! Like a vacation from the internet. It was definitely a relief not to worry about checking my email and friends list every 5 minutes.