rusty_halo

I’m pretty sure that Matt Bomer is the most attractive man on television. White Collar season two starts in less than two weeks! There are ads all over the subway–it feels like they decorated just for me.

Here is a fic in which John Crichton attempts to explain the plot of Hamlet to the crew of Moya. It’s got perfect character voices and is awesome.

I’m currently listening to Blind Spot by pdragon76, read by twasadark. There is so much fantastic well-written hurt/comfort gen in SPN fandom. ♥♥♥

This review of Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the funniest things I’ve read in a while:

Another one of the ways in which this movie pokes fun at the very idea of epic fantasy: the endless confusing voice-over, in which tons of important story developments happen off-camera while we’re looking at a picture of a tree or a CG mountain. Because why do we privilege the story of the hero’s progress over the tree?, Shaymalan asks. Why does the original Star Wars insist on showing us Luke Skywalker training with a lightsaber, instead of telling us that Luke Skywalker trained with a lightsaber while showing us a tracking shot of some rocks? Why pretend that one thing is more important than the other thing? Why pretend that any of it has any meaning? As a wise man once wrote, “A menu is as good as a myth.”

Also, if the original Star Wars had given us a tracking shot of rocks, with a voiceover explaining that Luke was learning to use a lightsaber someplace else, it would have freed up more screen time for Luke to stand around shouting, “JAWAS! THERE IS SAND UNDER YOUR FEET!”

Did you read that zombie AU recap of the neverending tennis match over at the Guardian? That was hilarious, too.

Originally published at rusty-halo.com. You can comment here or there.

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An act of anti-sanity: staying up until 3am on a work night, watching The Man Who Fell to Earth. For the second time.

*feels out of it and is going to bed early tonight*

It was better on rewatch, but even more depressing. I just wanted to curl up and cry at the end. Plus jaydk and I got drunk beforehand and watched the first two Death Note movies. Kind of a dark-themed night!

Watching The Man Who Fell to Earth while drunk is extra-weird because it’s largely a movie about alcoholism. That’s not the theme that intrigues me–more just the way it captures social isolation and the inability to communicate. The way you can want so desperately to connect with another person and it still doesn’t work–that love isn’t enough.

*gets depressed again*

Meanwhile I’m trying Low. I’m kind of sad because I feel like I can’t viscerally appreciate the full impact of this music, just because it was so groundbreaking at the time. Whereas I was raised on stuff like The Downward Spiral and just take the industrial / electronic / ambient thing for granted.

Still, nothing can take away from the fact that this is really good. Although not as dark as I was led to believe–but then, see: raised on The Downward Spiral.

Maybe Bowie’s just dark in a more subtle way than Reznor. I can barely listen to NIN anymore because Reznor’s lyrics hit my embarrassment squick so badly. I like to think he just pulls them verbatim from the diary he kept at age 16; the possibility that he’s writing them fresh as an adult is almost too horrible to contemplate.

Although actually, this reminds me even more of PIG (whose lyrics thankfully are not embarrassing), particularly of the instrumentals on Sinsation.

Anyway, Low. Is nifty, and I will listen to it more.

Also I am throughly absorbed in this David Bowie encyclopedia. It’s great–it’s entirely about Bowie’s creative output and skips the trashy bio stuff unless it’s directly relevant to the art. It’s divided into different sections–an entry on every single song, album, music video, film role, etc. The guy writing it seems to have a good head on his shoulders–he explains the history of each song, describes the creative contributions of everyone involved, points out the allusions and references, peppers his commentary with direct quotes as much as possible and explains his speculations with evidence, and includes both a historical overview of each piece in addition to quotes from the major reviews of the time.

It’s really fascinating both as a look at Bowie and at one sliver of the world of the 1970s, which is this whole other intriguing thing for me–this is the first time I’ve been a major fan of someone working in a era I didn’t live through, so it’s almost a study of the time as much as it is of him. It really hits you how much artists are influenced by the time and place they work in. I suppose the closest I’ve come before is my Sergio Leone obsession, which led to this whole interest in post-war European perspectives on America (which is also an aspect of Bowie’s work… and of Raymond Watts’… I wonder why I keep being drawn to that).

Sorry, babbling.

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I’ve been hibernating. Or, avoiding the internet, anyway. Moving servers turned out to be a huge pain in the ass and it still seems like a total crapshoot as to whether my websites will actually work on any given day. Kind of pointless to post an entry when I’m not sure if anyone will be able to see it or respond. I’m pissed at the server company, but sick of wasting time dealing with it.

So, here’s a post, which may or may not work. :P

A summary of my life in media over the past two weeks:

* I saw Twilight. My god. That’s two hours of my life I’ll never get back.

( spoilers for Twilight )

* I'm thinking about seeing Milk. It looks really good and historically interesting, but Sean Penn's gigantic hulking ego makes me cringe. I'm not sure I can take it.

* I'm thinking about seeing Valkyrie. It looks historically interesting and I'm very fond of Bryan Singer (X2 is still my favorite superhero movie ever, with Iron Man a close second), but Tom Cruise's ego and presumptuousness offend me even more than Sean Penn's.

* I went to see the Cruxshadows on Thanksgiving Eve. I got there at 11:45pm and they didn't go on for another hour. Damn Pyramid Club. Luckily my new phone has internet so I read marzipan until they came on.

The Cruxshadows may be ridiculously cheesy and overly sincere, but they sure put on a hell of a show. I was crying at the end. How often do you see a band playing to a packed crowd who invites their fans onstage at the end and stays up there afterward hugging every single person who wants a hug?

* I started listening to a bunch of old David Bowie albums while I was cooking for Thanksgiving, and, oh my god, you guys, why didn't anyone tell me that David Bowie used to be this awesome??? I've had The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars on repeat all weekend. I mean, I was vaguely aware that Bowie had once been good, but all I knew was the guy with the bulge from Labyrinth and the skinny old guy who toured with NIN in the 90s. I didn't realize he'd done something this passionate and creative and amazing. I can't even articulate my response; I just want to listen to it again and again.

Although, one of the really interesting things is to pick out all the Bowie influences on the bands I grew up listening to. I can see Nirvana, and Alice in Chains, and, dude, Marilyn Manson should be paying this guy royalties. And it's fascinating how it seems to straddle this boundary between 60s and 70s music and culture, idealism and disillusionment...

Anyway. Must listen more.

* I re-read The Disorderly Knights, the third book in Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. I think it's my second favorite, after the first, A Game of Kings.

( spoilers for The Lymond Chronicles )

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* They found the lost scenes from Metropolis! I cannot wait to see this in the theater. The entire film! *squee*

* Biologist totally pwns creationist. Awesome.

* I’ve been listening non-stop to PJ Harvey, Portishead, Hole, Jack Off Jill, Tapping the Vein, Juliette and the Licks, Garbage… pretty much anything edgy with a female vocalist. PJ Harvey’s early stuff is so raw and amazing, and Portishead Live at Roseland is the best live CD I’ve ever heard. (I bought their new one but um, switched back to Live at Roseland after about two listens.)

* I just checked fandom_wank and, wow, I knew there was a reason I’d taken doctorwho and ihasatardis off my flist. Sheesh. And this is just the lead-up; god only knows what wankstorm the finale will unleash.

* I’ve been so absurdly busy this week that I still haven’t had a chance to re-watch “The Stolen Earth.” I’ve seen it once, in two parts with ten hours in between, while exhausted and drunk off my ass, and with a friend screaming in my ear every two minutes. I think I might skip Coney Island tomorrow and stay home to watch Doctor Who again. Yes, I know, I’m weird. But I haven’t had a day to myself since last Friday, and I need to recharge before my Doctor Who finale party on Saturday. (I have friends coming after all! Woohoo!) And I need to make more cupcakes… I’m thinking Rum Raisin and another batch of Banana Split….

* This day in LJ history:

    * 2007: I was listening to the new Velvet Revolver album and getting excited for the upcoming Velvet Revolver/Alice in Chains tour.
    * 2006: I was (BIG SURPRISE!) bitching about an evil roommate who wouldn’t pay her rent and was mean to my cat. And I was excited to see Chemlab in DC the next day.
    * 2005: I was in the grip of a horrible, horrible crush. This is about the time I developed my aversion to tequila. The less said, the better.
    * 2004: I was going to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in IMAX over and over and over, squeeing about Remus and Sirius, re-reading the Harry Potter books, and looking forward to Writercon 2004.
    * 2003: I was trapped on the cheap crappy crumbling CRUISE OF DOOM with my parents and brother, resolving never to vacation with my family ever again and desperately missing my Spike website. On the plus side, I was reading A Song of Ice and Fire for the very first time.

Originally published at rusty-halo.com. Please click here to comment.

There were only two quotes from the movie meme that no one got. And they couldn't be from more opposite movies.

I've seen people posting second quotes as hints, so let's try that.

3. Original quote: I've been going to this high school for seven and a half years. I'm no dummy.

New quote: Actually, an exchange of dialogue...

Character 1: He keeps putting his testicles all over me.
Character 2: Excuse me?
Character 1: You know, like octopus? Testicles?
Character 2: Ohhhh. Tentacles. N-T. Big Difference.

17. This is one of the most quotable movies ever, so either my FL is woefully uneducated about film history, or I erred by picking the most obscure quote possible.

Original quote: You'd be killing yourself to an empty house. The audience left twenty years ago.

New quote: I am big. It's the pictures that got small.

Anyone?

ETA: They're Better Off Dead (guessed by writteninstars, harmonyfb, and kellyhk) and Sunset Boulevard (guessed by sp23 and harmonyfb). Thanks, guys!

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

I went to see Chris Cornell last night. It turned out to be one of the most amazing shows I've ever seen.

I'm a huge Soundgarden fan--I grew up with "Badmotorfinger" and "Superunknown"--but I figured he'd be playing solo stuff and Audioslave stuff and maybe grace us with one of two Soundgarden songs. But...

He opened with "Let Me Drown" (from "Superunknown") and followed it up with "Outshined" (from "Badmotorfinger") so I was ecstatic and knew that it was going to be a great show.

( the (INCREDIBLE) setlist )

Four from "Badmotorfinger"! Three from "Superunknown" (including "Let Me Drown" which wasn't a big hit and I'd never have expected to hear live)! Two from "Down on the Upside"! And "Say Hello to Heaven," which is from "Temple of the Dog"!! I cried through the whole song.

His voice was absolutely astounding and he was in such great spirits. He kept joking with the audience and laughing and telling stories about the songs. Then he brought out his two young children and kept them onstage with him for an entire song. It was adorable and so sweet. I've been a fan of his for um... 13 years! ... so it was wonderful to see him so happy. And it translated into an amazing performance and the whole room was just filled with the most incredible energy.

At the end, it was so cool to walk out of the venue and find myself surrounded by people in Soundgarden and Pearl Jam t-shirts. It was like traveling back in time. That was my era! (Yes, I know I was 12, but it was still my era. I love that music the way you can only love something that you fall for as a child and grow up being shaped by.)

There are some great photos down in this forum thread.

Unfortunately I missed the opening band, which was Juliette and the Licks. I arrived late and didn't realize that it was Juliette Lewis! But I did get to meet her and got her CD signed by her. I loved her singing in the movie "Strange Days" (one of my all time favorites) and she's been in a bunch of other movies I've liked as well ("From Dusk Till Dawn," "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"). So I'll definitely have to catch her on tour next time....

Oh yeah, and in other good news: the reports coming back from San Diego Comic Con sound amazing. I'm so excited about Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man.

And the "Indiana Jones 4" panel sounded awesome. They're bringing back Marion! I loved Karen Allen in that role and I never thought they'd have the guts to bring her back.

Oh yeah, and I finally saw "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" in IMAX 3D. It was so cool--it felt like you were IN the Department of Mysteries during the final scene. And I love how IMAX lets you see every little detail. I want to go again! (And again and again...)

I realized that I hadn't posted about the movie at all (I saw it the first time a while ago, on opening night). I like it a lot. It's still not as good at the third one, but it's far better than the others. It felt true to the characters and story. And, though I'm annoyed with a few little cuts (Lily in the flashback; Snape, Sirius, and Remus interacting) I'm impressed with how much of the plot they managed to keep. The story flowed well and Daniel Radfcliffe is turning into quite an actor. I loved Luna and Bellatrix and Umbridge; they did an amazing job with the casting. And Jason Isaacs continues to kick ass as Lucius; I'm glad he was so prominent in this one. (I don't even need to say how awesome Gary Oldman and Alan Rickman are, do I?) The only one I continue to dislike is Michael Gambon, who captures Dumbledore's ruthlessness and but totally misses his sense of whimsy. Minor quibbles.

Anyway, yes. Must see it again....