(no subject)

[skygiants]

Things I have seen recently (for a given value of 'recently'):

- An Education, which I went to see with my mother and cousin because all of my suggestions ("WE COULD GO SEE NEW MOON IT WOULD BE HILARIOUS!" "NO!") were brutally and inexplicably rebuffed. (Me: "Well, we can go see it if you want, although it would not be my top choice of film." Mom: "What are you saying, it is exactly your kind of thing!" Me: "Are you just saying that because it has lots of British actors in it?" Mom: ". . . maybe.") It is about a precocious 1960's schoolgirl who has a glamourous but ill-advised affair with an older man and was about exactly what you would expect from that summary, though the Who's Who of British actors parading through it was indeed pretty entertaining, and the costumes were often gorgeous.

- The Thin Man, which I had seen before but which you can never watch too many times. Nick and Nora Charles will both be dead of alcohol poisoning before they are forty, but up until then they are clearly having an awesome time, so to each their own, I guess!

- The Big Sleep, the film which might reasonably be subtitled William Faulkner Doesn't Care About The Plot But Thinks Bogey And Bacall Are Really Hot, Part II. (Part I is of course To Have and To Have Not.) I have never much seen the appeal of RPF, but as I watched this film I suddenly found myself wondering whether anyone had requested Bogie/Bacall fic for Yuletide, and then I had to go hide myself in shame for a while.

- the first half of Samurai Champloo, which I am enjoying a lot! I like the characters and their dynamic and the totally deliberate anachronisms and the fact that whenever the writers are required to make an executive story decision they automatically vote FOR THE LULZ ("How can we make this samurai more ridiculous?" "well, we could make him a rapper with a beatboxing minion . . ." ". . . AWESOME") and the fact that I can accurately refer to episodes as "the one with Van Gogh and the porn" and "the one where everybody gets stoned."

- the latest episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist. I think my favorite character allegiance has switched from Izumi to Riza - not that I don't still love Izumi A LOT, but there's not much that's more badass than engineering a takeover of the country so that you can get rid of the oppressive military dictatorship, in the FULL KNOWLEDGE AND EXPECTATION that as part of instituting the justice system you want, you and your best friends will all be tried and punished for war crimes. SO BADASS.

Things I have not seen recently:

- any episodes of American TV at all ever, including those that I am in theory following.

Comments

[gramarye1971]

Samurai Champloo is one of those shows where the overarching plot is not nearly as enjoyable as the random episodes, at least to me. But I liked it overall, and didn't even mind the weird time-based anachronisms that seem to set it anywhere from the 1660s to right before the Meiji period. One of the best random episodes is right before the end, and I won't say anything about it because it'll spoil the hilarity...but you'll know which one I mean when you see it.

(Plus, I may have a bit of a thing for Jin.)

[aberration]

Damn it, I would see New Moon with you! I need someone else for the "but it would be hilarious!" viewing. I did see An Education though, and yeah... it was that. I thought the plot just kind of got to a point where it didn't seem to know what it wanted to do with itself anymore after a while. Or maybe I am just tired of learning about how men are going to have sex with me and then steal stuff :P

[sophistry]

I second everything in this comment.

(Especially in re. Jin. HIS GLASSES. Becca have you got to the bit about his glasses. Or dude-looks-like-a-lady. Or - oh, too many to count, tbqh. Oh Jin. *___*)

[skygiants]

Yeah - usually I tend to prefer shows that are packed full of plot and continuity, but Samurai Champloo's random episodes work really well (though it will probably never be as much a part of my heart as the shows that are super-continuityful either.) And dude, I could not even begin to tell you when it is set. I have a feeling that any time anyone asked the writers this question, then went >.> <.< LOOK OVER THERE, IT'S PRINCESS TUTU VAN GOGH'S SUNFLOWERS! :D :D :D

(I am shocked by this, I would never have thought he was your type. :O :O :O)

[skygiants]

(*cackling* YES. YES I HAVE. - well, there are many bits about his glasses, and they are ALL HILARIOUS. I kind of love how he is all set up the Cool Glasses Type, and then they are just constantly pulling the rug out from under him. FULL OF LULZ.)

[sophistry]

(jika-jika Jin)

[sophistry]

I LOVE HOW HE FAILS AT DRINKING

[skygiants]

Why are you not still in New York! D: D:

Yeah - it gets to this point where you think, hey, maybe they are going to address some interesting issues with women's roles in the 1960's, and then they are like "eh, we can't be bothered" and just threw the standard Inspiring Ending about Going Back To School and Achieving Your Dreams in there instead. (*snorts* I am also tired of this.)

[skygiants]

I ALSO LOVE HOW HE AND MUGEN GET ROOFIED EVERY OTHER EPISODE.

(I, uh, I don't usually think slipping drugs into people's drinks is hilarious? THIS IS A SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE.)

[skygiants]

(asdkjf;that was the BEST)

[spellcoats.livejournal.com]

Just wait until you get to Champloo's baseball episode.

[elspeth-vimes.livejournal.com]

The Thin Man totally trumps anything on TV.
...Unless, of course, The Thin Man is on TV.

[oneechan19.livejournal.com]

Samurai Champloo is awesome. But, like everyone said, it's the individual stories that make it the best. If you ever want an SC icon, just ask me! I made a boat load of them when I first watched the series. XD

[aberration]

Yeah, that in particular hit kind of weird, since they did sort of touch on the issues of how even with women being permitted into higher education, the careers they would actually be allowed to pursue were pretty limited.

But then it was kind of... suck it up and deal, because at least you're not pregnant! Plus being a schoolteacher is awesome, so who cares if only men get to be professors and doctors and stuff.

[furikku.livejournal.com]

Thin Man owns.

Nick and Nora Charles are the BEST COUPLE.

[skygiants]

. . . THERE IS A BASEBALL EPISODE? *_*

[skygiants]

The Thin Man WAS IN FACT on TV, and therefore did indeed officially trump Everything Else.

I am kind of constantly astounded by the fact that I have never seen the sequels. What is up with that, self! Why do you deny yourself joy!

[skygiants]

Hee! I may indeed take you up on that once I am done. :D (Though I need an FMA icon first! Also a Baccano icon. MY SUPER IMPORTANT PRIORITIES, LET ME SHOW YOU THEM.)

[skygiants]

THEY ARE. (And their dog? Also the best dog.)

[furikku.livejournal.com]

Cosigned.

[sdelmonte]

In the original Thin Man novel, the jovial alcoholism of Nick and Nora is tamped down a bit, as Hammett's hard-boiled tendencies are never quite gone. Nick is much more clearly a tough guy who lucked into marrying rich and who proceeds to drown his past in money and booze. He's also the son of Greek immigrants, which I don't seem to recall being in the film.

And it has to be stated that apparently Nick and Nora are actually Hammett and Lillian Hellman with the serial numbers (barely) filed off.

[spellcoats.livejournal.com]

Against Perry and his crew on the black ships for the freedom of Japan.

Please note that Champloo takes place in like the 1500s.

[elspeth-vimes.livejournal.com]

AS IT SHOULD BE.

Neither have I! We must both seek out more Nick and Nora!

[gramarye1971]

In spite of the randomness of the time period, there are some really great shout-outs in the series to other shows set in the same period. In one episode (can't remember which one, alas), Mugen makes a reference to killing some old dude who waved a government seal at him -- it's a reference to a ridiculously long-running jidaigeki called Mito Kōmon where EVERY EPISODE ends with the main character whipping out the government seal and making the villains grovel. I actually LOL'd when I realised what he was referring to. So there's a point to some of the randomness...but then again, Van Gogh.

(I can be such a sucker for the Cool Glasses Type with Bonus Badassery, even if it does mean dealing with occasional -- and in Jin's case, somewhat justified -- manpain. The fact that the writers lampshade the trope every so often keeps me from getting bored with it.)

[skygiants]

That is definitely not in the film - and would really have made for an interesting one! On the other hand, sometimes I don't mind toning down the hardboiled a little in favor of Extra Witty Banter and Nick and Nora being adorable at each other.

- HAHAHA REALLY? That is kind of awesome. (Once again, I am firmly tamping down the part of myself that is like, "RPF! Hammett and Hellman mystery-solving RPF!")