Friday, June 21, 2013
They did so many points last game!
The Sportland Sports were playing last night. I didn't watch, not because I wasn't interested, but because we haven't had cable TV since late 2004. I just don't want to pay for adware (commercials on top of paying for cable TV on top of paying for internet access for something that could be streamed on YouTube). Aside from missing the occasional sporting event of interest (this year's finals, the Federer-Nadal Wimbledon final), this has worked out pretty well, and I can still listen on the radio.
That said, I think I would pay money to see Shane Battier do the Sam Cassell big balls dance.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
What a mess.
spoilers
On one hand, I really enjoyed the 2009 Star Trek reboot, and in many ways they simply applied the same formula with a different villain in Star Trek Into Darkness, so why did I dislike this film so much?
Well, while the 2009 film had a mostly dumb plot, it got a pass because:
STID actions are illogical and don't have meaningful consequences. Is Khan actually working with Marcus prior to this moment, and he realizes he's being double-crossed? I can't think of any other reason why he'd go to the Klingon homeworld. Kirk loses his ship for being a loose cannon and regains it 10 minutes later; Kirk dies and is brought back to life 10 minutes later; and on and on.
I do have to admit that when Sarahmac pegged Alice Eve's haircut as Dehner's, we began to fall in love with the idea that the producers weren't being coy about whether Cumberbatch was going to play Khan, because he was playing Gary Mitchell, and they'd rewritten "Where No Man Has Gone Before" with a stronger plot and better special effects. Instead... well, instead, I'm trying to look upon the bright side, which is that Simon Pegg and Anton Yelchin seem to have figured out their roles, the rest of the cast still nailed their characters, and Karl Urban is still amazing.
** this is a waste. Killing Pike here is like killing Apollo Creed in Rocky IV; it's a ham-fisted reason for us to hate Ivan Drago / Khan.
spoilers
On one hand, I really enjoyed the 2009 Star Trek reboot, and in many ways they simply applied the same formula with a different villain in Star Trek Into Darkness, so why did I dislike this film so much?
Well, while the 2009 film had a mostly dumb plot, it got a pass because:
- it looked beautiful,
- I was absolutely charmed by the ability of the cast to fill the very big shoes of the original cast (with the exceptions of Simon Pegg and Anton Yelchin, who never quite settled into being Scotty and Chekov), with special kowtowing to Karl Urban's amazing portrayal of McCoy,
- it's the "origin story" movie, so it's expected to be a little slower in order to establish characters
STID actions are illogical and don't have meaningful consequences. Is Khan actually working with Marcus prior to this moment, and he realizes he's being double-crossed? I can't think of any other reason why he'd go to the Klingon homeworld. Kirk loses his ship for being a loose cannon and regains it 10 minutes later; Kirk dies and is brought back to life 10 minutes later; and on and on.
I do have to admit that when Sarahmac pegged Alice Eve's haircut as Dehner's, we began to fall in love with the idea that the producers weren't being coy about whether Cumberbatch was going to play Khan, because he was playing Gary Mitchell, and they'd rewritten "Where No Man Has Gone Before" with a stronger plot and better special effects. Instead... well, instead, I'm trying to look upon the bright side, which is that Simon Pegg and Anton Yelchin seem to have figured out their roles, the rest of the cast still nailed their characters, and Karl Urban is still amazing.
** this is a waste. Killing Pike here is like killing Apollo Creed in Rocky IV; it's a ham-fisted reason for us to hate Ivan Drago / Khan.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Pretties; Scott Westerfeld; 2005
It's always fun to observe a writer's evolution.
So Yesterday shows us some good writing, but the plot is weak.
He adds a plot with real stakes in Uglies, but while well written, Uglies is the standard dystopia-masquerading-as-a-Utopia theme that we've seen a hundred times before, and there are few surprises in the plotting or characterizations. Uglies does do an excellent job of leading us in to the sequel (a feat he manages equally well in the transition of Leviathan to Behemoth).
In Pretties, Scott Westerfeld makes The Leap from promising writer to excellent writer. Not only do we have the pleasure of his writing and a plot with stakes, but it has a fresher perspective, as if The Time Machine were written from the perspective of the Eloi. It's great, and the start of the chapter "Lurker" and the introduction of the concept of the "milli-Helen" as the unit of beauty required to launch exactly one ship, while a minor thing, was the moment I realized he'd made The Leap (a sort of anti-Nuking the Fridge).
There's a worry-making couple of chapters near the end where I thought he might be losing grip on the story, but it's clearer now that it will be worth it in Specials and Extras. O . M . G . I'm hooked, Mister Westerfeld.
So Yesterday shows us some good writing, but the plot is weak.
He adds a plot with real stakes in Uglies, but while well written, Uglies is the standard dystopia-masquerading-as-a-Utopia theme that we've seen a hundred times before, and there are few surprises in the plotting or characterizations. Uglies does do an excellent job of leading us in to the sequel (a feat he manages equally well in the transition of Leviathan to Behemoth).
In Pretties, Scott Westerfeld makes The Leap from promising writer to excellent writer. Not only do we have the pleasure of his writing and a plot with stakes, but it has a fresher perspective, as if The Time Machine were written from the perspective of the Eloi. It's great, and the start of the chapter "Lurker" and the introduction of the concept of the "milli-Helen" as the unit of beauty required to launch exactly one ship, while a minor thing, was the moment I realized he'd made The Leap (a sort of anti-Nuking the Fridge).
There's a worry-making couple of chapters near the end where I thought he might be losing grip on the story, but it's clearer now that it will be worth it in Specials and Extras. O . M . G . I'm hooked, Mister Westerfeld.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Running diary: Star Trek, "The Cage"
Written for the Star Trek - Relive the Majesty G+ community.
I didn't watch Star Trek as a kid because the space monsters were too creepy, and have never got around to watching it as an adult. It has been in my netflix queue, so this project is coming at a great time. Here's a mini-running diary of "The Cage".
05:05 Pike tired of being the one who decides who lives and who dies. Is this Crow T. Robot's source quote for wanting to be the one who decides who lives and who dies?
Doc & Pike exchange platitudes and tell us rather than show us what a swell guy Pike is. Dull, dull, dull.
There's a blue shirt on the bridge who just stands there with a clipboard. Does he do anything?
07:40 Groovy spacey-wacey time warp!
Proto-Tom Paris flashes gang symbols at Pike and is wearing bandages? Oh, riiiiight, the battle on Rigel 7 that caused the injuries that has Pike so currently down on being the Decider.
08:45 Pike is so dreamy when he makes sexist comments! Now they're really showing us what kind of guy he is!
10:00 Oh, and the lieutenant is also the ship's number 1?! Pike might as well be telling her to stay home and mind the ship!
10:45 And so it begins with the hateful transporter technology, the bane of all who hold up Star Trek as an exemplar of hard SF
12:00 Spock smiling reminds me of Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams
13:30 Pulsing, throbbing, tumescent heads
14:45 "Didn't get that last message captain."
"Dah... duh... spacey chick in a grass skirt is making eyes at me."
15:30 I'll... just... go off alone with the teenage space vixen. Is the rest of the away team smiling and nodding to themselves?
18:30 Creepy monsters. This is why I didn't watch Star Trek as a kid.
24:00 Nice touch to send him back to the memory of Rigel 7, so we can see what his bad memories are about.
26:00 Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?
27:00 Oh, my gawsh? Teenage space vixen is gonna fight! Oh... but... ineffectively flailing and shrieking. Sigh.
29:30 Is there any way to keep them from probing me, probing you? It's the best I can do.
30:00 Number 1 gets ready to kick some ass. I hope that's not the smell of a looming catfight in the air.
43:30 Number 1 as a green alien slave girl?! Captain Pike!
49:20 Wrong thinking is punishable. Right thinking will be as quickly rewarded. Now sex up one or more of those ladies!
1:00:00 IRL Pike goes home happy in the knowledge that imaginary him is bangin' imaginary Veena
I didn't watch Star Trek as a kid because the space monsters were too creepy, and have never got around to watching it as an adult. It has been in my netflix queue, so this project is coming at a great time. Here's a mini-running diary of "The Cage".
05:05 Pike tired of being the one who decides who lives and who dies. Is this Crow T. Robot's source quote for wanting to be the one who decides who lives and who dies?
Doc & Pike exchange platitudes and tell us rather than show us what a swell guy Pike is. Dull, dull, dull.
There's a blue shirt on the bridge who just stands there with a clipboard. Does he do anything?
07:40 Groovy spacey-wacey time warp!
Proto-Tom Paris flashes gang symbols at Pike and is wearing bandages? Oh, riiiiight, the battle on Rigel 7 that caused the injuries that has Pike so currently down on being the Decider.
08:45 Pike is so dreamy when he makes sexist comments! Now they're really showing us what kind of guy he is!
10:00 Oh, and the lieutenant is also the ship's number 1?! Pike might as well be telling her to stay home and mind the ship!
10:45 And so it begins with the hateful transporter technology, the bane of all who hold up Star Trek as an exemplar of hard SF
12:00 Spock smiling reminds me of Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams
13:30 Pulsing, throbbing, tumescent heads
14:45 "Didn't get that last message captain."
"Dah... duh... spacey chick in a grass skirt is making eyes at me."
15:30 I'll... just... go off alone with the teenage space vixen. Is the rest of the away team smiling and nodding to themselves?
18:30 Creepy monsters. This is why I didn't watch Star Trek as a kid.
24:00 Nice touch to send him back to the memory of Rigel 7, so we can see what his bad memories are about.
26:00 Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?
27:00 Oh, my gawsh? Teenage space vixen is gonna fight! Oh... but... ineffectively flailing and shrieking. Sigh.
29:30 Is there any way to keep them from probing me, probing you? It's the best I can do.
30:00 Number 1 gets ready to kick some ass. I hope that's not the smell of a looming catfight in the air.
43:30 Number 1 as a green alien slave girl?! Captain Pike!
49:20 Wrong thinking is punishable. Right thinking will be as quickly rewarded. Now sex up one or more of those ladies!
1:00:00 IRL Pike goes home happy in the knowledge that imaginary him is bangin' imaginary Veena
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