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Sep. 22nd, 2016 06:08 pmTo my surprise, the choice of the Year Three class for the movie to watch on the last day of class was… *Mary Poppins*.
1, It turns out that as well as *American Ninja Warrior*, there are a whole host of other versions. In Japan, the UK, France! I am the last one to board this train!
2, I have much of next week off.
3, We will be going to the Royal Show on Saturday 1st October if anyone wants to join us at the Rabbit Pavilion. I am hoping we may get to watch the pig diving again, as it was pretty much the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. (For random reasons, the pig diving board is right outside the Rabbit show.)
2, I have much of next week off.
3, We will be going to the Royal Show on Saturday 1st October if anyone wants to join us at the Rabbit Pavilion. I am hoping we may get to watch the pig diving again, as it was pretty much the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. (For random reasons, the pig diving board is right outside the Rabbit show.)
1, I was number 47 in the recall list for the book taking apart the dysfunctional relationship between former PM Abbott and his chief of staff. It has finally come in, in time for me to join a conversation that ended about six months ago. What schadenfreude to read of the screaming matches in the corridors of Canberra, of Tony running out of meetings to get parliamentarians to apologise to Peta, of MPs being embarrassed when dining with them because she fed him. After running a campaign of relentless sledging of the Labor government for being too personality driven and dysfunctional, and after boasting that ‘the adults were in charge’, it is a real pleasure to read about scenes that, aside from the constant F bombing, would be better played out in a high school.
2, I feel that I have raised my daughter right. Pearl selected “Singin’ in the Rain” to take in to school for consideration for watching in the last week of term. I doubt very much she will secure many votes but she was very pleased with herself for identifying something that she felt would appeal to both boys and girls. OTOH, Ruby requires a little more instruction as she refused to watch *The Sound of Music* and chose *Mary Poppins* instead. It’s good, but governesses called Mary are not a patch on governesses called Fraulein Maria.
3, I will be able to take Dad to dialysis tomorrow.
2, I feel that I have raised my daughter right. Pearl selected “Singin’ in the Rain” to take in to school for consideration for watching in the last week of term. I doubt very much she will secure many votes but she was very pleased with herself for identifying something that she felt would appeal to both boys and girls. OTOH, Ruby requires a little more instruction as she refused to watch *The Sound of Music* and chose *Mary Poppins* instead. It’s good, but governesses called Mary are not a patch on governesses called Fraulein Maria.
3, I will be able to take Dad to dialysis tomorrow.
1, I am really looking forward to the circus next week. I am bringing my Mum and sister as well as the kids. I hope they like it too.
2, I have begun watching *American Ninja Warrior* and I am surprised at how much I like it. Much of what I like is the unrelentingly positive coverage the MCs give. They have ridiculous, shouty American voices but what they are actually saying is a barrage of positivity.
This, combined with the way the competitors cheer on the others, makes it much more enjoyable than traditional team sports. I am watching it with the kids, with much moralising about how they practice hard and constant exclamations about how strong the women are.
(To combine these two points, someone with a circus background would do well in *American Ninja Warrior* - so far the best I’ve seen have been rock climbers, Olympic gymnasts and people who make their living doing TV stunts.)
3, We had our Threatened Species party and made some money for bilbies, gorillas and cheetahs. I’m pretty sure they could all do with a helping hand. Thanks to those who attended.
2, I have begun watching *American Ninja Warrior* and I am surprised at how much I like it. Much of what I like is the unrelentingly positive coverage the MCs give. They have ridiculous, shouty American voices but what they are actually saying is a barrage of positivity.
This, combined with the way the competitors cheer on the others, makes it much more enjoyable than traditional team sports. I am watching it with the kids, with much moralising about how they practice hard and constant exclamations about how strong the women are.
(To combine these two points, someone with a circus background would do well in *American Ninja Warrior* - so far the best I’ve seen have been rock climbers, Olympic gymnasts and people who make their living doing TV stunts.)
3, We had our Threatened Species party and made some money for bilbies, gorillas and cheetahs. I’m pretty sure they could all do with a helping hand. Thanks to those who attended.
Rio has failed to achieve my minimum standards for an enjoyable Olympics. I do not like Australian swimmers saying it is good to beat cheaters; Chinese media saying Australians are all rude because of the convict factor; Egyptian sportsmen refusing to shake hands with Israeli competitors; boxing judges being sent home in disgrace; cameras hurtling out of the air to land on viewers; gymnasts breaking their legs; American soccer players saying the opposition played like cowards; massive Russian doping scandals; ‘journalists’ outing competitors; gold-winning gymnasts being showered in racist criticism from their own side; the darn mascot being shot.
This Olympic was so dire that I have instead been watching footage of the 1908 London Olympics. Now there’s a set of competitors!
(NB: 1908 also had ridiculously petty conflict, such as the Americans failing to dip their flag to the reigning monarch and the British being given a do-over in the sprint. Also, did you know it set the standard for the marathon based purely on where the Windsor Castle nursery was? And it was only moved from Rome to London because Vesuvius blew.)
This Olympic was so dire that I have instead been watching footage of the 1908 London Olympics. Now there’s a set of competitors!
(NB: 1908 also had ridiculously petty conflict, such as the Americans failing to dip their flag to the reigning monarch and the British being given a do-over in the sprint. Also, did you know it set the standard for the marathon based purely on where the Windsor Castle nursery was? And it was only moved from Rome to London because Vesuvius blew.)
1, I’ve just started the BBC’s *New Blood*. It’s excellent and a nice retreat from vile reality.
2, I am reading *Milly Molly Mandy* to the girls. They are enjoying the stories greatly, and are also scandalised by the fact that I had scribbled in the book as a child. I keep pointing out that you can tell by the inscription (which does not mention my youngest sister) that I was very young when I did it!
3, We went op-shopping on the weekend and got several jigsaws. I do enjoy working on them with them.
2, I am reading *Milly Molly Mandy* to the girls. They are enjoying the stories greatly, and are also scandalised by the fact that I had scribbled in the book as a child. I keep pointing out that you can tell by the inscription (which does not mention my youngest sister) that I was very young when I did it!
3, We went op-shopping on the weekend and got several jigsaws. I do enjoy working on them with them.
(no subject)
Aug. 3rd, 2016 05:18 pm1, I’ve finished the latest Harry Potter and it has inspired me to write a whole lot of stuff that wasn’t in the play. Also, I’d like to go to the play, should it ever make its way to the home of Hermione’s parents.
2, I hear good things about *Ghost Busters* from everyone whose opinion is important to me.
2, I hear good things about *Ghost Busters* from everyone whose opinion is important to me.
1, I saw the latest *Star Trek* on the weekend. I really really loved the way the characters were part of a non-military organisation dedicated to exploring, rather than a military. I liked the characterisation, the action and the themes. The only thing I did not like was the tendency to use shots that looped through space. Even though I saw it in 2D it made me feel seasick and gave me a splitting headache which has persisted to the next day. I think I am getting to the point where I can no longer watch movies on the big screen because the cinematography is too much for me. At least this will save money.
2, I’m up to Act II of *Harry Potter and the Cursed Child*. I am enjoying it more than I thought I would, given that my least favourite part of all the books is the prescriptive final chapter which outlines exactly what happens to all the characters, down to the middle names of their children, but does not address the *massively important* theme of the need to fundamentally restructure wizarding society to integrate the rights of all magical, sentient creatures. Still, more HP is more basis for fanfiction.
3, My children were exemplary on the weekend, allowing me to lie down after the movie. This fixed the troubles with my vision and made me feel cheerful enough to play super heroes with them. In this iteration, I was the villain (as I always am) but was thwarted by Hermes with her power of running so fast she makes whirlwinds and Nay-Nay whose secret power is the ability to control small ponies.
2, I’m up to Act II of *Harry Potter and the Cursed Child*. I am enjoying it more than I thought I would, given that my least favourite part of all the books is the prescriptive final chapter which outlines exactly what happens to all the characters, down to the middle names of their children, but does not address the *massively important* theme of the need to fundamentally restructure wizarding society to integrate the rights of all magical, sentient creatures. Still, more HP is more basis for fanfiction.
3, My children were exemplary on the weekend, allowing me to lie down after the movie. This fixed the troubles with my vision and made me feel cheerful enough to play super heroes with them. In this iteration, I was the villain (as I always am) but was thwarted by Hermes with her power of running so fast she makes whirlwinds and Nay-Nay whose secret power is the ability to control small ponies.
Blakes Seven
Jul. 20th, 2016 06:57 pmMy favourite costuming ever in a TV series would have to be *Blake’s Seven*. I read the costumer’s book about working on the show. She borrowed a lot of the costumes from the BBC existing stock and spent virtually all her allocated budget on buying leather bondage gear from a dodgy shop. Kudos for the bold decision to dress the main crew solely in impractical and tightfitting leather.
Servalan’s costumes were, of course, the pinnacle of camp, making even the seven look like they were wearing sensible everyday gear. What other woman is shows in an evening gown and heels while tramping down a beach and killing her enemies in cold blood?
Servalan’s costumes were, of course, the pinnacle of camp, making even the seven look like they were wearing sensible everyday gear. What other woman is shows in an evening gown and heels while tramping down a beach and killing her enemies in cold blood?
(no subject)
Jul. 18th, 2016 06:20 pmSome thoughts about costuming in 2000s television shows…
I think the costuming in *Dark Angel* was excellent. It was a near future dystopia and most of the characters wear jeans and hoodies most of the time. This pre-dates the popularisation of hoodies and in the show it is a way of acknowledging the desire of most characters to evade the ever-present Police drones. And, of course, they live in post-disaster Seattle so warm clothes make sense.
Likewise, I loved the costuming for *Jeremiah* which consisted of contemporary fashions subjected to 17 years of wear. The premise was that most people died in a specific year and everyone lived by scavenging, so it makes sense that a show set in the future featured the fashions of 2002.
Here are some shows where the costuming made no sense to me. *Veronica Mars* in which the broke Veronica dressed way above her station. I can only assume that Neptune had a great second hand shops scene as the rich 09ers discarded their vastly expensive clothing with every change of fashion. *Buffy* always puzzled me in that the different characters seemed to inhabit different climate zones. One person on screen would be wearing jeans and a thick jumper while talking to someone in shorts and a halter top.
I think the costuming in *Dark Angel* was excellent. It was a near future dystopia and most of the characters wear jeans and hoodies most of the time. This pre-dates the popularisation of hoodies and in the show it is a way of acknowledging the desire of most characters to evade the ever-present Police drones. And, of course, they live in post-disaster Seattle so warm clothes make sense.
Likewise, I loved the costuming for *Jeremiah* which consisted of contemporary fashions subjected to 17 years of wear. The premise was that most people died in a specific year and everyone lived by scavenging, so it makes sense that a show set in the future featured the fashions of 2002.
Here are some shows where the costuming made no sense to me. *Veronica Mars* in which the broke Veronica dressed way above her station. I can only assume that Neptune had a great second hand shops scene as the rich 09ers discarded their vastly expensive clothing with every change of fashion. *Buffy* always puzzled me in that the different characters seemed to inhabit different climate zones. One person on screen would be wearing jeans and a thick jumper while talking to someone in shorts and a halter top.
I watched *The Force Awakens* and I love it. However, I am confused about Storm Troopers, probably due to not paying proper attention to the dud movies 1-3.
My own theory is that Storm Troopers in 4-6 were under Force control, thus explaining their extreme incompetence when left alone. They are kind of ambling about, under a fog of brain washing. The green-clad Army guys in 4-6 seem like an officer class, left to make decisions without Force control. Which would make sense, because they would be the remnant of career military left from before the Empire overtook the Republic. (Just to lose the internet competition, like the career military who continued under Hitler.)
But there may well be something to contradict this in movies 1-3 because I only saw them the once and then tried to scrub them from my mind. I remember something about clones? And a massacre perpetrated by brain washed Storm Troopers? Could someone explain it to me?
Cut for spoilers
( Read more... )
Please people, I need more information to make any kind of sense of the ethical universe of Star Wars.
My own theory is that Storm Troopers in 4-6 were under Force control, thus explaining their extreme incompetence when left alone. They are kind of ambling about, under a fog of brain washing. The green-clad Army guys in 4-6 seem like an officer class, left to make decisions without Force control. Which would make sense, because they would be the remnant of career military left from before the Empire overtook the Republic. (Just to lose the internet competition, like the career military who continued under Hitler.)
But there may well be something to contradict this in movies 1-3 because I only saw them the once and then tried to scrub them from my mind. I remember something about clones? And a massacre perpetrated by brain washed Storm Troopers? Could someone explain it to me?
Cut for spoilers
( Read more... )
Please people, I need more information to make any kind of sense of the ethical universe of Star Wars.
I have begun my Christmas re-watchings.
I always watch the X Files *Ghosts who stole Christmas* episode in which Mulder gets accused of paramastabatory narcissism and Scully of having her only pleasure in life be proving him wrong. Mulder replies: ‘When have you ever proven me wrong?’
And I adore the Supernatural *Very Winchester Christmas* episode. It manages to combine cynicism, humour, staking the pagan spirits of Christmas with a limb of their tree, and a really good back story that explores their characters and upbringing. It was on a Christmas Eve that Sam first discovered what his father did, and first articulated the wish to be safe. Plus, there they are in the world’s grimmest motel, abandoned on Christmas Eve while Dean tries to get Sam some Christmas presents by stealing them – pretty much the story of Dean’s life. And, you know, the story behind the medallion that he wears, given to him at Christmas time by Sam as a sign that he is his favourite person in the whole world.
I am about to watch *Die Hard* which features a family torn apart and reunited on Christmas Eve, the very essence of the Christmas story.
I always watch the X Files *Ghosts who stole Christmas* episode in which Mulder gets accused of paramastabatory narcissism and Scully of having her only pleasure in life be proving him wrong. Mulder replies: ‘When have you ever proven me wrong?’
And I adore the Supernatural *Very Winchester Christmas* episode. It manages to combine cynicism, humour, staking the pagan spirits of Christmas with a limb of their tree, and a really good back story that explores their characters and upbringing. It was on a Christmas Eve that Sam first discovered what his father did, and first articulated the wish to be safe. Plus, there they are in the world’s grimmest motel, abandoned on Christmas Eve while Dean tries to get Sam some Christmas presents by stealing them – pretty much the story of Dean’s life. And, you know, the story behind the medallion that he wears, given to him at Christmas time by Sam as a sign that he is his favourite person in the whole world.
I am about to watch *Die Hard* which features a family torn apart and reunited on Christmas Eve, the very essence of the Christmas story.
Jurassic Park
Nov. 1st, 2015 07:22 pmMonths after everyone else, I have watched *Jurassic Park*. I hope the surviving guests sue the corporation forever. Imagine having a system of command and control which is entirely dependent on the presence of one person and on the day things go wrong she goes off to rescue a subset of two of the thousands of people there.
I did like the mad scientist though. Unusually he had very neat hair and I believe he has survived since the first movie. Kudos.
I did like the mad scientist though. Unusually he had very neat hair and I believe he has survived since the first movie. Kudos.
Hello –
I feel like the last kid at the school to become aware that there is a cool party going on, but last year was literally the first year I realized what the purpose of Yuletide letters was. I saw them on my LJ feed and I even wrote them *but I did not realise they were aggregated centrally*. I thought people just went looking for the person they were writing for, checking if they had an LJ account and if they had left a message. When I found out last year that there was a central list – after participating for about a decade - I was so excited! I wrote several stocking stuffers!
So, right of the bat, you will realise you are not writing for the brightest or most tech savvy of people. Cough, moving along.
Things I like: people working together as teams! Loyalty! Friends becoming family! People being competent! And communicating vital information to each other in a sensible manner! Also, slash!
I had heaps of trouble deciding on the fandoms I’d like to request this year because I am all about the most obscure pairings of the most tiny fandoms.
First and foremost, I would love pretty much any story around Rosemary Sutcliff’s *Simon*. This is one of her lesser known, non-Roman historical works. It’s set in the 17th century and inspired 13 year old me to try to read about that century. I managed to get a biography of Thomas Cromwell rather than Oliver Cromwell and was rather confused. But I wound up with a doctorate in early 16th century history, so the book had its impact.
It’s classic Sutcliff, with loyal best friends separated by being on opposing sides in the civil war. Yet still loyal! Anything about Simon and Amias’ friendship would please me, from their boyhood days, their time at school, up to post-war slash (or pre-war, or during the war which, after all, went on for a really long time). Other things that would make me happy: I’d like to know more about Zeal-for-the-Lord’s life; what kinds of secrets did Mouse find out with her spying habits; how did they celebrate Christmas when Christmas was outlawed (because of the actual, literal Puritans).
Zombieland is that rarest of jewels – a satisfying zombie apocalypse comedy. I’ve got to say that I really want any fic written in in this fandom to be equally light hearted and happy. No one is to be eaten in a bad way!
I have to admit to really just wanting happy fic in this fandom. I’d like anything about their created family being competent and kicking ass. And I’d be very happy to read smut about Columbus and Wichita, Columbus and Tallahassee or (ideally) both Wichita and Tallahassee sharing Columbus like the little bond-creating, anxiety ridden moppet he is.
Since this is 2015 I think it’s an appropriate time for a whole lot of Back to the Future fic. Here we are! In the future! Though sadly without flying cars or self-zipping shoe laces.
I’d like pretty much anything that focussed on the fact that Doc and Marty (and to a lesser extent Jennifer and Clara) have become cut off from the rest of their timelines. They’ve got different memories to pretty much everybody else. Anything featuring them being a group with special ties would be great.
Also, having just rewatched the movies, they are a lot darker than I remembered. They are played for comedy but the ‘happy’ 1985 that they end up with is the direct result of taking stuff (and people) away from Biff Tannen and giving it to George McFly. Not that I want date-rapist Tannen to get his horribly dystopian Trumpesque happy end, but it is still creepy. So if you wanted to go dark that would be fine.
That’s a lot of information but here is the take away message: Thank you for writing to me. Whatever you give me is fine.
Archive of Our Own name - Emma_Oz
Back to the Future (Movies)
Zombieland (2009)
Simon - Rosemary Sutcliff
I feel like the last kid at the school to become aware that there is a cool party going on, but last year was literally the first year I realized what the purpose of Yuletide letters was. I saw them on my LJ feed and I even wrote them *but I did not realise they were aggregated centrally*. I thought people just went looking for the person they were writing for, checking if they had an LJ account and if they had left a message. When I found out last year that there was a central list – after participating for about a decade - I was so excited! I wrote several stocking stuffers!
So, right of the bat, you will realise you are not writing for the brightest or most tech savvy of people. Cough, moving along.
Things I like: people working together as teams! Loyalty! Friends becoming family! People being competent! And communicating vital information to each other in a sensible manner! Also, slash!
I had heaps of trouble deciding on the fandoms I’d like to request this year because I am all about the most obscure pairings of the most tiny fandoms.
First and foremost, I would love pretty much any story around Rosemary Sutcliff’s *Simon*. This is one of her lesser known, non-Roman historical works. It’s set in the 17th century and inspired 13 year old me to try to read about that century. I managed to get a biography of Thomas Cromwell rather than Oliver Cromwell and was rather confused. But I wound up with a doctorate in early 16th century history, so the book had its impact.
It’s classic Sutcliff, with loyal best friends separated by being on opposing sides in the civil war. Yet still loyal! Anything about Simon and Amias’ friendship would please me, from their boyhood days, their time at school, up to post-war slash (or pre-war, or during the war which, after all, went on for a really long time). Other things that would make me happy: I’d like to know more about Zeal-for-the-Lord’s life; what kinds of secrets did Mouse find out with her spying habits; how did they celebrate Christmas when Christmas was outlawed (because of the actual, literal Puritans).
Zombieland is that rarest of jewels – a satisfying zombie apocalypse comedy. I’ve got to say that I really want any fic written in in this fandom to be equally light hearted and happy. No one is to be eaten in a bad way!
I have to admit to really just wanting happy fic in this fandom. I’d like anything about their created family being competent and kicking ass. And I’d be very happy to read smut about Columbus and Wichita, Columbus and Tallahassee or (ideally) both Wichita and Tallahassee sharing Columbus like the little bond-creating, anxiety ridden moppet he is.
Since this is 2015 I think it’s an appropriate time for a whole lot of Back to the Future fic. Here we are! In the future! Though sadly without flying cars or self-zipping shoe laces.
I’d like pretty much anything that focussed on the fact that Doc and Marty (and to a lesser extent Jennifer and Clara) have become cut off from the rest of their timelines. They’ve got different memories to pretty much everybody else. Anything featuring them being a group with special ties would be great.
Also, having just rewatched the movies, they are a lot darker than I remembered. They are played for comedy but the ‘happy’ 1985 that they end up with is the direct result of taking stuff (and people) away from Biff Tannen and giving it to George McFly. Not that I want date-rapist Tannen to get his horribly dystopian Trumpesque happy end, but it is still creepy. So if you wanted to go dark that would be fine.
That’s a lot of information but here is the take away message: Thank you for writing to me. Whatever you give me is fine.
Archive of Our Own name - Emma_Oz
Back to the Future (Movies)
Zombieland (2009)
Simon - Rosemary Sutcliff
Technology
Oct. 8th, 2015 06:19 pmSo I got Netflix to work and watched *Dare Devil*. However, there's nothing else in there that tempts me so I have turned off my membership until there's something else I want to watch.
I wanted to make a vid from Bucky's point of view, so what we see is what he got... the fall, the brainwashing, the work as an assassin for the USSR, going rogue in 1973 in Brooklyn, the fall of the USSR. Then, incredibly, his life took a turn for the worse and he was picked up by Hydra.
The vid has a *lot* of shots of Bucky assassinating people, all fictional and lifted from various movies.
It is set to the most tragic (and Russian) of all music, Tchaikovsky's *Swan Lake*.
You can see it here:
https://vimeo.com/140273816
Or here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
The vid has a *lot* of shots of Bucky assassinating people, all fictional and lifted from various movies.
It is set to the most tragic (and Russian) of all music, Tchaikovsky's *Swan Lake*.
You can see it here:
https://vimeo.com/140273816
Or here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
I have just realised that Donald Trump looks *exactly* like the evil Biff Tanen in the evil 2015 version of *Back to the Future*. I mean, exactly! And their policies are not dissimilar.
I see now that we are living in the not-so-nice alternate future.
I see now that we are living in the not-so-nice alternate future.
OK, I just signed up to Netflix and yet I cannot find any of the shows I'd like to watch (viz, Selfie and Marvel movies). Is this the way Netflix works?
Also, any suggestions on how I could legally watch these, given that they are not in my local library and Selfie is not at JB?
Also, any suggestions on how I could legally watch these, given that they are not in my local library and Selfie is not at JB?
Captain America
Aug. 22nd, 2015 02:33 pmAnyone interested in providing improving feedback on my very odd Bucky Barnes vid?
This is the Army and Captain America
Aug. 17th, 2015 05:38 pmI am amazed to learn that in WWII the American army had a fundraising/morale boosting show written by Irving Berlin – “This is the Army!*. It did Broadway and was made into a movie starring Ronald Reagan.
Actual members of the armed services performed it all over Europe and the Pacific for the course of the war. AIt featured lots of drag acts. The army decided that it WACs and WAVEs should not contribute, so all the female roles were played by men. Cough. What an odd decision.
Linking it back to my current obsession with Captain America – This sounds like basically his show, except that in the fictional universe Steve is backed by dancing girls. This is certainly much easier to imagine than what is described in *Coming Out Under Fire* which includes details on how bull dozers built giant fox holes that served as theatres and a description from one drag queen of how they were strafed mid-performance and he had to leap down into the fox hole with the regularly dressed soldiers.
Also, there was a version for the segregated African-American troops called.... I can barely bring myself to type the words... *Uncle Sambo*.
Actual members of the armed services performed it all over Europe and the Pacific for the course of the war. AIt featured lots of drag acts. The army decided that it WACs and WAVEs should not contribute, so all the female roles were played by men. Cough. What an odd decision.
Linking it back to my current obsession with Captain America – This sounds like basically his show, except that in the fictional universe Steve is backed by dancing girls. This is certainly much easier to imagine than what is described in *Coming Out Under Fire* which includes details on how bull dozers built giant fox holes that served as theatres and a description from one drag queen of how they were strafed mid-performance and he had to leap down into the fox hole with the regularly dressed soldiers.
Also, there was a version for the segregated African-American troops called.... I can barely bring myself to type the words... *Uncle Sambo*.
