The Rabbit Hole

Although I did make the effort to chat up the nice guy on the bus home from PAX (he was reading Terry Pratchett, watching Spooks and Chuck, and we talked about games we played at PAX), I really devoted most of my time to devouring comics on my iPad. I read a few middling-to-meh miniseries and then I started in on one of the two series I really want to have read. The two options were Y: The Last Man and Preacher. I was lazy and went alphabetically.

...I love Preacher. I have gotten through fully half the series already. True, it's a short series, but to do as much in two days? I really have fun with it, and I can totally see why all the rumors of its getting made into a movie/TV series, even on HBO, have never been realized into an actual product. I don't know that it would survive the transition to be as good even if it were done by the best of the best to the best of the best's ability. Frankly, love it or not, it's got a lot of high melodrama that wouldn't translate into a medium where people would actually have to say any of the things or explain the various backstories. Jesse's backstory, in particular, seems nearly impossible to film in such a way that wouldn't be ridiculously camp.

This is what I worry about with any adaptation, which I don't really have to worry about because holy shit, not even HBO is going to touch on this "God is a Dick" stuff. Supernatural gets away with angels being dicks, but I doubt anyone could really write a non-comedic take on God that wouldn't piss off absolutely anyone who believes in him. Hell, Kevin Smith couldn't get away with a comedy about God, and his God was quirky, cute, and ultimately loving. The same cannot be said about Preacher's God. It's still kind of a shame it won't get made. Were a channel like HBO to take the reins, this could be dynamite stuff. It would also be a funny pairing with something like True Blood, which has an equally irreverent attitude and a similar enjoyment of frivolous sex. But it doesn't need it, and it wouldn't probably be done right. Oh well.

We can also be glad to know that Sandman isn't getting an on-screen treatment either. Well, at least not this time that someone with clout and a will looked into making it. I'm not the hugest fan of Sandman (or Gaiman), but I know nothing could ever do that comic justice. We'd have to fundamentally alter what we expect of viewers versus what we expect of readers. TV has come a long way, especially with audiences increasingly willing--and demanding--serially plotted shows, but we're not there yet to do justice to something as multifaceted as Sandman. Believe you me, even though I'm not a fangirl for the series, I know that Sandman is just too far-reaching (more so than the likewise impossible-to-make-a-film-out-of-but-they-tried Watchmen) to really be made well. I'm not casting aspersions on the people who wanted to make this adaptation happen--Kripke seemed like a good choice, honestly--just that I don't think anyone can do it. Period.

Finally watched last week's Supernatural. So much for that theory then, huh?

( This isn't even a spoiler, but Ivy's put the fear of you-know-who into me. )

-Is this cat-shaving thing a crazy scientist thing or what? (Well, at least it's not just me!)

-Per this request video, I'm linking to this video:

Not the best video, but because it's being challenged by the imbeciles being (rightly) ridiculed in it despite the fact that they have no legitimate/legal recourse to do so, I post it. I like being ornery like that. For the love of Darwin, though, don't watch the video during the parts with Luskin talking. He's a moron. It HURTS how stupid and self-righteous he is.

(It's easier for YouTube to be reactionary about these sorts of copyrighted material claims given how many legitimate violations are running around on their website.)

-Paul Krugman gets it: incitement is dangerous.

-Hail Satan! Or, rather, Satanists, because they are awesomely snarky. (And as commenters point out, more rigorously opposed to sexual offenders than, say, the Catholic Church.)

-Linked to this via Twitter:

I need to watch Flight of the Concords, clearly, if this is the kind of quality music they make.

-Last but not least, I think I had a request for this video from an SPN fan:


(There is also a video to that song for Heroes. I refuse to link to it. Search YouTube if you must, but really, who must do anything for or about Heroes except the people paid to do so?)

As this season of Supernatural has gone along, I've not missed the anvil-laden clues that, well, the apocalypse is coming. For real and for true. All the Winchesters have died at this point, so since we have no other heroes on this show, it's time to literally F up the planet in order to generate suspense/anticipation. So, okay, bring on biblical armageddon.

Except, what do you do for an encore? ( I wonder? (Some spoilers for the last episode.) )

...another thousand movies I've watched. No, not really. Since I can't possibly capture your attention or wow any of you with my books-read-this-year total, time to do my annual recap of media I've consumed in 2008.

There seems to be a cap fast approaching, as I saw only three more movies in 2008 than I did in 2007. Television, however, fell off dramatically (25 seasons this past year versus 46 in 2007), and frankly, I'm astonished. I've been exercising regularly while watching episodes of television since July. I suppose the caveat there is that since I've been forcing myself not to watch shows when not exercising, I haven't been breezing through entire series of shows in a weekend. (::coughcoughDoctorWhocough::)

My recs and trends beneath the cut!

( Movie magic )

( Boob Tubing )

( I said I wouldn't write about books. Naturally, I wrote THE MOST about them. )

And that's the year that was.

I have stuff to say about Supernatural. I know, I'm scared, too.

( I think I might like this show! (SPOILERS!) )

Preview spoilers/speculation: ( Spoilers! )

Happy Halloween every one! I'm having a goodish sort of day. I've received lots of compliments on my violently orange and black-striped tights, so I feel pretty good. I saw a little boy dressed as Indiana Jones cracking his fake whip and I melted a little. (Stupid fucking ovaries! Die!) So I hope all are enjoying their day before the Day of the Dead.

I'm bored at work (surprise) so I'm just going to talk about stuff. Here goes.

Television!
( Still playing catch up it seems. (No spoilers.) )

Movies!

I want to see Max Payne still. And feiran and I need to go see Saw V. Why? Because. That's my only reason.

Oh, and I finally saw The Iron Giant and it was adorable. I love Brad Bird.

Books!

It will take me forever to get through Nixonland, but the eerie similarities to politics nowadays is making it hard to get through at any speed. I get chills and have to put it down. It's also a little densely written.

I finished My Lobotomy which was a horror show in slow motion. A quick read if you want something to make you be glad that mental health medicine has progressed even as far as it has.

(And if I knew how to do one of those, it would be. Except I don't want to put that much energy into it.)

I'm not sure how to phrase this so I'm not mocked mercilessly, so I'll just say it: an idea for a Supernatural fanfic has been hopping around my brain all day. This is shameful enough for me as it is. What makes it worse is that it features, heavily, a character I despise being sympathetic enough to be awesome. Or at least interesting, which is a huge improvement for that character.

No, I'm not writing it. I just want it to go away. To that end, I must ask for the SPN fangirls to help me out here and recommend post-season three fanfic featuring ::shudder:: Bela. In a good way.

I hate myself right now.

I'm tired of being angry, so I'm going to just babble about something else. Indulge me, ignore me, whichever you choose.

-Tales from the Crypt is excellent for judging sense of humor and strength of stomach. I figured that out this weekend when my two younger sisters watched it with me and one was horrified by it and the other totally into it. The way I see it, it's like the icon I'm using on this post. If you can't appreciate how absurd the thing is that you're seeing, you won't think it's funny. One sister flinched, the other made predictions about how the story would end. To my mind, one is wrong, the other is right, even though I sort of share both their reactions to it. Each episode has something that makes me laugh and makes me squeeze my eyes shut against gross-osity. Good times.

-I'm a few episodes from the end of season two of Supernatural. I managed to, mostly, explain the driving forces of plot to feiran as she and I watched an episode together, so I'm pretty proud of myself for that. However, what I really need to relate to the world at large is that feiran admitted that Dumbfuck (aka Dean aka Jensen Ackles) is, quote, "pretty." Granted, she qualified that with "oh, only in this one picture ivy03 showed me" but I have my doubts. Because she did volunteer to watch that episode with me and had me explain the season to her...

-Speaking of Supernatural, though: most of the women writing fanfic for Iron Man appear to be fans of the show. Weird demographic fallout, or what?

-My dad was given Scene It--the 2nd Movie Edition--for his Father's Day gift. I STILL DOMINATE AT THAT GAME. I pouted mightily, however, when (EVEN THOUGH I HAD ALREADY WON THE GAME) someone got a screen shot of Neo's computer at the start of The Matrix for one of their questions. RAR!