The Rabbit Hole

I don't do the year-in-review memes so much. This is more my own tally of new-to-me pieces of entertainment consumed.

I see that I managed to outdo myself on the number of movies seen this year versus last year. I've seen 50% more movies in 2007 than I did in 2006 (120 versus 81). 120! Crazy! Television seasons completed, despite there being fewer arcs of Doctor Who viewed and rented, increased almost as much (46 to 33). I didn't quite manage to double the number of books read in 2007 as I'd resolved to do for New Year's 2006, but I came within shouting distance of it. Had I not been entertaining a baby by myself for much of the vacation that was not otherwise devoted to a wedding, I might have made it.

Not that anyone cares about that, nosir. Here are so recommendations based on what I read/saw and enjoyed (or didn't!) in 2007.

( Cutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcut... )

Oh the British. Do they even HAVE anything left to prove? They're hands-down better at everything than we are, and they still show it at every other turn.

Case in point: turned on over to BBC America and, before a re-run of Spooks came on, there was a disclaimer. Given the episode (it's the really freaky one in series two where they have the security drill for those of you who know the show), I expected a warning about violent and disturbing content (there's a VX atack for God's sake). Instead, it was a cheeky as buggers warning that the following program is chock-full of British accents and, in case of emergency inability to translate, how to set the closed captioning so the slow Americans can follow just the same. And there was another, different one before the next episode:

The British accent is ridiculous. So much so, that I'm struggling to keep a straight face as I'm talking to you right now. You might want to use the closed captioning.

Brilliant.

Also, they seem to be showing Torchwood come September. Part of me never really needs to see that show twice, but I am dying to know how they're going to play even half of the shit that went down in season one of that show. It hits all the wonderful purity sensors thrown at American TV--swearing, sex, gay-ness--and I don't think the de-lovely hotness of Jack Harkness is going to save it from some serious editing. Which...might actually improve the thing, who knows?

It's clearly been too long since I posted rampantly about television series, hasn't it? What, I must have gone all of two weeks without babbling about TV stuff. Okay, so I flailed mightily about The Departed and polled endlessly about Grindhouse (which I haven't reviewed! In a word? FUCKING AWESOME OMGWHYHAVEN'TYOUSEEN IT YET!?!), but not about TV. That's different.

Anyway, I've just completed the last bit of Spooks to be had (period, not just commercially, heh heh) and it makes me very sad. Because British TV is so incestuous. Not like literally, just that there are only about a hundred actors at all over there, so some get reused. And the bloom comes off the proverbial rose (no pun intended) when you see Pete Tyler as a Christo-fascist terrorist.

( Other less-than-amusing revelations (spoilers!) )

Wonder when the next season's out in the UK?

In other TV news, I've gotten pretty fascinated with Prison Break. It's simply the most ridiculous show ever, and yet? Compelling, dramatic, and completely acceptable all around. Well, okay, I shouldn't say that. Dominic Purcell continues to be a meaty stand-in for a real person as he is in every role; as the brother with the break-out plan, Wentworth Miller wins the emoting contest with Purcell only because he has two faces as opposed to just the one (Miller can have a blank face and a smirk face--ooooh, that's called ACTING! It's a good thing he's pretty); and everyone in the show is so unbelievably stupid.

At least that last foible ensures that the two sides facing off are, realistically, at a stalemate. Because only the dumbest conspiracy goons would think framing a man for murder and letting the state execute him is a better idea than a) letting an overeager cop shoot him when he's caught with the murder weapon, b) killing him Jack Ruby-style during one of his many, many many transfers to and from court, or c) getting him shanked in prison. It took like eight episodes before anyone thought of that last one as a possibility and it really was the second thing I thought of after b), and I'm not part of a high-powered, government-sponsored conspiracy cabal (OR AM I!?!?!)

Then you have the "heroes." Wentworth Miller is supposed to be so smart that he has this perfectly planned out prison escape that will not be derailed no matter who he meets (or pisses off) in prison and which cannot be thwarted by, say, his maybe being sent to a different prison at the outset; someone shanking him; or his brother getting a stay of execution that would pretty much make the sacrifice of getting his ass thrown in jail irrelevant. How can you be so clever that you can break out of prison by learning security key-card systems and electrical engineering but can't take a surveillance tape to an audio expert to find out that the thing was doctored? The bad guys are so dumb, there's no way they should have been able to send a patsy to traffic court, let alone death row. And our "hero" seems to be really good at getting people killed (potentially and in actuality), so it's kinda of like 5-0 (he hasn't saved his brother yet and the brother can't be said to be saved until he's in a non-extradition treaty country) bad guys at this point.

On the other hand, the side characters are actually pretty awesome. The guard with the hard-on for Wentworth Miller (get in line, dude; and man...most unrealistic aspect ever? No one has ever tried to rape his ass; then again, this is on network TV, not HBO) is smart, and I share his opinion that the hero's smugness is cause enough to be eternally pissed at the guy (no matter how cute he is, hrmph!). And, of course, you have Peter Stormare who is fucking creepy and is not even the scariest mo-fo on this show! That honor would belong to the guy playing T-Bag. For a network show, his obvious pedophilic tendencies are very brazen. And such a sense of humor despite that. I don't like the character, but damned if he isn't the most interesting thing moving through the screen at any given time. Last, but not least, I'm really loving Stacey Keach as a nice guy warden. I've never seen him play anything but a hardass. Different, in the good way.

My feelings about the show can be summarized by the following exclamations, which I must make at least twice every episode:
(about the doctor and the hero) "Just fucking do each other already."
(about T-Bag) ::shudder::
(about the conspirators) "It's a good thing no one believes the law can help them, or you guys would be so boned."
(about the wrongfully convicted heroes) "There's no way in hell that would work" or "You've got to be shitting me."
(about the crew who aren't wrongfully convicted heroes) "Doesn't letting out murderers and thieves kind of tip the zero-sum game of harm being done pretty fucking firmly into the more side of the scale than if you let the one guy die?"

I feel pretty detached today. I'm in no hurry to do anything, but I'll do whatever comes along without arguing the point. Like, for instance, my boss tells me to pH something for half an hour. Yes, that's unnecessary, but I'm going to do it.

It's been like this all day. Just sorta going through the motions. I'm not mad. Not happy, not sad--was a bit anxious, but am mostly mellowed--it's just weird.

Bizarre.

( It makes me want to write disaffected fiction (and fanfic). )

( I finished season two of Spooks last night, which might explain the funk a little. )

Blargh. I wanna go home and forget the world. Hanging out with some folks tonight should make things better. And donuts. Donuts always fix things.

Hot guy walks into hospital room to check on his friend, who's been mugged and beaten up.
Doctor Smart Woman: Are you the boyfriend?
Agent Hot Pants: No.
Doctor Smart Woman: There is a God.


Smaaaaaart lady. Spooks season two, two episodes in, is already too intense to watch. That little exchange, however, made it quite worth putting up with Tom's issues with his girlfriend which was how his relationship with her was portrayed all the time (unless it was being portrayed as the most loving river of loving love love, which was the rest of the time). Really, if she's not smart enough to think to herself "Incredibly cute, boyish, soulful-eyed man madly in love with me and me being a single mum whose daughter he also likes taking care of, who wants to shag me madly all the time" and doesn't latch onto him like a lamprey, she's not worthy. Dude, seriously. I'd have married him the second he said, "Hey, come live in my posh, awesome flat, where I will treat you way better than you deserve and play dad to your brat" and I would have to have a kid for that dream to come true. And I don't even find Matthew McFayden that attractive (Danny's way cute, though not in the throw-him-down-sex-him-senseless way; Tom just gets off on being so vulnerable--you almost are obligated to make sex all over him because he looks like he couldn't stop you if you did).

Seriously, though, just 'cause he's a spy and nearly got you killed, you leave him? It's like traveling with the Doctor--that's part of the fun! Everyday is a surprise! An adventure! A chance to go out in a really spectacular way! My God! Pass that up! You fool!

The following people are FIRED FROM LIFE:

1) Anyone who neglected to tell me that Anthony Stewart Head was on an episode of Spooks. You are so fired.

2) The people who dressed Anthony Stewart Head in a dirty flak jacket, wellingtons and what looked like a wrap skirt. You are so fired.

3) Anyone who neglected to tell me that Hugh Laurie has a recurring role on Spooks. You are so fired.


The following people may continue to live:

1) The people responsible for giving me shirtless Anthony Stewart Head.

2) The people responsible for Matthew Mcfayden having the most brilliantly long lashes I've ever seen (see, wellgull? Long lashes are very cool). That would probably be his parents. Or something. Yes, they may continue to live.

3) Whoever decided to put Hugh Laurie in a suit with wonderfully colorful shirt and tie combos and make him a (British!) bastard. God love you.