GOOD GOD, MAN! WHY MUST THE BRITISH RUIN MY LIFE?!?
Let me explain.
I found this show on Netflix. See, I like to utilize the instant watching feature on Netflix to a rather insane degree, meaning it can take me weeks to watch the actual DVDs I receive from Netflix, because I'm too busy watching the shows and movies which are available on my computer through their website.
Anyway, this particular show has often been recommended to me by whatever strange criteria comprises Netflix's recommendations, and finally, I decided to give it a chance.
It's a BBC show called Hotel Babylon about the staff which runs a five-star hotel in London, as well as the shenanigans that are got up to by the guests who are stinking rich and seem to think that means they can do and have anything they want. And for the most part, they can, with the help of the staff who not only cater to their most perverse whims but also keep their mouths shut about it, so long as you don't piss them off.
The characters are so much fun, and really well written and acted, so you feel for them and love them and want to be their friends (except for that slut Anna, but even she made me tear up a little when we finally got to see behind the facade) and want to see them succeed and not get found out because they did something bad in the past and...
You see where I'm going with this. The first season sucks you into their world and you are only too happy to stay there. So you do. You stick through the whole first season while they find their feet, and though they make a few missteps, all in all, they come out swinging with an excellent show.
Eagerly, you begin season 2. This, too, is very good, despite a few glaring flaws. But you brush them off because the characters are as delightful as ever and it's just so good to see them, and you are simply having too much fun to care.
And then season 3 begins and all hell breaks loose. Main characters suddenly start leaving left and right with no warning. Not that you can blame them since the writing is suddenly laughable. Except you're not laughing. You're crying and tearing your hair out and shouting "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SHOW!" at the screen. Five episodes into the third season and you've finally had enough. You are not watching anymore, and you are desperately trying to erase those five episodes and pretend that you stopped watching when it was still good and the characters were happy and not idiots.
Why? Why would they do that to a perfectly good show? A show that was so good I was starting to wonder why it hadn't been stolen and recycled the way America does with every other good British show. As though Americans were incapable of watching British actors. Seriously, what is up with that? They even speak English, for crying out loud, why do we need to recast? Oops, rant-tangent, they can happen to anyone.
And while we're on the subject, can someone explain to me why British television shows only have 8 episodes per season while American shows have around 22? That's a big difference. I'm just saying.
What was I saying?
Right, you should all watch Hotel Babylon, but do yourselves a favor and pretend it ended after the 2nd season and say, "Oh, man, I wish they hadn't canceled this show after only two seasons, it's so good! Oh well, I'll just make up my own storylines for these endearing characters." Then get on your computer and write some kick-ass fanfiction for me to read.
Well, go on! Do my bidding you little minions! Fly!
Julia
PS-Erm, I'll definitely write a post pertaining to real life soon. I promise. Hey, Wimbledon is coming up, bet there'll be some juicy stories about that, eh, eeehhhh? (Nudge) (Nudge) (Wink) (Wink)
Anyway, I'm off to watch the first episode again and begin the healing process.
Byee!
PPS-Though it pains me, I feel I am obliged to note that Hotel Babylon not only continued with a third season but also limped along through a FOURTH! I can't even imagine how horrible that must be, especially since I read through the episode summaries on IMDB, and it looks so terrible I have had to bleach my brain lest it become infected with those ridiculous plots. Shh, shh, shh, Julia, it's OK, that didn't happen. The second season ended and they all lived happily ever after, never mind what the nasty website said....
Showing posts with label TV and Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV and Movies. Show all posts
Friday, May 14, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Olympic Fever BABY!
I heart the Olympics.
Sports are usually about a bunch of guys scoring points against a bunch of other guys, and it often involves a lot of complicated rules and lots of standing around in between short violent bouts of action.
But the Olympics are about human beings against physics, about finding the limits of your own body and then pushing past those limits. It's not even about the Gold (but, really, it's all about the Gold, right? I mean, Silver, Bronze...who the hell cares?) it's about doing your personal best with the world watching. I love the theatricality of it, the drama of each struggle whether that struggle is with the other competitors, the clock, or your own demons.
I'm typing this while watching the Men's super-G (I don't even know what that means, but it seems to involve guys skiing very fast down a terrifyingly steep mountain). The commentators mentioned that the athletes only got a chance to inspect the course once this morning which means they would need "a good memory and a lot of nerve".
What's not to love about that? "A good memory and a lot of nerve." It's like a proverb about life or something.
Oh goodness, they are going fast.
I have been watching all the coverage since it began, but I actually have probably only SEEN about three quarters of it because a lot of the time I'm watching with my hands over my eyes. Not only am I worried about them falling and hurting themselves, but sometimes I get so wrapped up in who I want to win (cough Evan Lysacek, men's figure skating cough) that I almost can't watch them perform. I basically closed my eyes every time it looked like Evan was going to do a jump because I didn't want to see him fall. Which, as it turns out, I needn't have bothered because he ROCKED IT!
Oh Bode Miller, please don't go so fast, I worry about you. Oh thank goodness, he made it down alive and in FIRST PLACE! Let's see if he can hold onto it...here comes a Canadian OH GOD HE FELL! Oh he's OK. Got right back up. Do you see what these boys do to my heart? Lindsey Vonn was the worst because not only did I really really REALLY want her to win, but I was also afraid that she would hurt herself, knowing that she came into the games ALREADY INJURED. Who does that? Why was she even training in the first place, doesn't she know that's dangerous?
Yeah.
Basically I become everyone's mother.
I really shouldn't shout at the TV, I think my neighbors think I'm crazy.
OK, I'm going to leave you now, I just felt inspired to share.
Later,
Jules
Sports are usually about a bunch of guys scoring points against a bunch of other guys, and it often involves a lot of complicated rules and lots of standing around in between short violent bouts of action.
But the Olympics are about human beings against physics, about finding the limits of your own body and then pushing past those limits. It's not even about the Gold (but, really, it's all about the Gold, right? I mean, Silver, Bronze...who the hell cares?) it's about doing your personal best with the world watching. I love the theatricality of it, the drama of each struggle whether that struggle is with the other competitors, the clock, or your own demons.
I'm typing this while watching the Men's super-G (I don't even know what that means, but it seems to involve guys skiing very fast down a terrifyingly steep mountain). The commentators mentioned that the athletes only got a chance to inspect the course once this morning which means they would need "a good memory and a lot of nerve".
What's not to love about that? "A good memory and a lot of nerve." It's like a proverb about life or something.
Oh goodness, they are going fast.
I have been watching all the coverage since it began, but I actually have probably only SEEN about three quarters of it because a lot of the time I'm watching with my hands over my eyes. Not only am I worried about them falling and hurting themselves, but sometimes I get so wrapped up in who I want to win (cough Evan Lysacek, men's figure skating cough) that I almost can't watch them perform. I basically closed my eyes every time it looked like Evan was going to do a jump because I didn't want to see him fall. Which, as it turns out, I needn't have bothered because he ROCKED IT!
Oh Bode Miller, please don't go so fast, I worry about you. Oh thank goodness, he made it down alive and in FIRST PLACE! Let's see if he can hold onto it...here comes a Canadian OH GOD HE FELL! Oh he's OK. Got right back up. Do you see what these boys do to my heart? Lindsey Vonn was the worst because not only did I really really REALLY want her to win, but I was also afraid that she would hurt herself, knowing that she came into the games ALREADY INJURED. Who does that? Why was she even training in the first place, doesn't she know that's dangerous?
Yeah.
Basically I become everyone's mother.
I really shouldn't shout at the TV, I think my neighbors think I'm crazy.
OK, I'm going to leave you now, I just felt inspired to share.
Later,
Jules
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wanted, Credits, and Fish
Well, I've just (wait, no, that was an hour ago now...my goodness, where DOES the time GO?) gotten back from seeing Wanted. I know I've been talking about movies a lot lately, but I've been going to the movies a lot lately. I used to go all the time back in high school, but have gone less and less over the years. But it's something that I really enjoy, and I just remembered how much I enjoy it, this summer. I went to see Iron Man and suddenly: "Oh yeah, that's really fun. I should do that more often." And, ok, I go by myself most of the time, but at least I'm getting out of the basement (or the "batcave" as I call it).
Anyway, back to Wanted. It was pretty much as I expected: violence packed with little else in the way of storytelling. Sure, there was some plot in there somewhere, and squeezed between the shots of guys getting their heads blown off was the occasional emotional scene between characters. Still, it's really just an excuse to watch things blow up and people attempt to kill each other, all so that we can further numb ourselves to an already hyper-violent world. Gosh that was bleak. I'll try not to be so jaded.
Actually, I had fun watching this movie. There was even a twist that I didn't see coming, which is rare in films like this. Mostly I just wanted to veg out and eat popcorn (why is cinema popcorn so much better than any I make at home?).
One thing that did stand out was the score. It was phenomenal! I actually took a mental break from the carnage for a bit to think, "OK, I've got to remember to look this up on iTunes when I get back, 'cause this is seriously good stuff." And so it came as no surprise when I saw in the credits (I always stay to watch the credits, something that is getting harder and harder to do. So many theaters try to shove you out the door as soon as the movie is over, and most people give in to the looming staff, armed with brooms and dustpans. Almost every time I've gone to the movies in the past month, I have been the last person to leave the theater, and the workers all scowl and sigh and bang their brooms around impatiently, but I am very stubborn. Especially if it's a movie I enjoyed, I like to stay and watch the credits. I even read them. Not every single one, of course, that would be impossible. And it's not like I remember all the credits that I do read, but I like to acknowledge, even for the briefest of moments, the people who put such hard work into something that I liked. There are certain things I always look for, like the assistants: it's interesting to me to see which stars had an assistant during the movie. Some even have two. And then I try to think, well, is so-and-so really a bigger star than what's-er-name? Why then did s/he get an assistant while asexual amoeba did not? Wow, this is the diversion to end all diversions. I've completely forgotten where this sentence was going before the interruption. Might be best just to start again.)
Danny Elfman was the composer for Wanted. Of course, I said to myself, it was music I thought was really good, so NATURALLY it was composed by Danny Elfman. For those of you who don't know, D.E. wrote music for The Nightmare Before Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Spider-man 1 and 2, Mission: Impossible, Edward Scissorhands, Batman (with Michael Keaton), and many many more.
The man is incredible.
Why does this remind me that there's a video I was making that needs finishing? I have promised to post it for a couple weeks now, and it still isn't finished. GAH!
Next time, I promise. I hope. See, the problem is that making these videos is very time-consuming. I mean, it's fun, don't get me wrong. If it wasn't, I wouldn't do it. BUT (big 'but' here) it takes FOREVER. Especially when you're such a perfectionist like I am. I have to search endlessly for the exact-right-clip to go with this section of the music which is usually only seconds long! And while searching through the episodes for the exact-right-clip I will sometimes get caught up in watching the episode. Working with good material can get you in trouble that way, especially since these episodes all have such compelling stories...
No. I will fish. Er, I mean, 'finish'. Small typo, but I thought it looked funny, so I left it. Clearly a sign that I need to stop blogging now.
Good night all,
Jules
Anyway, back to Wanted. It was pretty much as I expected: violence packed with little else in the way of storytelling. Sure, there was some plot in there somewhere, and squeezed between the shots of guys getting their heads blown off was the occasional emotional scene between characters. Still, it's really just an excuse to watch things blow up and people attempt to kill each other, all so that we can further numb ourselves to an already hyper-violent world. Gosh that was bleak. I'll try not to be so jaded.
Actually, I had fun watching this movie. There was even a twist that I didn't see coming, which is rare in films like this. Mostly I just wanted to veg out and eat popcorn (why is cinema popcorn so much better than any I make at home?).
One thing that did stand out was the score. It was phenomenal! I actually took a mental break from the carnage for a bit to think, "OK, I've got to remember to look this up on iTunes when I get back, 'cause this is seriously good stuff." And so it came as no surprise when I saw in the credits (I always stay to watch the credits, something that is getting harder and harder to do. So many theaters try to shove you out the door as soon as the movie is over, and most people give in to the looming staff, armed with brooms and dustpans. Almost every time I've gone to the movies in the past month, I have been the last person to leave the theater, and the workers all scowl and sigh and bang their brooms around impatiently, but I am very stubborn. Especially if it's a movie I enjoyed, I like to stay and watch the credits. I even read them. Not every single one, of course, that would be impossible. And it's not like I remember all the credits that I do read, but I like to acknowledge, even for the briefest of moments, the people who put such hard work into something that I liked. There are certain things I always look for, like the assistants: it's interesting to me to see which stars had an assistant during the movie. Some even have two. And then I try to think, well, is so-and-so really a bigger star than what's-er-name? Why then did s/he get an assistant while asexual amoeba did not? Wow, this is the diversion to end all diversions. I've completely forgotten where this sentence was going before the interruption. Might be best just to start again.)
Danny Elfman was the composer for Wanted. Of course, I said to myself, it was music I thought was really good, so NATURALLY it was composed by Danny Elfman. For those of you who don't know, D.E. wrote music for The Nightmare Before Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Spider-man 1 and 2, Mission: Impossible, Edward Scissorhands, Batman (with Michael Keaton), and many many more.
The man is incredible.
Why does this remind me that there's a video I was making that needs finishing? I have promised to post it for a couple weeks now, and it still isn't finished. GAH!
Next time, I promise. I hope. See, the problem is that making these videos is very time-consuming. I mean, it's fun, don't get me wrong. If it wasn't, I wouldn't do it. BUT (big 'but' here) it takes FOREVER. Especially when you're such a perfectionist like I am. I have to search endlessly for the exact-right-clip to go with this section of the music which is usually only seconds long! And while searching through the episodes for the exact-right-clip I will sometimes get caught up in watching the episode. Working with good material can get you in trouble that way, especially since these episodes all have such compelling stories...
No. I will fish. Er, I mean, 'finish'. Small typo, but I thought it looked funny, so I left it. Clearly a sign that I need to stop blogging now.
Good night all,
Jules
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