maeve66: (1938 TV and Woman)
but I love streaming services way too much. I should learn to torrent, but I am a) a wuss, and b) slightly technophobic wrt downloading stuff when it is punishable by... I dunno, fines and jail? I mean, probably not. I'm just chicken.

That said, I am contributing to the coffers of far too many streaming services. I refuse to list them. For right now, I will just say some things I have very much enjoyed watching, of late, and things I intend to watch, soon.

Kneecap -- brilliant, I loved it, I think I wrote about it here at some point. It doesn't actually belong in this entry, though, because I saw it with my sister in an actual movie theater.

Bodkin, which, apart from being out of the stable of Michelle-and-Barack-Obama's post presidential production company (that is SO WEIRD) (also, his attempt to be another David Attenborough with "Our Oceans" or whatever it is called, also on Netflix is just... no. His voice was okay for a presidential address. It is not suited to the majesty of narrating nature)... anyway, though, I enjoyed this mash-up of Only Murders in the Building, and Deadloch which could have been titled Only Murders in the Quaint Irish Village

Slow Horses -- hat tip to [personal profile] sabotabby (hope that works right) -- I just finished season 1 of this Brit spy series about fuckups in a dead end has beens offshoot of M15. Loved it. Will start S2 pronto, even if it is (as is reputed) not quite as good?

Blitz I am a sucker for WWII homefront stories and movies, so I ignored all the highfaluting damned-with-faint-praise three out of five star reviews by e.g., the Guardian. So it wasn't an art film, sue Steve McQueen. Something I think was worth the price of admission (a bit of a silly thing to say, since I watched it with a free week long membership in Apple TV + or whatever it is) was that it did not deliberately cast race blind, as some shows and movies have (I'm looking at you Bridgerton though that show had a kind of half-assed alter-historical nonsensical rationale... and also, I don't MIND race blind casting at all...) but this was better because it was HISTORICALLY ACCURATE... if you'd looked at a census of 1931 or 1941 London, these were the people you would have seen, probably in exactly the proportions McQueen shows -- Indian families, Black Britons from the Empire, whether the Caribbean or Africa, etc. And yet, because actual films made in the 1940s by Ealing Studios or whatever, as well as more recent movies set in the 1940s ignore that history, seeing Indians and Black Britons (and mixed race Brits) in this movie is jarring and feels fucking refreshing. Also, I loved the kid and the Nigerian Air Raid Warden, and I liked Saoirse Ronan FINE -- fuck the Guardian's "pencil sketch of a role".

Obviously this is the film I just finished, since it's the one I have written the most about.

Next up (I mean, probably not TODAY, but soon):

Say Nothing -- series about the Price sisters, Brendan "The Dark" Hughes, and the murder of Jean McConville. My ex from Belfast has his critiques (mostly of the soft-pedalling of Brit handlers of Jean McConville, who was a tout and who had been caught with transmitting equipment and warned once, but then was pressured into starting up again by the Brits, even though her cover had been blown). Note: L. was not a Provie himself, but in what were called something like "the intellectual Republicans", e.g. a group then called People's Democracy.

Raanjhanna -- Bollywood recommended by co-worker, a Sikh Punjabi woman who is insanely gorgeous and has a full back tattoo that is amazing.

I Never Cry a Polish/Irish film about a young Polish woman who travels to Ireland to retrieve her father's body after an industrial accident.

when it finally starts, the next season of Strange New Worlds

ditto, the next season of Deadloch.

Also... Xmas movies. It's a Wonderful Life; A Christmas Carol (the Patrick Stewart version and maybe the Henry Winkler one); Spirited (don't judge me!); MAYBE Elf; and MAYBE Klaus.

ETA: Oh! And "A Huey Freeman Christmas" -- a Boondocks Xmas special! (Maybe the Charlie Brown Christmas Special too...)
maeve66: (Celtic knot)
My sister pushed me into going to an actual movie theater today* to see the Irish film (North of Ireland, in fact) Kneecap, the semi-fictionalized story of how the pretty fucking republican hip hop band got started. The actual band members were the stars of the movie, plus Michael Fassbinder as the possibly apocryphal Provie father who fakes his own death (thus abandoning his family) to escape the Brits.

I have liked what I'd heard of Kneecap's music -- and Liam's nephew, I forget his name -- was in one of their music videos, which took place at a party.

But the film spent more time on the Gaeltacht, or Irish speaking, community in West Belfast, a stubbornly persistant political movement to get Irish recognized legally and supported. And Kneecap is part of that, because their rap is mostly in Irish. And fucking catchy. I told Rosie I thought she should definitely see the movie, and she mostly demurred because she thinks wypipo shouldn't try to rap. Which I get. But ... though arguably Eminem is exploitative in the same way Elvis was... his rap is good. Most white rap is not. But Kneecap's is, very much so. Anarchic and hedonistic and political, all at once.


Notes: shows I want to continue and finish:

1. S3 Only Murders in the Building -- finished 8/6

2. A Discovery of Witches

3. True Detective: Night Country

4. My Lady Jane (frippery recommended by Veronica Stein while we were texting today)

5. Warrior (maybe)

Shows finished: remake of Shogun and The West Wing rewatch and Brooklyn Nine-Nine



* We were going to go to Union Landing in Union City, because I am curious about their theaters, which show a lot of Hindi and Telegu films... but ended up for scheduling reasons, having to go to Bay Street, which was arduous and fucking annoying, because once we'd parked and struggled with the parking payment machine, it turned out that the only elevator was broken, so RQ had to haul my scoot while I stood grimly on the escalator... and then the second escalator up to the actual movie theater was also broken! We almost shitcanned the whole project then... but after some food and drink my sister went to get the car and pick me up and drive ... as it turned out, ALL THE FUCK OVER THE PLACE eventually to Parking Garage B, to find a practically hidden floor with "temporary ADA parking spaces" and a metal ramp I worried my battery wouldn't be able to deal with, but it did, brave little 'scoot. And then the handicapped bathroom was out of order, too. All garbage.

Day 326:

Oct. 16th, 2012 07:58 pm
maeve66: (Default)
1. Exercise bulimia
2. Abandoned places, not often visited
3. cheating on tests -- hey! This thing is starting to repeat itself!
4. Your favorite Star Wars movies

Eh, none of these thrill me, but I was talking to my older niece about Star Wars on Saturday... why? Hm. We were driving around after the Farmer's Market, taking my mom on various errands, and for some reason, Star Wars came up. Something about the Darths? Oh! We had been listening and watching YouTube videos of Weird Al Yankovic (always an excellent thing to do in any case) because her English teacher played "Living in an Amish Paradise" to illustrate the word "parody" (I might have to steal that mini-lesson). And we watched the parody of "American Pie" that synopsizes the entire plot of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace".* And she had lots of questions, like why did Anakin Skywalker turn to the Dark side of the Force? And what are midichlorians?

Obviously the answer to #4 above is "Our favorite Star Wars movies are numbers 4, 5, and 6 A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and The Return of the Jedi, or as I like to think of it, An Allegory of Central American Revolutions with Short, Hairy Revolutionaries. R. has only seen the original 4, 5, and 6. She doesn't think much of 1, 2, and 3, after my synopses. But she does say that my synopses of enormous long books are fantastic, in themselves. I synopsize well, me and Bobby Sands, who used to do that in the H-Blocks. He synopsized Leon Uris' Trinity, which I have also synopsized. I bet he didn't touch any Judith Krantz books, though.

*Why doesn't Weird Al Yankovic ALWAYS groom himself to look like Ewen whatsit: that video was the best Yankovic has ever looked since beginning his career.
maeve66: (Default)
Hahahahaha... I Googled blog topic or something like that, and one of the sites is a "random blog topic generator" -- sort of like that old LJ Haiku generator that I loved, loved, loved. Angry Goats, or some name like that? Is that still around?

Anyway, the first randomly generated topic made me laugh, so I am going to collect a few and list them here, and then possibly write on one. Maybe they'll form the basis of entries 316 to 340?

1. George Washington and the Revolutionary War (it's true: that's a topic, and it's random)
2. A movie poster that has affected me
3. Cats or Dogs? (that's easy, at least)
4. Shoveling yourself out on a snowy day
5. Bad hair days (I don't feel like I have them, so not this topic)
6. Developing harmony (what?)
7. How to play the recorder (surely this only works if you actually know how to play the recorder?)
8. Your favorite novels (oh, such an easy, simple, short topic)
9. Prop 8
10. Early American Jazz (after the Ken Burns documentary NOT on this topic, I can tell you more about early American baseball).
11. George W. Bush's romantic life (eww, what? Better than this would be Condoleeza Rice's romantic life, which a) has a song in its honor by Steve Earle, and b) was a plot point on 30 Rock)

Let's see.... movie posters? I always loved the poster for Diva... I thought the poster for Jaws was very effective. And I find it hilarious that when I put "iconic movie posters" in to Google image search, the 80s or early 90s Bollywood movie Tezaab comes up, with Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, and Chunky Pandey. I love the first two stars, and have heard of the third.
maeve66: (Coolie)
There were two Day 232s, so I combined the second with this Day 233 topic.

Movies I never tire of:

Reds

Another Country

My Beautiful Laundrette

Star Wars The first one, 1977, e.g. "number 4"

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Monty Python and the Life of Brian

The Full Monty

Rang de Basanti

Om Shanti Om

Bunty Aur Babli

Dhoom 2

Omkara

Dor

Lagaan

Iqbal


Movies that are quotable, and some quotes:

Monty Python and the Holy Grail


Dennis: What I object to is you automatically treat me like an inferior.
King Arthur: Well I am king.
Dennis: Oh, king eh? Very nice. And how'd you get that, eh? By exploiting the workers. By hanging on to outdated imperialist dogma which perpetuates the economic and social differences in our society.


King Arthur: I am your king.
Woman: Well I didn't vote for you.
King Arthur: You don't vote for kings.
Woman: Well how'd you become king then?
[Angelic music plays... ]
King Arthur: The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. THAT is why I am your king.
Dennis: [interrupting] Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.


Dennis: Oh, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you.


Dennis: Oh but if I went 'round sayin' I was Emperor, just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away.


Dennis: Come and see the violence inherent in the system. Help! Help! I'm being repressed!
King Arthur: Bloody peasant!
Dennis: Oh, what a giveaway! Did you hear that? Did you hear that, eh? That's what I'm on about! Did you see him repressing me? You saw him, Didn't you?

* * *

Oh, and Happy Bastille Day! The French in that movie didn't take any shit from the monarchist Brits, now did they?

French soldier: Go away, you sons of silly persons! I fart in your general direction! Go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
maeve66: (Nagini)
This is an old movie poster for a Naag-Nagini movie; there have been many, many iterations of that plot. I was torn between this and a gun-toting Pakistani woman, but this won. I draw women like this all the time -- maybe not with such a ferocious expression. But I like the outthrust and ample hip, as a visual trope. It's also a sort of wistful homage to M. He has a definite soft spot for movies with strong, curvy, campy female protagonists in spandex who smash the hell out of the men in the movie. I like the balance of colors and lighting in this userpic too, though. In all, score.

Saw Zindagi Na Milega Dobari last night with [livejournal.com profile] amarama. I enjoyed it much more than I expected I would. Hrithik Roshan has really grown on me, though M. despises him. (I WILL get over alluding to M. every five seconds, I swear to fuck I will... it's just a bit hard in this context, to ignore his legacy, as it were). [livejournal.com profile] amarama and I were talking about how much we enjoy Hrithik's dancing, and his eye makeup, and his general willingness to be a gay pinup idol, especially wearing a biker cap and oiled pecs. Well, that was my thought; I shouldn't foist it on her. The movie suffers (as almost all Bollywood does) from wealth fantasies that make it a bit ridiculous -- traveling in Spain is not as *I* remember it. My traveling in Spain was first by bus, to a dusty town in the middle of fucking nowhere, and then by troop train (not kidding; I'm sure I've told this story at some point) across the border from Portugal to Spain, overnight. Spain IS beautiful, there's no question. But it's not necessarily luxe. Whatever, it was a fun movie, even if I wasn't a fan of the Spanish-Hindi hybrid music. What I want to see is Delhi Belly, an Aamir Khan film promoting the career of his nephew Imran. I love the nepotism of Bollywood, seriously.

I also want to see, though it's hard to find a copy -- a film I am sure is wretched, but hey, it's a modern nagini film -- Hissss. I hope that's enough Ss. Triumph! Amazon has a used copy. Here is the review of it, from that site.

As the story goes, the movie is about the Vengeance of the Snake Woman, when the legend of the Naagin has been spreading for over 4000 years ago.

Finally in 2009 George States (Jeff Douchette), a ruthless American travels to the jungles of India and captures her mate. She transforms into a stunningly attractive woman (Mallika Sherawat) with absolutely no clue about contemporary civilization or the ways of mankind, and ventures into the city in desperate search for her lover with vengeance on her mind and venom in her fangs.

What follows is a chase at breakneck speed, with horrifying deaths, narrow escapes and special effects never seen before in India, as Vikram Gupta's (Irrfan Khan) Clarice Starling chases down a beautiful sexy killer more dangerous, powerful and terrifying than Hannibal Lecter.

This is India's Werewolf, Vampire, and Hannibal the Cannibal, who has an axe to grind with the villainous human race who has dared to desecrate her environment and capture her mate...


I love the equation of Irrfan Khan with Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling, and Mallika Sherawat with Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter. I also love that the American (I guess) actor's name is Jeff Douchette. Gotta see that movie. Which reminds me, I NEED to post about a Pakistani horror/splatter movie I want to own, a fairly recent one that should, in my opinion, entirely revitalize the Pakistani film industry. It's called Zibahkhana. Maybe I'll do a two movie entry on the Pakistani film industry, also dealing with Khuda Kay Liye. That would be a funny mash-up review.

Profile

maeve66: (Default)
maeve66

March 2025

S M T W T F S
      1
2345678
9 101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031     

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated May. 22nd, 2025 02:49 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios