vanitashaze: Arthur during the last kick. (we burn our boats each new year /)
vanitashaze ([personal profile] vanitashaze) wrote2010-01-26 11:06 pm

I looked once more down Sally's well, and this time there was nothing there to haunt me.

After being thoroughly impressed by Jude Law's work in Sherlock Holmes - and damn, I cannot WAIT until that comes out on DVD - I decided to check out the rest of his ouvre. For such a well-known star, he has a surprisingly short resume, and really only a handful of his parts have been leads. As soon as I can find a copy, Wilde is next on the list... For now, I've contented myself with The Talented Mr. Ripley (his breakout role) and Cold Mountain. I like the former, but surprisingly, it's the latter that's my favorite of the two, and this is something I did not expect.

For one, it's a romance epic - two and a half hours! - set in antebellum South. For another, it has Nicole Kidman starring opposite Law, and Renee Zellweger starring opposite her. To my shock, I LOVED THEM ALL. This is a rare occurrence, ya'll. Usually I'll hate at least one of the leads, but they were all fantastic, interesting characters with distinct personalities, and the relationships between them were intriguing, even complex. Law's Inman was especially heartbreaking - god, you fucking broke for him - but the ladies were wonderful as well. And Ruby. OH RUBY. YOU ARE AMAZING AND STRONG AS STONE AND KICKASS AND EVEN A LITTLE TRAGIC. NEVER EVER CHANGE. I wasn't too thrilled about Kidman's character Ada at first, but with the addition of Ruby, and she became deeply fantastic. More than anything else I think it was the relationships that made this movie: Ada and Inman's (the cabin scene, oh my GOD, and the bits before and after it), but Ada and Ruby's was also very well done, and we even got some hints of Ruby-Inman interaction. I loved how he asked her permission to live on her farm, and the single tear as she gave Inman and Ada the cabin. And the trousers. Let us not forget the trousers. (For some reason, though I don't particularly care one way or another in the present, I have a deep love for women in historical drag.) I would totally ship Ruby/Ada, if Ada weren't so obviously obsessively in love with Inman*. As it stands, I fully maintain that Ruby is in love, grudgingly, with Ada (maybe sexually, maybe platonically). It's clear she feels threatened by Inman, and one of the wonderful surprises of the movie was that he totally let her take top dog on that one. The movie had to end the way it did, with Inman's death - he was a tragic character, and there was never any hope for him of a happy ending - but I'm sad that I'll never get to see more of their interactions, new relationships and negotiating and learning to fit themselves around each other, like we saw with Ruby and Ada.

I'm not saying it didn't have some problems (hello, Ruby's abusive father, and the mysterious absence of race/class issues!) or that it wasn't unconvincing at some moments (the beginning twenty minutes, erk, or the happy-family ending, though that last line was haunting). But overall, it was very very good, an excellent example of an Odysseus epic, and Law was fantastic. The little cameo tragedies - all the people he came across in his journey - were also very cool. With the exception of the creepy minister, I loved all of them. Really, I was worried that this would turn into Yet Another Antebellum Movie Glorifying the South With Bonus Sex, but with Inman's heroes journey, Minghella (the director) took a story very rooted in time and place, and made it timeless. The people Inman comes across are strange, often bizarre, but archetypes in their own right. Like the Odyssey on film.

*Though not nearly as much as he's in love with her, or the idea of her. That's the other thing I really liked: in many ways Ada and Inman were in love with the idea of each other, people they constructed from a handful of moments, and by the time they meet up again, they're so completely different people, and then they acknowledge that, and it's better this way. What's real is different than what they've been toting around in their hearts, but it's not lesser.

In other news, I got my [livejournal.com profile] deancastiel Secret Angels Three assignment back, to which I have two words: What the...? I am not well-suited for these prompts at all.
wordsatourbacks: close-up of detective meldrick lewis in a dimly lit hospital room, light shining down across his face (Default)

Re: Except for the part where I've got to finish it by Thursday & get it Jossed, or work with new ca

[personal profile] wordsatourbacks (from livejournal.com) 2010-01-30 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
Do you think there's going to be substantial new canon re: angels in the coming episode?

his body exploding "like a can of chunky soup" - which, by the way, ew

Yeah, ewwww.

That makes sense re: the Novaks, though I hadn't thought of it. Poor Novaks. I will continue hoping they lived, even if angels come figuratively knocking on their door again to possess Claire, but yeah. (I read a Claire/Jo now-AU short futurefic recently that was kind of lovely, but it was premised on angels being able to protect/hide humans from demons.)

Do we know anything of what happens after the reaper?

Oh, it made sense, I just have nothing myself to add at this time :)

Re: Except for the part where I've got to finish it by Thursday & get it Jossed, or work with new ca

[identity profile] vanitashaze.livejournal.com 2010-01-30 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
I wasn't sure if you were spoiler-friendly or not, but: yeah. The next episode is the return of Anna... and unfortunately, what with the show's track record in regards to women and angels that aren't Castiel - not to mention, some less vague spoilers that I won't go into unless you give me the go-ahead (but they can be found in YouTube so it's not like they're state secrets) - I doubt she'll survive the experience. But it's possible I'm wrong, and frankly, I hope so. They need more allies. It's a fond wish of mine that they actually start building up a tactical support base, instead of continually having it smashed to bits.

Speaking of, where the hell has Bobby been? I know it's only been two episodes, but it feels much longer.

I read a Claire/Jo now-AU short futurefic recently that was kind of lovely, but it was premised on angels being able to protect/hide humans from demons. Really? May I have a link?

I don't think so, no. In fact, I think it was implied that not even the reapers know what happens after. At least, the first time Dean encountered a talkative one - "In My Time of Dying", I think? In "Death Takes a Holiday", there might be conflicting information. (It's been so long I don't really remember, and I don't have access to my Supernatural avi stash right now.) Really, continuity problems wouldn't really surprise me. SPN TPTB have never been very good in regards to that.

Re: Except for the part where I've got to finish it by Thursday & get it Jossed, or work with new ca

[identity profile] ticketsonmyself.livejournal.com 2010-01-30 05:42 am (UTC)(link)
I am almost always open to spoilers! ... and now I've looked it up on Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural_(season_5)), so whatever other spoilers you have are probably not going to be surprises, but I'm still open to more spoilers. Um, I am doubly sad in (probably well-founded) anticipation because "The Song Remains the Same" is one of my favorite Zeppelin songs. *shakes fist*

"This is how we have to try" (http://aesc.livejournal.com/391075.html?mode=reply) (PG-13), "Staying safe goes both ways."

Yeah, I don't recall either. Hm!

Re: Except for the part where I've got to finish it by Thursday & get it Jossed, or work with new ca

[identity profile] vanitashaze.livejournal.com 2010-01-30 05:57 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, Wikipedia's about as far as I know, though from the promo clips I assume Cas is injured somehow. They do love to have him spitting blood, don't they? I assume it's the mouth factor. And dear lord, this is like the episode with a thousand faces. According to Wikipedia, it's "The Song Remains the Same", and according to YouTube, it's "Back to the Future II". Keep it straight, people!

...How does the public even get episode names, anyways?

An [livejournal.com profile] aesc femslash fic? I am... very surprised I had not seen that before. I thought I'd pretty much exhausted her material, to be honest. Just goes to show. As for the fic itself: oh, how I wish it were longer! I like the little snippet of their life she shows, and I love the person Claire's grown up to become, and damn it, I want more.
wordsatourbacks: close-up of detective meldrick lewis in a dimly lit hospital room, light shining down across his face (Default)

Re: Except for the part where I've got to finish it by Thursday & get it Jossed, or work with new ca

[personal profile] wordsatourbacks (from livejournal.com) 2010-01-30 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
Hah, gross. And it probably is the mouth factor.

"The Song Remains the Same" is what's listed on the CW's site, so I'd think that'd be it.

I wish the story were longer, too. I'd love to see more of their life together.

I wish I could get my SHIFT key to stop sticking. (Bet toting it out in 20 F weather didn't help.)

[identity profile] vanitashaze.livejournal.com 2010-01-31 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
Um, I am doubly sad in (probably well-founded) anticipation because "The Song Remains the Same" is one of my favorite Zeppelin songs. I forgot to ask, but I am curious - why?

It's interesting - I don't really care about the Winchesters' life on the road, but something about Jo on the road, hunting - probably doing the exact same thing the Winchesters do - intrigues me. Maybe it's the company she keeps. (For some reason, the Jo of [livejournal.com profile] aesc's fic reminds me of [livejournal.com profile] rememberbefore's.)

Erk. I wish the gods of fanfiction would once again smile upon me. I've been in such a horrific dry spell since "To the Pioneers and Their Covered Wagons". It's like - title? Plot? POV? Characterization? I really want to write these bits, but they are just not coming cleanly. (And I'm not whining, I swear. Well. Maybe a little bit. Ranting, more like.)

Re: I wish I could get my SHIFT key to stop sticking. (Bet toting it out in 20 F weather didn't help

[identity profile] ticketsonmyself.livejournal.com 2010-01-31 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
It's a case of something I like now having a mental association with something that will probably make me go >:( Well, oh well.

I don't really care about the Winchesters' life on the road, but something about Jo on the road, hunting - probably doing the exact same thing the Winchesters do - intrigues me. Maybe it's the company she keeps.

I feel exactly the same way.

Rant on! :)

Re: I wish I could get my SHIFT key to stop sticking. (Bet toting it out in 20 F weather didn't help

[identity profile] vanitashaze.livejournal.com 2010-02-06 10:07 pm (UTC)(link)
>:( Er, well - yes. I rather believe it will.

RANT RANT RANT RANT RANT RANT RANT.

Though actually, I am kind of pissed about the treatment of Anna in the new episode. This shall make the femslash hard. But it will be done, nonetheless! Probably.

Re: I wish I could get my SHIFT key to stop sticking. (Bet toting it out in 20 F weather didn't help

[identity profile] ticketsonmyself.livejournal.com 2010-02-07 04:42 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah. D: Still rooting for the Anna femslash, though! *totes out plucky marching band*

Re: I wish I could get my SHIFT key to stop sticking. (Bet toting it out in 20 F weather didn't help

[identity profile] vanitashaze.livejournal.com 2010-02-07 06:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Not the trombones! No! I'll do whatever you want!

...For some reason I really want to work Uriel into it now. I have no idea how I will actually do that, but still.
wordsatourbacks: close-up of detective meldrick lewis in a dimly lit hospital room, light shining down across his face (eyes I've always loved illuminate)

Re: I wish I could get my SHIFT key to stop sticking. (Bet toting it out in 20 F weather didn't help

[personal profile] wordsatourbacks 2010-02-24 05:40 am (UTC)(link)
Heeee! I just saw this.

I think that could be potentially awesome!
wordsatourbacks: close-up of detective meldrick lewis in a dimly lit hospital room, light shining down across his face (long gone soon (tonight I'm here))

Re: I wish I could get my SHIFT key to stop sticking. (Bet toting it out in 20 F weather didn't help

[personal profile] wordsatourbacks 2010-02-24 06:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay!