Spreading the Link Love: 4/08/2010
Not enough for a full article, but important enough to avoid a simple one-liner on Twitter.
1. Painted Ladies: On Tats and Trashiness
Having had a large and highly visible tattoo on my arm for the last two years – I’ve had my fair share of compliments, insults and insults disguised as compliments. These have ranged from burly biker dudes, tween girls and middle-aged women. Specifically in that order.
I get that people are full of opinions, and having prominently displayed body art leaves you vulnerable to hearing said opinions of anyone passing on the street. But terms like “trashy” and “low-class” used as descriptors for people (women especially) are exceedingly classist, and are generally lobbed from people with advanced opportunities and education against those who are not so well-situated in life.
While it’s all fine and good to personally eschew tattoos, piercings, hair dye, eating meat, blowjobs, whatever – thinking you have the right to approach strangers and share your unsolicited opinions is pure and utter bullshit. But that’s part of the territory, and as a body art enthusiast, something I’ve come to love/hate about the permanent change I’ve made to myself. And it’s kinda worth it when sexy Battlestar Galactica actors compliment and touch your arm. Mmmm. 😉
2. Chris Claremont Unveils X-Women
While normally I’d reserve my ire until I actually read this 46 page graphic novel…just the few preview pics are enough to make me shake my head in bitter disgust. Whenever I consider how the X-Women might spend their leisure time, or what sort of female bonding they’d do when they have the chance, I automatically think – bikinis and jet skis!
I’m not being sensitive. Truly. Or even over-reacting. This is me completely under-reacting to this news. What else could I possibly say? Pretty sure the art-work by Milo Manara and Claremont’s statements speak for themselves. What they say to me: yeah, we’re totally being sexist dicks and completely disregarding at least 50% of the X-Men fanbase, but WHO CARES? Did you see the Tits and Ass on Rogue? Fuuuuck Yeaaaah!
But in case I misconstrued their statement, here’s the artwork:
And quote:
“We’re speaking primarily to an audience that may not be as religiously familiar with the American canon in terms of characters and the world itself, so you want to create a physical environment that is accessible to the broadest possible collection of readers.”
Speaking for themselves.
3. Joss Whedon on Short List to Direct Avengers
That’s the rumor these days kiddies. That, along with Bryan Singer now ONLY producing X-Men: First Class is some of the biggest comic book movie news to hit in the last few weeks. How do we all feel about Joss Whedon putting his rumpled ass in the Director’s seat for one of Marvel’s biggest franchise movies?
Uncertain – at worst. He has proven that he can wield a deft hand with ensemble casts, but he’s always had the fortune of being the one to assemble them (there’s a nerdy Avengers Assemble joke in there somewhere). This cast has been hand-picked by several directors who’ve come before him.
As the DH, Dan Robertson, also pointed out in one of our incredibly nerdy/fan-freak conversations – Whedon would have the task of directing and managing some Actors (with a capital A) that are notoriously difficult to work with in Hollywood. Specifically Edward Norton and Robert Downey Jr. I worry more about Norton, than RDJ. Whedon knows how to mine the comedic for the tragic quite easily, and I feel like he would have no problem coaxing golden performances out of RDJ and Chris Evans.
Also rumored to be in the running – Louis Leterrier (le terrier? Really?) and I’m putting at least some weight behind Jon Favreau, although his helming Ironman is most certainly a nice bid for Whedon. Favreau sort of came out of left field like – WTF, THAT guy? The SWINGERS GUY?
And pulled off one of the more successful Marvel franchise film series. Christopher Nolan also dicks around with smaller independent fare, and has done well with his Batman flicks. So – why not Whedon? Just cause Dollhouse and Firefly? Come on dudes, Buffy, Serenity and Astonishing X-Men. That’s like, three pieces of awesome versus only two bomb TV Shows (which have spastic cult followings of their own).
It’s hard out there for a pimp. All’s we are saying, is give Whedon a chance. Maybe he’ll force them to include at least ONE FUCKING WOMAN in the Avengers. Spider-Woman? Ms. Marvel? She-Hulk? He’s Joss Whedon, champion of awesome women. He’s like the golden ticket for inclusion of female characters. *fingers crossed on that one*
But he could do Runaways instead. Which would fit his M.O. more solidly – it’s got super-powered teen girls kicking ass. And would make my nerd heart cry, cause I know that dramatically decreases the chances of any “strong” female presence on the Avengers team. But, yay him. Dudes got bigger fish to fry outside of some wobbly television series with Fox.
That’s all she wrote…for now…
COMING UP NEXT: Kick-Ass Movie and Graphic Novel Review
Spartacus: Blood, Sand, and Boobs
But not necessarily in that order.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I actually ended up watching all 13 episodes of this delightfully crappy show. It’s like the worst best blood sex fest I’ve ever seen. My viewing it’s entirety can be blamed on a nasty stomach flu which kept me bed-ridden for 24 hours, in which I devoured 8 episodes one after another. It was like some kind of fever dream… I now love it passionately and was very distraught to hear the news that Andy Whitfield, who plays Spartacus, has cancer. I’m hoping for a speedy recovery so I can wince, guffaw and chortle through another 13 episodes of this messy, ludicrous but lovable series. THANK YOU.
It was disappointing to learn that Spartacus: Blood and Sand came out on Starz, a premium cable channel the DH and I do not subscribe to. Didn’t realize this when I set up the DVR, so the show’s been recording blank episodes for the last month or so. Believe me, there’s nothing more tempting or aggravating than a DVR show that doesn’t record.
When the first five episodes magically appeared on Netflix Instant Watch this weekend, we settled in to watch the pilot and give it a fair shot.
Only to witness an entire hour filled with nothing but blood, sex, boobs and very little else to tantalize. The scripting and directing are weak, the special effects are quite laughable (so much green screen!) and not even the actors manage to pull of their hackneyed dialogue with much sincerity. It’s not surprising with lines like “he’s got his hands up all the right assholes and when he wiggles his fingers, they shit gold.” Uh, what? Maybe it could work with the right delivery. Maybe.
Perhaps I would think better of this show if two things were true:
1.) 300 was an accurate and compelling depiction of history
2.) HBO’s Rome hadn’t been so epically awesome
Instead – we are treated to this bastardization of what I consider to be some great depictions of Roman times. Aside from 300, perhaps.
The DH described it as a really awful serialized version of Gladiator, with the visual style of 300, but there are just enough differences in the material to avoid a potential lawsuit.
See for yourself:
The amount of blood seeping into the trailer and first episode alone should be an indication of how ridiculous this series will be. Gallons of it – and for some reason they’ve mixed real fake blood with CGI blood on-screen and the two do not sit easily together. Honestly – at one point my husband and I were laughing at the unintentional comedy of the blood splattering the screen. So much. Too much.
We’d been joking around about the title of the show – and discussing the insane amount of sex scenes and bare naked breasts invading the screen which served no purpose.
My naked breasts in this scene serve no purpose
We envisioned a scene in which the overuse of blood, sex and breasts would culminate in one orgiastic climax.
Little did we know, we were about to witness everything our hearts had desired. In the first scene of Episode 2: Spartacus, the soldier-turned-slave-turned-Gladiator is bound in chains awaiting his fate, and dreams about having sex with his kidnapped wife. Mid-copulation, her mouth suddenly bursts forth with blood and it shoots all over her naked breasts. Bloody sex breasts.
The writers and visionaries of this crap-fest did not let us down.
Believe me – I wanted to like this show. Lucy Lawless (what is with her comically red hair)? Steven DeKnight of Buffy and Dollhouse fame? Apparently Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen are on the writing staff as well.
The only question this show raises is how so much talent can exist in one place and yet churn out a boring, silly show with material that should be a slam dunk. Rome, Shakespeare, Greek tragedy. It’s practically Drama-By-Numbers here people. You just have to make sure it’s GOOD. But Spartacus: B&S has nothing interesting to say or show us which hasn’t already been done…better.
Should I stick it out for a few more episodes? Anyone?
LINK LOVE
– I’m not the only one thinking it sucks
– This review suggests we revel happily in the sex, violence and absurdity
Dollhouse: The End
It seems fitting that I should start the New Year (and my new intention to blog more regularly) off with a review of a series that I previously foretold would be cancelled…in it’s first season.
Well, it was cancelled, about a quarter of the way into Seaso
n 2, and last night was the final episode, a sequel to Epitaph 1. Now that the show is forever off the air, and there will be no other Dollhouse comic books or webisodes or any other media element to tantalize, I feel it’s only right to express my full sentiments about the show.
It wasn’t great. It had great promise but I found myself only moderately attracted to it’s premise. And several times had to force my way stubbornly through many episodes when I simply wanted to turn the TV off. The writing was spotty at times, and some dialogue felt absolutely grating – especially in the episode last night with the utter terrible example of future speak, “Log off!” Ouch, that one elicited a pained chuckle.
What really sells a Whedon show is the relationships between characters, and how they interact and grow together/apart. So what was ultimately very disappointing about the last half of Season 2 was the pacing. OK – I get that he was trying to tell the story with only six or eight episodes. I don’t begrudge the creators, writers, actors that need and desire, but I’m not sure it worked.
I’ve never really seen a series DO what Dollhouse did – tell the whole story in such a short time span. And now that I”ve seen it done…I’m not sure I want it. I’m not sure I like it.
At what point does the desire to see what becomes of the characters – their transformations over time – start to un-tether you from the characters? And when you see what awesomeness you are missing because of the rushed story lines (as you realize that each episode is like a full season of amazing) – there is definitely a painful pang.
It’s a bit of S&M from the writers to the hardcore audience – and almost feels like rubbing it in our faces that we are missing so much. It’s like we’re the delinquent parent that is only dropping in on our kids once every year or so – learning about everything we missed, and checking out again.
The Dollhouse Conflicts: Cancellation Rumors Fly
Poor, troubled Joss Whedon. He’s had off years, and great successes where no one expected (turning a failed movie into a TV series, and a failed TV series into a movie) so expectations were high for Dollhouse, and let’s be honest – the first four episodes did not deliver.
If I wasn’t a Whedon junky, I would have probably skipped off Dollhouse following episode 3 (as I did with Fringe). But the tenacity of wanting to see this show succeed where Firefly failed kept me watching. Things have picked up. Things have gotten good. Though I’m still not in love with any of the characters, and feel the humor is rocky at best…there is more to this than sheer entertainment value at this point. It’s getting Joss back on track doing what he does best – television. And if it takes a season or two to make that happen…I want to put him there. He’s delivered exciting content on three different TV shows, with my favorite mutants, and in a musical blog. What more could a nerd heart desire?
Also – I promised Tahmoh Penikett I would keep him in a job. 🙂
But a Twitter from Felicia Day picked up by Dr. Horrible and spread out to the Whedonverse has unleashed the storm which has no doubt been quietly building there for several weeks.
It doesn’t confirm that the show is canceled – merely a Season Two bridge episode #13 in which Felicia Day and Alan Tudyk were supposed to guest star is *possibly* not going to be aired. Hence – no Season Two, without an airing of the much touted Episode 13.
UPDATE: Tim Minear explains the situation here and soothes some of the savage beasties salivating at the keyboard. It’s incredibly helpful when the writers of a show watch the fan boards and respond. Why are these people so eerily accessible?
Right now – Dollhouse and Fox are the top trending searches on Twitter. I’ve even been prompted to tweet my fourth update in the last month about it, just to add my tiny push to the wave that is no doubt cresting at Fox’s door this very moment. All this started about 1 hour ago, btw. Hah!
So – I’m going to do my part and reserve a copy of the Season One DVD. I’m going to ignore the conflicting info flying around the net at present:
For some reason – as with X-Men Origins: Wolverine…I just can’t shake the feeling that the internets have been duped by bizarre FOX PR stunts as of late. Or maybe it is just the inability of old media to play nicely with new media creating circumstances which feed fan frenzy. Who knows?
Maybe you want to join in the twittering fun – to save Dollhouse?
Much Love, Mindy C
Emerald City Comic Con 2009: A Recap
This image was the front page of the convention program.
Dan and I hit the road around noon yesterday, on our way up to the Seattle Comic Con – otherwise known as Emerald City Comic Con. We had tentatively planned this trip a few months ago, dependent upon funds and time and the aligning of the fates.
Well, at some point last week, on the verge of deciding not to go, I checked their site to see what exciting guests might peak my interest and swing the vote. Turns out – a few, including:
– Jewel Staite (Kaylee from Firefly)
– Tahmoh Penikett (Helo from BSG and Paul Ballard from Dollhouse)
– Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol from BSG)
– Michael Hogan (Colonel Tigh from BSG)
and Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher from ST: Next Generation)
Pretty kick ass line up. Then I spotted in the artist/writer’s tables Mike Mignola and Greg Rucka, and was sold even further. So – Dan and I debated up until Friday evening about whether or not we would attend. Saturday morning, we decided yes.
We didn’t arrive in Seattle until around 2:30pm, and felt discouraged about attending the Con with only a few short hours on the docket. Also we were fairly sure we’d missed an opportunity to take pics with Tahmoh (my goal for the event). Instead, we secured some wireless internet – located lodging close by (a stunning Motel 6 in SeaTac) and tucked in for the night.
We hit up the awesome Pyramid Brewery, got tipsy – stopped at the store and grabbed some champagne – got even more tipsy and spent the night watching Starship Troopers until we passed out.
After a fitful night of sleep, we checked out of our motel, hit up a Denny’s and arrived at the con a mere 1.5 hours later than we had intended. Oh – not to mention that whole day we missed too. 🙂 More madness behind the link…
Welcome to the “Dollhouse”
Some of ya’ll may have heard – but the talented Mr. Joss Whedon is helming a new series over at Fox called “Dollhouse” starring Eliza Dushku (of Buffy/Angel fame), Tahmoh Penikett (better known as Helo from BSG), Olivia Williams, and Amy Acker…to drop a few names.
It will be airing mid-season in 08-09, and the pilot episode is already completed. It’s been picked up for 7 episodes (thought other places I’ve heard 13) and seems to be green-lighted on all fronts.
The Dollhouse consists of a few folks who are memory-wiped and pimped out to the highest bidder to perform whatever task the folks might desire. It’s an intriguing premise, but the trailer doesn’t really do the show justice quite yet.
I hope this isn’t viewed as some kind of trite ALIAS knock-off. I have a lot of faith in Joss to make a successful go of a television series (it’s been 5 years). I’m trying really hard not to be ultra-nerdy about this and get TOO excited about the possibilities, or get my hopes up for the amazing awesomeness which is sure to ensue.
It’ll be nice to see/hear NEW Joss dialogue spoken by human beings again. I loved a few of his runs in comics, but some of it leaves me craving the chops of a decent actor to make it amusing and un-ambiguous.
I’m bad – and found a scene online already.
Think of it (and me) what you will, but I can’t wait for Dec 08/Jan 09 to roll around, and be knee-deep in Whedon love. 🙂
Much Love, Mindy C
Dan
tinyheroes
Tiny Heroes 