Egad!

I completely forgot that Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone comes out on DVD today!

Perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised by the husband picking it up on his way home, or while I am teaching tonight.

My mother secretly bought me a box of Peek Freans Bourbon Cremes while I was in Toronto. I haven’t told my husband. They’re mine. They’re hidden. I am about to go open the box oh so lovingly, remove two, then hide them again and try to forget the box has been breached…

Ceri saw Episode Two on Sunday as well, it seems.

The one good lightsabre battle was ruined by focusing on facial closeups rather than having us see the actual battle.

I’m not certain which battle she has chosen as the best, but I think it’s all a continuation of the trend begun in Gladiator of making battle look as confusing as possible, because that’s what it would seem like if you were in the middle of it.

Yoda did not kick butt, he looked damn silly

I must agree. I think it was silly because we’re used to him being dignified, however. Would it have been silly if he were six feet tall? Size matters not, especially when you’re facing a lightsaber blade.

Amidala did not emote.

This is a let-down from the first film in what way? Honestly, how could she improve when playing opposite Wooden Christiansen?

The computer generated “riding-a-bucking-animal” shots were horrible.

Oh, gods, yes. Absolutely dreadful. All of them – the beast-riding in the arena, the beast-surfing in the field… funny how we balk at the organic CGI but the droid and machinery CGI is just fine. We have firm standards concerning how live things are supposed to move. It’s probably a subset of the Fight Or Flight instinct: “You know, that big bear-like thing isn’t moving the way it should… why are these flags popping up in my brain?” Not-moving-right means something’s more wrong than usual.

The movie had poor script, poor directing, poor acting (probably due to the aforementioned script) and poor characterization.

And not enough actors of decent caliber to even partially save it. I cheerfully agree. I enjoyed it anyway. It’s a space fantasy. A B-movie. It’s supposed to be campy. The bad CGI is right up there with stopping the film in A New Hope so the doors could open or close, then recording again and hoping the actors hadn’t moved. If it was a Good, Quality Film, I don’t know what the fans would make of it.

Lucas can’t write, can’t direct. We know this. He cast Ewan McGregor to make it all okay, though, and actually gave him screen time and a plot to carry. I wish Christopher Lee had been given more to do. At least he didn’t die; he might actually be in the next one. We’ll see.

Fascinating note: This soundtrack is actually in chronological order, a huge improvement over the last one.

So, of course, now the burning question is… when do I play NSW next?

Hurrah! Superhero photos are already up in Scott’s on-line album!

Check us out as Thor and Promethea! (Yes, I know I’m missing the pectoral; that’s one of the things that got dropped by necessity in the sewing machine tragedy…)

Woo! I could just spend all day hitting the Refresh button at the Official Star Wars site just to see all the different nifty pictures pop up in the header.

Look! It’s Padme! Look! It’s Mace! Look! It’s Obi-Wan!

The Brunching Shuttlecocks have reviewed Episode Two. And pretty much hit it on the head.

The form letter to send to Lucas is also dead on.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed it anyway. My movie-going standards appear to have descended drastically within the last decade.

The Shuttlecocks have also rated futuristic devices that pop culture has made, well, pop culture. My fave:

Laser Guns: It’s a good thing that laser guns are going to be around in the future, because so far the uses of lasers have been universally disappointing. Instead of blasting the heads of mucus-filled aliens, we’re correcting vision, pointing to things in office presentations, and making security systems look cool. What happens if aliens invade right now. What are we going to do, viciously and savagely cure their myopia? B

Today�s horoscope:

Today you don’t have to keep up with the frenetic pace of the world, dear Cancer. You might feel like thinking about how you take care of yourself; what you eat, and your day to day lifestyle. Are you a healthy eater? Do you get any exercise? Are you concerned about the quality of your daily life? It’s better to be safe than sorry. By the way, when was the last time you had a check-up?

When the universe gangs up on you…

This is highly ironic considering that I will be taking time off this summer due to health concerns. See, I haven’t really had a break in, well, eleven years, I guess, since I started working and doing that university thing. I’ve been working in bookstores since that first day back in May 1991 when I was hired at my very first official job (I’ve only held three different jobs in the field since then) , and I did two degrees back to back at university, finishing two years ago and not really ever stopping to look at where I was or what I needed to do next. The longest period I’ve had off is two weeks, to get married and go to Scotland, which ended up being more stressful than working (although more fun).

So yes, I promised my employer and my mother that I’d see a doctor. My back is pretty bad. I’ve been having anxiety attacks again, which I thought I’d licked over eight years ago. This dizziness comes and goes, as do the migraines. Time off to de-stress is something I’ve always dismissed as being really selfish – after all, there are scads of people world-wide whose lives are much worse than mine who don’t get a vacation option. In the end, though, I’ve concluded after a couple of really bad weeks that if I run myself into the ground I’m just stupid, not heroic or strong, and if I break myself I’ll be a lot harder to fix than if I take myself off-line for maintenance.

My employer calls it burnout, and thinks no less of me for taking time off. In fact, I think she’s proud of me for accepting the option she offered me. Things still need to be finalised, but it looks like with less work, no orchestra as of the concert on July 1, and no plays… I might just have the time and space to decompress for the first time since I became an adult.

Which is scary in and of itself. Who will I be on the other side?

New site I discovered recently thanks to Kat: The Four Word Film Review!

LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring: “Evil jewellrey attempts takeover.” “Lucas could learn something.” And my personal favourite, for all those AD&D players out there who watched it: “Oh look – another fight.”

Titanic: “US history wrong AGAIN!!” “Ship sinks, people die.” “SOS – such onerous storytelling.” “Iceberg: One. Winslet: Nil”. “‘Star Wars’ for chicks.” (Which I completely disagree with — who says women can’t be SW fans? And who dares imply that women would automatically prefer Titanic?)(Someone dies!)

Episode Two: “Lucas shouldn’t write dialogue.” “Where are the actors?” “It’s good- thank God.”

2001: A Space Odyssey: “Never trust a robot.” “Apes, computers, monoliths, murder.” “What’s with the rock?”

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: “Bespectacled lad levitates broom.” “Book in fast forward.” And my favourite, “Film renamed for Yanks.”