![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moominmuppetThe weekend was mostly good; my mood still sucked (and continues to), but there was enough going on keep me busy and reasonably well distracted. Temps last week dropped from 64F last Thursday to a high of 30F by Saturday (this morning was 19F). It's a brutal adjustment. On the other hand, we did get snow last night, and it's rather pretty. Saturday I was at the clinic with C, and then went out to lunch at Tommy's with her and several other doctoral students she meets with. That evening was a party over at her place, and that was fun, although it was more my thing earlier in the evening when it was a smaller group. Still, it's been a while since I've socialized all that much with people I don't already know, so it was good and entertaining. Other than that, I watched a lot of movies, and finished up Tempting Faith, which was alternately fascinating and deeply offputting. I disagree with Kuo on huge swaths of issues, but I respect his struggle to sort out his faith and his politics. And I really find him a likeable guy, even while I'm cringing at this or that in the book, where he's working for something I find atrocious, or heaping heartfelt praise on people I find loathsome. Either way, definitely an interesting read. I'm now on to Self-Made Man. I only started it this morning, but so far it's a light and engaging read. In terms of movies, I caught up on my Netflix pile.
Protocols of Zion was disturbing and depressing, but not really news. Unfortunately, I don't think it'll make a dent with anyone who isn't already convinced that anti-semitism is an issue. He mentions the debunking of the central text he references in the film, but doesn't do much to make the point to people who might not already be convinced. Additionally, I'd've liked to have seen more exploration of the tricky territory around anti-semitism on the left. I've definitely encountered it at the edges of the more respectable debate about Israel's foreign and domestic policy, and it disturbs me a great deal. I think there's a lot that needs to be addressed in that regard, both about acknowledging the anti-semitism that does crop up, and dealing with that, and in terms of finding ways to address issues with Israeli policy without falling into anti-semitism to begin with (nor, on the other hand, allowing human rights debates to be silenced with false charges of anti-semitism).
The Matador initially caught my attention because it was reputed to have Pierce Brosnan playing a bi man. Given the dearth of bi male representation, that was enough to put it on my queue. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for a positive portrayal -- this character was rather skeezy in every way, and I haven't decided whether I'm annoyed that they also made him bi. On the one hand, I can see why it suits the character. On the other hand, given stereotypes about bi men, I felt it played into them more than I'd like when we still haven't gotten anything positive out there. As a movie, it's a pretty entertaining little character study, and I enjoyed it a good deal, although it wasn't at all what I was expecting.
I never did finish Night Watch. I'd been hoping for a bit more SF, and a bit less vampire/horror. I got about halfway through, and just never found myself all that engrossed. For once, I think Ebert nailed it: "I confess to a flagging interest in the struggle between the forces of Light and Darkness. It's like Super Sunday in a sport I do not follow, like tetherball."
I found The Thief Lord quite lovely, visually, with engaging child actors, but the plot is barely there. I think it'd count as "full of holes" except that it never gets quite robust enough to make a material to be punctured. I'd recommend it for kids, and I enjoyed just fine it as an adult, but it's not something I'd consider more than a pleasant way to while away an hour and a half. I am curious as to the book on which it's based, though. I suspect I might like that a good deal more. Anyone else read it?
I also caught another of the Showtime Masters of Horror episodes, Pro-Life, by John Carpenter. Given my interest in cultural representations of abortion, it was a given I'd be watching it from the moment I saw the title. Yeesh, I'm predictable. The movie/episode/whatever (each is done by a different director, and they're all unrelated, so I think of them more as short movies than show episodes) was a throw-away in terms of plot (although I'm happy to watch Ron Perlman chew scenery wherever he likes), and managed to hit a gross-out point even for me (if you see it, you'll have no question which scene I'm refering to) but it was interesting to me in its representation of the clinic. It was a caricature, definitely, but it was a refreshing change to see a relatively positive caricature instead of a negative one. Additionally, it was incredibly refreshing to see clinic staff and employees as sympathetic characters and normal people. It was no competition for my favorite from the series, Homecoming (now on DVD!), but it was sociologically interesting, at least.
Today I need to finish the escort schedule for the rest of December (argh!), and finish sorting out my current financial mess (double argh!). Hopefully if I can tackle some of the practical stuff in my life, I can minimize the obnoxious depressive stress-dreams that are interfering with my already thoroughly fuckered sleep schedule.
Protocols of Zion was disturbing and depressing, but not really news. Unfortunately, I don't think it'll make a dent with anyone who isn't already convinced that anti-semitism is an issue. He mentions the debunking of the central text he references in the film, but doesn't do much to make the point to people who might not already be convinced. Additionally, I'd've liked to have seen more exploration of the tricky territory around anti-semitism on the left. I've definitely encountered it at the edges of the more respectable debate about Israel's foreign and domestic policy, and it disturbs me a great deal. I think there's a lot that needs to be addressed in that regard, both about acknowledging the anti-semitism that does crop up, and dealing with that, and in terms of finding ways to address issues with Israeli policy without falling into anti-semitism to begin with (nor, on the other hand, allowing human rights debates to be silenced with false charges of anti-semitism).
The Matador initially caught my attention because it was reputed to have Pierce Brosnan playing a bi man. Given the dearth of bi male representation, that was enough to put it on my queue. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for a positive portrayal -- this character was rather skeezy in every way, and I haven't decided whether I'm annoyed that they also made him bi. On the one hand, I can see why it suits the character. On the other hand, given stereotypes about bi men, I felt it played into them more than I'd like when we still haven't gotten anything positive out there. As a movie, it's a pretty entertaining little character study, and I enjoyed it a good deal, although it wasn't at all what I was expecting.
I never did finish Night Watch. I'd been hoping for a bit more SF, and a bit less vampire/horror. I got about halfway through, and just never found myself all that engrossed. For once, I think Ebert nailed it: "I confess to a flagging interest in the struggle between the forces of Light and Darkness. It's like Super Sunday in a sport I do not follow, like tetherball."
I found The Thief Lord quite lovely, visually, with engaging child actors, but the plot is barely there. I think it'd count as "full of holes" except that it never gets quite robust enough to make a material to be punctured. I'd recommend it for kids, and I enjoyed just fine it as an adult, but it's not something I'd consider more than a pleasant way to while away an hour and a half. I am curious as to the book on which it's based, though. I suspect I might like that a good deal more. Anyone else read it?
I also caught another of the Showtime Masters of Horror episodes, Pro-Life, by John Carpenter. Given my interest in cultural representations of abortion, it was a given I'd be watching it from the moment I saw the title. Yeesh, I'm predictable. The movie/episode/whatever (each is done by a different director, and they're all unrelated, so I think of them more as short movies than show episodes) was a throw-away in terms of plot (although I'm happy to watch Ron Perlman chew scenery wherever he likes), and managed to hit a gross-out point even for me (if you see it, you'll have no question which scene I'm refering to) but it was interesting to me in its representation of the clinic. It was a caricature, definitely, but it was a refreshing change to see a relatively positive caricature instead of a negative one. Additionally, it was incredibly refreshing to see clinic staff and employees as sympathetic characters and normal people. It was no competition for my favorite from the series, Homecoming (now on DVD!), but it was sociologically interesting, at least.
Today I need to finish the escort schedule for the rest of December (argh!), and finish sorting out my current financial mess (double argh!). Hopefully if I can tackle some of the practical stuff in my life, I can minimize the obnoxious depressive stress-dreams that are interfering with my already thoroughly fuckered sleep schedule.
Tags:
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-12-04 05:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-04 05:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-04 05:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-04 05:51 pm (UTC)Here's some discussion about it -- apparently it was originally going to be much more blatant
no subject
Date: 2006-12-04 06:10 pm (UTC)Does it count being a not ideal portrayal of something if that's not what is actually being portrayed on the screen?
I always think that's weird because sometimes what isn't being said explicitly might as well be but then sometimes it's just people confusing the actor with the role.
I remember Tony Randall was in that one sitcom with the little girl where he was originally written as gay but because it was the 80's and a family tv show they cut that out. He seemed like it at the time.
But then I never could figure out if the characters on Seinfeld were supposed to be jews or not. I know which actors are and aren't (I think) and I know that for a while they were purposefully leaving that vague. I know that a number of the characters SEEM "jewy" but with jewish writers and actors, seems like it'd be easy to accidentally come off that way.
Only semi-relatedly today's Onion Radio Minute was about an optimistic anti semite who thinks that the jews are doing a great job with the media.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-04 06:19 pm (UTC)Well, in this case, it's not that it wasn't portrayed, it's that it was toned down substantially. The references I pointed out are still there, and it's still reasonably clear to someone who's paying attention to that side of things that the character is, indeed, behaviourally bisexual. On the other hand, am I surprised that people who aren't keyed in to being hyper aware of orientation wouldn't note those comments? Not really.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-04 11:24 pm (UTC)