This is more than just picspam. This is spam. I've been meaning to talk about a few different things, but fighting off the plague last week really sapped most of my brain power. So, for your edification, here are some random things from me.
THE PLAGUEI am feeling better finally. The hacking cough and laryngitis is hanging on, but I survived a full night of work last night. Even though I could use it to get caught up on things and for monetary reasons, I will not be asking for overtime this week. I'm still sleeping nine to ten hours a night, so overtime would probably just set me back health wise.
Ultimately, the doctor decided it was a virus, so there really wasn't much they could do for me other than tell me to get lots of rest and drink lots of fluids. It was all sinus and upper respiratory stuff which was not fun. What's worse is that it was spreading. One of my roommates got it and some people at work got it. Not sure who started it, but it was definitely not fun.
WATCHMENBefore I got sick, I did get to go see this in the theater. It was pretty amazing. I loved the casting of pretty much all the characters (though I expected Ozymandias to be prettier, the actor still pulled it off very well) and I was delighted with how faithful they were to the original graphic novel.
Some things were changed, but most of it was either very minor or in the case of the one big thing they changed, kinda important. To be completely vague and avoid spoilers, things happen at the end that are world changing. In the comic, what happens is tied to many subplots and minor characters that couldn't possibly fit in the movie. Not to mention what happens is barely plausible in the comics and I never believed that the general public would buy it if they stuck with it. What they did to change it fit seamlessly with the movie and made sense. It also didn't change any of the results which was key.
It's definitely an R-rated movie with all the sex and violence that should suggest. Don't go expecting Iron Man or X-men. That's not what this story is about. It's still a damn good movie, though.
LOSTSince I was sick, there reached a point where I couldn't sit in front of the computer anymore. I couldn't concentrate enough to play or write, so I finally gave up and lugged my DVD player into my bedroom and settled in to watch some television.
I've loved Lost since I first started watching it. It's got a lot I love about serialized storytelling and ensemble casts. For some reason, though, I was dragging my feet watching Season Four.
The first season was fantastic. The second season struggled a bit as they introduced the tailies, some of whom worked better than others, but ultimately just confused things more. Third season was better, but still had some rough spots, especially with the Paulo and Nikki addition. Talk about a mistake. With the fourth season, though, you could tell things had changed. The writers and producers had finally hammered out a deal with ABC where they have an end date.
In some ways, I find it interesting comparing Babylon 5 and Lost. The two are very different shows with different feels, but they're both excellent examples of serialized storytelling with an ensemble cast. Babylon 5 was able to build slowly into its story arc, but then ran into trouble when they weren't sure they would have enough time to finish everything. As a result, the pace of the fourth season and then the unexpected addition of a fifth season feel forced. The show still worked, but you could see where the producers and the writers had to struggle to adapt.
With Lost, it's almost the exact opposite issue. Being a prime network show, the producers and writers hedged their bets in the first couple of seasons. They tried to keep their mind trippy storyline moving forward, but tried not to give too much away. They were a successful show, but they still had the network's headsman axe hanging over their heads. By the time they were finishing up the third season, though, they managed to wrangle a deal out of ABC that gives them an end point to actually END the show. It also gave them freedom to start going whole hog with some of their plotlines without worry about the network freaking out. This showed in Season Four.
Admittedly, Season Four is short because of the writer's strike, but there wasn't a single episode that didn't completely grab me. I also really liked most of the new characters they introduced into the story. Miles was especially intriguing, and I hope they do more with him in Season Five. I also really liked Keamy, despite his sadistic nature. Something about the big scary man with the laid back voice and boyish smile just grabbed me.
Anyway, if you enjoyed Lost, but hesitated at following it because it seemed like it was getting nowhere, I think you'll be pleased with the fourth season.
SUPERNATURALOkay, so I'm a little slow. De and Jamie and Doc and Stacie have all been telling me to watch Supernatural. I kept saying I would, but had dragged my feet picking up the DVDs. Being sick was finally the excuse I needed to have someone get me the first season so I could lay in bed and watch it.
I'm hooked.
It was pretty cool seeing where Dean's original inspiration came from as well as finally getting to see what everyone was talking about. I love the chemistry between the actors playing Dean and Sam. You can totally buy that they're brothers and would do anything for each other, even if they'll constantly rib one another.
There are a couple of minor issues I have with it, but they're all pretty minor.
- Vancouver can look like a lot of places, but Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas really aren't some of them. Every time they say they're someplace specific, I generally look at the scenery and go, "Yep. Pacific Northwest." Part of this is probably my own geographic snobbery since my job lets me actually SEE these places on a pretty thorough basis. The wilderness in Colorado doesn't really look all that much like the wilderness in the Pacific Northwest. It's not nearly that WET.
- If the boys are traveling around the country, why does it always look like they're staying in the same seventies decorated motel room? I know the budget was probably limited, but I started recognizing features of their standard hotel room.
- SHUT YOUR CAR WINDOWS! I mean, dudes. You've got a trunk full of more weapons and spiritual paraphernalia than you can shake a stick at and you're walking away from your car with the windows left open? You're just asking for someone to steal your car. Your sexy, vintage car with a perfect paint job. DUDES. Use a little common sense.
Like I said, these are really minor issues. They haven't stopped me from loving many of the episodes and loving the dialogue. I'm really looking forward to seeing where the show is going and how they're going to ramp up the storylines.
SIM STUFF (INCLUDING PICSPAM)I feel like I'm so behind. I've been sitting on 4.11 for weeks now. I tried writing last week while I was sick, but that wasn't happening. I've tried picking it up again now, but it's still not happening. I think I may need to skip the scene I'm on and get to something else to get some forward movement on the story. I'm not making any promises as to when it will be done, but I'm not giving up.
Anyway, here's some picspam.
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