Monday, January 14, 2008

Edits almost done...

In the meantime, though, please check this out: The Green Bee Buzz. Most of you know the Green Bee as the oft-mentioned Stacy G. here in this lovely blog locale. I have been after her for years--literally years! (though not every day because she probably would have killed me by now)--to start her own blog. She is one of the funniest people I know and an incredibly sharp writer. She has a gift for taking an everyday kind of circumstance and turning it into something that will make you laugh (read the thing about the soap and lotion mix-up and you'll see what I mean).
 
So, please go read and leave a comment to encourage her. Most of us out here in blog-land are, to quote another friend, "attention whores." We love seeing that you're out there and our words are reaching you in some way.
 
Okay, other stuff...watched the Sarah Connor Chronicles (SCC) last night and--how do the kids put it these days?--it rocked my face off! I loved it. : ) I am so looking forward to the continuation of the premiere tonight. The actor playing John Connor may have a tendency later in the show to go all whiney, but I'm hoping the writers resist. The actress playing Sarah is awesome, tough, but in a different way than Linda Hamilton. Harder around the edges somehow, I think. And what can I say about Summer Glau? Oh, that girl can play creepy-tough like nobody's business. I am intrigued by her character, by the hints they have given that she's different than the others. And yet, she can't be too different. We saw her take multiple bullets last night. Perfect example of her awesomeness...John, Sarah and the good Terminator (Summer Glau) are closed in a bank vault. The good Terminator (gT) is assembling a weapon while Sarah and John watch. A loud noise sounds outside and John steps closer to the door to check out.
 
gT without looking up from her weapon: "Get away from the door."
 
John, backs up maybe a little but mostly just looks over at her with a frown: "Why?"
 
Glass inside the door shatters and everyone flinches except gT who doesn't even look up from what she's doing. "That's why."
 
One weird thing...I saw Nick Wechsler's name on the credits, but I didn't see him. He played Kyle on Roswell. It says on IMDB he played Deputy Ridge in the Pilot of SCC, but if he did, man, I missed it. Anybody else see him?
 
I did watch Persuasion as well, but I fell asleep about halfway through. I liked the actor playing Captain Wentworth better, but I preferred the actress from the BBC version for Anne Elliot. The read on the character was just slightly different. She was more visibly emotional and not as resilient, in my opinion. The whole point of Anne is that even while she may cry in private, she holds herself together in public. She knows the choice she made and that he'll never forgive her for it. And she suffers in silence. I don't know...I can't even put my finger on what's so different. I'll have to watch what I missed and see if my opinion changes, but right now, the better version is the older BBC one.
 
 

6 comments:

Mark Murata said...

On Persuasion, did you like how insufferable Anthony Head (Giles from Buffy) was as the father? I think the costumes help when it comes to acting stiff.

Mark from the Seattle area

Stacey said...

Hey Mark,
Yes, he was awesome! My favorite part, I think, was when he looked in the mirror to adjust that one curl on his forehead. Horribly pompous and self-involved--he was a delight to behold. Jane Austen had a wicked sense of humor, in my opinion, and Anthony Head did a fantastic job making that character as awful as he could be!

The only problem I had was that he seemed too young to be Anne's father. Of course, that may be because the actress is older than her purported 27 years. (Don't know actually). But then again, if people had children at twenty years old or so, as they probably did in Jane Austen's time, then he'd only be 47, which wouldn't be so far off then.

Did that bother you at all?

: ) Stacey

Mark Murata said...

I thought he looked fine. According to IMDb, Anthony Head was born in 1954, so he'd be about 54 years old. I think you're letting his looks fool you.

My favorite scene of his was when he was told an admiral wanted to rent his home. Most of us would like to meet an admiral. But he turned away with a look of disgust etched on his face. Startling.

Mark in the Seattle area

Stacey said...

Huh, I had no idea he was that age. He looks younger. It could also be that I'm used to the BBC version, and the father is much older in that one, I think.

From what I recall of the book...some of the gentry looked down on anyone who'd earned their fortune instead of inheriting it. And joining the military gave men who were not born into money or a title (if they had a title, they'd try to marry for wealth) a chance to make their fortune. In other words, because it was open to anyone who wanted to work hard and risk his life, those who were born to privilege thought it an unworthy profession!

But I know what you mean. It's a very different mentality than what we have in modern-day America! : )

Anonymous said...

I thought SCC was excellent. Did you see the one the next night? I enjoyed getting to watch 2 in a row. I'm not sure they will be able to maintain the level of excitement that was in the first 2 though.
I too liked the bbc version better. Hopefully Northanger abby will be a bit better, although that's my least favorite Austin book.

Stacey said...

Beck, is that you being "anonymous"?

Yep, I watched both nights of SCC and loved both episodes. And you're right, when something is that good right out of the gate, I worry about them being able to maintain the tension and energy, but I'm hoping for the best!

Northanger Abbey is my least favorite as well. But it'll be interesting to see the movie. I think the book was written sort of tongue in cheek and it'll be interesting to see if that carries through.