Lucy Talks

I saw it twice yesterday, once the first show of the day and once late in the evening.  Two different theaters/locations, two different friends, two different experiences.

I liked it, but didn't love it.  I did absolutely love the interactions between John and Jack.  It was all quintessential McClane snark going both ways and it was funny as hell.  It will not surpass One and Four as a favorite, but it edges out Three, despite Sam L Jackson, barely.  MEW has gained or lost some weight.  It made me completely unsure it was actually her until I saw her name in the credits.  She doesn't look bad, just different.

Jai Courtney did a great job as Jack McClane.  He's gone on record as saying that when casting was going on, the implications were that when Bruce was tired of making the movies, he would be ready to pass it on to whoever got cast as his son.  I think Jai's a good choice, physically and in his mannerisms.  He's also on record as saying that despite knowing that the possibility of taking over the franchise exists, he definitely wants at least one more with Bruce, and would prefer more, as many as Bruce is willing to make.

Much as I hate to, I noticed that Bruce is showing his age.  That most assuredly will not stop me loving the Die Hard franchise as a whole, and as long as he wants to keep making DH movies, I'll want to keep seeing them.

There's a lot of the movie in Russian, with subtitles, so be prepared for that.  Listening to so much of it renewed my fickle interest in learning the language.  I'll never have occasion to use it, so I have no idea why I'd want to learn it, but I have for years now.  There were about half a dozen moments that I noticed held some parallel to the first movie.

First show was in a TINY theater, and it was pretty packed.  That was unexpected for 10:25 in the morning, and we had trouble finding seats.  I saw it with my friend B, and we laughed like schoolgirls throughout.  Of course, we both adore DH, so it was fun for both of us.  She shared with me that her girlfriend had asked her to marry her, and instead of a ring, she'd gotten a ring on a charm bracelet.  Much more in keeping with B's work, since she'd be unable to wear a diamond ring a lot of the time.  I snarked, correctly, that since she was wearing said charm bracelet complete with engagement ring charm, that she must've said yes.  Interestingly, that audience was almost entirely made up of (I don't even want to say this because it just isn't true, dammit!) middle-aged women, including me (the youngest at 48), B, her older sister, and their mother.  lol

Second viewing was less fun, since my companion to that one didn't seem to be enjoying it as much.  I made sure he liked the other DH movies before I asked him to go with me, but I'm not entirely certain he liked this one.  AMC apparently has something called ETX, which is their version of IMAX, and the only difference I was able to ascertain is that it costs three dollars more, and we both got DH t-shirts.  Video, sound, theater set-up, everything seemed the same.  It was very loud, though.  I could have done with the sound turned down about 20%.

So, while I liked it, and it's a good enough addition to the franchise, I probably won't buy it on DVD unless there are compelling extras.  That said, I have the 1-3 trilogy pack, and rarely, if ever, watch Three unless I do a marathon of all of them, but I did buy it, nonetheless.

Trailers:
Bates Motel on A&E looks like it might be interesting.  I only ever saw Freddie Highmore in August Rush, and he has grown up!  He's much taller, and not 11 any more.  lol  Vera Farmiga is the lead.  I've not seen everything she's made, but I loved her in Roar, and try to keep up with her at least in movies.  Yes, I will go see Fast & Furious.  I don't even care how bad it is, because it'll be so damn much fun!  Olympus Has Fallen - it looked intriguing, and I do like Gerard Butler, but then I saw Morgan Freeman.  I'll see anything that man makes.  Anything.  A Sandra Bullock film that looks truly horrible - Fed/cop thing with Melissa (?) McCarthy.  Some Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson thing that might be funny but will not be getting my dollars at the box office to find out.  Also, AfterEarth - Will and Jada make some really frakking pretty kids.  Jaden looks more like Will every day, but with softer, less coarse facial features.  As for the movie, interesting concept.  I'll probably wait for the dollar movie to see it, though.  Now that I know that the first show of the day is only $6, I'll probably try to see Olympus at the regular theater - it's so much more comfortable than my LaZBoy - though getting out of 'bed' that early on a Saturday is hellish.

And no, I'm not talking about the Sheffer/Madsen flick from the 80s, though I enjoyed that one, too.

This one apparently went straight to video in August of last year, and it's got a really fantastic cast.  I think I would have cast someone else in the female lead :Katee Sackhoff:, but Rosario Dawson did a fine job.  Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Josh Duhamel (I finally know how to properly pronounce his name!), Rampage Jackson (I gather he's some kind of fighter), a football player whose name I can't spell, Rosario, Julian McMahon, and some good people in the background parts.  

It's heavy on the action, set in Long Beach and New Orleans, and it's got heart at the core. 

I'd never heard of it, so I wasn't sure about renting it, but I figured with a free Redbox code, I wouldn't be out anything if it sucked.  Besides, I'll see just about anything if Bruce is in it.

It does have a racial component - Aryans/black gangs - so avoid if that sort of thing squicks you, or if you're not a fan of violence, but otherwise, I recommend it.

Of interest in the extras, there were cast/crew interviews, and one of the things the director had to say about Bruce Willis was that his scenes were shot during the first week, and Bruce was crucial in helping to pull a crew that hadn't worked together before into a team, that he did it more than the director did, and he really appreciated that Bruce was able to do it, and it helped him see how to do it for himself next time.  Curtis Jackson, in talking about other projects, I think, said that Bruce has worked with him on several indie projects, and that Bruce is not afraid to work with new talent, particularly directors.  He was saying that a lot of big name actors won't do a film if the director has no recognizable work behind them, because they need the security of knowing that person's work, but that Bruce is not like that.  He'll work with anybody.  I've long enjoyed Willis' work, and it's nice to hear that he's not a diva.

There's a new short interview with Katee on her part in Riddick and working with all those very large guys.  I cannot figure out how she manages to be both smoking hot and adorably cute at the same time.  That dress?  Rawr.

Well, you know, as happy as it gets in December.

The roast I put in the crockpot at 0530 is the best roast I ever made.  From now on, I will always make my roast from a brisket cut!  Plus, it was spiced just right, and the juice was just exactly the right thickness that it was good gravy without me actually having to make gravy.  I had to write down how I made it so I can do it again and again and again.

While I was enthusing over my fantastic roast, the mail came, and my BSG Season 3 from swapadvd was delivered!  I inspected the discs, and two might have to be taken somewhere to be run through whatever it is that smooths out the rough edges (so to speak), but the remaining six discs are pristine.  So I am now the proud owner through the end of season three, with only three questionable discs.  I'm in line for the two parts of season four, but I'm kind way down the list.  I did transfer enough credits from paperbackswap so I can get them, so it's just a matter of waiting now.

I have started using Dr Bronner's liquid soap in the shower (Hemp Almond) and it's making my skin smooth.  I like that.  And though it's kind of a strange thing to be happy about, I hardly even have to dry off after my shower.  Also, my dry skin itchies, which used to be pretty severe in the winter, have hardly made an appearance at all.

I feel asleep smiling last night because I happened to fall asleep during a particularly enjoyable John McClane moment during Die Hard 4.  Yes, I love John McClane and I don't care who frakkin' knows.  lol  I am so anxiously anticipating #5 in February.  I conned a friend of mine into seeing it with me for my birthday.  I figured it I asked now, she couldn't say there was anything else on her calendar.  :D

It is too bad that I don't know anybody who needs gifts wrapped.  The only part of the season I really enjoy is wrapping gifts.  Speaking of the season, I got an email from my stepmother, telling me that a cousin and her husband were coming in to town to visit her mom (my step-maternal aunt), and that I was welcome to come over for dinner.  That it would be good to see me.  My first thought was that she only thought it would be good to see me because it's been two years since she set eyes on me and maybe she just forgot that she doesn't really like me.  I am still debating whether or not I can handle all the negative snark aimed my way, or if I should just decline graciously.  It would be good to see my dad and my sister, and my aunt, uncle and cousin, for that matter.  I guess I should just suck it up and go, but gods I hate listening to her putting me down.

( the first ones )
87. V for Vendetta
88. War of the Worlds (the new one with TC)
89. Man of the House
90. Human Stain
91. 3000 Miles to Graceland
92. The Mexican
93. Monster
94. Stepford Wives
95. The Lake House
96. The Sentinel
97. Underworld: Evolution
98. Thunderbirds
99. XXX: State of the Union
100. Miami Vice season 1
101. Casino Royale
102.
Others not counted, but watched...CSI Season 5, Buffy Seasons 1&2, 4400 Season 1, Angel Seasons 1&2, Pretender seasons 2&3,

I like CSI, so no surprises that I enjoyed watching these episodes without all the commercial filler and all in one fell swoop. There were no season 2 episodes I had not previously seen in Spike reruns or something. There were a few things that didn't seem familiar, but not entire episodes, like there were with season 1.

Extras were pretty non-existent, I think, or were all things that I have no interest in, like commentaries or something like that. My biggest disappointment, particularly for a show with a potentially-hearing-impaired character, is that there are NO subtitles on these discs.

Why are subtitles so important to me? I have a really hard time following what characters are saying, especially if they're off-camera, without them. This started back in 1997, when Buffy and Dawson's Creek characters were talking so fast I couldn't keep up, and I have continued to become more and more dependent on having subtitles or closed captioning on while viewing anything, unless I turn the sound up to an uncomfortable level for my neighbors. When the house is completely quiet, I can turn the sound waaaay down and hear better than Kid can, even without the subtitling. Any ambient noise, though, bites that right in the nose and I have to be able to "see" it, too. Otherwise, I rewind over and over again to try to figure it out, which is highly frustrating.

Elektra. Well, I wasn't expecting much, frankly, because I really disliked Daredevil. I was pleasantly surprised. A reviewer on Amazon mentioned that the less than stellar plot was saved by Garner's devotion to her character, and I have to admit that with a lesser actor or someone less willing to be so physical, this part and thus this movie, would have been greatly diminished. I enjoyed the supernatural aspects of the plotline. I guessed who the "Treasure" was about 5 minutes into the movie, but pleasantly anticipated seeing how they led up to the reveal. Elektra's exaggerated hip-sway was a bit distracting, but it's something I've occasionally seen Garner do in Alias, so it wasn't unexpectedly distracting.

Other than that, Will Yun Lee is dead sexy, and Goran Visnjic is hotter off ER than on it. I really liked Lee's character of Danny on Witchblade, and love to see him working since it's been cancelled. I stopped watching ER a while back, on the advice of marakara, who suggested that Without a Trace was a better option for Thursday nights. And how, but I miss listening to Goran talk.

Well, it wasn't terrible.

Chris Klein is believable as a rich jackass, and he has a very nice six pack. Other than that, he's just kinda there.

Leelee Sobieski was much more fun in Glass Houses.

If I'd had to choose between the two guys, I'd have been all over Josh or whatever the hell his name was in this movie. Farmboy, buff from working outdoors, wholesome. Yeah. Definitely that one.

I think I saw the tail end of this on TV one day and was curious enough to put it on my Netflix queue. My curiosity is satisfied.

The bonus features consisted of trailers and other useless junk (OK, only useless when you don't really like the movie), including a disturbing video with Jessica and Nick singing to each other and getting all touchy-feely. Perhaps if it had been, say, James Marsters and geez, even Hillary Duff, it might have been less disturbing. This was just newlywed video masturbation (you know, them, not me). It was creepy.

Maybe it was just me.

I like kissing, personally. It's one of my favorite parts of a romantic relationship. Aside from romance, it's remarkably expressive: one glance can tell you volumes. Kisses happen between all kinds of people - parents/children, siblings, family members - whether family of the blood or of the heart or of the mob, business associates, romantic interests and old married couples. Kisses can say "hello" or "I care deeply" or "I don't know what to say" or "goodbye" or hundreds of other things.

Absolutely my favorite part of watching TV is watching kissing happen.

Mulder and Scully - rare and packed with subtext. It never just happens on the spur of the moment, though it may appear that way. Their feelings for each other, whether you subscribe to romo or noromo, are deep and complex and aren't going to go away.

Will and Sydney - lowered inhibitions allow him to try to satisfy his curiosity. I could have stood for more of this, because frankly, Bradley Cooper is hot, and I like the way he kisses.

Sydney and Vaughn - the overwhelming realization that life is short, and in their cases, could end at any moment, pushes them to acknowledge their feelings for each other, finally, but it's hardly the last time they kiss. Their kisses are generally heartfelt and, during season 2 at least, rarely perfunctory.

Comparing the two, Sydney's kisses with Will were warm and fuzzy we've-been-friends-why-not-more, whereas kissing Vaughn is a culmination of caring and friendship and trust pushed aside and stuffed into the corners until it transforms into something that won't allow itself to be stopped any longer.

Veronica's kisses with Duncan (as shown during season 1) are the perfunctory kind. I don't see any real passion, just a couple of kids who care about each other and kissing is sort of an expected extension of that. It's too bad, too, because there's chemistry there.

Veronica/Deputy Leo kisses are warm and fuzzy, but no fire. Nothing wrong with this kind of kissing - it's certainly still enjoyable. lol

Veronica/Logan's first one, however, was hot and full of feeling. Some of this may have been repressed before - their respective relationships prior to Lilly's death would have stopped either of them from acting on any feelings, even if they acknowledged them, and the circumstances of Lilly's death and surrounding events precluded them from comforting each other as friends. Of course, fiction is full of examples of people who hate-at-first-sight because they subconsciously recognize the possibility of life-changing emotional impact and self-preservation dictates that they avoid such a risk.

Other favorites, either one-time or in the context of a relationship: Joey/Pacey, Jack/Sam, Worf/Jadzia Dax, Aragorn/Arwen ::swoon::, Jordan/Woody, Patrick/Kat (OMG, I just realized that Charlie Eppes was the "yeah, that's a Toyota" guy in Ten Things) and Ennis/Jack.

Three of my favorite onscreen kissers are Michael Vartan, Heath Ledger and Viggo Mortenson. I just love the way each looks when he's kissing - absorbed, like there is nothing else in the world as important as what he's doing right then. Others don't look so great; for instance, the older Harrison Ford gets, the less I want to see him kissing anybody, and that's sad, because I love Harrison Ford.

Apropos of nothing, Veronica Mars bossman Rob Thomas graduated from high school the same year I did, from a high school less than an hour away from mine. For all its size, Texas is a small world. lol

What are some of your favorites? Feel free to tell me why and link to screencaps.

ETA: Best surprise kiss lately? Amita/Charlie: "You really are a genius." The look on his face afterwards. Dude.

ETA2: Sweetest recent TV kiss? Rose/Bernard at reunion. We should all be so lucky.