A Recession Just Means I Get to be More Fannish

[meddow]

First of all, quick vid rec: One Girl Revolution by arefadedaway. Why? Because it's got every awesome female character I have ever idolised in this vid (it's got characters from Doctor Who, Stargate, Firefly, PotC, Harry Potter, P&P, Heroes and many, many more), which is a celebration of awesome female characters in general.

First of all, watched the Battlestar Galactica miniseries, which was very good. I can see why everyone seems to be crazy about Roslin/Adama what with those two arguing who is in command. I'm not a fan of Jamie Bamber's American accent. I like him a lot more as poor doomed Kennedy on Hornblower. Is lack of explosions a legitimate criticism? I wouldn’t criticise a period drama for lack of destruction on a massive scale, but in a miniseries in which the vast majority of humanity is killed off, I would expect a few more fireballs. Anyway, I liked it very very much, but can't see myself becoming too fannish about it, but then I know who the final Cylon it already. Next up to watch is the first season.

Also watched Tipping the Velvet which was also very good. For those who've never heard of it, it's a miniseries based on the book by Sarah Water's following the Dickens-like adventures of Nancy as she goes from an oyster girl to male impersonator and then through a few other jobs, and it's a fascinating look at what like to be a lesbian in Victorian London. The voice over bugged me a bit, the direction got a bit weird at times, particularly when it tries to put a music hall spin on dramatic scenes and I wasn’t fully convinced by the lead actress at times, but the rest of the cast was brilliant. I've really got to read the book. I'm part of the way through The Night Watch.

Finally, I've been reading the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman and I’m in love. I'm in love with the universe and the mythology, I'm in love with the writing and the art, I'm in love with Dream and quite a few of the other characters. I've read the first and second 'Absolute' volumes in the past few days, with each book large enough to house a board game. I want to say something coherent about how brilliant it is, but I love it so much all that comes out right now is lots and lots of incoherent gushing so I shall summarise and say this: It say it's freaking amazing and I don't want reading it ever end! (But sadly I know it finished at issue 75).

But it's a pain. I read the wikipiedia entry and accidentally found out some information about the end that I didn't want to know. Damnit. While I'm a bit of a spoiler whore when it comes to television, I don't like to be spoiled when it comes to books, graphic novels, movies and the like. I went out of my way to remain spoiler free when reading Y: The Last Man, which is the last graphic novel series I got into. BTW, has anyone else read to the end of that series? It's been over six months since I read the final volume and I still feel I need a bit of group therapy to get over what happened to one of the characters, and I don't want to say what or who because it will spoil it for others.

Finally, the day is drawing near and I'm still very 'do not want' about the Watchmen movie. Grr. I think I'm going to be one of those terrible snobby people who dismisses all fans that watched the movie before they read the graphic novel. Actually, I think I'm one of those people already. Sorry guys. But after a few years of going on about how brilliant Watchmen is to people and getting funny looks of either 'WTF?' or 'you read comics?!', I'm just a little bit bitter about it becoming mainstream.

Comments

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

I've only ever heard people speak well of the Watchmen comic. Or comics in general, most of the time. I haven't read it myself (Watchmen, not all comics ever). I dunno, maybe I'm surrounded by special kinds of people?

[meddow.livejournal.com]

I've never heard a person say anything bad about it, most people I've talked to have never heard of it and so I start to explain and as soon a the words 'graphic novel' escape my mouth, then I get 'the look.' You know how Watchmen made some of the world take graphic novels seriously? Well not my part.

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

"You know how Watchmen made some of the world take graphic novels seriously? Well not my part."

Ahhh, that's it then.

[ragdoll.livejournal.com]

Hee, you've hit so many things that I love in one post that I'm just all giddy here. Obviously, you know I'm big on BSG and it only gets better from the mini-series. I think lack of explosions may be due to budgetary constraints. It gets better, I promise. I don't mind Jamie's accent too much given that it's a lot better than many actors from the UK attempting to be American. I'm still thrown when I hear American actors speaking American on UK shows because they tend to sound fake. Other than John Barrowman, of course. Bamber's accent improves and he actually is basing on his American-born father's. Plus he's so pretty to look at that I don't care what comes out of his mouth. (His sort of mockney on Law & Order: UK this week IS kind of jarring though!)

Tipping the Velvet is gorgeous. I really love Keeley Hawes in it -- and it feeds into my girls-in-boy-drag kink so...yeah. I do need to read the book though.

And I've been a Sandman fan since I first started reading it back in 1990 (somewhere around issue #12) so welcome to the cult club. It's amazing amazing stuff and I completely worship Neil Gaiman so can and will recommend more stuff by him when you're finished (if you haven't already read it).

[meddow.livejournal.com]

I've been slowly working my way through Neil Gaiman's back catalog for a couple of years now. So far I've read Good Omens, Stardust and 1602. My flatmate's got a copy of Neverwhere, so that's probably going to be next. He is amazing. I hope those persistent rumours of him wanting to write a Doctor Who script one day eventuate.

I'll probably get used to Jamie's accent. I remember when I first started watching House and it taking a few episodes to get over the Prince Regent suddenly having an American accent. And, as you say, the prettiness helps. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to getting to watch the proper series. And your post on the series are one of the major reasons why I've been meaning to check it out.

I loved the girls in drag aspect of Tipping the Velvet as well. It's a bit of a kink of mine too. And well, I've yet to see Keeley Hawes disappoint. She's one of those actresses who deserves to be more known that she is and one I keep an eye out for. It's shame whenever she crops up in movies she tends to play 'the wife' (The Bank Job and Death at a Funeral come to mind).

[ragdoll.livejournal.com]

I've been slowly working my way through Neil Gaiman's back catalog for a couple of years now. So far I've read Good Omens, Stardust and 1602. My flatmate's got a copy of Neverwhere, so that's probably going to be next. He is amazing. I hope those persistent rumours of him wanting to write a Doctor Who script one day eventuate.

Neverwhere: the book is really good and some day, I'll actually watch the tv series. It took me forever to obtain a copy and I'd heard so many derisive things about it (including from the Man himself) that I was just afraid to watch it. I'm very partial to American Gods and Anansi Boys as well as the kids books. As for the DW script, I really do believe it's in the cards. He's been too damned coy about it this past year, and his backhanded 'denials' have been pretty amusing to read. Of course, Stephen Fry WAS working on a script for s2 (I think) and it never saw the light of day due to a lot of problems so it's still possible we'll never see anything produced that has Neil's name on it. But I'm reasonably sure we will. It just won't be called "The Face in the Dust". LOL

I'll probably get used to Jamie's accent. I remember when I first started watching House and it taking a few episodes to get over the Prince Regent suddenly having an American accent. And, as you say, the prettiness helps. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to getting to watch the proper series. And your post on the series are one of the major reasons why I've been meaning to check it out.

I still haven't quite gotten used to House's American accent either. I keep expecting Hugh to burst into some bizarre Prince George type ramble, completely with broad facial expressions and general idiocy. Hee! It's also been odd watching Damian Lewis on Life and not hearing his lovely accent -- this is what I get for discovering him in The Forsyte Saga and not Band of Brothers like most of the US. ;)

I loved the girls in drag aspect of Tipping the Velvet as well. It's a bit of a kink of mine too. And well, I've yet to see Keeley Hawes disappoint. She's one of those actresses who deserves to be more known that she is and one I keep an eye out for. It's shame whenever she crops up in movies she tends to play 'the wife' (The Bank Job and Death at a Funeral come to mind).

I'm so glad you like Keeley -- for some reason, there's a lot of hatred for her out there, mainly from Life on Mars fans (since apparently Alex is evil because they're all into Sam/Gene). I've adored her for ages - I'd seen her in a ton of costume dramas before I saw her in Spooks and she's just good in everything. But yeah, either 'the wife' or 'the pretty girl everyone wants which makes our plucky but plainer heroine sad'.

[frenchroast.livejournal.com]

In fairness to Jamie Bamber, I'm a recent Battlestar Galactica convert, and until I read this post, I thought he *was* American. And...I'm an American. So the accent's really good...flawless, as far as I've noticed, honestly, and I usually catch that kind of thing.

It's kind of sad to know he's been depriving us of a Brit accent this whole time. Brit (and most non-American) accents are hot. It's at least 1/3 of the reason why I love Gaius so.

And I'll be fine with the Watchmen movie so long as it's good and not another atrocity like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was. *shudder* But you're right, it's kind of sad that it's going so mainstream.

[meddow.livejournal.com]

If you didn't know Jamie Bamber was British, does that mean you've never seen Hornblower? Because you have to watch Hornblower. Ioan Gruffudd, Jamie Bamber, Paul McGann and Robert Lindsey in 19th century Naval uniforms and there's great plots and acting as well as naval battles and its also the slashiest thing I've ever seen. Mutiny/Retribution is the best for the Hornblower/Kennedy/Bush OT3 as well as bonus Phillip Glenister and David Warner.

The fact it is going mainstream is sad. The novel is absolutely brilliant and one of those things you read and need a few hours after finishing it to recover from, and the fact that nobody I knew besides my flatmate had read it, made it ever the more special.

[frenchroast.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen Hornblower--well, correction, I saw part of one episode years ago and wasn't really interested in it. But I may have misjudged it.

Watchmen's special to me, too, though a lot of my friends have actually read it now. It was always kind of special because my friend John introduced me to it. We were kind of sort of together but not and we were all "Laurie and Jon/Lori and John!" And then we planned for years to borrow heavily from it and use it in this superhero RPG we were part of, though we never actually did; we just plotted on how we would.

Plus, it was pretty mind-blowing when I first picked it up back in 2003, given the current world circumstances...