"Peace-Loving General Starts Brawl in U.N., Swiss Intervene"

[meddow]

Movie Rec: I saw In the Loop yesterday and it's the best film I've watched at the movies all year, and also the funniest movie I've watched in longer than that. It's a political satire about a British cabinet minister who after a bit of a gaff about a potential war in the Middle East, finds himself in Washington being used as a puppet by both the anti-war and pro-war portions of the US Government. It's got some of the most glorious and creative insults, threats and curses in cinema history (oh, how I would like to see what the airline version of the film would be like - probably a five minute film of various characters looking at each other). Best character has to be Malcolm Tucker, who is both the villain and the guy you find yourself rooting for just because he has some to the best lines and is the most competent of the bunch, and if you weren't already thinking Peter Capaldi is brilliant after Torchwood, you will be after this.

Plus, it also adds a lot of weight to my current theory that the best things dealing with Iraq are the things in which the word 'Iraq' is never used.

And speaking of Torchwood actors, I was reading that John Barrowman might not be around for series four as he may be on Desperate Housewives, and all I could think of was how this would be brilliant.

I said it in my review of Day Five, but now that the immediate reaction's worn off, I stand by not wanting to see Jack Harkness again. First of all, I think pop culture needs a cull of emo immortals because the 'Everyone I know dies while I stay eternally young, pretty and healthy' thing has been done to death and I am absolutely utterly and truly sick of it.

Secondly, I don't think Barrowman's got the acting chops to really do the devastation to Jack at the end of Day Five justice in a long term sort of capacity. He does a great intergalactic playboy and he did really well for Barrowman in CoE, but I often cringed when it came Jack's big emotional moments through series one and two of Torchwood.

But mostly, I'm just sick of TW!Jack. Doctor Who!Jack was wonderful. I loved him with Nine and adored his appearances with Ten, but he's well and truly dead. I don't think a post-Day 5 Jack could show up on DW unless the write the character so OC the Torchwood watching audiences would throw things. TW!Jack always seemed to me to be a different character because they were trying to peg the fun, action-sidekick into the dark and brooding leader role and managed to mess up what I liked about the character doing it, creating this character I hated because he wasn't the character I loved.

Anyway, the character had gone, his leaving was upsetting, but also it felt right. I hope they don't bring him back. Plus, there's Gwen, Johnson and - if they want to keep it in the family - Alice, who could all act as replacements.

Comments

[cromarty.livejournal.com]

Leaving alone the question of Jack Harkness because I mostly agree with you, have you watched In The Thick of It? It's the cast of In The Loop in an Office-style half-hour comedy. Confusingly, some of the characters (Malcolm Tucker and his assistant) have the same names, some don't. It's wonderfully funny - though the more you know about UK politics the funnier it is.

[meddow.livejournal.com]

Yes, I have watched it and loved it. It was really amusing seeing nearly every Thick of It actor show up in In the Loop as some point, even though they were playing different characters.