Confessions of a Mildly Amused Mind
In an attempt to keep this blog updated at least more than once a week, I've decided to make a small post about my life. Drum roll: here's a small post about my life.
First, it's that time of year again... 24-hour, coffee-machine-in-room essay writing crunch time. Previous to now I was under the sincere impression that this sort of last-minute keyboard/thinking nonsense would be over since I am no longer in any classes. Not so. Between now and August 15, in fact, I have to write some 60 pages of IR goodness. I say "August 15" because that's the date I've randomly chosen for myself — neither of my supervisors have responded to my emails in a month. Dr. Harvey, Dr. Davis, if either of you are reading this, please email me. Soon. I am going to suffer a horrible graduate student demise. And I am too young to die.
Righto... second, has anyone noticed that the CBC, after doing some really stupid things, has totally redeemed itself by playing some of the best movies ever* at all sorts of odd hours? Today the venerable network broadcasted Head of State with Chris Rock. It sucked, of course, but not as much as the usual odd-hour Canadian fare. Other movies they've put up on the colourful tube include Godzilla (see this post), Old School, Jaws, Master and Commander... the list goes on. Kudos to the CBC; they've improved my summer. And even though the decision to air American movies on what is essentially Canada's national "Cancon" fortress comes as a bit of a sell-out, it's not like the CBC had much soul left to sign away anyway. Especially after the George Stroumboulopoulos/The One fiasco.
Third, as some of you know, I am a complete Buffy the Vampire Slayer freak and, in general, a bit of a vampire cinéfile. Buffy is both a retarded show (awful special effects, idiotic plotlines, and an obvious casting-choice pander to the opposite sex) and a very intelligent one, sort of like The Simpsons (obscure pop culture references, non-obscure pop culture reference, curious spoofs and lots of horror-genre satire... plus, the eye candy helps).
So it's no surprise that I've been watching Spike TV's new series Blade. The Blade movies weren't super, and, at first glance, neither is the show. The actor chosen to play Blade is not Wesley Snipes (he turned down the offer), nor is he much of an actor. Thankfully, the script only really calls for him to sneer and beat people up — but neither of which make for a very good show.
So why am I still watching?
Blade has none of the tongue-in-cheek quirkiness of BtVS, none of its panache, and takes itself very seriously. But the non-Blade characters are actually quite entertaining, ranging from Marcus, a snobby vampire overlord from Britain who is now stationed in shit-tastic Detroit and is determined to kill Blade; to Krista (played by Jill Wagner), a newly 'sired' babe vamp working for Marcus but giving his secrets to Blade on the side, probably because Marcus is repulsive (think Frasier's effeminate brother turned into testy vamp CEO); to Chase, Marcus' right-hand woman, a blonde British femme fatale-type who is jealous of Krista and quite obviously wants to jump Marcus' blood-sucking bones. And by 'entertaining' I mean in the soap-opera, laugh-at-it-from-the-outside sort of 'entertaining'. Immortals, it seems, are usually rather depressed, probably because they must spend eternity wandering around gloomy night cityscapes looking for junkie blood (presume you need blood for a moment; would you suck it out of an STD-ridden drug addict? Yikes...). Like Interview with the Vampire, it's trashy, fun, and occassionally brilliant. Kudos to Spike TV. My VCR is set.
(Plus, the eye candy helps.)
;)
再见。
*by "best movies ever" I mean in a loosey-goosey, beer-drinkin', popcorn-eatin' "Top Gun, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Highlander are the best movies ever" kind of sense... not the more respectable 'real art' "Citizen Kane, Schindler's List and Lawrence of Arabia are the best movies ever" sense, which, of course, would be a vastly more commendable and becoming-of-me choice, but also a hell of a lot less entertaining one... and who in his or her right mind would take an old, dying Orson Welles having fits about a giant crummy mansion over a half-naked Tom Cruise putting the sausage in his superior officer while 'Take My Breath Away' pulses its synthy goodness in the background? No one. Unless you're stupid. Or a heterosexual male, I suppose. I always did have more of a thing for Goose, though, so I think I'm OK. Really. Ashlee Simpson is kinda hot. Except for the nose job. But then, when was the last time you made out with a nose?
First, it's that time of year again... 24-hour, coffee-machine-in-room essay writing crunch time. Previous to now I was under the sincere impression that this sort of last-minute keyboard/thinking nonsense would be over since I am no longer in any classes. Not so. Between now and August 15, in fact, I have to write some 60 pages of IR goodness. I say "August 15" because that's the date I've randomly chosen for myself — neither of my supervisors have responded to my emails in a month. Dr. Harvey, Dr. Davis, if either of you are reading this, please email me. Soon. I am going to suffer a horrible graduate student demise. And I am too young to die.
Righto... second, has anyone noticed that the CBC, after doing some really stupid things, has totally redeemed itself by playing some of the best movies ever* at all sorts of odd hours? Today the venerable network broadcasted Head of State with Chris Rock. It sucked, of course, but not as much as the usual odd-hour Canadian fare. Other movies they've put up on the colourful tube include Godzilla (see this post), Old School, Jaws, Master and Commander... the list goes on. Kudos to the CBC; they've improved my summer. And even though the decision to air American movies on what is essentially Canada's national "Cancon" fortress comes as a bit of a sell-out, it's not like the CBC had much soul left to sign away anyway. Especially after the George Stroumboulopoulos/The One fiasco.
Third, as some of you know, I am a complete Buffy the Vampire Slayer freak and, in general, a bit of a vampire cinéfile. Buffy is both a retarded show (awful special effects, idiotic plotlines, and an obvious casting-choice pander to the opposite sex) and a very intelligent one, sort of like The Simpsons (obscure pop culture references, non-obscure pop culture reference, curious spoofs and lots of horror-genre satire... plus, the eye candy helps).
So it's no surprise that I've been watching Spike TV's new series Blade. The Blade movies weren't super, and, at first glance, neither is the show. The actor chosen to play Blade is not Wesley Snipes (he turned down the offer), nor is he much of an actor. Thankfully, the script only really calls for him to sneer and beat people up — but neither of which make for a very good show.
So why am I still watching?
Blade has none of the tongue-in-cheek quirkiness of BtVS, none of its panache, and takes itself very seriously. But the non-Blade characters are actually quite entertaining, ranging from Marcus, a snobby vampire overlord from Britain who is now stationed in shit-tastic Detroit and is determined to kill Blade; to Krista (played by Jill Wagner), a newly 'sired' babe vamp working for Marcus but giving his secrets to Blade on the side, probably because Marcus is repulsive (think Frasier's effeminate brother turned into testy vamp CEO); to Chase, Marcus' right-hand woman, a blonde British femme fatale-type who is jealous of Krista and quite obviously wants to jump Marcus' blood-sucking bones. And by 'entertaining' I mean in the soap-opera, laugh-at-it-from-the-outside sort of 'entertaining'. Immortals, it seems, are usually rather depressed, probably because they must spend eternity wandering around gloomy night cityscapes looking for junkie blood (presume you need blood for a moment; would you suck it out of an STD-ridden drug addict? Yikes...). Like Interview with the Vampire, it's trashy, fun, and occassionally brilliant. Kudos to Spike TV. My VCR is set.
(Plus, the eye candy helps.)
;)
再见。
*by "best movies ever" I mean in a loosey-goosey, beer-drinkin', popcorn-eatin' "Top Gun, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Highlander are the best movies ever" kind of sense... not the more respectable 'real art' "Citizen Kane, Schindler's List and Lawrence of Arabia are the best movies ever" sense, which, of course, would be a vastly more commendable and becoming-of-me choice, but also a hell of a lot less entertaining one... and who in his or her right mind would take an old, dying Orson Welles having fits about a giant crummy mansion over a half-naked Tom Cruise putting the sausage in his superior officer while 'Take My Breath Away' pulses its synthy goodness in the background? No one. Unless you're stupid. Or a heterosexual male, I suppose. I always did have more of a thing for Goose, though, so I think I'm OK. Really. Ashlee Simpson is kinda hot. Except for the nose job. But then, when was the last time you made out with a nose?
posted by C. LaRoche at
00:00
3...thoughts from my fellow Saturnalians:
The actor playing Blade is Kirk "Sticky Fingaz" Jones, he used to be apart of the rap group Onyx and is one of my favorite rappers of all time. What he's doing running around slaying vampires is completely beyond me. His last album wasn't great but I didn't think it would convert him to acting.
By
Dong, at Mon Aug 07, 09:55:00 a.m. ADT
He's a passable actor. "Passable" in that all he does is sneer and wear shades and pronounce all his lines a good half-octave below where he'd normally speak. The show would do some good to either give him a bit more range -- Blade should be allowed to laugh -- or get a new actor. But he certainly looks the part and, possibly knowing that Blade sucks as a character, the writers of the show barely have him on the screen. Basically he just foils the plots of the "actual" characters, the well-acted and interesting Krista, Chase, and Marcus.
By
C. LaRoche, at Tue Aug 08, 03:01:00 a.m. ADT
Good luck hearing from Davis while he's overseas. I got a brief one-line response to an email I sent him a couple weeks ago, when the man's away he ain't got no time for emails. Don't go insane in the crunch!
By
RGM, at Tue Aug 08, 06:38:00 p.m. ADT
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