Had a few drinks last night, went home, and watched "V", which was (mood spoiler alert) the absolute worst. Just terrible. Awful in every way. Not even a little bit promising. A piece of epic television fail.

~

It's reading week this week and I haven't done any (of the) reading (I should be doing).

~

My cat has become a very affectionate adult. He was a bit of a snooty loner when he was going through adolescence but now he likes to sit on my lap even when I'm in bed. Early this morning he climbed on top of me, sat with his front paws on my chest and stared at me, I believe in an attempt to make me get up and feed him.

~

And now for a vampire-themed poll:

Poll #1481136
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 79

Are you looking forward to the next Twighlight movie?

Best fake celebrity couple:

Best vampires:

Vampires that don't kill people are lame.

Who would win in a fight?

~

cloiser_trish wanted to know what I thought of Smallville. I had forgotten that I didn't post about it. My reactions were as follows:

( Smallville, 9.06: Crossfire )

Been busy, been kinda sick, spent the weekend watching films and TV and doing research on pseudonyms. Some highlights:

- Tom Welling's face and body.

- Fred Armison's guest spot on Parks and Recreation. Homg I haven't laughed that ridiculously much in such a long time.

- SEE YOU LATER RIKKI. You should have been Ethan and if you had been you wouldn't have been voted off. Olly got my vote this week because of his magnificent crotch work. Danyl didn't do it for me at all, but I thought Jamie was amazing. The twins were hilariously bad (and I'm kind of pleased they're coming back because they suck but they're entertaining).

- Christopher Mintz-Plasse in Role Models. I can't stand how cute he is!

- Abed and Troy's friendship on Community. ♥ Also, Joel McHale.

- Bored to Death, which I have picked up, and amazingly I really like all three of the leads, despite finding Ted Danson quite gross and having never cared for Jason Schwartzman. There's just something quite genius about him in this though, and Zach Galifianakis is sublime. This show doesn't tend to make me laugh out loud but I am into it enough to watch the first season.

- Jack and Liz!!!!!!

- The first episode of season 2 of Slings and Arrows. Hello lovely Geoffrey!

- The Shadow of the Wind. I plan to finish this tonight because it is totally excellent.

- Catherine Breillat's latest film which is part of the London Film Festival and I am seeing tonight. I am certain this will be a highlight.

- And on a non-fannish note, my Humanities seminar teacher, who is so gorgeous it is hard to concentrate on what he's saying.

Lowlights:

Cougar Town. Oh God, yes okay, I'm sorry, but I have watched the first four episodes and now I want to kill myself because according to this show all I have to look forward to is being unhealthily obsessed with my appearance. Why am I not watching The Good Wife? What is wrong with me?

Congratulations to me!

Zac Efron? I am on board that train, finally, because while High School Musical makes me want to stab myself in the forehead, "17 Again" rocked my freaking socks off. It was like, oh dear God how charming and funny can this kid BE? Please gtfo Matthew Perry! You were never as pretty as Zac, and he will hopefully age a lot better than you did! Okay, the plot was lamecore, but the execution was generally good, especially all the scenes featuring Zac and Leslie Mann (disturbingly hot), and the very funny Thomas Lennan, as Ned. Is Zac truly that awesome with a basketball or was that scene in the lunch hall cgi'd?

He's not on my lust list though, because that would be creepy.

My current top six:

1. Damian Lewis
2. Jason Dohring
3. Tom Welling
4. Joseph Gordon Levitt
5. Alexander Skarsgård
6. James McAvoy

Yours?

Thanks to serenography for alerting me to this trailer because it is absolutely the best thing I've ever seen in my ENTIRE LIFE, no exaggeration, and if you watch it and are not then totally psyched out of your mind about this film, you probably ought to see a doctor.

Exclusive! The Red Band Trailer for Jennifer's Body!

Look at the freaking cast! Megan Fox (OH GOD I WORSHIP YOU), Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, Kyle Gallner, Chris Pratt, JK SIMMONS (who's not in the trailer but whatever), and it's written by Juno scribe Diablo Cody, and it's about MEGAN FOX (spoiler alert) KILLING BOYS. THAT IS AWESOME.

Am I a fool for believing a trailer? YES PROBABLY BUT I DON'T CARE. THIS FILM CAN'T POSSIBLY NOT BE GREAT.

Yesterday I watched two terrible movies:

"Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" because it's Megan Fox's first film. Avoid like the plague. It's like, you think with a title like that it would be passably amusing, mindless fun, but in reality it's deeply unfunny, mindless drivel. I WANT MY TWO HOURS BACK. (Megan was cute though.)

Then I watched "Pulse" because I'm a Kristen Bell fangirl who apparently must watch every shitty film she's ever made (including "Fanboys") even though I'm not like that. Normally I don't care enough about actors I like to watch their suckiest endeavours, and actually, I will never ever watch Kristen's episodes of Heroes so maybe I haven't changed after all and I was only bored. "Pulse" was kind of awesomely bad though, in that I found it highly entertaining (and quite scary in places!) even while it was being embarrassing.

~

I am working my way through Catherine Breillat's oeuvre, because I love her take on male/female relationships and that her films often feature explicit sex: in fact, "Romance" and "Anatomy of Hell" both star porn legend Rocco Siffredi, and yes, we do get to see plenty of his magnificent, hard penis, which Breillat clearly admires greatly. Now, this is a man who also stars in a series of pornos called "Animal Trainer", which are as brutal and misogynistic as they sound (I watched part of one a few years ago and found it traumatising) so I never imagined I would find him attractive, but in Breillat's films he's interesting and sexy (although his French accent is horrific).

( Anatomy of Hell got dire reviews but I found it riveting. The story is simple: a depressed, beautiful woman pays a handsome gay man to spend four nights watching her... )

Have any of you seen Catherine Breillat's arresting and unforgettable "The Last Mistress"? If not, you should.

I adored it. The central relationship, between Vellini and Ryno, has got everything I love best: passion, hate, devotion at the expense of everything and everyone else, fun, cruelty, helplessness; it's epic, deeply sexual, and dangerous. (Thinking on it, they remind me a lot of Veronica and Logan.)

The way Breillat trains the camera on the exquisite Fu'ad Ait Aattou (who plays Ryno) is almost perverse. It's not that I find myself particularly sexually attracted to him, it's that he's so phenomenally beautiful that anyone with eyes, male or female, would enjoy gazing at him all day, and Breillat clearly understands this (seriously, she makes love to him with the camera). And then there's Asia Argento's Vellini, whose raw, untamed sexuality practically leaps out of the screen and eats you whole.

---

Cats are stupid!

I love all the outraged comments at the bottom. "BUT MY CAT OPENS DOORS AND IS THEREFORE A GENIUS". LOL.

~

H&M are collaborating with Jimmy Choo!!! This excited Sharan and me so much that we put the date in our diaries (14 November) and we're planning to get up early, queue for ages, buy some shoes and then spend the day drinking bubbly.

This is why I have nothing but love for the delicious Megan Fox. I seriously flip out with love for her every time I read snippets from her interviews, so you can imagine my joy when I saw that Jezebel had compiled her "50 Best (& Worst) Bon Mots". Haters to the left, this young woman is hilarious, intelligent, frank and refreshingly inappropriate.

A few of my favourites:

"Well let me tell you what [High School Musical] is really about. High School Musical is about this group of boys who are all being molested by the basketball coach, who is Zac Efron's dad. It's about them struggling to cope with this molestation. And they have these little girlfriends, who are their beards. Oh, and somehow there's music involved. You have to get stoned to watch it." - Esquire, June 2009

"Really my only job is to look attractive. I was so angry about that, that I went in the opposite direction. I turned into a really butch bull dyke for, like, six months... Then I went in the other direction. From being a giant motorcycle-riding lesbian, I turned into a zombie. I lost, like, 30 pounds. I was like, 'I'm losing weight for the movie'. I was telling myself I was being method (method acting), which was so outrageous and ridiculous and not true." - British GQ, July 2009

"I really enjoy having sex, and that's offensive to some people. Women are the quickest to call other women sluts, which is sad. I haven't met a lot of men who've said, 'You like having sex? What a dirty whore you are!' That's because they wish their wives or girlfriends would have more sex with them." - FHM, 2008

LOLOLOL. Also, hi. GUH:

( I'd be friends with her! )

Movies seen recently:

1. Stardust: Absolutely brilliant!
2. Choke: Diverting but forgettable!
3. Repulsion: Gave me nightmares!

My shoes still haven't arrived. >:(

My Veronica/Logan fic that no one will read is coming along nicely.

I watched the VM extras on Sunday. The season 4 presentation was weird because it didn't feature Logan, Keith or Wallace. Was Rob Thomas planning on doing S4 without them?

I'd be keen to read some T:TSCC fic. My pairing preferences are John/Cameron and Sarah/Derek. Can anyone point me in the direction of some good fic? Or even better, good rec pages?

( My thoughts on these two pairings )

I'm thinking of getting a fringe. Or bangs, for the Americans in the audience.

Real life has been sucking quite a bit recently but I'm only going to talk about nice things.

~

mahaliem's drabble contest is closed, but if you haven't read them yet you absolutely should because they're all great. Thank you to the one person who voted for mine! :P In case you're wondering, it's this one:

You have your hair cut short like a boy’s one Tuesday afternoon, just for the hell of it. You wonder why part of you hopes he hates it.

“Wow, Lois,” he exclaims when you walk into the office wearing a calf length, steel grey, figure-hugging dress, cinched at the waist with a wide belt, fierce six inch heels, and an expression of nonchalance. “Nice dress.”

You can’t help laughing; he was funnier than he usually is, damn him. Then you catch him grinning at you with an appreciative look in his eyes and you feel relieved, because you’re still special.

~

My parents are officially 30 Rock fans. I gave them the first season as a present and Mum just emailed me saying:

"Thought you would be pleased to hear that I have just bought the second season."

Yes indeed Mother! This pleases me greatly!

~

Star Trek

I saw it! Liked the film, LOVED Chris Pine's Captain Kirk. Could not get enough of that action. He is funny and sexy and heroic and sexy. If I were to ship anyone it would definitely not be Kirk/Spock (sorry, but I will never find Quinto attractive even though I thought he made a pretty great Spock), and Spock/Uhura is excruciatingly boring, so it's got to be Kirk/Uhura for me. Are there fics?

~

Twilight

Amazingly sexy for a pro-abstinence fable. Examining the subtext in too much depth would probably enrage me, but I found it highly enjoyable. Kristen Stewart is excellent, and while Robert Pattinson might not be the greatest actor on the face of the planet, he's undeniably dreamy. I will not be reading the books, but I imagine I will be seeing the sequel.

~

Veronica Mars, Season 3

I have finished and I really loved it and I can't believe my wonderful show was cancelled so prematurely.

( A long time ago we used to be friends... )

~

Finally, I'm 10 episodes into season 2 of T:TSCC and I'm absolutely loving it now. Shirley Manson is just...so awesomely creepy.

"Party Down" got renewed for a second season!!!!! *AIR PUNCH*

Not sure if Jane Lynch will still be in it (woe), because she is also now in the completely awesome new show, "Glee", which you MUST WATCH. The pilot was really promising; it's kind of like a High School Musical for adults, except that it doesn't suck and instead of original shitty music, it's got decent, well performed arrangements of contemporary pop music. With quirky, interesting, lovably pathetic characters, tons of humour and a feel good vibe, if you're not grinning like an idiot by the end of the first episode you are a freak.

~

Smallville was boring.

~

I feel like the only person in fandom who hasn't seen Star Trek. You've all gone Star Trek mad. So I guess I should see it then even though I hate Quinto. (Maybe I don't hate Quinto actually. Maybe it's just Sylar I hate.)

~

A Gossip Girl spinoff? LOLOLOLOL. No.

~

And now a Who Do You Want To Bone The Most poll. It does not include Tom Welling or Jensen Ackles because you all vote for them and it's boring. I also left Jason Dohring off the list to make it more difficult for myself. Pictures behind the cut to help you decide!

( Poll dancing. )

By now I'm sure you've all heard about Christian Bale's outburst on the set of "Terminator Salvation". If not, you can read about it and hear it here.

Poll #1342791
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 82

Are you/were you a fan of Christian Bale?

How do you feel about the outburst?

Does this incident make you think that maybe he assaulted his mother and sister after all?

How do you feel about the outburst?

What do you think of Christian Bale now?

How do you feel about Christian Bale now?

Will you boycott Christian Bale's films in future?

Do you find Christian Bale sexually attractive?

I don't have to go to work today! Because of this:
( Pictures! )

~

In other news, I haven't watched the latest "Smallville" yet. Mostly because everyone seems to hate it right now for some reason or other and I can't be bothered getting angry/frustrated/sad, so I'm doing other things instead, like rewatching "Veronica Mars" season 1 with Kirsty (it's just as good if not better the second time round!), reading as much S1 LoVe fic as I can get my hands on (holy crap, THIS STORY is one the best things I've ever read), watching season 2 of "How I Met Your Mother" (LOL), ooh and watching "Baby Mama" finally, which is completely awesome. How is Amy Poehler so funny?

New Zealand criminals are the BEST:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7857469.stm

~

I found "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", which I watched last night, hysterically funny btw. Yes I was quite drunk, and yes I thought it was too long and badly structured, and the central romance didn't particularly grab me (because Jason Segal had a lot more chemistry with the amazingly awesome Kristin Bell than he did with the slightly less awesome but still lovely Mila Kunas), but omg. FUNNY. I have not laughed so much at a film in a long time. Russell Brand was good at playing an enormous douchebag too. SHOCKING. Also, hi Jack McBrayer hi!

~

Now for a meme, snagged from beeej and duskwillow. How well do you think you know me?

Pick one word from each pair that you think describes me the best and comment with your choices. Then copy this and post it in your own journal to see how your friends view you.

* dominant or submissive
* logical or intuitive
* social or loner
* kinky or vanilla
* cute or sophisticated
* kitten or puppy
* warm flannel sheets or sleek satin
* leader or follower
* quiet or talkative
* spontaneous or planned
* teddy bear or porcelain doll
* hiking or window shopping
* tequila or vodka
* top or bottom
* bare foot or shoes
* jeans or slacks
* tender or rough
* aware or dreamy
* nerd or jock
* brains or brawn
* common sense or book smarts

My weekend was kind of busy and I didn't get a chance to watch all my television. Which means that I have not seen "Smallville" yet (admittedly I was avoiding watching this out of fear, but I'm going to try and see it tonight), nor have I seen "Bones", nor have I seen any more "Veronica Mars", although I did spend most of my downtime thinking about nakey Logan Echols.

I did find time to watch "30 Rock" which was magnificent. Jack and Liz! ♥

And "Damages", which I thought was quite boring.

And "Lost"! God that show is confusing, but at least Jack shaved off his beard.

~

On zephyr9's recommendation I also saw the bittersweet romantic comedy, "Catch and Release" with Jennifer Garner and Timothy Olyphant, and I absolutely loved it. This won't come as much of a surprise to anyone who knows me even a little bit but the thing I enjoy the most in any story is an emotionally (and physically) engaging romance. So not flowers and candy and empty declarations and that shit, but people falling in love with each other in a way that makes me *feel* it. Olyphant and Garner have this understated yet intense chemistry with each other and their courtship has the right blend of eroticism and emotion, so if you love clever, interesting romantic comedies as much as I do then I highly recommend this film.

I was thinking, my love of romance (and also, my preference for television over fanfic) is probably why I'm not much of a slasher - I really like to see it play out in front of me. I want kisses and sex and intentional UST and heartbreak that's canon. I want text, basically. My imagination is good and all, but for me nothing can compare to actually getting to SEE my characters get busy.

~

sv_char_love

Would you guys be interested in a Smallville Character Love community?

If there is enough interest huzzlewhat is going to create this comm, so do let us know.

It's something I would like to see happen in SV fandom because all this negativity is harshing my buzz, man. And like, you don't have to love all the characters to be part of the comm - you just wouldn't be able to express your dislike of Lana or whoever there. And maybe, just maybe, other fans' love of a character you hate might get you to rethink your position? (A girl can dream.)

http://www.oscar.com/nominees/?pn=nominees

I am annoyed that Frank Langella got a nomination for "Frost/Nixon" but Michael Sheen didn't, because they were both equally brilliant and the only reason Langella got the votes is because Nixon is the flashier part. Sheen's performance is actually my favourite of the past year. (That said, I haven't seen any of the other best actor nominated films yet and I am willing to believe all those actors deserve their nomination. Except for maybe Brad. I can't believe that Brad was as good as Sheen.)

ETA: Instarec!

Unexpected Peril, by lastnightblues

Early Clex, *unbelievably* hot, and very well written. GUH.

~

Do you work with stupid people? Because I do and I'm so mad right now I just sent an extremely rude email to someone in another department because they fucked up royally and I can guarantee they won't take responsibility for it. When I make a mistake I own up to it and I think that's the correct way to be. This fuckwit will probably be all, "BUT YOU DIDN'T EXPLAIN IT PROPERLY, IT'S YOUR FAULT." *stabs* Learn to ask questions when you're confused, you utter, utter moron.

The Dark Knight

( Read more... )

~

Frost/Nixon

Now this is more like it. A staggeringly good film that’s as intelligent as it is entertaining, with two central performances that are nothing short of exceptional. They will probably both get nominated for an Oscar but will split the vote so neither will win, although I am happy for it to go to Heath, for purely sentimental reasons.

~

Veronica Mars

This show is so good I want to cry. I am four episodes in and already it’s the only thing I want to do with my time. I love every single character, I love how smart and witty and quirky it is, and I finally understand the hype surrounding Kristen Bell – I really like her cheeky Gossip Girl voiceover, but you don’t fully appreciate her charm until you see her in action. I am looking forward to reading some VM fic once I’ve gotten through season one – what are the most popular pairings in the fandom? I am guessing Veronica/Logan?

So last night I did this dumbass thing whilst drunk. See, I was out with Kirsty, Lois (who introduced herself to us as Superman's girlfriend, lol), Sharan and Christine, who works in another department here. I don't know her that well but I do really like her, and we had this little bonding moment early in the evening when she came by my office to pick me up, and spotted the Tom Welling picture I have tacked up on my wall. Turns out, she's a huge Smallville fan, she *downloads* it because she loves it so much (although she's still a few eps behind), she agrees with me that Tom Welling is the hottest man on the planet and that Clark is looking foxier this year than ever before, she loves Clark and Lois, and she finds Lex sexy. Amazing!

Later in the evening after much drinking I discovered more. She not only loves Smallville, she loves Supernatural and SGA, Buffy and Star Trek, and probably every other big fandomy show ever made. She didn't know what fanfiction was but she liked the sound of it, and was more than open to the idea of Wincest, and people, she is clearly a fangirl. I was all, "You have to read some fanfiction. I'm going to send you my latest story!"

Which I did the moment I got home. Except that I also thought it would be an awesome idea to send her a link to my livejournal.

This morning, when I remembered what I'd done I had a mini panic attack. HOLY SHIT I JUST GAVE SOMEONE I BARELY KNOW WHO WORKS AT THE SAME PLACE AS ME ACCESS TO MY LIVEJOURNAL. That's, like, three and a half years of me doing nothing but talk about television and porn, and omg WHAT WAS I THINKING.

When she walked in to our office this morning to say hi I was an anxious, shaky, hungover mess, and she goes to me: "You know what, Kate? I think I gave you the wrong email address."

LOL.

So I sent her the story as an attachment instead because I'm still on a mission to convert her to fanfiction, and whoever that other Christine person is that I sent last night's email to, she got a nice, weird surprise this morning.

VICTORY!

~

I saw "Teeth" the other day and I can't get it out of my head. Not a perfect film but seriously amazing (and strangely cathartic). You should ALL see it.

~

It is really cool to be fannishly obsessed with something again, to the point where all I want to do is write fanfiction. All me and Melissa do at the moment is talk about Clark and Lois and how perfect they are, both separately and together. Ack. I love them so much it hurts. Apparently I am now in het fandom you guys. The only character I remotely feel like slashing these days is Chuck from Gossip Girl (of course. I mean, who wouldn't?), but otherwise I'm all about boys and girls having non-subversive, heterosexual sex. From Jack and Liz, to Booth and Brennan, to House and Cuddy, to my beloved Clois, what the hell is going on?

PS. Clex fans, don't fret. I will always adore them.

Recent things that have made me happy:

1. "30 Rock", Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Jack and Liz and how they are BFFs who TOTALLY WANT TO SHAG EACH OTHER.

2. CLOIS. <3 <3 <3

3. Abyss (I'm sorry but I liked it! And I liked what Clark did! And I like Chloe again, finally!!!)

4. "Ghost Town". It was funny AND moving: my favourite combination. Any film with this much heart is a winner, afaic.

5. "Friday Night Lights". Oh my God I love this season. ♥ ♥ ♥

6. Fish finger sandwiches. The easiest thing ever to make and always delicious. Always.

7. Charlie! I need to picspam him again, because he's the best cat of all time. He went outside for the first time on Friday and I was so proud of him. Within five minutes the ginormous neighbourhood cat, who has been feuding with Charlie through our (glass) kitchen door, turns up on the balcony and Charlie instantly pounds towards him and jumps on his head. The enemy cat looked *so surprised* it was genius. Clearly he was not expecting Charlie to ever actually be let loose on him. Then he slunk off, defeated and embarrassed. \o/

8. Alexandra's performance on Saturday's X Factor.

9. Leona Lewis's cover of Snow Patrol's "Run".

Recent things that have annoyed me:

1. This post. A WORLD OF NO. (ETA. Screening the comments every time you're not around to answer them is rampantly stupid and does not make you look like less of a dick, fyi.)

2. Louis Walsh. Get the fuck off my television. I used to like you but now I really don't. Also, when you say to Eoghan (every fucking week) that he'll be in the final, and then you say the same thing to Diana, the whole world is thinking, "And what about JLS, asshat? You know, *the group you mentor*?"

3. Eoghan Quigg. *stabs*

If you've known me for any length of time you've probably figured out that I am a giant baby who cries at the drop of a hat. It's not uncommon for me to cry over "Smallville" or "The X Factor" or a poignant piece of fanfic, or anything vaguely romantic, or anything involving unhappy/injured/dying animals or anything remotely emotionally rousing. I cannot get through the scene at the end of "Ten Things I Hate About You" where Kat reads out her poem to Patrick without weeping, "Friday Night Lights" gets me almost every episode, various Buffy episodes rip my heart out every time I see them. You catch my drift.

I would not recommend watching "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" while you're pre-menstrual btw, but if you haven't seen it you should absolutely rectify that immediately. Nothing has made me cry that much (as in, from start to finish) since the last time I saw "E.T." (I'm not even sure if "E.T." is genuinely upsetting all the way through, but when I saw it for the second time in my early twenties I went in with a strong memory of being a little girl in the cinema -- possibly for the very first time -- with my family, bawling my wee eyes out. I didn't stand a chance! The movie begins, E.T. is being chased by guys with guns, Kate bursts into tears and doesn't stop crying until the end credits.)

Diving Bell though... holy crap, what an extraordinary, heart wrenching film. Do you like movies that make you cry? See this then.

A few other films that have made me bawl:

"The Lives of Others" - I completely lost it in a packed movie theatre. I was sobbing my head off throughout the last few scenes and then when the final credits rolled, the guy next to me (who I didn't know, but who had noticed me crying) says to me cheerfully, "You know the lead actor? He's dead. Had cancer during filming." Bastard stranger made me *wail*. I was all, "OMG WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS?" Him: "Aw."

"King Kong" - See above re animals and romance.

---

Tell me about some of the movies (or episodes of television) that turn you into a blubbering mess!

The weekend was weird. On Saturday the girls and I went to a couple of films at the film festival, the first of which was lovely ("Cover Girl" with Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth), the second of which was the single worst film experience I've maybe ever had (and I've seen "Salo"). If you ever want to know what my idea of film hell is, check out "Tony Manero", ( Read more... )

Then I got home to discover something wrong with Charlie's ear. He had the first of his leukemia shots on Friday so I wonder if it's reaction to that, but he now seems to have an ear infection if the internet is to be believed. He keeps scratching his ear and shaking his head, and it's lying a bit flat. ARGH. (I actually wrote this bit yesterday and thankfully Charlie seems fine today, so I guess it must have been a side effect of the shot. Which is a relief because he's bleeding me dry right now. I can't remember the last time I was this broke.)

The X Factor

Yes, apparently this is the only show I want to talk about these days! Even though, like, only three of you give a shit. I'll cut this for once, to spare the rest of you.

( Austin: my beautiful new boyfriend. <3 )

~

I have not seen Smallville yet, but hopefully I will get a bit of solo living room time tonight after work.

~

And now for the interactive portion of the post.

( How do you feel about the term 'Friends'? )

Poll #1281826
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 38

"Friends"

If no, what would you prefer instead?

Oh, the young girls in my office, how they frustrate me with their old fashioned, sexist world views.

I hate the attitude that you shouldn’t sleep with a guy on the first date because he might not respect you. I can’t imagine withholding sex from a man in the hope that it will make him stick around a little longer, and here’s why:

1. If he doesn’t respect me for putting out too soon, then I don’t respect him, because a guy who will look at me unfavourably for doing *exactly the same thing he just did* is a guy I don’t need to see again.
   
2. What if you go on ten dates with a man, then you fuck him and it’s awful? I prefer to find out if we’re sexually compatible early on so we don’t waste each other’s time pretending there’s a future there when there’s not.
   

~

I spent all of yesterday at work writing my Lois story and I ended up with fewer words at the end of the day than I had at the start. It was very frustrating. I must have discarded thousands of words over the course of the day, and, you know, some of those words were pretty good! Except for the part where they didn't make sense. Argh. Today things will go better though, because it's not possible for them to go worse.

~

Watched "Penelope" last night. James McAvoy, how I love you so! The film was average but you were your usual ridiculously charming, sexy, gorgeous self. ♥ ♥ ♥

There are probably episodes of television that I should be talking about (the latest Bones! Was good! I really liked it!) but instead I am going to post about a bunch of things I saw whilst on the plane to Dubai or in my hotel room. Sorry.

27 Dresses

Katherine Heigl is charming enough to make bog standard material enjoyable and I found James Marsden quite attractive for the first time. Which means that I can recommend this as long as you enjoy romantic comedies and your expectations are relatively low.

Made of Honor

I made it through five minutes of this film before I remembered that Patrick Dempsey is pure evil. His appeal is entirely lost on me and I think everyone who likes him is weird. So then I was all, what the hell am I going to watch next? I am running out of wedding themed movies, OH NOES. Hence:

What Happens In Vegas

I LOVED IT OKAY. I LOVED IT. And I don’t even like Cameron Diaz or Ashton Kutcher, which makes me wonder if I had plane fever, but honestly, I thought this was really underrated – it made me laugh out loud a lot, the two leads looked utterly beautiful and bounced off each other brilliantly, and the supporting players were ~*~hilarious~*~. I am now completely smitten with Lake Bell (who really didn’t shine when she was in Boston Legal), and I want her to star in her own film where she is allowed to be gorgeous and funny and awesome. Maybe you will tell me I should be embarrassed about loving this movie so much but screw you I am buying it on DVD as soon as possible.

Samantha Who

I found this surprisingly funny although Christina Applegate’s Rachel impression freaked me out at first. Seriously, her timing and delivery is classic Jennifer Anniston, which is not the worst thing in the world because she pulls it off.

The New Adventures of Old Christine

Oh how the mighty have fallen. I adore Julia Louis-Dreyfus but the best thing I can say about this is that it's not bad (it's not good either, just so we're clear).

In Treatment

I think I need to see more of this show. I was irritated at first but by the time the credits rolled I was almost intrigued.

John from Cincinnati

What in the name of? I have no idea.

Some of the Emmys

WOO HOO 30 ROCK WOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. (Also, woo hoo Mad Men woo hoo!)

Speaking of 30 Rock, I finally saw the promo my flist is going on about and GUH. Jack and Liz could not be more madly in love with each other you guys. IT IS TRUE LOVE. <3 <3 <3 <3

1. I must admit I have not really paid much attention to my flist over the past few days, so if you think I missed something important, link me. Instead I have been glued to my couch watching television, and/or winding my cat up with the Kat Tikkler (it's this long stick with a bunch of green feathers attached to it. He has ripped off a lot of the feathers already -- I found one in my hair this morning -- but every time he tries to eat them they just get stuck on his lips.)

2. tommy_chivs! Charlie goes insane over the laser pointer, just like your cats. Hours and hours of fun (and when you get sick of tormenting him and turn it off it takes him ages to stop looking for the red light. MWAHAHA).

3. I wasn't super popular at school, Boppy, but I wasn't a social reject. I was actually a "muso" (music nerd) but because we were entertaining people tended to respect us.

4. "Lust, Caution" is an okay film but that's not what's important about it. What is important about it is, once you get through all the dreary exposition, you get several of the most incredibly intense and erotic sex scenes I have ever seen. And because I know you're all a bunch of pervs I feel comfortable telling you that they are so explicit it really does look like they're fucking. WHOO. (Tony Leung is amazing. <3)

5. This is crazy I know but I am actually excited about the Smallville premiere. HA! It's like, every time I think I've moved on and don't care anymore I apparently haven't!

6. I'm one behind on Mad Men, but the last episode I watched blew me away. I never told you guys who my favourite Mad Men character is - this is controversial, because he is not my type at all, but it's Don. I don't fancy him and I don't like him very much, but I find him the single most compelling character on television at the moment. He's mesmerising.

7. The X Factor! Another really good female singer through to boot camp. I am very excited - there are now at least four excellent girls, and they're all really different from each other - whichever judge gets that category is going to do well. (Alexandra Burke is still the major discovery though zomg.)

8. Here is one television cliche if I ever see again it will be too soon: when a couple are getting a DVD out from the store and the girl wants a chick flick and the guy wants an action movie. AS IF THEY ARE THE ONLY TWO GENRES OF FILM IN ALL THE WORLD. As if there are no films that both of the sexes can enjoy. As if there are no action films that women can like and no romantic comedies that men can like (my dad's favourite genre of film is the romantic comedy you doofuses!). As if anyone would be *happy* to get a film out that they *know* the person they're watching it with IS GOING TO HATE. This scene needs to never be written again. I am so serious about this.

I got woken up this morning by lots of pathetic mewling by Charlie. He was either begging for food or trying to sing me happy birthday. I vote the latter! Then I opened my door and found a present from my two flatmates sitting just outside my room.

It's an amazing present, but also a frightening one. They got me tap dancing shoes and a voucher for one tap lesson. EEP. I expressed an interest in learning tap dancing months ago and we were all, LET'S GO TOGETHER! But like, I didn't expect to *ever actually do it*. And now I'm going to find out just how uncoordinated I really am. YAY?!

Big thanks to: the lovely norwich36 for making me a ton of adorable Charlie icons, latxcvi for the completely awesome e-card, and morganichele for being so sweet, kind and generous. ♥ ♥ ♥ Thanks also to giggleloop for the early birthday message! <3

~

In other news, I still haven't watched Mad Men, Gossip Girl, Weeds or Entourage (or Fringe, which I am planning to try out) from this week. It is tricky these days to find the time for all my shows, but I hope to have some time alone in the living room tomorrow night, or maybe Saturday day time before my b'day party. Because I like being relevant.

I did watch the Ryan Gosling movie "Fracture" last night though. It sucked hard and I don't recommend it one iota. It's like: Dear Anthony Hopkins, Once you've played a career defining psychopath like Hannibal Lecter there is no point playing bad guys ever again. Also, what in God's name accent were you trying to do? Was it Irish? :|

Thank you, kind anonymous person, for the polar bear! <3

After an impromptu party at my house on Friday night I spent the rest of the weekend in front of the television. I didn't leave the house once. Literally all I did was eat, watch stuff, and read comics. IT IS GOOD TO BE A DORK.

On Saturday I started my day by talking to my parents on Skype (it was my dad's birthday) which was nice even though I was not remotely in the mood for it because of hangover, and also, my mum said that she didn't really get into "Friday Night Lights" but she finds "Two and a Half Men" funny (WTF! I can't deal with that at all).

Then I watched the latest episodes of "Weeds" and "Mad Men", and that was much more fun. I love "Weeds" this season: Nancy's speech to her boys was comedy *gold*. And "Mad Men" continues to be the best written drama on TV. ( minor spoilers for Mad Men, 2.03 )

Next I watched a film about an interracial romance called "Something New", which I quite enjoyed, and after that, Suz and I watched season two of "Dexter". YAY! We had already both seen the first two episodes so we only had to watch ten episodes, but we managed it, getting to bed by 2am. I gave up on "Dexter" after season 1 because even though I liked it I found it a bit too gruesome to want to keep up with it every week, and in general I'm just not a fan of killers. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed season 2, ( Dexter s2 spoilers! )

On Sunday I spent the day watching athletics and reading. And then we all watched the repeat of the first episode of the X Factor! Because it is a really good show.

I have two mouth ulcers that popped up over night and now I am grumpy. WHY MUST I BE AFFLICTED WITH THIS PROBLEM? They are so *painful* and they make eating painful and they make me moody and self pitying and angry at my body and angry at my colleague who talks too loudly (it's like a bark. She is *barking* at me as I write this) and angry with everyone who doesn't get mouth ulcers because THEY WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND and that bothers me. Ever since I quit smoking I have been getting mouth ulcers because apparently the one thing smoking is good for is your immune system. They don't tell you that in all the literature though, do they! Fuck you, body. FUCK. YOU. (Being hungover is not helping either.)

~

In other news, the girls and I watched "Death Proof" together last night because I convinced them that they would like it. And they did! Afterwards Kirsty drunkenly declared it the best film ever made, which pleased me greatly. And I loved it as much the second time as I did the first. It's my official Girl Power film, which is weird I know because I'm a pacifist ( cut for spoiler )

~

Enough of that though. What ails you? Let's all be self pitying together.

I am getting a kitten! Finally! It was getting silly because I kept making excuses for why I shouldn't get a cat but then I realised that all those excuses were just holding me back from doing something I've wanted to do for about a decade. And the fact of the matter is I simply cannot live without a cat anymore! I'm very excited. My landlord has granted permission and now I'm just waiting for the RSPCA to call me back to arrange a home visit. I don't anticipate any problems because I live in a very cat friendly household, complete with cat flap, garden and lots of unfriendly neighbourhood cats close by for him to become enemies with. I CAN'T WAIT.

~

Kirsty expressed interest a few weeks ago in maybe watching Buffy, which caused me to have an episode: I promptly went out and replaced all my Buffy videos with DVDs and now I'm totally psyched about rewatching the entire series with a Buffy virgin.

One of my favourite things to do in the entire world -- and I have a feeling all of you can relate to this -- is show a willing friend something I adore. I've gotten friends into Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock, The Wire, The L Word, Alias, BSG (Not Smallville, strangely enough. I don't think I've ever converted anyone to Smallville.) and I'm always thrilled when I find out that my friend has become a fan. It's best when you get to watch it with them though; there is nothing so pleasurable as popping in a favourite film and witnessing your friend's positive response. It's all about sharing!

I own a bunch of films that people might not have seen but which they are guaranteed to enjoy, and I often whip them out when I've got a friend over and we feel like watching something. Some off the top of my head:

10 Things I Hate About You
13 Going On 30
Beautiful Girls
Equilibrium
Mean Girls
When Night Is Falling
Wonder Boys

There's prolly more, but what I really want to know: what films can you think of that fit this description? I want Guaranteed Good Time films so I can complete my collection, and that doesn't meant they have to be comedies, it just means they have to be entertaining from start to finish. (Like Dirty Dancing! Which, criminally, I totally don't own on DVD yet.)

I bought "Atonement" recently, because, well, because McAvoy. But also, it was a film that really got under my skin when I saw it in the cinema. There were bits I didn't like at the time, but afterwards I couldn't stop thinking about it. And I realised that, fittingly, it's a supremely intelligent movie, that not only stands up to repeat viewings but gets *better* the more you watch it.

Interestingly, I watched it with a more objective, critical eye the second time, yet had a far more intense emotional response to it. I know a lot of you didn't really like it and I can certainly understand why (especially if, like me, war movies aren't your bag) but if I were you I would consider watching it again, because the knowledge gained from the last chapter of the film completely changes the way you see the rest of it, so on a second viewing the bits you didn't like so much take on an entirely different sheen. Which in itself is kind of wonderful, given that it's a film *about* perspective and how skewed our subjective perspective can be.

I'm fangirling James McAvoy pretty hard at the moment, but I'm also fangirling Joe Wright, the director of Atonement. On Kirsten's recommendation (hi Kirsten!) I also watched his commentary, and it was brilliant. I love that he's a true natural talent, who uses symbolism intuitively but not intellectually. He does a lot of things that "feel right" without really knowing why, and for the most part his instincts are bang on the money. Also Keira is extremely great in this film. (Please don't diss her in my journal! Every single woman I know hates her and I'm getting kind of sick of hearing about it.)

( more rambling about Atonement, with major spoilers )

---

And then! I watched a film with my OTHER favourite actor in it: "The Lookout" starring Joseph Gordon Levitt. I won't bore you with my thoughts about it but needless to say it's a really good film, he is amazing in it and I love him passionately.

I'm not sure who I love more out of McAvoy and JGL. They are both so talented and intelligent and soulful and attractive. If I had to choose between them I think I would actually cry real tears. Wouldn't it be awesome if they were in a film together? Kind of like how "3:10 to Yuma" was great because it starred Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, two of the world's best actors (in that age bracket). I think McAvoy and JGL should do something that slashy, although not a western because they're too young and I'm not generally a fan of westerns. I can't even imagine them acting together but I'm pretty sure it would be super hot.

I just bought this bag:



It is awesome.

~

I finally got around to buying season 1 of "Friday Night Lights" and Amazon sent that to me today. My plan is to make my flatmates watch it with me because they will love it. (I'm worried they won't give it enough of a chance though. I tried making them watch 30 Rock but they didn't believe me when I told them they would get hooked and they gave up after only a few episodes. Idiots.)

~

I also got sent "The Lives of Others" which is one of the best films I've ever seen. I've told you guys about it before and I'll probably tell you about it again, but if you haven't seen it go rent (or buy) it now. If you have seen it, tell me what you thought! (Unless you didn't like it or something, in which case maybe don't tell me unless you want me to think a lot less of you. Seriously.)

~

I'm completely hooked on that show "Damages". Thanks fleegull!

EDIT: This brilliant rant by naamah_darling sums up how I feel about the Contraception = Abortion bullshit that has been upsetting me for the past day.

~

I'm going to "The Dark Knight" with the girls in a few weeks but I'm afraid to say the only thing I'm looking forward to about it is seeing the girls. (HI GIRLS.) Because I know I'm going to hate it. I hated the first one -- and I don't advise you get me started on why unless you've got all day -- and according to Stephanie Zacharek (who I trust more than any other person in the entire world on the subject of film) the second one is as big a mess. DAMN YOU CHRISTOPHER NOLAN. Please hand the reigns to a more worthy director (del Toro! Cuarón! Rodriguez!) for the next instalment, and please stop listening to all the people who tell you you are a genius, because you really are NOT. /end frustrated rant

Hopefully my expectations are so low that I will end up liking this one more? At least it's got Maggie and Heath.

~

Beauty myths! Um, I need someone to clear this up for me (blythely?) because it sounds like a myth but maybe there is science behind it. Is it true that you are supposed to change your face cream brand every four years? Several women have told me this and it annoys me because I have been using the same brand for way more than four years (it's a good cream!) and finding a new brand is going to be a huge pain in the ass because I am allergic to so many of them.

~

Tell me what you have on your mug and key-chain because it will be interesting. My work mug has this picture on it:



I bought it at the Beatles Store on Baker Street when I first started here and have been using it ever since.

My keyring is this:



My friend Anna gave it to me and I find it amusing even though I have only ever flown economy so I guess the joke's on me.

Yes, me and the girls spent the last three nights watching Lost, but now we are done with it. WOOO. I sense that there might be some arguments about how we handle season 5, because my thinking is that I will have to watch it with America once a week so I can talk about it here and, you know, be relevant. But that plan didn't seem to go down very well with Kirsty, who looked really annoyed at the suggestion, because she prefers watching it all at once. (Who doesn't! Obviously that is the best way to watch TV, but some of us do not have the patience to wait another year to find out what happens next.) Pah, it's not like she's the boss of me or anything, but I am kind of worried about what she might do to me if I watch it without her because she is a Lost fangirl (she was delighted about this when I told her), and we all know how crazy and violent fangirls can get.

~

I was going to do this poll that made you choose who the coolest was out of Nathan Fillion and Neil Patrick Harris, but then I realised that it would be too impossible to choose between them so I scrapped that idea.

Just kidding. You have to choose.

Poll #1224221
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 53

Who is coolest?

~

That was really hard because they are both super cool.

On the weekend I saw "Waitress" and I really adored it, primarily because of Nathan Fillion's fabulous performance as the cheating, lovestruck Dr Pomatter.

( Review of Waitress )

Yesterday I went to see "Wanted" with blythely, circe_tigana and Hilary. It was so atrocious that Hilary and I couldn't stop giggling all the way through the second half (Hilary especially couldn't get over the "Loom of Fate"), but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Mostly because Angelina Jolie is a fox (haha, see what I did there?) and James McAvoy is in almost every frame, and I couldn't love him more if I tried. He is very attractive. And also, a super good actor who makes daft dialogue sound super cool. GUH. I love him so much. Blythe and Circe were mostly unimpressed I believe but agreed that the highlight of the film was James sans shirt. YES.

~

Dear PS I Love You,

Please die and then have Truly Madly Deeply send me letters to help me get over the fact that I wasted the longest two hours of my life being annoyed by you.

No Love,

Kate

PS. Even Ghost was better.

Flist: if you think Gerard Butler is cute (I do) then forget about watching this movie and go rent the similarly themed “Dear Frankie” where he plays a character you actually want to shag as opposed to a character you are glad is dead. :)

~

A poll where you have to choose your favourite ~*~or~*~ the one you hate the least.

Poll #1213628
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 97

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

I just bought tickets for Erykah Badu next Monday! *FLAPS* I saw her a few years ago and I love her so much that when she walked out onto the stage I burst into tears, then she proceeded to blow my mind. I should probably get tickets for Jill Scott too because she is playing on 18 July, only I wasn't that fussed about her latest album so I'm not sure about it. But she is very fabulous and apparently amazing live - I wish she was as good a lyricist as she thinks she is though. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

~

I was sick in bed all weekend which meant I could handily continue my rewatching of Alias marathon. It is a really good show. Plus I managed to get my flatmate Suz hooked, although she only joined me at the start of season 3 so there was a lot of explaining that had to be done, and of course when I randomly wailed things like "I MISS WILL AND FRANCIE" she didn't understand how serious I was. It's been such a long time since I watched it that I don't remember anything and it's very much like seeing it all for the first time. (And actually that might not be far from the truth because some of the S3 episodes we watched yesterday were so wholly unfamiliar to me that I suspect I maybe skipped a disc by mistake when I originally watched them. Stupid yes, but absolutely the sort of thing I do.)

Who does everyone ship on Alias? I love Sydney/Vaughn because they are so destined (and also, HOT), but I also love Jack/Irena and Sarkney. I might hunt for some Alias fic right now actually.

~

I had sexy dreams about Josh from the West Wing when I was delirious with illness on Friday. I was not aware that I fancied him!

(McAvoy does not look remotely groggy in this mood theme pic, correct? Ooh, "Wanted" opens in London this week! Any London people fancy coming with me maybe on Sunday?)

I watched the original Stepford Wives for the first time on the weekend and it really freaked me out. The message: men are scum-sucking, shallow, evil fuckheads! Oh, and women are awesome but no matter what, they will be oppressed. GOOD TIMES.

~

Anyway! Tell me about your TV plans for the next season. Are you giving anything up? Picking up something new?

My plans are as follows:

30 Rock: CAN'T WAIT FOR S3. WILL NEVER GIVE UP. (Although if Alec leaves the show I may stop loving it as hard as I currently do.)

Battlestar Galactica: I just don't really care about this show anymore. I still have two episodes to watch and the thought of doing so feels more like a chore than fun, which is not ideal. The other day I made my flatmate Kirsty watch the pilot and it was weird to see how fucking GOOD BSG was in its first year. Just so human and chilling and clever, and now it's pretty much nonsense with a side of mumbo-jumbo. I really miss the plan. Was there ever a plan? If so, what exactly was it?

Bones: Even though this is a Pretty Good but not Brilliant procedural, I'm too enamoured with all the characters to give up Bones any time soon, and I'm actually quite excited about who they will replace Zach with. They haven't failed me yet with their casting so I'm expecting it to be someone totally awesome.

Entourage: I'm finally caught up! Last season was a bit hit and miss for me (too much horribly annoying director dude for my liking) but I love Ari so much I want to take him home with me and lock him in my closet. Then there is Vince, who is almost too attractive to be real.

Friday Night Lights: I'm nervous, to say the least, but this is probably the show I'm most invested in after 30 Rock, so I've got my fingers crossed that they will match the quality of season one.

Gossip Girl: Pretty, dumb and funner than Disney Land. Let's hope it doesn't go down the same road of shite the OC did.

House: I'm kind of over it, but I love House, Cuddy and Wilson enough to keep watching.

The L Word: Last season!! :*( This is a show I'm going to miss a whole lot when it's over. I hope the gods of television replace it with another female-centric show because we'll need it.

Mad Men: GUH. Fucking amazing, amazing, mind-blowing, spectacularly different and freaky and important and just. YES. Am very much looking forward to the next season of this show, because S1 was one of the most remarkable things to happen to TV last year.

Smallville: Ah, the big question. Will I watch the last season? (It is the last season right?! If they do more after S8 I shall be very put out.) As I said to Boppy the other day, I will probably give it a go if certain of you tell me it's really good, but otherwise I can't see myself bothering. So. Verdict unknown!

Weeds: Absolutely will keep watching, although I don't really know where they're going to go with it now. I love it but I also have a funny feeling it's on its last legs.

~

I usually add new things to my viewing list each year but I won't know what until they've started. Probably won't pick Prison Break up again, even though Sara is back in the fold; I was tired of the formula by the end of season 2 and haven't the energy to start watching again. But if anyone else is and Sara and Michael actually get together (and by together I mean they DO IT) then please let me know so I can download at least that one episode.

I will, of course, be watching Dollhouse when it starts in January. God I hope it doesn't suck.

Comics

A question re "Titans": what's the story with Donna Troy? Didn't she die or something?

Re Batman: please tell me the artist from the last issue isn't doing the RIP arc. BRING BACK TONY DANIEL.

~

( Smallville, 7.18: Apocalypse )

~

I also loved "Iron Man", quite liked "BSG", liked "30 Rock" (not my favourite ep tho), am really loving "Mad Men" (4 more episodes to go; will review properly when I'm done), LOVED "State of Play" (smart and superb. Also, after watching an episode the other day I then went and had a dream about James McAvoy and we were in love with each other and it was so cool it made me horny for the entire morning afterwards), LOVED "Flight of the Conchords" (IS THERE GONNA BE MORE?! I really hope so.).

Finally, that Usher song "Love in the Club" is so embarrassing.

I loved Grindhouse sooooooooo much. I loved every disreputable, ridiculous second of it, most especially Death Proof, which is actually a very good film. The cinema was packed and we were all cheering and whooping and laughing and groaning throughout, and we applauded after both films. IT WAS SO AWESOME. That is how going to the movies should be.

( QT's female characters / vague spoilers for Death Proof )

1. I am going to see Grindhouse tonight with the boys. AWESOME.

2. I ate this fancy organic dark chocolate and chilli cookie before and my mouth went up in flames.

3. It's good to have BSG back, even though it is totally nutso. Did you all likey?

4. I read Infinite Crisis finally and was disappointed. It was kind of boring and messy and daft and not very moving at all when it should have been. I mean hi, if you're going to kill off a beloved character at least make it sad! I was left going, "was that it?" A Death In The Family wasn't all that good but at least when Jason died I cried my eyes out! I'm starting to think I'm not a fan of Geoff Johns unless someone can remind me of something decent of his that I've read. Oh, except that he seems to ship Bruce/Dick, which is nice. The sheer number of times he pointed out that Dick was Bruce's most beloved did please me immensely.

5. OTOH, All Star Superman #10 totally made me cry, because it is brilliant. OH CLARK. (Grant Morrison really *gets* the complexity that is Clark and I love him for it a lot.)

6. I watched "The Last Picture Show" last night. Holy crap Jeff Bridges was pretty when he was young.

swanswan! You were so very right!

STEP UP 2 THE STREETS IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER MADE.

I'm serious you guys. I haven't been so exhilarated by such a silly film since I saw Dirty Dancing when I was twelve! I was literally bopping in my seat by the end, and squealing!

It helps that it had, like, my life's soundtrack in it of course, and that I am a sucka for dance movies. But also, I was amazed at how much better it was than Step Up One! And omg the CHOREOGRAPHY. When it was over I turned to my friend and said with total sincerity:

"I loved every single second of that."


ETA. Ahem, and less importantly. AlMiles: Big Lousy Quitters. Y/Y?

Parents' groups have criticised a new internet craze in which young girls give virtual characters plastic surgery and feed them diet pills.

WHY WORLD, WHY????? DDDDD:

~

( Oz, S2 )

~

( Extras, S2 )

~

( The Last King of Scotland )

~

( Smallville, 7.14: Traveler )

I've seen so much tv/watched so many films/read so many comics/I have even read books (!) that I can't possibly tell you what I thought of everything, but here is a post with my thoughts on three things that I love. Plus a list of movies I have seen recently and a short unspoilery blurb about each:

( Movie madness!! )



Weeds

( Season 2, up to episode 6 )


The L Word

( Vague S5 spoilers  )


Bones

( Bones, seasons 1 and 2 )

I actually want to see all of the films nominated for best picture! This is unheard of.

See, at first I didn’t want to see "Atonement", but then everyone loved it so I imagine I will too. Also, I’ve loved James McAvoy since "Shameless". I’m not overly fussed about seeing "Michael Clayton", except that it’s the Cloonster and he’s always a pleasure to watch. I am cautiously up for "There Will Be Blood" because while I don’t always love PT Anderson I do consider him to be one of the most interesting directors in Hollywood right now. "Juno" sounds very much like My Kind Of Movie. And "No Country For Old Men"?

BEST FILM I’VE SEEN IN AGES. Certainly the Cohen brothers best flick since "Fargo". It is pure, unadulterated entertainment, start to finish: gripping, tense, thrilling, dark, funny as hell, (insanely violent), and just perfectly crafted. Probably not to everyone’s taste but this is film-making at its finest IMO. Also, despite not having seen any of the other nominated performances, I want Javier Bardem to win for Best Supporting Actor because he is really quite startling and I’ve never seen a performance like it.



( The Wire, 5.04: Transitions )




( Boston Legal, Season 2 )

~

I'm not going to talk about "The L Word" because it's freaking me out with its badness at the moment.

So I just punched his name into youtube and found this incredible gem of an interview, shot and edited artfully by Francesco Carrozzini (as part of the "Screentest" series) for the New York Times website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg9wvpVl89g

Not only is he beautiful, he is smart and articulate and funny and he can talk French to me any time he likes. HOLY CRAP, SEX ON A STICK.

Also, he is one of the most interesting and talented actors of his generation and if you're not a fan it's only because you haven't seen any of his films or this interview.

I went to see "The Lives Of Others" (winner of this year’s best foreign-language film Oscar) at the Prince Charles cinema last night. I implore you all to see this movie. It is one of the most remarkable and moving films I've ever seen. I don't want to give away the (truly brilliant and suspenseful) plot because I went in not knowing what it was about and it's better that way. All you need to know is that by the end I was bawling my eyes out like a big dork, and that's not normally something I like to do in public. I can't even read reviews of it right now because they keep making me cry.

If you have seen it and want to talk in the comments about how incredible it is I'd really appreciate it.

I have almost no expectations for season 7. It's not that I don't care (because I know I will once it starts again), it's that I know caring too much is fruitless; SV will never do exactly what I want it to do and it will never live up to its potential, but what it *will* do is deliver on the pretty and the sexy and the gay and the fun. And despite its flaws, it's still a show about two three of pop culture's most iconic characters. You can't say that about much else on telly.

Here is my deep and meaningful wish list:

( ALL OF THIS SHOULD HAPPEN. )

~

My flatmate's brother is over from Australia at the moment and staying with us and he happens to be a comic book nut (we have a shopping date for a week on Saturday and he's going to advise me on what to buy. ) and then last night he's telling me about these fan-made Batman movies that you can watch on Youtube.

Do you guys know about these?! Because we watched five or six and some of them are pretty fucking good!

My favourite was Grayson, which is done like a film trailer and it's so cool you will want it to be made into an actual real movie. In it, Dick is older and has given up crimefighting and has a wife and children, but then Batman is killed, so Dick gets back into training and being a detective so he can find the killer. (The guy playing Dick is almost hot enough too; his body is NICE.) It's such a *great* idea for a movie, and really, there should be more movies about how sexy and wonderful Dick Grayson is. And then in the end (of the real movie that they should make) it can all be a dream or something, because Batman is not allowed to die.

I had NO IDEA people DID this. Like, that's fanboying taken to a whole other (lame but) awesome level! There are some really *really* tragic fan movies out there, but some of them are amazing!

I can also recommend Batman Legends (it's got Nightwing and Tim in it!) and Batman Dead End, where Bats fights Alien and Predator!

GIP. I made myself a Bruce/Dick OTP icon. *laughs and laughs forever*

The original panel it comes from has to be seen to be believed and adored. Every time I think about it I laugh and feel pleased with the world. LOOK HOW HAPPY BRUCE IS:

( cut for size )

I've seen quite a few things recently, but I'll try to keep my comments on them brief:

1. Conspiracy

Most chilling drama ever. Highly recommended.

2. Batman Begins

( Y HALO THAR BB )

3. Gossip Girl

LOVED IT. Pure unadulterated entertainment. It's visually stunning, the cast is *exceptionally* hot, it's fun and daft and exciting and I am madly in love with Rufus already (he's the hot rockstar dad). Favourite pilot this year by far.

4. Last Tango In Paris

I've been meaning to see this for decades and it was on sale at HMV for £3 (which is cheaper than renting a movie) so I bought it. It is not very good.

I have worked solidly all day long. I'm done. Stick a fork in me. I WILL NOT WORK AGAIN TODAY. In fact, Sharan and I have decided to have a "meeting" at 4.30, over spritzers at the pub.

~

Last night I ended up watching the movie "Equilibrium" on TV by mistake. I've seen it a number of times now and I don't care what any of you say, it is definitely one of the greatest films of all time. I know it's kind of like 1984's retarded cousin, but as entertainment goes it is GREAT GREAT STUFF. And I'm not even a Christian Bale fan! ( more rambling about this masterpiece behind the cut. )

~

Jamie Theakston, one of Heart FM's breakfast DJs, is getting married tomorrow. I am not happy about this because I'm quite certain I would be more suited to him than this new bird.

~

Also, I caught a bit of Friends last night and it's the one where Rachel and Monica have to fight over the last condom in the bathroom. Am I crazy? Why would anyone keep condoms in the bathroom? Shouldn't they be in the bedside table? This has always bothered me about that episode, because surely, *surely* you would keep condoms *somewhere handy*. So, yknow, you don't have to leave the room in the middle of the sex! Right?

~

Tell me your favourite bad movie, and/or your most embarrassing celebrity crush.

Does anyone know why my keyboard no longer does what it's supposed to? The " is in the place the @ is supposed to be and vice versa. Along with a number of other things. It was not like this yesterday so I figure I must have hit something accidentally but I don't know how to get it back to normal. PLZ HELP.

( GOOD STUFF! )

Mainly illness, although I've decided that drinking wine tonight may help kill germs.

~

Today I went to the movies to see "Sherrybaby" except when I got to the cinema they told me it was only on at 2.30 on Thursdays and Fridays.



So I went shopping and bought cheap jewellery and a bag instead.

( Watched some stuff. Read some Batman!! )

If comment numbers are anything to go by, you, dear flist, prefer to bitch than to squee. DOUBLE the amount of comments on the “Movies I Hate” post than on the “Movies I Love” post, and don’t forget, LJ was down for 7 hours or so on the Hate day, otherwise I'm sure even more people would have commented.

This pleases me, btw, because I find bitching a lot easier and more fun than squeeing.

A narcissistic poll is required. Please satisfy my curiosity.

( Whatcha doin here? )

~

This article made me cry with laughter on the tube this morning. I love how mad the pagans are.

And then Tom linked me to THIS, which is what everyone is thinking anyway when they look at the original photograph.

~

I went to The Simpsons movie last night. I enjoyed it at the time, but I'm sad to say I agree with this review completely (there are spoilers in it, obviously).

This journal has been a source of almost constant bitching lately. What can I say, I love bitching, and it's easier to be funny when I'm insulting stuff. But, as you know, I'm not actually an angry person and I do love things as well.

I love film and television! What do I look for in the films/shows I watch? That's easy.

Heart.

The films and shows I love the most are the ones with so much heart, so much love and respect for their characters and for the art of filmmaking, that you can feel it and see it in every frame.

Heart can overcome a lot of other flaws, although when it's combined with sharp writing, auteur-like direction, wonderful cinematography, characters who feel real and who behave in ways that we can understand, then you've got a great--a *special--film on your hands.

Here is a list of ten films (in alphabetical order) that I love with all *my* heart and that I consider special:

( Ten Wonderful Movies, with pictures! )