Finishing the first season of Alias; Collateral; Astonishing X-Men

[selenak]

Battling Darth Real Life, I managed to finish the first season of Alias. Additional thoughts:

Snowman: Okay, I saw that coming miles away. It still was well done.

Mr. Sark: Great Maker - it's that strange creature, Fanon!Draco! Alas, that image might forever stop me from taking him seriously.

Sloane angst, execution of friend & battle for wife only to sacrifice her for ambition in the end: I suppose I'm predictable. Sloane is officially the character on the show I'm most interested in. Where is the fanfic?

Jack angst re Laura/Irina as evidenced by drowning sorrows, losing temper and watching footage, & Jack killing the CIA weasel: and Jack is the second character, etc.. Although I could accuse the show of taking the easy way out by making the weasel as unlikeable as possible in all the eps he's been in.

Dixon finding out Sydney is a double: ouch. But it was about time. Makes me fear for Dixon's survival even more than the fact nobody mentions him at random in their uncut Alias related lj entries.

And of course: Poor Will!

I also managed to get the new Astonishing X-Men and am continuing to love the Emma Frost snark, this time directed at Dr. Rao. ("You and I must be watching different televangelists" - go, Joss.) Scott's hallicunation have that Jossian surrealness and self-loathing (see also: Xander's and Willow's dreams in Restless). Otherwise, very much an action issue.

Speaking of action done in an intelligent way, I watched Collateral and agree with londonkds' review here . It's excellent, though I wonder whether Michael Mann has declared a personal feud against curtains. They don't seem to exist in his cinematic universe, which looks cool but creates a certain artificiality. Never mind, Los Angeles is a city with a not-quite-real atmosphere anyway. My sole quibble which I'm not sure I have a right to complain about is that Max' first shot at Vincent manages to wound and disable him (for the moment) but not to kill him. Given that Max in all likelihood never fired a gun before, I find this somewhat unlikely, but he arguably tried to shoot Vincent, full stop, and missed.

Given that with a somewhat different script and different acting, this could easily have been a film presenting the hit man as a flashy and more interesting character (actuallyl, this happens outside of action films as well - I'm thinking of Kevin Costner boring everyone as Robin Hood and Alan Rickman chewing the scenery left, right and center as the Sheriff, for example), I find it incredibly refreshing that it's Max, the decent, scared and compassionate hero of the film, who remains the emotional focus. Both because of Jamie Foxx rising to the task and because Tom Cruise does not chew the scenery and delivers a very disciplined performance instead - Vincent ultimately is nearly empty, and unable to function outside of his profession.

Lastly: I hear Kerry has kicked Bush's behind in last night's debate. Gossip or gospel?

Comments

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

If you're willing to define "kicked" as "three polls of audience reaction gave him a slight advantage over Bush", yeah, gospel. :) Which, given that the topic was national defense, where Kerry's been polling behind Bush, is pretty good.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's good news. Let's hope it's a trend!

[kathyh]

I suppose I'm predictable. Sloane is officially the character on the show I'm most interested in.

I couldn't possibly comment, but I think I might have guessed that *g*.

Other half wants to see Collateral and I didn't particularly, but if you enjoyed it I may change my mind.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Go, by all means. Very good acting, and intelligent storytelling.

[illmantrim.livejournal.com]

grins at you watching early Alias and just bounces at what awaits you!@

And Kerry kicked Bush's ass as far as making him whine and making him look like a petulant two year old with set lines who could say anything else but repeated the same thing over and over and over...

Unfortunately watching some of the interviews and polls afterwards, I am afraid that that might be what people want, a man who repeats the same message because he has nothing else to say, rather than a man with a full and complete plan who thus has to say different things in order to completely get it across...

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I am afraid that that might be what people want, a man who repeats the same message because he has nothing else to say,

That would unfortunately support a Canadian friend's snark that it is Bush's very stupidity that makes him appealing to voters. I don't get it. I truly don't get.

[artaxastra.livejournal.com]

Kerry did well. He was articulate, reasonable and firm. He looked like an adult, Bush like a teenager who is in trouble and expects everyone to cut him slack.

If it were that simple, the election would be over. Unfortunately, I think there are people who are firmly opposed to the rule of reason!

That sounds like a slur, but I really and truly mean that. Bush kept going back to staying the course, believing him, taking things on faith. It may seem absurd to say "Bush says Iraq is ok, so I believe him despite the evidence to the contrary" but he's using the carefully chosen words that the Right uses in a different context. (I think I need to do a debate entry and cover this at greater length!)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Please do, I love reading your analysis, and trust you more than the newspapers!

[janewt.livejournal.com]

Kerry did. Unfortunately, the only thing that matters is what Fox News says about it. For instance, the conservative local paper here (the trashy but widely-read Herald, not the fairly reputable Boston Globe) had as its font page:

"Bush stands firm versus Kerry attacks."

Wrong on many, many levels.

sigh

[0lesserknown0.livejournal.com]

"Bush stands firm versus Kerry attacks."

Wrong on many, many levels.

It's true. Kerry did very well, much better that I expected. And Bush, while he did get some good points in, had HORRIBLE body language while Kerry was talking.

I'm anxious to hear the next two debates..

Re: sigh

[janewt.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It just seems like whatever happens, the various media have their own set opinions about how they will report it. The paper I mentioned above will always have something pro-Bush. If Bush does well, Kerry's weak; if Kerry does well, it's because he's negative.

Re: sigh

[0lesserknown0.livejournal.com]

I know!

I mean, I'm a so-so Bush supporter.

*dodges rocks*

BUT, I want honest reporting. I know the man has flaws! I don't support him in everything. I want the press to represent that.

Now, I just feel like I'm watching a melodrama - Mr. Bush as Dudly Do-Right! Mr. Kerry as Snidley Whiplash! The American Public as The Fainting Heroine!

Sigh, indeed.

[bethos.livejournal.com]

Kerry did most excellently well, I thought. Bush seemed nervous and was often pursing his lips in disapproval in a way that apparently made him look like the grandmother of one of the people I was watching with. Whenever Bush had no answer to one of Kerry's points, he kept going back to Kerry's supposed flip-flopping; I think he said about five times during the course of the night, "What kind of message does it send to the troops to say that it's the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time? That's not what the commander-in-chief should do," but Kerry had an excellent moment when he pointed out that it's one thing to be certain and right and quite another to be certain and wrong, and that there's nothing wrong with being certain, and then discovering new information and altering your position or policy on something to accomodate the new information.

My dad thinks that Kerry should have been ballsier; I think he was fine. I just wish he'd've looked at the camera a bit more instead of addressing all his responses to the debate leader up until closing statements.

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

My sole quibble which I'm not sure I have a right to complain about is that Max' first shot at Vincent manages to wound and disable him (for the moment) but not to kill him. Given that Max in all likelihood never fired a gun before, I find this somewhat unlikely, but he arguably tried to shoot Vincent, full stop, and missed.

I didn't have much of a problem with that. If you remember, he shoots the lock out of the door to get into the building, and the first time he tries he doesn't know how to turn the safety catch off. So it isn't actually the first time he's fired the gun.