Meanwhile...

[selenak]

This is the weekend of writing and signing Christmas mail. I can't stand the sight of my own name anymore, let me tell you that. And there is yet more to come. So, in brevity, some recs:

Vid:

Civil War: neither the English nor the 19th century American one, but the comics event in the Marvelverse two years ago. By now, enough Marvel characters have appeared in films for footage to exist, and here a vidder has used it to create a gread vid about the big crossover event that, while severely flawed in execution, still is the one providing some terrific character stuff.

Film reviews which make me not only want to see the movies in question but sulk over the fact it will take a while (read: months, if not a year) till they make it to Germany for me to watch, while you Americans and Brits are already able to do watch them at your leisure:

Milk

Changeling

The later's script was written by JMS. (That would be the creator of Babylon 5, for non-B5 watchers, J. Michael Straczynski.) One tiny paragraph betrays the reviewer can't have watched the show:

The Rev Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich), an eloquent Presbyterian pastor with a regular radio programme, takes up her case, beginning with a fierce sermon indicting the LAPD under police chief James Davies for negligence, inefficiency and corruption, collaborating with criminals rather than serving the public. He seems initially to be an obsessive, hellfire preacher, another menacing role for Malkovich, we're led to think. He is soon revealed to be a courageous, implacable crusader.

Considering that JMS is not only an atheist scriptwriter who, like RTD and to a lesser degree Joss Whedon, is fascinated by religious subjects and keeps returning to them, but who also tends to present priests of various religions (both real ones and fictional ones) in a positive light, this is not especially surprising.

Comments

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

Milk looks too good. I read that review already and was excited to go see it this morning... but it's not out in Las Vegas yet. :( Limited release, opens wide next week proper. Moments like this are where I miss Chicago.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Movies open earlier in Chicago than Las Vegas? Also, I'll watch out for your own review next week then!

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

Limited Release (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limited_release) goes by major population centers first, where as Open goes everywhere. The wiki article says New York and Los Angeles, which is pretty common, but limited release usually also includes San Francisco and Chicago.

Basically, any city with a population of five + million and a relatively healthy newspaper industry.

[versaphile.livejournal.com]

For myself, I find as an atheist that I've been more interested in the positive aspects of religion lately, rather than the usual "religion is the source of evil" business. I'm increasingly convinced that religion is simply one of those things that humans naturally produce, and it's better to harness that force for good than try to suppress it in some vain attempt to make humans not do stupid/evil/greedy things all the time.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I was lucky and had teachers in religious education who encouraged debate - in fact that's where I learned to debate, long before it came up in other classes - thinking through ethical dilemmas, taking up different view points, etc. It was always challenging, thought-provoking and fun. So I had a positive childhood imprint instead of a negative one, as opposed to a lot of other people I know. Religion - of any persuasion - can of course be used in horrible and damaging ways (I'd then classify it as ideology); but when we're talking about presentations in fiction, I find stories where every priest/nun/preacher/iman is EVIL (tm) as unrewarding and simplistic as stories where they're all saintly.

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

I can't stand the sight of my own name anymore, let me tell you that. And there is yet more to come.

Investing in a pretty stamp with your name would probably be cheating, would it? ;)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

It would, and also, people notice. *g*

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

Oh, that vid is very cool. I only feel a little bit sorry for sweet hapless movie Reed being associated with dickish McCarthy-nostalgic Civil War Reed.

And is it wrong to wish they'd used the clip from 'Wonder Boys' where Downey & Tobey Maguire are in bed together?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

That clip is saved for the Extra Special DVD of Civil War - The Movie. *g*

(Also, I think you'll have to write Tony/Peter, sooner or later. Because nobody else has yet managed a believable version (I'm so not into slave kinks), and hey, it would make at least as much sense as the stupid retcon, plus is Marvel ever going to address all those issues between them given the retcon?)

Reed: what, and no sympathies for movie Hulk? *veg*

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

Well, Hulk is Hulk. Whatever the context, he's going to rampage at some point --

I wouldn't mind writing some Tony/Peter if I could get my brain to figure out how to deal with various retcons and such.

Hmm.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

How about a "Five things that never happened between Tony Stark and Peter Parker"? You could set those at various points in canon (or rather, at one point where a departure would have resulted in, etc.).

And true enough. You can't slander the Hulk -

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

Your plot bunnies are evil. 'Never happened' would be especially apropos with the Mephisto thing.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Exactly. And since when is it news that I and my plot bunnies are EVIL? *veg*