Jennifer Crusie's Blog, page 282

Who Sunday: A Christmas Carol, Steven Moffat

The Doctor warms your heart for the holiday. He also songs Marilyn Monroe, but that’s offscreen. Plus Michael Gambon as the Doctor’s Scrooge. This should be watched by the light of a Christmas tree, eggnog optional.

Cherry Saturday: 12 21 2013

Today is Look on the Bright Side Day. Cue Monty Python.

Next Who Sunday: A Christmas Carol, Steven Moffat

Completely out of chronology and completely right for this week: Doctor Who saves a bitter old man with blasts from his past, a cold look at his present, and the promise of a warmer future. Also, the FISH.

Who Sunday: The Day of the Doctor, Steven Moffat

I cannot imagine the pressure Steven Moffat was under with this one. Fifty years of tradition and a world of rabid fans just waiting to be disappointed (largest international telecast of a drama ever). And he did it. For all my bitching about Moffat’s tenure as show runner, he pulled together fifty years of Doctors, giving us amazing moments over and over again. I laughed, I cried, I cheered, it was wonderful. (I can’t remember ever before thinking, “Oh, YES!” at seeing an actor’s eyes for just a few moments: “No, THIRTEEN!” My heart did a fan squee.) He even managed to explain why the three latest Doctors have been so young. And Bad Wolf Rose was fabulous, and John Hurt as the Warrior Doctor and Smith and Tennant sparring (“You kissed a Zygon. I don’t judge.”) I could quibble, but that would be dumb; it’s a great show and it does what every great story does, it turns things around and make them new again. Outstanding job, Mr. Moffat.

And after you’ve watched the masterpiece, check out “The Fiveish Doctors,” the story of how the Doctor actors who were left out of the anniversary special managed to be in it anyway. So much fun.

Cherry Saturday: 12 14 2013

Today is National Bouillbaisse Day. That seems fishy to me.

You Can’t Please Everybody . . .

I stole this idea from Stars in Margins, a commenter on io9′s Observation Deck. She’s a librarian, and they use this game as an icebreaker for teen programs, which means it should be right up Argh’s alley. It’s called “Guess the Classic Based On Its One-Star Amazon Review.” I love this game because it pretty much proves that nobody ever made a movie or wrote a book that everybody liked. Also, some reviewers are nuts.

I’ll get you started with one of my faves, reproduced exactly as the writer posted it on Amazon:

“I bought this for my three year old and was shocked to see how violent and filthy it was. The “F” word was used many times and there were many scenes with shooting and death and violence. Terible. By the way, I’m posting my name the way it is so nobody will know my E-mAil address.” (Movie.)

The title?

Die Hard.

Now you play. Here are five classic movies and books (classic in the sense that they’ve been around for awhile and are generally considered terrific examples of their genres). I’ll come back in tomorrow and post the titles if you all haven’t gotten them by then.

1. “This was a silly attempt at a Fairy Tale spoof, which at the same time told seriously a mushy story about sentimentalized “True Love.” (At least, I guess that was the movie maker’s intention.) The love story worked pretty well, but the spoof didn’t. The dialogue reminded me of spoofy intellectual dialogue such as in “Pirates of Penzance” by Gilbert and Sullivan, but it wasn’t nearly as clever. (I think that some viewers didn’t realize that the intention of this movie was to spoof vengeance and violence, thieving and piratry. I realized that humor was intended, but the effect that came across was just–for me–a feeling of repulsion with the worst violence, as in the torture scenes, and I found the vengeful intentions of the likable Spaniard were just irritating. True, unforgiving thoughts obsess a person and play over and over in the mind, but the repetition here came across as pointless.”

2. “I wanted to like this film. Really, I did. But there’s not a scary frame in the film. The suspense falls flat, the dialogue is ugh, the characters to me were nothing more than fish food, and it’s vastly overrated. I wanted SO much to have a GREAT time watching this film, but I just couldn’t. I apologize, but I can’t lie. I hated this movie.”

3. “This is one of those books I pushed myself to get halfway through, thinking it would get interesting, only to force myself to finish it since I already read half of it. While there may be no accounting for taste or I’m just missing something, I’m not sure how anyone can enjoy reading this. It ultimately boils down to some sisters trying to marry (up, for the most part) in the world. I guess, if I try real hard, I can see some people imagining themselves in the scenes and enjoying the idea of living in the same town, wearing the same clothes, going to the same events, etc., but nothing really ever happens. It just goes on and on and on, only to lead this sister ending up with that guy, this sister ending up with that guy, etc.”

4. “How psychologically disturbed is he, let me count the ways. Inferiority complex, obsessive attachment to uninterested female ([she] turned him down whatever her “real feelings” might have been) that borders upon incest (they’re not blood kin but they are raised together); inability to “forget the one that got away” and MOVE ON; child abuse/neglect with clearly murderous intentions; wife/spousal abuse; kidnapping and coerced marriage and even theft of personal assets… Give me a break this is no alpha male, this is a psychopathic CRIMINAL!” (Book)

5. “Let’s move on to the actual story. This is where the “unoriginal” trait comes in. Can we say “Cinderella”? [The story] is too contrived. We’ve all seen the main storyline before: kind orphan boy/girl who just so happens to be whisked away to someplace “magical” for them; is great at everything and wins the admiration of practically everybody, with the exception of a few jealous enemies here and there. This storyline has been DONE TO DEATH, and [this book] doesn’t make it any better.”

Next Who Sunday: The Day of the Doctor, Steven Moffat

Lots of build-up, lots of hype, and finally it arrived: Amazing. I forgive Steven Moffat everything because he pulled this off so brilliantly.

Who Sunday: The Name of the Doctor, Steven Moffat

I dunno, you explain it.

Cherry Saturday: 12 7 2013

Today is Letter Writing Day. E-mails don’t count. Okay, fine, they count.

Andrew Stanton’s How To Tell A Great Story in a Poster

I love this: Karin Hueck and Rafael Quick have turned Andrew Stanton’s great TED talk into a graphic:

The original talk is here.