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May 18th, 2008
10:27 pm - i am that shrill harpy
Just saw Iron Man. On one level, it was hilarious and fun.
On another level, it was so goddamn tired. Summer movies are this universe where men, hot men, schlubby men, smart men, stupid men, walk around surrounded by beautiful women in ludicrous heels who tumble into bed at a moment's notice; I mean, here's Gwyneth Paltrow, for god's sake, an actress in her own right, walking around in 5" ankle-strap heels and a skin-tight pencil skirt taking Robert Downey Jr.'s dictation.
Women are an afterthought in this world. They're a momentary distraction, something pleasant for the eyes to wander across between explosions. There will never be a summer movie about women who are leaders, women who are technical visionaries, women who make hard decisions and fight other women for the fate of the world. There will never be a female Iron Man.
And I hate to be shrill. Because god knows, no one ever listened to some shrill feminist harpy going on about summer blockbusters.
But there's still so much to do.
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February 10th, 2008
12:08 am - an open note to SciFi Original Production Company
Dear Messrs,
In regard to your movie 'Bone Eater,' not to be confused with 'The Bone Snatcher,' which also played last night: never do a monster reveal before the opening credits. While I understand that your opus suffers from many flaws, I believe that correcting this matter would make it bearable for at least the first five minutes.
Most sincerely yrs,
Ursula
P.S. Stop casting Casper Van Dien in all your movies; you're only protecting him from the social Darwinism of the acting world. His failed acting genes must die out in order to allow mankind to evolve.
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January 22nd, 2008
10:46 am - Because I get all my news from Jezebel these days...
Think you've got colored wires growing from your skin? You're not wrong. Maybe.
This reminds me of dreams I used to have of grass growing out of my skin, some sort of airborne parasitic grass plague, or the one with the 'vampire' that looked like an alligator and when it bit you, you started growing teeth from the edges of your mouth around the back of your head... Weird. My dreams these days are mundane (ZOMBIES) and boring (ZOMBIES).
Edit: Goshdarnit, now I'm all itchy. Damn fungus/wires/worms/nanites/tobacco beetles/what-have-you.
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September 9th, 2007
02:41 pm - Afraid of zombies?
The GOP is your party.
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July 4th, 2007
11:30 am - Le Guin is frickin' awesome.
And it's not just because she has my name:
"As she heard the click of heel bones that had broken through rotting flesh, she knew what it was. But it was dead, dead! God damn that Chabon, dragging it out of the grave where she and the other serious writers had buried it to save serious literature from its polluting touch, the horror of its blank, pustular face, the lifeless, meaningless glare of its decaying eyes! What did the fool think he was doing? Had he paid no attention at all to the endless rituals of the serious writers and their serious critics -- the formal expulsion ceremonies, the repeated anathemata, the stakes driven over and over through the heart, the vitriolic sneers, the endless, solemn dances on the grave?"
From Ansible, via BoingBoing.
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June 13th, 2007
05:02 pm
HAH!
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June 8th, 2007
06:35 pm - Thighslapper of the day
Some dude takes a trip to the Creation Museum in Kentucky so you don't have to. Be sure to check out the whole set on Flickr.
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May 11th, 2007
06:00 pm
Velociraptors.
I do this with zombies. The place Nick and I live right now would be absolutely indefensible against zombies - damn picture windows. My old apartment on Broadway was better, but I don't know how long one can really hope to barricade a wooden door from the '40s against a hall full of the shambling undead.
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March 30th, 2007
06:00 pm - a geek is me
I think the costume designers on the Pirates movies must have the best time designing costumes. I especially love that they've had Kiera Knightley in men's clothes fors the better part of the movies- they suit her, frankly- to the extent that she's effectively more of a leading man than Orlando Bloom. Check out these: 1 2 3
Rowr. I know she's mostly scowly, and as a character she leaves a lot to be desired, but she's more fleshed out than a lot of main characters are.
I'm also super-excited that Tia Dalma (i.e. crazy voodoo lady) will feature more prominently.
Let's see here; the movies that I am excited for this year are:
1. Pirates 3
2. Harry Potter 5
3. Spiderman 3
Help. Somebody, please, help. =_=;;
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March 9th, 2007
06:02 am - Tonight, we dine in a Neo-Nazi eliminationist fantasy!
So, 300. My problems with this movie are simple:
A more perfect example of racist propaganda was never seen. The heroic, eponymous 300 are all strapping, sturdy Spartans, the results of a merciless system of eugenics. Their opponents are dark-skinned, often of ambiguous sexuality or having physical defects. The king of the opposing army, Xerxes, is bald, almost-naked, and has numerous facial piercings. (Miller's work has long presented body modification and non-standard appearances as a code for moral depravity, e.g. the punks in DKR.)
This, I think, is one place where I can break Godwin's law with impunity- yes, it is very much like Nazi propaganda. A small group of racially pure, militaristic men versus the sundry barbarian hordes, racially impure, physically deformed, sexually deviant- it's the kind of narrative one expects from an era of deep racism and prejudice. This movie would have been right at home in a different, darker era. So why is everyone rushing to see it now?
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ursako's journal
