This is the only stimulant I need

[impersona]

THE CHRONICLES OF THE SHIT I WATCH ON NETFLIX.   I will try to keep it to a paragraph each. 

FINISHED WATCHING:

Dr. Who (11th Doctor)

In Five Syllables:  Quirky, but lacks heart.

I was charmed by the speed and wit of it, and the fun plot twists and turns in the show, but something about it rings rather hollow to me.  Actually, the episode I liked the best, the two-part with the silent angels, is apparently the episode that everyone hates.  So off the bat I feel like I'm Doing It Wrong.  I've also heard so many bad noises about the end of the first season and the bulk of the second season so I don't really want to continue.  DUNNO maybe I just picked a wrong time to jump into it.

Eden of the East/Eden of the East The Movie I: The King of Eden

In Five Syllables: Naked but not safe

As a big fan of novelty and mystery, this show started out as being immensely interesting to me.  After all, it starts out with both of the lead characters in front of the White House, one about to get arrested and the other leaping out from the street naked and holding a gun.  The show starts out as the male lead's quest to find out why he gave himself amnesia, and why he has a phone that can carry out any demand he requests.  In a way, the show is a lot like Death Note, except with multiple magical-phone wielding people all fighting to create their version of a Perfect Japan.  About halfway through the series, the show just got really boring.  It was going for mystery but didn't do a good enough job of keeping up the pace, and got distracted by exploring various side-characters.  I thought maybe half of the show could have just been cut out and it would have been a lot better off.  The namesake of the show, a tech company named Eden of the East...honestly, by the end of the show, I wasn't sure why the hell time was wasted on them at all.  Could have been a much more compact show with much more punch.

Hikaru no Go

In Five Syllables: Madness, despair, Go

Okay, I really don't expect for anybody else around here to like this show.  It runs along the same vein as Yu-Gi-Oh!: a kid with blonde and purple two-toned hair is possessed by a ghost obsessed with gaming, and competes against other people in the game of Go in order to satisfy the spirit.  The really, really amazing part about this show is the treatment of the rivalry between Hikaru, the protagonist, and the rival Akira.  Oh my god, Akira.  You feel so bad for the kid because he has spent his life aspiring to be the greatest Go player, and having a snot-nosed brat like Hikaru defeat him multiple times really drives him to madness.  There is one particular scene I remember where Akira was shocked at something Hikaru did, and the camera panned into his face and literately played a Japanese version of the Kill Bill murder music. And Akira gives amazing raep face, man - plenty of scenes where he is facing Hikaru over a face of Go and the look on his face is such that he is either going to kill or rape Hikaru, maybe both.  The draw back is that it is 75 episodes about a board game, so you are going to get no action.  If you are happy with drama though (and a REALLY HOT Hikaru by the end of the series), then you can find things to enjoy.

Kitchen Nightmares (UK)

In Five Syllables: Cussing and stripping.

Fairly good, though the first season rather sucked.  I like this show because I have some interest in management, and it's interesting to see all of the different ways an enterprise (like a restaurant), could fall apart.  Also Gordon Ramsay STRIPS IN EVERY SINGLE EPISODE what more do I want.  What really blows though are the revisit episodes - just fast-forward to the last ten minutes, cause they are literately reshowings of the original episode with a little extra bit at the end.  I guess it is also kinda weird that I enjoy Robert Irvine's Restaurant Impossible more than I like this, cause while I hate how Irvine treats his design staff, I do appreciate that you do see him training the cooks, training the waiters, and training the management, while all Gordon really does is yell at people to do shit.

Le Chevalier D'Eon

In Five Syllables:  Rad fake history!

THE ADVENTURES OF A KNIGHT PHYSICALLY POSSESSED BY THE SOUL OF HIS SISTER.  I was actually surprised to realize that this anime was based off of a real-life French noble (I have no knowledge of French history), only twisted with alchemy and dark-magic to make it even more dynamic.  It needs about eight episodes before it gets to a decent build-up.  I admire the show particularly for the strength of its female cast, and really the balls to deal with a male possessed by a female without going down any of the obvious, obnoxious roads with it.  It's always treated with an amazing sort of respect in the story.  I don't think I can recommend this to most anime fans - if you are interested in a re-telling of the prelude to the French Revolution, then it is yours.  But it won't give you a lot of slapstick or action.

Rainbow Brite and the Star-Stealer

In Five Syllables:  Rainbow is your GOD.

WOW.  AN ANIMATED 80's FILM THAT STANDS UP TO THE TEST OF TIME.  Well, parts of the plot are utterly redonk, but the animation quality is actually very good, and it was kind of a solid story.  Unlike many movies marketed for children in the 80's, there was a logic to the progression of events, and actually a synergy between the two lead characters.  Also Rainbow Brite is kinda a cold-hearted bitch, but still an amazingly better role model than most other girl-heroes from that era (other than Penny, who is the most boss of them all). 

The Secret of Kells

In Five Syllables:  Monks, art, and vikings!

Spellbindingly beautiful.  I need to rewatch again for the plot, but if you are going to watch something based on outstanding outstanding animation alone, this is like a kaledioscope of visual delights.  Could have definitely used more Ashleigh, but whatever works. 

Mystery Masterpieces: Sherlock

In Five Syllables: Pimp Watson Capers

So I enjoyed this modern retelling of Sherlock Holmes, and really can't wait for the second season. I appreciate that they adapt the original stories only very loosely - a risk they didn't have to make, but strengthened the stories greatly.  I thought the Watson was amazing in particular, the Sherlock a little less so.  I know that the point of Sherlock Holmes is that the character is a bastard who can't relate, but I felt like this version was too weak when it came to creating a character the audience could relate to.  The third episode seemed to set up development for Sherlock in the second season, so I can deal with it.  I think that the actor, Cumberbatch, is over-acting a little, but maybe that will mellow out.   Also, I really was not a fan of the constant pandering to the slash fangirling.  It was funny maybe once or twice, but we got it three or four times in the first episode, which made me wonder if their "we're not gay!" schtick was a plot-point for me to be on my guard about.  Once an episode, please?  I particularly enjoyed how one particular scene in the third episode...well, I can't spoil. But it becomes less special when it is being flaunted at you constantly.  Even if the actors are handsome bastards.


IN PROGRESS: 

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett version)

In Five Syllables:  Charming Sherlock romps

I'm watching this right now, in fact!  Kind of excellent.  Brett's Sherlock is hilarious, and wow their Adler is really stunning.  I thought it would be a bit slow-moving, but the characters are well-done enough to leave me fascinated.  Again, I know that a Sherlock With A Heart isn't exactly in-character, but I am endeared strongly to Brett's take on it.

Princess Tutu

In Five Syllables: Enchanting and deep

HI THE MOST FABULOUS ANIME THERE EVER WAS.  And one of the rare anime that is better in the dubbed form than the subbed!   After all, it is the story of a duck who turns into a girl who turns into a BALLERINA SUPERHERO.  I can't believe there was once a point in my life where I was dubious about this show.  It is an example of an anime that masterfully handles its storyline and really raises it up out of the trappings not only of anime shoujo, but out of the very constructs of fairy tales themselves.  Also, Fakir is my homeboy and I think everybody knows it.

Ramsay's Best Restaurant

In Five Syllables: Still hot, still cussing

I have a lady-boner for Gordon Ramsay, though this series makes me wonder if he's gotten plastic surgery.  He used to have some really interesting lines around his chin that seem to have smoothed out.  ANYWAYS the show is fine, and does not have nearly as much negativity as Kitchen Nightmares had (again, me being the idiot for expecting positivity out of Ramsay shows).  I was particularly charmed by the Indian episode. 

SPIDERMAN (1994)

In Five Syllables: Should I find this hot?

This is such an amazing show.  I was expected to enjoy it only for the nostalgic value, yet I was absolutely SHOCKED by how amazing the dialogue and the character development is. Boy, I don't even know where to start with the characters.  JJ Jameson is fantastic, Mary Jane is utterly absolutely true (I consider this to be the penultimate version of her) , and I love me some Felicia Harding as well.  And uh, the first episode with Kraven the Hunter was kinda really hot (even Spidey comments "IT'S LIKE A NORA ROBERT NOVEL IN HERE").   The two big drawbacks include the animation quality (horrible) and then the hero himself - while he is in the Spider-Man outfit he is amazingly perfect, but as Peter Parker?  He looks like a puffed up Ken doll, and his voice and personality really aren't reflected in his appearance.  That's kind of a weird crit, but it is distracting and annoying to remind myself that this beefy guy is Peter.  

The Universe

In Five Syllables:  Better than sleep pills

The show I watch when I need to fall asleep T_T which sucks cause I'm honestly fascinated by the series - I am mesmerized by astronomy even if I am rather casual about it.  The only episode I've remained completely awake for has been Time Travel - the second closest was 10 Ways To Destroy the Earth, though I konked out as it hit #1.  For four days now I've been trying to watch the Mars episode, and can barely get fifteen minutes in :<   But it is a lovely series.   Oh, though the only episode I really hated was the one that was 'Sex in Space', which was really obvious pandering for ratings.  


So I'm trying to get some more live-action series in my queue, but while a few titles interest me, I'm just so turned off by prime-time drama and the like that I don't feel confident in starting up anything.  Brothers and Sisters and Flashforward have been sitting in my queue for a little while, but I'm not sure if I'm sold.  What do you guys recommend?

Not sure what I can do in terms of creative stuff today, so I'm going to start out with some RP house-cleaning.  Helping Ru and K look over their articles for Interstellar Senshi Hustle (SAILOR MOON SPACE ADVENTURE!), and I will do some light Portal work for Kingdom.  I have an app for ISH, for my Space Cowboy, that I could probably knock out in a half hour.  And I really, really must clean my room.  It's a sty.

Unrelated, can anyone think of any SQL tutorials online that they particularly like? I'm trying to develop some better computer skills, and it looks kind of fun anyways.  
 

Comments

[impersona]

OKAY XD I must be around some of those fans on the other side then, cause when I mention liking a Sherlock with a Heart I get people who are like "THAT ISN'T HOW HE SHOULD BE, THIS ISN'T A REAL HOLMES WORK."

I'm so happy you agree with me on the gay jokes XD I'd like to know what you thought of the treatment of the third episode in particular, actually. AND WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF CAPTAIN AMERICA.

[prodigy]

I figure different things resonate about the Sherlock Holmes archetype to different people; he has been around long enough and in enough different incarnations (from Conan Doyle's original vision down to Hugh Laurie's Dr. House and further) that I think he qualifies as a cultural archetype more like Batman than a character with a singular, solid canon personality with exact details. It's amazing how much of a phenomenon Sherlock Holmes is and how much he means as a character to a lot of people -- I can only really speak to my own interpretation, which I'm as attached to as anyone would be, but I definitely wouldn't claim it was the only one. What I meant to say was more that I think that if "canon"-snobs are particular about their Holmes being heartless, I don't think that was Conan Doyle's intent (if they are very fixed on Conan Doyle's intent), given he was a Victorian/Edwardian pulp writer in the age when heroes were much more popular than antiheroes; I think it's pretty clear he intended his first Holmes to be just and heroic. It took a lot of evolution to get to House MD. Anyway. Pop culture criticism hat off now.

The third episode was fantastic dramatically -- I loved Moriarty's acting and how creepy his getting people to read things was, and I think it was definitely the best one for Sherlock's characterization -- but man, I am more than slightly tired of femme/flamboyant/queer-sexually-menacing villains as a Hollywood standby to make a man seem evil. Disney does it. TV does it. Everything frigging does it. It's like "how do we give cheap cultural cues for viewers to dislike and distrust a male character? Make him GAY." Even the Master from the Ten run of Doctor Who plays on this a little -- and I love him, mind you, but I don't think the average straight male fanboy is supposed to. So yeah, I think I liked The Great Game but I was tired of its implications. Plus Steven Moffat is a giant misogynist (and proudly so, in interviews) so I wouldn't be surprised if he were also homophobic.

As for Captain America... uh, putting aside the whole notion of Captain America and my opinion that the idea of a virtuous PG-13-rated superhero named "Captain America" should have been retired thirty years ago in disgrace, and the questionable taste of bowdlerizing WWII for a superhero movie, the whole thing could have been written directly from TVTropes. Rel commented that there was probably not a single line that came out of Hugo Weaving's mouth that had not been said in a different movie at some point. I agree with her.

[industrialfairytale]

I feel I have to point out that Sherlock is cowritten by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. Mark Gatiss is both Moffat's friend and gay- married to Ian Hallard. So while the gay references in Sherlock may come off as pandering or insensitive, they were cowritten by a gay man, and I doubt they were meant that way. I think that while it might have been taken a little too far, its something that did have to be address, given the modern assumption when two men past 30 are sharing a flat. Especially when a character like Sherlock Holmes is so completely disinterested in women.

[prodigy]

A fair point; though I'm aware of Gatiss's involvement, I definitely have assumed Moffat has had the dominant creative control of the Sherlock project, due in no small part to his recent cult following and acquiring of both Sherlock and Doctor Who. However, I have no way of knowing that Gatiss didn't have just as much say as Moffat in the writing, so I will quit attributing it entirely to Steven Moffat.

However, as a gay writer, I can't say I believe that gay writers cannot promote (accidentally or intentionally) some degree of heteronormative sentiment in their writing -- sometimes it's career-necessary. Hell, I don't think Glee is especially progressive for the LGBT community, but I'm sure Ryan Murphy thinks he's doing exactly as much as he can with it. I agree that Sherlock and John's living arrangement and relationship would in-character come off as questionable in today's society, but I do think there was a degree of cynical "don't call our characters gay, we're already commenting on how gay they are, lol" warding-off-homosexuality-accusations in the way they've been written. Bromance-is-questionably-gay is a common dudebro joke to ward off the accusation anyway: see Scrubs.

In any case, it's pretty complicated, and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of careful mixture of audience-pandering and attempts-at-progress went into the writing of Sherlock. I'm dubious that Moffat's having Gatiss as a friend lets him off the hook for homophobia, though, any more than any male writer who's had a close female working friend is necessarily not sexist.

[mindsplinters]

I figure different things resonate about the Sherlock Holmes archetype to different people; he has been around long enough and in enough different incarnations (from Conan Doyle's original vision down to Hugh Laurie's Dr. House and further) that I think he qualifies as a cultural archetype more like Batman than a character with a singular, solid canon personality with exact details. It's amazing how much of a phenomenon Sherlock Holmes is and how much he means as a character to a lot of people.

All too true and head-on here. The various beliefs and myths surrounding Sherlock Holmes goes well beyond any one author's canon and concept. This point hit home to me when I wandered into the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London by chance. It was hidden away and charming as hell and, on the next-to-topmost floor (the top floor was the gift shop which I found to be a wonderfully no-pressure sales ploy), there was a "museum" of case artifacts and paperwork and family trees and various bits and bobs. One of the things on a large pedestal was a massive album filled with letters to Mr. Holmes. They ranged from the clearly tongue-in-cheek (I'm pretty damn certain that the Prince of Wales knows SH is a fictional character) to the amusing to the heart-breaking. The line between the character and the belief is a crazy thing. A little girl had written in big Crayon letters that she needed Mr. Holmes to help her find her lost dog. The PoW cordially invites Mr. Holmes to tea... Then there was the long, careful letter from a pre-teen/young teen who was frustrated with local law enforcement and wanted help from Mr. Holmes. A neighbor was being accused of a crime and the rest of the neighborhood were in support of him, turning up evidence that the police refused to look at. Barring the validity of such things or any unbiased reporting... That is a damn powerful character that resonates way beyond the page, however you slice it.

[prodigy]

Wow, that is an incredibly powerful set of anecdotes, and I wish when I'd visited the SH Museum I'd been slightly older to appreciate it. (I already liked Holmes, as the original stories were some of the things my dad gave me to read as a kid, but I was ten and more interested in seeing palaces and Oxford University and doing my "mind the gap" Tube voice impression.) Sherlock Holmes is a kind of a superhero, and believing that pure reason and justice-minded tenacity can rein in chaos in the world is as idealistically important to many people as believing that personal pain could drive someone to become a caped crusader, I think.

It's also interesting how many multifarious ways people get into Sherlock Holmes, and how it influences how they perceive the character and what they get out of the character: people who start on one adaptation or story or narrative or another hear a different voice each, I think.