Daily Entertainment

[ceitfianna]

Let's keep it simple today. What's everyone reading today?

What movies are you looking forward to either seeing in the theater or watching on DVD?

With my newest paycheck, I plan on seeing The Three Musketeers and buying a copy of X-Men: First Class.

For a possible pup question, what kinds of books or movies do your pups like to curl up with a cold night?

Comments

[nocarename]

I'm kind of terrible about going to see movies, or even watching them on my computer. The next movie I'll watch is probably Sakura Wars, which I bought at Dragon*Con. (It took me something like three or four weeks just to get around to taking the plastic wrap off.)

[ceitfianna]

I've got a Netflix DVD that's been sitting on my shelf for going on I think three or four months now and some new DVDs I haven't opened. I know how that goes. Sometimes you just have to be in the mood for watching something.

[fightingthecage.livejournal.com]

Gene loves Westerns. Like, obsessively so. The phrase 'glorious genre of the American West' might have been used in canon, and he refers to himself, always, as the Sheriff. So, yeah. Westerns or nothing, pretty much, though I imagine he can be persuaded to watch cop movies too.

As for reading - ahahaha. He did used to read a bit, when he was a kid. He rarely does now, and would never own to it even if he did.

As for me, I dream of the days where I can go to the cinema all the time like I used to. I'm looking forward to the last Harry Potter film coming out on Blu-Ray; I'll snap that up (particularly as all HP DVDs are being removed from circulation on Dec 29th, apparantly), and then watch the final two back-to-back. I've had the other one since it came out, and haven't managed to watch it yet.

Also, I have pterry's new book (EEE VIMES), but haven't found time to start it yet. V. much looking forward to that.

[saphyria.livejournal.com]

I'm in the middle of my once-a-decade reread of Lord of the Rings. I've just finished the battle of Helm's Deep. ^_^ Surprisingly, I'm enjoying the Two Towers a lot more than I have in the past - I think the movies helped with that. My last reread of the books was in early 2001, in preparation for the movies coming out.

I went to see The Three Musketeers with friends from work, last week. I kind of want my money back. It was... well, the fight scenes were enjoyable. The rest was a mess of preachy dialog, unlikeable characters (apart from Orlando Bloom, who is enjoying his first role as a villain a bit too much), sexist generalizations and blatant fanservice. Oh, and the repeated defiance of physics really irked me. Because dude. That ship's cannon is solid iron and weighs 1,200 pounds at the very least. There is no way that one guy can lift it up and over the ship's railing to throw it overboard.

[ceitfianna]

I love Gene and his love of Westerns and how he fangirls all of the cowboys in Bar, it's an adorable side of him.

I hope they don't do that with the HP DVDs, it sounds like something that could backfire on them. At the moment I've got almost all of the movies on DVD, I don't have the first DH or OoP or HBP.

Ooh, I'm jealous. I'm planning on buying Snuff soon and just finished a reread of Making Money, I love how clever and foolish Moist is.

[ceitfianna]

You're the first person I've come across on my flist who didn't like The Three Musketeers and yeah, cannons are heavy things. There are smaller cannons that ships routinely carried but most of the major ones, once they were on the ship were there for good.

Two Towers has some of my favorite moments in it because I love the Ents and Merry and Pippin. I haven't read those books since before the movies came out, maybe I'll add them to my reread pile.

[fightingthecage.livejournal.com]

Gene: *DEATHGLARE* I do not 'fangirl'. Whatever that is. Definitely doesn't sound manly.

Me: *snorfles like mad*

Re DVD's: speculation says they're gearing up to either re-release the whole lot, or make it so you can only buy the box-set of all of them. Which is weird, because the current box-set is also getting taken out of play. I mean, there's no way they won't all be re-released at some point, and I guess they expect people who want to complete their collections to either get them now, or buy the new ones.

[ceitfianna]

Huh, I hope it's just speculation because that sounds overly complicated.

[saphyria.livejournal.com]

None of my friends liked it, either (and apparently, the people on Rotten Tomatoes agree. When I last looked, it had a score of 22). It had the makings of a good story? But it had been cut down so much that most of the dialog came across as grand summations of life lessons or preachy morals to learn, rather than what any real person would say. And D'Artanian is a smirky jerk most of the movie.

The Two Towers has been much more enjoyable this time around. The Ents are fantastic. (Have I mentioned we need a Treebeard in Milliways?) *happiness* I've also been pleasantly surprised at just how much of the movie dialog was taken directly from the books. All the names of the minor characters are there, as well.

[fightingthecage.livejournal.com]

All explained here. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2011/oct/26/harry-potter-vanishing-dvds)

[ceitfianna]

I knew that most of the reviewers had panned it that's why I waiting to see what people I knew thought of it. From what I remember of my reading since the book of Musketeers is one of my favorites, D'Artagnan does spend a lot of it being young and arrogant and stupid then he grows up.

Oh yes, the movies really knew the source material in an incredibly, detailed and loving way. A Treebeard would be strange and amazing. When I was first considering joining Milliways, I considered Merry or Pippin.

[ceitfianna]

Oh, yes, that's more helpful and I find what Disney does incredibly annoying but it's probably quite smart if done right.

[fightingthecage.livejournal.com]

I never realised Disney did it until I read that, but I see why they do. Annoying that The Lion King is unavailable though. I was looking for it for my little girl a few weeks ago, and couldn't understand why it wasn't about. But I'm sure that'll be back soon, given it was out in the cinema again recently.

[saphyria.livejournal.com]

If they're going to make movies of Alexandre Dumas' works, I would much prefer an accurate-to-the-book Count of Monte Cristo. That book is amazing, and hilarious in its audacity ("I will buy the lady's favorite horses from her husband because he is hurting for money, to set them at odds with each other! And then to gain the lady's favor, I will give her horses back to her, letting her husband keep the money so he is on my side as well! And THEN I will engineer it so that I save the lady from death when the horses strangely go wild while pulling her carriage- an event also of my devising - so that the family will be endebted to me forever and will trust me with all of their money and the wellbeing of their secret-lesbian daughter who plans to dress as a man so she and her lover can escape Paris!" Paraphrased and simplified, of course. And only one of about fifteen plans the Count makes and enacts. It would make a fantastic movie if they'd stay true to the book.

[shinyhappygoth]

I'm rereading The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis. The first time I read it, years ago, I enjoyed it; now, having had rather more exposure to detective fiction (of one sort or other) by way of Black Jack Justice and The Dresden Files, I am appreciating it so much more.

[ceitfianna]

Disney is all about controlling the supply of their stuff. It becomes really clear if you've ever been inside a Disney store, because whatever they're selling is always tied to their toy lines or movies that are coming out. Even their outlet stores are like that as there's one of those near my parents.

Maybe try looking online to see if you could find a copy used or from a third party seller like Amazon.

[ceitfianna]

I adore the Falco books and always read the newest one as soon as I can get my hands on it. Historical detective fiction is so hard to get right but she really does it.

If you enjoy it then I highly recommend reading the rest of the series as they keep getting better.

[shinyhappygoth]

Here's Howard Tayler's review of The Three Musketeers. You may not (okay, won't) agree with what he has to say, I just like how he says it.

[ceitfianna]

*nodsnods* Dumas is the best at plots that are complex and compelling. I really want to reread and read some of his stuff, it's been too long and he's one of my favorites.

[shinyhappygoth]

Yeah, I read a few of them before, but there are masses more than I ever got to. I plan to, this time around.

[ceitfianna]

Oh yes, it's a long series but an incredibly solid one. I first got into it when I had the time and a good library so that I was able to keep finding them. Though I did read things a little out of order.

Mysteries are one of my comfort genres and I enjoy historical mysteries but they tend to go bad quick. That's why I love the Falco books, they're so dependable. Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma series is also worth a read but that's one I haven't kept up with as they get repetitive. Also the Brother Cadfael books if you haven't read them before set the high mark for historical mysteries. There are some wonderful historical anthologies too which are great ways to taste test authors and decide who you want to try more of.

[saphyria.livejournal.com]

He's right about the audacity of the movie. Though saying that people should put aside the 1990s Disney version to enjoy this one isn't exactly right, is it, when this movie borrows so heavily from it?

I knew what they were trying to do with this movie, but so much of the movie was borrowed, or weak. The sketch-like renderings of characters to introduce their names, a la the credits of Sherlock Holmes? The music also borrowed heavily from Sherlock Holmes, it felt like, mixed with the swashbuckling tunes of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. And have I mentioned the fact that Orlando Bloom's Buckingham was a total pirate? >_> My friend Elizabeth said "ARRRRRR" every time he sashayed onto the screen.

[camwyn]

As far as what I'm reading, The Hive And The Honey-Bee, by Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth; Predator: The Remote-Control Air War over Iraq and Afghanistan: A Pilot's Story, by Matt J. Martin; and The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen. The last one is notable as being one of the first appearances of a humanoid eldritch abomination in literature and a massive, massive influence on HP Lovecraft's work.

[ceitfianna]

What's the first one about? I think I've heard about the last one somewhere on one of the blogs that deals with older sci-fi and fantasy.

[shinyhappygoth]

...now I wish I had done that when I saw it. It would have made it so much better.

(Though I will note that I very much enjoyed it, but then, I went entirely for the splodiness and ridiculosity, and so I was not disappointed.)

Heh... If someday they want to make an even more ridiculous version, they should cast it entirely with Orlando Bloom.