I had a gadget installed in my brain that subtitles people when they speak.

I do sympathize strongly with Olivia's wish for her life to a John Hughes movie. Mostly in that I wish this movie had been directed by John Hughes.

( Not to yearn for the good old days or anything. )

Under the Red Hood is such a good movie I almost don't feel guilty for consuming DC media that doesn't have any female characters. At least it's pre-DCnU?

( I'm still going to responsible comic reader Hell. )

Connie Willis has given me an irrational fondness for British Home Front volunteers in WWII, and The Night Watch is no exception.

( If only they were time travellers. )

In retrospect, a title as cheesy as I Can't Think Straight should have been my first warning.

( I'm too trusting. )

D.E.B.S.: the heartwarming story of a love separated by the law and several secret agencies. Now with lesbians!

( I kind of love that trope. )

Brothers of the Head is a "documentary" about fictional conjoined twins effectively sold into contract as a pop rock band in the 70s. It is exactly as demoralizing as it sounds.

( Still pretty good, though )

I'm doing a challenge this year where I watch (and theoretically review) one new movie every day. We'll see how it goes, but the first one is up now.

Full review posted @ Dreamwidth!

I've posted some poems I wrote for an assignment over at my shiny new writing LJ. Watch me update even less than I update here.

So I saw Agora today.

( This contains a whole lot of Sam being angry. Also, spoilers. )

In short, Agora is a great movie about the religious insanity that dominated the fall of the western half of the Roman Empire. However, it is a piss-poor narrative on the life of an incredible woman who deserves better.

In entirely other news: zeitheist , I'm so sorry I haven't replied to your email yet. Moving in to our house has just been insane, and I've also been fairly busy stomping around and being angry at people. My reply is forthcoming, I promise. ♥

1. I'm afraid I can't be bothered to discuss the religious themes in this movie here, especially because they're not half as problematic as its depiction of Hypatia, but feel free to bring it up.

Today, in a fit of rage about the state of the young adult section at the bookstore near our hotel, I bought War and Peace and Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories. (Yes, I buy books when I'm angry. Shut up.) I then went to a Caribou Coffee, because I also buy coffee when I'm angry. Not only did the cute barista ask me if I'd bought any good books and complement me on my taste, after I told him I'd bought them because I was angry about the young adult section, he looked at me very solemnly and said, "As we all should be." AMAZING. He then recommended me a book I'd like if I enjoyed Dune and War and Peace, but I have completely forgotten the name. Of course.

The actual point of this post, however, is to comment on the introduction of the Sherlock Holmes collection. Written by Loren Estleman in 1986, it's...interesting. He has an incredible mancrush on Watson, and he goes for the "Holmes and Watson were real, not invented by some dude named Doyle, wouldn't that be silly, hohoho" shtick, which is mildly annoying. However, this passage caught my eye:

When I first read it, I basically thought, "Whatever, old man who publishes Holmes fanfic¹." But then, with no apparent irony, he writes this:

This is on the facing page to previous paragraph. The passages are right next to each other. I SHIT THEE NOT. I've recorded my initial thoughts for posterity next to the second one, which are something along the lines of, "Hahahaha, wtf, do you even read what you're writing." So far, the stories themselves have been far superior to the introduction.

Also, you may or may not expect some chapter reviews of War and Peace in coming days. Partly for your edification, and partly because I dread Russian authors so fucking much that I need some kind of motivation to keep me reading.

1. No, seriously.