Hallowe'en
Oct. 31st, 2014 10:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
handful_ofdustSecond or third year in a row that I haven't really "done" anything for Hallowe'en besides the obvious: tonight we'll be taking Cal up to Mississauga, so he can sort of trick or treat up and down his Gran and Grandad's neighbourhood. I am operating on not a lot of sleep right now, since my insomnia has gradually made my "normal" time getting to sleep creep up from 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM, and last night our dryer cacked out, which means that I have to spent at least a portion of today calling to arrange somebody to come and fix it. Naturally, our apartment is now covered in partially dried clothes, especially towels, the slowest-drying fabric of all.
In other news, my Litreactor course started yesterday, with nine students enrolled. 've already written/posted my first lecture and assignment, so now I'm waiting to hear back from people who've done their homework and/or want a consultation. And I'm 2,000 words into the next-to-last chapter of "Death To Everyone," the one which contains Philip Blake sort of being a big damn hero, or as close as he's likely to come. Got some portions of the epilogue written already, too, and I kind of wish I could fast-forward myself there, but that's nothing new. What a long, strange trip it's been.
My David Morrissey obsession continues apace. I actually watched the "Making Of" for Basic Instinct 2, which is kind of painful, because everybody comes off as pleasant, committed and having a lot of fun.;) I also tripped across Roger Ebert's review of same, which turns out to be one of his classic Populism, Schmopulism/I'd Rather Things Be Objectively Bad Yet Entertaining Than Objectively Good Yet Boring varieties. My favourite sections:
"Basic Instinct 2" resembles its heroine: It gets off by living dangerously. Here is a movie so outrageous and preposterous it is either (a) suicidal or (b) throbbing with a horrible fascination. I lean toward (b). It's a lot of things, but boring is not one of them. I cannot recommend the movie, but ... why the hell can't I? Just because it's godawful? What kind of reason is that for staying away from a movie? Godawful and boring, that would be a reason.
I have here an e-mail from Adam Burke, a reader who says, "I'm tired of reading your reviews where you give a movie three stars but make sure we know it isn't a great movie. You always seem to want to cover your ass, making sure we know you're smarter than the movie." He has a point. Of course I am smarter than most movies, but so are you. That doesn't always prevent us from enjoying them. What Burke doesn't mention is my other maddening tendency, which is to give a movie 1-1/2 stars [as he does here] and then hint that it's really better than that.
Which brings us full circle to "Basic Instinct 2." It has an audacious plot that depends on (a) a psychopathic serial killer being able to manipulate everyone in her life, or (b) a woman who uncannily seems to be a psychopathic serial killer, while there is (c) an alternative explanation for everything. True, (a), (b) or (c) are equally impossible, but they're the only possibilities, I think. That leaves us feeling screwed at the end, which is how everyone in the film feels, so we cross the finish line together.
I also managed to track down the "lost" threesome scene, which was a lot easier than I thought it might be. Sadly, it doesn't turn out to have Hugh Dancy as third wheel--I'm pretty sure his character's already dead, by the time it happens--but instead costars some random bi brunette I recognize from the trailer; I had originally thought she might be Indira Varma making out with Morrissey during an ill-advised post-traumatic booty call, but nooo. It kicks off with brunette girl telling Catherine she likes her blue blouse and Catherine being all “so try it on, then,” so I guess it only makes sense that when Catherine later has not particularly non-consensual yet brief and rough sex with Dr Glass in his office (another cut scene), she appears to now be wearing THAT chick’s heinous orange shirt-dress. With matching thong? Given Catherine's dislike of undergarments, maybe not.
(Oh yeah, and now I come to think, said blouse--a lovely peacock shade--reminds me a lot of one Indira Varma was wearing in her first scene with Morrissey! So maybe Catherine got it from her, which would mean that everybody's getting to sleep with Dr Glass's ex-wife except Dr Glass.)
"So you just have sex with ladies to steal their clothing, eh?" I can imagine him asking Catherine, to which she just shrugs, replying: "Well, it’s a whole lot more fun than online shopping."
(If I WAS going to write that Basic Instinct 3 piece, BTW, I think I'd call the ambitious young female psychiatrist Serinda Paley, because I want to hear Morrissey say it in Dr Glass's "appallingly lucid" (TM Adam Tower), drawling, vaguely cleaned-up Northern voice: "Oh yeah, I remember you, Dr Pay-lay--you interned with Milena Gardosh, like...three years ago, now. Give her my regards if you see her, will you? Doesn't come to visit anymore, not since I stopped talking to her; I think she's somewhat disappointed. Either that, or Catherine's keepin' her busy." "I will, certainly. Catherine who?" Smiles, secretively: "Oh, you'll see.")
Okay, I think I'm almost awake now. Back to it.
Amended to add: Oh, and "Drawn Up From Deep Places" has ben posted at Beneath Ceaseless Skies, here (http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/drawn-up-from-deep-places/), if you haven't read it. Jerusalem Parry POV, Sunday Sunday Sunday.
In other news, my Litreactor course started yesterday, with nine students enrolled. 've already written/posted my first lecture and assignment, so now I'm waiting to hear back from people who've done their homework and/or want a consultation. And I'm 2,000 words into the next-to-last chapter of "Death To Everyone," the one which contains Philip Blake sort of being a big damn hero, or as close as he's likely to come. Got some portions of the epilogue written already, too, and I kind of wish I could fast-forward myself there, but that's nothing new. What a long, strange trip it's been.
My David Morrissey obsession continues apace. I actually watched the "Making Of" for Basic Instinct 2, which is kind of painful, because everybody comes off as pleasant, committed and having a lot of fun.;) I also tripped across Roger Ebert's review of same, which turns out to be one of his classic Populism, Schmopulism/I'd Rather Things Be Objectively Bad Yet Entertaining Than Objectively Good Yet Boring varieties. My favourite sections:
"Basic Instinct 2" resembles its heroine: It gets off by living dangerously. Here is a movie so outrageous and preposterous it is either (a) suicidal or (b) throbbing with a horrible fascination. I lean toward (b). It's a lot of things, but boring is not one of them. I cannot recommend the movie, but ... why the hell can't I? Just because it's godawful? What kind of reason is that for staying away from a movie? Godawful and boring, that would be a reason.
I have here an e-mail from Adam Burke, a reader who says, "I'm tired of reading your reviews where you give a movie three stars but make sure we know it isn't a great movie. You always seem to want to cover your ass, making sure we know you're smarter than the movie." He has a point. Of course I am smarter than most movies, but so are you. That doesn't always prevent us from enjoying them. What Burke doesn't mention is my other maddening tendency, which is to give a movie 1-1/2 stars [as he does here] and then hint that it's really better than that.
Which brings us full circle to "Basic Instinct 2." It has an audacious plot that depends on (a) a psychopathic serial killer being able to manipulate everyone in her life, or (b) a woman who uncannily seems to be a psychopathic serial killer, while there is (c) an alternative explanation for everything. True, (a), (b) or (c) are equally impossible, but they're the only possibilities, I think. That leaves us feeling screwed at the end, which is how everyone in the film feels, so we cross the finish line together.
I also managed to track down the "lost" threesome scene, which was a lot easier than I thought it might be. Sadly, it doesn't turn out to have Hugh Dancy as third wheel--I'm pretty sure his character's already dead, by the time it happens--but instead costars some random bi brunette I recognize from the trailer; I had originally thought she might be Indira Varma making out with Morrissey during an ill-advised post-traumatic booty call, but nooo. It kicks off with brunette girl telling Catherine she likes her blue blouse and Catherine being all “so try it on, then,” so I guess it only makes sense that when Catherine later has not particularly non-consensual yet brief and rough sex with Dr Glass in his office (another cut scene), she appears to now be wearing THAT chick’s heinous orange shirt-dress. With matching thong? Given Catherine's dislike of undergarments, maybe not.
(Oh yeah, and now I come to think, said blouse--a lovely peacock shade--reminds me a lot of one Indira Varma was wearing in her first scene with Morrissey! So maybe Catherine got it from her, which would mean that everybody's getting to sleep with Dr Glass's ex-wife except Dr Glass.)
"So you just have sex with ladies to steal their clothing, eh?" I can imagine him asking Catherine, to which she just shrugs, replying: "Well, it’s a whole lot more fun than online shopping."
(If I WAS going to write that Basic Instinct 3 piece, BTW, I think I'd call the ambitious young female psychiatrist Serinda Paley, because I want to hear Morrissey say it in Dr Glass's "appallingly lucid" (TM Adam Tower), drawling, vaguely cleaned-up Northern voice: "Oh yeah, I remember you, Dr Pay-lay--you interned with Milena Gardosh, like...three years ago, now. Give her my regards if you see her, will you? Doesn't come to visit anymore, not since I stopped talking to her; I think she's somewhat disappointed. Either that, or Catherine's keepin' her busy." "I will, certainly. Catherine who?" Smiles, secretively: "Oh, you'll see.")
Okay, I think I'm almost awake now. Back to it.
Amended to add: Oh, and "Drawn Up From Deep Places" has ben posted at Beneath Ceaseless Skies, here (http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/drawn-up-from-deep-places/), if you haven't read it. Jerusalem Parry POV, Sunday Sunday Sunday.
