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Icons, TV, and books
Apr. 17th, 2011 07:48 pmI finished two books this weekend. First was Cold Comfort Farm which I adored and was the perfect palate cleanser to Jane Eyre (which I finished earlier in the week). I then watched the 1995 adaptation on YouTube and while it's difficult to imagine anybody else but Rufus Sewell as Seth and Stephen Fry as Mybug, I wouldn't mind it if the Beeb had another go at it because Kate Beckinsale was pretty disappointing as Flora.
I started The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano last night and finished it this afternoon. While it won't be making my favourites list any time soon, I was impressed by it because it contained a bunch of things I dislike but I wanted to keep reading it anyway. Whoever translated it from the original Italian did a good job.
I loved Parks and Rec this week. Well, I love it every week but this episode was particularly heart warming. It's probably the only show on at the moment which draws its comedy chiefly from its own good nature. If you're not watching it, you should.
Icon dump: The Chicago Code, The Good Wife, Parks and Recreation, The Dan and Blair Show
( Here )
I started The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano last night and finished it this afternoon. While it won't be making my favourites list any time soon, I was impressed by it because it contained a bunch of things I dislike but I wanted to keep reading it anyway. Whoever translated it from the original Italian did a good job.
I loved Parks and Rec this week. Well, I love it every week but this episode was particularly heart warming. It's probably the only show on at the moment which draws its comedy chiefly from its own good nature. If you're not watching it, you should.
Icon dump: The Chicago Code, The Good Wife, Parks and Recreation, The Dan and Blair Show
( Here )
Inception: icons and meta
Nov. 7th, 2010 10:45 pmIs there anything better than a DVD rip leaking a month before the official release?
.
.
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Well, Christmas is pretty good. So is winning the lottery. And getting into grad school (which is what I should have been trying to do instead of making icons).
Still, I was pretty pleased when Inception appeared on the internets last weekend as I've been enjoying the hell out of the fandom. Rewatching the film, the flaws I mentioned previously (characterisation, dialogue: Nolan, get better at these!) are still there but they don't diminish my enjoyment of the film overmuch and hopefully it won't fall apart the more I view it.
The quality of this copy isn't the greatest but it was decent enough for me to waste a couple of hours making icons.
( The fruits of my labour )
.
.
.
Well, Christmas is pretty good. So is winning the lottery. And getting into grad school (which is what I should have been trying to do instead of making icons).
Still, I was pretty pleased when Inception appeared on the internets last weekend as I've been enjoying the hell out of the fandom. Rewatching the film, the flaws I mentioned previously (characterisation, dialogue: Nolan, get better at these!) are still there but they don't diminish my enjoyment of the film overmuch and hopefully it won't fall apart the more I view it.
The quality of this copy isn't the greatest but it was decent enough for me to waste a couple of hours making icons.
( The fruits of my labour )
Icons and stuff
Mar. 3rd, 2010 01:54 amI was going to update yesterday but I got sidetracked on tvtropes.com for, like, 8 hours (not hyperlinking that site for the sake of you guys. It is the best time waster on the entire internet. Once you start reading you can stop but it is seriously difficult). So here's what I've been watching:
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: I started watching this a couple of days before they released the full trailer for the movie adaptation. I watched 2 and a half seasons online in less than a week, burning through my download quota for the month by the 15th of February (I spent the rest of the month trying to convince my mother that the fault for the internet being so slow was anybody but mine). But I got to say: worth it.
I loved this series. All the characters are great but I'm especially taken with the female characters and how the show deals with sexism head-on. The world building and plotting are aces too. If you have any fic recs for the couples Sokka/Suki, Zuko/Mai, and Katara/Aang let me have them. The bad thing about showing up late to the fandom is that you can miss out on those great early fics and the sense of community with other fans; conversely, you avoid all the drama and in-fandom fighting by showing up late, where the only option open to you is acceptance of how it played out. As I gather that there was quite a hullabaloo amongst the fans even before the so-called "racebending" of the film, I think I'm happy I showed up to this party late (to paraphrase Sam Seaborn: let's embrace the fact that I showed up at all).
- Bright Star. I have been waiting for this film for ages and I was not disappointed. The love story between John Keats and Fanny Brawne is one of the most affecting that I've ever come across (this is a good account of it) and it was wonderful to see it handled with such sensitivity and grace - clearly not a product of Hollywood. All the performances were amazing and it's such a shame that Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, and Paul Schneider weren't recognised with any acting awards (not that I expected Whishaw to as his depiction of masculinity was rather more sensitive than most people like, but I'm glad he didn't turn Keats into Byron). It is a travesty that it's not nominated for best picture, director, or cinematography. It's just gorgeous. I really hope it wins best costume design - it had a triple pleated mushroom collar!
- The Winter Olympics. Never really watched them before as the free-to-air coverage here in Australia is never great, but this time we got four dedicated channels on our cable so that was awesome. I discovered that I liked some sports I'd never heard of before (Mogul Skiing), didn't like others (Curling. I tried. It was boring), and I really got into figure skating in a way I never had before (previously, my only educational tool about the sport had been The Cutting Edge (tooooooooeeeeee piiiiiiiiicccck) and my limited experience on the ice itself (I think I've been six times). But now I know the names of all the elements (even if I can't tell the jumps apart - it's all just spinning in the air to me) and I know that there is a difference between figure skating and ice dancing.
Speaking of ice dancing: OMGZ VIRTUE AND MOIR ARE THE CUTEST MOST, ADORABLEST THING EVER AND I WANT THEM TO DATE AND MARRY AND WIN MORE GOLD MEDALS AND THEN HAVE BABIES!!!1!!
Ahem.
That was my reaction to the gold medal winning ice dancers from Canada who are just spectacular. In addition to mad skating skillz they had the best chemistry of all the pairs in competition which is amazing considering that they aren't a couple off the ice (apparently) and several others were (3 pairs were sibling teams and that was just a little bit creepy). You just feel that there's something between them.
I'll definitely be watching the World Championships in a couple of weeks.
And now: icons. Some Virtue and Moir, the first of a bunch of Bright Star, and a few from The Thick of It (mostly Malcolm because he is the best).
01 
02 
03 
( 9 more )
13
14 
15 
( 22 more )
38
39 
40 
( 21 more )
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: I started watching this a couple of days before they released the full trailer for the movie adaptation. I watched 2 and a half seasons online in less than a week, burning through my download quota for the month by the 15th of February (I spent the rest of the month trying to convince my mother that the fault for the internet being so slow was anybody but mine). But I got to say: worth it.
I loved this series. All the characters are great but I'm especially taken with the female characters and how the show deals with sexism head-on. The world building and plotting are aces too. If you have any fic recs for the couples Sokka/Suki, Zuko/Mai, and Katara/Aang let me have them. The bad thing about showing up late to the fandom is that you can miss out on those great early fics and the sense of community with other fans; conversely, you avoid all the drama and in-fandom fighting by showing up late, where the only option open to you is acceptance of how it played out. As I gather that there was quite a hullabaloo amongst the fans even before the so-called "racebending" of the film, I think I'm happy I showed up to this party late (to paraphrase Sam Seaborn: let's embrace the fact that I showed up at all).
- Bright Star. I have been waiting for this film for ages and I was not disappointed. The love story between John Keats and Fanny Brawne is one of the most affecting that I've ever come across (this is a good account of it) and it was wonderful to see it handled with such sensitivity and grace - clearly not a product of Hollywood. All the performances were amazing and it's such a shame that Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, and Paul Schneider weren't recognised with any acting awards (not that I expected Whishaw to as his depiction of masculinity was rather more sensitive than most people like, but I'm glad he didn't turn Keats into Byron). It is a travesty that it's not nominated for best picture, director, or cinematography. It's just gorgeous. I really hope it wins best costume design - it had a triple pleated mushroom collar!
- The Winter Olympics. Never really watched them before as the free-to-air coverage here in Australia is never great, but this time we got four dedicated channels on our cable so that was awesome. I discovered that I liked some sports I'd never heard of before (Mogul Skiing), didn't like others (Curling. I tried. It was boring), and I really got into figure skating in a way I never had before (previously, my only educational tool about the sport had been The Cutting Edge (tooooooooeeeeee piiiiiiiiicccck) and my limited experience on the ice itself (I think I've been six times). But now I know the names of all the elements (even if I can't tell the jumps apart - it's all just spinning in the air to me) and I know that there is a difference between figure skating and ice dancing.
Speaking of ice dancing: OMGZ VIRTUE AND MOIR ARE THE CUTEST MOST, ADORABLEST THING EVER AND I WANT THEM TO DATE AND MARRY AND WIN MORE GOLD MEDALS AND THEN HAVE BABIES!!!1!!
Ahem.
That was my reaction to the gold medal winning ice dancers from Canada who are just spectacular. In addition to mad skating skillz they had the best chemistry of all the pairs in competition which is amazing considering that they aren't a couple off the ice (apparently) and several others were (3 pairs were sibling teams and that was just a little bit creepy). You just feel that there's something between them.
I'll definitely be watching the World Championships in a couple of weeks.
And now: icons. Some Virtue and Moir, the first of a bunch of Bright Star, and a few from The Thick of It (mostly Malcolm because he is the best).
02 03 13
14 15 ( 22 more )
38
39 40 ( 21 more )
Icons: Casualty 1909 episodes 1 & 2
Jun. 28th, 2009 05:57 pmNurses are all over TV at the moment. There's Nurse Jackie on Showtime, HawthoRNe (I see what you did there) on TNT, and NBC will have Mercy in a couple of months. But if you want my opinion (and as you're reading my LJ, I'm kinda guessing you do), you should be watching the BBC's Casualty 1909 which is about the London Hospital in the East End in 1909. The characters and cases are taken from records, journals, and letters so it's basically RPF if you enjoy that sort of thing, and watching the development of modern procedures is really fascinating.
Fair warning though: it can be quite gory - I find that British shows are generally more so than their American counterparts - but it's not gratuitously so. And it can be quite angsty as people die or are forced to be prositutes or they die or they have horrible untreatable skin conditions or they die.
But still, it's very good TV with lots of strong female characters and a few decent guys who manage to appreciate them (try not to get me started on the wonderful Dr Millais Culpin or we'll be here all night). There was a sort of pilot episode in Casualty 1906 which led to three episodes of Casualty 1907. It's not particularly necessary to have seen those to enjoy 1909 but let me know if you're *interested*.
Anyway, here are some icons from the first two episodes of 1909. They've really stepped up the production values this time around and it's actually quite a beautiful show.
( 53 icons )
Fair warning though: it can be quite gory - I find that British shows are generally more so than their American counterparts - but it's not gratuitously so. And it can be quite angsty as people die or are forced to be prositutes or they die or they have horrible untreatable skin conditions or they die.
But still, it's very good TV with lots of strong female characters and a few decent guys who manage to appreciate them (try not to get me started on the wonderful Dr Millais Culpin or we'll be here all night). There was a sort of pilot episode in Casualty 1906 which led to three episodes of Casualty 1907. It's not particularly necessary to have seen those to enjoy 1909 but let me know if you're *interested*.
Anyway, here are some icons from the first two episodes of 1909. They've really stepped up the production values this time around and it's actually quite a beautiful show.
( 53 icons )
Icon dump: Green Wing
Jan. 28th, 2009 04:36 pmThis is the first of two icon posts and this one is all season one of Green Wing. There probably wouldn't be so many if I wasn't such a variation whore but I can hardly ever make up my mind on the whole text vs. no text thing.
( 76 icons )
( 76 icons )
So the past couple of weeks I've gone and gotten myself completely obsessed with all things Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr. And seriously guys, it's unhealthy. I don't think I've fallen this hard for a fandom since Veronica Mars and quite frankly it's a little inconvenient - who has two thumbs, red hair, and had an exam today? *points to self with thumbs*
And yet, the Iron Man fandom/Robert Downey Jr. love is so wonderful that even my extensive Catholic guilt can't make me feel bad about all the loony things I'm doing (ah! If only I had more of my mother's Protestant work ethic. As it is I just feel really, really guilty but do nothing to alter the situation).
Firstly, I'm downloading every single Robert Downey Jr. film I can find - which, considering half the population of the world is currently doing the same thing, really isn't that hard. And I'm not downloading just his good work - I'm downloading the really silly romantic comedies too. I mean, I used to ignore Heart and Souls every single time it came on TV when I was younger, but now, with my Robert Downey Jr.-tinted glasses I'm using up my valuable download limit to acquire it.
Secondly, and a little more disturbingly, is what I did a week ago when I was taking a study break (read: marathoning 30 Rock again, some more): I went through a bunch of Gwyneth Paltrow pics and tinted her hair red so that she'd look more like Pepper Potts. Some actually came out quite well, all things considered.
( Still not a valid use of my time though )
Feel free to use in your own fanart - I can't quite decide what to do with them yet (well, other than stare at the couple ones and imagine the married adventures of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts (no way in hell that Pepper's changing her last name)). I kept the files as large as possible and tried to alter the colouring as little as possible aside from her hair. So have fun!
( Mini-rant )
I'm trying to hunt down the most recent comics online. So far I've got volume 2 of Invincible Iron Man and volumes 7-10 of The Order where Pepper apparently becomes the leader of a bunch of super heroes (yeah, I don't know what is going on). I am, of course, willing to share if there is interest and if anyone knows of a comm where I can snag the rest, could you shoot me an email please?
Swinging back round to the Robert Downey Jr. love again,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
th_esaurus hosted an RDJ fanfic fest and I discovered that people aside from me are interested in the relationship between Joe and Shirley Wershba (Robert Downey Jr. (though you guys should have guessed that one) and Patricia Clarkson) in the film Good Night and Good Luck. I even wrote a short snippet of fic about it. Will the wonders never cease?
And then there were icons! Some random Robert Downey Jr., a fair few Iron Man, and too many Good Night and Good Luck considering the fandom is practically nonexistent. Oh well.
( 36 in total )
And yet, the Iron Man fandom/Robert Downey Jr. love is so wonderful that even my extensive Catholic guilt can't make me feel bad about all the loony things I'm doing (ah! If only I had more of my mother's Protestant work ethic. As it is I just feel really, really guilty but do nothing to alter the situation).
Firstly, I'm downloading every single Robert Downey Jr. film I can find - which, considering half the population of the world is currently doing the same thing, really isn't that hard. And I'm not downloading just his good work - I'm downloading the really silly romantic comedies too. I mean, I used to ignore Heart and Souls every single time it came on TV when I was younger, but now, with my Robert Downey Jr.-tinted glasses I'm using up my valuable download limit to acquire it.
Secondly, and a little more disturbingly, is what I did a week ago when I was taking a study break (read: marathoning 30 Rock again, some more): I went through a bunch of Gwyneth Paltrow pics and tinted her hair red so that she'd look more like Pepper Potts. Some actually came out quite well, all things considered.
( Still not a valid use of my time though )
Feel free to use in your own fanart - I can't quite decide what to do with them yet (well, other than stare at the couple ones and imagine the married adventures of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts (no way in hell that Pepper's changing her last name)). I kept the files as large as possible and tried to alter the colouring as little as possible aside from her hair. So have fun!
( Mini-rant )
I'm trying to hunt down the most recent comics online. So far I've got volume 2 of Invincible Iron Man and volumes 7-10 of The Order where Pepper apparently becomes the leader of a bunch of super heroes (yeah, I don't know what is going on). I am, of course, willing to share if there is interest and if anyone knows of a comm where I can snag the rest, could you shoot me an email please?
Swinging back round to the Robert Downey Jr. love again,
th_esaurus hosted an RDJ fanfic fest and I discovered that people aside from me are interested in the relationship between Joe and Shirley Wershba (Robert Downey Jr. (though you guys should have guessed that one) and Patricia Clarkson) in the film Good Night and Good Luck. I even wrote a short snippet of fic about it. Will the wonders never cease?And then there were icons! Some random Robert Downey Jr., a fair few Iron Man, and too many Good Night and Good Luck considering the fandom is practically nonexistent. Oh well.
( 36 in total )
Icons: In the mood for love and 2046
Jan. 28th, 2007 08:51 pmA couple of weeks ago I rented In the mood for love and 2046 as it has been ages since I've seen the former and I hadn't yet seen the latter. Most people seem to prefer 2046 to ITMFL but not me. Sure 2046 has the more original and complex story and greater artistic vision but Tony Leung's character is much less like-able. ITMFL is simpler in terms of narrative but that allows for all those heartbreaking scenes between Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung. Sure you know their love is doomed but it is beautiful to watch.
Anyway, I went a bit overboard with the icons.
38 icons from In the mood for love.
( In the mood for love - more like In the mood for PAAAAAAAAIIIIIN!!! )
22 icons from 2046.
( 2046: Everyone in this movie has bad hair )
Anyway, I went a bit overboard with the icons.
38 icons from In the mood for love.
( In the mood for love - more like In the mood for PAAAAAAAAIIIIIN!!! )
22 icons from 2046.
( 2046: Everyone in this movie has bad hair )
To all my friends and family who have doubted my psychic powers the joke is on you. I awoke this morning at 8:30 (which was, perhaps, the real miracle) certain in the belief that my latest order from Amazon.com would be sitting on my doorstep and it was (and sure I got the doorstep wrong but, hey, it was a step from a door from my house and I knew it would get here today so let's not split hairs ok?).
So now I have Season 2 of the US version of The Office, Our Mutual Friend on DVD and the two Dexter novels by Jeff Lindsay. In the words of Steve Holt, "Steve Holt!"
( A poll about cheesecake just because I can )
My five favourite things from the most recent episode of The Office as a picspam.
( Can this show get any better? )
16 icons from "Traveling Salesman" and "The Return".
( Icons! )
So now I have Season 2 of the US version of The Office, Our Mutual Friend on DVD and the two Dexter novels by Jeff Lindsay. In the words of Steve Holt, "Steve Holt!"
( A poll about cheesecake just because I can )
My five favourite things from the most recent episode of The Office as a picspam.
( Can this show get any better? )
16 icons from "Traveling Salesman" and "The Return".
( Icons! )
I've been on a bit of an icon making kick lately and this is a real mixed bag.
( Where were you in '62? )
( Where were you in '62? )
Icons: Infernal Affairs
Aug. 24th, 2006 12:39 amPreviously, I wrote about the film Infernal Affairs.
Because Andy Lau and Tony Leung are so very, very pretty, I bring you icons. I tried hard to focus on Tony's soulful eyes forkoalathebear ;-)
( Click the for pretty )
Because Andy Lau and Tony Leung are so very, very pretty, I bring you icons. I tried hard to focus on Tony's soulful eyes for
koalathebear ;-) ( Click the for pretty )
Alternative subject line could be: koalathebear made me do it.
The first thing she made me do was watch the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. She has professed her love for this film on numerous occasions, saying that if you only ever see one film from Hong Kong, it should be this one.
And as usual, she was right. Despite the language barrier and thus the whole have-to-read-subtitles-thing this was one of the most enjoyable films I have seen in a long time. It's smart, tightly paced, beautifully shot and well acted.
( Pics and more under the cut )
Secondly,koalathebear directed me towards these gorgeous caps of the film Finding Nemo. I'm not really a fan of complete CGI kids movies but I love Finding Nemo. It's beautiful but that is secondary to the story. Soooooooo icons! Use them as such or for bases - I don't mind ;-) When my computer isn't acting so funky, I might edit them a bit more.
( I speak whale )
koalathebear made me do it.The first thing she made me do was watch the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. She has professed her love for this film on numerous occasions, saying that if you only ever see one film from Hong Kong, it should be this one.
And as usual, she was right. Despite the language barrier and thus the whole have-to-read-subtitles-thing this was one of the most enjoyable films I have seen in a long time. It's smart, tightly paced, beautifully shot and well acted.
( Pics and more under the cut )
Secondly,
koalathebear directed me towards these gorgeous caps of the film Finding Nemo. I'm not really a fan of complete CGI kids movies but I love Finding Nemo. It's beautiful but that is secondary to the story. Soooooooo icons! Use them as such or for bases - I don't mind ;-) When my computer isn't acting so funky, I might edit them a bit more. ( I speak whale )
New layout!
Aug. 11th, 2006 09:17 amMy name is Bennet and I'm addicted to customising my layout. It's been five minutes since I last adjusted my style sheet.
