i got nothin
Sep. 13th, 2004 04:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fearlesstempThe big question of the day: Will I make it home tonight? My father used my car this weekend and, as is his way, left it almost completely out of gas this morning. I gambled and scooted to work on around an eighth of a tank because I had no time to stop this morning, and I have a vague memory of a gas station in the skeevy part of town about a mile away under a bridge, but (a) I may be imagining that, and (b) skeevy part of town under a bridge.
Wish me luck. At least I have my new cell phone should I end up stranded!
I have not mentioned this yet! I have a new cell phone! It is awesome! I get reception in my house! I am so happy! Look at my abuse of exclamation points!
Over the weekend, I went out to visit The Infamous Annie, and did many exciting things like:
-Watched The Bourne Supremacy again (love it!);
-Watched six hours of Keen Eddie, my latest foolish DVD purchase (love it! Details may follow);
-Watched three hours of Freaks and Geeks, Annie's latest foolish DVD purchase (love it in that OMG it hurts my heart because it's so right kind of way);
-Gossiped a lot; and
-Ate an unholy amount of food.
And then I came home and watched the special on The History Channel about the War of 1812, which I had been looking forward to for weeks (yes, that's just how lame I am). It did not disappoint! Fascinating stuff! For example, did you know that the American soldiers retreated so fast from the Battle of Washington that the chasing British soldiers collapsed of heatstroke? Go us!
Also: Dolly Madison was awesome, and I have a new respect for Baltimore. Is that intriguing enough to get you guys to watch the program? You should! It's great. Andrew Jackson shows up for the last twenty minutes, and everyone knows how he livens up a party!
(Speaking of Andrew Jackson – he totally broke my heart. When I was sixteen, I read The President's Lady, which was this historical novel about his relationship with his wife, who was this totally unsuitable divorcee but who he just loved SO MUCH. I was totally in love with him, and idealized him and his whole new democracy, party in the streets inauguration thing, and then I realized that he was responsible for the Trail of Tears! Horror! Betrayal! And that's how I learned not to put political leaders on pedestals.)
After the War of 1812 was over, I watched my tape of Jack and Bobby, which I was spiritually obligated to do. They namechecked the Kennedy mystique in the series title! They totally had me!
OMG, that last slow-mo shot was so blatant and, at the same time, So Perfect that it made me cry. Cry and cry and also, fall in love with the show a little bit, somehow. Up till then I'd been watching all, "It's Jack – no, it's Bobby – no, it's *definitely* Jack – wow, that part was kind of crappy," thinking it wasn't very good. And then the last five minutes just knocked me upside the head and now I'm going to have to watch.
The framing device is cool, but at times it seemed unbearably corny. Less is more, I think. Maybe one framing device an ep, max, kind of like the voiceovers by Irv on Everwood. On Everwood they're kind of comforting, giving you the sense that this is a story that's already ended and you're being invited to look back along with the narrator. On this show, in addition to that, they invite an element of mystery and poignancy. We know Jack dies young, we know Bobby becomes president, we know Courtney ends up falling in love with each of them at different times. It could be interesting finding out how.
The only question will be whether it gets old, if the show gets tripped up on the device and loses the drama. Bobby divides Thanksgiving dinner between too many guests and later his Secretary of State recounts how he used that experience to broker peace in the Middle East, etc etc. Could get old.
The most important thing was that I loved Jack and Bobby. I loved them individually and together and bought their relationship completely. Berlanti really gets the sibling dynamic, I think, which I'm a big sucker for (see: Simon and River on Firefly; Dawn and Buffy on B:tVS; Amy and Bright on Everwood; Deliah and Ephram on Everwood), especially on the older sibling side, because that's me in my family. And it's all about me.
Final Verdict: They've so got me. At least until I space and forget it's on one week, and then set my VCR incorrectly the next week, and lose track of what's going on, and try to find it three months from now on the schedule only to discover it's been canceled.
5PM! I'm outta here
Wish me luck. At least I have my new cell phone should I end up stranded!
I have not mentioned this yet! I have a new cell phone! It is awesome! I get reception in my house! I am so happy! Look at my abuse of exclamation points!
Over the weekend, I went out to visit The Infamous Annie, and did many exciting things like:
-Watched The Bourne Supremacy again (love it!);
-Watched six hours of Keen Eddie, my latest foolish DVD purchase (love it! Details may follow);
-Watched three hours of Freaks and Geeks, Annie's latest foolish DVD purchase (love it in that OMG it hurts my heart because it's so right kind of way);
-Gossiped a lot; and
-Ate an unholy amount of food.
And then I came home and watched the special on The History Channel about the War of 1812, which I had been looking forward to for weeks (yes, that's just how lame I am). It did not disappoint! Fascinating stuff! For example, did you know that the American soldiers retreated so fast from the Battle of Washington that the chasing British soldiers collapsed of heatstroke? Go us!
Also: Dolly Madison was awesome, and I have a new respect for Baltimore. Is that intriguing enough to get you guys to watch the program? You should! It's great. Andrew Jackson shows up for the last twenty minutes, and everyone knows how he livens up a party!
(Speaking of Andrew Jackson – he totally broke my heart. When I was sixteen, I read The President's Lady, which was this historical novel about his relationship with his wife, who was this totally unsuitable divorcee but who he just loved SO MUCH. I was totally in love with him, and idealized him and his whole new democracy, party in the streets inauguration thing, and then I realized that he was responsible for the Trail of Tears! Horror! Betrayal! And that's how I learned not to put political leaders on pedestals.)
After the War of 1812 was over, I watched my tape of Jack and Bobby, which I was spiritually obligated to do. They namechecked the Kennedy mystique in the series title! They totally had me!
OMG, that last slow-mo shot was so blatant and, at the same time, So Perfect that it made me cry. Cry and cry and also, fall in love with the show a little bit, somehow. Up till then I'd been watching all, "It's Jack – no, it's Bobby – no, it's *definitely* Jack – wow, that part was kind of crappy," thinking it wasn't very good. And then the last five minutes just knocked me upside the head and now I'm going to have to watch.
The framing device is cool, but at times it seemed unbearably corny. Less is more, I think. Maybe one framing device an ep, max, kind of like the voiceovers by Irv on Everwood. On Everwood they're kind of comforting, giving you the sense that this is a story that's already ended and you're being invited to look back along with the narrator. On this show, in addition to that, they invite an element of mystery and poignancy. We know Jack dies young, we know Bobby becomes president, we know Courtney ends up falling in love with each of them at different times. It could be interesting finding out how.
The only question will be whether it gets old, if the show gets tripped up on the device and loses the drama. Bobby divides Thanksgiving dinner between too many guests and later his Secretary of State recounts how he used that experience to broker peace in the Middle East, etc etc. Could get old.
The most important thing was that I loved Jack and Bobby. I loved them individually and together and bought their relationship completely. Berlanti really gets the sibling dynamic, I think, which I'm a big sucker for (see: Simon and River on Firefly; Dawn and Buffy on B:tVS; Amy and Bright on Everwood; Deliah and Ephram on Everwood), especially on the older sibling side, because that's me in my family. And it's all about me.
Final Verdict: They've so got me. At least until I space and forget it's on one week, and then set my VCR incorrectly the next week, and lose track of what's going on, and try to find it three months from now on the schedule only to discover it's been canceled.
5PM! I'm outta here
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no subject
Date: 2004-09-13 02:08 pm (UTC)Crap! I even had that on my *calendar and I forgot to watch!!
And I'm going to be giving J&B a few chances, but I'm not entirely sold yet. We'll see.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-14 07:14 am (UTC)Oh nooooo! They've got to rerun it again, though, right? It was so great! I love these kinds of programs, especially the cheesy reenactments, which are made all the better by the fact that the cheesy reenactors rarely speak but instead walk from place to place Emoting Powerfully.
And I'm going to be giving J&B a few chances, but I'm not entirely sold yet. We'll see.
I know what you mean -- the pilot was kind of corny and overblown at times, but I think it has potential. I probably wouldn't be going back to watch again if it weren't for the fact that it's a show where a lot of my interests intersect -- politics, family drama, cheesy teen angst. It was made for me!
no subject
Date: 2004-09-13 02:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-14 07:16 am (UTC)That won't be funny if you haven't seen the movie. Even if you have, it might not be funny.
That said: My father is a space cadet who either has complete disregard for me, my car, or the rest of the world in general. I choose to believe it's a combination of the last two.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-13 07:41 pm (UTC)I did not know that! That is awesome! And I'll be telling every poor soul who wanders across my path just how awesome it is. Really, what's better than a history documentary?
Now I'll have Johnny Horton's "Battle of New Orleans" in my head for the rest of the night, but I don't think I can blame that on you.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-14 07:19 am (UTC)Totally awesome! And there's all sorts of other great facts from history AND tons of cheesy dramatizations. Fabulousness!
Really, what's better than a history documentary?
There really isn't much better, in my humble opinion.