... because otherwise, I'll just climb up the wall.

Nip/Tuck: [1.07 Cliff Mantegna] After the boredom that was last week's episode, I actually enjoyed this one a lot. I actually liked Sean for a good part of the ep - but then he had to go an ruin it all by getting Jude fired for being too close to Julia, all the while starting an affair with Megan. Can I kill him, please? Christian's behavior towards his girlfriend (What's her name again?) was rather repulsive as well, but I actually feel sorry for him. I mean... all the no-strings-attached shit when he's obviously so much in love with Julia that it totally fucks him up. Jude knows it. Julia knows it (at least, sometimes). I think even he knows it. The only one who doesn't is obviously Sean. But then, Sean is completely oblivious to anything that doesn't fit into his neat perception of reality anyway. (Can you tell I hate him?) Also, I didn't see his point in guilt-tripping Matt. The boy has hardly strung his ex-girlfriend along. She was the one that proposed the threesome, not him. Anyway, good episode, even though there was no Grace.

The O.C. [1.04 The Debut] The premise is still totally unbelievable, but this was clearly the best episode so far. Some hilarious moments, and lovely angsty scenes. I don't quite understand why people hate Marissa. But then, I never understood why they hated Lana or Liz either. (Did they actually hate Joey? Just wondering.) And - *squee* - the Luke/Ryan moments! I actually like the way Luke is written. Because it would be so easy to make the Jealous, Possessive Jock Boyfriend With The Bad Temper (tm) a totally unlikable character; and it's good to see that they didn't go that way. I like the way he is around Marissa!

Verschollen [1.19 Liebeswahn] God. The people on the island need to find a new game. The 'Help me! I've been raped!' one is getting old. Maggie is upset Simon gets bread and she doesn't, so she tells everyone he raped her and claims his bread ration as a punishment. Natascha wants Berthold to sleep with her and threatens to tell her father he raped her if he doesn't shag her - so he does; but she tells her father anyway. So, who's next? Will Sascha say Nils has raped him and thus made him gay? Or how about Clara claiming Clemens raped her and fathered her child? Urgh. Bad mental image! My point? This is getting annoying, please move on. Also, was I the only one who was rather disturbed by the fact that Clemens would punish a thief harder than an alleged rapist? And who is the thief anyway? Personally, I think Sascha, but then, what do I know.... Way too little Simon in this ep for my liking.

And an additional movie mention...

Vlad. Don't get me wrong, this rather sucks. It's just another variant of the old Dracula story, where four students specialized on Vlad Tep Drakul explore Romania and Vlad's castle. It's a bit like a cross between Dracula and Timeline, actually, and not all that original. But. The slashiness is just overwhelming. The two male students keep bickering and teasing each other, and when by the campfire, Justin asks Jeff's sister if Jeff has a secret dream, I was trying very hard not to laugh out loud. Really, just for the slash factor, this is worthwhile. Besides, there's Billy Zane; and Brad Dourif makes an appearance.

Back to my presentation, then....

Current Mood: anxious

I'm not really here, because obviously I'm preparing my presentation (*snort* Yeah. Right!), but I think if I don't get any decent season one Ryan/Luke slash soon, I might... I don't know, implode or something.

I know I should just go read some Clark/Whitney or even Max/Kyle fic, because essentially, that would be the same, but then I'll only stumble across references to superpowers or aliens and that sets me off.

*mopes* I hate rare fandoms/pairings. I really do.

Current Mood: pissed off

Title: BY ANY OTHER NAME
Fandom: X Files
Rating: R
Pairing: Samantha/Alex
Summary: What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. (Shakespeare; Romeo and Juliet)
Disclaimer: Not mine; Chris Carter's.
A/N: Unusually sweet for this pairing; and not quite what it was supposed to be.


( Read more... )

Current Mood: awake

Nip/Tuck: [1.06 Megan O'Hara] Terribly boring. So, the model from the pilot has been jealous/angry for Christian's casual dismissal of her, and thus sprayed his car(s?) and boat? Sean is kissing a patient? Matt is having a threesome with his ex-girlfriend and her girlfriend? - Who cares? Frankly, there was too little Julia in the episode for my liking; and the only good scene was the one where Grace and Christian were shagging in their office. I didn't want to kill Sean as badly as I usually do (which, I suppose, comes with the lack of Julia footage - and thus the lack of Julia/Sean scenes).

The O.C. [1.03 The Gamble] My problem? I don't find the basic idea of this show credible at all. Seriously, who would just take a withdrawn, moody adolescent who has been in jail for car theft into their family? And not just any family, mind you. A rich Californian upper-class couple with a teenage son, and a beautiful estate. They could not make this any more unrealistic if they had a dinosaur hidden in the garage. But yeah, the episode was good. Kirsten and Sandy are great; Seth has the mother of all crushes on Ryan; Ryan is still rather impolite and a bit creepy; and Luke is a Whitney-Fordham clone, but that's okay because I love him. Really, I so need to find any good Luke/Ryan. They're, like, the new Clark/Whitney. Only minus the superpowers and alive. Also, Marissa's dad reminds me of Mitch Leery.

Verschollen [1.18 Todeskampf] After Leon's temporary descent into asshole-ness, I was rather touched by both his and Simon's dedication to Clara. The way Simon looked as he stood by their bed... Hmm. Simon/Clara/Leon, anyone? I'm only really watching the show for Simon, though. He's such a brilliant character! The rest is either boring or annoying. I decided I viciously hate Natascha - not even her grief over the death of the snake really touched me. I wanted to hurt Udo and the doc for killing it, though. Sascha finally becomes marginally interesting. I'd still like to see him slashed with Berthold. Loved Tresko's snarkiness. Exchange of the week - Leon: "Why are women so bloody egoistic?" Tresko: "So they're not too different from men."

Current Mood: calm

Title: IN LOVE
Fandom: Les Misérables
Rating: PG
Summary: Love makes Marius a poor poet, a bad revolutionary, and an even worse observer.
A/N: As usually in this fandom, this is musical-based, because my knowledge of book canon is lacking.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: lazy

I wonder if Christopher Eccleston would marry me if I asked nicely.

This random thought was brought by you by The Others and the weirdness that is my mind. No brain cells were harmed in the process.

Current Mood: silly

I don't think Maggie can get any less likable anymore than she is right now. Publicly accusing Simon of raping her just so she could get her petty little revenge? Guilt-tripping Claudia into lying for her? Shit, that's so low. And I can't believe (almost) everyone fell for it. Also, I can't believe that Clara of all people would stick to Simon over this.

I suppose the Simon/Claudia I read between the lines the other week is not happening after all. Not after her saying she witnessed the (non-existent) rape.

And - oh, the Leon/Simon moment. The angst! The hateful looks! The betrayal in Simon's eyes when Leon said he though Simon would be capable of everything. And while I totally understand his position (Simon tried to kill him after all), I was rooting for Simon when he lashed out and slapped (!) Leon. The fight that followed was also nice to watch.

Can Berthold be any hotter? Gorgeous body; and I really like him as well. Sure, he was stringing Claudia along back when he seduced her, but his reaction to Natascha's non-too-subtle attempts at seduction today was good. For some reason, I'd rather like to see him with Sascha. I mean, I could actually see this happening. Sure, he's never made any indication that he is interested or even into men at all, but from what we saw, it's quite obvious that he likes sex in general. Somehow, I doubt that gender is all that important to him. Then again, he didn't shag Natascha and reasoned that he "wasn't into virgins". Still. Berthold/Sascha would make me happy. It would be kinda nice to see Berthold showing Sascha the ropes, so to speak.

The others? Tresko seemed oddly sober. I still think Clemens is creepy. Lieselotte bores me to death. Marita is annoying. And I really want Natascha to fall down a cliff and die.

But hey, as long as we see plenty of Simon (who, incidentally, looked rather good today with his hair being all tousled) I'm happy.

Current Mood: moody

The O.C.. (Orange Country / The Model House) So, The O.C. has finally made it over to Germany. Halfway through the pilot, I decided I couldn't really care less about this show. I'm not overtly fond of Ryan, don't like Seth at all, and while I really like Peter Gallagher, I decided he wouldn't be enough to make me stick to this. Then they had Rufus Wainwright's Hallelujah in the soundtrack, and Luke carried Ryan out of the burning house; and I sat there squeeing and being all 'OMG! I love this.' Seth/Ryan? I can see where it comes from, but it's too... easy for my liking. No conflict potential. Trust me to be stuck with the rare pairing again. Story of my life. I hate fandom!

Nip/Tuck. (Kurt Dempsey) Well, the good thing is that I lovelovelove the Grace/Christian plotline. I know there's probably nothing coming out of it, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts. At least, I will try, because - and that's the bad thing - I don't know how Iong I'll keep watching this. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love the show. But Sean makes me so angry I just want to jump into the TV and strangle him. So, after 16 years of his wife putting herself behind his plans, he decides that just for once he will give up something for her - and not only does he try to pull this off as the most noble sacrifice known to mankind, no, he also manages to walk all over Julia in the process again. He's a bad father, an even worse husband, and totally sucks as a business partner. And yes, I'm aware that I have personal issues with that character. But Grace is my new hero; and I'm starting to really like Matt. The conversation between him and his mum was wonderful.

Verschollen. (Brot und Spiele) The previous episode had been boring as hell, and I was afraid that the whole Bianca/Jörg issue would drag on forever, but last week's ep? So cool! Some really witty one-liners, and the power play between Maggie and Simon was wonderful. I can't stand Maggie, but she's an intriguing character; and even though Simon is clearly supposed to be The Villain, I'm rather fond of him. He's an asshole all right, but I like the sly, sometimes devious but mostly plainly scornful way he has with people. Obviously, I loved the Simon/Leon interaction. I'm gradually warming up to the Nils/Sascha issue as well. To be honest, I didn't find either of the particularly interesting in the ep when they kissed, but now with all those longing/searing glances Sascha is sending Nils.... Yep, me likes.

Space: Above and Beyond. I spent the last week copying the episodes from video to DVD, and rewatched some of it. I never noticed before how slashy Nathan and Cooper are. The interaction between Vansen and Handsome Alvin in Bacchus is still one of my favorite moments, as are the scenes with Wang and Elroy. I would love to see fanfiction based on either of those pairings, but I guess I can wait for that until hell freezes over. Anyway, the show had some really brilliant moments. In a way, I'm sad that it ended after only one season, but then, it was a brave and really... perfect way to let it end. It made me cry, admittedly. But then, Space: AaB has always been characterized by a gloomy, tense, even claustrophobic atmosphere; and a happy ending wouldn't have been fitting at all.

And now, off to bed. Had a long, stressful day. Over and out.

Current Mood: awake

Read and/or write? Both
Since when? 1997.
How did you stumble into slash? Surfing the net for information on Alex Krycek and stumbling across Brenda Antrim's "The Bait".
Your first fandom and pairing: X-Files, Mulder/Krycek.
The first person you told about your new hobby: Claudia and Eyke.
The fandoms you read: Too many to list. Basically, everything where I've followed canon and got slashy vibes from.
The fandoms you write: RPS (mostly sports), X Files, Without a Trace, Les Misérables, various movies
Least favorite genres: deathfic, mpreg, songfics
What makes a story good? Characterization, proper spelling / grammar, an interesting premise, emotion,...
What makes a story bad? OOCness, huge gaping plot-holes, tons of spelling mistakes,...
The best story you have written: "Scar Tissue" (Les Misérables, Montparnasse/Marius).
The worst story you have written: All the early X Files stories, which are fortunately not anywhere online.
Do you leave feedback? Not as much as I should.
Do you get feedback? Not as much as I'd like to, but that's okay.
Do you have a favorite kink? Antagonistic relationships. Any sort of power play.
Does something squick you? Quite a lot, actually.
Is slash simply sex? Not at all. Slash doesn't even have to be about sex at all. Slash is about relationships.
Is slash a way of life? In a way, yes. You just can't take the slash-colored glasses off.
How much time do you spend reading/writing? Too much time reading, too little time writing.
Do you have RL friends who slash? Yes.
Have you made online friends through slash? Yes.
Do you think slash is just a phase? No.
Could you simply stop slashing? To go with Joanne's answer: No. Even if I never wrote another word, I'd slash in my head.

What do you think about...
Ratings G to PG-13: It depends on the story. In many cases, sex is not only not necessary to help the story along but would be misplaced. Alas, lower-rated story have their place.
Ratings R to NC-17: Great! Even though, admittedly, my own stories only rarely venture there. Love to read it though.
AUs: You see, I have issues with AU's. To me, a character or a relationship is based on what the people are, where they comes from, what they do. Mulder would not be the same person if he was a cowboy in the Wild West and never had a sister who was abducted by aliens. Alas, if you take a character out of his usual surroundings (which is what AU's are all about), it is not really the same character anymore. They merely bear the same name. Which makes me wonder - why don't people take their AU's and write them as original fics instead?! Not saying that there aren't some wonderful AU's out there and that I've occasionally enjoyed reading them. But I did read them as original fiction.
Crackfics: Sometimes, yes. Especially when I need cheering up. Not my thing to write, though.
Porn: You see, I draw a strict like between porn and fanfic, and I don't particularly like to see it crossed. When I want to - pardon my crudeness - get off, I go to Nifty. When I want to read about characters I love, I read fanfiction. Of course, that doesn't mean that fanfiction can't have sex scenes (far from it), or that it can't be erotic. But 'porn', for me, refers to something produced/written just to get the audience off, and fanfiction is so much more.
Angst: Please! Though, I'd prefer a happy ending after all that angst.
Mush: Not in excess, please.
Love / romance: Definitely. I love well-written old-fashioned romance.
BDSM: As long as it ventures more to the BD part of it, I love to read it and have no problems writing it. I'm not too fond of crossing certain boundaries, though. Not that it's a bad thing - I just won't read it.
Darkfics: When I'm in the mood for them, I love them to bits.
Deathfics: Generally, I don't enjoy them. There are exceptions of course.
Non consensual/rape: It depends. Forced seduction, yes. Questionable consent, yes. Rape fantasies, yes. Full-out, realistic rape? No.
Rape recovery: Not my thing, honestly.
FPS: The problem is that I always fall for the small, hardly existent fandoms no one writes about....
RPS: As long as there's a proper disclaimer, I don't see anything wrong with it, honestly. It's just fantasizing about people - and don't we all do that now and then.
RPG: I'd love to try it out, but I don't have the time and patience for it.
First times: My favorite kind of stories. As in, 'first time' for a particular couple to get together, not necessarily 'first time' per se.
Established relationships: Usually bore me to death. It takes a very, very good author to make me enjoy it.
Threesomes: There are very few cases when I think it does work (beyond the PWP part of it, that is), but sometimes, yes.
m/m slash: YES!
femmeslash: Most of the time, not my cup of tea. With some rare exceptions.
Slashing a children's book/movie: Ugh, Harry Potter, anyone? Children grow up, don't they.
Chanslash: It depends on the age of the parties involved. If there's anyone under 14/15, then no.
The importance of characterization: The story stands and falls with it.
OOCness: See AU's. Except, of course, OOCness is usually not intended, which makes it infinitely worse.
Canon: Know it! Stick to it as closely as possible!
Fanon: There are fandoms where I sometimes have to think twice whether something is actually canon or whether it's just a popular fandom thing. Again, the Harry Potter reference.
Clichés: As Neko said some days ago - when it's intended, it's all good and well. When you just slip into clichéd-ness without noticing, it's getting annoying.
Supernatural: Depends on the fandom. Obviously, I don't have problems with it in X Files, Harry Potter or Smallville. Otherwise, it needs to be very well written to make it believable.
MPREG: Oh God, please no! You know, there are reasons why they're men.
Wingfics: I didn't know this was a separate category. o.O Well, you learn something new every day. Much like the supernatural, it depends on the fandom. Certain characters do have wings. Think Dogma, or Archangel in X Men, or the Silverhawks. If they don't have them in canon and you write them to them, though, it's AU. (Saying - see above.)
Genderfuck: If you are Neil Jordan, yes. Otherwise, I haven't come across anyone who can carry it out in a appealing way.
Crossovers: With some exceptions, I can't stand them. Usually, the universes that collide are too different to make for a believable story. If they're not, then it's all right. Besides, it's always tricky because the reader needs to be familiar with the canon of both fandoms.
Incest: Issues, with a capital 'I'. A general 'no' to parent/child incest stories. A grudging 'depends on who it is and how it is written' to sibling incest. I mean, take Leon and Simon in Verschollen for instance - their relationship is so fucked up that sex would be only a minor disturbance in it....
May/December: I must admit, I had to check out what that is. Generally? Not my thing. I like my boys/girls young and pretty. I'm shallow like that.
Het pairings in a slash fic: So what? Having everyone be gay would make it a tad unrealistic, don't you think?
Plot: I love plot. I just don't like writing plot.
PWPs: Pure PWPs with not a grain of plot or back-story involved? Rarely exist, if you ask me. And are more porn than fanfiction to me.
WIPs: Drive me up the wall. There's nothing quite like reading a long story only to realize after three hours and twenty-one parts that the last words are 'to be continued' and the story was last updated five years ago.
LJ fics and communities: Brilliant!
Mailing lists: As Joanne said - they're dying out. Can't bring myself to cry over that, though. They were only clogging my inbox.
Big Name Fans: Seriously? Eighty percent of the time someone is 'famous' (one way or the other), they've done something to deserve it.
Politics in a slash story: Never really encountered that. Unless you count politician RPS.
Religion in a slash story: Depends on the characters. If a character is religious in canon, than it has its place. Or in fandoms where religion plays an integral role (Bible, Jesus Christ Superstar, hell - even Brimstone or Dogma).
Wake up Gay: Ugh. Please no. Realism is the key-word.

And finally....
Your pet peeve: Ignoring canon in RPS.
Your advice to new slashers: Write whatever you feel like, no matter if it's popular or not, but be serious about it. If you don't take what you do seriously and give your best shot, don't expect to be taken seriously yourself.
Your slash wish list: Oi. That's what I call opening a can of worms. You have no idea how long my wish list is. OK, in no particular order: Another Country slash (Bennett, Judd and Fowler, in any combination), Star Trek: Pawns and Symbols (Jean/Tirax), The Cape (Zeke/Jack), 2 Fast 2 Furious (Brian/Carter Verone), Under Suspicion (Hearst/Owens), Hart's War slash, The Phantom of the Opera (well-written, plausible Raoul/Erik, or even Raoul/Erik/Christine), Tom Cruise slash, non-AU Gerard Butler/Patrick Wilson (Don't ask!), Rupert Everett/Colin Firth, tons of obscure motorsport RPS that would have everybody but one or two people on my friends list going 'who?', The Thin Red Line (Witt/Welsh), Robbie Williams/Liam Gallagher, Ian Somerhalder/James van der Beek, Martin Schmidt/Janne Ahonen, Space: Above and Beyond (Elroy-El/Wang, Vansen/Handsome Alvin, West/Cooper).
The best slash archive: Honestly, I miss those huge, complete multi-fandom archives. Where have they gone?
The worst slash archive: I don't know a particularly 'bad' slash archive, at least not on top of my head. I always get aggravated that contrelamontre has no archive, though.

[Actually, this used to be a fill-out meme. But as I didn't like the look of it, I did it normal journal-style.]

Current Mood: busy

the_milky_way and I went to see Napola just now. For the people out there who have never heard of the movie - it's about a teenage boy attending on of the elitist colleges in the Third Reich. He goes against his father's will, convinced that he's doing the right thing. At the school, he quickly makes friends with one of his room mates, the son of an important military officer - a sensitive guy who prefers poetry over sports, a 'weakling' in his father's eyes.

It not an easy movie to watch, sometimes painfully intense in a way that reminded me of The Pianist. It's not the general theme, but rather the emotion connection with the characters, which made it impossible to remain unmoved by their suffering.

It's also one of these movies when you don't know whether the subtext comes with the 'slash-colored glasses' or whether it is intentional. I was inclined to say "Oh, well, it's just very slashy." until that scene near the end when the two boys fight only to fall into each others' arms, sobbing and clinging to one another.

I recently read a very good review on Napola in a gay magazine. Apologies to the English-speaking folks out there - it's in German:

Muss das sein?
„Napola“: großes schwules Kino oder „Ben Hur Teil 2“

„Napola“ ist ein guter Film, mit einem Pferdefuß. Die Geschichte vom Boxer Friedrich und vom Gauleitersohn Albrecht, die sich in einer „nationalpolitischen Erziehungsanstalt“ kennen und lieben lernen, ist wunderbar besetzt, toll ausgestattet, hat ein preisgekröntes Drehbuch und ein „Titanic“-Ende vom Allerfeinsten, inklusive Geliebtem, der tot ins wässrige Dunkel gleitet, und „Neeeiiiin!“-Geschrei in Slow Motion. Großes schwules Kino. Oder nicht? Der Kritiker ist sich immer noch nicht sicher, stellt aber mal folgende Fragen:

Kann man(n) 2004 unbeabsichtigt einen schwulen Film drehen? Oder will es jetzt einfach niemand gewesen sein? Denken Autoren und Regisseure, die sich für die Story mit Männerbünden im „Dritten Reich“ beschäftigt haben müssen, also zwangsläufig auch mit den Homogründern von SA und HJ und deren Ästhetik, nicht so weit? Kann man die von Homoerotik triefende Bildsprache von Riefenstahl und Co., inklusive der heroischen Musik, einfach kommentarlos übernehmen, ohne sich mal zu überlegen, wie das auf die Zuschauer wirken muss, wenn man es nicht als verherrlichend lesen will? Wie spielen Tom Schilling und Max Riemelt (immerhin zwei von Deutschlands richtig guten jungen Mimen) Jungs, die sich ineinander verlieben, ohne das zu wollen? Merkwürdig das alles.

Vielleicht ist „Napola“ wirklich einer der Fälle, in denen die Beteiligten gar nicht wussten, was sie da drehen oder spielen, wie bei „Ben Hur“ seinerzeit. Dann ist der Film allerdings ein heterosexuell-filmhistorischer Totalschaden, denn wir schreiben 2005, nicht 1959.
Paul Schulz

Current Mood: touched

Enfants de l'orage

Fandom: The Phantom of the Opera
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Wounded and on the run, Erik turns to the only refuge he knows.
Disclaimer: The characters used in the fic are not mine and remain property of their rightful owners. No money was made, and no copyright infringement was intended.

Current Mood: sore

So, I'm just reading the third book of Conn Iggulden's Emperor series, The Field of Swords. And, you know, there was that paragraph that absolutely killed me.

Julius (Caesar, that is) has an affair with Marcus Brutus' mother; and Marcus finds out about this by walking in on them. He storms out, furious; and when Julius is about to go after him, Servilia warns him to be careful and not fight with Marcus.

And Julius tells her, "He'd never hurt me."

Totally broke my heart. Because this series has always been about Julius and Marcus and their friendship, starting from when they were children. And even though that's still almost two books away, we all know how it is going to end and how wrong Julius is when he thinks that his childhood friend, his blood brother, would never hurt him.

Current Mood: pensive

The Phantom of the Opera totally ate my brain. I thought I would like it, but then I saw it on Friday (the English original, not the dubbed version) and am getting all obsessed with it. There were so many things I was going to do today (including some things that needed to be done), but instead, I spent all day looking for Phantom screencaps and fanfiction. Admittedly, coming across those rumors about Gerard Butler's sexuality didn't help one bit to get my concentration back on more important things either.

I'm probably covered all over in bite marks the plot bunnies left on me.

I wish someone would write decent Erik/Christine/Raoul post-movie fiction. Or even Erik/Raoul. (Because, that scene where Erik ties Raoul to the gate? *makes incoherent sounds*)

Talking about Raoul: Patrick Wilson looks like a hybrid of Cole Hauser and Jesper Tydén; and he makes me like Raoul, which should be illegal. Raoul is supposed to be dull and boring, like Marius (Sorry, Amy!), not jump-his-bones-hot.

Also, I want to bash Pacey's and Dawson's heads together and make them shag be friends again. I hate season four. Unfortunately, there's nothing else to do until the season five DVDs will be out (which, unfortunately, looks like it's not going to happen anytime soon). Except obsessing about the Phantom, of course.

Current Mood: sleepy

So suddenly, last night, this popped out of my keyboard. Nothing I planned to write. But honestly? I like this more than anything else I've written in months. Because it came out just like I wanted to; and unlike everything else I've done lately the writing is as important as the content.

Title: THE NAKED NOW
Fandom: Dawson's Creek
Rating: G
Pairing: Pacey/Joey, Dawson/Joey
Summary: The future is an undiscovered country.
Disclaimer: The characters used in the fic are not mine and remain property of their rightful owners. No money was made, and no copyright infringement was intended.

( Read more... )

Completely and utterly unrelated - why did no one tell me about this? The Last Unicorn as a non-animated movie? *squees*

Current Mood: pleased

Dear Oliver Stone,

the next time you want to make a three-hour-movie, please, don't. I know you directed Platoon and a bunch of other really good movies, but right now I just hate you very much.

Mind you, you have a talent for characterization, and I really liked how you portrayed the relationship of Alexander and Hephaistion. But all those endless, drawn-out fight scenes? Ptolemy's boring historic voice-over discourses? Alexander's pseudo-heroic speeches? The way you create suspense and draw it out, only to drop the relevant plot in two sentences? The awkward pacing? The odd leaps in the timeline? Just, no.

Alexander could have been a fantastic movie, or at least a good one. Instead, it bored me to death. Hell, I liked Troy better; and that's saying a lot.

No love,
me.

Current Mood: disappointed

Hello world. Yes, I'm still alive. I will do a proper entry tomorrow, but right now, just some media musings.

Nip/Tuck:

Only saw the pilot and the first episode so far. Intriguing. I can see the slash potential everyone is raving about, but with all that palpable, sexual tension between Julia and Christian, I think this is going to be one of the (few) shows where I'm biased towards the het couple. I don't think that's going to change unless Sean undergoes a personality transplantation. Because, dude, he's an ass. (And, you know, not in the attractive way.) I had to refrain myself from dragging him out of the screen and banging his head against a wall all through the pilot; and it didn't get much better in the next episode.

Verschollen:

(Up to ep 14, Sternenkinder.) Thank God they're back to some more interesting story lines. Frankly, I don't care much if the marriage of Jörg and Bianca goes down the drain. I didn't even find the bits about Sascha and Nils particularly interesting. So basically, Sascha is an angry teenager who can't come to terms with his homosexuality? Hardly Nils' fault. But while I enjoy seeing more of Leon, Simon and Clara, I don't like the way they are going with that. If Leon and Clara end up together, it's going to break Simon's heart. The look in his eyes when he watched his pregnant ex-fiancée hugging and kissing his brother at the end of last night's ep? Shattered. Even Claudia felt sorry for him. (Hmm. Claudia/Simon, anyone?) Simon fascinates me, anyhow. He's not exactly a likable character, flawed, vicious, but it's easy to se how he got there. I would like to see more of him, actually.
Also, I wish someone would write Verschollen fanfiction.

Lost:

(Only up to ep 3 so far.) I vow never to call Verschollen a Lost clone anymore. The premise is the same, but it's amazing how different you can make a show. In Verschollen, it doesn't matter much that they're stranded on an unknown island. They might as well be locked up in a skyscraper in New York. The show is merely focusing on the characters and how people who are so different have to get along and live together. Alas, it doesn't matter that the setting looks completely artificial. Lost feels so much more real where the crash and its after-effects are concerned. It will take me a bit longer to warm up to the characters, though. I rather like Kate, Jack and Sawyer already, but so far, none of the others seems particularly interesting.

Brotherhood of the Wolf:

Why isn't there tons of slash for this? Or, any slash at all? All those casual touches between Grégoire and Thomas, the way they seemed to take each other's presence for granted... The bond between Grégoire and Mani. Mani feeding Thomas. So many possibilities, no fic. *sighs*
I enjoyed the movie even beyond the slashy bits. Very interesting plot, good atmosphere, great characters. And the ending had me in tears.

Need to see Phantom of the Opera, Alexander and Napola in the movie theatre when I get back to Berlin next week.

Current Mood: okay

I'm currently reading Joseph Finder's latest novel, Paranoia, and I'm totally caught up in it. It was way past 2 a.m. tonight when I could finally tear myself away from it and switch off the light.

I like Finder's writing style - not like I love Bret Easton Ellis', but it just... flows. And so far, the book is doing amazingly well in keeping me on the edge, even when industrial espionage is usually not a topic I find particularly thrilling.

Having said that, it looks like 2005 is going to be an interesting year where literature is concerned. In the first days of January, the third book of Conn Iggulden's Emperor series, The Field of Swords, is released. Then on July 16, as everyone will probably have heard by now, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be out.

And, most importantly, Bret Easton Ellis is going to publish a new novel called Lunar Park either in spring or in October (Don't you love it when they can put the release date down so exactly?), according to http://notanexit.net.

Current Mood: hyper

Because apparently, I have nothing better to do, I'm being a sheep and do the lyrics thing everyone on my friends list seems to be doing.

The rules (which I didn't exactly follow, as I don't have a playlist, much less one I can put on random, but never mind):

Step 1: Get your playlist together, put it on random, and play!
Step 2: Pick some lines from the first 25 songs that play!
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song the lines come from!
Step 4: Cross out the songs when someone guesses correctly!

PS. No cheating and pasting the lyrics into a search engine.

1. If I look hard enough into the setting sun, my love will laugh with me before the morning comes
2. Is your life just one more lie? - "Drink With Me", Les Misérables [diagon]
3. Tell me what is this thing that I feel like I'm missing and why can't I let it go? - "More to Life", Stacie Orrico [slippery_fish]
4. I will cry for you, I will wash away your pain with all my tears and drown your fear - "#1 Crush", Garbage [meadowlion]
5. Is the love I gave her in the past gonna be enough to last - "If Tomorrow Never Comes", Garth Brooks [diagon]
6. Ich will Dich erst wenn Du mich willst, erst wenn Du mich erkennst soll deine Seele mich berühren
7. My shaving razor's cold and it stings - "Daydream Believer", The Monkeys [rahalia_cat]
8. My power over you grows stronger yet - "The Phantom of the Opera" [diagon]
9. With love we sleep, with doubt the vicious circle turns, and burns
10. They would not listen, they did not know how - perhaps they'll listen now. - "Vincent", Don McLean [diagon]
11. I'm still learning things I ought to know by now - "You're a God", Vertical Horizon [meadowlion]
12. When I dream on my own, I'm alone but I ain't lonely - "Santa Fé", Christian Bale [meadowlion]
13. Maybe I've been here before; I know this room, I walked this floor - "Hallelujah", Rufus Wainwright / Leonard Cohen / Jeff Buckley [slippery_fish]
14. All alone I have cried silent tears full of pride in a world made of steel, made of stone. - "What a Feeling", Irene Cara [icie]
15. We'll crucify the insincere tonight - "Tonight", Smashing Pumpkins [diagon]
16. It's easier to leave than to be left behind - "Leaving New York", R.E.M. [rahalia_cat]
17. I may appear to be free but I'm just a prisoner of your love - "I Try", Macy Gray [meadowlion]
18. And school's out early and soon we'll be learning, and the lesson today is how to die. - "I Don't Like Mondays", The Boomtown Rats [rahalia_cat]
19. I am reaching but I fall. - "Javert's Suicide" / "What Have I Done", Les Misérables [diagon / [meadowlion]
20. I'm sworn to independence, my heart is made of stone
21. I've been to pretty buildings, all in search of you; I have lit all the candles, sat in all the pews - "The Distance", Live [meadowlion]
22. We need a more permanent solution to our problem. - "This Jesus Must Die", Jesus Christ Superstar [lixia84]
23. Time will bring you more than truth
24. Sometimes I feel like my only friend is the city I live in - "Under The Bridge", Red Hot Chilli Peppers [diagon]
25. Even heroes have the right to bleed - "Superman", Five For Fighting [slippery_fish]

Some should be very easy for some people, others... not. Happy guessing!

Current Mood: sleepy

So, I taped that The Ring of the Nibelungs (aka "Kingdom in Twilight", aka "Sword of Xanten") two-partner that was on TV the other week, and watched it tonight with my mum.

Never mind that the movie totally sucks. But. Julian Sands. Julian Sands being all dark and sinister and charismatic, looking a lot younger than when he did the Phantom or even Impromptu. *makes incoherent noises*

Also, Giselher is fanboy-ing all over Siegfried, and the whole movie is just hilarious (rather unintentionally, I assume). I'm under the impression, Fürmann (Siegfried) is totally taking the piss.

Did I mention Julian Sands yet? (Can't seem find any decent pics that do him justice. Oh. But look!, there's an official (!) Hagen/Siegfried slash wallpaper. *stares dreamily at Julian*)

Current Mood: silly

On Christmas Day at 5.15, BBC2 is airing Music at the Movies - Lesley Garrett in concert with special guests Ruthie Henshall & Michael McCarthy [insert swooning here] recorded at Temple Newsam Park in Leeds in July 2004.

Could anyone of you people please record it for me? Will cover the tape and shipping cost and everything, of course. *does the puppy dog eyes thing*

Current Mood: anxious