Don't pick fights with the bullies or the cads
Hello, friends.
I write to you from a nest of blankets by the hearth, where I have taken up residence. It’s cold, and in a week where we’ve lost both David Bowie and Alan Rickman, seems a perfect place from whence to watch Sense & Sensibility.
A friend tweeted this earlier this week, and it’s been sticking with me.
Dog Thing
Annual terrible vet visit.
Mixed Media
I’ve been trying to see more movies this year–both current and older–and have been keeping a journal to record them.
It’s mostly Star Wars at the moment, and likely will continue to be, but I was determined to see Carol. I am always excited to see gay and lesbian stories being told, but there’s a terrible tradition in fiction and film of those stories ending tragically. I’m a baby, so I try not to seek out tragic stories overmuch. I was assured that was not the case with Carol.
And it is not. Carol is a film of stolen touches and lingering glances. It’s a movie where the act of writing a name in a datebook can be intimate.
It was filmed in 16mm, which was an unusual choice, but an excellent one. It lent the whole film a dreamy, grainy texture, which was perfect.
Both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are astoundingly good. There are heartbreaking moments, but as soon as the credits rolled, I realized I had a giant grin on my face. It’s that kind of movie, too. If it’s playing near you, I highly recommend it.
Also: I read The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley, and quite loved it. I’m hesitant to even mention the things I loved about it, because I went into it completely blind and the gradual discovery was delightful. It’s about a man who works as a telegrapher in the Home Office in Victorian England, who is given a very unusual watch, which subsequently saves his life. He seeks out the watchmaker, and from that point on everything in his life changes. There are fantasy elements, and a love story or two which snuck up on me. I read it mostly while listening to the Carol score (composed by Carter Burwell), and they pair very well. As you can see on my list up there, I watched Inside Llewyn Davis, a first for me, which was bleak but beautiful (and the music!). I watched all of the episodes available of The Expanse, which I wouldn’t call great, but I would call exactly the kind of Canadian sci-fi tv I enjoy. I listened to my favourite Bowie album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, a whole lot. Cried watching the Lazarus video.
I Read Comics for a Living
Almost without fail, in a week in which there is a new issue of Giant Days, Giant Days is going to be the best thing I read. Giant Days #10 featured the return of a high school friend of Esther’s (familiar if you’ve read John Allison’s previous webcomic, Scary-Go-Round, in which Esther was a character), Big Lindsay. Lindsay is notorious for wild nights and quickly has the whole gang scrambling to hide from/keep up with her. But her life isn’t what Esther thinks it is, and this issue does what this comic does at its best–pairs fun hijinks with sweet, heartfelt character moments.
Also good:
All-New Wolverine #4 features Laura and her clones visiting Doctor Strange (not a crossover so much as Marvel building interest for its upcoming film), and gives us fantastic character moments for all of the girls. Gabby has quickly become my favourite, and I hope we see more of her going forward. David Lopez’s art on this book is the best I’ve ever seen it.
Star Trek Starfleet Academy #2 this comic has figured out a way to balance the characters we know (Kirk & Uhura, mainly) and introduce a whole new class without one overtaking the other. I love the new kids, and the story so far (an inter-school tournament–a Star Trek Triwizard tournament, if you will) has been great.
A-Force #1 the first issue of the ongoing version of this book leans heavily on Singularity, a character introduced in the Secret Wars A-Force mini-series, who is cute as heck. It establishes that she remembers the Secret Wars universe–which no one else seems to–and plops her right down in the middle of the conflict between the Inhumans and everyone else.
Legend of Wonder Woman #1 it’s been pointed out that all-ages Wonder Woman titles tend to be retellings of her origin story–due to an assumption that a girl picking this up is necessarily reading her first comic? Perhaps, and while this is another origin story, it feels very fresh. The fact that it’s written and drawn by a woman is pretty fantastic (and still, sadly, far from the norm), too.
Anxiety Pyjamas
Fics I Shouted About
get drunk on the good life by magneticwave Star Wars TFA, Poe/Finn. This is pretty much my ideal Poe/Finn fic–one which does not ignore Rey’s importance to Finn, features Jess Pava, and has lots of detail about life in the Resistance. Magneticwave was one of my favourite Teen Wolf writers, back in the day, and I’m thrilled to see her here.
Throw Your Dreams Into Space by the_dala Star Wars TFA, Poe/Finn. Sometimes they get nightmares.
fighting vainly the old ennui by Fahye Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Phryne/Jack, AU. This is a fascinating AU, one where Phryne finds something else to occupy herself after moving back to Melbourne, but she and Jack still manage to cross paths.
ready for my close up, mr. dameron by AndreaLyn Star Wars TFA, Poe/Finn, movie star AU. The AUs have begun to roll in! Poe is a famous actor, Finn lives in a small town where Poe’s filming a new movie and is completely oblivious about all things pop culture. Poe saves him from a bad blind date, and things get adorable.
Lastly
Off the Clock: Space Opera Millennials and Their Grand Narratives by Austin Walker is a really great review of The Force Awakens, specifically looking at the new generation of characters and how they bring the Star Wars universe into the new millennium.
On Writing Flight of the Conchords’ ‘Bowie’s in Space’ by Jemaine Clement FoTC’s Jemaine reflects on the creation of their Bowie tribute song, and how Bowie informed and inspired both he and Bret.
My favourite Bowie obituary
Until next time, y’all.
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