10 Awesome things (part 2)

Ok, continuing my by no means exhaustive and in-no-particular-order list of things of things I think are cool…

The West Wing

Quite simply the best television I’ve ever seen, and I watch alot of television. I got the West Wing box set for christmas, and am nearing the end of series 2. One of the quotes on the box says something like “this is the white house, if run with diginity, honour and courage”. Maybe its adding to my evident support for Barack Obama, but watching this show really does give me a better idea about what the real principles were that America was founded on, and a clearer view of that it has and has still to achieve.  From a television perspective its more awesome till – the ensemble cast is pretty much flawless, each actor or actress playing their part perfectly and leaving no doubt in your mind as to their casting. I once described the west wing to someone as a show about very smart people saying very smart things at very high speed, so here’s a small example to finish off http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FScv89J6rro

Sundays

I used to hate Sundays. They were these long, boring, drawn out days where nothing would happen. I’d pace my house or go a walk, but couldnt ever be satisfied that I’d done something. Sometimes I’d be feeling rough from the night before so not only was I bored, I felt ill or tired. This past while though, I’ve gained a new appreciation for Sunday. Sunday is the day before you go back to work, so its good that its long and drawn out. Sunday is a day where nothing happens, so you can do whatever you want. This afternoon I watched the Breakfast Club (surprisingly good film) with my little sister, and then watched the West Wing.  Now I’m writing a blog, and later tonight I imagine I’ll read or go to my friends’ house. Then I’ll sleep. Sundays are long, and nothing has to happen. Sundays are great.

The Fear, when applied correctly

The fear I’m talking about is the one just short of mortal and physical danger. Its your heart on the line, your dignity, your respect. Its the feeling you get before you talk in front of a large group of strangers (or a small group of friends. its the fear you get at job interviews. I always remember it as the feeling I got before asking out a girl I liked. Its horrible, really horrible, but damn if it doesnt feel good to beat it. Not one girl ever said yes, but it felt good anyway, knowing I’d sone something that I didnt have to, but totally had to. Its not the biggest fear in the world, and its not the hardest to overcome. Its the kind of fear you choose to feel when you choose to do something personally risky. This fear is good, and nothing to be frightened of.

Quinn

Quinn is a mate of mine. A good mate actually. Just as I could have easily filled this blog with ten amazing songs or peices of music, I could just as easily fill it with ten awesome people I know, but I’m just gonna go with Quinn for now. Quinn and I are pretty different in alot of ways.I’m tall with blonde hair and pretty quiet, Quinn is shorter with dark hair and is brilliant socially. We dont go out one on one very often, and seem to have pretty different outlooks. Quinn is one of the friendliest guys I know. He’s honest and does his best, and he’s a good friend. I hope I’m not too different from him.

Proud Geeks

Comics are cool. Anime and manga is cool. Cosplayer? Awesome. Trekkie? Go for it. Film fan? Foreign film fan? Lets talk. Book geek? Stamp collector? Trainspotter? Ornithologist? You all rule. Take whatever it is you love, and shout about it. Write about it. People will read it. Hell, you’re reading this, arent you?

10 Awesome Things (part one)

I read this articletoday on the Herald website.  They asked their colunists and photographers for one thing that they thought made life worth living, and came up with a list of 25 things that make life great. Here are a few of mine, with a bit of explanation. I’d love to read yours too, so feel free to comment with a few!

In no particular order…

Music

An easy, obvious one, I grant you. But there’s a reason its obvious and easy. I could probably do ten different paragraphs on ten awesome songs that that would be enough for this entry, but I’ll condense it as much as is possible.  I think i did a blog entry on music a long while ago, before I failed spectacularly at updating. I just spent the last half hour looking up old songs I loved when I was younger, and ones I didn’t care much for when I was younger but love now.  Alot of people will talk about songs as being like a trigger, but I think they’re more like a bullet. Once fired, a song will go through your mind till it finds just the right point, the right neuron to fire and synapse to stimulate. Some pass right through unspectacularly, taking only a few minutes your life and hearing with them. Others though, others get stuck. One might get stuck in your arm, you get tense and clench a fist out of excitement or anger, a crescendo or drumbeat making your blood flow. One might hit your leg and make you want to run or dance. Some get your right between the eyes and have you thinking for hours, throwaway lyrics multiply in your head like philosophical bacteria until you’ve gotten a new slant on life from a few seconds of a single track. More songs than enough will hit your heart.

To Kill a Mockingbird

I know, going from the blanket heading of  “music” to an individual book isnt very generous to music, but like I said, I did a blog post on it so it gets less screen time. This list will probably be odd in that regard. Anyway, this book floors me. Its like a manual on courage and conviction and decency. I’ll never forget reading the last page of part two. Atticus is explaining to his son why he sent him to wait on a mean old woman who had no kind words to say for him. The old woman was dying, and Atticus’ reason for sending his son to see her every day will stick in my memory till I die. Go read it.

Superman

Yeah, you knew it was coming, what of it? My liking for Superman is practically a joke about me. A cliche and around number 3 on the list of “obvious things to know about Stephen”, missing the number 1 spot of “his name is stephen” and number two of “he is tall”. Someone asked me once why I spent so much damn money on comics. She could see much better ways to spend that money. To her, what I had just spent was a new belt. To me though, it was a number of things. Escapism for one. Part three of six for another.  But more than anything, it was hope. Naive, childish, brilliant hope, and wonder, and the belief for a period of time that I was the equal of any challenge in the world. How this fictional character grew to have that effect on me, I couldnt tell you. Dont care to investigate it too much to be honest. I could go into details about the portrayal of the character in the current comics. The moral fortitude, the grace, the iron will. When it comes down to it though, the only thing that matters is this – He’s the good guy. The ultimate good guy. And he stops the badguys. So the John Williams theme tune makes me stand taller and I kinda want a cape.  I like my glasses. I might even think it’d be kinda cool to be a journalist. The coolest thing for me is that I just want to be one of the good guys.

Coffee

Another obvious one if you know me well enough. I do love my coffee. Although I start my day with it, I’ve never really found it perks me up. I can drink coffee and night and sleep like a baby. No, the best thing about coffee for me is that its an excuse. An excuse to meet friends, or sit back in a comfortable chair or read or watch TV. A delicious excuse I grant you, but it wouldnt taste as good without the extras. Venti latte, no stress, little bit of comic reading and half an hour to myself. Marvellous.

Writing

I dont mean the physical act of pencil to paper. That actually gives me cramp in my hand. No, I mean the process. The moments where the ideas go off like fireworks in a firework factory next to a timber yard. Whn what you were tying to think of just unfolds in your head like its always been there and you finally get the little lightbulb above your head like in cartoons. The moments that keep you smiling for the rest of the day, because you know you got that line justright. Even when I do have to note it down, pushing past the hand cramp, there’s something great in seeing it in front of you, ink on paper. The ideas in your head pulled out and tied down. This is closely followed by the gut wrenching terror of someone actually reading what you’ve written. Aft er that comes either relief or redraft and with the really good critics, you get both. I love writing and I dont do it enough. Hassle me about that ok?

Ok, thats five done! I’ll post again soon with another five, in a clever plot to make sure I update twice in quick succession. I have Matt to thank for that one (thanks Matt)

And again, please comment with some of your favourite things!

Return

Ok, so operation “good blog” didnt start off so well, but that doesnt mean it has to stop. I made this decision when I started this blog that it wouldnt have anything to do with my life, just a bunch of musings, reviews and general geek chat. Then the occasional thoughtful thing crept in, like my last post. Trying to keep my life out of my blog is entirely pointless. Even if I just write reviews, I’m still putting across my personality, my views and my outlook, even if its not to do with my life directly.

Everything to do with this blog so far has been entirely indicative of my personality. I started with the best of intentions, just wanted to talk about my favourite things, keep myself hidden away from it. Then I started to think a little more than I intended, and we got some posts on suicide. Then I let my life get in the way of this, and it fell by the wayside. I imagine if I hadnt been so against posting things about my life then this blog would have been peppered with posts.

So I am making a change. In alot of things, but lets just focus on the blog for a moment. I’ll still do reviews and the like, rant about my geekish peeves and the state of society, but the blog will probably not be as dedicated to the reviews as before unless in special cases. I’ll try and post every week on something, and maybe include a few paragraphs at the bottom of some reviews of comics or tv shows or manga or anime or whatever. The bulk of my blog, I hope, will be of substance. be it about my life or just life or just something, I’ll just do my best to make it interesting for you.

Here it goes then, blog take two. If it first you dont succeed…..

TV reviews – Ashes to Ashes

                             

Ashes to Ashes is a Kudos Film and Television production in association with Monastic Productions for the BBC.

 Overview

Its 2008, and police psychologist DI Alex Drake has just been shot. Her life flashing before her eyes, she finds herself in 1981, weeks before the defining moment of her life – the death of her parents in a car bomb. As if that wasnt strange enough, she has full police ID and is expected by DCI Gene Hunt – a character she encountered in the case notes of a Sam Tyler. Believing herself to be a prisoner of her own mind, and using the characters described in Tyler’s notes to keep her brain active, Alex fights to gain control of her life and surroundings in this retroworld, hoping that if she can change things, control things, she can get home.

Analysis

A long time fan of the wonderful Life on Mars, I was expecting great things from its sequel. Unfortunately, while it clawed it back towards the series’ end, Ashes to Ashes came up short This can all be put down to one thing –  the lead characters.

Alex

Having Alex be the psychologist who worked on Sam’s case was a good move, and provides a plausable reason for her to be imagining Gene and the gang. However, that very plausability may actually be what worked against her most. The charm of Sam Tyler in Life on Mars was in that he honestly didnt know what was going on “am I mad, in a coma, or back in time?” Alex on the other hand has entirely figured out her circumstances – she has been shot, is dying, and is using the characters described in Sam Tyler’s notes to create a world for herself. Her certainty that everyone is a figment of her imagination makes her come off as cold and uncaring. There was just something not right about her calling everyone “contructs” or  “figments”. Also, we dont empathise with Alex like we did Sam. With Life on Mars we were as confused as the lead character, and saw everything through his eyes. With Ashes to Ashes we have no such empathy. Alex has it figured out, and we’re along for the ride. I know its unfair to keep comparing her to Sam Tyler, but it was going to happen. This isnt to say Alex doesnt have her moments – her saving of Shaz and teaching the team a thing or two about detection was brilliant (but yet again, from the Sam Tyler book of temporal frustration). Alex was at her best when she honestly didnt know what was going to happen to her - the vault scene with Gene for example, and that just proves  my point. Too much certainty takes away our empathy for what should have been a much better character.

Gene Hunt

Now, even when he’s not being done right, Gene Hunt is still, well, Gene Hunt. And thats good. The Gene we find in Ashes to Ashes has had some of the wind knocked out of him – his wife has left him, and his best friend has died. Now he’s quieter, more cynical (if thats possible). Now he’s….the hero? Hang on, hang on, the gene hunt who beat confessions out of innocent people and planted drugs, the Gene who has on more than one occasion threatened to kill a police officer and others, is now the last-minte-save cowboy hero? I could believe it, I honestly could. But the writers didnt try to make me. One explanation could just be that Gene has moved with the times, flashes of his former self seen here and there, but becoming more and more the civilised policeman of the 1980s. No, thank you. However, that is all we are offered, and not even in as many words. Gene is different, time has passed. All it would have taken was perhaps one conversation….”sam tyler never described you like this”…”I wasnt like this till  he was gone”. two sentences could have given us  genuine reasons for the differences in Gene, but instead the audience is either being left to its own conclusions, or just expected to accept that this is how he is now. The writers could have turned their loss – no Sam/gene double act, no Sam as concience etc – to their gain to give Gene some REAL character stuff, but instead it seems like they’ve bought into the character’s own hype and made Gene a victim of his own success, like Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Still, being Gene Hunt, he’s still the best character in the show. Good thing….?

Chris and Ray

Much the same story as with Gene, the changes in the two characters arent really explained, when a simple reference here or there to Sam, and the influence he had in them in Life on mars, could have left many viewers quite happy. I know the writers wanted to steer away from constant links to Life on Mars, but that shouldnt extent to changing characters, or stunting character development for the sole reason of not referencing the source material. Summary? Ray is nicer, Chris is still stupid. One evolved (a tiny bit), one didnt.

Shaz

She’s no Annie, but I loved her anyway. Shaz was exactly the kind of character the show needed – exemplary of the changes going on in the 80s, both socially and within the police force. She may have ran after a criminal for no good reason near the end of the series, but I put that down to pilot error and not the character being innately stupid. Shaz was smart, sweet, and tried her best, especially when confronted by Gene and the boys. I really hope they give her more to do, like they did with Annie in Life on Mars. I actually think our 70s policewoman had more duties than the 80s equivalent! Her relationship with Chris was played very well, and I can only hope she serves to smarten him up a bit in future series of the show.

the 1980s

80s london is a very different place compared to 70s Manchester! This aspect of the show, I think worked really well. The music, fashion and even the decor were all pitch perfect (says the 90s child), and the Miami Vice feel given to the show was just fantastic (Gene Hunt on a speedboat, anyone?)

Theories

Let the wild speculation begin. Its pretty evident from the exposition and the title that Alex’s life is flashing before her eyes, but does the retroworld have deeper meanings beyond that? Firstly we have Gene Hunt, the Mancs Lion. Present in the “delusions” of both Sam and Alex, he is the logical start point. Why him? In Sam’s series, Gene was the dark spectre of 70s policing, and of Sam’s entire world. Everything went through Gene. He wasnt all  bad of course, but he challanged Sam and all he knew. Sam worked on evidence, Gene on gut feeling. Sam on proceedure, Gene on…well, gut feeling. However in Ashes to Ashes, Gene isnt so much the centre of Alex’s world, but rather its saviour. Its safe to say that Alex’s world revolves around her parents and godfather, but when all of it is put in danger it is, more often than not, Gene Hunt who steps in to save her. This leads me to think that Gene is more than just a figment of Sam and Alex’s imagination, but more of a defence mechanism. In his coma, Sam needed to keep his mind active, and as such was met with the challanging Gene Hunt. He was also given the nudge he needed to move slightly away from cold hard evidence, and listen to his instincts more. For Alex in Ashes to Ashes, Gene is saving her, possibly literally. He challanges her, yes, but he supports her, and may just be what stops the bullet killing her. What Alex needs, even more than Sam, is quite simply not to die, and Gene Hunt is her real life support.

Other fun thories include – The (mancs) Lion, the Witch (alex) and the “wardrobe”, Peter Pan – Alex’s dad is played by the guy who plays Pierrot the clown, just like Wendy’s father/Caption Hook in theatre productions of Peter Pan. Alex is the girl taken away to neverland by the “lost boys”…

Verdict

Overall….not great. B-. The first episode was a good start, but the follwing four were disappointing. Episode 5 however, was fantastic. With story elements similar to - you guessed it – Life on Mars, I really felt like it was a sequel. Also, Gene saving Alex to Ultravox’s Vienna, after a slow motion shot of his bullet shattering glass was just fantastic, as good as any Life on Mars moment. The final two episodes were very well done, and the twist ending of the finale makes me think that Ashes to Ashes may not be ready for a funeral just yet…

S

Chapter 1, in which introductions are made and intentions declared

Hi, thanks for checking out the blog. As this is the first one, I’m just going to introduce myself and then run through the format I hope to follow for each blog after this.

My name is Stephen, I’m 22 and live in Port Glasgow, Scotland. I’m between places right now. Uni is done, and something else hasnt started. I do admin work for an agency and write when I get the chance. I’m your general all-purpose geek – comic books, sci-fi, films and TV, anime and manga etc –  however, I function in society. I love my music, and have a weird thing about the sky.  I want to experience more than I have so far in a shorter space of time, and do it on my terms.

I’ll post at least once a week, with some reviews of things I’ve read, listened to or watched etc. This will be at least one comic  book every week, and anything else from music to films or tv shows, art etc. I’ll post at least once every fortnight on something that isnt review related. A digital display of some thought thats been rattling about in my head. Maybe I’ll rant about current events, or give an opinion on politics. Maybe I’ll say that dogs are worse than cats or that I really have a grudge against bees. I’ll say something I’ve thought of all by myself, and not just review something that I havent.  First review date will be within one week of today, and the first non-review blog withing two weeks of today.

I hope you’ll keep checking the blog and enjoy what you find here, and I’d love any comments you have on it. Dont be shy.

S