Now for updates, and my WARRIOR review

[la_belle_laide]

Now to catch up on everything else.

I never caught the stupid cat that killed my birds. It stayed trapped in the aviary, with a trap set for it with some food as bait. For three days, it didn't take the bait. The day of Bai Si, it somehow pushed the aviary door outwards and escaped. I still want to catch it because I still have birds in the yard. So I still have the trap, and I'm gonna set it somewhere under the bushes.

The day that it happened, I went into the aviary to take the birds' bodies out and bury them. The entire time, the cat was hissing and growling at me. I couldn't leave them in there. I buried them just outside of the aviary and put up a bird feeder at the site. That day, all three of the released birds came back to the aviary and just stood there, looking at the cat. Birds are amazing, aren't they?

Also, I got a goldfish. I was never going to get one, because they can grow to 8 inches and you can't put any other fish in the tank (goldfishes make a lot of waste,) but then I thought, you know, I see all these people keeping these really hardy goldfish, and they're so pretty and cute and they live forever. So I got a tiny little calico one and I named him The Doctor. Now, by my Mom's suggestion, the tank is called The TARDIS. Which is so hilarious.

Speaking of Dr. Who, last night I watched the tenth episode of the third season, Blink. This is, I guess, the most famous Dr. Who episode, and with good reason. It's terrifying. I legitimately had nightmares all night, about the Weeping Angels. Seriously, the entire night. Which is awesome; it's been so long since I've seen something fantastic enough to give my nightmares. This inspired me to try to do a Weeping Angel costume for Halloween. Don't know if that's going to work out or not, but I'm going to try.

Speaking of watching awesome things, I saw Warrior the other night. It was only playing in Southampton, and only for a week, so I had to run out and grab it.

Now first, the things I didn't like. Let me just get this out of the way. I hate the role of women in most American martial arts movies. All they do (in most of them) is first: try to hold the man back. "I don't want you to fight! Wah!" And then they relent, and alternately hide their eyes and cheer. That honestly sums up the characterization of all women in most American martial arts films, and this one was no exception. That really, really irks me. I'd rather, in that case, if they left women out entirely, if they're just going to delegate us to the sidelines like that.

Secondly, the ending left me unsatisfied. I knew (we all did) that Brendan Conlon had to win the match and the five million bucks to save his house. But Tommy was going to use the money to support his best friend's war widow. What happened to her? Couldn't his brother have said "well, I beat you fair and square, but I don't need five million. Here's, like, half a million to give to your friend's widow so she can support her kids and keep her house, too." That's all I needed, just one line of acknowledgment.

And we never did find out if Tommy gets any justice from the lousy court martial. OMG, his story was so sad, his circumstances so dire, they had to take that into consideration. Again: just one line acknowledging that he wouldn't go to jail.


So, aside from those things, it was a really intense ride. I really liked the grappling too, because a lot of that is stuff we do in class as well. Grappling and anti-grappling, actually. They did a lot of the same exact take-downs and joint-locking that we learn. In fact, the one major arm lock that Brendan keeps doing is the one we always review in class.

Do I need to say how awesome Tom Hardy is? He's terrifying. He's actually got very few lines in this film, but he doesn't need a lot. He's just one of those actors that you can't stop watching because he's so unafraid. He doesn't care what he looks like, what you think of his character, if he's being judged. That's the best kind of acting. He just goes in and does his job, and it's 100% convincing. You forget you're watching Tom Hardy. He really is a forger.

His eyes are amazing. I'm not talking about "Oh he's so hot, he's got these big grey eyes" or anything like that. I'm talking about that thing that he does in every single movie when he's playing a scene that's any kind of cold, or distant, or angry. He's so menacing and predatory when he does that, and it gives me a shiver. I'd hate to be looked at in such a way.

Anyway, I realize its theater run is probably already over, but if you missed it, do catch it on DVD when it comes out. The performances were awesome.

All right, now I guess it's time to straighten the house a bit, clean the fish tanks (the TARDIS, I mean,) and dick around on the internet for the rest of the day.

Comments

[rhoda-rants.livejournal.com]

I don't even watch American martial arts movies anymore. Not for the rampant sexism, actually, but because the fight choreography is so comparatively laaaame. Once you discover Jackie Chan, there's really no going back.

If you want to see some legit, female ass-kicking, rent "Magnificent Warriors" with Michelle Yeoh. Hell, rent just about anything with Michelle Yeoh.

Also: BLINK! I love the Weeping Angels. They are the most terrifying creature of that entire universe.

[la-belle-laide.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh are basically the two people who got me into martial arts, I I know all about them. :)