It's Time...
Apr. 14th, 2007 08:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
athersgeoThis is liable to be a long and somewhat rambly entry - for which I apologise. Hopefully, there'll be a little bit of something for everyone in it!
Writing...I can't say I've done a great deal of this in the last few weeks. I've started one or two things, but nothing seems to want to be finished - which is mildly annoying. Actually, it's a bit more than "mildly" annoying, seeing as I have a TMA up-coming (to say nothing of a tutorial piece to write too) which will HAVE to be what I focus on for the next couple of weeks.
Meh.
In my favour, I have finished the third draft of A Chinese Adventure which means I'll be submitting it very, very soon - which is more than a little nervewracking. I'm reasonably confident that they story's good, but what I'm not sure about is whether it's good *enough*. And it may be that it's not something that anyone's going to be all that interested in. After all, I can think of plenty of reasons why EBD never wrote this particular story!
I think, writing-wise, my plan for this month is to see how I do with the TMA (which I'll be making a start on tomorrow, most likely) and then see what's left of the month after that. This TMA is particularly important because it's worth 40% of the overall continuous assessment mark and I want to try and get as much of that 40% as possible - so that I'm NOT having to rely on my poetry grade. A poet I'm most definitely not!
Suffering with a complete mental "gaaaa" fit last Sunday, I decided that what I really needed to do was take a break and do something mindless - and The Holiday fitted beautifully. It's not a complicated film, but it is a rather sweet and very endearing film.
You have Kate Winslet as the English journalist who's discovered her on again off again lover is getting married to someone else. You have Cameron Diaz as the neurotic Hollywood editor whose boyfriend's been cheating on her with his secretary. You have Jack Black as a sensitive (!) film composer. You have Jude Law as a widower father of two.
It doesn't really sound like a recipie for a good story, but it works out rather well. There is actually chemistry between the characters; all four actors are good and I have to say, Jack Black was probably best of the lot. His character was sweet and funny and the sort of guy any girl would be nuts to let go of and JB plays him perfectly.
I could pick a few nits out (like: How the hell did Kate Winslet get to Rose Cottage by freaking *BUS*?!) but it would be a bit churlish because it's just too sweet a film to really complain about. All in all, if you want a pick-me-up feel-good film and you haven't seen it, go see The Holiday. You will end up smiling :)
I've been watching really rather a lot of DS9 lately. I have, in fact, watched pretty nearly all of seasons 1-3 and I'm making my way through season 4 right now. At this point, I can't help but draw a few comparisons between B5 and DS9. I mean; they're both sci-fi shows set on space stations. They're both shows that deal with a war and corrupt political figures. They're both shows that like to try and ask the hard questions of the viewers.
The one thing that's struck me about DS9 is that it's much less of an ensemble piece than B5. In B5 (based on having seen seasons 1 and 2 completely and having seen bits and pieces from later in the timeline), it's unusual to have an episode that doesn't feature all of the main cast in a decent sized role, where as on DS9 you can go several episdes without seeing one or more of the featured characters - and while it's one thing for the doctor or the chief engineer not to have a role, it's a little bit on the weird side to basically reduce DS9's captain to a cyper! I can't think of a single TNG episode where Picard was a cyper and nor can I think of an episode of Voyager where Janeway didn't have any major part to play. I suspect the same thing applies to TOS with Kirk, but I've not seen enough episodes of that to be sure.
The irony is that some of the best episodes of DS9 are when Sisko's role is reduced. I'm not quite sure what this says about DS9 - or about the character of Sisko.
The one major flaw - for me - in DS9 is that the over arcing story moves slower than a snail on valium. The Jem Hadar were introduced at the end of season 2 and everyone keeps saying how ruthless and unforgiving they are but I've yet to see any proof of that! The Dominion are supposed to be a real threat...but, again, there hasn't really (barring one two-part episode in season 3) been anything to substanciate that.
Compared to that, the Shadow War in B5 happens at a positively rocket powered pace. I know some of that is due to the series being shorter - B5 being five seasons, compared to DS9's seven seasons - but some of that is also due to a much better sense of pacing.
And having just said that, the one thing that's apparent from watching DS9 through from the beginning is that contrary to my initial thoughts when I watched the show on first run, the Dominion storyline doesn't come entirely out of the blue at the end of season two. There are little hints and shadowings woven in much, much earlier.
On the character front, though, DS9 wins hands down. That's not to say I dislike any of the B5 characters; I just like the DS9 characters more. For one thing - and this comes back to what I said about the show being much less ensemble than B5 - there are far, far more of them. There is actually a feeling that DS9 really *IS* peopled by the thousands they say it is because there are so many of them that get screen time and lines and/or characterisation. I have to do the and/or there because one of the best incidental characters on DS9 is Mourn who sits at Quark's bar for all seven seasons and even gets an episode devoted to him - all without ever once getting a line! Compared to B5, where you mainly just get to see the command crew plus a cast of extras, which almost feels like it's only peopled by a bunch of mutes...
On a season by season basis, my feeling so far for DS9 is that either season 2 or season 3 is the strongest. I enjoyed season 1 but it was the "getting to know you" season and, as such, is very, very episodic. Each story is just one episode long and there's no particular continuty between them. Season 2 and Season 3, by contrast, have several two and three part stories which lets the story develop much better. Season 4...I'm not at all sure about. This was about the point I stopped watching DS9 when it was first on for a number of different reasons - but I think boredom could well have been one! There are good episodes in there (Homefront/Paradise Lost is particularly powerful and aposite just now while Indiscretions/Return to Grace are two episodes that really give Kira and Dukat a chance to spark) but there are some pretty blah episodes too (Crossfire left me thinking "OK so the story was...what? Kira replaced by a pod person?").
B5, by comparison, always has the sense that each episode builds on what went on before, if not directly then indirectly. I don't know if that remains true through the rest of the series, but it's certainly the case for seasons 1 and 2.
Overall, I don't have any strong feelings about preferring one over the other. DS9 is much easier to dip in and out of. B5 probably has more of the better writing. I guess, overall, then, I like them both - which is probably tantamount to heresay in the eyes of many sci-fi fans!
So there you go.
I've now got to go out and do some work banking, pay my cc bill (oh joy; oh 'arpiness) and try to track down some decent but cheap summer shoes. This may all be harder than you'd think...
Writing...I can't say I've done a great deal of this in the last few weeks. I've started one or two things, but nothing seems to want to be finished - which is mildly annoying. Actually, it's a bit more than "mildly" annoying, seeing as I have a TMA up-coming (to say nothing of a tutorial piece to write too) which will HAVE to be what I focus on for the next couple of weeks.
Meh.
In my favour, I have finished the third draft of A Chinese Adventure which means I'll be submitting it very, very soon - which is more than a little nervewracking. I'm reasonably confident that they story's good, but what I'm not sure about is whether it's good *enough*. And it may be that it's not something that anyone's going to be all that interested in. After all, I can think of plenty of reasons why EBD never wrote this particular story!
I think, writing-wise, my plan for this month is to see how I do with the TMA (which I'll be making a start on tomorrow, most likely) and then see what's left of the month after that. This TMA is particularly important because it's worth 40% of the overall continuous assessment mark and I want to try and get as much of that 40% as possible - so that I'm NOT having to rely on my poetry grade. A poet I'm most definitely not!
Suffering with a complete mental "gaaaa" fit last Sunday, I decided that what I really needed to do was take a break and do something mindless - and The Holiday fitted beautifully. It's not a complicated film, but it is a rather sweet and very endearing film.
You have Kate Winslet as the English journalist who's discovered her on again off again lover is getting married to someone else. You have Cameron Diaz as the neurotic Hollywood editor whose boyfriend's been cheating on her with his secretary. You have Jack Black as a sensitive (!) film composer. You have Jude Law as a widower father of two.
It doesn't really sound like a recipie for a good story, but it works out rather well. There is actually chemistry between the characters; all four actors are good and I have to say, Jack Black was probably best of the lot. His character was sweet and funny and the sort of guy any girl would be nuts to let go of and JB plays him perfectly.
I could pick a few nits out (like: How the hell did Kate Winslet get to Rose Cottage by freaking *BUS*?!) but it would be a bit churlish because it's just too sweet a film to really complain about. All in all, if you want a pick-me-up feel-good film and you haven't seen it, go see The Holiday. You will end up smiling :)
I've been watching really rather a lot of DS9 lately. I have, in fact, watched pretty nearly all of seasons 1-3 and I'm making my way through season 4 right now. At this point, I can't help but draw a few comparisons between B5 and DS9. I mean; they're both sci-fi shows set on space stations. They're both shows that deal with a war and corrupt political figures. They're both shows that like to try and ask the hard questions of the viewers.
The one thing that's struck me about DS9 is that it's much less of an ensemble piece than B5. In B5 (based on having seen seasons 1 and 2 completely and having seen bits and pieces from later in the timeline), it's unusual to have an episode that doesn't feature all of the main cast in a decent sized role, where as on DS9 you can go several episdes without seeing one or more of the featured characters - and while it's one thing for the doctor or the chief engineer not to have a role, it's a little bit on the weird side to basically reduce DS9's captain to a cyper! I can't think of a single TNG episode where Picard was a cyper and nor can I think of an episode of Voyager where Janeway didn't have any major part to play. I suspect the same thing applies to TOS with Kirk, but I've not seen enough episodes of that to be sure.
The irony is that some of the best episodes of DS9 are when Sisko's role is reduced. I'm not quite sure what this says about DS9 - or about the character of Sisko.
The one major flaw - for me - in DS9 is that the over arcing story moves slower than a snail on valium. The Jem Hadar were introduced at the end of season 2 and everyone keeps saying how ruthless and unforgiving they are but I've yet to see any proof of that! The Dominion are supposed to be a real threat...but, again, there hasn't really (barring one two-part episode in season 3) been anything to substanciate that.
Compared to that, the Shadow War in B5 happens at a positively rocket powered pace. I know some of that is due to the series being shorter - B5 being five seasons, compared to DS9's seven seasons - but some of that is also due to a much better sense of pacing.
And having just said that, the one thing that's apparent from watching DS9 through from the beginning is that contrary to my initial thoughts when I watched the show on first run, the Dominion storyline doesn't come entirely out of the blue at the end of season two. There are little hints and shadowings woven in much, much earlier.
On the character front, though, DS9 wins hands down. That's not to say I dislike any of the B5 characters; I just like the DS9 characters more. For one thing - and this comes back to what I said about the show being much less ensemble than B5 - there are far, far more of them. There is actually a feeling that DS9 really *IS* peopled by the thousands they say it is because there are so many of them that get screen time and lines and/or characterisation. I have to do the and/or there because one of the best incidental characters on DS9 is Mourn who sits at Quark's bar for all seven seasons and even gets an episode devoted to him - all without ever once getting a line! Compared to B5, where you mainly just get to see the command crew plus a cast of extras, which almost feels like it's only peopled by a bunch of mutes...
On a season by season basis, my feeling so far for DS9 is that either season 2 or season 3 is the strongest. I enjoyed season 1 but it was the "getting to know you" season and, as such, is very, very episodic. Each story is just one episode long and there's no particular continuty between them. Season 2 and Season 3, by contrast, have several two and three part stories which lets the story develop much better. Season 4...I'm not at all sure about. This was about the point I stopped watching DS9 when it was first on for a number of different reasons - but I think boredom could well have been one! There are good episodes in there (Homefront/Paradise Lost is particularly powerful and aposite just now while Indiscretions/Return to Grace are two episodes that really give Kira and Dukat a chance to spark) but there are some pretty blah episodes too (Crossfire left me thinking "OK so the story was...what? Kira replaced by a pod person?").
B5, by comparison, always has the sense that each episode builds on what went on before, if not directly then indirectly. I don't know if that remains true through the rest of the series, but it's certainly the case for seasons 1 and 2.
Overall, I don't have any strong feelings about preferring one over the other. DS9 is much easier to dip in and out of. B5 probably has more of the better writing. I guess, overall, then, I like them both - which is probably tantamount to heresay in the eyes of many sci-fi fans!
So there you go.
I've now got to go out and do some work banking, pay my cc bill (oh joy; oh 'arpiness) and try to track down some decent but cheap summer shoes. This may all be harder than you'd think...
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-15 10:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-16 06:54 am (UTC)You're very, very welcome - thank *you* :)