Meljean Brook » Movies and TV

The path paved to Hell and all…

meljean — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:39:30 +0000

Despite my good intentions, I already screwed up my limerick Saturdays. So it’s coming on Sunday, instead, and is about a new television show that I slipped in between other pieces of the weekend because I like the leads and was curious (and because it’s hard to resist a one-star review on Amazon Instant Video. I always wonder Is it really that bad?) Anyway:

A new show on FX called American Horror Story
Is a ‘psychosexual thriller’ instead of really gory
I laughed as he stroked/wept
and said double-yew tee eff
And of course I’ll be back next week for more-y.

Okay, that was really bad. I never guaranteed anything! Anyway, I’m not really sure what to think of the show, except that it’s totally OTT and fun in a totally effed up way. Did anyone else watch it?

The Return of Tigh’s Eye!! (Smallville Spoilers)

meljean — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 01:29:00 +0000

So, I re-watched a bunch of BSG episodes while I was drugged, and once again I was struck by how Colonel Tigh’s eye did more work than many other full-bodied actors. And I was pleased and surprised to see Michael Hogan playing Slade Wilson in last night’s Smallville episode … though his character wasn’t exactly like the Slade Wilson I know and love. Not that I care — no one on Smallville is like their comic-book counterpart — but it would have been nice if *something* had been similar.

Well, by the end of the episode I got my wish … and it was like a total BSG fan-service moment at the same time. Check it out:

The Return of Tigh's Eye!

Ha ha! I can’t wait to see the acrobatics his eye performs in the “Icarus” episode. Whee!

(Yes, I’m still watching Smallville. Yes, I’m ashamed!)

Free steampunk reads, two Q&As, and a little dance.

meljean — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:36:42 +0000

Yesterday in the comments, jmc reminded me of an upcoming m/m steampunk romance from Carina Press, Island of Icarus by Christine Danse. I’ve invited her to come over and tell us more about it closer to the release date, but until them, she also has released a few (FREE!) erotic steampunk short stories over at Smashwords: That Dratted Affair with the Dream Engine and Regarding the Events of One Sherlock’s Scandalous St. Valentine’s Day.

I also have a few Q&A’s about the Iron Seas up around the internet today: Over The Edge Book Reviews asked me some Proustian questions (and is also having a giveaway), and we’re talking about Strong women, hot pirates and zombies over at the Vampire Book Club.

And finally, I can’t even remember why I looked this up yesterday, but it’s been STUCK IN MY HEAD ever since. I’m here to share the pain (or joy. I’m really not sure which it is. I do remember thinking that this was the coolest thing ever the first time I saw the movie, and might have tried to recreate the scene in a barn once or twice or thirty times.)

Animated Shorts

meljean — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 07:27:05 +0000

One of the things that I love most about YouTube is how many digital animation schools and small studios put up their animated shorts. Like short stories, they can be a quick pick-me-up (or downer, depending on the story), but most are well made with fantastic soundtracks, and the perfect length for when I’m waiting in the car after school or stuck with my phone somewhere for a few minutes. Some, I bookmark for my daughter.

Like these cute ones:

Not all of them are suitable for a seven-year-old, though, either because of the violent/mature/horrific content

Or they are really freaking sad

Worst Cliffhanger Ending Ever

meljean — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 03:21:54 +0000

I forgot to mention earlier that I have a guest blog over at RhiReading, all about getting superheroes out of their spandex (and on never-ending series, and whether to model a romance series after a comic book serial).

I noticed that Netflix has the Dark Shadows (1991) series online. I won’t watch it, because I’m still traumatized by the cliffhanger left by the series cancellation. Fourteen years old, and I needed to know what Victoria would say to Barnabas Collins … and we never found out.

THE PAIN! *sob*

The other part of the pain was that I followed Joanna Going to several other shows and movies after that … not all of them were good (Children of the Dust).

(I have a sad history of following actresses after I’ve seen something cheesy-but-comic-booky on TV. Famke Janssen? Yeah. I wish I could say that I loved her after GoldenEye (she squeezed a guy to death with her thighs!) or even X-Men, but it was a movie called Model by Day instead, where she played a vigilante model named Lady X.

Lady X is a woman who works during the day as a model but turns into a fighter for justice at night with the help of her karate master Chang.

Yeah. And that’s probably all the description necessary. I do think it was a better movie than Catwoman, though. Not that that’s really saying anything.)

The Spoiler-Free Project Runway Post, featuring Jean-Luc Picard

meljean — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 07:26:02 +0000

*to avoid spoilers, all commentary is in the comment section*

THE COMMENTS ARE NOT SPOILER-FREE.

More steampunk (and one Victorian-inspired TV show)

meljean — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:14:51 +0000

Tor.com is current in the middle of their steampunk fortnight. It includes short stories, blog posts regarding different aspects of the genre, reviews, and more.

Also, @janoda on Twitter pointed out that there are more steampunk romances listed here (Goodreads link), including some that I don’t have on the steampunk romance week roundup.

And did anyone else watch the “Sherlock” premiere, recently aired in the U.S. this past weekend? How fun was that? (“Too fun,” I say.)

My two must-see movies this fall:

meljean — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 18:11:59 +0000

One of my favorite horror novellas is Stephen King’s “The Mist” — and although I love the whole story, the part that stuck with me the most was this bit toward the end, when the characters are on the road, and they get a glimpse of … something. A monster so huge, it’s indescribable and awesome in every sense of the word. And because of that, I always wanted a story or a movie that told us: What came next? What the hell was out there? This isn’t that story, but it’s the closest thing I’ve seen to it so far.

And although I wasn’t totally bowled over by the “Let The Right One In” film adaptation (I think the hype made my expectations too high), I did enjoy it a lot. So I’m really curious about how they will handle the American re-make. I don’t expect it to follow the book or the other movie faithfully, so I’ll try not to compare or base my expectations on those, but let it stand alone.

Even Netflix knows I’m a dork

meljean — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:27:54 +0000

click to embiggen

I’m not sure what is worse: the movies … or that I’ve seen three of them (Conan, Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus*, and Batman Returns) and enjoy them all in their own special way.

Actually, okay — I enjoy Batman Returns on a lot of levels. I don’t know what to say about Mega Shark & Giant Octopus, except that the trailer got me and wouldn’t let me go.

…aaaaaaand the trailer was also the best part of the movie. After repeated viewings (of the trailer; I could only watch the movie once) I still can’t decide which is more awesome: the tentacle whipping the plane out of the sky, or the shark chomping on the Golden Gate Bridge. All I know is that the world was a dark and lonely place until the brilliance of that trailer shone its light from a million laptops worldwide.

*no relation to the same things in the Iron Seas, I swear (although it would be funny as hell if they were.)

That sweet uncanny valley

meljean — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 03:31:41 +0000

So I came into the middle of Beowulf (2007), and was trying very, very hard to get past the uncanny valley to decide whether I’d like the movie or not. Then, Beowulf took the offer that Grendel’s mother gave him.

For a second, I thought about twittering a billion WTF?s! What is THIS??? Then I realized…

Hold me, Mommy!

If Grendel’s mother looked like A. Jolie and made me the same offer, I wouldn’t say no, either. So the movie might not be any Beowulf that I know, but at least it’s not unbelievable. If he’d turned her down, THAT would have been unbelievable

But I stopped watching after that, anyway.