The Freedom Song of the Jigsaw Girl

Non spoiler review: it was amazing. Great characterization, heart-felt story lines, tongue in cheek humor, and so many meta jokes that there was no way I caught them all. The animation took a bit of getting used to, and some people may not be able to adjust to some of it. I was worried I'd come out with a migraine, but thankfully my eyes seemed to have adjusted to it by the end and I seem to have avoided the headache. I hope that is the case, because I'd really like to watch this one again to try to catch all the details I missed this go round. Plus it really was that good.

The other thing I saw recently was She-Ra: Princesses of Power, which I ended up binge watching on New Years Eve. It was a lot of fun. I have fond (though incredibly fuzzy) memories of the original. Thankfully the fuzziness of my memories of the original series made it very easy to enjoy the reboot. All the nostalgia, but no "oh my gods they changed 'x'" rages. Plus I'm pretty sure this version has a much stronger plot (which isn't hard, the original was basically a half-hour toy commercial with a thin veneer of plot). I really enjoyed how diverse the princesses were in personality and body type, and the coding of the characters' sexuality and gender is incredibly open and fluid. It was definitely a fun watch and I hope they continue in the same vein for season 2.

Went to see "The Martian" this afternoon. Was incredibly impressed by the film. It's witty, suspenseful (in the survival story kind of way rather than in a thriller kind of way), heart-warming at times and heart-breaking at times. The acting is phenomenal, and it is absolutely stunning visually. Like Guardians of the Galaxy the soundtrack is frequently a character in its own right. While the focus is on Matt Damon's characters there is a wonderfully diverse ensemble of support characters that keeps the movie from become a mind-numbing event like "The Castaway" was. I highly recommend it and am very glad I saw it on the big screen.

ETA: I'm convinced that Chiwetel Ejiofor can take on any role and be amazing in it. If you haven't seen "Kinky Boots" do so. I loved him as the Operative in Serenity, and he is great as the Director of Mars Missions in this film. But he is utterly amazing in "Kinky Boots."

( Discussions of doctors, frustrations with doctors, and having a controversial illness/treatment )

We had an absolute house full over the holidays, and it was very nice to see everyone. We had several games of Cards Against Humanity, which is like a much more twisted version of Apples to Apples. It was wickedly fun. We saw "The Hobbit" on Christmas day, and several of us went to see "Into the Woods" on Saturday. Both were enjoyable, though I was a bit frustrated with the editing/storytelling choices for "Into the Woods." I would like to see "The Hobbit" again as I'm sure I missed a whole bunch of details. I'm not exactly in a critical mood regarding my entertainment right now, so if you want a thoughtful critique of either film I'm probably not the best to ask.

Everyone left for their own homes on Sunday, and so things are slowly returning to routine around here. It is strange to have such a quiet house after so much activity, but nice as well. I used the Amazon gift card I got for Christmas to finally buy the complete Cowboy Bebop series on DVD as well as the movie. I've been eyeballing both for a very long time. I already have most of the soundtrack. :)

Wasn't feeling very good yesterday and took the day off from studying. Watched a couple of things on Netflix instead of only reading fanfic (which is my usual downtime activity)--though I did read some yesterday evening.

The first movie I watched was an absolutely amazing documentary on Harry Belafonte called Sing Your Song. I've long loved his music, but had no idea he was such an activist. It was a movie that was simultaneously inspiring and heart-breaking. The heart-break comes largely from seeing how many things have not changed in fifty years. The inspiring and hopeful feeling comes from seeing what has changed and how people are continuing to work to make the world a better place.

The second movie was the surprisingly deep and endearing The Captains, William Shatner's documentary about the five Captains of the Enterprize. Shatner basically goes to each of the five captains (Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula, and Chris Pine) and interviews them, asking about a wide variety of topics and discussing the role Star Trek played in their lives. It was adorable to see him interact with each actor, particularly Chris Pine who plays James T. Kirk in the reboot. It was also a very introspective film and as much about Shatner's journey and understanding of Star Trek's role in his own life as it was about the other Captains. It felt a little too short, which was odd since I thought it would feel too long, and I am looking forward to watching the documentary mini-series that followed the movie, The Captains Close Up.

We also curled up for a movie as a family yesterday evening. Ended up watching the live action Scooby Doo, which was surprisingly good. It was appropriately campy and fun, with just the right level of spookiness and visual gags.

Today I got back to studying for the most part, but did let myself sleep in a bit. :)

Hope those affected by the polar snap are staying warm and out of the wind. Kind of glad that schools are back in session tomorrow. It's nice to have folks home, but a bit distracting.

I saw the movie version of Les Misérables tonight. I was absolutely gorgeous and I am very glad I remembered to pack tissues. I will admit to never having seen the play performed. I had heard some of the music and was vaguely aware of the story line. The novel is sitting on my shelf (in two volumes) but I have not tackled it yet. I wasn't sure what to expect of a nearly three hour musical and was a little nervous it might drag on or be tedious. It did not. I could have been in the seat longer and I likely wouldn't have noticed. I have a feeling this will be a movie that gets added to my collection and one I watch when I know I need to have a good cry.

One of my favorite movies is Sliding Doors, a late 90s romantic comedy that really falls into the speculative fiction realm. It's a movie about what-ifs, about the large impact small choices/events make on our lives. Mere seconds can change so much.

There are a lot of reasons I love this movie. I'm absolutely fascinated by the what-if scenario, which could explain my long love affair with fanfiction as it is the ultimate sandbox for what-ifs. The soundtrack is lovely and suits the movie quite well. John Hannah is absolutely adorable, and his Scottish accent just makes him more adorable. It's hilariously fun to watch Gwynneth Paltrow stop down stairs repeating "Bollocks to him." And the artistry of the movie is gorgeously streamlined. Lots of visual cues indicate to the viewer know which timeline is being shown. There are great moments where visuals are used to great effect to underline the whole question of the movie, but it is subtle enough that you don't always notice it at first.

This was a movie I rented on a whim back in the days of Blockbuster and VHS. It's one that I've re-watched fairly regularly since.