the_lady_lily (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
the_lady_lily) wrote2013-02-03 06:54 pm
the_lady_lily) wrote2013-02-03 06:54 pm
Entry tags:
Filmography
Damsels in Distress
I noticed this film existed through a New Yorker review, if I remember correctly, and that should tell you most of what you need to know about it. It's a very strange film, very American and of its moment (made in 2011); it's a satire on the norms of college life with its tongue firmly in its directorial cheek, but with none of the characters in on the joke.
The setting and cinematography are perfectly crisp, very mannered and precise; so is the costuming, in that the main female protagonists dress like they're in the 1950s, and the other characters are shot as if they are. The plot follows three female college students who adopt a fourth into their group, and try to convince her to share their mission to save the whole campus, in particular a) the frat boys who are basically helpless in their idiocy and b) the inhabitants of a particular dorm who appear never to have encountered soap before.
It's all thoroughly ridiculous. There are flashes of absolute hilarity, as there often are in this sort of American film. It's sort of akin to Tiny Furniture in tone, but more aware of its artificiality, which means it can make more of it, but dealing in more common stereotypes (in this case, the sorority airhead, but given a complete sincerity make-over), which gives the film a less parochial feel than Tiny Furniture. I don't really quite have the words to describe what it's doing - it's mocking, it's deliberately artificial, it's taking the piss but in a terribly sincere sort of way - but I quite enjoyed it. If you're willing to get into the mindset, it's not a bad thing to watch.
Doctor Who: Masque of Mandragora
This was a recommendation from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
strangecomplex a while back, and it's taken us forever to get hold of it because it wasn't on live streaming in the US and I had to remember to rent the actual DVD. (Ah, logistics.) But we finally caught up on it this weekend - it's another Tom Baker special, full of daft costumes and silly historical wonderment. This time, the plot takes place in Renaissance Italy, at around the time of Leonardo da Vinci, and I will admit that the first thing that came into my mind was 'ah, the Beeb had just finished doing a period drama and the Doctor Who team managed to nick the scenery and costumes!' The wigs were especially great.
The plot is pretty good as well - the Doctor has to try and work his way around some particularly sticky intergenerational politics (cue Eeeeeevil Uncle trying to usurp his scientifically open-minded and advanced young nephew out of a Dukedom) in order to save Earth from the malign influence of some intergalatic helix energy that has hitched a lift on the Tardis. Said helix energy came from the Mandragora galaxy, hence the name. There's some good stuff here about the interaction between superstition, Renaissance science, Sarah-Jane's level of science and the Doctor's level of science; one of the key players is an astronomer, who also happens to be an eeeeevil cult leader, so there are all sorts of interplays in how various people interpret the various phenomena going on.
I also really enjoyed the political aspect, which (of course) the Doctor sweeps over in his haste to Save the World but the plot arc takes time to explore. There are hints at the Duke's wider place in Italian society - the invitation of various important figures like the Dodge of Venice to the masque celebrating his accession, for example, as well as a bunch of contemporary scientists of note - plus the Eeeeevil Uncle's machinations are just the sort of thing to relish in silly television. There is also some Heavy Slash, not just between the young Duke and his close friend, but also between the Eeeeeevil Uncle and the commander of the palace guard. Which was... somewhat unexpected, if I'm honest, all intense glares and pageboy wigs, but all good fun, nonetheless, and worth watching.
I noticed this film existed through a New Yorker review, if I remember correctly, and that should tell you most of what you need to know about it. It's a very strange film, very American and of its moment (made in 2011); it's a satire on the norms of college life with its tongue firmly in its directorial cheek, but with none of the characters in on the joke.
The setting and cinematography are perfectly crisp, very mannered and precise; so is the costuming, in that the main female protagonists dress like they're in the 1950s, and the other characters are shot as if they are. The plot follows three female college students who adopt a fourth into their group, and try to convince her to share their mission to save the whole campus, in particular a) the frat boys who are basically helpless in their idiocy and b) the inhabitants of a particular dorm who appear never to have encountered soap before.
It's all thoroughly ridiculous. There are flashes of absolute hilarity, as there often are in this sort of American film. It's sort of akin to Tiny Furniture in tone, but more aware of its artificiality, which means it can make more of it, but dealing in more common stereotypes (in this case, the sorority airhead, but given a complete sincerity make-over), which gives the film a less parochial feel than Tiny Furniture. I don't really quite have the words to describe what it's doing - it's mocking, it's deliberately artificial, it's taking the piss but in a terribly sincere sort of way - but I quite enjoyed it. If you're willing to get into the mindset, it's not a bad thing to watch.
Doctor Who: Masque of Mandragora
This was a recommendation from
strangecomplex a while back, and it's taken us forever to get hold of it because it wasn't on live streaming in the US and I had to remember to rent the actual DVD. (Ah, logistics.) But we finally caught up on it this weekend - it's another Tom Baker special, full of daft costumes and silly historical wonderment. This time, the plot takes place in Renaissance Italy, at around the time of Leonardo da Vinci, and I will admit that the first thing that came into my mind was 'ah, the Beeb had just finished doing a period drama and the Doctor Who team managed to nick the scenery and costumes!' The wigs were especially great. The plot is pretty good as well - the Doctor has to try and work his way around some particularly sticky intergenerational politics (cue Eeeeeevil Uncle trying to usurp his scientifically open-minded and advanced young nephew out of a Dukedom) in order to save Earth from the malign influence of some intergalatic helix energy that has hitched a lift on the Tardis. Said helix energy came from the Mandragora galaxy, hence the name. There's some good stuff here about the interaction between superstition, Renaissance science, Sarah-Jane's level of science and the Doctor's level of science; one of the key players is an astronomer, who also happens to be an eeeeevil cult leader, so there are all sorts of interplays in how various people interpret the various phenomena going on.
I also really enjoyed the political aspect, which (of course) the Doctor sweeps over in his haste to Save the World but the plot arc takes time to explore. There are hints at the Duke's wider place in Italian society - the invitation of various important figures like the Dodge of Venice to the masque celebrating his accession, for example, as well as a bunch of contemporary scientists of note - plus the Eeeeevil Uncle's machinations are just the sort of thing to relish in silly television. There is also some Heavy Slash, not just between the young Duke and his close friend, but also between the Eeeeeevil Uncle and the commander of the palace guard. Which was... somewhat unexpected, if I'm honest, all intense glares and pageboy wigs, but all good fun, nonetheless, and worth watching.