I’ve watched The Pirates! Band of Misfits
and think that it is the most charming, silly, goofy, snortworthy kids’ movie that I’ve seen for a while. Clever enough for the grownups (Charles Darwin and his chimp valet, a Victorian Era that feels just like home, “Surprisingly Curvacious Pirate” who has a beard the color and texture of a sea sponge), silly enough for the kids (monkeys! pirates! slapstick!), this was a fun way to spend 90 minutes. I’ve also found myself in American Gods having visited a lovely funeral home in Cairo (which also means that, yes, I’ve met the ifrit taxidriver (in what I was delighted to find a terrifically sweet digression)).
So… what are you reading and/or watching?
Still reading The Satanic Verses and I enjoy it tremendously. The warning, giving by a mother to her son, as he’s about to leave India for England: Watch out, for those English are dirty, only using paper after their bms and stepping into the same bath water used by someone else.
On the list is the last volume of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series; but I know once I start that I won’t be able to do anything else, and I’m currently in the midst of a large and complex design, so the designing work has to remain the priority. As a reward. . . Sanderson’s last volume, revealing the fate of mankind on the wheel.
Not watching anything. Would love some netflix recommendations; down loads only; we don’t want me having to return a physical thing, despite my best intentions, it doesn’t always work out as well as it ought.
Streaming Netflix recommendations:
Friday Night Lights
Sherlock
Mad Men
Breaking Bad
A Bit of Fry and Laurie
Blackadder
They have 5 seasons of Friday Night Lights (is that all of them?) on my Video On Demand service, I started watching it on your recommendation. The pilot was tight, I’m halfway through the 2nd episode, (then the real foozball started) but it was a bit of a letdown.
Netflix has 5 seasons (76 eps. in all), which Wiki says is all of them. I’m not much further along (finished episode 2), but still enjoying the heck out of it.
All these are good (well, haven’t seen Fry and Laurie but am somewhat familiar with Fry so it seems safe).
Also, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil.
The Starship Troopers movies, all four of them.
Now I’m sick of looking at bugs.
Thinking about smashing the next one I see just for the hell of it.
Pirates! was made by the same guys as Wallace and Gromit, which is a good recommendation. And I see Brian Blessed plays the pirate king. Just guessing, but does he yell a lot?
No, but there is one spectacularly yelly moment.
I prefer my yelly with peanut butter.
I finished watching the 7th season of Bones (damn you, cliffhanger endings) and now I am eyeing Land Girls, but decided to give that Todd show Glyph likes so much a run first. (Have yet to start it.)
Reading the latest of Christopher Fowler’s Bryant & May mysteries, 1491 by Charles Mann, one of Michael Pollan’s earliest books (about gardening)… and dipping in and out of Zora Neale Hurston’s letters. Also reading a lot of background about information policy for one of my classes, and stuff about the semiotics of classification for the other.
I’ve been listening to audiobooks and cross-stitching quite a bit – I finished Diane Duane’s So You Want to be a Wizard (which I LOVED, and cannot believe I didn’t read as a child), and am feeling rather more lukewarm about Chris Colfer’s Land of Stories.
PS On 3rd episode of Todd & the Book of Pure Evil. So far, it is absolutely charming.
Sweet! As your guidance counselor – which is what I am – I recommend you keep watching.
I’m listening to some Ghost Hunters while I doing homework. Ghost Hunters has become my go to background sound while I study. While taking breaks I switch over to some old Doctor Who episodes. Doctor Who will never be a background noise…it is I MUST WATCH and to hell with doing homework. I just finished reading Elizabeth Moon, Echoes of Betrayal.
Eat Pray Love. Reading, not watching.
Did you notice who voiced Charles Darwin?
Oh, yeah. I found myself boggling at the credits as they rolled past. Yet another reason that adults will enjoy it as much as kids!
(Note to those who ain’t seen it yet: It’s David Tennant.)
Finally watched the Fringe finale (spoiler: it’s over); as problematic IMO as this season has been, still sad that it’s done. I’d rank it overall up there pretty high in the TV Sci-fi canon. It’s a damn shame Noble in particular never got any pro recognition for his acting.
Ooooh, I can’t wait.