summercomfort (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
summercomfort) wrote2003-12-24 04:11 pm
summercomfort) wrote2003-12-24 04:11 pm
longish and rantish.
Yo yo... It's the day before Christmas, but you'd hardly feel it's so! There is no tinsel, there is no tree, not a shred of synthetic green! I've already gotten presents from parents, like, last week (a necklace and a necklace), and I've given mom her present already, so really, it's a very "whatever" time this year.
Anyway, Sunday night, watched (Last Samurai), which takes place after Battousai and before Kenshin. If I recall my 10th grade Kenshin fanaticism correctly, Kaoru's dad was killed in the the Southeast War (Satsuma Rebellion), 2 years prior to the beginning of the Kenshin manga. Saigo Takamori was one of the great leaders of IshinShishi (of course, RK was all about Katsura Kogoro who changed his name post-Bakumatsu to something really weird, and the coughing guy who played the Shamisen and lead those warrior peoples, and Okubo who I wrote a paper on in 10th grade "Contemp. World Hist". Mrs. Stewart who lives down the street in the cool Spanish-looking house was kinda confused why I'd choose a random obscure Japanese guy and choose to focus on his Bakumatsu actions instead of his participation in the 1871 Iwakura mission.) Anyway, somehow I recall Saigo being the one who lead the charge to Edo and forced the Shogun to formally resign or whatever. Anyway, the war was a test of a modern drafted military against malcontented Samurai. So the movie managed to of course exoticize and romanticize the samurai. I mean, short of directly saying "Noble Savage" we're directly comparing Native Americans to Samurai, except that they're more human and stuff. Tom Cruise had a couple of really bad lines, and in all fairness he shouldn't kick that much ass with the daisho, but hey, it's Tom Cruise. I just have to put in Battousai's face and my high school fangirl squeal will emerge from the old backlogs of memory. Plus it's cool when he spoke Japanese b/c I can understand him, mostly. Ken Watanabe kicked obvious ass, and many little touches were much appreciated. For example, Emperor Meiji (real vs. movie), the city stuff alludes to many early prints (although![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
alexiel's grandma is right, they probably didn't have that much electricity), the rick-shaws, etc. The battle tactics were awesome, and reminded me of my 3rd grade love for ancient Chinese battle tactics. Yum. (except for the initial charge. I mean, charge at the flanks? hello?). Overall I loved the epic-ness of it, and in that respect, bravo, well done. It walked a very thin line between "hey, look! they're not white!" Japanese-ness and a "our culture is too deep for white people" Japanese-ness which makes it enjoyable on all levels, methinks. Sometimes it gets a little too much, though. I mean, the final charge with the Gatling guns? Um... not only did it evoke Sushu's WWI machine gun technology > tactics, trench warfare imagery, but also those knightly stupid charges. It's like 20th century battling the 14th, and got just a little too intense and overwrought. And then ending, about keeping a samurai spirit... hee. I guess I should have done the Bushido reading....
Also, small quibbles like Tom Cruise limping when he remembers to during the battle scene, and the Magic Arrows vs. Wimpy Bullets. ::shrug::
Monday, watched "Love Actually". Which was enjoyable once I fully entered the "awww"ing mood. But yeah, everyone getting together into neat little couples means that not only is it a holiday feel-good movie, it's also a couples movie with these Perfect Encounters and everything. Definitely not to watch as a bitter spinster, unless you're a vicarious masochist. But it was really cute and stuff, so ^_^v.
Then I came home and spent the evening watching all of the LotR:TTT extras. So now all I have left is to watch the Actor commentaries and I'm done.
Tuesday, I umm.... did stuff? Don't remember much except for packing stuff, watching TV, going shopping with mom, and watching more TV while drawing. Yes, shopping, unpleasant experience as usual, but at least over with, so all good. Got two jackety things for exorbitant prices, tried on many sweaters.
Today,conejita came to visit, so yay! Much oogling of her sketchbooks, and talking-ness and such. :)
Argh, I still don't have my Burns grade. Grrr. Let's hope it's not a N for not doing any of the readings.
Oh, and um, Happy Winter Break Festivities, Everyone!
Anyway, Sunday night, watched (Last Samurai), which takes place after Battousai and before Kenshin. If I recall my 10th grade Kenshin fanaticism correctly, Kaoru's dad was killed in the the Southeast War (Satsuma Rebellion), 2 years prior to the beginning of the Kenshin manga. Saigo Takamori was one of the great leaders of IshinShishi (of course, RK was all about Katsura Kogoro who changed his name post-Bakumatsu to something really weird, and the coughing guy who played the Shamisen and lead those warrior peoples, and Okubo who I wrote a paper on in 10th grade "Contemp. World Hist". Mrs. Stewart who lives down the street in the cool Spanish-looking house was kinda confused why I'd choose a random obscure Japanese guy and choose to focus on his Bakumatsu actions instead of his participation in the 1871 Iwakura mission.) Anyway, somehow I recall Saigo being the one who lead the charge to Edo and forced the Shogun to formally resign or whatever. Anyway, the war was a test of a modern drafted military against malcontented Samurai. So the movie managed to of course exoticize and romanticize the samurai. I mean, short of directly saying "Noble Savage" we're directly comparing Native Americans to Samurai, except that they're more human and stuff. Tom Cruise had a couple of really bad lines, and in all fairness he shouldn't kick that much ass with the daisho, but hey, it's Tom Cruise. I just have to put in Battousai's face and my high school fangirl squeal will emerge from the old backlogs of memory. Plus it's cool when he spoke Japanese b/c I can understand him, mostly. Ken Watanabe kicked obvious ass, and many little touches were much appreciated. For example, Emperor Meiji (real vs. movie), the city stuff alludes to many early prints (although
alexiel's grandma is right, they probably didn't have that much electricity), the rick-shaws, etc. The battle tactics were awesome, and reminded me of my 3rd grade love for ancient Chinese battle tactics. Yum. (except for the initial charge. I mean, charge at the flanks? hello?). Overall I loved the epic-ness of it, and in that respect, bravo, well done. It walked a very thin line between "hey, look! they're not white!" Japanese-ness and a "our culture is too deep for white people" Japanese-ness which makes it enjoyable on all levels, methinks. Sometimes it gets a little too much, though. I mean, the final charge with the Gatling guns? Um... not only did it evoke Sushu's WWI machine gun technology > tactics, trench warfare imagery, but also those knightly stupid charges. It's like 20th century battling the 14th, and got just a little too intense and overwrought. And then ending, about keeping a samurai spirit... hee. I guess I should have done the Bushido reading....Also, small quibbles like Tom Cruise limping when he remembers to during the battle scene, and the Magic Arrows vs. Wimpy Bullets. ::shrug::
Monday, watched "Love Actually". Which was enjoyable once I fully entered the "awww"ing mood. But yeah, everyone getting together into neat little couples means that not only is it a holiday feel-good movie, it's also a couples movie with these Perfect Encounters and everything. Definitely not to watch as a bitter spinster, unless you're a vicarious masochist. But it was really cute and stuff, so ^_^v.
Then I came home and spent the evening watching all of the LotR:TTT extras. So now all I have left is to watch the Actor commentaries and I'm done.
Tuesday, I umm.... did stuff? Don't remember much except for packing stuff, watching TV, going shopping with mom, and watching more TV while drawing. Yes, shopping, unpleasant experience as usual, but at least over with, so all good. Got two jackety things for exorbitant prices, tried on many sweaters.
Today,
conejita came to visit, so yay! Much oogling of her sketchbooks, and talking-ness and such. :)Argh, I still don't have my Burns grade. Grrr. Let's hope it's not a N for not doing any of the readings.
Oh, and um, Happy Winter Break Festivities, Everyone!