Media report (and brief me report)
Oct. 29th, 2018 01:52 pmMy brain is still holding steady! I stopped a medication I was using off-label for undiagnosed ADD (because it's a technically a weight loss medication and doctors are a little too happy to prescribe me weight loss medication) and what do you know, I'm suddenly less rageful. And sleeping better. (It worked for a while on what I think is ADD but the benefit tapered off.) It's possible escitalopram and I can make friends after all. My pain levels have dropped too, but I'm not sure if that's the medication change or that I started taking a turmeric supplement. (Man, I am my own pharmacology project sometimes.)
And my personal trainer is back at work, yay, so regular workouts may now commence. (Ow, ow, ow.)
I made my Yuletide sign up in the nick of time. And wow, assignments came so early this year. I'm used to juggling NaNoWriMo and nominations at the same time, and now if I get my act together I could have my fic underway before NaNo starts. In three days, eep.
Something of a media report
The Good Place
( Spoilers for 3.06 The Ballad of Donkey Doug. Wait, have we had six episodes already? That was so fast! )
The Haunting of Hill House
I liked this so much I ended up requesting it for Yuletide. It's more of an adaptation than people familiar with the book or movies were expecting, I think? But it was well thought out and it really worked for me. I don't want to be too spoilery, but if you like horror as metaphor for family dynamics, you'll probably like this. It's beautifully shot, the actors are great, and there's a canon lesbian character who makes it to the end of the show. (Which is technically a spoiler, I guess, but it's something that I would need to know if I were considering the show.) There's some animal harm in Ep two, ask me for details if that's a worry. And there's one episode that's shot in continuous slow turns which would be difficult for vertigo sufferers. (Sorry,![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lilacsigil.)
The next season, if there's a next season, will apparently feature a different family, which I find interesting and intriguing: ‘Hill House’ Creator Says The Crains Won’t Be Back If S2 Gets The Go Ahead
Doctor Who
AAAAAAAH OMG I LOVE HER. I don't have specifics, only that it's a relief to be excited for each episodes. I need the Doctor to be kind and compassionate, which was something I didn't feel I got from Twelve, much as I wanted to feel it. (I haven't seen this week's ep yet, please no spoilers!)
I don't think we've got a lot of her actual personality yet, but I'm happy to take the slow road towards developing that. Though ( spoilers for Rosa )
It's so good to be watching again. So good.
Secret City
It's a political thriller starring Anna Torv as a slightly disgraced Australian journalist. It's got so much going for it - it's clever, it's local, it takes a very pointy look at Australian politics. Alan Dale plays a Prime Minister with bluster and media savvy. Jacki Weaver is FUCKING TERRIFYING as the Attorney General. But. ( cut for spoilers and discussion of a trans character badly treated by the script )
I really wanted to rec this series! But I can't.
( No, I decided I have more to say about this )
Glitch S1
Glitch, on the other hand, was heaps of fun, and honestly, for a show about people who come back from the dead and deal with the consequences, wasn't as dark as I expected. I avoided it because the premise seemed so grim, but eventually I fell for it and really enjoyed it.
Reasons to watch this show:
- set in a small Australian country town (Aussies of my era, think 'A Country Practice' but with people crawling out of the cemetery.) The setting, a fictional town called Yoorana, is socially very like where I live - the nearest big town to where they are is Shepparton.
- spooky paranormal stuff never fully explained but tantalisingly so.
- science conspiracies!!!!
- true consequences of coming back from the dead and dealing with that stuff.
- two canon queer main characters who are still alive at the end of S1.
- Luke Arnold (John Silver from Black Sails) joins the cast in S2 (of which I've watched half an episode)
- short season, just six episodes.
- Season 3 is filming now.
It was so much fun, and I wish I'd got my shit together fast enough to nominate it for Yuletide. Aussie shows!!!
Mystery Road
A crime procedural set in the outback - the series is a sequel to two movies about Detective Jay Swan, an indigenous investigator, played by Aaron Pederson. (I haven't seen the movies but I want to track them down.) This one is grim by necessity, dealing with relationships between indigenous communities and largely white law enforcement, but I enjoyed it with that caveat in mind. Judy Davis plays the local police sergeant - amazingly and I have a crush. Aaron Pederson plays Jay Swan as emotionally withdrawn and frustrated with his own imperfections. The supporting cast are all excellent. (If you're watching via the ABC iView app, there's a short listed call 'Blight' starring Tasia Zalar that's creepy and wonderful and dark.) And also, the soundtrack is awesome: some country gothic, some pop, all interesting.
The Living and the Dead
I picked it up because it looked spooky, and it was, and also a bit timey-wimey. It stars Colin Morgan from Merlin, and lots of people I recognise from various British shows, and it was a fun, creepy mystery.
Requium
Another spooky British miniseries, with missing children, cults summoning ~entities, and a cello. It was competent and fun, though not particularly memorable. I mention it because it would make good Halloween viewing. Matilda's best friend was an interesting character, a tortured composer trying to help his friend, played by a guy called Joel Fry who should definitely be in more stuff.
Mars
A weird mix of drama and doco - this switches back and forth from today to 2033 where a crew of astronauts are attempting to form a settlement on Mars. I loved this for the drama sections, which feature a pair of Korean twins, Hana and Joon Seung both played by Jihae. One twin is drawn to Mars and one stays home on Earth to handle the geopolitical logistics of keeping the new-found colony supplied and supported. It's so good. They're so good. I love them. The near-future tech and workarounds for forming a community on Mars is really interesting. There's some odd/klutzy handling of a mental illness storyline that results in some deaths inside the colony, so if that's a potential trigger, please ask me and I can elaborate.
Man, I watched so much TV crocheting all those baby hats. This isn't even half of it.
And my personal trainer is back at work, yay, so regular workouts may now commence. (Ow, ow, ow.)
I made my Yuletide sign up in the nick of time. And wow, assignments came so early this year. I'm used to juggling NaNoWriMo and nominations at the same time, and now if I get my act together I could have my fic underway before NaNo starts. In three days, eep.
Something of a media report
The Good Place
( Spoilers for 3.06 The Ballad of Donkey Doug. Wait, have we had six episodes already? That was so fast! )
The Haunting of Hill House
I liked this so much I ended up requesting it for Yuletide. It's more of an adaptation than people familiar with the book or movies were expecting, I think? But it was well thought out and it really worked for me. I don't want to be too spoilery, but if you like horror as metaphor for family dynamics, you'll probably like this. It's beautifully shot, the actors are great, and there's a canon lesbian character who makes it to the end of the show. (Which is technically a spoiler, I guess, but it's something that I would need to know if I were considering the show.) There's some animal harm in Ep two, ask me for details if that's a worry. And there's one episode that's shot in continuous slow turns which would be difficult for vertigo sufferers. (Sorry,
lilacsigil.)The next season, if there's a next season, will apparently feature a different family, which I find interesting and intriguing: ‘Hill House’ Creator Says The Crains Won’t Be Back If S2 Gets The Go Ahead
Doctor Who
AAAAAAAH OMG I LOVE HER. I don't have specifics, only that it's a relief to be excited for each episodes. I need the Doctor to be kind and compassionate, which was something I didn't feel I got from Twelve, much as I wanted to feel it. (I haven't seen this week's ep yet, please no spoilers!)
I don't think we've got a lot of her actual personality yet, but I'm happy to take the slow road towards developing that. Though ( spoilers for Rosa )
It's so good to be watching again. So good.
Secret City
It's a political thriller starring Anna Torv as a slightly disgraced Australian journalist. It's got so much going for it - it's clever, it's local, it takes a very pointy look at Australian politics. Alan Dale plays a Prime Minister with bluster and media savvy. Jacki Weaver is FUCKING TERRIFYING as the Attorney General. But. ( cut for spoilers and discussion of a trans character badly treated by the script )
I really wanted to rec this series! But I can't.
( No, I decided I have more to say about this )
Glitch S1
Glitch, on the other hand, was heaps of fun, and honestly, for a show about people who come back from the dead and deal with the consequences, wasn't as dark as I expected. I avoided it because the premise seemed so grim, but eventually I fell for it and really enjoyed it.
Reasons to watch this show:
- set in a small Australian country town (Aussies of my era, think 'A Country Practice' but with people crawling out of the cemetery.) The setting, a fictional town called Yoorana, is socially very like where I live - the nearest big town to where they are is Shepparton.
- spooky paranormal stuff never fully explained but tantalisingly so.
- science conspiracies!!!!
- true consequences of coming back from the dead and dealing with that stuff.
- two canon queer main characters who are still alive at the end of S1.
- Luke Arnold (John Silver from Black Sails) joins the cast in S2 (of which I've watched half an episode)
- short season, just six episodes.
- Season 3 is filming now.
It was so much fun, and I wish I'd got my shit together fast enough to nominate it for Yuletide. Aussie shows!!!
Mystery Road
A crime procedural set in the outback - the series is a sequel to two movies about Detective Jay Swan, an indigenous investigator, played by Aaron Pederson. (I haven't seen the movies but I want to track them down.) This one is grim by necessity, dealing with relationships between indigenous communities and largely white law enforcement, but I enjoyed it with that caveat in mind. Judy Davis plays the local police sergeant - amazingly and I have a crush. Aaron Pederson plays Jay Swan as emotionally withdrawn and frustrated with his own imperfections. The supporting cast are all excellent. (If you're watching via the ABC iView app, there's a short listed call 'Blight' starring Tasia Zalar that's creepy and wonderful and dark.) And also, the soundtrack is awesome: some country gothic, some pop, all interesting.
The Living and the Dead
I picked it up because it looked spooky, and it was, and also a bit timey-wimey. It stars Colin Morgan from Merlin, and lots of people I recognise from various British shows, and it was a fun, creepy mystery.
Requium
Another spooky British miniseries, with missing children, cults summoning ~entities, and a cello. It was competent and fun, though not particularly memorable. I mention it because it would make good Halloween viewing. Matilda's best friend was an interesting character, a tortured composer trying to help his friend, played by a guy called Joel Fry who should definitely be in more stuff.
Mars
A weird mix of drama and doco - this switches back and forth from today to 2033 where a crew of astronauts are attempting to form a settlement on Mars. I loved this for the drama sections, which feature a pair of Korean twins, Hana and Joon Seung both played by Jihae. One twin is drawn to Mars and one stays home on Earth to handle the geopolitical logistics of keeping the new-found colony supplied and supported. It's so good. They're so good. I love them. The near-future tech and workarounds for forming a community on Mars is really interesting. There's some odd/klutzy handling of a mental illness storyline that results in some deaths inside the colony, so if that's a potential trigger, please ask me and I can elaborate.
Man, I watched so much TV crocheting all those baby hats. This isn't even half of it.
