Here We Go Again

So we belatedly got around to seeing Baby Driver this week, a film that I'd heard nothing but rave reviews for. And I'm still trying to figure out how I really rate it, because there are two different ways to assess it.

One way is as a heist movie about a getaway driver, as which it is well acted, entertaining fun, but not extraordinary or innovative. The other way to review it is as a unique gimmick, because 75% of the film is not only edited, but deliberately shot to fit its soundtrack. The only time that's not the case is when the music isn't playing. And as a gimmick it's unquestionably clever, but the problem with it is that you sometimes find yourself watching the editing rather than watching the film. And that's not just a me thing, as someone who has made music vids and edited footage that way, because the SO said the same.

When it works at its best, it's brilliant. There's one stunning scene where Baby walks down the street to get coffee for the group, orders it and then takes it back to the office. And it's not just the actor's movements and rhythm that are shot to the song playing, it's the graffiti on the walls and the items for sale in the shops he walks past that reflect the song's lyrics and instrumentation, and I can barely imagine how tricky the whole thing must have been to shoot. But the final effect is astounding, because it's four minutes of a guy going to fetch coffee from a block away and then coming back, and it's mesmerising. That's when it's obviously very forced and you don't care, but there are some occasions when the conceit starts to feel a bit more intrusive.

The SO and I also liked the fact that the film got the obvious car chase scene, the one with the Subaru and the Ken Block style moves, out of the way right at the start, so that you're not waiting for it. After that they could play with the vehicles a bit differently :-)

It's clever as hell, and I loved seeing it, and it's definitely given me a lot more thought than most heist movies would, but I think it should be a one off and not a trend.

So Roger Federer won his eighth Wimbledon title without ever dropping a set, matching Nadal's romp through the French last month. I guess he just had a point to make. It was certainly the easiest Wimbledon final he's played in a very long time. I love the attitude he's taking this year, though, saying screw the world rankings and all that crap, he's just going to play tennis when he wants to, and when he wants to, he wins. Why the hell not?

I did feel sorry for Venus yesterday, I wanted her to win. I remember watching when she first won Wimbledon, just turned twenty, and she bounced around with practically the world's biggest smile; she was adorable. It would have meant the world to her to win again after all the issues she's had with illness, but I guess it meant too much, because after she lost that tight first set, her game just collapsed. Sad to see, but she was so gracious in her interview afterwards, and big smiles again talking about her sister.

I know they'll both have to stop being major competitors some time in the next few years, but meanwhile they're amazing to watch.

I got a comment today on my Hannibal series telling me, among other things, that my fics are now the reader's personal headcanon for what happened after the series ended. Considering that there are literally thousands of post-series fanfics out there in this fandom, I am taking that as a very big compliment indeed :-)

Everything I see and hear about this just makes me drool harder and harder. I'm praying my expectations aren't built up so high that nothing could meet them...

https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000004923320/washington-attorney-general-applauds-decision.html

And even better:

Washington State Attorney General after Trump's "SEE YOU IN COURT" tweet:

🔥"We have seen him in court twice, and we're 2 for 2.🔥 pic.twitter.com/BEdODRA9M7

— Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) 10 February 2017

BWAHAHAHA!

Can't we just elect him President now?

I didn't think he would get the 18th slam, not after so long. Damn. I had hope when he kept reaching finals, but he kept losing to Novak, and then he got injured again, and I thought the chance was gone.

And another Roger - Rafa match at that, it seems crazy. I honestly thought he'd thrown it away when he came out with that string of errors early in the fourth set. In years past, he would have caved against Rafa in the fifth when he went a break down, but he didn't. Wow.

And now I really need to go to sleep, but I'm just too bouncy.

Because I haven't talked about some of the TV shows I've enjoyed this year, and here's my excuse to catch up.

Which TV shows did you start watching in 2016?
The Night Manager, And Then There Were None (both mini-series), Deutschland 83, Luke Cage, Preacher, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Stranger Things, The Man in the High Castle, The Leftovers

Which TV shows did you let go of in 2016?
Castle (the concept had run out of steam, series 7 was bad), Gotham (started season 2 and bailed by episode 6 - what happened, did you replace all your writers?), Halt and Catch Fire (was bored enough by season 2 not to start 3 - a real shame, because the first one was great), The Americans (got bored when season two became less about espionage and more of a family soap opera, so never started season 3. I'll stick with Deutschland for retro espionage, I'm really looking forward to the sequel season.)
And I had to let go of Agent Carter because the bastards cancelled it, not my choice at all!

Which TV shows did you mean to get into but didn't in 2016? Why?
Ash vs the Evil Dead, The Night Of. I will watch them, I'm just always behind.

Which TV shows do you intend on checking out in 2017?
American Gods. If that's not seriously good, given the people involved, I'm going to be so annoyed.

Which TV show impressed you least in 2016?
I still have one episode left to watch, but I'm going to say Dirk Gently. It could have been so much more. It's zany and weird, but it needs to do more than that - it needs to be either seriously clever or major fun, and it's not. For zany and weird and crazily fun at the same time, watch Preacher. It's as mad as a box of frogs, and the black humour and religious irreverence is really what nails it. Poor Jesse, struggling to hang onto Christian faith in a world that contains vampires of dubious morality and angels of the serious wrath-of-God, brutal destruction variety...

Which TV show do you think you might let go of in 2017 unless things significantly improve?
I'd say Dirk Gently, but they weren't planning more anyway.

Which TV shows do you think you'll never let go of no matter how crappy they get? Why?
Maybe Doctor Who? It's pretty crappy right now, but it's gone through a lot of crappy phases and it picks up again eventually. Plus I like Peter Capaldi in the role, even if he's cursed with awful scripts.

Which TV show did you enjoy the most in 2016?
Hannibal, of course. Yes, it was cancelled in 2015, but I didn't see series three until 2016 (like I said, always behind).

And I have to add, after the sad disappointment that was Jessica Jones, the first series of Luke Cage was solid stuff. Lots of plot, that just missed going too far or becoming annoying, and Alfre Woodard was awesome. How the hell is she 64? Simone Missick was great as Misty too.

I really love living here in Washington state. The scenery is stunning. The climate is lovely. The people are great.

Some of the people in Texas, Florida, North Dakota and a number of other states, I am not so fond of right now.

Someone on Twitter has persuaded the SO to start watching Initial D.

Someone else who has poor enough taste to like Dragonball Z then told him they think Initial D is too bad to watch. I said he should publicly declare that even his wife who likes anime and slash and cars isn't prepared to watch it.

So Tatiana Maslany finally got her Emmy for Orphan Black. It only took three years of campaigning by geeks to get her nominated, and then another year to get her the amazingly well-deserved win. While the show can be patchy, there's no doubting the talent of the actress who landed and nailed the most challenging role on television. Good for her.