Catch Up
As of Wednesday 31 May, I’m going to be a ‘vacation widow’ for a month as Paul heads over to the UK. It is only a month but it is still pretty sucky to be separated for so long. SMSes, email and online messengers aren’t quite the same as picking up the phone or seeing your loved ones face to face.
Here’s hoping he finds and brings home some cool, cheap PS2 games to make amends. In the meanwhile I have a number of activities to keep me busy, including finishing a website design and content job, sketching some new Girls N Games cartoons, a pile of books to read, Jiu-Jitsu class and some serious gaming… on top of some video to DVD conversion jobs my mother has planned for me.
Anyway, just as an update in terms of my activities the last few days:
On Thursday I picked up my gi for Jiu-Jitsu, so I really look the part now. I’ll definitely have to arrange some photos of me looking martial arts-y (I do so enjoy choke submissions). I also bought Paul’s gi as his very early birthday present. He’ll still be overseas on 27 June so I won’t get to see him then. And an actual object for a birthday present is much better than money.
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Friday
On Friday I won the R300 first prize at our company’s monthly lucky draw. It was a much welcome surprise... As well as a most useful contribution towards Paul’s birthday present.
X-Men: The Last Stand
On Friday evening we met up with the Durbs crowd at gateway to watch X-Men: The Last Stand. The film actually ended up being something of a disappointment. I can’t slate the film completely. The set piece action sequences and special effects were excellent, Kitty Pryde and Juggernaut were well captured, and I really enjoyed the visual representation of Phoenix… but the film seemed to be missing its heart.
Important characters to the X-Men mythos are stripped of their powers, act uncharacteristically or are simply killed. And so many new characters are touched on that none are developed.
In an early scene in The Last Stand the audience sees a young Angel desperately filing away at his sprouting wings. Later on he apparently embraces his mutant powers but there is no close up on his face to convey his sense of joy when he embraces flight for the first time. We don’t even know if young Leech is happy to remain a caged guinea pig for the scientists.
Compare such handlings to the treatment of Nightcrawler in X-Men 2, and the still memorable moment where he approaches shape-shifting Mystique:
Nightcrawler: Excuse me? They say you can imitate anybody, even their voice.
Mystique: [as Nightcrawler] Even their voice.
Nightcrawler: Then why not stay in disguise all the time? You know, look like everyone else.
Mystique: Because we shouldn't have to.
Mystique’s response cuts to the heart of what X-Men has always been about.
I suppose my enjoyment of the film was really tempered by this kind of blasphemous skirting over X-Men lore in favour of big budget action scenes. Ultimately for me, X-Men 2 remains the best of the trilogy. And I really hope they don’t make any more.
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Anyway, after the movie we went for coffee, but that proven my point about the unsociality of it. With a group of 9 people, you end up at a very long table where you can only talk to the 3 or so people near you. Groups cluster off and don’t interact.
Saturday
On Saturday we had a farewell braai for Paul at his place. The same crowd from Friday night attended, along with Natasha and Matt, and Robin. It was a really nice afternoon out in the sun, followed by some Mortal Kombat and, when there was only a few of us left, some episodes of Allo Allo on DVD.
Sunday
On Sunday I played quite a bit of God of War, progressing from Athens to the boss battle with Cerberus, the three-headed dog at Pandora’s temple. Receiving Artemis’s blue power sword was a bit frustrating though, as I’m now split over whether to upgrade it, or enhance the variety and power of my standard chain sword attacks.
Paul and I also headed to the Pavillion to find a new travel bag for him, and pick up the copy of Steven Pressfield’s Gates of Fire that I had ordered from Exclusive Books.
We ended up winding down the weekend watching the crap Nicholas Cage film National Treasure. Or, rather, Paul ended up watching it while I dozed against his chest.
---
Oh, and totally unrelated, I have found a new favourite website. Superdickery.com, which points out the absurdities of old comic books, is absolutely hilarious. Take the following for example, from the Seduction of the Innocent section.
Here’s hoping he finds and brings home some cool, cheap PS2 games to make amends. In the meanwhile I have a number of activities to keep me busy, including finishing a website design and content job, sketching some new Girls N Games cartoons, a pile of books to read, Jiu-Jitsu class and some serious gaming… on top of some video to DVD conversion jobs my mother has planned for me.
Anyway, just as an update in terms of my activities the last few days:
On Thursday I picked up my gi for Jiu-Jitsu, so I really look the part now. I’ll definitely have to arrange some photos of me looking martial arts-y (I do so enjoy choke submissions). I also bought Paul’s gi as his very early birthday present. He’ll still be overseas on 27 June so I won’t get to see him then. And an actual object for a birthday present is much better than money.
---
Friday
On Friday I won the R300 first prize at our company’s monthly lucky draw. It was a much welcome surprise... As well as a most useful contribution towards Paul’s birthday present.
X-Men: The Last Stand
On Friday evening we met up with the Durbs crowd at gateway to watch X-Men: The Last Stand. The film actually ended up being something of a disappointment. I can’t slate the film completely. The set piece action sequences and special effects were excellent, Kitty Pryde and Juggernaut were well captured, and I really enjoyed the visual representation of Phoenix… but the film seemed to be missing its heart.
Important characters to the X-Men mythos are stripped of their powers, act uncharacteristically or are simply killed. And so many new characters are touched on that none are developed.
In an early scene in The Last Stand the audience sees a young Angel desperately filing away at his sprouting wings. Later on he apparently embraces his mutant powers but there is no close up on his face to convey his sense of joy when he embraces flight for the first time. We don’t even know if young Leech is happy to remain a caged guinea pig for the scientists.
Compare such handlings to the treatment of Nightcrawler in X-Men 2, and the still memorable moment where he approaches shape-shifting Mystique:
Nightcrawler: Excuse me? They say you can imitate anybody, even their voice.
Mystique: [as Nightcrawler] Even their voice.
Nightcrawler: Then why not stay in disguise all the time? You know, look like everyone else.
Mystique: Because we shouldn't have to.
Mystique’s response cuts to the heart of what X-Men has always been about.
I suppose my enjoyment of the film was really tempered by this kind of blasphemous skirting over X-Men lore in favour of big budget action scenes. Ultimately for me, X-Men 2 remains the best of the trilogy. And I really hope they don’t make any more.
---
Anyway, after the movie we went for coffee, but that proven my point about the unsociality of it. With a group of 9 people, you end up at a very long table where you can only talk to the 3 or so people near you. Groups cluster off and don’t interact.
Saturday
On Saturday we had a farewell braai for Paul at his place. The same crowd from Friday night attended, along with Natasha and Matt, and Robin. It was a really nice afternoon out in the sun, followed by some Mortal Kombat and, when there was only a few of us left, some episodes of Allo Allo on DVD.
Sunday
On Sunday I played quite a bit of God of War, progressing from Athens to the boss battle with Cerberus, the three-headed dog at Pandora’s temple. Receiving Artemis’s blue power sword was a bit frustrating though, as I’m now split over whether to upgrade it, or enhance the variety and power of my standard chain sword attacks.
Paul and I also headed to the Pavillion to find a new travel bag for him, and pick up the copy of Steven Pressfield’s Gates of Fire that I had ordered from Exclusive Books.
We ended up winding down the weekend watching the crap Nicholas Cage film National Treasure. Or, rather, Paul ended up watching it while I dozed against his chest.
---
Oh, and totally unrelated, I have found a new favourite website. Superdickery.com, which points out the absurdities of old comic books, is absolutely hilarious. Take the following for example, from the Seduction of the Innocent section.
Comments
As for God Of war. Best to stay with your chains. Well really its up to u but i only upgraded my chains and in the end i finished the game no prob. Except for the puzzles on the titans back. What a great game.
I'm also wondering if Gambit is going to pop up in either film, or his own tale, as he is the one very popular 'major' character who has still been neglected onscreen.
he was a great character and it was sad he wasn't in xIII.
--RC of strangeculture.blogspot.com