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[baleanoptera]

Happy Birthday sunnyskywalker! I hope the day is a good one and that the Force is with you. ;) (aww...come on - I had to use that one)

Here's to a year filled with excellent things, and many posts filled with meta, fic and filk - as they make Lj a joy to read.


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Also koalathebear has posted this fabulous list of things German students have been asked while studying abroad (along with snarky answers). A few of my favourites:

Gibt es Probleme am deutsch-chinesischen Grenzübergang?
Are there problems at the German-Chinese border?
Yes, definitely. We just can't get the Poles, the Russians and the Mongolians to step out of the way ...


Gibt es in Deutschland Berge und Bäume?
Are there mountains and trees in Germany?
No, unfortunately there aren't. We sold the Black Forest to Disneyland and that was the end of it.

I'm currently trying to find something similar about Norway, but so far no such luck.

ETA: But I have personally been stopped by tourists who asked the way to the Viking Reservation.
It's right up there among my favourite questions of all time - together with a mother of a friend who asked: "If this J. Milton fellow has written more in the Paradise Lost series?"

Comments

[sunnyskywalker]

Thank you! I'm going to see the Harry Potter movie, so it should be a good day. (Even if it's a bad movie, I'll be with a friend and we can mock it.)

Ouch to those questions. If you ever needed evidence that the US school system sucks, especially when it comes to things outside US borders... I am lucky that I went to a good school where the teachers forced us to learn those pesky details like where Germany is on a map, probably so we wouldn't go asking about the German-Chinese border.

I did once have a Swiss couple ask me if I went to the Rocky Mountains often. I told them I'd never been. They seemed surprised, and asked, "Why not?" "Because they're like... a thousand miles away from where I live?" But they had the mountain range in the right country, so that's really not that bad.

The Viking Reservation - that's too much :D And J. Milton's sequel, Paradise Regained, is just not as popular as the original for some reason.

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

Even if it's a bad movie, I'll be with a friend and we can mock it.)

Hee. This is at times the best way to view a movie.

J. Milton's sequel, Paradise Regained, is just not as popular as the original for some reason.

Lol! I did not know this! *facepalm* I'll just stand in my corner and be duly corrected.

[sunnyskywalker]

I only knew because I took an entire class on Milton one quarter, so I have an excuse for knowing the random trivia. And we didn't read it even in that class. I suspect that like many sequels, it's just not that good, which is why you never hear about it.

One of the best times I ever had at the movie theater was when I went with some friends to see Dungeons and Dragons. There were only about three other people in the theater, and they joined is in making a running snarky commentary throughout the movie. Great fun :D

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

Hee. Your words give me some solace. ;) (but I'm still going to hang my head in shame for a bit longer.)
One of the best times I ever had at the movie theater was when I went with some friends to see Dungeons and Dragons.

That is a bad one. Whatever possessed Jeremy Irons to play in that one?
I had a similar incident with "King Arthur" - the one where Clive Owens keeps saying: "My Knights! My Knights!" and the whole thing ends with horses running in slow motion. I hope Harry Potter is good though - as a birthday deserves a good film. ;)

(last film I saw was actually Transformers - and it was very good! )

[sunnyskywalker]

The best part of D&D was the bad guy's frosted blue lipstick. There is absolutely no discernable reason for him to wear it, which makes me love it.

Ah, King Arthur. I got to write a paper on that one, on the use of the trappings of historical authenticity to mask the underlying 21st-century Western messages. That was fun. "Yes, there were Sarmatians in Britain, but... uh... well, where to start? With the 'freedom,' the national self-determination, or just the stupid idea that the Romans would shuttle Sarmatians thousands of miles back and forth every generation?"

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, the frosted blue lipstick. I think they were trying to make him look evil, but I just expected him to stand up an sing an Abba song.

on the use of the trappings of historical authenticity to mask the underlying 21st-century Western messages.

Hee! Especially the "freedom" part always gets historical films in trouble. Honestly - I think "King Arthur" would have made a good film - if they had just dropped the Arthur reference and made it a straight out fantasy. Then the whole "Why is the Pope's godson living beyond Hadrian's wall?" theme wouldn't have become an issue.
Neither would Lancelot fighting with two swords have been so strange. Because who fights with two swords? Two equally long swords that is? Well, Drizzr Do'Urden does, but I'm not going there. (I'm over that part of my life! I swear!) Also its fine when Jedis do it because of the Force - but other than that they need a very, very good reason. ;D

And help! I still cannot get over the whole Milton thing. A serious dent in my pride there. ;)

[sunnyskywalker]

There must be a D&D fanvid somewhere with an Abba song! That would improve the movie greatly, I think. It could hardly make it worse.

The freedom thing makes me laugh so much, especially when Arthur gets all abolitionist. In the fifth century. Seriously, guys, just because Mel Gibson does it doesn't mean you should! One Braveheart is more than enough. (Of course, Mel also made The Patriot, which is pretty much Braveheart-lite, but at least the freedom thing kind of makes sense in that one.) I think you're right that it would have worked better as fantasy - then they could have any combination of weaponry, geography (why are the Saxons invading via Scotland, exactly?), and attitudes that they wanted.

Sorry about the Milton thing :( I'm sure most people will never know the difference, or care even if they do.

And totally random, but Gina Torres should have gotten to be a Jedi. She would be awesome with a lightsaber or two.

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

There must be a D&D fanvid somewhere with an Abba song!

If there is then that alone would redefine crack.

Of course, Mel also made The Patriot, which is pretty much Braveheart-lite, but at least the freedom thing kind of makes sense in that one.)

*g* I hold Mel Gibson responsible for the whole freedom inflation in historical movies! (except Kevin Costner pretty much does it in Robin Hood as well, but oh wel...) And I agree - in The Patriot the freedom thing makes sense. What doesn't make sense is Gibson killing Jason Isaacs with a flag, and a wooden church burning down - except for the wooden door frame. Huh?

(why are the Saxons invading via Scotland, exactly?)

They got confused and thought they were vikings?
Also why are they walking? They must have boats (after all it is an island) and yet they go all the way up north and then walk south? But, but - why?

Sorry about the Milton thing :(

Oh no! Don't be sorry. It serves me right for not checking my facts, and being a smug bastard. Hee.

And totally random, but Gina Torres should have gotten to be a Jedi.

OMG! Yes - she would have been absolutely fantastic! Question is what type of Jedi? And are we talking Living Force or Unifying Force?

[sunnyskywalker]

I think "It's all Mel Gibson's fault" is a good response to about half the complaints about historical movies.

The Saxons must have been channeling vikings. Wasn't the main Saxon baddie a Swedish actor? I remember my professor saying he had a stereotypical Swedish thug accent. (I didn't know "Swedish thug" was a big enough stereotype in English-language films to have an accent associated with it, but school is educational that way.)

Hm, what type of Jedi. I think GL was going for the idea that all the Jedi except Qui-Gon are heavily into the Unifying Force, and that's part of their imbalance, so that might determine it right there. But I think she could play both versions well. Meditate on this, I must.

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

I think "It's all Mel Gibson's fault" is a good response to about half the complaints about historical movies

For instance his blue face paint in "Braveheart" can be seen as the forerunner to the blue face paint of the woades and Kiera in "King Arthur"

Wasn't the main Saxon baddie a Swedish actor?

Yup! Stellan Skarsgård. When the film was released he did some extremely funny interviews for small Scandinavian newspapers where he was extremely sarcastic about the film. he also complained a lot about the size of his codpiece.

I didn't know Swedish Thug was a category either - but I do like the concept. ;)

I think GL was going for the idea that all the Jedi except Qui-Gon are heavily into the Unifying Force,

Hmm..I didn't know that - but it does make sense. I keep looking at your icon and thinking: yes - a very good Jedi!
(but hopefully one living sometime before the fall of the republic, as I'd hate to think of her killed in Palpatine's massacre.)

[sunnyskywalker]

Yes, the blue paint! Maybe they were planning to do some tie-in merchandising - blue paint would be great for Halloween costumes.

Good for Stellan Skarsgård. I bet it was fun doing those interviews :D I must say though that I didn't even notice his codpiece, being so busy wondering WTF the Saxons thought they were doing.

I'm just guessing at GL's intentions there. Qui-Gon keeps telling Obi-Wan to pay more attention to the Living Force, and all the other Jedi we meet seem more concerned with grand future plans like the war and the role of the Chosen One rather than, say, Anakin-the-individual. So I think it fits.

Yes, that would be sad to think of Master Gina getting killed during Order 66. Maybe she fled to a distant galaxy and joined the Browncoats ;)

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

See the blue paint on Kiera would so work if it was a fantasy film. For I'll admit it looks great! It just seems to out of place in an Arthur film.

I know the director wanted to remake the Arthur story, and that's fine - but I think he went a bit to far. There were hardly anything recognizable left!
Also he went for the realistic approach - while filming an legend. You don't have to be realistic with legends. Instead you can throw in some mist and say "ooooo -scary magic" , and people will be fine with it.

So I think it fits.

yeah - you're reasoning makes a lot of sense, and I think you're right.

Maybe she fled to a distant galaxy and joined the Browncoats ;)

Hee! I'd like that - and a SW & Firefly crossover does have its prospects.
(as well as What would the crew of Firefly be if they lived in SW?)

On the other hand having the possibility to cast her in a completely new role, would also allow, well I guess us, the casting of other, interesting people in other roles. (and before you know it we've created our own EU. ;D)

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, the Paradise Lost series. The Harry Potter of its day, perhaps?

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

I now have the strangest image of Lucifer, son of the morning, going to Hogwarts. Hee.