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caitriOkay, so Cowboys vs. Aliens wasn't as bad as a lot of the reviews make it out to be, it just wasn't anything to really write home about. (It was still way the hell lot better than Super 8 though.) In fact, I was enjoying its Saturday afternoon entertaininess, and then, well, guess what: In came the Hollywood Indians, including Good!Tragic!Indian! Nat who was adopted and raised by Harrison Ford and thus can see the Brave Goodness inside that cantankerous dick.
The second he opened his mouth to tell his tragic!backstory I turned to Scott and said, "Want to time how long before he bites it?"
Around forty-five minutes later, Scott turned to me and said "Here we go."
Yeah. And still not as painful as ALL THE REST of the Native Americans, of course, being all shrieky, in superstitious awe of the white chick, and, y'know, NOT HAVING ANY LINES (all of the Lakota (?) language was unsubtitled). I cherish the hope that the actors were doing what a friend of mine in South Africa observed Zulu extras doing, which was making fun of what a stupid movie they were in and how stupid the white people watching were. (Apparently when this film screened in SA, my friend was in the theater and like half the audience was cracking up during these Very Serious Scenes for this reason.)
I also went with Scott to see Captain America again since he hadn't seen it.One thing I had observed but not really appreciated the first time around was the ahistorical integration of the US Army; also, the fact that, for once, none of the black dudes got it. *looks at XMFC pointedly* (Also, I liked the one black soldier who mentioned learning German at Howard before switching to French to pick up girls; it made me homesick since I used to live near Howard Law School when I was in DC.) There was a pretty interesting discussion on the IAFA listserv about this topic, including the supposition that this additional decision really helped reinforce the AUness of the Marvel universe. Which, if you take that in conjunction with how the Cuban Missile crisis is depicted in XMFC with the US and Russia bonding pretty quickly in their mutual fear over the mutants, ala Watchmen, rewrites history and sociology pretty interestingly.
A few days ago![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
eldritchhobbit was kind enough to share a forthcoming book chapter on the depiction of Native Americans in the various Treks, which was really entertaining and enlightening reading. It's going to be published in the forthcoming Star Trek and History, so do what I'm gonna do and buy it. It really re-impressed on me the importance of not fucking up race in scifi, which is part of the reason I'm trying to do some more research for Heaven is Bloodless.
At the same time I'm reading the final volume of Jacqueline Carey's Naamah trilogy, which is itself an AU, and right now the characters are in Terra Nova and venturing through the Nahuatl Empire. Now Carey always does her research, both historically and linguistically, and it SO. PAYS. OFF. I really wish HBO would do something based on her books, because they have all the things I love. SIGH.
The second he opened his mouth to tell his tragic!backstory I turned to Scott and said, "Want to time how long before he bites it?"
Around forty-five minutes later, Scott turned to me and said "Here we go."
Yeah. And still not as painful as ALL THE REST of the Native Americans, of course, being all shrieky, in superstitious awe of the white chick, and, y'know, NOT HAVING ANY LINES (all of the Lakota (?) language was unsubtitled). I cherish the hope that the actors were doing what a friend of mine in South Africa observed Zulu extras doing, which was making fun of what a stupid movie they were in and how stupid the white people watching were. (Apparently when this film screened in SA, my friend was in the theater and like half the audience was cracking up during these Very Serious Scenes for this reason.)
I also went with Scott to see Captain America again since he hadn't seen it.One thing I had observed but not really appreciated the first time around was the ahistorical integration of the US Army; also, the fact that, for once, none of the black dudes got it. *looks at XMFC pointedly* (Also, I liked the one black soldier who mentioned learning German at Howard before switching to French to pick up girls; it made me homesick since I used to live near Howard Law School when I was in DC.) There was a pretty interesting discussion on the IAFA listserv about this topic, including the supposition that this additional decision really helped reinforce the AUness of the Marvel universe. Which, if you take that in conjunction with how the Cuban Missile crisis is depicted in XMFC with the US and Russia bonding pretty quickly in their mutual fear over the mutants, ala Watchmen, rewrites history and sociology pretty interestingly.
A few days ago
eldritchhobbit was kind enough to share a forthcoming book chapter on the depiction of Native Americans in the various Treks, which was really entertaining and enlightening reading. It's going to be published in the forthcoming Star Trek and History, so do what I'm gonna do and buy it. It really re-impressed on me the importance of not fucking up race in scifi, which is part of the reason I'm trying to do some more research for Heaven is Bloodless.At the same time I'm reading the final volume of Jacqueline Carey's Naamah trilogy, which is itself an AU, and right now the characters are in Terra Nova and venturing through the Nahuatl Empire. Now Carey always does her research, both historically and linguistically, and it SO. PAYS. OFF. I really wish HBO would do something based on her books, because they have all the things I love. SIGH.
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(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-01 01:23 am (UTC)And I think I'll wait to Netflix (may I use that as a verb?) Cowboys and Aliens. ;) And I'll remember the phrase "Brave Goodness inside that cantankerous dick," which is priceless.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-01 03:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-01 04:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-01 04:30 am (UTC)Etc.
Honestly, the thing I found most surprising was Clancy Brown as a good guy. I think the only other time I've ever seen him as a good guy was on one episode of Enterprise.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-01 02:29 pm (UTC)And that book sounds AMAZING. Not going to lie, it's going to be heavily hited to my parents that that would be a good present for my littlest sister to get me :DDD
(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-01 02:43 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-08-01 04:33 pm (UTC)