Just a Sci-Fi Kid Like Me

I finally sat down to watch it--the whole thing, not just the, uh, highlights.

So I actually enjoyed it way more than I was expecting, since it was billed as so gritty, much grimdark. I could have lived without the blood and viscera, though, it is true.

What surprised me was the romance plot, which was incredibly incredibly sweet. Following from A Wrinkle in Time, CFine plays another DILF, albeit with a bad haircut and a passable Scottish accent. He's been widowed for several years and has an incredibly cute munchkin. (And actually his character's interactions with small children throughout are always well done. My favorite is the little girl who brings him a shovel and says that her mom said for him to give it back as soon as he's done with it--she's so embarrassed, it's adorbs.) He gets pushed into marrying King Edward's goddaughter Elizabeth, a character who frankly needed a movie of her own, because what we get here is cherce. Sure she's been pushed into what could end up being a loveless marriage, and her new husband doesn't want to fuck her on their wedding night, but she's damn well going to be a Solid Heroine. She's kind to the cute munchkin, sticks up for her new people, and calls bullshit when she sees it. I love her so. much.

And therefore it's a pity that she gets the most abbreviated love scene ever. Sure she gets to be nekkid with CFine, including having to keep her legs angled to preserve his dignity, such as it is, but like... Okay. Having established that they have not fucked so far, but in recognition that he might be killed in battle the next day, they decide to Get It On. Getting it on involves them taking their clothes off, getting into bed, some giggling, and immediate penetration followed by orgasms. Now I know I have been spoiled by Outlander but I just sat there thinking, "Well that's just disappointing." Also, that poor girl. She's a virgin, she has three minutes of sexy time, and then has to spend ages avoiding death and imprisonment and such. Their reunion at the end is very well done, but they needed some ... dialogue, maybe, as opposed to sunny, relieved smiles.

The other thing I liked about this film was that Edward II is...actually portrayed as way more competent than one would have thought. And though Piers is there for, like, a second, they do not go into the gayness at all--which I imagine is meant to be some sensitivity since you're supposed to hate him. Way more time is spent on his daddy issues and his just generally being shown up by Robert, since they've known each other since they were kids.

Anyway, it was a good film to watch once. All subsequent viewings will be fast-forwarded until I get to the romance bits and the nude scenes. Sorry not sorry!

Last night I dreamed about Jim Kirk on the Enterprise, except Kirk has most of Chris Pine's characteristics, which meant that often he saved the day through sheer weirdness. In this case the ship was beign attacked by Klingons, but as it turned out, all of the cats and dogs aboard had emergency suits with anti-grav boots, plus tool kits provided by Scotty, so the animals overran the Klingons and freed the humanoid crewmen. Because Kirk felt that the animals were worthy crewmen too. As you do.

Everything is insane, and Chris STILL makes it all better.

MAGIC. I SWEAR.

An email exchange from this morning with my friend Laura:

Ok, so I was dreaming last night, and I dreamed I was friends with Chris Pine, and he came to visit for dinner, then all the sudden the city we were in was under attack by a Giant Intergalactic Space Gorilla (seriously) and so Chris Pine and I were trying to get away from the GISG, and while we were running for our lives, I thought, “Oh man, Cait is going to be so jealous that I am here with Chris Pine.”

I immediately replied:

That is awesome. Can I post this on my livejournal? ;)

Subquestion, why was I not invited to the dinner with Chris?? :o


Because I have my priorities STRAIGHT, people!!!!!

So Laura wrote back:

I think we were in another country….otherwise I would so invite you along.

My final response: Clearly they were in Canada. With Tom Hardy, too I bet.

Update with photos over at Just a Sci-Fi Kid Like Me; we got in some cool Lovecraft fanzines and I wheedled Todd into posing for a photo. (T-Man fangirls take note: he thought the photo op was for this blog. He was doing it for YOU.)

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One of our students also made us Xmas cards and left them with candy at the desk this morning. I feel all loved and appreciated and stuff.

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I also got an invite to a PCA roundtable on Bad Boy Vampires. I'll be the Spike expert. This is kinda the most cool thing ever.

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Lyndsey and I also submitted a chapter proposal for a forthcoming book of essays on Neil Gaiman. Figners-crossed!

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Working on my third-year review dossier. It's simultaneously awesome to be all overachieverey and really annoying, because I had to spend quite a bit of time this morning scanning articles and stuff.

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ETA: Ooh Chris Pine's single came out today!!!! *downloads* *grins*

1. Sushi Ran in Sausalito is amazing.

2. We drove thru Berkley. I was on a freeway Chris was once on, probably. My dorkitude even scares me sometimes.

3. Will likely kidnap Friend Kristin for Thanksgiving, thus saving her from a day of peace and quiet and Lego Rock Band.

... I'm a crappy friend, aren't I?

(via Fuck Yeah Pine)

Seriously, my fav thing about this? Is how he's just as bouncy as I am. I fear we can never meet for the world might explode after I hyperventilate.