there will be a fish

(ugh, LJ just did an obnoxious thing and stripped out all my coding, and I'm too tired to go back and fix all the italics tags, so just imagine they're there making my prose even more flaily, okay?)
(also whoops, I posted this last night and then private-locked it because LJ fucked up my cuts and I didn't want to spoil anyone, and then of course I forgot to make it public again. SIGH.)

1. The Hobbit trailer! I'm sure you have all seen it by now. I've seen it many times, including in 3D, because my place of employment is awesome. The song gives me the shivers every time, and MARTIN FREEMAN'S EVERYTHING makes me happy, and god it looks gorgeous. I AM EXCITE.

2. Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol. PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ABOUT IT, OKAY. This is sort of like when Live Free Or Die Hard came out, and it was a huge shock when it was actively good. I want to go back and see it again! Brad Bird's direction is excellent; the action sequences were tight as anything (like, he doesn't just planting Chekhov's gun and then fire it, he shows you the gun and fires it, and then uses it as a hammer, and then five minutes later as a doorstop, and then... and it's all unexpected and realistic and creative), and marvelously innovative. But I love that he's kept the Pixar tendency to keep everything character-based, and character-driven; even when the characters are fighting people in Big Fight Scenes, it's still about them. And I really loved the team! Jane was awesome: kick-ass, vulnerable when she should be and competent when she needed to be, smart and funny and good at being a spy. I want her to come back! Which is entirely possible, since they also brought back Simon Pegg's Benji from #3, and his face is worth the price of admission alone. God, I love Simon Pegg, and the man is a genius comedian. And then there's Brandt, who was awesome (more on him later). It just had such a sense of fun to it, which is what I want in my action movies. I mean, I want be thrilled, too -- and let me tell you, I was clutching Katie's hand until it lost circulation during ( that one sequence, you know the one ) -- but I want it to be in a fun way; I want breathless joy from people throwing themselves through the air in unbelievable ways, and adrenaline-inducing explosions, and fighting people who need to be fought with a team of decent people, and winning. And I think Brad Bird is in agreement with me, and J.J. Abrams as well, so this was just really good for me. ( spoilers! )

3. Jamie Bell. There was a trailer for Man on a Ledge before MI4, and basically Jamie Bell + heist = key to my heart (with bonus Sam Worthington and apparently them being brothers). But then it also appears that he's going to be in a movie with James McAvoy in which they will both be Scottish and cops (and, in James McAvoy's case, batshit crazy) in a story written by the same guy who did Trainspotting. All this in addition to Tintin, which I am super duper excited about. WIN ALL OVER.

Speaking of, Tintin was excellent! It's very much a Stephen Spielberg movie, if you know what I mean -- in the 'teenage boy (and his dog) fight evil-doers and have wacky adventures while uncovering a sekrit treasure!' sense, complete with Rube-Goldberg-like chase scenes and plenty of swashbuckling slapstick. I personally really enjoy that, in moderation, so I had a great time. The animation/motion-capture stuff turned out very nicely, IMO, and it let them do some really cool stuff with the camera (or, "camera") during action sequences; there's one long chase that is entirely one shot, which would've been completely impossible in live-action, and makes for a really awesome effect. Jamie Bell is marvelous as Tintin; I love the "intrepid reporter" character type almost as much as con men and thieves/rogues with a heart of gold, AND the Tintin books were childhood favorites of mine, so it was just really delightful to see. And they curse like The Middleman ("Great snakes!" LOL) and Tintin nerdily talks to himself Snowy while investigating things and being a giant geek, and Haddock is a big, drunk-ass teddy bear of hilarity. Basically, I had a lot of fun. :)

4. Also Michael Fassbender. Is the man in every movie that's coming out? It's like I turn around, and he's in yet another trailer. Or article. Or something. AND he's getting to play with all the cool kids, it's awesome.

For the record, I am totally okay with this state of affairs. :D

THINGS STILL TO SEE (when I am not working and/or staring in despair at my Yuletide story and/or not working opposite schedule to Katie):
- Sherlock Holmes (I KNOW OMG)
- The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (once I read the book...)
- Hugo (I hear it's adorbs, plus Martin Scorcese does 3D, I am intrigued)
- Shame (HI MICHAEL FASSBENDER)
- Arthur Christmas (MAYBE. This has nothing to do with me realizing James McAvoy voices the main character, nope...)
- Young Adult (because Charlize Theron. Don't judge me.)

5. ...Okay, and also some fanfic things! Nine Eleven Ten updated yesterday, so I feel a great need to press it upon everyone again. But if you like The Dresden Files (or even if you don't; it's a pretty accessible AU, now that I think about it), and have somehow missed the Stars & Scones Bakery AU, hie thee over there now, because she just finished! AND IT IS DELIGHTFUL. The whole wacky ensemble is there, and Harry is faily and damaged and utterly endearing, and Marcone is delightful, and basically it will make you want to curl up with a cup of tea and some spice cookies and sigh happily. It's perfect for cold weather and the holidays, is what I'm saying. GO. READ. *shoos*

Hi guys! So, I realized I've yet to talk about Primeval -- AKA That British Show About Time-Traveling Dinosaurs and the Failboats Who Fight Them -- this season. Which is just wrong, because they've already had:

- Connor being the damsel in distress (again) and Abby coming to the rescue (again)
- dinosaur on a nuclear submarine, in the Jurassic, with Liopleurodons
- a raptor in Victorian London
- James Lester, and his magnificent, magnificent snark
- Jess Parker, and her magnificent, magnificent coordinating skills
- Becker and his adorable glee about getting to use a real live gun again, and his magnificent, magnificent...um, everything
- Abby and Connor and their lovely OTP-ness and charming competence/fail combination
( and more things which are spoilery through 5.04 )

- If anyone else ships Becker/Jess like I do, you should totally check out the three fics taraljc just recently wrote: Ceasefire, Semper Paratus, and Unofficial Secrets Act. They are adorable, and full of banter and spot-on character voices, and did I mention the adorable? (She's also posted an adorable Primeval picspam, a lovely Abby/Connor 4.01 episode tag, and linked to an adorable interview with Ben Mansfield (Cpt. Becker) in which he talks about the character's emotional failboatness and wistful longing for his replaced shotguns)

***

Enough about Primeval! You know what's hilarious? Taking Myers-Briggs personality tests while pretending to be various fictional characters....and especially when the character is Harry Dresden. In his case, I just wish there were more emphatic options than true/false answers for questions like "You are inclined to rely more on improvisation than on careful planning" or "You readily help people while asking nothing in return." The whole experience was pretty giggle-inducing.

I am a little troubled by the fact that Harry is the same personality type as I am (INFJ, aka "The Protector"/"The Counselor"), though...but then I remember that I am far more emotionally stable than Harry. (A two-legged stool sitting on a termite colony is more emotionally stable than Harry Dresden.) And Marcone, btw, is a pitch-perfect ENTJ (aka "The Executive", lol). If anyone is curious about any other characters they'd like me to do one for, I'd be happy to.