Enthusiastically Ambiverted Hopepunk
The shows and movies I like (or don’t).
Wil pointed to a Star Trek Personality Test based on the Myers-Briggs system. I wasn’t sure what to expect for an answer, but apparently the author did a surprisingly good job of translating the Myers-Briggs questions to a Star Trek format, as I ended up scoring as an ISFP — the same result as when I took an online version of the actual Myers-Briggs test!
Anyway, here’s what the Star Trek test said about me…
When you’re a member of Suncoast‘s ‘Replay’ membership program, one of the benefits is their Request magazine. It’s about what you’d expect from this type of magazine — 50% advertising, 47% advertising thinly disguised as content, and about 3% that’s actually somewhat interesting to read.
The current March/April issue has a rundown of six top Oscar contenders: Nicole Kidman, Jack Nicholson, Julianne Moore, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Anniston, and Robin Williams. In the article, there were two quotes from Nicholson and Hanks that really stood out to me in the differences between how the two actors confront the stereotypes they’ve been saddled with — and illustrates why I tend to think more of Nicholson than I do of Hanks.
Discussing his role in About Schmidt, Nicholson had this to say:
More difficult, [Nicholson] says, is crafting a performance real enough to make the audience forget everything they know about the personality behind the character. “Almost anyone can give a representative performance when you’re unknown. The real pro game of acting is after you’re known — to ‘un-Jack’ the character and get the audience to invest in a fictional person. In order to keep growing as an actor, you have to learn the devices that keep you from just relying on what works for you.”
Then, regarding Road to Perdition, Hanks said this:
…Hanks insists that changing his image wasn’t the reason for taking the dark role. “That would take into an account a falsehood that it’s possible to change your image. You can’t do it,” he says. “[The audience] walks into a theater with a preconceived idea of everybody in the film, but hopefully that switch goes off, and you just watch the movie.”
In other words, while both actors know that they’ve been sterotyped — Nicholson as absolutely insane, and Hanks as the “nice guy,” Hanks just shrugs his shoulders and does his thing, while Nicholson actively works to challenge himself both in his roles and his acting to stretch both himself and his audience’s perception of him.
Good for you, Jack.
If anyone in [My Fair Lady] was gay, it had to be Higgins and Pickering — you’re telling me two single men in their late fifties who live together and enjoy speaking properly and dressing Audrey Hepburn in fabulous outfits aren’t?
— from ‘Will and Grace’ (Thanks to Prairie for sending this to me!)
A movie quiz from Dave Hyatt. I didn’t want to open up his comments to make my stab at the answers, since I’d probably see other people’s answers, so I’m doing it via Trackback. I’ll start with the quiz, and put my answers in the rest of this post. You can use the comments if you want to play along, too!
- “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”
- “I came here to do two things: chew some bubble gum and kick some ass. And I’m all outta bubble gum!”
- “…also left a man’s decapitated body lying on the floor next to his own severed head. A head, which at this time, has no name.” “I know his name!”
- “Throughout human history, we have been dependent on machines to survive. Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony.”
- “Anyway, David, when they find out who we are they’ll let us out.” “When they find out who you are they’ll pad the cell.”
- “Do you think there really are people who can just go up and say, ‘Hi, babe. Name’s Charles. This is your lucky night’?” “Well, if there are, they’re not English.”
- “A hundred million terrorists in the world and I gotta kill one with feet smaller than my sister.”
- “The first boy I ever kissed ended up in a coma for three weeks. I can still feel him inside my head. It’s the same with you.”
- “Just so we’re clear, you stole a car, shot a bouncer, and had sex with two women?”
- “Yeah, man just kinda…you know, you got these claws and you’re staring at these claws and you’re thinking to yourself, and with these claws you’re thinking, ‘How am I supposed to kill this bunny, how am I supposed to kill this bunny?'”
Back in October, I mentioned an upcoming DVD release called ‘Animatrix’ — a series of short animated films set in the universe of The Matrix. It turns out that of the nine shorts that will be on the disc, four are going to be released to the web, and the first has just been posted.
Very interesting stuff, as it turns out. Well animated, and at least in this epsisode, fleshing out the back-story of the universe, taking a look at the creation of the machines and beginnings of their rise to power. In fact, I think that one of the sequences in the short — a robot on trial for the murder of it’s owner — reminded me of one of Asimov’s robot stories, though I can’t bring to mind exactly which one. Or I could be remembering something else, which is entirely possible. In any case, I’ll definitely be picking up the DVD when it finally hits the streets.
(Via /.)
Ross: Rachel won’t open the door.
Phoebe: That’s because you’re a pervert.
Ross: I am not a pervert!
Phoebe: That’s like the pervert motto…they make you put your right hand in the air, your left hand down your pants, and recite that.
— “Friends” (thanks to Prairie, who is brave enough to watch shows like that so I don’t have to!)
Not being a football person, I didn’t bother to watch the Superbowl today. In fact, I didn’t even remember that today was Suberbowl Sunday until somewhere partway through the game, when Rick and I were at a diner and heard people in the next bar reacting to something or other in the game. Sports just aren’t my thing.
Anyway, one of the big deals about the Superbowl is always the various commercials and trailers that are shown during the game, since it’s always got such a huge audience. The majority of these generally wouldn’t concern me any more than the Superbowl itself would, but I did find out that the latest trailer for the next two Matrix films was released, and is already available on the net.
Yummy.
Very yummy.
Count me in.
A hilarious parody of the movie version of The Two Towers. Many thanks to d kitty for posting this!
Author: Molly J. Ringwraith (a.k.a. Molly Winter, Molly J. Ringle….)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A somewhat condensed parody version of the film ‘The Two Towers.’
Disclaimer: The Tolkien characters are not of my creation.
Author’s notes: Feel free to send this to your friends, but please keep my name on it! If you want to include it in some official or semi-official publication (webzine, newsletter, periodical, press package, what have you), then please contact me first, because I think I might be entitled to a cut of the profits or something. ;)
Also: I loved this movie. Deeply, truly. Please keep that on record. But I have to write parody for everything, so here goes….
GANDALF: Isn’t it odd how we fell for about three miles, and yet we ended up on top of a mountain?
BALROG: Who cares. It’s freaking cold up here. I give up.
GANDALF: Cool. I think I’ll go buy myself something white. White is supposed to be the new black this year…
SAM and FRODO are sitting together on a rock. SAM stretches, and drops his arm around FRODO’s shoulders.
SAM: So, sir. Finally it’s just you and me.
FRODO: “Finally”? What do you mean?
SAM: Oh, uh…nothing…
FRODO: Well, you’re wrong. We’ve got company.
GOLLUM flies out of the rocks and pounces on FRODO.
SAM: Hey! Wait your turn!
SAM and FRODO tie up GOLLUM.
GOLLUM: No! Smeagol not into ropes, nassty kinky hobbitses.
FRODO: We just want you to take us to Mordor, you sicko.
GOLLUM: Mordor? Hobbitses having little Goth phase, maybe? Very angsssty, wanting to go to Mordor, yes yes. Can Smeagol offer black eyeliner to angsssty hobbitses?
SAM: You stop talking to Mr. — hmm. (to FRODO) You know, you wouldn’t look half bad in eyeliner.
EOMER: Hi! Okay, stop me if you’ve heard this one. An elf, a man, and a dwarf walk into the Riddermark…
LEGOLAS: Ooh! And the elf shoots arrows through this git who rides up on a horse. Yeah, I have heard it! That’s one of my favorites.
ARAGORN: Down, Legolas. Hey, have you folks seen a couple little guys, about this high…?
EOMER: Nope. Oh! Unless they were in that pile of corpses we burned.
ARAGORN: Thank you; that’s…useful…
EOMER: Yeah; my bad. Here, have some horses.
MERRY: Yay! We escaped the Uruk-hai!
PIPPIN: Uh, Merry? That tree is checking you out.
TREEBEARD: Hoom! Furry lawn ornaments!
TREEBEARD picks up MERRY and PIPPIN and carts them off.
GANDALF: Hey, kids. Miss me?
ARAGORN: Gandalf! You’re alive!
LEGOLAS: I almost had a facial expression from the joy of it!
MOLLY: A lot of political maneuvering takes place here. Let’s see if I can summarize in ten lines or less.
THEODEN: I have ash all over my face and cannot speak for myself.
GRIMA: That’s the way I like it.
GANDALF: Be blinded by my new robes! Recover your smooth complexion and your senses!
THEODEN: Hurrah! I am me again! But, damn, my son’s dead.
GRIMA: Hmm. I better run.
ARAGORN: Good work, sire. Now collect your people and skedaddle to Helm’s Deep.
EOWYN: Hal-lo, handsome!
ARAGORN: Hi. You handle pointy things very well.
EOWYN: Yes. My only fear is dying a virgin. Hint, hint.
ARAGORN: Okay! Well, let’s move along.
LEGOLAS: Wargs!
LEGOLAS and other warriors start slinging arrows and jumping onto horses.
GIMLI: What was that God-awful noise?
LEGOLAS: I’m guessing…wargs dying.
ARAGORN: Actually, it was Legolas’s fangirl contingent, shrieking in delight at his horseback-riding tricks.
GIMLI: Ugh, that’s sickening. Ooh, Aragorn, watch out! Cliff!
ARAGORN falls off cliff.
LEGOLAS: No! This is unbearable! I almost had another facial expression!
SAM: Gollum is such a freak.
FRODO: Yeah, well, you’re a jerk.
SAM: What? He is a freak.
FRODO: Whatever, Sam. Want some cheese with your whine?
SAM: Why are you picking on me?
FRODO: I’m so sick of listening to you. It’s always nag, nag, nag. I didn’t ask you to come along, you know.
SAM: What the hell?
FRODO: Shut up. Screw you. Go away.
SAM: What happened to the magic, Mr. Frodo? We used to stay up till dawn, laughing, talking, sharing…
FRODO: Oh, spare me.
FRODO stomps off.
ARAGORN finds himself in RIVENDELL with ARWEN lying on top of him.
ARAGORN: Hmm. This must be a dream.
ARWEN: Why do you say that?
ARAGORN: Because you’re not even supposed to be in this book.
ARWEN: Don’t be mean. I’ll tell Daddy.
ARAGORN: Whatever. Wake me up, would you? Since it’s not really you licking my face, I have the awful suspicion it’s a horse. Or maybe Gimli.
ARAGORN arrives and collides with LEGOLAS.
LEGOLAS: Oh, good heavens. You look terrible. You are not wearing that to the battle tonight, are you? And your hair! What will we do with you?
ARAGORN: Nice to see you, too.
GALADRIEL: Hello? Is this Elrond?
ELROND: Yes, speaking.
GALADRIEL: Hi Elrond; it’s Galadriel.
ELROND: Hey, girl. Where are you?
GALADRIEL: In Lothlorien; where else would I be? Listen, I really wanted to talk to you about Frodo.
ELROND: Yeah, I’ve been wondering about him lately.
GALADRIEL: He and Aragorn have so much stuff to do.
ELROND: I know! And Aragorn’s being such a wiener, I’m not even sure I want him to marry my daughter…
GALADRIEL: Did you see his hair the other week? Hello, greaseball.
ELROND: And does he, like, only have that one shirt? Humans are so gross. Hang on; I’m getting another telepathy call.
GANDALF: Hello? Hello? Elrond?
GALADRIEL: Gandalf? Is that you?
ELROND: Gandalf! Hey buddy!
GANDALF: Do you have me on three-way telepathy calling? I hate that.
ELROND: Yeah, sorry. I was talking to Galadriel. Hey, didn’t you die or something?
GANDALF: No, you twit. Now quit gossiping and listen. There’s a war about to start at Helm’s Deep.
GALADRIEL: Yeah, and?
GANDALF: And they need your help, moron.
GALADRIEL: (exaggerated sigh) Fine, whatever. I’ll send Haldir or something. He’s expendable.
LEGOLAS: This is going to be most unpleasant. Hundreds of people will die.
ARAGORN: Thank you, Captain Obvious.
LEGOLAS: You’re just jealous because I’m pretty.
ARAGORN: You’re just jealous because I’m going to be king.
LEGOLAS: You can bite my ass.
ARAGORN: Hey, blow me.
(Ten minutes later)
LEGOLAS: I didn’t mean that.
ARAGORN: It’s okay. Me neither.
LEGOLAS: Kiss and make up?
ARAGORN: How about I squeeze your shoulder in a very special way?
PIPPIN: So we’re still riding on this tree bloke’s shoulders…
MERRY: Uh-huh. I have splinters in places you don’t even want to imagine.
SAM seasons their rabbit stew as GOLLUM watches.
GOLLUM: Ssstupid fat hobbit! Using sage in stew like thisss!
SAM: What’s your problem? Sage brings out the flavor.
GOLLUM: Smeagol would use nice mix of rosemary and lavender, yess, precious.
FRODO: Hey, you guys? Something’s out there in the forest.
SAM: Rosemary? Hm, maybe. But you know what would be good with this, is a basic bechamel sauce with some dill.
GOLLUM: Sssimple hobbit; anyone makesss bechamel. Vichyssoise much tastier and more difficult; yes…
FRODO: Hello? Guys? Seriously, someone’s coming.
SAM: Now, if you only found us some eggs, I could make crepes, wrap up the meat, drizzle the juices over it with a little bit of blackcurrant chutney…
FRODO: Hey, you guys, look! It’s Martha Stewart!
GOLLUM: Where?
SAM: Where?
FRODO: Now that I have your attention, may I point out the Oliphaunt that’s about to step on us?
FARAMIR: Look! Strange little men! Let’s take them home.
FARAMIR blindfolds SAM and FRODO and hauls them away.
ROHIRRIM GUARD: Sire, there are some really femmy people at the gate. They have bows.
ARAGORN: Those are Elves. Let them in.
ROHIRRIM GUARD: Oh! Elves! Wow, I didn’t expect that.
PEOPLE WHO READ THE BOOK: Neither did I…
GIMLI: Arr! I’m funny because I’m short.
LEGOLAS: I’m funny because I make fun of how short you are!
FARAMIR: So, who are you, exactly?
FRODO: I’m Frodo. This is Sam.
FARAMIR: Your…image consultant?
SAM: His gardener.
FARAMIR: Ohh, like in a ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ kind of way?
SAM: Exactly.
FRODO: Righ—What??
ARAGORN: This siege is lasting forever. These poor people…
LEGOLAS: We will fight to the death. We will not fail you.
ARAGORN: Oh, not you guys — I meant the audience.
GIMLI: Aragorn! Toss me!
ARAGORN: Um, is this really the time?
GIMLI: Yes! Toss me!
ARAGORN: Look, I don’t think about you that way…
GIMLI: No, you freak, throw me onto the Orcs!
TREEBEARD: We have opted, hoom, not to do a damn thing.
PIPPIN: I didn’t expect that.
PEOPLE WHO HAVE READ THE BOOK: Neither did I…
MERRY: Don’t you even care? This is your planet too!
PIPPIN: You’re very handsome when you yell at trees, Merry.
MERRY: Am I? Thanks.
TREEBEARD: Hoom, don’t care. Taking you home.
PIPPIN: (to MERRY) Wait! I know. I’ll bat my eyelashes at him.
MERRY: Good plan. I know I sure can’t resist you when you do that. (winks at PIPPIN)
PIPPIN: (to TREEBEARD) Mr. Tree, sir, could you take us south, pleeeease?
TREEBEARD: Ooom…Damn it, hoom…how can I say no to those eyes.
FRODO puts on some black eyeliner, climbs to the top of a ruined building, and holds up the Ring. SAM pounces him and brings him tumbling down the stairs.
FRODO: Ow! Hey! That’s it — this time I’m cutting your throat.
SAM: But Mr. Frodo…I was saving the world…you were going to give the Ring to that Nazgul…
FRODO: No, I wasn’t. I was doing a lightning experiment.
SAM: Well, that’s pretty stupid too, now isn’t it.
FRODO: Hmm. I suppose so. Sorry, dude.
FRODO puts down the sword. SAM gets up and starts a speech.
SAM: There are good things in the world. And that’s what we’re protecting. And up there, it’s their time, but down here, it’s our time…
TREEBEARD finds a field of stumps near SARUMAN’s place.
TREEBEARD: What the bloody…Ents! Attack!
MERRY: Once again, Pippin’s wily eyelashes save the world.
PIPPIN: Aww, you’re just saying that.
SAM (V.O.): …and I have a dream that my eighteen children will one day live in a Shire where they will not be judged by the color of their teeth but by the content of their character…
GANDALF and EOMER and a few thousand ROHIRRIM come charging down and wipe out the rest of the ORC army. EOWYN and ARAGORN and LEGOLAS and GIMLI and THEODEN all cheer.
ARAGORN: Gandalf, finally!
GANDALF: Yes, my boy, I have come back.
ARAGORN: Took you freaking long enough.
SAM (V.O.): The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced…
FRODO (V.O.): Um…Sam…
ARAGORN: You know what would have been really cool, though…
EOWYN: What?
ARAGORN: An army of flesh-eating trees to destroy the Orcs who are running away.
AUDIENCE: Yeah, that would have been cool.
TREEBEARD: Hey. We’re busy flooding Isengard here. We can’t be two places at once.
SAM: …let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to —
FRODO: Sam!!
SAM: What?
FRODO: They’re letting us go. Come on.
SAM: Oh. Oh, good.
SAM: They’re going to tell stories about you. Frodo the Incredibly Cute.
FRODO: Ordinarily I would tell you to stop hitting on me, but you’ve saved my life so many times now, I guess I’ll settle for being uncomfortably flattered.
SAM: Cool. Oh, and by the way?
FRODO: Yes?
SAM: The tortured look really does work for you. Very hot.
FRODO: Aww, thanks. You deserve a special shoulder-squeeze for that.
SAM: Did you learn that move from Aragorn?
FRODO: Yeah. You like it…?
GOLLUM: (mumble, mumble)…Kill…(mumble)…death to hobbits…(mumble mumble)…feed them to her…(mumble, mumble)…pain, suffering…(mumble)…make them cry…(mumble)…kill hobbitses…(mumble)…she will destroy hobbitses…
PEOPLE WHO HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK: (loudly) “She?” Did he say “she”, and “her”? Who’s “she?”
PEOPLE WHO HAVE READ THE BOOK: Shut up!
Did you know that you could Google in Klingon? Completely bizarre. But cool.
(Seen in the .sig for this /. post, by codexus)
Just got back from seeing Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Oh my lord.
At this point, if Peter Jackson doesn’t get some sort of special achievement Oscar after Return of the King is released, I’ll be quite surprised and dissapointed. Fellowship of the Ring was an excellent film, and a masterful job of adapting what was for years considered an “unfilmable” literary work to the screen — but the possibility was there that that could have been a fluke. Here, Jackson had the task of following up the blockbuster success of LotR:FotR with a “middle movie” that had neither a definite beginning nor end to its story. While because of that LotR:TTT admittedly cannot stand entirely on its own as a single entity (and I would hate to be someone in the unenviable position of attempting to watch LotR:TTT without having first watched LotR:FotR), as the second chapter in an epic saga, it is far and away an absolutely incredible achievement.
More thoughts follow — not entirely spoiler-free, though, click through at your own risk….