DVD Logging
Aug. 11th, 2010 01:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_rckAh My Goddess: Flights of Fancy 13-24 - I like Mara as an antagonist far better than I liked Peorth. I think it's because all the jokes don't hinge on sex with Mara. I kind of miss the everyday life story lines, though. I wish the Mara stuff were interspersed with the other stuff instead of having the episodes clustered the way they are.
Aria 11-13 - These episodes all take place during the winter, and I shivered a bit in sympathy. Of course, none of the characters ever acted quite as cold as I'd expect to be under similar circumstances. There's quiet magic in two of the episodes, with cats bringing past and present together.
Charmed season 1 DVD 1-6 - I'm not sure why I kept watching this. I never quite cared about the characters or the stories. Well, I suppose the fact that the series is in English counts for something. I need that for when I'm writing. At any rate, I kept trying to make sense of the show's theology and failing.
Dae Jang Geum 1-3 - The little girl playing Jang-Geum is painfully cute. The gaps in her teeth make me think of Cordelia which made the second episode much more painful. That is, I empathized heavily with her parents' fears for her safety, especially once her mother was dying. Knowing that the magic of being the main character would protect her to some extent helped, but my heart still broke for her parents.
I found watching this interesting because I have no context at all for Korean history and culture. I wish for footnotes or something similar. I don't know the rhythms of the language yet, either. That's taking getting used to. The English of the subtitles was better quality than that found in any of the Chinese series I've watched.
Dae Jang Geum 4-6 - I had stopped expecting a time skip by the time it finally arrived and now find myself missing the child Jang-Geum. Not that the adult actress isn't excellent-- I'd just gotten used to the child. I'm surprised, too, by the amount of drama that can come from how the food is prepared, how it is received (the anxiety on the faces of the ladies as they await the King's verdict conveys how important this is for them) and so on.
Episode 6 ends with a cliffhanger, so I've moved the next DVD higher in my Netflix queue. I don't know what I'll do when I've run through what Netflix has.
Dae Jang Guem 7-18 - I screamed a little in frustration at the end of the last episode. Of course the last DVD Netflix has would end in a cliffhanger with multiple unresolved story elements. I do love this series, especially the fact that it's largely about women. I'm sorry not to see the end of the competition between Lady Han and Lady Choi or to know Lady Jung's fate. I'm very glad to have watched as much of the series as I can.
Darker Than Black 1-2 - I gave up on this after two episodes because it was too grimly violent for my taste. I considered pushing on through the rest of the DVD in case that changed (and in case something mitigating might turn up) but decided not to force myself. I had suspected from the blurb that this might not be a series for me, but Netflix thought I'd like it (and has all of it), so I thought I'd try it.
Doc Watson: Rare Performances 1982-1993 - I expected to enjoy this one, and I did because I like Doc Watson's music. I think I'd have liked it as well as a CD as I did as a DVD, though. The visuals weren't particularly interesting. Still good music.
Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars - This was too much horror and tragedy for me. I think I may be better off avoiding Doctor Who when I can (which I may not be able to, given Scott's love of the show).
Girl Who Leapt Through Time - I liked this movie well enough by the end, but there were points early on when I nearly stopped watching because I didn't much like the heroine. Her early uses of time travel tended to be for trivial things or to shift bad luck onto someone else. Both fit her character and age, but neither made me like her. I also spent a lot of time waiting for something to happen that would tie everything together. When it came, I was rather disappointed because it wasn't about the heroine.
Kino's Journey 1-13 - I put this one off for quite a while because I'd gotten the impression that it was set in our everyday world. Instead, each new country (a city and surrounding countryside) has something that very strongly makes it different from the rest of the world-- telepathy, machines that do all the work, gladitorial games. Kino's just passing through and generally makes no effort to change anything. I wish I'd tried this series sooner.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo: On Tip Toe - Somehow, I'd been under the impression that this was a concert DVD. Discovering that it's a documentary was disappointing, not because it wasn't interesting but rather because I expected more music than I got. I did have trouble following what people were saying and wished that the documentary were close captioned.
Leverage season 1 DVD 3-4 - This still isn't a series I'd go far out of my way to watch. It's enjoyable enough for passing time, but there's something missing about it, something I'm looking for that isn't there. Maybe it's that I want to see character development for somebody other than Nate (who's not all that interesting, really). At least the various capers differ and are fun.
Moribito 21-26 - This series stuck the landing. That came as a great relief. I'd been worried that the ending wouldn't please me. I liked the odd intersections of the spirit world and the everyday world. I also like the fact that Balsa never lost her determination to save Chagum.
Princess and the Frog - Cordelia got scared to the point of tears by the fate of the villain in this movie. She hadn't been dreadfully engaged by the story prior to that (at least I don't think so), but that scene terrified her. I found myself wanting more depth to the movie. I think that was a problem of my expectations rather than of the movie. That is, I was looking for something more than a Disney movie, something more like a novel.
I did like Tiana and the music.
Psych season 1 DVD 3-4 - If Scott didn't find this series so much fun, I think I wouldn't watch any of it. It keeps smacking hard into my embarrassment squick, hard enough that I have to look away and cover my ears. I like the dynamic between Shawn (Is that how it's spelled?) and Gus quite a bit and definitely sympathize with Gus. Shaun leaves me with a trainwreck fascination at how he can't help lying elaborately.
The first episode of the third DVD repelled me. I kept going, "Oh, no, they're not--" only to see that yes, in fact, they were. The episode featured a man who thought he was haunted but who in fact was a multiple without knowing, and the murder hinged on one of the other personalities being female and wanting to transition. I banged my head at least once.
Psych season 2 DVD 1-4 - Each episode still features points when I have to turn away and cover my ears. I just can't handle Shawn's elaborate and embarrassing lies, even when they work (maybe especially when they work). Scott still loves the series, so I'll be seeing a lot more of it.
Sarah Jane Adventures season 1 DVD 2 - We skipped DVD 1 because we'd already seen the only story on there. We'd somehow managed to miss both of the stories on this DVD, so we had fun watching them. I found the Gorgon scarier than the Slitheen and both within manageable levels for me. I'm looking forward to watching more of this. I think it's a better match for my taste and tolerance than the current Doctor Who (Torchwood is way out of range).
Sarah Jane Adventures season 1 DVD 3 - I think we'd seen at least part of this before. Bits kept seeming familiar, but they were always surrounded by parts neither of us recognized. The story on this DVD brought back things from earlier in the season and tied up some loose ends. I wish the seasons for this show were longer.
Sarah Jane Adventures season 2 DVD 1-3 - I missed Maria in this season. I liked Rani quite a bit, but I caught myself thinking of her as 'the replacement' rather than seeing her as a character in her own right first.
We had seen none of these episodes before and enjoyed them all. The episode with Sarah Jane's parents made me cry (I knew from the beginning that it would, and I wasn't wrong). The episode with the Brigadier was also fun. It was good to see him again.
The Spy Next Door - Jackie Chan is generally fun even in a mediocre movie, and I can't say that this was much better than mediocre. It was fun to watch as long as one was prepared to ignore the plot.
Aria 11-13 - These episodes all take place during the winter, and I shivered a bit in sympathy. Of course, none of the characters ever acted quite as cold as I'd expect to be under similar circumstances. There's quiet magic in two of the episodes, with cats bringing past and present together.
Charmed season 1 DVD 1-6 - I'm not sure why I kept watching this. I never quite cared about the characters or the stories. Well, I suppose the fact that the series is in English counts for something. I need that for when I'm writing. At any rate, I kept trying to make sense of the show's theology and failing.
Dae Jang Geum 1-3 - The little girl playing Jang-Geum is painfully cute. The gaps in her teeth make me think of Cordelia which made the second episode much more painful. That is, I empathized heavily with her parents' fears for her safety, especially once her mother was dying. Knowing that the magic of being the main character would protect her to some extent helped, but my heart still broke for her parents.
I found watching this interesting because I have no context at all for Korean history and culture. I wish for footnotes or something similar. I don't know the rhythms of the language yet, either. That's taking getting used to. The English of the subtitles was better quality than that found in any of the Chinese series I've watched.
Dae Jang Geum 4-6 - I had stopped expecting a time skip by the time it finally arrived and now find myself missing the child Jang-Geum. Not that the adult actress isn't excellent-- I'd just gotten used to the child. I'm surprised, too, by the amount of drama that can come from how the food is prepared, how it is received (the anxiety on the faces of the ladies as they await the King's verdict conveys how important this is for them) and so on.
Episode 6 ends with a cliffhanger, so I've moved the next DVD higher in my Netflix queue. I don't know what I'll do when I've run through what Netflix has.
Dae Jang Guem 7-18 - I screamed a little in frustration at the end of the last episode. Of course the last DVD Netflix has would end in a cliffhanger with multiple unresolved story elements. I do love this series, especially the fact that it's largely about women. I'm sorry not to see the end of the competition between Lady Han and Lady Choi or to know Lady Jung's fate. I'm very glad to have watched as much of the series as I can.
Darker Than Black 1-2 - I gave up on this after two episodes because it was too grimly violent for my taste. I considered pushing on through the rest of the DVD in case that changed (and in case something mitigating might turn up) but decided not to force myself. I had suspected from the blurb that this might not be a series for me, but Netflix thought I'd like it (and has all of it), so I thought I'd try it.
Doc Watson: Rare Performances 1982-1993 - I expected to enjoy this one, and I did because I like Doc Watson's music. I think I'd have liked it as well as a CD as I did as a DVD, though. The visuals weren't particularly interesting. Still good music.
Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars - This was too much horror and tragedy for me. I think I may be better off avoiding Doctor Who when I can (which I may not be able to, given Scott's love of the show).
Girl Who Leapt Through Time - I liked this movie well enough by the end, but there were points early on when I nearly stopped watching because I didn't much like the heroine. Her early uses of time travel tended to be for trivial things or to shift bad luck onto someone else. Both fit her character and age, but neither made me like her. I also spent a lot of time waiting for something to happen that would tie everything together. When it came, I was rather disappointed because it wasn't about the heroine.
Kino's Journey 1-13 - I put this one off for quite a while because I'd gotten the impression that it was set in our everyday world. Instead, each new country (a city and surrounding countryside) has something that very strongly makes it different from the rest of the world-- telepathy, machines that do all the work, gladitorial games. Kino's just passing through and generally makes no effort to change anything. I wish I'd tried this series sooner.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo: On Tip Toe - Somehow, I'd been under the impression that this was a concert DVD. Discovering that it's a documentary was disappointing, not because it wasn't interesting but rather because I expected more music than I got. I did have trouble following what people were saying and wished that the documentary were close captioned.
Leverage season 1 DVD 3-4 - This still isn't a series I'd go far out of my way to watch. It's enjoyable enough for passing time, but there's something missing about it, something I'm looking for that isn't there. Maybe it's that I want to see character development for somebody other than Nate (who's not all that interesting, really). At least the various capers differ and are fun.
Moribito 21-26 - This series stuck the landing. That came as a great relief. I'd been worried that the ending wouldn't please me. I liked the odd intersections of the spirit world and the everyday world. I also like the fact that Balsa never lost her determination to save Chagum.
Princess and the Frog - Cordelia got scared to the point of tears by the fate of the villain in this movie. She hadn't been dreadfully engaged by the story prior to that (at least I don't think so), but that scene terrified her. I found myself wanting more depth to the movie. I think that was a problem of my expectations rather than of the movie. That is, I was looking for something more than a Disney movie, something more like a novel.
I did like Tiana and the music.
Psych season 1 DVD 3-4 - If Scott didn't find this series so much fun, I think I wouldn't watch any of it. It keeps smacking hard into my embarrassment squick, hard enough that I have to look away and cover my ears. I like the dynamic between Shawn (Is that how it's spelled?) and Gus quite a bit and definitely sympathize with Gus. Shaun leaves me with a trainwreck fascination at how he can't help lying elaborately.
The first episode of the third DVD repelled me. I kept going, "Oh, no, they're not--" only to see that yes, in fact, they were. The episode featured a man who thought he was haunted but who in fact was a multiple without knowing, and the murder hinged on one of the other personalities being female and wanting to transition. I banged my head at least once.
Psych season 2 DVD 1-4 - Each episode still features points when I have to turn away and cover my ears. I just can't handle Shawn's elaborate and embarrassing lies, even when they work (maybe especially when they work). Scott still loves the series, so I'll be seeing a lot more of it.
Sarah Jane Adventures season 1 DVD 2 - We skipped DVD 1 because we'd already seen the only story on there. We'd somehow managed to miss both of the stories on this DVD, so we had fun watching them. I found the Gorgon scarier than the Slitheen and both within manageable levels for me. I'm looking forward to watching more of this. I think it's a better match for my taste and tolerance than the current Doctor Who (Torchwood is way out of range).
Sarah Jane Adventures season 1 DVD 3 - I think we'd seen at least part of this before. Bits kept seeming familiar, but they were always surrounded by parts neither of us recognized. The story on this DVD brought back things from earlier in the season and tied up some loose ends. I wish the seasons for this show were longer.
Sarah Jane Adventures season 2 DVD 1-3 - I missed Maria in this season. I liked Rani quite a bit, but I caught myself thinking of her as 'the replacement' rather than seeing her as a character in her own right first.
We had seen none of these episodes before and enjoyed them all. The episode with Sarah Jane's parents made me cry (I knew from the beginning that it would, and I wasn't wrong). The episode with the Brigadier was also fun. It was good to see him again.
The Spy Next Door - Jackie Chan is generally fun even in a mediocre movie, and I can't say that this was much better than mediocre. It was fun to watch as long as one was prepared to ignore the plot.
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no subject
Date: 2010-08-11 05:43 pm (UTC)Dae Jang Geum -- could you give us a little more info as to what the series is about? This really intrigued me and I might have to start looking for it somewhere.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-11 06:00 pm (UTC)Dae Jang Guem has politics and melodrama and lots of food. Most of the characters are women, too.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-12 03:52 am (UTC)There's three box sets, and each one I can't find for less than $75 bucks.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-12 03:54 am (UTC)http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4304853590518244019#
what looks like the first episode plus a bit, with very good subtitles and good visual quality.
Sadly, I can't find more that's the same quality.
This part has NOTHING to do with the title character directly. It is DRAMA OF DRAMATICNESS, and purely awesome.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-11 11:22 pm (UTC)Leverage OTOH is pure, unadulterated junk food. I would give a lot to see more character development for other characters (I agree with you on the Nate thing) but the episodes are usually so damn funny that I don't want to get all mad at them. I think Parker, Haridson, and Elliot are great characters and are sort of my new OT3. ;)
Sorry to hear about the Princess and the Frog. It is a pretty hardcore ending for the villain (although a fitting one, I think.)
no subject
Date: 2010-08-11 11:49 pm (UTC)I think I'd agree on Leverage as junk food. It's fun, but there's nothing lasting there. I've read a couple of decent Leverage fics, though, all crossovers.