Media thoughts

[scripsi]

I watched Nosferatu last weekend, and liked it a lot. I even go as far as saying it’s one of the best vampire movies I have watched. My son, who saw it before me, said it was a bit too slow for his taste, but for me the pacing was perfect. The photo and settings were simply gorgeous, and so were the costumes. I only saw one dress that I thought was a bit not quite right. There was a lovely attention to details, like the Christmas tree hanging from the ceiling, and the sequence with a naked girl on a white horse was lifted from an actual practice to find vampires. I also found the acting excellent, all round, with people acting like 19th century people, not modern ones in period clothes. The movie also refrained from making a villain of the rich friend who made some questionable decisions in the treatment of Ellen. He never acts like he does because he is evil, but because he is depicted as a man of his time. And he is also a loving husband and father, and a good friend.

My main criticism is on the subject of the vampire itself. I’ve no problems with making him monstrous, which Dracula in the novel actually is, and not always handsome either. And I think Bill Skarsgård did a great job menacing his way through the plot. As long as he was kept slightly out of focus I found him rather scary. But a lot of that disappeared when we were treated with closeups in great detail, and that took away a lot from the last scene for me. Also, all that heavy breathing? Since when do the undead breathe? But overall I thought it a very good movie.

I’ve watched a great deal of TV shows in the past few years, and many of them were very good. None has prompted me to write fanfic, that hasn’t happened since The Queen’s Gambit. I really enjoyed Shadow and Bone and thought it a pity we only got two seasons. Loved the costumes in that one too!

I really like Ncuti Gatwa as our new Doctor, and Ruby as a companion too. Though I like Jodie Whittaker as an actress, I was a bit sad that I didn’t like her Doctor very much. I wanted to! And I think it was a disservice to give her so many companions. I feel like the showrunners didn’t trust a female Doctor to own the show. I liked Sacha Dhawan as the master, though I don’t buy that the Master would want to destroy the universe- he wants to rule it! I thoroughly enjoyed getting Ten back, kind sorta, and that they finally let Donna have her memory back! The way she was treated always annoyed me. I don’t care if it was fan service. When it comes to Doctor Who, I’m all for the fan service. Needless to say I also enjoyed getting Tegan, Ace and Mel back. My prediction is that Ruby’s mystery neighbour is either Susan or Romana.

What I haven’t enjoyed are the news about Neil Gaiman.

Cut for talk about sexual abuse.


I heard about the accusations back in June, and believed them from the start. In my experience women who accuse rich and powerful men of sexual abuse, suffers greatly from it, and I don’t believe you do that unless it has happened. And since then it has just grown and grown. I don’t keep track of how many women there are now, but I firmly believe they are just the tip of the iceberg. I haven’t read the Vulture article, and I don’t intend to, as I think it would trigger me way too much.

I never kept track of Neil Gaiman’s personal life, as I’m mostly uninterested in any celebrities' lives, but I had a vague feeling he was a nice bloke. Like so many others I was clearly wrong. But I love, love, love his writing. The Sandman was enormously important to me in my late teens, and a bit later Neverwhere. Now I think I will never read them again. Or watch. I can’t stomach Marion Zimmer Bradley, after all, and The Mists of Avalon was one of the really important books of my teens. I know my personal feelings about this are nothing compared to the women who has been abused, but I’m still sad that some of my favourite books have been destroyed for me.

Comments

[calliopes_pen]

Also, all that heavy breathing? Since when do the undead breathe?

My thought was that he needed to get air into those decaying undead lungs so that he could speak with Thomas. So for conversation outside of Ellen's dreams, he had to remember how to do that. And his lungs weren't doing so hot.

[scripsi]

I can buy that. :) It was still a very annoying sound, though.

[shanaqui]

The Neil Gaiman situation is so awful. I sort of dully hoped back in June that it could somehow turn out less bad than it sounded (given the initial source of the news), but as soon as there were corroborating accounts, the writing was on the wall. The Vulture article makes it very clearly worse in a couple of directions.

[scripsi]

I wanted to hope it was untrue, but never really believed it. I felt icky just erading what the Vulture article was about, so I think I'm better off not reading it.

[earthspirits]

Definitely looking forward to seeing Nosferatu, so thanks for the rec!

The Neil Gaiman expose is incredibly disturbing. So much so (for me) that I deleted all of my American Gods fan fic (and I really loved that television series). Definitely won't be reading any more of NG's work and yeah, ditto about MZB.

On a happier note, all for fan service for Doctor Who!

[scripsi]

I hope you will enjoy it!

Yeah, I loved that tv series too. It's all so depressing.

[lirazel]

Have you seen either of the previous two Nosferatus? I'm just curious as to how it lands with people who have.

As long as he was kept slightly out of focus I found him rather scary. But a lot of that disappeared when we were treated with closeups in great detail,

Such a common problem with movie monsters!

In my experience women who accuse rich and powerful men of sexual abuse, suffers greatly from it, and I don’t believe you do that unless it has happened.

Agreed, completely. This increases exponentially with each woman signing on.

[greghousesgf]

"This increases exponentially with each woman signing on."
This, especially.

[dejla]

And also with a lot of book monsters. As Stephen King himself said, you can do the scary stuff with shadows and rumors and atmosphere, but eventually the villein/antagonist has to put on the scary mask and go "booga-booga" and that's where a lot of authors fail.

[scripsi]

So true. Though in this case I think it would have worked ok if he hadn't ended up naked. It just became ludicrous and gross.

[scripsi]

Yes, I've seen them both. The silent movie I saw on a big screen with a live orhestra, and it was awesome! The 70s version, even if the photo was beautiful and I love Isabelle Adjani, was a complete snoozefest. I've also seen Shadow of the Vampire which was fun after having seen the orgiginal Nosferatu.

Agreed, completely. This increases exponentially with each woman signing on.

Sadly yes.

[trepkos]

Totally agree on Dr Who! I'm so glad for Donna!

[scripsi]

Me too! She was always one of my favourite companions, and I loved having her and her family back!

[qwentoozla]

I really liked Nosferatu too.

The Sandman and other NG work was really important to me too. It's really hard to come to terms with the fact that the same guy who wrote that stuff turned out to be so awful.

[scripsi]

The Sandman and other NG work was really important to me too. It's really hard to come to terms with the fact that the same guy who wrote that stuff turned out to be so awful.

Yes, that is exactly how I'm feeling too.

[thisbluespirit]

*hugs*

I'm glad you've been enjoying Fifteen, too! I struggled with Chibnall's era, although I didn't mind the companion team - but he was never any good at doing things with them. Or, indeed, Thirteen herself. And Jodie is such a fab actor and immediately the Doctor - I found it very much an era of being constantly Monkey's Pawed one way and another. But, yeah, lovely to see Ace and Tegan back, and Sacha Dhawan was a constant scene saver, as was Jo Martin, much as I loathed the whole Timeless Children thing.

Anyway, yep, Fifteen has been fun! I do not trust RTD at all so I'm a little wary, but so far it's been pretty much a joy. I look forward to meeting the new companion soon.

I'm sorry about the whole Neil Gaiman thing. It's awful. *hugs*

[scripsi]

I didn't mind the companion team - but he was never any good at doing things with them. Or, indeed, Thirteen herself.

Yes, I agree. I didn't mind the companions as characters- the were likeable, but, if felt like no character were ever in focus. Including the Doctor... I loathed the Timeless Child too.

I don't really trust RTD either, but I allow myself to be hopeful.

I'm sorry about the whole Neil Gaiman thing

Thank you! *hugs*

[liadt]

Yeah, 'Good Omens' was one of my fave books as a teenager and I doubt I'll re-read it again now. I never followed him, but like you thought he was a "nice guy".

I'm glad you've been enjoying DW and the new 'Nosferatu'! Not seen the latter, but I probably will when it turns up on freeview as I am cheap.

[scripsi]

It's so sad when books you love gets tainted!

It's so nice to be back! <3

[impala_chick]

Yeah the Gaiman stuff is so sad and messed up :/ We never know what artists/authors/celebs might be hiding from their audience. It is pretty interesting that he seemed to have had a good reputation before all of this came out, though. Maybe that's just because his writing was so famous.

[scripsi]

Sadly I think some predators gets very good at camoflauge. There was a case in Sweden a couple of years ago with a high rakning police officer who did tons of work on gender equality and sexual harassment. Turned out he was a serial rapist, and some of his victims were underage.

[impala_chick]

Oh man that sucks :( I know we have similar stories of people like that in the US.

[scripsi]

Yes, sadly predators in disguise are everywhere.

[desecrets]

That's pretty much how I felt about Orlok too -- I enjoyed his costume design very much (nice to see one that was finally anchored in his supposed time and region), but once you got all his prosthetics up close and in focus he kind of lost some of his presence and became more just visually gross? The death rattle was a bit much too, yeah :D

[scripsi]

I really like his costume design too! And they did a good job getting the feeling he was very ancient.

[jesuswasbatman]

I remember watching the original Murnau Nosferatu on TV and being shocked by how blatantly Orlok and Knock seemed to me to be visually antisemitic caricatures, and that's soured me on that whole outgrowth of the Dracula mythos.

Never has an era of Doctor Who had so many fans and casual viewers willing it to be good and turned out so poorly. Chibnall simply didn't seem to have anything personal to say, and all he achieved was to prove that "making Doctor Who for the sake of it" doesn't cut the mustard any more.

[scripsi]

I never thought about that, but no wonder it did for you!

Chibnall simply didn't seem to have anything personal to say, and all he achieved was to prove that "making Doctor Who for the sake of it" doesn't cut the mustard any more.

Yes, I agree. There was a fe good episodes, but on the whole it felt blah. Also, having the Master want to destroy the univerese felt out of character. He wants to rule it, not see it gone.