Silky Smooth

PBS's Masterpiece Mystery just started airing Silk here in the US (apparently they're on their third series in the UK).

Silk is a drama about Martha Costello (Maxine Peake), a barrister (lawyer) who is trying to become a QC (Queen's Council - better, more high-profile, more salaried lawyer) which they nickname silk because of the robes they get to wear that come with the prestige.

Not only is the drama completely compelling but I'm excited because the main character is a woman.

I know!

A woman.

A woman lawyer.

I know there are actual woman lawyers out there in the "real world" but ever since I saw the documentary Miss Representation I've been bummed about the lack of female protagonists in TV and movies.

But here is one and she is fierce, strong, understanding, smart, and warm.

I was interested in the show as soon as they started airing promos for it. I knew I would be working that day and even though I could have watched it ahead of time (yay perks of work!) - I didn't. I wanted to wait and see what everyone else saw with the intro and the outro and the anticipation.

I wasn't disappointed.

The show tackles the duality of being a defending lawyer and a woman. Men come at Martha because she is a woman and you can see that sometimes they underestimate her.

Martha herself is a strong woman, capable of anything her boss puts in front of her. She doesn't have a husband or kids but when her work involves minors she can be seen caring for them, proving that she is not just a cold bitch. Sure she takes pride in her work and that requires her to be tough but she can also be warm and inviting.

I think the show does a great job showing that. Being a defending criminal lawyer can't be easy for anyone and the show doesn't make excuses for Martha simply because she is a woman.

She will rip any lawyer or her clients a new one. She tells them exactly what she thinks, no sugar coating and when they question her she stands her ground.

In one episode she has to prosecute and she gets mad at the defense for not doing his job properly.

"What are you doing Martha? If I was prosecuting this case I'd cut a deal."

"And if I was defending - Tony would walk."

The characters in the show have their own drama, mostly involving their head clerk in Chambers, Billy (Neil Stuke).

There are two newbies who are trying to become proper lawyers: Nick (Tom Hughes) and Niamh (Natalie Dormer).

Nick's mentor is Martha and you can tell that even though she may be short with him he understands that she is one hell of a damn good lawyer.

Niamh's mentor is Clive Reader (Rupert Penry-Jones) a womanizing misogynist who is too interested in his new mentee, thinks too highly of himself and doesn't seem to have the same passion for justice that Martha does.

As an American it was interesting to see their justice system since it is a bit different but it's easy enough to follow and get the hang of. The words are a different, and they don't OBJECT! to things which I found to be the most interesting aspect. It's like they can guide the jury to think whatever it is they want...to a point. But then again, it's not like striking it from the record, the way we do here in America, strikes it from the juror's mind.

This show is quickly and easily becoming one of my favorite shows and for those who have yet to see it....get on that! 


I give it 4 out of 5 popcorn.

UK vs US TV

Disclaimer: Once again, these videos are NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

Keeping on this whole British TV kick I'd thought I'd bitch about American remakes of UK TV.

There is nothing I hate more than the erroneous notion that American TV is the best around. That with Hollywood and New York and big budgets we have the best television out there.

We have some damn good shows: 30 Rock (RIP), Arrested Development, Breaking Bad. But when American companies look at something overseas and go..."Hmm, that show would do well in America, but only with American actors. Americans can't be expected to figure out what those Brits are saying. We'll copy their shows word for word but instead we'll use Americans."


Gross.

Example 1: The IT Crowd.

I love Joel McHale but he cannot and should not replace Chris O'Dowd. This is an exact remake, word-for-word pilot. And it just cannot compare to the original. As I mentioned in my other post, British comedy is different than American and to try to do it isn't a form of flattery it is a mockery. It's saying that we can't be bothered to watch the original because Americans can do it better. Only, the thing is, that we can't. 

Example 2: Skins

I love Skins. I ate that show up on Netflix even though I was far from being a teenager. It was one of my guilty pleasures. When I heard that MTV was going to be doing a US version I was pretty much like...why? The UK Skins has a cult following, great actors, and great story. Why would you go and try to make something better when there is nothing wrong with in it the first place? And even though some of the changes the US made are minor, they can change the complete feeling of the story and the character. 

For example in the UK Skins (Series 1) Tony has a naked man and woman comforter. In the US, Tony's comforter is spiders. That simple act of changing his bedding sends a completely different message to who the character of Tony is. The bedspread, though seemingly immaterial explains a lot more about Tony than even talking to him does. To have a naked couple on his bedspread is both funny and says a lot about his sexuality. The US Tony just comes off as a weirdo, a kid who doesn't always think about sex, someone who likes dark, creepy creatures. It may not seem like a big deal, but the little things make the whole character. It's the things like that that give you a sense of who the person is really.

Here is an article from Vulture that gives you 30 differences between the two versions. 

Example 3: Being Human

I mentioned in my other post that I did not feel that the US Being Human was as dark as the UK version. I guess some people like that. I can see the appeal of not feeling so depressed after watching an episode but I also think that the feeling of helplessness and alone-ness is what makes Being Human...Being Human.

The three main characters are NOT human. They are trying their hardest to fit in, with humans all around. That isn't a pleasant situation! That isn't something to be cheerful about. It becomes even more awkward and hard when one of the plot points becomes people hating one of the main characters for what they think is his pedophilia. Not a light topic in the least, but it also isn't accurate. The point of the show is that it's hard trying to fit in when you are a normal person, but it's even harder when you're not.

Example 4: The Inbetweeners

In the UK version the character of Jay is completely vile, irreverent and hilarious. He talks about all the girls he's slept with but clearly has no idea how to even talk to one, much less sleep with one. In the US version, Jay is cast as a bigger guy who just comes off goofy. Though you know that Jay in the UK version is talking bullshit you can suspend your belief because of the way he acts. The US Jay always seems nervous. I cannot even pretend to believe his bullshit.

Also, the US Will is a horrible actor. 

There are many shows that have been taken from the UK and made for US audiences and vice versa. Some like The Office have done better than the UK originals here in America but I think that it is few and far between. A lot of the comments to the YouTube videos and on posts say that the American versions always look more polished or "Hollywood" and since we're used to that it might not be a big deal. But it's true that some things need to be gritty, some actors have to look ugly, or at the very least, like a normal every-day person. Not everything has to have a big budget or the best gear to get its point across. Sometimes, it helps when the party is darkly lit, the video is grainy, and not everyone at the party is a model.

I think that the US should try actually airing the UK versions here instead of automatically turning them American. It seems that the US versions get aired in the UK - I'm not sure what channel or how easily accessible it is but I would love to be able to watch UK TV without having to pay 80$ for special cable.

So US TV producers ... try something new: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

I love British TV

Disclaimer: The videos in this post are NOT SAFE FOR WORK; you can read it though.


I absolutely love me some good British TV. But as I don't have cable or an antennae I can only say that about things I've seen on Netflix. But the shows I have seen are great and depending on my mood, I'd rather watch some of their stuff than American stuff.


Their editing is more creative.


I am in love with Sherlock's editing.

Super simple but very effective.

I find their fart jokes, barf scenes, and awkward sex scenes hilarious because even though they are totally and completely crazy it doesn't come off as them just trying to get viewers; something I think some shows in the US try too hard to do (like Family Guy).

The Inbetweeners 

They aren't afraid for "teenage" shows to be dark, moody, and complex.

Being Human

Versus our American version. I only saw two episodes though so maybe I didn't give it a fair chance but it just didn't hit me the same way as the UK one did.

Their "teenage" shows also seem to piss Americans off.

I loved Skins. Guilty Pleasure. 

They have their own sort of comedy that American shows simply cannot reproduce.

The IT Crowd

I love Roy.

They make the boring lives of aristocrats and the mundane lives of servants incredibly engrossing.

Downton Abbey

Things you wouldn't think you'd be interested in, like nurses and nuns delivering children, become fascinating to watch because you could never imagine wearing heels while pregnant or giving birth in your home.

Call the Midwife

Because their version of Friends is better.

Coupling

The terror of The Melty Man! Men be afraid!

They make good mini-series of classic novels so that I don't have to read them.

Pride and Prejudice 

Emma 

Wuthering Heights

So as you can see I love me some British TV and it's definitely because of more than just their accents.

What are your favorite British shows? Are there any good British shows I should check out?

Bitchin' About: Convenience Fees

I hate convenience fees.

Firstly they are inappropriately named. Unless of course I can go take a pee on Ticketmaster's premises. They should be called Greedy Bastard Fee. (I think I'm going to call them that from now on actually.)

Secondly, they don't make sense.

Convenience means that you are doing something with little effort. I take this to mean that when I go online, in my underwear, to buy a ticket it's convenient. Yay convenience!

But also, the fact that I am going through a computer who has some code input into it and no one has to be behind the counter at 2am in the morning is convenient for both Ticketmaster and whatever place I am buying my ticket from, in this case AT&T Center.


There is no one wearing a blue Ticketmaster polo or an AT&T Center shirt on shift 24/7 asking me what seats I'd like to buy. Nope. There is nothing like that online. In fact, after two minutes or so your tickets are forfeited and you have to go through the whole process again.

That's not convenient. That's annoying.

So I feel that the fee should even out. It's not like a one-sided thing here. You're not having to pay someone minimum wage to stand behind a counter for 24 hours! You're saving money! That is convenient for you!

The fee prices are crazy in themselves. There is no 1$ convenience fee.

This ladies and gentlemen is an example.

John and I bought tickets to the Nine Inch Nails concert that will be coming to San Antonio, November 5 at the AT&T Center.

He totally looks better now. 

I already know that driving all the way down to the AT&T Center is so much cheaper than actually buying them through Ticketmaster.

Now, we bought nosebleed seats. We'll have to arrive 2 hours early and with climbing gear to find our seats before the show but I kind of refuse to waste, I mean spend, 100something dollars on tickets.

But our seats are Section 230, Row 13, Seats 1 & 2.

Which is RIGHT NEXT TO THESE.

So how much money did I save driving down to the AT&T Center? A lot.

Our tickets came out to 75$.

For those of you who can't math (like me - I had to use a calculator) that is 30.52$ in savings.

Hidden, or not so hidden, are crazy fees that DON'T MAKE SENSE.

Please, for the love of god, tell me why I would have had to pay 22.30$ for a service fee. What service do you provide? I hear that bands complain all the time that they have to pay so much to the facility. And yet the facility fee is a separate charge all it's own. 2.00$. I can afford to pay 2.00$ for the janitorial staff or whatever.

So where does the 22.30$ go?

Who are you paying that to?

Oh, what it goes into your pocket? To your child's college fund?

I wouldn't doubt it.

Then there is an order processing fee. What the balls?

What the hell is an order processing fee? You're the damn Ticketmaster website-- that is what you do! You're made to process my order.

You're a website. No people are there. It takes you 6.38$ per transaction to keep your website alive?

I seriously doubt that.


I'm really picking on Ticketmaster here because I just purchased the tickets but hidden fees are everywhere. Check your Sprint account lately? They have weird fees too. Because you know, 80$ for unlimited doesn't cover the entire cost of whatever.

Then there are places like colleges that add fees onto your tuition. Library fees, book fees (don't we have to buy our own?), lab fees.

According to the College Data website the average yearly tuition of a public in-state school is 22,261$.

It also talks about fees that are included in cost of tuition: student government, parking fees, local bus services.

I have to believe there is an easier, more efficient and better way to go around these fees.

So the next time you see a convenience fee, get mad at it, yell about it and call it what it really is: The Greedy Bastard Fee.

The Place Beyond the Pines

The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)
Directed By: Derek Cianfrance
Edited By: Jim Helton, Ron Patane
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, Bradley Cooper, Ray Liotta



The Place Beyond the Pines is a movie directed by Derek Cianfrance of Blue Valentine fame. The movie is like three in one, in that each part can be a complete story within itself but when watched together flow into each other seamlessly. Or semi-seamlessly.

The movie about the relationships between fathers and sons and how the choices made by one can effect the other can be feel a bit long a times. Though that may just be the sense of finality when moving from one section to the next.

In the opening scene we meet Luke (Ryan Gosling) getting ready to perform in the circus doing stunt work on his motorcycle. Luke is tatted up, grimy, quiet but as Gosling has shown before in Drive, he can still keep your eyes on him even without saying much.

He is in Schenectady, New York only one more night when he meets up with Romina (Eva Mendes) his one-night stand from last year. He finds out that she gave birth to their son who is now one year old.

Despite his appearances and Romina's preconceived notions, Luke quits the circus, stays in town working as a mechanic. He intends to provide for his son and win back Romina even though she has a new life, a new boyfriend and little faith in Luke.

Unable to make what Luke thinks is enough to shower his son with gifts he starts robbing banks with his new friend, Robin (Ben Mendelsohn).

The second chapter stars Bradley Cooper as newbie cop, Avery Cross. When he becomes privy to the shady dealings of police within the system he becomes unsure of what he should do with his life. Going to his father for help he makes a plan to become a politician.

The final third of the movie is about Avery's son, AJ. Fifteen years has passed and his son faces challenges of his own with his father and kids at his new school.

The movie is long but is never boring. You become invested in all the characters who are multi-dimensional and not completely good or bad. They are all just trying to understand themselves and get through their lives.

The tone of the movie is subdued and melancholy but it only adds to the feel of the movie itself. Is doing something bad for a good reason a good thing or a bad one? The cinematography is beautiful but speckled with gritty buildings and ugly clothes to add to that feel of desperation for Luke and corrupt justice for Avery.

Luke's chapter was my favorite as I think that he had the most to win or to lose. His life, depending on his choices can go either way.

The third chapter was my least favorite as the character of AJ (Emory Cohen) tries too hard to be gangster.
I get that he's 16 and he's trying to be unique but his horrible gangster lingo and distracting chest hair were just too much. Though Dane DeHaan was a great actor I had never seen before.

I was more interested in his story than that of AJ.

The end of the movie comes full circle suggesting that sometimes the things we experience and the way we act come from the generations before us, and the actions we make today have unknowing, reverberating consequences.

Some may not like the fact that the movie switches from one person to the next at what may seem, critical points. But the drama does not come from explosions or gunfire, the drama here comes from the actors and like life, sometimes one part ends when it's getting good but that doesn't mean the story is over. That I think, is the point of The Place Beyond the Pines.

I give it 4 out of 5 popcorn.

New Face. New Name

Alrighty folks.

As you can see, I not only changed the colors and face of my blog, I gave it a new name.

Why? Why would I go through so much trouble even when Blogger warned me that changing my website name and URL would cause internet chaos?

This is apparently the internet equivalent of dividing by zero. 

Simple.

Because when I first started writing my blog I did it for fun and I needed a name (and a URL) before I could even begin writing. So I tried simple things and they were already taken.

Taken.


And taken.


So I had Netflix on and The Seven Year Itch was on the suggestions line and I chose it. I chose it because it was easy and convenient and I never thought I would end up liking blogging so much or that I'd ever get a handful of readers.  I thought it fit since I do love movies and I do love old vintagey things but now...


It doesn't and probably never did.


I may be a bitch sometimes but I'm also a lot more. And I didn't want to be associated by name (or internet-persona) as someone who complains and complains and does nothing else because that's not fair to me or to the women population in general.


Yes, I rant and I complain but I also love bright colors, owls, and sunflowers. I love laughing and sometimes I even read news articles.

Phillipe Glade 

I struggled with whether or not to change my blog name for a while. I looked at some of the blogs I follow and for them their names fit but they also had gimmicks. They cook every Thursday and post baby pictures every Sunday.

I don't do anything...ANYTHING, on a regular schedule. (Except work I guess). So that whole gimmicky name selection was out. And I'm okay with that because I am not a mommy blogger. I am not a complete vintage blogger. Nor a DIY or crafty one.

I get bored easily and love switching from one project to another. I hardly ever finish anything that I start. So my blog and my trying to be like the other blogs just wasn't working out.

So I made a list of adjectives to describe myself and put these two together because I think they define me perfectly...in an abstract-not-really-understanding way.

Sometimes I will bitch about things that I hate. Sometimes I will post pictures of the food I cooked or baked. And sometimes I will post pictures of my life. With no particular rhyme or reason. I will post what I post when I feel like it and when I don't...I won't.

But you can expect to see an eclectic, crazy mix of all kinds of things because I, Valerie Darling am Indecisively Restless.