My lists got too long so I had to inject paragraphs. And underline things.
Commentary on popular X-Men First Class' minor characters
1) Moira MacTaggert has too little control over her emotions (or, at the very least, her expressions) to be a convincing CIA agent. To me, she basically embodies why "the CIA is no place for a woman", and explains perfectly why so many movies fail the Bechdel test.
2) Angel was a weak character with insufficient development and a rather unimpressive set of mutations. Another failure which exclusion and the movie's consequent failure of the Bechdel test would be forgiveable.
3) Darwin shouldn't have died.
4) Hank McCoy's feet had opposable thumbs. Opposable thumbs. On his feet. Like an ape. Did the comic specify that? No, really, that was a genuine question. I've never actually read it.
5) Magneto's helmet looks clunky, gaudy and terrible.
Scientific inaccuracies in X-Men First Class
1) Radiation does not necessarily make mutants any stronger. In fact they stand about as much chance of getting cancer as non-mutants.
2) I'm not even going to talk about how improbable the mutations are.
3) Identifying a marker in Raven's DNA sample does NOT imply an ability to generate a serum that induces one's default appearance to become normal. In fact, all a marker does is, essentially, sit somewhere along the genome and express itself like any other gene. It's often used in transformation of plasmids and bacteria.
4) For the record, I think diamond should be able to cut through whatever metal was wrapped around Emma Frost's neck.
5) Why wasn't the bullet pulled out of Charles Xavier's back bloody?
Commentary on relationships in X-Men First Class
1) How on earth did the producers think that hooking Raven up with Erik Lehnsherr immediately after her falling out with Hank McCoy was a good idea? Raven had never indicated any interest in Erik and Erik was more interested in Raven's status as a mutant than Raven herself. It was probably a one-time thing, though, and nothing too serious, because Raven did not stay in bed after but went to seek Charles.
2) Charles Xavier and Moira MacTaggert was so surprisingly unsurprising because Hollywood just needed its main character to get a girl -- any girl. Never mind if she's just someone insipid that helps the movie pass the Bechdel test. Which it didn't, by the way. This pairing was even worse than Erik/Raven.
3) I was sort of hoping that the movie would elaborate more on Hank and Raven's relationship. I think she had the potential to transform his doubts, just like Erik transformed hers, although I understand the need to make Hank inject himself with the serum as a result of him disagreeing with Raven on their appearance.
4) While I really don't understand the relationship between Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw, I think Emma's comment (to Colonel Hendry) that she was "Sebastian Shaw's associate" seemed fitting. It appears that Emma and Shaw's relationship verges on the professional while maintaining a level of impersonal affection.
5) Hands up anybody who thought that Erik and Charles should just build their happy mutant orphanage and ditch the government already (Moira did NOT in any way inspire positive opinions of the government or the CIA). That way they'd get to keep their friendship AND share Raven, even if I think Erik/Raven was a mistake. Also, there will be epic bromance. On the downside, the entire X-Men series wouldn't have happened.
Commentary on the main characters of X-Men First Class
1) Erik Lehnsherr should probably have clubbed Sebastian Shaw's head off (instead of merely crushing a bell and rattling some instruments) when Shaw killed his mother. That would have saved everyone so much trouble.
2) Charles Xavier really should have been a little less calm about a stranger breaking into his house and stealing his food. But then I suppose that if you'd been able to tell that the blue-skinned girl wasn't a threat because you could READ HER MIND then it was justifiable.
3) Erik Lehnsherr (or should I say Michael Fassbender) looks really good when he's doing his thing with metal. I particularly enjoyed his invasion of the senior Soviet Official's house.
4) Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) actually looks nice in his frumpy cardigans and with hair. Too bad he eventually lost the hair he wanted untouched.
5) Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier would probably have made one of Hollywood's best fiction couple if either one of them were female. If only because Hollywood wouldn't dare to screen a gay couple (and because that might ruin the comics).
Favourite scenes from X-Men First Class
1) That satellite scene where Erik found the point between rage and serenity.
2) "...I will find you." (In French, spoken by Erik)
3) For some reason, the Argentina scene where Erik was looking for Shaw.
4) The beach scene when Charles was struck in the back by a bullet deflected by Erik.
5) Charles reading about his thesis.
Sunday 14 July 2013
Friday 12 July 2013
Make-a-List Day 4
More words that mean different things
1) Graduated: post-college vs. marked with intervals
2) Inclined: agreeable vs. slanted at an angle
3) Solution: answer to a problem vs. homogeneous liquid mixture
4) Save: write a backup vs. prevent a goal
5) Vulcan: fictional alien species vs. did someone spell volcano wrongly?
Science-y words starting with 'P'
1) Palpitate
2) Peristalsis
3) Polypeptide
4) Panthera
5) Praseodymium
Non-science-y words starting with 'P'
1) Pagination
2) Prevaricate
3) Pontificate
4) Pintrest
5) Perfunctory
Colours that sound nice
1) Citrus
2) Mahogany
3) Ivory
4) Fuchsia
5) Burnt sienna
Nerdy quotes
1) BDE (Friendship) = infinite kJmol^-1
2) Bond. Covalent Bond.
3) You must be fructose, because you're sweeter than sugar.
4) I was a line but you have made me a vector.
5) ___________________________?
1) Graduated: post-college vs. marked with intervals
2) Inclined: agreeable vs. slanted at an angle
3) Solution: answer to a problem vs. homogeneous liquid mixture
4) Save: write a backup vs. prevent a goal
5) Vulcan: fictional alien species vs. did someone spell volcano wrongly?
Science-y words starting with 'P'
1) Palpitate
2) Peristalsis
3) Polypeptide
4) Panthera
5) Praseodymium
Non-science-y words starting with 'P'
1) Pagination
2) Prevaricate
3) Pontificate
4) Pintrest
5) Perfunctory
Colours that sound nice
1) Citrus
2) Mahogany
3) Ivory
4) Fuchsia
5) Burnt sienna
Nerdy quotes
1) BDE (Friendship) = infinite kJmol^-1
2) Bond. Covalent Bond.
3) You must be fructose, because you're sweeter than sugar.
4) I was a line but you have made me a vector.
5) ___________________________?
Friday 5 July 2013
Make-a-List Day 3
I'm not even going to bother explaining myself anymore.
Words with less than 4 syllables that most people have never heard of
1) Eyot
2) Ablution
3) Moribund
4) Sacrosanct
5) Amaranthe
Words that mean different things to different people
1) Orbital: orbit route vs. area around an atom with certain probability of finding an electron
2) Unionised: recruitment for union vs. deionise
3) Gravity: importance vs. weak force
4) Shell: cockles vs. electron shells
5) Evolve: Pokemon vs. change in allele frequency
Words I think are catchy
1) Dodecahedron
2) Isle
3) Hannibal
4) Isosceles
5) Vignette
Names I will not give a child
1) Diarrhoea
2) Mary-Jane (alternatively, Mary-Sue)
3) Ching Chong Ching Chang Chong
4) John
5) India
Names I would give a child
1) Lucille
2) Esmeralda
3) Ian
4) Will
5) Sabriel
Words with less than 4 syllables that most people have never heard of
1) Eyot
2) Ablution
3) Moribund
4) Sacrosanct
5) Amaranthe
Words that mean different things to different people
1) Orbital: orbit route vs. area around an atom with certain probability of finding an electron
2) Unionised: recruitment for union vs. deionise
3) Gravity: importance vs. weak force
4) Shell: cockles vs. electron shells
5) Evolve: Pokemon vs. change in allele frequency
Words I think are catchy
1) Dodecahedron
2) Isle
3) Hannibal
4) Isosceles
5) Vignette
Names I will not give a child
1) Diarrhoea
2) Mary-Jane (alternatively, Mary-Sue)
3) Ching Chong Ching Chang Chong
4) John
5) India
Names I would give a child
1) Lucille
2) Esmeralda
3) Ian
4) Will
5) Sabriel
Thursday 4 July 2013
Make-a-List Day 2
Since I liked generating those 10 lists so much the last time, I'm going to make some more.
Things most people don't know about me
1) I have a thing for jewellery of the well-designed metal variety.
2) I am not homophobic.
3) I used to collect stamps and stickers.
4) I knit.
5) My short-sightedness measures at 900 degrees per eye.
Things you should know about Star Trek
1) If you want to survive an away mission, don't wear red if you're not part of the main cast.
2) Paper beats Spock, Spock beats Tribbles (sort of), Tribbles beat Klingons.
3) "Beam me up, Scotty" was never said.
4) Everything was invented in Russia, not S. Korea.
5) Kirk and Spock have some sort of permanent link that makes it impossible for them to break eye or physical contact for protracted periods of time.
Things that school will not teach you
1) Two positives do make a negative. ("Yeah, right.")
2) How to be a proper Victorian lady.
3) 2B is not the only variety of pencil available.
4) Persistence is does not get you everything.
5) The panacea of everything but death is death. Kind of.
Words I know that have more than 4 syllables
1) Discombobulate
2) Pulchritudinous
3) Hypochondriac
4) Serendipity
5) Tintinnabulous
Similarities between TOS and reboot-verse
1) Kirk has a protruding belly.
2) Spock sometimes uses contractions.
3) McCoy has the answers to all of Kirk's (medical) problems.
4) Scotty likes Tribbles.
5) Chekov is a Russian genius too young for his own good.
Things most people don't know about me
1) I have a thing for jewellery of the well-designed metal variety.
2) I am not homophobic.
3) I used to collect stamps and stickers.
4) I knit.
5) My short-sightedness measures at 900 degrees per eye.
Things you should know about Star Trek
1) If you want to survive an away mission, don't wear red if you're not part of the main cast.
2) Paper beats Spock, Spock beats Tribbles (sort of), Tribbles beat Klingons.
3) "Beam me up, Scotty" was never said.
4) Everything was invented in Russia, not S. Korea.
5) Kirk and Spock have some sort of permanent link that makes it impossible for them to break eye or physical contact for protracted periods of time.
Things that school will not teach you
1) Two positives do make a negative. ("Yeah, right.")
2) How to be a proper Victorian lady.
3) 2B is not the only variety of pencil available.
4) Persistence is does not get you everything.
5) The panacea of everything but death is death. Kind of.
Words I know that have more than 4 syllables
1) Discombobulate
2) Pulchritudinous
3) Hypochondriac
4) Serendipity
5) Tintinnabulous
Similarities between TOS and reboot-verse
1) Kirk has a protruding belly.
2) Spock sometimes uses contractions.
3) McCoy has the answers to all of Kirk's (medical) problems.
4) Scotty likes Tribbles.
5) Chekov is a Russian genius too young for his own good.
Monday 1 July 2013
Make-a-List Day
In commemoration of Make-a-List Day, I am submitting 10 lists of 5 items each.
Things I can do that most people can't
1) Brush my teeth with my non-dominant hand at 90% efficiency.
2) Do the Vulcan hand salute and recite "live long and prosper" in Vulcan.
3) Dance en pointe.
4) Draw.
5) Understand nerdy jokes.
Things I do that most people don't (or won't)
1) Wear 3 different accessories (watch, necklace, ring) because I feel bereft without them.
2) Wear my jacket even though it's noontime at a tiny equatorial island.
3) Run away from cats because they're assembling a Secret Kitty Assassination Squad.
4) Set the audio track of Star Trek (2009) on repeat on my phone.
5) Laugh at nerdy jokes.
Things I won't do that most people would
1) Attend concerts.
2) Watch cats play with a ball of yarn for 5 minutes and then proceed to spam YouTube with comments about their cuteness.
3) Spell "maneuver" instead of "manoeuvre" because the English invented English, damn it!
4) Use "txt tlk" because there is a perfectly functional language that sounds and looks beautiful and shouldn't be butchered.
5) Confuse "loose" with "lose", "effect" with "affect", "your" and "you're", "deprived" and "depraved". Etc.
Things I like that most people don't
1) Star Trek: The Original Series. (Even though I like it, I have to admit that it's one of the worst TV series I've ever had the pleasure of watching.)
2) Correcting grammar.
3) Lady's fingers.
4) Smart people.
5) Nerdy jokes.
Things I know that most people don't
1) The extent to which I can tolerate annoyances.
2) How to distinguish a plumber from a chemist.
3) The name of a genetic disease that causes the ossification of muscles.
4) The number of comics currently residing on my shelf/shelves.
5) The secret code that deciphers nerdy jokes.
Types of friends that I have
1) The nerd
2) The fan girl
3) The oblivious one
4) The one that doesn't realise she's propositioning to everyone all the time.
5) Any combination of the above + mandatory insanity
Things I spend more than 1 hour a day on
1) Reading fan fiction (~6-16 hours a day)
2) Sleeping. (~2-13 hours a day)
3) ...
4) ...
5) Studying. (This remains conditional; it applies only in the pre-examination season)
Things I don't like about Shatner's Kirk
1) He has a distended tummy despite being so fit elsewhere.
2) He probably waxes his chest.
3) He sleeps around too frequently.
4) He is prone to histrionics.
5) He looks terrible in combat despite being regarded as proficient.
Things I loved about reboot-verse Star Trek
1) Sexier NCC-1701/USS Enterprise.
2) Lens flares.
3) Kirk had the potential to be smart -- very smart.
4) Sneak peek into life at Starfleet Academy.
5) Parody after parody which I recognised.
Things I hated about reboot-verse Star Trek
1) Amanda Grayson and Christopher Pike died.
2) Vulcan was destroyed (and 6 million Vulcans died, leaving an estimated 10,000 survivors).
3) Spock and Uhura are in a relationship that never happened (and was never hinted at) in ST:TOS.
4) Kirk did not fulfil his destiny as a very smart man; he was unexpectedly immature and ignorant even after his promotion to Captain.
5) WHERE IS THE BROMANCE IN STXI??? Granted, I'll give you that they more than made up for it in STID (Star Trek: Into Darkness).
Now that I've made you read through 10 lists, I will reveal to you that there is no such thing as "Make-a-List Day".
I also figured that making a list of things I hate about ST:TOS would most definitely have me sitting at my computer until I die from sleep deprivation, although it would also have an equally long list of things I love.
To borrow a phrase from someone on YouTube:
Yay 60's.
Things I can do that most people can't
1) Brush my teeth with my non-dominant hand at 90% efficiency.
2) Do the Vulcan hand salute and recite "live long and prosper" in Vulcan.
3) Dance en pointe.
4) Draw.
5) Understand nerdy jokes.
Things I do that most people don't (or won't)
1) Wear 3 different accessories (watch, necklace, ring) because I feel bereft without them.
2) Wear my jacket even though it's noontime at a tiny equatorial island.
3) Run away from cats because they're assembling a Secret Kitty Assassination Squad.
4) Set the audio track of Star Trek (2009) on repeat on my phone.
5) Laugh at nerdy jokes.
Things I won't do that most people would
1) Attend concerts.
2) Watch cats play with a ball of yarn for 5 minutes and then proceed to spam YouTube with comments about their cuteness.
3) Spell "maneuver" instead of "manoeuvre" because the English invented English, damn it!
4) Use "txt tlk" because there is a perfectly functional language that sounds and looks beautiful and shouldn't be butchered.
5) Confuse "loose" with "lose", "effect" with "affect", "your" and "you're", "deprived" and "depraved". Etc.
Things I like that most people don't
1) Star Trek: The Original Series. (Even though I like it, I have to admit that it's one of the worst TV series I've ever had the pleasure of watching.)
2) Correcting grammar.
3) Lady's fingers.
4) Smart people.
5) Nerdy jokes.
Things I know that most people don't
1) The extent to which I can tolerate annoyances.
2) How to distinguish a plumber from a chemist.
3) The name of a genetic disease that causes the ossification of muscles.
4) The number of comics currently residing on my shelf/shelves.
5) The secret code that deciphers nerdy jokes.
Types of friends that I have
1) The nerd
2) The fan girl
3) The oblivious one
4) The one that doesn't realise she's propositioning to everyone all the time.
5) Any combination of the above + mandatory insanity
Things I spend more than 1 hour a day on
1) Reading fan fiction (~6-16 hours a day)
2) Sleeping. (~2-13 hours a day)
3) ...
4) ...
5) Studying. (This remains conditional; it applies only in the pre-examination season)
Things I don't like about Shatner's Kirk
1) He has a distended tummy despite being so fit elsewhere.
2) He probably waxes his chest.
3) He sleeps around too frequently.
4) He is prone to histrionics.
5) He looks terrible in combat despite being regarded as proficient.
Things I loved about reboot-verse Star Trek
1) Sexier NCC-1701/USS Enterprise.
2) Lens flares.
3) Kirk had the potential to be smart -- very smart.
4) Sneak peek into life at Starfleet Academy.
5) Parody after parody which I recognised.
Things I hated about reboot-verse Star Trek
1) Amanda Grayson and Christopher Pike died.
2) Vulcan was destroyed (and 6 million Vulcans died, leaving an estimated 10,000 survivors).
3) Spock and Uhura are in a relationship that never happened (and was never hinted at) in ST:TOS.
4) Kirk did not fulfil his destiny as a very smart man; he was unexpectedly immature and ignorant even after his promotion to Captain.
5) WHERE IS THE BROMANCE IN STXI??? Granted, I'll give you that they more than made up for it in STID (Star Trek: Into Darkness).
Now that I've made you read through 10 lists, I will reveal to you that there is no such thing as "Make-a-List Day".
I also figured that making a list of things I hate about ST:TOS would most definitely have me sitting at my computer until I die from sleep deprivation, although it would also have an equally long list of things I love.
To borrow a phrase from someone on YouTube:
Yay 60's.
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