Thoughts, ramblings and other stuff

I missed the first episode of Colony. There is so many shows premiering (or restarting) now it's hard to keep track. Luckily USA knew this would happen and repeatedly shown it on last Saturday so I DVRed it and watched it and the second episode together. And it's better than I expected. Much better.

Partially because I didn't expect much from it but mostly because it gives me that weird feeling of familiarity when I watch it. I am old enough to remember communism and I did absorb from people around me and films and books how it used to be when it was really bad and before that during German occupation which was even worse. And the patterns of collaboration and resistance look familiar but it's the lives of everyone else who just tries to live their lives that seem most familiar. This is the part that the films about dissidents and resistance usually ignore and people who never lived through totalitarism don't understand. Most people just try to live their lives. Through the curfew and food shortages and the medicine shortages.

It's everyday struggle to get food and simple necessities of life. I remember the coming back from school and taking a spot in the line so my mother could buy meat two hours later when she came back from work. I remember my mother had to bring needles when I was getting penicillin shots because there was no disposables in the clinic (and I remember getting some of the shots with the autoclaveable one). I remember toilet paper shortages and empty shelves. I remember weird cans and boxes that had "replacement packaging" written on them so the only thing you knew for sure about what was inside was that it wasn't what was on the label. And that was the very end of it in Poland.

In worse times and dictatorships couldn't move or travel without permit. In the really bad ones you could be stopped and and shot on a street. Or sent to a camp. But if you kept your head low and don't draw attention to yourself you and more importantly those you love may live to see the times that are better. Or maybe even be free.

Of course that did require existence of those who where willing to sacrifice everything to fight for that freedom. But the sad truth is that freedom is almost never regained that way without outside help. The peaceful solution only works when the occupiers or your own dictatorship are just not willing to shoot. The ones who can be shamed or just don't have the will or support to enforce the status quo any more.

But when the occupiers are aliens (or so it seems) with technology that surpasses everything that humans have at their disposals (disabled all defences in 8 minutes) what chance there is to fight them? Better to cooperate and hope they don't kill us all. They obviously need local administration and troops (not that different from Brits in India - only the technological gap is much higher) so why not get safe life for your family? Maybe they'll leave once they get what they want and then world can be back to normal. And if not than maybe, at least, you'll be the last to go. Get to live a little longer. Instead of dying in a pointless struggle that only hurts other prisoners not the ones who actually built the prison.

But maybe that's not completely pointless fight. Maybe the answer is in the Factory. Maybe the resistance can get the knowledge needed to win. Maybe there is a way out. And then it's going to matter which side you were on. But if history teaches us anything it's that the ones who can forgive and keep the administration (and police) going are usually better off than those who let everything burn. Rebuilding from the ashes isn't as much fun when you have to live in it.

Despite pouring rain I managed to get to the cinema and see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Everyone have already analysed every second of it so here are just the observations that stood out to me the most.

It was funny. Much funnier than I expected and it was mostly based on great interactions between characters. The chemistry between main characters is instant and great and you don't mind that they became BFFs (or fall in love) basically at first look (only Han is a little grumpy but that just adds to his charm). There is a lot of shout outs to the original movies both inside the story and just for the viewers. And the story is pretty classical peasant boy finds out his destiny is to save the world but she's actually a girl so she even gets to save herself and that was great. She does rescue her love interest just like it always happens in these stories. But even the tropes in the story were mostly done in a fun and enjoyable way and the interplay of the old and new elements and beautiful visuals to make this great film to watch.


There were few moments they were a little too obvious. I went in completely unspoiled but I still knew exactly what the fate of Han Solo will be the moment Leia mentioned trying to talk their son out of being on Dark Side (like he went and joined Scientology or something). So when went on that bridge I knew the only way he'll comes out of it was down. But the "dying of the light" behind him and the lightsaber through the heart were so over the top symbolic I just spent that whole thing rolling my eyes. Still, it was sad to let Han go - he was always my favourite (like most people) and incredibly fun in this film (not to mention the crazy stunts with hyperspace jumping). But I was also expecting they are going to kill all the old cast so the new generation can take over (and just like old film did with Obi-wan and Yoda) so I'm also glad we still have Leia and Luke.

The First Order flags and looks (and the Empire before that) had distinctly Nazi looks but I thought they went a little overboard with Domhnall Gleeson's character basically going full Hitler on that speech. This was not a comedic scene but it made me giggle because they managed to combine to ultimate movie evils - posh British accent and Hitler (and he's ginger). And that guy doesn't even use Force. But I loved him because he was such a wonderful prick to Kylo Ren about everything (tattling on him to Supreme Leader and enjoying his every misstep). I can imagine these two in an office type comedy (only with more dead planets).

The last scene was also a little ridiculous. I know it was supposed to be moving but they just stare at each other silently for so long it started being funny (it also felt like the whole thing was in the film only to have Luke in the film). Also he was gone for years but he knew where he was going (left a map) and it was close enough that Ray just flew there to get him so it's not like searching for that place took him years. It looked like he failed at Jedi school so he left home and abandoned everyone to brood in Ireland and stare at sea (and Han went to have fun adventures in shipping). While Leia did all the actual hard work of fighting the bad guys and maintaining alliances. Way to go guys - abandon the work for fun and side projects while woman takes care of everything.

The current most popular theory is that Rey is Luke's daughter. I can see that too. Someone did abandon her on Jakku and never came back and Luke did that basically to everyone so why not her too. And as everyone points out she is a tech genius on a desert world with strong connection to the Force. Just like Anakin and Luke. But thorough the film I also wondered if she might be Leia and Han's. Rey and Han were shown to be so similar - literally thinking the same thing and understanding each other without words and then she basically takes inherits his ship. Also the way they often show Ray and Kylo Ren mirroring each other - identical but opposite. She is the daughter Han didn’t know but who wants to be just like him and Ben is the son who knew him and rejects him. It’s very mythological. I’m fine with her being Luke’s daughter but the foreshadowing here that he was Han’s and Ben’s sister was pretty heavy. (I’m not the only one who thinks so.) But no matter whose daughter she is it seems implied pretty hard she is a Skywalker (that suspicious cut when Leia asks Han who the girl is made me wonder if they know) and that makes the whole epic story about battle between Light and Dark Side of the Force a family affair. Again.

I know these may seem like I didn't like it but I did. It is great entertainment and Rey was awesome, Finn was precious, Poe was likeable (limited screen time he had) and the old guard characters were great to see again. I saw a lot of complains about Kylo Ren - that he isn't as competent nor as scary as Vader but I thought he perfectly captured brooding and anger issues of young Anakin (both also slayers of children) so he seemed a lot like his grandfather actually. And I would like to see more Maz Kanata. She was great. I also don't care about the scenes that were in trailers that weren't in the film (partly because I stopped watching trailers few weeks ago - there were so many of them) but I'm sorry that the changes in story for final cut meant all Maisie Richardson-Sellers had left is one staring scene before being blown up.

I saw Mad Max yesterday and it was the most Mad Max-y story yet. Just one long car chase after car chase. Fire, fumes, explosions and sand. Lots of sand (wet, sand, dry sand and the most beautiful flying sand). It also has the best story so far and certainly the most women both in main and supporting roles. In fact for most of the scenes they outnumber men at least 2:1. This is the fun of it - it's both the very epitome of man movies - cars, speed, explosions, killing and a movie about women taking their own faith in their own hands and being badass. It's a movie with sex slavery but without constant male-gaze posing. "We are not things" is not something they only say within the film but also the film treats it's heroines like that. I don't want to spoil it because it's worth watching the fun unfold before you yourself but make sure you do. If there is enough of us there might be a film just about Furiosa.

Chalize Theron is wonderful as Imperator Furiosa. I hated that name at first but then we learn Imperator is a name Immortan Joe gives his highest ranking warriors. This made me think about all she had to to get there in a place run by men for men. I wonder if loosing the aarm was meant to make her unattractive to men like Joe. Because the alternative is becoming the wife. A pampered, beautiful object only existing for pleasure and procreation of it's owner. But when we meat them they already escaped with Furiosa. So I also wondered if Furiosa was allowed to meet them because she was a woman and therefore Joe didn't have to worry about not his sons. I thought about the stories they had to tell each other. The way they decided to go and try to make it to Furiosa's home. The Green she was kidnapped from as a kid. I wonder about friendship.

The Wives believe in values from a different world. No unnecessary killing. They seem to sheltered and delicate to survive in this world at first but they all have so much strength. The Splendid Angharad who shield Furiosa with her own body because she knows Joe won't hurt his baby growing in her. Toast the Knowing who takes care of guns and ammunition. Capable who finds Nux and fights Joes's men. The Dag who preserves the seeds. Even Cheedo the Fragile who uses her own weakness to trick their way onto Joe's rig.

It's not only the ability to fight that is part of that strength. They let the War Boy live because they understand he is, like all the others, fed a toxic ideology and used just like they were used for Joe's purposes. In their case disposable cannon fodder. One that dies gladly because he believes he's going to the afterlife. The toxic mix of more violent religion tropes used to hold to power by men like Immortan Joe for a long, long time. He and his allies. The 3 old men running that piece of the world just like they did before. All misshapen and sick but clinging to power by abusing everyone in their reach. The ones who killed the world and learned nothing from it. They even look like Capitalist caricatures from Communist propaganda.

I haven't even mention Max yet because he is just someone who stumbles into this story. He is forced into it by circumstance - another person used as an object in Immortan Joe's world. He's no hero. When he escapes his bloodbag situation all he cares is his own survival. He's perfectly fine leaving Furiosa and the Wives behind. But they strike a cooperation because only she knows how to make the truck work. And she trust him first. Trust him not to leave them behind again. And he helps them find the Green. We see the same gamble work with Capable and Nux later.

All the actresses playing Wives were great and Nicholas Hoult was wonderfully unhinged and childishly sincere in his need to please. Tom Hardy is pretty good as Max too. And Noranti (or Melissa Jaffer) was one of the Vuvalini (older women motorcycle gang).

The film is also beautiful. Dessert beautiful. It was mostly filmed in Namibia but you can tell it was made by Australian that understands the desert. The storm is a beautiful mix of all those pictures of Australian dust storms upped to 11 and mixed with Dune. The blue filter night is eeriely beautiful and unnerving at the same time. There is certain bending of physics in this too of course. I wasn't quite sure if Nux died as we saw so many people (mostly Max) survive impossible to survive crashes.

I wasn't convinced I want to see it at first but then I saw that MRA wank about this being a feminist movie and I knew I had to see it. I don't regret it. Go watch this film. It's as good as everyone says it is.

One of my favourite new series this fall was Red Band Society. It might be because I used to be obsessed with Children's Ward long time ago or just because I did like the characters - especially Octavia Spencer's nurse Jackson. I also liked that the kid with cystic fibrosis was black - it's easy to forget that even if diseases are not common in certain populations doesn't mean they don't happen. So I'm sad now because it has been cancelled (can't link it - it's deadline thing again). The last episodes are going to be shown in next couple of weeks on Saturdays and that's it. I will miss it.

The series that replace it on Wednesdays - Empire - has already been picked up for second season. It's much more flashy in a kind of over the top Scandal style. The problem is I hate everyone on that show except for the middle son (he's most like actual human being and a pretty decent person too) and Cookie (which is good because I started watching it for Taraji anyway). Almost everyone else is so far either forgettable (I feel bad for actress playing Lucious wife as it seems so far she's just there too look pretty in very little clothes) or awful (especially Lucious but that might be just Terrence Howard) although I'm kind of warming up to Andre and Rhonda's scheming ways. But I still want Cookie to get her way in everything.

I also watched the pilot for Backstrom and I don't really cars for the titular character. I don't think the advantages of having him solve crimes outweigh having to listen to him. But I adore Nidermayer and Nadia (although ewww! no) and it's always nice to see Dennis Haysbert but I'm not sure if the series is interesting enough to make me watch another procedural. Also that rain was so fake (it was so sunny in the background) that it's almost hard to believe it was actually filmed in Seattle.

Also the current arc on Elementary is basically Johnny Lee Miller's season on Dexter. The guy who rape and torture women and uses another guy to be the keeper of his victims and the one who got away and is on the revenge path and recognises him by the voice. I even knew Stuart Thompson was the one who did it to Kitty because they made him speak American. It's not identical - mostly because Elementary is much better with female characters - but the similarities are obvious.