just in time for independence day! (and other matters)

[lookingland]

i decided to splurge a little on myself and got the HBO series John Adams. i am only a little more than halfway through it, but i love it. i read some super-negative reviews, but obviously these were from people grinding axes because the complaints about it being nothing but a bunch of people sitting around talking are unfounded (yes, there's talking, but a whole bunch of stuff happens too!). also, complaints about the film style are mostly unfounded as well. yes, there is some creative camera angling, but for the most part it works (a few scenes stand out as sort of awkward for the tilt perhaps).

my single complaint is that sometimes context is wholly lacking (and for an audience of ill-educated americans and foreign viewers, this can be deadly). if you don't know much about american history, there's a whole lot here that will probably frustrate you. there has been at least one point at which i had to pause the dvd to look up what the hell was going on because there was no exposition to explain the scene. the performances are great. laura linney is a scene stealer in the best way and paul giamatti is fabulously cloying and nebbish as the title character (that adams fella was a dweeb in his time ~ which is not to say that he wasn't brilliant, but he certainly made his own bed politically).

so it's flawed, but i think very enjoyable. naturally i wish they showed more of the actual war, but the story is about john adams, not George Washington (when are they ever going to make a respectable movie about George Washington?)



ooo snow. a movie with snow.
it automatically gets thumbs up for that.
oh, and in case i didn't indicate enough: George Washington is just the coolest ever (both in the series and in real life).

it was update day thursday, but i didn't blog that day. i'm barely getting by week to week, and second-guessing myself every step of the way. i redid thursday's "page" twice and it still came out middling, and then rewrote this post half a dozen times, which also does not bode well. i keep reminding myself that i started out with this story just to find a style, practice drawing, and get the hang of the week-to-week posting thing ~ to see what the schedule will be like. i figure i have a dozen or so more pages to do before this story is over and then maybe i can get some perspective.

if i struggle through it.

msmcguire made a post the other day that best captures my feelings on the matter. yeah. same-o. and off i go to wrangle with dragons.

happy sattidy all!

: D

Comments

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

I only got to see part of John Adams, but I liked what I saw. I think you're right about Giamatti and Linney giving great performances.... at least what I got to see of them. :-) It's on my "must see" list.

I'm not sure if they touched on his presidency at all? If they did, did they give an accurate portrayal? The dude was a huge tool as president, so if they went into it, I'm wondering if it was an accurate depiction?

Thanks for the review.... I'm going to have to bump it higher up on my "must watch" list.

As for a good movie about Washington... that would be a good movie to make. With the influx of good biographies and even movies over the last several years, I think it's only a matter of time. I'd like to see them do a good movie about Washington as well... I just have to wonder, because he's such a revered figure in our national history, if they'd play it straight or gloss over some things. I'd also love to see some great biographical movies on Thomas Jefferson and James Madison... if they haven't made them already. lol... I may not be aware of them.

Did you ever see the mini-series docudrama the History Channel did on the Revolution?

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

i don't have television, so i'm sort of out of the loop on whatever's current (so no, i didn't get to see the Hitler History Channel's series (boo).

but yeah, give the HBO thing a watch. Adams just got elected and he's already been a tool for the whole of Washington's presidency. i still have two episodes to see. there's plenty of "fudging" for the sake of drama, but i think the spirit of the series is in the right place.

and i don't mind revering Washington too much (what's not to revere???). okay, he had faults, but he was still the man. he'll probably always be the model president to me (and one of the very very few who, i think, deserves the honor given to him).

: D

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

Oh you're going to have to keep me updated on how the Adams presidency is treated in the film. I think that could make or break whether or not I watch the whole thing. lol... The dude was a bit of a monster as president. I think you're right... the spirit of the series is in the right place... and hey, it is great that it's at least sort of... familiarizing non-history geeks with history.

If you ever find that Revolution series on DVD, it's definitely worth watching.

And Washington is definitely the man. He's just so revered that even a lot of history books... at least the ones I went to school with... never really delved into his flaws as both the general and the president. I don't think it's cool to gloss over historical fact, no matter who the subject might be. That being said, he's definitely worth revering. It just drives me nuts when somebody is considered so sacrosanct that we can't discuss their faults and shortcomings honestly. All of the good as well as the bad make up the whole of a person. Y'know?

[keesa-renee.livejournal.com]

George Washington may, indeed, be the coolest person ever...but I had to read his diaries as part of my schoolwork, and the name has left a bad taste in my mouth ever since. (Rule of thumb: never force children to read through something they hate. It only does harm, never good. A general reluctance to read something out of minor boredom or laziness should be nipped in the bud, but if the kid genuinely hates the book and is bored to tears throughout endless pages talking about the fact that today he planted barley or hemp, it won't do them any good to keep reading.)

But, on the bright side, Washington Irving's "Life of Washington" (I think that was what it was called?) was infinitely more interesting, and (somewhat) rescued poor George in my estimation.

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

okay, i just finished the series and yeah, his presidency was dealt a pretty critical blow. but fair, though. i think it shows how he was an obnoxious little twerp but his heart was generally in the right place. his lack of popularity seems well-deserved as he had no diplomacy whatsoever.

George Washington is still the man. i'm going to have his face tattooed with a heart around it ~ on my butt. er...okay, maybe not.

: o p

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

awwww ~ i think the fact that he wrote the most boring journal ever just increases my esteem ~ hahahahahaha. he was so not a great writer or speaker (two traits i would gladly sacrifice for a president with common sense and integrity).

then again, i wasn't forced to read about the hemp and barley. nevertheless, i am glad that Irving has given some of his dignity back for you.

because, c'mon, bro was pretty dang cool.

: D

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

Awesome. Okay, I'm going to have to check it out. I'm especially curious to see how they handled him having the Alien and Sedition Act passed. That was just one of the most terrible pieces of legislation this country has ever known. It's right up there with the Patriot Act!

Oh, I thik you should get his mug tattooed across your entire back!!!! Show your devotion to the man!!!!

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

ooo ~ a full color rendition of Washington crossing the delaware ~ but without a shirt on. (okay, i am sooo kidding).

everything happens pretty fast in the series, but the alien and sedition act is addressed (and shown to be the cause of much garghhhggg! between him and jefferson). i kinda wish the series had been just a wee bit longer to go into more detail about some of these things. i feel like they abbreviated maybe a little too much.

but yeah, check it out. i'd love to hear what you think!

: D

[sparowe]

I like that shot, anyway. :)

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

Oh I think that tat should be at the top of your to-do list. lol... that'd be so awesome. And maybe on your chest, you can have a full-sized version of the Constitution tatted on! Oh you would be the talk of the town. ;-)

I'm definitely going to have to check it out. I'm very curious about it now. And I'll definitely let you know what I think! :-)

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

it's pretty rad! the set design in the series is pretty crazy great.

: D

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

i love that idea about Washington with the Constitution tatted on his chest ~ hahahahaha!

i'm so stealing it.

: D

[romanticizing.livejournal.com]

I still haven't finished John Adams yet -- got distracted by exams and then kind of forgot about it. But I liked it a lot, what I watched. My favorite actor in the whole thing was Stephen Dillane. Just so wonderful..

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

lol... you're gonna be completely tatted down when we get done with you.

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

yeah, some of the characterizations were really nicely done. i think they did well to underplay Jefferson to keep him from taking over the series ~ hahahahaha.

: D

welcome back!

[romanticizing.livejournal.com]

Haha, yeah, true. It was nice to see him being kind of awkward in the background. Plus all the random other background people.

And thank you! :)