Thursday 13

It's an old topic, but for this Thursday 13, I'm going to list 13 things about the recent remake Clash of the Titans. Most of them will be things that bothered me because I'm a nitpicker, know more than the average person about Greek Mythology and have loved the original since I was wee little lad.

1. Perseus' background. Did they really need to change this at all? What was the point? It really didn't add anything to it that they couldn't have had with the character's original background.

2. Acrisius. Again, same as above, except changing his background a bit actually detracted from the film because...

3. A siege on Olympus... a siege on Olympus!? what the Hell was he expecting to gain from laying siege to the fucking gods? This isn't Norse mythology, the gods can't die. At least, not from physical means, and trying to starve them out is pretty stupid, too. They don't need conventional means to move around.

4. Io. According to the movie, she was cursed with immortality after she refused the advances of a god. For one, I don't think a mortal could really refuse a god's advances, unless said mortal was hit with Eros' (aka Cupid) arrow, not the one that makes you fall in love, but the one that doesn't... Anyway, last I knew Zeus turned her into a cow to his his affair with her from his sister-wife Hera. That would've been an interesting conversation to hear: "No, honey, I wasn't being adulterous, I was just visiting this cow..."

5. No matter what issues I may have had with Io... she was pretty.

6. I got tired of Perseus complaining all the time about how he wasn't a god, he was a mortal and needed to do this as a mortal, etc.

7. Did they really need to have Perseus use a lightsaber?

8. The Craken wasn't created from a part of Hades... nor was it a creature from Greek Mythology to begin with.

9. I'm split on Medusa... the top half of her (the woman part) was kinda attractive... which doesn't fit with my idea of Medusa at all. However, her "turn you into stone" look would be similar to what I'd expect of her.

10. Since when was Pegasus black?

11. Since when was there an entire heard of Pegasuses (Pegasi?)?

12. They seemed like they were just name dropping at the beginning of the film, fitting as many references to mythology/the previous film as they could, which really bothered me at the time, but sort of tapered off.

13. Bubo's cameo was probably the best part of the film...

13 things I should be doing right now, but am not

I'm a procrastinator, so, because I really don't want to do any of them, I'm going to list the things that I need to do that I've been procrastinating on for at least a week, if not more (probably more).

1. Read a book for history class.
2. Research for my English paper.
3. Write said English paper.
4. Study kanji for tomorrow's Japanese quiz.
5. Study grammar for same quiz.
6. Prepare for oral interview in Japanese next week.
7. Sleep.
8. Eat that liver, fava beans, and nice chianti that are going bad in the fridge.
9. Write that history paper.
10. Read the article for that same paper.
11. Edit another story or two for my News Editing class.
12. Sleep
13. Get a summer job.

13 Lines from The Raven

So, about two years ago I decided to memorize Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, for no particular reason other than the fact that I really like the poem. So, I decided to post my 13 favorite, or random, "lines" (might take more than one) from the poem.

1. "Prophet!" said I. "Thing of evil, prophet still if bird or devil!"

2. "Whether Tempter sent or whether Tempest tossed thee here ashore, desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted on this home by horror haunted tell me, truly, I implore!"

3. And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain thrilled me! Filled me with fantastic terror never felt before.

4. Deep into the darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.

5. But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only that one word as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.

6. This and more I sat divining with my head at ease reclining on the velvet's violet lining that the lamplight pouring over. But whose violet velvet lighting she shall press, ah, nevermore.

7. Much I marveled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, though it's answer little meaning, little relevancy bore, for we cannot help agreeing that no living human being ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door.

8. Open here I flung the shutter when, with many a flirt and flutter, in there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.

9. Then, methought, the air grew denser perfumed by an unseen censor swung by Seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor

10. "Wretch!" I cried. "Thy God hath lent thee by these angels he hath sent thee!"

11. "Doubtless" said I. "What it utters is its only stock and store, caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster followed fast and followed faster 'til his song one burden bore. 'Til the dirges of his hope one melancholy burden bore of never, nevermore."

12. Not the least obeisance said he, not a minute stopped or stayed he. But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door. Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door. Perched and sat, and nothing more.

13. Darkness there, and nothing more.

Thursday 13

Ok, let's see if I can make a list of 13 issue I had with Tim Burton's latest film, Alice in Wonderland. Why? Who knows, it just came to me.

1. It had a plot. IT HAD A PLOT! Anyone who's read Alice in Wonderland would know that the book doesn't have a plot. It's just Alice running around meeting people. This is actually something Tim Burton always hated about every other Alice adaptation. He should've done his research and known that that is what the book was like.

2. The Red Queen. Identity crisis alert! The Red Queen was a character from Through the Looking Glass and what Alice Found there. I don't mind that they used characters from both books, but was there really a point in calling the character the Red Queen when she was clearly, in every sense of the term, the Queen of Hearts? They are two completely different characters, with very little actually in common, aside from both being queens and being associated with the color red.

3. Johnny Depp. I honestly have nothing against Depp... aside from the fact that he is actually rather overrated. I don't think he deserves all the credit that many people give him. He's a good actor, I'll admit that. However, every character he does anymore are all the same. Was I watching the Mad Hatter or Willy Wonka? Sweeney Todd or Jack Sparrow?

4. The White Queen. In the book, she's much older and much more... how should I put this... spacier? She's definitely far more passive, as well, being somewhat submissive to the Red Queen. However, she also lives backwards in time (like Merlin), so I suppose her being younger since it has been so long since the books makes sense. However reasonable it may be, I'm still not taking it off my list.

5. The Jabberwocky. It looked good, and Christopher Lee's voice fit it very well. However, Jabberwocky was the name of a poem in the book. The creature was called the Jabberwock. Goddammit, Burton!

6. The vorpal sword. It didn't go snicker-snack! What's the reasoning for that, Burton?

7. There was no mentioning of any of Alice's cats!

Ok, clearly I'm splitting hairs at this point, so I'll switch topics for the remainder of the list, and list things that I did like about the film.

8. The Cheshire Cat. Wonderful character. Just the right amount of creepiness and humor mixed into him. The CGI on him was also very good, making him look all soft and cuddly. I want one!

9. The CGI. As I mentioned before, the CGI on the film was excellent.

10. The Bandersnatch. It didn't speak, but it had a character... to some extent. You could actually kinda care for him at one point.

11. The March Hare. Best character in the film... also probably the most underused. He was funny, clearly mad, a very interesting interpretation.

12. The slight nods to the books were nice, such as "Twinkle Twinkle little bat," the partial recitation of Jabberwocky (I like that poem), and even many of the little creatures you see running around all have basis in the book.

13. The actress playing Alice was cute.

Thirteen Best Jesus Christ Superstar Song

Well, since this has been an obsession of mine for a while, and inspired by Darla's Thursday 13, I decided to grab my iPod and type out my 13 favorite songs from this play in order of appearance, mostly, I'm guessing:

1. Heaven on their Minds
2. Strange thing Mystifying
3. Simon Zealotes
4. Poor Jerusalem
5. Pilate's Dream
6. The Temple
7. Damned for all Time
8. The Last Supper
9. Pilate and Christ
10. King Herod's Song
11. Judas' Death
12. Trial before Pilate
13. Gethsemane

The last one was added out of place, because I had to go back in and add one at the end and I am too tired and lazy to place it in order.

Flash Fiction "Friday"

I may be a day late, but here is something I cooked up, and thought I'd share.