Dr. Phil's Dreamwidth Journal

This Post Is Only For Those Who Truly Embrace The Ideal Of The Complete Liberal Arts and Sciences Education

After yesterday's post on I Will Derive, in which certain persons complained about the horrors of watching geeks dancing in an otherwise totally charming and intelligent video about Physics and the differential calculus, I thought I would further elevate the discussion of the arts amongst the geeks.

Metaphorically run, do not walk, over to the latest issue of Clarkesworld and read yuki_onna Catherynne M. Valente's wonderfully complex, intelligent, personal and most certainly high art geeky science fiction short story "Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time".

Because it isn't just geeky science. It is a terribly personal tale, slipped into another's life. It is a reweaving of many of the great myths of creation with a tiny personal myth of creation -- in a way it makes the myths of some past civilizations more understandable. The squabbling and the petty jealousies of the gods made whole and plain. Along with the pre-baryonic universe and its ultimate thermodynamic heat death. I like that.

The Author's Lament -- Cut Short And Arrested

Sometimes, when one is reading a piece, the thought comes, "Oh lord, I can't write like this -- I cannot write anything ever this good." It's a natural thought, and one which probably needs to be nipped in the bud. Because I don't want every story in the world to be like Cat Valente's "Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time", certainly not my own stories, just as I don't want every story in the world to be like my "A Man In The Moon". Or "Giant Cicadas and Other Odd Indignities".

What the hell would be the fun in that?

So I have to remind myself that No, I Do Not Write Like Cat Valente. But that I can revel in the knowledge that Cat Valente does. And that is enough for me. (wry grin)

Dr. Phil

This Sunday

We've suddenly been thrust into humid, hot, summery weather -- the high peaked around 88°F here -- and we've been sort of reveling in it. Rather than turn on the central air, we put on the small window AC in the bedroom, but opened the windows and let the house heat up during the day. Of course the humidity meant that I also turned on the dehumidifier in the basement as well.

While many people I know are watching the 2-hour Lost recap show followed by the the 2½ hour Lost Series Finale, we watched cats & dogs & people on PBS' Nature, followed by a Miss Marple on Masterpiece: Mystery!. (grin)

Two Sundays Ago

We sort of abbreviated our normal Sunday routines so that we could run out to a 4:45pm movie. And though it was only the 9th of May, and regular schoolchildren are still in school, we had to mark the official beginning of the Summer 2010 Blockbuster Season. Alas, I've just been behind in putting in LJ updates and so this review is late. But it's not like people are depending on me for the film to be a success or not. (grin)

Iron Man 2 [PG-13] in IMAX

Celebration North IMAX, 4:45pm

One of the problem of getting behind in doing reviews is that (a) I have time to figure out what I say and (b) sometimes, having written it in my mind, I thought I've actually posted it. So... I can't link to a 2008 Iron Man review because apparently I never wrote it. (grin) Nevermind. We liked it. Thought Robert Downey, Jr. did a superb job of being both a drunk and an engineer -- delighted to see someone develop and field test gear, whether in a cave or an elaborate high tech basement lab. Not pleased with the terrorist sub-plot, which was, shall I say it?, a bit cartoonish, but in 2008, whatcha gonna do?

On to 2010 and it is SO nice to have a sequel which holds its own weight. I've talked to more than one person who cannot decide (or comes down on either side of the divide) which of the two Iron Man movies they liked better. That is such a relief. Indeed, just to have a decent story for a blockbuster sequel is extraordinary.

Watching Downey and Gwyneth Paltrow is so much fun. And they don't take the cheap way out, but keep have them missing the big romantic moment. Could not believe that they actually got whatshisname, Bill O'Reilly, from FOX News Network to show what an ass he is by claiming that Pepper Potts is just a secretary and not capable of running Stark Enterprises. When in fact she always has. And think about it -- Carly Fiorina rose from "secretary" to CEO. So don't give me that crap. (evil grin) Besides, the doofus running Hammer Industries shouldn't be allowed to run the register at a McDonald's Drive Up window, he's such a stupid businessman.

Don Cheadle always delivers a strong performance -- and his Major is a far better friend to Tony Stark than Stark deserves. But once again he is also mistreated by his superiors. Scarlett Johanson's Black Widow has been the subject of many comments claiming how awful she is and that her Russian accent is non-existent or weird. Frankly, I don't know the comic book canon for this franchise, so she was fun, looked great in her fighting gear and had some great and competent moves. More than that, I cannot address. Gary Shandling's Senator gets to each delicious crow at the end, which makes his previous unctuous performance all the better. And while Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury doesn't get much screen time, he also does his usual great job of "explaining" the unexplainable to people. We can watch him all day.

Of course the real great performance beyond Robert Downey, Jr.'s belongs to Mickey Rourke. Wow. Of course, I would quibble with the government's complaints that Whiplash had a harness and not a suit, but as Mrs. Dr. Phil pointed out, comic book politicians don't ever make sense. And it isn't Rourke's fault that the screenwriters don't know how computers, security or firewalls work. But my can he chew up the scenery, to say nothing of expensive race cars. (grin)

And while I'm ragging on poor screenwriting, we now have a THIRD movie in the last year which has a third elemental disfunction. Yes, Star Trek's red matter and Avatar's unobtanium, I'm looking right at you. Element 118? Really? Uh, no. Go Google "wikipedia element 118" and see some truth. Or look at my newly revised Periodic Table from my Spring 2010 PHYS-2070 class. And while it was a fun scene, making a particle accelerator in your basement -- and screwing up which way the laser is pointing? -- Does Not Work Like That.

Frankly, I missed seeing the "You Complete Me" scene from the TV trailer -- where Pepper Potts kisses the Iron Man helmet and then tosses it out the back of the airplane -- it isn't in the movie.

But don't think I'm complaining too hard, because the movie is fun. Tony Stark has his share of fun, too. The "Ironette" Dancers, with their glowing chest and hand lights, Iron Man performing in public -- it does nag at the back of the mind that this is awfully arrogant and deserving of a fall at some point. And getting drunk in the Iron Man suit? Irresponsible. And yet we get scenes like the array of Iron Man suits in various levels of repair. THIS is why this makes a good superhero flick. Iron Man is a suit made by an engineering genius with a lot of resources. But there are costs to such superherodom and we get to see them.

( Mildly Spoilerly Comments )

Flaws? Sure. It's a summer blockbuster movie. You can either worry about the flaws or go with the flow and enjoy.

Mrs. Dr. Phil and I? We had a helluva time. Oh, the IMAX? Really impressive and the main focus eyepoints were well maintained. I've heard that the producers didn't want to backfix this with 3D, but that we can expect Iron Man 3 to be in IMAX 3D because it was shot that way. We'll bring the popcorn.

Highly Recommended

Dr. Phil