Film as a Subversive Art: Self-subversion, by Chuck Kleinhans

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Doctor Who - the new series - % % % % % !!!!!

I am totally gaga over the new Doctor Who, courtesy of the BBC. It's still got nifty sidekicks, quirky doctors, danger, aliens and some odd science, but it's great adventure and features some outstanding acting from some of the cream of the crop of British acting.

Both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant are fantastic. They are goofy, eager, energetic, but with a sophisticated charm that shows a depth of character.

And it's so well written. There's all sorts of talk about this being the golden age of television because of serial dramas like the Wire and Deadwood. And it's true. But I think that some more credit should be given to Doctor Who. There are several episodes that are outstanding in their complexity, tension and character development. Most of the series is just really fun, a little Buffy-ish at times, but there are particular episodes, especially "Blink", written by Stephen Moffat the incoming writer and executive producer in 2010, that are extraordinary and like nothing else on TV.

Check it out. If you're not into sci fi, or don't possess whimsy as a friend tends to put it, then just watch "Blink". I was so freaked out and scared. I can't remember the last time I was so tense. I even thought about turning it off to catch my breath and calm down.

A new Doctor will appear sometime later this year. My fingers are crossed. He has some big shoes to fill. And why can't the Doctor become a woman? Hmmm....

Here's some info for finding episodes on the web. They're also snuck onto youtube through coded titles like DW S1E1. (Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 1) So you can give that a try too if you're interested.

FYI Bizarre bit of scientific history

In watching the fifth disc of "Planet Earth", which btw is fantastic and everyone should watch the whole series - it's amazing, I discovered that early pregnancy tests involved injecting women's urine into mice, then frogs, then rabbits.

http://german.about.com/library/blfroschtest.htm

Bizarre.

Things you should read:

"LaVena Johnson died in Iraq on July 19, 2005. The seemingly happy and healthy 19-year old Private First Class soldier was found dead by a gunshot wound with bruising, a dislocated shoulder, an indication that someone tried to set her body on fire, and a number of other signs including a blood trail outside of the tent she was found in. But despite all of these factors, the U.S. Army declared that her death was caused by suicide and shut the case quietly."
From feministing.com

The greater outrage
We are more aghast at Michael Vick's crimes against animals than athletes' crimes against women. And that is criminal.
Rick Morrissey, Chicago Tribune
Do you ever think that the women in abusive relationships ask for it, are gold diggers willing to live like mercenaries (I'm lookin at you, Kanye), or are idiots who deserve what they get if they won't just leave? Hmmm... because life is ever that simplistic.