RatCreature's Journal

I enjoyed it a lot.

( spoilers )

Broken Homes already arrived today! Of course the delivery person didn't ring, even though I was home, seeing how the notification was already downstairs when I left at noon. Of course the note wasn't addressed to my name either, so I only found out that it was actually my package once the other had checked, found that it wasn't their package and corrected the notification, so I only found out when I came back this evening. Thankfully the store they dumped it at was still open at least. Sometimes I seriously wonder whether/how DHL tests for literacy before employing people.

However, this evening I will spend watching Pacific Rim, rather than start reading.

...and it was really entertaining. Also the 3D in it worked much better for me than in Avengers (the only other film I've watched in 3D), though I still find the 3€ extra charge for 3D quite outrageous, when the cinema already cost 8.50€, and it wasn't even one of the more expensive weekend slots.

( some more comments, also some questions I have about the plot, cut for spoilers )

I watched X-Men: First Class this afternoon, and even managed to find a showing that wasn't dubbed.

( some spoilers )

I went to see the new Star Trek movie last night: ( mostly squee )

So is there any fannish infrastructure for the rebooted Star Trek universe yet? Communities, newsletters, that kind of thing?

Serenity finally opened here today, and I thought the movie was awesome! Also now I don't have to be hyper-vigilant anymore to avoid any spoilers. It paid off though, I managed to remain unspoiled before seeing it.

I was rather surprised how empty the theater was. Admittedly, it's Thursday, not the weekend, I went to an afternoon show and also saw the English original version, not a dubbed one, so I'm not surprised it wasn't crowded, but I think there weren't even ten people in the theater.

Anyway, I was confused about one thing though:
( the question is behind a cut for movie spoilers )

On a totally random note, my rats are the wrong pets if you just want to cuddle something warm and furry. It's not that they aren't cuddly or affectionate, they just won't stay put for even a moment. :/ Well they're still young, and as such quite hyper, but surely they could allow to let themselves petted for a short while? Only they won't, instead they prefer to have wild scuffles on my bed (I guess because it's softer than to fight on the floor) so that I'm punched into various soft body parts by a rapidly moving ball of two kicking, boxing and squeaking rats, rolling all over the place.

So I did a search for when the X-Men 2 movie DVD would come out here (turns out it won't be until November), but as I searched for X-Men I noticed that there was an X-Men: Evolution DVD, too. I haven't seen this cartoon, but heard about it, and the price wasn't too bad, so I looked how many episodes were on this DVD. And then I noticed that whoever put together the release was a moron. It has five episodes on it, but not the first five episodes, nor a "Best Of" collection, no, it's the first five episodes of the second season. At first I thought "Huh, so there have to be earlier DVDs." but no, there aren't (well not Region 2 ones anyway). I mean, that just makes no sense, does it? Why would they start with the second season? I'm not going to shell out money if I don't even get to see the start of a series.

I bought the extended DVD edition of FOTR, and while I haven't gotten around to watching the commentary and extras yet, I watched the expanded version of the movie itself recently. I didn't like all extra scenes equally, but I loved the additional parts with the fellowship in Lórien, and enjoyed also the scene with Aragorn at Gilraen's grave, especially because it showed more of Elrond's relationship with Aragorn beyond their differences over Arwen. The scene in which Aragorn and the hobbits trudge miserably through the Migdgewater Marshes had a certain appeal too, but I can see why it didn't make the cut. There were other expansions too, but the ones above I liked best.

Totally unrelated to the above, my seasonal comment of the day is that I really dislike the firework explosions that have been starting the last days. I mean, on New Year's Eve itself there are so many outside that the constant explosion sounds just become background noise at one point, but right now there are still long quiet intervals which are then suddenly interrupted, and if the explosion is loud enough, I will even flinch sometimes. I have been always timid with fireworks. When I was a kid and went outside with my parents and my older siblings, I never liked to do the bigger firecrackers, actually not even most of the smaller ones, even though all assured me that it was harmless and that I shouldn't be so hesitant. Nowadays I don't do any firecrackers or fireworks myself, and actually I avoid being outside at the height of their popularity, that is the hours around midnight. There are enough people out then who are too drunk, silly, or careless to really watch where they are throwing this stuff, and sometimes you'll get people throwing firecrackers from their balconies and windows above for good measure, which makes getting from one point to another something for which you have to be really alert (like for fast dodging). I noticed that a few times when I was with friends just a couple of blocks away from me, and then walked home late. I guess you could argue that I was just too sober, because drunk I probably wouldn't have cared that much about people throwing explosives, and still gotten home fine (like most other people walking outside then).

Anyway, that's one of the reasons why I don't go watch the professional fireworks (which I like to watch) at places where many people are either, I really don't feel comfortable inside a crowd of a couple of thousand (partly drunk) people, some of whom will throw their own firecrackers and have their own rockets while being there. Also inevitably you have to be really alert while using public transport that night, and taxis are quite impossible to come by. The one time I was using the metro at New Year's Eve late was close to horrible and I was even with friends then. Crowded masses of drunk people inside the car with more people trying to get in, causing the drunk ones inside to sing variations "one more will fit inside yet," is a frightening experience when you yourself are actually sober. At least for me it is. Also you have to watch out not to be barfed on.

To finish on a brighter note, I just watched the newest Farscape episode, 4x12 Kansas.
( Spoilers... )