In Edinburgh again. Ho hum.
I bought the first two issues of Bitch Planet separately when they first came out, but then I missed #3. Yesterday on my way from Waverley to my B&B, I popped in to Forbidden Planet and bought the volume 1 collected edition.
Later in the afternoon I walked out to Fort Kinnaird, and was helped at the snacks counter of the Odeon by a young woman with a Non-Compliant tattoo on her bicep. I complimented her on it, and she was pleased that I knew what it was.
The film I went to see was The Last Witch Hunter, which isn’t nearly as bad as the critics’ consensus suggests. It’s not great, and Michael Caine in particular gives one of the least inspired performances of his career, but for a couple of hours of save-the-world urban fantasy? You could do a lot worse. I like Vin Diesel, and I’m inclined to give him a pass on minor missteps.
Other recent watchings:
- Spy: A fine addition to the unlikely-secret-agent-saves-the-day action comedy sub-genre. Melissa McCarthy is great as the agent; Jason Statham and Peter Serafinowicz both put in gloriously over-the-top performances as her comedic foils.
- The Martian: I loved the book, and a the film is an excellent adaptation. I’m not sure if it’s an essential companion work. Its depiction of Mars and space is good, but not groundbreaking. Which is fine, because it’s all about the characters anyway.
- Solaris: Finally found a Steven Soderbergh film I don’t like.
- Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials: I liked this better than the first film. Considering it’s the middle film in a trilogy, I was pleasantly surprised.
- Under the Skin: What the fuck?
- Enemy: What the fuck?? Don’t watch these two films back-to-back. Seriously. Don’t.
- Ex Machina: Very smart film exploring the some of the uncomfortable edges of AI in a classically hard science fictional way.
- Side Effects: Classy, tense thriller with excellent twists.
- Battle: Los Angeles: Why did I watch this? Why did I finish watching this?
- Harold & Kumar go to White Castle: I was expecting this to be silly and crude, but it also manages to be smart and subtle at the same time. I liked it a lot.
- Suits (seasons 1-3): A good show about some awful people.
- Gravity Falls (season 1): Brilliant.
Music:
- Talib Kweli – Fuck The Money
- Halsey – Badlands
- Blackalicious – Imani, Vol. 1
- Metric – Pagans in Vegas
- Chvrches – Every Open Eye
Books:
- Sue Grafton – X
- John Scalzi – The End of All Things
- Shannon Watters, Noelle Stevenson et al. – Lumberjanes vol 1
My hotel room tried to kill me last night.
It’s Edinburgh in October, so it’s cold. There was an extra blanket in the wardrobe, and I put it over the bed before I went to sleep. I woke up an hour later wheezing and sneezing, with puffy eyes, and a furiously scratchy throat. The blanket felt like wool, but I reacted to it like it was horse hair. Fortunately I travel with a good supply of antihistamines. I opened the window wide and spent an hour flushing my lungs before I could breathe cleanly enough to get back to sleep. The blanket stays in its cave tonight, and I just sleep with my socks and sweater on.