November 2013 Update

Halloween's always been an uneventful holiday. I don't do much. I love candy and [dark] chocolate, sure, but trick-or-treating wore off me pretty quickly. It happens when you don't live in one place your whole life. Oh well, I had enough spirit to dress up a bit. Nope, no pictures. No party, no nothing. I just got up, put on a skirt, corset, and combat boots and went to my classes feeling pretty good. Presentable and tasteful. How boring can that get?

To improve the mood, enjoy some purple bunnies.

Otherwise, I watched two seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, just to overcome my massive disappointment in the anime I put myself through. No music purchases lately, though I've been listening to Persona 4's soundtrack to get in the mood for the upcoming multi-part review. That can go underway now that Mass Effect 2 FINALLY ended. I apologize for the really, really long waits for the parts.

Also I just saw Ender's Game a few hours ago.

More like Ender's symphony.

I never read the book, so I doubt whatever I say will hold much water. So to simplify my opinion, I really liked it. Maybe the movie selection this year was so horrid that NOW we get a barrage of interesting or promising flicks at the last minute. Whatever it is, I enjoyed it.

This is why young Fangirl gave up her dream of
being an astronaut.

Gravity was good too. It was wonderful to see two new, well-crafted sci-fi flicks within one year. Or to be even more petty, it's great to see movies that had nothing to do with Ridley Scott and his Alien franchise or Tom Cruise trying to play a simultaneously interesting and badass character. Instead we got George Clooney being an extremely jarring male equivalent of a pollyanna and OMG, HARRISON FORD IS SEVENTY-ONE?!?! TT-TT

... *sniff* I'm sorry... This has been a nerve-wrecking year for me in my posts. I really have to chill.

Anywho.

I have a TON of work due this month, all of it includes typing. ... You see where this is going.

"PSAs from a Fangirl" and my "Music Mood" will be updated as usual, just to prove I'm still alive. Once I get over my workload hump, I'll get back into blog mode. Again, Persona 4 is coming up, along with whatever comes to mind in the next few weeks. Even I never know.

Meanwhile... counting down to hearing the badass baritone Benedict Cumberbleach voice Smaug in The Hobbit.

...

...

I meant "Cumberbatch"... Damn it. Stupid JeremyJahns and his stupid review... *mutter, mutter*

"Suck the Blood Right of my Heart..."

The Vampire Diaries. Twilight. True Blood. Vampire Academy. Vampire Knight. Moonlight. House of Night.Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Underworld. Tales of Vladimir Todd. Dracula. Nosferatu. And many more tales that I failed to come up with in... my brain hurts...

Thankfully in the past several months the whole vampire trend in the media seemes to have calmed down to reasonable levels. However, the trend is still seen as destructive to the dignity of the entire vampire concept.

There are loads of times when being a vampire fan embarrasses me; even blogging for a whole month on nothing but vampires scares me. (Thus, I thank my viewers who still stick around when all hell broke loose.) Out of all the posts on the subject, every single piece of media portrays them as dark, attractive, mysterious, and sexual creatures of the night. Wasn't it only a few centuries ago when vampires were unfeeling, heartless, horrible servants of the devil?

Though I can't remember specifically, vampires fascinated me long before Twilight. Brief mentions of such creatures in Harry Potter? Mentions of Dracula? Sights of vampire costumes? Mini history lessons about Halloween monsters? Debates of superiority between vampires and warewolves? Playing with dolls with my friends and imagining they had supernatural powers? Whatever sparked my interest (though I'm sure the Count from Sesame Street didn't start it,) I knew the basic, semi-universally accepted characteristics of these creatures: repelling from holy water, the sun, and garlic; drinking blood from the living; roaming around at night; having pale skin, fangs, and dark hair; and dying from a stake to the heart.

Because I grew up knowing this, these tend to be the limits of my standards and

I never seemed to mind the various interpretations of these monsters. Though the vampire mythology of Buffy is far different then that of Vampire Academy, I still relish both interpretations for the sake of an enjoyable story.

But I obviously will join in the traditionalist bandwagon in the crusade against the sparkling ones. Thank you, Stephanie Meyer.

To further prove how much of a sucker (pardon the awful pun) I am for them, I have always wanted to write my own vampire story. Maybe it wouldn't bring dignity to the mortally bleeding horse, but at least it isn't beyond dead completely. But for now, I continue to research, watch movies and TV shows, read books, surf the web (who says that anymore?), and use my noggin to create something - if cliched - that won't suck to the point of people puking out their organs.

Regardless, the process is moving very slowly, but having sources and saving them never hurts.

In the meantime, I still have to dive into several books that people have asked me to read, specifically Dracula, Interview with the Vampire, and The Historian. Well, I'll get there in the next three years or so at the rate I'm moving. Hopefully I can get something, somewhere one of these days: just as long as my blood doesn't run dry.

Since I didn't update as much as I wanted to, I will wrap up this month with maybe two more posts: one on a basic summary of the origin of some vampire legends and a review of something else. Look out for them, or dance for joy that the topic will get stabbed in the heart and sealed into a hell dimension for a very loooong time.

... ... ... maybe I should really stop watching Buffy. At least the title came from a HIM lyric... *sigh* Making references with no feedback is great for my ego. I have no life... *sniff*

'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Part 2

Double review of Buffy Season 5 and Angel Season 1! :P

(CREDIT: to Joss Whedon... the creator)

Rank: 2.5 out of 5 <- dear God in heaven...

Remember when I said that seasons 2 and 3 were my favorites because they made the characters lovable? Well... many have came close to going out via the guillotine. To be honest, I don't completely know why I disliked this season. It couldn't have been Angel: I watched his spin-off along with this so I'm not detoxing... Cordelia? Nah, she's in Angel and is treated better... Oz? Giles? Xander? Anya? Hmm... how about those four? Though not much could have been said about the plot of season 3, at least there was one enemy to care about. This time around, by the time Riley and Buffy are a couple, all care for anything went "bye bye."

Characters were deprived beyond belief. Giles was ignored 80% of the time; Xander felt more useless than he might actually be; and Anya was worse off in the development department then Angel was in season 1. And as interested as I am in Tara, I still couldn't help but mourn the fact that Oz left the gang for good, leaving me with three quarters of a season to suffer through. Minus these guys, I could only find comfort and amusement from Spike and Willow. That's it.

More complaints flying in at the horizon. Although Riley is sweet, nice, and a good guy, I can't help but find him to be annoying. I'm not saying this because I find Angel and Spike to be better because of their "conditions," but they had something interesting to offer, wether its humor, usefulness, or their own identities. Despite being in the military, Riley is the normal guy Buffy wanted... a nervous, passive, uninteresting dork. You have no idea how happily amused I was when the testosterone fight over Buffy happened in "The Yoko Factor."

Maybe it's because I lack the boyfriend-girlfriend relationship experience, but Buffy was so emotionally and physically clingy to Riley that Buffy and Angel looked coldly heartless and distant. What a world...

Once I get past my tears over the characters, I cared less about the entire plot, which was a total waste of potential. Having no invested interest in characters often equates to having no concern for conflict. The Initiative attempted but failed at being a "conspiring" project under the government; the "monsters of the week" were lame; and Adam was an interesting villain (compared to the Mayor) with poor initial set up.

A lot of complaining? Yep. This was a boring season. OBVIOUSLY.

But there were some decent episodes like "Hush" (the Gentlemen are freaky!), "Fear, Itself," "The Yoko Factor," "Restless," and "Who Are You." "Pangs" could have introduced a better monster of the week, but I can't complain if there was a crossover with Angel. *sigh* I think I am detoxing...

On one hand, I can't say this season is horrible since it was still watchable enough for me to stay with the show. However, it's disappointing when one skips two episodes because he/she has no patience for the slow pacing. So I'll just leave this at a 2.5.

(CREDIT: created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt)

RANK: 4.3 out of 5 <- awkward, but hilarious

Those three words sum this up pretty accurately.

Seriously, what better way to start the first episode than this: a 247 year old vampire is at a bar (oh boy...), fairly drunk and bummed about his failed relationship with Buffy (*pinches bridge of nose*), stops a bunch of vampires from feeding on two women, and storms off in a gloom back to his apartment. (*cringes at the awkwardness*) A half-demon with prophetic vision named Doyle follows him and tells the vampire to get his act together and take advantage of his abilities by helping people. The obnoxious whiney gi - I meant Cordelia-

is also in Los Angeles and teams up with Angel and Doyle by forming their own private investigation agency.

Might I add that the first two episodes are pretty painful to sit through? All three of these guys are so socially awkward that even a wallflower would be thankful for planting her roots in deep. On one hand, a new series needs to find its sense of direction, so strange scripting and the like are understandable; even in the story, each character has their own insecurities and socializing isn't their specialties. But as far as first impressions go, the first two episodes dampened my hopes for Angel. And then Spike appears in episode 3. His priceless entrance saved me from discarding the show, which does get better soon after. (SPOILER!) Things improved so much that Doyle's death in "Hero" made me cry. (I hate you Joss Whedon!! T-T)

As mentioned in the above review, Angel surpassed Buffy overall. The new characters, such as Linsey and Gunn, were fascinating, and old, Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley, developed from their previously restrained selves from the main show into complex identities. Because of this, the plot and conflict held interest so tightly that I would often play two episodes in a row instead of playing this and Buffy simultaneously. There are loads of pop culture references thanks to Cordy, but the humor was executed really well, reminding me of the first three Buffy seasons.

My favorite episodes? "Rm w/a Vu" and "I've Got You Under my Skin" since I'm a sucker for exorcisms... "Sense and Sensitivity" with the epidemic caused by the talking stick (a long and hilarious story)... "The Prodigal" and "Eternity" for Angelus (ah, good times)... and "Sanctuary" for Angel's way of saying "This is my show, Buffy, and I don't need your help!"

Just don't get me started on "I Will Remember You." I am still shaking in anger and sadness from it.

Without a doubt, Angel gets a 4.3 for helping me stay sane from the boring main show. But if only the beginning started off a bit less rocky, I could have given this season a 4.8.

So imagine that. A spinoff was more enjoyable than the main show. Let's see what Season 5 and Season 2 bring...

'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Part 1

Well, here I am, a 90's child, and I never, ever watched this series... until almost a month ago.

For those who read my entry on the reboot plans, one can safely assume that I have become a big fan rather quickly. As of now, I have just started Season 5 of Buffy and Season 2 of Angel. Because I don't want to make individual posts for each separate season I finish, I will review a few in one, just so you aren't overwhelmed by the number of Buffy posts. :)

And as usual, credit to the owners.

Season 1

Rank: 4 out of 5

Hands down, this is probably the corniest season when it comes to special effects; anyone can see that the small budget flashed bright on the empty backroad at midnight. But for what is was, these 12 episodes handled every necessary element to telling a story very well. The first few episodes failed to disappoint despite the art of slowly introducing the universe so the viewer can invest time and give a crap. Getting into Buffy was fun for me because of the things I don't see often in entertainment: witty dialogue, compelling characters, and great dry, tongue-in-cheek humor. (Do you realize how seriously underrated dry humor is? Even my friends don't get it... -_-)

Pros? The main monsters in each episode are all interesting and not what I'd ever expect. Sadly, the badass monsters start to fade away by season 3. *sniff* But fortunately, the overall pacing and storytelling were very well executed, which continues throughout. I have fallen for more plot twists in the first two seasons of this show than any other. And might I add that Xander is hilarious, Willow is awesome, Giles is cool, and Angel is awkwardly cute? XD

Cons? Every character developed in fairly small, but reasonable steps... except Angel. Once episode seven played, I had almost had no idea how two episodes ago he and Buffy were "eh" and then magnets happened to pull them together in one scene. Then by episode 12, Giles mentions how "poetic" it was that a "vampire [is] in love with a Slayer." *snickers* Okay, show. If you call undeveloped and unexplained romantic magnetism happening in such a short time without showing any sure connection between them... go ahead and continue that "poetic" stuff. Gimme a barf bag.

Fortunately, that didn't take away the fact that this season was very impressive; furthermore, the vampire mythology was very interesting.

Season 2

Rank: 5 out of 5

Yeeeeeeeeeaaah... just to get it out of the way.... I'm a Buffy/Angel fangirl. XD

I can't remember there being a boring episode in this season. Some things were annoying (Cordelia is definitely NOT an exception,) but many new characters made things a load of fun. Without a doubt, Spike is easily one of the most impressive; his humor never fails to make my lungs sore, and his overall being steals the spotlight in every shot, every scene, every episode. Drusilla is insane, but dangerous and beautiful in a way I can't really explain. Like Spike, she stands out in her own way.

But the character I loved the most? Angel.

Sure, in the first half of the season, he develops, but still at an underwhelming rate: for crying out loud, he practically has a one-track mind. But once his curse breaks? Oh man, there were times when he out-Spiked Spike. Angelus was the guy I loved to hate as he tortured Buffy and her friends (I still am shocked over that scene in "Passion" when he speaks to Joyce, even though I saw it coming.) But the very scene I loved the most? In "Becoming Part 1" he tries to awaken a monster... and fails. He's not a guy to piss off, and it didn't help that Spike predictably had something to say.

This season was a hell of a roller coaster ride for everyone. By the end of season 2, the characters really grew into interesting and real people (or demons in some cases.) The monsters were still creative for the most part. But the Big Bads (aka the biggest villians) were easily the most enjoyable compared to the others from the first four seasons.

Only drawback? Things got a bit too melodramatic at times. Well, blame a blonde and her 245 year old vampire boyfriend. But man, those were fun times...

Season 3

Rank: 4.8 out of 5

Probably my second favorite, Season 3 relied a lot more on conflict between characters, developing them into being far more three-dimensional. The drama is finally taken in a more serious fashion as previous relationships matured (like Buffy and Angel no longer clinging to each other every two seconds...) There were so many episodes dedicated to certain characters that the Big Bad sat at the back of the shelf, collecting dust until one of the main characters betrays everyone.Because of the excessive emphasis on the cast, the villains barely satisfy. Even the Master from Season 1 had better screen time than the Mayor. Otherwise, nothing new and exciting turned the world upside down: it's just Buffy and the gang finishing senior year of high school.

Pros? Again, the plot runs slowly, but characters shine bright here. Xander gets his own episode, "The Zeppo," while it mocks the cliches in the series (everyone arguing about the apocalypse and who should be the sacrifice was a scream.) Oz grows to be such a likable member of the gang that he becomes the only rope of sanity to go through part of Season 4 (my hopes were too high.) Faith, the new Slayer, is... well, a bitch; at least Cordelia is tolerable, but still useless. Spike makes a hilariously brief appearance.

But for what plot there was, by the time we get to "The Prom" the gang's changing relationships are depressing, but enjoyable. Hand down, by "Graduation, Part 2," if you bonded with any characters at all, this episode gets emotional.

And of course, the season could have been better with character development if the Mayor and Mr. Trick were better established. But at least Faith is interesting despite my dislike for her.

OVERALL:

In general, the show constantly makes fun of the cliches in horror films, especially when the usual plot devices come along (EX: bad guys talking while torturing someone; taunting in battle; holding someone hostage; etc.) Humor, drama, horror, vampires that don't stray too far from what's commonly accepted... so why not? From these seasons combined, I'll give Buffy the Vampire Slayer a 4.5 out of 5.

Onto reviewing Season 4... *groans*

Final February Update

Soooooooo. Like the new layout? :)

This has been a rather slow month for me with my blog updates declining and the homework piling high with advanced classes and a term paper. *dances for joy* However, I am planing to make more reviews, especially when I have unexpectedly came to love Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the past week. So I will add my few cents on what I think about it as I continue to catch up on the modern times. Perhaps next month will be a new kind of madness: you all can obsess about basketball and I'll rant about why I am stuck on the vampire bandwagon.

But to save the trouble:

Edward, meet Spike and Angelus. Spike will put you in a straightjacket and force you into a grinder. As for Angelus... well... there will be chainsaws, fangs, claws, maybe backup from a Slayer...

Quite frankly, Twilight still sucks in my blunt opinion. I'll regurgitate the same reasons other haters made in a future rant.

March 2011 is Vampire Month on Rants From a Fangirl... WHOOOOOT!!!!!!!

Make the Old Youthful, and the New Legendary

'ello all. It's been a while. Hopefully your Singles Awareness Day was wonderful. Mine was just great as I coped quite happily about not having someone to snuggle. :P

But anyway... RANT TIME!!!!!

REMAKES.

A few months back, I did a review on Let Me In, which is a remake of the Swedish film Let the Right One In. Other than the slight title change from a piece of advice to a demand and different names and location, there are absolutely no changes to the Swedish film. I find Let the Right One In to be a better quality film not just because it's a foreign movie, but because the plot ran smoothly, the characters were more interesting (the cat scene = epic win,) and the atmosphere was amazingly dead on creepy. The American counterpart, on the other hand, strayed too far from the book and moved so slowly that The Return of the King felt as short as a 30-minute cartoon show.

Part of me wonders why remakes happen. Is it because we're too lazy to read subtitles in a foreign production? We don't want to enjoy a story from a different environment? Or is it to make money?

Sometimes I just hate asking a question in which the answer is in my face.

What has inspired me to write this rant? Well, here's melinapendulum for you:

After watching this, I finally had enough curiosity to climb out of the millionth rock I have been buried under since my childhood. When it came out, I was too young to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And for the past few days, I have been living off this series in my free time. Though I am about halfway through season 3 and I love the Buffy universe so far, I must protest to rebooting any aspect of this franchise.

Though Melina said it was the TV show that was being remade, entertainment articles have told that the plan basically is to remake the preceding 1992 movie. However, I, like Melina, find no reasonable excuse for a reboot. Like she said, the main show and the Angel spin-off ended about 6-7 years ago and the story is still continuing in the comic books. To allow a reboot now is comparable to remaking the Naruto anime so it can be more ACCESSIBLE to viewers of Americans cartoons.

Can there be anything nice to hope for in this impending mistake? Well, perhaps a reboot can fix some really silly 90's special effects with our modern stuff. (Seriously, the corpses and the vampire bites were hilariously fake. XD) Um... ... ... ... ... err... ... ... well... ... ... at least the movie doesn't have the rest of the well-loved cast from the show! (I can't really see anyone replacing some of my favorite characters *cAoNuGgEhL* *WcIoLuLgOhW* *cGoIuLgEhS* without destroying them.) What else? ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... hmm... ... ... ... I've got nothing.

But best of all... SUPPOSEDLY the actress playing Buffy might be Heather Morris. From Glee.... ... I have never watched Glee (and I intend to stay this way,) but I have seen far too many commercials about it. Now that I know what this chick looks like, my forced attempted at staying positive for the reboot has diminished greatly.

What I fear the most about this reboot is the possibility of it being Twilight-ized beyond repair, or the remake will be so successful that the entire show will be remade as well.

Let me make my stance clear right now. If you miss Buffy the Vampire Slayer so badly, search on Youtube, turn on the TV, or go to Netflix... AND WATCH IT. Or hell, buy the DVDs or box sets! You don't need to reboot something that is still so young. Furthermore, just because vampires are still loved, why do you have to dig up and re-pretty every single dead, but loved vampire stories that are perfect as they are? I hate to be mean to Anne Rice fans, but why not reboot Interview with a Vampire? Why not remake Queen of the Damned? That was a strange film that went so far out there, the tightrope walker fell towards earth, 1,000,000 kilometers below.

At this point and time, I can only conclude that people are feeding the vampire craze and milking the pecuniary benefits from it. Furthermore, I am now starting to believe that everyone is suffering from ADD. We cannot put up with material that is even two years old without thinking of redoing it. We offer a two-yeared successful tweeny pop wonder, who will fade in less than a decade, the chance to write an autobiography. We give a particular politician her own family reality TV show. And her very own daughter is supposedly going to write her own book too.

It seems that anything slightly old must be primed and up-to-date, while the new must be treated like a long-lasting legend.

*weeps*

So yeah, I'm siding with the Buffy fans and creator Joss Whedon who all scream bull on this. I'm ready to protest on the streets.