Movie #28 - Star Trek

Last night, I had my first ever Star Trek experience.  For real.  I'm pretty sure the friend who introduced me to this was a bit gob-smacked that I hadn't seen any Star Trek or Star Wars (yes - it's true).  We were just going to watch the very very beginning (actually so I could experience blu-ray for the first time) but then ... well, I don't like to leave things unfinished.  We watched the whole thing. 

Things I learned:
There are movies and tv series (I hadn't realised this before).
It's really great to watch something as iconic as this with someone who knows about it.  Short of watching every Star Trek movie and tv episode myself, then watching and going [lightbulb] aahhhh! - having someone knowledgeable (but not totally gung-ho) was a pretty good option.
Well, I could go on and on... But the other thing about watching an iconic movie like this, is that I now recognise some of the references from the Simpsons.  Yay!

Things I liked:
It makes your brain work.  Not just a plot that does a 3 act drama, this one made my brain try to work out how this had happened, tying it in with what I was learning about the previous shows that were really coming after this in time... kinda... and I know that once I've watched more, there will be more things I'll notice. 
The violence isn't overdone.  There were some bits that made me cringe or get a sympathetic twinge, but not overly.  And you didn't have to see close-ups of fighting or blood-splatters or anything.
Simon Pegg.  And, not Simon Pegg as recognisable from any of the ice-cream movies, but in an actually different role.  He does make me laugh.
The music is really well done.
I recognised the writers from Hawaii Five-O (I'm not great at recognising non-actor names).
I know it's cheesy, but the costumes.  So sixties and reminiscent of Austin Powers.  Love it.

Without having watched any other bits of this, the whole destiny thing is something I'd like to see a bit more.  That idea of our history, our past, the bits of time that have gone before us that have contributed to the way we are, the way others see us, the way we see ourselves - whether or not we are getting into the whole space/time travel thing, this is something so close to us that we don't even realise it's a part of us sometimes.

Today's photo:

Today's photo is really yesterday's photo x 2.  The first is from the 3rd storm of the day - I was at church in the evening and the clouds looked pretty impressive around the city.  Massive storm - we had to delay the service because all you could hear was the downpour.  The streets in the city, and around my neighbourhood, are all covered in debris today.  A bit further out of the city though (where some of my brothers and their families live) was really badly hit.

The second - much calmer - is my first try of gnoccho - a combination of shell pasta with gnocchi.  Love the little scoops with sauce!

Movie #22 - Shaun of the Dead

Ok, not my most intellectual offering.  But one I felt I should watch.  Having watched it, I feel I have a much greater understanding of certain males - in fact, the male species in general, if left in their native habitat.

If you are considering watching this, be warned - it is a bit gory.  And there is a bit of naughty language.  However, the goriness is not excessive (although I did cover my eyes for a bit, I'm becoming such a girl in that respect); and the naughty language is not as bad as what you might hear in certain areas.  It is very funny, in that "I can't believe that's funny - but it is!!!" way. 

It is also one of those movies you might think you've already seen.  The main character is played by Simon Pegg.  Simon Pegg is also in Hot Fuzz (which I watched earlier this year, as Movie #8), and How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, and Run Fatboy Run.  Other things too, but I've seen all the movies just mentioned, and Shaun has references to all of them.

Plot (from IMDb): A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.

Really, it's one of those 'everyday hero' scenarios, in which an ordinary (boring) bloke doesn't want to die, and doesn't want the people closest to him to die either, and so he acts accordingly.   His actions also show up the weak as weak, and expose other emotional undercurrents that would have been left unsaid if, you know, zombies weren't taking over the world.  And just when you are resigning yourself to seeing the last remaining non-zombies (is there a technical term for that?) be zombified themselves, massive firepower saves the day.

On the subject of heroes, though... In one of the verbal dueling matches (the insults in this movie are definitely up there), the twat says to Shaun "For a hero you're quite a hypocrite".  And that got me thinking about heroes.  Some are heroes because they run to the danger.  Others are heroes because no-one else stays to fight, they all melt into the background when something has to happen.  And it's those heroes we give a hard time if they turn out to be just regular humans after all.  It's all about expectations.  If you're doing all this fighting, you must be a hero, which means you need to adhere to my idea of a hero, which means you will now be flawless and if it turns out you're still human after all, then I will tell the world how terrible you are.  Even though you're the one who was brave in the first place and I wasn't.

Speaking of bravery...  I find it interesting that we are so eager to put people in the 'loser' box.  Shaun's childhood friend, Ed (played by Nick Frost, also in Hot Fuzz), is overweight, unemployed, plays video games all day and drinks beer all the time.  The two of them are still acting like adolescents, and the other flatmate tries to convince Shaun to kick Ed out of the house.  Shaun just can't ditch his oldest friend.  Lucky, too, as Ed is a great shot thanks to all the video games, and keeps the humour alive in otherwise dire situations.  So, trust your instincts, keep your friends around, and know that there is a place for everyone.  And maybe practice a video game or two, just in case the end of the world happens...