Let's go back to Sunday
Nov. 15th, 2017 06:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallowness...when I posted Far, Far Better (Harry Potter, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Harry (R/Hr) ficlet, universal). I saw the prompt and felt confident writing Hermione etc because I’d just finished and posted ‘Some Goodnight Kisses’. The book she was reading being by Dickens was inspired by 'Murder on the Orient Express', and the title comes from ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. There would have been more Dickens references if I’d read more by him. But I think Hemione might like him for the social reform agenda.
Howards End episode 1 (of 4)
Stimulating stuff – I’ve never read it. Mostly good casting. Hayley Atwell is warm and engaging as the main character, Margaret, while also conveying her thinkiness. Having brought up her younger siblings after her father’s death, a short-lived romance involving her sister made her doubt herself. I thought she needed to be more worried about her spoiled musical brother, who probably needed to hear ‘no’ more in childhood. I thought they’d done a really good job on casting her sister; they looked like they were related. I was less taken with Tracey Ullman as their aunt, just because I’ve recently been watching her in her (mixed) sketch show, so I was expecting a pointed barb about modern life from her all the time.
As the head of the more materialistic and sporty Wilcox family (the type of people who would go to Germany without knowing the language) the Schlegels were involved with, MacFayden was pretty good. It looks as though they’ll be takin advantage of his similarity to Droopy in the next episode. (I’m agin’ Margaret/him, as you feel that she’s just wanting a father figure). Julia Ormond made quite an impact as his wife. I didn’t think they did such a great job on casting their children, as in they didn’t look like they were related. But there was more of a sense of mystery about a family that ought to be more straightforward – the older son didn’t come across as newly married etc.
The use of letters to introduce Howards End worked well and the period costumes were a treat, especially the splashes of red Margaret and Helen wore. If there was much fanfare and build-up for this, I missed it.
Strictly Results
No wonder they named the choreographer for the opening routine. I thought the interpretation was moving (and I’m a hard sell on this codified act of Rememberance Britannia must go through every year, apparently) and the bits reflecting the percussion. I’m not so sure about the song choice ultimately (as the dance really belonged to the women left behind).
Tess was in an asymmetric black dress, Claudia in a less boring two-part black dress. Darcey botched wearing a colour with a very underwhelming green lace thing (it looked delicate in close-up of her head but yech to the whole thing) and Shirley’s dress would have been better either without the holes or without the applique flowers. As it was, no.
The VT seemed to hint strongly that Gemma was in trouble. Aljaz seemed to be in dangers of scratching her bare arm under the red lights. Mollie’s delighted reaction to being called safe was understandably epic. My conviction that Jonnie was popular enough to survive the score was popped. And with him in danger, it was very evident that there had been a cull of the men so far this year. We all knew that his survival depended on whom he’d be facing.
Seal’s voice wasn’t up to his song, but fortunately Anton and Nadiya wafted in to do lovely ballroom and let that fade out. Were her appliqued flowers poppies? Because they looked a bit spring-like to me.
Blah blah judges, although I think they should continue to let Craig expand on his one-worders (as indeed they did when he gave Jonnie constructive advice).
But it wasn’t Gemma, and after Aston’s boot, it looks like the public decided to abide by the scores. I know even Ruth knew she’d be going, but Bruno was rude.
The pros’ excitement about Blackpool kept bursting through.
I basically zipped through everything then until the foregone conclusion of the judges’ decision. Ruth gave a gracious speech, and the closing good-natured pile-on (did you see tiny Debbeh try to join it, bad back or no? Heh.) will be what we remember of the otherwise dodgy last dance.
Last night’s ITT reminded me that Gemma is an actress, so I will hold the opening of her routine against her. Not so much the whole of it if she was battling nausea and shoe issues, but the opening was weak.
Howards End episode 1 (of 4)
Stimulating stuff – I’ve never read it. Mostly good casting. Hayley Atwell is warm and engaging as the main character, Margaret, while also conveying her thinkiness. Having brought up her younger siblings after her father’s death, a short-lived romance involving her sister made her doubt herself. I thought she needed to be more worried about her spoiled musical brother, who probably needed to hear ‘no’ more in childhood. I thought they’d done a really good job on casting her sister; they looked like they were related. I was less taken with Tracey Ullman as their aunt, just because I’ve recently been watching her in her (mixed) sketch show, so I was expecting a pointed barb about modern life from her all the time.
As the head of the more materialistic and sporty Wilcox family (the type of people who would go to Germany without knowing the language) the Schlegels were involved with, MacFayden was pretty good. It looks as though they’ll be takin advantage of his similarity to Droopy in the next episode. (I’m agin’ Margaret/him, as you feel that she’s just wanting a father figure). Julia Ormond made quite an impact as his wife. I didn’t think they did such a great job on casting their children, as in they didn’t look like they were related. But there was more of a sense of mystery about a family that ought to be more straightforward – the older son didn’t come across as newly married etc.
The use of letters to introduce Howards End worked well and the period costumes were a treat, especially the splashes of red Margaret and Helen wore. If there was much fanfare and build-up for this, I missed it.
Strictly Results
No wonder they named the choreographer for the opening routine. I thought the interpretation was moving (and I’m a hard sell on this codified act of Rememberance Britannia must go through every year, apparently) and the bits reflecting the percussion. I’m not so sure about the song choice ultimately (as the dance really belonged to the women left behind).
Tess was in an asymmetric black dress, Claudia in a less boring two-part black dress. Darcey botched wearing a colour with a very underwhelming green lace thing (it looked delicate in close-up of her head but yech to the whole thing) and Shirley’s dress would have been better either without the holes or without the applique flowers. As it was, no.
The VT seemed to hint strongly that Gemma was in trouble. Aljaz seemed to be in dangers of scratching her bare arm under the red lights. Mollie’s delighted reaction to being called safe was understandably epic. My conviction that Jonnie was popular enough to survive the score was popped. And with him in danger, it was very evident that there had been a cull of the men so far this year. We all knew that his survival depended on whom he’d be facing.
Seal’s voice wasn’t up to his song, but fortunately Anton and Nadiya wafted in to do lovely ballroom and let that fade out. Were her appliqued flowers poppies? Because they looked a bit spring-like to me.
Blah blah judges, although I think they should continue to let Craig expand on his one-worders (as indeed they did when he gave Jonnie constructive advice).
But it wasn’t Gemma, and after Aston’s boot, it looks like the public decided to abide by the scores. I know even Ruth knew she’d be going, but Bruno was rude.
The pros’ excitement about Blackpool kept bursting through.
I basically zipped through everything then until the foregone conclusion of the judges’ decision. Ruth gave a gracious speech, and the closing good-natured pile-on (did you see tiny Debbeh try to join it, bad back or no? Heh.) will be what we remember of the otherwise dodgy last dance.
Last night’s ITT reminded me that Gemma is an actress, so I will hold the opening of her routine against her. Not so much the whole of it if she was battling nausea and shoe issues, but the opening was weak.
