(no subject)

[omorka]

Saw TRON: Legacy tonight. The film's a little light on plot - if I weren't already invested in these characters, I'd probably be somewhat dismissive, especially since certain things are taken for granted that don't really make a whole lot of sense - it fails Bechdel on Stage Two*, and there's a romantic subplot that doesn't really work, but overall I am one very, very happy fangirl. It hit lots of right notes, played homage to many of the things I liked about the first film, and was philosophically and theologically very satisfying.

* Note that the original film fails Bechdel on either Stage One or Stage Two - there's really only one named female character, from a certain point of view; from another, there are exactly two, who not only don't speak to each other, they can't.

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In other news: tea recommendations. Hit me up, yall.

Comments

[zortified.livejournal.com]

What sort of teas do you already like or hate? My favorite tea in the whole world is Hu-Kwa, which is a very smokey tea (lapsang souchong) but is not everybody's cuppa. I hate jasmine-scented tea, but some folks adore it. (I know not why). Also, everyone who is a tea afficionado is al "oh, pu erh, awesome" and I'm just eh about it.

My favorite tea website, which ships and does so very very quickly, is Mark T. Wendell (https://marktwendell.com/) who carries the Hu-Kwa.

There are also some amazing teas with berries and chocolate and stuff in them. I have a black tea that smells just like chocolate irish cream. (Doesn't taste like it, too weak, but the smell is worth it.) It's by The Tea Table (http://www.theteatable.com/).

[omorka.livejournal.com]

I adore nice, simple, slightly malty black teas like Assam, am okay with jasmine greens but typically don't seek them out, and think Lapsang Souchong tastes like creosote. :-) I do agree with you about pu erh - I don't dislike it, but I'm not really clear on why everyone is so excited about it.

I also drink an awful lot of frou-frou scented and adulterated teas - I'm embarrassingly fond of Republic of Tea's Raspberry Quince blend, for instance, and I'm a sucker for anything with orange peel and cloves in it. I'm not big on Earl Grey per se, but I tend to like the "Lady Grey" derivatives that actually have bits of citrus in them.

In short, I am a bad tea snob.

[awbryan.livejournal.com]

Hmm. May watch then. I always did find the theological import of TRON -- that we are as gods to our programs, and should act accordingly -- deeply thought-provoking. It didn't really matter much in 1983 when our programs were still primarily trapped in isolated boxes and dumb as the rocks their silicon substrate was built of. In 2010, it *does* matter, even if we still don't have programs anywhere near as sentient as in the TRONverse.

I've never heard of the Bechdel test before, but it's a terrific idea and I will happily add it to my toolchest. I'm amused that _Pirates of the Caribbean_ passes despite being being a swashbuckler that is male-heavy both in cast and content.

[zortified.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love herbal tisanes and any tea with bits of fruit or spice in it. I get London Fruit & Herb for my caffeine-free iced tea, as it has a lovely light sweet taste and you can tell it's made with real bits of fruit.

Mark T Wendell's website has flavored teas, like Apricot Black and lovely seasonal flavors. They also make iced tea blends. I have also noticed that at Target we now carry a black tea with berries and chocolate pieces in it (Archer Farms brand).

[omorka.livejournal.com]

As Bechdel herself points out, the test is not in and of itself any measure of quality - a number of bad teen flicks from the '80s pass by the dubious virtue of having two girls have a conversation about shopping, clothes, and/or shoes. But it's really astonishing how many films simply don't pass the test at all - and depressing how many fail on steps 1 or 2 rather than 3.