Ballet Shoes, plus a John Oliver refill (10/19/09)

Let's get right to it, chickens, shall we?

First up: Emma Watson is a good actress!

I'm so excited! I've always loved her Hermione from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but in every movie since, she's seemed less Hermione-like to me, and I was worried that was a result of incompetence. But inSTEAD, it's just that her Hermione is not the one in my head! So it was a relief to like her so, so much when I watched Ballet Shoes last night, because I do hate to think anything negative about anyone associated with my man Harry Potter.



Things I loved about Ballet Shoes:

1. I was sort of expecting it to be terrible, but instead, it was awesome. (What? That totally belongs on the pro list. Everybody loves a nice surprise.)


2. The majority of the characters are kick-ass women with distinct, non-stereotypical personalities.


3. The two retired schoolteachers are fab. Also, they are deffo lesbians, though it's never stated, and no one even blinks an eye about it.


4. Two of the three girls around whom the movie revolves can be pretty bratty. That makes me want to hit them less than when children in movies are vomitously saccharine. (Have I ever mentioned how much I hate stupid David Copperfield and all of his stupid perfect virtue?)


5. Emma Watson's character, Pauline, is an aspiring actress, and it's the 1930s. Result: Cool 1930s acting scenes!


6. Petrova, played by gorgeous Yasmin Paige, wants to be an aviator! Also, Paige apparently plays a recurring character in The Sarah Jane Adventures, a Doctor Who spin-off that I've never heard of but obviously need to watch post-haste.

Yasmin Paige, Lucy Boynton, and Emma Watson in Ballet Shoes.

Of course, there are a few cons, as well.

1. The ending is Very Very Happy, which begs disbelief and weakens the story. And yet...who am I kidding? I kind of loved the obnoxiously happy ending.


2. It may not technically be the best movie ever, and was a bit touch-and-go throughout. But I don't care, and I liked it ever so much anyway.


3. It's based on a book! So, yay, I can read it now! Not having read Noel Streatfeild's books (apparently there is a Shoes series - Tennis Shoes! Skating Shoes! Party Shoes!), I could not be offended by the adaptation. Ergo, this is a "con-yet-to-come." Because just you wait until I've read the book. Then I'll be all, "That scene should have happened later! This character was missing completely! Hermione is supposed to have bushy hair!"...oh, heh heh. Oops. Wrong book.

And now, the return of John Oliver!

I got to see Oliver at The Daily Show two weeks ago, and last week, I followed that up by seeing his live stand-up show with my roommate down at 92Y Tribeca! For wicked cheap! In the third row!

This is not a picture of John Oliver from when I saw him last week. But it IS a picture of John Oliver.

Vital John Oliver information:

1. His stand-up is hilarious. And he does not rely on the toilet- and frat-boy humor that so many dude comedians do. [8 points]


2. He is not amused by taxation without representation. He has been here for three years, damn it, and if we do not let him vote, he is going to dump Diet Pepsi into Boston Harbor and see how we like it. [6 points for empathizing with the Patriots; -4 points for thinking Diet Pepsi is Americans' drink of choice. Team Coca-Cola!!!]


3. He pronounces "Git 'er done!" as "Get her done," complete with crisp enunciation. [8 points for being Extremely English]


4. You know the BBC America subtitle campaign? The one with bits like "The following program contains accents you would have heard a lot more if you hadn't thrown our tea into Boston Harbor"? He WROTE that! It's my favorite ad of all time! [10 points]


5. The Suicide Girls interview with John Oliver from which I culled the above tidbit is most excellent. [4 points]


6. He has a little bit of a man belly. It's kind of adorbs. [4 points]


Total: 36 points (I'm not sure what these points have earned you, John Oliver, but feel free to contact me if you would like to redeem them. I may not be able to arrange citizenship, but I could perhaps offer you a Diet Pepsi?)

This is also a picture of John Oliver. Awww, dimples!

Moving on to News in Brief:

• Pink Stinks is a wicked awesome UK campaign promoting real role models for girls and shunning the "culture of pink" that locks boys and girls into predetermined gender roles. Holla. (Hat tip to The F-Word. Also, disclaimer: I totally lurve pink. Not as much as purple, though.)


• Check out Bristol artist Richard Box, whose field of fluorescent tubes powered by the power lines overhead is beautiful and trippy.


• The HP Alliance, which furthers Dumbledore's message of fighting evil and being awesome and magical, is throwing a Wrock 4 Equality concert featuring Harry and the Potters and Draco and the Malfoys in Portland, Maine, this Saturday, October 24. You can join in the fun via the Wrock 4 Equality livestream at 10:30 a.m. (Hey. Equality for the LGBT community is worth rolling your lazy arse out of bed early on a Saturday and clicking a button on your computer.)

And...my work here is done. Run along now! Pip pip!