The critically acclaimed cult hit Veronica Mars has more to offer than just a witty PI with fantastic sarcastic banter; it might actually be able to help females define their relationships. Every relationship Veronica experienced in the course of three romance-splashed seasons were with common archetypal males; all relationships can be put into the four Veronica Mars dating categories. Every female with a dating history sees her ex's in these boys, and maybe that's why they are drawn to a certain one of these delicious male characters. However, I digress.
Category 1: the Duncan Kane
The nice, well-dressed boy involved in school activities, seemingly amibitious, adorable, stable and dilligent. The kind of guy you think will take care of you and adore you until the end of time, even if things are a little repetitive. He's the guy that holds your hand in the hall while he meets you after every class and walks you to the next one. The guy that never lets you drive and rarely lets you pay. He's a gentleman. This is the guy who will say I love you first, and in some cheesy romantic way. Underneath, he's got some issues - particularly with his family, but he tries not to let their mistakes affect who he is. This is the guy that wants to make his own way in the world. The downside - he might be hiding depression, things will get a little boring, and you have to dress accordingly in pastels.
Category 2: the Logan
While LoVe is definitely the fan favorite of the series, Logan is a force unto himself. The Logan is all about adventure, whether he knows it or not. This is the guy that was raised from an early age being told he was a certain kind of person; in other words, a guy that was raised to rebel in a high profile sort of way. He'll form a fierce attachment to you, realize you are probably a better person than him, but that doesn't mean for a second he'll change his wily ways - causing trouble and getting revenge where and when he can. This is the kind of guy that comes to you for help right before its too late, but you help him anyways because he can give you puppy eyes good enough to make you melt. Even if his friends are jerks, he has no problem telling them so, especially where you are concerned. Not only does he challenge you and turn you on, but he's loyal to boot. Don't break his heart, he won't take it well.
Category 3: the Leos and Troys
While these boys should really be two categories, they are one for this reason: they aren't serious. Veronica never saw Troy as a relationship she was ready to delve into deeply, nor did she really want to. Troys are troublemakers - absolutely adorable and amazing liars. You date them because they make you feel pretty, and then end up seriously pissing you off in the end. Leos are dated for the simple fact that they are good looking and almost too nice to be intelligent. Both of these are boys liked mostly for the physical attraction, and/or the idea of pissing off another said boy. (In Troy's case, Duncan, in Leo's case, her dad).
Category 4: the Piz
Ah, the Piz. Perhaps my favorite of all the Veronica archetypes. Piz is the friend; the guy that is madly in love with you and you don't even see it. He'll adore you, respect you, and feel privileged just to be in your presence. This is the guy mature enough to realize that even if you never want him back, he's still going to be there for you - even if it's just as a friend. Piz's of the world are always cute in an almost little boy sort of way, have certain fixations in a nerdy area (i.e. Piz and music), and are at times easily taken advantage of. Once you actually date them, Pizs turn into adoring and lust-filled boyfriends who want nothing more than to please you (and you can take that however you want.) Pizs also have the bad luck of getting a bit on the boring side, as they will almost always give in to what you want, and we all know how irritating that can be.
So there you have it. What are you dating?
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Here Comes the Easy Part
Or is it? Let's start with the books.
The last book I finished was Count Karlstein by Philip Pullman. At first, and judging from the cover design, it would seem like a book for much younger readers - but do not be fooled. The book is full of betrayal, murder, innuendo, and demons. It starts with the main narrator - Hildi - inside her mother's inn. She is a maid up at Castle Karlstein, where the dastardly count lives with his two orphaned neices and his dribbling assistant. It is then found out that in order to become Count Karlstein, a pact was made with a wild god - the God of the Hunt, and that if the Count does not sacrifice his neices, the demon god will come for him instead. After a lot of amusing side plots involving amusing and very lovable characters (especially the con artist), everything is eventually set to rights. Still, the book got a bit slow, and you really hate Count Karlstein. It can be predictable at points, but for the most part I enjoyed it. Pullman has a style that draws you in even when it doesn't really make sense; he has the ability to twist the mundane into something close to magical. All of his hero/heroine characters are endowed with a firm sense of right and wrong, and fight to make the right thing happen. While the neices can get annoying, Hildi makes it all worthwhile. She is strong and fierce, but unashamed to admit when she is afraid, as she often is for good reason. It's a story that would be creepy on a dark night, but otherwise is short enough to fill a few hours, and even make you laugh.
I am currently forcing my way through Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. It's just not holding me at all. I keep reading because I'm the kind of person that just cannot stop until I know what happens, but I'm even having trouble with that. The story should be interesting, but it just isn't. Maybe something was lost in translation and I am not picking up on it like millions of other readers did. I find Meggie selfish and irritating, not the typical heroine, but that that is why she loses appeal for me. Mo would be better if more of his feelings were made clear. Capricorn and Basta are made out to be these horrible creatures with pasts, but they seem to fall flat before me. I find nothing frightening or even unsettling about Capricorn, and I find all of his men, including Basta, as easy to manipulate. Dustfinger is the only character I see anything in. His emotional perspective provides insight, and his actions are more desperate, more plot advancing than anyone else's. Dustfinger is working out of sadness and desperation. He does not even care if he dies back in his world he just wants to get there. Is that so hard for all of them to understand? I am just over halfway through the book, and I was hoping it would get better by now. Sadly, I am afraid that it is likely I am going to be disappointed.
Movies:
I Am Legend. Based on a book by one of my favorite authors (Richard Matheson) of the same title, it is clear from the very beginning that other than a very general premise, both are different. The movie, however, was almost as frightening as the book in a different way. What the book had was hopelessness; what the movie has is a very clear picture of loss and a lot of hope. Wil Smith was amazing as Robert Neville - you could see how hard he was trying to hang on to his sanity, seen particularly poignantly in the scenes with the mannequins, and the reliance on his relationship with his dog. While the plot development is slow, it is by no means boring. The viewer is taken through the average day for Neville since everyone was turned by the Krippen Virus. Then you see those days go bad. Neville is working on a cure for the virus - but to test it he has to capture a live infected vampire. This turns the rest of the horde crazy, and they attack him. What makes the whole story so gripping and tense is that it has more elements of reality than might be expected, and a feeling of premonition. I was on the edge of my seat with my hood up in fear. My complaints: the vampires and vamp dogs were all CGI - it would have been much more effective if at least some of the vamps had been people in costume and make-up - particularly the two he comes in the most contact with. Something is lost in the disreality of a fake human face. No matter how good computers get, there's nothing like a real person to make a moment stronger.
National Treasure 2. First, not as good as the first one. Still good though, and it left the audience wide open for a third movie. It starts with the accusation that one of the Gates family ancestors was the architect of the Lincoln Assasination. Of course, this gets Ben on the hunt to prove his great great grandfather was innocent. Theere are terrific break-ins all around the world, and a very amusing kidnapping of the President (Bruce Greenwood...so good in this part). It all leads to Cibola, the rumored Olmec City of Gold. While it is located in a nonsensical part of the country, the finding of the clues is all based in historical truth and famous myth. The action gets a bit slow at times, and I wish there had not been the relationship issues between Ben and Abigail - it felt fake and boring, even if it did tie into the relationship between Ben's parents (Helen Mirren was highly amusing). At first, I really did not like Ed Harris as the villain - something was too condescending about him. However, it came around in the end. My biggest complaint - while the Book of Secrets is very cool, it is not the right title for the film. City of Gold would've done just fine, thank you very much.
Television:
Gossip Girl - Roman Holiday. What can I say? I loved it. Although I did miss Chuck. Ed Westwick is like delicious dark chocolate with caramel filling as Chuck Bass. Serena and Dan finally took a necessary step - go Dan. It was good to see the childish side of Blair again, rather than the raging bitch one that has a tendency to appear. It was also good to be reminded, yet again, that she has a very small and tarnished, but definitely there, heart of gold. And seriously, will Rufus and Lilly just get back together already? Also, go Mrs. Waldorf!
Supernatural - A Very Supernatural Christmas. I squirmed in my comfortable chair watching this episode. The pagan lore was interesting, and also based in fact, offering up the darker side of winter, and also some of the more controversial history of Christianity. I loved the way that the gods were portrayed like the Cleavers - it made their evil all the creepier, especially during the pre-sacrifice scene. My fingernails ached for days. The flashbacks into Sam and Dean's past Christmas celebrations spoke volumes about Dean, and it was hard not to get choked up when reminded that this might be Dean's last Christmas. Overall, amusing, low on the action end, but heartwarming and seasonal all the same. And they're just so CUTE, aren't they?
The last book I finished was Count Karlstein by Philip Pullman. At first, and judging from the cover design, it would seem like a book for much younger readers - but do not be fooled. The book is full of betrayal, murder, innuendo, and demons. It starts with the main narrator - Hildi - inside her mother's inn. She is a maid up at Castle Karlstein, where the dastardly count lives with his two orphaned neices and his dribbling assistant. It is then found out that in order to become Count Karlstein, a pact was made with a wild god - the God of the Hunt, and that if the Count does not sacrifice his neices, the demon god will come for him instead. After a lot of amusing side plots involving amusing and very lovable characters (especially the con artist), everything is eventually set to rights. Still, the book got a bit slow, and you really hate Count Karlstein. It can be predictable at points, but for the most part I enjoyed it. Pullman has a style that draws you in even when it doesn't really make sense; he has the ability to twist the mundane into something close to magical. All of his hero/heroine characters are endowed with a firm sense of right and wrong, and fight to make the right thing happen. While the neices can get annoying, Hildi makes it all worthwhile. She is strong and fierce, but unashamed to admit when she is afraid, as she often is for good reason. It's a story that would be creepy on a dark night, but otherwise is short enough to fill a few hours, and even make you laugh.
I am currently forcing my way through Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. It's just not holding me at all. I keep reading because I'm the kind of person that just cannot stop until I know what happens, but I'm even having trouble with that. The story should be interesting, but it just isn't. Maybe something was lost in translation and I am not picking up on it like millions of other readers did. I find Meggie selfish and irritating, not the typical heroine, but that that is why she loses appeal for me. Mo would be better if more of his feelings were made clear. Capricorn and Basta are made out to be these horrible creatures with pasts, but they seem to fall flat before me. I find nothing frightening or even unsettling about Capricorn, and I find all of his men, including Basta, as easy to manipulate. Dustfinger is the only character I see anything in. His emotional perspective provides insight, and his actions are more desperate, more plot advancing than anyone else's. Dustfinger is working out of sadness and desperation. He does not even care if he dies back in his world he just wants to get there. Is that so hard for all of them to understand? I am just over halfway through the book, and I was hoping it would get better by now. Sadly, I am afraid that it is likely I am going to be disappointed.
Movies:
I Am Legend. Based on a book by one of my favorite authors (Richard Matheson) of the same title, it is clear from the very beginning that other than a very general premise, both are different. The movie, however, was almost as frightening as the book in a different way. What the book had was hopelessness; what the movie has is a very clear picture of loss and a lot of hope. Wil Smith was amazing as Robert Neville - you could see how hard he was trying to hang on to his sanity, seen particularly poignantly in the scenes with the mannequins, and the reliance on his relationship with his dog. While the plot development is slow, it is by no means boring. The viewer is taken through the average day for Neville since everyone was turned by the Krippen Virus. Then you see those days go bad. Neville is working on a cure for the virus - but to test it he has to capture a live infected vampire. This turns the rest of the horde crazy, and they attack him. What makes the whole story so gripping and tense is that it has more elements of reality than might be expected, and a feeling of premonition. I was on the edge of my seat with my hood up in fear. My complaints: the vampires and vamp dogs were all CGI - it would have been much more effective if at least some of the vamps had been people in costume and make-up - particularly the two he comes in the most contact with. Something is lost in the disreality of a fake human face. No matter how good computers get, there's nothing like a real person to make a moment stronger.
National Treasure 2. First, not as good as the first one. Still good though, and it left the audience wide open for a third movie. It starts with the accusation that one of the Gates family ancestors was the architect of the Lincoln Assasination. Of course, this gets Ben on the hunt to prove his great great grandfather was innocent. Theere are terrific break-ins all around the world, and a very amusing kidnapping of the President (Bruce Greenwood...so good in this part). It all leads to Cibola, the rumored Olmec City of Gold. While it is located in a nonsensical part of the country, the finding of the clues is all based in historical truth and famous myth. The action gets a bit slow at times, and I wish there had not been the relationship issues between Ben and Abigail - it felt fake and boring, even if it did tie into the relationship between Ben's parents (Helen Mirren was highly amusing). At first, I really did not like Ed Harris as the villain - something was too condescending about him. However, it came around in the end. My biggest complaint - while the Book of Secrets is very cool, it is not the right title for the film. City of Gold would've done just fine, thank you very much.
Television:
Gossip Girl - Roman Holiday. What can I say? I loved it. Although I did miss Chuck. Ed Westwick is like delicious dark chocolate with caramel filling as Chuck Bass. Serena and Dan finally took a necessary step - go Dan. It was good to see the childish side of Blair again, rather than the raging bitch one that has a tendency to appear. It was also good to be reminded, yet again, that she has a very small and tarnished, but definitely there, heart of gold. And seriously, will Rufus and Lilly just get back together already? Also, go Mrs. Waldorf!
Supernatural - A Very Supernatural Christmas. I squirmed in my comfortable chair watching this episode. The pagan lore was interesting, and also based in fact, offering up the darker side of winter, and also some of the more controversial history of Christianity. I loved the way that the gods were portrayed like the Cleavers - it made their evil all the creepier, especially during the pre-sacrifice scene. My fingernails ached for days. The flashbacks into Sam and Dean's past Christmas celebrations spoke volumes about Dean, and it was hard not to get choked up when reminded that this might be Dean's last Christmas. Overall, amusing, low on the action end, but heartwarming and seasonal all the same. And they're just so CUTE, aren't they?
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