Lucky Number Slevin and Avatar:TLA

[timepiececlock]

Lucky Number Slevin

Hn. Hmm. Very pastiche, very stylized. Entertaining, but predictable the way Ocean's Eleven was predictable. You knew what was gonna happen going in and only had to watch it play out. The actors all rose above their dialogue, for which I give the move a B-. Except Josh Hartnett, who hovered at right the same level as his dialogue. Lucy Liu, on the other hand, was fantastic. I want her hair. If I were a lesbian I'd want to date her. They had good chemistry.


Avatar: The Last Airbender - Episode 2.3, Return to Omashu

I continue to enjoy this show immensely. That's three episodes in a row that I've enjoyed almost the entire way through. I missed the first few minutes, coming in about the time when Sokka started moaning about his pox and convincing the guards he was sick.

Anyway, I love that this season is all "girl power!" and stuff. Last season there was just Katara, and most of the side characters were boys, as were the villians. And what do we have this season? A gang! Not only is Azula a kickass lightning-throwing future queen with claws, she's got a gang. A gang! That rocks. Now, onto her gang...

Contortionist/circus girl - I found the entire recruitment part to be amusing. "Career change" indeed. It must suck to be Azula's friend-- when she says jump, you jump. Over fire. From a trapieze. (sp?) ...and now I want to ship contortionist girl with Sokka. Is that weird? I think they'd be adorable together.

Mae/Mei - Oh love. I like her. (visually, she reminded me of Kikyo from IY. Is that weird?) Her boredom, her coolness, her "Please tell me you've come to kill me" line delivery. I also think that she must be one cold cat, to put her brother at risk like that. Was she really being dismissive or was she just acceeding to the reality that she has to go with whatever Azula wants?

That throw-away line about Mei seeing Zuko again cracked me up. I'm getting visions of poor Zuko being terrorized by Azula's gang of evil GIRLS all throughout his childhood. Pranks. Blackmail Embarrassing escapades. They'd always be getting the better of him and laughing at him. Teasing him as kids and then as teenagers stealing his clothes or other sophomoric behavior. Zuko spent his whole childhood constantly being tortured by a gang of girls headed by his sister. It would explain so much.

Also, I'm now at risk for becoming a multishipper. I still adore the idea of Katara/Zuko, and that will remain my OTP, but Mei/Zuko will be my crack pairing. The pairing that I cheat on my OTP with. The Drusilla/Spike to my Spuffy, if you will.

....oh lordy, what if he had a secret crush on her growing up? And then the girls found out and they mocked him! Mocked him to the ends of his wits! Poor Zuko. Siblings suck.

Speaking of Zutara ships and Zuko/Mei, the stuff with her baby brother was cute. Katara playing with a fire nation baby and thinking him adorable? Uh HUH. Though I admit I liked Sokka/Baby scenes best. Poor Sokka can't be mean to little kids, even Fire Nation monster spawn. He's been a big brother too long.


I haven't even touched on Aang. I find I often don't know what to say for Aang after an episode, because hey... it's Aang! I like him pretty much most of the time, and I liked him here. I always like Aang. It goes without saying, ya know? There was Aang, and he was being Aang. That says it all.


EDIT: I now have a lesbian pairing for Avatar. Mei/Tai Li forever! Huzzah!

Comments

[penbeetreewood]

Yay to Sokka/Tai Li! Thank goodness I wasn't the only one with that crack!pairing in mind.

I'm getting visions of poor Zuko being terrorized by Azula's gang of evil GIRLS all throughout his childhood.
I hadn't thought of it quite like that. I hope they catch up to Zuzu really soon now. I want to see him get picked on more. ^^ I liked the scenes with him and Azula, so the others in there should be even better.

Having all the girl power is a plus to this season. It's like having the Kyoshi episode on a grander, more bad-ass scale. And the gang has a great dynamic in battle and their differing personalities are going to be fun to see play out.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I want to see them catch up to him too. The look on his face when he sees the other two. I'll bet Tai Li waves at him. A sort of embarassed "hi!" wave for someone you haven't seen in a while and accidentally meet at a singles party you didn't tell anyone you actually attend. Tai Li will be like "Hi... long time no see!" And Zuko will be like "Can my life get any worse?"

[beckingham.livejournal.com]

"Can my life get any worse?"

Short answer? Yes. But it's endearing, darling.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

But he'll die with the happy mind filled with imaginations of Mei/TaiLi.

Azula: We're going to kill you now!

Mei: Cause we thought it'd be interesting.

Tai Li: Sorry Zuko, them's the breaks. **holding Mei's hand**

Zuko: **looks back and forth from Mei to Tai Li** Oh my agni, are you two DATING? Please say you're dating.

Mei: Can we kill him now, Azula?

Tai Li: Tsk tsk. That's awfully rude, Zuko.

Azula: Prepare to die!

Zuko: Last request?

Mei: What now?

Zuko: Kiss her, please. Just once. Let me see that before I die!

Mei: What?! Fuck you, you little prick!

Tai Li: Oh come on. **grabs Mei and makes out**

Azula: **kills Zuko**

Zuko's Ghost: It was worth it.

[beckingham.livejournal.com]

Hahaha; Tai Li, I suspect I will become genuinely terrified of you at several points in the season - you are the new age girl of 'something wicked this way comes'.

Oh, Zuko, your dignity has gone the way of your hair. DO NOT RESIST - it's for us fangirls, remember.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I'll bet she does turn out to be scary-- especially if the niceness is an affectation.

[donna-c-punk.livejournal.com]

::avoid spoilers for Avatar::

I posted about "The Christmas Invasion".

[mana-runigha.livejournal.com]

Just like Katara is the fanfiction whore, now Zuko will become the fanfiction gigolo.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

They'll be very experienced by the time they get together, then.

[mana-runigha.livejournal.com]

Ahh, quite true. All their mistakes will be worked out by then.

[melodiee.livejournal.com]

I find myself liking Aang more and more. No one's really touched on that last scene in which he returns the baby, but it struck something inside me. Not just because of his compassion, but also because of the way these people from the Fire Nation are shown as being just human after all. I mean, you had people like Jeong Jeong and the old man from before, but these FN people are actually governing a takeover of an Earth Kingdom city--they're actively participating in the war, yet they're still human. And Aang... Aang sees that and knows that and he doesn't even need to have some sort of acknowledgement like "Hey look I returned your baby for nothing" or even "Hey look at me, Katara, I'm being so nice and caring." He just.. does it, and it makes me respect him. Unlike Zuko, who stole a chocobo even after all that kindness.