Random Thoughts: Mayim Bialik/Frozen, Pina Colada Song, Doctor Who, and Pirates
I sat down to write my next blog post and there were a couple of topics swirling about my brain. None of them seemed enough to constitute an entire blog post, so I thought I’d just mash them all together into one post comprised of four mini-posts.
Mayim Bialik and Frozen Misconceptions
Actress and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik recently posted about why she and her sons hate Frozen. I recognize that tastes vary from person to person and what one lauds as a great movie, another will view as a piece of trash. I’m sure Mayim could name a movie that she loves that I’d hate to have to sit through. That being said, the reasons she gave for hating it seemed misguided to me. (Note: If you haven’t seen Frozen – WHY HAVEN’T YOU?!!! Also, spoilers are ahead.)
First off, she cited the movie’s "reigning plot line" of Anna trying to find a man to marry. What I think she missed is that this plot line was there for the sole purpose of subverting it. Anna thinks she needs "true love" in the form of marrying the first guy who acts nice towards her. She doesn’t bother to get to know him beyond one night of talking. Later, when he turns out to be the villain, she makes the same mistake a second time and thinks she needs Kristoff. Granted, she *is* being turned to ice and sees Kristoff racing back towards her. Once she sees her sister is in danger, though, she drops the "gotta find a man" quest in favor of "must save my sister." THIS turns out to be what, in turn, saves Anna, not some guy’s kiss. Trope subverted.
Next, Mayim worries about the portrayal of men as scheming villains. Except Prince Hans wasn’t a scheming villain because he was a man. He was a scheming villain because he was a scheming villain. Kristoff was a man and also a nice guy. So was Anna’s father. Widening our definition of "man", we might even include Olaf and Sven. Prince Hans *was* using Anna to gain power, but it’s not male bashing to have a male villain.
Mayim’s third gripe was the "doll-like" figures and faces of Anna and Elsa. I’ll admit that, on looking at it again, they do have a certain doll-like quality about them. Then again, so does Prince Hans. Kristoff, being a mountain man and not someone who lives in a castle, seems built more ruggedly. I write this off as animator’s license. There are many different styles of animation. Not all look 100% realistic. That being said, I can understand being pulled out of a movie or show because of the animation. I’m generally not a fan of shows that flip between "normal" and "anime" modes. (Such as the old Teen Titans show.)
Do You Like Pina Coladas? And Getting Caught Cheating On Your Spouse?
I’ve been listening to the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack a lot recently. Perhaps a bit too much. I’ve started pondering meanings in the Pina Colada song. In case you’ve forgotten it, the song tells the tale of a guy and his "lovely lady" who fell into a boring routine. He was reading the personal ads in the newspaper (to the youngins out there, this was the old-style Match.com) when he came upon a listing that intrigued him. Ignoring the fact that he’s was planning on cheating on his lady, he answers the ad and arranges to meet this woman. He waits for his mystery woman in a bar and then sees his lady walk in. It turns out she was the one who placed the personal ad. They share a laugh at having tried to cheat on one another and everyone is happy. The End.
Wait, what?!!! Is the Pina Colada song seriously suggesting that cheating on your significant other will relieve relationship doldrums? Granted it might, but only to replace them with a relationship tornado that rips everything (i.e. your relationship) to shreds. Pretty much any other action other than cheating (or attempted cheating) will be better that this.
Like I said, I might have been listening to this a bit too much.
Bored By The Doctor
I feel traitorous saying this, but I’m not liking the new episodes of Doctor Who. The first one seemed confused, but I chalked that up to the Doctor having just regenerated and not quite being all there mentally. However, the following episodes didn’t seem up to par either. I’m not sure if this is all part of Steven Moffat’s Season 8 Grand Plan, but he’d better kick it up a notch soon. Take, for example, Listen. (Spoilers ahead.) The episode seemed promising. It started getting interesting. And then it seemed to go nowhere. The Great Villain evaporated into nothingness and was never there at all. It was a big letdown. It doesn’t even seem to be Peter Capaldi’s fault. I actually like his Doctor. I’m not sure I like him more than Matt Smith’s and definitely not more than David Tennant’s, but he’s good. However, he doesn’t seem to be getting good episodes. Capaldi can only do so much. Here’s hoping these Doctor Doldrums let up soon. (Meanwhile, I’ll be "cheating" on the Doctor with Sherlock. Amazing show!)
Avast, me Hearties
Arrrr… Today be International Talk Like A Pirate Day, ye swabs. So hoist the colors and grab ye treasure maps or ye shall be keel hauled!
There you have it. Four completely different topics mashed together into one nice post! Hope your weekend is great, and slightly random in only the best of ways.
NOTE: The image above is comprised of "Brain" by trubinial guru, "Pirate’s Boat – Navire Pirate" by cyberscooty, "Tardis" by tatica, "Single Snowflake" by erik_, and "Music Note" by cyberscooty. All of these images are available via OpenClipArt.org.