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grrgoylFirst, a tale of two sellers.
It didn't take long for me to tire of the lame solitaire selections available on my PDA, even though I really bought it for the good of the Snarry. So I got it into my head to search for a PDA Shanghai game.
The site that seemed to offer the most choices was PDATopSoft.com. However, too much choice isn't necessarily a good thing, because I somehow got disoriented and ordered one that wasn't compatible with my machine. The world of PDAs, I'm learning, is ruthlessly unforgiving when it comes to compatibility. Why can't we all just get along?
I emailed the company, naively thinking a simple exchange wouldn't be that big a deal. But after a few frustrating days of correspondence, I slowly realized that there were three distinct entities involved with my transaction. There was the game developer, who was doing their best to be helpful. There was the site maintainer (more later), AND a third party checkout site who actually handled the money end. Sheesh.
I was sheepish, apologetic, embarrassed that I screwed up something as simple as ordering a game. I tried to explain that the site was a little confusing, with 18 different variations of the same game and the compatible models of each listed in a massive run-on paragraph with grayed-out letters.
It was all quite good-natured until I received a copy of an email from the site maintainer responding to the "confusing" allegation with this implied insult: "I don't think the site is confusing at all. The compatible models are listed right above the 'buy' button."
Maybe I wasn't supposed to see the letter, but I chose to take umbrage. Yes, customers are stupid and often wrong, but it's terribly bad form to say so to their faces. I responded directly to "Woolf" (the author) with my observations as listed above, and surprise, received no response.
End of story, after many, many, many more emails, Woolf admitted they just couldn't supply me with the correct version for my PDA (out of 18 variations. Did I EVER stand a chance of getting the right one?) I suspect this was Woolf's petty revenge on a difficult customer, but I wasn't in the mood to play games (other than Shanghai). I cancelled my order and got my money back (after only having to remind them once).
Then there's Amazon.co.uk. I sat down to watch my Complete Black Books set, and all was right with the world until Series Two. Two episodes, try as I might, refused to play for me.
I emailed Amazon hoping to get a replacement disc. They instantly responded with a promise to replace the entire set. I protested that the other two discs were fine, but they wouldn't hear of it. Furthermore, they insisted I keep the original set since return shipping was "prohibitively expensive."
In contrast to PDATopSoft.com, don't you dare try to come between Amazon.co.uk and their customer service. Even if you're the customer.
It gets better. The second set had the exact same problem, so Amazon told me to keep both and they issued me a full refund.
Guess which company will be getting my repeat business?
I couldn't resist sending Amazon a letter thanking them for "outstanding customer service" and lamenting that I didn't live in England so I could buy all my DVDs from them (but apart from the stuff not available in the US, they are pretty expensive in the dollar-to-pound conversion). They responded with an equally grateful letter thanking me for my kind words. I expect our marriage is imminent.
PDATopSoft got an email from me as well. I assured them that I'd be steering well clear of all their sites in the future (there are several, all with variations on the name but with the same page design), and that Woolf in particular could stand to brush up on his/her customer service skills. Unsurprisingly, I didn't receive a response to this either. Woolf will not be getting an invite to the wedding.
~*~
I was dismayed that the whole Black Books transaction went down in record time, and still Snow Cake hadn't arrived. The universe has an uncanny way of sensing my excitement level and stamping all over it. Daily I would run to my mailbox, full of hope and expectation. Daily I would trudge back emptyhanded, trying to console myself that I now had one more day to look forward to the mail.
Despite my gloomy certainty that it wouldn't show up until Friday when I had to work (or worse, after it opens in theaters here), it actually came Thursday, just in the nick of time. So here are my thoughts.
A quick synopsis: Alex (Rickman) is a drifter who, after a terrible accident, is drawn into the life of Linda (Sigourney Weaver), a high-functioning autistic in the backwater Canadian town of Wa Wa. He also meets neighbor Maggie (Carrie-Anne Moss), whose lips barely seem able to stay off him almost from the word go. When he is finally able to relax and feel comfortable among these eccentric women is when he finally can make peace with himself after being lost for a long time. This much I guessed from the 6-minute YouTube trailer, however, there really is so much more to the movie.
Well, the first word that comes to mind is Rickmanlicious. I really don't understand why he is so sadly underused in almost every other movie (except maybe Closet Land). This is to Alan what Brimstone and Treacle was to Sting, what The Anniversary Party was to Alan Cumming, what Brazil was to Jonathan Pryce. Every dog has his day, even respectable actors who are relegated to character parts for the rest of their careers (and Sting).
I think what stands out about this role is that, for me at least, it is his most accessible. This isn't Rickman the Metatron, Rickman the terrorist, Rickman the Sheriff of Nottingham, Rickman the torturer, Rickman in period costumes and flowery language or Rickman the formidable Potions master. This is the closest I imagine to Rickman everyday -- reserved and aloof most of the time, but occasionally warm, emotional and flawed. In fact, he smiles and laughs more in this film than in the rest of his career combined.
Oh, and there is yet another opportunity for him to run. I thought I had covered my Rickman Running Theory in another entry, but it might have just been a comment somewhere. It isn't so much a theory as a not-very-interesting observation. In every movie I've seen so far, Alan runs at some point. Which I always notice primarily because he runs like a girl. I mean, I think I run more butchly than he does. This doesn't detract from my attraction to him one jot.
So yes, a big, juicy role for Alan with gobs of screen time. Not that Sigourney plays second fiddle, not by a long shot. All her research into autism certainly paid off. There are Oscar whispers and I'm not saying it isn't deserved, but I kind of hate how playing handicapped is almost a sure ticket to a nomination (for all the good it did Sean Penn).
What I loved was that the movie was funny. Apart from Galaxy Quest, neither Alan nor Sigourney ever get to show off their terrific comedy acting. Alan of course has that irresistible dry British wit, and Sigourney makes autism look like every day's a party; okay not really, but there was huge comic potential just in the nature of the condition that allowed her to say exactly what she thought about her annoying, nosy (if well-meaning) neighbors, to their faces no less. MyFriendDeb and I agreed it would be fantastically freeing if we could also get away with that.
I didn't cry as much as I thought I would, not for lack of the movie trying. The moment that broke my heart was nearly at the end. At her daughter's wake (she was killed in the aforementioned accident) Linda, pushed over the brink by all the strangers in her house, plays an obnoxious, wacky song that was obviously a favorite of theirs and the rest of the world disappears and it's just her and her daughter dancing again. Christ, I'm weeping just writing about it. It was such a beautiful scene.
After the funeral Alex finally has no further reason to stay in Wa Wa, and resumes his journey to Winnipeg. As he says goodbye to Linda and Maggie, you get the feeling he's dropping hints in hopes of being asked to stay, but Linda is far too deep inside herself to notice and Maggie is too afraid of commitment. Still, I prefer to believe that on his way back he'll stop again, perhaps this time permanently.
It's a simple, quiet, perfect little movie. I don't regret in the slightest buying it without seeing it first. Would I be so in love with it before my Alan obsession? We'll never know. For not having Daniel Radcliffe in it, it's not half bad.
I also expected a bare-bones disc, so was pleasantly surprised to discover a generous handful of deleted scenes AND a longish "making of" including, rarest of the rare, interview spots with Alan.
It's still (allegedly) coming to Denver April 27th. I can't imagine who will see it, since I haven't seen a single commercial. Still, these movies find their audience. Independent film fans don't need massive marketing campaigns.
~*~
Speaking of formidable Potions masters (for the select few who clicked the link), they read my letter on this month's![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
snapecast podcast!! I was wrapping surgical packs at the hospital when I heard it. If you don't believe me, download April's episode #14 and it's right around 1:03:16 (along with a pretty lively discussion about the point I made). That's right, bitches: I've made my mark on the fandom. Happy birthday to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
It didn't take long for me to tire of the lame solitaire selections available on my PDA, even though I really bought it for the good of the Snarry. So I got it into my head to search for a PDA Shanghai game.
The site that seemed to offer the most choices was PDATopSoft.com. However, too much choice isn't necessarily a good thing, because I somehow got disoriented and ordered one that wasn't compatible with my machine. The world of PDAs, I'm learning, is ruthlessly unforgiving when it comes to compatibility. Why can't we all just get along?
I emailed the company, naively thinking a simple exchange wouldn't be that big a deal. But after a few frustrating days of correspondence, I slowly realized that there were three distinct entities involved with my transaction. There was the game developer, who was doing their best to be helpful. There was the site maintainer (more later), AND a third party checkout site who actually handled the money end. Sheesh.
I was sheepish, apologetic, embarrassed that I screwed up something as simple as ordering a game. I tried to explain that the site was a little confusing, with 18 different variations of the same game and the compatible models of each listed in a massive run-on paragraph with grayed-out letters.
It was all quite good-natured until I received a copy of an email from the site maintainer responding to the "confusing" allegation with this implied insult: "I don't think the site is confusing at all. The compatible models are listed right above the 'buy' button."
Maybe I wasn't supposed to see the letter, but I chose to take umbrage. Yes, customers are stupid and often wrong, but it's terribly bad form to say so to their faces. I responded directly to "Woolf" (the author) with my observations as listed above, and surprise, received no response.
End of story, after many, many, many more emails, Woolf admitted they just couldn't supply me with the correct version for my PDA (out of 18 variations. Did I EVER stand a chance of getting the right one?) I suspect this was Woolf's petty revenge on a difficult customer, but I wasn't in the mood to play games (other than Shanghai). I cancelled my order and got my money back (after only having to remind them once).
Then there's Amazon.co.uk. I sat down to watch my Complete Black Books set, and all was right with the world until Series Two. Two episodes, try as I might, refused to play for me.
I emailed Amazon hoping to get a replacement disc. They instantly responded with a promise to replace the entire set. I protested that the other two discs were fine, but they wouldn't hear of it. Furthermore, they insisted I keep the original set since return shipping was "prohibitively expensive."
In contrast to PDATopSoft.com, don't you dare try to come between Amazon.co.uk and their customer service. Even if you're the customer.
It gets better. The second set had the exact same problem, so Amazon told me to keep both and they issued me a full refund.
Guess which company will be getting my repeat business?
I couldn't resist sending Amazon a letter thanking them for "outstanding customer service" and lamenting that I didn't live in England so I could buy all my DVDs from them (but apart from the stuff not available in the US, they are pretty expensive in the dollar-to-pound conversion). They responded with an equally grateful letter thanking me for my kind words. I expect our marriage is imminent.
PDATopSoft got an email from me as well. I assured them that I'd be steering well clear of all their sites in the future (there are several, all with variations on the name but with the same page design), and that Woolf in particular could stand to brush up on his/her customer service skills. Unsurprisingly, I didn't receive a response to this either. Woolf will not be getting an invite to the wedding.
~*~
I was dismayed that the whole Black Books transaction went down in record time, and still Snow Cake hadn't arrived. The universe has an uncanny way of sensing my excitement level and stamping all over it. Daily I would run to my mailbox, full of hope and expectation. Daily I would trudge back emptyhanded, trying to console myself that I now had one more day to look forward to the mail.
Despite my gloomy certainty that it wouldn't show up until Friday when I had to work (or worse, after it opens in theaters here), it actually came Thursday, just in the nick of time. So here are my thoughts.
A quick synopsis: Alex (Rickman) is a drifter who, after a terrible accident, is drawn into the life of Linda (Sigourney Weaver), a high-functioning autistic in the backwater Canadian town of Wa Wa. He also meets neighbor Maggie (Carrie-Anne Moss), whose lips barely seem able to stay off him almost from the word go. When he is finally able to relax and feel comfortable among these eccentric women is when he finally can make peace with himself after being lost for a long time. This much I guessed from the 6-minute YouTube trailer, however, there really is so much more to the movie.
Well, the first word that comes to mind is Rickmanlicious. I really don't understand why he is so sadly underused in almost every other movie (except maybe Closet Land). This is to Alan what Brimstone and Treacle was to Sting, what The Anniversary Party was to Alan Cumming, what Brazil was to Jonathan Pryce. Every dog has his day, even respectable actors who are relegated to character parts for the rest of their careers (and Sting).
I think what stands out about this role is that, for me at least, it is his most accessible. This isn't Rickman the Metatron, Rickman the terrorist, Rickman the Sheriff of Nottingham, Rickman the torturer, Rickman in period costumes and flowery language or Rickman the formidable Potions master. This is the closest I imagine to Rickman everyday -- reserved and aloof most of the time, but occasionally warm, emotional and flawed. In fact, he smiles and laughs more in this film than in the rest of his career combined.
Oh, and there is yet another opportunity for him to run. I thought I had covered my Rickman Running Theory in another entry, but it might have just been a comment somewhere. It isn't so much a theory as a not-very-interesting observation. In every movie I've seen so far, Alan runs at some point. Which I always notice primarily because he runs like a girl. I mean, I think I run more butchly than he does. This doesn't detract from my attraction to him one jot.
So yes, a big, juicy role for Alan with gobs of screen time. Not that Sigourney plays second fiddle, not by a long shot. All her research into autism certainly paid off. There are Oscar whispers and I'm not saying it isn't deserved, but I kind of hate how playing handicapped is almost a sure ticket to a nomination (for all the good it did Sean Penn).
What I loved was that the movie was funny. Apart from Galaxy Quest, neither Alan nor Sigourney ever get to show off their terrific comedy acting. Alan of course has that irresistible dry British wit, and Sigourney makes autism look like every day's a party; okay not really, but there was huge comic potential just in the nature of the condition that allowed her to say exactly what she thought about her annoying, nosy (if well-meaning) neighbors, to their faces no less. MyFriendDeb and I agreed it would be fantastically freeing if we could also get away with that.
I didn't cry as much as I thought I would, not for lack of the movie trying. The moment that broke my heart was nearly at the end. At her daughter's wake (she was killed in the aforementioned accident) Linda, pushed over the brink by all the strangers in her house, plays an obnoxious, wacky song that was obviously a favorite of theirs and the rest of the world disappears and it's just her and her daughter dancing again. Christ, I'm weeping just writing about it. It was such a beautiful scene.
After the funeral Alex finally has no further reason to stay in Wa Wa, and resumes his journey to Winnipeg. As he says goodbye to Linda and Maggie, you get the feeling he's dropping hints in hopes of being asked to stay, but Linda is far too deep inside herself to notice and Maggie is too afraid of commitment. Still, I prefer to believe that on his way back he'll stop again, perhaps this time permanently.
It's a simple, quiet, perfect little movie. I don't regret in the slightest buying it without seeing it first. Would I be so in love with it before my Alan obsession? We'll never know. For not having Daniel Radcliffe in it, it's not half bad.
I also expected a bare-bones disc, so was pleasantly surprised to discover a generous handful of deleted scenes AND a longish "making of" including, rarest of the rare, interview spots with Alan.
It's still (allegedly) coming to Denver April 27th. I can't imagine who will see it, since I haven't seen a single commercial. Still, these movies find their audience. Independent film fans don't need massive marketing campaigns.
~*~
Speaking of formidable Potions masters (for the select few who clicked the link), they read my letter on this month's
snapecast podcast!! I was wrapping surgical packs at the hospital when I heard it. If you don't believe me, download April's episode #14 and it's right around 1:03:16 (along with a pretty lively discussion about the point I made). That's right, bitches: I've made my mark on the fandom. Happy birthday to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!