Adventures in Moving Pictures

Saturday, I went to see Snow White and the Huntsman with Adin.

She really badly wanted to see it; I was mildly interested because the trailer looked pretty, but mostly was in it just for the fun of it.

My expectations were largely met -- there were some bothersome holes in the way they crafted the story (the geography was particularly confusing, and whatever rules encompassed the queen's magic, and they raised a significant issue about the magic mirror that they never came back to... but OMG gorgeous). The eye candy was worthy (when the movie was over, Adin looked at me and said, "I get it now. Chris Hemsworth? I get it.") and even if it wasn't the best directing or acting ever, I sure hope the costume and makeup and effects people get some awards somewhere, because dayum. The evil queen's wedding gown, for petesake!

But... okay, spoiler warning...

The part of the movie that kept me on the edge of my seat was trying to figure out how they were going to resolve the romantic triangle between Snow White and the Huntsman and the prince. They built up this relationship between Snow White and the huntsman, and then the prince shows up, and for a while, I was expecting her to regretfully turn him away. But then she kissed the prince? But then she was dead and it was actually the huntsman's kiss that revived her, so did that mean...? At one point I whispered to Adin, "Bet they kill off Prince William to clear the way." But then the climactic big battle scene hit, and I thought sure the huntsman was going to die saving either her or the prince... but he didn't, either. And then we're at the end and Snow White is being crowned queen and there's Prince William in the audience... and the huntsman watching from the back... and then the credits roll.

Whhuh? All that and you're not even going to tell us which guy she picks? But...!

I sulked for a minute, and then realized that left me free to imagine whatever scenario I liked. Up to and including one in which she kept both of them. Because? Yum.

***

"Dammit," said Braz, "I wish I could get HBO just for one day, so we can see the Game of Thrones finale without having to wait."

It only took him a day to talk himself into it, so last night, after I'd kissed Penny good night, I drove over to their place and settled on the couch to watch it.

It was good. Not, I think, quite as good as the previous episode, but there was plenty there to enjoy. And it ended in the middle of a scene, with a hell of a cliffhanger (and for Braz and I, who've read the books and know how the scene ends, maddeningly short of a critical moment).

Better than the episode itself, though, was watching it with friends. There's something that may need to continue.

But now I have to wait most of a year for the next season. Argh.