LJ isn't down but I'm crossposting from dreamwidth for I want to use my new
Justified icon!
I love it for several reasons:
1. It shows very well that
Justified is not another procedural show but a revival of the western genre.
2. It emphasizes the three things I like most about Timothy Olyphant: his long legs; the way he carries himself either when walking (has anyone else noticed that he always seems to be slightly lopsided, almost about to stumble?) or standing; his shoulders. Okay to be honest, I also like his throat, especially when in profile, the line of his jaw and throat is pretty irresistible and looks tasty...but I digress.
3. The hat of course!
As for the series, I'm still catching up, now watching the second season.
( Cut for Justified talk you might want to skip because you haven't seen the beginning of the season and aren't interested (which is very wrong!) or don't want to be spoiled. )Few people from my flist seem to watch
Justified, and even fewer posted about it last season or even now, but I realise that this little corner of the web has never been crowded with talks about
OZ,
The Shield,
The Wire or
Breaking Bad either. All those tv shows have few female characters, lots of graphic violence and are definitely focused on male stuff in a men's world. Although I know other women who love(ed) those shows, I bet that the targetted audience is rather men too while most of tv series (including
Mad Men) are obviously aimed at a female audience first and foremost.
This reminds me what S. * told me once, as we were discussing movies and tv "You, you like guys' stuff". Do I, really?
Not necessarily, but it's sure that I am not into the so-called chick stuff ("chick literature" or "chick movies" like those unbearable romantic comedies!).
When it comes to genre, I don't like what is supposed to be gals candy, that is romance, either books or movies, and I am not a big fan of musicals, but yes I love hard-boiled crime novels or
roman noir and science fiction which are categories that people usually associate with men. And I like westerns, buddy stories, boxing movies and Clint Eastwood's films (well until he started being so conformist and sentimental...), and I loved testosteronally-charged scenes like the arena scenes in
Gladiator or that one at the end of
Rome's season 1 !
On the other hand, I am not a big fan of horror or zombie movies, or thrillers or video game-like films or superheroes (Spiderman, Superman, etc), which young males are supposed to favour...However, I enjoyed
Pretty Woman when it was released, and before it I loved
An Officier and a Gentleman; I 'shipped Spuffy, I adored the uber-romanticism of
Ladyhawke, and the touching love-story of Desmond and Penny on
Lost.
What's my taste then? I like when it's dark, deep and demanding; original and creative yet mastered; serious but with moments of lightness and humour; filled with emotion but not sappy, tragic but not melodramatic; elegant instead of posh and trendy, ambiguous instead of obvious, surprising instead of predictable; epic but not cheap, subversive but not trashy, daring but not grotesque.
Is it more a male thing than a female thing? I don't think so, but it might be a male thing to assume that women would naturally rather enjoy shallow, silly, slushy, giggly and easy stuff !
My taste isn't a guy's taste, it's just mine**.
Also, I seem to like shows and genres wherein there are a lot of men and few women and where a male is the lead. I guess it's because I actually like men, I am interested in them, intrigued by them, by their otherness, so the more the better ! And if they are attractive it's just the cherry on the top. Methinks this could be actually a very female thing...
* the irony being that S. is a male and his favourite film is
Gone With The Wind !
** of course deep inside, I believe that it is just that
I have good taste! ;- )