White Collar is becoming a collecting pool -- it stars Bryce Larkin from Chuck, has Wendy Watson from the Middleman and Charlie from Fringe as FBI agents, with Kelly from Saved by the Bell in there for good measure.
It's a very watchable show, too, but it helps that its got a lot of very likable actors. #v
I don't understand why they keep re-airing Threshold. It's as if they enjoy making me sad. How about a 2 hour movie to tie everything up SyFy? Don't those things cost you like 5 dollars to make over there? #v
@disatess: I always get Threshold mixed up with that other show that had the water monsters taking over people's bodies. Threshold was pretty interesting thanks to the characters.
I sat through the entire V: The Final Battle marathon on the SyFy Channel yesterday . . . with my grandma, who quite enjoyed it. Last time I saw it I was like 12 or 13. It's amazing how much I'd forgotten. The scenes that had really stuck with me in childhood were mostly inconsequential, like Diana biting the head off the bird and Elizabeth spitting acid on another little girl. You know, the fun kids' stuff.
That said, the series really needed a remake. It could've been so much better with a larger budget and modern tech. Some of it is really dated, like the special effects during Julie's conversion, which were rather humorous in spots rather than being frightening (The giant iguana? Maybe if it had whipped out it's giant double penis . . .) Anyway, I assume this remake will be loosely based on the series, so I'm expecting lots of flash and a dumbed-down plot.
@Starwatcher: "...so I'm expecting lots of flash and a dumbed-down plot..." Yeah, the original V was so smart with its obvious symbolism, one dimensional villains, hokey sentimentality, and corny dialog. All that was missing was Marc Singer turning to the camera and saying, "This story is about fascism. The aliens are Nazis from outer space." #v
@disatess: I don't think the new series will be that great but the original was hardly high art. It starred Marc Singer for Pete's sake. The one truly alien quality they gave the Visitors besides the green skin was the habit of eating live meat. #v
@Bill-Lee: Well, it wasn't spectacular, but it could've been a lot worse. So, the symbolism was obvious. So what? Many of the best Twilight Zone eps had rather obvious symbolism too. I really don't have a big problem with polemical fiction, as long as it tries to be fair, and I think V did. Here you had humans siding with the aliens and some of the aliens siding with humans. And we are talking about alien lizards here--do you really think they would be anything other than predatory fascists? #v
@Starwatcher: It just shows that Johnson doesn't know much about reptile behavior, lizards aren't particularly social animals and fascism requires a large measure of social cooperation. Predatory? Yes. Nazis from space? No. The humans who sided with Visitors were the unwashed masses who were easily duped by the Visitor's empty promises, individuals brainwashed by the conversion process, or complete assholes to begin with -- like Donovan's mom. So that's hardly even handed. The Visitors who sided with humans were either dimwits like Robert Englund's character or using the human resistance for their own ends like Martin. I would have liked to know more about Martin's motivations but Johnson never bothers to show us. Johnson's script is so poorly written that he barely even gives Martin anything to do but be convinced by Donovan's arguments. I don't remember all of his lines but they were mostly amounted to "I want to help you but your plan seems dangerous. My people can't risk that much for you."
The Twilight Zone was written in the late 1950s and early 60s. TV was still a novelty and TV writers weren't sure how subtle they could be with it yet. And the audience was still getting a grasp of TV drama. By the time Johnson created V, TV had been around for 30 years, viewers were used to it, and TV writers were beginning to experiment with realistic dialog and subtle themes. Johnson wrote V as if he were writing it for a the original Twilight Zone. His Jewish character practically screams, "These aliens remind me of Poland in 1939, when the Nazis took over. Take special note of the parallels that Kenny Johnson has included such as their swastika style logo, uniforms, and rounding up of scientists. I am here as a Jewish character to remind you of the Holocaust. Remember the Holocaust?" It was dreck. Entertaining and high minded dreck but still dreck. The remake can't be lamer than the original. It can equal it but it can't be worse. #v
I'm on Central Time and I'm really concerned, because I have yet to see a listing for the new V on Tuesday night. Is it possible that we're just going to miss out entirely? #v
@TemporalSword: man i just come out of reign with dissapointment because it has a kick ass premise with poor execution and plot holes the size of well dragons. #v
@GreyHammer: I saw Reign as a drive-in double feature with Signs. Signs was first...so, Reign seemed pretty decent. (The sitting in lawnchairs and drinking probably helped, too..) #v
i met Frakes at a party recently, and had to find him a few minutes later and humbly confess that i didn't realize who i was talking to for about the first minute and a half of our conversation. fortunately we were drinking so he just laughed about it and shook my hand telling me the pleasure was all his. #house
@ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.: Pre-empted for baseball. At least it was scheduled. House was late last night, and I didn't realize it until later. I wish TiVO would recognize sports programming screwing with regular programming. :( #house
Ok folks, I know a lot of people don't like the ET phone home part of SGU, but say you were stuck on Destiny which was god doesn't even know where in the universe. Just how would you break it to your loved ones?
Me? After explaining I was talking through some guy from beyond the beyond, I'd have to break out the boombox blasting the Farscape opening music while I did a variation on the John Crichton Narrative to just break the tension.
Completely serious too. Hey it definitely prove it was me.
a) Unfortunately, yes, she will be part of the cast, and I agree, she's way annoying. They should kept inviso-girl instead of killing her off for no apparent reason.
b) Far, far too often. Almost as bad as any title using "hunter" and "pray/prey" in the title. #house
All we need now is for the Music Meister to start appearing in comic books and Neil Patrick Harris's bid to become king of all sci-fi fans will be complete. #house
I am enjoying SGU so far. I think the whole communication brick side stories should be scrapped though and the show concentrate solely on their predicament in space. Sure, he's having trouble with his marriage but who cares? #house
@omnibus_spiritus: Ditto. I've enjoyed SGU so far; so much so that it's the only non-comedy I'm watching. The only thing that really irks me is the use of the communication stones.
I haven't watched more than a few minutes of any of the previous SG series*, but are the cameos from SG alumni really important enough to force the viewers to swallow this bitter pill of an absurd plot device? The characters-confronting-family bit certainly isn't worth it.
[*I tried! but they were just too campy/B-movie-esque.] #house
Thank god Sylar is back from the dead. He was gone for almost 3 episodes (except when he wasn't). That's some sort of record on Heroes. I'm sure Nathan will come back from the dead somehow too. Nobody ever dies on Heroes. #house
@SGU: 20 bucks says the ship aimed itself at the star to somehow recharge itself. A couple thousand (million?) year old ship probably doesn't have infinite energy batteries. #house
@Log1c: This is exactly what I was thinking. They've already used absorption shields a few times during the other series. The growing bubble the Ori used to create the supergate is one example. #house
@Log1c: thats what Ive been thinking. Although I like the idea of a few people jumping ship, only to watch from a distance as the ship powers up and makes a last second jump to safety. great "what have we done" moment potential there #house
I like the show, but any sense of isolation and the struggle against the unknown is completely lost with the lame "communication stones". Just seems a cheap way to include past SG-1 actors in the show, and totally undermines the drama.
@TemporalSword: I actually like the stones. As a long time SG fan, I like it when they actually use and adapt the tech they've been picking up all these years.
I like how they didn't make a big deal about having them too, like it's part of stuff they they take with them when they set up off-world bases.
I think it really works the drama angle as well, since you're never more alone then when you talk to others, but they can do squat to help you. Also really like the "oh hey, gonna borrow your body so I can go say some good byes to my folks," it's creepy for everyone involved and depressing!
Also putting money in the pot that the sun dive is just an emergency recharge maneuver. It's so predictable I hope it isn't actually. #house
@TemporalSword: Plus, they're not interesting at all. I mean, I haven't watched almost any other SG and almost fall asleep when they do that, it's just not interesting seeing McGyver dropping a couple witticisms when there are people who are characters of, you know, the show you're watching, and who seem to be about to die. #house
@RoboBagins: I watched most of SG-1 and Atlantis, but I don't remember: do the stones show up previous to this series? At least that would show some kind of continuity. #house
@TemporalSword: This confuses me the most out of anything on the show, because it just seems so pointless. (Using the Dollhouse as a long-distance telephone service just doesn't make any sense to me.) The only time it worked as a dramatic device for me was on the last episode where Lou Diamond Phillips's character had another officer in his body and shifted back into his default personality in midsentence, and then was demanding to know what his body's previous occupant was saying.
Granted, I haven't been able to make it through either of the other SG series, so I thought getting in on the ground floor with this series would be good, but I haven't been able to get attached to any of the characters. Every time a character looks like he or she is going to die, my instant reaction is, "Well, that's one less person to keep track of," and that both makes me feel bad as a person, and screams "overcrowded cast of characters." #house
@TemporalSword: The stones showed up in the Ori arc of SG1 - They're how Daniel and Vala make their first trip to the Ori galaxy. IIRC they also appeared in Atlantis, but were used by a thief to escape in new body.
Also originally the stones were used/housed with some sort of looks-like-a-mini-hookah device, but it looks like it has been replaced/reverse engineered by the modded up mac mini or whatever they put them on now. #house
@RoboBagins: Ah, that's why I didn't recognize them. Soon as you said "mini-hookah" device I knew what you meant. Guess even Ancient tech can't escape the apple effect. #house
@RoboBagins: They showed up in an even earlier episode. Probably one of the funnier episodes where O'Neil and a midwest barber communicate with eachother. The episode was "Citizen Joe" from season 8.
11/03/09
11/02/09
It's a very watchable show, too, but it helps that its got a lot of very likable actors. #v
11/02/09
11/02/09
More specifically, I remember Carla Gugino in "Threshold." #v
11/02/09
Yeah, she was really, really good in that. #v
11/02/09
hell... let`s just remake star wars and really make it a parasitic giant . #v
11/02/09
Beyond Carla Gugino being fairly hot, even. #v
11/03/09
11/02/09
That said, the series really needed a remake. It could've been so much better with a larger budget and modern tech. Some of it is really dated, like the special effects during Julie's conversion, which were rather humorous in spots rather than being frightening (The giant iguana? Maybe if it had whipped out it's giant double penis . . .) Anyway, I assume this remake will be loosely based on the series, so I'm expecting lots of flash and a dumbed-down plot.
11/02/09
11/02/09
what`s the fine line between remake and copying ? #v
11/03/09
11/03/09
11/03/09
The Twilight Zone was written in the late 1950s and early 60s. TV was still a novelty and TV writers weren't sure how subtle they could be with it yet. And the audience was still getting a grasp of TV drama. By the time Johnson created V, TV had been around for 30 years, viewers were used to it, and TV writers were beginning to experiment with realistic dialog and subtle themes. Johnson wrote V as if he were writing it for a the original Twilight Zone. His Jewish character practically screams, "These aliens remind me of Poland in 1939, when the Nazis took over. Take special note of the parallels that Kenny Johnson has included such as their swastika style logo, uniforms, and rounding up of scientists. I am here as a Jewish character to remind you of the Holocaust. Remember the Holocaust?" It was dreck. Entertaining and high minded dreck but still dreck. The remake can't be lamer than the original. It can equal it but it can't be worse. #v
11/02/09
11/02/09
Also, I would have liked to see where Threshold was going. It was the best of the three sci-fi shows that premiered that year, and canceled too soon.
11/02/09
11/02/09
11/02/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
anyone know? It's not on hulu. #house
10/20/09
10/19/09
Me? After explaining I was talking through some guy from beyond the beyond, I'd have to break out the boombox blasting the Farscape opening music while I did a variation on the John Crichton Narrative to just break the tension.
Completely serious too. Hey it definitely prove it was me.
10/19/09
*How many times has "Tabula Rasa" been used as a episode title?
10/19/09
a) Unfortunately, yes, she will be part of the cast, and I agree, she's way annoying. They should kept inviso-girl instead of killing her off for no apparent reason.
b) Far, far too often. Almost as bad as any title using "hunter" and "pray/prey" in the title. #house
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
I haven't watched more than a few minutes of any of the previous SG series*, but are the cameos from SG alumni really important enough to force the viewers to swallow this bitter pill of an absurd plot device? The characters-confronting-family bit certainly isn't worth it.
[*I tried! but they were just too campy/B-movie-esque.] #house
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
I like the show, but any sense of isolation and the struggle against the unknown is completely lost with the lame "communication stones". Just seems a cheap way to include past SG-1 actors in the show, and totally undermines the drama.
10/19/09
I would not take this bet. #house
10/19/09
I like how they didn't make a big deal about having them too, like it's part of stuff they they take with them when they set up off-world bases.
I think it really works the drama angle as well, since you're never more alone then when you talk to others, but they can do squat to help you. Also really like the "oh hey, gonna borrow your body so I can go say some good byes to my folks," it's creepy for everyone involved and depressing!
Also putting money in the pot that the sun dive is just an emergency recharge maneuver. It's so predictable I hope it isn't actually. #house
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
Granted, I haven't been able to make it through either of the other SG series, so I thought getting in on the ground floor with this series would be good, but I haven't been able to get attached to any of the characters. Every time a character looks like he or she is going to die, my instant reaction is, "Well, that's one less person to keep track of," and that both makes me feel bad as a person, and screams "overcrowded cast of characters." #house
10/19/09
Also originally the stones were used/housed with some sort of looks-like-a-mini-hookah device, but it looks like it has been replaced/reverse engineered by the modded up mac mini or whatever they put them on now. #house
10/19/09
10/20/09