thorin02's Recent Comments
KNIGHT RIDER Picked Up for Full Season - Oct 21, 2008 - 08:44am
I haven't watched this since episode two. I've been watching the far superior Pushing Daisies instead.
I haven't watched this since episode two. I've been watching the far superior Pushing Daisies instead.
Comicscape: The Ever-Expanding Comic-Con - Aug 06, 2008 - 02:19pm
A Lottery is an interesting idea. I like it better than charging extra for certain panels, which I’ve heard mentioned a few times. I like the fact that once you pay the registration fee you can attend any panel at the Con for free. I do agree that the ‘vibe’ of Comic-Con has shifted a bit. I noticed a marked difference between my first con in 2005 and 2007 in both size and ‘Hollywood’ presence. But honestly once a person gets away from some of the big panel stuff (the stuff in Hall H, Ballroom 20 and CDEF) and does a few of less ‘big media’ panels it can be a lot of fun. I attended a panel on political cartooning in 2007 because Ballroom 20 was full and honestly had a great time. My advice is take some chances on obscure stuff or things your not familiar with, there is very good chance you’ll be presently surprise. As for the putting panels in the correct sized room, that’s always been something of a crapshoot. The organizers for the most part do a good job trying to funnel popular stuff to the larger rooms but, like Hollywood itself, you just can’t predict what’s going to hit some years. My first year at the Con I went to a panel for the Dark Crystal, the organizers put it in one of the smaller rooms and it ended up filling to capacity and they were turning people away at the door. Another year they had a panel n CDEF and barely filled half the room. And lister, speaking as someone who HATES crowds and HATES (with a passion) long lines; I’ve had a great time all three years I’ve attended Comic-Con. As daforce said, it’s every genre experience you’ve ever had under one roof. Just come at it with a good attitude. I’ve met some great people standing in line for a panel. Its one of the few places on Earth where being able to quote dialog from “Space 1999” is actually considered a GOOD thing.
A Lottery is an interesting idea. I like it better than charging extra for certain panels, which I’ve heard mentioned a few times. I like the fact that once you pay the registration fee you can attend any panel at the Con for free. I do agree that the ‘vibe’ of Comic-Con has shifted a bit. I noticed a marked difference between my first con in 2005 and 2007 in both size and ‘Hollywood’ presence. But honestly once a person gets away from some of the big panel stuff (the stuff in Hall H, Ballroom 20 and CDEF) and does a few of less ‘big media’ panels it can be a lot of fun. I attended a panel on political cartooning in 2007 because Ballroom 20 was full and honestly had a great time. My advice is take some chances on obscure stuff or things your not familiar with, there is very good chance you’ll be presently surprise. As for the putting panels in the correct sized room, that’s always been something of a crapshoot. The organizers for the most part do a good job trying to funnel popular stuff to the larger rooms but, like Hollywood itself, you just can’t predict what’s going to hit some years. My first year at the Con I went to a panel for the Dark Crystal, the organizers put it in one of the smaller rooms and it ended up filling to capacity and they were turning people away at the door. Another year they had a panel n CDEF and barely filled half the room. And lister, speaking as someone who HATES crowds and HATES (with a passion) long lines; I’ve had a great time all three years I’ve attended Comic-Con. As daforce said, it’s every genre experience you’ve ever had under one roof. Just come at it with a good attitude. I’ve met some great people standing in line for a panel. Its one of the few places on Earth where being able to quote dialog from “Space 1999” is actually considered a GOOD thing.
Comicscape: The Ever-Expanding Comic-Con - Aug 06, 2008 - 09:24am
Finances forced me to skip this year’s Con, but I attended the last three. I actually like the fact Comic-Con has such a diverse amount of material available. There’s comics of all stripes (big publishers to small-press), gaming, movies, TV, toys etc etc. If it is even tangentially related to the genre you can find it at Comic-Con. There is always something interesting going on. That’s what makes it fun. I can spend the morning on a panel talking about a TV show then go to panel with Paul Dini discussing his upcoming projects and spend the evening watching a movie all in the same building. You also get to meet and talk with fans of all stripes. I had great conservation with a guy whose been going to Comic-Con since 1974. I spoke with a video game geek on the tram in once, got some good suggestions for games I could try and lots of other interesting people. You lose that diversity if you split the Con up. I think many of the frustrations are less about the lack of ‘focus’ on Comics and more about the shear volume of people. Lines for the three biggest rooms (Hall H, Ballroom 20 and ABCD) can run 30 minutes to 2 hours. There are tricks to limiting your amount of time in line; if its going to a popular panel, go to the one before, since they don’t clear rooms just stay (I usually do one day in Hall H where the big movie panels are done, just carry some snacks and drinks), always have a backup panel to attend if your first choice is full (again, there is ALWAYS something interesting going on) and just accept the fact that there is NO WAY to see everything, that’s kind of the point. There are a lot of proposals for how to ‘fix’ Comic-Con. One that gets bantered around quite a bit is moving the Con to a bigger venue better able to handle the size of event. I don’t know about this one. San Diego has been VERY good to Comic-Con. It’s a big fish in a small pond and brings in a TON of revenue. Move it to LA (the most common alternate sit mentioned) and it becomes ‘just another big convention’. Getting back and forth from the convention center to hotels will be lot harder in LA. Quite frankly I find San Diego to be much nicer city than LA (YMMV). The other place bantered around is Las Vegas which I think will destroy much of Comic-Con’s character. Again, it becomes ‘just another big convention’. A lot of families won’t attend. And all of the other attractions in Vegas will bleed people away from the Con (not to mention people gambling away money they would have spent at the booths, hurting a lot of the exhibitors). The third option is to try to satellite out some of the events to surrounding hotels. Do the gaming tournaments at a separate hotel, have the film festival stuff offsite etc etc. But yet again, part of the fun of Comic-Con is having everything under one roof. Moving elements of the Con offsite, takes away from that feeling. Limiting the convention to just comics is not an answer. And quite frankly, if that is your interest there are dozens of other conventions out there, some comic-book only. Just skip San Diego and attend on of those.
Finances forced me to skip this year’s Con, but I attended the last three. I actually like the fact Comic-Con has such a diverse amount of material available. There’s comics of all stripes (big publishers to small-press), gaming, movies, TV, toys etc etc. If it is even tangentially related to the genre you can find it at Comic-Con. There is always something interesting going on. That’s what makes it fun. I can spend the morning on a panel talking about a TV show then go to panel with Paul Dini discussing his upcoming projects and spend the evening watching a movie all in the same building. You also get to meet and talk with fans of all stripes. I had great conservation with a guy whose been going to Comic-Con since 1974. I spoke with a video game geek on the tram in once, got some good suggestions for games I could try and lots of other interesting people. You lose that diversity if you split the Con up. I think many of the frustrations are less about the lack of ‘focus’ on Comics and more about the shear volume of people. Lines for the three biggest rooms (Hall H, Ballroom 20 and ABCD) can run 30 minutes to 2 hours. There are tricks to limiting your amount of time in line; if its going to a popular panel, go to the one before, since they don’t clear rooms just stay (I usually do one day in Hall H where the big movie panels are done, just carry some snacks and drinks), always have a backup panel to attend if your first choice is full (again, there is ALWAYS something interesting going on) and just accept the fact that there is NO WAY to see everything, that’s kind of the point. There are a lot of proposals for how to ‘fix’ Comic-Con. One that gets bantered around quite a bit is moving the Con to a bigger venue better able to handle the size of event. I don’t know about this one. San Diego has been VERY good to Comic-Con. It’s a big fish in a small pond and brings in a TON of revenue. Move it to LA (the most common alternate sit mentioned) and it becomes ‘just another big convention’. Getting back and forth from the convention center to hotels will be lot harder in LA. Quite frankly I find San Diego to be much nicer city than LA (YMMV). The other place bantered around is Las Vegas which I think will destroy much of Comic-Con’s character. Again, it becomes ‘just another big convention’. A lot of families won’t attend. And all of the other attractions in Vegas will bleed people away from the Con (not to mention people gambling away money they would have spent at the booths, hurting a lot of the exhibitors). The third option is to try to satellite out some of the events to surrounding hotels. Do the gaming tournaments at a separate hotel, have the film festival stuff offsite etc etc. But yet again, part of the fun of Comic-Con is having everything under one roof. Moving elements of the Con offsite, takes away from that feeling. Limiting the convention to just comics is not an answer. And quite frankly, if that is your interest there are dozens of other conventions out there, some comic-book only. Just skip San Diego and attend on of those.
The Manic Maniac: The Comic Book is Dead - Jun 27, 2008 - 11:24am
It’s called cross-pollination and it’s been with us for decades. Comics influence the movies, which in turn influence the comics. There is no doubt in my mind that Byrne’s re-boot of the Superman following ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ was heavily influenced by the 70s Superman movie (he pretty much admits it). Particularly the look of Kypton, which went from very Earth like in the comics to cold and sterile much more like the movie. What’s killing the comic book industry is not movies, it’s a number of factors. 1 - A poor distribution model focused on specialty retailers. 2 - Lack of broad products targeted to multiple demographic groups (as opposed to Europe an Asia where the market still thrives). 3 - Failure to bring in new readership (this is related to the previous two points). 4 - Failure to capitalize on large ‘events’ like movie and TV tie-ins (first 50 people in line get an Iron Man comic). Link the ad campaigns for the movies to the comic book (ads on TV should say ‘see the movie then read the comics. Available at your local bookstore or on-line and Marvel.com’). 5 - For that matter advertise on TV (remember how GI Joe sales went through the roof in the early 80s when they promoted the comic book simultaneous with the toy line, lessons to be re-learned).
It’s called cross-pollination and it’s been with us for decades. Comics influence the movies, which in turn influence the comics. There is no doubt in my mind that Byrne’s re-boot of the Superman following ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ was heavily influenced by the 70s Superman movie (he pretty much admits it). Particularly the look of Kypton, which went from very Earth like in the comics to cold and sterile much more like the movie. What’s killing the comic book industry is not movies, it’s a number of factors. 1 - A poor distribution model focused on specialty retailers. 2 - Lack of broad products targeted to multiple demographic groups (as opposed to Europe an Asia where the market still thrives). 3 - Failure to bring in new readership (this is related to the previous two points). 4 - Failure to capitalize on large ‘events’ like movie and TV tie-ins (first 50 people in line get an Iron Man comic). Link the ad campaigns for the movies to the comic book (ads on TV should say ‘see the movie then read the comics. Available at your local bookstore or on-line and Marvel.com’). 5 - For that matter advertise on TV (remember how GI Joe sales went through the roof in the early 80s when they promoted the comic book simultaneous with the toy line, lessons to be re-learned).
Comicscape: Five Successes in Mainstream Comics - Jun 04, 2008 - 10:03am
The other thing trades do is get comic books out of comic book shops and into bookstores and other venues. For too long comic books have been regulated to the specialty stores and while I know most of you love your local comic book shop, they can be very intimidating and unwelcoming places to new customers. Getting more comic books into more mainstream locations will help to boost readership.
The other thing trades do is get comic books out of comic book shops and into bookstores and other venues. For too long comic books have been regulated to the specialty stores and while I know most of you love your local comic book shop, they can be very intimidating and unwelcoming places to new customers. Getting more comic books into more mainstream locations will help to boost readership.
Tolkien Estate Sues New Line - Feb 12, 2008 - 09:06am
We only hear about a dispute when a lawsuit is filed. That does not mean that the lawyers werent arguing back and forth for the past three or four years over money. My guess is this dispute has been long running and the Tolkien estate reached a point where determined that werent going to get what they want through negotiation and upped the ante by filing suit. Most civil suits in the US never see the court system. The lawyers spend a few months negotiating back and forth settle on an agreement and enter a contract. These contracts are rarely filed with the courts and never reported. Most product liability, malpractice suits and contract disputes are settled by the lawyers without the courts involvement. Its only when the sides can not reach any kind of agreement that papers are filed with the court. Thats when it becomes news and we hear about it.
We only hear about a dispute when a lawsuit is filed. That does not mean that the lawyers werent arguing back and forth for the past three or four years over money. My guess is this dispute has been long running and the Tolkien estate reached a point where determined that werent going to get what they want through negotiation and upped the ante by filing suit. Most civil suits in the US never see the court system. The lawyers spend a few months negotiating back and forth settle on an agreement and enter a contract. These contracts are rarely filed with the courts and never reported. Most product liability, malpractice suits and contract disputes are settled by the lawyers without the courts involvement. Its only when the sides can not reach any kind of agreement that papers are filed with the court. Thats when it becomes news and we hear about it.
Jaws Star Roy Scheider Passes Away - Feb 11, 2008 - 08:19am
A wonderful actor. I remember well the last role I saw him in. As a serial killer in Law and Order: CI. As always he was a commanding presence, easily dominating his scenes with Vincent DNofrio, whose quirky almost manic acting, looked desperate next to Scheiders quiet understated and pitch perfect style. Scheider was as Dreyfuss said, a knockaround actor a man who brought solid, inspired performances to every role, even B-movies like 2010 (the forgotten sequel). He will be missed.
A wonderful actor. I remember well the last role I saw him in. As a serial killer in Law and Order: CI. As always he was a commanding presence, easily dominating his scenes with Vincent DNofrio, whose quirky almost manic acting, looked desperate next to Scheiders quiet understated and pitch perfect style. Scheider was as Dreyfuss said, a knockaround actor a man who brought solid, inspired performances to every role, even B-movies like 2010 (the forgotten sequel). He will be missed.
Ledger's Death Ruled Accidental OD - Feb 06, 2008 - 04:10pm
Six different prescription drugs is not a whole lot in the era of modern medicine, particularly if, as I suspect, Ledger was seeing multiple doctors. At one time my grandmother was taking, I believe, 12 different medications a week for her cancer treatments. My dad still takes three different medications a week for his heart (four counting his aspirin regime). A friend of mine from work who experienced minor back spasms and his doctor ended up prescribing, painkillers (two different varieties), sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medication and cortisone shots. After not getting any better for a couple of months he finally threw-up his hands and went to a homeopathic doctor, now he gets a massage twice a week, started exercising more, dropped caffeine from his diet and rarely experiences any back problems and when he does, he can get by with a couple of Advil. Any of you with grandparents out there ask them how many prescription drugs theyre currently taking, you might be surprised. Doctors routinely use our bodies as laboratories for elaborate chemical experiments; often taking days or weeks to dial in the correct mix and dosages to balance out side effects and negative drug interactions. Thats why, as I said above, it is vital (even life saving) to make certain your doctor (or doctors) know about every medication you are taking (including over the counter drugs) and the amounts you are taking. And do your own homework as well and dont just assume because a doctor prescribed a drug that its right for you. Modern drugs save lives. But doctors these days do tend to throw chemicals at problems (especially for mental problems).
Six different prescription drugs is not a whole lot in the era of modern medicine, particularly if, as I suspect, Ledger was seeing multiple doctors. At one time my grandmother was taking, I believe, 12 different medications a week for her cancer treatments. My dad still takes three different medications a week for his heart (four counting his aspirin regime). A friend of mine from work who experienced minor back spasms and his doctor ended up prescribing, painkillers (two different varieties), sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medication and cortisone shots. After not getting any better for a couple of months he finally threw-up his hands and went to a homeopathic doctor, now he gets a massage twice a week, started exercising more, dropped caffeine from his diet and rarely experiences any back problems and when he does, he can get by with a couple of Advil. Any of you with grandparents out there ask them how many prescription drugs theyre currently taking, you might be surprised. Doctors routinely use our bodies as laboratories for elaborate chemical experiments; often taking days or weeks to dial in the correct mix and dosages to balance out side effects and negative drug interactions. Thats why, as I said above, it is vital (even life saving) to make certain your doctor (or doctors) know about every medication you are taking (including over the counter drugs) and the amounts you are taking. And do your own homework as well and dont just assume because a doctor prescribed a drug that its right for you. Modern drugs save lives. But doctors these days do tend to throw chemicals at problems (especially for mental problems).
Ledger's Death Ruled Accidental OD - Feb 06, 2008 - 12:30pm
Excellent point bjjdenver. We do over rely on prescription drugs to treat mental disorders. There is certainly a place for drugs and properly used they can and do save lives. But the risks must be understood. Bad drug interactions (even with over the counter drugs) kill hundreds of people every year and injure thousands more. My Grandmother was bedridden for several weeks until the doctors figured out that the reason she couldnt move her legs was not because of her cancer but because of a reaction between two of the drugs they were giving her. The switched one medication and dropped the other, she bounced back and was able to walk again within a couple of weeks. My dad had a similar problem with his heart medications actually causing muscle spasms. It took the doctors weeks to figure out the proper dosages. What Id be interested in knowing is how many different doctors Ledger had and if each one was properly informed of what drugs the others were prescribing and in what dosages. Its quite possible Ledger got one prescription from a doctor assigned by the studio on the set of a movie, another from his own doctor in New York and possibly others from a doctor in LA or on a different shoot. This is not to imply that he was a drug addict or anything only that someone in his position often has multiple doctors. It is vitally important (especially if you have multiple doctors) that your doctors be completely up to date and informed about ANY drugs (even aspirin or Tylenol and other over the counter medications) that you are taking and it what doses. There are some prescription medications that if taken with Tylenol can kill you. Likewise certain commonly prescribed drugs when taken in combination can be lethal. And variations in dosage can be equally dangerous. If the studio doctor was unaware of a particular prescription or had incorrect info about the dosage he could have quite easily misprescribed a drug. Likewise if Ledger wasnt fully warned or did not understand the instructions for how to use those drugs it is very easy to say well one pill doesnt quite work, Ill try two or three.
Excellent point bjjdenver. We do over rely on prescription drugs to treat mental disorders. There is certainly a place for drugs and properly used they can and do save lives. But the risks must be understood. Bad drug interactions (even with over the counter drugs) kill hundreds of people every year and injure thousands more. My Grandmother was bedridden for several weeks until the doctors figured out that the reason she couldnt move her legs was not because of her cancer but because of a reaction between two of the drugs they were giving her. The switched one medication and dropped the other, she bounced back and was able to walk again within a couple of weeks. My dad had a similar problem with his heart medications actually causing muscle spasms. It took the doctors weeks to figure out the proper dosages. What Id be interested in knowing is how many different doctors Ledger had and if each one was properly informed of what drugs the others were prescribing and in what dosages. Its quite possible Ledger got one prescription from a doctor assigned by the studio on the set of a movie, another from his own doctor in New York and possibly others from a doctor in LA or on a different shoot. This is not to imply that he was a drug addict or anything only that someone in his position often has multiple doctors. It is vitally important (especially if you have multiple doctors) that your doctors be completely up to date and informed about ANY drugs (even aspirin or Tylenol and other over the counter medications) that you are taking and it what doses. There are some prescription medications that if taken with Tylenol can kill you. Likewise certain commonly prescribed drugs when taken in combination can be lethal. And variations in dosage can be equally dangerous. If the studio doctor was unaware of a particular prescription or had incorrect info about the dosage he could have quite easily misprescribed a drug. Likewise if Ledger wasnt fully warned or did not understand the instructions for how to use those drugs it is very easy to say well one pill doesnt quite work, Ill try two or three.
WGA Considers the AMPTP/DGA Deal - Jan 18, 2008 - 09:25am
Whats most interesting is that the DGA got a deal on Internet revenue that was basically a residuals formula. AMPTP had been telling the WGA that it was impossible to work out a residual deal on internet revenue because there wasnt enough data to figure out an effective/fair formula. And yet they just worked out a formula. That seriously undercuts their credibility on the major sticking point in the strike. This just illustrates once again that the AMPTP is not interested in negotiating fairly with the WGA and wants to break the union.
Whats most interesting is that the DGA got a deal on Internet revenue that was basically a residuals formula. AMPTP had been telling the WGA that it was impossible to work out a residual deal on internet revenue because there wasnt enough data to figure out an effective/fair formula. And yet they just worked out a formula. That seriously undercuts their credibility on the major sticking point in the strike. This just illustrates once again that the AMPTP is not interested in negotiating fairly with the WGA and wants to break the union.
TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES: Pilot - Jan 15, 2008 - 01:50pm
Re: FBI Terminator: The sequence was: 1 We see FBI guy typing Sarah Connors info into a computer including her new alias 2 Flash to what looks like a different room (FBI agent in brightly lit room, new room dark, with a window in the background, no sign of FBI guy) 3 Camera pans to a close up of a computer screen showing the new info about Sarah appearing. 4 We see red eyes reflected in the new computers screen. What I took this to mean was that Terminator had been sent back and basically just sat there monitoring the internet and law enforcement records for any mention of Sarah or John Connor and took off after them when it got a hit. In other words the Terminator used the FBI to bird dog for him (without their knowledge) I fairly confident the FBI guy is not a Terminator.
Re: FBI Terminator: The sequence was: 1 We see FBI guy typing Sarah Connors info into a computer including her new alias 2 Flash to what looks like a different room (FBI agent in brightly lit room, new room dark, with a window in the background, no sign of FBI guy) 3 Camera pans to a close up of a computer screen showing the new info about Sarah appearing. 4 We see red eyes reflected in the new computers screen. What I took this to mean was that Terminator had been sent back and basically just sat there monitoring the internet and law enforcement records for any mention of Sarah or John Connor and took off after them when it got a hit. In other words the Terminator used the FBI to bird dog for him (without their knowledge) I fairly confident the FBI guy is not a Terminator.
Uwe Boll Responds to DUNGEON SIEGE Bombing - Jan 15, 2008 - 07:59am
Moz72 asks: ANd didn't Kristanna Loken learn anything from Bloodrayne?? Answer No. For supporting evidence try to watch an episode of Painkiller Jane from the Sci-fi channel. I say try because Ive never actually made it through an entire episode. Im still p*&$&%* off that Sci-fi cut the Dresden Files for that piece of crap.
Moz72 asks: ANd didn't Kristanna Loken learn anything from Bloodrayne?? Answer No. For supporting evidence try to watch an episode of Painkiller Jane from the Sci-fi channel. I say try because Ive never actually made it through an entire episode. Im still p*&$&%* off that Sci-fi cut the Dresden Files for that piece of crap.
Director Singleton Talks About A-TEAM - Jan 14, 2008 - 09:21am
The key is to make certain they have a strong ensemble cast. They need four people willing and able to play off each other and let other people have their moment to shine. That is why Carey wont work as Murdock. While he is a good actor the moment he is cast the entire movie will become about him. He has never shown an ability to become part of an ensemble. Every movie hes been in hes been the center of attention. That will not work with an A-Team movie.
The key is to make certain they have a strong ensemble cast. They need four people willing and able to play off each other and let other people have their moment to shine. That is why Carey wont work as Murdock. While he is a good actor the moment he is cast the entire movie will become about him. He has never shown an ability to become part of an ensemble. Every movie hes been in hes been the center of attention. That will not work with an A-Team movie.
Bat Battle: Who's The Best Movie Batman Ever? - Jan 11, 2008 - 02:36am
While I agree with most of the articles analysis I would rank West above Clooney. There is a simple reason for this. For all of its campiness, lousy fight choreography, idiot plots and all the other completely legitimate criticisms that can be made, the 60s Batman was ENTERTAINING. It was actually kind of fun to watch. And yes its usually to laugh at it. But thats all West was really trying to do. Be entertaining. And he succeeded. Batman and Robin was just not entertaining. And Clooney was clearly just cashing a paycheck and not even trying. Be honest with yourselves folks, if you had a choice between watching Batman and Robin or the 60s Batman movie, you (like me) would watch the 60s Batman movie. Id rather laugh than cry.
While I agree with most of the articles analysis I would rank West above Clooney. There is a simple reason for this. For all of its campiness, lousy fight choreography, idiot plots and all the other completely legitimate criticisms that can be made, the 60s Batman was ENTERTAINING. It was actually kind of fun to watch. And yes its usually to laugh at it. But thats all West was really trying to do. Be entertaining. And he succeeded. Batman and Robin was just not entertaining. And Clooney was clearly just cashing a paycheck and not even trying. Be honest with yourselves folks, if you had a choice between watching Batman and Robin or the 60s Batman movie, you (like me) would watch the 60s Batman movie. Id rather laugh than cry.
Ashley Tisdale Fights Aliens from UPSTAIRS - Jan 10, 2008 - 08:23am
Ive always suspected that one of Walt Disneys final acts was to build a laboratory under Epcot center where they could genetically engineer and grow these kids from the cells of Annette Funicello. Its the only explanation I can think of for all these teeny-bopper girls popping up like weeds for the last few years.
Ive always suspected that one of Walt Disneys final acts was to build a laboratory under Epcot center where they could genetically engineer and grow these kids from the cells of Annette Funicello. Its the only explanation I can think of for all these teeny-bopper girls popping up like weeds for the last few years.
The Next Big Bust - Jan 09, 2008 - 10:39am
Id add another aspect to the current comic situation thats touched on in the article. Comic book movies. Id lay pretty good odds that Marvel probably gets a good chunk of its income these days from non-comic book sources, notably movies, TV and merchandising. Its even possible that comic books no longer make up the largest chunk of Marvels revenue. Marvel has spent the better part of the last decade re-making itself into an entertainment company, not a comic book company. When Quesada and other executives talk they talk about the movies theyre making or Hollywood deals theyre striking. Thats cooler than comic books to them. The same is true over at DC. Warner Bros (who own DC) clearly dont give a flying fig about comic book market. They view DC as a source of licensed characters to be exploited to the maximum possible extent. WB makes more money off of Smallville than they make off the Superman line of comics (and more people watch Smallville than read Superman). One must keep in mind that Marvel and DC are no longer Comic book companies and that to their executives and owners the comic book market is an ever smaller part of the revenue stream. The direction from above is no longer create great comics but create great properties that can be used in more profitable ventures.
Id add another aspect to the current comic situation thats touched on in the article. Comic book movies. Id lay pretty good odds that Marvel probably gets a good chunk of its income these days from non-comic book sources, notably movies, TV and merchandising. Its even possible that comic books no longer make up the largest chunk of Marvels revenue. Marvel has spent the better part of the last decade re-making itself into an entertainment company, not a comic book company. When Quesada and other executives talk they talk about the movies theyre making or Hollywood deals theyre striking. Thats cooler than comic books to them. The same is true over at DC. Warner Bros (who own DC) clearly dont give a flying fig about comic book market. They view DC as a source of licensed characters to be exploited to the maximum possible extent. WB makes more money off of Smallville than they make off the Superman line of comics (and more people watch Smallville than read Superman). One must keep in mind that Marvel and DC are no longer Comic book companies and that to their executives and owners the comic book market is an ever smaller part of the revenue stream. The direction from above is no longer create great comics but create great properties that can be used in more profitable ventures.
The Next Big Bust - Jan 09, 2008 - 08:40am
Ill second what shadowprime said in his PPS. Delivering product on time MATTERS. And trying to claim that certain creative teams are allowed more leeway is idiotic. Was Joss Whedon allowed to delay the second season of Buffy for 5 or six months? No, the network gave him a schedule of when shows would be aired and he and the rest of the Mutant Enemy team were required to meet that schedule period. The same goes for JJ Abrams with Lost or David Kelly with Boston Legal or any other writer or producer in TV land. Lead times in the publishing world are usually 3-6 months depending on the book and the company. If a creative team makes a commitment to get out a monthly title and has up to six months to get the first issue ready and knows there is supposed to be second right after that than by god they should get the damn book out. A creative team can negotiate in advance for title to come out once every two months or once a quarter if they feel coming up with 22 pages of material every month (again with 3-6 months lead time) is too difficult, but once they commit to a schedule every effort should be made to make that schedule.
Ill second what shadowprime said in his PPS. Delivering product on time MATTERS. And trying to claim that certain creative teams are allowed more leeway is idiotic. Was Joss Whedon allowed to delay the second season of Buffy for 5 or six months? No, the network gave him a schedule of when shows would be aired and he and the rest of the Mutant Enemy team were required to meet that schedule period. The same goes for JJ Abrams with Lost or David Kelly with Boston Legal or any other writer or producer in TV land. Lead times in the publishing world are usually 3-6 months depending on the book and the company. If a creative team makes a commitment to get out a monthly title and has up to six months to get the first issue ready and knows there is supposed to be second right after that than by god they should get the damn book out. A creative team can negotiate in advance for title to come out once every two months or once a quarter if they feel coming up with 22 pages of material every month (again with 3-6 months lead time) is too difficult, but once they commit to a schedule every effort should be made to make that schedule.
HIGHLANDER: THE SOURCE Hits DVD on Feb 26 - Jan 08, 2008 - 03:39pm
This played on the Sci-Fi channel a few weeks ago. It was perhaps the single worst movie Ive seen in the last 5 years (and yes that includes Uwe Bolls movies). The plot was utterly incomprehensible. It actually borrows one of the worst plot points of Highlander two by moving into a dysutopian future. There are no big reveals about immortals. The source when it is finally shows up made no sense at all. As they get closer they get weaker and lose their immortality (which is strange since they are supposedly approaching the source of said immortality), except when theyre REALLY close then they become super-charged, except for the guardian dude whose always strong, I think. They actually tried to use flashbacks at the end to explain the plot/point of the movie (hint, Duncans noble, who knew). None of the new red-shirt immortals are given any kind of character development so when they die nobody cares. And the final action battle looked like is lifted, I kid you not, from a Bugs Bunny cartoon (twirling the guy around so he drills himself into the ground? Ugh doesnt begin to cover it). Save your money. And quit printing press releases as if they are news articles or at least state that your printing a press release verbatim. Nobody did any writing on this article beyond a cut and paste from the production companys e-mail.
This played on the Sci-Fi channel a few weeks ago. It was perhaps the single worst movie Ive seen in the last 5 years (and yes that includes Uwe Bolls movies). The plot was utterly incomprehensible. It actually borrows one of the worst plot points of Highlander two by moving into a dysutopian future. There are no big reveals about immortals. The source when it is finally shows up made no sense at all. As they get closer they get weaker and lose their immortality (which is strange since they are supposedly approaching the source of said immortality), except when theyre REALLY close then they become super-charged, except for the guardian dude whose always strong, I think. They actually tried to use flashbacks at the end to explain the plot/point of the movie (hint, Duncans noble, who knew). None of the new red-shirt immortals are given any kind of character development so when they die nobody cares. And the final action battle looked like is lifted, I kid you not, from a Bugs Bunny cartoon (twirling the guy around so he drills himself into the ground? Ugh doesnt begin to cover it). Save your money. And quit printing press releases as if they are news articles or at least state that your printing a press release verbatim. Nobody did any writing on this article beyond a cut and paste from the production companys e-mail.
Moore Talks More BSG Final Season in EW - Jan 08, 2008 - 11:50am
gauleyboy420 Wrote: It was interesting to see what might have been, If Adama was a lesser man, and not influenced by those around him. Actually Id argue that the opposite is true. Adama was strong enough to listen to the people around him, notably Roslin and Lee. Dont forget in the mini Adama and Tigh were originally planning to abandon the civilians at Ragnar and go off after the Cylons in the same type of mission as Cain. It was only because Roslin got through to him that Adama remembered his true duty and chose flight over fight. Adama saw a lot of himself in Cain. Still looking forward to this season. My big worry is that because the last 10 episodes have not been produced yet we might never see them. The actors contracts are all either up or will be soon (they were supposed to done with the whole thing around now). If the strike continues on through the summer, which is looking increasingly likely, then the sci-fi channel will have to pay out more money (beyond what theyve already committed) to bring the actors and the production team back to finish the story. Given how cheap theyve become over the last couple of years there is very real chance that wont happen.
gauleyboy420 Wrote: It was interesting to see what might have been, If Adama was a lesser man, and not influenced by those around him. Actually Id argue that the opposite is true. Adama was strong enough to listen to the people around him, notably Roslin and Lee. Dont forget in the mini Adama and Tigh were originally planning to abandon the civilians at Ragnar and go off after the Cylons in the same type of mission as Cain. It was only because Roslin got through to him that Adama remembered his true duty and chose flight over fight. Adama saw a lot of himself in Cain. Still looking forward to this season. My big worry is that because the last 10 episodes have not been produced yet we might never see them. The actors contracts are all either up or will be soon (they were supposed to done with the whole thing around now). If the strike continues on through the summer, which is looking increasingly likely, then the sci-fi channel will have to pay out more money (beyond what theyve already committed) to bring the actors and the production team back to finish the story. Given how cheap theyve become over the last couple of years there is very real chance that wont happen.
USA Network Cancels 4400 and DEAD ZONE - Dec 21, 2007 - 12:18pm
Didnt the creators on 4400 say something about the series only being designed for a five season run (ala B5)? Its a shame they wont be able to complete it.
Didnt the creators on 4400 say something about the series only being designed for a five season run (ala B5)? Its a shame they wont be able to complete it.
WGA Files Charges Against AMPTP with NLRB - Dec 14, 2007 - 02:34pm
lincolnparadox said: “What that means is, writers are going to have to strike much closer to July 2008, when the DGA and the SAG might strike, as well. If that happens, it screws up the 2008 TV season and the 2009 Summer movie season.” Which up until mid-September or so was the original plan. Everybody, including the WGA was saying that the writers would agree to keep working under the existing contract through July 2008 when SAG and DGA contracts are due up. They would all negotiate at the same time supporting each other and if necessary strike at the same time, completely shutting down Hollywood. For some reason that’s never really been made clear the WGA decided towards the end of September to push for a strike at the end of their current contract and here we are. The problem for the WGA is that the studios have zero interest in negotiating a deal with them. If they give in on on-line residuals that puts them at a weak position going into negotiations with the Directors and Actors next year. But if they force the union to back down or cut a separate deal with either the DGA or SAG (as it looks like they might do with DGA) than they ‘win’. I don’t understand the WGA’s strategy for striking now. They would have been better off sticking to the original plan unless they were convince the DGA and SAG were going to turn on them for some reason.
lincolnparadox said: “What that means is, writers are going to have to strike much closer to July 2008, when the DGA and the SAG might strike, as well. If that happens, it screws up the 2008 TV season and the 2009 Summer movie season.” Which up until mid-September or so was the original plan. Everybody, including the WGA was saying that the writers would agree to keep working under the existing contract through July 2008 when SAG and DGA contracts are due up. They would all negotiate at the same time supporting each other and if necessary strike at the same time, completely shutting down Hollywood. For some reason that’s never really been made clear the WGA decided towards the end of September to push for a strike at the end of their current contract and here we are. The problem for the WGA is that the studios have zero interest in negotiating a deal with them. If they give in on on-line residuals that puts them at a weak position going into negotiations with the Directors and Actors next year. But if they force the union to back down or cut a separate deal with either the DGA or SAG (as it looks like they might do with DGA) than they ‘win’. I don’t understand the WGA’s strategy for striking now. They would have been better off sticking to the original plan unless they were convince the DGA and SAG were going to turn on them for some reason.
I Hate Uwe Boll - Dec 03, 2007 - 11:18am
Uwe Boll is a lousy director and a bad storyteller. But he is a great money man. And that’s why studios like him. He bought up the movie rights to a slew of video games on the cheap and has been making money off of them since. His specialty is putting together movies fast and on budget. He gets good quality b-list actors by catching them between projects with decent sized checks and short shooting times. It doesn’t matter to the studios that his movies suck. What matters is that they hand him $10 million to make a movie and they get back $25 million. Even his bombs end up turning a profit because he does a good job controlling his costs. Don’t forget as much all of you hated Bloodrayne you did spend money to see it.
Uwe Boll is a lousy director and a bad storyteller. But he is a great money man. And that’s why studios like him. He bought up the movie rights to a slew of video games on the cheap and has been making money off of them since. His specialty is putting together movies fast and on budget. He gets good quality b-list actors by catching them between projects with decent sized checks and short shooting times. It doesn’t matter to the studios that his movies suck. What matters is that they hand him $10 million to make a movie and they get back $25 million. Even his bombs end up turning a profit because he does a good job controlling his costs. Don’t forget as much all of you hated Bloodrayne you did spend money to see it.
WGA Talks Pause, Statements Released - Nov 30, 2007 - 03:18pm
“Besides which, given the number of things insurance companies won't cover anyway, I hardly see how it's worth it in the long run, especially since most hospitals ultimately can't enforce payment no matter how many notices are sent or collection agencies involved.” Spoken by someone who’s obviously never been on the receiving end of garnishment notification. It is no trouble for an insurance company (or collection agency) to get a court ordered garnishment of your wages to collect on a past due bill. They may be reluctant to do it but if you aggravate them enough they’ll get one. I’ve seen it happen to a lot of employees where I work. They have 20 to 30 percent of their paycheck lopped off before they get it and the money sent to the collection agency. And don’t think declaring bankruptcy gets you out of it anymore. With the new bankruptcy laws put in place a couple of years ago creditors have a lot more tools to keep hounding you even after you’ve declared bankruptcy (it was pretty much written by Citigroup).
“Besides which, given the number of things insurance companies won't cover anyway, I hardly see how it's worth it in the long run, especially since most hospitals ultimately can't enforce payment no matter how many notices are sent or collection agencies involved.” Spoken by someone who’s obviously never been on the receiving end of garnishment notification. It is no trouble for an insurance company (or collection agency) to get a court ordered garnishment of your wages to collect on a past due bill. They may be reluctant to do it but if you aggravate them enough they’ll get one. I’ve seen it happen to a lot of employees where I work. They have 20 to 30 percent of their paycheck lopped off before they get it and the money sent to the collection agency. And don’t think declaring bankruptcy gets you out of it anymore. With the new bankruptcy laws put in place a couple of years ago creditors have a lot more tools to keep hounding you even after you’ve declared bankruptcy (it was pretty much written by Citigroup).
WGA Talks Pause, Statements Released - Nov 30, 2007 - 01:40pm
One of the reasons the studios and low balling so much is because of the upcoming negotiates with the Directors and Actors guilds next summer (two far more powerful unions in Hollywood than the writers). Many of these same issues are going to come up in those negotiations as well. The studios probably figure if they give the writers what they are asking for it will weaken them against the other unions. While I support the writers I’m a little surprised at their tactics. Up until September the assumption was the Writers Guild would agree to work under their existing contract until next summer and then negotiate with the Directors and Actors and if necessary go on strike at the same time. I’m still not certain what prompted them to decide that striking now was the best move.
One of the reasons the studios and low balling so much is because of the upcoming negotiates with the Directors and Actors guilds next summer (two far more powerful unions in Hollywood than the writers). Many of these same issues are going to come up in those negotiations as well. The studios probably figure if they give the writers what they are asking for it will weaken them against the other unions. While I support the writers I’m a little surprised at their tactics. Up until September the assumption was the Writers Guild would agree to work under their existing contract until next summer and then negotiate with the Directors and Actors and if necessary go on strike at the same time. I’m still not certain what prompted them to decide that striking now was the best move.
BIONIC WOMAN: Do Not Disturb - Nov 30, 2007 - 10:11am
I tried once again to watch this show. I skipped last weeks, apparently I didn’t miss anything. I got as far as Jonas telling Jamie she had to kill the scientist guy and gave up. The complete and utter illogic of this show and the sloppiness of the writing is just too much. This is a US citizen on US soil who the Burkoff (sp?) has proof is turning traitor. Has anybody heard of the FBI? They usually arrest people in these situations. Why the *($*$ did they have to kill him? Maybe they explained it later in the episode but I don’t think so. The writers don’t strike me as being that smart. Again, I just picked up my book.
I tried once again to watch this show. I skipped last weeks, apparently I didn’t miss anything. I got as far as Jonas telling Jamie she had to kill the scientist guy and gave up. The complete and utter illogic of this show and the sloppiness of the writing is just too much. This is a US citizen on US soil who the Burkoff (sp?) has proof is turning traitor. Has anybody heard of the FBI? They usually arrest people in these situations. Why the *($*$ did they have to kill him? Maybe they explained it later in the episode but I don’t think so. The writers don’t strike me as being that smart. Again, I just picked up my book.
Cyber Monday and the New Amazon Kindle - Nov 26, 2007 - 04:25pm
Three major weaknesses of the Kindle. 1 – The price tag. $400 is a little much for a reader. Yes I understand it has wireless internet access but every handheld device these days has that. Plus most of the ‘subscription’ based services they offer can be gotten for free over the internet. Why subscribe (and pay) to read the WSJ when I will be able to browse it with any other device for free. The same goes for most of magazines and blog services that are being offered. You can get the same content for free elsewhere. 2 – First run books start on $9.99. While that’s cheaper than a hardbound it is more expensive than trade paperbacks (which is what I buy). The price point of electronic books should hover somewhere between $2-$5 apiece. It makes no sense to spend more than I would on a physical book for the electronic version. The savings on manufacturing and distribution alone would be huge. Heck for back catalog stuff that been around for years it could be priced at dollar or under and show nothing but profits for the publisher. 3 – With MP3 players I can copy my existing CD collection into the player and only have to worry about purchasing new items. There is no such ability with the Kindle. If I want to have access to an old favorite I have to buy it again. That’s a no-go. Another minor quibble. One of the places I read is in an airplane. It’s already annoying that I have to turn off my mp3 player during take off and landing but if I had a Kindle I also wouldn’t be able to read. I will concede the screen is breakthrough technology. Sorry to all the early-adopters out there but I really don’t see the advantage of this device over the analog version.
Three major weaknesses of the Kindle. 1 – The price tag. $400 is a little much for a reader. Yes I understand it has wireless internet access but every handheld device these days has that. Plus most of the ‘subscription’ based services they offer can be gotten for free over the internet. Why subscribe (and pay) to read the WSJ when I will be able to browse it with any other device for free. The same goes for most of magazines and blog services that are being offered. You can get the same content for free elsewhere. 2 – First run books start on $9.99. While that’s cheaper than a hardbound it is more expensive than trade paperbacks (which is what I buy). The price point of electronic books should hover somewhere between $2-$5 apiece. It makes no sense to spend more than I would on a physical book for the electronic version. The savings on manufacturing and distribution alone would be huge. Heck for back catalog stuff that been around for years it could be priced at dollar or under and show nothing but profits for the publisher. 3 – With MP3 players I can copy my existing CD collection into the player and only have to worry about purchasing new items. There is no such ability with the Kindle. If I want to have access to an old favorite I have to buy it again. That’s a no-go. Another minor quibble. One of the places I read is in an airplane. It’s already annoying that I have to turn off my mp3 player during take off and landing but if I had a Kindle I also wouldn’t be able to read. I will concede the screen is breakthrough technology. Sorry to all the early-adopters out there but I really don’t see the advantage of this device over the analog version.
Get Ready for a News Magazine Bonanza! - Nov 25, 2007 - 07:31pm
RDM has confirmed that the first ten episodes of season four are in the can. The question is what will happen to the last ten episodes. Depending on how long the strike goes on the production could lose key actors. I don’t know how studios are planning on holding on to actors whose contracts expire fairly soon (as most the BSG actor’s contracts will). RDM has said there is a real possibility that if the strike goes on too long the Sci-fi channel might just throw in the bag and not produce those last then episodes deeming it too expensive and difficult. There are a lot of shows that are in this same situation. The situation is going to become even more complex next summer when the actor’s and director’s guild contracts come up for renewal. They’re going to be arguing for the same things the writers are arguing over. If the writers strike is still going on and all sides remain obstinate then all three major guilds could end up striking at the same time.
RDM has confirmed that the first ten episodes of season four are in the can. The question is what will happen to the last ten episodes. Depending on how long the strike goes on the production could lose key actors. I don’t know how studios are planning on holding on to actors whose contracts expire fairly soon (as most the BSG actor’s contracts will). RDM has said there is a real possibility that if the strike goes on too long the Sci-fi channel might just throw in the bag and not produce those last then episodes deeming it too expensive and difficult. There are a lot of shows that are in this same situation. The situation is going to become even more complex next summer when the actor’s and director’s guild contracts come up for renewal. They’re going to be arguing for the same things the writers are arguing over. If the writers strike is still going on and all sides remain obstinate then all three major guilds could end up striking at the same time.
HEROES: Four Months Ago - Nov 14, 2007 - 12:46pm
That will not be seen. Peter’s scar occurred in the timeline where New York was destroyed by a bomb. That was prevented so therefore those events did not occur. Hence there will be no scar.
That will not be seen. Peter’s scar occurred in the timeline where New York was destroyed by a bomb. That was prevented so therefore those events did not occur. Hence there will be no scar.
HEROES: Four Months Ago - Nov 14, 2007 - 11:57am
Oh come on people. It’s obvious that the ‘Wonder Twins’ are intended to be the source of the future virus. Sylar kills the brother, the Company tries to use their version of the disease to ‘cure’ Maya’s dangerous powers and it ends up mutating into an incurable from and without her brother around to contain her it spreads across the entire world. As for Sylar’s powers, the Company probably used the virus on him to remove his powers/test the ‘cure’. The question is how did they keep it from killing him without Mohinder’s blood?
Oh come on people. It’s obvious that the ‘Wonder Twins’ are intended to be the source of the future virus. Sylar kills the brother, the Company tries to use their version of the disease to ‘cure’ Maya’s dangerous powers and it ends up mutating into an incurable from and without her brother around to contain her it spreads across the entire world. As for Sylar’s powers, the Company probably used the virus on him to remove his powers/test the ‘cure’. The question is how did they keep it from killing him without Mohinder’s blood?
REAPER: Love, Bullets, and Blacktop - Nov 09, 2007 - 12:24pm
Robert Wise is the primary reason to watch this show. He is awesome. Honestly I think they scrap the current premise and focus the entire show on following the Devil around to his various human contractors. One week he’s in New York getting a cop to turn some people, the next he’s in LA tempting an actress.
Robert Wise is the primary reason to watch this show. He is awesome. Honestly I think they scrap the current premise and focus the entire show on following the Devil around to his various human contractors. One week he’s in New York getting a cop to turn some people, the next he’s in LA tempting an actress.
BIONIC WOMAN: The List - Nov 09, 2007 - 11:57am
Unfortunately Sackhoff has only filmed five episodes for the show thus far and she’s already appeared in four. So there’s only one more ep with her in it. The rest of the time we’re stuck with Ryan. Who I will concede is a good actress but is saddled with incredibly bad scripts. As I’ve said before the producers clearly just pitched ‘Bionic Woman’ to the network and started filming without any sort of plan or idea about what they wanted the show to be. I turned this episode off about halfway through. Banging my head against the wall for a half an hour seemed more productive.
Unfortunately Sackhoff has only filmed five episodes for the show thus far and she’s already appeared in four. So there’s only one more ep with her in it. The rest of the time we’re stuck with Ryan. Who I will concede is a good actress but is saddled with incredibly bad scripts. As I’ve said before the producers clearly just pitched ‘Bionic Woman’ to the network and started filming without any sort of plan or idea about what they wanted the show to be. I turned this episode off about halfway through. Banging my head against the wall for a half an hour seemed more productive.
HEROES: Fight or Flight - Oct 24, 2007 - 04:51pm
‘nothing has been mentioned about the bomb that went off above the city cause it probally looked to most like a wierd solar flare. and this series picked up 4 months after taht day.' Yes and it only took four months before everybody stopped talking about 9/11. Why I bet nobody even remembers what happened that day. A freaking NUCLEAR BOMB!!!! went off over the skies of the most populous city in the USA and four months later nobody cares? The blast was powerful enough to DESTROY New York. Such a blast would have disrupted electronics and power for miles around the area it was visible 100s of miles away. The shockwave alone should have blown out windows for dozens of miles in all directions. Planes would have been knocked out of the sky. Radiation and fallout would still be prevalent (anybody want to set up a homestead next door to Chernobyl?). Drinking water could very well have been contaminated. Even if the general public somehow missed the event (it was late and most people were in bed after all) the government would be all over it. A NUCLEAR BOMB went off over New York City. I’d think somebody might care just a little. Maybe want to find out exactly what happened and find a way to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Hell Bush would have at least used it as an excuse to invade Canada or something. As another reviewer pointed out, Heroes has these ‘big moments’ but the follow-up is crap and makes very little sense.
‘nothing has been mentioned about the bomb that went off above the city cause it probally looked to most like a wierd solar flare. and this series picked up 4 months after taht day.' Yes and it only took four months before everybody stopped talking about 9/11. Why I bet nobody even remembers what happened that day. A freaking NUCLEAR BOMB!!!! went off over the skies of the most populous city in the USA and four months later nobody cares? The blast was powerful enough to DESTROY New York. Such a blast would have disrupted electronics and power for miles around the area it was visible 100s of miles away. The shockwave alone should have blown out windows for dozens of miles in all directions. Planes would have been knocked out of the sky. Radiation and fallout would still be prevalent (anybody want to set up a homestead next door to Chernobyl?). Drinking water could very well have been contaminated. Even if the general public somehow missed the event (it was late and most people were in bed after all) the government would be all over it. A NUCLEAR BOMB went off over New York City. I’d think somebody might care just a little. Maybe want to find out exactly what happened and find a way to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Hell Bush would have at least used it as an excuse to invade Canada or something. As another reviewer pointed out, Heroes has these ‘big moments’ but the follow-up is crap and makes very little sense.
HEROES: Fight or Flight - Oct 24, 2007 - 12:40pm
Did the entire world forget what happened last season? A nuclear bomb went off over New York City. Let me repeat that. A freaking nuclear bomb (or the human equivalent of it) went off over New York City. A blast big enough to destroy New York went off over the skies of New York and was clearly visible for miles in all directions. There’s been absolutely NO repercussion from this event? None. No mention in the news. There wasn’t a major terror alert? One would think the US government might want to know who blew up a NUCLEAR BOMB over NEW YORK CITY. Nobody noticed any planes falling out of the sky when their electronics fried? No major power outages and the resultant violence and lawlessness that accompanies such an event? No lingering radiation effects? No additional security measures? No panicked people in the streets? A NUCLEAR F*****G BOMB WENT OFF OVER NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Somebody should have noticed. And only Bennett, Mohinder and Matt seemed to have swapped e-mail addresses? None of the other major characters thought it might be a good idea to keep in touch with other people like themselves? I’m not saying they needed to form a ‘Justice League’ but the whole point of last season (or at least ONE of them) was to bring the characters together. And now this season they all start out separated again. Huh?
Did the entire world forget what happened last season? A nuclear bomb went off over New York City. Let me repeat that. A freaking nuclear bomb (or the human equivalent of it) went off over New York City. A blast big enough to destroy New York went off over the skies of New York and was clearly visible for miles in all directions. There’s been absolutely NO repercussion from this event? None. No mention in the news. There wasn’t a major terror alert? One would think the US government might want to know who blew up a NUCLEAR BOMB over NEW YORK CITY. Nobody noticed any planes falling out of the sky when their electronics fried? No major power outages and the resultant violence and lawlessness that accompanies such an event? No lingering radiation effects? No additional security measures? No panicked people in the streets? A NUCLEAR F*****G BOMB WENT OFF OVER NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Somebody should have noticed. And only Bennett, Mohinder and Matt seemed to have swapped e-mail addresses? None of the other major characters thought it might be a good idea to keep in touch with other people like themselves? I’m not saying they needed to form a ‘Justice League’ but the whole point of last season (or at least ONE of them) was to bring the characters together. And now this season they all start out separated again. Huh?
BIONIC WOMAN: Faceoff - Oct 19, 2007 - 10:48am
Ok, this was moderately better than the first couple of episode. Meaning it merely sucked instead of both sucking and blowing. First off, the ‘lying thing’ was idiotic and contrived. All Jamie had to do was say “I have to go out of town for work” and no silly lie. It makes Jamie look stupid (and Jonas for not suggesting it) and goes for cheap melodrama. I get they were trying for a ‘thematic’ episode but if they are going to be this ham-fisted about it they should give up now. The mission (like all the others) was ill-conceived and under developed. It was just a plot device. And a bad one at that. Paraguay has no anti-terrorism laws? Huh? What was the point of that? If they wanted to stay isolated just say the mission needs to be ‘covert’ the implication that Paraguay is a terrorist haven is just dumb. And how did the terrorist group know about bionics? And if they were after the bionics why broadcast that they captured the doctor BEFORE he cracks the encryption? All they needed to do was keep him isolated and Jonas and his crew wouldn’t have been able to find him. Again it’s stupid and contrived. Even more stupid than the McGuffin missions from Alias. And the Corvus plotline makes even less sense. Did she let herself get captured? How did Jonas know where to find her? The fact that he knows she’s working was Andros (sp?) and is giving her medicine implies he has intel sources inside Andros’s organization. So why can’t he use those to locate him? Do the writers never bother to think through the logical implications of what people say? And in one episode it looks like Jonas wants to kill Corvus, now he wants to help her. The writers need to make up their damn minds about where this show is going and who the characters are. And am I the only one who notices that the headquarters seems to change each week. At times it looks like there are in a high tech facility than it looks like they’re in an abandoned warehouse and other times like they are based in a cave. I think I’m pretty much done with this show.
Ok, this was moderately better than the first couple of episode. Meaning it merely sucked instead of both sucking and blowing. First off, the ‘lying thing’ was idiotic and contrived. All Jamie had to do was say “I have to go out of town for work” and no silly lie. It makes Jamie look stupid (and Jonas for not suggesting it) and goes for cheap melodrama. I get they were trying for a ‘thematic’ episode but if they are going to be this ham-fisted about it they should give up now. The mission (like all the others) was ill-conceived and under developed. It was just a plot device. And a bad one at that. Paraguay has no anti-terrorism laws? Huh? What was the point of that? If they wanted to stay isolated just say the mission needs to be ‘covert’ the implication that Paraguay is a terrorist haven is just dumb. And how did the terrorist group know about bionics? And if they were after the bionics why broadcast that they captured the doctor BEFORE he cracks the encryption? All they needed to do was keep him isolated and Jonas and his crew wouldn’t have been able to find him. Again it’s stupid and contrived. Even more stupid than the McGuffin missions from Alias. And the Corvus plotline makes even less sense. Did she let herself get captured? How did Jonas know where to find her? The fact that he knows she’s working was Andros (sp?) and is giving her medicine implies he has intel sources inside Andros’s organization. So why can’t he use those to locate him? Do the writers never bother to think through the logical implications of what people say? And in one episode it looks like Jonas wants to kill Corvus, now he wants to help her. The writers need to make up their damn minds about where this show is going and who the characters are. And am I the only one who notices that the headquarters seems to change each week. At times it looks like there are in a high tech facility than it looks like they’re in an abandoned warehouse and other times like they are based in a cave. I think I’m pretty much done with this show.
REAPER: Magic - Oct 18, 2007 - 11:03am
David Wise as the Devil continues to be the stand-out element of the show. His ability to shift from ‘father-figure’ to outright evil is a joy to watch (and he’s clearly having fun with the part). Am I the only one who would love to see a spin-off series focusing on the Devil traveling around the world to his various ‘sub-contractors’ like Sam? However I disagree with those who say there is no ongoing story arc to the show. They’ve clearly been setting at least two up from the pilot. 1 – Most obviously, the relationship between Andi and Sam. I think we all get that one. More important is: 2 – Sam’s relationship/obligation to the Devil. The Devil needs Sam. The question is why? Why not let Sam see the contract? Why did the parent’s contract turn to dust? Why is the Devil ‘helping’ Sam? Or more precisely, why is he TEMPTING Sam? Think about it guys. There has to be a reason the Devil is being ‘nice’ to Sam and ‘helping’ him while constantly pushing on the fact that Sam has no choice in his mission but denies him access to his contract. I’m thinking there’s a twist. Sam’s other friend did say it was odd that the parents could give away Sam’s soul. Maybe they couldn’t and Devil just wants Sam to think they did. It seems the show is subtlety setting itself up to explore that issue. PS – I love Kevin Smith, but he will openly admit that he has sold himself out for money at the drop of the hat on several occasions. He’s not stupid.
David Wise as the Devil continues to be the stand-out element of the show. His ability to shift from ‘father-figure’ to outright evil is a joy to watch (and he’s clearly having fun with the part). Am I the only one who would love to see a spin-off series focusing on the Devil traveling around the world to his various ‘sub-contractors’ like Sam? However I disagree with those who say there is no ongoing story arc to the show. They’ve clearly been setting at least two up from the pilot. 1 – Most obviously, the relationship between Andi and Sam. I think we all get that one. More important is: 2 – Sam’s relationship/obligation to the Devil. The Devil needs Sam. The question is why? Why not let Sam see the contract? Why did the parent’s contract turn to dust? Why is the Devil ‘helping’ Sam? Or more precisely, why is he TEMPTING Sam? Think about it guys. There has to be a reason the Devil is being ‘nice’ to Sam and ‘helping’ him while constantly pushing on the fact that Sam has no choice in his mission but denies him access to his contract. I’m thinking there’s a twist. Sam’s other friend did say it was odd that the parents could give away Sam’s soul. Maybe they couldn’t and Devil just wants Sam to think they did. It seems the show is subtlety setting itself up to explore that issue. PS – I love Kevin Smith, but he will openly admit that he has sold himself out for money at the drop of the hat on several occasions. He’s not stupid.
HEROES: The Kindness of Strangers - Oct 17, 2007 - 11:09am
George Takei, Michelle Nichols. I guess in season three we’ll get Walter Koenig.
George Takei, Michelle Nichols. I guess in season three we’ll get Walter Koenig.
BIONIC WOMAN: Paradise Lost - Oct 12, 2007 - 11:51am
Metalwater, as usual, finds many of this shows weaknesses. The bloated cast, which is going to get even more bloated if reports about a new ‘love interest’ are true, an ill-defined lead and silly missions. There are also a lot of report about behind the scenes troubles with the production and writing staff on a virtual merry-go-round. Which does not bode well for this show settling down and finding its voice. I think the biggest single problem with this series is that it was clearly rushed. The producers pitched ‘Bionic Woman’ to NBC who jumped at it and they ended up starting production before they even knew what they wanted the show to be about. Hence, re-casts and re-shots for the pilot, a revolving door for the writing staff (Glenn Morgan left over ‘creative differences’), a widely variable tone throughout each episode with different scenes seemingly written by different writers without any effort to mesh them together. Nobody knew what they wanted to show to focus on so they ended up throwing in everything, a ‘more secret/powerful than the CIA shadowy government agency’, a family dynamic, the heroine learning her powers, the arch villain, the conspiracy and anything else they could think of. Now they have a mess on their hands and given the previously mentioned problems behind the scenes I don’t think anyone knows how to fix it. I’ll give this one or two more weeks to show some signs of improvement otherwise I’ll have an extra hour to start whittling down that big stack of books I’ve been meaning to read. PS – Am I the only one who thinks there are a lot of NBC execs who are asking the producers why they didn’t cast Katee Sackoff in the lead instead of Michelle Ryan. Ryan may be improving but Sackoff is still blowing her out the water in every scene they are in together.
Metalwater, as usual, finds many of this shows weaknesses. The bloated cast, which is going to get even more bloated if reports about a new ‘love interest’ are true, an ill-defined lead and silly missions. There are also a lot of report about behind the scenes troubles with the production and writing staff on a virtual merry-go-round. Which does not bode well for this show settling down and finding its voice. I think the biggest single problem with this series is that it was clearly rushed. The producers pitched ‘Bionic Woman’ to NBC who jumped at it and they ended up starting production before they even knew what they wanted the show to be about. Hence, re-casts and re-shots for the pilot, a revolving door for the writing staff (Glenn Morgan left over ‘creative differences’), a widely variable tone throughout each episode with different scenes seemingly written by different writers without any effort to mesh them together. Nobody knew what they wanted to show to focus on so they ended up throwing in everything, a ‘more secret/powerful than the CIA shadowy government agency’, a family dynamic, the heroine learning her powers, the arch villain, the conspiracy and anything else they could think of. Now they have a mess on their hands and given the previously mentioned problems behind the scenes I don’t think anyone knows how to fix it. I’ll give this one or two more weeks to show some signs of improvement otherwise I’ll have an extra hour to start whittling down that big stack of books I’ve been meaning to read. PS – Am I the only one who thinks there are a lot of NBC execs who are asking the producers why they didn’t cast Katee Sackoff in the lead instead of Michelle Ryan. Ryan may be improving but Sackoff is still blowing her out the water in every scene they are in together.
BIONIC WOMAN: Paradise Lost - Oct 05, 2007 - 12:31pm
You liked the fight scene? First off, it was only one soldier/terrorist/NRA wannabe/whatever she was fighting not two. Although I can understand the confusion given the weak editing. Second it was established in the pilot that her bionics come included with a whole slew of pre-programmed combat scenarios (that’s how she took out the mugger with all those fancy martial arts maneuvers). Plus she held her own against a fully bionic Corvus. And now a normal human, however well trained, can toss her around like a rag doll. Huh? Did the writers of the second episode not watch the pilot (not that I blame them)? I understand the need not to make Jamie a sudden superwoman but they shouldn’t establish abilities then forget about them. Metalworker hit the nail on the head when he said the show has no focus. Obviously the producers pitched ‘Bionic Woman’ and had not clue where to go after that. The fact that they are still adding/tweaking the cast and all the shifts behind the scenes indicates a production in chaos. On a separate note. Did anybody else catch the TV in the house playing the Pegasus death scene from Battlestar Galactica?
You liked the fight scene? First off, it was only one soldier/terrorist/NRA wannabe/whatever she was fighting not two. Although I can understand the confusion given the weak editing. Second it was established in the pilot that her bionics come included with a whole slew of pre-programmed combat scenarios (that’s how she took out the mugger with all those fancy martial arts maneuvers). Plus she held her own against a fully bionic Corvus. And now a normal human, however well trained, can toss her around like a rag doll. Huh? Did the writers of the second episode not watch the pilot (not that I blame them)? I understand the need not to make Jamie a sudden superwoman but they shouldn’t establish abilities then forget about them. Metalworker hit the nail on the head when he said the show has no focus. Obviously the producers pitched ‘Bionic Woman’ and had not clue where to go after that. The fact that they are still adding/tweaking the cast and all the shifts behind the scenes indicates a production in chaos. On a separate note. Did anybody else catch the TV in the house playing the Pegasus death scene from Battlestar Galactica?
EURKEA: A Night in Global Dynamics - Oct 04, 2007 - 02:18pm
I have to join with the others who found this episode disappointing. It was almost as if the writers suddenly realized they reached end of the season and rushed everything. Henry’s actions made little to no sense. There were so many other ways he could have accomplished the same goal. Why jeopardize everybody at GD with a false Bio-threat? He had to have known about the buildings defense systems and the sterilization procedures. Henry might want to punish Beverly for killing Kim and Alison and Stark for locking him out but he would not jeopardize a bunch of innocent people to do it. And he didn’t have to. Given that Carter and Stark could get to the lab there was obviously access to the transporter that didn’t need to seal off the building and drop the President’s office into a big hole. For that matter why even bring Beverly along? What did he need her for? He had everything he needed to save Ben. Beverly was just untrustworthy dead weight. And the whole virus thing was so … I want to say silly. The key to alchemy is a virus that if you discover it turns on you and destroys your civilization. Huh? And can anyone actually explain the ‘akkasha’ field or whatever it’s called to me? I still don’t quite understand it. I agree that the Carter/Stark stuff worked. The Jo stuff was ok. The last sequence …. I don’t even want to touch that.
I have to join with the others who found this episode disappointing. It was almost as if the writers suddenly realized they reached end of the season and rushed everything. Henry’s actions made little to no sense. There were so many other ways he could have accomplished the same goal. Why jeopardize everybody at GD with a false Bio-threat? He had to have known about the buildings defense systems and the sterilization procedures. Henry might want to punish Beverly for killing Kim and Alison and Stark for locking him out but he would not jeopardize a bunch of innocent people to do it. And he didn’t have to. Given that Carter and Stark could get to the lab there was obviously access to the transporter that didn’t need to seal off the building and drop the President’s office into a big hole. For that matter why even bring Beverly along? What did he need her for? He had everything he needed to save Ben. Beverly was just untrustworthy dead weight. And the whole virus thing was so … I want to say silly. The key to alchemy is a virus that if you discover it turns on you and destroys your civilization. Huh? And can anyone actually explain the ‘akkasha’ field or whatever it’s called to me? I still don’t quite understand it. I agree that the Carter/Stark stuff worked. The Jo stuff was ok. The last sequence …. I don’t even want to touch that.
Blustering Over Barcodes - Oct 03, 2007 - 11:36am
Requiring UPC codes is common practice for many retailers and distributors. Wal-Mart (as usual) got the ball rolling on this a few years ago when they required anyone who wanted to sell through their stores to have a UPC code (the use of UPC codes is critical for Wal-Mart’s inventory tracking system). Most grocery store chains have similar requirements (and have had them for years/decades). The major bookstore chains/distributors have also required UPC codes on new books for a long time. In many ways the comic industry is way behind the curve on this trend. Frankly I’m surprised Diamond didn’t already have such a requirement in place. From their perspective, the benefits in standardization and inventory tracking are enormous. Even if another major distributor existed to compete with Diamond my guess is they too would require UPC codes. The system is too ingrained in the retail world at this point to be able to blow it off. My guess is part of the reason Diamond is doing this is because some of the larger retail chains they sell to (or wish to sell to) are requiring them to have UPC codes on all of their products. Of course this article does an excellent job of pointing out the problem of requiring UPC codes. It serves as yet another cost and barrier to entry for smaller publishers. A good thing for Diamond to do in this case would be to purchase and make available a limited number of UPC codes to small press companies. I think that would go a way towards improving Diamond’s image with small publishers that only put out a couple of titles and who already have ridiculously tight margins.
Requiring UPC codes is common practice for many retailers and distributors. Wal-Mart (as usual) got the ball rolling on this a few years ago when they required anyone who wanted to sell through their stores to have a UPC code (the use of UPC codes is critical for Wal-Mart’s inventory tracking system). Most grocery store chains have similar requirements (and have had them for years/decades). The major bookstore chains/distributors have also required UPC codes on new books for a long time. In many ways the comic industry is way behind the curve on this trend. Frankly I’m surprised Diamond didn’t already have such a requirement in place. From their perspective, the benefits in standardization and inventory tracking are enormous. Even if another major distributor existed to compete with Diamond my guess is they too would require UPC codes. The system is too ingrained in the retail world at this point to be able to blow it off. My guess is part of the reason Diamond is doing this is because some of the larger retail chains they sell to (or wish to sell to) are requiring them to have UPC codes on all of their products. Of course this article does an excellent job of pointing out the problem of requiring UPC codes. It serves as yet another cost and barrier to entry for smaller publishers. A good thing for Diamond to do in this case would be to purchase and make available a limited number of UPC codes to small press companies. I think that would go a way towards improving Diamond’s image with small publishers that only put out a couple of titles and who already have ridiculously tight margins.
HEROES: Lizards - Oct 03, 2007 - 09:56am
As was pointed out this episode we really don’t know the full extent of Claire’s and now Kensei’s healing/regenerative abilities. They could in theory be immortal. Their body’s natural regenerative abilities keeping them alive for centuries. I say this because the killer is using Kensei’s symbol and that symbol seems to be used by many of the ‘nine’ heroes. What if the killer is Kensei? He was one of the founding nine and they did something to seriously tick him off. Just a theory.
As was pointed out this episode we really don’t know the full extent of Claire’s and now Kensei’s healing/regenerative abilities. They could in theory be immortal. Their body’s natural regenerative abilities keeping them alive for centuries. I say this because the killer is using Kensei’s symbol and that symbol seems to be used by many of the ‘nine’ heroes. What if the killer is Kensei? He was one of the founding nine and they did something to seriously tick him off. Just a theory.
Jordan Bridges Falls For BIONIC WOMAN - Sep 28, 2007 - 02:20pm
Some of the uneven feel stems from the fact that this is (depending on how one counts) the third or fourth version of the pilot. What I saw at Comic-Con was different. The most obvious difference was the complete revamp of Jamie’s sister from a deaf teenager to a computer literate genius. The sequences involving the Doc’s father were also trimmed a bit. The fact that they are still tweaking the cast this late in the game shows that the producers still don’t have a real feel for what they are doing. While I see the potential of this show I very worried that the lack of clear vision will end up killing it.
Some of the uneven feel stems from the fact that this is (depending on how one counts) the third or fourth version of the pilot. What I saw at Comic-Con was different. The most obvious difference was the complete revamp of Jamie’s sister from a deaf teenager to a computer literate genius. The sequences involving the Doc’s father were also trimmed a bit. The fact that they are still tweaking the cast this late in the game shows that the producers still don’t have a real feel for what they are doing. While I see the potential of this show I very worried that the lack of clear vision will end up killing it.
CHUCK: Pilot - Sep 27, 2007 - 11:07am
Mixed feelings on this one. Yes the premise is silly, but then again most Sci-fi/fantasy premises are silly (cheerleader fights vampires, Wagon Train in space). The execution is what matters. And here it’s hit and miss. The jokes only hit about 30 percent of the time for me. A lot of the time they came across as forced. The show was trying too hard to be ‘quirky’ and ‘oddball.’ A lot of that I’m willing to forgive in pilot where writers and actors haven’t yet found the rhythm (except Baldwin who’s played this type of character so many times now he can do it in his sleep and still do it well). I’m willing to give it a couple of more weeks to find itself.
Mixed feelings on this one. Yes the premise is silly, but then again most Sci-fi/fantasy premises are silly (cheerleader fights vampires, Wagon Train in space). The execution is what matters. And here it’s hit and miss. The jokes only hit about 30 percent of the time for me. A lot of the time they came across as forced. The show was trying too hard to be ‘quirky’ and ‘oddball.’ A lot of that I’m willing to forgive in pilot where writers and actors haven’t yet found the rhythm (except Baldwin who’s played this type of character so many times now he can do it in his sleep and still do it well). I’m willing to give it a couple of more weeks to find itself.
Which Premiere Did You Watch? - Sep 25, 2007 - 05:04pm
Prison Break - Didn’t care the last two years, still don’t care now. K-ville – Watched the premier last week. I agree on the editing, very sloppy. Does everybody have to copy early NYPD Blues and The Shield with the heavy use of hand-helds and ‘grainy’ film? We get it; your show is ‘dark’ and ‘gritty’ no need to belabor the point. Overall though, not bad, but not enough to hold my interest or draw my attention from Heroes. Chuck – Passable but very very raw. It’s trying way to hard to be ‘quirky.’ The humor is very hit and miss (with only about a 30% hit rate for me). It does have potential so I’m willing to give it a couple of more weeks. Heroes (spoilers) – Same problem I had with the premier last year. Too many story lines and only two or three of them interest me. As I understand it they’re going to be adding even more characters on this year so it could get even more cumbersome to follow. The Bennet’s trying to get by in the ‘real world’ was ok, if somewhat predictable. Who didn’t see the coffee break scene coming from the moment the manager first opened his mouth? And Claire’s new love interest having powers was telegraphed a mile away. The fleeing brother and sister were just set up so no real way to comment on that story line. Nathan, how the mighty have fallen. The Hiro stuff … I generally hate time travel stories so it’s already got a huge hit against it going in and the Hiro-Kensei interplay just didn’t work for me. Nothing else really caught my eye. Journeyman – Didn’t bother. Watched ‘How I Met Your Mother’ on tape instead. Still funny, but needed more Barney. Watched the first 5 minutes or so of ‘Big Bang Theory’ turned it off and read a book. My god that was bad. Tonight is the train wreck with The Unit, Eureka, Reaper and House all on at the same time. Talk about a tough night of choices.
Prison Break - Didn’t care the last two years, still don’t care now. K-ville – Watched the premier last week. I agree on the editing, very sloppy. Does everybody have to copy early NYPD Blues and The Shield with the heavy use of hand-helds and ‘grainy’ film? We get it; your show is ‘dark’ and ‘gritty’ no need to belabor the point. Overall though, not bad, but not enough to hold my interest or draw my attention from Heroes. Chuck – Passable but very very raw. It’s trying way to hard to be ‘quirky.’ The humor is very hit and miss (with only about a 30% hit rate for me). It does have potential so I’m willing to give it a couple of more weeks. Heroes (spoilers) – Same problem I had with the premier last year. Too many story lines and only two or three of them interest me. As I understand it they’re going to be adding even more characters on this year so it could get even more cumbersome to follow. The Bennet’s trying to get by in the ‘real world’ was ok, if somewhat predictable. Who didn’t see the coffee break scene coming from the moment the manager first opened his mouth? And Claire’s new love interest having powers was telegraphed a mile away. The fleeing brother and sister were just set up so no real way to comment on that story line. Nathan, how the mighty have fallen. The Hiro stuff … I generally hate time travel stories so it’s already got a huge hit against it going in and the Hiro-Kensei interplay just didn’t work for me. Nothing else really caught my eye. Journeyman – Didn’t bother. Watched ‘How I Met Your Mother’ on tape instead. Still funny, but needed more Barney. Watched the first 5 minutes or so of ‘Big Bang Theory’ turned it off and read a book. My god that was bad. Tonight is the train wreck with The Unit, Eureka, Reaper and House all on at the same time. Talk about a tough night of choices.
Continuity Crisis - Sep 19, 2007 - 11:07am
Legion of Superheroes I’m always amazed no one ever mentions this book when discussing continuity. Although part of the ‘DCU’ LSH’s setting 1,000 years in the future was far enough removed that it effectively existed outside the standard continuity. That enabled multiple creative teams to pick up the reigns from previous teams and build on the existing LSH continuity without ret-conning all the previous work out of existence. From its introduction to the mid-nineties LSH maintained a remarkably tight continuous story line that aged the characters from teenagers to young adults. Along the way we had deaths, marriages, the complete revamping of the team and evolving characters. LSH, alone of all the DCU books, managed to retain its existing continuity after the first Crisis. In fact it wasn’t until the Zero Hour event that LSH was finally forced to ‘reboot’ and jettison over two decades of story lines. A move that still pisses me off.
Legion of Superheroes I’m always amazed no one ever mentions this book when discussing continuity. Although part of the ‘DCU’ LSH’s setting 1,000 years in the future was far enough removed that it effectively existed outside the standard continuity. That enabled multiple creative teams to pick up the reigns from previous teams and build on the existing LSH continuity without ret-conning all the previous work out of existence. From its introduction to the mid-nineties LSH maintained a remarkably tight continuous story line that aged the characters from teenagers to young adults. Along the way we had deaths, marriages, the complete revamping of the team and evolving characters. LSH, alone of all the DCU books, managed to retain its existing continuity after the first Crisis. In fact it wasn’t until the Zero Hour event that LSH was finally forced to ‘reboot’ and jettison over two decades of story lines. A move that still pisses me off.
THE DRESDEN FILES: The Complete First Season - Sep 09, 2007 - 10:36am
The problem (one of the problems) with Flash Gordon is that everything about the show reeks of being done on the cheap. Watching the first couple of episodes you can actually hear what went on in the production meetings: Sci-fi exec: “Do we have to set the whole show on Mongo? It’s expensive to build ‘sci-fi’ looking sets.” FG Producer: “Then let’s figure out some way to keep most of the action on Earth.” Sci-fi exec: “Perfect, we can reuse all those sets from our snake movies. But, you know, spaceship effects are expensive.” FG Producer: “No problem, we’ll just use the Stargate only we’ll call it a ‘rift’.” Sci-fi exec: “Money in the bank. Now how about all those different species on Mongo, make-up is expensive.” FG Producer: “We won’t make them different species; we’ll just make them different tribes of humans wearing funny clothes. No need for wings on the ‘hawkmen’, we’ll just have them jump around lot.” Sci-fi exec: “All good suggestions, just remember, you can not spend more than $5 per episode.” Don’t get me wrong, cheap can be done well (see early Dr. Who for proof and the first Terminator movie). But here cheap is being used in place of creativity. They’re doing the ‘rift’ thing because it’s a good way to save money on sets and spaceship FX, not because it’s an interesting way to tell stories. That’s why the concept is so badly fleshed out and makes no sense.
The problem (one of the problems) with Flash Gordon is that everything about the show reeks of being done on the cheap. Watching the first couple of episodes you can actually hear what went on in the production meetings: Sci-fi exec: “Do we have to set the whole show on Mongo? It’s expensive to build ‘sci-fi’ looking sets.” FG Producer: “Then let’s figure out some way to keep most of the action on Earth.” Sci-fi exec: “Perfect, we can reuse all those sets from our snake movies. But, you know, spaceship effects are expensive.” FG Producer: “No problem, we’ll just use the Stargate only we’ll call it a ‘rift’.” Sci-fi exec: “Money in the bank. Now how about all those different species on Mongo, make-up is expensive.” FG Producer: “We won’t make them different species; we’ll just make them different tribes of humans wearing funny clothes. No need for wings on the ‘hawkmen’, we’ll just have them jump around lot.” Sci-fi exec: “All good suggestions, just remember, you can not spend more than $5 per episode.” Don’t get me wrong, cheap can be done well (see early Dr. Who for proof and the first Terminator movie). But here cheap is being used in place of creativity. They’re doing the ‘rift’ thing because it’s a good way to save money on sets and spaceship FX, not because it’s an interesting way to tell stories. That’s why the concept is so badly fleshed out and makes no sense.
THE DRESDEN FILES: The Complete First Season - Sep 09, 2007 - 01:16am
A very good show. Yes, there were significant departures from the books, some bad but most good. Personally I thought the re-imaging of Bob was excellent and worked better on TV than just a skull would have. And I liked the hockey stick and other modern items used as magical implements; it gave the magic a more ‘real world’ feel. Such touches also added to the shows somewhat quirky humor. It’s a shame the sci-fi channel killed it because they did not outright own the property. Choosing to replace a quality show with their in-house produced Painkiller Jane (an unwatchable mess) and Flash Gordon (which demonstrates how to destroy a cultural icon in three easy steps). I actually think one of the reasons the sci-fi channel is ending BSG after season four is because it does not have full ownership of the show. Don’t be surprised if sci-fi takes a pass on the next season of Dr. Who.
A very good show. Yes, there were significant departures from the books, some bad but most good. Personally I thought the re-imaging of Bob was excellent and worked better on TV than just a skull would have. And I liked the hockey stick and other modern items used as magical implements; it gave the magic a more ‘real world’ feel. Such touches also added to the shows somewhat quirky humor. It’s a shame the sci-fi channel killed it because they did not outright own the property. Choosing to replace a quality show with their in-house produced Painkiller Jane (an unwatchable mess) and Flash Gordon (which demonstrates how to destroy a cultural icon in three easy steps). I actually think one of the reasons the sci-fi channel is ending BSG after season four is because it does not have full ownership of the show. Don’t be surprised if sci-fi takes a pass on the next season of Dr. Who.
Fox Pulls Out of COMIC CON - Jul 20, 2007 - 12:08am
Not to mention the fact that there are parents there with their kids (some geeks actually do move out of their parent’s basements, get married and have sex). And you do recall that Sunday is designated kids day at the Con right? Its kind of big deal for them. I don’t disagree with having R-rated material available (there are a lot of adult oriented comics available and other products available). But the Hall H events are open to everyone. This is a KNOWN fact that Fox was aware of. The fact that they were supposed to stick to ‘green tagged’ material is made clear by the event organizers. Every other studio adheres to this standard. Fox CHOSE not to last year. And again, there were kids in attendance, many under the age of 10 with their parents. There were no warnings about R-rated material being used in the packets. So I’m betting the Con organizers got an earful from a lot of pissed off parents. Hell, I was annoyed by it and I am by no means a prude. But again, to blow off this year’s Comic Con with a WEEKS notice after the schedule has been set, after stars and talent have been booked and promised is unprofessional. Fox KNEW the standards and the rules. If they had a problem they could have just opted out the Con altogether. To cut out now is slap in the face to fans.
Not to mention the fact that there are parents there with their kids (some geeks actually do move out of their parent’s basements, get married and have sex). And you do recall that Sunday is designated kids day at the Con right? Its kind of big deal for them. I don’t disagree with having R-rated material available (there are a lot of adult oriented comics available and other products available). But the Hall H events are open to everyone. This is a KNOWN fact that Fox was aware of. The fact that they were supposed to stick to ‘green tagged’ material is made clear by the event organizers. Every other studio adheres to this standard. Fox CHOSE not to last year. And again, there were kids in attendance, many under the age of 10 with their parents. There were no warnings about R-rated material being used in the packets. So I’m betting the Con organizers got an earful from a lot of pissed off parents. Hell, I was annoyed by it and I am by no means a prude. But again, to blow off this year’s Comic Con with a WEEKS notice after the schedule has been set, after stars and talent have been booked and promised is unprofessional. Fox KNEW the standards and the rules. If they had a problem they could have just opted out the Con altogether. To cut out now is slap in the face to fans.
Fox Pulls Out of COMIC CON - Jul 19, 2007 - 06:26pm
I was at the Borat trailer last year and I thought Fox was way out of line. There were a ton of kids in attendance (I’m talking 10 and under). And SDCC has long posted its requirements for green banner trailers precisely because so many children attend the panels. This is NOT new and Fox was well aware of the requirement. Pulling out with less a weeks notice to major event attended by over 115,000 people is unprofessional and out of line. If Fox did not like the requirements they should have just not agreed to attend the convention from the start.
I was at the Borat trailer last year and I thought Fox was way out of line. There were a ton of kids in attendance (I’m talking 10 and under). And SDCC has long posted its requirements for green banner trailers precisely because so many children attend the panels. This is NOT new and Fox was well aware of the requirement. Pulling out with less a weeks notice to major event attended by over 115,000 people is unprofessional and out of line. If Fox did not like the requirements they should have just not agreed to attend the convention from the start.
EUREKA: Try, Try Again - Jul 19, 2007 - 03:12pm
An eight hour re-boot doesn’t strike me as being that odd. As nax35 pointed out, the dialogue made it clear that the downtime was standard system maintenance that got pushed up because of the change in command made doing both operations simultaneously a time saver. Serious server maintenance can take hours. At my company it is not uncommon to have a server out of action for an hour or more for maintenance or upgrades. GD has a far more complex system, 8 hours seems reasonable.
An eight hour re-boot doesn’t strike me as being that odd. As nax35 pointed out, the dialogue made it clear that the downtime was standard system maintenance that got pushed up because of the change in command made doing both operations simultaneously a time saver. Serious server maintenance can take hours. At my company it is not uncommon to have a server out of action for an hour or more for maintenance or upgrades. GD has a far more complex system, 8 hours seems reasonable.
Fox Pulls Out of COMIC CON - Jul 19, 2007 - 12:19pm
Fox should be deeply ashamed of themselves. They are a major movie studio grossing 100s of millions dollars and they pull out of one of the largest conventions in the States with barely a weeks notice. WTF? There are over 115,000 attendees that go to Comic Con each year. Many of them specifically go to attend the studio panels. For Fox to treat them and Comic Con in this kind of manner is a slap in the face. Fox is seriously screwing over Comic Con and is being incredibly unprofessional. This close to the convention and Comic Con probably already printed up the 120,000 or convention guides with the schedules and there is no time to reprint all of them (and those books have to represent a serious expense for CC). Not to mention that Hall H is the largest exhibition space at the convention (over 5000 seats). Finding something that can be moved over is not going to be easy, especially with the staggered nature of the scheduling. The obvious choice is to move something over from Ballroom 20 or Room 6DCEF the next two largest spaces. But that just creates more changes in the schedule which will have to be communicated to attendees (again over 100k of them). This is going to create all kinds of confusion. If I did something like this in my job, my boss would fire my ass in a second and I wouldn’t blame him.
Fox should be deeply ashamed of themselves. They are a major movie studio grossing 100s of millions dollars and they pull out of one of the largest conventions in the States with barely a weeks notice. WTF? There are over 115,000 attendees that go to Comic Con each year. Many of them specifically go to attend the studio panels. For Fox to treat them and Comic Con in this kind of manner is a slap in the face. Fox is seriously screwing over Comic Con and is being incredibly unprofessional. This close to the convention and Comic Con probably already printed up the 120,000 or convention guides with the schedules and there is no time to reprint all of them (and those books have to represent a serious expense for CC). Not to mention that Hall H is the largest exhibition space at the convention (over 5000 seats). Finding something that can be moved over is not going to be easy, especially with the staggered nature of the scheduling. The obvious choice is to move something over from Ballroom 20 or Room 6DCEF the next two largest spaces. But that just creates more changes in the schedule which will have to be communicated to attendees (again over 100k of them). This is going to create all kinds of confusion. If I did something like this in my job, my boss would fire my ass in a second and I wouldn’t blame him.
Harry Potter's Spell is on Top - Jul 15, 2007 - 07:23pm
Weather played a factor in the good turnout this weekend. The ridiculously hot temperatures on the East and West coasts probably contributed to the high box office. Traditional outside activities are just not that fun in 100+ degree weather. A lot of people opted air conditioned theaters.
Weather played a factor in the good turnout this weekend. The ridiculously hot temperatures on the East and West coasts probably contributed to the high box office. Traditional outside activities are just not that fun in 100+ degree weather. A lot of people opted air conditioned theaters.
More Humor in BOND 22? - Jul 13, 2007 - 05:08pm
Let me get this straight, Casino Royale did damn good box office, has been doing great business on DVD, was universally praised by critics and fans (I can’t think of that many negative comments about the film) so the producers want to mess with the formula. And people wonder why Hollywood is going down hill. The gags were what ruined the last few Bond films (and what drove Brosnan away). The grittier, more realistic Bond is what made Casino Royale a great film.
Let me get this straight, Casino Royale did damn good box office, has been doing great business on DVD, was universally praised by critics and fans (I can’t think of that many negative comments about the film) so the producers want to mess with the formula. And people wonder why Hollywood is going down hill. The gags were what ruined the last few Bond films (and what drove Brosnan away). The grittier, more realistic Bond is what made Casino Royale a great film.
JJ Abrams’ Next Big Thing - Jul 08, 2007 - 06:48pm
Drive has been officially kicked off the schedule again. No word on whether or not Fox will air the last two episodes or hold them for a DVD release or even if there will be a DVD release.
Drive has been officially kicked off the schedule again. No word on whether or not Fox will air the last two episodes or hold them for a DVD release or even if there will be a DVD release.
Babylon 5 Finally - Jun 18, 2007 - 02:05pm
Actually there are plans for a Garibaldi Lost Tale (the script is completed and submitted) but they’ve been pushed to the second DVD release (assuming this one does well enough to justify further DVDs).
Actually there are plans for a Garibaldi Lost Tale (the script is completed and submitted) but they’ve been pushed to the second DVD release (assuming this one does well enough to justify further DVDs).
Awards Shows, whatever … - Feb 18, 2007 - 11:37am
I’m actually ok with a 13 episode season for BSG. It means less filler episodes that don’t advance the main plot and actually create more questions than they answer. I agree waiting until next year to premier the episodes is probably too long. They're actually starting to build audience in the new timeslot. They risk lossing it with an eight month or so lull between new eps.
I’m actually ok with a 13 episode season for BSG. It means less filler episodes that don’t advance the main plot and actually create more questions than they answer. I agree waiting until next year to premier the episodes is probably too long. They're actually starting to build audience in the new timeslot. They risk lossing it with an eight month or so lull between new eps.
Holiday Movies to Replace the Reruns - Nov 26, 2006 - 11:00am
No mention of the original 1947 “Miracle on 34th Street.” Perhaps the greatest Christmas movie ever made. Edmund Gwenn’s Kris Kringle is, for me, the definitive film version of Santa Claus (for which he won a well deserved Oscar). Maureen O’Hare’s pitch perfect as the skeptic, a young Natalie Wood already showing her acting talent. A story that sixty years later still captures the imagination (winning well deserved Oscars for Best Original Story and Best Screenplay). The courtroom sequences make me laugh out loud (“And how do you know there’s a Santa Claus” – “Because my daddy told me so”). “Miracle on 34th Street” goes in the DVD player every Christmas Eve morning. It usually gets popped in a couple of other times throughout the month of December.
No mention of the original 1947 “Miracle on 34th Street.” Perhaps the greatest Christmas movie ever made. Edmund Gwenn’s Kris Kringle is, for me, the definitive film version of Santa Claus (for which he won a well deserved Oscar). Maureen O’Hare’s pitch perfect as the skeptic, a young Natalie Wood already showing her acting talent. A story that sixty years later still captures the imagination (winning well deserved Oscars for Best Original Story and Best Screenplay). The courtroom sequences make me laugh out loud (“And how do you know there’s a Santa Claus” – “Because my daddy told me so”). “Miracle on 34th Street” goes in the DVD player every Christmas Eve morning. It usually gets popped in a couple of other times throughout the month of December.
Fox gives pilot commitment to NSA INNOCENT - Oct 18, 2006 - 06:00pm
I never thought Id see the day when TV decided to remake Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Or am I the only one who had a mom who loved that show.
I never thought Id see the day when TV decided to remake Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Or am I the only one who had a mom who loved that show.
Hooray for Bureaucracy - Oct 18, 2006 - 12:24pm
Part of the problem is that these are graphic novels and comic books which in the United States are default assumed to be childrens literature. I am no censor and find removing these books from the public shelves to be wrong on a number of levels but I can understand Louise Mills problem. My guess is these books were on the same shelves as the Batman and Spiderman graphic novels in the young adult or childrens section of the library. Completely misclassified. They belong in the general literature sections with more adult fare. I see this problem all the time at both libraries and bookstores. Frank Millars Sin City right next to Spiderman on the lower shelves or Sandman (one of my favorite comics) next to the latest Superman comic again lumped in with the kids comics only a shelf away from the Powerpuff Girls books. I routinely see the Vertigo titles on the bottom shelves of the graphic novel section in easy reach of children. While I dont believe just seeing the material will scar a child for life I could see how an unsuspecting parent might look over their kids shoulder while theyre reading Preacher and completely freak out. And dont get me started on how all manga books are lumped together from the easy kids fare to some very adult oriented books. Again I am no censor, but far too many libraries and bookstores treat all graphic novels the same like they all had the exact same kid friendly content and themes. It would be like putting the Illustrated Karma Sutra in with all the kids picture books because, hey, they all have pictures in them. More needs to be done to educate bookstores and libraries about the wide variations in comics. Im not saying take them off the shelves or stick them behind the counter. But a lot of graphic novels should be moved out of the childrens and young adult areas to other areas. This would also go a long way to educating the average person that comics are not just for kids.
Part of the problem is that these are graphic novels and comic books which in the United States are default assumed to be childrens literature. I am no censor and find removing these books from the public shelves to be wrong on a number of levels but I can understand Louise Mills problem. My guess is these books were on the same shelves as the Batman and Spiderman graphic novels in the young adult or childrens section of the library. Completely misclassified. They belong in the general literature sections with more adult fare. I see this problem all the time at both libraries and bookstores. Frank Millars Sin City right next to Spiderman on the lower shelves or Sandman (one of my favorite comics) next to the latest Superman comic again lumped in with the kids comics only a shelf away from the Powerpuff Girls books. I routinely see the Vertigo titles on the bottom shelves of the graphic novel section in easy reach of children. While I dont believe just seeing the material will scar a child for life I could see how an unsuspecting parent might look over their kids shoulder while theyre reading Preacher and completely freak out. And dont get me started on how all manga books are lumped together from the easy kids fare to some very adult oriented books. Again I am no censor, but far too many libraries and bookstores treat all graphic novels the same like they all had the exact same kid friendly content and themes. It would be like putting the Illustrated Karma Sutra in with all the kids picture books because, hey, they all have pictures in them. More needs to be done to educate bookstores and libraries about the wide variations in comics. Im not saying take them off the shelves or stick them behind the counter. But a lot of graphic novels should be moved out of the childrens and young adult areas to other areas. This would also go a long way to educating the average person that comics are not just for kids.
COMICS, SEXUALITY, AND THE PUBLIC LIBRARY - Oct 11, 2006 - 01:48pm
We must protect the children has become the basic rallying cry for censorship in this country. Heres the thing that gets me. Im betting Ms Mills husband got a good look at his fathers, uncles, best friends fathers or whoevers Playboys or Penthouses when he was growing up. Just like I did and like Im certain virtually everybody here did. Is he an ax murderer? I know Im not an ax murderer (I prefer garroting wire myself) and Im reasonably confident none of you guys are ax murderers. For some reason a large segment of the population just seems to forget that they saw sexual images or heard bad words while they were growing up and yet they turned out ok. Just seeing a sexual image does not automatically scar a child for life. Its not about protecting kids. Its about making the world fit a predefined definition of how they think it should be. Kids are just a way to bypass all of our normal defenses against censorship. And Moore is dead on about sexual imagery in the Bible. One of the funniest things you can do in the world is try and get an evangelical Christian who believes the bible is literal truth to explain the Song of Solomon. If they even acknowledge the book they start talking about metaphor for Gods love and just a story everything they claim the rest of the Bible isnt. Its hilarious.
We must protect the children has become the basic rallying cry for censorship in this country. Heres the thing that gets me. Im betting Ms Mills husband got a good look at his fathers, uncles, best friends fathers or whoevers Playboys or Penthouses when he was growing up. Just like I did and like Im certain virtually everybody here did. Is he an ax murderer? I know Im not an ax murderer (I prefer garroting wire myself) and Im reasonably confident none of you guys are ax murderers. For some reason a large segment of the population just seems to forget that they saw sexual images or heard bad words while they were growing up and yet they turned out ok. Just seeing a sexual image does not automatically scar a child for life. Its not about protecting kids. Its about making the world fit a predefined definition of how they think it should be. Kids are just a way to bypass all of our normal defenses against censorship. And Moore is dead on about sexual imagery in the Bible. One of the funniest things you can do in the world is try and get an evangelical Christian who believes the bible is literal truth to explain the Song of Solomon. If they even acknowledge the book they start talking about metaphor for Gods love and just a story everything they claim the rest of the Bible isnt. Its hilarious.
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@hanso ... I'm with you on the lack of love for The Shield. One the best shows on TV over the past couple of years.