Part 5 of 842 – The New Network Season on ABC – Ok There was this caveman, well more of a NeanderthalDoes anyone remember Phil Hartman doing his Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer? Read More
Part 4 of 4.852 The New Network Season – Get out the tea and soft music….cuz I’m gonna be ill….oh, is my legs over there?The new season:
Jamie Sommers, Jamie Sommers- the newest sitcom from Norman Lear is about a fictional town in…..oh god, never mind, I just had a 70’s flashback. Read More
Part 3 of A Zillion-The New Network Season-Now that Kurt Vonnegut is dead, lets rip him off !!!!!!!!!!!!Journeyman Read More
The 4400 – I get worried when…..so, last nights episode was good, not great, not awesome, just good. Read More
Feh! 2007’s Summer of Sci-Fi SnoozefestThis was going to be the summer to end all summers. Spider-Man 3! Transformers! New Dr. Who! World War Hulk! I feared for my life, as my weak heart threatened to crap out before I’d spent my last dollar on summer fare. As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about, except losing that last dollar to the Hollywood hype machine. Let me explain…
SPIDER-MAN 3: You know you’re in trouble when you kick off the season with a Sam Raimi film that makes you think how much better Ghost Rider was. This would’ve been a good film if they’d dropped the Venom storyline; yeah, he’s a better villain than the Sandman, but so what? Raimi grew up with the 60’s Spidey comics, not the 90’s ones — he LIKED the Sandman, and gave his character all the pathos and humanity sorely lacking from Eddie Brock. Also, this is the third time we see MJ get kidnapped by the villain, see Spidey rush to the battle, take off his mask so the villain can see him, but conveniently put it back on before anyone thinks to point a camera at them; oh, and kill the villain. This DVD will sit on the shelves a loooong time come Christmas.
TRANSFORMERS: That’s not Megatron. Megatron is a GUN, not a plane, and certainly not that robo-ogre that sounds nothing like Hugo Weaving, so why bother hiring him in the first place? Bring back Frank Welker at a fraction of the cost; and if you have any problems about a character turning into a gun; then this is not the franchise for you. Go watch Runaway Bride again, and don’t forget to pick up a banana and a jar of Vaseline on your way home.
DR. WHO: This summer brings us the first truly awful story since the original series — Daleks in Manhattan. Horrible script; pathetic accents; and who in their right minds thought that interracial couples were so accepted in the early 1930s? I’d always heard about some strange concept called “racism” but according to this episode’s writer, such things just didn’t exist in Depression-era NYC.
Comics: Oh, please. Nothing really major… ah. My wife says she just finished watching a special on “rattlesnake whiskey”(???) and it’s made her hungry for Middle Eastern food. Gotta support your wife when she gets a “strange urge” — it makes it easier for her to accept your passions for Godzilla, Frank Zappa, and the intricacies of the Atari 2600. Next time, I’ll talk about the things I DID like this summer (a much shorter article, I promise) including Jekyll, and.. uh… that 5 minute segment of “Paris, Je T’Aime” with Frodo falling for a vampire. Really.
Illustrator X
So, What is the Sci Fi Network Doin’ Right, anyway? – Part 3 “The Syndications”This is part 3 of a 3 part series about what’s going on in the Sci Fi Network, what’s working, what isn’t and what’s making me flip to The Golf Channel. Read More
So, What is the Sci Fi Network Doin’ Right, anyway? – Part 2 “The Imports”This is part 2 of a 3 part series about what’s going on in the Sci Fi Network, what’s working, what isn’t and what’s making me flip to the Game Show Network. Read More
So, What is the Sci Fi Network doin’ Right, anyway? Part 1It occurred to me, and was pushed into my face, that in my rant about the cancelling of The Dresden Files, I had pushed hard at everything the Sci Fi Network was doing wrong, and, quite frankly, giving them no credit for what they are doing right.. This begs the question, are they doing anything right?. Well yes and no. Let me state, right off the bat, that I am a BIG FAN. HUGE FAN. COMIC STORE GUY FROM THE SIMPSONS FAN! That having been said, let’s take a completly biased look.
Original Productions
Eureka
Perhaps one of the funniest low key science fiction shows ever produced. Yes, the effects are good, the stories are well crafted and the characters are becoming better developed as Season 2 progresses. What makes this series really interesting to me is the way that the writers have chosen to keep the overall tone so very sedate. Even the most terrifying situation is met with a sense of calm……… and, it’s an interesting take. From what I can hear from others, an acquired taste.. Perhaps this is the sushi of sci fi?
Battlestar Galactica
What can I say, other than man this is gonna be one hell of a finale. OK, I am waiting along with every other fan, to see just how this all wraps up. I am praying we don’t have to endure a Babylon 5 non-ending, forever doomed to sequels, prequels and spin-offs. Frankly, I don’t see that happening. Ever the optimist, I am hoping for them to go out with the style and class they have show throughout the run!
Who Want’s To Be A Superhero?
NOT ME. Please get Stan, The Man, Lee off the air. I love his work, I love Marvel Comics, but please………….stop the insanity.
Ghost Hunters
This is fun. Watching guys who are plumbers by day and ghost busters by night. You get to see how much of what they do is just boring rote stuff and occasionally you see something or hear something that just makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. I frankly never tire of watching all the petty interpersonal stuff that flies right out the window when they actually see or hear something. On the whole, pretty cool, if you can take the boring stuff for the occasional nugget.
Flash Gordon
Too soon to tell, but , so far, a resounding ugh.
Painkiller Jane
What can you cay about a comic book inspired chick in black leather who beats up people with smoldering sexuality? I say, Yes (and just hope my wife doesn’t hear me)
Destination Truth
BORING, If I wanted truth, I would be watching The Discovery Channel.
Next Installment: Imports
For Now,
Dome Signing off
Who is Harry Dresden and why did the Sci Fi Channel kill The Dresden Files and keep all those horrible movies?Ah, so many questions. Let’s start at the beginning. The Dresden Files is/was a show on The Sci Fi Channel.. If you never saw it, here are the particulars:
Harry Dresden – Paul Blackthorne/ Mr. Wizard
Lt. Connie Murphy – Valerie Cruz/ Ms Hard as Nails Cop
Morgan – Conrad Coates/ Head of the Chicago Cabal
Bob – Terrance Mann/ Disembodied Sidekick to Harry
Based in large part on the Jim Butcher series of novels, The Dresden Files is the adventures of Harry as Private Investigator/wizard in Chicago. The television show has a great sense of self deprecating humor and a visual darkness paying constant homage to film noir. While it never garnered a mass following, it was a fun ride and something not seen too often of the SFN, where cheap slash films or Mansquito is the “original” fare they supply.
The forums at the Sci Fi Network and filled with the buzz of angry watchers who are getting annoyed with resounding frequency that they kill off new and/or original programming. One forum member, Alphanova, states
“SciFi has a long, long list of cancelled programs. Want a list? Farscape, Tremors, Dream Team, Secret Adventures of Jules Verne, Black Scorpion, Sciography, SciFi Vortex, Invisible Man, Good Vs. Evil, William Shatner’s Full Moon Theater, First Wave, New Outer Limits, Sci-Fi Buzz, Poltergeist the Legacy, Lexx, Tripping the Rift, Sliders, Weekly SciFi New with Chase Masterson, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Dresden Files. Next season will be the final one for Battlestar Galactica, and Painkiller Jane’s on Shaky ground as well.”
Point well taken. The continuing problem with SFN is that is has yet to find an identity it is comfortable with. The addition of ECW Wresting this season has just cheapened the product. So, if you haven’t seen this show, find the DVD’s and enjoy them. It’s worth the trip!
Dome
Signing Off
The New Television Season and Science Fiction Part 2 – The Sarah Conner ChroniclesAt first glance this is a bad idea, yet another remake of a successful movie franchise. Television has the bad habit of grabbing a series in its decline and turning into a bloodfest with actors writers and directors all pointing their collective fingers at each other trying desperately to affix the blame for its failure on anyone but them.
ComiCon had the fortune to air the pilot for this series (not due to air till midseason as a replacement) and followed it with a panel discussion with the main actors, director and writer. So, first
The Facts:
Setting- takes place in the series between T2 and T3
Cast:
Sarah Conner: Lena Headly (check out her creds on IMDB)
John Connor: Thomas Dekker (last seen on Heroes)
Summer Glau: The Friendly Terminator Robot Babe (Firefly, The 4400, et.at.)
Richard T Jones: FBI Agent
So, what’s different? What’s to add to the story? First of all T3 never happened. If you can deal with that , and I suggest you do, then you are in for a nice ride. Nice visuals, a strong cast, clean script and good audio (I heard it in surround sound!!! Gotta love it)
I have been in love with Summer Glau since Firefly. She brings a wide eyed innocence to the part of a killing machine and makes you want to believe it. She is truly one of the unsung actors coming up and this is some good work!
If they play their cards right they have some real sweet characters to work with and can run some extended story arcs. The final moments of the pilot are pure fun, DO NOT GET UP FOR A DRINK OR SNACK. WATCH THE SCREEN!! Trust me on this one. Enjoy the ride.
Dome Signing Off
