Fringe Pillot Review

I watched the Fringe pilot. It dissapointed me greatly on all but two points, and only one really matters.

First, the Mad scientist was a fun and great character. The show will probably revolve around him being the central plot motivator, since he seems to be the psuedoscientific wikipedia. He's McGuyver, except he has a cow instead of a jeep and an enablingly gullable FBI agent instead of a swiss army knife.

Second, the special effects were very well done and mostly believable. Sure, its a testament to the budget and vision, but I don't care about that so much. I don't like the locations being mixed into the backgrounds like the signage is ambient. I care more about story and characters than special effects.

Overall I found the story too contrived to create any suspense, and I feel like they took a random episode of the X-Files and tossed in spiffy effects. The characters, mad scientist aside, felt like hollow typecasts. The FBI agent felt wholely shoved into the role of living Meatloaf rock ballad - doing anything for love, including that.

There was no need for her to strip down to underwear to go into an isolation take on LSD. You can do that with clothes on, it was fanservice since the lead is female and the target audience is not.

Oh, and the twist in the last 30 minutes? Obvious and irrelevant given that based on how all the characters were so poorly fleshed out you don't really care what happens to any of them.

In defense of the show, I have read and studied about a lot of 'Fringe' science areas so I may be a bit jaded when it comes to a show like this. I was a child of the X-Files movement, so much of the show felt rehashing old ideas. First seasons, and first episodes especially, are known for being a little off while they are trying to figure the characters out. Remember Star Trek TNG's first season? If the show lasts till a 3rd season, and I'm sure it will with it's timeslot, the show should be pretty good. That's when the old favorites become classics, afterall.

Maila Nurmi has died

Better known as Vampira, is dead at 85.
The original gothic late night B-movie host.
If only more footage survived the 50s...

WB rips another one

http://www.newsarama.com/AniShorts/390/Eon.html

It's not Mega Man, honest!
he just has an awesome helmet, awesome enhanced arm, a kid sister, a robot dog, and a mysterious older guy wearing a big scarf. Oh, and he's red!

I wonder if the dog can transform into a hoverboard...

Seriously though, absolute ripoff.

http://www.dan-dare.org/Dan%20Megaman/MegamanBig2.jpg

Been thinking about Unbreakable...

So I just finished watching Unbreakable a short while ago. Been a long time since I saw it all the way through, and I still enjoy it. It feels a little long now, but I blame knowing all the twists.

I was thinking...out of all the movies M. Night has made this one deserved more treatment than the others. He really touched on something that has a lot of elements that could be tapped into for a solid series.

I remember reading a long time ago when this movie was going into production and stuff that they were planning on making this a trilogy. It was also right as things were building in hollywood where trilogies were 'in,' so I don't know how likeable the idea would have been to the public.

After watching the movie again, I was thinking about where the series could have gone.

Unbreakable is of course the origin story. Not just the origin of Sentryman or whatever you want to call Bruce Willis' character, but also the origin of his first (and most important) villain.

The second movie, if it were to follow traditional trilogy style, would have had to be about the fall of Sentryman. He would encounter some obstacle he didn't know how to face, even after building his courage as a hero.

I think it's pretty obvious from the first movie and stereotypes the movie plays with that the hero did not grow up reading comics. He has no understanding of comic myth and types, so he would have to have a point of reference to help him undertsand what is going on about him. He would have to keep in contact with Mr. Glass.

Their relationship is not very good after the grand reveal at the end of the movie, which would cause a lot of good tension, and it would be some of the more memorable moments as Willis would make his way to visit him in the insane asylum. I get visions of Batman going to visit Hannibal Lector.

Being about the fall of the hero, there would have to be something in the way to defeat the hero. Batman had Bane, Superman had Doomsday, ect. Since the movie is about real life, and how a hero might be in real life I can only suggest one thing - he is caught and charged as a criminal himself. His face would be everywhere in the media. People would take stands against him for his reckless and unlawful behavior, and others will rise up to defend him for being the hero he was. His wife would find out, their relationship would reach the breaking point, and their son would suffer from their breakage and being singled out in school for who his father is.

In the end he would have to face the end of his career as a hero, in one form or another - the classic comic book 'death' scene. Not literal death, but the metaphorical death.

This of course leads into the Third movie, in which Willis would face different paths he could choose. Ultimately, he would choose to return as a hero. He couldn't return to being the hero he was as it was a secret identity issue, but he could take on the mantle of a hero in some other form. He has his "powers" still, but he would have to win the public trust - this is the path to glory. His rise in fame, and redemption of any percieved injustice he may have produced.

I'm honestly not real sure how the 3rd film would play out, or at least how I would think it could play out. The trilogy never went into planning as far as I know, and I do not think they ever will be made. Still, I am glad M. Night was able to make Unbreakable - it's one of my favorite comic book related movies.

On 52

So 52 ended last week, wierd how things work out.
Everyone knows that 52 ended on May 2nd, 5/2 for that matter.

Yesterday I read that Lost will end in 2009.
In it's 5th season, likely ending with a two-parter.
There are now 52 episodes left.

DC Movies and their slow collapse

WB and DC seem to be fracturing at the seems when it comes to movies now.

Joss Whedon off Wonder Woman - It would have had great pacing and good dialogue, but I always felt his take might not have been the one non-whedon groupies would have liked on the whole. I do approve of who he had it might for Diana visually at least. It would have done well in any case.

Now there's the confirmed word that David Goyer is off the Flash - This is something I would normally slam my head on my keyboard for, because knocking him off that title after all I have read is a very very stupid move. I was really looking forward to this movie, even though I don't know a whole lot about the character. He's got great villains from what I've seen and read, even if much of them come across as less able Batman rogues.

Both of those moves toss both properties back into development hell. Afterall let's face it, who cares about those two when you have Batman and Superman?

What's next? James Cameron off Aquaman? To bad that was only a rumor spun out from a tv show's subplot. It would have been awesome.

Green Arrow will never have a movie, and let's just forget about Steel, shall we?

Well that doesn't surprise me one bit...

You scored as Special Agent Fox Mulder. Special Agent Fox Mulder 83% Special Agent Dana Scully 67% Dana Scully 67% Alex Krycheck 67% Walter Skinner 50% Cigarette Smoking Man 50% which X-Files Character are you most like? created with QuizFarm.com

"Heroes"

I've been forcing myself to watch Heroes, and honestly that means one of two things in my book. One is good and the other is bad, obviously.

I want to like this show, I really do, but it just tends to hurt to have to sit through an hour of it. See, Lost and Dr. Who fly by for me in their timeslot. Even Battlestar Galactica can feel like its moving by fast when it isn't all angsty with pointless flashbacks.

This show, however, really drags along.

I blame the writing first. It doesn't matter who thought it was a good idea to put certain characters in, but if they are not written to be interesting the characters fail. They then produce a moment where I start to think getting something to drink before the commercials roll wouldn't be a bad idea. Seriously - I've fixed my dinner while the show was still the show due to a lack of interest in a plot segment.

In my book, there are only three interesting characters out of how many? I honestly don't know how many characters there are. They all tend to blur together on the sidelines.

Hiro, of course, seems to be the only one really advancing the plot. For a long time he also seemed to be the only one actually doing anything worthwhile. He accepts his powers and is trying to use them for good - That, my friends, is what the show is supposed to be about, right?

Then there's Peter, who I am starting to enjoy as of recently. He is also using his power to help others, though he doesn't quite get the chance to be selective over his power. He risked his life, unsure what would happen - and that is also the very definition of being a hero.

As far as I can tell those are the only two actual heroes in the show. That is terrible in my opinion.

Oh yeah, I said three people didn't I? The other is this Syler guy that absorbs other people's powers after killing them. He's got some real potential to be a great villain so long as they don't wholely overpower the guy. I just hate that the girl that was the Indian guy's neighbor was killed because of him, becuase I also liked her despite limited character development.

Anyway, here's me yelling out that the show needs a lot of help in the concept department. They have something that could work really well, but right now it feels like bare minimum.

On a side note: Imagine how awesome the show would be if Frank Miller wrote it? It would probably not make a whole lot of sense and offend a bunch of people, but at least it'd be fun to watch...

Amazing Screw-On Head

Wow. Just saw an ad for this on SciFi Channel, and I had to watch it. If you are a fan of anything Mignola, like Hellboy and the like, you should too. Even if you don't know much, know he has a unique style and sense of humor.

Amazing Screw-On Head

Go, watch now, and enjoy.

Figures...

You scored as Locke. You're Locke! People underestimate you, but you know you can do anything you want to. You hate limits being put on your life - you don't like it when people don't believe in you.

Who is your "Lost" alter ego?
created with QuizFarm.com

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Always did like him, though he became a little strange in the second season...

LoS

so, Legion of Superheroes looks like this?

I'm not impressed.

Totally Random #1

Sometimes I wish commericals in America were as fun as the ones in other countries. I mean, they could at least have a creative take on selling instead of the usual take. I happen to love Japanese commercials, but....

China has served up and extremely awesome cross-marketting take with Coke and World of Warcraft. Yes, you read that right. Now watch.

Superhero teenage angst and their success

Superman has Smallville, and now they are putting together a teenage Aquaman show. Now, I write this without watching a single episode of Smallville, so try not to get too angry at me if I slip and bash it accidently. I've never watched it becuase it has no draw for me. I like Superman as a character, but angsty teenage drama doesn't appeal to me - I experienced enough in high school and college.

Aquaman, as random as it sounds, makes a bit of sense to be used as a basis for another show of this type. The big three - Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are the prime choices. Superman is taken already and has been a hit, and there's no rational reason to try to repeat the success of it by copying it with other people.

Wonder Woman is too focused of a story on her island as a kid. As far as I know, she didn't enounter any men until at least after her teenage years. There wouldn't be much potential for emotional stress of pains of heartbreak. Sure, a few episodes may be good at the start, but it would never last past a season.

Personally, I would have liked a show about Bruce Wayne. There is much potential there. Bruce is mortal, and we know he traveled around the world in his later teenage years. There is also a lot of angst and anger managment issues to play with, multiplied by his growing reputation as a ladies man. I know that a pilot was written and submitted, but eventually not produced - WB wanted to focus on Batman Begins, and I likes that they put so much work into that movie. However, I don't really agree that they should have chosen one in place of the other, becuase Batman Begins still didn't show his teenage years.

With Batman and Wonder Woman out of the picture, its up to the next popular ones on the slate - Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Flash. There are others with lesser over all popularity, but from what I know those three are basically the next set in popularity.

Green Lantern isn't a single hero, and the Green Lanterns didn't get their powers until they got the rings - meaning they can't have internal power struggles until they are older, so no teenage angst. That's not to say they don't have issues, just that they didn't get really important until they had their rings to bring them into important plot issues.

Originally the Flash didn't come into his powers until a science experament messed up and gave Barry Allen his super speed, as far as I know (forgive me if I have it wrong, I don't follow flash very well). Being an adult at that point, there is once again no teenage drama. Wally West is in the same boat I think. Kid Flash doesn't really have a reason to exist if the others are not already established, pretty much eliminating his chances. Besides, the Flash already had his shining moment as the short lived TV series (with Mark Hamill as the Trickster).

Leaving Aquaman, who aside from being the center of so many jokes, has the best chances. He's always had his powers, and more than likely felt ackward as a teenager becuase of them.

Now, I don't really have a feeling either way about the Aquaman show, just as I don't have an opinion about Smallville. I just felt like working through an observation. If the show is a success, more power to the execs at WB, but they shouldn't screw with continuity should they run into the chance to hit important plot points - or at least make sure its known it isn't canon.

New Years, Circle of Fire, and more

Well, it is now 2006 and we still have no flying cars on the market. In fact, little has really changed in the last few years visibly, except everyone has an ipod now. I may sound a little pessimistic, but who really believes that the world will make a massive revolution in culture over the course of 24 hours - unless a UFO crashed into London (or Tokyo)?

Finished reading Circle of Fire, provided by Kalinara of course. I'm starting to think she has a mission to make me like Rayner, and I think it's working. The whole plot comes off as totally contrived, and was a little hard for me to stick with it till the end. I have to admit I skimmed some of the filler atories in the middle, mainly dealing with the kids and the Atom. I just didn't find them as interesting as the other contrived lanterns.

Rayner is a little more scary in my book considering the events in the arch, but I still like him. I could say he's my favorite of the lanterns, but then again almost all of the Green Lantern stories I've read has had him as a main character (or at least a major part of the story).

Other little notes to mention:
-House is starting on USA on the 6th (fri) at 11:00 est, also new episodes of Monk begin the 13th (I like Monk, but rarely get to watch it, and I usually catch new epiosdes of House on Fox on Tuesdays, USA is just picking it up)
-New episodes of Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate SG-1 begin airing Jan 6th finally.
-Lost will hopefully start back up with new episodes soon, since the reruns have nearly caught up finally.

9th Doctor visiting America

Just had a news post that the new Dr Who series is finally coming to DVD in America, legally. Region 1 set is coming out in the US on Valentine's Day so keep an eye out for it. Meanwhile the Christmas special has aired, and I have yet to get a copy.