That's All Folks!

Thus ends this Ka-Tet's excursion in to all things geek.  At least for the semester. I hope you enjoyed the journey, and if you'd like to continue, look to follow my website SunStorm Entertainment.  Goodnight, and have a pleasant tomorrow!

The Fox Resurrection List

This year marks several anniversaries, not the least of which is the 25th anniversary of the Fox broadcasting network.  Geeks among us know that Fox is both savior and devil when it comes to science fiction and niche television, having given us good stuff like The X-Files, and giving us heartbreak by canceling Firefly.  

I joked with a friend once that if SyFy (the sylli spellying network) was really looking for new content, they should look no further than the refuse bin behind the Fox lot, as the network consistently develops interesting ideas for shows, gets them on the air, then aborts them before they have a chance to gestate, grow up or even gain a following.  Most of them would be ripe for a relaunch.

Here are just a few...

The Adventures Of Brisco County, Jr. (1993) - A Western/sci-fi/comedy/action series starring Bruce Campbell and John Aston from the writers of Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade?!?  How could this NOT work?  Oh yeah, it was on Fox. On Friday nights. (Have we learned nothing from Star Trek's cancelation? Obviously we're home watching TV on a friday night.)  Despite being on (and winning) TV Guide's Save Our Shows campaign that year, Brisco went the way of the dodo.  Granted, the network did give it a full season, 27 episodes before pulling the plug...

Alcatraz (2012) - From Lost creator J.J. Abrams, all the prisoners and guards disappeared from Alcatraz island in 1963, and are suddenly reappearing in modern day San Francisco. Despite ten million viewers on the pilot and one of eight series to be listed "most exciting new series" by critics, Fox pulled out after only 13 episodes.

Alien Nation (1989) - Based on the film about a shipload of alien refugees who wash ashore on Earth seeking asylum, very high minded sci-fi.  Perhaps this should be listed among the successes for the network, as it had strong ratings throughout it's 22 episode run, and was only canned by execs after a financial shortage caused them to cancel ALL of their dramatic shows for the year.  Five years later, Alien Nation returned in a series of TV movies to wrap up the loose ends from the cliffhanger.

Brimstone (1998) - A police detective goes after and kills the man who raped his wife, then gets hit by a bus.  He goes to hell for the crime, but when 113 of the most depraved souls imaginable escape back to earth, the devil makes a deal for him to go after them.  Only 13 episodes of this fantastic gritty show were made, but of course, it aired on a Friday, so it was doomed from the start.

Dark Angel (2000) - From James Cameron, director of TERMINATOR and ALIENS (and later TITANIC and AVATAR), Jessica Alba stars as Max, a genetically engineered soldier on the run from a shadow government in post apocalyptic America. The show did great for it's first season... and then Fox moved it to Fridays.  Guess what happened?  Yep, the ratings went into the toilet and the show was canceled after 43 episodes.

Dollhouse (2009) - If there's anyone that Fox clearly loves to dump on, it's Joss Whedon.  Oh, maybe they'd feel differently now, canceling a show from the man who wrote and directed THE AVENGERS to over a billion dollars, but back in the day, they killed his work not once but twice. This was the second time, when Eliza Duskhu stared as a programable human being (or doll) for an elicit organization. 26 episodes spread over 2 seasons allowed Whedon to tell a truncated version of the story... on Friday nights before it was canceled.

Firefly (2002) - This is THE ONE, the holy grail of canceled shows.  A sci-fi/western about a ship of ner-do-wells struggling to make ends meat.  How is it that we are still talking about, debating and lamenting the loss of Joss Wedon's Firefly ten years later?  Only 14 episodes were made, 11 of them shown (of course on Friday nights) and out of order to boot.  So how did this show survive?  DVD sales for one, a rabid fan base for another. But ultimately it comes down to the fact that it is a fantastic show, with well written, well conceived characters that's fun to watch. I've introduced nearly everyone I know to Firefly, and not one of them have come away from the series with a sour taste.  Everyone universally loves it.  Except for Fox.  Eventually Universal stepped in to make the movie SERENITY, which provided an end to the series, but Browncoats still aren't satisfied, and talk is afoot over at Netflix and Space Network about reviving the show.

Harsh Realm (1999) - Chris Carter followed up his success with The X-Files with not one, not two but three shows on this list that Fox canned.  This is the third, (and arguably weakest) about humans trapped inside a virtual reality simulation.  Nine episodes were created, only three aired.  On Fridays.

The Lone Gunmen (2001) - Chris Carter struck again with this spin off from The X-Files about three conspiracy theorists battling government cover ups.  The Lone Gunmen were very popular characters, so it only made sense to let them have their own show... on Friday nights. [Raises hand] "Um, excuse me, Fox execs?  Shouldn't you have put this series on Sunday night as a lead in to The X-Files?  Or does that make too much sense?"  12 episodes and done, the 13th and final episode of the show was reworked and done on The X-Files.

Millennium (1996) - Chris Carter's non-X-Files shows had rocky relationships with Fox, but this one, about ex FBI agent Frank Black working for the shadowy Millennium group as we approached the year 2000 may have been the best.  It was dark, REALLY DARK for television, but it worked well, despite being on Friday nights.  Viewership declined over it's three year 67 episode run until it was canned, and a separate post-show episode that was part of... (you guessed it) The X-Files ended the series.

Space: Above and Beyond (1995) - An interstellar war with an alien race told from the point of view of one squadron of US Marines. Bold and intriguing storytelling along with a realistic future, but poorly scheduled (Sundays this time out, but opposite 60 Minutes), one season of 24 episodes is all we got.

Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles (2008) - An interesting add on to the TERMINATOR franchise, this continued the story of Sarah Conner as she tries to prevent Judgement Day from happening along with her son John and a female terminator.  Fox strung us along for 31 episodes over two seasons, just enough to allow the writers to start a massive story arc... and then announced the show would not be back for season three.  SyFy has the rights to reruns, no word yet on if it may actually be returning.

Terra Nova (2011) - A Steven Speilberg produced show about humanity time traveling back to pre-historic Earth to start civilization over. Oh, and did we mention dinosaurs?  Again this sounds fantastic on paper.  Fox thought so to, or they wouldn't have green lit the show.  But the reality is dollars, and with a cost of $4 million per episode, Fox decided not to renew the show for a second season after airing all 11 episodes.  Netflix is rumored to be interested in resurrecting it.

There of course are others. Tru Calling, Werewolf, M.A.N.T.I.S, hell, even Fringe could be included in this group.  There are more and will be more.  Fox is the bane of Sci-Fi.  And even if SyFy isn't interested, maybe someone can bring these shows back from the ether... <>

Movie Collector

So, I've been conducting an inventory of my apartment, and I am somewhat shamed to admit that I just logged my 1667 DVD/BluRay.

Yes, even I was a bit surprised at the number.  One Thousand, Six Hundred and Sixty Seven titles.  Granted, when you work in video stores for 16 years, you tend to acquire some of your own inventory.  Most were purchased at good deals, (or won for trivia knowledge), but I just cant seem to stop buying.

1667.

And that number doesn't include films on OTHER mediums, like digital copies or LaserDisc or even. (gulp) VHS. (Yes, even I still have a few of those barbaric relics laying about.) but still, this means that I could conceivably watch a new film every night for four and a half YEARS with no repeats.

The question now becomes, does anyone REALLY need this many movies?  I mean, there are some nights that I don't watch a film at all.  Some of the films on the shelf are ones I have seen several times, and some of them are ones I have never watched, just bought on someone's say so and never got around to them.

Please tell me I'm not the only one with this problem!  Is there a movie buying group or program I can check myself into?

Hello, my name is Shaun, and I have a problem...

Hoping For Heroes

So i just finished reading a graphic novel tie in for Heroes (what can I say, I'm behind) and I couldn't help but think...

Why are superheroes popular?

I mean, yes, they do all that cool stuff we can't, like fly and walk through walls and teleport and whatnot... but why?  Why are we as individuals, as people, as a culture, drawn to these stories of alien lifeforms stranded on Earth to become our protectors?  Look at popular entertainment.  THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and THE DARK KNIGHT RISES tore up the box office this summer and THE AVENGERS only became the third highest top grossing film of ALL TIME!  Comics are going strong... but why?

I wonder if it's because we dont have any real heroes left to root for...

I mean, when was the last time you looked at someone and thought "now there, there is a hero..."

Oh Superman, where are you now?  It used to be Presidents.  Presidents were heroes.  Or soldiers.  Or cops and firemen.  Our our fathers.  But as the world grows more cyncial, as scandal and war and reality take thier toll, perhaps we have to turn to the invented hero for hope.  Perhaps thats why we choose to get lost in comic books and movie theaters instead of voting or going to city council meetings to make things better.

Because in the end, thats where the hope is...

IRON MAN's Tony Stark is an arrogant, self centered alcoholic.  But you know what?  He's honest.
BATMAN's Bruce Wayne is literally a rich kid with issues who dons a mask for therapy.  But he's honest.
SPIDER-MAN's Peter Parker is a high school (or college depending on your continuity) kid haunted by a mistake he made and now tries to rectify.  But he's honest.

I'm picking up on a trend.  I hope I'm wrong.  I'm too much of an optimist to think things have gotten this bad.  But I look at todays politicians and think more of the same.  Their mantra is change, their reality isn't.  Day after day, things get worse instead of better.  And all I am left with is innocence lost, clutching my comic book in tear stained hands, hoping for heroes...

Halo 4 At The Midway Point

Halo, as gamers know, is a first person shooter in which you take control of Master Chief, a genetically engineered Spartan, a super Marine, defending Earth against fanatical aliens.  The Halo trilogy ran it's course with a good story and made a lot of gamers pretty happy.  Two additional games from Bungie (the game's developer) kept the fans happy.  But Bungie eventually decided to move on to other projects.  Microsoft however, knew there was money to be made and turned the franchise over to a company called 343. After much ballyhoo, 343 released Halo 4 two weeks ago.  

For the last two weeks (when time permits, which has not been much--damn you French!) I've been working my way through the campaign mode of Halo 4.  This is not a comprehensive review by any stretch, but just some feelings on the game thus far.  

First the good news for fans.  343 has done their homework, this feels like Halo.  It's a new story (one that only 5 parts in feels like they've set up for a new trilogy... be ready for more), with a familiar angle.  The villains are the often mentioned (but until now never seen) Forerunners--the architects of the Halo weapons.

If I have a complaint it's that so far the game hasn't really distinguished itself from the others in the franchise.  (That and Cortana--The Master Chief's AI that represents herself as a sexy hologram covered in Matrix like code--doesn't quite look right.)  It feels a lot like Halo: Reach, which isn't bad, but... Maybe 343 was afraid of changing the formula too much and alienating hard core fans, but I was looking forward to mixing it up a bit.  But then again, I'm just glad to have Master Chief back.  And maybe once I hammer out some French, I can delve into the multiplayer aspects of the game, nes pas?

Knitting The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Cardboard Boxes and Long Scarfs: As most non-Who fans could attest, “The Doctor wears that really long scarf, right?” And of course they would be right, referencing Tom Baker’s stint on the show when Doctor Who hit big in America.

While STAR WARS was a gateway drug for my science fiction fix, Star Trek and Doctor Who became staples of the habbit. I watched as a kid and got hooked early. I can fondly remember my mother calling upstais for my brother and I, asking what we were doing. “Playing Doctor!” we’d reply. Her nervous verification had a whole different connotation to it until she realized what was going on.

And thank heavens for cardboard boxes, the bulwark of our playtime. We’d stack up a few boxes and stick plungers out of them to be Daleks, we carefully sculpted a couple of cardboard boxes and covered them with duct tape to resemble K9 (complete with anextendable stalk with a lego radar dish in the middle of his eye scanner) and mom brought home a giant printer box that we cut windows in and wrote “Police Box” over the door. And inevitably, we’d tie every scarf in the house together to create something close to the Doctor’s apparel.

I have wanted one of these scarves since I was nine. (Of course I also wanted a lightsaber and a light cycle as a kid) but I felt the scarf was at least attainable. It took almost thirty years.

My former roommate's girlfriend knits. She loves to make things for people. Music to my ears. We scouted out patterns on line, found the “official” knitting pattern from the woman who made the original for the show. (Of course in show, the scarf was made for him specially by Nostradamus’s wife.) It clocks in at an unbelievable SIXTEEN FEET! We picked out yarn, (a lot of it) and away she went.

For the better part of a year.

I feel vaguely bad about asking for her do make something that turned into a project of this undertaking. Until she gave it to me. I literally have no words to describe what a wonderful gift this truly is. Thank you, Miss Kara, for an amazing job.

And I wear it. I told her in advance, this was no convention floor showpiece, this was a Doctor 

Who scarf for Pete’s sake!

And oddly, I have only gotten two Doctor Who related comments on the scarf, where people recognized it from the show while I was out and about. But I have gotten a slew of compliments from people who don’t associate it with the show. They just thought a really long scarf was cool. And fashionable.

Doctor Who, fashionable? Wow. Those are two words I never actually thought I’d hear together in the same sentence. This is not to say the scarf is without challenges: 

Wearing it during the winter is fine, because it’s exceedingly warm. (of course its warm, it’s 40 lbs of wool!) I can see now why they filmed in all those Scottish highlands and rock quarries. Baker had to be sweltering running around in that! 

And there are dangers lurking for the long scarves. Car doors. Cats eyeballing the dangling fringe. And of course, escalators are a definite no-no.

But I’m bringing it back.  So everyone, go into your closets and tie those scarfs together. The fashionistas tell me they’ll be all the rage next year…

Top 10 007 Movies

"Bond, James Bond."

Mel and I have been on mission, on her majesties secret service.  2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of DR. NO to theaters, and today sees the US release of SKYFALL, the newest Bond film in the franchise. 

Despite the fact that the 24 films (26 if you count the "non-cannonical" NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN and the original CASINO ROYALE staring David Niven, Peter Sellers and Woody Allen) have no strong plot ties to bring them together, we decided (well, I decided and she went along with it) to do a marathon of ALL of the bond films this year, starting in May.  We averaged three a month, starting with DR. NO and working our way forward.  I'd seen them all before of course.  I know of Sean Connery's appeal as the first (and some fan's ONLY Bond), I grew up with Roger Moore, so in many ways, he's MY Bond, and fell for Pierce Brosnan's perfect blend between the two, but after the re-watch, I finally feel qualified to offer up my Top Ten list:

10.  THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN - (1974) This is Roger Moore's second outing as the suave sophisticated secret agent, and it shows how comfortable he's gotten in the role.  Exotic locations, a pair of Bond beauties in Maud Adams and Britt Ekland, a masterful plot by the villain (wonderfully played by Christopher Lee and of course, Herve Villechaize as Nick Nack).  This one is fun.  Sure, some of the fun house sequences are a little out there, and some of the martial arts are played for laughs, but it is 70's Bond after all.

9. THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH - (1999) Pierce Brosnan in his third outing as Bond, and it's a hoot.  Yes, it has dark moments like the cringe inducing Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist.  Not only can she not act, but is that even remotely believable?  Even for a Bond film?  But I think it makes up for it with the daring choice to have Sophie Marceau be the villainess.  Bond has never faced a woman on top before (rim shot!) and it was an interesting direction to take. Desmond Llewellen's Q gets a heart touching send off in his last Bond film. Also, Judi Dench's M gets way more screen time in this one, and takes full advantage of it, fleshing out her relationship with Bond, and the pre-title sequence with an attack on MI6 and subsequent boat chase is pure magic.

8. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE - (1963) Sean Connery IS Bond in his second film (DR. NO was just the trial run) and it's here the series starts picking up steam.  Bear in mind this is NOT an action flick, as they would later become known as, but a very intense spy thriller.  Robert Shaw once again shows why he was such a great actor, playing the first (and in some ways best) version of the unstoppable henchman.

7. TOMORROW NEVER DIES - (1997) People look at me like I'm crazy when I say I like this one better than Brosnan's kick off film GOLDENEYE. But I think my taste is justified in that this is fundamentally a better movie.  GOLDENEYE had too much pressure on it, Brosnan is stiff and working to be Bond, here he's relaxed into the role and much more fluid.  Yes, they had run out of books to base them on so the plot seems a bit far fetched... or is it?  A media mogul (Jonathan Pryce having a blast) starts a war between England and China so that he can cover it.  If William Randolph Hearst was alive today, it's something he might come up with. And then there's the car.  GOLDENEYE's biggest flaw was introducing us to the beautiful new Bond BMW, fully loaded as Q would say... and then it never gets used!  WTF!?!?  They address the error quite well here, putting the car through it's paces in a parking garage, and Brosnan looks like he's having the time of his life driving it... by remote control.

6. CASINO ROYALE - (2005) Daniel Craig's first shot at 007 isn't as good as everybody makes it out to be. Don't get me wrong, it's a great film.  But it wasn't deserving of all the hype.  I get the idea of the reboot and showing Bond before he became suave, but Craig is almost too much of a blunt instrument, more at home in the BOURNE IDENTITY spy films than James Bond.  The action scenes are bar none, some of the best in the series, and it's beautifully shot, but seems a bit drab color wise compared to the previous installments, and Craig spends most of his time looking like he lost a fight with a shaving razor (there's the gritty realism again) even more so in the complete waste of time follow up QUANTUM OF SOLACE.  Maybe that's why I'm not sold on him yet as Bond.  Maybe SKYFALL will solidify him for me.

5. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY - (1981) Roger Moore was beginning to show his age in this one, but it's a fantastic story of a woman seeking revenge for the death of her family by a double agent.  Very 80's with it's Lotus and soundtrack by Bill Conti, but far more believable than the nearly farcical (but still a guilty pleasure) MOONRAKER that preceded it.  Topol and Julian Glover are picture perfect as a pair of former friends and comrades turned against each other in the Greek underworld.  The climax which has Bond climbing a sheer rock face to reach a monastery is still amazing to watch.

4. LICENSE TO KILL (1989) - Timothy Dalton gets a bad rap among the Bond fan community for this one, the lowest grossing film in the series.  BUT, take into account it was released in Summer of '89, the biggest summer ever at the time.  It faced stiff competition from BATMAN, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE, LETHAL WEAPON 2, GHOSTBUSTERS 2 and more.  I remember seeing this one in the theater Friday night opening weekend.  Just me, and six other people.  Opening weekend.  Yikes did it get clobbered financially, and Bond has never strayed back into summer release waters again.  BUT, it's a great movie, with Robert Davi playing a drug king pin who fed Bond's CIA friend Felix Liter to the sharks.  This time, it's personal screamed the ads.  And they were right.  Bond went all the way off the reservation to extract his revenge, pulling off some of the greatest stunt work involving semi-trucks ever, and all before CGI. Well done sir.  Well done.

3. GOLDFINGER (1964) - This is regarded as the quintessential Bond film.  Sean Connery is at the height of his powers, there's a fantastic plot involving a raid on Fort Knox, there's Pussy Galore, Odd Job, Shirley Bassey singing arguably the best theme song in the franchise, the Aston Martin makes it's first appearance (complete with ejector seat), and of course the now infamous exchange: "Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die." They don't make them like this anymore.  So why isn't it on the top of my list?  Well, quite honestly, it's overhyped as well.  Bond spends over half the movie as a prisoner, Goldfinger's undoing (despite his immense wealth) is cheating at cards and golf, scenic Kentucky doesn't have quite the same flare as a true exotic locale, and Pussy Galore... ah, Pussy.  Why does she changer her mind so easily after sleeping with Bond?  She caves and agrees to help and ruins Goldfinger's plan, and it all happens off camera!  Other than these nitpicks, yes, it is perfection.

2. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977) - This, for me, is the true quintessential Bond film.  Roger Moore at the height of his powers, a fantastic plot involving nuking humanity and starting over on the sea floor, Agent Triple X, Jaws, Carly Simon singing arguably the best theme song in the franchise, the Lotus car turning into a submarine, and of course, the now infamous exchange: "Bond, what do you think you're doing?" "Keeping the British end up, sir." Okay, so maybe the lines don't quite measure up, but this is Bond.  Big, brash and bold.

1. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (1969) - Poor George Lazenby, having to follow up Sean Connery.  This is his only outing as Bond, and while he's not fantastic, he does a good job.  The film however, does a great job, giving us action and stunts galore, mixed with a great plot about Bond going undercover and finding true love with Tracy (Diana Rigg) even going so far as to get married and resign from MI6.  But of course, there are no happy endings.  Blofeld (Telly Savalas) will make sure of that.

I am of course aware that everyone has their own ideas of what makes a great Bond film, and one man's trash is another man's treasure.  If you agree (or disagree) with my picks, let me know!