http://www.lulu.com/content/792664
Monday, May 21, 2007
Doctor Who – “42”
9/10 – The edge of my seat … literally.
Plot - After a week off mid-season, Doctor Who came back with a very strong “real time” episode in which the Doctor and Martha find themselves on a spaceship 42 minutes away from crashing into a sun.
To make matters worse (and that really is what Doctor Who does best) they are immediately cut off from the TARDIS, find that someone has sabotaged the engines, and a security lock-down closes the (28 or 29) doors that lead to the auxiliary control area.
Oh, and one of the crew, the captain’s husband Korwin seems to be infected by the sun itself and begins picking the crew off one by one. His eyes blaze with light and vaporize the crew into smudges on the walls saying “burn with me.”
The Sun is alive and in pain (?) because the crew have been using fusion scoops to extract the energy for fuel (illegal in the 42nd century, apparently.) Martha and this guy Riley eventually get cornered in an airlock and are jettisoned into space toward the sun. the Doctor must risk everything just to save her.
Rant – Well, this was quite good. I can’t even complain that the plot was almost identical to the Tom Baker story “Planet of Evil” or that the sets were all the same/similar to last years “Impossible Planet/Satan Pit.” It could have been worse -- for example, they could have reversed it … and used the plot from “Impossible …” and the costumes from the 1975 “Planet of Evil” ...
THEN ...
NOW ...
Also, there was the ever so cheesy title “42” which cannot help but remind fans of “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and the real time aspect which is “24” (an inversion of the numbers.) These seem to be the sticking points for most of the fans, but frankly they are surface issues. The story really had a gripping pace and the Doctor admitting he was scared was pretty well shocking.
Review – The frantic pacing of this story gave the viewer little time to think about what might or might not be wrong about the story. There is a small, but vocal group of fans out there who immediately bashed it as terrible, but they were soon overwhelmed by the “norms” (or the “not we”) fans and viewers who pretty much thought it was great. As a TV viewer I thought the pacing and characterization was solid and as a fan, I thought it was quite traditional Doctor Who with a bit of extra juice. The special effects – and this is always a shocking statement for Doctor Who – were on par with the program thus far (i.e., excellent). And, there was no actual villain … even more interesting.
In fact, in the group of episodes we can call “modern” Doctor Who, this one lingers on very few of the “personal” moments that, frankly, seem shoehorned into the program to appeal to female viewers. This is all about 42 minutes until the ship crashes into the sun. How could there be room for anything else? This is the first time I can ever remember sitting on the actual edge of my seat for a few minutes. When I realized this, I sort of couldn’t believe it. “That cliché actually means something?” I thought.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Doctor Who “The Lazarus Experiment”
8/10 - Strong rebound ...
The Plot - The TARDIS materializes in Martha's flat. The Doctor tells her that they had agreed - one trip and home. It is about twelve hours after they left. Martha's phone rings, but she does not pick it up; it is her mother, Francine, saying that her sister Tish is on the news. Martha turns the television on and, alongside Tish, an elderly man, Professor Richard Lazarus, announces that tonight he "will change what it means to be human." The Doctor says goodbye to Martha and, oblivious to her upset, steps into the TARDIS. It dematerializes, but quickly rematerializes.
“Hang On,” the Doctor says as he pokes his head back out. "Did he say he was going to change what it meant to be human?"
Lazarus invents a machine that makes you young. He’s a creepy old/young guy played by Mark Gatiss (who is actually really good in this) and then he turns into some kind of giant crab (some genetic strand we rejected in our evolution.)
The Rant – Well, this was sure a bright spot after last week’s really depressingly bad Dalek story. There really isn’t much to complain about here, apart from the monster. Bad CGI and a poorly conceived idea – basically a massive rip-off of John Carpenter’s “The Thing.” The other main issue is the way the story works … the “fake ending” up to the church bell tower … I mean, this stuff was cliché in “Die Hard.” It could have gone some place better.
The Review – This was surprising because it was so good after something so lame. There is always a dread of these middle season shows where things get stretched out. And, add to that Gatiss (another in the clique) playing something as stale as a man who invents a machine to get younger … well, not terribly thrilling. But, ironically, Gatiss was very good (especially as the creepy older version … Him hitting on Tish was disturbing) and even his mini-monologue in the church had a good classic Who acting appeal. The story pays obvious homage to “The Quatermass Experiment” (which was remounted a few years ago with Gatiss and David Tennant.)
The return to Earth means the return to the “domestic” aspects of Doctor Who. I do not really care about the companions mother, father, brother, cousin, in general … that’s sort of the point of the show. But, it looks like in this season the mother is going to play a pivotal role. We do find out a bit more about the mysterious Mister Saxon. Lazarus’ research is basically funded by Saxon (hmm, I wonder why?) And, his goons slip some nasty words into Martha’s mother’s ear about the Doctor …
And next week … nothing … Eurovision song contest … But, we did get a very nice trailer for the rest of the series ...
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Al Franken: God Spoke
I put this in my Netflix queue and was deeply horrified that I forgot to remove it. When it arrived, I almost didn't watch it.
This film documents the "moment" Al Franken turned from comic writer to political activist. Al Franken is most famous for going on SNL in the late 70s and saying his name over and over. To many people the name “Al Franken” was a punch-line. It was an ironic and bold act for the writer. Basically proving all the things we’ve been told about media brainwashing by (ironically) doing it to a public at large. His career has been downhill ever since.
Until now. Actually, it’s probably more true to say he’s just famous again for getting other people to say his name. Bill O’Reilly and Anne Coulter to name but two. When Franken came out with his book “Lying Liars …” Bill O’Reilly went nuts, both in public and, it seems, in private, forcing the Fox network to sue Al Franken. This was his finest moment. He called O’Reilly on his shit in a public forum that O’Reilly couldn’t control (you know, that’s how those shows work – the format is controlled by the host. O’Reilly can just yell at someone until he decides to cut their time. That’s how he appears “smart” when he’s just a bully. On other shows, famously Letterman this past year, he looks like an intolerant bully.) But, Al decided to step away from the safety net of “comedian” and become serious about politics. That’s what this “film” is about … the invention of Air America, the liberal radio answer to Rush Limbaugh.
Problems:
I’ve always said that political humor is the second lowest form of humor (the lowest being “kicked in the balls” type humor.) Politics are transitory and, for the most part, disconnected from the human experience. In the last 10 years the dissection of “news audiences” has polarized political types into “conservatives” and “liberals” … and never the ‘tween shall meet. The problem with this is that most people actually are in between. Very few are hard left or right, despite the media proselytizing on both sides.
For example, I am politically liberal and personally conservative. Unlike “Liberal Conservatives,” I refer to myself as a “Conservative Liberal” … if at all. I’m closer to a Libertarian in that, if you really get to the truth about most issues you find they cannot be solved with anything but an appeal some “meta” issue. Since, the only faith I have is a faith in science and fact, anything that doesn’t adhere must be deemed “meta.” For example: abortion is a meta-ethical issue. The only answer is an answer drawn from belief and faith, not fact. My answer therefore comes to a logical response (I don’t know, so I can’t tell you you can’t) and a personal one (I’ve known people who’ve had them and they were really messed up.) In short, any meta-ethical issue cannot be legislated. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans represent this agenda, so I am neither.
But, if you believe people like my brother or Bill O’Reilly, I’m just avoiding the issue.
And, now the far left have decided to answer. And, just as the sad truth must have met Dennis Miller that his very clever act needed severe dumbing down for his new-found faith in the Republican party, Franken found that his new audience didn’t really want to wade seriously into the hate methods of O’Reilly and Coulter. The Daily Show does a good job of taking them down many more pegs then their hate speech ever built.
This film really could have been worse, but fortunately it does most of the story telling by letting Bill O'Reilly be the villain. When it does drag it is usually the moment when you can’t go where Al is going. I can not cry because John Kerry didn’t win the election. I feel bad that Bush won (because he’s an idiot), but John Kerry wasn’t much better. To see Al go from cynic to believer and not know how is a bit Faustian. O’Reilly really does get his last laugh by playing the devil.
This film documents the "moment" Al Franken turned from comic writer to political activist. Al Franken is most famous for going on SNL in the late 70s and saying his name over and over. To many people the name “Al Franken” was a punch-line. It was an ironic and bold act for the writer. Basically proving all the things we’ve been told about media brainwashing by (ironically) doing it to a public at large. His career has been downhill ever since.
Until now. Actually, it’s probably more true to say he’s just famous again for getting other people to say his name. Bill O’Reilly and Anne Coulter to name but two. When Franken came out with his book “Lying Liars …” Bill O’Reilly went nuts, both in public and, it seems, in private, forcing the Fox network to sue Al Franken. This was his finest moment. He called O’Reilly on his shit in a public forum that O’Reilly couldn’t control (you know, that’s how those shows work – the format is controlled by the host. O’Reilly can just yell at someone until he decides to cut their time. That’s how he appears “smart” when he’s just a bully. On other shows, famously Letterman this past year, he looks like an intolerant bully.) But, Al decided to step away from the safety net of “comedian” and become serious about politics. That’s what this “film” is about … the invention of Air America, the liberal radio answer to Rush Limbaugh.
Problems:
I’ve always said that political humor is the second lowest form of humor (the lowest being “kicked in the balls” type humor.) Politics are transitory and, for the most part, disconnected from the human experience. In the last 10 years the dissection of “news audiences” has polarized political types into “conservatives” and “liberals” … and never the ‘tween shall meet. The problem with this is that most people actually are in between. Very few are hard left or right, despite the media proselytizing on both sides.
For example, I am politically liberal and personally conservative. Unlike “Liberal Conservatives,” I refer to myself as a “Conservative Liberal” … if at all. I’m closer to a Libertarian in that, if you really get to the truth about most issues you find they cannot be solved with anything but an appeal some “meta” issue. Since, the only faith I have is a faith in science and fact, anything that doesn’t adhere must be deemed “meta.” For example: abortion is a meta-ethical issue. The only answer is an answer drawn from belief and faith, not fact. My answer therefore comes to a logical response (I don’t know, so I can’t tell you you can’t) and a personal one (I’ve known people who’ve had them and they were really messed up.) In short, any meta-ethical issue cannot be legislated. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans represent this agenda, so I am neither.
But, if you believe people like my brother or Bill O’Reilly, I’m just avoiding the issue.
And, now the far left have decided to answer. And, just as the sad truth must have met Dennis Miller that his very clever act needed severe dumbing down for his new-found faith in the Republican party, Franken found that his new audience didn’t really want to wade seriously into the hate methods of O’Reilly and Coulter. The Daily Show does a good job of taking them down many more pegs then their hate speech ever built.
This film really could have been worse, but fortunately it does most of the story telling by letting Bill O'Reilly be the villain. When it does drag it is usually the moment when you can’t go where Al is going. I can not cry because John Kerry didn’t win the election. I feel bad that Bush won (because he’s an idiot), but John Kerry wasn’t much better. To see Al go from cynic to believer and not know how is a bit Faustian. O’Reilly really does get his last laugh by playing the devil.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Fletch (the Jane Doe Edition)
“Don’t talk to me like that, assface. I don’t work for you yet.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a shepherd.”
“Can I get you anything?”
“Yes, I’ll have a bloody Mary, a steak sandwich and a … steak sandwich.”
“Can I get you anything?”
“Yes, can you get me a copy of the Beatles’ White album? Oh, and bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia while your out there.”
Well, here it is, a special edition of Chevy Chase’s best (or only good) movie. There are two ways to review this: the movie and the DVD. Let’s go with the latter first.
The DVD
Well, the movie both look and sound fine. It’s a bit grainy and could have used a slight color correction, but otherwise, it is exactly what you would expect. The bonus features are annoying at best and absurd at worst. What is most obviously missing is an interview with Chevy Chase and no one knows why. It likely has to do with the fact that a new Fletch movie (“Fletch Won”) is in production and Chevy was flatly denied consideration. No one has been cast in the lead thus far.
So, without any real significant bonus features, the best thing about the DVD is the movie itself with decent quality anamorphic transfer and 5.1 sound.
The Movie
Irwin "Fletch" Fletch is a journalist who writes under the name Jane Doe. While investigating a boom of drug dealing on the beach, Fletch is approached by a rich man, Alan Stanwyck.
“If you reject the proposition, you keep the thousand - and your mouth shut.”
“Does this proposition entail my dressing up as Little Bo Peep?”
Stanwyck claims to have bone cancer and, in order to spare himself pain but allow his family to collect an expensive life insurance policy on him (invalid if he kills himself) he found what he assumes to be an aimless drifter. This is a mistake.
“Will you murder me?”
“Sure”
The drugs on the beach and Stanwyck become intertwined in Fletch’s investigations … and hilarity ensues …
My Review
There is a strange misconception that “Fletch” was a cult film instead of a pretty decent success. It was strong enough to get a sequel made (though why they chose to diverge from the novel’s I do not know.) And perhaps it is the sequel bogs the memory down, but the original is very classy, very funny, very solid. Based on the first in a series of novels by Gregory Mcdonald, the film has a very solid backbone of a well-toned plot. Add to that the presence of Chevy Chase whose sarcastic one-liners and affront to authority seem tailor made for the character.
A comment made by one of the cast (the alamony attourney) nailed it: “Fletch/Chevy says exactly what you wished you’d have said in a given situation.” And that is it and that is the perfect description. While most of the time Chevy Chase’s smart ass thing is annoying, you feel in “Fletch” that has some purpose because he’s trying to find out something pretty important.
The fact that I still want to be Fletch – my wisecracking is still just as vicious – and that I have read most of the novels means that this is clearly a film that I hold in high esteem. It is probably in the top 10 movies of all time and tied with “Ghostbusters” and “Raiders of the Lost Arc” for best movies of 80s.
The week that was … Roundup
I think we are into a sweeps period because it certainly seemed like television got a bit better. Obviously, I can’t be everywhere or all things to all people. In fact, I don’t watch a lot of prime time shows (and most of the time I catch up “later” on dvd.)
24
Let’s see, last week’s “24” was good, but not quite into the sweeps month, so I’m sure they were holding back.
“As the clock ticks closer to the final hours of Day Six, Jack Bauer copes with the consequences of taking matters into his own hands while Audrey endures what appears to be a post-traumatic reaction to being held captive. Emotions escalate as CTU responds to a setback and the Administration receives an alarming message from Russian President Suvarov.” (TVrage.com) Also, the president’s squeeze is a feed for a Russian spy.
As I said, it was good … not great. As I said before, this show is largely one massive blast at credulity the moment they asked us to believe Jack Bauer could get across Los Angeles in less than 5 minutes. And, it is getting pretty well dumped on by the media and the public.
Heroes
“Five Years Gone” – This was easily the best episode of the season. Hiro and Ando are five years into the future where the bomb has gone off and New York is destroyed. He immediately meets his future self and then the cop Parkman bursts in and takes him prisoner. Nathan is president and Mohinder has been working with him since the bombs went off.
An awful lot happens and frankly it isn’t fair to spoil it. But, it is definitely the best episode of the season. Not only does it contain a hell of a lot of material and very little padding, but it also leaves a lot of possibilities open for future episodes.
Frankly, I’m surprised this show has been a hit at all, beating “24” most nights. The only problem with it is that it tends to take a month off at a time, throwing the viewer off track a bit. I suppose this is the problem with having huge special effects budgets and more imaginative storylines.
House
While the plot might not have been memorable, this episode rang with witty dialogue:
"He has acute scrotum."
"Adorable, at least. Ah, come on, how was not going to go for that joke?"
Lost“The Brig” – Well, we finally get a good Locke episode, with the added bonus of giving Sawyer something to do. Locke comes back from the others (after a really crytic opening) and tells him that he has infiltrated the Others' camp and has taken Ben hostage, and needs Sawyer to kill him. Sawyer questions why Locke would come to him, and Locke explains that, thanks to the files the Others have on all of the Flight 815 survivors, he knows that Sawyer killed a man in Sydney. Locke turns and leaves, and Sawyer reluctantly follows.
In fact, it turns out that Locke’s father (the same man who took his kidney and threw him out a window) was the man who Sawyer has been hunting all these years. How’d he get to the island? Well, of course, we don’t really know that do we. We assume he’s been kidnapped by the “Others.”
And now the theory has been somewhat addressed and teasingly floated out there … “Are they all dead? Is this purgatory or hell?”
Well, probably not either.
Lost has been renewed to 2012, but the number of episodes per year has been cut down to 16 and will run in one chunk. How this will effect the overall quality of the show (Better or Worse?)
Jericho
I’ve been catching up on this show. End of the world. Nuclear war and … yet, a lot of people survived quite well. Well enough to have the usual host of rather banal every day problem. I sort of wish that CBS wasn’t behind it, because it has to be very family oriented. In fact this is a combination of “Survivors” (BBC) and “The Waltons.”
I suppose the problem that continually keeps coming up is the reluctance for the show to deal with real problems. Months and months go by and the issue of the complete breakdown of society is almost never really dealt with (unlike “Survivors” where the question “Would you know how to make something if you had to?” is asked almost immediately.) The mom and pop, down-home, leaving my wife, having a baby, the old values are still the best values stuff drags the story down.
And, is it any wonder that in the Pilot the only black people we see is Mr. Hawkins … the man who turns out to me “not what he seems” ???
24
Let’s see, last week’s “24” was good, but not quite into the sweeps month, so I’m sure they were holding back.
“As the clock ticks closer to the final hours of Day Six, Jack Bauer copes with the consequences of taking matters into his own hands while Audrey endures what appears to be a post-traumatic reaction to being held captive. Emotions escalate as CTU responds to a setback and the Administration receives an alarming message from Russian President Suvarov.” (TVrage.com) Also, the president’s squeeze is a feed for a Russian spy.
As I said, it was good … not great. As I said before, this show is largely one massive blast at credulity the moment they asked us to believe Jack Bauer could get across Los Angeles in less than 5 minutes. And, it is getting pretty well dumped on by the media and the public.
Heroes
“Five Years Gone” – This was easily the best episode of the season. Hiro and Ando are five years into the future where the bomb has gone off and New York is destroyed. He immediately meets his future self and then the cop Parkman bursts in and takes him prisoner. Nathan is president and Mohinder has been working with him since the bombs went off.
An awful lot happens and frankly it isn’t fair to spoil it. But, it is definitely the best episode of the season. Not only does it contain a hell of a lot of material and very little padding, but it also leaves a lot of possibilities open for future episodes.
Frankly, I’m surprised this show has been a hit at all, beating “24” most nights. The only problem with it is that it tends to take a month off at a time, throwing the viewer off track a bit. I suppose this is the problem with having huge special effects budgets and more imaginative storylines.
House
While the plot might not have been memorable, this episode rang with witty dialogue:
"He has acute scrotum."
"Adorable, at least. Ah, come on, how was not going to go for that joke?"
Lost“The Brig” – Well, we finally get a good Locke episode, with the added bonus of giving Sawyer something to do. Locke comes back from the others (after a really crytic opening) and tells him that he has infiltrated the Others' camp and has taken Ben hostage, and needs Sawyer to kill him. Sawyer questions why Locke would come to him, and Locke explains that, thanks to the files the Others have on all of the Flight 815 survivors, he knows that Sawyer killed a man in Sydney. Locke turns and leaves, and Sawyer reluctantly follows.
In fact, it turns out that Locke’s father (the same man who took his kidney and threw him out a window) was the man who Sawyer has been hunting all these years. How’d he get to the island? Well, of course, we don’t really know that do we. We assume he’s been kidnapped by the “Others.”
And now the theory has been somewhat addressed and teasingly floated out there … “Are they all dead? Is this purgatory or hell?”
Well, probably not either.
Lost has been renewed to 2012, but the number of episodes per year has been cut down to 16 and will run in one chunk. How this will effect the overall quality of the show (Better or Worse?)
Jericho
I’ve been catching up on this show. End of the world. Nuclear war and … yet, a lot of people survived quite well. Well enough to have the usual host of rather banal every day problem. I sort of wish that CBS wasn’t behind it, because it has to be very family oriented. In fact this is a combination of “Survivors” (BBC) and “The Waltons.”
I suppose the problem that continually keeps coming up is the reluctance for the show to deal with real problems. Months and months go by and the issue of the complete breakdown of society is almost never really dealt with (unlike “Survivors” where the question “Would you know how to make something if you had to?” is asked almost immediately.) The mom and pop, down-home, leaving my wife, having a baby, the old values are still the best values stuff drags the story down.
And, is it any wonder that in the Pilot the only black people we see is Mr. Hawkins … the man who turns out to me “not what he seems” ???
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
The Wednesday whine
A friend recommended I watch the BBC crime show “Wire in the Blood” and, after the first season, I can honestly say … it’s ok.
Not wonderful, but I have rented season 2. The thing about crime shows is that they are almost always in some way derivative of Sherlock Holmes. The central character is always some eccentric genius with some anti-social character traits (Monk, Colombo, etc.) In fact, though I’ve always thought of writing a mystery novel, this seems to be the problem with the genre … what’s the mystery? There seems to be only two ways to tell a mystery story
1. Character-centric – Sherlock type character and his quirks solve traditional mystery.
2. The mysteries themselves are convoluted to deliberately confuse audience (which is really NOT a mystery … but hey …).
Wire in the Blood starts with type one and ends up with type 2.
Monk was at least more successful at maintaining type one (they did think up one hell of a character trait) but lost it when Sharona left. I lost interest. Sadly, however, as it was a really good show.
Other than that I have been busy this week. I did watch Bill Bailey’s “Cosmic Jam” finally the other day. This is in the earlier Bill Bailey, playing up his long-hair hippie image, telling more jokes about drugs than I think even he felt comfortable with. Classically trained musician and now having been in a few really great shows (“Black Books”), his image has come back down to earth a bit more.
I started watching "Part Troll", which is newer and LOT funnier, but I got a bit tired.
I recently saw the newest Steven Wright special (it’s been like 20 years since the last one I saw, when I saw him live in ’87) … and I was reminded how, like a lot of comedians who first start out, they usually have an image they present. Especially if they are weird. Steven Wright is very much the same comic he was 20 years ago (“My nephew has HDADD; High Definition Attention Deficit Disorder. He can barely concentrate, but when he does, he’s very clear.”) but the show was a little short and padded out with a very long dull film at the end.
Anyway, I am saving a lot of stuff for the weekend.
Tonight Kristin Hersh (Throwing Muses chief muse) is playing in Austin and I'm really annoyed that I can't go. It would mean taking part of the afternoon and part of tomorrow off and that just wouldn't fly. Sorry, Kristin. Couldn’t stop in Houston?
Not wonderful, but I have rented season 2. The thing about crime shows is that they are almost always in some way derivative of Sherlock Holmes. The central character is always some eccentric genius with some anti-social character traits (Monk, Colombo, etc.) In fact, though I’ve always thought of writing a mystery novel, this seems to be the problem with the genre … what’s the mystery? There seems to be only two ways to tell a mystery story
1. Character-centric – Sherlock type character and his quirks solve traditional mystery.
2. The mysteries themselves are convoluted to deliberately confuse audience (which is really NOT a mystery … but hey …).
Wire in the Blood starts with type one and ends up with type 2.
Monk was at least more successful at maintaining type one (they did think up one hell of a character trait) but lost it when Sharona left. I lost interest. Sadly, however, as it was a really good show.
Other than that I have been busy this week. I did watch Bill Bailey’s “Cosmic Jam” finally the other day. This is in the earlier Bill Bailey, playing up his long-hair hippie image, telling more jokes about drugs than I think even he felt comfortable with. Classically trained musician and now having been in a few really great shows (“Black Books”), his image has come back down to earth a bit more.
I started watching "Part Troll", which is newer and LOT funnier, but I got a bit tired.
I recently saw the newest Steven Wright special (it’s been like 20 years since the last one I saw, when I saw him live in ’87) … and I was reminded how, like a lot of comedians who first start out, they usually have an image they present. Especially if they are weird. Steven Wright is very much the same comic he was 20 years ago (“My nephew has HDADD; High Definition Attention Deficit Disorder. He can barely concentrate, but when he does, he’s very clear.”) but the show was a little short and padded out with a very long dull film at the end.
Anyway, I am saving a lot of stuff for the weekend.
Tonight Kristin Hersh (Throwing Muses chief muse) is playing in Austin and I'm really annoyed that I can't go. It would mean taking part of the afternoon and part of tomorrow off and that just wouldn't fly. Sorry, Kristin. Couldn’t stop in Houston?
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