Thank you Uncle111 for bringing this to our attention: Alias may be coming to Blue-ray! If it's true it looks like it's because of JJ's newfound fame, so I guess we can thank Lost/MI3/Star Trek for that...Speaking of the latest rumors and newfound fame, anyone else hear that Bradley Cooper when on a date w/ Jennifer Aniston? They make about as much sense together as a couple in my head as she did w/ John Mayer...not so much...
74 comments:
How big a deal can it be to put "Alias" out on Blu-Ray? "Fringe" is already available for pre-order with a probable September release. And every other show I watch is brought to me by Season 4 of "Lost" on Blu-Ray.
Dudes need to quit talking about it and just do it. Of course, we know JJ won't be buying, because he just finds the show too hard to follow along.
Former "Alias" producer and writer, Jesse Alexander has a new gig, called Day One".
They are having to fish it out of the long term storage vaults to make the transfer to blu-ray. I think I heard JJ had thrown away the combination to the vault. He didn't think they were ever going to need it again.
Anyone interested in seeing the artwork for the homepage of my Page47.net site?
I'm just glad to hear that there is at least talk of ALIAS coming to Blu-ray.
Of course, I will be completely devastated if it doesn't happen.
Still, I've had a really good week, and this topped it!
UNCLE -- hit me with the artwork :D
ILA4E,
Here it is.
Uncle, that looks positively Rambaldian.
Yes, very Rambaldian! :) Did you make that yourself?
Ohh, and a new avatar for you UNCLE? Looking good!
ILA4E,
Here is the full size one. It is a little rough around the edges still.
Ah, yes, Michael Jackson. Is there anything more that one human being could possibly do to destroy their legacy on this earth? The last 15 years or so he set the bar of bizarre behaviour so high that it may go unchallenged for generations.
Although he had some decent songs, I was never an MJ fanatic, but I remember the days when he ruled the airwaves. Those heady days when he showed up at events flanked by the likes of Webster and Brooke Shields, wearing some kind of weird-ass Sgt. Pepper uniform.
Many of us in Canada have details of the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics etched in our minds as if it all took place just a week ago. MJ was flying high in 1988 with his song "Bad", and I still remember, at the tail end of the 88 Olympics, watching the beautiful skater Katarina Witt don a leather jacket and dish out a spirited version of "Bad".
Here we are 21 years later, and time has run out for the King of Pop. The Cable TV circus which began tonight will dwarf the shameless and completely pointless orgy that followed Anna Nicole Smith's departure.
Michael is about to become the King of something other than Pop. He's about to become the undisputed King of ghoulish talking-head-TV. All those protesters in Iran sporting English signs designed for American TV consumption might just as well pack up and go home. Their show is over. Let's all hold our noses till this MJ thing blows over.
The Snowman-directed "Virtuality", the brainchild of BSG's Ronald Moore airs tonight on FOX from 8-10 p.m.
Televisionaryblog.com's Jace actually mentions "Alias" in his review of the pilot (which may be the only episode).
He actually gushes over Peter Berg's direction.
"He's about to become the undisputed King of ghoulish talking-head-TV."
I beg to differ. I think O.J. Simpson is still the reigning champ, but your point is still true and vastly understated.
It's a good thing I don't drink. Photoshop benders are harmful enough. Here's the final version of my new avatar picture.
Uncle, is that issue on news stands now? Very dapper spy attire on the pair of you, BTW. Must be Season Four.
I tried to watch "Virtuality" tonight but the first 30 minutes had me crying out for my Mommy to make it stop.
Robetron, I was spared much of the O.J. fiasco by virtue of not yet having a satellite dish, but I remember a couple of the women at work who often played hooky so they could spend the afternoon glued to the great spectacle of justice denied.
Such a monumental waste of time.
Page,
I used a promotional still of the cast. I don't know what season. When I think of putting myself itno my favorite shows and movies it is easy to get carried away.
I've had Virt. on, but it seems like a mix of 2001 and Big Brother. Not much there for me in it's current form.
Those are the Cast Promotional Pictures from Season 3, FYI.
I'm actually very interested in seeing what Virtuality is like.
As much as I love BN, I wish they would get a move on with this new phase in Michael's life. Four episodes in and we're none the wiser about his life without 'the Company'.
The new cop is gorgeous. I must say that I've never been pulled over by a female cop, much less a hottie like Michael Weston's new shadow.
Move that plot guys, it's only a 13 (give or take) episode season.
haha seems like everyone changed the subject from Alias on blu-ray to uncles website lol. btw hi guys haven't been on here for a while. Well talking about the post I dearly hope they bring Alias to blu-ray I think Alias deserves to be on blu-ray just as much as Lost does I mean come on Alias was the series that put J.J in the spotlight how can he abandon it Traitor!! lol
Sidewinder,
I hope this will be the last about my avatar- it's an update, but I need to test it.
lol it's a cool avatar but no prob was just an observation :) but do you guys think they'll do a blu-ray rambaldi box or just individual season releases if they do decide to put Alias on blu-ray.
Sidewinder,
They said they are going to start with season one. If they follow tradition they will put them out a season at a time and then a complete 5 season set.
well as long as they put some extras that are exclusive to blu-ray then that'll be cool
Hi guys, sorry I've been MIA, was at a design conference last week and will be out of town this Wed-Sun. too.
Sidenote - one of the presenters was talking about the magazine cover he designed for Denison University magazine featuring a "famous alum" clad in black and her red wig (using this picture. He said "I don't know her name..." so I of course piped up in the crowd of about 1,000 shouting "JENNIFER GARNER." :-D
SRG, I wonder if that room full of people can remember the presenter's name. I'm guessin' not too many.
Speaking of presenters, it's gonna be hard to imagine the world of television without Billy Mays..."call now and I'll triple the offer".
Way to go SRG! I would love to have been there for that. What kind of reaction did you get?
hehe yeah I thought you guys would get a kick out of that story. :) Interestingly my shout out got a lot of laughter... not sure if they found it funny that I piped up so loudly when he admitted to not knowing her name, or if they were laughing at me for being probably a liiiiittle obsessed hehe :D
No Burn Notice tomorrow.
*groan* It's going to be a long summer.
Yeah, I'm a little ticked about BN taking a time-out after only 4 weeks.
Things aren't much better on Canada Day here in the great white north. We got ourselves a "Stargate" movie marathon on the tube tonight. Can you imagine hour after hour of SG? The original Kurt Russell/James Spader movie was half decent, but the series, not so much. Oh well, it is what it is.
Second season of "Fringe" is filming in Vancouver this week and already a "47" sighting.
A few months ago my store was broken in to. They eventually caught the guys who did it and I went to the sherrif's office to identify some of what they recovered. While there one of the officer's wrote some information for me on a scrap of paper. I just noticed it on my desk and unfolded it. After seeing the back of the note it appears that the scrap was made by cutting up some old forms. This form was a time schedule of the number of inmates from the adjacent jail that were assigned for some kind of duty each hour. On this piece of paper there are 2 columns that document the number of inmates for each of 5 hours. On of the 10 squares shows 45 inmates. Guess how many inmates it documents for the other 9 hours. I'm telling you, it follows me everywhere- 47.
uncle111
Just to be clear, that was 47 in each of the 9 other squares. Kind of a strange moment when I realized I was looking at 9 47's on the back of a law enforcement document turned scratch pad note.
I'm told that the whole "47" call-out comes from some sort of film-school fraternity in which J.J. Abrams was a part.
Apparently, each film the members of this fraternity has at least one of these call-outs to their fellows. That is why we see it so often on in TV and movie productions.
The reason for their having chosen that number to be their "call-out" has something to do with their being math-geeks (my words). As I understand it, the number 47 is the most frequent, naturally occurring prime number, which is an interesting phenomenon, albeit a little droll.
This might explain why you think the number 47 seems to "follow" you Uncle111. I don't think the number has any weird, mystical, or personal attraction to you in particular.
It is not exclusive to ALIAS, it's fans, or even to J.J. Abrams. It is simply a mathematical oddity.
-R.
Robetron,
If you'll go back to the previous thread and scroll down a good bit you will find some links I posted that have the real skinny on film's use of 47.
I took statistics while getting my psych degree and the occurance of 2 numbers, 47 and 222 (for this number it started after I learned that 222 was part of the dates of the birth of several close relatives in my wife's family, her mother's divorce and the date of the murder of her mother's father. With 222 there was a period of about a year that I would see it sometimes as often as 5 times a day- total on a receipt, then a food special at a fast food place I drove by, then the time stamp on a message on my answering machine, etc.- all in one day, mind you), are WAY beyond any random occurance for me. I don't know the significance and it may be just be that I am sensitized to it and so see it more often.
An interesting experiment would be for everyone here to pick a number and keep track of how often you see it.
But you have to admit that 9 hand written 47's on the back of a note given to me by someone I had never met before is weird.
It'll be interesting to see what Dr. Carter and Spielberg can come up with. So far, I don't think it even has a name, so who knows when it will actually show up on the tube?
I just watched the latest Burn Notice online. The annoying Geico commercial that ran betwen every chapter displayed a phone number for Geico- 1-800-947-AUTO. A random coincidence?
Have an Alias happy 4th of 7th month.
Uncle111,
I looked up your links, and I have to say, I am of the mind like the guy one of the authors refers to as "Mets" - that the number really only has significance because an increasing number of people thinks it does.
Numerology, generally speaking, is superstitious bunk. Even the use of symbolic numbers in the Bible only has significance because the people to whom the words were originally written understood them in that way, and God communicated with them on a plain they could comprehend. The numbers "7" and "12" are, therefore symbolic of completion, wholeness, or perfection - but only because "completion, wholeness, or perfection" is the intended thought, not because the numbers themselves hold any mystical power.
Numbers themselves are only abstracted symbols of representation, possessing the conception of something else, but only to the mind of a person who understands it to be so. draw the number "47" on a sheet of paper and hand it to someone who only reads Chinese, and you'll get a blank stare in return. It holds as much meaning as "supercalafragilistic-expialadocious" (which, of course, is nonsensical, having no real meaning at all).
It's all well and good for these Pamonites to feel some sense of connection to each other, I guess. It is something of a waste of time, however. Someone from the east coast might decide to do the same thing with the number 74, or 24...why, they might even make a movie staring Jim Carry that features an obsession with the number 24.
I suppose I shouldn't try to spoil anyone's fun. I should probably just delete this post before I post it, but it's not like there are a great number of interesting TV shows to chat about. This is as good a topic to comment on as any. *shrug*
Page48, you mentioned "The Millennium" earlier in regard to Terry O'Quinn. Reading a little about the general theme, it might be something worth watching. I'll check it out some day, hopefully.
Trying to rent TV series' through Netflix is a pain in the neck because they only will send individual disks. Then you have to wait for the snail mail to get it back to their processing center after you drop it in the mail, and wait for the next disk to show up. Either that, or increase your subscription to a level where you are paying way more than you want to every month.
If Millennium comes available on Hulu or the "watch instantly" side of Netflix, I'll be sure to catch it. It looks like one of those good shows that fall through the cracks because the Network doesn't know what they have and fail to promote, sending it inevitably down the tube.
Poor Jericho. I'm half of the mind to go watch it again.
Movie recommendation:
If you like thriller/ horror flicks, have I got a recommendation for you. I recently watched "Quarantine," and I have been raving about it to anyone who likes that genre.
Admittedly, I have become rather jaded about horror movies lately, owing in great measure to how many serious disappointments recent efforts have given me. (There are some really stinky-bad thrillers out there that were hyped far beyond their ability to deliver.)
Then, as the movie started, I learned that it was filmed with the "shaky-cam" in the "Cloverfield" style, where the camera is actually a character in the movie. I thought, "oh, brother... another band-wagon jumper that doesn't realize how annoying all the shakiness is."
But, I had already rented it, and had nothing else planned for the evening, so I determined to watch it anyway.
Within the first few minutes, I noticed how natural and unscripted it felt. I very easily forgot they were acting.
Having some appreciation for the work of Fire/Rescue, I didn't mind the story-intro, which some critics complain is too long. It seemed like good character development to me, in retrospect. (During the movie, I barely noticed it, because the acting was so superb that I dropped my analytical glasses and no longer saw the story-board outline in the background.)
The story, basically, is this: A feature-reported is doing a story on a local Fire & Rescue Squad, with special privileges to "shadow" a pair of the guys. Her hopes are realized when the engine company is called out, and she was able to ride along. They were called, not to a fire, but to an apartment building where some residents are concerned about the screams they heard in an old woman's apartment.
Weird stuff happens, and as they begin to leave, they all discover that, for reasons not yet revealed, the Authorities are barricading and sealing them inside.
The problem is not some wildly fantastic and unbelievable mythical or mystical power resurrecting zombies, or mummies, or demons, or ghosts (etc.). The problem is much more realistic and plausible. I can't, however, tell you what it is without spoiling. You'll have to rent it and watch closely to put the pieces together.
I'm not sure the characters ever actually have the time to figure it out entirely, but I must say, the woman who plays the lead character deserves some kid of award for her portrayal of the fragility of the human psyche. The progressions she goes through as the problems intensify was so completely natural and realistic... I just don't know if I have ever seen anything quite like it.
JG's portrayal of Sydney's emotions was very compelling, but sometimes I thought they were a little over-done, purposely for emphasis, due to the fast pace of the show and the limited time frame. Sometimes, though, they were spot-on, perfect, like the bathtub scene where she finds Danny. The lingering silence of the scream you knew was about to come... perfect. That's the level of the entire movie, "Quarantine."
Warning: it is not for young people. Thankfully, they left out the gratuitous nudity that seems somehow mandatory in horror films. But there is significant violence (though, most of it is implied rather than seen), and some language. One supposes that under this sort of stress, average people will indeed tend to utter some profanity and vulgarisms. In that way, I guess it is added realism. I could do without it, personally, but I have trained myself to filter out that stuff mentally anyway.
If anyone else has seen the movie, what did you think?
If you haven't seen it, and you like a good thriller now and then, if you can deal with the shaky-cam, you will not be disappointed.
Robetron, I have always wanted to see Quarantine, and the sole reason was only to watch (the lead) Jennifer Carpenter (what is it with great actresses being named "Jennifer"...?). ;)
If you thought she was fantastic in that (and you may recognise her from this), then you have to watch her in Showtime's, Dexter -- a fantastic character.
She also did some absolutely incredible work in The Exorcism of Emily Rose, where she actually did heavy-duty voice training to nail all those demonic sounds and screams for a person "posessed".
Definitely someone to look out for.
As a side note, and really, just to make comment on the number "47" -- I have to say that I believe it is all just coincidence; if you're looking for it everywhere, you'll find it everywhere.
I know I do weird things like close my eyes on the 47th minute of the hour (or just look at a clock then); on my way to school look at house #47 (and then across the street from it is house #74); at this very moment it is 4:43AM, and I'm going to try post this at 4:47AM -- but it's only out of my love for ALIAS that I do all this.
I look for it.
It doesn't hold any superstitious or coincedental meaning to me; only a special one.
It serves as a reason to put a smile on my face. :)
Yeah, I don't place any kind of real significance on "47". It's just a wink to those of us conditioned to spot it in JJ's shows. If it occurred in "Lassie Come Home", it wouldn't have the same effect. Also, I suspect that if I started looking for "33" in TV shows, I would be shocked at how often it occurred.
I checked out the trailer for "Quarantine". I've never heard of it, but some of the comments on IMDB are positive. I tend to be a fan of the 'thriller' as opposed to the 'horror' movie, but I'll give Q a shot.
Speaking of horror movies, I see that BC has taken a break from juvy comedies long enough to do a horror flick (with Zellweiger & Ian McShane).
Robetron,
Don't get me wrong. I don't disagree with you. It is mostly an oddity to me (the usual problem with writing is you don't normally convey a tone of voice), given a little more significance only because of Alias. But when I point out the occurance of the appearance of these 2 numbers to family members, who are now somewhat sensatized to them, they can't believe how often they see them when they are with me as opposed to when they aren't. In fact they sometimes point them out to me when I miss them.
As far as the use of 47 in TV and movies, I think it has become a fad and it has become a game to notice them.
Page,
Why don't you conduct an experiment for us and keep track of how many times you spot 33. It would be interesting.
Quarantine? Wow. Just finished watching it, and I have to say that I am thoroughly surprised -- it far surpassed my expectations.
And the camera-work was completely fine (I had no problem with Cloverfield's cinematography either, and it actually kind of annoys me that people are irked by shaky-cam...)
Jennifer Carpenter is so fantastic. Very, very believable performance.
Page, I'm not really one for horror either, but I most certainly recommend giving this a go -- of course, it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but each to his own...
Case 39? Looks to be as much of an atrocity as Kiefer Sutherland's, Mirrors. I compel anyone to sit through that piece of absolute crap. Actually, no, I don't. There are things far worse than torture.
Good horrors are hard to come by these days; very few and far between.
Anyway, Quarantine gets the go-ahead from me. And without giving too much away, I'll just say I was a little disappointed by the ending -- but then again, I can't remember watching a film of this genre and ever recieving a fully satisfying ending...
Oh, and I've been meaning to mention that I watched some of Virtuality...
...but then the new episode of TRUE BLOOD finished downloading and I couldn't wait to watch it.
Virtuality had me bored. I like the idea of "a show within a show", but it has to be executed properly. And I suppose, in some ways, it was, but the story just needed more umph!
I spent the entire 45 minutes that I watched, trying to keep my eyes open. (Maybe FOX made the right choice to cut its loses early..?)
BTW, are there any other TRUE BLOOD watchers here? (Love, love, love that show!)
47th comment.
(Sorry, couldn't resist!)
ILA4E, Kiefer has been involved in a whole lotta trash throughout his career. With the exception of "24" and "The Sentinel" (which wasn't that far removed from the tone of "24"), I've found very little in KS's vast repertoire that was even halfway watchable. A lot of bizarre choices by Kiefer, IMO.
I was tempted to download "Virtuality" to watch the final 90 minutes, but I decided that, if I slept through the first 1/2 hour, what were the odds that I would be riveted by the balance. I wrote it off.
The only thing I liked about "Cloverfield" is that it was only an hour long. I just wanted all the characters to die...soon. Mercifully, they obliged.
I've never seen "True Blood", but I gather that it's the go-to show for all your naked Anna Paquin needs. I'm sure Wolverine has TB on blu-ray.
I just watched a "Quarantine" trailer on IMDB. Near the beginning they flash the time-- 11:47.
Any bets on which will hit Blu-ray first, "Alias", or MJ's funeral/spectacle?
I think we all know the answer, and sadly, I think we all know which one will rake in the most cash.
ILA4E,
I'm glad you took the recommendation. Like you, I thought "Quarantine" far surpassed my expectations too.
Regarding the end, I guess I was pleased with it because it was unconventional. I'll not give it away for those who are considering giving it a watch, but I thought the way it ended was far more realistic than the ordinary thriller endings. Real life is often less dramatic than the movies make it seem, and the more true-to-life a story is, the more believable.
I'll be honest, this was one of those rare movies that had an affect on me. No, I didn't need to sleep with the lights on; but my heart was pounding for a good 15, 20 minutes after the movie was over. I think it is a credit to Ms. Carpenter's acting that it drew me into the story that completely.
Anyway...
That's two positive reviews from ALIAS fans and LTA bloggers, fellas. We rarely get bad recommendations in here. Time to make a run down to Blockbuster and rent a copy.
:D
As a matter of fact, I'm going to go see what I can find about "True Blood." I haven't heard of it before. Can it be found for free online somewhere?
Nope, not free online.
HBO only has the synopsis online for free. Is season 1 of True Blood available to rent yet?
All popular TV shows are recorded and uploaded within hours of airing, usually in a 720p version and a smaller, more bandwidth friendly version.
You just have to wrestle with your conscience as to whether file sharing is a crime. Personally, I have trouble rationalizing how I can tape or PVR a show for viewing at my leisure, and sleep at night, but the instant that I download the same show, I'm branded a thief and a scoundrel.
So, Robetron, I leave it up to you to decide. If you want to download "True Blood" 1.1, here it is. You need bit torrent software such as Utorrent to download the torrent file. If you choose the 720p version, you'll likely find it is encoded in .mkv format, which will require VLC Player. If you choose the smaller version (the one I've linked to), it's likely to be in .avi format which Windows Media Player or any number of other players will handle.
Ball's in your court. Just remember, Homeland Security is there for your protection. Why else would they be watching?
Page48, you are a courageous and amusing risk-taker, aren't you. I cannot say I disagree with you. I can't find a way to harmonize the two conflicting hypothetical scenarios either. If I were inclined to download it from a torrent, however, I do not think I would allow it to be known is such a public fashion. I know you are located over an undisclosed boarder, but make no mistake, the Orwellian thought-police do watch and make note, and everything is going global these days. Soon everything except Texas will be under a One-world-order, and TV-show downloaders might be summarily executed.
For the record, and for the people working in the Global Ministry of "Freedom," I'll neither admit nor deny having any contact with illegal torrents.
TV show downloaders being summarily executed would make a riveting reality TV show, which would no doubt be massively illegally downloaded which would result in more fodder for the execution reality show which would spawn even greater numbers of illegal downloaders which would......
Hey, it's perfect. We could get Regis to host the night time version. It could be a lead-in for "Dollhouse" to try and expand Whedon's weekly viewership beyond those embarrassing immediate-family type numbers.
Robetron, if you don't feel comfortable using "file-share" networks and sites etc., the first season is available to rent.
Regarding the ending of Quarantine, I agree that it was better than most horror movie finishes. And really, it was at such a stage in the film, that how else could it have been finished (without being a cliche)?
But yep, definitely loved the movie, and like you, my heart did pound some (and I'm not easily riled up).
Give it a go, all.
I watched "Quarantine" last night. I thought it was pretty decent. Kind of had an "I Am Legend" feel to it in the sense that all the formerly good citizens became infected and turned into public enemy #1.
Most shows/movies that try to portray the 'on location' reporter do such an embarrassingly poor job for some reason.Jen C., however, came across as verrry natural in her behaviour at the firehouse. I could have easily bought into the idea that she wasn't acting at all, which of course, is the whole point. Well done, Jen C.
As far as the ending was concerned, there was really no other way out. Again, it was similar to IAL in that respect. Endings can't always be fuzzy and warm, I suppose.
How about the guy from "Ally McBeal"(the movie's veterinarian)? I haven't seen that guy in quite a while.
Yep, you guys better get to Texas before they close the borders.
As far as the ending was concerned, there was really no other way out. Again, it was similar to IAL in that respect. Endings can't always be fuzzy and warm, I suppose.
Yeah, I agree with that. And a "warm and fuzzy" ending would have only served as a way to completely ruin the entire film -- glad it didn't resemble anything of the like.
I watched it again last night and had a discussion with my friends about what the hell you could do if you were in that situation.
The ending it had was the only way it could go without being totally unsatisfying.
Regarding, I Am Legend; while I understand that ending, I felt no satisfication with it. *shrugs*
Anyway, good on you for giving it a go, Page
I think the 'happy ending' in "Quarantine", if there is one, is in the fact that (implied, since we did see the movie) the film was recovered and the story got out. Therefore, the truth saw the light of day even if the apartment's inhabitants didn't.
Re: IAL, I hate it when Will Smith's characters die in movies. It ain't right.
Up till now, I've never been a fan of the TV spinoffs of the "Stargate" movie, namely SG-1 and Atlantis. They both struck me as pretty lame-ass and I never understood how SG-1 could drag on for 10 years.
However, "Stargate Universe", or SGU, appears to be a different breed of show. While it's too soon to pass judgment, since the show doesn't debut until fall, I like the look of this show much more so than the previous incarnations.
For those of us who just watched "Quarantine", I gather that a similar sort of documentary style of filming is going to be used on SGU. From the trailers floating around the internet, this series seems to have a kind of gravitas that's MIA in SG1 or Atlantis.
This one stars Robert Carlyle, who I've seen in some interesting roles, including the bleakly futuristic "The Last Enemy", and who appeared in "24: Redemption" last fall.
Let's hope SyFy has figured out how to make a better Stargate.
When did it become "SyFy" and why did it change?
On SyFy rebranding.
This was one of the more unsual 47's I've had this week. My sister-in-law and family are visiting a small ranch they bought in Brazil where their daughters train and do barrel racing (rodeo stuff for those not from Texas). Here is part of a sentence from an email I just got from her:
"we hiked around the 47 acres of our ranch"
Last night I was reading an article in Small Arms Review about the inventor of the Metal Storm weapons technology (used that in my screenplay) which will spawn the next generation of weapons systems. He invented the technology after selling his successful food distributing business and using that money and borrowed money to live on and conduct his research. He sold his business and started his research at age...47.
Is this guy on drugs?
Pay special attention to the third line in the second paragraph.
He seems to forget that JJ was involved with a little show we like to call "Alias" and instead, in what can only be a chemically induced stupor, credits "Fringe" with being one of the best TV shows of all freaking time (paraphrasing).
Oh, Dude, give your head a shake.
Man. Did people even watch their TV's between 2001 and 2005?
I reallywish there was a comment box for that article...
Being overshadowed by the huge Alias-slight, that article was also a tad rosy. I again site Kirk's own words within the movie itself (paraphrasing), "Going back in time to change the past is cheating."
Abrams didn't have a moment of genius, as in the conception of Sydney Bristow; he just used the highly improbably (and somewhat hackneyed) crutch of time travel to re-write everything that founded the original stories, opening it up for new stories.
It's cheating, cheating like when Marvel Comics decided their characters were growing too old, so they created an alternate universe. Yes, that's very convenient. Forget about realism where even heroes die. Forget about trying to be creative, inventing new characters to take the place of the old. Forget about the time and effort the old fans put in to learn the entire back-story just to have context for the present story. Forget about fan commitment altogether; let's just re-write everything so it seems new and fresh.
If a story cannot be continued because the characters have outlived it, then the story, just as in life, is over.
I think I have talked myself into believing that JJ should never have tried to take up the "franchise."
Seriously, how would everyone here feel if, in 7 years (making it a complete decade), someone decided to "take up" the Alias story by re-writing it from the beginning? It may have stumbled at times, and there might be a few arcs we might like to have re-written, but the foundational beginnings of Syd's story can't be changed without making everything we invested into the 4.7 years being made worthless.
I don't think serious fans of Star Trek should be excited about the newest movie. I think they should be offended. If they are not, it makes me wonder about the superficiality of their appreciation for it in the first place.
But then again... it was only Star Trek. It wasn't known for it's raw examination of the human psyche, or it's commentary on modern civilization. Or ...was it?
To quote Robetron:
"making everything we invested into the 4.7 years"...4.7- hmmmm.
I haven't seen JJ's "Star Trek" yet, but I'm not such a diehard Trekkie that I'm going to be too put out by Orci/Kurtzman's revisionist ST history. Chances are I wouldn't notice anyway, unless it was really blatant.
The original ST is a classic and I was a viewer of TNG as well, but both of those series are dated. I've recently tried watching a couple of episodes of TNG, and I just can't get through them anymore to do a lethal combination of boredom and apathy.
Television has changed a lot over the years and these older renditions look pretty lame by today's standards, so if ST as a franchise is to survive, it won't be by clinging to the details and methods of the original series, and certainly the actors are no longer a factor.
Anyone keen enough to dress up like Kirk and hang out at conventions won't appreciate youngsters fiddling with ST canon, but kids today probably don't know Capt. Kirk from Dr. Kervorkian. So, I tend to look at JJ's ST effort as a stand-alone event that will either sink or swim on it's own entertainment merit, and by all box-office accounts, it seems to have been fully embraced.
This is the era of re-imagining. BSG turned Starbuck from male to female and James Bond has become James Blonde. Re-imagining implies wholesale tweaking, and in some cases, like BSG, the more tweaking the better.
"Alias", if it ever does get a reboot 20 years down the road may tamper with the facts as we know them to be, but if it showed the proper respect to the original, I could handle (hopefully) the liberties that would undoubtedly occur. If it had me glued to the edge of my seat and contained the ingredients that made "Alias" so compelling, I would be grateful for the ride and let's face it, we'd have plenty to talk about.
Who knows, it might even bring GS out of retirement.
I like your standard of assessment, Page48.
I grew up with Star Trek, and while I was always a fan of scifi in general, I never was able to get nutty over the series. I only have sentimental attachments to the movies, and I have no inclination to revisit it. TNG, I liked a great deal, so long as "number one" (whatever his name was) had very little to do with it. The "thing" with him and Deanna Troy was completely annoying because neither of them could act. They all stood in the shadow of a seriously good actor in "Jean Luke Picard." Without him in the lead story, it was all just too campy. I believe I've already let my disdain for "camp" be known.
Anyway, what I was getting at before chasing the rabbit of TNG...
As a stand alone movie JJ's work with ST is admirable. The entertainment value is legitimately high, but some of it draws its value from the connection to the movies and shows of the past, making at least a neophyte level of ST knowledge necessary to really "get it."
Ignoring the fact the JJ could have made a great (and strangely similar) ALIAS movie with that budget, based on nothing but the pure entertainment value, I'd give it a solid 4 (out of 5) stars.
-R.
To this day I don't understand how the Frenchman Picard can have that decidedly British accent. That's just all wrong.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118005997.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&ref=bd_tv
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00025691.html
Garner and Janes said they're looking toward developing female-driven material such as "Grey's Anatomy."
Yeah, Jen, we really need the airwaves polluted with more shows in the "Grey's Anatomy" genre.
What happened to that daytime 'how-to-wipe-your-baby's-ass' show that they wanted to develop a couple of years ago? Maybe she could revive that one, too.
Sheeeeeesh, Jen!
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