Taken from the comments in our last article, this excellent post was written by blogger Robetron. - SRM
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It's a shame, but ALIAS is far enough in the past that people forget it was ALIAS that ushered in a new era of television action-drama. Before Alias (officially, "BA") nothing was AS well written, well produced, and well acted while so crammed full of movie-style action.
Now it's been a while since the show-creators have figured out what works, and they have all borrowed from ALIAS (which, of course, borrowed extensively from other, lesser-quality productions).
From The Unit to 24, from LOST to BSG, from Chuck to Nikita, and a dozen others, it was ALIAS that open the eyes of TV watchers to realize that great TV doesn't have to compromise quality.
(Perhaps, that is one of the more disappointing aspects of the way it all ended - everyone was looking at ALIAS as the gold-standard for high quality TV, and then they pooch-kicked the game winning field goal try.)
Sure, there were some good precursors like Buffy, Angel, and Firefly (though, I think Firefly was during the ALIAS run). But they were very genre-specific in their appeal. People woke up to good TV about the same time they woke up to the many realizations that came with 9-11-2001.
There have been good dramas also, like The Practice in the era of BA. But nothing combined story, acting, character development, and tons of action balancing it all on a razors edge until ALIAS.
But that's the past. There is a whole new generation being raised to enjoy the benefits of ALIAS' pioneering, but without an appreciation for its efforts. It's a history-repeating problem that has continued since time immemorial.
You think there is a single 16 year old today who knows what the world was like pre- 9/11? Do you remember what life was like pre-"60's revolution"? (Shhh, don't answer, Uncle. I'm making a point).
Do we have any idea what the sacrifices were and how people generally conducted themselves pre-Great War? How can we possibly appreciate a country won by defeating the greatest military on the face of the planet in the Revolutionary War when we cannot even appreciate what an innovative program like ALIAS has done for TV watching in the last 5 years?
The year 2001 has been shaping our social conscience ever since in a multitude of ways, not the least of which is the effect ALIAS has had on how TV is made and watched to this present date.
Yes, I made those historic comparisons a little tongue-in-cheek, but the truth of the matter is that ALIAS changed things, and those changes continue til today.
So... uh, what great program will be dissed and placed on the chopping block this week?
-R.
351 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 351 of 351"All of the characters are lacking a lighter side, which most people have."
Exactly, Robetron. I think it comes down to balance. We have a thousand reasons to love Sydney as a person, never mind admiring her for her spy prowess. This isn't the case with Nikita, who is portrayed as much more of a one-dimensional hard-ass. And, most of the secondary characters have yet to crack a smile in the first 30 episodes.
I think of the whole Syd/Dixon relationship in the early days, and it wasn't just the support aspect, but the deceit and the fallout from that which gave their characters some depth that Nikita has yet to explore.
All of that said, these shows, as you say, take place in different worlds, with realism playing a more important role in "Nikita", and certainly the twist at the end of the last episode was worthy of the respect of "Alias" fans. Substitute Irina for Ryan and you get the idea.
I get disgusted when I check out the Bubble Watch Index and see not a single show that I watch in the top 2 categories, "renewed" and "certain renewal", while "Fringe" resides in "likely cancellation" and "Nikita" in the "on the bubble" list.
Robetron,
I guess it's all in how we each are wired. I find that the shows that are most realistic and like real life tend to be the ones I'm least interested in. And though you and I share the same core religious beliefs I found the Rambaldi mystery intriguing, but I really dislike the vampire-sorcery-magic genre, in which I put Conan the B.
Bradley Cooper makes a Jennifer Garner-like blunder, dropping out of U.N.C.L.E. talks.
Page,
I've been following the whole issue. Take a look at this and
this
And here is what someone else has observed:
Here's why I'm not optimistic: if Soderbergh walks, I think development starts all over again. Essentially, the window to do a Soderbergh-directed movie is roughly February to June. He then wants to do this Liberace project for HBO.
I tend to side with Uncle on the reality vs. altered reality type of entertainment. I find too much realism is likely to put me off of a movie or TV show.
My first choices are always either spy tales like Jason Bourne or "Nikita" or sci-fi like BSG or SGU or "Avatar". Combine the 2 elements into one show like "Alias", and the potential is off the charts.
BtVS and "Angel" are the only vampire shows that I can watch, because they're such well written character shows. "Vampire Diaries" and "True Blood", IMO, are joyless affairs that don't ring my bell.
I think the best 'realistic' spy show on right now is "Homeland". Of course, being on SHOWTIME, it's laced with the usual profanity/nudity that cable loves to put out there. I don't know why someone can't take that kind of programming, clean it up and sell it to the networks for those of us who aren't enamoured by what cable offers.
See, "Liberace", even with Matt Damon and Michael Douglas (or Victor Garber for that matter), is not something that I want to watch.
I can't imagine any actor who could make me want to watch "Liberace." He was weird enough when I watched the real one on TV all those years ago, and I certainly am not interested in the life he kept private.
He was not that good a piano player BTW.
I just got this from someone.It is an update and trailer for Haywire. The male lead has been suggested as a possible star in the UNCLE movie. It is possible he could already be tied to a conflicting project, though.
But Haywire looks like one we would like.
Wowsers, Uncle, how did that slip under the radar? Here's another trailer.
That looks like a hoot!
Page,
Do a Google image and video search for Gina Carano.
I may have a black belt, but I'd have mixed feelings about dating her:)
I checked her out as soon as I realized I'd never heard of her. She's about 30 years old, plenty of time to make some interesting movies.
Some people should be typecast. I think she might be one of them.
I didn't mean to downgrade the sci-fi. I was a huge fan of BSG, BtVS, Angel, SGU and Firefly (et. al.).
I was not a fan of how BSG handled the religious aspect, and the others, thankfully, never really needed it.
I think a combination of real-like spy genre mixed with unapologetic sci-fi is a great idea.Mixing genres seems to work when the characters never seem to notice that things are unusual.
At the same time, if the program purports itself to be set in reality, like "24", "The Bourne Identity", and "Nikita" I like the characters to be believable.
I think Alias was confused as to what it was supposed to be; among its many faces and aliases, it lost its identity in an out of control sci-fi character, Rambaldi, existing in a real-world environment. It was just one thing I personally thought could have been handled better, and it was probably the thing that prevented a greater viewership (seeing how, the teenage girls that were siphoning "girl power" off the first couple seasons are not generally attracted to sci-fi). Then, season 3 grew "dark" like Nikita, and people stopped having happy moments. Season 4, well... you know the progression by now.
Speaking of Conan the Barbarian, wasn't that supposed to come last summer? Where is it? It looked quite good, and I was looking forward to it. I read nearly all the books as a youth, and in my head I have a picture of who Conan really is (not Arnold the Barbarian).
I like the military, so Homeland sounds good to me.
But Haywire looks fantastic if they can stop with the cartoon, 70's style freeze frames. Count me in. I love seeing the ju jitzu moves, and how Mixed Martial Arts is beginning to affect movie depictions of people who can really fight. (Sorry Bruce Willis)
Robetron, Conan should be out on DVD on Nov. 22.
"Fringe" grabs onto a series low in the ratings department last night. May not get the coveted 4.77 seasons that "Alias" received.
We're in the month of November, which is when word came out that "Alias" was finished. I still remember hearing that on my car radio.
Did Person of Interest not air this week?
Uncle, POI was a rerun. Don't ask me why.
Some customers of mine have been working for the past 2-3 years to make some working models of the gun they used on the Man From UNCLE TV series. The originals were mainly props that have reliability issues. The new ones work perfectly and we are working together to market them. It is going to take a lot of money to get set up to make them and so they shot a promotional video to help gauge whether there is likely to be enough demand to justify the initial outlay of cash.
This video is the opening sequence. I just heard from another customer who may be interested in helping them with the rest of the video. He was the CG supervisor for BSG.
This could turn out to be a lot of fun.
BSG meets UNCLE? Does this mean UNCLE guns in the hands of Skin Jobs?
Page,
Sounds kind of creepy, huh?
Looks like a sequel to Liam Neeson's "Taken" is being filmed as we speak. For release in about a year.
Page,
One of my favorite movies! Too bad there's not a trailer.
My my Bradley, how far you've come. People's Sexiest Man Alive 2011
SRM, you'd think that the sexiest man alive could score some better movie roles.
Some of this nonsense I'm reading about what the US Congress would like to do with our internet makes me wonder if we should all just turn ourselves in to the 'authorities' now and save some time.
A few links:
1 (with video)
2 (link provided by Firefox)
3 (op-ed from NY Times)
4 (full page ad in NY Times taken out by some internet heavies)
5 (detailed look at the risks)
So, picture this. Someone places 'objectionable content' (maybe a link to music used on "Alias" or maybe to an actual clip of "Alias", hell maybe just a screen cap)on LTA which draws the ire of some software filter laid on by Big Brother and suddenly LTA is blacklisted as a "rogue" website and the domain name is blocked. Multiply this by millions of 'violations' occurring everyday and it just gets better and better.
Good thing we have Congress looking for new ways to protect us from ourselves.
Page,
The Fed's have laid equally onerous regulations and controls on many things, especially in commerce. They just found another thing they can regulate (read new federal employees to hire) and tax.
I think they are a little uncomfortable with the people having too much control over their own lives and money.
Someone posted this on an UNCLE site today:
1. Soderbergh would have been a good director. But he was so hung up on doing a farewell tour, that should have been a warning sign.
2. Warner Bros. hasn't exactly been consistent. According to The Playlist story, studio executives were never that sold on George Clooney (age 50) and really wanted younger actors. But when 47-year-old Johnny Depp was kind of, sort of interested, they changed their minds. Except Depp didn't commit, but the younger actors weren't avaialble (because Warner Bros. had already signed them to other movies; except the project that Warners signed Michael Fassbender for is running into its own problems: http://www.deadline.com/2011/11/londongrad-losing-rupert-wyatt/)
3. Based on The Playlist story, Warners wanted a budget of $60 million (including $5 million of costs of other rejected UNCLE projects). That's a big number to you and me. But it's less than half of the budget of Skyfall, the new James Bond movie which, in turn, has a budget roughly $95 million less than the bloated Quantum of Solace.
4. Did Soderbergh treat UNCLE as a kind of frat party, a sort of final farewell party with buddies? Maybe. Hard to say.
You're both just trying to get me started, aren't you?
DON'T get me started. The economic solution that gives people back their freedom and addresses a wide number of problems in the political arena has been available for years, but Congress doesn't want to let go of their control on your life in order to enact it.
There is growing support for it as more people really start trying to understand what it is, but as long as people are content to remain ignorant, the Fair Tax system will just seem like another flat tax scheme in people's eyes. It is nothing of the sort, but without doing the due diligence to learn how it can transform the way government works (rather than destroys or disincentivizes) how will anyone know to get behind it?
Awww... see, I wasn't even going to mention it, but... hey- you all got me started.
Fair tax, plus make it illegal for members of Congress to engage in insider trading and only let them meet for 6 months out of the year, at most. And make them subject to the laws and regulations they pass, instead of exempting themselves and their political allies from them.
Just remember: "We're from the Government and we're here to help". HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Uncle, I like Clooney in these kinds of roles, but if this is to be a trilogy and he's already 50.....I guess it depends how quickly they intend to pound out the sequels, but a younger actor is probably a good idea.
According to that Playlist article, it sounds like Clooney might be 55 before the first flick gets off the ground. They also mentioned that Matt Damon was considered. I would love that, but I guess that's off the table as well.
I guess part of Soderbergh's problem with the budget is that they want to do a period piece, a real remake rather than a modern take on the franchise. My own preference for any remake is a modern version, mostly because of modern gadgetry I suppose.
Among period pieces in the spy category that I'm considering is the soon to be released "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy".
I also recently caught "Page Eight", which was on PBS. Bill Nighy rarely disappoints and was great here as a seasoned veteran spy.
Page,
I will check out those links.
About period UNCLE and gadgetry ...they were always borderline sci-fi with the gadgets; always ahead of the curve technologically. So, much of what they used in the show would be similar to what is being used today. If they kept that element in the remake they could still do cool things with gadgets.
But...
Well, it's a long way off yet, but ABC's "Missing" has been given a debut date. The pilot airs on Thursday, March 15th at 8:00 p.m..
I could simplify that "Missing" comment by just saying that it takes over the current "Charlie's Angels" time slot.
Ironic that a show that sounds cool in an "Alias" sort of way is going to boot Victor Garbers CA to the curb.
Anyone remember the Bourne Identity miniseries in the late 1980's?
Uncle, I think I watched part of the Richard Chamberlain version of Jason Bourne a few years ago, but I haven't seen the whole thing.
"The Avengers" official website, which just happens to include this gorgeous photo of Black Widow.
I really hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving weekend!
Here is the latest I have seen on the on again off again Man From UNCLE movie.
And here is something for your Thanksgiving Day enjoyment. I hope it doesn't give you nightmares:)
Denzel is a former CIA agent gone rogue in "Safe House"
Page,
Looks like the spy genre is alive and well.
Have you been watching Covert Affairs lately? They have made some improvements and have added more action of late.
Uncle, I haven't seen CA 2.14 yet. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow. They're definitely making an effort to improve the show, but I still wish they'd at least give Annie a gun.
Season's just about over, December 7 according to IMDB, but their episode list seems to be out of whack (no 2.15 listed).
I notice that Morgan's (from "Chuck") brother, Rick Gomez, was the guest star on last week's "Burn Notice", playing a missile maker. Definite family resemblance going on there.
Page,
You'll get your CA wish.
I have a customer
in my UNCLE gun business who wants to help with the video the guys I'm working with to build real UNCLE guns recently made. The guy who wrote the script (one of the gun production guys) is flying to LA to meet with Doug and his team to go over what they envision adding to the video. When you read about Doug on wikipedia you'll see why we are excited.
Uncle, he's worked on some good franchise shows. Being asked to do anything associated with the original "Star Trek" is a real coup.
Catching up on "Person of Interest".
It's Burn Notice with a 24 atmosphere. I'm liking it very much. Seeing old friends from LOST adds to the appeal. My trouble is trying to get a hold of all of the episodes and watch them in order. What are they doing? Making only one episode per month? Not going to garner (excuse the bad-robot pun) much of a following by dropping them randomly.
I have my DVR set to catch any reruns so I can hopefully get what is not available online.
I hope you fellas have had a chance to check this program out. I'd say its definitely worthy... even if it lacks the female co-lead eye candy that one might expect from modern television.
Maybe CBS won't ruin the story by requiring an appeal to 14 year old girls.
Robetron,
Maybe my favorite show. I watch it online and they have had a rerun or 2 and didn't show a new one this last week. I sure hope they keep it going and produce DVDs.
I would watch the whole thing tonight if all the episodes were available online. Unfortunately, they have three of the oldest, and two of the newest available, but the two in-between are not available. Disappointing, but at least the stupid commercials are not foisted on you like Hulu does.
Tip O the hat to CBS for that, anyway.
Robetron,
http://watchseries.eu/serie/person_of_interest
I've seen all but the most recent POI.TV by the Numbers rates it as a toss up between renewal or cancellation by May, but I think it's probably safe. Personally, I think the lack of an attractive female in a prominent role is probably a ratings drag, although it did "Undercovers" no favours.
My biggest beef with POI, though, is the lack of serialization, but I remind myself that it took "Fringe" a year and a half to move in that direction.
Here's an article on female TV spies. The author incorrectly states that Sydney was wearing a pink wig when we first saw her. After the article, she amends that to a red wig. I took the liberty of mentioning that Sydney dyed her hair to match Will's sister. No wig.
Robetron, if you're looking for old friends from "Lost", you'll soon be able to catch 'Claire' on "Once Upon a Time" (seen here with Dr. Rush).
This week's episode featured the Mayor of Sunnydale as Jiminy's father. Also in the near future, Buffy's 'Anya' will appear as The Blind Witch.
And, if you're blessed with total recall, you'll remember the Mayor of Storybrooke appeared in a couple of episodes of "Lost". Me? I don't remember her specifically, although I certainly remember the scene.
I'm looking forward to catching "Hugo" someday. I keep seeing the promos which look absolutely gorgeous. And, the viewer reviews on IMDB are overwhelmingly impressive.
Plus, it stars Hit Girl in a more family friendly role.
"The Walking Dead" aired its mid-season finale last night. Last season consisted of a whopping 6 episodes and it seemed like an eternity before S2 arrived.
Once here, S2 (with 13 eppies in total) moved at a slower pace which at times has been a little frustrating, but I thought that last night's 7th episode sent it into hiatus in fine form.
FOX announces that "Alcatraz" will have itself a 2 hour premiere on Jan. 16th (Monday night).
Then, in kind of a bizarre move, "Touch" will debut on Jan. 25th (Wednesday), but will then resume in the "Alcatraz" time slot beginning on March 19th.
With "Missing" debuting on March 15th, it could be a pretty decent winter/spring TV season. One can always hope.
Anyone know when we will get a new Nikita, POI, 5-0, Chuck, or Fringe episode
Uncle, I foolishly sat down to watch POI last night thinking we must be due for a new episode, but.....
So, new eppies:
POI: December 8
"Nikita": Tonight
"Fringe": January 13
H50: December 5
Page,
I knew you would know.
Well, at least this has given me a chance to get caught up:)
"Nikita" spoiler alert, read this at your own risk (of being spoiled, I mean).
Can you believe the mid-season finale of "Nikita" (like both "Chuck" and "Alias" before it) pulled the "Almost Thirty Years" cliffhanger out of mothballs for one more trip down memory lane? I was surprised to see it on "Chuck" and I'm shocked to see it again so soon on "Nikita". Amazing.
Now, who knows when "Nikita" returns? There's no indication on IMDB.
Want to buy a dress worn by Sydney in the shocking 4th season finale/5th season opener of Alias?
How about a pair of her jeans from a great 4th season episode?
Uncle, that dress represents my clothing budget right through 2025. Truth be told, maybe longer.
"Person of Interest" Season 1: Episode 4 "Cura Te Ipsum"
Guest starred Eliza Dushku.
DUDE! Have we all aged that much since Buffy? Has time been so cold to all of us since Dollhouse? I almost didn't recognize her.
I really like this program. It needs a few occasional lighter moments, and an attractive feminine co-lead, and a little more serialization... I'll give you all that, but the acting and story-telling are superb. Hearing Jim Cavezel whisper every line in order to try to sound tough is going to get old quickly though. If he cannot sound manly, he could at least sound normal.
Good call on "Once Upon A Time", Page48. I'm watching and semi-enjoying that program. W/ Dr Rush on the program playing Rumpelstiltskin, it has enough to keep a person intrigued. Significantly more than "Grimm" too. That little formula is very nearly spoiled already.
I haven't watched the latest Nikita yet, so I skipped the comments. Thanks for the spoiler alert to let me know. I might get to it tonight sometime (I love the DVR!)
Page48, when you buy that dress, please do not feel obliged to model it for us. :)
Ha, Robetron, the dress would only come out on special occasions, none of which I can imagine at this time.
I'm not sure who you saw in POI that made you think of Eliza D., but I think it was a doppelganger. I think (from looking at "Ringer") that perhaps Buffy herself is one of the few of us who hasn't aged since Buffy.
Not only is Rush in OUAT, but tonite we have Sark (with bad hair) and Charles Widmore (who's certainly making the rounds this year).
I watched the spy movie, "The Debt" last night. It wasn't as interesting as I hoped it might be. The one thing I couldn't help but notice is how much the actress who played the younger version of Helen Mirren's character reminded me of Sydney at times.
Oddly enough the same actress, Jessica Chastain, starred with Michael Vartan post-"Alias" in "Jolene".
I thought maybe I was the only one a little bothered by Caviezel's whisper campaign. I'm not sure what the purpose is except maybe to show that he's repressing his emotions, sort of blocking out the past or something. It kind of reminds me of Michael's constant growl in "Nikita".
Robetron, I gave "Grimm" a tryout (2 or 3 eppies), but I just wasn't hooked. Given it's "Angel" roots, I was hoping for more.
On another note, I was blissfully unaware of this "Veronica Mars" Season 4 demo until this week. Maybe it's included with the DVDs or something, but I don't own them, so....Anyway, it was good to get some "new" VM, if only 12 minutes.
Yes, sadly, that was the proposal for the new season before they cancelled Veronica Mars. They're not making a comeback. It is on the season 3 DVD set.
I lent the VM series to my mother last year, and she loved it too. It's another in the dust bin of "Cancelled?! Awww... man. That's too bad."
I wasn't able to catch up on Nikita yet. I like conditions to be perfect for watching my top rated shows. Sorta like when people have Super Bowl parties but on a lesser scale.
RE: POI - I'm pretty sure I saw Eliza Dushku's name in the opening credits of that episode, and it did look and sound like her, only older than I'm used to seeing her. I checked on the website, but they didn't give any "guest staring" names. Go watch the first few minutes of that episode (it should be free on CBS.com). Tell me if I was just seeing things.
Page-
tvfanatic.com says Nikita will return April 7th.
I think those uses of,"Mom?" are an indication of how powerful that kind of dynamic/scene is. More power lifted from the Alias model.
And my clothing budget is, "Gee, I have an extra $15.00. I'll pick up another pair of jeans while I'm here at Walmart."
Robetron, et. al.- Caviezel's way of speaking in POI has bothered me a little, but mainly because it seems so familiar. I have noticed it with several actors recently, Michael in Nikita the most recent previous example. I think maybe they are using it to portray restrained, under control insanely extreme violent propensities.
"Nikita" back in APRIL?? Wowsers, that's what "Alias" did in its last season. Gone in December, back in April. But that was because JG was preggers. A four month hiatus is a tad abusive from a viewer POV. I barely remember the plot from week to week. No fair.
Finally, a trailer for Joss Whedon's "Cabin in the Woods". It sports talent from:
"Alias": Amy Acker, Drew Goddard
Buffy: Whedon, Goddard, Tom Lenk
"Dollhouse": Whedon, Acker, Fran Kranz
"Lost": Goddard
"Angel": Whedon, Goddard, Acker, Lenk
"Thor": Chris Hemsworth
I'm not usually given to horror type flicks (and Goddard is not my favourite "Alias" writer by a long shot and I hated his "Cloverfield"), but Whedon is always worth gambling on, IMO, and this is obviously sci-fi to some degree as well, so I'll reserve judgment until I've seen the movie.
Morgan Grimes's brother is making the circuit. Big guest spot on BN last week, and H50 this week.
Good news, "Nikita" back Jan. 6th.
Whew!
JJ is going ballistic these days. Today comes word of his latest project, "Maine" (on CW, where he began with "Felicity"). No mention of a sci-fi element and really nothing compelling in the few details available.
Of much more interest, IMO, is his NBC deal for "Revolution", an "epic adventure thriller". Who couldn't go for some of that?
Meanwhile, tomorrow's POI sounds like possibly the most interesting installment so far, when Det. Carter's number comes up. Is this the door to serialization opening a teency weency bit?
Well, congrats to "Covert Affairs" for improving on last year's season finale with this year's finale. This one actually put something on the line instead of trying to make viewers care whether Ben Mercer survived or not.
However, I can't help but wonder WTF was the whole season about? Who was the big bad? If there was a season long story arc, I must have whiffed on it, cuz I don't have a clue.
And, as decent as the finale was, did we not earn ourselves a jaw dropping cliffhanger of some sort? I don't think a self-contained season finale is ambitious enough.
Good grief, Annie.
Page,
You're looking kind of lonely here:)
CA has been better this season. Annie getting a gun is going to make it even better.
POI is getting even better. Do you how it's ratings rate?
5-0 seems to be expanding -- unapproved spec ops in foreign lands; you know who running something behind Steve's back.
And when does Chuck return?
Uncle, CA is definitely a better show than it was last year, but I wish they'd aim higher. I think they wasted a respectable season finale on an episode that could just as easily have aired earlier in the year. And, I still don't know what the season accomplished, other than Annie moving out of her sister's place and engaging in gun play.
We've come to expect season finales to be jaw-dropping game changers and I'm just not sure that Annie popping a bad guy qualifies as a game changer in the bigger scheme of things.
I caught that H50 twist. Hmmmmmm.
"Chuck" came back last night and runs on its normal schedule until it fades to black with a 2 part finale in January.
Regarding POI ratings, I usually refer to TV By the Numbers.
You'll notice both POI and "Nikita" reside 'on the bubble', while "Fringe" rates a 'likely cancellation'. Time will tell.
Wow. This week's Chuck could have been a season finale cliff hanger.
Just got word that our CG guy who's going to help on our Man From UNCLE video is going to be delayed creating matte paintings for it till end of January. He just got a job remastering "Star Trek The Next Generation".
Speaking of SNG, this week's BN was directed by none other than Commander Riker.
Next week's season finale of BN features guest stars Painkiller Jane (Kristanna Loken) and Superman (Dean Cain).
I wonder if we are headed for a 30 Years After moment on 5-0.
Uncle, I'm getting that impression.
We have a trailer for "G.I. Joe: Retaliation". Pretty much a whole new cast for the sequel. Subtract our Agent Rachel, add Wonder Woman, Bruce Willis and The Rock.
Good "heads up" call, Page48. I'm really looking forward to the revamped G I Joe.
The woman to whom you referred as "Wonder Woman" was in one of the early seasons of Smallville playing a woman who had died in a car crash on the first meteor shower that accompanied young Kal-El to earth. Seventeen years later, she emerges from a rock wall inside a cave that contained Native American prophesies of Clark Kent in full-on Hero mode doing battle with a Nemesis... all mixed in with strange symbols that turn out to be Kryptonian language. This woman, wearing not a stitch, vaporizes an on-coming car, proceeds to the kent home and introduces herself as 'Kara" - which is not her name. As the story develops, her body was kept alive by the hidden Kryptonian power inside the wall, and Clarks biological father, Jor-El had possessed her an artificial intelligence in order to draw Kal-El to him for "training" that would enable is "destiny". Clark resents the manipulation of his disembodied father's consciousness, and resists, send him down a path of great trials he did not expect.
I know you didn't ask for a summation, but I thought seeing her in the G.I. Joe movie would be cool, and I took that opportunity to highlight some of the pretty decent sci-fi writing that allowed Smallville to go for a full ten seasons.
Sometimes the writing was a little trite, but the worst of it goes away when Sam Jones III leaves the program. The one return he makes is the series worst episode "Stretch" might as well have been called "Stride" because it was an hour long commercial with less than subtle "product placement" throughout the episode - so frequent, I would venture to say it irritated people so much that their sales probably dropped significantly.
Anyway, that was one of the few episodes out of ten years that didn't work well.
Considering how you fellas like the sci-fi genre, I am surprised you couldn't get into Smallville.
Question: Has anyone seen "Riverwood", the sci-fi channel's exclusive? I'm wondering if it is worth looking for or renting?
Not long ago I mentioned the Showtime series "Homeland". Like most series these days, it's short (only 12 episodes for Season 1).
It stars a number of familiar faces, including Damian Lewis (who starred with Will Tippin's "Jenny" in the short lived "Life"), Morena Baccarin ("Firefly", and more recently, "V"), Mandy Patinkin ("Chicago Hope" and "Criminal Minds").
Being on cable, you have to expect some nudity and a lot of f-bombs, but this is one of the best shows on the tube right now, IMO.
Claire Danes is really good as a brilliant, but troubled (bi-polar) CIA agent with a laser-like focus on preventing a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. I've heard of Danes for years, but never really knew who she was.
In checking out the DNA of "Homeland", I notice one of the writers, Howard Gordon, has been involved in a ton of shows that I've watched over the years ("24", "The Inside", "Angel", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and "The X-Files"). Not a bad resume at all.
We're all familiar with most of those shows, but I want to single out one of those shows that I wonder if anyone at LTA has seen (that being "The Inside"). This is a series that I downloaded and watched a few years ago because of the personnel involved.
I had just finished "Firefly" for the first time and because of the obvious connection with the Whedonverse (Jane Espenson, Tim Minear, Adam Baldwin, David Fury, Howard Gordon), I decided to check out TI.
It didn't hurt that this was the series that starred our very own Agent Rachel just prior to her "Alias" gig. It also starred Adam Baldwin of "Firefly", "Angel", and "Chuck" fame. Unfortunately, this show, like "Firefly", aired on FOX, which meant it was born to be cancelled.
FWIW, I thought "The Inside" (pilot on Youtube) was a respectable effort that deserved a longer run. I'm thinking of giving it a rewatch since I barely remember it and it only ran for 13 episodes.
All of that said, what really prompted me to post this was "Homeland". It has a lot going for it. It is completely and utterly serial in its format and, though it lacks my usual preference for sci-fi elements, it is focused on the spy game and is very good viewing, IM humble O.
Robetron, seems you and I were 'composing' at the same time, which means you're up late.
For the record, I want to say that, for me, it's not a lack of being able to get into "Smallville", it's simply the fact that, at 217 episodes, it's a daunting task to say the least. Had I begun at the beginning, I would likely have stuck with it throughout, since I grew up on Superman and Batman (and, in fact, owned a Batman cape at one point) comics. I don't, by any means, rule out a "Smallville" binge at some point in the future.
I just saw Adrianne Palicki on "Criminal Minds" (a show I never watch) last night. If anyone had been able to get me to watch "Wonder Woman", AP would have been up to the challenge, cuz she is gorgeous.
I enjoyed the first "G.I Joe" movie, but it would have been nice to have Rachel Nichols return for the sequel. On the other hand, I love me some Bruce Willis and Adrianne won't be hard to take, either.
I'm not familiar with "Riverworld" (I think that's what you meant?). I saw a few minutes of it one night, but having no idea what it was about, I moved on. I know it stars Tahmoh Penikett of BSG and "Dollhouse" fame, but other than that, I'm in the dark. IMDB rating is a rather low 4.7
BTW, since we're on about movies based on toys (G.I. Joe), why not spare a couple of minutes for a movie directed by Snowman (aka Peter Berg). "Battleship" stars Liam Neeson and is due sometime in mid-2012.
Over at "Nik at Nite", we're down to the last 4 episodes of the Great Buffy Rewatch. It's Week 50 and I have to say that re-watching BtVS has been a treat.
I may never watch this series again, but I've learned a lot from reading the expert commentary each week. I only wish that there would be similar enthusiasm for an "Alias" re-watch, but I don't sense the will for that to happen.
One of the great things I've taken away from this re-watch (and, Robetron, you may appreciate this) is the original score by Christophe Beck. I have to admit that I rarely notice the score in any series since I'm so wrapped up in the action itself that I don't hear the music.
However, a couple of great examples of brilliant scoring are evident in BtVS. One is the Buffy/Angel theme, "Close Your Eyes". I was completely oblivious to this, but it plays whenever Buffy and Angel 'get together'. Who knew?
Another favourite of mine is "Sacrifice", the music which accompanied S5's finale, "The Gift", as Buffy prepares to sacrifice her life to save the world one more time. A stunning soundtrack for what I consider to be the most stunningly beautiful scene of the series.
To say the least, I'm not much of a reader of "epic novels" (no Harry Potter for me), but for the past year or so I've been noticing a lot of buzz about a new movie based on a book trilogy, the first installment of which is "The Hunger Games". Here is the trailer.
Looks like a fun movie. I'm sure Hanna could handle herself well in a competition like this.
Looks like The Doctor is rocking the Narnia theme this Christmas.
Always nice to have some original programming during the holidays.
Page,
Thanks for the DR Who heads up. My wife wrote her Masters Thesis on Narnia. I'll have to fill her in on the Dr, though.
An interesting and generally upbeat review of MI4 on io9.com.
For anyone not up for the whole read, zero in on this paragraph:
"The script is written by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, two former Alias writers who also created the U.S. version of Life on Mars — and it's very much like an Alias episode, even more than the previous J.J. Abrams-directed installment was."
Yes, "Riverworld" was what I meant. I saw it on the shelf at Walmart for $7.00 and thought, maybe I'll check into it. I'd hate to aste time with it, but I do like the actors.
I think the scoring for Buffy was one of the things that was under appreciated, but kept people coming back. Of course, that's the design of scoring. It's not supposed to draw attention to itself, unless it becomes anthemic, like the storm-trooper march in Star Wars. Anyway, I was glad I held-in-there and got through the first season and a half of Buffy which opened up the Angels series also. I also don't know if I'll veer be inclined to return to watching it... maybe if I become terminally sick or something where I can no longer do stuff I want to do... but it would be high on the list of re-watches.
Let me just say, you will be glad if you do the same with Smallville. Endure the first couple seasons, and it does get better as the seasons progress. I'm re-watching the series as my fall-asleep prep at night, and I continue to appreciate the recasting of the story in somewhat more believable terms while building up to the mythos of the movies.
I'll look into Homeland. If it's on the free side of Netflix, I'll put it on my to-watch list if the bad stuff is tolerable.
"Hunger Games" looks interesting, if not a little weird. It reminded me of a movie I just watched that was worth putting up with the European quirkiness: "Hanna" - about a girl raised in the wilderness to be an unstoppable killer in order to give her the chance to survive when her enemies find out she is alive. - Starring Eric Bana (Hulk, Troy) and a number of other familiar faces. With a better budget, and a smoother screenplay it might well have been a blockbuster, considering overall story. If you're looking for something at the video renal store, "Hanna" will not be a waste.
Again, the European quirk of Dr Who often puts me a little off, but after seeing that trailer, I wouldn't mind seeing what they do with it.
Now... since my headache is going to conveniently keep me from working some more this evening, I think I will go watch "Atlas Shrugged Part 1". I know its not exactly in the genre of what we usually talk about here, but I loved the book. I'm interested to see how they portray it. Will they just film outside our doors like a documentary, or will they keep to the 1950's based script? (A little joke.)
Have a good night movie/ TV fans.
(P.S. I thought there might be some sort of commentary here about H5-0 trampling a Pearl Harbor vet. grave site. Of course... what's to say? It was thoughtless, but I doubt if they did it intentionally to be disrespectful.)
nice Alias Reference on MI-4 ...that's high praise here on LTA
Robetron, the "Homeland" pilot is (was?) available online here and any number of other US websites. I can't tell if it's viewable in your neck of the woods cuz it's geoblocked from my locale.
I loved a lot of the music in "Hanna", which really revved up the tension in many of the scenes like this one, which is one of my faves.
I was just checking a lot of my comments on "Hanna" from the previous "Happy New Year" thread. Unfortunately, many of the links have since become a bridge to nowhere, but I'll repost a couple of the reviews so you can compare notes with the reviewers:
One
Two (with video)
Three, a Debbie Downer review for the sake of balance
Personally, I liked it.
Well, since we all seem to be watching a show called "Once Upon a Time", is there any reason for not checking out "Jack The Giant Killer"?
One good reason to watch is Bill Nighy. I'll watch just about any old rubbish with him in it.
RE: Jack the Giant Killer - Yeah, Brian Singer knows how to do this sort of thing right. I'm ready for it now.
Just watched the cleaned free version of the pilot for "Homeland" on the Showtime website. A little slow getting started, but yeah... pretty decent.
Let me know if the next few are worth watching.
We know her as Peyton, we know her as Fred, we know her as Whiskey, and now we're going to know her as...Grumpy's love interest in "Once Upon a Time".
Amy Acker joins Sark as the 2nd "Alias" type to show up on OUAT.
Some fresh hype for Kiefer's "Touch".
The only thing that concerns me about this series is that it comes from Tim Kring, the dude who gave us the convoluted mess that was "Heroes".
Saw my first TV promo for "Haywire" tonight during the "Terra Nova" finale.
Page,
I only watched a couple of episodes of Terra Nova. Did it get any better?
Uncle, "Terra Nova" was a disappointment. However, it had the luxury of being on on Monday nights, where it had zero competition. If I had been forced to make choices for the same time slot, TN probably wouldn't have fared well. No decision on whether it gets a second season yet, as far as I know. I'll move on quickly if it doesn't.
I think about the same with regarding TN. I wanted to watch SOMETHING, and there it was, so I watched this season.
All I hear from Commander Taylor is the actor channeling his role from "God's & Generals" as General Jackson. The slow, methodical, carefully enunciated speech with the ridged, noble, military polish worked well for General Jackson... in fact, I don't think anyone would have portrayed him better, but it just doesn't work in the sci-fi high intensity action setting of TN.
I like the character of the Shepherd family, but if they are going to be the focus of the program, less emphasis needs to be given to the Commander. It's just a little convoluted for the characters to develop much in terms of personality. And... having teens intricately involved in the military maneuverings and faction espionage tends to give it an Disney/ Nickelodeon-special feel to it all, and not very realistic.
Where LOST was able to immediately give you a sense of a developing community in a strange wilderness by allowing us into the various reactions by the characters, Terra Nova is giving us more of "The Land of the Lost" sense of "we're just happy to have our family with us on this adventure".
At the same time, the plots and subplots are coming in at an interesting level. I just think they may be trying to do a little too much social commentary with a "save the earth from the evil corporations" bent, and a little too little of "save this show from cancellation by giving a good product" effort. That bothered me a little about Avatar too. At least General Jackson is the good guy in this one.
When is the one with the MMA girl supposed to come out? I'm looking forward to that spy business.
I cannot believe for the life of me that I just discovered Dollhouse! I wasn't excited about the premise, and tried the pilot the other day because my back has been hurt and I've been needing to rest. I wasn't super excited by the pilot, but decided to keep going. Now I'm about 8 episodes in and absolutely addicted to its genius!
I agree, Paul The show was much better without the commercials, and it does get progressively better. Too bad it was cut short or prevented from developing as it could have.
"Dollhouse" didn't give me a 'man reaction' until it was too late. And, I was prepared to love it from the git go. Just look at what it had going for it before we saw a single frame (Whedon, Minear, Espenson, a slew of actors from the Whedonverse and BSG).
Unfortunately DH was asleep 'for a little while', before catching fire AFTER the writing was already on the wall (in other words, too late).
And, let's not forget that FOX was eager to get rid of it before it even debuted, as indicated by their moving it from its intended Monday time slot to the Friday night killing fields, and then wondering why no one was watching.
I firmly believe that, had DH not dropped the ball in those early days, (i.e. fewer of Echo's mind-numbingly boring assignments like "Stage Fright") in this day and age of attention deficit, that it might still be going strong today.
Check Roco's watchingdollhouse.com if you're interested in what, at the time, was real-time blow-by-blow blogging.
I was viscerally opposed to the whole scheme of DH from the beginning; an organization programing young women to be prostitutes in order to use them to gain influence, control and money and then keeping them unconscious between missions. I stopped watching very early on. I jumped back in later after some of the discussion here to see if it had changed. I watched to the end online, but during the final episode(S?) I felt as if there had to be some episodes before those that went missing before I got there. I don't know that I ever figured it all out. I would like to have figured it out because it had gotten radically better.
Uncle, one of the last posts on watchingdollhouse.com points to this interview with Tim Minear regarding the potential Third Season of DH.
One paragraph in particular illustrates how difficult it was to use that 2nd season to try to reach a conclusion ("Epitaph") that was already completed in anticipation of the show not being renewed for S2....
MINEAR: Well, it’s funny, because there wasn’t a huge talk about Season Two [laughs], because we thought there was no way in hell it was going beyond Season One, which is why we did that episode that didn’t even air, “Epitaph One,” or as it was known at the time, “Epitaph” [laughs]. We thought that was going to be the end of the show. And so when we came back to do Season Two, “Epitaph One” ended up being the bane of my existence. I wrote and directed my last episode, which actually had a scene from “Epitaph One,” but I had to try and make sense of everything that had gone on in Season Two in order to get us to this big reveal of Boyd at the end of that episode. I also had to keep in mind “Epitaph One,” even though it hadn’t aired. What I didn’t want to do, for people who watched it on DVD later, was for them to say, “Well, that doesn’t match to what they said happens later in ‘Epitaph One.’” So it was a giant puzzle. So no, there wasn’t a lot of talk after Season One, but your question is, was there talk at the end of Season Two? Because of the fact that we had this extraordinary second season happen, which no one was expecting, we actually did start talking about Season Three [laughs]. Which just goes to show you.
I just don't think the show was ever allowed to find its footing and play out the way it was intended. And, it was also plagued by production halts and the usual network interference with the creative process before it even launched. So, DH was flawed for sure, but had enough talent behind it that, given time, it should have been able to right the ship. Unfortunately, it didn't get that needed time and what we got was just a glimpse of what might have been.
I agree uncle, once I realized what the Dollhouse was I was kind of turned off. After episode 2, I wasn't sure I wanted to continue. But I like Eliza Dushku and couldn't find anything else terribly interesting, so I kept going. Then I heard it, "Investigate the purpose. The Dollhouse deals in fantasy but that is not their purpose." And then I realized it could be oh so much more than the initial premise led me to believe.
By episode 5, I was hooked, and each episode is getting progressively better. I'll reserve my final judgments until I finish both seasons, but I have the feeling I'll be sad it was canceled when I get to the end. But that's how I feel with most shows I get attached to.
It seems Bones is the only show that I actually enjoy thoroughly that has manged to not get canceled before it should, and that's not even the sci-fi genre.
Robetron, "Haywire" hits theaters on January 20th.
Looks like a "can't miss" improvement over Soderbergh's previous project, "Contagion", which I thought was a bit of a bust.
I watched the season finale of "Homeland" last night. Rather than give my own take, I would rather just defer to Jace at Televisionary, who writes brilliant reviews, IMO (although far fewer than he used to, and I miss his weekly recaps of "Chuck").
There is one area in which I would nitpick his review and that's on the topic of shock therapy. I don't think there is any way that the subject's memories would be lost for any length of time.
A fairly new trailer for "Alcatraz". Contains some footage I haven't seen before.
Page,
If you were going to finish this sentence how would you do it?
"Alcatraz is like a combination of (what show) and (what show)?"
Uncle, "Alcatraz" has hints of several shows.
"Fringe" strikes me as the strongest candidate. (young blonde cop investigating what could definitely pass for a Fringe event, plenty of the patented JJ Abrams blue flares)
Second guess would be a little weaker. It has elements in common with W13 (artifact event instead of Fringe event), "The X-Files" (mass alien abduction?). "Lost" (mysterious island, supernatural events, Hurley), POI (female lead is a cop, use of traffic cams to monitor whereabouts).
Definitely looks promising, though. And, since it takes over the "Terra Nova" time slot, it will be the only thing going on Monday nights.
Congrats go out to CBS for rolling out 2 original eppies of POI in a row before launching right back into reruns.
Great way to suck the momo out of a new series.
We now have a trailer for "Prometheus".
The summer of 2012 movie sports a pretty decent cast, including Noomi Rapace ("The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo") and Charlize Theron, and is co-written by Damen Lindelof of "Lost" and "Cowboys & Aliens" fame.
New trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises".
And, a trailer for "The Hobbit".
LOTR wasn't really my cuppa, so not really expecting TH to float my boat. I'll probably give it a whirl someday when it's on TV. These are the kind of movies that I want to like, but when they're in front of me, I can't seem to get hooked.
Once again, Victor Garber (not looking nearly as young as he did in TBT) tells us not to waste our time waiting for more "Alias".
For the most part, Christmas TV is brutal. I'm watching "Shrek the Third" again tonite because it's all that's on. Not that I have anything against the Shrek series. They sport a pretty stellar cast and they are good-natured fun, but I've seen them all more than once.
"Shrek the Third", being about Arthur Pendragon et al, reminds me that Saturday night was the 4th season finale for "Merlin", a great family series from the BBC that I never miss. Good news for "Merlin" fans is that it's back for another season next year, having survived the departure of Anthony Head very nicely.
The annual "Doctor Who" special was the usual happy ending Christmas story and a nice gap-filler between the previous season and the next, which promises to be a heartbreaker for us fans of Amelia Pond.
This week promises to be another drought, with some series finished for the season and others on hiatus, or not debuting till January. "Chuck" appears to be the only refuge.
In the matter of the Great Buffy Rewatch, I finished the series finale tonight, accompanied by a live Twitter event, which added remarkably little value to the experience. Nevertheless, it was a suitably awesome finale. It was a major time commitment for 52 weeks, and though it was well worth it, it's time to find something else to get hooked on.
Pretty uninspiring first take on "Missing".
I wish I could find an expletive that were not profane but properly expressed my frustration for the loss of favorite programs.
I have been really getting into "Lie To Me" on Netflix, where the commercials do not interrupt the story flow or my attention span. This is/ was a really fun, thoughtfully intelligent show. Now I don't even see it listed on the Fox website as a current program. Evidently, it was cancelled? Wha...?
It was just light enough and just un-serialized enough that the Network should have renewed along with all the CSI snore-fests, but more interesting with a House-like character going around annoying everyone in an amusing way.
Someone please tell me at least Nikita survived the headman's ax. As they continue to make stupid decisions regarding programming, I am coming to want network television just to fail altogether. Someone will have to come along and give people what they want eventually, right?
Robetron, LTM was cancelled same day as "Human Target".
The Ron Moore show, "17th Precinct", that was to reunite several BSG cast members (Bamber, Callis, Helfer), was ever-so-briefly leaked online this week, but was almost immediately shut down. This show was not picked up by NBC (the same network that did pick up "The Playboy Club" hahahahahaha... good call, NBC). Geniuses at work at the Peacock Network.
Those who did watch it are lamenting NBC's stupidity for passing on "17th Precinct". I had the chance to watch, but opted to put it off for a few days, and poof, it disappeared.
Page,
I want to thank you for posting about the Dr Who Christmas episode. I watched it a week ago and burned a DVD of it and watched it again last night with my wife. She had tears (and so did I, even the second time around). That was the best Dr Who I have seen. The put a lot into that episode. Very cool story with a very effective circular, interwoven event.
Uncle, I think that both of Matt Smith's DW Christmas specials have been excellent. If you haven't seen last year's, I would have a look for it as well. Very intricate storytelling.
IMO, Smith has excelled as The Doctor and I think both of his Christmas specials eclipse any from the David Tennant era.
I also particularly liked Smith's first season as TD (more so than S2) and I thought the 2 part finale to that first season was excellent. It's much more than a kids' show, which is a notion that kept me from watching right from 2005.
And, you're welcoome. Glad you and the missus enjoyed. I did, too.
I wondered if it was just me who thought that this week's "Chuck" kicked ass, but this guy apparently agrees with me.
Spoiler Alert:
I loved the way the whole story unfolded and then we found out that the flashback mission was the one that immediately preceded the pilot episode. You can tell that the writers are preparing us for the homestretch and this month's series finale.
Finally, January is here and we can resume watching some of our fave shows (if we can just remember where they left off):
H50 - January 2
"Nikita" - January 6
OUAT - January 8
POI - January 12
"Fringe" - January 13
And some new shows that hopefully fit our bill:
"Alcatraz" (2 hour premiere) - January 16
"Touch" - January 25
I'm starting to see TV promos for "Missing" here in Canada, but doesn't debut until March.
Page,
Thanks for posting about the return of our shows. I will still watch most of them online, but if I'm ever home when one is on one of the big 3 networks I can watch it on my new 32" Samsung LCD HDTV. On Thanksgiving I ordered one for my mom. She was paying for it, but doesn't do online shopping, so I put it on my card. The delivery day came and instead of 1 TV they delivered 2. I checked my card and my Besy Buy account and they both showed only one ordered and charged. I called them the next day and spent over 30 min. on the phone with several different BB associates, during the busiest time of my year, BTW, and ended with them saying they would have someone call me to make arrangements to pick up the second TV. One month later I still have not heard from BB. Well, I am out 30+ minutes of my time and a month of storing their TV so it doesn't get lost, stolen or damaged and I finally decided, "Merry Christmas to me from Best Buy." I noticed on a paper they sent with the TV a sticker I can put on the box to have it shipped back, but when they receive it they would credit my credit card. I can just imagine what a mess that would be to straighten out, and if they credited my card they would be paying me for their cost and profit on the TV. As it is, my keeping it means they are actually out just their cost of the TV. I guess this fits with the problem they had with selling a lot of things to online buyers that they ended up not being able to deliver because they didn't have them. What a business!
Also, thanks for the heads up on the other Dr Who Christmas episode. My wife found it at the library. We are next in line to check it out.
And lastly, I just acquired a pair of blue jeans worn by JG in the 4th season episode where she is being water tortured by the Samuri wannabe and was saved by Nadia. What would we do without eBay?
Uncle, sounds like a sweet deal on the TV. Good thing it wasn't delivered by "that Fedex guy".
Benedict Cumberbatch is on a roll.
I've been know to peddle his 2008 mini-series, "The Last Enemy" (co-starring Dr.Rush/Rumplestiltskin)here on LTA.
He also lays claim to the title role in the BBC's "Sherlock", the modern day take on Holmes and Watson, which just happens to be written by Steven Moffat, the same dude who currently runs the Matt Smith era of "Doctor Who" (and who also gave us the excellent "Jekyll"(co-starring "Bionic Woman") miniseries in 2007.
Cumberbatch also appears in Christmas Day release of Spielberg's "War Horse".
"War Horse" comes hot on the heels of Cumberbatch's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy".
BC also stars in the upcoming "The Hobbit"
And, as if all that wasn't enough, today's news is that Cumberbatch is about to enter the Bad Robot Zone, playing a villain in JJ's "Star Trek" sequel.
Did I mention that Benedict Cumberbatch is on a roll?
I wouldn't get caught dead with this
because if I was caught with it I would soon be found dead. But maybe someone else here would like it.
Oops, wrong link (I have this one). This
is the right link.
Uncle, any chance Steve Tyler is bidding on that item?
Page,
That is just gross!!
I think this item is too big to be legit, and the seller is in Germany.
Well, I got my hands on (downloaded illegally) the unaired "17th Precinct" pilot and watched it last night. I've watched much worse in my day and I think it's safe to say that NBC was on drugs when it decided to go with "Playboy Club" and "Grimm" instead of this.
Two Adamas for the price of one, with Jamie Bamber (BSG) and Esai Morales ("Caprica", "Jericho"), as well as Number Six and Gaius Baltar of BSG fame. Also starred Eamonn Walker (remember him from Victor Garber's crappy "Justice"?) and Stockard Channing.
Interesting show where science was never invented and magic plays a major role in all walks of life, including the justice system.
NBC should have run with it, IMO. Jamie Bamber quit "Law & Order: UK" to reunite with his BSG friends for this show and where did it get him? On the other hand, "Playboy Club" lasted what, 3 episodes? Gee, couldn't have seen that coming.
Bad Robot develops an app, called "Action Movie FX" to spruce up your iPhone/iPad home videos.
JJ yapping again about "Alias" being too confusing. Needs someone to explain to him the first 4 minutes of Season 3.
But, don't get him wrong. He lurves serialized TV...but don't expect any of that from "Alcatraz".
Guys, girls, and everyone in between, don't take this the wrong way, but y'all are boring the crap out of me. Has LTA been removed from life support? Can it breathe on its own? Is it time to harvest the organs?
Is there nothing on anyone's mind? How about Sarah Freaking Walker with the Intersect? Was that awesome or what? How about the finale? How about the fact that "Chuck" finished on the beach, with its core couple, just like "Alias"? I, for one, was quite happy with the finale.
Let's be honest, it's hard (as we all know) to finish off a series to the satisfaction of all, and I've already read MANY bitter comments about the "Chuck" finale, but I thought it was clear that the writers, knowing full well that this was it, did their best to leave us feeling positive about the future of our friends. No favourite character had to die and, even though Chuck and Sarah were left to rebuild their lives together, in my mind there was no doubt that, one way or another, they would put the pieces of their lives back together. It was touching and it was hopeful and it paid homage to its beginnings and I approved. Well done, "Chuck".
Almost 5 years ago, Girlscout brought to our attention, a new series (what she dubbed "an Alias substitute), called "Damages". Word comes this week that Victor Garber will be guest starring on "Damages"
In other "Alias" related news that no one on LTA mentioned, Kevin Weisman has landed a recurring role on the upcoming NBC series, "Awake".
No one on LTA has any thoughts on "Alcatraz", already 4 episodes into S1?
Some are obviously hoping it's the new "Lost". I don't think so. Here's a guy who thinks "Alcatraz" could learn a thing or two from "Alias"...and "Fringe".
I have to agree with him. "Alcatraz" won't last forever if it clings to an inmate of the week procedural format. It took "Fringe" 30 episodes to work this out. Will it take "Alcatraz" that long?
Finally, a respectable trailer for "Missing". ABC skimping on the quality, though. A much better quality version was available on CTV in Canada, but they took it down.
Good work, networks.
So, what did we think of the premiere of "Touch"?
Here's what diappoints the hell out of me:
Kiefer: “Some characters will be woven over [multi-episode] arcs, but Tim and I both learned – he from Heroes and me from 24 — that there is great value in a procedural drama. So every week there will be a set of circumstances set about by Jake that will put Martin in a situation to deal with someone new, and that situation will be resolved. There will be a beginning, a middle and an end, in theory, to every episode.”
Apparently, Tim Kring is afraid this will get out of hand the way "Heroes" did.
I have a confession to make. And, it's a most embarrassing confession, to say the least, and it concerns Robetron.
Background: I have watched "Alias", in its entirety, twice. Only twice. That's it. Tonight, I have embarked on my third viewing of "Alias", and the first since 2006. That's right, I have not done a rewatch of "Alias" in 5 1/2 years, since the autumn of the final year.
Tonight, I watched (again, for the 3rd time) "So It Begins". Only, I repeat, only on this 3rd viewing of 1.02 did I pick up on the origins of Robetron's handle ("listen, I know we just met on the flight over, but do you have to talk like such a Robetron?"). Again, Robetron, I am embarrassed, but I am finally up to speed.
I cannot tell you how excited I was to watch this episode after so many years. With the Buffy rewatch out of the way, I now have copious amounts of free time to devote to an "Alias" rewatch, and, as of tonight, Elvis has officially left the building. Five incredible seasons, here I come.
I just finished the Hollyweird version of "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", having watched the trilogy in Swedish with subtitles. Very good remake, IMO, with Daniel Craig et al. Hard not to love 'the girl' and how heartbreaking is that ending? Ouch!
If you've ever been in unrequited love, you can't help but feel this girl's pain. Ouch, ouch, ouch.
In 2002, our girl Jennifer Garner won a Golden Globe for best actress in a drama series, playing CIA agent Sydney Bristow. Ten years later, in 2012, the brilliant Claire Danes won the same award for her portrayal as another CIA agent Carrie Mathison in "Homeland".
While these were two very different shows, I wholeheartedly supoort both winners of this award.
Carrie Mathison is flawed, bipolar, obsessed, and a hero. Check her out, if you haven't already.
Good news for those of us who have enjoyed "Warehouse 13" for the past several years. Next season will expand to 20 episodes. That's like two seasons for the price of one.
Okay, kids, that's 10 comments from me tonite without breaking a sweat. Are we dead or alive here? We've had 1 new thread in over a year. Uncle and I are the only ones to post in 2012. Surely we can do better than this.
Natasha Bedingfield chips in with "Ring Them Bells", one of my fave tracks from the just released "Chimes of Freedom" CD from Amnesty International, celebrating the music of 2-time "Alias" contributor, Bob Dylan.
Hi folks, I apologize for the dead-ness of this blog. I sort of inherited it by default of the owner disappearing, and on top of Alias going off the air, my life getting much busier in the last couple years, and not being a writer, writing blog posts is not a priority for me. I would be happy to add folks as admins if they'd like to post articles, and will probably still follow the blog and comment here and there, but I'm (obviously) not the person to keep it alive. Please let me know if you would like to be an admin, I'll also post a new article about this to make sure people see.
~SRM
Page,
I've thought about posting several times this past week, but it's been busy here. I just brokered the sale of one of the 6 known famous UNCLE guns that were used on the show 40 years ago. Pretty exciting, but a lot of hours back and forth between seller and buyer (a friend and a customer of mine).
I am trying to get my work day started, so I don't have time to reply to all of your posts the way I would like, but I am going to check out the shows that you mentioned, most of which I either haven't heard of or didn't know had started.
Also, I completely agree with you about Chuck. They ended it well. I was very happy with it!
And, we need to find someone to spank you for just now starting your 3rd viewing of Alias!! I've watched at least a dozen times, maybe more; I've lost count.
Uncle, when I last watched "Alias", I knew I was putting it away for a long while. I want it to be like a new show all over again. A dead giveaway that it's not a new show? Floppy disks.
I watched the first hour of Alcatraz and I plan to keep watching.
3 hours of Alcatraz down and I'm liking it.
It's Victor Garber, but it's definitely not Jack Bristow. VG gets in touch with his Canadian roots with his recurring role in "Republic of Doyle". I can't tell if this is blocked outside of Canada or not. Either way, I don't think the show is worth watching, but when VG is guesting, I try to tune in for a few minutes (but just a few).
Of course, this is a weekly show, so the current episode showing on the website will change shortly.
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