Heroes -- "Meh" +3. A fortunate lack of Why are you doing that, you goddamn moron?, and it will certainly hold up better, I think, than last season's clustered, rushed finale. My only real problem is just how inevitable it all felt -- I was a good three or four steps ahead of the entire predictable enterprise, including its "shocking!" conclusion. (Well, ahead of everything other than the sheer volume of viciousness revenge can extract from otherwise decent people. A dish best served cold, indeed.)
Though there's an interesting discussion to be had regarding time travel mechanics, paradoxes, and certain Irish women.
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Now playing: Five for Fighting - Easy Tonight
via FoxyTunes
Showing posts with label Heroes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heroes. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
If you're going to savagely attack someone, you don't knock politely at their hotel room door first
Heroes -- "Meh" -1. Naught but a massive setup for next week's big finale, the events of which seemed to be largely given away by the previews. But I could be wrong. (I better be wrong about one particular plot development, anyway -- the demise of the show's only truly great character would not endear me to future episodes.)
But this episode seemed a huge exercise in "How stupid can we possibly make our characters act all at the same time?" The Idiot Ball was passed around all over the map, from Peter to Mohinder (who owns the ball and keeps it in his satchel when not in use) to Micah and...uh, whatever his cousin's name is, to Alejandro (wait, could you speak English this whole time?!) to Elle. (Why'd she take the car keys out of the ignition in the first place?)
But seriously, people: kill who I think you're about to kill, and I'll never watch the show again. Especially if the worst character on the show does the deed. Don't you dare.
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Now playing: Randy Newman - Burn On
via FoxyTunes
But this episode seemed a huge exercise in "How stupid can we possibly make our characters act all at the same time?" The Idiot Ball was passed around all over the map, from Peter to Mohinder (who owns the ball and keeps it in his satchel when not in use) to Micah and...uh, whatever his cousin's name is, to Alejandro (wait, could you speak English this whole time?!) to Elle. (Why'd she take the car keys out of the ignition in the first place?)
But seriously, people: kill who I think you're about to kill, and I'll never watch the show again. Especially if the worst character on the show does the deed. Don't you dare.
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Now playing: Randy Newman - Burn On
via FoxyTunes
Monday, November 19, 2007
Goddamn you, Suresh -- I hope you die in a car crash
Tonight's Heroes -- "Meh" +5, which scores as "Great." I didn't think they still had one this good in them, frankly.
Of course, now they've hit a high note...and there are two more episodes left. Good timing, fuckwads.
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Now playing: Tool - Rosetta Stoned
via FoxyTunes
Of course, now they've hit a high note...and there are two more episodes left. Good timing, fuckwads.
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Now playing: Tool - Rosetta Stoned
via FoxyTunes
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Something to tide you over
After promising them for years, ABC and the Bad Robot staff finally made good: the new Lost "mobisodes" are here. The first is now on ABC.com for your viewing pleasure. And it's amazing how in just over two and a half minutes, Lost manages to be more compelling than most of this new season of Heroes, which has been branded with an Official Suck Sanction, as we previously discussed. (Of course, it probably only resonates like that for dedicated fans, so your mileage on the mobisode may vary.)
I'm invoking the new "Meh" scale to describe new episodes of Heroes, since I no longer want to be all spoilerly and blog about it directly. (I know René reads the blog, see, and I don't want to give anything away before he gets a chance to see it later in the week.) The scale sees "Meh" directly in the middle, representing a run-of-the-mill, mediocre, bland episode. We can then assign positive and negative numbers, showing how far to either side the episode goes. I'd say five points on the plus side brings us to "Great!"; five points on the negative side takes us to "Garbage!" It's very scientific.
Tonight's episode? "Meh" +1. The Wonder Twins are so painfully boring that they might just become a new slang term.
"Man, they're showing old Next Gen episodes on G4."
"Yeah, but right now, the rotation is in season six. All the good writers left to do DS9, and the whole show went all Maya and Alejandro."
"Yeah, but at least it's better than Voyager."
"Well, yeah."
It's been a few months, so I updated my 100 favorite songs list, as though you cared. The most interesting thing about it? My 1 and 2 songs have flipped. And it's now been fortified with three times as much Regina Spektor!
In the meantime, I have entered into a sacred pact with René. My part of the bargain: to finish the new episode of Revolver in the next two weeks. We'll see about that. (Hey, I've managed to update A Great Disservice consistently, right?)
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Now playing: Dave Matthews Band - Warehouse
via FoxyTunes
I'm invoking the new "Meh" scale to describe new episodes of Heroes, since I no longer want to be all spoilerly and blog about it directly. (I know René reads the blog, see, and I don't want to give anything away before he gets a chance to see it later in the week.) The scale sees "Meh" directly in the middle, representing a run-of-the-mill, mediocre, bland episode. We can then assign positive and negative numbers, showing how far to either side the episode goes. I'd say five points on the plus side brings us to "Great!"; five points on the negative side takes us to "Garbage!" It's very scientific.
Tonight's episode? "Meh" +1. The Wonder Twins are so painfully boring that they might just become a new slang term.
"Man, they're showing old Next Gen episodes on G4."
"Yeah, but right now, the rotation is in season six. All the good writers left to do DS9, and the whole show went all Maya and Alejandro."
"Yeah, but at least it's better than Voyager."
"Well, yeah."
It's been a few months, so I updated my 100 favorite songs list, as though you cared. The most interesting thing about it? My 1 and 2 songs have flipped. And it's now been fortified with three times as much Regina Spektor!
In the meantime, I have entered into a sacred pact with René. My part of the bargain: to finish the new episode of Revolver in the next two weeks. We'll see about that. (Hey, I've managed to update A Great Disservice consistently, right?)
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Now playing: Dave Matthews Band - Warehouse
via FoxyTunes
Saturday, November 10, 2007
The first step is admitting you have a problem
It's no secret that, by and large, Heroes has been less-than-stellar this season. Want to know something surprising, though? The creator of the show, Tim Kring, is willing to admit it.
Of course, it's really too late to do anything about it, since this "volume" of episodes ends in less than a month, and who knows what happens after that with the Writer's Guild strike. But they've admitting mistakes, and that's a step in the right direction.
Of course, it's really too late to do anything about it, since this "volume" of episodes ends in less than a month, and who knows what happens after that with the Writer's Guild strike. But they've admitting mistakes, and that's a step in the right direction.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
You know, Mohinder, for such a smart guy, you're a goddamn moron
[No real spoilers, 'cause I know René won't get to watch it until later in the week.]
Against all odds, last night's Heroes was actually really, really good: Parkman grows a set, the Hiro stuff is revealed to finally have a point, and Peter Petrelli didn't annoy me nearly as much as usual. (Claire Bear continues to be dull as dishwater, but they can't all be winners, can they?) I'm just glad that they seemed to actually have a plan all along -- they were just following the Lost playbook of foot-shuffling, as I suggested before.
And did you see the trailers for next week? Holy awesome, Batman.
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Now playing: Franz Ferdinand - I'm Your Villain
via FoxyTunes
Against all odds, last night's Heroes was actually really, really good: Parkman grows a set, the Hiro stuff is revealed to finally have a point, and Peter Petrelli didn't annoy me nearly as much as usual. (Claire Bear continues to be dull as dishwater, but they can't all be winners, can they?) I'm just glad that they seemed to actually have a plan all along -- they were just following the Lost playbook of foot-shuffling, as I suggested before.
And did you see the trailers for next week? Holy awesome, Batman.
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Now playing: Franz Ferdinand - I'm Your Villain
via FoxyTunes
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Come align for the big fight to rock for you
Important things you should know about Guitar Hero III:
Oh, wait: have you watched Heroes yet? Let's just say that what Peter found in the apartment in Montreal was the very last thing I wanted him to find. "Hey, an impending catastrophe that threatens New York City, and only I can stop it! Boy, I'm glad this has never happened to me before!"
Hey, if you can't remember it, it's new to you!
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Now playing: Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock
via FoxyTunes
- They improved the graphics of the arenas. This means dick while you're trying to play a blistering solo, but it's nice to see they tried.
- They added a two-player cooperative career mode, which is cool; it has a completely different setlist setup and different songs, which is cooler.
- The boss fights are awesome, even if Tom Morello is a pushover.
- No matter which guitarist you pick, he/she won't show up in the cut scenes.
- Yes, there are cut scenes.
- Just because a song sucks, that doesn't mean it isn't fun to play. Case in point: "Same Old Song and Dance" by Aerosmith.
- To be honest...Guitar Hero II was better. At least, so far. I haven't been all the way through the list. I started a career on Hard and told myself I'd stop and go to bed once I failed a song -- I got as far as "The Metal" before dying. Oh well. There's always tomorrow.
- "Cherub Rock" is much, much harder than it sounds. Damn you, three-note chords!
Oh, wait: have you watched Heroes yet? Let's just say that what Peter found in the apartment in Montreal was the very last thing I wanted him to find. "Hey, an impending catastrophe that threatens New York City, and only I can stop it! Boy, I'm glad this has never happened to me before!"
Hey, if you can't remember it, it's new to you!
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Now playing: Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock
via FoxyTunes
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Incremental uptick
Heroes once again improved ever-so-slightly this week, by following a strategy that served them well: ignore one of the two catastrophically dull storylines. Last week, they sliced Peter out, and this week, we avoided any and all contact with Clare Bear and the Boy Who Could Fly. And an escape from Ireland means an escape from bad Irish accents. Of course, they brought in a ringer -- Kristen Bell can stay on this show as long as she wants, I don't care what her power is or who she's working for. (I love the Heroes casting department, by the way. They've brought in Stan Lee, Sulu, Uhura, and now Veronica Mars. They sure know where their fanbase lives, don't they?)
But bad, bad news is potentially on the horizon, and not just for Heroes. The members of the Writer's Guild have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, which could happen after their current deal expires on Halloween. If they strike, television production grinds to a standstill, since any WGA member (which would be pretty much every writer in Hollywood) wouldn't be writing anymore. Of course, the writers for "reality" shows and stuff like American Idol and game shows aren't members of the union, so the number of those programs would increase exponentially. (If you were wondering why there are so many shows like that in the new fall season, it's because TV producers saw this coming and covered their bases.) Some shows might try to continue with scabs and non-writers putting scripts together, but the results wouldn't be pretty. At all. In fact, they'd be downright ugly.
How ugly? Remember the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation? That abysmal, soul-sucking wasteland we wished we could all forget about? The season so fucking bad that most networks just skip over them in syndication? The same networks that gleefully air all of Enterprise and Voyager? Most of that season was made during the last WGA strike, in the late '80s. Now, imagine every single show on television being that bad.
That's how ugly.
But I don't blame the writers for being angry -- they're getting hosed on residuals, thanks to a deal they made back in 1989. That contract made those residuals microscopic for home video releases, which didn't seem that big a deal -- who was buying television shows on home video in 1989 (other than cartoons, maybe, and animated shows generally aren't covered by the Guild, either)? But now -- DVD releases are enormously popular, and the writers think the percentage should be just adjusted to fit the current state of the medium. They also want more for television that's distributed through "new media," which would be internet distribution, cell phone videos, and the like. All in all, good points. The people they're negotiating with, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, made a counter-offer that the WGA found an insult (it would have tied the residuals to the producers' eventual profits, which is unfair to the writers in a few different ways), and a strike was threatened, bringing us to this perilous state.
Of course, the authorization vote doesn't mean they will strike, just that they now can, which is a pretty powerful bargaining chip. And even if they do, nothing says they'll do it the very second the deal expires -- the could wait until June, when both the Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild's deals run out, and threaten a three-way strike that really would bring Hollywood to its knees.
Here's hoping for the best, huh?
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Now playing: Elliott Smith - Between The Bars
via FoxyTunes
But bad, bad news is potentially on the horizon, and not just for Heroes. The members of the Writer's Guild have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, which could happen after their current deal expires on Halloween. If they strike, television production grinds to a standstill, since any WGA member (which would be pretty much every writer in Hollywood) wouldn't be writing anymore. Of course, the writers for "reality" shows and stuff like American Idol and game shows aren't members of the union, so the number of those programs would increase exponentially. (If you were wondering why there are so many shows like that in the new fall season, it's because TV producers saw this coming and covered their bases.) Some shows might try to continue with scabs and non-writers putting scripts together, but the results wouldn't be pretty. At all. In fact, they'd be downright ugly.
How ugly? Remember the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation? That abysmal, soul-sucking wasteland we wished we could all forget about? The season so fucking bad that most networks just skip over them in syndication? The same networks that gleefully air all of Enterprise and Voyager? Most of that season was made during the last WGA strike, in the late '80s. Now, imagine every single show on television being that bad.
That's how ugly.
But I don't blame the writers for being angry -- they're getting hosed on residuals, thanks to a deal they made back in 1989. That contract made those residuals microscopic for home video releases, which didn't seem that big a deal -- who was buying television shows on home video in 1989 (other than cartoons, maybe, and animated shows generally aren't covered by the Guild, either)? But now -- DVD releases are enormously popular, and the writers think the percentage should be just adjusted to fit the current state of the medium. They also want more for television that's distributed through "new media," which would be internet distribution, cell phone videos, and the like. All in all, good points. The people they're negotiating with, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, made a counter-offer that the WGA found an insult (it would have tied the residuals to the producers' eventual profits, which is unfair to the writers in a few different ways), and a strike was threatened, bringing us to this perilous state.
Of course, the authorization vote doesn't mean they will strike, just that they now can, which is a pretty powerful bargaining chip. And even if they do, nothing says they'll do it the very second the deal expires -- the could wait until June, when both the Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild's deals run out, and threaten a three-way strike that really would bring Hollywood to its knees.
Here's hoping for the best, huh?
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Now playing: Elliott Smith - Between The Bars
via FoxyTunes
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
I'm betting Chekov will show up next
(Heroes spoilers, if you haven't already watched "Kindred," the most recent episode.)
In the world of pen-and-paper RPGs, there are foul creatures called "munchkins." These are players who develop characters -- usually using loopholes in the rules -- that are so ludicrously overpowered that they hinder the enjoyment of the game for everyone else. Weaknesses lead to drama, since they mean a character is vulnerable; if a character is too powerful, he or she becomes boring. And -- generally speaking -- really, really, really annoying.
Take Hiro. He can stop time and move through space. And he's not bad with a sword. But he's also fairly weak, physically. (At least for now -- wait for Future Hiro to come back.) And his power means nothing if he takes seven inches of a knife in his chest. Parkman: he can hear thoughts, but he can't fly away from an explosion. They're powerful, but not too much. Good characters!
Peter Petrelli, on the other hand, is telepathic, telekinetic, can fire electricity from his fingertips, can turn invisible, has superhuman strength, can teleport, see the future, and is invincible.
See what I mean?
So, wow, the second season of Heroes has sure started off with a bang, huh? If by "bang" you mean...uh...something negative. 'Cause it's not good.
Hey, it's late. I'm tired.
The bad:
I hope.
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Now playing: Radiohead - 15 Step
via FoxyTunes
In the world of pen-and-paper RPGs, there are foul creatures called "munchkins." These are players who develop characters -- usually using loopholes in the rules -- that are so ludicrously overpowered that they hinder the enjoyment of the game for everyone else. Weaknesses lead to drama, since they mean a character is vulnerable; if a character is too powerful, he or she becomes boring. And -- generally speaking -- really, really, really annoying.
Take Hiro. He can stop time and move through space. And he's not bad with a sword. But he's also fairly weak, physically. (At least for now -- wait for Future Hiro to come back.) And his power means nothing if he takes seven inches of a knife in his chest. Parkman: he can hear thoughts, but he can't fly away from an explosion. They're powerful, but not too much. Good characters!
Peter Petrelli, on the other hand, is telepathic, telekinetic, can fire electricity from his fingertips, can turn invisible, has superhuman strength, can teleport, see the future, and is invincible.
See what I mean?
So, wow, the second season of Heroes has sure started off with a bang, huh? If by "bang" you mean...uh...something negative. 'Cause it's not good.
Hey, it's late. I'm tired.
The bad:
- I'm not digging the new characters, Maya and Alejandro. Maybe they'll get better eventually?
- Claire's storyline is simply atrociously written, at least thus far. I'm just not feeling the tension about her imminent capture, especially since Bennett is going all Rambo on his boss at Copy Kingdom. Why does he still have a job? And why is Claire's only class Biology? And why can the students simply leave the classroom and return whenever it suits them? And don't we already have a Hero who can fly?
- Speaking of people who can fly, what the hell is with Nathan's beard? He grows a luxurious beaver pelt on his face in only four months? I didn't shave for almost a year and a half and didn't have that kind of coat. But hey, at least his story stuff hasn't that bad. I mean, it's not like he got amnesia and woke up surrounded by actors who were sick the day they taught Irish accents at acting school.
- Did I mention I didn't like Peter Petrelli?
- Hey, Sylar's back. *yawn*
- Aw, dammit, I thought they'd forgotten about Micah and Niki. But now Micah's going to be staying with...Uhura? (Well, Sulu's dead. And no way do I trust Shatner with a kid.)
- Seriously: Peter Petrelli, a member of the Boondock Saints? Give me a break. (And is there a shortage of actual Irish actors they could get to play thugs? Though I just remembered that the head Irish gang guy was the "This man's name is Robert Paulson" guy in Fight Club.)
- Did this episode go overboard on the cheap green-screen effects, or what?
- Hiro! As usual, his stuff has been downright golden. I don't know if it's the writing, or the raw joy that Masi Oka brings to the performance, but Hiro continues to be the star of this show. It's not even close.
- The stuff with Parkman and Molly will eventually get interesting, I'm sure. They're just in the season-opening holding pattern.
- Um...uh...
- This episode didn't feature an annoying, pretentious voice-over from Suresh.
- I just got this new Radiohead album for free!
I hope.
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Now playing: Radiohead - 15 Step
via FoxyTunes
Monday, July 30, 2007
Oh, dear
I've mentioned Heroes: Origins before -- you know, the new spinoff that'll be airing this season on NBC, telling one-off little pieces about new characters.
They made an announcement regarding it at Comic-Con.
They made an announcement regarding it at Comic-Con.
Monday, May 14, 2007
A disaster waiting to happen
I finally watched last week's Heroes this morning, having at last carved forty-five minutes out of a busy schedule. (Working all the time, going without electricity for a day, writing a mass recap of the Hunter episodes I've missed, writing Revolver -- I'm actually doing things. It's weird.)
Anyway, Heroes. It was...ehh. From popular reaction, I expected to be knocked on my ass, but it was kind of there. I mean, it was entertaining, don't get me wrong -- and it was certainly fun to see a totally different side of Sylar. But nothing happened. It was the very worst kind of foot-shuffling exercise as they get ready for the finale. (As opposed to Lost, which does its feet-shuffling at the beginning of the season and then kicks your ass for ten weeks in a row to finish. And while I'm in this parenthetical and talking about Lost, I should say that last week's episode, "The Man Behind the Curtain," was easily one of the five best of the whole series. It was that good.)
And now NBC comes with dire news:
Then again, NBC is getting pretty fucking desperate, as you can see:
Man, NBC is a mess.
Anyway, Heroes. It was...ehh. From popular reaction, I expected to be knocked on my ass, but it was kind of there. I mean, it was entertaining, don't get me wrong -- and it was certainly fun to see a totally different side of Sylar. But nothing happened. It was the very worst kind of foot-shuffling exercise as they get ready for the finale. (As opposed to Lost, which does its feet-shuffling at the beginning of the season and then kicks your ass for ten weeks in a row to finish. And while I'm in this parenthetical and talking about Lost, I should say that last week's episode, "The Man Behind the Curtain," was easily one of the five best of the whole series. It was that good.)
And now NBC comes with dire news:
To stretch the normal 22-episode season of "Heroes," which faltered after its long hiatus this year, NBC will add "Heroes: Origins." The spinoff will introduce a new character each week, and viewers will select which one stays for the following season. The two series will have 30 new episodes combined.No. No no no. The last thing this show needs is more characters. They can barely find time to deal with the ones they have, and letting viewers pick new ones is not a good idea.
Then again, NBC is getting pretty fucking desperate, as you can see:
Since it found an audience this season with superpowered stars, NBC will remake "Bionic Woman" with Michelle Ryan in the title role.A new Bionic Woman? Ick. I'll admit Journeyman sounds kinda cool. Though I liked it better when it was called Quantum Leap.
New series "Journeyman" is about a San Francisco newspaper reporter who travels through time to alter people's lives, and "Chuck" is a thriller about a computer geek who becomes a government agent after spy secrets are embedded in his brain.
Man, NBC is a mess.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me
April 23?
There are no new episodes of Heroes until April 23? After that episode? You fucks!
That's...that's just mean, man.
24 and Lost have the right idea: show your entire season in one uninterrupted block, week after week, no repeats, no hiatuses. Certainly not a hiatus lasting six weeks, you bastards.
Of course, Lost is squandering their nonstop schedule by wasting episodes -- the last two have been of substantially lower quality than usual (last week's particularly, one of the worst the show's ever aired), and the unmistakable impression is that of a show shuffling its feet and waiting for sweeps to start before rolling out its big events. Uncoincidentally, that's exactly what Lost did last year: tap their feet for the first half of the season, then unleash a barrage of brilliance in the final ten episodes to redeem themselves.
The commercials for this week's episode show promise, but then I spotted this synopsis on a Lost fan page:
Sigh. Why not a dance competition while you're at it? Or a karaoke jam? Anything else that will sap the episode of any tension and suspense. 'Cause we know at least half of the show will already be taken up by uninteresting, masturbatory flashbacks we don't care about anyway.
One of the (many) reasons it takes me so long to write an episode of Revolver is that I formatted myself in a corner: I decided at the beginning that each episode would take place in the living room of the house. (This was because I wanted the focus of the piece to be the dialogue, which is the one aspect of my writing I've never, ever been happy with.) It took me all of two episodes to violate that concept, and seven for me to stage an episode where the house isn't seen at all. But the basic structure has remained, and it turns out that I don't find it that easy to write several interlocking stories in long, unbroken scenes in one or two rooms. The structure has handcuffed me into spending less time thinking about what to write and more time thinking about how to write it. So it takes an awfully long time. (Well, that's one of the reasons, anyway. You probably know the others.)
But Lost has the same problem. At the beginning, the writers decided that each episode would feature pre-island flashbacks for one character, revealing some of their backstory and developing themes that would illuminate the present events. Of course, they've violated that exact premise several times already (we've had a couple island-only flashbacks, and married couples have had to share their flashbacks), but the basic structure still remains: every ten minutes or so, we hear the whoosh noise, and we're looking at someone's past.
The problem is we've been on the island with these people for two and a half years now (in real-world time, anyway; 74 days in the show's chronology). And, frankly, I don't care anymore about the flashbacks -- the present is far more interesting to me. I say drop the flashbacks and just tell me what's happening now, especially if the most compelling past events you can tell me are "How Jack Got One of His Several Tattoos" and "Hurley's Greedy, Deserting Dad Is the Reason He's Fat."
But then, if the best present events you can come with are "Hurley Fixes an Abandoned Car in the Jungle" and "Sawyer Plays Ping-Pong," maybe I should just be grateful with what I have.
There are no new episodes of Heroes until April 23? After that episode? You fucks!
That's...that's just mean, man.
24 and Lost have the right idea: show your entire season in one uninterrupted block, week after week, no repeats, no hiatuses. Certainly not a hiatus lasting six weeks, you bastards.
Of course, Lost is squandering their nonstop schedule by wasting episodes -- the last two have been of substantially lower quality than usual (last week's particularly, one of the worst the show's ever aired), and the unmistakable impression is that of a show shuffling its feet and waiting for sweeps to start before rolling out its big events. Uncoincidentally, that's exactly what Lost did last year: tap their feet for the first half of the season, then unleash a barrage of brilliance in the final ten episodes to redeem themselves.
The commercials for this week's episode show promise, but then I spotted this synopsis on a Lost fan page:
Sigh. Why not a dance competition while you're at it? Or a karaoke jam? Anything else that will sap the episode of any tension and suspense. 'Cause we know at least half of the show will already be taken up by uninteresting, masturbatory flashbacks we don't care about anyway.
One of the (many) reasons it takes me so long to write an episode of Revolver is that I formatted myself in a corner: I decided at the beginning that each episode would take place in the living room of the house. (This was because I wanted the focus of the piece to be the dialogue, which is the one aspect of my writing I've never, ever been happy with.) It took me all of two episodes to violate that concept, and seven for me to stage an episode where the house isn't seen at all. But the basic structure has remained, and it turns out that I don't find it that easy to write several interlocking stories in long, unbroken scenes in one or two rooms. The structure has handcuffed me into spending less time thinking about what to write and more time thinking about how to write it. So it takes an awfully long time. (Well, that's one of the reasons, anyway. You probably know the others.)
But Lost has the same problem. At the beginning, the writers decided that each episode would feature pre-island flashbacks for one character, revealing some of their backstory and developing themes that would illuminate the present events. Of course, they've violated that exact premise several times already (we've had a couple island-only flashbacks, and married couples have had to share their flashbacks), but the basic structure still remains: every ten minutes or so, we hear the whoosh noise, and we're looking at someone's past.
The problem is we've been on the island with these people for two and a half years now (in real-world time, anyway; 74 days in the show's chronology). And, frankly, I don't care anymore about the flashbacks -- the present is far more interesting to me. I say drop the flashbacks and just tell me what's happening now, especially if the most compelling past events you can tell me are "How Jack Got One of His Several Tattoos" and "Hurley's Greedy, Deserting Dad Is the Reason He's Fat."
But then, if the best present events you can come with are "Hurley Fixes an Abandoned Car in the Jungle" and "Sawyer Plays Ping-Pong," maybe I should just be grateful with what I have.
Monday, February 26, 2007
I’m taking some Eric Roberts home in a doggie bag
Holy crap, but Heroes was awesome tonight. I hesitate to say exactly why it was so awesome, just in case either of my readers has yet to watch said episode. But—holy shit! How about [blank] being the one to give [blank] to [blank]? And [blank] being there? And the end, with the unfairness of [blank] getting stuck in [blank] with [blank]? And the dramatic sacrifice of [blank], willing to let himself/herself be [blanked] and his/her [blank] [blanked] to [blank] [blank]? Man, even though the whole episode only focused on one storyline, it was still awesome.
And I don't know who their casting director is, but the ludicrous decision to use Eric Roberts, of all fucking people, to play a High Villain, is so bizarre and incomprehensible that I must assume it's a mad genius.
Unfortunately, I couldn't follow the wonderful Heroes brew with a Studio 60 chaser, because the show has been yanked off the air to make room for The Black Donnellys, a new drama that turned me off the moment I heard "from the creator of Million Dollar Baby and Crash!" Paul Haggis is the most overblown Hollywood hack I've ever seen, and the adoration he receives from the business is downright inexplicable. Of course, even without my knowledge of its creator, I still would have been repulsed by the commercials, which managed to cram every single Irish stereotype other than leprechauns into a single minute. Hey, wouldn't it be great to have a show or a movie about Irish people that's not about 1) fighting; 2) brothers; 3) drinking and/or bars; or 4) brothers who get drunk and fight in bars?
But Studio 60 was pretty much just taking up space on the schedule anyway, 'cause that show has started to reek something fierce over the last several months. Sorkin has completely fallen apart as a writer, and his talented cast (and Amanda Peet, too) is left to drown in the mire of inferior material. Bad dialogue, bad stories, bad characters—no matter how much I tried to fight it, the show just sucked.
But Heroes! [blank], man. Fucking [blank]!
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Not surprising...
You scored 33 Idealism, 62 Nonconformity, 58 Nerdiness
How can you stop what's coming... when you don't know anything about power?
Congratulation, you're Sylar, the artist formerly known as Gabriel Gray! You are a seriously nerdy person with an enormous desire to be different, and to be recognized for it. As long as you don't go eating brains, this doesn't have to be a bad thing at all. You're ambitious, intelligent, tenacious, and unique.
Your best quality: Panache
Your worst quality: An obsessive desire for recognition and power
My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
You scored higher than 99% on Idealism
You scored higher than 99% on Nonconformity
You scored higher than 99% on Nerdiness
Link: The Heroes Personality Test written by freedomdegrees on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test
Monday, November 13, 2006
Random crap while I'm waiting for Steve to get home
I'm waiting for Steve, my roommate, 'cause it's Monday. On Mondays, we either play Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Roleplaying Game (which is...not bad), get out the guitar and play a bunch of songs (we're okay with most stuff, but we fucking rock on some of our Dave Matthews covers -- "Seek Up" especially -- and, of all things, "Hey Jude"), or don't do anything at all because Steve is too tired. Or I'm too tired. One of those. I'm shooting for the second tonight, 'cause I don't have anything to do in the Star Trek game, and I'm not really in a creative mood.
I was working on the new Revolver earlier, and deleted the four pages I wrote, because they were uniformly depressing, pointless, dreary, and just plain awful. But the new episode is coming. Eventually.
Speaking of uniformly depressing, pointless, dreary, and just plain awful, I had orientation for my second job today. Hoo-rah. I keep telling myself that the two jobs won't be that bad, 'cause the new job is only for about three hours a day, and it's only for until January: in that single month, everything I owe money on -- my phone, my computer, and my car -- will be paid off. Which adds up to $660 a month. Ye gods, it will be good to no longer have to pay that.
I tell myself that, and then I go in for orientation today, which was only three hours long, and yet felt like twelve years, and I feel like killing myself.
Hey, remember that Guns N' Roses show I was talking about last week? The one GN'R cancelled because of evil, evil fire marshals that held them to different standards than Clay Aiken? Yeah, I found out why that happened: they weren't allowed to consume alcohol. Not the fans, the band. And not in the dressing rooms, either -- they were prohibited from drinking alcohol on stage. So, they cancelled the show. Axl Rose, ladies and gentlemen.
While I still pledge my allegiance to Lost (and the Dharma Initiative for which it stands), I would just like to say that Heroes is the greatest show EVAR. And, speaking of NBC shows that air on Mondays, an early Christmas miracle has occurred: Studio 60 has, for some wonderful but incomprehensible reason, been picked up for a full season. Oh, Santa -- just what I wanted! 'Cause a full season would give Sorkin a chance to get the handle on the show and work out the kinks. ("Nevada Day, Part I" was a slight improvement over the previous week, but it's still dropped off in quality pretty severely. Oddly enough, step one: give Matthew Perry more screen time. He's somehow the best actor on the show.)
But yeah, Heroes. I've only seen the first three episodes (thanks again to the iTunes store, after giving up on the dull, dull, dull The Nine), but it rocks the hizzouse, friends and neighbors. And if they made the whole show about Hiro and his friend, it would still be awesome.
And Deal or No Deal, which I also saw on NBC on Monday, has absolutely no business being as entertaining as it is. I mean, it's ridiculous, it's stupid, and from where the fuck did they pull Howie Mandel? But I'm a sucker for a well-done game show. And, so help me, it's actually really suspenseful. Though I should note that I have loathed with a frightening passion every single contestant I've seen.
I mentioned Lost up there a few paragraphs ago. It's still the best show on TV, I don't care what you think. So there. I should mention, though, that the writers are dangling right on the precipice of where The X-Files stood at the end of its fourth season: if they don't start answering some of the myriad questions soon -- like, in the next five or six episodes -- it's going to just collapse under its own weight. Because you can string fans along for only so long before they start to become convinced you don't have the answers. Now, I'm sure Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse already know, for instance, who the Others really are, and who Eye-Patch Wearing Man is, and what the Monster is, and just who (or what) the hell Eko was talking to that wasn't his brother. But if they don't start filling those blanks soon, viewers are going to stop caring. I watched it happen with The X-Files; I really, really don't want to watch it happening again.
(But I really do think they know what they're doing. Case in point: in season one, one of the Flight 815 survivors is murdered in the night by the Others, despite the Losties setting up a security perimeter. Locke realizes how they got past -- via the water. I wondered back then how the hell they pulled that off, especially when the only boat you see the Others using is a rickety, loud-as-hell old motorboat. It takes until season three for us to learn: they have a submarine. Continuity, baby!)
(And as for that thing that wasn't Eko's brother, I've got a theory about that, too: it was the Smoke Monster, taking human form. 'Cause, after all, Eko chases "Yemi" into the jungle; Yemi vanishes, and then the Monster appears and thrashes him to death. And Yemi's eyes during their conversation were strangely black. And we know that the Monster has some sort of telepathic ability -- see its first encounter with Eko, when it "scanned" him and displayed images in its smoke...images of Eko's own past. And we know that it can change its appearance, because Locke's original sighting of the creature was far different than everyone else's, and his own thereafter. I love this explanation, not only because it's scary -- the damn monster could be anyone, at any time -- but because it could also explain so much else that's been unexplained: the whispers in the jungle, the boar that tormented Sawyer, Kate's horse, Hurley's imaginary friend, even Jack's father. Booyah!)
And I'm not the only one, but I giggle every time I see a reference to Stephen King on Lost. Not only because I love Stephen King's writing and I feel like I'm sharing in an inside joke, but because I know how much King himself loves Lost. The most perfect King reference so far, aside from the Others' book club reading Carrie, is easily the white rabbit with the blue eight tatooed on its back, an obvious nod to On Writing. I watched that episode at work, and when Ben hauled out the bunny in its cage, I started laughing my ass off, and no one around me understood why. And it would have taken way too long to explain.
It's at moments like those I really feel alone. And like a loser. Which are similar feelings.
Speaking of King, I'm reading his new novel, Lisey's Story. It's certainly much different, but I like it a lot. Certainly better than Cell, which was fun for awhile and then just ran out of steam. King is apparently working on another novel called Duma Key. Yes, this is the same Stephen King who retired two years ago. I'm waiting for another novella collection and a new ABC miniseries (erm, excuse me, "An ABC Original Miniseries Event, A Novel For Television That Could Only Come From The Mind Of Stephen King") any day now.
I never did watch the end of Kingdom Hospital. I don't think I really gave enough of a damn to rent the last DVD. I certainly don't know.
Watch another amazing stream-of-consciousness segue: the main character of Kingdom Hospital was named Dr. Hook, after a band Stephen King apparently likes.
Hey, speaking of Dr. Hook, did you know their most famous song, "The Cover of the Rolling Stone," was written by Shel Silverstein? The poet who wrote A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends, two books I worshipped as a kid, wrote "The Cover of the Rolling Stone." And Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue," for which he won a Grammy! Bet you didn't know that. (Bet you didn't care, either, but this is my blog, clown, so my rules.)
If you're still reading, you're a sad person. Not as sad as the one writing it, but sad nevertheless.
If you're still reading, thanks.
Steve's still not here, but all I have left in my head is white noise. So no more from me.
Good lord, this has been a lousy day.
(You remember my obsession with today's date in my earlier post? At orientation, I had to fill out eleventy billion forms, all of which had to dated. 11-13-06, 11-13-06, 11-13-06, 11-13-06, 11-13-06, 11-13-06...over and over. Yeah. Kill myself.)
I was working on the new Revolver earlier, and deleted the four pages I wrote, because they were uniformly depressing, pointless, dreary, and just plain awful. But the new episode is coming. Eventually.
Speaking of uniformly depressing, pointless, dreary, and just plain awful, I had orientation for my second job today. Hoo-rah. I keep telling myself that the two jobs won't be that bad, 'cause the new job is only for about three hours a day, and it's only for until January: in that single month, everything I owe money on -- my phone, my computer, and my car -- will be paid off. Which adds up to $660 a month. Ye gods, it will be good to no longer have to pay that.
I tell myself that, and then I go in for orientation today, which was only three hours long, and yet felt like twelve years, and I feel like killing myself.
Hey, remember that Guns N' Roses show I was talking about last week? The one GN'R cancelled because of evil, evil fire marshals that held them to different standards than Clay Aiken? Yeah, I found out why that happened: they weren't allowed to consume alcohol. Not the fans, the band. And not in the dressing rooms, either -- they were prohibited from drinking alcohol on stage. So, they cancelled the show. Axl Rose, ladies and gentlemen.
While I still pledge my allegiance to Lost (and the Dharma Initiative for which it stands), I would just like to say that Heroes is the greatest show EVAR. And, speaking of NBC shows that air on Mondays, an early Christmas miracle has occurred: Studio 60 has, for some wonderful but incomprehensible reason, been picked up for a full season. Oh, Santa -- just what I wanted! 'Cause a full season would give Sorkin a chance to get the handle on the show and work out the kinks. ("Nevada Day, Part I" was a slight improvement over the previous week, but it's still dropped off in quality pretty severely. Oddly enough, step one: give Matthew Perry more screen time. He's somehow the best actor on the show.)
But yeah, Heroes. I've only seen the first three episodes (thanks again to the iTunes store, after giving up on the dull, dull, dull The Nine), but it rocks the hizzouse, friends and neighbors. And if they made the whole show about Hiro and his friend, it would still be awesome.
And Deal or No Deal, which I also saw on NBC on Monday, has absolutely no business being as entertaining as it is. I mean, it's ridiculous, it's stupid, and from where the fuck did they pull Howie Mandel? But I'm a sucker for a well-done game show. And, so help me, it's actually really suspenseful. Though I should note that I have loathed with a frightening passion every single contestant I've seen.
I mentioned Lost up there a few paragraphs ago. It's still the best show on TV, I don't care what you think. So there. I should mention, though, that the writers are dangling right on the precipice of where The X-Files stood at the end of its fourth season: if they don't start answering some of the myriad questions soon -- like, in the next five or six episodes -- it's going to just collapse under its own weight. Because you can string fans along for only so long before they start to become convinced you don't have the answers. Now, I'm sure Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse already know, for instance, who the Others really are, and who Eye-Patch Wearing Man is, and what the Monster is, and just who (or what) the hell Eko was talking to that wasn't his brother. But if they don't start filling those blanks soon, viewers are going to stop caring. I watched it happen with The X-Files; I really, really don't want to watch it happening again.
(But I really do think they know what they're doing. Case in point: in season one, one of the Flight 815 survivors is murdered in the night by the Others, despite the Losties setting up a security perimeter. Locke realizes how they got past -- via the water. I wondered back then how the hell they pulled that off, especially when the only boat you see the Others using is a rickety, loud-as-hell old motorboat. It takes until season three for us to learn: they have a submarine. Continuity, baby!)
(And as for that thing that wasn't Eko's brother, I've got a theory about that, too: it was the Smoke Monster, taking human form. 'Cause, after all, Eko chases "Yemi" into the jungle; Yemi vanishes, and then the Monster appears and thrashes him to death. And Yemi's eyes during their conversation were strangely black. And we know that the Monster has some sort of telepathic ability -- see its first encounter with Eko, when it "scanned" him and displayed images in its smoke...images of Eko's own past. And we know that it can change its appearance, because Locke's original sighting of the creature was far different than everyone else's, and his own thereafter. I love this explanation, not only because it's scary -- the damn monster could be anyone, at any time -- but because it could also explain so much else that's been unexplained: the whispers in the jungle, the boar that tormented Sawyer, Kate's horse, Hurley's imaginary friend, even Jack's father. Booyah!)
And I'm not the only one, but I giggle every time I see a reference to Stephen King on Lost. Not only because I love Stephen King's writing and I feel like I'm sharing in an inside joke, but because I know how much King himself loves Lost. The most perfect King reference so far, aside from the Others' book club reading Carrie, is easily the white rabbit with the blue eight tatooed on its back, an obvious nod to On Writing. I watched that episode at work, and when Ben hauled out the bunny in its cage, I started laughing my ass off, and no one around me understood why. And it would have taken way too long to explain.
It's at moments like those I really feel alone. And like a loser. Which are similar feelings.
Speaking of King, I'm reading his new novel, Lisey's Story. It's certainly much different, but I like it a lot. Certainly better than Cell, which was fun for awhile and then just ran out of steam. King is apparently working on another novel called Duma Key. Yes, this is the same Stephen King who retired two years ago. I'm waiting for another novella collection and a new ABC miniseries (erm, excuse me, "An ABC Original Miniseries Event, A Novel For Television That Could Only Come From The Mind Of Stephen King") any day now.
I never did watch the end of Kingdom Hospital. I don't think I really gave enough of a damn to rent the last DVD. I certainly don't know.
Watch another amazing stream-of-consciousness segue: the main character of Kingdom Hospital was named Dr. Hook, after a band Stephen King apparently likes.
Hey, speaking of Dr. Hook, did you know their most famous song, "The Cover of the Rolling Stone," was written by Shel Silverstein? The poet who wrote A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends, two books I worshipped as a kid, wrote "The Cover of the Rolling Stone." And Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue," for which he won a Grammy! Bet you didn't know that. (Bet you didn't care, either, but this is my blog, clown, so my rules.)
If you're still reading, you're a sad person. Not as sad as the one writing it, but sad nevertheless.
If you're still reading, thanks.
Steve's still not here, but all I have left in my head is white noise. So no more from me.
Good lord, this has been a lousy day.
(You remember my obsession with today's date in my earlier post? At orientation, I had to fill out eleventy billion forms, all of which had to dated. 11-13-06, 11-13-06, 11-13-06, 11-13-06, 11-13-06, 11-13-06...over and over. Yeah. Kill myself.)
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