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Donnie Darko - Review
By: jiggyj
Cult classic…look it up in the dictionary and you'll find the movie Donnie Darko listed with it. Donnie Darko was one of those movies that came into the theaters, made very little money, and then left without anyone ever thinking about it…except those few who saw it and boy did they talk a bunch. They released the movie on DVD and the next thing you know people are clamoring for the thing and are crazy for the movie. Is Donnie Darko worth that devoted love of cult status? Read on.
The 2001 film Donnie Darko is the story of…well…Donnie Darko. You see Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a mentally troubled boy who is emotionally detached from seemingly everything. He has problems with life and a lot of the time it just seems as if he is going through the motions and simply living out his days without any sort of attachment at all. You could say that Donnie represents many teenagers in that regards and that is what makes the story of Donnie so appealing to watch.
One night Donnie is awoken from sleep with the voice of Frank - a giant, evil looking rabbit - calling out to Donnie to follow him. Donnie sleepwalks his way to Frank who is standing in the middle of a golf course. Frank tells Donnie that the world will be ending soon and gives Donnie the exact time, date, seconds and everything else that he will need to know. Donnie wakes up on the golf course, heads for home, but when he gets there are people swarming around his house and evidence tape is up. Donnie's parents are glad to see him because a plane's engine fell through their house and landed directly in Donnie's room. Donnie would've been killed had he stayed in there.
The rest of the movie follows the events of this incident as Donnie tries to understand what/who Frank is and what he wants with him, why he is doing the things he is doing, learning about time travel and tangent universes, and most importantly…helping all those around him. Donnie might have been emotionally detached in the beginning, but he starts to run across people in his life that he starts to care about and all he wants to do is make them happy…even if that means he suffers internally himself. A few of the people he sets out to help are his family, an English teacher he admires, a girl that he starts to fall for, and an inspirational motivator that bugs the hell out of him.
The cast of Donnie Darko is quite impressive. Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal (his real life sister playing his sister), Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell (now known for her work in Battlestar Galactica as the President), Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle, and Jena Malone all play wonderfully done characters that you will find yourself thinking about days after you finish watching the movie. You might hate Patrick Swayze's Jim Cunningham as much as Donnie does in the beginning, but when you see Swayze for the final time of the movie, you start to change your opinion of him ever so slightly and hope that he can be redeemed.
By my description of the movie it wouldn't seem very science fiction, but trust me that it is in there. The science of the movie comes in the form of time travel and tangent universes. After his talks with Frank the bunny, Donnie starts to have questions about this old lady who lives near him (always going from road to mailbox) who wrote a book on time travel. Donnie becomes fascinated by time travel and even brings it up to his science teacher to learn about theoretically if something like that is possible. So the movie has those science fiction elements mingled with the story of a superhero (Richard Kelly - creator - has stated numerous times and on the DVD commentary tracks about how he wanted Donnie to be this superhero), but the movie really shines and is so great because of the emotional resonance of the film.
The film runs the gamut of emotions from the smiles you will get at the sheer absurdity of Donnie's sister's group Sparkle Motion, the laughter at a simple moment of Donnie talking about an animated cartoon, to the hatred of Jim Cunningham being so damn inspirational and upbeat (especially if you find a lot of yourself in Donnie), to the sadness you will feel for people when the movie eventually ends. The science and mystery of the movie is great (though there is a good chance you won't understand everything during one viewing, heck, I still don't understand 'everything' after five or more viewings), but the emotions of the film are what will bring you back time and time again.
Donnie Darko is a film that you should absolutely, no doubt about it, go out and buy right away if you haven't already got this film in your collection. Maybe I'm a little biased since I see a lot of myself in Donnie, but I'm pretty sure the film would be just as great if I didn't already have this bond with Donnie and his life. So go buy Donnie Darko, love it, thank me later, and ask yourself, "Is 'cellar door' the prettiest sounding word I've ever heard."
Sci-Fi Brain News -- August 10, 2007
'Doctor Who' Writer Denies Nesbitt Rumour
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat has denied claims that James Nesbitt is joining the show.
Earlier this month, a newspaper report claimed that the Cold Feet actor would take over as The Doctor when David Tennant decides to quit the role. However, Moffat has insisted that the story was completely untrue.
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Ex-Doctor Baker Returns To Show Set
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that former Doctor Who actor Colin Baker returned to the set of the show 20 years on.
He dropped in on filming for a Christmas special in Cardiff in a break from appearing at a theatre nearby.
Baker said he was impressed by current Doctor David Tennant - and Kylie Minogue who also will appear in the episode.
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Thursday, August 09, 2007 |
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Roswell – “Turnabout” – Book Review
By: jesuiscanadien
The kids are on the run from the Special Unit, and while they drive non-stop away from the enemy so they can regroup, the Parkers and Evanses have been taken hostage by the Unit in order to flush the group out from hiding. Phillip Evans managed to call his friend, Shelby Tremaine, in Massachusetts, and get his plan rolling. Phillip had the vision to arrange a plan to go into effect if something serious should happen to threaten his children’s lives after they went on the run. Shelby puts the plan into action, calling in Jesse Ramirez in Boston, and arranging to meet with him.
In L.A., Ava has been captured by the Special Unit, and Rath and Lonnie set out to save her. The “Alien Our Gang” are taking the fight to L.A., too, but not before Max can get Isabel far, far away from them. Liz has been having visions of Isabel dying under the knife of one of the Special Unit docs and Max is determined not to let that fate befall his sister. While Kyle and Isabel flee east, to Boston, the rest of the gang makes their way to L.A. and seek the help of their reluctant guardian, Langley.
As the kids are making their way to their respective destinations, Jim Valenti gets Amy DeLuca to safety at Laurie Dupree’s spread in Arizona. His old friend, Agent Suzanne Duff, meets up with him, recruiting him to help her get to the bottom of the Special Unit and hopefully help free his friends, the Parkers and the Evanses. They bust the safe house that the Unit was using outside of Roswell, and give Brody Davis all the files and computer data for safekeeping. They then go to L.A. to try and find the Unit’s headquarters.
While in transit to Boston, Kyle figures out his gift of being a booster for telepathic communication. Isabel also witnesses her counterpart’s death in L.A., as it turns out that Lonnie was captured in the rescue attempt for Ava. She was experimented on and killed in the process. Isabel and Kyle decide they must get to L.A. and manage to meet up with Jesse and his cohort Shelby on the way.
Once everyone manages to meet up in L.A., things get interesting. Not to blow the plot for possible readers out there, but remember the movie, “Red Dawn”, with Charlie Sheen, Patrick Swayze, and Lea Thompson? Kids fighting the Commies in 1984 Colorado? This had a similar flavour for me. I don’t mean the plot matches, not by a long shot, but the flavour was very reminiscent of that flick. Needless to say, butt gets kicked, satisfactory results for all and everybody, almost, ends up happy.
I enjoyed the resolution to the “Alien Our Gang” in this book series. The television series didn’t seem to tie up the loose ends that the Special Unit opened up in the last couple of episodes, but the books finish the series in an acceptable manner. Sure, more stories could be told from what was left of the story resolution, but things can also be left as they are. This book brought closure to the gang and their adventures.
There were some important deaths in this book, but they really helped seal up issues for me, as a reader. I didn’t feel that the author treated the deaths in a frivolous manner. Neither did I feel that the deaths were heavy-handed. They were important for the storyline to be tied up properly, and they worked.
On a side note, it looks like Kyle won’t be alone for much longer. He bonds with Ava over her need for help and his need to be needed. I’m glad he is going to be happy, as I was quite fond of the high school football player. Not everyone needs to end up being bald, rotund, and unhappy.
Isabel finally figured out that Jesse was her “One”, which is nice to see. I believe that there can be more than one person for someone in their lifetime. So when Alex Whitman was killed by Tess, even though it ended the blossoming love that Isabel was experiencing for him, I didn’t feel too badly for her. She ended up with a great guy who sacrificed a lot for her and even when things were rocky, never stopped loving her.
Max and Liz, forever. Yay. On a better note, the Bickersons work it out! YAY! Michael did nothing but grow for Maria, and she finally wised up and accepted what Michael was offering. Thank goodness for miracles.
I enjoyed this final book, and I have to give it a solid 8.5 out of 10.0. It’s done! It’s done! The “Alien Our Gang” has left the building.
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Thursday, August 09, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- August 9, 2007
McGillion Talks 'Atlantis' Return
scifi.com is reporting that Paul McGillion, who will be returning to Stargate Atlantis in the role of Dr. Carson Beckett for a two-episode arc during the upcoming fourth season, told SCI FI Wire that it feels great to be back on the show after nearly a year away.
"Honestly, it feels like coming home," McGillion said in an interview on the phone from the set in Vancouver, Canada. "And everyone's been so terrific to me. The crew gave me a little round of applause when I came back on the set. And that was really sweet. That felt really nice. And everyone's been really gracious towards me and it's just been really nice. I love the character, and the chance to reprise Beckett is my pleasure."
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Wednesday, August 08, 2007 |
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The 4400 (4.8): "No Exit" Review
By: jiggyj
Wait a minute, what's this? Are you telling me The 4400 produced a recent episode that didn't completely suck? Though the show this season is still far away from the heyday of its first two season specifically, at least the show this week delivered a little bit of creativity, and which wasn't as corny and horribly done as past episodes. The biggest gripe of the episode was that the reveal was way too choreographed, as the seemingly unnamed tech guy up until this point, who works with Marco, as he wasn't freaked out by the fact that he was in the office, and maybe it was just us, but why did nobody hear his constants phrases such as, "It wasn't supposed to be this way." Hello, the guy just introduced this season is saying weird things and nobody recognizes it…please.
The gist of the episode is that the bald guy had taken the promicin shot before, because he wanted to make a difference and to be part of a change. Of course, he didn't die, and he developed a power that allowed him to take feuding people into a dream game, where players needed to work together to overcome the problems and their differences, so that they could win the game. Yes, it's another way to deus ex machina ability, but hey, looks like that's how the lazy writers are playing it this year, so whatever. The strange thing is, wouldn't NTAC test their own people to make sure none of them our taking the drug they are fighting to stop? If so, this episode should've never happened.
Anyways, the usual NTAC regulars, Jordan, Kyle, Shawn, Mya, and Isabelle are all trapped, and each group blames the others for being there. It turns out most of them are there for NTAC and Jordan's group to come to terms with each other and not be enemies, but Shawn and Isabelle are there to work on their past relationship problems, and Mya is there to talk with Marco. Okay, we can give you the fact that maybe Marco talked to the bald guy about his disappearing friendship with Diana and Mya, but how did he know about Shawn and Isabelle's history that needed working out? Like we said, kinda sloppy.
Though the episode featured the death of Shawn and the new NTAC boss, we didn't believe for a second they'd die in such a way, so once the game was over, they were revived and not dead at all. It was a good attempt at trying to give the episode some tension and emotion, but yet there was nothing that we felt while watching it.
I know we're still bashing the episode, but there was some good when compared to the last two or three episodes, so perhaps that's why it seems good in comparison…it just wasn't as bad, and therefore comes off as good. Still not great or "must see" television, but if you got the episode this week or a re-run, at least you wouldn't be completely wasting an hour of your life this time.
Rating: 6.0
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Wednesday, August 08, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- August 8, 2007
'Life On Mars' Actors Say No To US Remake
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Life On Mars actors John Simm and Philip Glenister have turned down offers to star in a US remake of the hit BBC show.
Ally McBeal creator David E. Kelley has been planning the remake and wanted the two lead actors to take on the parts but with American accents.
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Has Mars Been 'Lost'?
moviehole.net is reporting that imagine being stuck on a deserted island with Veronica Mars?
Man, I’d be burying the wood required to build a boat… deep.
According to TV Guide, Kristen Bell may be in talks to join the cast of the castaways caper, “Lost”.
She would play a new character called Charlotte – who’ll potentially stay-on full time (so long as she doesn’t get busted for drink driving in Hawaii).
The character breakdown for Charlotte says:
Charlotte: Late 20s. Very attractive in a naturalistic, athletic way, her looks are only one small part of charms. Precocious, loquacious, and funny, Charlotte a very successful academic who also knows how to handle herself in the real world. On a personal level it is hard to crack the hard shell of poise and certainty around her, but when it DOES crack its like an egg; lots of repressed and pent up emotions spill out. (Starts with Episode #402 - August 29, 2007 in Hawaii). RECURRING ARC WITH A POSSIBLE OPTION FOR SERIES REGULAR FOR NEXT SEASON.
Doctor Who (3.05) “Evolution of the Daleks” – Review
By: jesuiscanadien
Sec has now come out of his hybridisation and orders the other humans to undergo the process too. The Doctor manages to distract Sec with some music, and the other Daleks want to exterminate him when they realize who he is. Sec and the Doctor talk about Sec’s recent change. The Doctor uses the radio that was playing the music to cause another distraction and the humans all make a break for it.
As the other Daleks chase the humans and the Doctor, they discuss how they do not trust Sec, but they have been ordered to follow Sec. While the humans make it back to Hooverville, the Daleks and the pig-slaves follow them and try to round up the humans. Dalek Caan kills Solomon after he pleads for mercy. Sec is shocked by this action and stops Caan from killing the Doctor, who steps out enraged by Caan’s actions.
Sec orders Caan and the other Dalek to bring the Doctor to him, as he has another use for him. The Doctor gives Martha his psychic paper, and Martha and Tallulah try to figure out what the Doctor wants her to do. The Doctor finds out that Sec wants him to help make their failed experiments work, by making human shells have human/Dalek DNA from Sec. The other Daleks rebel and sabotage Sec’s plans with the Doctor, by replacing the DNA with sole Dalek DNA and when a solar flare is scheduled to hit the Empire State building, the energy allows that DNA to enter the human shells, and they become humans without any human traits. They are Daleks, essentially.
Martha has meanwhile figured out that the Doctor wanted her to get into the Empire State Building, so she, Tallulah, and Frank go there and make it to the top of the building. She gets a hold of the building plans and manages to figure out that the Daleks ordered the Dalekanium to go on the spire. The Doctor manages to escape with Lazlo and they meet Martha, Frank, and Tallulah on top of the building. The Doctor works to remove the Dalekanium, while Martha and the gang work to fight off the pig-slaves sent to recapture the Doctor. Martha suddenly remembers she can use the power of the lightening to stop the pig-slaves. The Doctor doesn’t manage to remove the Dalekanium, but instead inserts some of his own DNA into the mix during the lightening bolt.
The lightening bolt almost kills the Doctor, but Martha watches as he revives. The Daleks mobilize the new Dalek army, and the Doctor makes a plan to draw the Daleks away from their domination scheme. He and the gang go to the theatre to put his plan into action. It works and the Dalek army and two of the Daleks find the Doctor. Sec pleads for the Doctor, and is accidentally killed in the process. This ignites a rebellion with the Dalek army, and a firefight ensues, killing the two Daleks present. The Dalek army are given the self-destruct, which upsets the Doctor, and he goes to confront the Dalek.
Dalek Caan and the Doctor have “words”, with the Doctor asking Caan to allow the Doctor to help him, but Caan refuses and leaves in an emergency temporal transport. Martha and Tallulah bring a dying Lazlo in, and the Doctor frenetically works to save him. Lazlo ends up being okay, and is given shelter in Hooverville. Martha and the Doctor say goodbye to New York, and Martha wonders of he’ll ever see that Dalek again. The Doctor is sure he will.
That darned Dalek! I swear on all that is holy, they are totally the cockroaches of the Universe. When the Dalek left in the emergency temporal transport, I immediately thought of the ep, “Dalek” (1.6) when the Doctor and Rose find the decrepit Dalek and Rose accidentally revives it with her touch. I hypothesise that the Dalek in that episode was the Dalek who escaped the Doctor in this episode (3.5). I could be wrong, but I think it is a reasonable premise.
Martha just gets gustier and gustier. She really got it together when she figured out that lightening could possibly help her defeat the pig-slaves. Sure, it could work theoretically, but in reality, I’m not sure a bolt could kill so many people. Too many people survive lightening strikes, so the pig-slave deaths seemed to be a wee bit optimistic. I’m not going to bother to do the math to figure out if it’s possible, but maybe someone out there has the time and inclination to see if this is attainable.
I’ve got to say, I was dreading this episode, as I am not fond of Daleks to begin with. They are like a Stephen King novel gone rogue, and I’m just not down with that lack of hope. Even in my darkest moments, I can see hope, and Daleks just remind me of how Stephen King likes to screw his protagonists until they really get peeved and kick some serious butt back. Don’t bother to argue the merits of his work; I’m seriously not down with it, just like I’m not feelin’ the Dalek love.
I would like to see an episode where Martha and the Doctor really come to understand each other as people, but that’s probably too fruity for this kind of audience, so I’m blowing smoke with that desire. This episode stood on my last nerve, mostly because that bloody Dalek survived, but it was well developed and scripted. Plus, the production values didn’t suck, so that’s a bonus. It gets an 8.0 out of 10.0 for all that. But if I see one more Dalek, I swear I’m going to crunch it under my pretty little heel, and enjoy the goo that squishes out.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- August 7, 2007
Kenneth Branagh 'Dying' To Be In 'Doctor Who'
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Kenneth Branagh is "dying" to appear in an episode of Doctor Who, according to reports.
The Sun quotes an insider on the series as stating that the 46-year-old actor and director "is a fan and would love a role" and has revealed his aspirations to friends.
Branagh is best known for his cinematic adaptations of the works of William Shakespeare, but has also toyed with the fantasy genre through appearances in Wild Wild West and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
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'Torchwood' Bought By US HD Channel
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that American broadcaster HDNet has purchased the first two seasons of the BBC science-fiction drama Torchwood.
"We're thrilled to be airing Torchwood in HD," announced Mark Cuban, President and co-founder of the all-high definition channel. "This is certainly a Russell T. Davies signature show. Torchwood explores adult themes and doesn't shy away from anything. Whether it's the diverse storylines or the hero's ambivalence to sexual boundaries, this is not your typical show, and I love it."
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Sir Ben Kingsley To Play Dalek Creator?
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Sir Ben Kingsley is reportedly close to signing up to playing classic Doctor Who villain Davros - creator of the Daleks - in the next season of the cult show.
An insider told The Sun: "Ben’s agent has been in talks for a while now and he’s very keen to play the part of Davros. A deal will be signed any day now."
Eureka (2.04) “Games People Play” – Review
By: jesuiscanadien
When we last left Sheriff Jack Carter, he was losing his daughter Zoë back to his ex-wife Abby, who was taking her back to Los Angeles at the end of the semester. Zoë was very unhappy with her Dad, but Jack was too hamstrung to do anything about it.
It’s a couple of days later, and Jack is out responding to a noise complaint with Deputy Jo Lupo. Jack gets hit on the head by a rotating thingamajiggy, and tells the scientist that while they look up the required permits, to see if they’ve been properly filed, the scientist still has to keep the noise down.
Over at Global, Dr. Allison Blake is showing Henry Deacon to Kim’s lab, where he’ll take over her work. Allison is concerned that Henry won’t deal well with being there, but Henry is determined to get on with his work, and hoping to find out what Dr. Beverly Barlowe was doing inside Kim’s Level 5 lab.
Abby is getting ready to leave Jack’s house, and S.A.R.A.H. is only too pleased to see Abby go, as S.A.R.A.H. is quite fond of Zoë, and will miss her greatly. Jack comes in and Abby and Jack argue over a long-dead issue, but Jack still can’t stand up and ask for Zoë to stay. Abby leaves, and Jack goes up to Zoë’s room to ask her to clean up her mess downstairs. They get into a tiff, and Jack just can’t win, as Zoë’s still peeved about him not fighting for her.
Jack goes back to the Sheriff’s Office, and talks to Jo about the permits she was supposed to look up, but she has no idea what he’s talking about. As Jack takes a couple of pain killers for his headache, a flash is seen and when he goes back out into the main part of the office, Jo is gone. Jack wanders over to talk to Vincent at Café Diem, but Vincent hasn’t heard of Jo Lupo. In fact, no one has heard of a Deputy Jo Lupo.
Jack goes to see Henry at his garage, and wonders why Henry isn’t at Global. Seems Henry isn’t supposed to be there. Henry asks a few questions, and thinks Jack should get an MRI. Jack then goes to Global and Allison and Nathan are asking questions. When Jack says that Nathan shouldn’t be there, as he was fired a few weeks ago, Nathan blithely orders a brain scan. While Nathan and Allison go to get a couple of things, Jack manages to get Fargo to look into a few level eight projects to see if he’s just suffering from a concussion, or if some weird science is behind the oddness.
Jack goes back to Henry’s and tells him that the scan was clear, but he still wonders if something in a level eight project could be behind this. They talk about the possibility that either Jack or Jo was pulled into a parallel universe, and as Henry goes into another part of the garage, Jack sees a flash of light and finds Henry gone. Not only is Henry gone, but everything in the garage is gone too.
Jack goes back to Global, and talks to Nathan, who tells Carter to go home and get some rest, while he rechecks his MRI. Fargo gives Jack the list of the level eight scientists, and a minute later, Fargo disappears. Jack begs Allison to come with him to talk to the scientist he saw that morning, but while he’s there, he watches as the scientist disappears. The list Fargo gave him is now blank too. This puts Carter into a panic and he tells Allison to get Kevin, while he gets Zoë and they’ll get out of there before it happens to them too. Allison sedates Carter, as he’s throwing stuff into a bag for his flee from the issue.
When Carter comes too, he tries to reason with Allison, but she thinks he’s having a hysterical episode. He begs her to let him get Zoë, and she agrees, but as she is taking the keys to the cell to him, she disappears as well, leaving the keys behind. He runs home and tells Zoë to get her stuff, and then he asks S.A.R.A.H. the number of people living within Eureka. The house tells him according to her calculations, two people live there, Zoë and Jack. Jack runs up to Zoë’s room and he tries to figure out what’s going on. He manages to deduce that he’s stuck in the program from the therapy device that Zoë was using. While he’s standing there, we are taken back into the “outside world” and we see everyone standing around his hospital bed, with him lying there wearing the device, while Zoë begs him to wake up.
While Nathan and Allison try to keep an eye on Jack, Abby runs in to comfort Zoë. Meanwhile, Jack is inside the program and he’s fighting for Zoë, as he confronts his fears about losing her. Henry went to Beverly’s place and finds the device that Beverly took from Kim’s lab, and pockets it, returning to Jack’s bedside. Suddenly, Jack goes into a type of seizure, and Nathan thinks they’re losing him. Jacks BP and heart rate slowly improves and he comes out of it, grabbing Zoë and telling her that he wouldn’t leave her.
Later, Jack goes to talk to Henry, telling him that even though it really wasn’t him in the program, Henry really helped him out and he doesn’t know what he’d do without Henry. He and Abby work things out and Abby allows Zoë to stay in Eureka with Jack. Jack goes home to tell Zoë, and S.A.R.A.H. is so touched by their exchange that she provides musical accompaniment.
This type of episode has been done many times before, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Smallville” comes to mind, but for me, I think this was the best effort using this type of plot device. Even though I kind of knew where this was going, I enjoyed the trip and usually this type of plot device annoys me.
I found it interesting how Jack needed to protect Zoë, Allison and Kevin. He really should use the therapy device to help him get over his reticence about telling Allison how he feels about her. He does care about her quite a bit, working hard to ensure her and Kevin’s safety, even though he couldn’t stop her from disappearing in the end.
I have to say, did they revamp Café Diem? It didn’t look like it used to. Maybe it was the camera angle, but when Carter went in to ask about Jo, I though we were in some divey grease-pit, not Vincent’s pride and joy. The lighting seemed wrong too. I know they changed the entrance, as I remember what it looked like last season, and what it became last episode, but this episode really threw me off, and distracted me.
I could get gripe-y about continuity, but I simply don’t have the energy. One would think that the kids in charge of continuity would’ve picked up on the glaring issues I saw, even though I was working hard not to pay actual attention, but whatever. If I picked up on the errors, you just know they mucked up badly. I almost never notice that stuff.
For a town of three-thousand people, Eureka is big on-camera. They sure cover a lot of land for such a small town. I’m thinking that the people who came up with the population figures, didn’t think through all the areas they’ve shot so far, and all the ground they’ve covered, to reasonably assume a figure of three-thousand. Thank goodness they haven’t shot in any high-density buildings, or they’d really be hooped.
Overall, I enjoyed this episode and have to give it a 9.0 out of 10.0 therapy sessions. I look forward to seeing Beverly get her butt kicked and watching the outcome of Jack’s inability to be honest about his feelings with Allison.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- August 6, 2007
Richard Briers To Star In 'Torchwood'
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that renowned actor and sitcom star Richard Briers is set to make a guest appearance in an upcoming episode of Torchwood.
Outpost Gallifrey reports that Briers, best known for his role in The Good Life, will be playing a '90-year-old-man rehearsing for the end' in the second season of the BBC2 bound Doctor Who spinoff. The website also states that Briers was 'scared' by the script.
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Jackman, Benioff & More on 'Wolverine'
superherohype.com is reporting that Wizard talked to Hugh Jackman, screenwriter David Benioff, Zak Penn and "X-Men" franchise actors about Fox's upcoming Wolverine spinoff. Here's a clip:
"[The Japan connection] is still something we really want to do," admitted the actor-producer. "What we need to do is establish who he is and find out how he became Wolverine. And by the end of the movie, I want it to be that you definitely knew who this guy was, like Mad Max and Dirty Harry. He's a good guy, but he's not a nice guy. He's just the guy you want on your side."
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Two Villains in 'Superman: Man of Steel'
superherohype.com is reporting that a user on BlueTights' The Planet Forum got a chance to meet Superman: Man of Steel co-writer Michael Dougherty at the U.S. Capitol and asked him about the sequel:
I asked him if he was a part of the sequel because everything I have seen says [Bryan] Singer and [Dan] Harris are writing the script and that he isn't mentioned. He confirmed that he is writing it with the two just like the last picture. I then expressed to him that I was hoping the delays of Superman: The Man of Steel weren't true. He said that they were on track and that the goal is still to have the movie out in the Summer of 2009. He seemed a little hesitant about it but did his best to try and reassure that it will get done by then. I asked if he could give any more info on the film. He responded, "There are TWO villains," and he smiled.
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Helen Slater to Appear on 'Smallville'
superherohype.com is reporting that former Supergirl star Helen Slater has signed on to appear on the CW's "Smallville." Slater will play the aunt of the show's recently cast Supergirl (Laura Vandervoort).
Slater will appear in the sixth episode of the upcoming season, two weeks after ex-Superman Dean Cain ("Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman") is scheduled to appear.
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'Heroes' Has New Villains
scifi.com is reporting that Tim Kring, creator and executive producer of NBC's hit series Heroes, told journalists that the upcoming second season will introduce a few new bad guys. "There's a couple new villains," Kring said in a conference call on Aug. 2. "We're doing 11 episodes in a row that start on Sept. 24. And somewhere in that run of episodes we're going to introduce a very scary villain."
The main villain of the first season was Sylar, played by Zachary Quinto, a soft-spoken psychopath who could absorb the powers of others with special abilities by slashing open their brains. The show also featured Malcolm McDowell in an adversarial role as Linderman, an eccentric business man with ambitions for world-domination.
Kring said that season two's villians will make last year's look tame. Those who paid attention to the season finale already have a hint about one of them.
Fahrenheit 451 - Movie Review
By: Aelora
Fahrenheit 451 is based on a novel written in 1953 by Ray Bradbury. He got the title from a Fire Chief who explained to him that this was the temperature at which paper burned. It’s a clever title for the plotline of the story, and probably is a good novel as well. Unfortunately, there seemed to be plenty of factors involved in the making of this movie – such as half of the filmmakers only speaking French while the others only spoke English, and the star, director and producer all hating one another to the point of not speaking for the last two weeks of shooting – that destroyed the overall production value.
Ah, hell. I’ll just come out and say it – this was the worst movie I’ve ever forced myself to sit through.
Directed by François Truffaut, Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a futuristic, totalitarian society where books and reading are banned. In fact, they go so far as to make newspapers look like comic books – only, without the writing. Pictures are the only way that people receive their information. The citizens are controlled through the use of drugs and their television sets, which look very much like our flat panels today, where they can feel as if they are a part of ‘The Family’, the term used for those we see onscreen. Everyone has a television set in their house; in fact, most people have at least two wall screens. They even have interactive television, where they call up everyone with the same name, such as Linda Montag, (Julie Christie), the wife of the star of the movie, and tell her she can be a part of that night’s program. All she has to do is tune in, and reply to the questions the actors ask of her. Of course, the people are so drugged that they fall for it, believing they are acting the show, and everyone they know can see them doing it.
Firemen in this future do not put out fires, since all buildings are fire proof. Instead, they are called on to burn books and capture those who are hoarding books when informants turn them in. Guy Montag (Oskar Werner) is a fireman who is up for promotion for the great job he has done for years in discovering books in the variously odd hiding places (such as toasters and radiators) and setting them on fire. He’s never had the temptation to read a book, though you immediately get the feeling that he doesn’t like television, or have the same fascination with ‘The Family’ that his wife so obviously does.
Enter Clarisse, a young woman Montag meets on the train, who oddly enough looks just like his wife, but with shorter hair (the part is also played by Julie Christie). She begins to question him as to why he has never been curious about reading a book, and this leads to Montag stealing a book during one of the calls at work, and taking it home to read at night. The first book he reads is David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. This quickly turns into an obsession with Montag, and his house becomes filled in neat little hiding places with books that he has been hiding away from the book burnings. He tries to get his wife interested in the books, but she can’t handle it, hating the emotions that the words invoke. This is exactly society’s reason for banning books; it is the belief that books, and the stories they contain, only serve to make people unhappy and anti-social. People read the stories contained in the books and want those lives, they want to be someone other than themselves.
Of course, Montag’s newfound interest in books doesn’t work well with his job, especially when his rival for the promotion begins watching him steal the books. During one job, where they find an entire hidden library in a house, Montag is horrified when the woman who lives there makes the decision to burn to death with the books rather than live by the society’s rules. This is when there is an obvious significant turn in Montag’s view of the rules, and his own position in enforcing them. It’s finally his wife who turns him in, on the day that he decides to quit his job, and his boss insists that he go on this one last job. Montag agrees only to discover they are going to his own house. Once there, he is forced to locate all of his own books and burn them. While doing so, with giant blow torch in hand, his boss continues to taunt him, warming his hands over the fire and calling Montag an idiot. They discover the book he has hidden away in his jacket and tell him he is under arrest, pulling a gun on him. Instead of giving up, Montag sets his boss on fire, grabs his book and goes on the run, searching for a society of people up in the hills that Clarisse told him about – all of those people who decided they couldn’t live by society’s rules any longer.
When he finds them, they have been expecting him, as they’ve been watching the search for him by law enforcement officials on television. To keep the order in society, the government fakes his capture, showing the chase and killing of a man, while never getting close enough to actually show his face. Montag is accepted into this new home, where everyone goes by the name of a specific book. They each memorize the book of their choice, and then burn it, so that no one can ever get a hold of the books and destroy them again. It is their belief that someday the laws will change, and then each of them can go back to society and recite their books to others to write down. After being reunited with Clarisse, Montag chooses to memorize the book Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allen Poe, which he was able to save from the burning at his house.
This movie was social commentary upon social commentary which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Most science fiction classics are well done social commentaries on what will become of the future should society continue on its current course. This story, obviously, focuses on the evils of television and how very little of what you see on TV is either true, educational or mentally stimulating. There are also little stabs at drugs, sex and big families. I haven’t read Bradbury’s novel, but it’s very possible that the story is well-told on paper, and only fails in the movie version. I don’t know but the movie had so many holes in it, I was beginning to think I was watching a block of Swiss cheese.
The biggest problem I had trouble wrapping my head around was why, in a society where books and reading are banned, does everyone know how to read? And not just read to be literate, but read well enough to be able to get through classics like Shakespeare. This one little problem had me so troubled that I couldn’t let it go through the entire film. I thought they might clear it up for me when they had Clarisse, who was a school teacher, and Montag, go back to the school she was dismissed from, except that every implication there was teachers taught their students by recitation. So nothing, again, was ever written down. Files on people contained photos, and nothing else. Ads on television were simply read to the viewers. There were no street signs, or signs of any kind any where, so why, and how, did everyone know how to read? I could understand some small, underground movement where people would teach one another to read, but that wasn’t the case shown to us. If they had added such a thing in, it would have made the entire storyline a little easier to swallow. Especially since this is supposed to be so far into the future that people don’t believe buildings had ever been anything ever than fireproof and firemen had always burned books.
Another issue, and this just usually happens with most movies filmed in the ‘60’s, is that the filmmakers didn’t seem to try whatsoever to make the society appear very futuristic. The houses, the television antennas, the vehicles, the clothing – everything walked right out of 1966. It was absolutely impossible to suspend disbelief and immerse myself in that world when everything was so obviously of the past. In one small bit, they had men out searching for Montag, flying through the air with these giant jetpacks they held in their hands, and the effect was so positively horrible, with visible strings and all, that it would have been much more effective not to have included it.
This film also had a problem with long, drawn-out scenes all to make some point that was already bashing you over the head continually from the storyline alone. When Montag picks up David Copperfield to read, they spend a good five minutes focused on the words as he reads the first chapter aloud. Most people know the first few lines of David Copperfield without ever having read the damn thing. There is no need to read the entire first chapter to the viewers!
Then there is the scene with the old lady standing amidst her books as they burn. They show the cover of a book of art by Dali, and the cover flips open from the wind coming through an open window as the books around it are burning. The next page flips, and the next page flips, and the next page flips, and… well, you see where I’m going. For at least a minute, perhaps longer, the camera is focused on the flipping pages of the Dali book as the fire draws near. By that point I’m screaming at the TV “Okay, I get it already!!”
Finally, there is the society of people living in the hills, reciting their books. All I can figure is that the director is trying to make some huge point that without books and reading, everyone in society will go insane, because everyone in this movie is insane! You’d think that the people in the hills – who don’t seem to have any food source, who haven’t bothered to build houses or even attempt to establish a society of their own (although they somehow end up with pipe tobacco, fresh apples and cigars) – would actually be smart with all of their reading. I mean, they’re up in the hills, and from everything Clarisse has said, the government has no intention of searching for them, so they’re safe where they are. They’ve been there for years. So, wouldn’t this be a good place to build a library and store their books?? No, apparently another point has to be made, with each person memorizing their book and burning it in some ritualistic manner. Then they just… wander around the woods, reciting their books aloud, which kind of once more removes the whole reading thing and makes me wonder… in the future they are looking forward to, who is going to be around to rewrite all of these books if they’ve all forgotten how to read?
Not that they’ve show me how any of them know how to read in the first place.
There were some clever moments in the film, such as the opening credits, which is something I have never seen in a film before, where a narrator reads them off to the audience without a single word ever crossing the screen. That was kind of a brilliant little touch to add to the point of the film. And… ummm… okay, that’s all I’ve really got.
A part of me does wonder if this film might have been better under the direction of a better film crew. When half of the filmmakers can’t communicate in the same language, they have one person playing two roles apparently only to upstage the star, and the pettiness between the director and the star is so bad that it leads to the star cutting his hair for the final scene just to screw with continuity (there’s class for ya!), how can you possibly expect to get a cohesive movie out of that mess?
Ray Bradbury said that Fahrenheit 451 was the best adaptation of any of his novels to screen. Remind me not to watch any of the others.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- August 3, 2007
Daisies Gets Lost's Slot
scifi.com is reporting that ABC Television president Stephen McPherson told reporters that the upcoming fantasy series Pushing Daisies will debut in Lost's old timeslot because it's so quirky there isn't a lead-in show that would work for it.
"It's always challenging for new shows to find an audience, but I think its originality and the fact that it is different the way Lost was when Lost launched at 8 o'clock," McPherson said in a news conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., last month. "I think it is a show that, you know, doesn't fit neatly behind any other show."
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Rodriguez, Lang Join 'Avatar'
scifi.com is reporting that Michelle Rodriguez (Lost) and Stephen Lang have joined the cast of James Cameron's 3-D SF epic Avatar, Variety reported. They join Australian actor Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Wes Studi and C.C.H. Pounder in the performance-capture movie, which is in production in Los Angeles.
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Thursday, August 02, 2007 |
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Roswell – “Pursuit” – Book Review
By: jesuiscanadien
Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin wrote “Pursuit”, the third book in the series after the “Alien Our Gang” flee Roswell after graduation. The story opens with a flashback to 1994, and how the duplicate “Royal Four” came to live underground in the sewers of New York City. The story moves on to the present, where the gang have made it all the way to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Liz, Maria, and Kyle are all in an internet café in a local mall, emailing their parents, to let them know they are safe. Just as they finish up and Isabel comes in to pay for the time, Maria and Liz see men in dark suits heading for them. Kyle runs out to warn Max and Michael, as Liz, Isabel, and Maria make for the rear exit.
Meanwhile, Lonnie, Ava, and Rath, the duplicates in New York, are fighting a battle of their own. Some of the enemy have taken over the bodies of innocent homeless people, and are battling the duplicates in an old abandoned warehouse. The gunshots and blasts from Rath have garnered the attention of the police, and soon the Department of Homeland Security get involved in the cleanup, as they suspect terrorist activity.
Liz, Isabel, and Maria are trapped in the service hallway, as the Special Unit taser Maria and Isabel. Michael, Kyle, and Max come to their rescue, after losing the Special Unit agents after them. Liz is being cuffed by the agents, as Max, Michael, and Kyle get into the hallway to see Maria and Isabel down on the ground, unconscious from the taser, and Liz moving down to the floor with the agents in front of her. Kyle is able to get Isabel back to a conscious level, as the taser disrupted her system, with a little guidance from Alex’s spirit. It seems that Kyle acts as a conduit for people to communicate mind to mind.
Back in New York, Ava and Lonnie are arrested by the police and the Department of Homeland Security take over the arrest, wanting to question the girls about the incident. Rath escapes the police notice, but makes an attempt to rescue the girls from their captors, using the riot gear one of the officers was wearing to disguise himself.
Back home in Roswell, Valenti gets the emails from the kids, and he prints them out to give to Amy DeLuca and the Parkers later on. In Cheyenne, Isabel uses her powers to knock out one of the agents, as Liz does the same for the agent in front of her. The guys use their powers to put up a shield and allow the girls to escape. Isabel buckles the floor beneath the agents, as the group run for the exit. Kyle has already grabbed the van, and they all pile in, but not before Max notices that one agent made it through the rubble and is on their cell phone.
Back in New York, Rath attempts to free the girls in police custody, but is caught in the act and cannot maintain his disguise. The trio have been transferred to Homeland Security’s jurisdiction, and the man in charge, Colonel Bertram, has plans for them.
Just outside of Cheyenne, the group finds out that they are being called terrorists, and somehow the Special Unit has put the clamp on all news about the incident, trying to control the information. Max feels badly about some of the people that were injured in a car accident, so he wants to go into the hospital they were taken to, and heal them. The group is unable to reach a consensus, so Max and Kyle decide they’ll go into town to get some food, while Maria recovers from her injury from the taser. Michael stays behind to be with Maria. Isabel and Liz talk about how much Isabel misses Jesse, and Liz tells her that she’ll cover for Isabel so she can go use a payphone to call him later on.
When Isabel finally manages to make the call to Jesse, he has her call an untraceable cell phone. She does, and he leaves his apartment to prevent anyone overhearing their conversation, if his place is bugged. They talk about how much they miss each other, and as the conversation turns to the kids they’ll have, Liz touches Isabel to warn her that Max and Michael are coming up the street, and gives Isabel a shock, as Liz drops into a vision. The call is terminated unexpectedly, which worries Jesse.
In New York, Bertram is looking over the files on the “Alien Nation” and recognizes that they have Isabel, Tess, and Michael in custody, but has no idea that they are duplicates of the trio. He calls Agent Margolin from the Special Unit, and Margolin orders the trio be transferred to their custody. Bertram agrees, not knowing why the Special Unit has such an interest in the trio.
Liz’s vision was of Isabel being cut up while conscious by some stranger, which causes her to collapse into unconsciousness. Back in Roswell, Valenti gives Jeff Parker the email from Liz, while on a date with Amy DeLuca. Max and Kyle run to Liz’s aid, and when Liz regains her senses, she tells them what she saw. This disturbs Isabel to no end, but she calls Jesse back to let him know she’s okay. After she hangs up on Jesse, Jesse’s cell phone rings again, and he thinks it’s Isabel again, but it isn’t. He realises that the Special Unit found out, and he destroys the cell and worries that he’s going to be dragged back into the alien conspiracy again.
Max realizes that they have to leave town, but he needs to make sure the people in the accident are all right, and Kyle agrees with him, as Kyle was at the wheel when the accident happened. They make a plan to go in later that night, when security is at its lowest, so Max can heal the injured.
In a flashback, Kal Langley discovers his Royal Four have disappeared, and he is very upset about it. He tracks them to the sewers and thinks they’ll be okay without him to help, and leaves them to their own devices. In the present, the trio are being transferred to the Special Unit, who takes them to a secret location in Los Angeles.
In Cheyenne, Liz and Maria act as a distraction for Max to get into the hospital. Max heals the first lady, but when he goes to heal the second girl, her sister comes in as he finishes and just about sets off the alarm. Isabel and Kyle are working on another distraction, as Max is informed by the sister that the accident has put enormous financial strain on her family. Max gets out in time, but is left with the guilt of the girls’ money issues.
Upon the transfer to L.A. Rath, Lonnie, and Ava try to make a break for it, but their efforts are for naught. The Special Unit catches up with them, and Rath sacrifices Ava to the Unit, so he and Lonnie can escape into the wilds of L.A. to look for Langley. Neither he nor Lonnie feel guilt for their actions, as they feel Ava caused them to be caught in the first place.
A FBI agent in Cheyenne feels something is fishy about how the Special Unit is covering up the incident at the mall, and he works out the problem in his dreams as Isabel dreamwalks him to nudge him in the right direction. He calls an old friend of his, Agent Suzanne Duff, who had worked on the Sorenson case in Roswell, to get her help.
Max ends up going back to the hospital to give the injured girl’s sister some money to help with the medical bills, before they leave town. As he is being a Good Samaritan, his parents, the Parkers and Brody Davis are being captured by the Special Unit. Valenti manages to rescue Amy DeLuca, as they run for safe ground. Back in Cheyenne, the group realize that the Special Unit have gained too much ground and they now need to fight back and bring the battle to the Special Unit’s territory.
This is the first part of a two-part story arc, to complete the tale of the “Alien Our Gang” and tie up loose ends left untied from the series finale of “Roswell”. I felt like they wasted a lot of time with explaining the secondary plot line of how Max needed to “save” the women in the car accident, as we all know how Max loves to get involved in other people’s business. This storyline could’ve been tightened up considerably, and heightened the tension if they had gotten rid of that secondary storyline completely. The main focus was getting the duplicates to L.A for the final showdown, and having the “Alien Our Gang” get fed up with the chase and bring the fight back to the Special Unit’s territory. The sudden decision to kidnap the parents of the gang was surprising, as very little explanation was given as to why the Special Unit went with that course of action. I know it was necessary, as it will prompt the kids to try and save their parents, but there should have been more of a build up in regards to this action.
The Bickersons were back, but not in a substantial way. We only had short snippets of the couple in their glory, but they were good snippets. Hopefully, there will be more later on in the story arc.
I haven’t the foggiest notion as to how Jesse will fare, now that the Special Unit knows that he has been in contact with his wife. Isabel loves Jesse so much, and I am sure she’d be mortified that she put him in a tight spot with her call to him. I vaguely remember some of Jesse’s participation in the goings-on of the second half of the story arc, but I can’t remember details.
This was a bit of a weak half of this storyline wrap-up, but hopefully things will turnaround in the next book. Seeing as how it is the last book in the series, and must wrap things up, I really hope it improves. I’m giving this an 8.0 out of 10.0, and we’ll see how things turn out next.
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Thursday, August 02, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- August 2, 2007
Nesbitt To Become Next Doctor?
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Cold Feet actor James Nesbitt is rumoured to be in line to become the 11th Doctor, following the predicted departure of David Tennant.
If Nesbitt did get the part, he would be the first Northern Irish actor to take the role, following on from Tennant who is the second Scottish actor to play the part.
Nesbitt is currently working with one of the programme's writers, Steven Moffat, on the BBC 1 drama Jekyll.
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Jane Asher To Star In 'Sarah Jane Adventures'
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that veteran British actress Jane Asher is to make a guest appearance on BBC One's The Sarah Jane Adventures.
The Doctor Who spin-off, featuring Elisabeth Sladen in the title role, will feature actress and celebrity chef Asher in a one-off role, according to The Sun.
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Sam J. Jones to Guest on Flash 'Gordon'
superherohype.com is reporting that SCI FI announced today the casting of Sam J. Jones as a guest star on the Channel's new series "Flash Gordon." Jones played the title character in Mike Hodges' 1980 film, Flash Gordon.
Introduced in a widely read comic strip by Alex Raymond and film serials starring the late Buster Crabbe, "Flash Gordon" gained a new legion of fans in the 1980s with a film starring Sam J. Jones. SCI FI Channel's "Flash Gordon," a new original series premiering August 10 @ 9PM and featuring Eric Johnson ("Smallville") in the title role, contemporizes the Flash legacy for a new generation of viewers.
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Dean Cain to Appear on 'Smallville'
superherohype.com is reporting that Dean Cain, who played the Man of Steel in ABC's "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," has booked a guest shot on the CW's "Smallville." He'll play Dr. Curtis Knox, a villainous killer.
Cain's appearance is scheduled to air as the fourth episode of the show's seventh season, which kicks off Sept. 27.
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Sigouney Weaver Talks 'Avatar'
moviehole.net is reporting that Sigourney Weaver’s about to try a blockbuster on again for size. She’s co-starring with Australia’s Sam Worthington in director James Cameron’s “Avatar”. She briefly discussed her involvement with the film with Hit today:
“It’s a fantastic movie. So ambitious. So romantic and sweeping”, says Weaver, who was shooting again this week. “I can’t wait to get back”.
Weaver has only positive things to say about her co-star, “Macbeth” star Worthington.
“He’s a terrific actor, he really is. And a lovely guy. I think he’s going to do a wonderful job. His humour and charm and just genuineness as a person are very evident as soon as you start working with him”.
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Frank Darabont Has Another King Flick in Him?
rottentomatoes.com is reporting that Frank Darabont is two-for-two when it comes to Stephen King adaptations (The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile). His third one, The Mist, looks pretty darn creepy so far -- so what's next? Any of you King fanatics remember the fantastic story The Long Walk?
More of a short novel than a short story, The Long Walk is about a futuristic competition in which 100 young men start walking down a highway in Maine -- and they stop when there's only one living survivor. The story resides in King's "The Bachman Books," and it's absolutely worth reading (two or three times).
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'Stargate Atlantis' Gets 10 p.m. Timeslot
gateworld.net is reporting that Stargate Atlantis will move to 10 p.m. Eastern/Pacific when it returns for its fourth season on Friday, September 28, according to SCI FI Channel's Schedulebot.
This marks a return to Atlantis's original timeslot, in which it aired during the first part of its first season in 2004. Atlantis was bumped up to 9 p.m. when the darker and more adult-themed Battlestar Galactica premiered in 2005.
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Wednesday, August 01, 2007 |
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The 4400: "Till We Have Built Jerusalem" (4.7) – Review
By: jiggyj
Honestly, I've gotten to the point where The 4400 is an obligation I have, where I've stuck around this long, I might as well see it to the end (and if this year is any indicator, this might be the last one). I used to genuinely enjoy the show, and it was the odd occurrence when the series produced a bad episode, rather than the norm today when it's odd for the show to have a good one. This week kept up the bad, making it even laughably so during many points.
I hate deus ex machinas, because they are like the ultimate tool that allows bad writers to allow themselves to write themselves out of any hole. Shows like the Stargates are infamous for a few late ones to resolve an episode, but The 4400 is using them every single minute of the show, not just as a final resolution. The deus ex machinas in question are all coming from the promicin abilities, which present themselves in very specific ways, and with some otherwise truly craptastic abilities. If I just risked my life to take a promicin shot, and the only ability I got was the ability to cloak myself as long as I'm not moving, being able to super smell, or, and this is the worst one of all, be a human water filter, I'd be seriously pissed. Jordan needs to purify water – he has someone with the ability. Jordan needs someone to turn off camera – he has someone with the ability. Jordan needs someone to shield his people from soundwaves – he has someone with the ability. Jordan needs a woman to make someone tweak their neck (????) – he has someone with the ability. And I about had tears in my eyes when one of the super soldiers walked near the camera, sniffed the air, and said which way Jordan was. I'm sorry, but how did he even know Jordan's smell? He should've had to have sniffed something first to get the scent. If you're going to give a US soldier the ability of a bloodhound, you might as well treat him like one to the fullest extent (heck, scratch behind his ear and give him a treat while you're at it why don't you).
Can you tell I'm pissed at just how terrible the show has become? If not, let's continue. In Promise City, Jordan's own claimed US land, he has giant mural posters of himself hanging around. Did he go to the local Office Max and have them made or something when he was one of the most wanted men in the world? The problem is apparently when he took the pictures, he said, "You know what, I bet there will be a camera in this exact position, where it will look like I'm looking directly at this person – it will be so cool!" It happened two or three times that I can regretfully remember, including once where he's looking at Tom, and another one where he is starring at the camera. I know the director was trying to go for cool camera shots, but when the posters are looking at specific places or people because of mere beats in a shooting script, you just roll your eyes and try not to laugh too hard.
I haven't even said what the episode is about yet: Maia goes to see Jordan to see if he is a good guy or bad guy while Jordan's cult builds their perfect community. That's it. The only cool moment of the episode came at the very end, as Jordan's group retaliated against the government, not by striking a terrorist blow, but by expanding the perimeter of their Paradise City; it was an ominous and cool spectacle, but one scene does not a good episode make.
Rating: 3.0
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MassiveGameDude
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