Oh, 'eck...I *am* a Doctor Who fanboy...don't know whether to hang my head in shame or puff up with pride...
The Yokozuna Of Soul <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanboy Because I can't answer the question without colorful commentary. ;) Daryle On Feb 8, 2007, at 5:46 PM, Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) wrote: > I have heard the term "fanboys" but I don't know what it means. Can > somebody clarify? > > Thanks > > tracey > > Martin wrote: > > > > Whenever I do, it seems as though they're trying to be the online > > version of Starlog. Apologies for any shocks to the system I may > have > > caused. THey seem to bemore fanboys than fans, and I abhor > fanboys. To > > them, it's not SF, it's reality they just can't experience first- > hand. > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:KeithBJohnson%40comcast.net> > wrote: > > Why do you say that? I've never read their site much. > > > > -------------- Original message -------------- > > From: Martin > > Remember at all times, keith- this is someone from SyFy talking. > Their > > acquaintance with the genre is passing at best, IMO. > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:KeithBJohnson%40comcast.net> > wrote: > > Some comments on her comments: > > > > One, I'd take Whedon's work anyday over many others, but I was > > concerned he was going to do another "Buffy" treatment on Wonder > > Woman. I think I'd read that he planned to make Diana younger > than is > > typically portrayed in comics--probably more like 19 or 20, as > opposed > > to Diana's apparent age of mid- to late-twenties. Whedon loves very > > young women, but I really wasn't looking forward to another young > > waiflike girl dealing with pain and heartache. Thats one reason I > > didnt' like Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane: she looked and acted too > young > > for my tastes. I'd rather deal with the more mature warrior than the > > little girl lost in Patriarch's World. Someone like Charisma > Carpenter! :) > > > > Having Wonder Woman in WWII is not necessarily a bad thing, if done > > well. If we could get the guys behind "Hellboy" or "V: For Vendetta" > > to do it, WWII could be a fantastic backdrop for a superhero battle. > > Often some of the coolest scifi is set in the time period of rougly > > from the 1890s to the 1940s. Something about the old tech--vacuum > > tubes, Iron Giant looking robots, etc.--is often really cool in > scifi > > themes. The only issue they seem to have overlooked is that Wonder > > Woman in WWII has been retconned by DC to be Queen Hippolyta, > Diana's > > mother. Diana was thus the second woman to wear the mantle of Wonder > > Woman, and did it in modern times. > > > > I disagree with her that "Sin City" was a snoozefest (it was great), > > that "Hellboy" was only passable (it was awesome), and so was > > "Fantastic Four" (it sucked). > > > > -------------- Original message -------------- > > From: "Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor)" > > Action Or Angst? What Do We Want In Our Superheroes? > > COMMENTARY: Can 'Wonder Woman' succeed purely as action hero? > > > > By ROBIN BROWNFIELD > > Source: SyFy Portal > > Feb-04-2007 > > > > When Joss Whedon announced almost two years after signing on to > write > > and direct a "Wonder Woman" movie that he was no longer attached > to the > > project, the air of shock around the Internet was almost palpable. > > > > Around the same time, David S. Goyer, who wrote the story and co- > wrote > > the screenplay for "Batman Begins," was told his vision for the > movie > > "The Flash" was not what Warner Bros. producers wanted, and the > movie > > has been shelved for now. > > > > The story behind the "Wonder Woman" movie, it seems, is that Warner > > Bros. has purchased a speculative script from newcomers Matthew > Jennison > > and Brent Strickland, and is ready to bring them on board to replace > > Whedon. > > > > All this leads to the question, "What do people want out of a > superhero > > movie? An escapist action romp or fully fleshed-out characters > facing > > the most painful decisions of their lives?" > > > > While it is uncertain what Whedon has done with "Wonder Woman," > it seems > > Joel Silver and company want an action-oriented story set against > the > > backdrop of World War II -- the time period when Wonder Woman comics > > debuted. Whedon's vision places Princess Diana in the present > day. Based > > on his previous works ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," > "Firefly," > > "Serenity"), one can safely assume that his Wonder Woman would be a > > fully fleshed out character, complete with goddess-like strength, > and > > human foibles. She would most likely be surrounded by fully > developed > > supporting characters, and the story that unwinds would largely > grow out > > from and be advanced by the characters themselves. > > > > We could also count on sharp, engaging dialogue where every word is > > measured and infused with meaning. > > > > A synopsis of the Jennison/Strickland script has been posted on the > > Internet. It is filled with highly charged action, it appears to > move > > quickly, and is balanced with sharp contrasts between scenes. It > looks > > like it could be exciting, but because there is no dialogue, and the > > focus is strictly on the action in the movie, it makes me fear that > > there will be little in the way of actual character development. > There > > also is no indicator as to whether the two can write dialogue > well. It's > > possible that they can, but in the end, what I read is the basis > for a > > largely formulaic movie with lots of loud sounds, flashy visuals and > > action. I donââ¬â¢t see the groundwork laid for creating > characters people > > in the audience can identify with. > > > > People need to be able to identify with the characters in a > movie. They > > have to be able to feel with the characters and understand why it is > > they do what they do. The X-Men and Spider-Man movies have been > the best > > of any in the genre. X-Men movies have been analogous to the > struggles > > with racism and homophobia. In both X-Men and Spider-Man, people can > > identify with the characters' perpetually feeling like outsiders. > Each > > has unique qualities that allow them to do amazing things, and yet, > > people in general and/or in their immediate surroundings, rarely, if > > ever, recognize and appreciate this. > > > > Most real people can identify with this scenario. How many of us > have > > proven time and time again that we are unique, intelligent and > superbly > > talented people whose accomplishments go largely unnoticed by > many or > > most of the people around us? It is the same kind of scenario > that makes > > "Buffy" so popular. We now see the same happening with characters > in the > > TV show "Heroes." > > > > It was Peter Parker's angst that drew me to Spider-Man comics as > a kid. > > I often skipped over the action parts of the stories just to > catch what > > was happening in Peter's world. I still remember Duo Damsel > heartbroken > > because she was in love with Superboy, but knew he was destined > to end > > up with someone else. Things like that got to me as a child, and > they > > still get to me as an adult. > > > > Wonder Woman often struggled with being a powerful woman who was > rarely > > appreciated for it in a man's world. Angst is what makes these > heroes > > accessible to an audience. Going through the human experience > even if > > one is not quite human, or is super-human, endears these > characters to us. > > > > While it's possible to have a hero who doesn't feel like an > outsider or > > a freak, how that translates into their personality can be > problematic. > > If they are always self-sacrificing, righteous and true, they can > end up > > being downright boring. Then again, someone who doesn't suffer > rarely > > understands the plight of others who are suffering, and usually > isn't > > heroic. Someone like that is likely to come off as arrogant and/or > > self-obsessed, and uses their power for personal gain. I'm not > sure I > > want to know people who are drawn to this kind of "hero." I might > end up > > being the next person they get all self-righteous and true on. > > > > People simply can't identify with an action figure. An action > figure may > > present an amusing visual and aural experience, but so does a > musical > > mobile hanging over a crib. Both are forgettable once they're out of > > sight. A fully realized human being makes for much longer-lasting > > "relationship" between the character and the audience than Action > > Jackson ever can. How many people talk as passionately -- and for > years > > on end -- about Lara Croft as they do about Buffy or River Tam? > > > > Then there is the issue of the setting for the movies. Wonder > Woman has > > gone through many eras. She hasn't always been stuck in WWII, as > > Superman hasn't always been stuck in the 1930s. In the early 1970s, > > Wonder Woman had been revamped to fit the times. Steve Trevor was > > killed, she lost her powers, traded in her bathing suit for a > > mini-dress, and learned martial arts from some old guy named I- > ching. > > While that probably wasnââ¬â¢t the best version of Wonder > Woman, it kept > > her > > in the present. > > > > Since then, WW has been reinvented several more times, keeping > her in > > the present. All the Superman and Batman movies are in the > present (or > > future). Why must Wonder Woman be stuck back in WWII? > > > > My favorite DC-based movie last year was "V for Vendetta," which > while > > it wasn't a superhero movie, was the kind of movie I prefer to > shell out > > money to see. I donââ¬â¢t make a whole lot, and I have a lot of > kids to > > feed, so I can't often waste money on something that is a purely > > escapist formula movie. Most of the superhero/graphic novel movies - > > regardless of their origins - are lackluster at best. "Daredevil," > > "Electra," "Catwoman," "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," > and "Sin > > City" were all substitutes for Sominex. > > > > Unfortunately, superhero movie producers have grandiose > expectations, > > but usually resort to mediocre stories and big special effects or > > ââ¬Åartfulââ¬Â facades to pass their production off as > marketable. > > ââ¬ÅSuperman > > Returns,ââ¬Â while somewhat better than previously mentioned > movies, still > > suffered the fate of presenting a formulaic plot with some bad > casting > > choices (that was NOT Lois Lane), and uneven acting. Hell, > Brandon Routh > > barely got to do anything beyond his Christopher Reeve-as-Clark Kent > > impression. While Bryan Singer, Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris > tried > > to infuse some humanity and allusions to Supes being Christ-like > into > > the story, the actual plot was simply a rehash of old plots with Lex > > Luthor abusing different pieces of real estate. > > > > There are passably good comic book hero movies out there > ("Hellboy," and > > even "Fantastic Four" to some extent) that take the action > formula and > > make it interesting and entertaining. For far too many, though, the > > formula starts to become rancid after too long. I had been looking > > forward to something fresh and different in Joss Whedon's "Wonder > > Woman." I had hoped it would be the one movie about a female > superhero > > that wasn't abysmal. I can still hope for this. Jennison and > Strickland > > may turn out to be great writers. Still, Iââ¬â¢m not going to > put much > > faith > > in the judgment of movie studio moguls. They have been wrong many > times > > before. > > > > Robin Brownfield is a staff writer for SyFy Portal, writing out > of New > > Jersey. She can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > <mailto:rbrownfield%40syfyportal.com>. > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > "There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels > will > > get organized along the lines of the Mafia." -Kurt Vonnegut, "A Man > > Without A Country" > > > > --------------------------------- > > Have a burning question? Go to Yahoo! Answers and get answers from > > real people who know. > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > "There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels > will > > get organized along the lines of the Mafia." -Kurt Vonnegut, "A Man > > Without A Country" > > > > --------------------------------- > > TV dinner still cooling? > > Check out "Tonight's Picks" on Yahoo! TV. > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] "There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia." -Kurt Vonnegut, "A Man Without A Country" --------------------------------- Need a quick answer? Get one in minutes from people who know. Ask your question on Yahoo! Answers. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
