[scifinoir2] Re: Movie audiences HATE The Box
Well they apparently hated Wolf Creek but it's an effective horror movie. I can understand the hate because it is a bit of a downer. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Mr. Worf hellomahog...@... wrote: I agree. I think that some of the kids movies should be a lot shorter. The stories would have worked better. I also think that if they make shorter films they could do more movies instead of spending 20 million or more on a 70 minute film with mediocre results. (The Incredibles cost 98 million to make.) On Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 9:11 AM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@...wrote: no surprise. It's often tricky to take a short story and expand it into a full movie. The TV ep was a short half-hour ep, which works with a short story. i'm often extremely leery of people expanding really good short works into full movies. Often the originally author is passed on--or passed over--and the creative team expands, expounds, and extrapolates in ways that make the work feel padded. I should probably have better examples from the genre, but all I can think of right now are the two Dr. Seuss disasters I saw--The Cat in the Hat and The Grinch--which were overlong and boring. I listened to an interview with the director. Really nice guy, very eager and very much a fan of the original work, but he was really into the whole idea of expanding the story, which made me nervous. I give him props, though, for keeping the movie set in the past. - Original Message - From: Kelwyn ravena...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 11:44:02 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Movie audiences HATE The Box Word is movie-goers didn't just dislike The Box ($14 million total box office, $7.6 mil opening night), they (Antoine and Blaine) HATED it! http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/nov/20/cinemascore-the-box Film oracle CinemaScore spells doom for The Box CinemaScore is the audience-reaction research tool of choice for the film industry - because of its uncanny accuracy. Not good news for Richard Kelly, whose latest film The Box has just been awarded a rare-as-Ed-Wood's-teeth F-grade. Fs, however, are few and far between. People really thought [The Box] was a stinker, explained Ed Mintz, who runs CinemaScore. Mintz could recall just three films ever making that grade in the past: The Bug, William Friedkin's psycho-horror starring Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon, backpackers-in-peril horror Wolf Creek and haunted house shocker Darkness. Interestingly, The Box, a horror thriller adapted from a short story by Richard Matheson, was first adapted as the Button, Button episode of The Twilight Zone. ~rave! -- Bringing diversity to perversity for over 9 years! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
[scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4
he slow development of the fourth Jason Bourne flick took another hit today as director Paul Greengrass - a man as intricately linked to the films as star Matt Damon himself - walked out on the project in a row over the script. Details are still sketchy, but it would appear that Greengrass wasn't happy when Universal brought in up-and-coming writer Josh Zetumer to work on a 'parallel' screenplay for the film, rewriting the one already penned by Ocean's 12's George Nolfi. Greengrass has already been under pressure from Universal over the way he's handled the budget on the forthcoming Green Zone, which has suffered reshoots and a $150 million pricetag. http://mos.totalfilm.com/images/p/paul-greengrass-quits-bourne-4-00-420-75.j pg If Greengrass has left Bourne 4 for good (and it's early days yet - he could be lured back), Damon could well decide to remain loyal to him and refuse to shoot with anyone else. Pure speculation, of course, but Greengrass has made the franchise his own and it's hard to imagine anyone else swinging in to the rescue. Unless, that is, Bourne Identity director Doug Liman fancies a break from Jumper 2 and mourning his cancelled Knight Rider TV reboot... Without Greengrass, will Bourne be the same? Should Damon stick by his side? Sound off below... http://www.totalfilm.com/news/paul-greengrass-quits-bourne-4?cid=OTC-RSSatt r=newsutm_source=feedburnerutm_medium=feedutm_campaign=Feed%3A+totalfilm% 2Fimdbnews+%28Total+Film+IMDb+aggregate%29 image001.jpg
[scifinoir2] 'The Hobbit': production could begin by mid-2010 and casting is moving forward
by Missy Schwartz http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/author/missyschwartz/ Categories: Film http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/category/film/ , Movie Biz http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/category/movie-biz/ , News http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/category/news/ , Rumor Police! http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/category/rumor-police/ , The Hobbit http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/category/the-hobbit/ Relax, Middle Earth fans. There's no need to panic. Yesterday, TheOneRing.net http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2009/11/29/34418-hobbit-filming-delayed-to- mid-summer/ posted a story speculating that the release dates of both Hobbit movies could get pushed from their tentative December spots in 2011 and 2012. The theory arose from comments that Hobbit co-writer and exec-producer Peter Jackson recently made to the German website moviereporter.net (currently off line), in which he mentioned that he hoped production would begin by the middle of next year. Jackson was quoted as saying: We're currently working on the second script, which we hope to have completed by the end of this year or beginning of next. When the scripts are completed, we can begin with the exact calculation of the necessary budget. We hope to start filming in the middle of next year. However, we've received no greenlight from the studio yet. A source for The Hobbit project confirmed to EW that Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and director Guillermo del Toro have finished up the script for the first Hobbit film, are about to turn in the script for the second installment, and are looking at a number of scenarios for start dates, including sometime in mid-2010. But no one on the creative side is worrying about release dates, according to the source. As always, that's up to the studio. As for Jackson's comments about The Hobbit not having an official greenlight yet, fans shouldn't read into those, either. There's no strife between creative and the various studios (New Line, MGM, and Warner Bros.). It's simply a matter of protocol. Without a finished pair of screenplays and a budget, the filmmakers wouldn't expect to have a greenlight. Yep, even Peter Jackson sometimes has to play by studio rules. On the upside, we could have casting news soon. Talent agents all over town are abuzz with word that casting directors for The Hobbit have been hired in London and L.A. http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/11/30/the-hobbit-production-could-begin- by-mid-2010-and-casting-is-moving-forward/
RE: [scifinoir2] Pawn Stars an Entertaining Show
Keith, I'd love to give it a try, especially since I once wrote a story about a pawn shop that was far more than it seemed, but I break out into hives at the thought of reality TV. If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in bloody hell hired the director? -- Charles L Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com From: keithbjohn...@comcast.net Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 05:13:59 + Subject: [scifinoir2] Pawn Stars an Entertaining Show http://www.history.com/content/pawn-stars You know, it's odd that in a season of flashes forward into the future, gates into other parts of the universe, and visitors from another planet, I should find myself in some ways more interested in this quirky show. Ever watched it? It's actually hilarious. It follows a family-owned pawn shop that is way larger and more interesting than I'd ever have expected. I always thought of pawn shops as those borderline sleazy places where borderline sleazy guys rip you off for your mom's wedding ring or your kids' Xbox. But Pawn Stars shows a place that's way more diverse in what they buy and sell: WWII memorabalia, Native totems, Playboy magazines, old death clocks worth ten grand--you name it. What I like about the show is that it's both informative and funny at the same time. Today for example, an expert was called in to assess some WWI uniforms a guy was trying to sell. The history behind the uniform--such as the fact that the pants were called pinkies because they had a slight pinkish sheen to them--was fascinating. They similarly try to find experts to help them assess everything from movie posters to swords, guitars to race cars, crossbows to airplanes (no fooling!) But more than just the interesting and curious things bought and sold is the humour. Some of the clients are a trip, such as the hippy-looking dude who tries to pawn off what looks like a crappy homemade piece of crap as an Indina totem. Or the older lady who brings in a box of one hundred Playboys, and watching the young employee who has to go through the collection to price it. Can I wear gloves? she laments. There are some really, really quirky people buying and selling stuff here, from the obviously rich and sophisticated, to the down and out, and just plain crazy. And the family that runs this place is the funniest of all. There's the old codger who started it, a grizzled, cranky old fart who negotiates ruthlessly, curses all the time, and complains about--everything. Pops is funny, obviously running the show, always critiquing his son and grandson especially. But don't let The Old Man fool you: he turned a 10K investment into a multi million dollar business! then there's his son, Rick, who's also a sharp businessman. He has a way of being both hard and engaging at the same time. Both the Old Man and Rick often despair of third generation guy Big Hoss and his childhood friend Chumley (named after the walrus from Tennessee Tuxedo). they feel the boys are a combination of soft, lazy, and clueless at times when it comes to spotting fakes or stolen items, or driving hard bargains. Half the fun of the show is watching all the various character dynamics play out, as the whole gang laughs and fusses, complains and cussess, as the decidedly odd items and customers drift in and out of the store. Pawn Stars really is entertaining. It has the basics of a good comedy right there in its real life events, and holds my attention more than much of the scripted stuff on TV nowadays. So much so, in fact, I've been watching the current marathon on now for a couple of hours, even though i was also trying to watch the Saints whip the pants off the hated Patriots! _ Chat with Messenger straight from your Hotmail inbox. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowslive/hotmail_bl1/hotmail_bl1.aspx?ocid=PID23879::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-ww:WM_IMHM_4:092009
RE: [scifinoir2] Iron Man 2 poster
(now that I'm done screaming at the sight of that pic of Mickey Rourke...) Yummy stuff, except that they still went ahead and did a techno-Mandarin. If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in bloody hell hired the director? -- Charles L Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com From: justinmoha...@gmail.com Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:00:11 -0500 Subject: [scifinoir2] Iron Man 2 poster http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/movie-stills/gallery/1737/iron-man-2-stills#photo0 As the man said, Next time. Justin -- Read the Bitter Guide to the Bitter Guy. http://thebitterguy.livejournal.com _ Windows Live Hotmail is faster and more secure than ever. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowslive/hotmail_bl1/hotmail_bl1.aspx?ocid=PID23879::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-ww:WM_IMHM_1:092009
RE: [scifinoir2] America's urgent wing crisis
Keith, brace for the rioting sure to break out here in Atlanta... If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in bloody hell hired the director? -- Charles L Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com From: ravena...@yahoo.com Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:59:18 + Subject: [scifinoir2] America's urgent wing crisis www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped1127wings_newnov27,0,637059.story chicagotribune.com America's urgent wing crisis By Dennis O'Toole November 27, 2009 Look on my wings, ye hungry, and despair. -- Percy Bysshe Shelley The United States faces a severe chicken wing shortage, yet you'll be forgiven for not knowing this. The media are distracted by less important shortages, like flu vaccines and full-time jobs. The talking heads of cable TV prattle on about the usual nonsense: the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the on-going financial crisis, our broken health care system, and the increasing likelihood of mass extinctions from global warming. I'm sorry, am I boring you? Probably. What the media don't understand is: We have bigger pieces of meat to fry. Chicken breasts, namely, since the price of wings now rivals that of cocaine. Early this month the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported -- in a tone I'd call alarmist were I not so freaked out myself -- that poultry production is down 3.5 percent. The USDA drove this point (and the knife) home Nov. 18, in its normally hilarious, Weekly Estimated Slaughter of U.S. Broiler/Fryers and Fowl: The estimated number of broiler-fryers available for slaughter the week ending 21-Nov-09 is 148.4 million head compared to 158.9 million head slaughtered the same week last year. Let me put the chilling language of bureaucracy in terms you may better understand: There are 10.5 million fewer chickens to eat right now than a year ago, and, therefore, 21 million fewer wings. Demand, meanwhile, remains steadfast and unwavering. As a result, chicken breasts are cheaper than wings for the first time in the recorded history of things like this. Bars and restaurants all over our once-great nation have responded by booting wings from the menu. Such an act of cowardice is akin to spitting on a bald eagle or putting an American flag in the dishwasher. Worse, many of these treasonous trattorias have debased the wing by introducing the boneless wing. I can barely type that phrase without vomiting. A boneless wing is an abomination, like a godless church, an Abe Lincoln-less penny, or an episode of Family Matters without Urkel. You simply cannot have a chicken wing without the bone and -- far, far more important -- the skin. So what are these pretenders to the throne? Not wings at all, just pieces of breast meat! Wings are a delicacy thanks to the optimum skin-to-meat-to-bone ratio (exactly 1.618033). Breasts, on the other hand, are so tasteless that most cultures use them as packing material. What is President Barack Obama doing about this? Nothing. Not once has he addressed Congress on the matter. Not once has he made a surprise visit to Baghdad to discuss it with his generals. Not once has he asked the Federal Drug Administration to release its hot sauce stockpile. That's called socialism. I'm pretty sure, at least. As far as I can glean from current usage, socialism is whatever bothers me about Obama. Mr. Obama: Stop dithering. Restore the 10-cent wing night. Make the boneless wing a felony. And bring back Family Matters. God that Urkel was funny. Dennis O'Toole is a writer and improv performer living in Chicago. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune _ Windows 7: Unclutter your desktop. Learn more. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/videos-tours.aspx?h=7secslideid=1media=aero-shake-7secondlistid=1stop=1ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_7secdemo:122009
RE: [scifinoir2] Re: America's urgent wing crisis
Oh, yeah, rave. A couple in my area already are SRO all weekend long. The person who has to step out from behind the counter and say, Sorry, folks -- we're all out... needs to have their affairs in order beforehand. If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in bloody hell hired the director? -- Charles L Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com From: ravena...@yahoo.com Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 21:22:33 + Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: America's urgent wing crisis Imagine my surprise when I discovered Atlanta was the wing capital of the United States. Never in my life have I seen so many wing establishments! Things could get ugly down there! ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin Baxter truthseeker...@... wrote: Keith, brace for the rioting sure to break out here in Atlanta... If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in bloody hell hired the director? -- Charles L Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com From: ravena...@... Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:59:18 + Subject: [scifinoir2] America's urgent wing crisis www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped1127wings_newnov27,0,637059.story chicagotribune.com America's urgent wing crisis By Dennis O'Toole November 27, 2009 Look on my wings, ye hungry, and despair. -- Percy Bysshe Shelley The United States faces a severe chicken wing shortage, yet you'll be forgiven for not knowing this. The media are distracted by less important shortages, like flu vaccines and full-time jobs. The talking heads of cable TV prattle on about the usual nonsense: the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the on-going financial crisis, our broken health care system, and the increasing likelihood of mass extinctions from global warming. I'm sorry, am I boring you? Probably. What the media don't understand is: We have bigger pieces of meat to fry. Chicken breasts, namely, since the price of wings now rivals that of cocaine. Early this month the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported -- in a tone I'd call alarmist were I not so freaked out myself -- that poultry production is down 3.5 percent. The USDA drove this point (and the knife) home Nov. 18, in its normally hilarious, Weekly Estimated Slaughter of U.S. Broiler/Fryers and Fowl: The estimated number of broiler-fryers available for slaughter the week ending 21-Nov-09 is 148.4 million head compared to 158.9 million head slaughtered the same week last year. Let me put the chilling language of bureaucracy in terms you may better understand: There are 10.5 million fewer chickens to eat right now than a year ago, and, therefore, 21 million fewer wings. Demand, meanwhile, remains steadfast and unwavering. As a result, chicken breasts are cheaper than wings for the first time in the recorded history of things like this. Bars and restaurants all over our once-great nation have responded by booting wings from the menu. Such an act of cowardice is akin to spitting on a bald eagle or putting an American flag in the dishwasher. Worse, many of these treasonous trattorias have debased the wing by introducing the boneless wing. I can barely type that phrase without vomiting. A boneless wing is an abomination, like a godless church, an Abe Lincoln-less penny, or an episode of Family Matters without Urkel. You simply cannot have a chicken wing without the bone and -- far, far more important -- the skin. So what are these pretenders to the throne? Not wings at all, just pieces of breast meat! Wings are a delicacy thanks to the optimum skin-to-meat-to-bone ratio (exactly 1.618033). Breasts, on the other hand, are so tasteless that most cultures use them as packing material. What is President Barack Obama doing about this? Nothing. Not once has he addressed Congress on the matter. Not once has he made a surprise visit to Baghdad to discuss it with his generals. Not once has he asked the Federal Drug Administration to release its hot sauce stockpile. That's called socialism. I'm pretty sure, at least. As far as I can glean from current usage, socialism is whatever bothers me about Obama. Mr. Obama: Stop dithering. Restore the 10-cent wing night. Make the boneless wing a felony. And bring back Family Matters. God that Urkel was funny. Dennis O'Toole is a writer and improv performer living in Chicago. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
Re: [scifinoir2] America's urgent wing crisis
Did you see the riots that they had over free chicken earlier this year? On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 1:13 PM, Martin Baxter truthseeker...@hotmail.comwrote: Keith, brace for the rioting sure to break out here in Atlanta... If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in bloody hell hired the director? -- Charles L Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik -- To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com From: ravena...@yahoo.com Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:59:18 + Subject: [scifinoir2] America's urgent wing crisis www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped1127wings_newnov27,0,637059.story chicagotribune.com America's urgent wing crisis By Dennis O'Toole November 27, 2009 Look on my wings, ye hungry, and despair. -- Percy Bysshe Shelley The United States faces a severe chicken wing shortage, yet you'll be forgiven for not knowing this. The media are distracted by less important shortages, like flu vaccines and full-time jobs. The talking heads of cable TV prattle on about the usual nonsense: the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the on-going financial crisis, our broken health care system, and the increasing likelihood of mass extinctions from global warming. I'm sorry, am I boring you? Probably. What the media don't understand is: We have bigger pieces of meat to fry. Chicken breasts, namely, since the price of wings now rivals that of cocaine. Early this month the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported -- in a tone I'd call alarmist were I not so freaked out myself -- that poultry production is down 3.5 percent. The USDA drove this point (and the knife) home Nov. 18, in its normally hilarious, Weekly Estimated Slaughter of U.S. Broiler/Fryers and Fowl: The estimated number of broiler-fryers available for slaughter the week ending 21-Nov-09 is 148.4 million head compared to 158.9 million head slaughtered the same week last year. Let me put the chilling language of bureaucracy in terms you may better understand: There are 10.5 million fewer chickens to eat right now than a year ago, and, therefore, 21 million fewer wings. Demand, meanwhile, remains steadfast and unwavering. As a result, chicken breasts are cheaper than wings for the first time in the recorded history of things like this. Bars and restaurants all over our once-great nation have responded by booting wings from the menu. Such an act of cowardice is akin to spitting on a bald eagle or putting an American flag in the dishwasher. Worse, many of these treasonous trattorias have debased the wing by introducing the boneless wing. I can barely type that phrase without vomiting. A boneless wing is an abomination, like a godless church, an Abe Lincoln-less penny, or an episode of Family Matters without Urkel. You simply cannot have a chicken wing without the bone and -- far, far more important -- the skin. So what are these pretenders to the throne? Not wings at all, just pieces of breast meat! Wings are a delicacy thanks to the optimum skin-to-meat-to-bone ratio (exactly 1.618033). Breasts, on the other hand, are so tasteless that most cultures use them as packing material. What is President Barack Obama doing about this? Nothing. Not once has he addressed Congress on the matter. Not once has he made a surprise visit to Baghdad to discuss it with his generals. Not once has he asked the Federal Drug Administration to release its hot sauce stockpile. That's called socialism. I'm pretty sure, at least. As far as I can glean from current usage, socialism is whatever bothers me about Obama. Mr. Obama: Stop dithering. Restore the 10-cent wing night. Make the boneless wing a felony. And bring back Family Matters. God that Urkel was funny. Dennis O'Toole is a writer and improv performer living in Chicago. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune -- Windows 7: Unclutter your desktop. Learn more.http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/videos-tours.aspx?h=7secslideid=1media=aero-shake-7secondlistid=1stop=1ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_7secdemo:122009 -- Bringing diversity to perversity for over 9 years! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
[scifinoir2] Steven Seagal: Lawman
Starts tomorrow 10pm. Join me for the trainwreck... :)
[scifinoir2] TV: Science trek
PBS has a new documentary that looks at the crossroads of science fiction and science fact. The show also incorporates clips from Star Trek and Star Trek the Next Generation shows. Quite a few interesting topics are covered and discussed by experts in their fields.
[scifinoir2] Reboot This! 10 Sci-Fi TV Shows Ready for Upgrade
Reboot This! 10 Sci-Fi TV Shows Ready for Upgrade - By Scott Thill http://www.wired.com/underwire/author/morphizm/ [image: Email Author] eraserhe...@gmail.com - December 1, 2009 | - 4:53 pm | - Categories: sci-fi http://www.wired.com/underwire/category/sci-fi/, television http://www.wired.com/underwire/category/television/ - [image: sci-fi-reboot-combo] The operating systems of *Star Trek*, *The Prisoner*, *Astro Boy* and *V*have all been rebooted for Generation Xbox this year, with varying degrees of success. What science fiction series is next for a 21st-century upgrade? Try stuffing these 10 television shows in your replicators. With the right approaches, these series – some old, some new – could all be turned into TV that is both thought-provoking and entertaining. Have your own ideas for sci-fi reboots that really ought to happen? Let us know in the comments below. Buck Rogers This show is perhaps an obvious choice, given the acclaimed reboot of *Battlestar Galactica*, the prime-time compatriot of *Buck Rogers in the 25th Century*. The two original ’70s television shows represented underwhelming attempts at capitalizing on the success of *Star Wars* (although the *Buck Rogershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_rogers * lineage extends back to the ’40s and influenced auteurs like George Lucas). A cerebral, thorough reimagining of Buck Rogers — building on the intrepid character introduced in Amazing Stories and developed in the first sci-fi radio show http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_Rogers#Radio – could reap futuristic fruit. (We’re hoping Frank Miller can bring *Buck Rogers* to movie screenshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/13/watch-this-frank-millers-buck-rogerssuccessfully, but after seeing what he did to *The Spirit http://www.wired.com/underwire/2008/12/review-the-fles*, that’s perhaps misguided.) The Twilight Zone No show on television resembles Rod Serling’s episodic sci-fi series, which debuted in 1959 and wrapped five incredibly influential seasons in 1964. Even the various series that followed, which shared *The Twilight Zonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Zone_%281959_TV_series%29 *’s name, haven’t been able to build on the original’s ambition or success. (Jason Alexander as Deathhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Zone_%282002_TV_series%29 ?) Maybe there’s no point polluting that good name any more, but it’s past time for a series like The Twilight Zone that marries psy-fi with sci-fi without blinking. The Middleman This hilarious, unfairly canceled sci-fi brain-fry masquerading as a teen soap doesn’t actually need a reboot. Minus some unnecessarily cute banter and quirkiness, the short-lived 2008 series was one of the funniest shows on television, sci-fi or not. The ABC Family series starred *Art School Confidential*’s Matt Keeslar, who was a brilliant mash of *Twin Peaks*‘ Agent Cooper and *The X-Files*‘ Fox Mulder. And executive producer Javier Grillo-Marxuachhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Grillo-Marxuachinjected more inside sci-fi and comics info into a single episode of The Middleman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Middleman_%28TV_series%29 than most series do in a season. Syfy or someone needs to resuscitate this life-form, by any means necessary. Heroes It might seem like cheating to insert a sci-fi show that is currently in existence, but there are more than enough arguments to support the contention that *Heroes http://www.nbc.com/heroes/*, in its current form, is dead on arrival. Rather than exploring the boundless possibilities of an ability-infested superhumanity, NBC’s show has offered full-frontal assaults on reason and patience, often barely disguised as reactionary moralism. (Plus, it probably has more blondes per capita than any show, sci-fi or otherwise, on prime-time television.) Like *Lost*, *Heroes* can finish strong if its full potential is creatively unlocked. But the show might need to be killed so that it can live again. The Prisoner As I explained in my review of *The Prisoner*’s recent reboothttp://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/11/review-the-prisoner-2009, it’s not easy stumbling in the shadow of the late, great Patrick McGoohanhttp://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/11/the-prisoner-an-all-star-appreciation. But that doesn’t mean AMC’s *The Prisoner* 2.0 is where the game should end. McGoohan probed many dark corners of consumption, geopolitics and technology in his ’60s show, and those types of concerns have only intensified in the four decades since the last episode of The Prisoner was shot. Perhaps an animated series or some kind of sinister online experiment might do the trick — whatever keeps the original series fresh in new minds would work for us. Liquid Television Believe it or not, MTV used to show music videos and other original programming that disproved the theory that youth is terminally lame. Liquid Television http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_Television, the music channel’s late-night
Re: [scifinoir2] Pawn Stars an Entertaining Show
This is one of those shows where the term reality TV isn't exactly accurate. Reality TV casts a wide net, and most of the stuff it gathers in is crap, true. But often much of that stuff is so heavily scripted --despite claims-- that it's very artificial. And much is just junk. This is more interesting, more like documentary TV like back in the old days. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@hotmail.com To: SciFiNoir2 scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, December 1, 2009 4:05:56 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Pawn Stars an Entertaining Show Keith, I'd love to give it a try, especially since I once wrote a story about a pawn shop that was far more than it seemed, but I break out into hives at the thought of reality TV. If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in bloody hell hired the director? -- Charles L Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com From: keithbjohn...@comcast.net Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 05:13:59 + Subject: [scifinoir2] Pawn Stars an Entertaining Show http://www.history.com/content/pawn-stars You know, it's odd that in a season of flashes forward into the future, gates into other parts of the universe, and visitors from another planet, I should find myself in some ways more interested in this quirky show. Ever watched it? It's actually hilarious. It follows a family-owned pawn shop that is way larger and more interesting than I'd ever have expected. I always thought of pawn shops as those borderline sleazy places where borderline sleazy guys rip you off for your mom's wedding ring or your kids' Xbox. But Pawn Stars shows a place that's way more diverse in what they buy and sell: WWII memorabalia, Native totems, Playboy magazines, old death clocks worth ten grand--you name it. What I like about the show is that it's both informative and funny at the same time. Today for example, an expert was called in to assess some WWI uniforms a guy was trying to sell. The history behind the uniform--such as the fact that the pants were called pinkies because they had a slight pinkish sheen to them--was fascinating. They similarly try to find experts to help them assess everything from movie posters to swords, guitars to race cars, crossbows to airplanes (no fooling!) But more than just the interesting and curious things bought and sold is the humour. Some of the clients are a trip, such as the hippy-looking dude who tries to pawn off what looks like a crappy homemade piece of crap as an Indina totem. Or the older lady who brings in a box of one hundred Playboys, and watching the young employee who has to go through the collection to price it. Can I wear gloves? she laments. There are some really, really quirky people buying and selling stuff here, from the obviously rich and sophisticated, to the down and out, and just plain crazy. And the family that runs this place is the funniest of all. There's the old codger who started it, a grizzled, cranky old fart who negotiates ruthlessly, curses all the time, and complains about--everything. Pops is funny, obviously running the show, always critiquing his son and grandson especially. But don't let The Old Man fool you: he turned a 10K investment into a multi million dollar business! then there's his son, Rick, who's also a sharp businessman. He has a way of being both hard and engaging at the same time. Both the Old Man and Rick often despair of third generation guy Big Hoss and his childhood friend Chumley (named after the walrus from Tennessee Tuxedo). they feel the boys are a combination of soft, lazy, and clueless at times when it comes to spotting fakes or stolen items, or driving hard bargains. Half the fun of the show is watching all the various character dynamics play out, as the whole gang laughs and fusses, complains and cussess, as the decidedly odd items and customers drift in and out of the store. Pawn Stars really is entertaining. It has the basics of a good comedy right there in its real life events, and holds my attention more than much of the scripted stuff on TV nowadays. So much so, in fact, I've been watching the current marathon on now for a couple of hours, even though i was also trying to watch the Saints whip the pants off the hated Patriots! Chat with Messenger straight from your Hotmail inbox. Check it out
Re: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4
Frankly, I liked Liman's direction better. You know my feeling about over active camera work. The second Bourne film almost made me sick with the camera, it jumped so much, and I could barely follow the action. The third flick was better, with awesome fights, but again, the camera was still too fast. A couple of people in the group with me got motion sick. Liman filmed some great fights--the fight in the Paris apartment was awesome--and I could follow them well. Liman and Greengrass are almost like the Ridley Scott/James Cameron of the Bourne movies. Each has his skills in direction, and brings his own pacing. - Original Message -From: "Martin Baxter" truthseeker...@hotmail.comTo: "SciFiNoir2" scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, cinque3...@verizon.net, ggs...@yahoo.com, cdemorse...@yahoo.comSent: Tuesday, December 1, 2009 3:53:23 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada EasternSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4 Let's all channel these thoughts..."Mister Liman... 'Jumper 2' is CRAP... move back to 'Bourne'...""If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in bloody hell hired the director?" -- Charles L Granthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com; cinque3...@verizon.net; ggs...@yahoo.com; cdemorse...@yahoo.comFrom: tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.comDate: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 10:48:29 -0800Subject: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4 he slow development of the fourth Jason Bourne flick took another hit today as director Paul Greengrass - a man as intricately linked to the films as star Matt Damon himself - walked out on the project in a row over the script.Details are still sketchy, but it would appear that Greengrass wasn't happy when Universal brought in up-and-coming writer Josh Zetumer to work on a 'parallel' screenplay for the film, rewriting the one already penned by Ocean's 12's George Nolfi.Greengrass has already been under pressure from Universal over the way he's handled the budget on the forthcoming Green Zone, which has suffered reshoots and a $150 million pricetag.If Greengrass has left Bourne 4 for good (and it's early days yet - he could be lured back), Damon could well decide to remain loyal to him and refuse to shoot with anyone else.Pure speculation, of course, but Greengrass has made the franchise his own and it's hard to imagine anyone else swinging in to the rescue.Unless, that is, Bourne Identity director Doug Liman fancies a break from Jumper 2 and mourning his cancelled Knight Rider TV reboot...Without Greengrass, will Bourne be the same? Should Damon stick by his side? Sound off below... http://www.totalfilm.com/news/paul-greengrass-quits-bourne-4?cid=OTC-RSSattr=newsutm_source=feedburnerutm_medium=feedutm_campaign=Feed%3A+totalfilm%2Fimdbnews+%28Total+Film+IMDb+aggregate%29 Get gifts for them and cashback for you. Try Bing now.
Re: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4
Thank you! I notice that as much as I love all the Bourne movies, the first remains my favorite.One reason is the mystery in that one: you didn't know who or what Bourne was. I also like the introduction of his girlfriend, and the story took us to more places. It had more of a good sense of suspense than the others, and again, the pacing was a bit more to my taste. Again, the others have their place, but I'd love to see Liman returned. And where have I been such that I just now realized there was another Bourne movie before this, starring Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith?? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094791/ - Original Message -From: "Tracey de Morsella" tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.comTo: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSent: Wednesday, December 2, 2009 12:25:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada EasternSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4 Good Comparison! From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Keith JohnsonSent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 9:12 PMTo: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: Re: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4 Frankly, I liked Liman's direction better. You know my feeling about over active camera work. The second Bourne film almost made me sick with the camera, it jumped so much, and I could barely follow the action. The third flick was better, with awesome fights, but again, the camera was still too fast. A couple of people in the group with me got motion sick. Liman filmed some great fights--the fight in the Paris apartment was awesome--and I could follow them well. Liman and Greengrass are almost like the Ridley Scott/James Cameron of the Bourne movies. Each has his skills in direction, and brings his own pacing. - Original Message -From: "Martin Baxter" truthseeker...@hotmail.comTo: "SciFiNoir2" scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, cinque3...@verizon.net, ggs...@yahoo.com, cdemorse...@yahoo.comSent: Tuesday, December 1, 2009 3:53:23 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada EasternSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4 Let's all channel these thoughts..."Mister Liman... 'Jumper 2' is CRAP... move back to 'Bourne'...""If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in bloody hell hired the director?" -- Charles L Granthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com; cinque3...@verizon.net; ggs...@yahoo.com; cdemorse...@yahoo.comFrom: tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.comDate: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 10:48:29 -0800Subject: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4 he slow development of the fourth Jason Bourne flick took another hit today as director Paul Greengrass - a man as intricately linked to the films as star Matt Damon himself - walked out on the project in a row over the script.Details are still sketchy, but it would appear that Greengrass wasn't happy when Universal brought in up-and-coming writer Josh Zetumer to work on a 'parallel' screenplay for the film, rewriting the one already penned by Ocean's 12's George Nolfi.Greengrass has already been under pressure from Universal over the way he's handled the budget on the forthcoming Green Zone, which has suffered reshoots and a $150 million pricetag.If Greengrass has left Bourne 4 for good (and it's early days yet - he could be lured back), Damon could well decide to remain loyal to him and refuse to shoot with anyone else.Pure speculation, of course, but Greengrass has made the franchise his own and it's hard to imagine anyone else swinging in to the rescue.Unless, that is, Bourne Identity director Doug Liman fancies a break from Jumper 2 and mourning his cancelled Knight Rider TV reboot...Without Greengrass, will Bourne be the same? Should Damon stick by his side? Sound off below... http://www.totalfilm.com/news/paul-greengrass-quits-bourne-4?cid=OTC-RSSattr=newsutm_source=feedburnerutm_medium=feedutm_campaign=Feed%3A+totalfilm%2Fimdbnews+%28Total+Film+IMDb+aggregate%29 Get gifts for them and cashback for you. Try Bing now.
Re: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4
You know what? I didn't hate "Jumper". It was weak, for sure, but there was a lot to like about it. My wife and I saw it with a crowd on a Saturday night, and had no regrets. Sure, Sam Jackson overacted, they didn't really explain why his group felt Jumpers were an abomination in God's eyes. Hayden Christenson is not exactly a scintillating actor, which was a big problem. The script wasa bit spare, the movie too short, and some key things left unfulfilled. (ringing endorsement, eh?!) But all that being said, it was still an enjoyable time waster. The jumping was good, and the possibilities only hinted at here are limitless. In some ways it reminds me of the first X-Men movie, which, while defintely way better in comparison, was also a bit rushed, light on plotting, and curtailed in storytelling. I'm thinking that, like X2, maybe Jumper 2 can round off those rough edges and show the promise I saw and enjoyed in the first. I have no evidence of this at all, but the first flick seemed to be one of those put together after studio/director wrangling, budget issues, rewrites, and a rushed shooting schedule. - Original Message -From: "Martin Baxter" truthseeker...@hotmail.comTo: "SciFiNoir2" scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, cinque3...@verizon.net, ggs...@yahoo.com, cdemorse...@yahoo.comSent: Tuesday, December 1, 2009 3:53:23 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada EasternSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4 Let's all channel these thoughts..."Mister Liman... 'Jumper 2' is CRAP... move back to 'Bourne'...""If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in bloody hell hired the director?" -- Charles L Granthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com; cinque3...@verizon.net; ggs...@yahoo.com; cdemorse...@yahoo.comFrom: tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.comDate: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 10:48:29 -0800Subject: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4 he slow development of the fourth Jason Bourne flick took another hit today as director Paul Greengrass - a man as intricately linked to the films as star Matt Damon himself - walked out on the project in a row over the script.Details are still sketchy, but it would appear that Greengrass wasn't happy when Universal brought in up-and-coming writer Josh Zetumer to work on a 'parallel' screenplay for the film, rewriting the one already penned by Ocean's 12's George Nolfi.Greengrass has already been under pressure from Universal over the way he's handled the budget on the forthcoming Green Zone, which has suffered reshoots and a $150 million pricetag.If Greengrass has left Bourne 4 for good (and it's early days yet - he could be lured back), Damon could well decide to remain loyal to him and refuse to shoot with anyone else.Pure speculation, of course, but Greengrass has made the franchise his own and it's hard to imagine anyone else swinging in to the rescue.Unless, that is, Bourne Identity director Doug Liman fancies a break from Jumper 2 and mourning his cancelled Knight Rider TV reboot...Without Greengrass, will Bourne be the same? Should Damon stick by his side? Sound off below... http://www.totalfilm.com/news/paul-greengrass-quits-bourne-4?cid=OTC-RSSattr=newsutm_source=feedburnerutm_medium=feedutm_campaign=Feed%3A+totalfilm%2Fimdbnews+%28Total+Film+IMDb+aggregate%29 Get gifts for them and cashback for you. Try Bing now.
Re: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4
I agree. Though I'd prefer Liman at the top of his game, I really like Greengrass, and the studio's move seems a bit puzzling. - Original Message -From: "Tracey de Morsella" tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.comTo: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSent: Wednesday, December 2, 2009 12:26:58 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada EasternSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4 You got to wonder why they were writing a background script. Kinda creeping. I do not blame him for jumping ship. Iwonder if Damon is at risk, They work together a lot From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Keith JohnsonSent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 9:12 PMTo: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: Re: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4 Frankly, I liked Liman's direction better. You know my feeling about over active camera work. The second Bourne film almost made me sick with the camera, it jumped so much, and I could barely follow the action. The third flick was better, with awesome fights, but again, the camera was still too fast. A couple of people in the group with me got motion sick. Liman filmed some great fights--the fight in the Paris apartment was awesome--and I could follow them well. Liman and Greengrass are almost like the Ridley Scott/James Cameron of the Bourne movies. Each has his skills in direction, and brings his own pacing. - Original Message -From: "Martin Baxter" truthseeker...@hotmail.comTo: "SciFiNoir2" scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, cinque3...@verizon.net, ggs...@yahoo.com, cdemorse...@yahoo.comSent: Tuesday, December 1, 2009 3:53:23 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada EasternSubject: RE: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4 Let's all channel these thoughts..."Mister Liman... 'Jumper 2' is CRAP... move back to 'Bourne'...""If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in bloody hell hired the director?" -- Charles L Granthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com; cinque3...@verizon.net; ggs...@yahoo.com; cdemorse...@yahoo.comFrom: tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.comDate: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 10:48:29 -0800Subject: [scifinoir2] Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4: Paul Greengrass quits Bourne 4 he slow development of the fourth Jason Bourne flick took another hit today as director Paul Greengrass - a man as intricately linked to the films as star Matt Damon himself - walked out on the project in a row over the script.Details are still sketchy, but it would appear that Greengrass wasn't happy when Universal brought in up-and-coming writer Josh Zetumer to work on a 'parallel' screenplay for the film, rewriting the one already penned by Ocean's 12's George Nolfi.Greengrass has already been under pressure from Universal over the way he's handled the budget on the forthcoming Green Zone, which has suffered reshoots and a $150 million pricetag.If Greengrass has left Bourne 4 for good (and it's early days yet - he could be lured back), Damon could well decide to remain loyal to him and refuse to shoot with anyone else.Pure speculation, of course, but Greengrass has made the franchise his own and it's hard to imagine anyone else swinging in to the rescue.Unless, that is, Bourne Identity director Doug Liman fancies a break from Jumper 2 and mourning his cancelled Knight Rider TV reboot...Without Greengrass, will Bourne be the same? Should Damon stick by his side? Sound off below... http://www.totalfilm.com/news/paul-greengrass-quits-bourne-4?cid=OTC-RSSattr=newsutm_source=feedburnerutm_medium=feedutm_campaign=Feed%3A+totalfilm%2Fimdbnews+%28Total+Film+IMDb+aggregate%29 Get gifts for them and cashback for you. Try Bing now.
