So my beloved TV Tuesdays have come to an end for another year - well, for a few months until things start up again anyway.  I figured I'd get some of my thoughts down about what has gone by and what is to come, and besides I'm putting off doing some real work so this seems as good an excuse as any!  I've been spotting ex-BSG cast quite regularly this year too, popping up in various guises, so just for fun I'm keeping a tally - let me know if I've missed any. 

When you're done here, check out my good friend Captain Kibble's take on all things TV - funnier and with pictures! Kibblemania

24
This one hasn't quite finished in the UK yet.  It's Jack Bauer's final TV outing, and as I've never been able to watch 24 week-to-week as it's just too damn tense, I saved it all up and watched it over 4 days after the finale became available online.  Have to say it's one of my favourite seasons up there with 1 & 3; yes it's still really silly and unbelievable and they did decide to push Jack completely over the edge this time, but they did a great job with the direction.  There is a terrific shot in one of the finale 2 eps (forget which one) where they don't even bother showing you Jack fighting, they just pan across a room showing the trail of destruction and dead bodies, which just tells you everything you need to know.  And I have to say they have set it up well for a movie I think.

BSG rollcall: 2


Caprica
I was quite surprised by Caprica.  Seemed to be as far away from BSG as you could get but it turned out to be very well written and actually some of the best "real" science fiction seen on TV for a long time.  Both technically and philosophically it hit the marks and I can't wait until it comes back.


Castle
Just got better and better - Fillion and Katic make very charismatic leads, the writing is solid and it gives you exactly what you'd expect.  Yes it's very much light drama but sometimes that's all you want and it's very easy to get this mixture wrong, but it's been consistently great.  Picked up for a third season, so roll on Autumn!

BSG rollcall: 1


Chuck
Chuck was really very clunky for a good half of the season I thought - they bought in Brandon Routh (seemingly just to be able to make the "Who do you think you are? Superman?" joke) and kept him around WAY past his sell-by date.  Terrible actor.  I know Chuck is not going for serious thespian performances but even so...  Second part of the season was lifted by Yvonne Strahovsky constantly wandering around in her underwear and Sarah Lancaster getting even more gorgeous, and Julia Ling re-appearing!  Works for me!  It ended strongly, with a surprise introduction for next season.  Not sure if the new character has been cast yet, but going on Chuck's previous form of playing to the geeks I'm hoping for Mary McDonnell.

BSG rollcall: 1?


Dexter
I touched on this in a previous post so I'll be brief; brilliant show, best season yet, and the final 4 episodes were the best 4hrs or so of TV I've seen this year full stop.  Genius.


Flashforward
They cancelled it.  Damn, just as it was getting good!!!  Admittedly it probably killed itself with the first half-dozen episodes where everything was happening without any explanations and it was lumping character upon character, but after the hiatus it cam back strongly with a terrific double episode which just threw the doors wide open, and carried on from there.  I guess that the audiences didn't come back with the show.  I am so pissed off that this has been cancelled while "V" gets another season.

BSG rollcall: 1

Heroes
They cancelled it.  Thank God.
I'd sit there watching every week, wondering WHY I was watching.  The show was great until the finale of the first season which was one of the biggest let-downs in TV history.  I think I (and seemingly millions of others) kept watching in the hope that maybe, just maybe it could get back to where it was.
But no.  I think it ended in a good way, where they could close the door and let you imagine where it would go but without a massive cliffhanger.  It doesn't need any TV movies, please just let it end there.


House
Confusing season, confusing ending.  But oddly I think this may be the one season that I'll want to re-watch.


How I Met Your Mother
Running out of ideas.  Barney is really the only reason for watching this now and even he isn't the same as he was.  Maybe has one good season left in it I think.


Stargate Universe
For the love of God someone push Chloe out of an airlock.  Even stranding her on a planet only lasted 2 episodes before she came strolling back through the gate in an occurrence that is still not being explained...
Other than that it's been pretty good, and I feel that the writers have some good ideas in the wings.  I will keep watching.


The Big Bang Theory
Slightly hit and miss this year, but for the funniest show on TV that still leaves it way ahead of the pack.  Totally worth it just for the physics montage and Sheldon in the ball-pit.

BSG rollcall: 2

The Pacific
Not a patch on Band of Brothers.  Rambling, too talky, overly gory when there was actually some action, and it explained very little about the actual campaigns.


V
I'm getting the "Heroes" vibe with this one.  NOTHING happens, nothing is explained; unlike the 80s series where you knew why the aliens were here and exactly why they were a menace, all they've done so far is heal a lot of people.  I'm sure the writers were trying to convey them as being cold and emotionless but it's really not coming across.  Elizabeth Mitchell lights up the screen whenever she's on it but all the others might as well be played by shop window dummies.  It had better all kick off in a big way when it comes back or I'm off...

I've saved up some shows to fend off the summer drought, so I have still to watch "Treme" from David Simon who wrote "The Wire" and "Generation Kill"; "Breaking Bad" is now in season 3, and going on the first 2 seasons there is little to worry about, fantastic show.

And coming up?  Well, "Burn Notice" is back and has been given 3 more seasons, making 6 in total which is fantastic news.  "True Blood" is back this month, as is "Entourage", hoping for more good things from those.  Biggest thing on the horizon is of course "The Walking Dead" from AMC, who also make Breaking Bad.  More on that as it gets closer.

Tags: awesome, geek, opinion, rant, reviews, sci-fi, spoilers, tv, vampires, zombies
Categories: Geek | Opinion | rant | Reviews | spoilers | TV | zombies

I considered writing a short piece looking back at 2009, but eventually decided against it as it was a pretty lousy year for me all in all.  On the work front, a major crisis in February didn't help, I lost some long-term friends through that, but did make some new ones so I guess that balances out.  It was an odd year that I'd rather put behind me.

There were some great movies last year though - most notably "Zombieland", "Let the right one in" (definitely my film of the year), "The Hurt Locker", "Watchmen" (the 4-hour full version anyway), "Benjamin Button", "Up", "Star Trek", "District 9", "Terminator Salvation" (not a good Terminator film, but a good generic action movie), "Moon", "Sherlock Holmes", and of course "Twilight" (heh, just kidding folks!!!).  There were some others I saw which I thought were ok, a couple of outright disappointments, and some which I missed which I will definitely be getting on disc (Coen Bros "A Serious Man" being top of that list).

All in all a pretty good year for movies, even most of the big "blockbusters" were actually worth the time and money of going to the cinema.  3D is seemingly back in a big way, only time will tell if it's going to stay a gimmick used to cover up lazy plotting and lack of characterisation, or if it will actually be used inventively to enhance a great film instead of just shoving things in your face because it can.

So, 2010.  "Dark Horizons" movie site has been running a multi-part guide to the upcoming movie goodness for the next year, so I thought I'd post a few things that have caught my eye:

Number one on my can't-wait-for list is "Kick Ass" - just wait until the Daily Mail get a load of Hit Girl, a foul-mouthed 12 year old chopping bad-guys legs off.  Here's the second trailer, but I seriously recommend checking out the Red Band trailer:

"Kick Ass" - UK April 2010(?)


The re-imagining of the A-Team just looks like fun...
"The A-Team" - UK July 2010


One of my earliest cinema memories is Clash of the Titans, and I'm a bit protective of it.  However, the director Louis Leterrier didn't make a bad job of "The Incredible Hulk" (which I liked very much until the two very badly done CGI monsters started smashing the city up at the end) so here's hoping.
Clash of the Titans - UK March 2010


"The Eagle of the Ninth" - in 140AD an entire Roman legion disappeared in the highlands of Scotland.  I remember reading about this when I was at school so it has my attention - plus it has Kevin MacDonald directing, who made the excellent "Last King of Scotland" and "State of Play".  No trailer or UK date yet.

The Expendables - as Dark Horizons says "Stallone's $80 million tribute to 80's action cinema is a much-anticipated love letter to a time when men were men, computer effects were non-existent, and hard R-rated violence and politically incorrect humour was the norm.".  Might just have to switch my brain off for this one:


Inception is Chris Nolan's follow-up to "The Dark Knight".  He seems to be keeping his cards close to his chest with the odd but striking imagery in the trailers.  Definitely one to see on as big a screen as possible:
"Inception" - UK July 2010


The first Iron Man movie was a hoot-and-a-half, this looks to follow on nicely.  Anything with RDJ in it is high on my list anyway:


Dark Horizons sums up "The Killer Inside Me" nicely - "Everyone figures Lou Ford, a West Texas sheriff, to be a normal kind of guy. They don't see the ruthless, sociopathic murderer underneath and as victims pile up, suspicions begin to emerge.".  Extended trailer below really piques my interest.


That's enough for now - part two to follow.

Tags: awesome, coen bros, geek, movies, opinion, reviews, sci-fi, space, trailer, watchmen, youtube, zombies
Categories: Geek | General | Movies | Opinion | Sci-Fi | trailers | Watchmen

Like an idiot (a particularly *bored* idiot) I decided to venture out this morning.  TV and radio had told me that people weren't attending the sales - or at least hadn't been thus far.  So, as I said, being bored and an idiot out I go.

It's hell out there, people.  I was lulled into a false sense of security by the roads leading to the massive out-of-town retail park being reasonably quiet, and by the way I got a parking space quite close to the door at Ikea.  Then I actually got inside...

Nothing is actually on sale.  Nothing you'd want anyway, sure you can get a pack of 8000 tealights for £3 now instead of £4, but not really what I was looking for.  Was the coffee-table I was after reduced at all? No.  How about the small 2-seat sofa?  No.  And being Ikea I wasn't about to head off with the mooing herd to the underground cavern of wonders that lay between me and the exit, oh no, I've fallen for that before!

So I went back.  Now, if you've ever tried to follow anything but the proscribed path in Ikea you'll know what I was up against - it's like batting a raging river of people.  You're dancing around tables and between beds and chairs trying to stay off the main path - I was tempted to roll a 12-sided dice to see if I could use a +50 shelving unit to clear the way...  Finally you get to the main stairs and have to go down while everyone coming up is wondering what the hell you're doing.

Anyway, I finally escaped.  In retrospect it was quite lucky that I didn't buy anything as I found the boot of my car was frozen shut, so I'd never have gotten anything in anyway - you can see how well planned this excursion was. 

Negotiating the roads *away* from the shopping centre is like escaping the seventh level of hell.  To quote Dante:
"The violent, the assasins, the tyrants, and the war-mongers lament their pitiless mischiefs in the river, while centaurs armed with bows and arrows shoot those who try to escape their punishment. The stench here is overpowering."
I can only assume that people either lose the ability to drive, or the people who normally drive every day to work decide they can't be bothered and leave the driving to the elderly, infirm, blind, or just plain mental cases.  How there aren't more accidents I will never know.

So I finally escaped, and having learned my lesson I went home to read a good book... HA, just kidding, that would be no way to end this would it, lord no, I WENT TO BIRMINGHAM!!!

Why? Why did any part of my brain think it would be a good idea to do that?  It's probably a good thing that I didn't actually find a parking space, but just did a lap of the city centre like a depressing Monaco Grand Prix, and then went home.  On the bright side all the roads out were clear, as everyone else was no doubt trapped in the One Way system passing the same half-dozen multi-storey carparks again and again and again.  I'm sure they're still there now, or maybe they have actully made it inside the great hallowed halls of the Bull Ring only to find that the sales are a lie, but to justify their time and effort they have to buy *something*, even at the same price it will still be next week.

I should have known.  I used to work in retail.  The days after Christmas we knew full well that people only came to the stores to get away from their families who they had been cooped up with for more than a few hours.  It doesn't matter if you have anything good on sale, they will come anyway.  I don't know what I was thinking, but this is what boredom does to me I guess.

Tags: rant, opinion, zombies
Categories: General | Opinion | rant

So it's happened - the Zombie Apocalypse (caused by someone eating an infected burger) and everyone on Earth may now be a member of the undead.  

We're into the action quickly with a superb intro where Jesse Eisenberg introduces some of his "rules" for survival (#8 - Cardio, #4 - The Double Tap, and so on).  He soon meets Woody Harrelson - they agree on no names so for the whole movie they are known simply by where they are headed.  Harrelson is "Tallahassee", Eisenberg is "Columbus".  Tallahassee has no rules, except maybe if it moves just shoot it.  The group is complete with the arrival of Wichita (the gorgeous Emma Stone) and her 12-year-old sister Little Rock.

What can I say about the rest of the film - it's a road movie following the group across the country, and Tallahassee's quest for one last Twinkie. It's just wonderful bloody fun, turning the "run from the zombies" theme on its head as they take on the undead head on, even relishing the opportunity.  Cue many funny zombie deaths, and one absolutely hilarious cameo appearance - if you haven't had it spoiled on the Internet yet I suggest you keep it that way and be surprised, it is totally worth it, and kudos for this person to have agreed to do it, it is brilliantly played. 

Zombieland was originally intended to be a 24-part TV series, and the makers have said that this is basically the first two episodes rolled together.  I certainly hope we get to see more of this, it may well be my favorite movie of the year - just a blast from start to finish.  Totally tongue-in-cheek, very, very funny and without the lapse into seriousness that Shaun of the Dead suffered from (IMHO), this is one zom-com that is definitely worth your time

 

Tags: blood, movies, reviews, zombies
Categories: Movies | Reviews | zombies