FrostGeezer
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Headgehog,
“Mutilation Ball” was my first Trip, so I can’t compare it to its brethren just yet. But I’ve got a few comments nonetheless.
When you can (literally) peek past the foreground of computer-generated jubblies, there’s a clever little show going on back there. It’s paradoxically both softer and sharper than “Futurama,” but I think they need to work on balancing that duality. “Futurama” knew how to time the change-ups and the gags better. Hopefully, practice and feedback will help them balance it a bit. Along those lines, I agree the episode lost speed at the end. You’ve got to know when to hit the gas.
There are some lines that aren’t going to age well (i.e. Martha Stewart’s insider trading), but I think the show will hold up all right if the writers keep it fresh and on its toes (a la South Park). Of course, the Sci-Fi Channel doesn’t have much patience for comedies (“Farscape” and “MST3K” — there’s nothing more dangerous than a bitter MSTie!), so I hope they can survive. The breasts alone should keep it afloat. 😉 More and more sci-fi shows are equipped with airbags these days it seems. Is this sexism or safety consciousness?
I like the show and will continue to appreciate it as long as they stick to their guns. The characters are fun and the humor is fast and loose. You’ve got to love a show that employs a naked, three-eyed, purple blob as Captain when its so easy to go with the rote Hank Handsome type. I wish them luck.
Is it me or do there seem to be commercial breaks every five minutes? I wish Sci-Fi would ditch their arty self-promotions and give that time to their shows.
thefrey,
I feel a chain-reaction rant coming on. Sorry, everyone.
I usually avoid politics like a rash that has no known ointment, but it’s hard to ignore these days when it’s being jabbed in your face like a pointed stick (please excuse the simile overload). Having been recently unemployed in Ohio thanks to layoffs, I found W’s visit especially galling. (Fortunately, I clawed my way back into the graphic design biz again). Everything he said was the usual campaign nonsense, but it still raised my hackles.
I’ve been less than thrilled with his administration, and it just keeps getting worse. My nephew is in his tenth month of night patrols in Baghdad. I hope his luck holds out. What a mess! I apologize for America, everyone. Not all of us want to “fix” the rest of the world.
My dad is a career kneejerk Republican. You know things are bad when he’s already declared he’s voting for Kerry.
Doesn’t the Bush Dynasty count as one of those tyrannies W is always rambling on about eradicating? When will the hypocrisy end?
The campaigning has already gotten ugly. It’s going to be a very long year. I wish I could plug my ears until election day. It’s all so empty, but it still provokes me.
Dismounting soapbox. Stay hopeful, my droogs.
Nice choice, nursewhen! “Dark Star” has some creative and effective deaths. What am I saying?! 😯 Well, you know what I mean.
Logan, you just had to bring up “Body Snatchers,” didn’t you? When I was a lad the final scene with Donald Sutherland freaked me out and scarred me for life. I guess you could count that as an ultimate death scene, too: his friend wasn’t going to last very long after that.
I hate to jump the track of this thread, but I have to ask a fellow “Brazil” nut if he’s seen the “happy ending” version of the film. My wife got me the deluxe DVD edition with the director’s version, the meddled-with version and the behind-the-scenes stuff, and it’s a dark delight. The studio’s “happy ending” version is a real tragedy, though. It’s like using White-Out on a great painting. In a way, that counts as a dramatic death.
FrostGeezer
Interesting topic, Fluffy Bunny! 😆
Good picks, Logan. I knew I liked your brain. May I borrow it?
Applause for making a Brazil reference; it’s one of my favorite films. I’d count Sam’s “escape” as a death.
One interesting death I can think of is from the original Star Trek. Invaders turn the crew into cakes of that crispy-yet-spongy stuff that florists stick arrangements in. The cakes can be safely reconstituted back into people… unless they’re stepped or sat upon. Just to prove that they the mean business, one of the villains crumbles a crewman cake between his hands, casually erasing him from existence. It’s cheesy, I know, but that’s always stuck with me. It’s such a cold and distant destruction of a life. Oh well, it was probably a Red Shirt–he knew the risks when he got dressed in the morning. 😀
FrostGeezer
I’ll admit it. I had a bit of a crush on Claudia Christian back in my youth and liked her in whatever terrible movie she was in. I was a big fan of her as Ivanova, so I was disappointed when she got the Babylon boot. Around the advent of season five, her side of the story was posted on her website. I’ll have to paraphrase from memory, so I apologize if the facts don’t fall out correctly.
My understanding of the Ivanova snafu is that Claudia wanted to renew her contract but with the stipulation that she had some schedule flexibility so she could work on other projects.
Well, flexibility she got. It would seem JMS doesn’t like such demands, and Claudia’s contract was not renewed. The bitter bit is that she heard about this from renewed co-star Jeff Conaway. What a burn!
So sadly the strategy for Ivanova in season five was a matter of plot hole plugging, I guess.
Frostgeezer
Jennicide,
Lovely post! 😀
My list o’ childhood favorites would have to be released in a multi-volume set the size of Texas, so I’ll pare it down. In fact, being that this is a sci-fi stronghold and all, I’ll stick to sci-fi shows.
Here goes:
Right off, I’ve got to agree with [b]”Voltron”[/b]–in both of its incarnations: the first with the robotic cat forms and the latter with a multitude of land-air-sea vehicles.
[b]”The New Adventures of Flash Gordon”[/b]–Filmation’s late 70s version was strangely compelling. I watched it religiously. I can’t hope to tell you why, because I loathed Filmation’s later creations (“He-Man,” “She-Ra”… ugh, don’t get me started! At least “Fat Albert” rocked!)
[b]”Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors”[/b]–the charming story of a boy and his cohorts who ride around in specialized whack-a-mole machines putting the smackdown on evil, plant-based vehicles that grow out of pods. The animation was surprisingly good, and the weirdness factor kept my interest. It was a guilty pleasure of my teendom. I think the animators must have really loved their “plants,” though. 😉
Although it wasn’t technically a kid’s show, [b]”Space: 1999″[/b] was an important part of my childhood. I had a major crush on the woman who could morph–cool eyebrows. The show got me interested in science, space and the NASA programs. Granted, I ended up in graphic design, but I tried. NASA wanted to see more on my resume than just a list of the sci-fi shows I’d been a fan of over the years. C’mon, that’s all you really need, right?
A can’t end in this post without mentioning [b]”Thundercats.”[/b] Despite the sometimes wooden, sometimes over-the-top voice acting, the show was another of my teen comforts. The concept was cool and the animation was dynamic (for its day). It’s weird cousin [b]”Silverhawks”[/b] was goofy, but I watched it, too. I’m a moth when the TV’s on.
I could go on for days, but I’ll put on the brakes. Thanks for the reminiscence, Jennicide!
Frostgeezer
[quote=”Logan”]Galactica 1980… Once they found Earth in Battlestar Galactica it was all-downhill.[/quote]
Logan, I’ve got to agree. In addition to the goofy, budget-minded setting of modern day Earth, they pulled a “Dukes of Hazzard” to boot–uhm, which is not to say that I actually watched… oh I admit it! We ALL used to watch that show, and we loved it. Anyway, the whole not-so-lookalike frontmen switcheroo thing, I mean. Just put in a new blond guy and one with dark hair, and it’s pretty much the same show, right?
It makes one nervous about the big “Sci-Fi Channel Original” Galactica that’s looming. I mean, is it *really* necessary? I hope they get around to doing a big-budget remake of “Far Out Space Nuts.”
Welcome, Caz!
I, too, recently came out of my sad shell. Trust me, it’s good for you.
Folks are kind here, so don’t believe the rumors about newbie hazing. (I just hope my hair grows back soon.) 😉
Enjoy the site and the sights. Take care,
Randy
FrostgeezerI thought about “Zardoz,” but out of kindness to Sean I left that scab alone. Besides, “Highlander 2: Electric Boogaloo” is shame enough. There’s no need parade old ghosts out. At least “Zardoz” had they excuse of being made in the early 70s AND the fact that everyone involved must have been doing some serious drugs. Still, I love the scene where Sean shotputs that woman (well, a floppy mannequin at least).
Also, “Zardoz” has a cult-like cadre of devoted fans–folks who appreciate the film for its “vision” and “message.” Cuckoo! Cuckoo! The last thing I want to do is upset a bunch of nutters who… doh!
Ahem, I LOVE “Zardoz.” It was even better than “Cats.” I want to see it again and again. (Now kindly put away your guns).
Yeah! The Dune Competition is very important to the four of us who’ve entered. 😉 Is this the weirding way in action?
Thanks, Logan! 😀
I’m glad someone else out there appreciates those flawed gems. I always thought I was weird. Viva “Tomorrow People!”
I love this place! Folks who appreciate the value of the truly bad are near and dear to my heart… but lousy help if you need to move a couch or something. 😀 Kudos to you all and please keep manning (and womanning) those couches.
My guilty film pleasure is “Legend.” It’s the most beautiful train wreck. Every time it’s on TV, I have to stop and watch it–for Tim Curry’s costume, if nothing else. I’ve never been much of a Tom Cruise fan, and it’s deliciously surreal to see him as a scampering man-child with glitter on his face. The whole film is like a fever dream: the unicorns right out of a cheesy poster, the goofy henchmen, Billy Barty, that “Village of the Damned” elf kid, the Yes song. I’m still amazed it was ever made, and I celebrate it every chance I get.
My TV treat is a little obscure (for all but the saddest of geezers). I have fond memories of the 70s series “The Tomorrow People.” Back when the Nickelodeon network was very young (in the early 80s), they padded out their air time with TTP, and its quirkiness hooked me. The dubious acting, the goofy plots and the held-together-by-tape feel made it the saddest (and definitely the maddest) show on my must-watch list. My dad would frequently ask, “Are you watching that show with the cheap special effects again?” In time, he simply referred to the show as “Cheapo Effects.” I think he truly worried about me. But I loved “The Tomorrow People!” Let me count the ways:
The shapeshifting alien who pretended to be a well-preserved Hitler to get the kids thinking SS uniforms are the height of fashion (and fascism)!
The actor who voiced Tim the Talking Table appeared as Timus (the designer of Tim) and Tikno (Timus’ clone brother)–now that’s economical use of an actor!
The evil bongo drum that will enslave pop music program viewers!
The man-eating alien spanking scene!
It’s been twenty years since I’ve seen TTP, and every delightful episode has stayed with me, inspiring fond smiles. To be fair, for every bit I chuckled at there was something I found “cool.” For instance, I loved the way they replaced the “teleport” cliche with a “jaunt.” Tempting though it is to see those episodes again, I think I’m better off with my memories. What a sad, sad show (the best)!
FrostGeezer
