The Slayer Library

Apologies

2006-01-06T23:30:00.000+10:00

The thing about new Blogger toys is sometimes I don't realise I've started something. I had no idea that moderating comments meant that they would all be lumped in cyber-hell until I discovered where they ended up. Thanks to the curiosity of Lisa Rullsenberg I discovered that comments were being published, but not appearing under any posts.

I have rectified the problem and switched off the moderation function. How annoying that Blogger stopped sending me the comment emails (which would make sense because I would know that I had comments waiting to be 'moderated').

Well all is better and the comments should be up and running now.

No wonder I was feeling like no one was reading this!

Pop Ups

2006-01-04T00:19:00.000+10:00

I just discovered a pop-up widow appeared when I loaded my blog.

Has this been happening for long?

I'll have to work out what is causing it. Grrr.

The Movie, The Book and My Thoughts

2006-01-02T23:18:00.000+10:00

I have always enjoyed reading, but as a child growing didn't actually read many books. It wasn't until I was in my third year of university that I really started devouring books (not "actually", cause the paper cuts would be painful). So, I had never read the famous children's series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Of course, I saw the BBC TV mini-series on ABC as a kid and was enthralled by it. I remember making sure I was home to see it each week. I found the Witch terribly scary and the idea of getting turned into stone quite horrifying.

Fast forward a decade or so and I'd still not managed to read the books. I have so many books sitting on my shelves unread and even more in the bookshop waiting to be put on my shelves that the thought of starting a thousand page series rather put me off. That was until I found out that the movie based on the second volume was being released. I then made it my mission to have at least read the first two books before seeing the film.

Early in December I pick up a one-volume edition of the series and crack the cover. For me, The Magicians Nephew wasn't anything special. Sure, it had some great visuals with the 7ft Queen rampaging through London and the creation of Narnia itself is wonderfully described, but I found the two children to be rather irritating and didn't really find much to like in either of them. I had to force myself to read the book hoping that it would get better and my perseverance would be rewarded. The final few chapters were worth it. I liked the animals and their treatment of the funny Humans.

The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (TLTWATW) didn't grab me at the start either. I found the children to be rather simple. I think perhaps I approached the books with an exceedingly high expectation resulting in my being over critical of the story. Even though it is wonderfully imaginative and stimulating I felt it lacked the depth I've come to expect from children's books published today. I think I would like to re-read TLTWATW without the pressure I put upon myself to read it before the film's release and allow myself to get caught up in the wonder of Narnia.

After a rough start with the books I admit to being a little dubious about the filmic adaptation of TLTWATW. Could the book that I felt was a little light on plot be translated into an engaging film? My answer would be yes. Mostly.

Director Andrew Adamson's previous credits are the two Shrek animated films. Both are wonderful (the second film less so) twists on traditional fairy tales that delighted audiences and thrilled studio executives. Stepping from CGI based animation into a huge live-action, CGI-heavy movie was a natural step, if not a massive leap.

The first half of TLTWATW crawls along at a rather slow pace. The text is liberally translated to screen and the film suffers at time from lengthy dialogue scenes. All of it important dialogue for the story, but not presented with a building sense of urgency. The children seem to unwittingly walk into most of the situations they find themselves in, and hardly make any sort of decision for themselves.

The film picks up pace as the children start to be hunted by the White Witch, played with great menace by Tilda Swinton. The chase across the frozen lake was a great addition.

The overlapping of some major events and the hastening of some of the chase sequences from book to screen certainly added in making the second half of the movie very enjoyable. The masters at WETA Workshop have worked their wonders again creating a vast array of creatures that will hopefully stand the test of time.

The final battle is epic on a smaller scale than we have become used to. The film beefs this part of the story up a great deal and really runs with the battle, although it never goes so far as to put off the younger viewers.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe is a solid fantasy film that will delight younger audiences and provide quite good entertainment for accompanying parents.

Double the Buffy

2006-01-01T12:18:00.000+10:00

Happy New Year!

How appropriate that my first post for 2006 be about my favourite of TV shows.

Buffy is back on TV. It seems that Seven are quite attached to the show and have rerun it over the Summer for the past few years. This week sees double the fun with two (that's right, TWO) eps aired back to back. Or maybe back to front, cause other wise the second ep would be backwards and that would be confusing. Anyway, the two eps are 'Reptile Boy' then 'Halloween'.

'Reptile Boy' isn't the best of eps. Although it does give Cordelia some great lines when trying to convince Buffy to go to the party. 'Halloween' is one of my favourite eps from the show. All the characters shine and the actors have a lot of fun. Xander gets to be the macho hero for once, Willow gets sexy for the first time, Cordelia is her usual self to pronounce the other's changes more, Buffy proves she's crap at accents, and Giles gets to scream like a little girl when Willow walks through a wall. Fun!

Returning to TV Sunday night, of Jan 8, is the highlight of last Summer, Carnivale. If you didn't get to see the last series, go to your local video shop and hire it, or even better, go buy it! It's the weirdest, most confronting TV series you'll see. It comes from HBO in the USA (otherwise known as "the land of sex and swearing", rather like our SBS) and really is a milestone in TV drama. Naturally it was cancelled after its second season.

Goodbye Uncle Enyos

2005-12-31T00:25:00.000+10:00

The man who always appeared to be serious or sad passed away on Boxing Day.

We know Vincent Schialvella because he played Uncle Enyos to Jenny Calendar. A well known character actor he guest starred in numerous TV shows including Buffy, The X-Files, Star Trek: TNG; performed voices in Hey Arnold!, Family Guy, and Batman TV series. In his 57 years, he appeared and voiced nearly 100 movies, TV movies and video games. He died from lung cancer.

Mostly Crap

2005-11-10T00:27:00.000+10:00

I'm browsing Bloglines for the first time in ages and I'm wading through hundreds of news headlines from Yahoo, Ain't It Cool News, Joblo's Movie Emporium, Rotten Tomatoes and the cream of the crop, People Magazine (the US entertainment mag, not the Aussie porno...).

I have it in there because it occasionally has articles that are interesting to me. The problem is I have to wade through mounds of crap about Madonna's new song pissing off Rabbis, Brad's family liking Angelina, Uma's break-up with Ethan, Paris' break-up with herself, and Jennifer Garner's Affleck-spawn. I just don't care.

Now if any of these people decided to find their talent and involve themselves in an interesting and unique project, I DO want to hear about that. But you don't go to People Magazine for actual info.

However... As I'm slowly getting back in the loop of my movie and TV news I was interested to discover that a new Bond has been announced, by his Mum! Daniel Craig (someone who is selfish enough to have two first names) doesn't strike me as a Bond. He seems more like a second rate Bond villain. That's just my first impression. The only thing I've seen him in is Tomb Raider 2, which disguised actors with talent behind a crap script and appalling direction.

The other titbit I gleaned is that the new eps of the second season of Desperate Housewives aren't doing so well. Apparently it's lost its freshness. The main character's aren't in any scenes together and the menace has gone out of the plot. I wondered how long the secrets would keep going, but I didn't foresee them getting tired at the start of the second season! Sounds like whomever was in charge last year isn't as invested any more. It's happened before, and sounds like it's happened again.

Return to Transmission

2005-11-08T14:50:00.000+10:00

After a few weeks of non-blogging I return with news of what some of our old favs from Buffy and Angel are doing in TV land.

TV Week interviewed Joss and reports his opinions of each actor. A pretty poor excuse for an article really, but it does tell us where we'll be able to see the actors next.

In summary:
Alyson Hannigan is starring in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother.
David Boreanaz is FBI agent Seeley Booth (possibly one of the stupidest names...ever!) in the procedural Bones.
Charisma Carpenter has a reoccurring role on Veronica Mars as Kendall Casablancas.
Nick Brendon is a funny chef in Kitchen Confidential. Glad to see he's back on track and out of rehab.
And finally,
James Marsters is back what he does best: playing the bad guy. Except this time the small town he terrorises is called, well, Smallville. He plays Professor Fine, aka Brainiac.
And Mr Whedon himself is going to make an appearance on Veronica Mars as a rental-car manager.

I've no idea whether any of these shows are likely to see the light of day here. Smallville disappeared during its second season because Nine thought prime-time Saturday night was a good time to air a show struggling for ratings. Dolts.

Be Watching

2005-10-18T00:26:00.000+10:00

On Sunday night at 6:30pm

SBS is airing a doco called "Down Under" about Aussies working in Cirque Du Soleil. Sounds interesting:

This documentary series, presented by Richard Snashall introduces us to Anita Nelving, an Australian from the Hills district of Sydney who now resides in Montreal after joining Cirque du Soleil at its headquarters in Singapore. Anita takes us on a tour of Cirque du Soleil's headquarters where 2000 people work, and where every piece of costume is individually made and dyed. We also meet Martina Howard, an Australian expatriate who works as a performing artist with the circus.

Spoiler Free

2005-10-13T16:25:00.000+10:00

Now, I've done my best to leave out any spoilers. I do mention a couple of plot points, but nothing that gives anything away other than setting up where things are at. I will hopefully get my other post out soon.

Serenity is Joss Whedon’s first big trip into the cinema. He’s visited before with the scripts for Toy Story, Alien 4 and Titan A.E. but this is his first go in the directors chair. Serenity picks up 6 months after the last episode of Firefly. Mal and the crew are still finding it difficult to get work, legitimate and not-so legitimate. River is as vague as always and Simon seems even more protective of her.

The film opens with an introduction that zips along; revisiting and revising some of the history of the show, and quickly setting up the universe for those unfamiliar or new. The introduction of The Operative who has been sent to retrieve River is deftly handled and Chiwetel Ejiofor instantly establishes himself as a worthy foe for the Serenity crew.

All the original TV cast are back in their roles, but sadly the format of a film doesn’t allow enough time for all of them to have meaty roles. Mal and River are the focus, with Simon, Zoe, Wash, Jayne and Kaylee as general crew and support. Inara has barely an introduction which may confuse the uninitiated. Book appears, but is sadly not around enough.

Serenity herself has had a facelift. Some major redesigns of the cargo bay make it much colder. There seems to be no extra living quarters behind the medical bay that were used on so much in the show, and there a few extra little rooms here and there. I like most of the changes, but I think overall the ship felt colder and not as homely.

Joss’ direction has the film speeding along. The crew run from fight to fight or away from The Operative. In essence this is a chase film that spans a few worlds and the action is what keeps it all going. After Buffy and Angel Joss knows how to film a fight scene and River is the star of the biggest ones. Mal is also in usual form: getting his arse kicked numerous times.

I did feel in some of the dialogue heavy scenes that the editing was a little TV-like. Cutting back and forth between people’s faces a lot rather than using an interestingly framed master shot. There were a lot of these types of shots, but I think old habits die hard, and it’s understandable for a TV-like element to inhabit this film.

As is typical of Whedon’s work, the surprises are good, and the shocks are like being hit with a sledgehammer. If you know Firefly, expect to be shaken to your core by what happens. For those unfamiliar, don’t get too comfortable in your seat because this is a wild ride that doesn’t wait around for anyone who’s fallen behind.

An excellent send off for the series. An excellent stand-alone product. A new glimmer of hope that quality sci-fi is still possible.

That's Me! Clever AND Dangerous...

2005-10-04T23:11:00.000+10:00

I got an interesting result:

You scored as River Tam. The Fugitive. You are clever and dangerous, which is a nasty combination. The fact you are crazy too just adds to your charm. They did bad things to you, but you know their secrets. They will regret how they made you.

River Tam - 81%
Zoe Alleyne Washburne - 69%
Simon Tam - 56%
Hoban 'Wash' Washburne - 50%
The Operative - 50%
Capt. Mal Reynolds - 44%
Inara Serra - 38%
Kaylee Frye - 38%
Shepherd Derrial Book - 38%
Jayne Cobb - 25%

Which Serenity character are you?

I am kinda glad that I relate the least with Jayne.

Found via One Dog Said To Another.

It's Not Too Bad

2005-10-03T23:57:00.000+10:00

It's certainly no Titanic, but $10.1mil isn't that bad.

Box Office Mojo has Serenity at #2 in the opening weekend's box office, only losing out to Flightplan.

Honestly, I don't think anyone expected the BDM to make a killing. It's a solid film that will hopefully sustain.

In it's first day of release here in Oz Serenity made $280, 763 which put it in 5th place behind the other school holiday releases.

No Pressure. Really.

2005-10-03T23:34:00.000+10:00

While doing some research for my much anticipated Serenity post, I discovered that the Firefly DVDs are currently #3 at Amazon!

Which is bloody shiny if you ask me.

It is currently in front of Batman Begins, Star Wars (the last middle one), even Lost and Desperate Housewives!

I intend to write two Serenity posts. One for those who haven't seen Firefly or wish to remain spoiler free, and another that is an in-depth look. Both will be clearly marked.

Not that I feel any pressure about writing these...!

I am going to see the BDM again tomorrow. Cheap Tuesdays rule!

And The Band Played On

2005-09-30T00:06:00.000+10:00

Another in the endless list of Serenity reviews. This Associated Press review is well written, and positive, if a little too spoilery.

Much Better

2005-09-29T23:53:00.000+10:00

Rotten Tomatoes, the site I love to hate, has Serenity at 73% fresh, which is excellent! Much better than it was last night (a barely fresh 63%). The reviews are varied and most are actually a good read, even to get the blood boiling. Victoria Alexander's review is by far the worst. I can accept that she hated the film, but she has the eloquence of week-old road-kill, and... I'll stop before I say something truly mean.

In The Spirit

2005-09-29T23:38:00.000+10:00

...of sharing, an email from Joss:

Well boys and girls and boys dressed as girls and girls dressed as Kaylee, the time is almost upon us. This Friday we take that old rust-bucket out of the shipyard and see if she can breach atmo. It's been a long (to paraphrase a band I like) strange trip, and it'll be nice finally to show everybody what it is we've been tinkering with all this time. You already know you have my thanks, from the hardcore fans to the softcore... fans.... let me try that again. From the people manning the booths, buying DVD sets for their friends, getting banners seen everywhere on Australian TV, raffling artwork for ticketholders (Adam Hughes, take a bow), to the most casual fan who just wants to see the flick and won't ever even read this. You guys are the fuel in the engine, the Fire in the Fly, the weird green stuff coming out of Serenity's butt. (Hmmm. Forget that last one. I'm a little bit out of control here.)

Everyone needs something to keep them going. Mal has his ship. Zoe has her integrity. Jayne has Vera. And I've got you guys.

So what now? There have been so many posts about seeing it, seeing it again, the first weekend, the second weekend, being enthusiastic without being obnoxious (and yes, it IS hard to see over the pom-pom of a Jayne hat), buying tickets in advance, making a noise... I honestly wouldn't know what to add. I can tell you this: the movie will play in about 2200 hundred theaters, which is a good number. Too many, and you get empty theaters with no energy -- not enough, and you get, well, not enough. It may be hard to find in some areas but it'll be out there. Leave no multiplex unturned! This is going to be a ground war, peeps -- we have to hold the valley for a long while. However it opens, it needs to HOLD. Instead of the Alliance we'll be fighting viewer apathy, fear of something new, the urge to wait for DVD, and Jessica Alba in a bikini. (Although I have it on good authority that she spends 90% of the film in a huge wooly parka. Make sure that gets out.)

The day this puppy opens, I'll be seeing it with my family (don't worry, there's a lot of them, and they're all paying) and then I'm off to Europe to learn the word 'Browncoats' in nine different languages -- 'cause like I said, it's all about holding. I'll never be far from a computer, though, so I can check in with y'all. Thanks for every damn thing.

And remember, amidst all the urgency to make this an event, all the work and the worry, to take two hours and just enjoy yourself. That is, after all, what all this fighting's about.

-joss.

I'm spreading the word, how 'bout you?

Movie Maybe, But Can't Cartoon

2005-09-29T23:22:00.000+10:00

TV Guide's Ask Ausiello has an interview with the "Man of the Moment", Joss Whedon about possible Buffy projects:

Question: Buffy, Angel, Spike — anything?!? — Tammy
Ausiello: How 'bout all of the above, and then some? I just hung up with Sir Joss Whedon, and the chatty Cathy dished on all of your favourite things in the galaxy, from the Buffyverse to Veronica Mars (his new obsession) and back. Ready for takeoff? Read on for some highlights from our Q&A session (that's quips and anecdotes for you newbies).
Serenity is opening in two days. How does it feel?
It feels good. I like the movie. It's a good time.

Did Universal tell you how much this one needs to gross for there to be a sequel?
More than it cost. I don't think [we'll know] right away whether or not there'll be a second one because, obviously, DVD is the new box office. And I also think of this as a slow-growth movie. It's not about shock and awe first weekend; it's about word of mouth. It's about whether the film has legs.

How'd your Veronica Mars cameo go?
Well, I don't want to say [I'm] the new Brando, but I do want to say I'm the new Franklin Pangborn…. It was nice, because I had it with Kristen Bell, who's really good and helped me get through my inability to act on film. Apart from that, it was somewhat unremarkable to anybody who wasn't me.

Did you ever think your endorsement of a TV show would carry as much weight as your rave review of Mars did?
I really didn't. I just got on the Internet because I was feelin' it. I was just feelin' it. I loved that show. I was like, "I gotta get on the Internet and tell peeps about this." [Executive producer] Joel Silver called me and said, "Why didn't you tell us you were going to do that?!" I said, "Here's the point: I didn't know I was going to do that." After the last six episodes [from Season 1], which we watched in a day, I was just on fire. I haven't been a fanboy like that since the days of old.

Any chance you might write or direct an episode?
To direct would be fun, if I had time. To write, quite frankly, I'd be intimidated. Their stuff is tight. I would be nervous as hell, and it would take me a really long time. I would love to do one, but I don't have time and [Rob Thomas] doesn't need me so, ultimately, I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon.

You spoke to Tim Minear about writing and directing the Spike movie. Where do things stand?
Things stand that all of the art guys — the people who would be involved artistically — have been trading phone calls going, "Wouldn't this be cool? Wouldn't this be cool?" We don't have a paradigm set up yet. We don't have anything solid to announce. I'm just making sure that the creative people I need are in place before I set up a whole deal and then James Marsters goes, "Gosh, you know? That's kind of behind me now." Or [if] I don't have a writer I can trust, because I don't have time to do it all myself; I need one of my peeps. And there's no greater peep for something like this than Mr. Minear. I'm optimistic that I will actually have something to say in the near future, but at this point it's still me and my buddies going, "Wouldn't it be cool?"

Have you spoken to David Janollari at WB yet?
I'm not going to go into the deal-making stuff at all.

Can you tell us if you've spoken to anyone aside from James about appearing in the movie?
Yes, I have.

Amy Acker?
Yes, I have. Well, you know, I see Amy a lot, I see Alyson [Hannigan] a lot and Alexis [Denisof]. I've spoken to a couple of people just because we're making conversation, and they don't hate the idea. The worst thing that could happen is that somebody would be too busy because, as we know, all of my alumni are taking over the world.

Do you see Alyson/Willow being a part of it?
You know, if I get a chance to use Alyson, I'll use Alyson. That's a given. There's no maybe about that. The maybe is, does she have time? And if she does have time, shouldn't she be busy doing Veronica Mars, where we need to know more about her character?

Have you finished writing Wonder Woman?
No. No. God, no.

What stage are you in? Have you started?
The writing stage is just one big stage, and I'm in it. Yes I have [started], but I'm still putting the pieces in place.

Is there a production start date?
No. That was one of the stipulations, that we would let the thing happen organically. Because, ultimately, a lot of work needs to be done. It has to be just right or it's going to be bad, and I'm not looking for that.

Have you given any more thought to casting?
No, I sure haven't.

One last thing: Should I assume the Buffy animated series is dead?
That's a good word for it. I think dead and possibly buried. Or even cremated.

Veronica Mars is still yet to surface here in Oz, and I'm hoping it will appear over the Summer.

I am sad that the animated Buffy is dead and buried, I think it would have been an interesting retrospective.

It seems that some sort of movie is likely, and that Spike will be central. I still think Spike and Andrew's Excellent Adventure sounds like a hit.

Although, with this news (also from TV Guide):

GOING, GOING, GONER: Buffyverse ruler Joss Whedon — whose Firefly flick Serenity hits theatres one week from today — has inked a seven-figure deal with Universal to write and direct the fantasy thriller Goner. "It's the story of a young woman's journey that involves a great deal of horror and some heroics," he tells Variety. "It's certainly darker than Serenity, and there are a lot of left turns along the way. It is something I had in mind for a while, and it just poured out of me when I finished my film." Of course, Goner will have to wait until Whedon finishes Warner Bros.' big-screen Wonder Woman flick and (hopefully) gets the ball rolling on that long-rumoured Spike TV movie (hint hint, nudge nudge, slap slap).

It may be even longer before something Buffy related gets off the ground. Although, I wouldn't be unhappy if Joss handed the reins over to Tim Minear so that he could still be making movies.

For Future Reference

2005-09-25T00:50:00.000+10:00

The worst possible spoonerism to say in public comes from these two words:

Car Stunts.

Another Day

2005-09-25T00:33:00.000+10:00

Another Serenity poster.

It's Gorram Cheap!

2005-09-25T00:15:00.000+10:00

Thanks to the wonderful Kirsten for letting me know that JB Hifi have Firefly DVDs in stock! And what makes this news even better is they are only $36.98 at the moment. A steal!

Am wondering whether I need a second set...

Looking Way Ahead

2005-09-24T23:44:00.000+10:00

TV Guide reports that Mr Whedon (some refer to him as God) has signed up for another write/direct combo with Universal. Here's what they say:

GOING, GOING, GONER: Buffyverse ruler Joss Whedon — whose Firefly flick Serenity hits theaters one week from today — has inked a seven-figure deal with Universal to write and direct the fantasy thriller Goner. "It's the story of a young woman's journey that involves a great deal of horror and some heroics," he tells Variety. "It's certainly darker than Serenity, and there are a lot of left turns along the way. It is something I had in mind for a while, and it just poured out of me when I finished my film." Of course, Goner will have to wait until Whedon finishes Warner Bros.' big-screen Wonder Woman flick and (hopefully) gets the ball rolling on that long-rumored Spike TV movie (hint hint, nudge nudge, slap slap).

Would I like to see another Buffy related production? Of course! Do I particularly want to see one based around Spike? Not as much.

I read in an interview (at the moment I can't remember with whom) a while ago that said that Spike is at his best when he is working off someone else as an annoyance or outsider. It's why he worked so well on Angel. Being the antithesis of Angel created many memorable moments in the show's final season. The same works with his time on Buffy: firstly it was Spike and Dru, then Spike and Xander, then Spike and Giles, then Spike and Harmony, then Spike and Buffy (you guess which of those combos were sexual...). So for a Spike centric story to have the best potential to succeed he would have to be paired with someone who provides the greatest conflict. As both Gellar and Boreanaz have both expressed no interest in revisiting the roles there are fewer interesting combinations. Dru would be the next obvious choice, but taking into account the status of the characters at the end of Angel season five I would imagine that would lead to a historical story, or perhaps one well entrenched with flashbacks.

Spike and Andrew Ride Again perhaps?

Big Damn Post

2005-09-19T23:59:00.000+10:00

I'd not been to the Serenity Oz forums for a couple of days, so missed out on a few interesting things, but after browsing and lurking will give you all the juicy stuff.

Three D World give Serenity five bigguns in an excellent review.

The Benchwarmers, two outrageous guys on selected radio networks around Australia at 4pm weekdays, are running a Serenity competition. Win a trip to Universal Studios in LA and five nights accom. Shiny!

Men's mag FHM are also running a Serenity Comp. Choose a name for the spaceship you would have and win a Serenity pack.

Titan Magazines, the folks who brings us the Buffy and Angel mags, are releasing a Serenity Movie Magazine. It'll be a one off and will hopefully appear here before the film opens, rather than three months down the track like every other UK mag.

Joss talked to TV Week while he was here and this question was posed:

Australia’s education minister, Brendan Nelson, recently had a go at universities because there are more students studying Buffy than Milton. How do you feel about people studying Buffy at university?

I think they should be. There’s two reasons. One, because there’s not an episode of that show which we didn’t have a very specific intent for. There’s no episode that was just there to spin a yarn. They all were trying to capture something, even if it was just like a certain experience. There was always philosophical and political discussion about what it was we were trying to say. But even if none of that was the case, even if it was just a show that people took to, the fact that it’s made such an inroad into popular culture means that it should be studied for whatever it is popular culture seems to have needed that made it grasp onto it. Do I think it’s as good as Milton’s poems? Well, I’m not, like, a big Milton-head. I don’t think it’s as good as Emily Dickinson’s poems. Do I think it’s the greatest literature ever? I don’t think it is. Do I think it’s topical and thoughtful and deals with issues of human morality and personal responsibility and a lot of things that need to be talked about both academically and casually, yes. So I’m all for it.

Joss is also in an article and poster in this month's FilmInk magazine.

Greater Union - Birch, Carroll & Coyle are running a competition for Serenity prize-packs. Due to their terms and conditions I can't link to their site. Which is stupid! I'm advertising them. Get over yourself GU! Anyhoo... go enter the comp at Greater Union dot com dot au.

The Firefly DVDs are currently in 9th place in the Amazon DVD sales rank. Pretty bloody shiny!

Here in Oz, you'd be hard pressed to find a copy of Firefly anywhere. Search DVD Plaza for Firefly and you can only backorder.

Joss will be on the Triple J morning show tomorrow morning, so I'd better get to bed so I'll be awake for it!

The Little Post That Could

2005-09-18T01:07:00.000+10:00

I found an interesting blog via a post from Kirsten. Draic was inspired to write about it, and as yet hasn't. As I think this is an excellent blog and art project I wanted to mention it here. If Draic does post about it, I'm sure fair better observations will be made.

Post Secret is "ongoing community art project where people mail-in their secrets anonymously on one side of a home-made postcard."

So you basically anonymously spill the beans to the world via a postcard that you make with your secret as the main message.

My advice is let the whole blog load first and read away.

Some secrets are touching, some very funny, others a little disturbing, a couple downright scary.

I hope those who send postcards are able to use this project as a way of getting past the reason for keeping these secrets in.

I'm trying to think if I have some secret that would be worthy of a postcard.

"I have a blog"

Nope, people already know that...

Average Reviews

2005-09-16T00:28:00.000+10:00

I've been reading quite a few reviews of Serenity and the word is mostly positive. Sadly though, one of the reviews from here is in Empire Magazine. I have to say that it's possibly the most wishy-washy review I've read in that mag for quite a long time. It compares Serenity to other sci-fi films and talks about the B-grade cast, but does very litle commenting on the actual film.

A very well written review can be found at Your Movies, an Australian movie site. Sign up for the weekly newsletter and on Wednesday, September 21, you will be able to see the Serenity review, trailer, synopsis and an interview with Joss Whedon.

Woo!

Mind Your Nuts

2005-09-15T23:56:00.000+10:00

Tim Burton is developing a taste for remakes. Planet of the Apes was received with mixed reviews, and I admit to some trepidation about how he would treat Dahl’s text. I am a fan of the beloved original adaptation with its wacky songs and Gene Wilder’s memorable performance. The original film departed from Dahl’s text and the result is far more, pardon the pun, sugar coated.

Burton’s Chocolate Factory isn’t strictly a remake. It is not a re-treatment of the original film, instead it returns to the text as its source of inspiration. It would be like calling Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings a remake of the 1978 animated film; an unlikely comparison.

So with an open mind I went to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Admittedly, I couldn’t help but carry the baggage of the original with me. Watching it on TV a few days before probably didn’t help...

The first thing you’ll notice is Burton’s unique visual style and Danny Elfman’s fantastic score. This pairing is so complimentary that it would be disturbing to have one without the other.

Burton creates a cold lifeless village surround the Wonka’s towering brobdingnagian factory which invokes the feeling of a Russian town rather than of an English one. Charlie Bucket (that’s “Boo-kay”) lives with his parents and all four grandparents in a tiny dilapidated shack in the middle of a recently demolished block of houses.

Charlie’s parents are played by Noah Talor and Helena Bonham Carter (another Burton regular and Fiance, who wore bad teeth to match Taylor’s naturally bad set). Rather thankless roles for both, but gives Charlie someone to want to come home to.

Never leaving a bed in the living area are the four grandparents in some sort of weird seniors pyjama party. Grandpa Joe (David Kelly) is the liveliest of the bunch, sharing late-night stories with Charlie about his time working in the factory before Wonka shut everyone out.

Freddie Highmore presents a wide-eyed and innocent Charlie whose love of his family is his strongest emotion. At all times he is the selfless and reserved, the archetypal perfect little boy. This works well, but I think I would have liked to see him have some basic human vice. Once we meet the other Golden Ticket winners, Charlie’s purity stands out even more.

When the search for the Golden Tickets commences the film picks up some pace. Burton expertly introduces the four horrible children, and doesn’t hold back in the disgust that we should feel for them. The other disgusting children are Augustus Gloop, Mike Teavee, Violet Beauregarde and Verruca Salt, who will drive you to your end by the time she meets hers. Burton doesn’t hold back in telling us how disgusting the kids are, to the extent of having multiple characters repeating how repellent they are.

We know that Charlie has to find a ticket, otherwise what’s the point? But still we hope and hope that he finds one. The inevitable happens and Charlie is off to the Factory. G’pa Joe accompanies Charlie, and this is explained because he used to work at the factory. A rather flimsy excuse, and Charlie’s parents were certainly a little disappointed to not go with him. I think perhaps that these poor people are a little to positive. For example, a little more bitterness would have been appropriate when Mr. Bucket (“Boo-kay”) loses his job to a machine.

When Willy Wonka makes his grand entrance to the tunes of Disneyland-eske puppetry that goes horribly wrong, ending in fire, is when the film takes it’s distinct turn for the weird.

Depp is a rather enigmatic actor. Most of his best work seems to be about dealing with an inner child of some sort. Edward Scissorhands, Finding Neverland, Pirates of the Caribbean, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Benny and Joon, and even his detective characters in Sleepy Hollow and From Hell. His take on Wonka is possibly the most extreme. The bobbed wig, very pale face, perfectly aligned pearly white teeth and icy-blue eyes allow Depp to delve into the eccentricities of this odd individual. The way he takes on effeminate body poses and a higher pitched voice adds a layer of ambiguity that takes Depp’s Wonka to another level of oddity.

When Wonka first appears on screen, his extreme anti-social behaviour first shows itself and rather than being welcomed to the factory, you have the distinct feeling he doesn’t really want you there. It’s this conflict, of being invited yet unwanted, that rides along under the main action. Continuing that odd feeling.

The children are perfectly disgusting little beasts and Augustus is destined for a fudgey ending. Then we lose each of the horrid children one by one. Each of these episodes stands alone as great segments, but I don’t think Burton was successful in welding them together. The pace during the middle act is jarringly random.

Burton’s liberal use of a slight soft focus gives all of Wonka’s world a slightly ethereal and fantasyland look. I loved the Chocolate Room, The Sorting Room and the Wonkavision studio; the homage to Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey was brilliantly executed. I was disappointed with the Inventing Room. It seemed too shiny and preconceived. A place of invention should be random and chaotic, where anything and everything is a possibility.

The flashback scenes were an interesting journey through Wonka’s subconscious, but I’m a little baffled as to why Burton chose to follow this path. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is clearly marketed towards kids, being based on a kids book and all, making the choice off delving into the childhood traumas of Wonka a bizarre choice. The average 12 year old or younger wouldn’t care that because Wonka was unloved as a child he’s grown up to be a family-abhorring recluse with a penchant for orange little men. If this is some of Burton’s own demons bleeding into his work, then another film would have been a better place.

The paradox of both cinematic adaptations of Dahl’s book is that the both are cross titled. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is in fact Charlie’s journey of self discovery, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is all about Wonka.

On the whole I had an enjoyable time watching this film. Wonka’s factory is a world of wonder and wacky, and Deep Roy’s Oompa Loompas are fantastic. Sadly the sound wasn’t terribly clear in the songs, so some of the words were unintelligible.

Younger audiences will find most of the factory scenes entertaining, will lose interest during the flashbacks, and possibly want to leave once Charlie leaves the factory. I am glad that the movie continued beyond the Glass Elevator breaking through the roof, and happy how it wasn’t a simple rounding out of the story. As an adult I found this satisfying, but I don’t think Burton found the right mix of plot and subplot to appease both types of audience.

See What Happens...

2005-09-10T00:10:00.000+10:00

When you put anything Joss related in an online poll at MSN Movies. Rabid fans tell all their friends about the poll!

The poll is surveying the most anticipated 'fall' movie. Serenity went from 10% to 38% very quickly once the poll was mentioned on the Fireflyfans webboards.

The Joss Is Coming

2005-09-09T23:32:00.000+10:00

Serenity Oz have announced that they finally have confirmed information on the media outlets that Joss will be talking to during his stay here in Australia next week. For those of us not going to Sydney or Melbourne, this will be our only opportunity to see him while he's down here.

TELEVISION INTERVIEWS

Rove Live - Network Ten - live-to-air on Tuesday, September 13
Sunrise - Network Seven - live-to-air on Tuesday, September 13
The Movie Show (SBS-TV)
Showtime (Foxtel/Austar)
Music Max - with Chit Chat
MTV

RADIO INTERVIEWS

Radio National, Breakfast with Fran Kelly - Monday, September 12
Radio Triple J, Jay and the Doctor (breakfast show)
ABC 702 with Sarah McDonald - to air on Monday, September 12
Radio 774 with Richard Stubbs
Radio 3RRR with Rob Jan
Radio 92.9FM, Perth with Bernie, Luke & Sal (breakfast)
Radio Adelaide
Fresh-FM, Adelaide
Radio 4ZZZ Movie Show
Fbi 94.5FM
Radio 2SER-FM

PRINT INTERVIEWS

The Australian
Metro, Sydney Morning Herald
Daily Telegraph, Sydney
Australian Associated Press
Herald Sun, Melbourne
Sunday Age, Melbourne
Brisbane Courier Mail
Scene Magazine, Brisbane
Rave Magazine
Time Off, Brisbane
Queensland Times
Q News, Brisbane
Adelaide Sunday Mail
West Australian, Perth
X.Press Magazine, Perth
Woroni, ANU
Union Recorder, Sydney University
Blitz – UNSW
3D World
Forte
Beat
Rip it Up
db Magazine
On Dit
Messenger
Empire (uni mag)
Entropy (uni mag)
War Cry

ON-LINE INTERVIEWS

Fairfax Digital
News on-line
Greater Union website
yourmovies.com.au
Moviehole

All I can say is I'm going to have to be up early a few mornings next week!

Sick Of It Yet?

2005-09-07T01:03:00.000+10:00

I was afraid that this blog was going to turn out to be a Serenity gusher as the release date got closer. Ah well!

An Australian poster has been released for Serenity, and it is very cool! My only concern is that it sends mixed messages. Kinda looks like a martial arts movie with River, sword and all.

I'm also trying to design a cool blog-title/ad so I can enter the LA comp, but haven't managed to get it to not make my blog implode. I think I may need to start from scratch. Scary.

Geeking Out! (Warning: Excessive '!' Ahead)

2005-09-05T23:12:00.000+10:00

I was perusing Bloglines last night and saw that my old blog-pal Muzekez had posted. Such was the shock, that I was barely able to comprehend what I saw when her blog loaded.

Not only had she posted, but managed to show me something that I was, frankly, surprised I hadn't stumbled across already.

Serenity has an Australian website!

Not only that, but a kickarse site to boot!

Serenitymovie.com.au has the same standard info and downloads as the pre-updated US site, but a localised advance screenings page, plus the option to register and join the forum!

But that's not the reason to go.

They are holding a competition to win $5000!

Just for watching the trailer. It's only just over 3mb and well worth the short time to download and watch it.

For those who want more: if you register, head into the News Updates thread of the forum and find out about how to win a trip to the LA Premiere of Serenity where the cast, and of course, Joss will be!

All you have to do is promote the Serenity Oz site in some way that will get people to go to it.

This is the kind of marketing that I can appreciate. Get the people who are already going to see the movie to do all the work for you, and offer them incentives.

In other Serenity news...

Joss is coming to Australia!

I quote from the email I just received:

To celebrate Joss Whedon's impending visit to Australia, we have arranged a special event: Browncoats, We are thrilled to announce that Joss will be taking time out from his busy schedule here in oz to answer all your burning questions about Serenity and the Whedonverse. As special screening of Serenity followed by a Q&A with Joss has been scheduled! Screening will take place at Hoyts Fox Entertainment Quarter (formerly Hoyts Fox Studios) on Monday September 12 Film commences at 6pm Q&A with Joss Whedon to follow at 8pm Tickets are $30 each. Available over the counter at the cinema now Available online from 5pm today.
Go to www.hoyts.com.au
Melbourne Browncoats - stay tuned for details on a similar Melbourne event.

I can only assume that the tickets have already sold out, and won't get myself excited about trying to get down there.

As if that wasn't enough Serenity for one post, I have more!

After heading out to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory today, I wandered past the leaflet panel of the cinema and was stopped mid-step. There in all it's shiny-ness was the Serenity logo on the front of a brochure. With trembling hands I pulled one out. It opened up to three A4 pages of Joss info. For good measure I grabbed two, and will probably go back for more, surely ebay will be worth visiting in a few years time...

So pop down to your local cinema and see if they have these wonders of printing.

AND finally.

Last but not least.

The end of this long post.

Empire Magazine will be doing a Serenity special in the October edition. "Apart from a special interview with Joss Whedon, the next issue of Empire will feature a special DVD featuring an episode of Firefly, two trailers for SERENITY, 20 great stills from the movie, a special look at the STARFURY convention including Q+A footage of the entire cast, and trailers for the boxed sets of Buffy and Angel."

If all that doesn't get you geeked up, then I don't know what will!

That's all folks!

'Ave A Look Around

2005-09-02T19:36:00.000+10:00

Serenitymovie.com has been updated! Again!

It's all shiny and very cool!

Flash animation and all the usual bells and whistles.

Monsters and Critics gives it quite a positive review.

Only in a Whedon film would you find a main character wearing these...

Ever Wanted To Fly?

2005-09-02T19:26:00.000+10:00

The teaser poster has been released...

First Reviews - Narnia

2005-09-02T18:40:00.000+10:00

Ain't It Cool News has received some feedback from two people who attended a test screening of the forthcoming Disney epic The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

The first is from a fan of the books who seemed quite pleased overall. The second review is from someone not familiar with the books, and is a little harder on the film.

In a recent interview the film's director, Andrew Adamson, has pledged to keep as true to the books as is possible.

As I'm still unfamiliar I'll head along with an open mind hoping to be amazed.

(Image from Monsters & Critics)

Not Gollum's Eye!

2005-09-02T00:41:00.000+10:00

The Golem's Eye. Spelling is very important!

Jonathan Stroud creates such a vivid world, it is hard not to get caught up in the possibilities of a world of magicians and demons. A longer volume than the original, Golem’s Eye continues on nearly three years after the final events of The Amulet of Samarkand. Nathaniel is now fourteen and, due to his natural talent, has taken the position of assistant to the Internal Affairs Minister, Julius Tallow. Bartimaeus is quite happy recuperating in the ‘Other Plane’ from the ordeal Nathaniel put him though the last time he was summoned.

The most obvious change in Golem’s Eye is the addition of another main character. In Amulet Kitty was a confusing hindrance who stole Nathaniel’s scrying disk. Now, her story-line is intrinsically linked with that of Nathaniel and Bartimaeus. I found it jarring at first to have to have all of Kitty’s back-story dealt out when I really wanted to know what was happening with the others instead. It is a hard task to bring in a character that we know virtually nothing about and spend the time introducing her so by the end of the book we really care. It slows the plot right down, even if the back-story itself is interesting. Thankfully, once I was through the first third of the book events started to pick up and I began to enjoy her arc.

Nathaniel has started to show signs of becoming a stock-standard, self-involved magician. And when he finds it necessary to summon Bartimaeus again, the change is even more noticeable. No longer the innocent youth trying prove that he’s more than his master can imagine; he’s foppish and, although still showing huge potential, likely to be stifled by senior ministers who simply want to use him for their own advancement. Far less likeable than the first novel, I had little sympathy for most of what happened to Nathaniel.

Bartimaeus is the perfect counterpoint. Oozing wit and wry humour, the demon takes every opportunity to poke holes in Nathaniel’s plans or simply jab him about his choice of clothes. There is no doubt that we are meant to be on the demon’s side in this book, and as the one who is consistently entertaining and manages to evoke frequent laughs.

The use of footnotes for Bartimaeus to add many asides is far more refined now and every one is worth the extra trip to the bottom of the page for. My favourite would have to be “Tall and bone thin, her limbs were like long, dry sticks. I was surprised she didn’t catch fire when she crossed her legs.”

Golem’s Eye is clearly the middle book. Continuing the story with an intriguing series of events, paying off some things set up in the first volume, while clearly setting up many of the events to come in the next and final chapter of the trilogy. I already have my suspicions as to who is the overall mastermind. I eagerly await the third, but hopefully not final chapter, of The Bartimaeus Trilogy.

September Movie Madness

2005-08-30T01:08:00.000+10:00

1st - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Tim Burton's new take on the classic Dahl book has taken the world by technicolour storm. Depp looks a little creepy as the child-hating Wonka, Freddy Highmore is wide-eyed as ever as the innocence-personified Charlie, and Deep Roy takes cloning to a whole new level playing ALL the Oompa-Loompas. This should be a fun ride with many lolly puns to follow.

15th - Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
I love the original Wallace and Gromit tales. Twenty five minutes never felt like enough time for this pair to have a full adventure. Thankfully, the masterminds at Aardman have also realised this and signed the dynamic human/canine duo up for a feature film (I believe Gromit was far more demanding than he was in the early days). Hopefully, this new adventure will live up to the originals and result in more cheese addictions

15th - Dukes of Hazzard
It was a B-grade TV show, and chances are the movie will be even cheesier, but for some reason I actually want to see it. Jessica Simpson will no doubt irritate me to the point of gnawing my fingers off, but maybe the car stunts will be enough to make it bearable.

22nd - Deuce Bigalow 2: European Gigolo
I rather enjoyed the first Deuce film. Base comedy that worked rather well, even if it did cross every politically-correct line set in the last few years. Can a sequel hope to recreate that chance combination? I doubt it.

The climax for the month being the film I've been waiting for all year...

29th - Serenity
Everyone who has read this blog in the past few months should have at least heard about Serenity. Whedon's Firefly big-screen continuation has been gaining momentum lately with it's 'world' premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival. A couple of reviews from that festival were sent to Ain't It Cool News; one from a non-fan, and the other from a gushing fan. I'm excited about the prospect of more Firefly action, and hopeful that it can live up to expectations.

October is looking to be a rather barren month with only Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride set for release on the 27th. November the same, with only The Brother's Grimm (24th). December is going to be the big month: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (1st), King Kong (14th), The legend of Zorro and The Chronicles of Narnia (26th).

2006 starts with a bang with the animated tale of Chicken Little and the film adaptation of the Broadway hit musical that was based on a film, The Producers, open on January 1st.

Finally A Vending Machine For Me!

2005-08-24T00:20:00.000+10:00

Trust the French to come up with a vending machine that sells, not cigarettes, not alcohol, not teeth rotting soft-drink, but books!

Yes indeed! The world has become a better place now that books can be purchased while standing waiting for a bus. I've found myself in the dire circumstance of finishing a book while on public transport and being left with nothing to read. I would have been very thankful to be able to step off a bus and buy something else to keep me occupied while being jostled around for the rest of the journey.

I may be a little too excited about book vending machines, but it's a great idea.

Subtitles Can Make A Film

2005-08-24T00:07:00.000+10:00

Subtitles are funny things. I always wonder who the people who write subtitles are. I also frequently wonder how they interpret what is being said. I understand the trimming of lines so they aren't as long to read, but some of the times I get annoyed by the parts they leave out.

Subtitles for non-English films are usually quite ok, but I've no idea whether they actually represent what the characters are saying.

Judging by this blog post about the English translation of a chines dubbing of Star Wars 3, I have doubts about whether a movie like House of Flying Daggers is actually a Monty Python-eske comedy!

If the test in these subtitles had been the actual dialogue for the film, I probably would have found the story more interesting.

Post found via Scifi Daily.

Brace Yourself

2005-08-15T23:46:00.000+10:00

Singlefin managed to scare me from across the globe with this site.

Only those with nerves of steal should venture there.

Small children and those frail of mind should avoid.

Geekery Taken Too Far?

2005-08-11T22:46:00.000+10:00

One-person shows are amazingly popular. They're easy to produce, and simple to tour. Pick the right content and topic and you'll have a hit. There's The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In 90 Minutes for example. A great idea and funny for everyone, whether you've seen every play (or more likely for anyone who's not insane) or only a few.

Do we need a "One-Man Star Wars Trilogy"?

Rest In Peace

2005-08-11T22:36:00.000+10:00

Actor Matthew McGrory died in his home on Tuesday night. The 7 foot 6 inch actor is best known for playing "Karl the Giant" in Tim Burton's Big Fish. He was 32.

The Downside

2005-08-11T22:16:00.000+10:00

I was channel surfing on Tuesday night and came across SBS airing a live feed of the Shuttle landing. As it was before dawn in the US they were using an infra-red camera. As the shuttle flew over where the camera was stationed it captured the underneath profile and it filled the screen.

I turned to my brother and we both burst out laughing.

It looked exactly like Dr. Evil's rocket from the Austin Powers movies...

Serenity Update

2005-08-06T23:15:00.000+10:00

The official site for Serenity has been updated.

It now features a new wallpaper which looks to be the poster:

As well as a wallpaper version of the movie's logo:

A new trailer has also been released.

Some fantastic news I've just found. Greater Union - Birch, Carroll & Coyle have Serenity listed on their 'coming soon' page.

September 29 feels just that little bit closer now.

Don't forget to:

I'm a tool. A tool, tool, tool.

2005-08-06T00:24:00.000+10:00

I bought the first season of Scrubs on DVD today. It makes me laugh. Loudly and often.

The deliveries are so fast, and the inner-monologues can be so subtle that it's worth rewinding to make sure you heard correctly. It would be nice if more comedies tried this hard to make us laugh that often. Most half-hour comedies are so lazy they rely on laugh tracks to tell you when you're meant to laugh.

The janitor annoys me a little, but Dr. Cox makes up for every second lost.

Thanks A Bunch Ten

2005-08-05T22:52:00.000+10:00

For wasting 40 minutes of my life while waiting for the interminably painful Big Brother Friday Night Stupidity to finish. Haunted was scheduled to start immediately after, and when I last checked online on Tuesday night it was still on the cards. BB finished and what am I faced with? Bridget Jones' Bloody Diary.

Ah Crap

2005-08-05T22:41:00.000+10:00

This was originally going to be a brief post about how thankful I am that Sela Ward didn't accept the offer to play Teri Hatcher's role in Desperate Housewives. I think she's just an appalling actor. Once and Again was a horribly depressing show, and her performance as the worried mother in The Day After Tomorrow would have been more convincing if she was dressed as a salmon.

What scared me was at the end of the article mentioning that she has a reoccurring character in House toward the end of the season and will be returning in season 2. All I can say to that is crappity crap crap crap!

Still Haven't...

2005-07-31T00:28:00.000+10:00

Got to read Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince yet...

I'm currently reading The Surgeon of Crowthorne. A thoroughly entertaining book by Simon Winchester about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. Now, I heard the collective yawn at the end of the last sentence, but I assure you that it's far more interesting than it first sounds. Would you expect a book about a dictionary to include murder, war and asylums? Probably not.

Winchester shows a passion for his topic and weaves the facts into an intriguing story. I never knew that the creation of the first complete dictionary was such a mammoth task. Few of us today would ever give a passing thought about the first people to wonder about the immensity of the English language and why it hadn't been recorded.

After reading three-quarters of Surgeon I have a new appreciation for dictionaries and of the people who devoted their lives to creating the first complete edition. It may cement my reputation as a book geek but I definitely set my dictionaries as my most useful books.

Tonight alone I have referenced my small Australian Heinemann Dictionary seven times. And if I'm looking for an older perspective I'll open my antique Modern Standard English Dictionary from the 1940s. I admit to not owning an Oxford English Dictionary; I will one day take the step and purchase one.

They have a reputation for being boring and dull, but the dictionary is a thing of life; past and present.

Daaah Dum. Daaah Dum. Da Dum Da Dum Da Dum.

2005-07-30T23:44:00.000+10:00

Seven is having a theme night this Sunday night. Somehow they've snaffled the broadcasting rights of the Mythbusters from SBS for the two part special on Shark Myths. These guys are always entertaining, and are totally prepared to go all the way to disprove an urban myth. The most gruesome I've seen would have to be when they were trying to bust the myth that you can be decapitated by jumping up or into a ceiling fan.

Watching these guys tackle the Jaws myths should be an interesting show.

Immediately followed by the big fish itself.

Jaws!

9pm on Seven.

I've never actually watched more than a few minutes of this film. So I think it's time that I initiated myself into this world of scary ocean. As if I'm not already not afraid of going in the water!

Typecasting And How To Steal From Others.

2005-07-27T14:14:00.000+10:00

Last night was the first ep of The 4400. A continuation from the 6 part mini-series aired here last year. The mini-series was interesting, but frustrating at the same time. The concept of the show, 4400 people abducted over the last 100 years were all returned at the same time, but the execution of it is rather sloppy. My feeling is that it should be centred upon the 'returnees' as the central plot and the 'agency' charged with finding them all should be the subplot.

In last night's ep Summer Glau (River from Firefly) guest starred as, you guessed it, an inmate of an asylum. She turned out to have the plans for some sort of alien device in her head, and somehow convinced the inmates to build it for her.

The structure turns out to be a large tower built from whatever bits and pieces they can lay their hands on. Now, the idea of a bunch of crazy people doing the bidding of an insane 'queen bee' by building a huge tower sounds vaguely familiar...

What if we change the name of Summer's character to Glory, and the name of the show to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Whedon envy anyone?

I Was Right! Mostly.

2005-07-24T00:11:00.000+10:00

I tuned into Nine this afternoon in the hope of being treated with the Cirque Du Soleil produced Opening Ceremony, Reflections In Blue, and what was I rewarded with?

A 30 second montage.

THEN,

5 minutes worth of snippets.

Appalling.

This was a perfect opportunity to sneakily insert some quality viewing under the guise of a sports program.

Thank you Nine, for once again cementing your reputation as "Still The One" to not give a crap about anything except sensationalist journalism and crap reality shows.

Haunted House

2005-07-22T23:45:00.000+10:00

Sometimes things occur that make me laugh. Like the fact that my two new favourite TV shows are called Haunted and House.

Haunted premiered on Ten tonight with the pilot followed by the second ep. I caught the ads for Haunted over the last week and it certainly looked intriguing. I have to say that I am very much over the amount of crime driven TV that we have, but I do look out for the odd gem in all of that rough.

Haunted stars Matthew Fox; you perhaps know him as 'Jack' in Lost. The show began on UPN in 2002 with the lead in of some other popular show... it's name escapes me. Oh! That's right, it was called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sadly it didn't pick up the audiences to guarantee longevity and was canned after 13 eps.

A good way to get me to watch an ep of a new show is to have a supernatural twist, then give me good characters in a well written plot. Add to the mix great cinematography and direction and I'll be hooked for sure. Haunted oozes atmosphere and tension. It made me jump several times, and that I really enjoy. It's not pschological terror tension like Millenium was, more along the lines of The Sixth Sense.

Matthew Fox's character, Frank Taylor, is an ex-cop-PI who is on the case of an abducted child and is forced to kill the suspect to save himself. The event nearly kills him and he is obviously scarred by it. This experience opens up Frank’s ability to ‘see dead people’.

It is dealt with far differently than what we normally come to expect from ‘beyond the grave’ assisted TV shows. He doesn’t see flashes of the victims in their moment of death - Millenium or Profiler; there’s no helpful ghosty who he becomes pals with - Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased); Frank has no psychic ability to speak of - Medium; and there’s no aliens, demons, or monsters – The X Files, Buffy, Angel (and so many others).

The ghosts in Haunted appear to be poltergeists as well as the general see-through variety. There’s lots of ‘moving’ items, voices and noises. In the second ep tonight the bloody hands banging on glass doors and windows was unnerving.

It’s tense. I applaud any show that can make me jump several times an hour; with two eps every week, that’s a lot of jumping! This is the sort of intensity I was hoping Lost was going to be able to sustain, but hasn’t really managed to find.

I’ll be tuning in next week to see what else is install for Frank. If you are afraid to watch when it’s on so late, set a tape and watch during the day!

*

My other favourite new show is the most bizarre medical drama I’ve seen. Its title character is possibly one of the most un-likable men on TV. I would say in most other shows he’d be the doctor that is called in when there’s no other choice because everyone hates being around him.

Placing House as the central character makes the whole show take on a unique attitude. The writing is very snappy and the wit is sharp. The characters were three dimensional from the pilot episode so they can already draw on emotion and conflict.

The medical side of the show is slick and the actors deftly deal with the verbal vomit that comes with this sort of show. The visuals of drugs working and ailments are in the style of CSI, and a little gross at times. I can’t stand watching anyone have a Lumbar Puncture, even if it’s simulated. It just makes me squirm at the pain.

I think it’s the unique addition of comedy that makes this program stand out against the others. Laughing is part of life, and I think that that is what most medical dramas lack. They focus on the intense drama so much that it becomes routine. I need a variety of emotion to give me reason to allow a show to take me to those extremes. They’ve taken a leaf out of Buffy’s book by allowing the characters room for humour. If I can laugh with a character I’m more willing to cry with them.

House is abrasive, honest and rather unconventional. It doesn’t appear to be afraid of throwing issues around nor making the difficulties of their roles trivial. I don’t envy the pressure that lies with anyone in the medical field, and House is a good reinforcement of that.

I Canna Give 'Er Any Mooore Cap'n!

2005-07-22T14:02:00.000+10:00

With the passing of Star Trek legend James Doohan, I reminisce about a time some years ago:

The family (when there were four of us) were sitting down in front of the box and we watched the classic tear-jerker 'Ghost'. It's all rather serious and the climax of the movie approaches. The bright white light appears above Patrick Swayze and as he starts to go, my brother (then 10ish) states loudly, "Beam me up, Scotty!"

Thus was the emotion of the film disrupted by a simple, yet highly amusing, observation.

Conspiracy Theory

2005-07-21T23:14:00.000+10:00

Our dour Prime Minister is in London at the moment.

The media is currently buzzing with details of the latest 'incidents' in the London Underground.

I just recalled that Mr PM was in Washington on September 11, 2001.

Coincidence?

I think not!

Wicked!

2005-07-21T22:35:00.000+10:00

You can call me an ink-stained book-lover all you want, but I think tonight's airing of Harry Potter Magic At Midnight was rather good.

Movies have huge premiere events around the world, and no one bats an eyelid. Have an internationally broadcast event for the launch of a children's book and people look at you like you have some sort of ailment.

Sure the host was a knob, and spent too much time rambling about nothing in particular, but the real reason to watch was to see what the Adelaide girl who one the big competition got to do.

She got to interview J.K. Rowling, in what is possibly the most relaxed and open interview I've seen her do (Rowling, not the girl...). It may simply be the fact that she was more comfortable speaking with a 10 year old, than with the reporters she would normally face. I've said before that her interviews on the Harry Potter DVDs are a total waste of time and effort. She seems so uncomfortable with it all and doesn't really explain anything. I'm not looking for spoilers, just some deeper explanations and thoughts into the building of such an epic story.

It's disappointing that Ten didn't air this sooner. I'm sure the ratings would have been more impressive and perhaps relevant within 48 hours of the book's release than 5 days later.

The highlight for me was Rowling reading an excerpt from chapter 6 of Half-Blood Prince. I wasn't excited about the fact that it was her reading the passage, but simply because in prime-time on a Thursday night Australia was watching a woman sitting in a chair reading aloud from a book.

Perhaps I Was Wr... Wro... Nope Can't Do It

2005-07-21T22:22:00.000+10:00

Scanning my TV guide for some indication of the Cirque Du Soleil coordinated Opening Ceremony, Reflections in Blue, and it's giving me nothing.

So, simply based upon speculation, I think Nine are going to air the event on Saturday at 2pm. Every other day next week has the same twice a day schedule, so my immense powers of deduction lead me to believe Saturday at 2 will be the time to switch on.

I'm off to set my phone to remind me.

Facts & Figures

2005-07-20T16:49:00.000+10:00

Wonka is rolling in golden tickets. $55mil of them in fact.

Pirates of the Caribbean sequel has a name. Not the first sequel, we already know that it’s called ‘Dead Man’s Chest’. I’m talking about the second sequel! World’s End.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was tested in Chicago and some peeps wrote their thoughts. Mostly positive, but it sounds like Steven Kloves has used his Hulk hands to type with and managed to botch the plot again.

Add another 2.7 million extra copies of Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince to your shopping list. Some book 6 sales facts.

It's a book that made more in it’s first weekend than the combined total of the two top grossing films released the same weekend. Woohoo for books!

I still haven’t started it and will do my best not to read any spoilers!

Critics response to the new book: “Many found it Rowling's deepest, most accomplished work, with a tragic conclusion that left even reviewers in tears.”

But I’ll be betting that the Pope wasn’t one of the millions who pre-ordered a copy.

Scary Hindsight

2005-07-20T00:10:00.000+10:00

This post contains very offensive comic book covers and panels from yesteryear.

Some are very funny.

Others are just plain offensive now.

Which Johnny Depp Are You?

2005-07-19T23:11:00.000+10:00

You Are Edward From "Edward Scissorhands."

You are very shy and often misunderstood. Innocent, sweet, and artistic, you like to pass your days by daydreaming and expressing yourself through the arts. You are a truly unique individual. Unfortunately, you are quite lonely, and few people truly understand you.

Take The Johnny Depp Quiz!

I find this rather interesting. And amusing.

Thanks to Violet.

Cannon Fodder

2005-07-19T00:17:00.000+10:00

Some new shows coming to US TV with some familiar faces. I've listed a few that sound interesting, and a couple that are purely there because there are people we know in them.

I've also posted the media blurb about each show. I'm lazy, I admit that.

Bones
Forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel, “Boogeyman”), who works at the Jeffersonian Institution and writes novels as a sideline, has an uncanny ability to read clues left behind in a victim’s bones. Consequently, law enforcement calls her in to assist with murder investigations when the remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that the standard identification methods are useless. Brennan often finds herself teamed with Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz, “Angel”) [What a ridiculous name!], a former Army sniper who mistrusts science and scientists when it comes to solving crimes. Brennan and Booth clash both professionally and personally, but so far the chemistry between them has only played out in a fictionalized account in Brennan’s latest mystery novel.

Threshold
In the middle of the ocean, a cargo freighter makes a chilling discovery: an extraterrestrial craft has landed on earth. Enter Molly Anne Caffrey (Carla Gugino), recruited to await the planet's first contact, along with a carefully assembled team made up of a brilliant physicist with strong religious beliefs, a language and communications expert and a highly trained covert operative. Together they implement the long-gestating Operation: Threshold, charged with finding out the purpose of the landing and the fate of the ship's crew, and preparing for the worst-case scenario of an alien invasion.

Surface – Formerly known as Fathom.
Ever wonder what life would be like if a new form of sea life began to appear in locales all over the Earth? Naval officers in the South Antarctic Sea, a family in San Diego, the Oceanographic Institute in Monterey, and fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico are about to find out. The organisms are beautiful, but are these innocent creatures more than what they seem? Embark on this unfathomable journey to discover what might be lurking just below the surface. Cast: Lake Bell, Jay Ferguson, Rade Sherbedgia, Carter Jenkins, Leighton Meester.

Supernatural
Gilmore Girls' breakout star Jared Padalecki and Smallville's Jensen Ackles are Sam and Dean Winchester; two young brothers bound by tragedy and blood to a dangerous, "other-worldly" mission. Crisscrossing the country in their '69 Chevy Impala, they carry on their missing father's quest to seek out and silence the supernatural forces responsible for their mother's murder twenty years ago.

How I Met Your Mother - Alyson Hannigan’s new sitcom.
Marshall has just dropped a bombshell on best friend Ted. He's going to propose to his long-time girlfriend. Now don't get Ted wrong: he's thrilled with the news. But it makes him realize that he had better get a move on if he hopes to find the kind of true love that Marshall and all his other friends have. Rest assured, and flash-forward to a happy ending for Ted as he recounts, in flashback, to his young children (and us) the story of how he finally met his one true love, the story of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. And with the eccentric company that Ted kept as a young man on the hunt, it's amazing that he met any girls at all.

Ghost Whisperer
Jennifer Love Hewitt returns to series television in a riveting look at the link between the living and the dead, between life and death. Inspired by the cases of famed psychic James Van Praagh [Eeek! Scary psychic guy.], it focuses on a young newly-wed endowed with the unique ability to communicate with spirits, who has spent her entire life coping with this extraordinary gift, but who also yearns to lead an ordinary life--if only the dead would stop talking. And what they are saying leads her to some unusual psychic investigations.

To me this sounds like an attempt to cash in on Medium’s well deserved success. We’ll see whether it can bare the same scrutiny.

If you’re a fan of Lindsay from Angel, then catch him in his new Jerry Bruckheimer drama Close to Home.

Show’s we’ve not seen but have been cancelled already:

The Inside - out already
Tim Minear was responsible for most of the best moments of seasons 3 and 4 of Angel, he took on Firefly then, when it got chopped, took up Executive Producer on Wonderfalls. So when the net started to rumble with news of a new Minear show TV looked to have another interesting show on its way. Again, airing on Fox is a bad omen for any show.

The Inside follows Rebecca Locke (Rachel Nichols), a young special agent who joins the FBI’s Violent Crimes Unit (VCU) in Los Angeles. We learn that a very dark chapter was written into Rebecca’s life long before she began training with the FBI.

Another Whedon alumae's ill-fated show:

Point Pleasant
A show by Marti Noxon (former Buffy show-runner, the one who made season six so dark...), Point Pleasant looked to be the new Buffy, capturing that unique mix of drama, comedy and the supernatural. Sadly, it was on the Fox network, and like so many before it (Firefly and The Inside for example), the plug was pulled.

And returning to our screens next year, probably, is:

Battlestar Galactica Season two. 20 episodes continuing the fight for survival.
As often happens with fantasy series, Galactica's complex mythology can pose a barrier to newcomers. If you have trouble breaking through, let go of the story and focus on the characters. You'll understand them, their conflicts and their desires, because they're recognizable humans in all their glorious complexity.
And that's what makes Galactica a great TV series.

Is Lost, lost?

I Crumbled

2005-07-17T00:23:00.000+10:00

Couldn't help it.

I was planning on holding out.

I was going to wait till I finished book five.

I wasn't even going to look for it.

Then I saw it.

$23,

And it was mine.

Unlike some, I will wait till I'm finished book five to start Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Totally Ignored... Again

2005-07-13T11:17:00.000+10:00

I received this email today from the Cirque Du Soleil website:

This Saturday, we will be presenting Reflections in Blue live under the stars in Montreal! Reflections in Blue is a once-in-a-lifetime presentation created to inaugurate the MONTREAL 2005 - XI FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS.

I thought you might like to know that this special event is going to be televised live... to over 140 countries worldwide! So be sure to tune in on Saturday, July 16 (please check your local listings for the precise time in your area).

To help you find the TV station that will be showing the opening ceremonies in your area, we have created a special page listing the official broadcasters from around the world.

And don't forget to come back and visit Cirque Club next week: we'll have complete coverage of the event!

So, I get all excited. Go to the link broadcasters, find out Nine have the Australian broadcast for it. Skip over to the Nine site and what do I find?

Absolutely nothing.

Nine are usually the champions of swimming; we have people competing in it, so I don't understand why they aren't showing any of it that I can find. Not that I'm likely to be glued to my TV for the whole competition, but I'm surprised that it's not even a blip on the radar.

There's No Cure For Stupidity

2005-07-12T19:05:00.000+10:00

You can lay down the most strict instructions and all will be foiled by someone who can't read a calendar.

A bookshop in British Columbia got the date wrong and sold a 'small' number of copies of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince.

Whoops!

Guess they've been taken off J.K.'s Christmas card list.

Tacet.

2005-07-07T22:23:00.000+10:00

While the master is away the children will play?

It's time for another bout of 'The Blourne Identity'.

If you already know where I am cause I've told you, then don't give the game away!

Hint: I've travelled to see Canine Dancing.

The Immaculate Conception

2005-07-05T00:01:00.000+10:00

I've been blamed for the spawning of another blog.

His Divine Shadow has just been birthed, so let's help it into the world.

The World At War

2005-07-03T23:10:00.000+10:00

No one can say that Steven Spielberg doesn't know how to scare us: Jaws, Jurassic Park, and E.T.'s feet. Nor can one say he can't produce thrilling action: the Indiana Jones series and Minority Report. He can also reach into the human soul to find thoughts inspiring and equally horrifying: Schindler's List, The Colour Purple, and Saving Private Ryan.

The War of the Worlds is a story that takes all of these and rolls them into a film that is potentially a monster unto itself. H.G. Wells' tale has been spun into many forms and taken from even more. Whether from Orson Wells' radio play, to the 1978 musical recording (which is still eerie to listen to), to the 1953 film of the same name, Wells' text appears to have spawned the last century of Alien invasion movies. Written 50 years before the best known 'alien' event, it may have even spurred the eager believers into buying into the cover-up. It certainly was heavily drawn on by the creators of Independence Day.

I went to War of the Worlds with no more knowledge of the story than the musical recording reveals, and fully aware of the little relevance that would bare to this film.

It is still the trend to uproot stories and set them in America. I understand that American studios obviously see this as the only way they can sell a film to their native audience. We are very thankful, though, that Harry Potter is still English and that Middle Earth wasn't transferred to the American Civil War. I wasn't surprised that Spielberg brought the War to his home turf, but I think we've seen enough apocalyptic destruction throughout the USA.

I still think that movie trailers are a double-edged sword. The studios want to attract as much attention with them as possible. So, they'll try and use the money shots from the film to have the most impact. The problem with this is it takes the impact out of the sequence within the film's context. The shot of the bridge exploding and the highway and vehicles careening towards the houses and total destruction are hugely powerful within the film, but when they occurred I wasn't as impressed as I felt I should have been.

This is a huge CG film in a very small way. Spielberg constantly mentioned the fact that he wanted to stick with the characters rather than zoom out to show all of the action. This really enhances the tension for the first two thirds. The absolute horror of the slaughter when the tripods first emerge from the ground will stay with me for a long time. The popping noise, which may seem comical, is unpleasant when added to the visuals.

As an ardent non-fan of Tom Cruise I found his portrayal of the deadbeat Dad rather convincing. There weren't too many Bruce Willis inspired heroic moments that jarred me out of the reality of the moment. Though, I did feel that Cruise's character was a little too lucky. Far too many 'close calls'. No one is that lucky.

Dakota Fanning screams a lot. For a child who is famous for her mature performances of beyond-their-years children, it is jarring for a while to see her being such a child! Justin Chatwin is sufficient as the rebellious teenager, but is too easily forgotten.

The alien machines are stunning. Real enough to have an effect and spectacular enough to drum up the fear needed to make millions of people run for their inconsequential lives. The thunderous call of the Tripods still echoes in my chest every time I think about it.

The absolute chaos that encompasses the middle third of the film is Spielberg in his element. Crowds are scary. I'm not a fan of any crowd really, and terrified people are the worst. When the characters arrive at the ferry, the mayhem is nigh-on overwhelming. An open space that is totally claustrophobic. Then, of course, the trumpeting is heard and we have some Titanic inspired sequences.

Once they get into the basement with Tim Robbins, Spielberg shifts gears into a different claustrophobic nightmare. Robbins' unhinged character is a good threat in theory, but isn't effective in really upping the stakes for Cruise and co.. In what is amazing choreography of actor blocking, camera moves and CGI integration the sequences where the little green men enter the basement, and when the Tripod probe searches the basement are amazing to begin with, but the probe sequence loses all of it's momentum when the choreography becomes too smart for it's own good. Only with a heavy scent of MacGyver do the measly humans escape the probe.

This is when the film gets messy. Dakota is captured and so Cruise must let himself be taken too. He happens to grab some handy artillery on the way. This is when Bruce Willis takes over the roll for a moment when Cruise sacrifices himself to get blood sucked, and instead manages to blow the Tripod up.

The demise of invaders is a tough sell. It's hard to imagine that they spent thousands, if not millions of years investing in this total annihilation, and forgot this major detail. I think the downfall of the aliens felt like the epilogue rather than the climactic finish, and, indeed, if Cruise's destruction and escape from the blood-drainer was the climax it didn't have the impact it deserved.

The ending left me totally unsatisfied. Not in the least am I saying that I wanted satisfaction from the slaughter of 2 billion people, but for the character's that I'd spent the last two hours enduring a nightmarish hell I wanted some resolution. Sadly, the events are easily foreseeable from the moment the family splits. It feels so cheesy that I walked out of the cinema conflicted as to whether I liked or totally hated the film.

I've come down on the side of liking it. It's an emotional and wild experience that ends in a different place than where it began.

Fun With LIttle People

2005-06-30T17:34:00.000+10:00

Who'd have thought that Artemis Fowl would be needed to save the Fairy People. Opal Koboi has escaped and is enacting revenge against those who foiled her previous plans for domination of the People.

In what appears to be the final in the Artemis Fowl series, Artemis and Butler are still under the effects of the mind-wipe when they come under attack from Opal. Holly Short has fleed the Haven under suspicion of murder and must try and save Artemis' life. Mulch Diggums is still in prison, but discovers a secret that he must get to Artemis. Everyone in the Haven is in danger and the only people who can save the day are criminals, suspected criminals and a human criminal genius mastermind.

Sounds like a Eion Colfer book!

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception closely follows the events of The Eternity Code. We find Artemis and his bodyguard Butler out on a school trip and he's up to his old trick of thievery. Artemis seems a changing boy. One who is starting to truly evaluate the himself and the world around him. His loving parents are a major factor in his life now. He no longer needs to be his own family, purely relying on himself for everything now that his father is back and mother has regained her senses.

I quite like the new self-assessing Artemis. He's growing older; he's fourteen now, a time when we start to think about who we really are. This thread carries through the book and ultimately affects how it ends. Holly Short works best when under enormous pressure, and this is the worst situation she's ever been caught in the midst of. She is as witty as ever, even in stressful circumstances, and has a tough job convincing Artemis about the Fairy world and how his history is intermingled with hers.

The Opal Deception is a return to form for the Artemis series. It's fast, funny and full of action with characters that are relatable and entertaining. I'm sad that it appears to be the final chapter for now, but am glad it goes out with an adventure worthy of this criminal genius.

Get Probed

2005-06-30T00:21:00.000+10:00

Tuesday July 5 sees the commencement of Taken on Australian TV. Nine have been running a 'coming soon' campaign for about a month now, and last week finally revealed when.

Taken is unlike any other mini-series I've seen. It's 10 two hour episodes, with each ep covering a few years in the characters lives. It begins in the 1940s and that's where the first ep, Beyond The Sky, brings us into the story.

Each Taken ep is directed by a different director much like a regular TV series than a typical mini-series, and the styles of each director really contrast the eras the show covers. The level of detail is quite amazing. Not just in costuming, props and set, but also the lighting and camera moves all enhanced the look and feel of each of the periods.

Throughout the series you'll also be able to play 'spot the Buffy/Angel' actor.

I admit that when watching the entire series on DVD over a two week period it did take me a couple of eps to warm up to the story. The first few eps are worth watching because there is so much information that you accumulate the really enhance the last half of the series. My brother only saw the last few eps of our marathon, and even though he enjoyed, he didn't have the connection with the characters that I'd built up over the other eps.

It's dramatic, fun, scary and pretty much everything else you could feel over it's twenty hour span. There's characters you'll like and one's that you just want to punch.

It's about aliens, but it is really about the effect it has on people.

A Jolly Old Waste Of Time

2005-06-29T17:09:00.000+10:00

Yep. It was fun, but rather pointless. James Marsters and Anthony Stewart Head's interview on RoveLive was directionless as usual. Ok, so it was good to see those two together having a laugh and telling the odd story.

James didn't really appear to appreciate being asked about touring with his band. Surely the researchers should have been able to find out they split up a while ago, thus allowing Rove one less moment of looking stupid.

Tony told a couple of amusing stories about being on Little Britain, then got cut off mid-sentence by Rove who abruptly ended the interview.

I'm Not That Insane

2005-06-28T01:27:00.000+10:00

I like it when I'm not the only one concerned about the disturbing lack of thought that goes into marketing a film. While wandering the aisles of Target last week I noticed the abundance of Batman Begins merchandise in the toy section. Everything from figurines to costumes. All aimed at the under 12s.

Batman Begins has an M rating here.

Now that is only an advisory rating; so parents may accompany younger children to see the film. What sort of mixed signal is the marketing sending to the potential audience? OFLC deem the film not suitable for children to see unsupervised, but produce toys that will encourage children to hound parents into submission.

And that was before I'd seen the film!

Don't get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and am seeing it again tomorrow (hopefully followed an accompanying post here). As for whether I agree with the several under-12s that were in the cinema during the session I attended, I don't think they should have seen it. Some of it was a little scary for me to look at!

Then tonight's Mediawatch reveals "monstrous marketing Batman!", where, on one page of The Sun-Herald are cross-marketing advertisements with kids magazine, K-zone, for Batman prizes and on the opposite page the reviewer writes "Critic’s warning: Non stop fights and violence. Thanks to the edgy script... the result is obviously not for kids."

Am glad I'm not the only one concerned.

Enough With The False Drama

2005-06-28T00:52:00.000+10:00

I can understand the media circus surrounding Douglas Woods' kidnapping in Iraq. It's a big deal. I'm sure it's something that's going to have an affect on the rest of his life. My issue with the whole thing is the lacklustre interview that Ten reportedly paid him nearly half a million dollars for. Such a big deal was made of the 'world exclusive' that you would expect some shocking details to be revealed.

As he said virtually nothing at any media event upon his arrival back in Australia, it wouldn't be a huge leap to believe it was too horrible to keep recollecting that time for every reporter who shoved a mic in his face. So in a poor attempt at sensationalist journalism Sandra Sulley sat face to face and basically asked questions that appear to have been submitted by primary school students.

As much as I hate to say it, at least 60 Minutes would have gotten down to the nitty-gritty and given him a good drilling, even if it was to prove how smart they are. Even though I can't stand Ray Martin or any of the regular 60 Minutes staff at least they can get an interviewee too speak.

Mediawatch tonight also pointed out that Woods' agents also have dibs on the interview if it is on-sold to international media. I hope he uses the money to rebuild his life, and seeing as though he actually lives in America it was nice of him to return to Australia for the pay check.

Click Click Click

2005-06-28T00:33:00.000+10:00

Woohoo!

The Slayer Library is now 10 000 hits old!

Rove Scores Buffy Double

2005-06-28T00:12:00.000+10:00

If you'd not heard, Anthony Stewart Head and James Marsters will both be appearing on RoveLive tonight.

Sadly, I no longer have access to a TV tuner card, so won't be able to supply captures.

If you happen to be in Melbourne this weekend, you could also see them at the annual Buffy Downunder Convention. I'm not in Melb, thus won't be there. :-(

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive

2005-06-26T01:43:00.000+10:00

I love the random discovery of an interesting show on TV. Having no idea what it's about, but being enthralled enough to stick around and find out. When I flicked past SBS a couple of Saturday's ago and came across what appeared to be a biopic.

Using a combination of archival footage, a 'present day' story line using an actor playing the central figure in his twilight years, and random people bursting into song and turning scenes into musical numbers. The interesting combination of these elements revealed an interesting insight into the life of Harold Arlen.

Now, I can nearly guarantee that name means little to you. I admit to having never heard it before, but his music stands as some of the most influential of the twentieth century. Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen featured the most famous of Arlen's tunes being performed by well known singers to surprisingly talented actors.

See if you recognise any of these titles:

Stormy Weather sung by the still amazing Debbie Harry.
I've Got the World on a String performed skilfully by Hawskley Workman.
Come Rain or Come Shine by the very surprisingly dulcet tones of Sandra Bernhard.
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive performed in a hilarious asylum scene by Eric Mingus.

Sadly the songs I liked the least were performed by Rufus Wainwright (sorry Lisa): I Wonder What Became of Me and It's Only A Paper Moon. I just wanted him to open his mouth! It's something that annoys me. It's not a singing 'style' if no one can understand a single word your uttering. I love his version of Hallelujah, so I have no idea what he was thinking when recording these tunes.

And the most famous of Arlen's songs:

Over the Rainbow performed by the ancient Jimmy Scott is simply stunning and possibly most bitter-sweet interpretation I've heard.

The format of this film was a great way to be introduced into a life I had no idea existed and a talent under appreciated by today's music. I would certainly add the soundtrack for this film to my collection if I came across it.

Yack

2005-06-23T17:18:00.000+10:00

Is Tom Cruise looking to be the next Jack Nicholson?

Lets do some maths.

Tom is slightly less than double Katie's age.

Katie is exactly double Tom's daughter's age.

Tom's year of birth is the reverse of Katie's age.

Perhaps Too 'Un' And Not Enough 'Cut'

2005-06-23T15:58:00.000+10:00

Big Brother. Everyone either loves it or loathes it. I felt during last year that it was starting to show signs of grasping at straws. The house mates were argumentative and some were downright rude, but most still had opinions and views and were actually able to form an argument. This year I was barely able to get through the second week before each and every one of them was irritating me enough to change the channel.

To quote Corinne Grant from last night's The Glass House, if I wanted to see bogans like that I'd go to a nightclub. That is exactly why the ratings are the worst they've been for the past five years. Having all singles in the house was an obvious ploy that was doomed to backfire really. By having people in the house who are in relationships, there's a conflict about them being faithful and also surviving the time away from the loved ones. There is more to gain from having people in relationships, than a bunch of horny singles.

Uncut this year has really pushed the limits of what's acceptable on TV. I've not been able to watch an entire episode, purely by choice. It has always been risqué, but mostly harmless. This year some of what I have seen has verged upon TV porn. I flicked past the end of one recent ep to have this blonde girl in a bath basically doing everything she could with her breasts to get a guys attention (who was doing his best to ignore her). I'm not going to go into the other 'controversial' incidents that have occurred. You can read this Daily Telegraph article about it, and why Big Brother Uncut has been pulled from air.

The other ludicrous thing about Uncut is they broadcast it live. What's the point? It's a compilation of tapes from the previous week, so who cares if Gretle is in the studio when it air, or a week before.

Overall I think this could be the death of BB. The new chief-executive of channel Ten needs to demand the show be overhauled to provide some semblance of entertainment, rather than the excruciating 39 hours of TV a week Ten is currently wasting.

Perspective

2005-06-23T15:47:00.000+10:00

Who do you think is worse off...

Tom Cruise who had a wittle bit o' water squirted on him as part of a practical joke on the red carpet, then threw a public tanty over it.

Leonardo DiCaprio who was rushed to hospital after a drunken woman attacked him with a beer bottle requiring him to get 12 stitches in his head.

That Cell-Phone Guy

2005-06-11T01:00:00.000+10:00

What is the common link between films like the American Pie series, Down to Earth, and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps? They are written, produced and or directed by Paul Weitz. Not really a collection of films to inspire me to see any of his new productions. Thankfully I didn't know this before I went to see In Good Company (btw the site has some great music).

In Good Company is about the unstable world of large corporations and the effect it can have on the people who work within them. The basic concept sounds like a movie I would normally sleep through, but the film turns out to be heartwarmingly watchable. Dennis Quaid plays Dan Foreman, a 51 year old sales executive, who's company has been bought out by a large multi-national, resulting in Dan being demoted and replaced by Topher Grace's Carter Duryea, a hot-shot new up-and-comer who is only half Dan's age.

Most of Dan's former staff are fired and his job is also on the line. Dan's home life is changing also. With two daughters, one of whom is about to move away for college, and the news of a baby on the way, job stability and security is something he needs to fight for.

Quaid plays a very down-to-Earth father and serious businessman. Far more grounded than the 'throw logic into the wind' character that trekked across frozen New York to save his son in The Day After Tomorrow. Weitz has made a good move by casting him against Topher Grace, who's comedic background could have been the demise of this film, actually convinces us that he's a total ass at the start of the film but leaves enough ground for the eventual, and expected, redemption.

What would a film about regular people be without the love story that causes more conflict. Scarlett Johansson plays Alex, Dan's eldest daughter who has just moved to the city to attend college. She meets Carter in the city and the two have the inevitable relationship. All I can say is that everything in In Good Company is handled with a light touch and a sense of grace.

It's not a ground breaking film, although it does deal with with many current issues. It's unlikely to go down in the annals of history as a story that changed the way we think. It is simply a well acted, finely directed film that Weitz should be proud of and that I would recommend to see.

If a film leaves me with a sense of hope, then what more can I ask.

Road To Stardom

2005-06-04T17:01:00.000+10:00

Picture a regional university producing a famous Shakespearian play starring local community actors and being performed in the historical Empire Theatre. A recipe for disaster perhaps. Well, as I know most of the people involved, The Show is a funny little show about people I went to uni with. Over 6 half-hour episodes The Show follows the 'behind the scenes' perspective of a large regional community production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Sadly, it wasn't actually a very good production of Midsummer but, by being there on opening night I managed to, unwittingly, end up in a few shots. So if you want to see my mug on national TV tune into the last couple of episodes of The Show. Sunday at 4:25pm on ABC.

Seven has brought Cirque Du Soleil's: Fire Within back to our screens. Sunday morning at 11:30am.

Also look out for Enough Rope With Andrew Denton this Monday night as he's interviewing Steven Speilberg. Hopefully we'll get some more insight into his latest production, War of the Worlds.

Never Pass A Bargain

2005-06-04T15:37:00.000+10:00

Whilst browsing the soundtracks section of Sanity today I came across the cast recording of Mel Brooks' The Producers. Surprised was I to turn it over and find that it had been marked as $4.99! There is a difference between impulse purchases and seizing the moment. I've heard the main tunes before and knew it sounds like a whole heap of fun. The whole CD is pure Brooks; the rhythm of the lyrics and the dialect are unique to his comedy and writing.

Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane have such distinct voices that I'd be interested to hear how other performers bring life to the roles.

I haven't seen the show yet. I hope to make it to Sydney in August to see Sydney Theatre Company's revival of the Australian musical Summer Rain, which a friend of mine is working on, and would love to make a weekend of it and see The Producers as well. With Reg Livermore, Tom Burlinson and good ol' Burt Newton it'd be a blast.

A Ratio of Aspect

2005-06-02T22:54:00.000+10:00

This is one of my long time teeth grinding topics. Ye olde TV versus the aspect ratio of the item being viewed. My point of view could be summed up in a sentence: everything should be screened in it's original format.

Today I picked up the first season of The O.C. on DVD on-special. How disappointed was I to discover that it's a butchered 'pan and scan - full screen' version. What can the manufacturers of these DVDs be thinking that when someone hands over cash for their product that we don't want to actually get the whole product!

Is it selfish of me to want to watch ALL of something. It made me think of other films and TV shows I've been suckered into buying only to find out 15% of the film is missing. I think the worst one was Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. And then they had the hide to re-release it in wide-screen format bundled with the CD. Chances are anyone who was interested in buying the 'whole' movie would already have the CD, which meant handing over more cash for something I already had.

I can understand some people having allergic reactions at the terrifying sight of black bars on the top and bottom of their TV screens, but who goes the the movies and has a panic attack at the fact that it's so very wide.

"OMG! Make it thinner!"

I know I'm crossing wires by talking about films and TV shows, but they came to an agreement that 16:9 would be the standard wide-screen. Most movies are filmed in that ratio (big budget epics use full 2.35:1). So they're not that different. Kinda.

So, back to TV. Most prime-time dramas are filmed wide-screen, yet local commercial analogue networks rarely air anything in it's original format. There is the argument that they are going to force me to cross over to digital to enjoy this wide world of wonders, but I'll get to that another time. I have seen, on my normal analogue TV, shows aired in their wide-screen format. ER is one show that I've seen with the evil black bars, Star Trek Enterprise is another. Nine seems to have the couple of shows that are wide-screen, but neither Ten nor Seven seem to be able to keep the bars up.

Thank the stars for ABC and SBS. Both aren't afraid of the black bars. SBS even manages to air films in 2.35:1, which helps greatly with subtitle space.

So my question to the producers of DVD TV packs is: why do you not sell us the product we are looking for?

We would never be happy about buying a car only to find it has no doors, nor would we be accepting of a book that was missing three lines off each page.

Give me my whole viewing pleasure or simply don't bother trying!

Sniff Cough

2005-06-01T15:07:00.000+10:00

It seems I am being punished. I was away for four days before and during last weekend, and what do I come back with? A burning throat, chest that's filling up with unspeakable fluids and a temperature that could fry eggs. Two days of nothing haven't stemmed the tide, and tonight I must face hoards of small children at work. Fun...

Another gem I brought back from my trip was the CD of the Broadway show Avenue Q. I'd heard of it but knew nothing about it. I found out that it won 3 Tony Awards in 2004 and is very popular. So much that it's started a run in Las Vegas. What's it about? A bunch of 'muppet'-esque puppets who live in a very cheap apartment block and what they get up to. It's not a show for kiddies even though it may appear that way on the surface. My closest analogy is that it's a cross between Sesame Street, Rent and South Park. The music is very catchy and very 'musical'. It's not at all politically correct, and strives to point out how rediculous some of the things we do today are. With songs lyrics like "It sucks to be me" and "The more you love someone, the more you want to kill them" it's bound to have you smiling.

Brought Forward

2005-05-19T23:09:00.000+10:00

The release date for the Firefly movie spin-off Serenity has been bumped forward to September 29. The November 17 release was campaigned against by Browncoats Downunder.

The move makes sense, put an extra two weeks between Serenity and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

The Sound of One Hand Writing

2005-05-19T22:05:00.000+10:00

I find it rather satisfying to write the old fashioned way. You remember - with a pen. If I'm not in the mood to slouch in front of my laptop I get out a fountain pen and scrawl on some lined paper.

Tonight I discovered an amazing benefit to handwriting posts. While staring blankly at the page trying to think of another word for 'wicked', holding the pen in my right hand (yes, I'm right dominant), I found my left hand able to focus solely on transporting chips from the bowl to my mouth! I've tried typing with one hand and eating and it just doesn't work.

I've found more incentive to handwrite my posts first. Wonders will never cease.

What'd I Miss?

2005-05-18T22:41:00.000+10:00

I've read a few meme posts, and I find them a little too self indulgent. Most of them are questions I don't really want answered about the bloggers I read. I was challenged to respond to this question by Lisa, and it actually got me thinking. I can list the things I've done quite easily. Looking at her list I ticked off in my head all the things that I'd done and she hadn't: Camping, driving, cycling, horse-riding, rollercoasting, and hospitalisation. Yet, trying to think of things I'd not experienced was a conundrum. So after some contemplation I came up with a list of 10 things I've not done.

Have never died
Never been out of Australia.
Never seen any film featuring Orson Welles.
Never eaten crocodile or kangaroo (nor do I own them as pets...)
Have never experienced real snow.
Never been nervous meeting famous people.
Never worked in fast food or retail.
Never had a $300 mobile bill.
Never had to fire anyone.
Thankfully, I've never been arrested.

Once I got started the things I haven't done just started pouring out. I need to get out and do more. I think I'll start delivering pizza.

In the spirit of chain-mail guilt perhaps Draic, Muzekez or Onanymous would like to share?

Footloose In Footnotes

2005-05-14T23:55:00.000+10:00

How many modern novels can you read today that use footnotes? Few. How many use them effectively without jolting you out of the story? Fewer. I wonder why this is. Footnotes aren't terribly hard to create. This made me think about what other novels I've read recently that may have benefited from a clever use of footnotes. The most obvious series I can recall is Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. I think that if the word explanations were an aside as a footnote they would have been rather charming. Sunny's unintelligible gabblings would have fitted perfectly out of the actual text.

I think it is time for the footnotes' return to popular culture. As long as they are put on the same page as the text being referenced. I hate having to thumb through pages of footnotes at the back of a book while in the middle of a sentence.

Someone who uses footnotes to great effect is Jonathan Stroud in The Amulet of Samarkand (book one of The Bartimaeus Trilogy). It is the story of a 5000 year old demon who is summoned by a young boy to do his bidding. There is intrigue, murder, and mayhem following the actions of these two unlikely allies. Nathaniel is an apprenticed magician to a lower ranked government magician, and seeks to take revenge on his master for ill treatment. Events turn for the worse very quickly and Bartimaeus gets the upper hand. He learns Nathaniel's true name, thus giving him power over his master.

I was recommended Amulet by a number of people, and thus began with book with slightly unreasonable expectations. For the first third of the book I wasn't able to connect with the story. The footnote asides in the Bartimaeus story weren't working for me and the boy seemed petulant most of the time. It wasn't until Bartimaeus, in a footnote, explained the reason for the footnotes that something in my brain clicked and I began to like the characters and the book.

Telling the story from both Nathaniel and Bartimaeus' perspectives is a very good way of presenting a plot. The different perspectives contrast in an interesting way to put a good spin on each impossible situation.

By half-way through the story has picked up pace and is steaming toward the inevitable climax. The conspiracy in the government of some powerful magicians is slowly revealed and draws the reader in. I read the climactic chapters until about 4 in the morning.

I think Bartimaeus and Nathaniel have the potential to carry well into a series, and I look forward to getting my hands on The Golem's Eye.

A Little Time Out

2005-05-14T01:48:00.000+10:00

There is a very good reason why it's better if I'm not allowed out of the house. I tend to buy things I don't really need. Well I convince myself at the time of purchase that I need them, but later realise that I should be more restrained.

Today resulted in the purchase of Smallville season 1 for $30 at Big W, and the forthcoming TV series 'event' on Nine, Steven Spielberg Presents: Taken. I'm rather confused by this whole Taken deal. Video Ezy has had it for hire for months now. I saw it in standard retail stores today and picked it up at half the retail price from Video Ezy. Yet, it still hasn't aired on the network who bought it. Now, I know that it's unlikely to affect ratings on the show, but I always thought the networks had serious deals so they had dibs on when and how people in this country view imported shows. Firefly was the same. Released for retail sale months before it's free-to-air run in the middle of the night.

I also bought The Wizard: A Secret History by Alan Baker. Only $5 and looked interesting. Bargain bins rule!

Rainbow Vomit

2005-05-14T00:44:00.000+10:00

I can say that I'm not overly familiar with Bollywood films. I'm familiar with the concepts and am aware of how huge an industry they are, but as I live in isolated-ville I've not been exposed to any mainstream Bollywood films.

So tonight's DVD was a treat. Bride and Prejudice is a comparitively short, Americanised version of a Bollywood film. Directed by Bend It Like Beckham's Gurinder Chadha, Bride is a fanfare of love, family and above all else singing and dancing!

I rather enjoyed this trip down innocence lane. The colours were dazzling. The music was energetic. The extras were excited. The love was pure very G rated.

The best way to enjoy this film is to have fun with it and laugh.

It's good for you.

Take Down The Tent

2005-05-11T16:57:00.000+10:00

It's official.

Carnivale is d-e-d dead.

Wowsa

2005-05-11T16:09:00.000+10:00

While writing that last post I had my DVD database open and it got me wondering about how much TV I have on DVD. Now, comparitively it's not that much to other's collections, but when I added up the sum of hours I was a little surprised.

If I sat down and intended to watch every minute of every disk I had I'd not be able to do anything by watch TV for 14 days straight. 340 hours of TV on 124 disks. Sounds like a challenge!

Am I Immune

2005-05-11T15:23:00.000+10:00

Ten have been hounding us with adverts for the premiere airing of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones this coming Sunday night. The ad is filled with images from both Attack and the soon to be released Revenge of the Sith. I was asked, during one of the adverts, why I don't own any Star Wars on DVD. It got me thinking about my DVD collection and how I rationalise what I buy.

For starters there are a lot of impulse must-haves. Lord of the Rings and Harry Potters are unquestionable. I have a bunch of 'action blockbusters', and also a few less popular but more worthy films like Donnie Darko and Amelie. Then I came to realise that the majority of the films I own have been released the last ten years. In fact only ten films (of 123 DVDs) were released before 1995 (West Side Story, The Sound of Music, and The Neverending Story, for example). It made me wonder whether I'm a sucker for hype and look forward and not back.

I could say the same about my TV DVDs. Buffy, Angel, Firefly, The West Wing, Futurama, Cowboy Bebop, Dark Angel, Millennium and CSIare all relatively recent products. With TV it's always about the new. New series, new episode, brand new, extremely new, so new. It's all about the now. New is good, don't get me wrong, but I don't think we need to be told quite so often. Much to others chagrin I tape most of the TV shows that I enjoy. It gives me the opportunity to go back and re-watch the character development and catch clues that I'd not noticed before. So it stops being new, and moves into comfortable familiarity. So why is this something I can't carry over to films.

In no way am I not a fan of older films. I frequently sit up through the witching hour watching a black and white classic on ABC that hasn't seen the light of day since the 50s. SBS is repeating its Stanley Kubrick festival at the moment (A Clockwork Orange tonight at 10pm) and I tune in to watch, if not all, at least some of it. But movies on TV are a whole other kettle of fish.

Perhaps the reason I don't own the original Star Wars isn't because I am resisting letting into the hype of the new films. I think, in some bizarre way, they are cheapening the legacy of the original. And I'm sure I'll be slapped by any serious fan of Star Wars by saying that.

No doubt I'll watch Attack of the Clones, as I've not seen it since it's time at the cinema, and I'll likely make a trip to see the new one once it opens and the crowds dissipate.

More News Than You Could Poke A Wand At

2005-05-09T02:12:00.000+10:00

There's been a lot of movement at the Potter station this weekend:

MuggleNet has released not one, but two new high quality galleries of images from the forthcoming Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire.

Harry looks a little to much like Frodo with glasses in this picture and I think Ron may be going through some gender issues.

The trailer for GOF was released online this weekend sometime after the airing of the GOF special on ABC America. You can catch it at Apple like every other film’s trailer at the moment.

Along with a new poster:

And a new Goblet of Fire website. Doesn't have much of anything yet unfortunately.

It’s a big year for stop motion animation this year: Tim Burton’s new film, The Corpse Bride’s trailer is worth a look, and you can also read an in-depth set visit article

A vegetarian horror film. Sounds like Wallace and Gromit to me! The Curse of the Warerabbit is the Wallace & Gromit spin on Hitchcock thriller films.

Several reviews from the USA screenings of Serenity last week are over at Ain’t It Cool News. Only one reviewer posted spoilers, but thankfully labelled them. This is the film that I am looking forward to the most this year, and have faith that it will deliver the goods.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe trailer has been released. Sadly, I wasn’t able to view it in Firefox for some strange, unknown reason.

With only two seasons filmed, it looks as though HBO have cancelled Carnivale. The second season hasn’t aired here yet, but I’m guessing there haven’t been too many questions answered and a whole lot more have been posed. I feel like going off on a ‘how typical to stop such an interesting show mid-story’ blurge, but I’m saving us all the misery.

If you haven’t heard, and chances are if you care you already would have, is that Dr. Who is returning to our TV screens, and I don’t mean in repeats. It’s a new series and the Dr. is without scary curly hair. Catch it on ABC at 7:30pm Saturday May 21st.

Hellboy 2 is likely to start shooting in January 2006. Good news I say.

Other films that have sparked an interest are Aeon Flux, and Sin City.

I caught the trailers for Bewitched, Madagascar, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Herbie last week at the cinema. Bewitched was only a teaser, but made me worried about Will Ferrel as Darryn. Madagascar was a full trailer and actually looked amusing, which the previous teaser trailers didn't. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was excellent, and I loved the new Oompa Loompa song! I love all the old Herbie films, and will likely go see this new version simply to reminisce.

Unlimited Impossibilities

2005-05-02T22:33:00.000+10:00

I'm currently in the motion of trying to come up with a brilliant and exciting new design for my blog. I've been contemplating this for many months now, and haven't found the inspiration I've been searching for.

I've pondered; I've doodled; I've photoshopped; All to no avail thus far. In some vain hope of finding said inspiration I head to blogskins.com, and become disenchanted by the amount of trash.

For me, my blog is about the text. So, the design should support what my text is about and somehow be a reflection of me. So it must say something about me that I'm restricted to the standard templates?

On a more satisfying note, Draic linked me this comic strip about the Serenity screenings.

She'll Rewind Again

2005-05-02T22:16:00.000+10:00

Like a phoenix from the ashes, Tru Calling has been resurrected. To my great surprise Eliza Dushku's ill-fated series is back and nearly in Buffy's ol' time-slot, Tuesday at 11:30pm. I'll have to dig out that video tape and dust it off to have it ready for when I get home from work.

Pleased am I that it is back, but my faith in Seven completing the series is still lacking.

Whoops

2005-05-01T00:34:00.000+10:00

How very bad of me. It was my blogs birthday on Tuesday last week, and I didn't get it anything.

Another Message From Beyond

2005-05-01T00:14:00.000+10:00

This email from Joss makes me slightly envious...

Well.

It gets better.

As thus: The movie is very nearly finished. You've seen many pretty images in the trailer. But I've still got work to do and you've still got months before you can see it.

Unless.

And, no, I'm not talking Australia (but Hi, Australia! anyway), I'm talking here in the more-or-less-United States, a one time multi-city Browncoat sneak event. Thursday, May 5th at 10:00 pm, the movie (Serenity! Pay attention! Jeez.) will be playing at exactly 10 theaters in 10 cities across the country. You (or possibly someone much like you) (or possibly a robot EXACTLY like you, but with better manners and sonic arm-lasers, sent to take your place) will be able to buy a ticket to see Serenity months in advance. Not just the bitty trailer with not enough Kaylee and Book, but the whole film, in its extremely almost completed state.

You probably have some questions. How is this possible? What cities exactly will it be in? What are these changes my body is going through? All valid. It's possible because some clown put a bunch of Universal execs in a theater full of Browncoats and dude, they came out SWEATING, they never seen energy like that. They loved it, and even though they were already wicked supportive of the movie (see: earlier posts re: we're making the movie) they simply weren't ready for you guys. When I whinged on about pushing the date and everyone here was posting about "what do we do till September", they agreed to let me sneak it out.

Maybe they thought it was a fluke. Maybe they wanna see if people really do care about the flick. Or maybe they're just treating us with respect and kindness, though that last option confuses and terrifies me as much as these changes my body is going through (I'm "perspiring" and becoming "interested in girls", which believe me is very unsettling when you're 40.) Does it matter? The plan works for me, and it can work for a select bunch of y'all. Here's what I know:

The cities to be hit are:

Seattle
Austin
Sacramento
Boston
Altanta
Chicago
San Francisco
Las Vegas
Denver
The Portland of Oregon

If you're in or near one of those, you might wanna stop by. There's supposed to be a "Can't Stop the Signal" page on this website (I don't know where it is -- hey, I remembered my damn password, doesn't that buy me any cred?) There should be more info there soon about how to get in, bringing peeps into the fold, I think there's even competetions and stuff. (All I know is I have exactly 20 Brownie points. I answered ONE triv Q and got it wrong. Forget cred. I have no cred.) Now a couple of us might just creep into one of those major metropolitan multiplexes to see if anyone does show up, so remember: swearing in Chinese ONLY.

All right. This will please the fans and satisfy the employers of Joss Whedon, so I must stop as my arm-lasers are getting tired. I politely thank you for your attention.

Should be fun.

-j.

Trailer Park

2005-04-27T13:37:00.000+10:00

I've finally gotten off my butt and found my login details for the Browncoats, and got the link for the Serenity trailer. It looks fantastic! Well worth patiently downloading. Strangely it's not yet linked to from the Serenity official website.

If you want to download the trailer click this link. This is the smallest version, as I've a very slow connection, I can find the other links on request.

A Serious Read

2005-04-27T00:27:00.000+10:00

Take hundreds of Spaniards add an aniversary of a favourite 400 year old book and what do you have?

48 hours of the quietest celebration in history.

Slightly Parched

2005-04-26T00:09:00.000+10:00

I'd not really heard much about Sahara other than seeing the poster at the cinema and online. Matthew McConaughey isn't someone I usually go see willingly, and Penelope Cruz doesn't exactly have a high standing in my eyes. So strangely enough, I wander to the cinema and hand over my money for Sahara.

I like adventure films, hunting for hidden treasures, and unlocking age-old secrets, but there haven't been many recently that have invoked the sense of joy and adventure that I truly seek in this type of film. National Treasure was very blah, and that's the only one I can recall seeing since Pirates of the Caribbean.

Sahara is a visually rich film. It would have to be with the stunning locations featured throughout. The desert is going to look great no matter what you do to it.

I think McConaughey has the potential to become the new perfect-teeth-action-hero. He has the on-screen charisma that translated well, his relationship with co-star Steve Zahn made the movie bearable. The was no chemistry between McConaughey and Cruz at all. Their whole relationship felt forced and fake. The closing shot of the movie was a testament to how wrong the whole relationship was.

On a good note, I liked the mythology they were trying to explore. The plot also included a sub-plot, which actually became the main plot for most of the film, about the local population of Lagos falling ill to some unknown ailment. It's just a shame that all of these weren't tied together very well.

I did enjoy Sahara for it's entertainment value, but felt a little cheated that it didn't have the soul of films like Indian Jones.

The Name Game

2005-04-25T01:05:00.000+10:00

I loved working on the show I've just finished, but one part of it drove me a little insane. Through some bizarre turn of events this show had an abnormal amount of people with the same name. I will list all the duplicate names here simply for my own amusement.

Peter, Peter, Peter, Craig, Craig, Phil, Phil, Phil, Lawrie, Laurie, Ross, Ross, Ross, Roz (which counts cause it sounds like Ross), Janet and Janette, Lucy and a character called Lucy.

As if I wasn't insane enough already.

Gravity's Great

2005-04-24T23:45:00.000+10:00

Denzel Washington complains that the most dristracting thing to happen during a theatre performance is for a mobile phone to ring. Indeed it is. He should have the theatre run an announcement like we do telling the audience to make sure their phones are off before each performance. Which is rather amusing when you see 500 people all go for their phones at once.

The other thing the article mentions is that he only earns $1700 a week rather than the usual $20mil. Poor dear.

Left Behind

2005-04-24T23:23:00.000+10:00

This Zap2it article will explain all about the new Joss Whedon film Serenity for those who aren't yet familiar with the series Firefly.

Super-sleuth Muzekez tells me there's a screening of Serenity in Sydney this Wendesday at 6pm. Now I just have to find out exactly where and come up with a master plan of how to get into it. Maybe a crafty disguise.

Now It's Friday

2005-04-24T18:14:00.000+10:00

Jasper Fforde's new book, The Big Over Easy : A Nursery Crime, is available for pre-order on Amazon.com. A departure from the Thursday Next series, The Big Over Easy follows Jack Spratt on his trail to find who's responsible for the murdered Humpty Stuyvesant Van Dumpty III, minor baronet, ex-convict, and former millionaire philanthropist, found shattered to death beneath a wall.

Sounds like a fun book and an interesting new character.

More Music

2005-04-24T01:51:00.000+10:00

I find it rewarding to be a recipient of the e-newsletters I subscribe to. Even though I tend to only glance over them, and delete most, it's the occassional email that keeps my patience virtuous.

Kelly at Buffy Collector, just let me know that the new soundtrack for Angel is available for preorder at amazon.com. Something to look forward to. It should be available here by the end of next year...