One Month to Star Trek (2009)
April 8th, 2009
On May 8th, 2009 Star Trek (2009) opens in theaters. That’s only a month away. Judging from what I’ve been reading online a lot of people are looking forward to this new take on the Star Trek franchise. I’m not one of them. Oh, I’ll be seeing it on the big screen. I might even go out of my way to see it opening night. But I’m not excited for it. As has been the case with every Star Trek movie I’ve remained as unspoiled as possible. I’ve seen the pictures and watched the trailers. That’s it.
And frankly, I’m not sure what to think.
Should Terminator Get a Third Season?
April 3rd, 2009
Join Lower Decks as two of our writers tackle the question of whether FOX’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles should be renewed for a third season. They’ll each present their cases and then open the floor to comments.
Quinn – Yes, It Should
I review this show here at Lower Decks, and so I’ve seen and analyzed every episode of this season. And this show is good. Not just in an “exciting” way – it is written well, acted well, and it has been planned well. There is inner continuity and emotion that you don’t find on “action” shows. Like I’ve said in my reviews and on the Observation Lounge, this isn’t “24 with Terminators” – it’s a lot closer to “LOST with Terminators.”
And, yes, it can be that good at times.
Farewell to Galactica – Analyzing the Series
March 25th, 2009
(Second of Two Parts)
On Monday I talked about the moment during the Battlestar Galactica series finale when, for lack of a better term, the final episode went off the rails. Simply put, when Cavil agreed to give up Hera in return for resurrection technology, my enjoyment of “Daybreak (2)” began to peter out. By the time the episode ended I was actively not enjoying it. Why? Because what I was watching at that moment wasn’t the Battlestar Galactica I had started watching in January of 2005.
Farewell to Galactica – Analyzing the Finale
March 23rd, 2009
(First of Two Parts)
It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me — or my views and opinions regarding Battlestar Galactica over the years — that I found the series finale disappointing. More specifically, I felt it was maddeningly frustrating. I won’t go as far as to suggest it was insulting to me as a viewer, because I don’t take my television that seriously.
Over the past few weeks as the series was winding down I’ve had time to reconsider my feelings about the show. And while I still maintain that many of my complaints about the series are legitimate, I’m now able to see things in a new light. More on that tomorrow, however. Today, I’m going to discuss when and how I feel the finale went wrong.
As disappointing as the finale was, in all fairness I felt the first hour (“Daybreak, Part 2″) was terrific, following as it did the events in the previous episode (“Daybreak, Part 1″). Having a specific mission at hand kept mindless chatter to a minimum, although flashbacks still managed to occasionally interrupt the flow of the episode.
Farewell to Galactica – A Tribute
March 18th, 2009
As one of the milestone sci-fi series of the first decade in the new millennium, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ deserves all the accolades and a pat on the back as it concludes its run this Friday. While I wasn’t one of its biggest supporters (nor ever one of its rabid detractors), I can recognize the considerable achievement of the project that began under such intense controversy but has long passed the point where it has become considered to be one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows today, genre or otherwise. It has come to redefine geek cool.
Farewell to Galactica – My Story
March 17th, 2009
I’m sure there are those at the Observation Lounge who, after reading my latest complaints about Battlestar Galactica, have asked themselves why I keep watching when I obviously don’t enjoy the show. I’d like to be able to say that Ronald D. Moore sneaks into my house every Friday night and holds a gun to my head so I’ll watch Battlestar Galactica but I can’t because that would be libel. In my defense, I actually did stop watching three episodes into Season Four. But more on that later.
Ten Ways to Fix Heroes
March 5th, 2009
With the recent news that NBC seems intent on bringing Heroes back for a fourth season it seems like the perfect time to suggest a few ways to fix what has become a very broken series. Over at the Observation Lounge we have a round table going on how to fix Heroes. I selfishly suggested that the first step should be reviving Elle, allowing Kristen Bell to return.
Here are ten serious suggestions.
Preview – LOST Season 5 Premiere
January 20th, 2009
I know that forst has done a great job getting people ready for the LOST premiere tomorrow night, but as the guy who will be reviewing LOST for you this season, I wanted to get you ready in my own way. So, if you dare, come in for a completely-spoiler-free look at season 5. I’ll recap what’s previously happened and maybe speculate a bit on where the show is going.
Reflections on 2008: Television
January 16th, 2009
This is the third in our three-part “Reflections on 2008″ series. We asked all of our writers, both those on staff and our wonderful contributors a look back at the past year in comics, movies and television. In this edition, four of our writers reflect on the television shows they watched and enjoyed (or detested) during 2008.
Waterloo – Contributing Writer
2008 was the year that confirmed genre television since Lost has changed for me. Eli Stone had a lawyer finding justice with the help of visions, and while most of it was certainly about solving cases the elements that saw Eli deal with what he quickly realized had afflicted his father were a worthy successor to Joan of Arcadia; Heroes continued to view crimefighters out of costume, and while a good portion of the audience grew more skeptical, I’ve only grown more fascinated, perhaps because I’m more of a DVD watcher than a first-run fan of this particular show, where the flow can be better felt; Fringe redefined the unknown elements of our world, emerging first as a new child of J.J. Abrams but quietly building its own, shall we say, massive dynamics; Life on Mars dumped a cop into the 1970s, working the same kind of mojo as Eli Stone with a cast of actors known for other roles or other screens but led boldly by Jason O’Mara, who has finally found a starring role; and of course, Lost became cool again. I personally couldn’t ask for more.
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Negative Review of Star Trek (2009) Leads to Nastiness
May 6th, 2009
I’ve never been one to place much stock in reviews, whether they’re for television shows, movies, music or even restaurants. So it doesn’t bother me at all that Star Trek (2009) has been given one of its first negative reviews by Armond White for New York Press. White calls the movie “watchable, yet still terrible cinema” and lambastes it for applying television principles to the big screen. I’ll admit to not entirely understanding what he’s complaining about.
I do, however, completely understand the comments posted at Rotten Tomatoes in response to the review. And they disgust me.
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