What Are You Watching?

[Shadow Archon]

Well, I'm currently in the middle of an anime series. Attack on Titan.



While the season isn't done yet, the characterization and pacing have been excellent. They tend to be bit too dramatic sometimes, becoming a bit cheesy here and there, but for when it counts, the drama is fine.

[sandwich_bird]

I started watching that show after seeing your post Shadow Archon. It's kinda disturbing... but really good!

[TheEconomist]

O Japan

[Gradius]

Looking forward to:



Don't care what anyone says, since I don't know you guys in real life, but TVD is one of the best shows on TV, and this is going to be an awesome offshoot.



Only interested because this seems like the first decent sci-fi in forever, but it looks like it'll just end up being a copy of Lost/Hunger Games.

[Hawki]

Don't care what anyone says, since I don't know you guys in real life,

But...but this is real life isn't it? I...wait a minute...what's that outside my window? And since when did I get a window? And what's casting that light? That...thing in the sky. Well, I'll just take a peek and-

Only interested because this seems like the first decent sci-fi in forever, but it looks like it'll just end up being a copy of Lost/Hunger Games.

Now that I've recovered my eyesight, recovered from sunburn, and had my window replaced by a wall, I can look at the trailer. It's...well, kinda looks okay, but since you've mentioned copying, my mind fell into the game of "spot the reference." So, hence, the game of spotting every possible reference that could possibly exist in the realm of possibility:

Edit: I made a list of every possible parallel I could spot, but it felt disingenuous. Why? Well, because of another CW show that linked from the above trailer:



Yeah...can someone say "X-Men?"

Edit 2: Though following the trailers further, I suppose Star-Crossed could have some promise. And hey, it did give us Arrow.

[DemolitionSquid]

You are all bad, and you should feel bad. I need to cleanse this thread with the purifying light of Ray Donovan.

[Quirel]

But yes, seatbelts. They got my attention. And it goes to show that we poor 21st century primitives have got nothing on safety - why buckle your own seatbelts when the seatbelts can do it for you?

Still not enough safety for my tastes.
If you really cared about safety, the ship wouldn't have a 'bridge' so much as a collection of one-man titanium nests in the heart of the ship, linked together with a quadruply-redundant communications network. Each titanium nest would have its own independent life support, and each bridge officer would be wearing a flight suit rated for several hours of hard vacuum, with a miniaturized medical suite to repair injuries. And the keyboard/computer screen setup would be replaced with haptic interfaces and an Oculus Rift.

Oh, and Engineering? Same setup, with telepresence robots being used to effect repairs.

...
...
Waddya mean that sounds boring?

That's a really good point. In fact, come to think of it, if the Federation's worried about war with the klingons, why doesn't it just present its deterrent that they can strike the Empire anywhere, anytime with this technology?

Because it relies on surprise. There's actually ways to jam teleporters, and even protect entire planets. It's kind of like what the Cold War could have been like if anti-missile defenses were perfected before ICBMs.

Of course, that doesn't prevent you from beaming several hundred meteorites into stationary positions over Kronos and letting gravity have her way.

Anyhow... Man of Steel

Superman is the most boring superhero (yeah, there's probably worse ones, but they're all C-listers) and it takes a lot for me to even pick up one of his comics... but that doesn't mean that he can't be used well.

This movie? Oh Hell yes.

This time around, the movie is aware of how unrealistic Superman is, but they're playing it straight and making it work. Superman's name and his symbol were nicely lampshaded, but used well. Clark Kent is too much of a humble Kansas farmboy to call himself Superman, so others bestow the name upon him. His symbol is a Kryptonian symbol for hope (Is there something similar in the comics, or has it always been 'S for Superman'?) that coincidentally happens to look like an S.

My only complaint was how boring the superhero origin story was at times. Great editing saved it by spreading it throughout the movie via flashbacks, so we didn't have to sit through it all at once.

Anyhoo, Russel Crowe was great as Jor-El, and Micheal Shannon was awesome as General Zod. And Faora... hottest female character ever to star in a superhero movie, hands down.

Aside from that? Kryptonian technology looks awesome, fights were well-done (though the final beatdown with Zod was too long) and the dialog was well-paced and well-written.

[Turalyon]

^ The only reason Star Trek doesn't show the more practical uses of some of this technology in military practice was because the humans in Star Trek are somewhat pacifistic and egalitarian. They probably and genuinely didn't think of it in military terms hence no using teleporting beams to destroy ships or transporting bombs and the crappy design of exposed bridges and such. On the other hand, Star Trek's mirror universe equivalent of the Federation, the Terran Empire, is supposedly the most advanced, feared, evil and dominating force so we might expect them to be abusing such tech one would imagine. Come to think of it, having the mirror universe humans as antagonists would make for a cool Trek movie.

As for Superman, haven't seen it yet but looking forward to it. Most of the critics are griping that it's too "dark" and that Supes doesn't have any charm - I don't care, just give me the action! Not sure about Superman being the most boring since one could milk the angle that he's more alien than human and vice versa to kingdom come not to mention all the angst and stoicism that either can bring. Just needs a good writer is all.

[Hawki]

So, seen two more films since last posting. So, rambling on:

The Great Gatsby

A film I'd call "good" on my scale. Undoubtedly flawed, and primarily because of the fact that for quite awhile, the film moves much too quickly. Once it slows down, once its visuals can be allowed to sink in rather than being thrown in our faces, the movie benefits for it. And as bland as Toby McGuire is (which makes him the perfect choice to play Nick I guess), deCaprio makes for a...well, "great Gatsby." All in all, good film. Has far more heart than the earlier adaptation I saw way back in secondary school, and IMO, communicates its message better.

The Hunt

Another film I'd call "good" as per my scale. Still, if I'd have to sum it up in a single word, I'd call it "harrowing." The good kind of harrowing, but it makes it the kind of film one can't sit down and expect to casually enjoy.

Not too much else to say, as there isn't really anything I can pick out specifically. It's in a position where I'm not sure whether I can call narrative choices pros or cons, as they're open to interpretation as to whether they benefit the movie or take away from it. Still, like I said, "good."

Star Trek

Because it relies on surprise. There's actually ways to jam teleporters, and even protect entire planets. It's kind of like what the Cold War could have been like if anti-missile defenses were perfected before ICBMs.

Except those examples are all from the 24th century, whereas the films still take place in the 23rd century. And as per said continuity, the klingons don't have an excuse for a buff in tech.

Of course, that doesn't prevent you from beaming several hundred meteorites into stationary positions over Kronos and letting gravity have her way.

But while klingons don't have a buff, I'd like to think they'd have the tech to prevent meteorites from hitting their planet...said planet being apparently undefended in Into Darkness notwithstanding.

Come to think of it, having the mirror universe humans as antagonists would make for a cool Trek movie.

I'm inclined to disagree there. Thing is, we've had Trek movies play the nemesis/mirror darkly angle before - Wrath of Khan (Khan), Nemesis (Shinzon) and, I would argue, Into Darkness also (Khan...again...). The mirror universe characters work well enough in TV episodes, but when movies have played the angle so many times already, I think mirror universe characters would just be hitting it over the head with that.

At the least, assuming Star Trek XIII deals with the Federation-Klingon Empire issue (which, knowing Abrams, will likely be a rehash of The Undiscovered Country), I don't think we'll get the nemesis angle anytime soon. If the movies do continue beyond that, I'm personally hoping for the borg - y'know, let that Federation tech that should exist actually be used for a foe that would warrant it.

[Turalyon]

I'm inclined to disagree there. Thing is, we've had Trek movies play the nemesis/mirror darkly angle before - Wrath of Khan (Khan), Nemesis (Shinzon) and, I would argue, Into Darkness also (Khan...again...). The mirror universe characters work well enough in TV episodes, but when movies have played the angle so many times already, I think mirror universe characters would just be hitting it over the head with that.

I wasn't necessarily saying it had to be "Kirk vs mirror Kirk" though I'd imagine if such a route were to be taken it would take some serious acting to portray a mirrored version of oneself without being hammy and outright villainous. Unlike Khan or Shinzon, a mirror Kirk potentially has more scope than just pure antagonism.

At the least, assuming Star Trek XIII deals with the Federation-Klingon Empire issue (which, knowing Abrams, will likely be a rehash of The Undiscovered Country), I don't think we'll get the nemesis angle anytime soon. If the movies do continue beyond that, I'm personally hoping for the borg - y'know, let that Federation tech that should exist actually be used for a foe that would warrant it.

Meh, Klingons and Borg have been done to death. The Borg especially. If you want Borg, just see First Contact.

I'd like the new Star Trek to actually try different things like alternate universes instead of the bloody straight-up time travel crap they always inevitably wind up doing. The mirror universe is one way to go about it and although episodes about it were often well-regarded, there weren't actually many of them such that if a movie about it was made, writers are not beholden to stick to any one particular interpretation of it. I could also imagine the Q continuum being a part of these shenanigans, too.