Well, this started out as being at the very least, a weekly updated blog. But seeing as how I have no time in which to do this, these posts will only come when I want to. Or when something amazing happens. Like last week.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The name may turn some people off, and the content is not for everyone. Some people have a problem with the cheesiness of the program, and I do admit, it is a bit old school. But I personally enjoy this series immensely.
But as I was watching Buffy last week, (I am now in the 5th season) something incredible happened.
I cried.
Up til now I've prided myself on two things.
1. Never falling alseep during a movie/TV. And...
2. Never crying during a movie/TV.
Well, the second is now a moot point.
The episode entitled, "The Body", was what trigered the reaction. For those of you who have not seen it, I will try not to give anything away. But Buffy's mother dies in this episode. Now, Joice Summers was not a regular character, but she was beloved by all. She didn't have a significant role in the slayage, she rarely left the house, but she was always there, ready to lend a hand and advice to Buffy and the Scooby's. And then the untimely demise.
In the story, Joice had just gone through a bout with a brain tumor, and it seemed as though she had recovered fine. She came back home, went back to work, and as the previous episode showed, even started dating again. Life was back to normal. Which was part of the genius. No one was expecting it. It was sudden.
I'm not going to talk too much about the story, basically the entire episode was a bunch of shell-shocked people trying to figure out what just happened. The acting was incredible. I give high points to all the cast members. The way thay all pulled off the emotions and produced the tears, moved me in the same way. But it was the way in which the episode was filmed and edited that got me the most.
Written and Directed by the series creater, Joss Whedon, the entire episode had no music. Most times that's a huge no-no in hollywood, but it worked to great proportions here. At times when you expected the music to swell and help the scene along, there was silence, and despair filled the screen. As Buffy herself is left alone in the house with her mothers body lying on the floor, it was silent. Nothing. Just raw, pure emotion.
I teared up very near the beginning, but it doesn't count as crying unless they excape my eyes and roll down the cheek. Finally, the one scene that brought it on. Buffy's friends, Xander, Willow, Anya and Tara are standing around, talking about what is going to happen. It was a long scene, but I didn't notice. As each character had their breakdown in tears, it was Anya's emotions that finally clinched it for me. Again, I won't give away spoilers, but I feel you have to watch it to fully understand what I mean.
Joss Whedon, you are a genius. I have enjoyed everything you have made up til now. I hope Hollywood sees the errors of their ways and gives you free riegn. Kudos. Kudos.
Live Free, Fight Hard, Die Well.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Stargate SG-1
General Hammond summons Colonel Jack O'Neill out of retirement to embark on a secret rescue mission. O'Neill confesses that he disobeyed orders to destroy the Stargate on Planet Abydos, and that scientist Daniel Jackson may still be alive. Arriving on Abydos with his team, O'Neill meets up once again with the scientist, who has discovered a giant elaborate cartouche in hieroglyphics. All signs point to the fact that this is a map of many Stargates that exist throughout the galaxy - a development that makes the dream of the SG-1 team to travel throughout the universe in time a reality.
Thus begins the longest running Sci-Fi TV series. Or so the fans would say. It surpassed The X-Files in 2007 with 214 episodes. But long time fans of Doctor Who would argue differently. Both are correct. Stargate SG-1 is the longest running Sci-Fi TV series, 'consecutively.' Doctor Who has been canceled and reborn several times, even though it does have over 756 episodes to its name.
Why do I start out the post this way? To give you a small idea of the fandom that follows this groundbreaking series. With 2 spin-off series, two movies, one planned movie, and a recut of the original pilot episode, you can see that there has to be something there.
I really enjoy Stargate. While this post will focus on mainly SG-1, the two spin-offs, Atlantis and Universe, are fairly similar to SG-1 when it comes to content and ratings. The majority of the episodes are rated TV-14, with some ratings standing at TV-PG.
The Plot: A secret facility located in the lower levels of Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado houses one of the most advanced peices of technology known to mankind. It is called the Stargate. Invented by a supreme race of beings thousands of years ago known as the Ancients, the device is capable of creating an artificial stable wormhole between two Stargates. As the plot of the original movie goes, there was only two known Stargates, one on Earth and one on the planet Abydos. But as the series starts out, there is a giant cartouche found on Abydos, with hundreds of addresses to Stargates all over the galaxy. The Air Force creates the SGC, Stargate Command. Within the SGC are numerous forces, know as SG Teams, usually comprised of four people. The storyline follows the exploits of the primary team, SG-1.
As the main bad guys are introduced in the original movie, their origins are not fully fleshed out until the series. A parasitic alien, known as the Goa'uld, borrows its way into a host and wraps itself around the spinal cord, taking control of the brain. It is learned later on that these same parasites have been around since the begining of time, and have been known to humans for quite some time. They used to inhabit the old Egyptian gods, Ra, Apophis, Anubis and Baal being some of the most powerful. Resurrected on a day-by-day basis with a device known as a sarcophigus allows the Goa'uld to live long, yet unfulfilling lives.
The Characters: The characters, in my opinion, are what make this show so appealing. SG-1 is comprised of four people, three human, one alien. Colonal Jack O'Neil, ("One L, not two. There's a Colonal O'Neill with two L's, but he has no sense of humor whatsoever") is the leader of SG-1 from season 1 through 7. As the movie starts out, we learn that Jack, (played morosely by Kurt Russell) has previously lost his son, who accidentally shot himself with Jack's gun. As the series starts out however, he's more glib, having put the past behind him. Sarcasm and humor prevail, with lots of seemingly put-on unintelligence. He's never afraid to do the right thing, even if it means sometimes going against his superior officers. He loves his team like a family, but would never admit it to their faces.
Samantha Carter is a military scientist, but even though she posseses a high I.Q. and a killer body, she is very skilled in the field and even surpasses O'Neil's ability at times with sharpshooting. Whenever there is a peice of technology that needs to be analyzed or a locked door to surcumnavigate, Carters the one to call. It also is hinted at numerous times that harbors a secret admiration for O'Neil that goes beyond professional.
Dr. Daniel Jackson is a civilian historian, linguist, archeologist, and probably other things. His position as a civilian has given him oportunity to complete parts of missions that O'Neil and Carter are unable to as military. Numerous times Jackson has been the one to get the team out of sticky situations with his knowledge of acient Egyptology and language. He and Jack are close friends, despite being almost complete opposites.
Teal'c is a Jaffa. Serving as biological incubators for infant Goa'uld, the Jaffa have been slaves of the Goa'uld for centuries. Rebbeling against his master Apophis and joining with the SGC in the pilot episode, he gives the tema flavor, and knowledge of the galaxy and Goa'uld have proven invaluable on several occasions. His one line responses and stoic face are characteristics that seldom change.
As the plot of the series goes on, these characters grow closer, even though their situations change dramatically throughout. O'Neil gets promoted later on and becomes the head of SGC. Teal'c finally destroys most of the reigning Goa'uld and frees his people. Jackson dies numerous times, only to be brought back with clever writing. Carter is the only character that seems to stay fairly constant. She gets promoted once, has a fling or two, but for the most part, her work is her life, and the SGC is her home.
As is usual with TV series, the plots and content change from episode to episode. But for the most part, Stargate SG-1 is fairly clean. Let's break it down.
Sex: Other than a few episodes of scantily-clad alien women, nothing usually ever happens on screen other than a passionate kiss. There are several illusions to affairs off screen and jokes are made, but nothing crude. The pilot episode, Children of the Gods, is the only one to look out for. One scene of frontal nudity of a woman took away dramatically from the rest of the episode. But there is an alternitive. The re-cut version, made after the series end by the director of the pilot, completely edits out the nudity, leaving the entire run of Stargate free form that filth.
Violence: This is a military show. Shoot-outs, dog fights, and hand-to-hand combat prevail, but there is usually not too much blood and guts. There are a few episodes with a decapition or a severed limb, but for the most part, action is about all we get.
Language: Thank goodness for Television rating laws! The worst you ever hear on Stargate is a handful of "D**n's" or "H**l's". I regret to say they do utter the one word I think should be banned from our language on occasion, "B**ch", but there is nothing else to worry about.
Stargate SG-1. Personally one of my favorite T.V. series of all time. But you'll have to watch it for yourself to determine. I give it 11 stars out of ten.
Josh Dudley
Live Free, Fight Hard, Die Well.
Thus begins the longest running Sci-Fi TV series. Or so the fans would say. It surpassed The X-Files in 2007 with 214 episodes. But long time fans of Doctor Who would argue differently. Both are correct. Stargate SG-1 is the longest running Sci-Fi TV series, 'consecutively.' Doctor Who has been canceled and reborn several times, even though it does have over 756 episodes to its name.
Why do I start out the post this way? To give you a small idea of the fandom that follows this groundbreaking series. With 2 spin-off series, two movies, one planned movie, and a recut of the original pilot episode, you can see that there has to be something there.
I really enjoy Stargate. While this post will focus on mainly SG-1, the two spin-offs, Atlantis and Universe, are fairly similar to SG-1 when it comes to content and ratings. The majority of the episodes are rated TV-14, with some ratings standing at TV-PG.
The Plot: A secret facility located in the lower levels of Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado houses one of the most advanced peices of technology known to mankind. It is called the Stargate. Invented by a supreme race of beings thousands of years ago known as the Ancients, the device is capable of creating an artificial stable wormhole between two Stargates. As the plot of the original movie goes, there was only two known Stargates, one on Earth and one on the planet Abydos. But as the series starts out, there is a giant cartouche found on Abydos, with hundreds of addresses to Stargates all over the galaxy. The Air Force creates the SGC, Stargate Command. Within the SGC are numerous forces, know as SG Teams, usually comprised of four people. The storyline follows the exploits of the primary team, SG-1.
As the main bad guys are introduced in the original movie, their origins are not fully fleshed out until the series. A parasitic alien, known as the Goa'uld, borrows its way into a host and wraps itself around the spinal cord, taking control of the brain. It is learned later on that these same parasites have been around since the begining of time, and have been known to humans for quite some time. They used to inhabit the old Egyptian gods, Ra, Apophis, Anubis and Baal being some of the most powerful. Resurrected on a day-by-day basis with a device known as a sarcophigus allows the Goa'uld to live long, yet unfulfilling lives.
The Characters: The characters, in my opinion, are what make this show so appealing. SG-1 is comprised of four people, three human, one alien. Colonal Jack O'Neil, ("One L, not two. There's a Colonal O'Neill with two L's, but he has no sense of humor whatsoever") is the leader of SG-1 from season 1 through 7. As the movie starts out, we learn that Jack, (played morosely by Kurt Russell) has previously lost his son, who accidentally shot himself with Jack's gun. As the series starts out however, he's more glib, having put the past behind him. Sarcasm and humor prevail, with lots of seemingly put-on unintelligence. He's never afraid to do the right thing, even if it means sometimes going against his superior officers. He loves his team like a family, but would never admit it to their faces.
Samantha Carter is a military scientist, but even though she posseses a high I.Q. and a killer body, she is very skilled in the field and even surpasses O'Neil's ability at times with sharpshooting. Whenever there is a peice of technology that needs to be analyzed or a locked door to surcumnavigate, Carters the one to call. It also is hinted at numerous times that harbors a secret admiration for O'Neil that goes beyond professional.
Dr. Daniel Jackson is a civilian historian, linguist, archeologist, and probably other things. His position as a civilian has given him oportunity to complete parts of missions that O'Neil and Carter are unable to as military. Numerous times Jackson has been the one to get the team out of sticky situations with his knowledge of acient Egyptology and language. He and Jack are close friends, despite being almost complete opposites.
Teal'c is a Jaffa. Serving as biological incubators for infant Goa'uld, the Jaffa have been slaves of the Goa'uld for centuries. Rebbeling against his master Apophis and joining with the SGC in the pilot episode, he gives the tema flavor, and knowledge of the galaxy and Goa'uld have proven invaluable on several occasions. His one line responses and stoic face are characteristics that seldom change.
As the plot of the series goes on, these characters grow closer, even though their situations change dramatically throughout. O'Neil gets promoted later on and becomes the head of SGC. Teal'c finally destroys most of the reigning Goa'uld and frees his people. Jackson dies numerous times, only to be brought back with clever writing. Carter is the only character that seems to stay fairly constant. She gets promoted once, has a fling or two, but for the most part, her work is her life, and the SGC is her home.
As is usual with TV series, the plots and content change from episode to episode. But for the most part, Stargate SG-1 is fairly clean. Let's break it down.
Sex: Other than a few episodes of scantily-clad alien women, nothing usually ever happens on screen other than a passionate kiss. There are several illusions to affairs off screen and jokes are made, but nothing crude. The pilot episode, Children of the Gods, is the only one to look out for. One scene of frontal nudity of a woman took away dramatically from the rest of the episode. But there is an alternitive. The re-cut version, made after the series end by the director of the pilot, completely edits out the nudity, leaving the entire run of Stargate free form that filth.
Violence: This is a military show. Shoot-outs, dog fights, and hand-to-hand combat prevail, but there is usually not too much blood and guts. There are a few episodes with a decapition or a severed limb, but for the most part, action is about all we get.
Language: Thank goodness for Television rating laws! The worst you ever hear on Stargate is a handful of "D**n's" or "H**l's". I regret to say they do utter the one word I think should be banned from our language on occasion, "B**ch", but there is nothing else to worry about.
Stargate SG-1. Personally one of my favorite T.V. series of all time. But you'll have to watch it for yourself to determine. I give it 11 stars out of ten.
Josh Dudley
Live Free, Fight Hard, Die Well.
Definitions, Part II
Most of us are familiar with the Motion Picture Association of America's rating system, but there are few of us who know or understand the television version of the rating system. It paralels the movie standard, but there are a few differences. Without oging in depth, if you would like to refer to the system, visit this link for more details.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_Parental_Guidelines
Live Free, Fight Hard, Die Well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_Parental_Guidelines
Live Free, Fight Hard, Die Well.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Definition for the Lay Folk
Series: The run of a certain television program, defined by a single title, divided into seasons and episodes. Sometimes known as a television show.
Season: The annual run of a television series, making up an average of 15-25 episodes, usually airing on television during the fall and winter.
Episode: A single slot of time that one series has per week, either running roughly 22 mins for a half hour episode, or roughly 43 mins for an hour episode, commercials not included.
These will be the definitions I will use in later posts.
Live Free, Fight Hard, Die Well.
Season: The annual run of a television series, making up an average of 15-25 episodes, usually airing on television during the fall and winter.
Episode: A single slot of time that one series has per week, either running roughly 22 mins for a half hour episode, or roughly 43 mins for an hour episode, commercials not included.
These will be the definitions I will use in later posts.
Live Free, Fight Hard, Die Well.
I know, I know.
Here's the thing. I originally intended for this blog to be about movies, and to review them. But I've recently rethought this, changing the motif to T.V. instead. The reason? I enjoy television more than movies. Don't get me wrong, I love movies. But the whole premise of T.V. series intrigues me. You get to explore more of the story over a 7 year period, then in a two hour movie. The characters evolve much more over the time, then they would in a movie. And if you enjoy a T.V. series, you get experience numurous of new episodes, again and again, instead of watching the same movie over and over again. So, from here on out, this blog will be primarily a review of T.V. series. (I may every now and then review an exceptional movie) so, I hope you enjoy!
Live Free, Fight Hard, Die Well.
4815162342
Live Free, Fight Hard, Die Well.
4815162342
Thursday, January 1, 2009
The Dark Knight
WARNING! Her in lie spoilers!
I thought I should start out with one of the most critically acclaimed movies of 2008. Starring Christian bale in the title role, and Heath Ledger as a supporting actor, this movie has been talked about ever since it came out. Even more so with the untimely demise of Ledger, a tragedy in my mind.
So, a recently seen film is entitled Dark Knight. Many of you know of this, hopefully many of you have seen it.
I loved Dark Knight. I have heard mixed reviews, some good, some bad, but this is by far one of the best movies I have ever seen. A bit long, (running roughly 2:30) it nontheless kept me on the edge of my seat at all times. Thrilling action, startling sequences, superb acting, and larger than life characters.
First of all, let us go with the plot. Brilliant. Some may say that a good guy turned bad is overly done in Hollywood. Maybe so, but the writers of this film seem to have put a new spin on it. Batman is a selfmade hero. What do you do when the people you swore to protect, to risk your life for, demand you be pulled off the streets? As the mind of young Bruce Wayne is turned toward exposure, evil ravages the city. What can he do? In his heart of hearts, he feels he must protect the people, but what good will it do when for every one person he saves, ten are killed by enemies?
As the movie goes on, Batman finds it harder to justify his actions. Is he fighting and killing to save the people, or to save himself? His friends get caught up in the action and he endangers their lives because of who he is. The writing of the movie was very good. They kept toying with the prospect that maybe a superhero isn't what the city needs. Maybe an ordinary guy can do the job better? And Batman may agree. As one good character in the movie puts it, "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." I believe the film makers wanted us to wonder if Batman is all he's cracked up to be.
One fine moment happened during my watching of this film. I jumped. At one integral part of the movie, the movie makers made me almost jump out of my skin. I rarely do that! Good job.
But on to the best part of the entire film. The Joker.
My one regret for this movie is that it drove one of the best actors ever born to kill himself. Heath Ledger was an icon, and could have someday been awarded the status of legend.
"Why so serious?" The moment the painted face flashed across the screen, chills went up and down my spine. I thought to myself, "This is going to be good!" White, pale face, red grin splashed across an evil mug. The scars of who knew where blared loudly, "This is a troubled man!" The Joker paints a stark reality. "Is that me?" everyone must ask. "Am I the face hiding behind the fake smile?" Tongue snakes out, licking chapped lips. The voice high, whiny. Hands groping all about, yet sure of their destination.
The Joker kills without thought. Not even with malice. He inflicts pain with the same morals as any one of us driving a car, going to work, eating a meal. Like it's nothing to sneeze at. Only speculation can reveal the Joker's dark history. I don't want to see it.
But all in all, an extremely well made movie. Do not take your children to see it, but it may teach you a few things. I'm giving it a good 5 out of 5 stars.
Josh.
4815162342
I thought I should start out with one of the most critically acclaimed movies of 2008. Starring Christian bale in the title role, and Heath Ledger as a supporting actor, this movie has been talked about ever since it came out. Even more so with the untimely demise of Ledger, a tragedy in my mind.
So, a recently seen film is entitled Dark Knight. Many of you know of this, hopefully many of you have seen it.
I loved Dark Knight. I have heard mixed reviews, some good, some bad, but this is by far one of the best movies I have ever seen. A bit long, (running roughly 2:30) it nontheless kept me on the edge of my seat at all times. Thrilling action, startling sequences, superb acting, and larger than life characters.
First of all, let us go with the plot. Brilliant. Some may say that a good guy turned bad is overly done in Hollywood. Maybe so, but the writers of this film seem to have put a new spin on it. Batman is a selfmade hero. What do you do when the people you swore to protect, to risk your life for, demand you be pulled off the streets? As the mind of young Bruce Wayne is turned toward exposure, evil ravages the city. What can he do? In his heart of hearts, he feels he must protect the people, but what good will it do when for every one person he saves, ten are killed by enemies?
As the movie goes on, Batman finds it harder to justify his actions. Is he fighting and killing to save the people, or to save himself? His friends get caught up in the action and he endangers their lives because of who he is. The writing of the movie was very good. They kept toying with the prospect that maybe a superhero isn't what the city needs. Maybe an ordinary guy can do the job better? And Batman may agree. As one good character in the movie puts it, "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." I believe the film makers wanted us to wonder if Batman is all he's cracked up to be.
One fine moment happened during my watching of this film. I jumped. At one integral part of the movie, the movie makers made me almost jump out of my skin. I rarely do that! Good job.
But on to the best part of the entire film. The Joker.
My one regret for this movie is that it drove one of the best actors ever born to kill himself. Heath Ledger was an icon, and could have someday been awarded the status of legend.
"Why so serious?" The moment the painted face flashed across the screen, chills went up and down my spine. I thought to myself, "This is going to be good!" White, pale face, red grin splashed across an evil mug. The scars of who knew where blared loudly, "This is a troubled man!" The Joker paints a stark reality. "Is that me?" everyone must ask. "Am I the face hiding behind the fake smile?" Tongue snakes out, licking chapped lips. The voice high, whiny. Hands groping all about, yet sure of their destination.
The Joker kills without thought. Not even with malice. He inflicts pain with the same morals as any one of us driving a car, going to work, eating a meal. Like it's nothing to sneeze at. Only speculation can reveal the Joker's dark history. I don't want to see it.
But all in all, an extremely well made movie. Do not take your children to see it, but it may teach you a few things. I'm giving it a good 5 out of 5 stars.
Josh.
Hello people!
So, this is a website to publish all types of movie reviews! I've been around the block, I've seen most of the classics from film history, and am also fairly caught up on the recent box-office hits. Maybe you'll agree with my stances, maybe not. But here's a place to check out the content of the movie and see what a future movie maker thinks of them. Have fun!
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