ovationbass

This show is great.

The creators of this show actually must have read the superman comic books and have stayed as true to them as hollywood is ever capable of. They have taken some liberties but nothing that detracts from the story. The important thing is that they have captured the spirit of the comics.

Particularly I have to give them a big high-5 for not doing the flying bit. The original superman could not fly (he could only "leap tall buildings in a single bound") and that is just fine by me. I always thought it looked pretty lame in the other tv shows and the movies.

I also like how they're getting into the relationship between clark and Lex. That is a very deep mine that IS THE SHOW in my opinion. The characterizations are nicely 3-dimensional and not just cartoons come to life. This show makes "lois and clark" seem about as well crafted as "power rangers" and i used to like L&C when it was on. Smallville overall seems more "creative" and less "hollywood formula"

Special effects are used tastefully and only when necessary. That works!

I also love the atmosphere of angst that permeates the series. That's something no one should lose when they leave their teens.

The soundtracks are positively brilliant! (and i'm sure a nice promotional vehicle for the record companies -- i've already bought some of those cd's)

I find the "kryptonite infection of the week" a little wearying. I prefer the parts of the story that delve into the relationships between the characters, all the kents, luthors, langs etc. (of course i liked the x-files "conspiracy" episodes better than the "monster of the week" ones.)

They have done a good job of slowly introducing bits of the superman mythos. They've already shown us green and red kryptonite. I wonder when they'll dust off white or gold kryptonite, the fortress of solitude (both under sea and arctic), the city of Kandor, etc.... if ever. I like the low key approach so far of not deluging us with this minutia and only allowing it to make an appearance when it seems natural. The fox executives who made that pile of trash they called "dr. who" could learn a lot from the people at WB who made smallville.

The "look" of the show is very good right now but i'm worried that in ten years it will look as dated as Lois & Clark does now. But I suppose right now they are trying hard to appeal to teens as well as superman fans.

This is by far and away the best adaptation of a comic book to TV and in my mind ranks right up there with the movie adaptations of X-men and SpiderMan.

contains spoilers:

I caught this last night on TNT as i was dozing in front of the TV. I snapped awake and was on the edge of my seat until it was over. Wonderfully suspenseful. I recall seeing the trailers for the film when it came out but the ad didn't do enough to grab me then and had always planned to rent it someday. After seeing it, i think i'll buy the dvd!

This film was simply incredible. This was NOT a rehash of cliché sci-fi plots, or of other genre movies. Far from it, i think this is one of the most original movies i've ever seen.

The most stunning aspect? The RESERVED and TASTEFUL application of special effects. They were only put in when they added to the story which only made them more effective. I particularly liked the gliding motion of the strangers when they moved. A cheap effect in most movies but here it totally worked. The final view of the city in space was awesome. The sets were so well constructed. The scene where they are taking that boat along that canal to find a way out... man, a scene out of a nightmare - well done.

The acting was very well done, the dark atmosphere was almost claustrophobic. When they ran down that narrowing corridor only to see that huge poster i almost choked! What a relief when we finally see Shell beach! I like the indeterminate milieu. Much better done than the batman movies (P-EW!!!) Instead there is a dominant 1940's theme with anything from the 20's to the 60's mixed in without anything seeming anachronistic. (the automobiles seemed to vary from around 1939 to 1965).

The story is well told and great attention to detail throughout. I was a bit taken aback when they first broke through that brick wall and Bumstead (William Hurt - a much better role for him than Duke Leto in sci-fi's Dune) and the stranger are sucked out. It wasn't making sense to me until they passed through the "force field".

I was a little disappointed in the ending only because the struggle for control of "the machine" between Murdoch and Mr. Book wasn't as drawn out and personal between them as it could have been. (or as clear) Outwardly, it just seemed a fight between two telekinetics. Better to have them clearly struggling for control of the machine.

I was also disappointed that we get so little explained of the true physiology of the strangers. They appear to be something like a cross between a tapeworm and a chinese dragon that "possess" dead bodies in order to run their "laboratory" (the city). I would like to have seen more of their "true form" and to have explained why it was necessary for them to inhabit the human bodies to fulfill their role. After all, they never went about among the inhabitants for the most part. They only went out at midnight when everyone was asleep. And beyond that, what will finding out "what it means to be human" do to help the survival of their dying race?

I also found Mr. Hand's desire to take on the characteristics of a serial killer when exposed to murdoch's memories a little disturbing. It almost seems he is doing it by choice, as if he's letting an inhibition slide rather than he is being controlled by murdoch's memories.

The love story between Emma/Anna and Murdoch is done with a light touch and that is exactly what the story called for. The love between the two characters really comes out without taking over the story or becoming sappy.

Still, the acting, the sets, the script, the score, the camera work all seemed flawless. The only thing that separates this movie from something like "american beauty" is the dark, gothic sci-fi atmosphere. If you like art films and have an open mind this one might grab you. If you like well plotted, well directed sci-fi there's none better.

I was originally captivated by the Dr. Who series while PBS was airing the Tom Baker (my favorite) and Peter Davisson episodes during the 80's. Later I caught bits and pieces of some of the earlier and later incarnations of the Doctor during PBS pledge drives. (Yes, it worked! I have a bunch of Dr. who t-shirts and coffee cups now. And of course, i supported "television worth watching".) So when i heard about the fox production i was waiting with bated breath. Silly me. I should have known that the clowns in hollywood would urinate all over a wonderful story.

Hits:

Paul McGann was a great doctor. Good looking in the hollywood way but not a hollywood plasticface. He actually projects some character. He gives the role a sense of childlike wonder and earnestness, very much in keeping with the interpretation of T. Baker, Davisson and Troughton. His costume works for me.(but not how he got it. see my misses)

The regeneration scene. Awesome! The whole idea of a cocky surgeon suddenly unable to perform a routine procedure and because of her frustration and conviction of the way things are she kills him is wonderful. The fact she has to deal with the reality that if she had just stepped back, questioned her assumptions, given the x-ray techs and radiologist credit for knowing what they were doing, etc, she would not have "killed" him, works for me. My only gripe is that she doesn't really agonize over it enough. She doesn't even apologize for killing him!

Sylvester McCoy making his appearance. I think this regeneration was approached as well or better than any of the others. It's too bad Fox assumed that americans couldn't deal with the quirky McCoy as the Doctor. I guess he was just not "beautiful" enough. (last time i checked i was an american and i liked his doctor a bunch. I'd put him in a close tie with peter Davisson as second best)

Some very typical doctor behavior. I particularly like where he holds the gun to HIS OWN head in order to steal the motorcycle. I could easily have pictured Tom Baker's or Patrick Troughton's Doctor doing that.

The kiss - I don't mind the kiss at all. Actually it was kind of cool. I was always disappointed he never kissed Romana. There seemed good chemistry there. (since Tom Baker and the actress did end up marrying i guess that makes sense.) And come on people! it's just a kiss. It's not like they went totally hollywood and had them strip down, jump in bed and have her teach him the "human way" to ecstasy. And it's not like she shacks up with him in the Tardis. They each go their own way, friends. As it should be.

Special effects, nothing outstanding for an american show but not bad. Wouldn't it be cool to have seen some of the classic who stories shot with effects this good?

The new tardis. Not bad. A little hollywood i guess but no worse than the claustrophobic, antiseptic control room in the series. Wasn't there a point where one of the doctors (i think it was t. baker) used a nice mahogany and brass "old control room" for awhile? As for the spaciousness, not too hard to deal with. I remember an episode of the tv series where the doctor seems to be running endlessly down corridors in the tardis that look strangely like they might be corridors in a studio basement.

Misses:

Doctor is Half human and renaming the chameleon to the cloaking device... These are the result of the brainless hollywood assumption that americans will better consume a product only if it is made according to formula. In this world all sci-fi fans are by definition star trek fans, therefore these two "tips of the hat" to Star Trek are necessary. To me they are just way too jarring - they don't belong in the story at all. Tell me, what does it add to the story for him to be half human? What? Why does hollywood always assume that americans are all brainless boobs.... Still, (am i speaking heresy here?) if they are going to mix worldlines why pussyfoot around? Why not have the tardis appear on the bridge of the enterprise? I think the tension and interaction between Tom Baker's irreverent Doctor and Spock would be priceless. Still, it wouldn't be a Dr. Who story.

Reinventing the master as a cheap terminator/krychek knock-off. Yuch. I accept the the incarnation of the master portrayed by anthony ainly was already a stolen body for the master trying to live beyond his final incarnation but still... this just doesn't work for me. I think i saw a villain like this on Power Rangers.

Chang Lee does not leave with the doctor to become his first companion in the new Fox series. Why not? It's not like he's got much of a life to look forward to as a gang member. It would have been great.

Procuring his costume -- I pondered that a long time after i saw the movie. How does a guy who's just left the morgue and is wandering around in a hospital basement find a room with all the windows smashed out and filled with lockers containing stage costumes? huh? I worked maintenance in a hospital when i was a teenager and EVERYTHING in the building was kept clean, painted and in perfect working order, even in the sub-basement. A derelict room like that? Not in any hospital i've ever seen!

All the senseless incorrect references to the Dr. Who pantheon. Ok, him having jelly babies is marginally acceptable, i guess, but the Eye of Harmony? Just let the story develop naturally for pete's sake....

the chase scene and other hollywood pap. I admit that Pertwee and the U.N.I.T. people end up doing that a lot but ya know, I always thought of pertwee's doctor as pretty lame compared to most of the others. The whole thing about the doctor being sentenced to remain on earth seemed a cheap budgeting ploy by bbc to cut down the cost of sets and special effects. Why put any of this in except to make a nod to the pertwee incarnation. Again, why does hollywood always assume we're morons? And the countdown scene for the bomb or whatever (it's been awhile since i've seen it). What's up with that? They only thing they didn't have was the scene where he has to cut the red wire or the blue wire. Or the scene where he walks into the darkened room where the monster is and inexplicably doesn't turn on the light. Or the scene where his boss takes away his badge and tells him he's on his own... I mean if we're going to tell a story by formula what's up? You missed a few, hollywood guys!!

Why wasn't K-9 in the movie? It's amazing the hollywood guys missed the potential r2-d2 tie-ins.

I guess to sum up, i'd say that this Doctor is better than no doctor at all. I just wish they'd have given us a script that was even a little better than an episode of (70's) battlestar galactica or the six million dollar man. Maybe if they would have made the series it would have. Maybe. I'd like to see the people that made the new Dune movies for the Sci Fi channel take a crack at the doctor. Now that would be cool!

I liked this series, but only just.

Some of the characters like Kes and Harry Kim were very cool. Others were fairly shallow. Janeway is Kirk in drag. The doctor was an awesome character, probably the best developed on the show and my second favorite after Kes. The Tom Paris character was never developed in a believable way. His rehabilitation was too pat. I think an undercurrent of resentment towards janeway would have been more believeable.

When the show started, the whole premise of `federation vs maqui' and the two groups being forced to work together had tons of potential. Unfortunately that issue never seemed to be a problem for them. Imagine how much peace there would be if a ship full of Israeli's and plo got stuck in the same situation.that would be a lot more interesting and believable. They should have spent a lot more time on the maqui angle and developed it more. It would have been nice to see Chakotay or one of the others face their torn loyalties and maybe decide against the federation once in awhile. Instead, after a few speeches by janeway everybody seems to be hunky-dory except one nutso with a personal grudge against chakotay. When they basically let this plotline drop I began to lose interest.

One thing I never understood is why the Kazon kept following voyager for ever and ever. If they were making a beeline for earth wouldn't they have outrun the kazon sphere of influence fairly quickly? They didn't seem too advanced, just lukewarm klingons without a few brain cells. I didn't care for most of the episodes with them. As a nemesis they lacked depth. They wouldn't have been any less believable with a black cape, top hat and mustache.

Seeing Alice Krige as the borg queen was cool. She's one of my favorites!

The ship never had to deal with the fact they were cut off from normal supply lines in any real way. The token thing about having to turn off the replicators and make neelix cook was pretty lame, if a convenient plot device. It would have been cool to see them pick up mismatched spare parts and stuff along the way until by the time they got back to fed space the ship was barely recognizable.

I was really disappointed that the robot that Torres restored didn't become a permanent character on the show. I think it would have been great. He was nothing like Data and wouldn't have been `taking his place' at all. He wasn't completely good and maybe not entirely trustworthy. The fact that his face was totally immobile and he had that HAL9000 voice was great and a little disquieting. It would have been very cool.

I was skeptical when the 7 of nine character showed up. At first I was mad that they took Kes out of the show and it was obvious from 7/9's casting that she was cynically aimed at the adolescent boy demographic. In spite of this she and the writers had the courage to really give the character depth. She became one of my favorite characters in spite of my rebellion at feeling manipulated.

Favorite episode? The one where they meet real dinosaurs. (they should have been recurring characters. Forget the kazon.)

I think they totally missed on the casting of Janeway. Kate Mulgrew is a very good actress and VERY sexy. And that's the problem - why does she have to be sexy? Just because she's a woman? Were the producers of the show too gutless to take a chance? I read somewhere that KM only got the job because Adrienne Barbeau turned it down. She's even sexier than KM! I think a much better choice would have been Colleen Dewhurst. Now imagine her with some love interests! That would have been real, it would have been gritty, it would have been great! (and maybe a little ahead of its time?)

Like many shows, it starts with promise and devolves into Hollywood pap. They start out taking chances and when ratings flag they drag out the borg. Ho hum.

This is a series that is fairly cool but could have been great. I have to give kudos to the series creators for trying hard not to follow the generic sci-fi conventions of hollywood. Unfortunately they seem to be trying too hard and their departures from formula often seem forced and mechanical rather than original.

The characters are great. They make a foundation that could have been a great series if it wasn't short circuited by terrible scripts and shallow writing.

Kai- is my favorite. I love his dark, mysterious ways - they don't stop him from being occasionally fallible. It's also cool to realize that part of his serenity is because he's dead and can only grasp at threads of what used to be his brunin-g heritage. He has an odd way of walking too, almost like a model on a runway.

Stanley - Absolutely great. I am so sick of 6 foot plus, square jawed heroes. Stanley is a breath of fresh air.

Zev & Xev - sexy and oddly out of touch with her own sexuality. I prefer the first zev. The second is too hollywood.

790 - kind of neat, and i think his obsession with zev was cool but he was often too annoying and distracting and his constant put downs on stanley wore on me after while. A good idea badly executed.

Lyka the plant girl - a close second as my favorite character. I was really disappointed when they killed her off. She gave the show so much more dimension. Her unconditional love of stanley was the only sophisticated human element ever in the show.

Lexx - the ship is WAY cool. A nice spinoff from the HAL9000. The concept of insect based organic technology is a nice touch.

I think what makes this show hard for people to like, aside from the shallow scripts and bad special effects are the sexual aspects.

The comedy is somewhat funny, in a juvenile bathroom kind of way. This isn't "fawlty towers" here. more like "beavis and butthead". "Red Dwarf" is a LOT funnier.

The special effects although they have a nice 90's gloss are even less convincing than "Red Dwarf". I do like the idea of organic technology but sometimes it is just a little too "juicy". ick.

The SEX. I don't find the sex offensive on this show, just shallow and juvenile. It isn't sincere at all. There's nothing ADULT or MATURE about it. Instead of being sexy and erotic it's more like the fantasy of an oversexed adolescent boy, maybe 13 or 14. I wonder if the writers of the show have ever actually experienced sex or intimacy.

To sum up, when i saw the very first movie "his shadow" i was overwhelmed. I really thought this was a series that would go somewhere. It promised to be awesome! Unfortunately, i don't know if they changed writers or whatever but by the time they got to the new Xev the scripts had devolved into something more appropriate to "beavis and butthead". The whole concept of character developement had been forgotten. Somewhere along the way their target audience shifted from sci-fi fans at large to 14 year old boy nerds. If they had stuck with scripts as deep as the awesome world they first showed us (stanley's home planet) and moved the sexual aspect into something a little more mature it would probably be my favorite show. As it is, i just have to sigh knowing it could have been so much better.

Wow, seeing this on IMDB brings back some memories. I typed it in on a whim and was pleasantly surprised to see a substantial entry.

I see the show as a tale of two seasons, each with redeeming qualities and each with terrible flaws.

The first season had much better theme music and the scores in general were better. I loved (i was only 12 at the time) the dark, introspective feel of the first season episodes. I had an intense crush on the zienia merton character (sandra). At first i thought the victor bergman character was a placeholder filling the "spock" slot but he grew on me quite a bit, to the point i missed him in the second season. I think the show would have been better to have kept him. Most of the characters were too carboard - there just wasn't enough depth of personality. It wasn't any better in the second season. The characters weren't any deeper in the second season. They just had more hollywood flash. I absolutely loved the character of Koenig. He was a great anti-kirk and absolutely made the show. Without martin landau the show would have been awful, i think. I liked Barbara Bain's doctor as well. What i couldn't get around as a twelve year old was the premise. A nuclear dump blew up. (really?) Ok if a nuclear dump could blow up would it have enough force to budge the moon? Ok, if the moon could be blown out of orbit, how does it pass all these star systems so closely and so quickly? They can't turn it. Why didn't an explosion capable of moving the moon that fast disintegrate it? In order to see so many systems without the characters aging significantly it must be traveling faster than light. (really?) Ok, it's traveling faster than light but they can get to the planets and back in the eagles without a problem. The eagles must travel faster than light. Ok, if the eagles travel faster than light why don't they just get in the eagles and go home?

In spite of that I LOVED the show.

The second series was a shock. I couldn't wait for it to start up. The station i had been watching had dropped the show after the first season and it was picked up by a UHF station for the second season. I sat down to watch the first episode and was of two minds. My favorite show was back on but it was DIFFERENT! Maya was great. She was sexy and she had cool powers. Tony was a joke. What a hollywood plasticface kirk knockoff. (see jonathan frakes cmdr riker in STNG) That character alone had me thinking about dumping the show. And where was my beloved Sandra??? Koening was still there and that made the show bearable. They dumped a lot of the cardboard dead weight like "Paul" but they replaced it with equally bland hollywood crud.

My favorite episode was the one where the intelligent trees wanted to take their anti-animal war to the alphans. I think the trees called themselves "Lutons" ?

Since then i've had time to think about it and have a few observations:

The fact that they actually wore space suits and were concerned about important things like air and fuel were great.

Some examination of the potential need to control population (i'm sure alpha had a specific population level designed into it) would have been cool.

I think the potential interplay between Maya and Bergman would have been a blast had they chosen to explore it.

I think more open and blatant hostility and friction between Alan and Tony would have been cool if they absolutely HAD to have the Tony character.

The concept of a group of engineers and technicians and their support staff who run a nuclear waste dump getting shot into space as reluctant space explorers and the representatives of the human race is awesome. It could have been a deep well that could have yielded a lot of poignant stories. Instead it was never given a chance to fully develop.

All in all, i think the first season was better but it would have been best if the best parts of both could have been combined in a third season. Is there any fan base calling for remake movie? If it could be as good as the new Dune miniseries, I vote yes!

When i saw the promo for this i knew i had to see it. I've always liked Matt Frewer but i could not conceive of him as Sherlock Holmes. Matt Frewer as Sherlock Holmes? Come on! Maybe as inspector LeStrade but not Holmes. But, being a fan of the actor i thought i'd give it a try and i sat down eagerly to watch. Man, i was disappointed. My first thought was he had dealt a serious blow to his career or maybe he had lost it as an actor. His performance was abysmal. It reminded me of Richard Dreyfus's portrayal of Richard III in "Goodbye Girl". It was that bad. His Holmes was an effeminate smug superior clown. I am at a loss to see that they actually made more of these. I'll have to check them out to see if they improve.

Now, i admit that I am a HUGE fan of the Jeremy Brett Holmes, so take that into account.

On the positive side, the portrayal of Watson by Kenneth Walsh was fantastic. Very much in the new tradition established by David Burke and Edward Hardwicke in the Grenada version. It is nice to see Watson portrayed as a thoughtful, intelligent professional man, as a competent doctor and of strong character.

Visually the movie is decent and if i had to toll it up i'd say it was worth watching but only just.

By the way, having seen Matt Frewer in "Taken" i was reassured to see he is still the earnest and entertaining actor i believed he was.

One minor disappointment - I cringed to see the deerstalker hat make an appearance. (i don't think Brett wears one once in the Grenada versions) Why is Holmes always pictured wearing one? I don't recall that he ever wears one in the stories.

Jeremy Brett rules!