Geeky Fall Shows

Recently I decided to get caught up on some TV premieres via Hulu. Three caught my attention:


Flash Forward

An ensemble cast of familiar faces is lead by Joseph Fiennes with moderate effect, but it all feels a bit like we've seen it before... in another ABC show called "Lost". In "Flash Forward" the entire population of the world blacks out and experiences visions of the same day, six months into the future. The blackouts caused accidents all over the world that humanity races to recover from. The visions inspire fear in some and hope in others and everyone is trying to solve the mystery of what happened and why.

The show will possibly take the opportunity to explore spiritual themes like the existence of God or other supernatural beings. The idea of free will and the nature of the future (fixed or "changeable") will also likely be covered and given commentary. The dramatic elements are interesting, but not uniquely compelling. And the repeated "flashforwards" feel too much like classic episodic elements of "Lost" to be anything new. As a sci-fi fan the show is interesting to me and I'd like to try it out some more, as it looks to have some interesting ingredients in its make-up. But with extremely limited time, I just don't think I have time for a show with as few sci-fi/fantasy elements as this show has, which are additionally unoriginally executed.


Stargate Universe

Once again, the sci-fi channel brings us a Stargate spinoff, though this offering may be different from what viewers have come to expect. In many ways, the show is just as ungroundbreaking as it's TV predecessors. Although I loved the Stargate movie and some of the first season of the TV show, it soon became static and plot driven, with little artistry in the way it was shot and straightforward characters who behaved in preditcable ways. "Universe" is my first exposure to the franchise since watching the premiere and two episodes of "Stargate: Atlantis". I was dissappointed to see transporter technology. They even called it "beaming". More and more this franchise seems to have turned into "Star Trek" set in modern times. However, "Stargate Universe" does start borrowing from better sources, in my opinion. The show obviously takes a cue from Battlestar Galactica, using a more hand-held camera style than previous Stargate shows I've seen. It also share's Battlestar's theme of "human survival in space". (Not to mention a long-haired scruffy looking "Doctor" with an accent that everyone needs but no one is sure if they can trust.) In general, the show has a grittier feel than previous Stargate shows, but far from the hard-hitting emotional realism of Battlestar Galactica, which isn't a bad thing unless you're especially in the mood for that kind of experience. Unfortunately, they aim to keep things light through mostly forced, unfunny jokes. Still, "Universe" seems to be giving more attention to character-driven subplots than previous "Stargate" shows. The pilot also contains a plot element in the second half centered on self-sacrifice. I read some online buzz about this from other Christians who thought it represented some "Christian themes" in the story, and though it was interesting, I didn't find it to be exclusively "Christian" as much as I found it "compatible" with the gospel message. If I find the time, I may watch a couple more episodes and consider sticking with it if the quality is maintained or improves.

Heroes

Although last year Heroes got off to a rough start, this season begins with several of the elements that made this series solid to begin with. Finished with the lame "good/bad reversal" plotlines of last year, this season introduces a few interesting new characters without cutting needed development time for the plotlines of the core cast of characters.
Matt Parkman's struggle with the "ghost" of Sylar is unoriginal, but interesting, provided it leads to Sylar's proper return. Speaking of which, I still mourn the loss of Nathan as a character and wish they would bring him back instead of persisting with his "shell". However, if/when they do bring him back, it will very possibly come with an assumptive statement about the nature of the human soul, for good or ill. Worth keeping an eye on.
Regardless of what direction they take with the various mysteries and plotlines this season, Heroes seems to be returning to its more character-driven roots. I can only hope they've learned their lesson and things will continue to improve from here.

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My Last Camping Trip

Monday night I drove out of town to go camping with my family. I'm not a big fan of bugs, the outdoors and well... nature. I've never understood why people think it's fun to pretend that we don't have electricity or durable shelter while still using flashlights and camper trailers. It seems to me that nature can be "enjoyed" just as easily through a modernized cabin or hotel window.

In any case, I think after having a run-in with a 5-foot snake and two skunks in one night, I've earned a "pass" on the next camping trip suggested to me. No one was bitten or sprayed, but I came within 2 feet of accidentally stepping on the snake and was temporarily barred from entrance to my tent by a skunk. That's enough "enjoying nature" to last me for a while.

Going Camping...

This week my older sister is in town visiting from North Dakota with her family. My parents have put three days of camping on the agenda, so if I want to spend time with my sister during the next couple of days, I have to venture into the poorly named "great outdoors".

I'll be applying a boatload of "Off" and hoping for the best, but my track record with nature is not especially good. Here goes!

"Paeter's Brain" Is A Podcast!

I was just thinking today that I may never have mentioned (or at least not in a long time) that the content of these blog posts for "Paeter's Brain" (www.spiritblade.net/paeter) are usually included in my weekly podcast. (Especially the reviews!)

So if you read these posts as they come out and you've never checked out the podcast, jump over to www.spiritblade.net/podcast !

This weekend I'll be dishing out some news and rumors about upcoming cool movies and my thoughts on why they will or won't be awesome. Let me know what YOU think!

I Must Be Busy

Unlike my blog for "Spirit Blade" stuff, this blog is all about my personal thoughts and whatever I'm doing in my free time. And the worst times for me to try and post here are days like today. When I look back at my week so far and realize that I haven't HAD any free time.

So, uh.... How are YOU?

Laptop Issues

Over the weekend my laptop almost died. It's a hand-me-down that I've really found useful. So useful that if it finally kicks the bucket, I may need to look at plopping down the cash for a new one. I never used to need or care about getting a laptop, but since I watch my son at home while working 2-3 days every week, I've found our laptop to be vital to keeping things moving foward.

For now, a system restore seems to have done the trick, and there's still complete reformatting of the hard drive if all else fails. Though I'm not sure how to do that, so I hope it never becomes a real issue. Guess we'll see, won't we?

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (DVD Review)

Although the DC animated movies were hit or miss at the start, it seems they’ve finally hit their stride. Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and now “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies”.

With Kevin Conroy as Batman, Tim Daly as Superman and Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor, the voices that made these characters jump out from animated tv have brought the goods again in this flick. And the animation has jumped forward to keep pace.

If you read and enjoyed the original comic book story by Loeb and McGuiness, you’ll see some of your favorite moments repeated here. But you’re also in for some surprises as the story has been trimmed of its continuity heavy elements and streamlined into a self-contained but broad story.

Lex Luthor has become the President of the United States and a kryptonite meteor the size of Australia is headed for earth. But Luthor wants to get all the credit for saving the earth and uses his position to place a billion dollar bounty on Superman. Supervillains and a few heroes come out of the woodwork to bring Superman in, while Batman faithfully stands at his side.

The action and animation is great, it sounds sweet in 5.1, and these actors are unquestionably the best for their roles.

It’s a little odd that Levar Burton was brought on to voice Back Lightning and only say one line. (I’m not kidding. I don’t remember a second.) And the runtime is a little too short. (69 minutes) But if you spend just a few more dollars to get the two disc DVD set, the second disc makes up for it with some great special features. One is a feature on the differences between Batman and Superman, psychologically. Another is a GREAT dinner conversation between the movie producers and Kevin Conroy, in which they discuss highlights of his entire career voicing Batman. Some great insight and anecdotes. SO worth the extra few bucks. Also included is a first look at the next DC animated movie, “Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths”, which looks awesome, but will hopefully be longer than this movie.

Regarding Relevance, there's not much to talk about aside from an imperfect metaphor about Superman being a savior. It almost works, but not quite. Still a stand out moment that may lead to conversation after, though.

DC comics fans should not miss this and DC animated tv show fans should not hesitate to buy it, as long as you go with the 2-disc or blue-ray version.

Quality: 9/10

Relevance: 7/10