So... How 'Bout That Movie, Then?
Oct. 2nd, 2005 10:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
athersgeoSince every man and his dog and the dog's fleas is talking about Serenity at the moment...
...I'm going to talk about something completely different.
Yes. I am admitting here, now and in living colour that I've got about as much intention of going to see Serenity in the cinema as I have of shaving my head and becoming a trapist monk...and in fact? I've currently got very little intention of seeing it period. Unless I can con the maternal unit or the bother into buying me Firefly on DVD I'm figuring that the film's going to make very little sense to me.
So, that completely different thing I mentioned...
Over the last week, I've watched the whole series of Tru Calling. From pilot episode to last episode of season two (I refuse to call that a season finale, since it patently WASN'T one!), I've seen 'em all...and I have to say that while it's an interesting premise, it's a show that's about as subtle as a brick.
That doesn't make it bad - point of fact, it's entertaining - but most of the episodes, even after the introduction of Jack Harper (Jason Priestley) are very, rediculously formulaic and, I have to say, I can see why the show got cancelled.
*dons asbesdos lined undies*
Most of the episodes, it was amazingly simple to figure out who did what and it was just a case of waiting for Tru (Eliza Dushku) to pull the pieces together. Usually painfully slowly. The pace did improve somewhat in season two, with Jack's interference, but after the third episode of his manipulations? Yeah, that was getting kind of old and obvious, too.
The overarching storyline they introduced - about Tru's father - could have instiled more interest, but with it being abreviated by season two only being six episodes long, it's ultimately just irritating. Ditto the whole "mole" sub-plot.
For my money, the best episode is the one about the conveniance store hold up ("The Longest Day"). The way the episode was structured meant that there wasn't the sense that Tru was being patently thick - for once, we got to know exactly what she knew and no more and we found out with her. I'd have liked to have seen them do a few more episodes in this sort of vein. Plus the recurring threads about Harrison's (Shawn Reaves) apartment and Davis' (Zach Galifianakis) prawn (shrimp?) sandwich were genuinely amusing. That said, close on the heels of this one is the story of the young soldier ("Closure"), which was just a fantastic piece of writing, and "Last Good Day" was a very interesting twist on the formula (to say nothing of a nice piece of acting from Jason Priestley at the end) and another fantastic piece of writing.
There are other good episodes and, as I said somewhere above, it's an entertaining series, but so many of the episodes were similar that they merge into one amorphus mass.
In fact, if you want to know what I found most amusing and entertaining about the whole series? It was the guest stars and the locations. I didn't spot Hudson Leick in the pilot (but I was never was much of a Xena fan and I think I only saw one of Calisto's episodes), but Leonard Roberts had me frantically searching my memory to find out if he and Eliza were ever on screen together in Buffy (don't think they were - though Faith and Forrest did probably meet, but that was Faith-in-Buffy's-body!), while Clare Kramer made me giggle (no shared time on Buffy - but there was "Bring it On" that she and Eliza were both in) and Laura Leighton made me boggle (simply because the character she played here was decidedly similar to Sydney from Melrose Place [yeah, yeah; talk about guilty pleasure TV!] but with a heart and a conscience!). The show also features various and sundry faces I recognised as being part of the Vancouver Rep Co (Callum Keith Rennie popped up, for one) and it's really, incredibly difficult to take seriously a scene between Tru and her brother when you're reasonably sure that about ten years ago, Kronos was threatening Methos in the same spot.
Yeah, little things and little minds.
Overall, if you haven't already bought the box set, I'd say rent rather than buy. Unless you've got a major jones to see Eliza Dushku - and even then? I'd say buy season three or season seven of Buffy.
...I'm going to talk about something completely different.
Yes. I am admitting here, now and in living colour that I've got about as much intention of going to see Serenity in the cinema as I have of shaving my head and becoming a trapist monk...and in fact? I've currently got very little intention of seeing it period. Unless I can con the maternal unit or the bother into buying me Firefly on DVD I'm figuring that the film's going to make very little sense to me.
So, that completely different thing I mentioned...
Over the last week, I've watched the whole series of Tru Calling. From pilot episode to last episode of season two (I refuse to call that a season finale, since it patently WASN'T one!), I've seen 'em all...and I have to say that while it's an interesting premise, it's a show that's about as subtle as a brick.
That doesn't make it bad - point of fact, it's entertaining - but most of the episodes, even after the introduction of Jack Harper (Jason Priestley) are very, rediculously formulaic and, I have to say, I can see why the show got cancelled.
*dons asbesdos lined undies*
Most of the episodes, it was amazingly simple to figure out who did what and it was just a case of waiting for Tru (Eliza Dushku) to pull the pieces together. Usually painfully slowly. The pace did improve somewhat in season two, with Jack's interference, but after the third episode of his manipulations? Yeah, that was getting kind of old and obvious, too.
The overarching storyline they introduced - about Tru's father - could have instiled more interest, but with it being abreviated by season two only being six episodes long, it's ultimately just irritating. Ditto the whole "mole" sub-plot.
For my money, the best episode is the one about the conveniance store hold up ("The Longest Day"). The way the episode was structured meant that there wasn't the sense that Tru was being patently thick - for once, we got to know exactly what she knew and no more and we found out with her. I'd have liked to have seen them do a few more episodes in this sort of vein. Plus the recurring threads about Harrison's (Shawn Reaves) apartment and Davis' (Zach Galifianakis) prawn (shrimp?) sandwich were genuinely amusing. That said, close on the heels of this one is the story of the young soldier ("Closure"), which was just a fantastic piece of writing, and "Last Good Day" was a very interesting twist on the formula (to say nothing of a nice piece of acting from Jason Priestley at the end) and another fantastic piece of writing.
There are other good episodes and, as I said somewhere above, it's an entertaining series, but so many of the episodes were similar that they merge into one amorphus mass.
In fact, if you want to know what I found most amusing and entertaining about the whole series? It was the guest stars and the locations. I didn't spot Hudson Leick in the pilot (but I was never was much of a Xena fan and I think I only saw one of Calisto's episodes), but Leonard Roberts had me frantically searching my memory to find out if he and Eliza were ever on screen together in Buffy (don't think they were - though Faith and Forrest did probably meet, but that was Faith-in-Buffy's-body!), while Clare Kramer made me giggle (no shared time on Buffy - but there was "Bring it On" that she and Eliza were both in) and Laura Leighton made me boggle (simply because the character she played here was decidedly similar to Sydney from Melrose Place [yeah, yeah; talk about guilty pleasure TV!] but with a heart and a conscience!). The show also features various and sundry faces I recognised as being part of the Vancouver Rep Co (Callum Keith Rennie popped up, for one) and it's really, incredibly difficult to take seriously a scene between Tru and her brother when you're reasonably sure that about ten years ago, Kronos was threatening Methos in the same spot.
Yeah, little things and little minds.
Overall, if you haven't already bought the box set, I'd say rent rather than buy. Unless you've got a major jones to see Eliza Dushku - and even then? I'd say buy season three or season seven of Buffy.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-02 10:36 pm (UTC)I'll spare you my OMG EVERYONE MUST SEE SERENITY NOW!!!ONE!11! SZO GOOD!! rant, except to say that I think you'll get it even without seeing the series. Ebert gave it a B, and he was apparently unaware that there was a series until someone emailed him about it.
and OMG YOU MUST SEE SERENITY NOW!!!11!!ONE!!
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-03 07:29 am (UTC)As for Serenity, I'll probably pick up the DVD when it comes out - knowing Joss and co, while it might be a fun movie to watch without having seen the series, it's probably more fun if you have.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-03 12:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-03 07:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-04 07:28 am (UTC)P.S. I have a feeling asbestos-lined undies could be rather uncomfortable ;)