Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Dilemma 2011 7 out of 10


The Dilemma 2011    7 out of 10


The Dilemma is a solid movie about a guy that finds out that his best friend is being cheated on right in the middle of a big deal that they are working on at work.  The Dilemma is how he should break the news to his best friend.   The movie was promoted as a comedy,  but it really wasn't a comedy at all.  Other than the fact that Vince Vaughn has some of his typical Vince Vaughn style dialogue it was much more of a drama.  His character struggles with breaking the news to his best pal played by Kevin James.  I thought it had a good solid plot which also dealt with Vince Vaughn's character dealing with his own trust issues in his relationship with the always beautiful Jennifer Connelly concerning his gambling addiction problems.  If you go into the movie expecting a comedy you may be disappointed,  but if you take it for what it is it was actually quite good. The subject matter is more serious than the trailer shows.






Battle: Los Angeles 2011 7 out of 10


Battle: Los Angeles  2011    7 out of 10

The aliens are trying to invade the earth yet again.....in  Battle: Los Angeles.   They have landed and are taking over Santa Monica and a group of marines are sent in to rescue some civilians.   The movie stars Aaron Eckhart as a Staff Sergent that is about to retire while still trying to deal with a bad mission where he lost all his men.   Well he gets a chance to come to terms with this old mission by having to take on a bunch of alien invaders.   The movie is based very loosely on a mysterious case from World War II which was called the Battle of Los Angeles where a bunch of shots were fired over Los Angeles. Well this battle over Los Angeles is all out war against an aliend invader.  The movie plays out like a fairly good war film with the enemy just happening to be aliens.  Of course the Aliens that can travel all the way to Earth have a simple way to be defeated as usual just like in Independence Day....a command and control which if taken out defeats their entire air support.....Unlucky!   Aliens can never figure out such simple things....You think they would have learned from all of the previous failed attempts to take over the world. The aliens from  War of the Worlds  were defeated by germs. The aliens from the movie Signs were allergic to water???  (which makes landing on a planet that is 70% water the dumbest move ever.   Despite that it was a better film than expected and clearly better than the direct to DVD rip off Battle of Los Angeles.









Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Piranhaconda 2012 5 out of 10




Piranhaconda 2012    5 out of 10

Great posters....right up there with the much worse 2 Headed Shark Attack.  You have to love the tag line " Half Fish,  Half Snake.....All Death".   Well at this point if you have seen one giant digital snake movie you have seen them all.  This one takes place in Kauai where a C horror movie is filming.  Of course there is a scientist that wants to study the giant snakes eggs at the cost of human lives (for science) played by Michael Madsen.  Well the Giant Piranhaconda doesn't like this so much and starts eating everyone in sight including the film crew and the bumbling kidnappers that decide to capture the film crew to hold them ransom.   The dialogue is terrible and laughable as usual.  A great example is when one of the kidnappers yells to his men "Shoot them in the ass" (because they want them alive).   Anyway the Giant  CGI Piranhaconda chases and kills everyone in a silly digital spray of blood while former model Rachel Hunter stands around doing nothing.  The film crew escapes the kidnappers and flees from the giant snake creature while  Michael Madsen's character tries to give us important scientific info about the creature mid chase.   The creatures nest area is right next to a waterfall that I swear has been used in at least 4 bad Sci-fi creature movies I've seen before (at this point I think it is safe to say ---don't go swimming near waterfalls a giant creature is sure to eat you if you do.)   As bad as the movie was it was still watchable---which I can't say for some of the other giant creature sci-fi movies.
If you like giant digital snakes --then this is about in line with all the other ones.

Here is the trailer for the film......"Remember nothing bad ever happens in Hawaii"    NOT


Sunday, May 26, 2013

Couple's Retreat 2009 9 out of 10






 
Couple's  Retreat 2009    9  out 10
 
This is an example of one of those comedies that the first time you see it is pretty good and then you catch it again and like it more each time.  The movie focuses on four couples that all go on vacation together on a tropical island of Eden.  The one couple that convinced them to go is on the verge of breaking up (played excellently by Kristen Bell and Jason Bateman).  They couldn't afford to go on their own, but got a great group rate,  which they convince the other couples to go for the snorkeling and jet skiing.   Of course once they all get there they find out that the couples therapy is a requirement of their stay.  Vince Vaughn is at his best in this film with the great throw away lines and comments and the story about each of the couples is fun to watch.   I've found myself drawn into watching this again when it airs on TV to see certain scenes and dialogue and it has grown to be one of the few comedies in recent years that I have liked enough to watch multiple times.
  The cast is perfect and the story is entertaining which is something I think is rare in most modern comedies.  Check out the trailer and rent this one.

Ted 2010 6 out of 10

 
Ted 2010  6 out of 10
 
What would happen if as a kid you made a wish that your Teddy Bear was real and that wish came true?   What if the same  magical thing happened, but it was from Seth Macfarlane's point of view?
That is what you get with the movie Ted.   It is Teddy Ruxpin meets  Meet the Feebles.   The cute Teddy Bear has grown up with Mark Wahlberg's character and is now a foul mouthed pot smoking old Teddy Bear that is getting in the way of the main character being able to grow up and have an adult life with his girlfriend played by Mila Kunis.    The movie was an odd thing to watch as the foul mouthed Teddy bear drinks and hangs out with hookers and Flash Gordon.  It had an occasional funny moment here and there,  but wasn't as funny as a normal episode of Family Guy which Seth MacFarlane is the creator (and half the voices for).  It was another example of a movie where all of the best scenes were in the trailer.     I would rather watch a half and hour with Peter, Stewie and Brian than follow the adventures of Ted the bear---so in that respect the movie failed a little bit for me.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, May 20, 2013

Star Wars Rebels: Great Star Wars news

Great Star Wars news......Today the Star Wars website announced that an all new Star Wars Animated series by the creators of The Clone Wars will be coming our way in 2014.   Star Wars Rebels which will take place between episode 3-4.   

Below is the link to the story with a short video featuring Dave Filoni.  The Clone Wars fans that were saddened  by the end of the Clone Wars ---now have something brand new to be excited about.   End the the Clone Wars has----The Rebel Alliance has begun.




http://starwars.com/news/new-animated-series-star-wars-rebels-coming-fall-2014.html

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 1 The Twilight Zone

Number 1  The Twilight Zone   1959-1964

"You are about to enter another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound, but of min.  A journey into a wondrous land of imagination.  Next stop, the Twilight Zone" -- Rod Serling.

That pretty much sums up one of the best shows to ever air on TV as far as I'm concerned.  The   original Twilight Zone in black in white brought us one amazing story after another.  It was a journey into a land of imagination and some of the coolest sci-fi short stories ever.  Whenever a Twilight Zone marathon is on I have to sit down and watch a couple of these TV gems.  It was a major influence on my own imagination and for so many sci-fi shows and stories that followed it.   Each week brought something new and interesting.  An anthology of that looked at humanity from so many cool angles through the eyes of sci-fi.




For the Love of Scooby Doo: (Part 5) Scooby Doo Where's My Mummy 2005 6 out of 10


 Scooby Doo Where's My Mummy 2005 6 out of 10

Scooby Doo can always be counted on for a fun family adventure. There is always a mystery to be solved which drives the plot and there is generally some good fun action and laughs along the way. Scooby Doo Where's My Mummy is just another example of why Scooby Doo has lasted and endured for so long over numerous TV series and Direct to DVD movies and even some live action adventures. With a few exceptions Scooby is always up to the challenge of helping to solve some crime or mystery in his own special way (which usually involves running away and eating all the food in sight). This particular mystery involves an Egyptian curse and the Sphinx. Velma is working on an Egyptian dig and the gang shows up to visit her and of course gets involved in a mystery. The story of Scooby Doo is generally in the same formula something or someone is trying to scare everyone away for some reason and the Scooby Gang isn't about to leave until the mystery is solved and the monster is unmasked. This Scooby adventure had some really good action adventure and supernatural elements that made me think of the underrated Disney Atlantis movie and the TV series based on that movie that never happened (with the exception of 3 episodes that appeared on DVD). Undead warriors from the tomb of Cleopatra add an element of fun and some references to one of my favorite old Scooby Doo episodes from the original TV show were used in this movie as well. This movie would have been a 7 out of 10 if it hadn't been for the surprise ending which I didn't much care for. I think they were just trying to be different for some reason. If you like Scooby Doo you will probably like this Scooby adventure as well even if it isn't one of the best.


Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 2 Battlestar Gallactica


Number 2  Battlestar Gallactica  2004-2009

The Cylons are back to take out the 12 Colonies.  A small group of humans head off in search of the last 13 colony of Earth.   We have heard and seen this story before.   I remember watching the premiere episode and just being upset for the first hour and a half.  How dare they make Starbuck and Boomer girls..  this wasn't  the Battlestar Gallactica I grew up with.  How dare they mess with this great show from my past.   Then it turned the corner.  I went from being upset that it wasn't the show I grew up loving to realizing that it might be something better.  Once fully immersed into this new version it grew and developed into one of the best shows on TV. Battlestar Gallactica delved into many modern day issues in the coolest of Sci-Fi settings.  The cylons were much more than just a bunch of tin-cans they were much more complex.  The show had cool twists and great characters and storylines and a conclusion that satisfied.   The cast was excellent.  James Edward Olmos as Adama and James Callis as Baltar especially.  I could go on and on about everything that made Battlestar so damn good.......but the fact that it is number 2 on my list says it all.      "So say we all"





Saturday, May 18, 2013

Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 3 Star Wars: The Clone Wars


Number 3  Star Wars: The Clone Wars 2008-2013

We finally got to see the infamous Clone Wars.  5 years of a weekly dose of Star Wars.  I couldn't ask for anything more.  The fact that this ranks number 3 only means 1 and 2 were so good and influential.   This cartoon was good enough to at times to be on the big screen in fact the premiere 3 story arc did premiere in the theaters.  The visual style of the show was incredible.   The show was cancelled prematurely as a result of a series of new films that will be coming out.  Hopefully more new Star Wars CGI shows covering other eras of Star Wars will happen as well.   It hit the perfect balance of telling a variety of stories that took place during The Clone Wars.  As a die hard Star Wars fan it was a dream to have a Star Wars TV show.  It delivered on so many levels.   If you call yourself a Star Wars fan and you haven't seen this series......then you aren't really a Star Wars fan.   This series is a must see.



Friday, May 17, 2013

Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 4 Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Number 4   Buffy the Vampire Slayer  1997-2003

A great cast and a great series.  This Joss Whedon creation  brought wit and humor to killing vampires and demons on a weekly basis.  This is the 4th Whedon show to make my countdown and my personal favorite.  The adventures of Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Xander, Willow and Giles saving Sunnydale each week was a true treat.  Whedon crafted a great mythology which eventually spun off 2 of its characters into the also excellent  Angel  starring (David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter).  Buffy did what a lot of other good mythology shows didn't,  it paid off on everything it teased.  Whedon created story arcs and then delivered on those arcs on a regular basis, unlike X-Files and LOST which just kept stringing the viewers along with tease after tease in their mythologies.  As far as I'm concerned Buffy is a perfect example of how a sci-fi mythology should be done and I'll be there for any Whedon show in the future.   The writing was witty and creative and you ended up liking and enjoying both heroes and villains alike.  The character of Spike went from being a villain to a good guy and that is a testament to the great writing the show had.  


Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 5 Farscape


Number 5  Farscape 1999-2003

It played out like a modern day Buck Rogers if instead of falling alseep for centures into a future Earth he woke up  in a much cooler universe.   John Crichton (Ben Browder)  goes on an experimental mission and ends out sucked into a wormhole into the middle of a space battle in a distant universe.  Where he ends up with a group of Alien creatures aboard a living ship.   These show had humor and action and some amazing stories a dialogue.  The wide range of space creatures both puppets and excellent makeup blew any of the Star Trek universes  (hey look an alien race with big noses)  out of the water.  Ben Browder as John Crichton was excellent as the lead and the interactions between the characters was a true pleasure to watch.  Rockne S. O'Bannon the creator of this show who also created SeaQuest  (further down the list) really created an amazing universe with this show.  The show did an excellent job of creating cool villains and then in later seasons having those villains have to work with the heroes against more dangerous foes.  Clever writing  and cool camera work set this show apart from many others.  Farscape was a true joyride in a fun alien playground.    If you like Sci-Fi and haven't seen Farscape you really need to check it out.





Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Trailer of the week: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D from Joss Whedon coming this fall


I can't wait until this  show comes out.    It looks like Fringe with Superheroes  and Joss Whedon's style humor.   Amazing!.....


Movie Remakes are inevitable: Here are 3 remakes I want to see

In Hollywood everything is getting remade or rebooted or re- imagined.    

Three  movies from the 1980's  that  I thought were perfect and ripe to be remade  have already happened. 

 1.  Clash of Titans  (because of the advancements in special effects)  which turned out pretty good.  

2.  Conan the Barbarian (which I loved and hoped would be a brand new series of movies----but it bombed miserably at the box office)  I actually liked it and really hoped for more.

3 .  Tron  which they did exactly right---instead of remaking Tron they built on the original and just made it better with the use of modern special effects.

In the last month Hollywood has announced remakes of both Weird Science  (which could be great with today's special effects)  and Gremlins  (which I know I will go a see- but the original is almost too classic to touch).   

Many times in the past Hollywood has made the mistake of remaking things that were great the first time around and the remakes just left people wondering why they just didn't watch the original again instead of wasting their time and money on the remakes.   Psycho and Halloween were great examples of this problem of remaking classics.  These movie were so much like the originals that the remakes were just a waste of time.     If you never saw the original the remakes might be good --but with the original fondly holding a place of nostalgia in your memory it is hard to enjoy them as much as the predecessor. 

Other times Hollywood gets it right.   I remember watching the premiere of Battlestar Gallactica and being angry and upset at it for the first hour and a half because it had changed things and wasn't the original that I loved.   But once I got past those changes from the show  (like Starbuck being a girl)  I had grown up with the new Battlestar ended up being much better than the original.  So like with anything in Hollywood there are hits and misses and remaking things that already have a following is sometimes an easier or safer way to go than actually creating something completely new and fresh.  That is why Superman gets Rebooted over and over again.....I guess they think we are too dumb to remember Superman's origin story so rather than just telling us new stories with Superman --they spend half the movie telling us who he is again.    They should learn a lesson from James Bond and trust that the viewers already know who James Bond is and just get on with the story.   

Anyway since it is going to happened anyway and everything from the 1980's is currently being redone whether we want them to be redone or not  ---Here is a list of 3 movies from the late 70's and early 80's  that were good ---but with today's effects could be done much better and might be worth revisiting.




Dreamscape from 1984

Dreamscape featured Dennis Quaid as a young psychic that is recruited to protect the President from an killer that is sent into his dreams to kill him.    The recent movie Inception  was basically a version of Dreamscape,  but the plot of that movie was too convoluted with too many layers of dreams withing dreams.   I could see Dreamscape either being remade with group of Dreamscapers sent in to protect the president  from  a group of killers where the Dreamworld becomes a more fantasy playground.   Think Where Dreams May Come type special effects where the people sent into the Dreamworld could battle it out.   Much better than the killer with the cheesy snake head from the end of the original movie.   Dreamscape had a fun concept that could be taken to the next level with a sequel or remake. 




Krull   1983

Krull was a fun guilty pleasure from 1983.  Part Fantasy and part Sci-Fi and didn't really make a whole lot of sense.  The original had some great elements in it, but also had a lot of cheesy and goofy stuff as well.   It was kind of a lot of different ideas and concepts thrown together.     A prince and a group of companions  set out to save his bride from an evil  Spaceship like fortress from the Slavers.  The movie has a lot of potential if they remade it as a darker more focused film.   I would love to see what could be done with this fun movie from the early 80's with modern special effects and tighter more clearly defined plot.









Logan's Run 1975

Logan's run has been rumored to be in the works to being remade numerous times over the past decade and it would be nice to see a true remake of this.   Many movies using similar themes have happened which is maybe the reason why it hasn't been remade.  Must recently  In Time and  The Island  both shared many similar story elements to Logan's Run and which was an obvious influence to both those films.   I would like to see them actually do a remake of Logan's Run itself which will probably happen at some point.

What would you like to see a remake of and why?

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Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 6 Star Trek


Number 6   Star Trek  1966-1969

It boldy went where no show had gone before....The adventures of Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise took the concept of Wagon Train out into space.  The show was fun and action packed while using the Sci-Fi setting to deal with real life issues in its stories and plots.  I love a cherish this show above all other versions of Star Trek because it had the perfect balance between humor and adventure.  William Shatner played his title role of Captain Kirk with infamous overacting joy, but it worked.  It is surprise Kirk had the time to save the day since he was always busy making out with Green women at ever planet he landed on while some poor hapless red shirted low level crew member was dying.  Kirk was a James Bond in space with his vintage double karate chop fighting technique.  

One of the things that worked best in the show that I felt non of its eventual spin-offs captured as well was the relationship between the characters.   Watching Spock, Kirk and Bones interact was excellent comedy against the backdrop of encounters with new alien cultures as the Enterprise went on its 5 year mission.   The show ended before its 5 year mission ended which was a shame.  It eventually came back with big screen movies and several other Star Trek shows,  but only the Wraith of Khan was as enjoyable to me as the original series.  The show was campy and had goofy cheap 1960's sets and special effects, but it was fun and the stories and plots were good.


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Monday, May 13, 2013

Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 7 The Prisoner


Number 7    The Prisoner  1967-1968

Coming in at number 7 is a near perfect 17 episodes.   The series features Patrick McGoohan as a former British secret agent who after resigning from his job ends up in a bizarre place called The Village.  He has no name, but instead like all the residents in The Village just a number.   The show follows his search for answers and many attempts at escape. The show was surreal at times like an extended Twilight Zone episode . The main theme of the show was  individualism.  The Prisoner fought to keep his identity and escape the control of the puppet masters that over saw The Village.
This twisted show was part spy show, part  sci-fi and part psychological journey.  Patrick McGoohan's performance as  prisoner Number 6 is both intense and fascinating.


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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Iron Man 3 2013 9 out of 10



Iron Man 3 2013   9 out of 10

Iron Man 3 was the first of the post Avengers solo movies and the 3rd in the Iron Man series.  The Avengers was so good that these individual films now have a lot more to live up to.....Expectations have been raised.  Iron Man 3 once again stars  Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark (AKA Iron Man)   in a role that he was obviously meant to play and again he doesn't disappoint in both being cocky and self absorbed and yet still being a hero when needed.  The suporting cast which included Ben Kingsley, Guy Pierce, Don Cheadle and Gwyneth Paltrow were all excellent.  I especially enjoyed  Ben Kingsley's performance

 The plot of the film was very interesting. It basically deals with Tony Stark  dealing with the fact that post Avengers the world is a lot bigger and scarier than he thought.  Tony Stark has to deal with his own internal struggle over the events that took place in the epic Avengers movie while dealing with a new villain The Mandarin.  I thought the film did a great job of scaling back a bit from the finale of Avengers and telling a more personal story while still being exciting and entertaining.  Marvel has realy done a great job in now tying together all of the Avengers characters into the same cinematic universe and Iron Man 3 just makes you hungry for more ---which we will soon get in the form of Thor and Captain America sequels while we wait for Avengers 2.

Here is a blog I did with pictures from Innoventions at Disneyland that has Iron Man 3 suits

The Wackiest Ship in the Army 1960 5 out of 10



The Wackiest Ship in the Army  1960  5 out of 10

First of all the title is completely inaccurate and misleading. There was nothing even remotely wacky about the movie at all.  It was an okay film based on a true story about a small sailing ship that was used in order sneak into an area patrolled by Japanese ships in order to save many lives during the war.   A decent story starring the very talented Jack Lemmon and a crew of misfits and the challenges they faced on their mission.  I went into this movie expecting something wacky so a standard low key war movie wasn't something I wasn't ready for.  Where is the wacky???
If it had been called Mission aboard the Echo I probably would have liked it since I wouldn't have been expecting and then been disappointed by the utter lack of wackiness.




Grown Ups 2010 5 out of 10


Grown Ups 2010    5 out of 10

Grown Up was an extremely average comedy that didn't really deliver for me despite a reunion of all star ex SNL members.  It is the perfect example of a movie that all the best scenes are in the trailer and no surprises are in the movie at all.   The plot was thin,   a group of unlikely basketball champions reunite after the death of their childhood coach and basically hang out together.  There is a tiny bit of story where they have a rematch with the bitter rival team at the end, but mainly the movie is just the guys hanging out with their families and exchanges mild insults with each other that don't even equal the insults thrown around in an episode of a Rules of Engagement diner scene from the show David Spade stars in.
The movie wasn't terrible, but it really wasn't much of a movie.  It kind of felt like you were just hanging out with this group of actors instead of a movie.   Like being a part of a comic panel as opposed to watching an actual movie.  It was just to mellow.

Of course it made money so a sequel is on the way.  Hopefully they will make the sequel into more of a film than the first one.




Jurassic Attack (AKA Rise of the Dinosaurs) 2013 5 out of 10


Jurassic Attack (AKA Rise of the Dinosaurs)  2013 5 out of 10

A commando squad is sent to rescue a scientist from a terrorist and ends up with their helicopter getting shot down in an ancient crater where dinosaurs still exist.  Jurassic Attack gives us yet another lost world dinosaur movie with cheesy video game looking special effects and bad dialogue and cheesy acting.  The actor playing the professor that they bump into in this lost world is clearly doing an impression of Brad Pitt from Twelve Monkeys as he tries to explain the wonder of this lost world.   The commandos work their way through the jungle as they try to escape getting picked off one at a time by CGI dinos.  There is nothing new or exciting about this sci-fi Dino flick, but I've definitely seen worse.





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Friday, May 10, 2013

Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 8 X-Files

Number 8   X-Files   1993-2002

This was a very difficult show to figure out where  The X-Files belonged on my list.  I have strong feelings about this show --it could have very easily been the number 2 show on my list and could easily have slipped quite a way further down as well.   The show follows the adventures of two FBI agents as they investigate the unexplainable  cases of the FBI.    Fox Mulder  (David Duchovny ) is searching for answers to something that happened in  his past (the disappearance of his sister).  Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is the skeptic that becomes his partner and is basically partnered with him to come up with a reasonable explanation for the cases they deal with (how she remained a skeptic at all after so many seasons is just not realistic)

  This show was extremely hard to place on the list because at one point when it was at its best it was quite possibly the best show on TV. There were so many cool episodes digging into Aliens, and creatures and all sort of the mysterious.  At one point I would rather watch one episode of the X-Files rather than any new horror or mystery or sci-fi movie that was coming out on the big screen,  that is how good X-Files was.   There would be a bunch monster of the week episodes and then we would get a mythology episode.  The mythology episodes would tease us that something may eventually be solved and the great mystery and government conspiracy that haunted Mulder would be figured out.  I was hooked and couldn't wait until the next piece of the puzzle feel into place.   The show was a big success for FOX and they kept renewing it,  but they shows creator Chris Carter never paid the audience off on any of his teases.    Eventually the main character of Mulder left the show and for money reasons they just kept making it without him anyway.  I finally got frustrated with the show and dropped out of watching it completely until the series finale which was going to have Mulder back again and would hopefully finally answer some questions.  
The finale was a total disappointment and played more like a boring clips show than a fitting end to the series.   The show ended leaving many fans disappointed with so much unresolved.  I felt that the mythology of the show that they teased us with constantly never was paid off and that maybe Chris Carter was just making it up as he went along inside of really crafting it like I had hoped.   
One of the reasons I love Joss Whedon shows is that when he teases something at the beginning of a season you know that eventually all of those teases will pay off at the end and then a new storyline will be teased and hold your attention.  Whedon seemed to have mapped out where he wanted his shows to go season by season instead of just winging it as he went along.   I only wish X-Files,  LOST and Twin Peaks had been crafted in the same way.

So I place X-Files at number 8  because it was the best show on TV for quite a few years  even though the main storyline eventually turned out to be all smoke and mirrors in the end .  I can't over look how good it was at one time and how it influenced other shows that came after it.







Thursday, May 9, 2013

Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 9 Firefly


Number 9 Firefly  2002-2003

Fox didn't know what they had.   Part western,  part Sci-Fi --the show was never properly promoted or show regularly in its time slot and died and early and unfortunate death.    The fans knew what they had though an amazing, cool sci-fi gem with a deep mythology that we never got to fully explore created by Joss Whedon.  The story follows a crew of travlers, each with their own secrets aboard the spaceship Serenity.  Traveling from frontier planet to frontier planet in search of earning a wage and avoiding entanglements with the authorities.
 It features a great cast starring Nathan Fillion (of Castle)  and excellent writing lead to a loyal fan base that eventually lead to a motion picture based on a TV show that only had about 9 episodes that aired on TV.  Serenity was a really good movie that delivered its loyal fans with some of the answers  that we would have eventually explored had the show itself lasted longer---but left us wanting more.   If this show had lasted longer it may have been one of my favorites of all-time.  





Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 10 Dollhouse

Number 10   Dollhouse   2009-2010

The second of four  Joss Whedon creations on my favorite list.   Dollhouse starring  Eliza Dushku (Faith on Buffy another Whedon show).  It followed the story of a girl that was part of a futuristic lab that used their agents or "Dolls" for different highly paid assignments  be implanting different memories or skills in them by clearing their memories after each task. The premise was excellent.   The writing on the show was terrific both comedic and interesting.   The concept lead to cool stories  each week while slowing unfolding the main mythology of the main storyline about the Dollhouse.   It has a great cast starting with Eliza in the main role.   Fran Kranz as the main tech was great for comic relief and Tahmoh Penikett (of Battlestar fame) as the detective that is trying to figure the Dollhouse out was great as well.   The show was solid from start to finish and unfortunately ended to soon. Like all of Whedon's work I was left entertained and satisfied with the teases and pay offs of the shows stories.  






Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 11 Quantum Leap


Number 11 Quantum Leap    1989-1993

Quantum Leap was a creative, fun, time travel show with a heart.  
Dr. Samuel Beckett ends up trapped in time leaping from person to person trying to set things right in order to hopefully eventually leap his way back home.   It was a great show with a heart and pulled the audience in each week to really care about the lives of the people that Dr. Beckett leapt into.  The story concept was a perfect concept for a show as it lead to many different types of stories across many different time periods.   I personally didn't like or except what they did with the series finale, but it was a really good solid sci-fi show about making things right.




Monday, May 6, 2013

Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 12 The Outer Limits


Number 12  The Outer Limits  1963-1965

Following on the foot steps of The Twilight Zone came this black and white anthology sci-fi show.  The Outer Limits was very much like The Twilight Zone dealing mainly in Sci-Fi realm. It brought great hour long stories that dove into the mysterious.     In its 49 episode run it had many great episodes, but was less consistent than the Twilight Zone was.   Still a must watch for Sci-Fi fans.

Like the Twilight Zone it had a great opening.  You knew you were in for a good watch when the opening came on.

"There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to — The Outer Limits."


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