Hoping For Something To Hope For

Propaganda

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:42:00 +0000

So, I didn't quite come through on posting a lot after my supposed return. This is due mostly in part to the fact that I received a number of books for my birthday in September, and I've been spending a lot of time reading them all. But I haven't forsaken this blog. I really do intend to return to regular postings, honest guys. I've actually got a lot of in progress reviews in my drafts section, with even more floating in my mind. The Firefly series will continue too. In the mean time, please be subjected to this Dollhouse propaganda intended to increase viewership and ward off cancellation.

Adding to the Noise: Dollhouse

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:53:00 +0000

The consensus on Joss Whedon's Dollhouse seems to be that it finally found its footing in the last few episodes of the first season. I would generally agree with that, and I look forward to this upcoming season that starts this coming Friday on Fox. Allow me to share an actual laugh out loud moment that came up in the middle of insanely intense drama (a staple of Whedon).

Alpha
We’re not just humans anymore. We’re not multiple personalities. We’re many personalities. Uh… one of my personalities happens to be a multiple personality, but that doesn’t make me a multiple personality. I’m looking for a little nuance here.

The Glee Pilot

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:30:00 +0000

Back in May, Fox aired a preview episode for an upcoming show called Glee, and back in May, yours truly tuned in due mostly in part to a pretty intriguing promo featuring Journey's "Don't Stop Believin." Actually, let me go a little bolder: the only reason I tuned in was because of that promo. Not knowing any of the actors too well, and not having seen or been interested in Ryan Murphy's previous project, Nip Tuck, there's just no way I would have otherwise consciously decided to watch this show, especially when it was advertised to air after an episode of American Idol, which at the time, seemed to imply a really close connection between the two programs that also contributed to a general disinterest in this new program. Somehow the planets were in alignment the night of the premiere because I did turn on my television set, switch to Fox 11, and watch with mediocre expectations. In short, I loved it.

For those who aren't as familiar, Glee is a new dramedy about a high school glee club. When the previous glee club teacher is ousted on charges of inappropriate student interaction, a young Spanish teacher, Mr. Will Schuester(Matthew Morrison), asks to take his place. Mr. Schuester has an obvious passion for glee club, and makes sacrifices such as working detention for free and an additional $60 a month deduction in his paycheck in order to hold meetings. He cons a more popular student into joining by threatening to notify his mother of some marijuana he found in his locker. Meanwhile, Will comes home to a wife who finds his whole career as a teacher to be a waste of his time as he could be making more money as an accountant. She's further disappointed in his choice to put in extra hours with the glee club. Glee is also about some of the students in the club and the difficulties they experience trying to deal with the contrast between personal aspirations and high school popularity. And at least for the pilot episode, this sort of hits home at the theme of the show. Do we try to fit into the roles that world deems acceptable, or do we just learn to embrace ourselves and do that which makes us gleeful?

Here's what Glee did to work for me: compelling characters.

Maybe it's because I'm older now, getting ready to enter into the high school teaching arena, but I really appreciated that the main character of the show is so clearly the Spanish teacher. While Glee isn't innocent of creating some very odd nearly caricaturistic folk in its teaching staff, I think the inclusion of the fairly normal and relatable Mr. Schuester gives the show a really solid foundation. I love that there's this normal guy who has a passion for something that many would deem a little quirky, show choir. He's a patient and supportive husband, but I can't say that a divorce in the future wouldn't bother me too much seeing as how that patience and support doesn't seem to be reciprocated. Mr. Schuester also seems to have an insight when he explains that "there's no joy in these kids. They feel invisible. That's why every one of them has a MySpace page." Mr. Schuester wants to be a part of something that helps these students get in touch with a more promising reality.

Let's talk about some of these students.

Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) could easily be classified as a diva, but they handle her character in such a way that she's still sympathetic. Her audition where she performs "On My Own" from Les Miserables is intercut with her narration explaining how she aspires to be famous and her efforts to post a video daily on MySpace. The music syncs up well as she reads the hurtful comments. She's a diva, but nobody wants to acknowledge her talent outside of the glee club. She knows what she wants out of life, and even though others try to bring her down, she doesn't let them derail her sense of being. Glee made me sympathize, enjoy, and admire a diva-like character. That is by no means a small feat.

Next, there's Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith). Unlike Miss Rachel Berry, Finn doesn't feel comfortable embracing his innermost self to the fullest. Via voiceover and a flashback, we learn that Finn has always had a passion for music. Even as a child, he plays the drums and enjoys singing along with the chemical lawn guy. But it's not conventional for a boy to grow up to be a singer in this little town, so to make it easier on himself and his mother, Finn goes the athletic route by joining football. When Mr. Schuester forces him into glee club, Finn does discover that feeling of joy that he had been suppressing in order to fit in. There's a great moment in the pilot where Finn Hudson notes that everybody in the school is a 'loser.' If you embrace your inner-self, you're written off as weird. If you try to fit to some normal standard, you lose a part of yourself. Finn's time with glee club has reminded him of that part he had lost.

Look, I've heard some of the criticisms for this show, and not all of them are unjustified. Firstly, if you don't like musicals, Glee may not be your show. If you want your programs to be edgy and dark, Glee may not be your show. If you're expecting some accurate depiction of high school life, Glee is definitely not your show. That being said, the one criticism that I will heartily disagree with is that Glee is just High School Musical revamped. Glee is about as similar to High School Musical as Dawson's Creek is to Saved By the Bell. On top of that, Glee is clearly full of talented singers, while High School Musical always registered as having a cast who required a studio mixing team to sing. Glee is more complex, and doesn't pander to children by creating teachers who seem unintelligent.

Glee has quite a cast of characters, and not all of them are overly fantastic. Even those that I've listed are not without their own cliches. The high school dramedy has been done to death, so it's really hard to produce something fresh, but Glee succeeds. It has all of those typical high school archetypes, but it plays with them in a refreshing way. The show gives us hopeful messages that I can only hope are absorbed by actual high school students. I don't know if the show will be able to keep up the energy I felt after I saw the pilot, but I hope it can. There will be one more re-airing of the pilot episode this Friday at 9:00PM on Fox before the season continues next week with the second episode. You can also view the director's cut of the episode on Hulu.

Note: I'm not planning to post anything further about this show. I just wanted to get my thoughts down to maybe get more people in on this show. I'd hate to see it get canceled early because of low viewership. I never intended this to be a TV blog. I just like to write about what I love.

The Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:36:00 +0000

There was a firefight!

State of the Blog

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:29:00 +0000

Since I haven't posted anything in the past two months, I thought it would be best to update any readers on what's going on. I wish I had some great story as to why I haven't been actively posting, or why my Summer of Firefly series will inevitably be inappropriately named, but unfortunately, it all comes down to having reduced access to a computer and a senioritis-esque attitude toward updates. However, next week, I will begin work with a middle school in my area, so I imagine I'll need the satisfying release that comes with sharing thoughts on movies and such.

In short, I expect to be more active in the weeks to come. I do have several drafts that have been puttering around in my list of posts, including some Firefly episode discussions and a You Already Take Me There movie review. I also have some ideas for posts that discuss movies or television shows on a more general basis, rather than a specific talk on a particular example.

I hope I haven't disappointed too many readers with my absence.

Happy Fourth of July!

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:05:00 +0000

Summer of Firefly: Updates

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:03:00 +0000

So I recognize I've been extremely behind in my posts. It's likely this Summer of Firefly will extend into the Fall. I'll try to get the "Shindig" post up today, but for now here are the results of that little poll a few of you took on the side here.

Well it looks like the Millennium Falcon and Serenity tied for the position of most desired ship to captain (of the ones I listed here). If there was another ship you felt annoyed that I left off the list, feel free to comment. The Millennium Falcon/Serenity rivalry is pretty cool because they're so similar. When I first designed this little poll, I initially thought that I would want to captain Serenity, but as I thought about it longer, I realized that the Millenium Falcon is the ship I'd want. Growing up, I actually had a Millennium Falcon toy ship. I spent many hours imagining I was captaining the ship, so I can't just throw that nostalgia aside when deciding where I fall here. Besides, the Millennium Falcon seems to require one crew member to stay flying, Serenity takes quite a few more, so just in terms of management, I'd have to go with the Falcon.

Unfortunately, my deciding on the Millennium Falcon doesn't break the tie (fighter) since I actually participated in my own poll by voting for her. Leave comments if you have anything to add at all. I'm extremely curious who the Stargate person was.

My Top 5: Michel Gondry

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:37:00 +0000

I've had an Excel spreadsheet ranking the Michel Gondry (Dir: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep) music videos in my documents folder for awhile now (there are over 70 of them). I've been re-watching the top 20 a lot lately trying to reach a final decision, but it's just so hard. However, I think most people are sympathetic when it comes to lists like this. We all are aware that these lists have certain flexibilities and are prone to moods of the lister. Thusly, I give you my Top 5 Michel Gondry music videos.

5. "Around the World" - Daft Punk
What am I watching!? I think I like it, but my mind is all confuzzled. It seems Daft Punk and Michel Gondry go together like Spacemen and Skeletons. I wonder what Busby Berkeley would have to say about this.

4. "The Denial Twist" - The White Stripes
Crazy lens action here. Pretty fun to watch especially when they do that final reveal of everything. Plus, Conan O'Brien.

3. "Come Into My World" - Kylie Minogue
At first, my reaction was "So what?" Then, at about 1:10 into the video, I saw where he was going with this. More fun imaginings by Michel Gondry with the Green Fairy from Moulin Rouge!

2. "Fell in Love with a Girl" - The White Stripes
If you don't feel the urge to air drum along to the Lego girl, I fear for your soul.

1. "Star Guitar" - The Chemical Brothers
Another one of those "So what?" moments until I realized what was going on. This is now one of my favorite music videos period.

Summer of Firefly: Random IMDB Quote

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 05:51:00 +0000

Summer of Firefly: "Bushwacked"

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:37:00 +0000

Oh, my god! What can it be? We're all doomed! Who's flying this thing!? Oh, right. That would be me. Back to work.

Episode 03: "Bushwacked"

Directed by: Tim Minear

Written by: Tim Minear

Original Air Date: 9/27/02

Plot Summary:

*If you've seen the episode recently or have a pretty good memory of what happens, skip this Plot Summary*

At the edge of space, the crew of Serenity stumble upon a seemingly abandoned vessel. Captain Malcolm Reynolds quickly notes that it's a ship used to transport several families to a new settlement. There's some debate as to what to do amongst the crew. Jayne would like to just move it along and forget the ship entirely while Book is interested in giving any help to possible survivors, citing the story of the good Samaritan. Eventually, Malcolm Reynolds decides to check it out. If there are survivors, they can help them out, and if not, well they can take a look around and see if they might have left behind something of value. The afterthought suits Jayne just fine.

As they explore the ship, they discover that it was attacked by Reavers when they find the mutilated bodies of the former passengers. Fortunately for the crew of Serenity, the Reavers that did the slaying don't seem to be around. In fact, it would seem they've run into quite a bit of fortune as they find some very valuable supplies aboard the attacked ship. They also stumble upon a survivor that they quickly bring back to Serenity so that Simon can provide medical aid to the poor soul. After getting a better look at the 'survivor,' Mal quickly learns more about why the guy was able to 'escape' with his life. The Reavers made him watch as they raped and mutilated the people aboard the spacecraft. Psychologically, the 'survivor' has no choice but to become like a Reaver himself.

Mal allows Book and other members of the crew to put the bodies to rest properly and load the cargo while he, Kaylee, and Wash deal with a booby trap that would prevent Serenity from taking off without...well, exploding. Fortunately, Kaylee saves the day when she disables the trap just as Jayne and folk return with the fortune that they could all use so desperately. Just as Serenity prepares to leave the ghost ship behind, an Alliance cruiser arrives. In addition to getting them on an illegal salvage charge, a post claiming fugitives Simon and River Tam are aboard a Firefly class vessel puts Malcolm Reynolds and crew in a very tight spot. As the Alliance soldiers board Serenity, Captain Reynolds plays it innocent. He puts all the salvage front and center, notes how they rescued a passenger from the derelict, and hides River and Simon outside the ship with the aid of a couple space suits.

Unfortunately, the rescued passenger, in a fit of insanity, has started cutting on himself, so the commanding officer quickly decides to arrest the crew. As he questions each member, looking for more information about Simon and River, he suspects that Malcolm Reynolds killed everybody on board the derelict and tortured the last remaining survivor as a twisted form of revenge for losing the war. Just as he's about to close the case, he learns that the rescued passenger has escaped by way of a murderous rampage back to Serenity. Captain Reynolds offers his services to help track down the man since he's the best expert on how Reavers work. As they explore Serenity, Mal manages to save the life of the officer in charge by killing the rescued passenger attacking him. Having his life saved by Mr. Reynolds, the officer is willing to let Serenity and crew go free, although not with the derelict's cargo. In the episode's final moments, the Alliance cruiser destroys the ghost ship and puts the whole incident behind them.

Discussion:

You've heard me go on and on about Joss Whedon, but you haven't heard me say much about Tim Minear. When Joss needed somebody who could captain Firefly while he was busy making sure his other two shows (Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel) were still flyin', he considered quite a few people. Eventually, he landed on Tim Minear, one of his frequent writers on Angel. He's an absolutely essential crew member for the show. I believe last post I said Tim was the Zoe to Joss' Malcolm Reynolds. I still stand by that claim. We've seen him work with Joss to get a 'second pilot' with very little time, and now we see him write and direct and episode all by his lonesome. Tim Minear will be back as writer for two more episodes of Firefly, so it's best not to forget about him.

When Tim Minear set about to write "Bushwacked," he had a few goals in mind. First, since "The Train Job" was mostly about being funny, he sought to create something a little darker. Second, since the Fox network had already expressed their distaste for the western elements in Firefly, Mr. Minear set the entire episode in space. Third, since the pilot "Serenity" had not been aired first, as it should have been, he needed to reinforce some of the major elements in the universe. Namely, Tim Minear gave us a reintroduction of the Reavers as well as the Alliance. In the Firefly Official Companion, Tim Minear explains that the first half "is about homesteaders and regular people trying to get by. It's about the savagery of being too far away from civilization. The second half was about civilization being so civilized that it becomes this collectivist, bureaucratic behemoth that can't get anything done, and it's trying to control too much." He uses these extremes to emphasize how the crew of Serenity finds itself somewhere in the middle.

There are a lot of great River moments in this episode (it's why I've made a point to include two screenshots of her for this update). At the very beginning we can see her watching as the crew plays some sort of basketball-ish sport. She watches attentively, enthusiastically, and studiously. We get another similar moment (screenshot at the very top) when she's hiding outside of Serenity with her brother. Her look of fascination with the emptyness of space is precious. As smart as she is, she still can take great pleasure in the world around her. Her fascination with space is contrasted nicely with Simon's terror of it. When River says "let's go again" to her brother, I smile everytime. There's also an interesting connection developed in this episode between River and the Reavers. She seems to share some kind of supernatural bond with the survivor. Perhaps will learn more about this in the episodes to come.

There are two interactions between Mal and Shepard Book that I think are worth looking into. The first is when Book encourages Mal to check the derilect for survivors, and the second is when Book encourages Mal to let him put the bodies to rest. In each instance, Mal agrees, but we learn it's out of some self-interest, i.e. salvaging cargo and creating a distraction while they take care of the booby trap. Here's a question I pose to you. Does Mal agree because Book convinces him, and only then coming up with some form of profit from the agreement, or does Mal have an idea of profiting before hand and only agrees with Book coincidentally?

I've been leaving favorite moments up to my readers, and I think I'll continue to do that, but this time I will include a couple of my own as well. The whole interrogation of the crew segment is one of my favorite parts of the whole episode. I love the way the questions and answered are juxtaposed from different members of the crew. I'm also a particularly big fan of Mal's line "may have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one." I'm always moved by the last shot of "Bushwacked" when the Alliance cruiser destroys the derelict. I've always been a fan of the Firefly score for it's western elements, and I think it really sells that last shot. There's a sadness to it.

Well that's all for this week. Sorry for the delay. The next episode on the list, "Shindig," is one of my favorites, so I look forward to getting it posted on time.

Minority Report (2002)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:00:00 +0000

*See the original post at Film for the Soul.*
"The Minority Report" is a short story written by Philip Dick and in 1956 was published in the January issue of the science-fiction magazine Fantastic Universe. A film adaptation was produced in 2002 with the screenwriting talents of Scott Frank and Jon Cohen as well as the directorial vision of Mr. Steven Spielberg. Taking its name from the source material, Minority Report is a neo-noir science-fiction thriller. While there are some significant changes made from the original short story, including making the main character much younger and more athletic, most of the underlying ideas are carried over into the film. That is, while the filmmakers did inject much more action into the story, we are not deprived of a film that whets our more cerebral appetites. Upon its initial release, Minority Report met with financial and critical success. The movie received a theatrical gross profit of roughly $30 million in the U.S. alone, and film critics such as Roger Ebert saw fit to name Minority Report one of the best films of 2002.

The year is 2054, and a police agency known as Precrime resides in Washington D.C. The agency proudly boasts that it has helped to create a murder-free Washington D.C. for the last six years. How does Precrime achieve such a feat? By relying on the gifts of three seemingly divine individuals known as the Precognitives (Precogs for short): Agatha, Arthur, and Dashiell [whose names are chosen after famous crime authors Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Dashiell Hammett]. Their ability to see into the future, allows Precrime to stop murders before they happen. Detective John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is Precrime's Chief of Police. Motivated by the loss of his son years ago, Anderton is committed to enforcing the system that, had it been around, may have prevented his own tragedy. Precrime's Director Lamar Burgess (Max Von Sydow) is working toward getting Precrime nationalized. Before that can happen, the agency will have to be approved by the Department of Justice who has sent Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell) to investigate on their behalf. During this investigation, the Precogs reveal that John Anderton is to murder a man named Leo Crow, whom he's never met, within a day and a half. Rather than submit himself to the agency, John Anderton runs, hoping to find some answers. The most important answer for John is whether there's a chance the Precogs could be wrong. Anderton learns that there are instances where Agatha sees a vision differently from the other two. This disagreement is referred to as a minority report, and Anderton quickly realizes that this would be his only chance to prove his innocence. Just how John is going to obtain his minority report and where Leo Crow falls into all of this...well, I think it's best if I just let Steven Spielberg tell that story.

At the heart of Minority Report is the notion of free will versus determinism. Not in any way a new thought, philosophers have been trying to ascertain whether we actually are free to make our choices or if our own future is already determined by a chain of causes and effects. René Descartes declared that our will is clearly free while Baruch Spinoza believes it absurd that human beings have free will when the choices we make are simply a result of our lives up to the point that we make them. John Locke also chips in when he claims that we don't have freedom to choose our wills. We can't manipulate our desires or appetites, according to Locke, but we can choose to act on them or not. That is, we don't have free will, but we are free.

So, where does Minority Report stand in this debate? Is there a definitive answer? Surely, if we are to accept that it is morally right to arrest people for crimes they haven't yet committed, we would have to be talking about a pre-determined universe. By becoming aware of an individual's future, you can alter the cause and effect chain that would lead to them murdering another. Then again, just because you can glimpse into the future to see how things would happen on this current course doesn't mean that they happen that way because life is devoid of actual choice. The John Anderton case brings the most out of this topic. John Anderton is actually able to witness his future crime first hand. One of the Precogs tells John that this allows him the freedom to choose his fate. Knowing how the murder happens frees him from having to commit it. Surely, this is a case for the free will people! But it's not that clear. Seeing the vision is also what leads John Anderton to the exact setup as predicted. It's not free will, but rather a series of cause and effects (with the vision just being a new cause). Because John was seeing his own future, the future itself was altered. He's no longer an external force in somebody else's destiny, but he doesn't exactly seem to be the commander of his own fate either. However, when it comes down to the actual murder act, I'll let you decide whether this is when the movie is taking a stand on either side of the argument.

A recurring element within Minority Report is the notion of sight. The Precogs see the future, and the detectives are in charge of monitoring their visions. When Agatha tries to demonstrate the Anne Lively murder to John, she whispers "Can you see?" John Anderton meets with a blind drug dealer on the street who mentions "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." So, what does all this mean? Well, I think the drug dealer sums it up perfectly. The Precogs are given a gift. We look to them because we are blind, but they can see. Furthermore, when Anderton views his own future, it diminishes the power of those who are in charge of tracking him. The rules of capture for the previous murderers do not apply. As the Department of Justice agent notes at one point, he can't be stopped. Anyway, enough of my pseudo-philosophy. Let's talk cinematic.

Minority Report is neo-noir. There are quite a few noir elements going on in this movie from the obvious to the not so obvious. First, our protagonist is a detective who quickly finds himself on the opposite side of the law. He's not a clear cut hero. We learn quickly of his drug addiction, and when he finally confronts the man he's supposed to kill, Anderton doesn't hesitate as much as a more 'moral' man would. Let us not forget that we have a femme fatale in Agatha (ok, may be reaching, but bear with me). She's the one who sends Anderton on a mission that eventually leads to his 'downfall.' Aside from the plot elements, Spielberg also worked to create a film that retained the look of the classic film noir movies. Heavy shadows can be found throughout the movie. Moreover, the color palette chosen for Minority Report is almost monochromatic, a nod to the black, white, and gray that classic noir is oh-so-comfortable in.

Minority Report is a very fulfilling movie experience. Learning that critics have called it one of the best films of 2002 fits nicely. If such a movie existed that only used the elements I've discussed above, I would be satisfied. Minority Report goes beyond that by creating an enthralling world of mystery and two back-to-back action scenes whose ultimate conclusion leave me with a smile every time (seriously, that was one of the niftiest escapes I've ever seen). Minority Report is one of those great films that entertain the viewer while giving them something to talk about at the local coffee shop. It's certainly deserving of any recognition we can bestow upon it for the year of 2002 in films. Well, I've gotta run, but then, you knew that. For if there's anything we come away with here, it's that "everybody runs."

Anticipating the next Switchfoot Album...Wait! Albums!

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:23:00 +0000

The last time I was able to experience a brand new Switchfoot album was December of 2006. Shortly after, I would hear reports of a new album in development. Always rooted in mystery, and always being delayed. During that time, Switchfoot went independent, no longer having to deal with the artistic constriction of the studio system. Fortunately, for fans such as myself, Jon Foreman, the band's frontman, released four solo EP's with an eventual best-of album including two new tracks. When the band reemerged with "This is Home" for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, I was thrilled because I crave their music so vehemently. All the while, however, I kept tabs on the progression of the new album.

Now, it seems Switchfoot is committed to getting this new album no later than September of this year. The title of this new album? Hello Hurricane. To my knowledge two tracks from this album can be found in some form or another on the internet. The title track was previewed at one of Switchfoot's concerts where somebody proceeded to record it on their iPhone. While the recording is obviously lacking in quality, I couldn't help but get excited as I listened to it. As the chorus starts up, it sounds like a woman shouts "I want it." My sentiments exactly. The other track that I'm aware of is "Yet" which is clearly a member of the more intimate Switchfoot tracks.

Here's where the news gets fun for Switchfoot fans. In their time since Oh! Gravity, Switchfoot has produced enough music tracks for not just one, but four albums. The next album title has also been announced already. The title track is even available to listen to in it's bootleggy format if you look for it: "Vice Verses." We're looking at a 2010 release date for Vice Verses.

It's such an incredible time to be a Switchfoot fan. With "everyone hopeless and hoping for something to hope for," I'm ecstatic that there's still so much more to hope for.

Counting Down the Zeroes: Minority Report

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Check out my submission for Ibetolis' Counting Down the Zeroes series at Film for the Soul. I'll post the same thing, more or less, on Friday, but for now I'm giving him an exclusive. While, you're there, be sure to check out some of the other entries. In fact, I would just subscribe to the site. You'll thank me later.

A DVD Rant from James Rolfe (Caution: Contains Offensive Language)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:53:00 +0000

Looks like embedding has been disabled, so here's a link to the video.

Adding to the Noise: Peter Pan

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:26:00 +0000

There are times I feel like I'm the only one who really gets this movie. The 2003 film is my favorite adaptation of the J.M. Barrie story. When I made my top 100 list awhile back, I put the movie at number 77. Anyway, this is all stuff that could go into an eventual review, so let me just give you the quote that I can't seem to get out of my head.

Mrs. Darling:
There are many different kinds of bravery. There's the bravery of thinking of others before one's self. Now, your father has never brandished a sword nor fired a pistol, thank heavens. But he has made many sacrifices for his family, and put away many dreams...He put them in a drawer. And sometimes, late at night, we take them out and admire them. But it gets harder and harder to close the drawer... He does. And that is why he is brave.

Summer of Firefly: "The Train Job"

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Welcome back to another edition of the Summer of Firefly! Time for some thrilling heroics.

Episode 02: "The Train Job"

Directed by: Joss Whedon

Written by: Joss Whedon & Tim Minear

Original Air Date: 9/20/02

Plot Summary:

*If you've seen the episode recently or have a pretty good memory of what happens, skip this Plot Summary*

Before Malcolm Reynolds manages to get into a bar brawl, he obtains a contact for a job. After meeting with the man responsible for posting the job, Adelei Niska (a man of reputation), Malcolm agrees to a job involving the theft of Alliance goods aboard a moving train. The heist doesn't go as well as planned. The cargo they were responsibile for stealing is successfully taken from the train, but Mal and Zoe find themselves without an escape.

On Serenity, Jayne is adamant on delivering the goods to Niska as planned, but the rest of the crew thinks they should wait for Mal and Zoe before meeting with the man. Shepherd Book, in particular, gives the most convincing argument, stating that Niska would likely have Mal and Zoe killed if he thought they had been captured and hence in a position to rat him out.

Malcolm Reynolds and Zoe find themselves in Paradiso, the town which was supposed to receive the shipment they managed to lift from the train. Mal quickly learns that the shipment was actually medical supplies which the people in Paradiso so desperately needed. The Alliance is not too concerned with tracking down the thieves and moves on, leaving Paradiso's under-equipped local law enforcement to find the medicine.

Back on Serenity, Jayne loses his patience and attempts to commandeer the ship to the rendezvous point to meet with Niska's men. Fortunately for the crew, Simon drugs Jayne, keeping him from making any more trouble. Inara decides to use her respectability as a Companion to get Mal and Zoe out of whatever trouble they've found themselves in Paradiso.

Inara's plan is successful. Mal and Zoe find themselves back on Serenity where they both immediately proceed to return the medical supplies to the people of Paradiso, but not before they run into Niska's men. The crew manages to subdue Niska's men and return the supplies to the townspeople. Mal then returns the money he accepted for the train job to one of Niska's men, hoping that this settles whatever trouble Niska might have with their not coming through on the job.

As the episode concludes, we get a better look at the Alliance men in search of River Tam. "Two by two. Hands of blue."

Discussion:

Something I forgot to mention last time. The universe of Firefly has a fairly important element that I completely overlooked. Part of this vision for the future involves an eventual merging of two superpowers, namely American and China, whose merging will be known as The Alliance. As a result, Chinese culture can be found all over the place in the Firefly world. Not just Chinese clothing, housing, and food, but the language as well. It's not uncommon for somebody to use speak Chinese in the middle of an English sentence. The merging of Spanish and English is called Spanglish. I suppose that means people in Firefly speak Chinglish. There are other new words in the Firefly 'verse that you can hear from time to time. The first two that come to mind are "Rutting" and "Gorram," which are curse words. Another word commonly used by characters in the 'verse is "shiny," which is generally a good thing. Now that we've cleared that up, let's head back to "The Train Job."

When Fox refused to air the pilot episode "Serenity" Joss Whedon and Tim Minear (the Zoe to Joss' Malcolm Reynolds) had to write an episode that could work as a sort of pilot without repeating what had already happened. So, during the course of what must have been a very stressful weekend, they churned out "The Train Job." With a shorter runtime and an episode that had a very clear advertisable premise, Fox let this be the first episode of Firefly to make it on the air September 20, 2002. It wouldn't be the last time Joss Whedon had to write a script that could serve as being introductory to the Firefly ignorant without doing disservice to that which had come before (hint hint: The feature film Serenity).

Despite it's rushed origins, "The Train Job" is a worthy member of the Firefly episode family. The pre-titles opening serves as a way to convey information to those who were, through no fault of their own, unable to watch the pilot, but the information is told through us in completely different ways. In "Serenity" we learned of Mal's involvement in the war because we see him fight in it. In "The Train Job" we learn that same information through a discussion between himself and a man who's not burdened by an overabundance of schoolin'. If you see the pilot first, it just reinforces what you already know. If not, you have a chance to do some clever detectivin' as you figure out where everybody comes from.

In the pilot episode, we watched as Mal did whatever he had to do to keep Serenity flying, even dealing with a woman who had shot him on a previous occasion. In "The Train Job" we watch as Mal once again accepts a job rooted in seediness from a man who bears no remorse at killing his nephew and hanging him in a room adjacent to his office to make a point. Only, when Mr. Reynolds learns more about the details of this particular job, he makes the decision to reverse his dealings with Niska. As Malcolm Reynolds returns the supplies, he's stopped by the head law enforcement official in Paradiso who had been grilling him earlier when he had suspicions of Mal and Zoe. The man sympathizes with Mal noting that in times as bad as these a man can take a job without looking too closely at what that job is, but when he learns of a situation such as the people in Paradiso, then that man has a choice to do the right thing. Captain Malcolm Reynolds quickly replies, "I don't believe he does." If you asked me to point out the exact moment that I fell in love with this show, it would be those five words. If you asked me to point out another such moment, it would be when Mal kicks Crow into the engine.

There's also some seeding going on in this episode. Particularly with the River and Simon storyline. We learn that Jayne would love nothing more than to turn River and Simon in for some kind of reward money. He claims that it's also Mal's plan, but we don't see any evidence to that, except maybe River's line "Mal means bad in Latin." We also learn more about what was going on with River before Simon helped her escape as we get a glimpse into one of her nightmares. There's a lot more story to tell here.

Once more, instead of reciting a list of some of my favorite moments, I'll leave that to my readers to do.

That's it for this week (although I may post something later today). See you next time.

Tom Hanks is a Satisfied In-N-Out Burger Customer

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:24:00 +0000

Summer of Firefly: Prompt #1

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:44:00 +0000

To inspire some more interactivity with this little series I have going, I'm going to open up the floor to any of my readers. I've got a prompt that I'd like you to answer. You can either send me your response via e-mail to TheRockinDTB@aol.com, or you can post it on your own website, and I will be sure to direct people to your post. Simply answer the following prompt in any way that you see fit:

If I were a Serenity crew member, I would be...

You can select a member of the actual crew, or you can come up with your own position on the ship. Have fun with it.

Summer of Firefly: "Serenity"

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:45:00 +0000

It's another edition of the Summer of Firefly! We're still flyin'. It may not seem like much, but it's enough.

Episode 01: "Serenity"

Directed by: Joss Whedon

Written by: Joss Whedon

Original Air Date: 12/20/02

Plot Summary:

*If you've seen the episode recently or have a pretty good memory of what happens, skip this Plot Summary*

Set five hundred years in the future, "Serenity" opens on a battle taking place in Serenity Valley. Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and Zoe Alleyne (Gina Torres) are soldiers for the Independents, aka Browncoats, a group fighting against the unification of all worlds under one government known simply as the Alliance. Despite their efforts, the Browncoats lose the Battle of Serenity due mostly to the Alliance having superior numbers.

Six years later, we find ourselves with Mal and Zoe once more, but the war is over. Malcolm Reynolds is now the captain of a Firefly class vessel named Serenity with Zoe as his second in command. The crew of Serenity includes a pilot married to Zoe, Hoban 'Wash' Washburne (Alan Tudyk), a gun hand, Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin), and a mechanic, Kaywinnit Lee Frye 'Kaylee' (Jewel Staite). Mal also rents out one of Serenity's shuttles to a companion, the Firefly 'verse's version of a sophisticated escort, named Inara Serra (Morena Baccarin). Mal and his crew have been hired to salvage some goods from an abandoned ship. Unfortunately, two things go wrong. For one, an Alliance cruiser spots their Firefly class vessel doing the illegal salvage. For two, the goods are all stamped with government insignia. These two things together make the employer, a gentleman with a very fine hat, named Badger (Mark Sheppard) unwilling to pay Mal for the job.

The news is most definitely in the bad category since Mal needs the money in order to keep Serenity flying. Unable to simply discard the cargo, Mal decides to try to sell it to one of the border planets (as opposed to the more Alliance dominated central planets). In an attempt to earn some more money, Serenity takes on some guests to act as a sort of shuttle to Boros with a brief stop on Whitefall to try to sell their troublesome cargo to a woman named Patience. Amongst the guests are a preacher, Derrial Book (Ron Glass), and a doctor, Simon Tam (Sean Maher).

More bad luck hits the crew of Serenity when they find out there's an Alliance mole on board. Further investigation reveals that the Alliance agent is actually not interested in Malcolm Reynolds or his cargo...at least not for now. In fact, Agent Dobson (Carlos Jacott) is in pursuit of Simon Tam. During the confrontation between Mal, Dobson, and Simon, Kaylee finds herself caught in the crossfire when a bullet finds its way in her abdomen. They quickly subdue the agent and Shepherd Book takes it upon himself to insure no member of the crew decides to take the life of the man. Simon agrees to patch Kaylee up, but only if Mal flees from the incoming Alliance cruiser. Mal reluctantly agrees to the arrangement, but decides to investigate just what it is that Simon Tam is hiding in his cargo.

To everybody's surprise, it's actually Simon Tam's little sister River (Summer Glau). We learn quickly that the Alliance was experimenting with her brain, and Simon risked everything he had to save her from that. It is because of this that he and his sister are now fugitives. Not exactly wanting more attention from the Alliance, Malcolm Reynolds let's Simon know that he intends to kick them off his ship as soon as possible. Moreover, if Kaylee doesn't pull through, as soon as possible include releasing him into space. Fortunately for the Tam's, Kaylee does pull through with all signs pointing towards a complete recovery.

Eventually Serenity finds its way onto Whitefall after first having a close call with a ship full of Reavers, abominations of nature who will rape you to death, eat your flesh, and sew your skin into their clothing. Anticipating a double cross by the ironically named Patience, Mal has Jayne search for snipers in the surrounding hills of where the deal will go down. Fortunately for Mal, his paranoia pays off when Patience does attempt to keep her money and the cargo. Successfully subduing Patience and her crew, as well as getting paid, Mal, Zoe, and Jayne hurry back to Serenity after news reaches them that the ship of Reavers are headed their way.

Meanwhile, Agent Dobson has broken free and taken River hostage. Simon tries to stop him, but Dobson takes advantage of his inexperience and manages to overtake him. Unfortunately for Agent Dobson, when Mal comes back, he's in no mood to waste time with a hostage situation. He walks in and takes a shot at Agent Dobson who falls down dead*. Mal and Jayne quickly toss the body outside as the ship takes off. Thanks to the skillful piloting of Wash and the bright ingenuity of Kaylee, Serenity and its crew manage to escape the party of Reavers.

At the episode's end, Mal invites Simon to join the crew as a medic so long as he follows orders and keeps his sister under control. Shepherd Book also stays to help however he can.

Discussion:

There's a lot going on in this pilot episode of Firefly. With a runtime that comes in at about an hour and a half, there's a lot of show here to think about.

Firefly is most simply labeled as a Space Western. It's not exactly a new genre. The original Star Wars trilogy dabbled in that area as well. Star Trek, in its own way, was also a member of the genre. Some might even argue that much of the Sci-Fi genre carries with it much of the Western genre, new frontiers where the notions of law and order are mostly nonexistent. Science Fiction played a fairly significant part in the decreasing popularity of the Western. The 1960's was a decade where we were dedicated to sending a man to the moon. We were looking to explore new frontiers. One of my favorite examples of this transition was recreated in the film Toy Story, a movie for which Joss Whedon was a screenwriter. The point I'm trying to make is that Science Fiction isn't so separate from the Western. A lot of the elements people came to expect from the latter were found in the former, so perhaps the notion of a Space Western isn't so far fetched. While the Western was a huge influence on Star Wars, George Lucas also took elements from some of the samurai epics, a subgenre of jedaigeki (where Lucas gets Jedi from), so Star Wars is a little too complex to be deemed a solid Space Western. Both Star Trek and Star Wars spend enough time rooted in fantasy, a genre not inherently essential to the Western.

For me, Firefly strikes the balance perfectly. Not just in style, but in substance as well. Joss Whedon created a new frontier. Star Wars had one Han Solo. Firefly has several. Most any element of the Western genre can be found in his unique vision of the future, except for the snazzy cowboy hats. When we see Serenity jump into hyperspace, we don't hear the eerie sound of a theramin, nor the big brass section John Williams is so comfortable with. There's just the twang of a guitar.

One of my favorite elements in a Joss Whedon show is the characters. Whedon creates these exceptional ensemble shows where each character brings something special to the table. They're well developed enough to feel real even if they're a vampire with a soul, for instance. Firefly is no exception to this. After watching the pilot episode, one can get a real sense of a living breathing makeshift family coming from the crew of Serenity. And as the family finds itself with new members at the episodes end, I can't help but feel an extreme curiosity as to how everything is going to happen. There's the larger plot at stake involving the mystery that is River Tam, but I'm also just as drawn in to the characters and the journeys they are bound to undergo. The pilot episode manages to successfully introduce us to a universe with many more stories to tell.

Take Malcolm Reynolds for instance. There's a definite change between the Malcolm Reynolds we see during the Battle of Serenity and the captain we see six years later. Malcolm Reynolds, the soldier, is more optimistic, and we can clearly see him putting faith in a divine power as he kisses the crucifix around his neck and makes reference to the angels which are coming to save them. Not to mention the line where he notes jokingly that he and another soldier are too pretty for God to let them die. When Mal loses the Battle of Serenity, he actually loses a part of himself. Six years later, Mal is a little more hollow as he holds on to the one thing the Alliance can't take away from him. One of the most interesting elements to look into in all of the Firefly/Serenity 'verse is the development of Malcolm Reynolds with the addition of the new crew he's taken on. Book, Simon, and River all have an impact on Mal which helps him get in touch with the man he used to be.

There are many seeds being planted in this episode. We see the hint of a relationship between Mal and Inara, as well as Kaylee and Simon. There's a hint of some marital problems between Wash and Zoe when we see how upset he is that Zoe seems to respect Mal's opinion more than his. The way River and Simon interact with one another is always touching. Then there's the threat of a possible betrayal by Jayne Cobb, provided the money is good enough. I love the way the crew takes to Kaylee. Even Jayne, the manly man that he his, can't resist checking in on her while they wait to see how she'll do. Each member of Serenity serves a purpose, and I think it's pretty clear that Kaylee is the heart. She also makes eating a strawberry look like the cat's pajamas.

Another signature of a Joss Whedon project is the witty dialogue. "Serenity" certainly has it's share of great moments in comedy. I could spend the rest of this paragraph listing some of my favorite moments, but I'd much rather leave that to you, the reader.

Let me know some of your favorite moments, comedic and not so comedic, in this episode.

That concludes this week's edition of the Summer of Firefly. I'll see you next week when I tackle "The Train Job."

*Agent Dobson may not be completely dead. We'll learn more when we get to Serenity: Those Left Behind.

Wonder Woman (2009)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:39:00 +0000

I believe this is will be the fourth straight-to-video superhero animated feature that I've talked about on here. I started with Superman Doomsday, moved on to Batman: Gotham Knight and Justice League: The New Frontier at the end of which I wrote "it looks like my days of watching these animated superhero movies aren't over..." For awhile that seemed true- until I finally got the motivation I needed to put Wonder Woman in my Netflix queue and watch that sucker.

I can't put my finger on what made me so reluctant to watch this particular edition of the STVSAF's aside from the fact that I've never really cared for the Wonder Woman stories. I don't think it's because seeing a woman in what is normally a male dominated position gives me the wiggins (because it doesn't). I actually believe it might have more to do with not really knowing the motivation behind this particular character. We all know why Spider-man, Batman, and Superman are the heroes that they are, but, for me at least, Wonder Woman was never clear. This animated feature did help illuminate who Wonder Woman is, and, for that reason, I would recommend it to anybody who was even slightly curious.

Wonder Woman is an origin story. The film opens on a war many centuries ago between Ares the God of War and Queen Hippolyta. Hippolyta wins the battle, but is instructed by Zeus to let Ares live with his power bounded making him essentially an immortal human. Queen Hippolyta and her all women army then take residence on the hidden isle of Themyscira where they keep Ares under guard to ensure his bloodlust can never be satisfied. In time, the heavens see fit to give Queen Hippolyta a child. Hippolyta raises the young woman into the same warrior tradition that all of these Amazons undergo. In time, the child, Diana, rises to the top of the class so to speak. When it becomes necessary to escort an American pilot back to the U.S., Diana is the woman who earns the right to do so. Meanwhile, Ares finds a way to break free from his prisons, and with the world in peril, Diana, aka Wonder Woman, will need to be all she can be to stop the dastardly menace.

I was very surprised at how enjoyable this little animated flick was for me. There's really nothing extremely childish about these STVSAF's, and Wonder Woman is no exception to that. The violence, while not extreme, would never find its way into that Saturday Morning slot. The humor is also geared more to an older audience. The one comment I hear more than anything in regards to comic book stories is that it's just for kids. I think these STVSAF's are really working to dispel that claim.

I really enjoyed the female empowerment message contained not so subtlety in Wonder Woman. What I particularly liked was the way Diana was working to try to bridge the gap between the worlds of men and women. I love that she comments on some of the social constructions we've devised for what a man or woman can or can't do. At the same time, the message can come on a little heavy, and I don't know if that's just something that's inherent to the Wonder Woman universe, but I can only take so many man-hating comments before I start to feel some serious self-loathing. Then again, the movie does seem to be aware of this, and it tries to voice the anti-male-bashing sentiment through the American pilot who Diana was entrusted to escort back to the U.S.

Overall, I think this movie is another fantastic adaptation of these DC characters. If you enjoyed any of the previous three movies (see beginning of this post), you'll probably like Wonder Woman. Besides, it gives you a chance to see Keri Russell (Wonder Woman) and Nathan Fillion (American pilot) reunited for the first time since Waitress.

Wonder Woman gets four "indefinite integrals of one with respect to x" out of five because it was indefinitely integral to my superhero knowledge.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:18:00 +0000

Regular readers at Hoping for Something to Hope For may be fully aware that I seem to be lacking in an abundance of negative reviews. Let me appease those that crave such a thing by breaking down what was actually a painful movie-viewing experience. I don't have nearly enough patience to give a detailed account of the film, so instead, I'll just resort to a list of the top 5 things that made this movie hard to watch (even if they do come across as nitpicky):

The movie felt like a series of gags strung loosely together by a story which failed to draw me in on so many levels.
There's a moment where a bobblehead Einstein proceeds to use the phrase "to be exact" when listing the irrational number pi to only 9 digits. That Einstein magically knows that 9 digits are all that are necessary to break the ancient Egyptian code is equally as bad.
The movie advertisement featured Robin Williams fairly boldly, but his total screentime couldn't have been more than 10 minutes (and those 10 minutes weren't exactly shining gems either).
The filmmakers should be fined for what they did to Abraham Lincoln....and Einstein for that matter. And making Custer out to be some kind of hero, especially around Sacagawea, made me all kinds of disturbed.
SPOILERS The ending where Ben Stiller meets an Amelia Earhart look-a-like and we're all supposed to believe that these two will live happily ever after actually made me angry, and yet, I don't know if revealing that it was actually Amelia Earhart would have made it that much better. SPOILERS END

Those looking ahead may wonder why I'm not giving the movie a lower rating. This has to do with the only redeeming (and I use the word relatively) factor here. Amy Adams was a pretty entertaining Amelia Earhart. You might also be surprised that I found the first movie enjoyable, so for me to say that this movie was bad isn't me being Mr. Film Snob...at least not totally.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian gets two pi's out of five as well as a strong plea that no more sequels get made.

The Summer of Firefly

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Sat, 23 May 2009 03:00:00 +0000

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. The Summer of Firefly has arrived. I'm going to take you through what I consider to be one of the finer examples of television I have ever seen. Every week (ideally on Friday) I will post a review/discussion of one of the show's fourteen episodes in the order of their originally intended airings (none of this Pilot episode last nonsense that Fox pulled). I'll close it up with my thoughts on what might be considered the series finale with the film Serenity. Those with nerdophobia may want to stay clear.

In addition to an episode by episode discussion, I will also be talking about the Serenity comic books, selected essays from books like Finding Serenity and Serenity Found. I'll even look into the documentary about the fall and rise of the Firefly 'verse, Done the Impossible. I may even talk about the novelization of Serenity.

I'm also willing to open up my blog to guest posts for anybody who wants to say more than they feel comfortable putting in a comment box. If you're interested, leave a comment or just shoot me an e-mail: TheRockinDTB@aol.com. I'll even accept posts containing heavy criticism, so you don't need to be a blindly devoted fan by any means.

For those who are reading this and don't have a clue what I'm talking about but are interested in finding out. You can watch all fourteen episodes of Firefly at Hulu for free. I encourage everybody to participate in what I hope will be a shiny mini-event.

That concludes this premiere edition of the Summer of Firefly. I'll see you next week when I tackle the pilot episode "Serenity,"

Soon...

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 15 May 2009 03:04:00 +0000

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.countdownr.com"&amp;gt;Countdownr&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Which is Joss Whedon's best television show?

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:24:00 +0000

Looks like Firefly is the winner of the little poll I started. You heard it here first my Whedon curious readers: Firefly is Joss Whedon's best television show (nevermind that it's based on just 5 votes and shouldn't be admissible as a valid statistic)

Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:35:00 +0000

It's probably going to be a few weeks before this blog sees much activity. As the semester comes to a close, I have projects, papers, and finals to focus on. If I can spare the time, I'll be sure to post something, but I just thought I'd give this little warning in case I go silent for awhile.