Movie/TV recommendations

[Psych]

Actually I was thinking the opposite - it looks very cartoonified and jazzed up. I was wondering if anyone will ever again play A Christmas Carol completely straight, the Charles Dickens way, with Scrooge as a normal looking person instead of a grotesque.

For that to happen more than three people would have to had read the original.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Actually I was thinking the opposite - it looks very cartoonified and jazzed up. I was wondering if anyone will ever again play A Christmas Carol completely straight, the Charles Dickens way, with Scrooge as a normal looking person instead of a grotesque.

I hope so. There's so much fun and wit in the Dicken's story that's completely omitted from every filmed version I've ever seen. For some odd reason everyone plays Scrooge TOO straight and he becomes a weird caricature, instead of a real person who's lost their way. The best version I've seen is the Alastair Sim version from 1950, it still has the same flaws I've just mentioned, but Sim does the best you could do.

Really Scrooge should be somewhat likeable to begin with, almost funny in how curmudgeonly he is... and then it should get darker.

[Roderick]

Last Christmas in Germany I saw a version that I think went straight to TV with Kelsey Grammar as Scrooge. That was a pretty faithful translation.

Oh, and we forget the brilliant Blackadder Christmas satire. Humbug, humbug... humbug, Baldrick? /holds a bag of candy

But Variety today confirmed my suspicions: apart from a few WHIZBANG 3D effects, this is just regular old Scrooge. Except, utterly atrociously made with horrible 3D graphics, of course. I mean, obvious.

[ThunderPeel2001]

I've not seen that version, but I think every one I have seen has been pretty faithful, technically, but they always make Scrooge a 2D baddie and turn him into a 2D goodie. I think The Muppet's version is pretty decent, too. I'd just really like to see a version where you felt his transformation rather than just watched it.

In a weird sort of way, The Game does this quite well for Michael Douglas's character.

[Cigol]

I'm surprised the BBC hasn't done a mini-series adaptation yet, as they've done practically everything else. I've not read the book being the uncultured swine that I am - but if it's as you say then a proper adaptation wouldn't go amiss and would be perfect material for the BBC.

As for 'Moon', I don't get it. It seemed to blow its load early on and spend the rest of the running time cleaning it up. It didn't help that it was as predictable and clichéd as they come. I'm sure I've seen a variation of this story about half-a-dozen times now in other sci-fi films, it just felt so familiar and predictable all the way through that it somewhat tempered my enjoyment. Still it wasn't a bad film, and like Sunshine (with it's ending), I'll be able to look past it in repeated viewings... over, and over again.

[SignorSuperdouche]

Saw the first episode of the new version of V. It's almost so bad it's good but not quite. If I'd had a few beers first I probably would have loved it but sober it was mostly just with the occasional

One thing worth watching it for though, the alien's "evil" plan is hilarious

"You're talking about ... universal healthcare?!?"

<- actual quote.

[JonCole]

Just saw Point Break for the first time... that movie is insane. For hilarious Keanu Reeves and completely illogical/badass Patrick Swayze, there's no better film.

[DanJW]

“I’m off to pursue internet ventures/binge drinking. Possibly that relaxation thing I’ve read so much about. By the time the last episode airs, you’ll know what my next project is. But for now there’s a lot of work still to be done, and disappointment to bear."

Yes, the inevitable happened and Dollhouse has been cancelled. It gets to finish out season 2 though.

I think it is kind of hilarious, seeing how the second series so far is actually better than the first.

I really, really hope that Whedon walks away from Fox for good now. They've made it pretty clear they don't want him or his legions of lousy cult fans.

[JonCole]

Yes, the inevitable happened and Dollhouse has been cancelled. It gets to finish out season 2 though.

I think it is kind of hilarious, seeing how the second series so far is actually better than the first.

I really, really hope that Whedon walks away from Fox for good now. They've made it pretty clear they don't want him or his legions of lousy cult fans.

I wonder why dudes like Whedon don't just go to other, much smaller broadcasting houses to try to get a bite, when they have such clear artistic goals? Mainstream broadcast television is completely at the mercy of ratings, which totally hinders any powerful vision that doesn't pander to the stupid/isn't Lost.

[Chris]

Yes, the inevitable happened and Dollhouse has been cancelled. It gets to finish out season 2 though.

I think it is kind of hilarious, seeing how the second series so far is actually better than the first.

I really, really hope that Whedon walks away from Fox for good now. They've made it pretty clear they don't want him or his legions of lousy cult fans.

How legion are those legions in real-world terms, from a network broadcaster's perspective?

[DanJW]

How legion are those legions in real-world terms, from a network broadcaster's perspective?

Probably quite legion on torrent sites. Not so legion in ratings-tested households (ratings are generated by a small test sample of the population, that is laughably non-representative of certain subcultures).

But fairly legion in DVD buying power.

[Chris]

Probably quite legion on torrent sites. Not so legion in ratings-tested households (ratings are generated by a small test sample of the population, that is laughably non-representative of certain subcultures).

But fairly legion in DVD buying power.

Admittedly I am not a fan of Joss Whedon so I'm a bit more dispassionate about it than I would be of someone whose work I appreciate, but perhaps he simply shouldn't be seeking those channels for his work. Network television is as far from any subculture as you can get.

[Roderick]

It is entirely my own fault that I have only now finally seen Curb Your Enthusiasm for the first time. Smart people had already told me it was good. So you're off the hook.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Just watched The Men Who Stare At Goats and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Left me with that warm fuzzy feeling. Loved it.

[brkl]

Yes, the inevitable happened and Dollhouse has been cancelled. It gets to finish out season 2 though.

I think it is kind of hilarious, seeing how the second series so far is actually better than the first.

I really, really hope that Whedon walks away from Fox for good now. They've made it pretty clear they don't want him or his legions of lousy cult fans.

I've actually been disappointed with the second season, because better than the first or not, now it should have accounted for Terminator, a show that started out really clumsy but had just grown into something great, being canceled. And it didn't do that.

[Wrestlevania]

Yes, the inevitable happened and Dollhouse has been cancelled. It gets to finish out season 2 though.

I think it is kind of hilarious, seeing how the second series so far is actually better than the first.

I really, really hope that Whedon walks away from Fox for good now. They've made it pretty clear they don't want him or his legions of lousy cult fans.

When the original series cancellation was announced, it was the final nail in the coffin for Dollhouse. We were most of the way through series one, but just weren't enjoying it much at all.

Worse, we were also watching the second series of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles at the same time and enjoying that far more. So for TTSCC to then suddenly get canned for Dollhouse to be resurrected was somewhat beguiling.

So now Dollhouse has died again, leaving TTSCC in limbo for ever more I would imagine. Makes me angry.

And I agree that Whedon should stop wasting his time with a media outlet as fickle and easily swayed as Fox. There are much better routes to your audience now, regardless of the medium or its distribution--though I appreciate he could've been tied up in a prior contractual obligation to create a new series (i.e. Dollhouse) for Fox.

[Roderick]

You'd think that Doctor Horrible taught him, if anything, that even an independent release on the internet can be a profitable venue for a show.*

* Probably not high budget though.

[Wrestlevania]

You'd think that Doctor Horrible taught him, if anything, that even an independent release on the internet can be a profitable venue for a show.*

* Probably not high budget though.

Whedon's talents don't rely or involve big production though, in my opinion. At his best, Whedon tells intimate, engaging stories about the interplay between a close group of people.

If those people are on a spaceship, that's fine. But it's still all about the people, not the spaceship.

[Rawru]

Ugh, the Dollhouse news made me really depressed... I just started watching that a couple months ago. It was addictive.

Sure its not the best quality (Whedon's stuff is mostly about ideas and characters, do yourself a favor and never put on subtitles D: ) but it was definitely something I enjoyed watching.

I think Joss takes a bit of comfort from higher budget though, despite Horrible, the set for Dollhouse is kind of expensive looking. I imagine taking that to internet-series would be last in his mind. But Fox again?

I just hope Tahmoh Penikett does something again soon. He kind of acts the same way in everything, but thats ok, he's like a male Milla Jovovich to me.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Worse, we were also watching the second series of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles at the same time and enjoying that far more. So for TTSCC to then suddenly get canned for Dollhouse to be resurrected was somewhat beguiling.

[Pedant mode = ON]

Beguiling?

[Pedant mode = OFF]

(Sorry )

But Fox again?

I'm guessing he didn't choose Fox, they were probably the only ones who picked it up. I wonder if he could find something for HBO?

Edited November 12, 2009 by ThunderPeel2001

[ThunderPeel2001]

I'm watching Battlestar Galactica at the moment (only three episodes to go!) and the last episode I watched was so freaking (should that be frakking?) awesome that it reminded me how good TV shows can be.

The Onion AV Club put together their 30 best shows of the last ten years. I've only seen a handful of them, but if the rest are as good as the ones I've enjoyed, then I can only assume that the rest are definitely worth my time. Has anyone got any recommendations from that list?

From the list, these are my recommendations (they're also the only shows I've watched "properly" from that list -- hopefully a testament to the quality of the shows I've only seen sporadic episodes of or haven't seen at all!):

• The Wire (natch)
  
• Battlestar Galactica (first series and a half is a slog, but it gets better and better)
  
• Firefly
  
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
  
• The Venture Bros. (awesome, awesome, awesome)
  
• Buffy The Vampire Slayer (the first season is pretty awful, but there's only 12 episodes. Later it reaches the peaks of The Wire - yes, that's what I said)
  

And to a lesser degree...

• Lost (good, but can be very hit-and-miss and very frustrating -- I'll tell you when it's all over if I think it's worth the time! )
  
• Futurama (skip the straight-to-DVD films and the episode on internet piracy -shudders-)
  

Anyone else got recommendations from that list?

[Scrobbs]

Sopranos, Arrested Development and Mad Men.

I never liked Curb that much, despite all my friends telling me it was exactly my sense of humour. Guess it was too much like the office in that it made me cringe.

[DanJW]

I second most of the ones mentioned already, but especially Arrested Development, as surprisingly few people seem to have seen it.

Not mentioned already, from the list:

• The Office (both of them, but the UK one particularly)
  
• Dexter
  
• Flight of the Concords
  

It's a pretty good list, although not much animation (where's South Park, Family Guy, American Dad, Robot Chicken)?

How I Met Your Mother is... watchable. If you can stand to watch Friends when nothing else is on TV, then you will be more than happy with How I Met..

PS The entry on Buffy doesn't recommend its excellent award winning episode, Hush.

[Wrestlevania]

The Onion AV Club put together their 30 best shows of the last ten years.

Paging through that, I've seen a few of those different series through and really enjoyed them. I also like the look of Eastbound & Down and Wonder Showzen, the latter of which I've seen a few clips of on YouTube and found very funny.

Mind you, I think I've missed a series of Dexter and would really like to get into that. Mrs V and I made it about halfway through season 2 of The Sopranos, but it kind of fizzled out for us and we've not picked it up again.

[Thyroid]

I really, really want to see the movie Precious. I've known about it for a couple of months, but the more I hear about it, the more interested I get. It's exactly the kind of story I've been thinking about, the kind of story I've been wanting to write.

Synopsis (from Ebert's review):

Precious has shut down. She avoids looking at people, she hardly ever speaks, she's nearly illiterate. Inside her lives a great hurt, and also her child, conceived in a rape. She is fat. Her clothes are too tight. School is an ordeal of mocking cruelty. Home is worse. Her mother, defeated by life, takes it out on her daughter. After Precious is raped by her father, her mother, is angry not at the man, but at the child for "stealing" him.

Holy. I need, need, need to see this movie.