Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy and prosperous new year. I just want to thank everyone who has checked out this blog and listened to the Podcast. It has been a great year and the coming year should be even greater.
More to come very soon.
Troop.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
New Segment: 'Geek' Hurdles
In the pantheon of hurdling, there are few jumps larger then the proverbial 'geek' hurdle. Of course some might say that 'nerd' hurdles is the correct term. I chose to ignore those people, as I hope you will as well. A 'geek' hurdle is the level of acceptability a concept can create in the common man-geek (or she-geek if you prefer.) It's the moment when the non-geeky general public tunes out of a science fiction movie, or starts to yawn on the genre tv show that just got canceled.
You know those moments in movies where the unexplained is explained? The super scientist gives you a thirty second explanation for why a certain tech works? Or how he figured out the planet is in danger? Most of the time, that moment is the pinnacle of the 'Geek Hurdle'. Of course you might have other moments, but a majority of the cringe worthy moments, that happen in a blockbuster happen in the exposition.
Here in an uncertain terms (feel free to argue) are the top ranking Geek Hurdles.
Super Soldier - Yes Captain America I'm looking at you. Characters that have enhanced strength and speed due to a special serum, a rigorous training program, or some combination thereof. It's not to far out there, what with the accusations of doping in professional sports. Maybe they don't have a target on their chest, and they probably don't wield a shield, but they are generally believable.
God - Angels, Demons, and general biblical creatures. We live in a Judea Christian Western World were most people learn about the G-O-D when they are young, regardless of wether or not you are religious, most people will buy the big guy getting involved in some fantastic plot.
Mutants - People with special abilities, people who are different from me and you, minus the Xavier school, are generally acceptable, while they begin to strain some credibility, most people will stick around.
Vampires / Werewolves - Sparkly or not, Vamps are a bit of a pill to swallow. At this point your movie/tv show has opened a whole gate way to bigger and crazier concepts. Granted your mind knows they aren't real, but who would argue that David Boreanz is fake? Not me.
Zombies - Walking, running, stumbling, and mostly undead. Once you see these guys its over, forget about it. Realism is gone, and its time to start throwing the undead kitchen sink into the mix. No one is watching zombies and expecting them to be completely believable. If they are they've gone insane, or are watching to many zombie movies.
Magic - You might think that the mysticism would be much lower on the list. Magic is to much of a cure-all. IE Marvel's "House of M". At it's most extreme, Magic trumps plot 9 times out of 10. No matter how impressive, Magic is a costly element to add to any story.
Aliens - They used to be interesting, back before Star Trek and Babylon 5 ruined it for everyone. They've become watered down, overused, walking cliche's . When they are used these days people yawn, become disinterested, or they generally recall post traumatic stress from the last India Jones movie.
You know those moments in movies where the unexplained is explained? The super scientist gives you a thirty second explanation for why a certain tech works? Or how he figured out the planet is in danger? Most of the time, that moment is the pinnacle of the 'Geek Hurdle'. Of course you might have other moments, but a majority of the cringe worthy moments, that happen in a blockbuster happen in the exposition.
Here in an uncertain terms (feel free to argue) are the top ranking Geek Hurdles.
Super Soldier - Yes Captain America I'm looking at you. Characters that have enhanced strength and speed due to a special serum, a rigorous training program, or some combination thereof. It's not to far out there, what with the accusations of doping in professional sports. Maybe they don't have a target on their chest, and they probably don't wield a shield, but they are generally believable.
God - Angels, Demons, and general biblical creatures. We live in a Judea Christian Western World were most people learn about the G-O-D when they are young, regardless of wether or not you are religious, most people will buy the big guy getting involved in some fantastic plot.
Mutants - People with special abilities, people who are different from me and you, minus the Xavier school, are generally acceptable, while they begin to strain some credibility, most people will stick around.
Vampires / Werewolves - Sparkly or not, Vamps are a bit of a pill to swallow. At this point your movie/tv show has opened a whole gate way to bigger and crazier concepts. Granted your mind knows they aren't real, but who would argue that David Boreanz is fake? Not me.
Zombies - Walking, running, stumbling, and mostly undead. Once you see these guys its over, forget about it. Realism is gone, and its time to start throwing the undead kitchen sink into the mix. No one is watching zombies and expecting them to be completely believable. If they are they've gone insane, or are watching to many zombie movies.
Magic - You might think that the mysticism would be much lower on the list. Magic is to much of a cure-all. IE Marvel's "House of M". At it's most extreme, Magic trumps plot 9 times out of 10. No matter how impressive, Magic is a costly element to add to any story.
Aliens - They used to be interesting, back before Star Trek and Babylon 5 ruined it for everyone. They've become watered down, overused, walking cliche's . When they are used these days people yawn, become disinterested, or they generally recall post traumatic stress from the last India Jones movie.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
"Cancelled": the Joss Whedon Way
Yeah... it's gone. Dollhouse after two glorious and over hyped seasons... is dead as the shows ratings have been since the end of Season One. Never before has so much promise met such an untimely and uncalled for demise...(Except for Firefly,Dark Angel, The Bionic Woman, Dead Like Me, Family Guy, Jericho, Angel, Terminator:TSCC, Farscape, Space Above and Beyond, My Own Worst Enemy, Galactica 1980, The New American Gladiators, The Old American Gladiators, and just about any other show canceled after early success.)
But Why you ask? Was it the subterranean ongoing story arc? The sub par acting on the part of Elisha Dashiki...Dooku...Dudster? The lack of meaning-full ensemble cast episodes? The over the top sudden face change of Paul Ballard? The introduction of that vital and almost radioactive element known as Glau-minite?
No?
Perhaps its simply the dwindling audience for good ol' Genre Television. You know the type grandpa Roddenberry used to make...
That's right your pa's Genre TV is dying. Ratings are down across the board for most Genre shows, and while a few shows have retained their core audience's it appears as if we maybe in the final age of the scripted sci-fi show on Network TV. If true then no amount of fixing or changing could have changed Dollhouse's fate. "But wait JayT" You say, "What about Stargate Universe... it's ratings are strong? And Fringe is still holding on, and what about "V"?"
Ok, ok, those shows are doing pretty well... but Remember V only has one more episode before a major break in production. Will people forget about the show when it's gone for a month or two after four epy's? Does a rip-off 'Platinum' Omega watch turn your wrist green?
Fringe while still 'holding' hasn't been renewed yet...if people don't watch, it's done. This is Fox we're talking about remember? And Stargate? Well Stargate has a long history of being continued even when ratings are low. The simple fact is that Stargate is the comfort sci-fi that many geeks and nerds alike turn to when everything else goes all Whedony. Call it what you will, but like a friendly ex-girlfriend who's frumpy and eccentric, but makes a mean sammich... we keep going back to her when things aren't going to well and we need comforting.
So what hope is there?
1. Well there's hoping that we can have our minds wiped to completely forget Dollhouse...
2. Perhaps Dollhouse can move to the Syfy channel.
3. Perhaps we get a Dollhouse Movie?
Until then, Ypsilanti!
In the end there can only be one...Blog!
Wow... Long time no BLOG! Apparently Trooper lost his Blog license, either that or in the end there can only be one... tell'em Steve Colbert...
In any case I will soldier on, The battle for mainstream Geektivity will not be abated. Long Live GEEK!
(PS- in case Troop is alive don't tell him about this blogpost, you wouldn't like him when he gets angry...)
In any case I will soldier on, The battle for mainstream Geektivity will not be abated. Long Live GEEK!
(PS- in case Troop is alive don't tell him about this blogpost, you wouldn't like him when he gets angry...)
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Why So Bad..Part 2... Heroes
Let's begin by saying what Heroes does well... special effects, ambiance, and great acting. However our favorite NBC sci-fi 'comicbook' style show falls flat nearly in every other category.
Ever since the lack luster end to its first season, and its aborted second season, Heroes has become a pariah of 'nerddom'. Not bad enough to be canceled, but not good enough to be lauded. Why you ask?
3. Lack of Heroic acts...
Sure there's the occasional save the day, but rarely does anyone outside of Peter or Hiro do anything worthy of calling them heroes. In the recent episodes, Peter is trying to change that, and good on him for using his abilities to help people... So whats wrong with that you ask? Nothing except that we hardly ever see him actually saving people. All his heroics? Off screen!? Brilliant because instead of focusing on being a hero the show seems to be more worried about his emotional needs.
Note to NBC and the writers ... Heroes save people! Superman puts his all on the line not because he has a complicated back story or a weird shape-shifted brother... but because he wants to protect his fellow citizens. Why not have an episode or three devoted to actually saving people from a disastrous situation? Wait I know! Lets set up and elaborate plot with characters no one knows or cares about so that we can have another top heavy hammy story arc that no one will care about!
Which leads us to Number 2...
2. Arcs' that end in Tangents...
So Hiro and the cheerleader and HRG and Nathan and Peter and Mohinder have all joined forces to end some horrible threat. Day saved, apocalypse averted... now what? Whats that you say? Form a club? Start a therapy group? Link to each others Facebook page?
No... they all go their separate directions and act as if they never met. Seriously the characters seemed to get amnesia at the end of each season, and go back into caring only about themselves and a limited amount of others in their sphere of influence. Whats the deal? Is it so much to ask that some of characters stay in touch? The point of the arc is to have characters grow and learn as a consequence of ongoing events. Yet with each new season a reset button is pushed, characters disappear and no one much seems to mind.
Which leads us to number 1...
1. Characters Matter
Stop treating characters as simply means to tell a story. The characters in Heroes don't seem to matter much, they don't have deep lives, and they seem to exist only as a sounding board for the writers. The series leaves characters behind casually, kills them indiscriminately, and is so
obsessed with Sylar so much so that we know more about him then we do any other character. Now, I like Sylar as much as the next geek, but Heroes has become almost the 'Sylar Show'.
"Remember us? No? Don't worry we didn't matter either..."
We could see the beginnings of a group dedicated to help people with abilities... not locking them away but using them constructively. Instead we get the same overlong plot arc after arc.
Instead of really interesting and well thought out villains we get boring cliche's (My Fathers Evil!!), sinister government agents (Grrr, Heroes are Dangerous), Or we pull out the old Sylar bit and give that a go.
Ever since the lack luster end to its first season, and its aborted second season, Heroes has become a pariah of 'nerddom'. Not bad enough to be canceled, but not good enough to be lauded. Why you ask?
3. Lack of Heroic acts...
Sure there's the occasional save the day, but rarely does anyone outside of Peter or Hiro do anything worthy of calling them heroes. In the recent episodes, Peter is trying to change that, and good on him for using his abilities to help people... So whats wrong with that you ask? Nothing except that we hardly ever see him actually saving people. All his heroics? Off screen!? Brilliant because instead of focusing on being a hero the show seems to be more worried about his emotional needs.
Note to NBC and the writers ... Heroes save people! Superman puts his all on the line not because he has a complicated back story or a weird shape-shifted brother... but because he wants to protect his fellow citizens. Why not have an episode or three devoted to actually saving people from a disastrous situation? Wait I know! Lets set up and elaborate plot with characters no one knows or cares about so that we can have another top heavy hammy story arc that no one will care about!
Which leads us to Number 2...
2. Arcs' that end in Tangents...
So Hiro and the cheerleader and HRG and Nathan and Peter and Mohinder have all joined forces to end some horrible threat. Day saved, apocalypse averted... now what? Whats that you say? Form a club? Start a therapy group? Link to each others Facebook page?
No... they all go their separate directions and act as if they never met. Seriously the characters seemed to get amnesia at the end of each season, and go back into caring only about themselves and a limited amount of others in their sphere of influence. Whats the deal? Is it so much to ask that some of characters stay in touch? The point of the arc is to have characters grow and learn as a consequence of ongoing events. Yet with each new season a reset button is pushed, characters disappear and no one much seems to mind.
Which leads us to number 1...
1. Characters Matter
Stop treating characters as simply means to tell a story. The characters in Heroes don't seem to matter much, they don't have deep lives, and they seem to exist only as a sounding board for the writers. The series leaves characters behind casually, kills them indiscriminately, and is so
obsessed with Sylar so much so that we know more about him then we do any other character. Now, I like Sylar as much as the next geek, but Heroes has become almost the 'Sylar Show'."Remember us? No? Don't worry we didn't matter either..."
We could see the beginnings of a group dedicated to help people with abilities... not locking them away but using them constructively. Instead we get the same overlong plot arc after arc.
Instead of really interesting and well thought out villains we get boring cliche's (My Fathers Evil!!), sinister government agents (Grrr, Heroes are Dangerous), Or we pull out the old Sylar bit and give that a go.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Why so Bad..Part 1... Smallville
Whats going on? Why have some of our favorite Genre shows (excluding Vamp Diaries), been so... bad? The hype from comic-con is gone, the smell of a fresh season is quickly fading, and ratings are beginning to plummet. High time we look at a few of the reasons why these shows are struggling...
Smallville...
Oh Clark, why so serious...
After the last season of the poorly named Smallville
, our favorite non-caped crusader decided he should devote his time to saving people and training. Ergo the Black Knight/Blur scheme.
Sadly this plot device was a joke before it started. For years Smallville devotees know and understand that Clark's real papa wanted him to train... we learned that in season 2 of the show. Problem? It's been 7 years! The man's been saving people and the day all that time. Surely this counts for on the job training. What more does he need to learn? The intricacies of Post Kryptonian politics? Possibly a cooking class from dear old dad? Maybe he's learning to not learn? Or perhaps he must unlearn what he has learned to learn what he hadn't learned? Nonsense he still cant fly so whats the point?
The show runners still haven't grasped the idea of interesting surviving villains, instead they use the same heavy handed approach to nearly everyone the Blur faces. They are always psychopathic,
or sadly misled to thier doom. Either way... they die minutes after they appear.
'Don't worry Clark he's
only 'nearly indestructible'
Villains on 'Smallville' are simply a small speed bump in the rise of clark, and when they are a challenge (See also, Doomsday, Zor El, Titan, Phantom Zone Badies, Meteor Freaks) they essentially are there to look intimidating for a minute and then evaporate like the morning dew. How about a few roving evil guys that always seem to pop back up at the worst times? Perhaps a little proto Legion of Doom? Or is that concept to high brow for this show?
Smallville...
Oh Clark, why so serious...
After the last season of the poorly named Smallville
, our favorite non-caped crusader decided he should devote his time to saving people and training. Ergo the Black Knight/Blur scheme.Sadly this plot device was a joke before it started. For years Smallville devotees know and understand that Clark's real papa wanted him to train... we learned that in season 2 of the show. Problem? It's been 7 years! The man's been saving people and the day all that time. Surely this counts for on the job training. What more does he need to learn? The intricacies of Post Kryptonian politics? Possibly a cooking class from dear old dad? Maybe he's learning to not learn? Or perhaps he must unlearn what he has learned to learn what he hadn't learned? Nonsense he still cant fly so whats the point?
The show runners still haven't grasped the idea of interesting surviving villains, instead they use the same heavy handed approach to nearly everyone the Blur faces. They are always psychopathic,
or sadly misled to thier doom. Either way... they die minutes after they appear.'Don't worry Clark he's
only 'nearly indestructible'
Villains on 'Smallville' are simply a small speed bump in the rise of clark, and when they are a challenge (See also, Doomsday, Zor El, Titan, Phantom Zone Badies, Meteor Freaks) they essentially are there to look intimidating for a minute and then evaporate like the morning dew. How about a few roving evil guys that always seem to pop back up at the worst times? Perhaps a little proto Legion of Doom? Or is that concept to high brow for this show?
NEXT WEEK: Heroes
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Viva La Resistance...save this show!
Cue the emotional theme music, the pulse pounding final seconds of a cliff hanger... your favorite genre tv shows most epic moment...
And then nothing. That's right the soulless corporate machine has sucked the life from your show, and you are left hanging over a pit of despair. Will you get a continuation, a resolution... heck even a comic book series? Borne of cancellation comes the battle for the return, sometimes it's just a few fanboys banning together to put up a website or two. Occasionaly a campaign is begun, urging fans to sign a petition, send in letters, nuts, strawberries, or maple syrup to the evil studio that cancelled the show.
Podcasts come next, followed by fan conventions, meetups and parties. Then come the t-shirts, the merchandise, the dvd pumping... and even the occasional audio drama.
These crusades can last decades, with casualties in the hundreds of thousands of man hours. Progress to bring your favorite show back can be impossible to measure, and much like a battle against insurgents, tough to continue without losing will. Only the toughest of fandom's can last the years between production, and all too often, they fall to the wayside. So who's still fighting, and can they possibly win?
Survival Codes:
CB ~ comic book
FS ~ Fansite (high quality)
MD ~ movie deal
TVS ~ tv specials
Pod ~ Fan Podcasts
AD ~ Audio Dramas
OM ~ Online Minisodes
D ~ Just dead baby...
Firefly- The battle continues, the crew of serenity all have shows in production, (except Ron Glass, who's probably relaxing by a fireplace somewhere reading shakespeare and sipping cogniac) and Joss Whedon and Tim Minnear have seemingly moved on. There are several devoted podcasts..., and a fanbase that just won't quit. In fact the entire shows premise is about surviving after being on the losing side, and with Summer Glau and Nathan Fillion Alan Tudyk and Adam Baldwin why aren't you a Browncoat yet? Codes: FS,CB,MD,POD,AD
Farscape- John Crichton has wormholes in his brain... and fans across the world dying for more. Seriously the show that the Sci-fi channel (thats right... pre sy-fy) canceled prematurely is still kicking around, in some form. Theres online shorts... a comic book and even talks of more tv specials. Only one question, what is Chiana and is she still hot? Codes: CB,POD,OM
Jericho- I thought I told you that we won't stop. Seriously? This show is beloved by its fans, so much so that they sent tons of nuts to the studio when it was canceled. Strangely it was renewed then canceled again all within a year. People apparently have a strong tie to post apoclytic fiction, and the campaign continues. FS,TVS, POD
Terminator: SCC- No! Even we here at the Mainstream geek are hurt by this one. A great show that could have gotten even better, killed before its time paradoxes could be solved. Glau gets another show...that was canceled to soon. Hope she doesn't get a complex... seriously. Hang in there Josh Friedman, we your fellow geeks feel your pain. POD,FS,D
Dark Angel- A genetically manipulated Jessica Alba kicking but and acting all cat like? How did this show get canceled? It did, and sadly there were few fans rallying for its continuation. Still it's worth a look, and its by pre Avatar obsessed James Cameron, so its got that. Codes: D
Kings- Does it have a fan base? Will anyone crusade for David? Maybe, but despite critical acclaim, this show has less buzz then a three year old dead butterfly. Heres hoping it'll be rediscovered on DVD and come back like Lazaraus of old. Codes: D
Reaper- Originally these series was called ground breaking, later it was buried in the same ground. Apparently there wasn't a lot of people clamoring to watch, and Sam and his pals were killed much like the demons he hunted in the series, and sent to hell for the rest of tv eternity. Fans liked this show... but like a girl they just 'sort of' liked, forgot about. Who cries for thee Sam? Codes: D
Angel- Five Seasons is a good run most would say, but for David Boreanz and crew five seemed a bit short. Still at least they didn't go out like punks, and hey is that a dragon? Whedon fans are some of the most rabid around, and thanks to them shiny ol' Angel got a comic follow up. How bout a movie? No? Well at least we had LA. Codes: CB,POD,AD,D
There are many more crusades to join my geek brethern and sisters. Show them no mercy, for ye shall recieve none. Remember nothing says geek like fighting for a genre tv show.
And then nothing. That's right the soulless corporate machine has sucked the life from your show, and you are left hanging over a pit of despair. Will you get a continuation, a resolution... heck even a comic book series? Borne of cancellation comes the battle for the return, sometimes it's just a few fanboys banning together to put up a website or two. Occasionaly a campaign is begun, urging fans to sign a petition, send in letters, nuts, strawberries, or maple syrup to the evil studio that cancelled the show.
Podcasts come next, followed by fan conventions, meetups and parties. Then come the t-shirts, the merchandise, the dvd pumping... and even the occasional audio drama.
These crusades can last decades, with casualties in the hundreds of thousands of man hours. Progress to bring your favorite show back can be impossible to measure, and much like a battle against insurgents, tough to continue without losing will. Only the toughest of fandom's can last the years between production, and all too often, they fall to the wayside. So who's still fighting, and can they possibly win?
Survival Codes:
CB ~ comic book
FS ~ Fansite (high quality)
MD ~ movie deal
TVS ~ tv specials
Pod ~ Fan Podcasts
AD ~ Audio Dramas
OM ~ Online Minisodes
D ~ Just dead baby...
Firefly- The battle continues, the crew of serenity all have shows in production, (except Ron Glass, who's probably relaxing by a fireplace somewhere reading shakespeare and sipping cogniac) and Joss Whedon and Tim Minnear have seemingly moved on. There are several devoted podcasts..., and a fanbase that just won't quit. In fact the entire shows premise is about surviving after being on the losing side, and with Summer Glau and Nathan Fillion Alan Tudyk and Adam Baldwin why aren't you a Browncoat yet? Codes: FS,CB,MD,POD,AD
Jericho- I thought I told you that we won't stop. Seriously? This show is beloved by its fans, so much so that they sent tons of nuts to the studio when it was canceled. Strangely it was renewed then canceled again all within a year. People apparently have a strong tie to post apoclytic fiction, and the campaign continues. FS,TVS, POD
Dark Angel- A genetically manipulated Jessica Alba kicking but and acting all cat like? How did this show get canceled? It did, and sadly there were few fans rallying for its continuation. Still it's worth a look, and its by pre Avatar obsessed James Cameron, so its got that. Codes: D
Kings- Does it have a fan base? Will anyone crusade for David? Maybe, but despite critical acclaim, this show has less buzz then a three year old dead butterfly. Heres hoping it'll be rediscovered on DVD and come back like Lazaraus of old. Codes: D
Reaper- Originally these series was called ground breaking, later it was buried in the same ground. Apparently there wasn't a lot of people clamoring to watch, and Sam and his pals were killed much like the demons he hunted in the series, and sent to hell for the rest of tv eternity. Fans liked this show... but like a girl they just 'sort of' liked, forgot about. Who cries for thee Sam? Codes: D
Angel- Five Seasons is a good run most would say, but for David Boreanz and crew five seemed a bit short. Still at least they didn't go out like punks, and hey is that a dragon? Whedon fans are some of the most rabid around, and thanks to them shiny ol' Angel got a comic follow up. How bout a movie? No? Well at least we had LA. Codes: CB,POD,AD,D
There are many more crusades to join my geek brethern and sisters. Show them no mercy, for ye shall recieve none. Remember nothing says geek like fighting for a genre tv show.
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