This article has an update on the status of a couple different shows.
NBC has ordered a few more episodes of "Knight Rider". The show has been doing just ok, but they're hoping to give it a chance by having additional episodes.
CBS has also ordered more episodes of the new show "The Mentalist", which will make the husband happy because he's been enjoying that show.
The article also says that full seasons have already been ordered for "90210" (which I am watching, so I'm happy about that) and "Fringe" (which I gave up on, so I don't care).
Showing posts with label Fringe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fringe. Show all posts
Monday, October 13, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
"Fringe" - September 9, 2008 episode - series premiere
I'd seen the billboard ads for "Fringe", and they'd looked interesting, so even though I really didn't know anything about the show and hadn't seen any footage of it, I figured I'd give it a shot. I like JJ Abrams, though I don't think he's the Golden Boy that many others seem to.
Normally, I'd do a synopsis of the show before launching into my comments. In this case, I'm going to forego that because I just didn't care enough, even though I did take notes.
By about half-way through the show, I was already bored and irritated with it. The paranormal stuff isn't my usual cup of tea, so that's probably why I was bored. Maybe the show would have been more interesting to fans of "The X-Files", which I am not. I've never seen an entire episode, I don't think I've even seen an entire scene, maybe just a snippet here and there. This show reminded me of what "The X-Files" sounded like, so since the previous show didn't interest me, it's probably not surprising that this one didn't either. On a side note, there were so many people who were absolutely floored and mystified that I didn't watch "The X-Files". For some reason, a lot of people just assumed that I would because I like science fiction. Well, I guess I don't really consider that science fiction, or at least, it's not a branch of science fiction that interests me.
I was a bit surprised at the level of gore in the beginning of the show, with the melting people - the co-pilot's plight almost reminded me of the "tear your face off in the bathroom" scene in "Poltergeist". I didn't think they could be that graphic on television during the 8pm hour.
When they showed the plane sitting on the tarmac, I wondered how it would have landed, so it was nice that they had the explanation about the auto pilot. I wonder if there really is such a system like that somewhere.
I thought the synapses tap idea was interesting, though I have no idea whether or not that would be actually possible. When John Scott killed the identical twin brother near the end, my first thought was that they had 6 hours to tap into the guy to find out who killed him. Well, that wasn't so much necessary, but the 6-hour deadline did come up at the end when they had an hour left to tap into Scott.
Part of my irritation came from how much I liked the boss guy, who was just so incredibly mean and condescending and demeaning to Agent Olivia Dunham. Oh, ok, we find out he's still pissed off about something she did. Yeah, the little matter of one of his buddies who had some kind of "momentary error in judgement" or something like that. So what if that little mistake destroyed the lives of three women? Hey, but he's got years of service behind him! That should have earned him *some* kind of free pass. Ummm, yeah, not so much.
When they got to the end of the show, and they showed the commercial for the fake corporation started by William Bell, the husband instantly shouted "the Dharma Initiative".
I thought the music was seriously overdone and heavy-handed. OK, in case you couldn't figure out the dramatic effect of a particular item, and the camera close-up wasn't a big enough hint for you, let's put some DRAMATIC MUSIC HERE to let you know. Yeah, ok.
Most of what irritated me were what I generally refer to as "look at me, I'm a director" moves. I like good, innovative camera work - as long as it adds to the story and feel of the show/movie and isn't just a show-off move. The first one was the camera zoom into the FBI lab that oh-so-cutely goes through an "o" in the lettering on the glass door. Ok, fine, I'll let that one go. And then, while we're making Dunham ready for her little dip in the psychedelic pool, let's just put the camera on a dolly and spin it around and around. Umm, ok, is that to simulate how she's going to be feeling? But for me, the absolute worst, absolute stupidest, piss-me-off move involved the location lettering. Instead of just having a blurb on screen to tell us where some particular thing is happening like normal people do, they had these big blocky letters. OK, fine, be artistic, whatever. But then, when they were in Baghdad, after you saw the letters from the sky, they cut to a shot from the ground, and hey, there's the outline of the letters still. Really? Seriously. Those letters are actually there in real life so that people looking up into the sky have part of their vision blocked because of the frickin' floating letters? Whiskey tango foxtrot.
And speaking of bad tech moves, did the ADR folks take a vacation day and random temps were working on a scene instead? After Scott dies and Dunham is being driven in the car by another FBI dude, the FBI dude is talking. I knew it sounded wrong, but it took a while for me to figure out why it was wrong. His voice was so obviously dubbed in because the ambient sound that went with the voice was like he was in a studio rather than in the car with her. My confusion came because I thought I was hearing a voice-over, which is exactly what it sounded like, and yet, the guy on screen driving seemed to be mouthing the exact same thing that the voice-over was saying. Then, I thought, ok, maybe the car is just cavernous and echoey. But then Dunham talked, and yep, she sure sounded like she was actually in the car, so what the hell was wrong with the guy's dialogue?
There were a few moments when I laughed, and there were bits here and there that I liked, but mostly, I just decided to tough out seeing the entire first episode, and now that I have, I'm done.
Before Scott died, he told Dunham to think about why the boss guy sent her to the storage shed. Hmmm, ok, interesting. I expect at some point, they'll answer that question. But I won't be around to find out the answer. Maybe the smoke monster made him do it.
Normally, I'd do a synopsis of the show before launching into my comments. In this case, I'm going to forego that because I just didn't care enough, even though I did take notes.
By about half-way through the show, I was already bored and irritated with it. The paranormal stuff isn't my usual cup of tea, so that's probably why I was bored. Maybe the show would have been more interesting to fans of "The X-Files", which I am not. I've never seen an entire episode, I don't think I've even seen an entire scene, maybe just a snippet here and there. This show reminded me of what "The X-Files" sounded like, so since the previous show didn't interest me, it's probably not surprising that this one didn't either. On a side note, there were so many people who were absolutely floored and mystified that I didn't watch "The X-Files". For some reason, a lot of people just assumed that I would because I like science fiction. Well, I guess I don't really consider that science fiction, or at least, it's not a branch of science fiction that interests me.
I was a bit surprised at the level of gore in the beginning of the show, with the melting people - the co-pilot's plight almost reminded me of the "tear your face off in the bathroom" scene in "Poltergeist". I didn't think they could be that graphic on television during the 8pm hour.
When they showed the plane sitting on the tarmac, I wondered how it would have landed, so it was nice that they had the explanation about the auto pilot. I wonder if there really is such a system like that somewhere.
I thought the synapses tap idea was interesting, though I have no idea whether or not that would be actually possible. When John Scott killed the identical twin brother near the end, my first thought was that they had 6 hours to tap into the guy to find out who killed him. Well, that wasn't so much necessary, but the 6-hour deadline did come up at the end when they had an hour left to tap into Scott.
Part of my irritation came from how much I liked the boss guy, who was just so incredibly mean and condescending and demeaning to Agent Olivia Dunham. Oh, ok, we find out he's still pissed off about something she did. Yeah, the little matter of one of his buddies who had some kind of "momentary error in judgement" or something like that. So what if that little mistake destroyed the lives of three women? Hey, but he's got years of service behind him! That should have earned him *some* kind of free pass. Ummm, yeah, not so much.
When they got to the end of the show, and they showed the commercial for the fake corporation started by William Bell, the husband instantly shouted "the Dharma Initiative".
I thought the music was seriously overdone and heavy-handed. OK, in case you couldn't figure out the dramatic effect of a particular item, and the camera close-up wasn't a big enough hint for you, let's put some DRAMATIC MUSIC HERE to let you know. Yeah, ok.
Most of what irritated me were what I generally refer to as "look at me, I'm a director" moves. I like good, innovative camera work - as long as it adds to the story and feel of the show/movie and isn't just a show-off move. The first one was the camera zoom into the FBI lab that oh-so-cutely goes through an "o" in the lettering on the glass door. Ok, fine, I'll let that one go. And then, while we're making Dunham ready for her little dip in the psychedelic pool, let's just put the camera on a dolly and spin it around and around. Umm, ok, is that to simulate how she's going to be feeling? But for me, the absolute worst, absolute stupidest, piss-me-off move involved the location lettering. Instead of just having a blurb on screen to tell us where some particular thing is happening like normal people do, they had these big blocky letters. OK, fine, be artistic, whatever. But then, when they were in Baghdad, after you saw the letters from the sky, they cut to a shot from the ground, and hey, there's the outline of the letters still. Really? Seriously. Those letters are actually there in real life so that people looking up into the sky have part of their vision blocked because of the frickin' floating letters? Whiskey tango foxtrot.
And speaking of bad tech moves, did the ADR folks take a vacation day and random temps were working on a scene instead? After Scott dies and Dunham is being driven in the car by another FBI dude, the FBI dude is talking. I knew it sounded wrong, but it took a while for me to figure out why it was wrong. His voice was so obviously dubbed in because the ambient sound that went with the voice was like he was in a studio rather than in the car with her. My confusion came because I thought I was hearing a voice-over, which is exactly what it sounded like, and yet, the guy on screen driving seemed to be mouthing the exact same thing that the voice-over was saying. Then, I thought, ok, maybe the car is just cavernous and echoey. But then Dunham talked, and yep, she sure sounded like she was actually in the car, so what the hell was wrong with the guy's dialogue?
There were a few moments when I laughed, and there were bits here and there that I liked, but mostly, I just decided to tough out seeing the entire first episode, and now that I have, I'm done.
Before Scott died, he told Dunham to think about why the boss guy sent her to the storage shed. Hmmm, ok, interesting. I expect at some point, they'll answer that question. But I won't be around to find out the answer. Maybe the smoke monster made him do it.
Monday, September 1, 2008
2008 fall television season
Since today is Labor Day, that means it's September, and September means that the start of the new fall TV season is imminently upon us. Here's a run-down of the shows that I plan to be watching this year, which means, unless I get another really bad case of writer's block when it comes to TV shows, these are the shows I will be blogging about.
America's Toughest Jobs - Monday, 9pm, NBC - I really don't need another reality show to watch, but the previews for this show intrigued me enough to watch the first episode. I like that this show isn't just about made-up challenges - the challenges are actual jobs that the contestants have to do, and these aren't run-of-the-mill desk jobs. The first episode involved going out on crabbing boats and being on the water for 24 hours with very few breaks and amazing swells and lots of heavy ropes and cages to lift and sorting through crabs and just a ton of work. It definitely made me appreciate all the work that crabbers have to go through, and it made me annoyed with the people who just wouldn't do the work. I did think it was funny that the person on each team who did the best was a woman, especially since some of the guys had been smack-talking about how it was hard work and it was no place for girls to be. Yeah, dude, shut up and just do the work. They've shown previews of the other jobs/challenges that will be coming up, so I'm looking forward to seeing more.
90210 - series premiere Tuesday, Sept. 2, 8pm, CW - I loved the old "Beverly Hills 90210" show, so I'm going to give this new show a shot. I'm not sure I'm still going to be interested in high school antics, but we'll see. If nothing else, I have to see what they do with Kelly's and Donna's characters.
Kitchen Nightmares - season premiere Thursday, Sept. 4, 8pm, Fox - I have to remember not to eat while watching this show, or at least not look at the screen too closely, but I like this alternate side of Gordon Ramsay. The first episode, showing this week, is supposed to revisit some of the restaurants featured on previous shows, to see what has happened to those restaurants since the shows aired. That should be interesting to see.
Hole in the Wall - series premiere Sunday, Sept. 7, 8pm, Fox - This is the American version of the Japanese show Human Tetris. I've been looking forward to seeing this, though I'm not actually sure how long it's going to be able to retain my interest since the games will be fairly repetitive. But maybe watching people trying to contort themself without having to think too hard about the show might be a nice weekly break.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - season premiere Monday, Sept. 8, 8pm, Fox - I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the new season of this show. The end of last season was quite explosive, literally, so I want to see how they explain some of the new developments.
Fringe - series premiere Tuesday, Sept. 9, 8pm, Fox - I'm not entirely sure what the show is about, and I haven't even really seen a trailer for the show, but seeing the billboards has intrigued me. I'm not particularly in the J.J. Abrams fan club, but I'm curious enough to give this show a try.
The Big Bang Theory - season premiere Monday, Sept. 22, 8pm, CBS - I'm looking forward to seeing the show this season, to see where they take the Penny/Leonard thing, and to hopefully see them build on the great start from last year. This is my only sitcom this year, so I need it to provide me with lots of laughs.
Heroes - season premiere Monday, Sept. 22, 9pm, NBC - They've already told us what to expect this year by subtitling the show "Villains", and apparently, Nikki isn't so much dead. I didn't think last season was as good as the first season, but I'm still liking the show, and the previews look great.
Knight Rider - series premiere Wednesday, Sept. 24, 8pm, NBC - I enjoyed the movie earlier this year, so I'm glad the show got picked up. Go, Justin Bruening! Looking forward to seeing this show.
Survivor: Gabon - season premiere Thursday, Sept. 25, 8pm, CBS - I've been watching the show now since the end of the first season, but I actually haven't decided whether I'm going to be watching this season. I've gotten a little tired of it, so it will probably be a matter of whether the previews interest me and if the first couple of episodes make me invested enough to keep watching. Sometimes, the people are just too stupid and aggravating to me for me to enjoy the show.
Desperate Housewives - season premiere Sunday, Sept. 28, 9pm, ABC - Since the new season continues the five-years-ahead jump that ended the last season, I'm interested in seeing what all the new developments are, especially since Edie didn't leave like I thought she had.
There are two other shows that I'm looking forward to seeing, but they won't be on for a while.
24 - Yes, the stupid writers' strike meant that last season didn't happen at all, so I have to wait until January 2009 for the new season to start, though there's supposed to be a movie in November, I think. Need to see Jack Bauer again!
Dollhouse - The show isn't currently on Fox's schedule, but it's expected to start airing probably sometime in January. The premise sounds interesting, and I like both Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku, so I've definitely got to give the show a try.
These are the shows that I'll be watching, and here's an article that has the season/series premiere dates for all the returning and new fall TV shows so you can find the ones you're interested in.
America's Toughest Jobs - Monday, 9pm, NBC - I really don't need another reality show to watch, but the previews for this show intrigued me enough to watch the first episode. I like that this show isn't just about made-up challenges - the challenges are actual jobs that the contestants have to do, and these aren't run-of-the-mill desk jobs. The first episode involved going out on crabbing boats and being on the water for 24 hours with very few breaks and amazing swells and lots of heavy ropes and cages to lift and sorting through crabs and just a ton of work. It definitely made me appreciate all the work that crabbers have to go through, and it made me annoyed with the people who just wouldn't do the work. I did think it was funny that the person on each team who did the best was a woman, especially since some of the guys had been smack-talking about how it was hard work and it was no place for girls to be. Yeah, dude, shut up and just do the work. They've shown previews of the other jobs/challenges that will be coming up, so I'm looking forward to seeing more.
90210 - series premiere Tuesday, Sept. 2, 8pm, CW - I loved the old "Beverly Hills 90210" show, so I'm going to give this new show a shot. I'm not sure I'm still going to be interested in high school antics, but we'll see. If nothing else, I have to see what they do with Kelly's and Donna's characters.
Kitchen Nightmares - season premiere Thursday, Sept. 4, 8pm, Fox - I have to remember not to eat while watching this show, or at least not look at the screen too closely, but I like this alternate side of Gordon Ramsay. The first episode, showing this week, is supposed to revisit some of the restaurants featured on previous shows, to see what has happened to those restaurants since the shows aired. That should be interesting to see.
Hole in the Wall - series premiere Sunday, Sept. 7, 8pm, Fox - This is the American version of the Japanese show Human Tetris. I've been looking forward to seeing this, though I'm not actually sure how long it's going to be able to retain my interest since the games will be fairly repetitive. But maybe watching people trying to contort themself without having to think too hard about the show might be a nice weekly break.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - season premiere Monday, Sept. 8, 8pm, Fox - I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the new season of this show. The end of last season was quite explosive, literally, so I want to see how they explain some of the new developments.
Fringe - series premiere Tuesday, Sept. 9, 8pm, Fox - I'm not entirely sure what the show is about, and I haven't even really seen a trailer for the show, but seeing the billboards has intrigued me. I'm not particularly in the J.J. Abrams fan club, but I'm curious enough to give this show a try.
The Big Bang Theory - season premiere Monday, Sept. 22, 8pm, CBS - I'm looking forward to seeing the show this season, to see where they take the Penny/Leonard thing, and to hopefully see them build on the great start from last year. This is my only sitcom this year, so I need it to provide me with lots of laughs.
Heroes - season premiere Monday, Sept. 22, 9pm, NBC - They've already told us what to expect this year by subtitling the show "Villains", and apparently, Nikki isn't so much dead. I didn't think last season was as good as the first season, but I'm still liking the show, and the previews look great.
Knight Rider - series premiere Wednesday, Sept. 24, 8pm, NBC - I enjoyed the movie earlier this year, so I'm glad the show got picked up. Go, Justin Bruening! Looking forward to seeing this show.
Survivor: Gabon - season premiere Thursday, Sept. 25, 8pm, CBS - I've been watching the show now since the end of the first season, but I actually haven't decided whether I'm going to be watching this season. I've gotten a little tired of it, so it will probably be a matter of whether the previews interest me and if the first couple of episodes make me invested enough to keep watching. Sometimes, the people are just too stupid and aggravating to me for me to enjoy the show.
Desperate Housewives - season premiere Sunday, Sept. 28, 9pm, ABC - Since the new season continues the five-years-ahead jump that ended the last season, I'm interested in seeing what all the new developments are, especially since Edie didn't leave like I thought she had.
There are two other shows that I'm looking forward to seeing, but they won't be on for a while.
24 - Yes, the stupid writers' strike meant that last season didn't happen at all, so I have to wait until January 2009 for the new season to start, though there's supposed to be a movie in November, I think. Need to see Jack Bauer again!
Dollhouse - The show isn't currently on Fox's schedule, but it's expected to start airing probably sometime in January. The premise sounds interesting, and I like both Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku, so I've definitely got to give the show a try.
These are the shows that I'll be watching, and here's an article that has the season/series premiere dates for all the returning and new fall TV shows so you can find the ones you're interested in.
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