What's on the idiot box...

[Malcador]

Watched this over the weekend while making sure the dachshunds stayed out of trouble.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWkIhPJeVQk

 

Interesting pop-science at least.

[LadyCrimson]

Under the Dome, the first two episodes. I loved Steven King's early/middle career but haven't really kept up with his later career, so hadn't heard of either the book or that they were turning it into a long mini-series/maybe series. Just ran across it by accident in the VoD menu.

 

The pilot was very fun for the first half, then all those Stephen King staple stock chrs/situations started popping out in force... which in a novel can still be awesome but in a show with no inner-voice narrative often results in a B-movie cheesecake feeling.

 

--small 1-sherrif town that seems to consist of about 30 houses and one church, in a crisis that brings out the worst in most people

--obsession with birds as a symbolic death theme or whatever it is

--obsession with people spouting nonsense or rhymes or something while in a trance/seizure/rapture...

--the reluctant stranger/outsider

--the crazy nut teen who's angry/rejected and violent (and a source for major cheese lines)

--the town mayor/council/whatever with a secret and who maybe isn't so nice after all

--the fallen/corrupt priest type of chr.

 

...anyway, the pacing of the show is very fast-food edible, but the 2nd episode became pretty silly in that King mini-series way. I'll probably still watch it, tho, to see how it all goes. The fact that the actor who plays Walter White's brother-in-law in Breaking Bad has a major role in it is major attraction for me. He's fun to watch, even when doing cheese.

 

...I should buy the book, too. I'm sure I'd enjoy it a lot more than the TV series.

[Oerwinde]

King's response when asked if he got the idea from the Simpsons movie(since the book was published like 3 years later) was something like he had been writing the book since the 80s and just hadn't been able to get it the way he wanted until recently.

 

You mean until someone already did it?

 

I can't have been the only person to start yelling "EPA! EPA! EEEEPA!" when the girl collapsed and started spouting prophetic lines.

[Walsingham]

Under the Dome, the first two episodes. I loved Steven King's early/middle career but haven't really kept up with his later career, so hadn't heard of either the book or that they were turning it into a long mini-series/maybe series. Just ran across it by accident in the VoD menu.

 

The pilot was very fun for the first half, then all those Stephen King staple stock chrs/situations started popping out in force... which in a novel can still be awesome but in a show with no inner-voice narrative often results in a B-movie cheesecake feeling.

 

--small 1-sherrif town that seems to consist of about 30 houses and one church, in a crisis that brings out the worst in most people

--obsession with birds as a symbolic death theme or whatever it is

--obsession with people spouting nonsense or rhymes or something while in a trance/seizure/rapture...

--the reluctant stranger/outsider

--the crazy nut teen who's angry/rejected and violent (and a source for major cheese lines)

--the town mayor/council/whatever with a secret and who maybe isn't so nice after all

--the fallen/corrupt priest type of chr.

 

...anyway, the pacing of the show is very fast-food edible, but the 2nd episode became pretty silly in that King mini-series way. I'll probably still watch it, tho, to see how it all goes. The fact that the actor who plays Walter White's brother-in-law in Breaking Bad has a major role in it is major attraction for me. He's fun to watch, even when doing cheese.

 

...I should buy the book, too. I'm sure I'd enjoy it a lot more than the TV series.

 

I laughed at your Steven King tropes. TFT.

[Volourn]

"You mean until someone already did it?"

 

Accusing him of lying? He's telling the truth. Prove him wrong.

 

That said, i love Stephen King but Under the Dome, while watchable, is nowhere near as good as many of his other works - film, tv, or novel.

[Blarghagh]

Like Maximum Overdrive and The Mangler? Overall, I'd say it falls somewhere in the middle.

[Volourn]

Maximum Overdrive was awesome. The Mangler... was mangled...

 

Also, I said it wasn't as good as many of his other works. That's true.. even if it falls 'in the middle'. Afterall, King has written 100+ stories so in the middle that be 50ish which means there are many better.

 

GAME OVER.

[Blarghagh]

Hah, fair enough. My point is, however, that King's stuff has very variable quality (ranging from the outstanding to the awful) and saying that it's not as good as some of his best works isn't nearly as bad as it sounds. Even if it's decent, it's still no Langoliers miniseries and that strikes me as it being in the win category.

Edited July 6, 2013 by TrueNeutral

[Volourn]

I loved the Langoliers. It's not perfect but it is vastly superior to Under the Dome (so far). For one thing, it doesn't completely follow the 'King tropes' listed above. The acting is better, the mystery is cooler, and is well written. I do realzie it isn't his most popular tv movie but it is sorely underrated.

[Raithe]

Caught an old episode of Babylon 5.  A View From the Gallery.

 

Say what you like about Babylon 5... Sometimes the stories got a little ropey, the special effects might not have aged as well as others. But they did a whole lot more on a lot less budget, and they pushed the idea of a central story arc rather then purely episodic further then a lot of shows were doing at the time. Whilst the music Christopher Franke composed for it just always hits the right emotive notes without being blatant.

 

Every now and again they'd do something to twist up the usual style like they did in this episode, following two characters who would basically be "extras" in the background of any other episode, a pair of maintenance workers doing odd work around the station and showing what the world looks like from their viewpoint. The main characters going around in the background, the overheard conversations and scenes with the "workers" commenting on this and that as they go about their day.

[Hurlshort]

I loved The Stand and that basically fits all the tropes.

[Volourn]

Yeah, but The Stand was epic. It was an event. It was, also, i believe one of King's first tv mini series along with It - another epic mini series (that's being remade as a movie I believe).

 

Anyways, back to Under the Dome.. it's a good show but it is missing the oomph of other King tv adaptations.

[LadyCrimson]

Salem's Lot with David Soul was the first King mini-series. And it scared the crap out of me when I was 11. Altho it was originally going to be a movie I think, then they turned it into a short (2-night?) mini-series instead. Then turned it into a movie again with a shortened/edited version.

I loved The Langoliers - the story, that is. I've read and re-read it numerous times. The mini-series, not so much. Especially Bronson Pinochet's (or whatever his name is) performance.

The Stand - Ray Walston, Rob Lowe, Gary Sinise, Miguel Ferrer, and Bill Fagerbakke were all outstanding. Couldn't stand Molly Ringwold or Corin Nemec...they ruined a lot of scenes for me just by opening their mouths. But it's still one of the best of King's TV adaptions (and the book itself a classic King epic ... both original and extended versions).

[Gfted1]

There's an extended version of the book? I cant imagine what was left out of the original, lol. Would you mind spoiling me?

[LadyCrimson]

There's not much to spoil. It's just characters much more fleshed out, one character arc/background that was removed (the "wolfman" the group found in a car on the way). It all added up to tons of extra pages, but it wasn't anything vital nor did it change anything. More filler, more character depth.

[Amentep]

Yeah my edition of the uncut STAND could easily stop a bullet.  Bit bulky in the shirt breast-pocket as opposed to a handy cigarillo case though...

[Walsingham]

There's an idea bulletproofbacks. We mould or acid etch favourite books onto titanium-ceramic pages, ring bind it, and voila! Your favourite book preserved for future generations, and possibly you too.

[Malcador]

Ballistic resistant books with trauma Kindle plates ?

[HoonDing]

A Dark Tower (mini-)series would be nice.

[LadyCrimson]

I figure most people here don't watch Glee, and I haven't watched it in some time myself, but hearing about the lead actor's death was a bit startling.

 

I wonder who'll theyll find to replace him with? Or was it going to be cancelled soon anyway?

[Hurlshort]

I don't think he was the lead actor, I think that the music teacher is considered the lead.  He was a student and he'd already graduated.  I'm guessing they will address it in the show somehow though.

[Hiro Protagonist]

Watched Season 1 of Elementary over the weekend. Expectations were low going in but it was a good modern take on Sherlock Holmes and I enjoyed it.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

A Dark Tower (mini-)series would be nice.

I dunno, maybe HBO could do something that Game if Thrones for that. I wonder how the audience would react when they found out that Roland is cursed to redo the same epic journey until he recovers his humanity?

 

I don't really have anything to watch ATM(TrueBlood and Dexter have been pretty lackluster for the last few seasons) is Under the Dome that meh?

Edited July 15, 2013 by KaineParker

[Kor Qel Droma]

I don't know if the timing will ever be right for the Dark Tower to make it to the screen. It's going to be expensive as ****.

 

And Clint Eastwood is too old to play Roland.

 

I finally watched season five of Fringe. Very well done, although the first few episodes were kind of meh.

 

Now it's on to The Fall. You are still gorgeous, agent Scully.

[Volourn]

I don't think it being 'expensive' would neccessarily hurt it - as long as it is advertised properly, put together well, and have the right mix well known and 'cheap' talent to do it. The film(s) certainly wouldn't cost more than certain over the top pricey movies.