Closet Sci-Fi Geek

Streaming Video on Hulu.com

Well, this is what the Writer’s Guild is striking about: TV and film being streamed online and writers not getting paid for it. Hulu.com is a new website where you can watch a variety of full television episodes (and a few select feature films) for free. The advertising is quick and painless (usually 15 seconds and not overly intrusive). The video quality, on my computer and connection, is fantastic. At full screen it’s just as nice as my television.

There’s a variety of sci-fi content already available, including some more obscure stuff such as Land of the Giants and Nanny and the Professor (a show about a Mary Poppins type character). Other shows of interest include: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the Outer Limits, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica (old and new), Heroes, Cleopatra 2525, one-season wonder Surface, and even Rod Serling’s Night Gallery!

Now, you should be aware that some folks are calling for a boycott of online streaming while the WGA is on strike, due to the writers not getting a fair deal on the revenues. My feeling (as is with others) is that it’s not helping the writers to show that online streaming isn’t a viable medium. So I don’t think it will hurt the WGA cause to watch. But that’s just me, and I could be wrong.

I still have to catch up on Battlestar Galactica season three as well as Heroes…and maybe now I will finally getting around to watching Firefly. It’s bad enough I still haven’t seen the full Dresden Files - the Firefly omission on my part is pretty horrendous, I know.

The Golden Compass - Please See, if Just to Counter the Boycott

The Golden Compass is a fine fantasy film in it’s own right…but now that certain crazy extreme Christian elements are boycotting it, I think it’s all that more important for sci-fi and fantasy lovers to go see it in the theater.

(For example, see Group to protest ‘Golden Compass’ - but beware of the massive spoiler for the trilogy at the end of the article.)

The irony here is that these so-called Christians (let’s not offend real Christians) are upset because they think the film and the books are trying to make children into atheists. At issue is the portrayal of an all-powerful religious organization patterned after the worst excesses of the Catholic Church in its power. The “Magisterium” suppresses scientific knowledge and wields dictatorial control over the populace.

Now. If you are a Catholic or Christian and upset about this movie, you are basically giving credence to the critique that Christianity (particularly Catholicism) became warped and was used for evil in the wrong hands. Think about it. Because if this is just a fictional portrayal of a religious sect out of control, why even care? (Or, are we trying to whitewash the past and pretend that the entire Inquisition never happened?)

And yet, here these so-called “Christians” are, acting just like the evil people in the film, by trying to suppress information and other ideas. Most of the people protesting haven’t even read the books or seen the film. They are just following the orders of their church leaders. How completely ironic.

The Movie Itself

Enough with the political commentary, on to the film. I have not read the books yet so went in with a fresh slate and no expectations. I found the film to be very enjoyable. The plot was a bit complex and moved a little fast, but still flowed well enough. There was constant action - it never got boring, especially once the basic story was outlined.

The casting was superb. The girl was terrific - she was well-cast and truly made the movie with her performance. Nicole Kidman was also super freaky as the evil Mrs. Coulter. Sam Elliott brought some much-needed levity and personality to the film about halfway through.

Visually, the film was stunning - the sets were absolutely fantastic and the mood created perfect. I just love this type of fantasy sci-fi, where there’s technology mixed with magic and everything is decked out like it’s the late 1800s. Gorgeous.

The film is a bit dark and as such may not be for young children but should appeal to teens and adults. The fight scene between the two polar bears is positively gruesome, but powerful.

In short, I truly do not have many complaints about this film. It is not high art but decent entertainment. If you sit back and enjoy the ride you will find much to appreciate in The Golden Compass.

Star Trek Generations

I’m digging through my VCR vault…and finally watching and donating my old VCR tapes. And what did I find? Star Trek Generations, the first of the “Next Generation” movies.

Watching it some 10 years later (yikes, has it been that long?), I’m a bit more forgiving. Maybe it’s the years of disappointing Trek on television, but Generations is actually a pretty decent movie, Trek-wise. (Never mind that it’s an odd-number Trek film!)

Highlights:

Captain Kirk (though we need to see more of him).
Some great lines from Scotty at the beginning of the film.
Data and his new emotion chip (nothing like a tricorder puppet to liven up an away team mission!).
Guinan looking incredibly worried with her big cool hat.
Gordi’s stupid-ass visor finally getting the obvious critique from Malcolm MacDowall’s character…and then being used as a security risk.
The Enterprise-D biting it in a fantastic, spectacular planetary wipe-out (I always hated that model).
Data’s big four-letter swear as the Enterprise-D is about to bite it.

Cons:

Not enough from the original cast, and no Uhura, Bones, or Sulu.
Yet another ridiculous time paradox that does not make any sense.
Kirk’s somewhat ignominious and controversial death.
A bit gloomy with the constant death talk.

Mostly, however, Star Trek Generations stands out as a good Trek movie because of Data. He steals the show. In case you forgot, here is the highlight of the film, Data singing his “tiny little lifeforms” song:

Gotta love it!

Tin Man - WHAT Were They Thinking?

I watched the beginning of SciFi’s much vaunted mini-series Tin Man this evening. Twenty minutes into it I had to turn it off. It was so bad it was painful. Right off the bat, we have:

1. Horrible special effects that makes you wish computers no longer existed and we had cheesy effects like those from Lost in Space again.
2. Bizarre dreams by a motorcycle-riding “DG” (aka Dorothy) that involve twirling ballerina figures.
3. A cyclone (poorly rendered) that is actually a method of transportation between worlds.
4. Bad henchman dressed up in plastic black armor and who look like they stepped out of the 1980s Flash Gordon movie.
5. A wicked queen who eats souls, wears cheap gold lame, and is searching for an emerald for no good reason.
6. Munchkins who are a cross between the Ewoks and the warriors from Braveheart; they live in trees, wear blue and red face paint, and also speak in rhyme.

I can’t take it anymore. Someone PLEASE kill the SciFi channel now and put it out of its misery.