Cold Saturday Watching TV and Movies
As I mentioned, my wife and daughter are out of town this weekend. I've gotten a good chunk of my to-do list complete. I've also watched a fair bit of TV and videos--it's sub-freezing here in the Queen of Cities, and it's nice just to have a down weekend. A few random comments on what I watched so far. Spoilers may follow.
Space: Above and Beyond
This originally aired in 1995, when everyone was trying to emulate the success of "The X-Files." Lots of SiFi shows made their way to prime time. Some good; some not-so-much. This was actually created by two of the guys who created some of the more memorable episodes of "The X-Files," Glen Morgan and James Wong.
This really is TV too good for TV. It dealt with some serious issues, was deep, dark, and great. I submit that the new "Battlestar Galactica" was strongly influenced by this. Many of the themes--what is right during war and the nature of humanity--are echoed there. Visually, the physics of the ships (flipping around like a true spacecraft might) are there as well.
One thing that really strikes me, though, is how much TV changed in the decade. There are moments when it is very quiet, and moves deliberately (not slowly, but something akin to it). Today, TV seems full of fast cuts and edits.
Overall, this is something I would recommend to SciFi fans.
Kitchen Confidential
It is based on a book by Anthony Bourdain. I confess, I've never read his books, nor have I seen any of his TV shows. All I really know about him comes from a few interviews. I haven't decided if he is an elitist snob, or someone who runs down the work of others in the interest of advancing himself.
However, the show is quite funny, with an amusing cast of characters. I'm not sure if it would be a classic, but compared to some of the shows that lasted more than, say, four episodes, I think it definitely merited a better chance than it had.
Stealth
It's an age-old story: boy meets artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence has a malfunction. Artificial intelligence decides to take over the world. Boy has to disable artificial intelligence.
Why can't, when an artificial intelligence malfunctions or achieves sentience, it decide to become a peacenik, or perhaps a celebrity chef? Or maybe just play a nice game of chess...or Ms. Pac-Man. Always with the world domination...
Here's the thing, and I'm going to have to turn on some serious spoiler text:
All of the prequel movies really were wanting relative to the original three. One thing I will say, I think Robot Chicken had Anakin down when the Emperor described his whiney nature:
Watching both "Star Wars" and "Space: Above and Beyond," I had to consider something. The earth is 196,935,000 square miles, and has a population of over six billion. Our industrial capacity is fairly well distributed (though likely favoring the northern hemisphere). It has a mass adequate to create enough gravity to hold an atmosphere.
I'm trying to imagine the difficulty in an Earth-like planet being able to create the resources and manpower necessary to invade another planet and take over. Granted, having advanced weapons probably would help. However, it still seems difficult. And this is ignoring problems such as having your troops exposed to indigenous diseases, having a supply line, etc. It also doesn't consider trying to hold more than one planet, even with an alliance with other worlds.
Comments
The new "Battlestar Galactica" is quite good. They have made it resonate with contemporary issues. I definitely say it is worth a shot. It is probably the best show that is currently* in production.
*Writer's strike not withstanding.