Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.
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Last year LucasArts surprised me with The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition. It was an update of the original 1990 video game. And it was just that: an update. No remake, just the same game under a different packaging. Now, who’s to say that what doesn’t actually work for movies (see Spielberg and Lucas’ treatment of E.T., Star Wars, etc.) won’t work for video games? Considering we’re talking about the same game, just with updated visuals, I’m all for it. It’s hard to screw up a game as long as you don’t change what worked in the first place.
This got me to thinking why won’t game studios milk that cow? Instead of trying to come up with a new IP and failing, why not repackage an old hit and introduce it to a new generation? Then again they are doing something of the kind, just going about it the wrong way: creating sequels when they should be updating. Now this is a list of games I think would benefit from being updated, while also having huge potential for success.
Honorable mention: Grim Fandango
He’s dead serious…
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Here’s a game that didn’t find an audience despite the amazing story and overall originality. I mean who wouldn’t love a Mexican flavored noir story about a traveling agent in the Land of the Dead? Sadly, few did, and in a way, marked the end of the golden age of LucasArts adventure games. Style is a must if an update, or sequel ever surfaces for this humor filled walk through the afterlife.
5. Fallout 1&2
Hulk smash! Also, Hulk need something for the warts.
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I know, there’s already Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas is on the way. But, even if Fallout 3 was pretty good on its own, there’s no denying it didn’t match up to the inspirational material. Now imagine the same engine (well, better considering it’s already been a while) used to bring the first two iterations to life once more. Wouldn’t you love to see a full scale version of the Necropolis, the Cathedral, New Reno or the Master in all his glory? Little chance of that happening, but somehow I still have hope.
4. Deus Ex
Somehow I don’t think this is the good guys’ HQ.
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There is a 3rd Deus Ex in production for quite a while, or so I’ve heard. No idea how that will turn out. But I do know the sequel failed so much at being a sequel, but rather an all new game, influenced by the first. The first one was an amazing noir (there it is again, makes you think) Sci-Fi conspiracy thriller where choices were important, stealth was the way to go and cool dialogs about politics with bartenders in Hong Kong were just the icing on the cake. Now, imagine updating the always relevant story(terrorists, AI, philosophy, secret societies, human rights) with new graphics and unleashing it on the world. Atmosphere is a must for any update or sequel.
3. Duke Nukem 3D
There’s always time to tip the stripper when saving the world.
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A new game for the franchise has been in development hell for decades now, and will probably not see the light of today any time soon. Which makes putting this one on the list is wishful thinking. But then again, you had a bad ass hero and an R-rated game, killing aliens that wanted to abduct human females. And that’s pretty much all the story it needed. A classic FPS with a no-nonsense attitude (well, actually there’s a lot of non-sense in the Duke Nukem Universe, but it’s all about attitude). I dare say this would be hugely successful even in today’s market. Humor and R-rated elements are things without which Duke Nukem becomes just another mediocre FPS.
2. Might and Magic
Uh, oh…I think that’s a mating ritual dance…
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The Might & Magic franchise is pretty much dead (unless you count the new Heroes games). And it truly is a pity, because in its heyday, it was one of the best RPG franchises ever. It had story (though at times convoluted) and a great deal of detail. Might & Magic 6 and 7 were some of the best role-playing games I ever spent days playing. It had everything a fan could want, from all sorts of races, dungeons and characters (the series used to go hand in hand with Heroes at that time) to powerful items, monsters and spells. An update in the genre of Dragon Age would only result in a whole new generation being introduced to a long-running game series (please no changing of setting and tone like it happened with Heroes, Erathia, Enroth and the like are just fine).
1. Planescape: Torment
The things she can do with that tail…
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What can I say? I’m a sucker for a role-playing game with an amazing story. I once read somewhere that the most common affliction of main characters in video games is amnesia. And Planescape sure is keen on following that formula. But it does so in such an epic way that it leaves you in awe. Following the Nameless One in his journeys takes you to wondrous places (that would make amazing settings for a game made with today’s engines), introduces you to great, multidimensional characters (floating talking skull, anyone?) and revels in its chance to explore morality, philosophy, psychology, or, to put it simply, the nature of a man. All of the characters and settings deserve an update (and the 800,000 words script would sure help with amazing literary descriptions). Out of all the games on this list, this one is the most deserving and maybe the best suited for an update (since I don’t believe a sequel would be possible in any way).
Posted on March 4th, 2010 by MrWiseguy
Filed under: Games | No Comments »
Well, there’s less than a week to the big night when we’ll get answers to some big questions, like: Will Smurf Hulk war trump the Iraq war? Will commercial success (The Blind Side) win over acting chops (Meryl Streep)? Will there be any suspense when announcing the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (the way I see it Cristoph Waltz should be standing up the moment they mention the category)? And, most important of all, will Steve Martin be better than Alec Baldwin, or will they both suck?
So, let me just tell you who I think will win.
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Nominees:
Up in the Air
Let’s just get this out of the way: there’s only two posibilities here - Hurt Locker or Avatar. And I have a feeling that, despite a chance of going home with only the technical awards, Avatar might get this one. Hurt Locker might be preferred among critics, but it doesn’t have the huge popular appeal that Avatar does. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love a surprise like Up winning the Best Picture award and paving the way for more animations to be recognized as top-notch cinema, and the Animation award becoming nothing more then another technical category, but I don’t think that will happen.
So, the Oscar goes to: Avatar
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker
This one is pretty easy considering the rave reviews Jeff Bridges has been getting, not to mention that he’s well due an Oscar. None of the others stand too much of a chance, since their performances are very but somehow not that much of a standout.
So, the Oscar goes to: Jeff Bridges
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia
This one is a tough call. On one hand you’ve got the huge success of The Blind Side, Sandra Bullock in the best performance of her career, not to mention the star power she apparently possesses, if you’re to look at 2 of her 3 films last year. On the other is the immensely talented and liked Meryl Streep (quick, see if you can think of anyone who doesn’t like her acting). The only issue here is that Streep already has 2 Oscars and the Academy somehow always tries not to let too many go to one person, even if deserved. The others stand little to no chance, considering new comers Carey Mulligan and Gabourey Sidibe are at their first showing, and Dame Helen Mirren has as recently as 2007 won her Oscar.
So, the Oscar goes to: Sandra Bullock (though I’d love a tie)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds
There isn’t much to say here. I like all the actors nominated, they’re all good roles, I appreciate that Matt Damon got nominated, people too often think of him only as an action star. But, try as I might, I can’t picture anything else with the statuette in hand but Christoph Waltz screaming “That’s a Bingo!”
So, the Oscar goes to: Christoph Waltz
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Mo’Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
This has to be the toughest one to call. People have their money on Mo’Nique, and I’m inclined to agree, even though I loved both Vera Farmiga and anna Kendrick in Up in the Air. Jeff Bridges’ performance might pull Maggie Gyllenhaal up for contention, but I don’t like her chances. Penelope Cruz already has her Oscar and Nine isn’t that great to begin with.
So the Oscar goes to : Mo’Nique
Best Achievement in Directing
Nominees:
Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds
As much as I’d like Quentin to be recognized for the great work he’s doing, or Jason Reitman take it home before he develops a frustration, there, again, just like in the Best Picture category, only two ways to go: former couple James “King of the World” Cameron and Kathryn “I like people drama”(I just made that up) Bigelow. And their styles couldn’t be more different. Bigelow goes for the introspective, while Cameron likes entertainment, big, blue 3D entertainment. I’d just like to say that can’t really decide, Cameron is just about everything the movies are as far as entertainment and technical achievement can go, but Bigelow managed to create a unique style, and with little action, but a lot of tension, keep me captivated. I don’t think either of them will walk home with both the best Picture and the Best Director award, so, they’ll find a way to split those two between them, but for this one, my money’s on Bigelow.
So the Oscar goes to: Kathryn Bigelow
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Nominees:
Up (2009): Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Thomas McCarthy
I’d go with Inglorious Basterds, it is the most original of the bunch, but I don’t know how the Academy likes changing history. The Coens might get it, but then again, they already have several. i don’t personally see Hurt Locker winning, the script was good, but ultimately the directing and acting made that movie great. Then again, why not a heartwarming script like Up’s? The set-up alone is wonderful.
So the Oscar goes to : Inglorious Basterds
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Nominees:
Up in the Air (2009/I): Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
Speaking of Reitman’s frustration, his movie might end up again winning a script award but losing the Best Director and Best Picture award, though considering the competition this year, I doubt he’ll hold a grudge. Precious has a strong chance, I know nothing of In the Loop, and it’s nice to see District 9 mentioned, even if that’s all it is, a mention. An Education might give Precious a run for its money, but I’m sticking to the movie based on the novel Push by Sapphire.
So the Oscar goes to: Precious:Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Posted on March 2nd, 2010 by MrWiseguy
Filed under: Movies | No Comments »
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District 9 was a good movie. It was better than it had any right to be, considering first time director Neil Bloomkamp and would you know it, first time actor Sharlto Copley(and no I won’t count the short they did earlier in 2005 since it’s just the prologue for their recent cinematic venture). I only had one problem with the movie: was it action? was it satire? was it a mockumentary? a startling analysis of human nature? summer entertainment? If your answer is all of them, it’s partially right. There are movies that incorporate all of those and work, but this is not one of them.
The movie is fun to watch, but at the same time frustrating. The action’s good, but that gets started rather late. The mockumentary bits work at one level, but become confusing as the action gets switched from news, documentary or security camera footage to scenes where there’s no such thing in sight. Ok, I can live with that, it’s used to emphasize some moments. Now comes the satire part, it throws in, not that subtly comparisons begging to be made to South Africa, refugees, riots, slums and large corporations. Trouble is, those are the side-dish, and sometimes feel like filling. And the analysis on human nature? Well we do discover (brilliant choice) that the main character is selfish and self-serving. But at the very end the movie cheats us of a true impact as far as social commentary goes, by making the character a hero, selfless as he seems to sacrifice himself for the good of others (guess what, that’s the same character who performed an abortion on an alien and joked about it just an hour ago).
In the end, this is just what’s wrong with Sci-Fi today: they can’t seem to go for the complex (see Solaris for example, not the new one), without dumbing it down and that’s just because of the public’s (main public that is) expectations of a Science Fiction movie - SFX and action(and the Transformer franchise does not help at all).
Posted on September 11th, 2009 by MrWiseguy
Filed under: Movies | No Comments »
6. Ocean’s 11
Take 11 people, each one an expert in something that can be used in a robbery , stir (or shake) well, add a good plan and you get 150 million, right? But what good is that when you piss off a casino boss that will hunt you down to the end of the world? Sure, you can fix all of that in the sequel, but you still have to go through the motion. Plus, considering all the nights spent on figuring out whom to cast as the 12th in the sequel, 150 million doesn’t sound that great anymore.
5. Die Hard 1 and 3
You may be smart, have a great accent and come up with an awesome plan to steal a lot of cash, but once you get Bruce Willis into the mix, you’re doomed to fail. Hans Gruber certainly came tumbling down, well, falling down more like it. And his brother didn’t learn a thing from it. He came up with an even more elaborate plot to get revenge and steal gold. And he almost gets away with it, until his chopper gets in those powerlines. Ouch!!!
4. Reservoir Dogs
What not to do when planning a robbery: hire an undercover cop, hire a psychopath, hire anyone that’s remotely unscrupulous. Reservoir Dogs fails at each of these, with Tim Roth at the center of a bloodbath. Kudos to Harvey Keitel’s character, that, when facing a shot comrade and claims that the person who shot him is a cop, tries to protect the cop by making sure none but Steve Buscemi is left unharmed. Any robbery that ends with Mr. Pink getting away with the diamonds is a failed robbery.
3. Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead
I don’t think I have to point out what goes wrong in this one since you have two brothers, a junkie and a deadbeat, one of which is having an affair with the other one’s wife, who decide to rob their parents’ jewelry store. Things that go wrong: the third wheel shoots their mom and gets shot himself, his wife and her brother blackmail the two, a drug dealer gets shot and robbed, one of the brothers gets shot, then his father, figuring it all out, kills him by suffocation in the hospital.
2. Heat
So you’re Robert De Niro, you’ve committed several successful robberies, even managed to shoot it out with the police on the street and survive. Now you’re almost ready to leave it all behind and spend the rest of your life with the woman you love (like ?). Not exactly. Enter Al Pacino, the cop. There’s really no pride in being in a one-on-one shooting with Pacino and losing, especially if you’re De Niro and have managed to elude dozens of policemen not an hour ago, all while running through downtown wielding a AK-47.
1. Dog Day Afternoon
This time it’s Al Pacino who fails at robbing a bank, while in the process giving up his partner. If there’s one thing you learn from this movie is that you never ask for a plane in a hostage situation. That’s a code for the cops to take you out. Final tally: 1 dead, and one in prison for 20 years, none of them went down in a blaze of glory. Now that’s a failed robbery.
Posted on April 20th, 2009 by MrWiseguy
Filed under: Movies | 1 Comment »
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A couple of weeks ago I watched the season (series ?) finale for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I expected some resolutions and some answers, mainly because I honestly believed it would be the end of the show, as much as I hated it. And it just might be that, though no one, except maybe for network executives, knows yet.
I got some resolutions and some answer plus a lot of questions. I can’t say it isn’t a fitting end to the series, since it is intriguing, and that’s how I’d pretty much describe the whole show, but it did leave me wanting more. Now, if they don’t make a third season, so be it, but at least make a movie to tie up all loose ends. I do believe the DVD sales would be enough reasons to do so, and let’s face it, a movie is not as expensive as a third season.
It’s nothing new, it has been done before: Farscape made a two part TV movie that was pretty fun; Stargate SG-1 has 2 movies under its belt; Firefly even made the jump to the big screen. Now, I don’t expect that from TSCC, nor do I expect a big budget if it does get made, but let’s face it, if you’re a fan of the show, it’s not because of SFX, but because of the quality story and interesting characters.
Posted on April 17th, 2009 by MrWiseguy
Filed under: TV | No Comments »
Seeing as I let the dust settle on this little blog, and almost let it die, it seemed appropriate that I should be discussing death, but not any kind of death, but the one that strikes at major characters on TV.
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It’s rare to see such a thing, as writers seem to hate killing the regulars so seeing one die, or get killed is far from the usual red shirt or guest star mishap. So, imagine my surprise when it happened twice in a matter of days. First came the death of Brian Austin Green’s character Derek, from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, then Kutner’s(Kal Penn) suicide on House. Both were handled quite well, and truly unlike we’re maybe used to.
Derek died a soldier’s death, in the way I imagine most people would die when facing a Terminator. Bullet to the head, no funeral, no tears shed. Sure, he was a bad ass, but hey, man against machine, skill count for only so much until luck plays its card. It was in the first minutes of the episode, it was sudden and oh so final that I couldn’t believe it at first. Yet as it settled in, I realized I was happy with how it turned out, no setup episodes, no mourning period as the other characters had no time for it, since such is life on the run, in constant danger.
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The suicide on House was off camera. We only saw a body in a pool of blood just as the show was getting into second gear with its usual patient of the week plotline. Yet, though there was a funeral, and tears were shed, this was not so much about the character lost, but the way everyone reacted to the death. There were no answers, no explanations, no note left behind. And everyone handled the event differently. It reminded me that House should aspire to be more like Lost, character driven, instead of mistery driven (some might argue about that, but ultimately Lost’s misteries are there only to flesh out the characters).
These were both unique ways to handle something that is ultimately a big event on any TV show, and served to prove that such deaths can move the story forward as well as be as realistic as possible. Sure, there are other shows out there that do the whole regular character killing quite often but those are shows with an ensemble cast, where one character dying does not come quite as a surprise (24 has lots and lots of deaths, and Lost, well they do get off on killing a couple of people each season).
Posted on April 9th, 2009 by MrWiseguy
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“If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.” Star Wars:A New Hope
Guess “more powerful than you could possibly imagine” means ghost in the Jedi dialect. Sure, Obi Wan whispers to Luke from beyond the grave, shows up here and there as a vision, but all that power and it’s still up to Luke to kick the Emperor’s ass.
“In the words of my generation: UP YOURS!!!!” Independence Day
Randy Quaid right before sticking his plane in the mothership’s ass. Literally. Well I guess you could argue alien space ship anatomy but then again, I like to think of it that way.
“All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.” Blade Runner
Of all the quirky characters in Blade Runner, I liked Roy Batty the most. Sure, he’s the villain, but when it comes down to it, he’s also the most human of the bunch. Plus, he’s the most badass person in that movie. Next to him Harrison Ford is a pussy.
“Is that the best you can do you pansies?” Sin City
Marv, the toughest, meanest wall of stone of all movie characters. Clive Owen’s speech doesn’t do him justice comparing him to gladiators. I mean, who can sit on the electric chair, take a hit, and ask that? The guy who hacked up Elijah Wood into pieces and fed him to a dog, that’s who.
“Mind the uniform Cleric. I plan to be wearing it for a long time.” Equilibrium
A long time being about 10 seconds. Definitely not something you want to say to a guy wielding a sword, unless you want yourself to end up with half a face (if you’re Taye Diggs against Christian Bale anyway). Well, at least the uniform didn’t get ruined.
Posted on December 20th, 2008 by MrWiseguy
Filed under: Movies | 1 Comment »
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Now, I have not seen The Pursuit of Happiness, the last Smith - Muccino film, but I have heard descriptions that used “emotional” and “tear jerker” as adjectives. At least the same can be said about Seven Pounds. Personally, I’d describe it as a well-acted, well-directed, massochistic drama. You might ask why, and you will get an answer.
While it’s been marketed under utter secrecy, and the critics have been asked not to reveal any spoilers, from the trailer and the first 10 minutes of the film, I knew where it was heading. The only thing I kept asking was if it would go all the way. And it did. There’s no optimism in this movie, there’s only sadness and remorse. Sure, there’s kindness and emotional connection, but that only helps draw you in and make you care about the characters.
Will Smith is, as always, more than capable of doing the job at hand (though I doubt he’ll get another Oscar nomination, even if deserved, he faces too much competition this year). He portrays this broken, guilt ridden man with intensity. At no point can I believe his forced smiles without seeing the anguish inside. This is a focused, yet troubled individual, an emotional wreck that even when glimpsing the smallest hope for his future, can not accept it.
Rosario Dawson is delightful as the woman who connects with this man, a bundle of sadness herself. The rest of the cast is adequate (felt like Woody Harrelson was underused) but somehow doesn’t fit the puzzle, due to little screen time, and less character development.
The final revelation, twist, or whatever you’d call it, isn’t as dramatic as the build up leads to believe. In the end, the movie is just a good performance, a good idea, but somehow overshadowed by an unneeded romantic angle and too little psychological insight into a damaged soul
PS: I used “massochistic” to describe it as you can always stop watching, that is, if you can tear yourself away from this emotional ride downhill (as it is a real downer).
Posted on December 20th, 2008 by MrWiseguy
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Well, with the upcoming Watchmen, Zack Snyder is doing his second panel by panel adaptation of a comic book. 300 was a visual marvel, it was like watching extensions of the comic itself, not something born of it, but adapted for the big screen. From the look of the trailer, Watchmen will be just like it. I can’t say I disapprove. It certainly won’t disappoint fans, but is it worth paying the ticket just to see a change in the graphics?
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Superhero movies have been playing fast and loose with the stories, sometimes changing a lot to satisfy either studios or the director’s personal vision of it all. Burton applied his own unique style, and though it wasn’t the noir Batman exudes, it was pretty close. Nolan managed to discover the perfect formula between action, noir and thriller with Dark Knight, keeping the tone and spirit of the comic, while changing bits and pieces of the character’s storylines so they fit in the movie. Del Toro practically came up with his own private story and pushed it into the Hellboy universe, and it worked. But then again we’re talking about talented directors here.
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But take Catwoman into consideration and everything changes. Change the storyline, change the location, change the characters, and you’ve got a flop. Then again, box office successes could be considered failures too. Look at Spiderman 3. It had more action then the first 2, more special effects, more villains, but sadly not a great story, poor character development and most of all, no humour. Spiderman was always throwing quips around in the comic, not so much in the movies, yet the first two still had plenty of humour (even if most of it came from Bruce Campbell).
Now with Marvel getting hit after hit at the box office, and while planning The Avengers, they have more control over how their own comics are poertrayed, which means movies being a lot more faithful to the books. The only question is: will the future of comic book movies be one of a panel by panel reproduction for the big screen, or one of inventive reimagining?
Posted on December 7th, 2008 by MrWiseguy
Filed under: Movies | 2 Comments »
Cancellation
Well, the fall/winter/spring/summer line-up has some interesting shows. And you get invested in one or two of them. You watch the show at the edge of your seat. The story’s good, the characters well written, the dialog is smart. The season ends. And the news comes that it’s not being picked up again. And you’ll never see the characters you loved or get to know how it would’ve played out in the end. Instead of this you get some reality show crap, or worse a new series that’s just a reimagining of an old one (seriously, who needs another CSI?). But don’t get too rattled up, it will all happen again, you can be sure of that.
Examples:Firefly, Jericho (possible future cancellation:Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
Repetition
This is hard to argue against, as tv shows rely heavily upon it:
- House: person gets ill, House gets the case, House makes fun of team/hospital staff/patient/patient’s loved ones/Wilson/Cuddy, House uses riddles to make everyone figure out what he already knows, team comes up with diagnostic, House approves it, diagnostic seems to fit, patient gets better, patient almost dies, House figures out the diagnostic all by himself/with the help of Wilson/at the trigger of a
word/song/situation.
- Friends(even if it’s over): Ross and Rachel split up, Chandler makes inappropriate joke, Joey says something stupid but funny, Monica gets fussy, Phoebe says something unexpected, Ross and Rachel get back together
- Scrubs: JD and Elliot split up then get back together, then make joke about it being like Ross and Rachel, JD gets attached to a dying patient, Dr. Cox uses a lot of sarcasm, JD has a day dream involving musical numbers, The Todd makes inappropriate sex joke, JD learns a valuable life lesson at the end, but continues to be more and more childish and stupid by each episode.
- Stargate Atlantis:on a usual trip through the gate something unexpected happens, firefight or disaster occurs, McKay has to figure out something, McKay complains and complains, Sheppard and Ronon kick some ass, McKay figures it out, they return through the gate, Weir/Woolsey/Carter show up to tell them they did a good job/to be careful next time (this pretty much goes for Stargate SG-1 as well).
- Lost: Something weird happens, the survivors argue about what to do, Kate and Jack through each other meaningful looks, flashback/flash-forward, Sayid acts like a tough guy, Hurley says something funny, some more weird stuff happens, Kate and Sawyer do it, flashback/flash-forward, Ben manipulates someone, something weird happens, episode ends in a cliffhanger/peacefully with a song while showing what all the characters do.
- Every crime drama out there: brutal murder, evidence, suspects, evidence points to a suspect, turns out it was another one.
Greed
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This one factors in a lot in destroying good TV shows. When something is popular, the network decides it must churn out more and more episodes even when the show has lost its charm/meaning/main characters. Stargate SG-1 went about 3-4 season longer than it should have, reaching its peak around season 3 or 4. Prison Break should’ve ended at season 2, but instead we got reinvention after reinvention (”let’s do season one again but in a different country” or “let’s have them break into something Mission Impossible style this time”). The Simpsons continue to be above average overall but they’ve churned out a lot of awful episodes lately. Season 10-12 would’ve been a perfect time to do the movie and go out in style. Does anyone remember Sliders? Jerry O’Connell was in that (so was Kari Wuhrer, yum), then he wasn’t. The show went on until only one original cas member was left, and the story didn’t make the least bit of sense. Should’ve pretty much died after John Rhys-Davies decided he’s too god for the show.
Cliffhangers
You know, the ones leaving you hanging by a thread, just waiting to see the next episode. And sometimes it pays off. But most of the times it’s just a gimmick used to keep you watching, to keep you lusting for that next episode when the cliffhanger situation resolves itself pretty much out of thin air, before the episode goes on and ends with another one.
Examples: Lost, Heroes, 24, pretty much every show with a story arc.
Character inconsistency
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Now this one mainly happens when the writers have no idea what to do next. Let’s do a case study on Heroes. Sylar was bad, then bad but trying to be good, then good, then bad but caring for someone, then just bad again. Angela Petrelli was almost evil willing to sacrifice one of her sons, then kind of bad but caring, then became a hero all of the sudden. Mohinder was a good guy, one of the few I had no doubts about. Come the second season the brilliant doctor is making dumb choices and aligning himself with the bad guys. And they’re not even consistent with a theory someone on IMDB had: intelligence decreases with power. Peter was once the most powerful of them all, now he’s lost his powers and started using his brain. Sylar was all the more cunning without his powers, tricking Maya and whatshisname, then regained power and started being just a pawn for the big players. But that didn’t happen last episode, during the eclipse when everyone lost their powers, he just seemed clueless then.
Loose ends
Ever found yourself scratching your head wondering why the writers have not addressed something they eagerly pushed into the show a couple of episodes back? I understand that with a long running series some things get left behind, either due to lack of time or when an actor decides he doesn’t want to do the show anymore, but it’s never nice to leave people wondering. Lost has done it all too many times, first that comes to mind being Libby and her showing up in a flashback in Hurley’s mental care institution.
Shocking U-turns
When everything seems to be going one way and they pull a Kansas City Shuffle as Bruce Willis called it in Lucky Number Slevin. Everyone’s thinking ahead according to current events then out of the blue something totally unexpected, and, at times, illogical happens. Take for instance Prison Breeak, with its sudden twist. The end-game came, the players all did their parts, everything was smooth, and I honestly hoped they would end it, as I did many many times before. Then, 5 minutes before the end, FBI agent Don Self asks a question of his partner. And all I could think after that was : “Don’t kill her!!”, but he did. And all the characters are back at square one, despite absolutely no clue before-hand of what was about to happen. Now, if that’s not toying with the audience, I don’t know what is.
Posted on December 5th, 2008 by MrWiseguy
Filed under: TV | 1 Comment »
