Caddickisms

I read somewhere recently that comic books do superhero fights better than movies because things happen too fast in the movies. I understand where that’s coming from, but I’m not sure I buy it completely. Spider-man’s fights were pretty cool in the movies (especially vs. Doc Ock), for example.

Superman: Doomsday, being the animated version of the “Death of Superman” comic book series, had the perfect chance to prove that sentiment wrong. It was a good fight (two good fights, actually), but I suspect the comics had more impact for most people. They simply had more time to be involved in the story surrounding the death in the comics. I think that’s the failure of this movie: they didn’t spend enough time on the lead-up to the death.

Yes, we clearly get the impression that Doomsday is heartless and mindlessly violent, and Superman has to take him down. We also get the impression that he’s tough - real tough. But I never saw anything registered on Superman’s face, or spoken in his lines, that showed me that he knew this might be the most physically challenging thing he’d ever faced - that he might have to sacrifice himself to stop it. That would have put this movie over the top for me - his self-awareness.

I couldn’t help but make comparisons of the final fight with Darkseid in Justice League Unlimited. Though much shorter, it made more of an impact with me because of the speech he made:

That’s the kind of thing this movie needed.

Still, the beatings in this movie were impressive.

The one thing I like more about this movie was the scale of destruction wreaked by the fight. That was much closer to what it would be like if a battle this epic were to be fought. Buildings were brought down in no uncertain terms. There were whole blocks ruined by these fights. The final blow thew out a shockwave that was almost nuclear in its force.

There were two fights in this movie. Obviously, you can’t have the death of Superman be the end of the movie. You gotta show the comeback, so the death was only half the story. The second battle pits Superman as the underdog. That one, I think, was done better than the first. More time was spent in dialog expressing the thoughts of the combatants - though I still never got a sense of regret from Superman, which I think would have been appropriate for his character.

The movie could have benefited from an extra 5 to 10 minutes on character moments intertwined with the action. That would still keep it under 90 minutes total.

One other thing: while the body count in this film is high, there are only two instances of blood shown. I’m glad the team decided to keep it “clean” because this is bound to be seen by kids. There is a part of me that wants to see the adult animé version of this, though. Take a look at a contrast between his death in the movie vs. the comic book version:

For all those who want to be spoiled for the first fight, here it is in full. My favorite moment: when he grabs Doomsday by the teeth.

If you’re into Superman, rent this one. There’s even a moment where Lex surprised me. Maybe I’m too used to Lex in Smallville, but this Lex is cold.

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The networks released their schedules for next year this week. No surprise: Smallville and 24 are both reappearing in the schedules. However, there has been surprising news/rumors about both shows…

24

Jack is back, and as an appeasement from the long wait since last season, we get a 2-hour movie on November 23rd:

24 is also scheduled to return full time in January of 2009. (A spoiler is below.) However, to reward fans who have not seen a new episode since May of 2007, there will be a 2-hour special on 11/23. According to Kiefer Sutherland, they are scheduled to start filming in the next few weeks in south Africa.

“Set and shot on location in Africa, Jack Bauer battles an international crisis, while here at home the nation prepares for a new president on inauguration day. Taking place just a few months before the new day dawns, this story will set the stage and raise the stakes for Season Seven.”

Day/Season 7 spoiler: Tony’s back. Wait a minute… is this a sci-fi show now?

Smallville

We already knew that Kristen Kreuk and Michael Rosenbaum were leaving the show as regulars. Apparently, that fact gave Allison Mack, who plays Chloe Sullivan, the guts to try renegotiating, since that would leave her as the only regular (other than Tom Welling) to have been on since the beginning. However, it looks like those negotiations may be going poorly, and Chloe may be on her way out.

So that would leave just Clark, Lois, and Jimmy as the only regulars. Hmm…. seems like we’re really leaving Smallville behind and just going straight to Superman. I don’t know - I really like the show, but I’m really worried that it’s going to suffer greatly without Lex. I’ve heard Lana will become recurring…. and I don’t care. She’s over, as far as I’m concerned. They ran out of good stuff to do with her character a few years ago. She only really had a couple good episodes in the last few seasons. Lex is the one that’s got to come back from time to time, if you ask me. Besides….

SPOILERS FOR SMALLVILLE SEASON 7 FINALE

… what are they going to do, leave him dead under the ice, buried in his attempt to kill Clark? Obviously Clark will be back somehow, and I really hope the season premiere resolves the whole Clark/Lex fight adequately. I kind of feel like the rug was pulled out from under me for this finale, and not in a good way. This show has had some great finales, but this one just seemed a bit anti-climactic to me. We saw almost the entire end of the show in the previews! Where was the big fight? Where was the surprise? Where was the “holy cow! Who’s gonna survive this?” moment? We know Clark’s going to survive so no drama there. Lex is going to survive somehow too (to do otherwise would really be a kick in the face to the fans). Lana healed (whoopie.) and left (Yeah!), though she’s open to come back (eh.). Jimmy and Lois were never in danger. Chloe was the candidate for cliffhanger-ness, but they gave her a totally happy ending. I guess Kara is still floating out there…

…but that leaves me with another question: what was the deal where Kara/Brainiac collapsed at the end of the previous episode after Kara’s “return”. It would have worked if Brainiac were controlling her, but if it’s really Brainiac, what’s with the weak collapse, and then all powerful for the opening of this episode?

Next season’s premiere better pull out all the stops, as I assumed this finale would.

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Smallville will be back for an eighth season next year! But without Lex, and without Lana. Michael Rosenbaum and Kristen Kreuk are calling it quits after this year. Apparently they’re both open for guest spots next year, but that’s it. I’m okay with Lana leaving. I think they’ve milked that character for all it’s worth at this point. Dropping Lex, however, is a potential death knell for viewership. The interplay between Lex and Clark, and the demise of their relationship, is truly the center of this show. They’d have to find an equally compelling focal point for the series next season, and I don’t think that would be easy.

Dr. Who, as previously noted, will only have 4 specials in 2009, rather than a full season. The rumor mill continues to go back and forth as to whether David Tennant’s 10th Doctor will regenerate during those specials or after the 2010 season. Annoyingly, there seems to be agreement that we’ll be on the 11th Doctor by 2011.

Torchwood has all sorts of changes flying around the rumor mill. Apparently the “family friendly” versions of the show are doing pretty well, and they’re thinking of moving just to that format. It has not yet been renewed for a third season, so nothing is definite (what ever is?) but the word is that three of the major characters, including the show’s centerpiece, Captain Jack Harkness, will be gone. That would leave the character of Gwen and the transplanted Dr. Who companion, Martha, to run the show.

I think it’s a mistake to remove Jack. I think John Barrowman does a great job with the part, and he’s certainly an interesting character. That said, I think there are a couple ways the show could go on without him - though I still think it would suffer. Plus he’d apparently be around for guest spots.

So it’s mixed news for each show, apparently. Hmmm. Kinda leaves me rather apathetic.

Technorati Tags: smallville, doctor who, torchwood, michael rosenbaum, tom welling, kristen kreuk

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Got caught up on some stuff tonight:

Chuck: Entertaining. Pretty light. I’ll see if it pulls me in more, but it seems like one of those shows that I’ll catch if I happen to see it on.

Bionic Woman: Certainly grittier than the original. They did some cool stuff. The scene in the hospital when she first wakes up was pretty cool. It has some interesting stuff in it, and I can see how they could make it very involved. As a one shot pilot… eh. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat at the end. And I kept waiting for someone to say he was Oscar Gordon.

Smallville: Good stuff. Nice wrap up of the season finale cliffhanger. Still left some open ended questions. I did think the introduction of Kara was a little confusing, but I’m assuming they’ll iron that out shortly. Can’t wait to see what happened to Lionel. Want to hear more about Chloe’s power. Lana… big shock. NOT. Preview makes the season look promising. Looks like Clark is finally going to get some serious training! Lex? Well…. I doubt he’ll reform for more than 1 episode. He’s gotta go over the edge this year.

Technorati Tags: fall premieres, chuck, bionic woman, smallville, superman

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Michael Rosenbaum Talks Smallville — A JewReview.net Exclusive - Slice of Scifi

Michael Rosenbaum, Lex Luthor on Smallville, gave an interview that reveals that next year’s seventh season will be his final season, and probably the final season for the show. He also gives a vague tease for the rest of this season, and the seventh:

This year is a big year, but next year is going to be the biggest year of all; it’s the final year and everyone’s going to see what Lex Luther is really capable of. All hell’s going to break loose!

Click the link above for more of the interview.

I think the timing is right for the show to end. They’ve been building the Clark/Lex story to a crescendo lately, and it’s time to finally let it loose. Plus, Clark is getting to the point where it seems like he’s on his final excuses to not take up his destiny and finally become the “Man of Steel” we all know and love. I’m sure they could keep coming up with excuses to keep him rooted in Smallville, and denying his calling, but I think anything else they come up with after he cleans up the “Zoners” and deals with the Lex/Lana thing would just seem lame and tacked on. (Of course, there are people who would say they’ve already passed that point.) I think the current storyline they’ve got going is a strong one, though, and when they finish playing it out I think I’ll be happy with the result.

Technorati Tags: Michael Rosenbaum, Smallville, Superman, Lex Luthor

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I’ve been quiet on here for a couple weeks due to some time pressures. Lots to do during the lead-up to Christmas, as I’m sure you can all understand. I had it all planned out - a full week of vacation to get it all done - but then some problems at work forced me to give up most of my “free” time. The week after Christmas was spent running around to stores with gift exchange related activities and trying to catch up on my online reading.

Basically, I’ve been too tired to blog.

But as I said, I have been reading, and I’ve been thinking about a lot of stuff. I thought the last day of the year should be a good time to throw my thoughts at you once again. Here are some of the topics I’ve been thinking about lately:

• Materialism - most of us get more stuff than we need at Christmas, and spend more than we should getting things for others. And yet we usually still want more. That’s just stupid. (Related thoughts)
• Money - partly due to the above, and just as a condition of where I am in life right now, getting serious about personal finance is becoming a major topic for me. “It’s about time,” my father would probably say. He’s right, too. It’s not like I’ve been irresponsible, but the fact is I’ve made a couple big mistakes and then had a couple surprises foisted upon me in the last few years. I’m still doing okay, but definitely need to change my path. It’s starting to work, too. My net worth curve has recently started to curve in the right direction again.
• Children - I have two young children that (happily) occupy a lot of my time. I’m frequently amazed at what they learn, and at what they teach me.
• Influence - I recognized years ago that people have a larger influence on others than they realize, both directly and indirectly. The easiest example to give you would be the overplayed, but excellent, movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart. (If you’re one of the three people on the planet who haven’t seen it, basically, this guy wishes he’d never been born, and an angel lets him see what the world would have been like without him. Major changes happen.) Little things you say and do can have large influences on others, especially if you are seen by them as an authority figure. If you think no one cares what you do - you’re wrong. Someone sees you as either a positive or negative example in their life, and is influenced by your words and actions, whether you’re aware of it or not. If you’re a parent, for instance, your influence extends far beyond the obvious impact you have on your children. Here are a few examples: your children’s friends, other parents, young couples thinking about parenting who see you interacting with your children in a store, your children’s teachers, your co-workers, your relatives, the people your children will meet when they get older - and indirectly, the people all of the above meet. Your world isn’t as small as you think.
• Influence II - Mass Media - In many ways, mass media runs our lives. It’s scary.
• TV - Heroes (don’t forget to read the online comics!), Battlestar Galactica (new night and time!), 24 (2 night/4 hour premiere!), and Smallville (Jan 11th at 8pm!) are all returning in the next few weeks. I’m looking forward to all of them, among others. A lot of people laugh when I say I watch Smallville, but it really is a well made show. It has been great to watch the characters develop through the seasons into the icons we all know.
• Talents - How do we encourage the building of talents in ourselves and others? I started thinking about that with respect to my children, but then realized it applied to me as well. I know I have talents that haven’t really been developed, and I’d like to start. I want to help my kids identify their talents and encourage them appropriately.
• Technology - this is very close to the antithesis of my first point above, but I really want a computer upgrade and a few other gadgets for the house. The only reason I’m holding off is my second point. I can’t justify spending close to $1000 (on the low end) for stuff I don’t really need, however much I might want them. I am getting to the point, though, where I have to rebuild my current machine. Wacky stuff is happening periodically and it just needs a good “cleaning” to straighten it out. I’ve put it off for a long time because I hate going through the hassle of reinstalling Windows, then all the patches, then all the software. Plus I keep thinking I’m going to lose data because I forgot to back up a certain directory that looked unimportant at the time but actually holds all my “save games” or config files or plug-ins or something. (The technology problem that truly bugs me, though, is at work. My current laptop just isn’t doing the job for me anymore and my IT team refuses to believe me and order me a new system, even though my boss is willing to fork over the dough. I can’t even get them to replace my fuzzy monitor.)
• Learning technology - with the merger of NETg and SkillSoft earlier this year, the content provider space now has a huge new leader. I hope it works out for customers as well as it should. I also hope to be able to focus more on blending the formal and informal learning opportunities that are out there. I’d love to start using wikis for some documentation projects, discussion groups for distance training, and podcasts for on-demand information, for example.
• Vacation - I need a real one. One where I go somewhere else and don’t worry about work. Preferably for a month (yeah, right). But then… see the second point above. It’s hard to go anywhere without spending at least a couple hundred dollars. Eh… maybe in 2008.

So there you have it. Some of the topics I’ve been thinking about lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them become posts of their own next year. And I’ll still have movie and tv reviews up from time to time (though I seem to be the only person who reads those). For what it’s worth, I’m also thinking about making some new static pages on the site.

What thoughts have occupied your minds these last few weeks? What’s important to you? Drop a comment and let me know (comments are moderated and may not appear immediately).

I hope you all enjoy your New Years celebrations! Welcome, 2007!

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Aquaman has been the butt of jokes for as long as I can remember. He was never one of my favorite superheroes, but ever since I saw the character portrayed in the Justice League and JL Unlimited cartoons, I’ve begun to give him a chance (the guy had some serious attitude going for him). When he appeared in an episode of Smallville, I figured they could do a few stories about him, but I didn’t think he could support his own show. I still don’t know for sure that it would have worked, but after watching the pilot episode of a proposed Aquaman series (a.k.a. Mercy Reef), I was certainly open to the possibility.

The series was a casualty of the merger of the UPN and WB networks into the CW network. A pilot had been created for the WB (by the same people who make Smallville), but the show was cancelled without any other episodes filmed in the wake of the merger. The pilot, though, recently showed up on iTunes for anyone to watch. (Smart business move, if you ask me. They might as well get some of their money back.)

This really was a well-made pilot. Superb visuals, a good introductory story, and some big name actors (Lou Diamond Phillips and Ving Rames, specifically) kept my interest and left me wanting more. They obviously spent a lot of money on it. The addition of the Bermuda Triangle into the lore seems like it would have really given this show somewhere interesting to go. I’d love to know what they had planned for the Navy Pilot who, it was revealed at the end, was really a Bermuda Triangle survivor.

It’s obvious that the show would have had an extremely similar structure and tone to Smallville, but I’m okay with that. I like Smallville. And I don’t think Orin/A.C. (Arthur Curry)/Aquaman would be as idealistic as Clark Kent, so the stories could have been somewhat grittier.

But we’ll never know. Wave “bye-bye” to this show. This one is bound to sail away into the sea of shows that briefly break the surface before submerging into an ocean of ill-fated pilots, cast off by the network to float in the turbulent waters of the ‘net for a short time until it finally sinks below even the blogosphere’s sonar to sleep with the fishes for all time.

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Slice of Scifi - Science Fiction TV & Movie News, Interviews & more » Failed Aquaman Tries On Green Arrow and The CW Network Announces Fall Premiere Schedule

Smallville now has a timeslot! 8pm on Thursdays on the new CW Network, starting on September 28th. Don’t miss it.

And, for what looks like a multi-story arc involving the origin of the Justice League, Green Arrow will be joining the burgeoning Superman.

Some comics fans/purists will have problems with having Clark meet so many budding heros in his younger years (he’s already met at least The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg), but my perspective is: “Chill out. It’s a TV show.” The internal consistency of the many Superman comics lines is spotty, to say the least, so what’s one more version? Besides, I think it’s fun.

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NBC.com > Heroes
“They thought they were like everyone else… until they woke with incredible abilities.”

When I first heard of this show, I figured it would be an X-Men rip-off, similar to Mutant X. After having watched the preview, though, I really think this has the potential to be a good series. It seems to lean more toward the take of M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable, though not with his trademark quiet mysteriousness.

From what I’ve seen, it looks like these will be people from all over the world who are brought together to prevent a catastrophe forseen by a painter who paints future events. And it’s not the “secret identity, pastel underoos with a cape” kind of show. People get hurt (one guy has his hands cut off in the preview!). They seem to deal with this stuff pretty seriously, which is exactly the right way to play it. No camp at all. This is why I think this show will succeed where many other superhero shows have failed. They have taken their cue from the success of Smallville (though that one is a bit heavy with teen angst), and movies like Batman Begins, X-Men, and Spiderman.

An important difference here is that these are all new characters while those in the mentioned stories are established comic book characters. With the comic book characters, while realism is important, it’s easier to stretch the suspension of disbelief a little farther because they already have a long-standing popularity and audiences will be a little more forgiving. With new characters, like these, set in a real world scenario, realism will play an even bigger role. I doubt there will be people on this show with outrageous powers like controlling the weather or multiple powers like Superman.

I’m really looking forward to seeing this show and hope it plays out as well as the preview.

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