Tuesday 4 May 2010

TV

FlashForward
1x14 Better Angels
FlashForward in almost-a-good-episode shocker! (Maybe the "almost" is a tad unfair. But the Benfords do grate rather.)
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

Articles

Not even Bruckheimer movies can escape budget cuts by Claudia Eller & Dawn C. Chmielewski
(from the Los Angeles Times)
In short, "The next Pirates of the Caribbean will have a tighter filming schedule, cheaper locations and fewer visual effects shots." At first I thought this was probably a good thing -- the excess of the last one certainly needed reigning in -- but some of what's being cut (as described in the article) is a shame. I always like a good fair on a frozen Thames.

Terry Pratchett vs Who by Terry Pratchett
(from SFX)
I'll just cull my thoughts on this from what I posted on twitter:

Terry Pratchett's criticisms of Doctor Who are mixed bag: technically right, but that's why he's sort-of wrong. But I agree it's not sci-fi.

Thing is, most stories are woefully predictable these days because we can all see the narrative seeding going on. This is why the RTD era used near-deus ex machina elements quite often. It kept it surprising, for one thing. But, notably, Moffat's era thus far hasn't. What it has done, actually, is 'the right thing': produce unforeseen solutions from elements already placed. Perfect example: Flesh and Stone, using gravity + the crack to destroy the Angels and seal the crack.

As for the sci-fi thing... Who is (and, really, always has been) fantasy. So is Star Wars. Because they use technology they look like science-fiction, but the stories, ideas, concepts are fantastical, not grounded like (say) Star Trek.

He also says the Doctor is resembling God, "there is nothing he doesn't know and nothing he can't do". This is also true: the Doctor never really investigates places of late, he just shows them to his companions. So his having to read a book on the Angels marks a step in right direction. He needs to know lots, but not everything.

And the screwdriver needs to be bit less capable.

Yes, the screwdriver. Not the bloody Sonic. God, I hate new fans sometimes.

Why Metropolis will be this year's real summer blockbuster by Danny Leigh
(from Film Blog at guardian.co.uk)
As I expressed yesterday, the new Metropolis does indeed look stunning and I can't wait. This article is a tad naively optimistic, however, about its chances with a modern audience. Still, bless 'im for the optimism.