Tin Main (Review)
So the first thought I had when I heard about this miniseries was that I was worried it would be too cheesy and silly with regards to graphics. The other Sci Fi original movies I'd seen were laughly bad at best so I had reservations. Lucky for me they did a n okay job with the basics and didn't take it too far.
Also, I feel like I should say that I waited until I had recorded all three parts of this miniseries before watching it so that I could get it all at once. Boy am I glad I waited. Let's get to the goods.
Stuff I Liked
The obvious good part of this miniseries was the story. It was a magnificent reimagining of a timeless classic with lots of up-to-date references and character changes. Glitch being the scarecrow, Raw being the lion, and Cain being the tin man all fit perfectly along with DG being the new and improved Dorothy. Each character was well developed and perfectly fleshed out within the first hour of the show and I really cared for each of them throughout the storyline. Glitch was my favorite though. he reminded me of the character Morph from the X-Men Animated Series, only clumsier and more forgetful. He was the comic relief, for sure, and i always love some comedy. On top of that he was named after one of my all time favorite characters from childhood (see ReBoot).
I loved how they took a great story and spun it out of control. Azadelia was a great addition to the family and the twist of her being the witch as well as DG's sister was just genius. The start of the story was very engaging and made me want to dive into the story all that much more. The parents being robots! Priceless. Raw being a psychic, Glitch being the queen's counselor, and Cain being a literal tin man in the story just added to their depth. Throw in an obvious throwback reference to the original Dorothy as "the Grey Gale" and you have license to write whatever story you want because it's not the same it's generations down the road. Made sense to me!
And we can't forget about Toto! I wondered where that lovable terrier would come into play and was somewhat shocked to see it come so late in the story. Him being a spy to start with didn't sit well but he redeemed himself nicely. All in all, I really loved the imagination of the writers the entire time. Throwing curve balls at us while still making you say "oh, that's referring to that" so you could follow the story. Well done, team, well done.
Stuff I Didn't Like
Well there are a lot of things I loved, obviously, and while that's the case there were a few things I didn't quite enjoy as much. The fact that the enemies, the longcoats, were so inept in their job got kind of annoying. They reminded me of the "puttys" from Power Rangers fame. You remember, those goons the main boss sent in to do the job that ALWAYS failed. In a kids show that might float but in real life it's just plain dumb. Find guys that get the job done. Technically one could argue that Zero got the job done pretty well, but really even he failed.
I mentioned the graphics before, and while I liked how they didn't go too far there were still points that took me out of the story because they were so ... cheap-ish. I can't say I'm surprised, the graphics had to be SciFi-esque because of the channel but there were moments that just sucked. The shooting of the main bat was poorly done. The Papaes (sp?) were just too cartoony and not that threatening. Another one, every time they showed the army of longcoats forming at the gates it was THE SAME DAMN FOOTAGE. I mean come on, create more than one 5 second loop of that stuff if you're gonna use 30 seconds worth. But the worst, by far, was the shape shifting. I think that says it all, you know how bad it was.
The last thing I didn't like was the ending. now don't get me wrong I like a happy ending, but at least put some thought into it. You don't need to go all Lord of the Rings and put five endings in, but at least show what happens to these characters now that they've saved the O.Z. Show me something an "annual" later where they're all sitting on a lakeside somewhere enjoying the day. Or show me Cain and his son throwing the ball back and forth. You know, closure would be nice.
Oh, and why call it "Tin Man" anyway? He was a major part of the story but couldn't you think of anything better? Hoe about "The O.Z." or something similar. Not a big flaw but something to discuss.
Closing
Speaking of closure I should wrap this up. I doubt anyone's still reading this (mainly because no one reads it as it is) but hey I like to write about random things sometimes. Anyway, I give this movie/miniseries a solid 8 out of 10. If it's on again a couple years from now I'll probably watch it. If it comes out on DVD sometime next year I might buy it, depending on the price, just for the fact that you don't find a lot of good stories like this one. The writers and adapters did a fantastic job of taking a story I'd heard tons of times and made me wonder what was going to happen next. Toss in some magic, some family, and a lot of hugging and this miniseries is sure to last. Thank you Sci Fi, you've made me proud.
(8/10)
Also, I feel like I should say that I waited until I had recorded all three parts of this miniseries before watching it so that I could get it all at once. Boy am I glad I waited. Let's get to the goods.
Stuff I Liked
The obvious good part of this miniseries was the story. It was a magnificent reimagining of a timeless classic with lots of up-to-date references and character changes. Glitch being the scarecrow, Raw being the lion, and Cain being the tin man all fit perfectly along with DG being the new and improved Dorothy. Each character was well developed and perfectly fleshed out within the first hour of the show and I really cared for each of them throughout the storyline. Glitch was my favorite though. he reminded me of the character Morph from the X-Men Animated Series, only clumsier and more forgetful. He was the comic relief, for sure, and i always love some comedy. On top of that he was named after one of my all time favorite characters from childhood (see ReBoot).
I loved how they took a great story and spun it out of control. Azadelia was a great addition to the family and the twist of her being the witch as well as DG's sister was just genius. The start of the story was very engaging and made me want to dive into the story all that much more. The parents being robots! Priceless. Raw being a psychic, Glitch being the queen's counselor, and Cain being a literal tin man in the story just added to their depth. Throw in an obvious throwback reference to the original Dorothy as "the Grey Gale" and you have license to write whatever story you want because it's not the same it's generations down the road. Made sense to me!
And we can't forget about Toto! I wondered where that lovable terrier would come into play and was somewhat shocked to see it come so late in the story. Him being a spy to start with didn't sit well but he redeemed himself nicely. All in all, I really loved the imagination of the writers the entire time. Throwing curve balls at us while still making you say "oh, that's referring to that" so you could follow the story. Well done, team, well done.
Stuff I Didn't Like
Well there are a lot of things I loved, obviously, and while that's the case there were a few things I didn't quite enjoy as much. The fact that the enemies, the longcoats, were so inept in their job got kind of annoying. They reminded me of the "puttys" from Power Rangers fame. You remember, those goons the main boss sent in to do the job that ALWAYS failed. In a kids show that might float but in real life it's just plain dumb. Find guys that get the job done. Technically one could argue that Zero got the job done pretty well, but really even he failed.
I mentioned the graphics before, and while I liked how they didn't go too far there were still points that took me out of the story because they were so ... cheap-ish. I can't say I'm surprised, the graphics had to be SciFi-esque because of the channel but there were moments that just sucked. The shooting of the main bat was poorly done. The Papaes (sp?) were just too cartoony and not that threatening. Another one, every time they showed the army of longcoats forming at the gates it was THE SAME DAMN FOOTAGE. I mean come on, create more than one 5 second loop of that stuff if you're gonna use 30 seconds worth. But the worst, by far, was the shape shifting. I think that says it all, you know how bad it was.
The last thing I didn't like was the ending. now don't get me wrong I like a happy ending, but at least put some thought into it. You don't need to go all Lord of the Rings and put five endings in, but at least show what happens to these characters now that they've saved the O.Z. Show me something an "annual" later where they're all sitting on a lakeside somewhere enjoying the day. Or show me Cain and his son throwing the ball back and forth. You know, closure would be nice.
Oh, and why call it "Tin Man" anyway? He was a major part of the story but couldn't you think of anything better? Hoe about "The O.Z." or something similar. Not a big flaw but something to discuss.
Closing
Speaking of closure I should wrap this up. I doubt anyone's still reading this (mainly because no one reads it as it is) but hey I like to write about random things sometimes. Anyway, I give this movie/miniseries a solid 8 out of 10. If it's on again a couple years from now I'll probably watch it. If it comes out on DVD sometime next year I might buy it, depending on the price, just for the fact that you don't find a lot of good stories like this one. The writers and adapters did a fantastic job of taking a story I'd heard tons of times and made me wonder what was going to happen next. Toss in some magic, some family, and a lot of hugging and this miniseries is sure to last. Thank you Sci Fi, you've made me proud.
(8/10)
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So the new television season has reached a terminal point where the shows written have run out due to the writer's strike. This has left many shows on the fence as to whether or not they'll even come back once the writers get what they want. For instance, Heroes has already decided it's at it's season's end. The Office may never come back, how sad would that be? 30 Rock is also one of the first to get "axed" so to speak.
As for those last two, aside from being in NBC's Thursday night lineup together, they also share another interesting fact: when the writers strike the actors go with them. Not out of solidarity but because they're the same person, they write the show they act in.
I hate the strike as much as any other random tv fan. Well, except the reality show fans, they might actually kinda like this because that's what we're gonna see in the meantime. Clash of the Choirs? Come on, that's just stupid. Duel? A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila? Do we need any new reality shows? The ones we have are already pretty stupid (Fifth Grader, I'm looking at you here.)
The one reality show that I am looking forward to, albeit it an old one, is American Gladiators. I remember watching the show as a kid on Saturday mornings and just loving the idea. I wanted to compete! I wanted to dodge tennis balls shot out of a cannon, climb up a moving ramp, swing through breakable paper doors; I know I'm not alone! I just hope that they bring it back with some sort of throw-back awwareness. Make it cheesy, like the original was. Please, for the love of God don't take it too seriously and think that the names of Ice and Blaze make you a real hero.
In other redo news there's talk about them remaking another childhood favorite of mine: Knight Rider. The new pictures of KITT have me worried a little. I mean, I know it's gotta be updated and you gotta have a "new" car for a new generation, but there was always something about that old car that talked. It had a soul, it had seen the world. If Transformers has taught us anything it's that new cars in old shoes just look too "commercially". I know I'm not the only one who thought that the entire movie felt like a GM ad, am I right?
So what does this all mean? Well, without writers our television sets will will revert back to the old days when writing was simple. Where people race against each other, battle wits, and drive kickass talking supercars. I'm not looking forward to the rest of this television season but there are a couple bright spots. On the bright side maybe my DVR can finally get a break from recording the 30 hours a week that I tend to make it do. Oh well, at least the strike can give us something to talk about while the studios decide not to.
As for those last two, aside from being in NBC's Thursday night lineup together, they also share another interesting fact: when the writers strike the actors go with them. Not out of solidarity but because they're the same person, they write the show they act in.
I hate the strike as much as any other random tv fan. Well, except the reality show fans, they might actually kinda like this because that's what we're gonna see in the meantime. Clash of the Choirs? Come on, that's just stupid. Duel? A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila? Do we need any new reality shows? The ones we have are already pretty stupid (Fifth Grader, I'm looking at you here.)
The one reality show that I am looking forward to, albeit it an old one, is American Gladiators. I remember watching the show as a kid on Saturday mornings and just loving the idea. I wanted to compete! I wanted to dodge tennis balls shot out of a cannon, climb up a moving ramp, swing through breakable paper doors; I know I'm not alone! I just hope that they bring it back with some sort of throw-back awwareness. Make it cheesy, like the original was. Please, for the love of God don't take it too seriously and think that the names of Ice and Blaze make you a real hero.
In other redo news there's talk about them remaking another childhood favorite of mine: Knight Rider. The new pictures of KITT have me worried a little. I mean, I know it's gotta be updated and you gotta have a "new" car for a new generation, but there was always something about that old car that talked. It had a soul, it had seen the world. If Transformers has taught us anything it's that new cars in old shoes just look too "commercially". I know I'm not the only one who thought that the entire movie felt like a GM ad, am I right?
So what does this all mean? Well, without writers our television sets will will revert back to the old days when writing was simple. Where people race against each other, battle wits, and drive kickass talking supercars. I'm not looking forward to the rest of this television season but there are a couple bright spots. On the bright side maybe my DVR can finally get a break from recording the 30 hours a week that I tend to make it do. Oh well, at least the strike can give us something to talk about while the studios decide not to.
Long time no blog
I find myself going back and forth on this whole blogging thing. I remember my first blog and I remember when I stopped writing in it. Then I remember six months later when I started another one, and then I remember how I stopped again. This cycle seems to go on and on for me, like a marry-go-round I'll never be able to get off of.
So yeah, take that for what you will, random internets. I might be back soon to update no one on my life or maybe I won't. I have no idea.
So yeah, take that for what you will, random internets. I might be back soon to update no one on my life or maybe I won't. I have no idea.
Three new albums to review
Sick Puppies - Dressed Up As Life - (8/10)
I first found this band a couple weeks back when I saw their video for All The Same on Fuse's Top 10 Countdown (which I blogged about earlier). I decided that I liked the song enough to test out the CD and after listening to the 30-second clips on Amazon I went to Best Buy and purchased it. I gotta say that this band isn't kidding around. They're catchy, hook-filled, and have tons of emotion. They sound like a mix between Greenwheel (which no one's heard of), Hoobastank, and a little bit of Failure all rolled in one. If you like any or all of those bands then you'll probably like Sick Puppies. All I know is that the next time this Aussie three-piece is near my neck of the woods I'm gonna go see them. Favorites: All The Same, What Are You Looking For?, and As*hole Father
Incubus - Light Grenades - (8/10)
Since I am going to see these guys in Columbus in July I figured I should go get their newest CD and acclamate myself with it. Strangely enough it was the very same episode of the Top 10 Countdown that really showed me how good Dig was and I bought this album the same day I bought Sick Puppies' album but I had only heard the two tracks on the radio, the rest was blind. I definitely think that the main difference between the old Incubus and the new Incubus is that the new Incubus is much more mellow with a hint of rage at random times. I love the new sound though, and really can't wait to see them live again. Favorites: Dig, Paper Shoes, and Love Hurts
Chevelle - Vena Sera - (7/10)
The fourth album from this once-brotherly trio peeked it's way into my brain about three months ago when I downloaded it and then promptly did nothing with it. Then a couple of weeks ago I decided that I wanted to go to the Chevelle/Finger Eleven show at Bogarts so I burned it, listened to it, got addicted and then never went to the show. The album reminds me a whole lot of the older-era Tool, say Undertow and Aenima vintage, and it's definitely a good thing. Some of the songs just harmonize on the three-beat so well that you'd swear it was Maynard singing. It's got the anger and visceral tone that I've come to expect from these guys and it's perfect for working out or running to. The beats and rhythms just work perfectly with the melodic vocals and make it very catchy. I haven't bought it yet but I definitely will the next time I'm at Best Buy, it's worth my 13 bucks for sure. Favorites: Straight Jacket Fashion, I Get It, and Well Enough Alone
I first found this band a couple weeks back when I saw their video for All The Same on Fuse's Top 10 Countdown (which I blogged about earlier). I decided that I liked the song enough to test out the CD and after listening to the 30-second clips on Amazon I went to Best Buy and purchased it. I gotta say that this band isn't kidding around. They're catchy, hook-filled, and have tons of emotion. They sound like a mix between Greenwheel (which no one's heard of), Hoobastank, and a little bit of Failure all rolled in one. If you like any or all of those bands then you'll probably like Sick Puppies. All I know is that the next time this Aussie three-piece is near my neck of the woods I'm gonna go see them. Favorites: All The Same, What Are You Looking For?, and As*hole Father
Incubus - Light Grenades - (8/10)
Since I am going to see these guys in Columbus in July I figured I should go get their newest CD and acclamate myself with it. Strangely enough it was the very same episode of the Top 10 Countdown that really showed me how good Dig was and I bought this album the same day I bought Sick Puppies' album but I had only heard the two tracks on the radio, the rest was blind. I definitely think that the main difference between the old Incubus and the new Incubus is that the new Incubus is much more mellow with a hint of rage at random times. I love the new sound though, and really can't wait to see them live again. Favorites: Dig, Paper Shoes, and Love Hurts
Chevelle - Vena Sera - (7/10)
The fourth album from this once-brotherly trio peeked it's way into my brain about three months ago when I downloaded it and then promptly did nothing with it. Then a couple of weeks ago I decided that I wanted to go to the Chevelle/Finger Eleven show at Bogarts so I burned it, listened to it, got addicted and then never went to the show. The album reminds me a whole lot of the older-era Tool, say Undertow and Aenima vintage, and it's definitely a good thing. Some of the songs just harmonize on the three-beat so well that you'd swear it was Maynard singing. It's got the anger and visceral tone that I've come to expect from these guys and it's perfect for working out or running to. The beats and rhythms just work perfectly with the melodic vocals and make it very catchy. I haven't bought it yet but I definitely will the next time I'm at Best Buy, it's worth my 13 bucks for sure. Favorites: Straight Jacket Fashion, I Get It, and Well Enough Alone
Mr. Brooks (Review)
So another day another movie. Two in a row isn't a streak exactly but it's more than usual. After seeing Knocked Up yesterday I decided that I need to get out more and see more movies. So I did.
Mr. Brooks hasn't gotten much press and I can kind of see why. I haven't seen more than the one, very simple preview about this movie and even after seeing that I had no idea what it was about. I saw an update about it on Dane Cook's myspace profile (we're buddies) and it made me curious. I'd only really read one article on it and it was really about Dane Cook. So I can honestly say that I had no idea what I was in for.
Have you seen Following? American Psycho? Fight Club perhaps? This movie is a bastard child of all three with vital pieces of their plots playing a large role in this plot. I'm not going to give much away because the shock factor makes it better, but I will say that Dane Cook plays a guy who blackmails a serial killer, played by Kevin Costner, into letting him tag along. Demi Moore plays the cop that's chasing Costner and William Hurt plays Costner's friend. Seriously well cast and seriously well acted.
There were parts that stood out, like the super-loud gunshots. There were parts that went unnoticed, like the parts where Costner's character is just staring or generally quiet. Both of these aspects of the movie made it intruiging and interesting without being boring at all. There are twists and turns and lots of scary things around the corner. If you're a fan of any of the three movies I mentioned you will probably love this movie. If, on the other hand, you've never seen any of those then you should, first of all, and then go see Mr. Brooks. It will have you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more without being annoying in the process. (9/10)
Mr. Brooks hasn't gotten much press and I can kind of see why. I haven't seen more than the one, very simple preview about this movie and even after seeing that I had no idea what it was about. I saw an update about it on Dane Cook's myspace profile (we're buddies) and it made me curious. I'd only really read one article on it and it was really about Dane Cook. So I can honestly say that I had no idea what I was in for.
Have you seen Following? American Psycho? Fight Club perhaps? This movie is a bastard child of all three with vital pieces of their plots playing a large role in this plot. I'm not going to give much away because the shock factor makes it better, but I will say that Dane Cook plays a guy who blackmails a serial killer, played by Kevin Costner, into letting him tag along. Demi Moore plays the cop that's chasing Costner and William Hurt plays Costner's friend. Seriously well cast and seriously well acted.
There were parts that stood out, like the super-loud gunshots. There were parts that went unnoticed, like the parts where Costner's character is just staring or generally quiet. Both of these aspects of the movie made it intruiging and interesting without being boring at all. There are twists and turns and lots of scary things around the corner. If you're a fan of any of the three movies I mentioned you will probably love this movie. If, on the other hand, you've never seen any of those then you should, first of all, and then go see Mr. Brooks. It will have you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more without being annoying in the process. (9/10)
