If you haven’t checked out T3 yet, go for it. We did and had a great time! Highlights: we notice the new “Terminatrix’s” fortuitous arrival in a clothing store, comment on the Terminators’ excellent vehicle choices, enjoy seeing The T-101′s great, great, great, great, great grandtank (Johnny T1), note the machines’ excellent artificial imitation of our own destructive nature, are blown away by Sarah Connor’s incredible preparedness, marvel at the elder Brewster’s world-destroying bastardness, share some Worf-loving Trek talk, and wait patiently for a last-season musical episode of Galactica (or a sorry-ass clip show).
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It’s T2 time! Highlights: We wonder what the hell Dyson’s wife must be thinking when geared-up Linda Hamilton invades her home, note the flick’s updated budget (and hence visual effects), review the differences between the “special edition” and standard versions of Terminator 2 (read: 16 minutes of licking), suggest that the LAPD could just wait for criminals in aqueducts, wow over the reality-warping power of the pithy one-liner, imagine the chagrin of ER personnel when a hundred cops show up in one night shot in the knees, go round and round on circular time travel logic, and imagine Chuck as a “big-boned” Terminator.
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The Terminator arc is happening, and it’s going quite well. Having not seen T1 in a long time, I was still prepared to enjoy the hell out of it — even if its ancient effects would distract. (20 is like 200 in VFX years.) But it turns out that the only part that I even noticed as slightly dated was the stop-motion movement of the pure-machine Terminator at the very end of the flick. And even that wasn’t bad. So here you have it: a 20+ year old sci-fi movie that still watches like one made a few years ago.
I mentioned in the last podcast my concern that there might be some, um, simpler solutions to the can’t-bring-future-guns back problem involving storing said weapons in uncomfortable places. (Yes, like in the back seat of a Volkswagen.) It turns out I’m not the only one with this idea. Forum newcomer BrokenCosmos passed on some even uglier solutions developed by the machines.
And speaking of Kevin Smith, are any of you planning to catch Zack and Miri Make A Porno this Halloween? I was going to give it a pass or catch it later on DVD — cheapass that I am — but I saw Smith’s blog post today about his experiences at the Toronto Film Festival and followed a few links to a trailer. Damn this movie looks funny. I’ll be there opening day. Why did I doubt? Kevin Smith + Seth Rogen = well, you get the idea.
Sean, Audra, and I had a killer discussion about ’80s flicks just before we turned the mics on for GWC #117 — about 20 minutes late, by the way, because the discussion was just that good. It started with Sean and I disputing which Porsche Gary drives in Weird Science. (It’s a 928, just like the one in Risky Business.) This led to me bemoaning the fact that everyone says “like the one in Risky Business!” when they see my beater daily-driver 944S2. And this led us to recall that a 944 appeared in Sixteen Candles, giving me the perfect comeback: “No, like the one from Sixteen Candles.” That’ll stump ‘em.
Anyway, you can imagine what happened next. (No, he didn’t fix the plumbing.) We spent a good half-hour bumbling down every person our age’s alternate memory lane: John Hughes movies. Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Pretty In Pink, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off come immediately to mind, but don’t forget National Lampoon’s Vacation and Christmas Vacation, Uncle Buck, and even Mr. Mom. Cusack’s early work falls in there, too, specifically Better Off Dead and One Crazy Summer.
It’s at times like these that I sometimes wish GWC wasn’t solely sci-fi/fantasy/comic-based. Wouldn’t an ’80s flick arc be awesome? How ’bout a Kevin Smith arc? But there’s a problem: while the hardcore GWCers here and on the forum would most definitely stick around, would the thousands of others that listen but don’t participate otherwise? Or would such an expansion of focus draw even more listeners?
That’s a question that we have yet to answer. My initial thoughts: we podcast best when we podcast what we love. Maybe that should be our guide.
We dive into the Terminator universe this week, starting with T1. Highlights: we discuss the rise of Skynet, note the differences between Skynet’s AI and that of the Cylons and The Matrix, notice the Governass and (heinously visible in the DVD on the big screen) Schlonginator, love how this 20+ year old sci-fi flick totally withstands the test of time, diss the Tech-Noir, hear Audra’s Terminator hair report, contemplate the nature of Reese’s Mobius strip of time, and wonder how Reese managed to become a 30-year-old virgin carrying a picture of his boss’s mom. Don’t forget to call in your T2 thoughts: 214-296-9229.
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As Watchmen nears release — and Heroes/Villains approaches its season debut — I’ve heard a lot of stink about the later ripping off the former. Sure, they’re both studies in the reasons for and results of vigilanteism. But they approach the topic from opposite directions. Where all the Watchmen (save Dr. Manhattan) are just people in costume, the Heroes all have powers that set them apart from the rest of the world. Heroes explores the pain and suffering superpowers bring as they force their benefactors into vigilanteism — a classic (if slightly more focused in Heroes) comic viewpoint. Watchmen explores what wanting to be a savior does to normal people.
In the (bent for my purpose) words of Douglas Adams, anyone who wants to be a superhero is ipso facto totally unqualified for the job. Watchmen provides ample evidence for this. The Watchmen wllingly put on their costumes, built their toys, and love what they do. (Or at least love to hate what they do. Or do it out of the need to satisfy some neurotic need from a spoiled childhood. Or because they hate everyone. You get the idea.)
“Classic” superheros like Peter Parker, for example, have their great power (and responsibility) thrust upon them. Parker’s humanity remains, which stages an ongoing fight between his needs and the needs of society. Heroes follows a similar path, but focuses on how everyone has a different view on what comprises society’s “needs.”
And yes, this “master plan” focus does approximate the “master plan” in Watchmen. (I’m being intentionally vague to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t read it and/or plan to see the flick.) But I can say this: I personally believe that the “master plan” in Watchmen isn’t the point of the book — not to mention that the “master plan” concept is far from unique to Watchmen.
Anyway, if you’d like to engage further in this discussion, it came up recently in the Watchmen group read thread in the GWC Forum. Watchmen is this month’s GWC Book of the Month.
According to Engadget’s live coverage of Apple’s “Let’s Rock” event today, NBC and iTunes have ended their feud and are now making with the TV again. In HD to boot. A quick check shows that as of right now there’s still no BSG in the iTunes store, so I’m guessing that we’ll see NBC’s content reappear with the release of iTunes 8 later this week.
This means that those of you without cable will once again have a legal option for watching BSG.
I was leafing through the latest gossip and rags at lunch and came across some good news – Harold Ramis is working on Ghost Busters 3. It’s hard to believe that after close to twenty years since we’ve seen the last installment that we would get another chance to visit the very odd and supernatural world of the Ghost Buster’s New York but it seems Ramis is trying to put the project together.
There exists a special fondness in my heart for Dr. Peter Venkman and the rest of his merry band of nether-world crusaders. To paraphrase Joe Fox from You’ve Got Mail – Ghost Busters is the I Ching, the sum of all wisdom. For example, we observe that backing geeks into a financial corner is a recipe for creative thinking and might lead to the first paranormal containment agency. We learn when someone asks you if you’re a god the correct answer is – YES. Of course we also learn the most important lesson of all – if the customer doesn’t pay then simply put the ghost back in the room.
I will also admit that Bill Murray’s portrayal of the smart-assed Venkman and the way he delivered his cracks in a quick, unassuming manner still follows me to this day. It’s also the archetype for how I react to the world in my everyday existence – which incidentally is met with about the same level of tolerance he receives in the series.
Laugh at the hokey songs and catch phrases all you want. They are a bit on the corny side even then much less now. However, the truth is if you’ve never wanted to slide down a fire pole into a tricked out, 1959 Cadillac Hearse right before you scream around town with sirens blearing – you just wouldn’t understand where I’m coming from.
Ramis Plans ‘Ghostbusters 3’ [Hollywood.com]
We wrap up our month-long Matrix arc with a discussion of the Animatrix and the tiny Matrix EU. Highlights: we explore the dark nature of the Animatrix, discuss humanity’s culpability in starting the war with AI, ponder the results of man “playing God,” question whether man learns primarily through pain and suffering, debate whether free will is dependent on reality or only perception, note the machine’s use of economic warfare (and recognize some real-world examples of this), enjoy Sean’s excellent commentary on the Animatrix’s various art styles, and note the similarities (and differences) between the Matrix and our next arc: the Terminator franchise.
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“In the beginning, there was man. And for a time, it was good. But humanity’s so-called civil societies soon fell victim to vanity and corruption. Then man made the machine in his own likeness. Thus did man become the architect of his own demise”
We’ve finally reached the end of the Matrix road, and what an interesting journey it’s been. Animatrix helps fill in some of the gaps and expands the story. No matter what your feelings are about the second and third films, Animatrix is an excellent group of varied animation styles and stories that you’ll enjoy.
Don’t forget to join us here in the forum for the Animatrix discussion thread!
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