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Best Movie and TV Show of 1998
If geeks have anything in common - varying wildly as they do in personality, temperament, class, and degrees of technical obsession - it's likely to be popular culture. Pop culture is their universal language and common interest. Whatever else they might do on a given weekend, Monday usually finds most of them asking one another, online or off, what movie they saw over the weekend and what they thought of it.
Writing for another website, I started an occasional column called "Geek Screens." I got more e-mail about movies and TV shows than any other single subject with the possible exception of Bill Gates. Geeks are obsessive about screens, even the non-digital ones. In the public interest, I started not only writing about certain movies and TV shows but picking the best of the year, in my not-entirely- humble opinion. Then I quickly stood back so everybody else could chime in and offer theirs.
Geeks may champion Linux or prefer to wallow in Windows NT but almost everybody reading this has seen "Saving Private Ryan" and has an opinion about whether it is a cinematic breakthrough or more mush from America's most middle-brow director.
What better way to kick off l999, therefore, than to re-launch "Geek Screens" on /. Remember, the opinions expressed here are my own. They are no better or worse than yours which, I'm sure, you'll quickly offer below.
My pick for best movie of l998: "Happiness" by Todd Solondz. Best TV show: "Buffy The Vampire Slayer."
1998 was a tricky year for picking movies. Most of the media hype went to "Private Ryan," which did, in fact, take special effects to an artful new level, bringing us as close to the experience of war as it's possible to get without actually having stormed Omaha Beach ourselves. Still, I was one of those who thought this movie was basically two extraordinary battle sequences; sandwiched in between the "Sands of Iwo Jima." The new standard for war movies seems to be that veterans must certify its accuracy down to the last sickening plop of a bullet through flesh.
But does this really leave enough to the imagination? Maybe war ought to be portrayed in realistically horrifying ways, but Hollywood movies aren't the same thing as documentaries and shouldn't be judged in the same way. They aren't supposed to be literal renderings of human experience. War can be conveyed in lots of different and non-literal ways. For me, one of the most haunting evocations of the insanity of war's insanity was Francis Ford Coppola's astonishing helicopter ballets in "Apocalypse Now," Wagner swelling in the background while gorgeous eruptions of napalm mushroomed from below, the most chilling evocation of Vietnam I've yet seen.
Spielberg is obviously a gifted filmmaker, and "Private Ryan" an amazing movie, but I had the sense he was hiding behind realism, rather than using it to make a great film. Effects are often the heart and soul of his movies, with the notable exception of "Schindler's List," where special effects would have been so tasteless he had no choice but to skip them and make a powerful film about human beings trying to survive hell.
"Happiness" was, for me, a much more daring, complex and powerful film, not only a taboo-breaker but a dare to consider humanity in a different way.
"Happiness" is emblematic of a new kind of brutally unsparing filmaking - critic Roger Ebert grumped recently that this genre ought to be called "geek cinema." Maybe so. Ebert uses the term in a freakish rather than technological way, but there's no doubt that alienation has become a mainstream movie theme.
Solondz made "Welcome To the Dollhouse" a few years ago, a comparatively primitive but already classic look at high school cruelty and the sometimes horrendous trials of adolescence for the individualistic young. He's on his way to becoming the Shakespeare of alienation. And alienation has been, and remains, a recurring geek theme.
"Happiness" tells the story of three sisters, their complex emotional lives,and the even more twisted tales of the people around them. A maniacal parable of despair, disconnection and sexual longing, Solondz did something I would have thought impossible to do in a single film - he makes you want to laugh, cringe, gag and cry, within moments.
American popular culture is riddled with taboos that keep artists and producers from approaching subjects like religion, sex or death. Solondz confront one of the deepest and last taboos: no figure in American life has been demonized as absolutely and relentlessly as the pedophile. Solondz chose to make one of his main characters a sexual predator of children, and while he doesn't come close to dismissing pedophilia or glamorizing, he did portray a pedophile (beautifully played by Dylan Baker) as an agonized human being, rather than a uni-dimensional monster. That we end up caring about him is in itself an amazing accomplishment. For this, Solondz's original distributor, October Films, declined to distribute his film. Fortunately for us, somebody else did.
Beyond that, "Happiness" makes us realize that it's not always possible to say exactly who the freaks are in our society. In "Happiness" we wind up feeling the most contempt for the people who see themselves as the most successful and "normal" and caring the most about people who initially repel and bewilder us.
Unlike "Private Ryan," which always does precisely what we expect, "Happiness" almost never does. It's hard to think of a movie as unnerving and exasperating as this one. Whenever we think a scene is going one way, it lurches in the other direction:
Helen: "I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you!"
Joy: "But I'm not laughing!"
Mixing the bizarre with the genuinely touching isn't an easy thing for any artist. Solondz pulls it off brilliantly.
Right up there alongside "Happiness" I'd put "Smoke Signals," the hilarious and touching movie from Sherman Alexie (based on stories in his collection, "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" about two young Indian men who set out from an Idaho reservation to collect the ashes of one's father. It's another movie about alienation and family, but gentler, funnier, almost whimsical. Also near the top of my list: "Shakespeare In Love," a joyous tribute to the birth of show biz, and "The Truman Show," as biting (and timely) a bit of media criticism as anybody has presented in a long time. Watching the House impeachment hearings a couple of Saturdays ago, I more than half-expected the camera to cut away to a giant control room in the sky, where Ed Harris (the producer in the sky) was whispering into a mouthpiece that Henry Hyde ought to get up and make a speech.
As for television series, any TV show whose basic premise is that high school is the Hellmouth through which demons pass is off to a great start. Our heroine battles vampires, chases demons, fights with Mom, learns to drive, aches for a social life, and fends off bone-headed principals. Maybe it's all the same fight.
"Buffy" (on the WB Tuesdays) is one of the most consistent shows on the tube, offering good writing and acting, very funny writing and dialogue, and a biting, contemporary sensibility.
Number Two, for me: "The X-Files" (Sunday nights on Fox). Although Chris Carter's inventive creation, the first geek drama to become a mainstream TV hit, has wavered in quality over the past two years, it's seemed to steady itself since last Fall. Anybody who wonders why a program becomes a smash by portraying government and authority (and the middle-aged men who represent both) as remote, disconnected and evil, have only to watch the evening news on any given night.
But "The X-Files" isn't nearly as political as it sometimes pretends to be. For all of Mulder and Scully's mumbo-jumbo about strange men smoking cigarettes in dark rooms, or government conspiracies to join forces with aliens, "The X-Files" has come to terms with what it's really about: one of the great (albeit unrequited) love stories of contemporary culture. When all is said and done, it is Mulder's and Scully's unwavering affection for and loyalty to one another that made this show a hit and keeps it one.
Another favorite, and moving up fast: "That 70's Show." (It precedes" The X-Files Sunday nights on Fox. Sandwiched in between the chaotic 60's and the greedy, Yuppie-led 80's, the 70's were the lost decade. The kids on the "70's" show capture that strange time. They're a raffish, geeky, appealing counterpoint to their 90's counterparts, the earnest beautifuls of "Friends."
In these inter-active times, however, we are all critics. Weigh in yourself:
you can e-mail me at jonkatz@bellatlantic.net
I'm just glad you didn't say Godzilla and Dawsons creek.
Right on.
You hail "That 70's Show", have nary a word about the finale of Babylon 5, and speak of geeks? Where are your sensibilities, man?
Best Movie: PI
With math, kabala/numerology, migraines, conspiracies, sex, hallucinations - who could ask for more.
To hell with Buffy! The best TV show of 1998, as
always, is MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000!
(with a nod to That '70s Show for best new TV show)
Definitely Dark City. Not a lot of people saw it, but it was quite trippy.
Hell yeah man!
I've loved that show dearly for 5 years now, and I'm still seeing older ones...I love 'em all, I just wish they'd bring back Joel...
I thought the scene that moved this movie from sensationalism to a moving dramatic piece was the scene directly AFTER the invasion. Tom Hanks' character reports back to that beach to get new orders and quietly watches a group of rear-echeclon supply weenies munching down sandwiches and hot coffee. That short scene in and of itself captured the difference in the world's ignorance about the glory of winning a war and the individual sacrifices made to achieve it.
Best TV: Whose Line Is It Anyway? (After my thoughts on "Ryan," now you know I'm whack-o for sure.)
I think I'll stick with Ain't-it-cool news for my tv and movie reviews
The humor of Mystery Science Theater 3000 is so broad, that there is something there for everyone.
Hollywood == crap. I hope they bow out gracefully before we get one of those "do you remember when ..." episodes.
I can't believe you mentioned "That 70's Show" and "X-Files" without also mentioning that bastion of sunday night tv on fox, the Simpsons. That 70's Show is entertaining, but it hardly ranks as some of the best tv of the year...what about Homicide? I'd say that's ten times better than "That 70's Show"
The Practice is by far the best acted show on television. And the characters are some of the most compelling on TV since the days of Hill Street Blues.
With math, kabala/numerology, migraines, conspiracies, sex, hallucinations - who could ask for more.
Umm... where was the math? Did I dose off for that part, or are you referring to the super-duper 216 digit number that is just so darn 216-digity it makes you have a stroke/drill your head out?
Oh yeah. The number is also so darn 216-digity that it makes computers die, but not until after some silly error message is displayed. That is a direct result of the computer becoming conscious. Or something.
How about that really cool bit where the evil suits gave the protagonist a super-duper chip that just happened to fit in his hacked together computer and work correctly? I really liked that part.
I'll take Terminator II any day of the week instead of PI. At least it had shape-changing liquid metal robots and cyborgs. And computing research that wasn't so far-fetched.
Best Film was The Big Lebowsky and the Best TV Show is Law and Order.
s/suffers/benefits/g
Depends on whether you can wean yourself from the Roddenberry teat.. 'What?? Picard has a KID and nothing is mentioned about it ever again??!?!'
The chief of CC axed MST3k.. And Sci-Fi has done a tolerable job, though a few things stand out:
o Whither Turkey Day?
o Only Sci-Fi/Horror movies get MSTed, though considering how the genre is mangled, that's still plenty of grist for the mill..
o Crow's different. I like the new Crow (comes from Brooklyn), but I so much prefer Trace.. 'I want to decide who lives and who dies', indeed!
o The whole Mrs. Forrester/Monkey/Brain thing irritates me somewhat
Still, I got my Manos and my Mitchell, so don't cry for me Argentina..
Keep circulating the tapes..
The Truman Show was a biting commentary on modern media? Yet it cops out like most other movies today with a cheap hollywood ending. i'll agree with Saving Private Ryan as one of the best movies of the year (i haven't seen Happiness, so i can't comment on that.)
As far as TV shows, i haven't been a big fan of Buffy, but i haven't really watched it either. But That 70's show is just annoying- the jokes suck, so does the cheezy laugh track, and the characters are as transparent and lame as those on Friends. For TV shows, nothing touches Law & Order or Homicide, Life on the Street in dramatic depth. As for comedy, Space Ghost, Coast to Coast is unrivaled except for the old mainstay, the Simpsons.
TV is just so mindless nowadays, 95% of it just sucks. i like to see some intelligence in my shows, or at least some originality. Shameless, unintelligent pandering to pop culture- i.e. Friends or That 70's Show- is simply boring and unimaginative. Just give the the aforementioned shows, some Fox News/CNN, and i'll waste the rest of my time on the 'net.
bummer
(who's at work thus no cookie)
Now this is a cool show. Not at all like that other drivel they make for children (especially with a certain purple dinosaur). Although it does have disturbing elements of mind control.
...especially the one with the 30 minute motorcycle chase through LA; the guy smacks headlong into a bus... you can taste the bone chips! Then the cop charges up and starts wrenching the guy around putting the cuffs on.. talk about crippled. Too cool.
Seen "Fox Files" yet? Great stuff there too.
The best movie this year was Dark City. I also liked Saving Private Ryan and A Bug's Life a lot also. Also, Babe Pig in the City was VERY overlooked. Excellent movie.
Ok, I admit it, I'm a sucker for Calista Flockheart's legs...but more than that, Alley McBeal is one of the best written shows out there. It's just plain goofy. And goofy is good. Along with another David E. Kelly show, The Practice. David Kelly writes both shows by himself about 99% of the time. Does this guy sleep?
Also, a guilty pleasure of mine is Jessie. Who knew that Christina Applegate could act?!?! After Married with Children died a very slow painful death, I thought her career was gone also. What a suprise!
Best movie: There's something about Mary (2nd, bullworth)
Best TV: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (although this season seems to be loosing its edge)
Above are not perfect, but occasionaly they have actually surprised me.
I like surprises.
Getting old, everything is starting to look the same. Been there, Seen That.
Sigh
IMO, B5 was without a doubt the best television show of the year. Although season 5 lacked some of the intensity seen in seasons 3 and 4, it still kept me watching. The recent B5 movie, A Call to Arms, has my all hyped up for the new B5 series, too.
For best movie of the year, I'll probably go with Private Ryan. It's not often that a movie can really make my emotions stir like Private Ryan did, and no other movie this year was able to do that for me.
By far the best movie I saw this year, for what sounds like similair reasons to Happiness.
A movie with innate contradictions, of unspeakable saddness and horror, displayed in a light frilly sunday dress.
Life is Beautiful, by Roberto Beninni. Italian with english subtitles.
Certainly this wasn't the best movie of 1998 but it was one of the best. It was far better than The Truman Show which really had no depth. The Truman Show was a very simple story laid out very one-dimensionally so the audience could grasp it. When I left the theatre after seeing it, I really had no thoughts on the matter.
Pleasantville, on the other hand, had a much more compelling plot. The transformation of the town from black and white to colour provided a vehicle to explore issues of "colorism" as well as the importance of casting a critical eye to that which is the status quo. Leaving this movie, I found myself reflecting on what I had seen, and ultimately trying to decide what the overall message of the movie was. This was a very good movie. Plus it had Don Knots in it.
I liked the Truman Show as best movie of the year, followed by the new Star Wars Prequel trailer.
Best book was probably A Game of Thrones by
something Martin.
I don't watch TV, so I have no oppinion there.
I could count the TV shows I like (excepting movies) on 1 hand. All shows are either broadcast for shock value, which is stupid, or aimed at such a low level of intelligency that I can't enjoy them. (modesty, who needs it...8) ) Sitcoms fall in the latter category, most of Fox falls in the former. When I accidentally watch That 70's Show, sandwiched as it is between The Simpsons and The X Files, I don't even smile, and they're lucky to get 2 funny jokes/episode, and if they do it's ruined by the omnipresent laugh track.
Best TV Show: Tie between Simpsons and X Files. Best comedy and best drama, with 1/2 hour of... "stuff" between them. It doesn't get any better than this.
Best Movie: The Truman Show. I know the ending sucks, but it had a great concept and it was funny throughout.
Call me crazy, but could American History X have been any more sympathetic toward the skinhead? I mean, it wasn't his fault, it was his father's. And it was that old guy's fault too. Oh, and by the end, he didn't hate blacks any more. Hey, that skinhead wasn't such a bad guy.
I'm not black and I'm not a skinhead, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but I think AHX came as close as possible to "look how nice nazis are once you get to know them" without causing riots.
Master of Puppets forever!!!
Is it possible for Katz to write an article *without* copious use of the word ``Geek''? I didn't think so.
I think if they had condensed the season into half a season the season would have improved dramatically. This would have reduced the number of Byron episodes down to two max. Yeah!!!
Sean Farley
"Kids, if you don't go to sleep right now, the dark and scary Byron will come out and get you."
Best trailer has to go to the one for the new Austin Powers movie. I don't want to give it away, but let's just say I can't think of a more memorable trailer. (The Star Wars one was pretty decent, I guess.)
The TV show was one of the best shows ever...
But the movie sucked. I saw that movie with several friends, some of whom here fans of the show, and some who weren't.
Everyone's reaction to the movie: uhm...
That was about it. It wasn't that it was really bad, it was just boring.
The only plus I'd give to the film was that Uma did a good job with emulating Diana Rigg's mannerisms as Emma Peel.
Happiness was a daring movie, but thats all it was. I found the actual content of the movie to be purposely repugnant. It's a movie that needed to be made, but not necessarily watched. One movie that will probably pass under the radar of many simply because it is an Italian flick, is "Life is Beautiful" It is a movie that absolutely buries Schindler's List. I can not remember a movie I have ever seen that captured an entire audience as that.
As for TV show, I would have to say Buffy is one of my favorites, but "The Daily Show" and "Upright Citizens Brigade" are a bit higher on my list.
Best Movie: Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (or was that last year's? I'll vote for it anyway).
Best TV: none of the above. South Park went straight into the crapper at the end of the second season. XFiles became a hollow parody of itself back in '95. Almost all the news shows have been a consistent source for amusing fictions this year.
Having never seen happiness, I can't comment on it (though I heard good things). But I have to say my favorite movies of the year were "Life is Beautiful" and "Lolita." If you have not seen these you are truly missing out. "The Truman Show" is pale trash compared to these two. Hell, truman sucked compared to a lot of movies-- the idea was good but there was very little follow-through.
As for best TV show, well, B5 kicked arse. hehe.
What more could you ask? How about, oh, a coherent ending that wasn't a cop-out? How about some reasonable portrayal of technology? (The superchip has 4 leads! Oh sure.) How about not hinting at all of this enlightenment and amazing knowledge and then dropping it entirely at the end?
It was almost a good movie, but not quite.
Josh
[all the good nicks were taken...]
It ignored the fact that it wasn't just the Americans that invaded Normandy - plenty of Canadian, British, French and other allied troops were involved. But not once did we see a non-US allied soldier. For a film claiming to be one of the most accurate portrayals of the second world war this was a serious failing. And given how much of history is learnt through films today it verges on the irresponsible.
For me a good film was spoilt by this.
I totally agree here. Buffy is easily the finest show on television today.
Dark City was Ebert's pick too. I'd have to put it close to the top myself. Not Really Anonymous, sr
The Upright Citizens Brigade on Comedy Central was, by far, the best show of the year. That '70s show sucks, anybody who thinks that smoking pot on TV makes it the show cool is stupid. UCB had it's mandatory pot smoking (who could forget Bong Boy), but it actually had comedy...something missing from the FOX series. UCB is the best show most people never saw (and after the series finale of The Little Donnie Foundation, with a small child afflicted with an enourmous penis, you may never see that show again).
Best geek TV show has to be "Dexter's Laboratory", on the cartoon channel. Funny cartoon about a boy genius with a secret lab that's the envy of...well, just about anyone.
Runner-up would be "Roly Poly Oly" (sp?), new on the Disney channel; has great CGI (animation). Aimed for kids, often amusing for adults.
Things like Babylon 5 are too predictable a choice. ;-)
For movies, of the few I saw, I liked "Prince of Egypt" a lot.
The above choices are all heavily slanted towards animation, but isn't that ideal for geek choices?
-- doug (doug@netcom.com)
"That 70's Show" is so mindless and stupid
I feel compelled to turn the TV off between
"The Simpsons" (amazing how they keep the
quality up) and "The X-files".
I tried to watch Ally McBeal once to see what
the fuss was about and couldn't make it through
a whole episode. *shudder* stupid stupid stupid.
"The X-files" has been pretty consistently dumb for the past few seasons, but I still watch it because I'm hooked. "Millenium" is generally much smarter and more interesting, I'm surprised no one has mentioned it. I wish it weren't on Friday nights, because I generally don't watch TV on fridays or saturdays.
"Fear and Loathing" was the best new film I saw in 1998. "There's Something About Mary" was horrifically stupid stupid stupid. I almost got up and left the theater during the overly prolonged masturbation scene. Ugh.
the best aspect of pi was the soundtrack
oh, the high contrast black/white cinematography was pretty crescent fresh
In my experience, geeks HATE pop culture. pop culture == stupidity.
The argument about "teaching kids how _not_ to talk" holds no water if you look at the studies.
Teletubbies are only there for 2 target audiences: kids under age 3 and stoned teenagers. If you aren't in one of these categories, it's difficult to step into TubbieSpace and to appreciate what is going on. My 9 month old son ignored TV until the Teletubbies came on, then suddenly he started interacting with the Tubbies.
Tubbies are all about exploring the human / machine interface and learning the importance of community in a technological world. That's an important lesson too many of us need to learn.
Learn your history. Beaches Omaha and Utah were American, Sword and Gold were British, and Juno was Canadian. The troops did not intermingle during the invasion. Why would you expect the soldiers from different nations to intermingle since the British were clogged up at the beaches long after the American breakout at St. Lo!
geez. c'mon, saving private ryan should take the tops in anyone's list. it's more than a film about war. if you would have payed attention, you would have seen that.
Alienation is a common geek theme? Way to perpetuate stereotypes.
On an unrelated note, I had no idea the X-Files were created by "Christ" Carter. The man's good, but he's not that good.
Gee Katz, why do you think they offered a realistic portrayal of war? Because if left to the imagination, war becomes simply a glorious wonderful thing, full of honor and gallantry. The realistic portrayal of war did a great service to our vetarans and a great deal to combat the idea that war is a wonderful thing. You, Katz, have obviously never been in a war yourself or associated with someone who has.
What exactly did you want left to your imagination? Perhaps you wanted more pithy lines like 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning', maybe you wanted the U.S. Army surfing up to the beaches of Normandy.
Chosen probably because Katz likes to stare at Buffy's ample chest.
La Femme Nikita rules!
The entire movie was pretty one dimensional. It didn't at all portray the conflict between media and individual rights. It was a pretty straight foreward *feel sorry for the oppressed little guy* movie. It didn't really (try to) defend the media's side, nor really have any discussion as to why this is wrong. There was absolutely no tension in this *drama*. Why not have the girl try harder to get them to stop the show, and take a much more active role in the plot. Or how about Christof have a little bit of a conscious, he was _very_ one-dimensional. The whole movie tried to open a can of worms, but didn't go anywhere with it. In the end it was just a dumb little survival story. Like somebody else said here, i walked out of the movie and wasn't thinking about it- at least not this great commentary of the overbearing media vs. the lone individual, or how the media tries to manupliate people/reality. instead i was thinking "Gee, wasn't that nice..."
bummer
4qk9ormsethr at marquette.edu
Id have to give best Tv show to "the practice," the writing is excellent, and the characters are believable (read "they don't always like each other")
Best new tv show, Id have to hand to Brimstone:
It is a really interesting idea, the writing is intellegent, peter horton plays a good "man in a hard place." I also like it's really gitty look and feel. Kudos to fox for putting this one on the air
As for movies, I think it really needs to be broken down by category:
Most important: Private ryan
Most Glorious: Blade
Most violently fun: Bride of Chucky
Most suprizingly good: Out of sight
Honorable mentions: Bugs life, price of egypt, simple plan, star wars triler for not revealing the whole movie, Fear and loathing in los vegas.
The best tv show of any recent has been and will be the Simpsons as it is the ONLY thing that is worthwhile among all the crap on TV.
The best movie is a toss-up. Although it's a late-comer, I really liked Patch Adams. Otherwise I'd have to say There's Something about Mary.
Joe
tmwsiy@dls.net
Yes, and I imagine you enjoyed the teletubbies
too. No deep plots to tax your tiny mind.
Ooog Ooog! Beep Beep!
The Waterboy was a really good movie, there have been no really good shows that originate in 1998, except Cupid a surprising good show
Why hasn't anyone metioned the great epic about the Canadian officer who is going to undergo a sex change operation, "Saving Ryan's Privates"?
:)
(:
1 Babylon 5
2 Dawson's Creek
3 Seinfeld reruns. && The Simpsons
4 Ally McBeal
5 South Park
Hear ye, hear ye! I was surprised to hear that geeks loved popular culture as well. Judging by most of the comments, however this would seem be true. I guess the "average" geek still has various personal issues to deal with and are still striving for that popularity they never had. However, I think that good-looking geeks (like myself ;>) who don't have to wrestle with such issues detest pop culture. :P
yes definitely.
i know some like strek,b5,mst3k but thats about all.
as for this incessant geek, geek, geek from katz,
he may be able to singlehandedly make this a purely negative term.
Neon Genesis Evangelion has to be the best series for 1998.
Down with American cultural imperialism!
Ahem.
--
Paul:pfh@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au
I agree, Evangelion is a great series, perhaps one of the few truly good shows I've seen on TV. However, I doubt that few people outside anime fans have even heard of it. www.anipike.com has resources, if anyone's interested.
On an unrelated note, It's almost monsterous to hear "Prince of Egypt" hailed as a revolution in animation. Even Disney has more taste than to make each minute a walking horrific sing-a-long.
dyoo@no-spam.uclink4.berkeley.edu
Okay...I'm a B5-head (and I do like ST-XXX-pretty much all of them)...but let's not forget the HBO series From the Earth to the Moon...That was rather slick and rather insightful...can't remember my password...aka Chocked In Place...
Your damn right B5 is an absolutely great show. To say the graphics are cheesy and the acting is cheesy tells everyone that you dont know what the hell you are talking about. Mira Furlan has won countless awards in europe for her performance, check up a little on the actors u critisize because u must be a complete moron if you think that the show is bad. That shows how much you know about it its not supposed to be a comedy at all anyway and teh story line is too sweet for you to realize it.
It was described as having no math, bad acting, nonexistant or fucked up plot and equally bad cinematography. Hmm, grainy greyscale...
Could you repeat that? Your post was too long for me to follow.
JMC
Just as clever as The Simpsons, but much more abstract. Dexter is a typical self-proclaimed boy genius; secluding himself in his secret lab (behind the bookshelf in his room) to work on completing 'his greatest creation'. The show focuses on everything a geek has to deal with as a kid, from Dexter's sister DeeDee who regularly gets on his nerves to the woes of getting the crap beaten out of himself in PE dodgeball to trying to best the school bully by using his intelligence.
I won't be presumptuous by saying that everybody that happens upon this message can relate entirely to this. Still, I bet that a good number of Slashdotters would walk away from a fifteen-minute episode of this show wondering if the writers knew them as a kid.
The show is also loaded with lots of pop culture references and spoofs. Many generic anime refs abound (fight scenes especially), plus spoofs of James Bond, Speed Racer, and even the A-Team. I'd feel safe to say that fans of MST3K would love this show.
Check it out, weeknights at 6:30 EST on Cartoon Network.
Oh, and The Big Lebowski has to be the best movie this year, going back to the style of Raising Arizona or Barton Fink after going for more solemn (but not lesser) films such as Hudsucker Proxy or Fargo. There's something about a Coen Brothers flick with John Goodman that makes it twice as funny.
Heh, the only formations to actually reach their end-of-day objectives on D Day were the Canadians. They actually had to fall back as the lack of success in the British and American sectors had left their flank exposed to counterattack.
Next to the Russians - who _really_ defeated the Nazis (we were a minor sideshow in comparison) the Canadians had the most success in WWII. German intellengence would try very hard to locate the Canadian units in an attack, as that normally indicated where the center of effort was.
On the Western front, the US may have equipped everyone ("America's best 3 generals are General Foods, General Motors, and General Electric") but it was the Canadians that did most of the fighting.
Lt. DG (RCAC, Ret.)
After reading some of the histories that have been written since the fall of the Wall with the help of old Soviet documents, it quickly became apperent to me that the Soviets won WWII, not the West. The sheer scale of destruction at Kursk and Stalingrad completely eclipse the comparitively puny efforts of the West.
:)
That fact is blissfully overlooked in the West, not so much due to our "west is best" bias, but because we just didn't know.
And to rebound as quickly and decicivly as the Soviets did after having been kicked across Eurasia has to rank as some sort of miracle.
I'm a retired soldier, ex Canadian Armoured Recce. I know a little more about war than your average geek (and a lot less than your average WWII vet) If the Russian poster is reading - well done. And please, the next time you encounter one of your WWII vets, please pass that message along.
BTW, I'd be interested in corresponding with anyone from the former Soviet Union who commanded either recce or armour. I've got lot of stories to tell, and lots of questions to ask.
Lt. DG (RCAC, Ret)
While occasionally the Soviets did resort to the sorts of mass attacks you describe, especially during the opening stages of the war when they were short on weapons and trained officers (thanks to a very poorly timed Stalin purge of the officer corps) later on in the war the Soviet tactics were as good - or better - than anyone else's.
The sheer scale of Russian casulties is due to the sheer size of the battles. After Kursk, entire German *divisions* had been erased. That's mind-boggling.
As for civilian casulties, keep in mind the the Eastern Front was fought on Russian soil, over top of Russian civilians (who would often join in the fight, unlike most civilians in the West. (French Resistance and Belgian White Brigade notwithstanding)
The cold hard truth is that the Russians did more to finish off Hitler than anybody else.
Lt DG (RCAC Ret.)
Um, Evangelion aired in 1996. I think it doesn't qualify for the 1998 awards. Besides Rurouni Kenshin easily beats Evangelion ;)
ok first of i have to say i liked the movie alot but your statement...
Not only is it a faithful adaption of the book
did you ever read the book? there are some major deviations between the movie and the book. some of them are understandable because of the time limitations of a movie but first and foremost Dr. Gonzo was HST in the book as in real life.
Any contemporary movie about WW2 that objectifies Germans as Ryan did (all the Germans were pure stock figures) fails.
Indeed, it was pathetic. I got more out of Oh What A Lovely War.
Anyone who has read the autobiography Guy Sajer, a German soldier on the Eastern Front ( "The Forgotten Soldier" - read the reviews at Amazon) would be left fairly cold by Ryan.
Shows how much of a geek I am ;^) but my fave TV show of the year was Earth:Final Conflict (did I miss something? Were you wanting only *new* shows? Even if you were, I don't think this premiered until late 1997, anyways...)
;^) Too much like the episodes, only cooler.
I don't have a fave movie...none of the movies I went to were all that great, except for X-Files, and I don't think that really counted as a movie, anyway
To hell with pop culture.
Babylon 5 and Stargate: SG-1 for me.
Being without a girlfriend (2 months running!) allows me the freedom to watch what I like rather than ER and that god awful Dawson's *cough* *cough* *choke*...
Dude I woofed down 6 hours of Evangelion when I first got the episodes. Ph33r. As an oldbie in anime fandom (been out of it for what....5 years?) it was like a horribly needed shot in the arm. I am still woofin' down the rest (as I obtain the tapes
Dawson's creek is gayer than Melrose Avenue at 8pm on Fridays. I'd take a contract on the life of show's maker but watching it is punishment enough. Sheep. baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Top 5 ways to know you're not a part of the flock:
5) You have an attention span that exceeds that required for the average Star Trek episode (or the 99.99% of TV shows, all of which that suck even worse than that crappy show).
4 Just because it is sci-fi doesn't make it eleet.
3) You have a long shitlist filled with the names of popular actors and actresses; if they appear in a movie, that movie's off your list.
2) It takes more than special effects to get you in the door.
1) You carry a basket of tomatoes to throw at the screen in case you see a starship captain piloting a ship with a joystick, or a hacker using a Mac to break into an alien warship.
Mst3k 4 ever!If it wasnt for mike and the bots we would all be forced to watch most of those movies on some horrible Movie Channel "Theme Week" thingie.
pop culture is one of the few things i absolutely hate, but i still take pride in my geekness
The best geek show is Nova on PBS. Vampire slaying bimbos and silly space operas will rot your brain. And btw, before you give any credibility to what Jon Katz has to say, remember that he actually liked Armageddon.
im with ya on that
You know this movie was nothing but poser-math from a poser-math-wannabe. The scene where the dude challenges the Kaballah guys with the statement:
"Why don't you just say every 216-digit number? 'Cause you have! And it didn't work!"
This is supposed to be a MATH prodigy? A quick mental calculation will show you that assuming you could say a 216-digit number in Hebrew in just one minute, reciting all possible 216-digit numbers would take longer than the entire lifespan of our universe!!
Whoops, I supposed he missed that one. What a genius.
The movie sucked. The acting was terrible. The ideas were cool, the movie had potential, but it pissed it away before the first thirty minutes were over.
lin_dze
Actually no. Omaha was by far the most heavily defended beach at Normandy. The reason the English failed to take their objectives on D-Day was that once they had taken the beaches, they literally stopped for tea. That's not to say they were lazy or cowardly, that was just their custom.
Fear and loathing in las vegas in my homble opion should be one of the top 10. It provided drama and actoin in one hell of an twisted off beat plot. It contained great acting and even better directing.
PS: Regarding the whole "all geeks like pop culture..." well this geek for the most part is distgusted by pop culture.
I would not to the person who commented that omaha beach was the most heavily defended...the reason Normandy was attacked was because it was one of the least defended areas and one of the least likely places to be attacked at the time.
As for the comments as to nationalism, to the other veterns of other countries to see a movie from the perspective of only americans is upsetting, since Canadian, austialians, British, etc were also involved..... Ask any dutch person they'll tell you the Canadians freed holland, similar accounts can be made for other nationalities.
That Saving Private Ryan was made from a purely american perspective is nothing new since hollywood and the US itself has always been egocentric....
This notion that somehow the americans won the war is nonsense and even more insulting... considering you didnt decide to show up till 1942 and before that you sold weapons to both sides.....
I would agree with the post about the russians and their incredible effort in WWII. Many million russians were killed and not because of Stalin's "incompetence", but because of Hitlers arrogance.... how he ever thought he could take "Mother Russia" when so many have tried before and failed..... russians are probably amoung the most resilent people on the planet -- you dont live in the coldest country on the planet without being so -- and it has always been that and the bitter cold russian winters that have saved them each time....
Each other nationality fought with just as much heart as the americans, if not more.... Canadians only have to remember Dieppe as comment to their war efforts.
As a further comment to the russian thing... look at how much territory they captured essentially alone..... and it astoundeds me that people were upset when they decided to keep those coutries as a buffer zone ( the way israel uses south lebenon and the west bank ) to protect against future possible invasions....
I had two relatives both in WWII and both POW's who told me about things from different perspectives ( one air force, one tank infantry ) and to some degree their experiences in the Camps.... watching friends head off to showers and never come back... or see piles of bodies and realize that at any time you could be one of them..... for these people who were of different nationalites to have experienced this and have someone portray it from a purely american perspective as if the american gave the greatest effort, had the greatest losses, etc is repugnant...
Oh as another side note....many russian died not just on the battle field but in the showers just like the Jews and everyone else.... so it wasn't bad military tactics as omeone mentioned.
On another note...while as a movie and a portrail of WWII ( from a purely american perspective ofcourse ) I though Saving Private Ryan was a decent film and the battle on ohama beach a particularly stunning scene... the realism of it hit me we I heard people near me crying uncontrollably, be it daughters who lost thier fathers, vets who lost friends, wives, etc.
I left though feeling that something was missing, while soldier's did "soldier on" in the face of horrifying circumstances there seemed to me to be a vacantness in the portrail of the characters themselves.... It seemed short as well... a lack of closure maybe to the story ( maybe I'm just to used to that from hollywood ).
I do think though that Saving Private Ryan will win the Oscar and likely Tom Hank's for best actor. This movie just wasn't as good as Shindler's List.... even though I do admire the fact that Speilberg did try to potray the horror of storming Normady...perhaps the storyline wasn't as close to him as the story of Oscar Shindler.
Sadly, I wish this had not turned into a who deserves more credit for the war effort, nor a typical american response to the events of WWII and other peoples comments on the US egocentricity of the film ( said without the intent to offend if that possible ). The fact that anyone had to participate should be comment enough.
I watch 1 "network TV" show a week. The X-Files is the only program worth watching. I was a fan almost instantly from the first season, the acting continues to improve, although I wouldn't put it up for any awards. But, what's with all the other CRAP on TV? I watched the first 3 episodes of B5 and flushed it down the toilet with all the failing Star Trek spin offs. What's with wrapping drama around a sci-fi package? What I want to see is a GOOD action/sci-fi, something we haven't seen since Battlestar Galactica where there was a true enemy and battles were fought consistantly. No talking your way out of battle, you fought to the death. If I want drama I'll watch a drama, when I want sci-fi I want FX, explosions and a plot. Why can't Hollywood deliver? Have they sold out to the "sexual revolution"? "That 70's Show" has to be THE WORST show ever and I wonder how it made it past 1 episode. All the sexual innuendo's get old VERY quickly when edited for television. Come on people, this is the 90's and the US is so uptight about sex that our children will have ulcers before they graduate high school. Anyway, my favorite shows for '98:
1) Mr. Show (with Bob and David) - HBO (what a comedy should be!)
2) X-Files - FOX (the only action/sci-fi show on network TV)
3) Rude Awakening - Showtime (if you're going to do a "sexy" comedy then "go all the way")
That's about it for "worthwhile" programming last year. I will also give a thumbs up to Newsradio and Simpsons (still makes me laugh) but don't watch them regularly.
Am I the only one here who thought that this was the best movie of the year?
As for tv, South Park is the best show, with Late Night with Conan O'Brien a close second. The 70's show is good, but not compared to those two.
As for the X-Files, I used to watch it back when it was still a cult hit, but I must say that ever since the whole season when Gillian Anderson got pregnant and we got shows that consisted mainly of scenes of Mulder finding something, like Scully's crucifix, and crying, I haven't been able to stand more than 10 minutes of the show.
Movies: Haven't seen any. I have a 2 year old son. I'll see movies some time in the next 20 years, maybe.
TV: Babylon5 ( THE greatest show ever. Period!), Xena, Buffy, ST:DS9, ST:Voy, Charmed, Law & Order... Brimstone has a lot of potential but I don't know if it's been picked up.
I gotta throw in some of the shows I'm forced to watch as the father of a two year old: Thomas the Tank Engine, Blue's Clue's, Teletubbies (Yes, I can name them all), just about all the KidVision KidSongs videos... But DEATH TO BARNEY!!!
Joe Klemmer
Actually, NBC news did a montage of things we lost in 1998, with all sort of dead people. But, if you watched carefully, there was a tiny little snippet of the station's demise.
How can you not like "That 70's Show"! The father characters kicks TOTAL ass. It is an awesome depiction of a decade I only experienced as a toddler.
cuz you don't have a clue on what makes a good movie.
the complaints they had were to get the movie along. Everything was symbolic. If you cannot see that then you must not understand art in general: visual, music or performance.
You might need to get an education in these areas. You are missing a lot from life it would seem from your comments.
That is a shame.
DS9 is the best tv show of 1998.
Voyager is the worst tv show of 1998.
The Spanish Prisoner is the best movie of 1998.
This has and will be for a long time the best show on tv.
My post wasn't intended to start a "who won the war" discussion and wasn't a criticism of the Omaha beach section being exclusively american - that was historically accurate so fine. But during the middle and end sections the film would have been more realistic if Tom Hank's unit had encountered at least some non-US troops. As I said, a lot of people (myself included) learnt a lot about WWII from films and I think it's irresponsible to make a film about the Normandy landings without paying at least some attention to the non-US contribution. After all, Speilberg made people (very) aware of the contribution by Jewish US troops, so why not other contributions even though they're less close to his heart?
Note: that wasn't intended as anti-semitism as I was pleased to see someone portraying Jews in the second world war as something other than victims (although I did think he rammed it down our throat somewhat).
I'll sum up the arguments about PI for those who just joined us. PI was good for those who:
1)Those who think math and computers are "cool",but know nothing about them. (Fibbonacci Numbers? Ooooh. Wild)
2) Know nothing about film. (black&white&grainy+fast=ART?)
Simple like 3.1459 (badass pun)
Get a life.
like i said in my earlier reply, there was no drama in this drama, sure it hinted at the whole conflit, and i'm sure that you and your friends discussed it walking out of the movie, but that does not mean that the movie really _addressed_ that conflict. Subtlety is good, and far too underused, but this movie did not have it. It brought the whole issue immediatally to the foregroung, but went nowhere with it. All the characters were very one-dimensional, not showing any internal conflict themselves-- Christof, the fellow actors, the viewing public... the only moral attempts refered to in the movie are those that are blatently obvious- lunatics in the background with signs, etc. This film was in no way subtle, it was blatent, obvious, and pretty superficial.
I also don't like the way that you generalize me, just b/c i don't like one movie-- which is for technical reasons, you stereotype me as not liking any movies that you like. I liked Edward Scissorhands, i haven't yet seen What Dreams May Come. As for what entertainment that i like, well, i loved Gattica (the symbolism in that movie was excellent). I also really liked Fallen, the ending to that really kicked me around, and it's the type of movie that you have to watch more than once. Nothing also touches Law & Order for moral issues (and if you like the subtle stuff, many of the endings leave some new issues wide open.)
If something is going to aspire to an intellectual topic, it should explore it, show me both sides, why it's such a conflict. Not like the Truman Show, where you ask a question, answer it much more simply than it can be (pandering to pop culture and beliefs while it's at it), and just be telling a dumb little story. I suppose what turns me off the most about it is that it pretends to be a critique of pop media, when it just panders to it.
bummer
4qk9ormsethr at marquette.edu
Sports Night is the best show on the tube!! I only wish that I had started watching it earlier. Very clever...
Actually, I kinda find it interesting, though I by no means consider myself a prt of it, nor do I wish to be, but it's somewhat good to keep up on it, or you might not get some references on MST :)
I got duped into seeing that stupid piece of crap. I thought it might have some math in it, it was probably the best attempt I have seen at stretching 5 still shots into a full length movie. And anyone that was inspired by the math should go study up.
Voyager is a cooler ship. 'nuf said.
p.s. 7of9
Yea, that 70's show is cool. I was born in 1970 and I have just enough memory of the seventies for the show to make sense. Heck, I have pictures of some of the ugly @#$^# cloths my mom used to dress me in. 70's show rules!
Lets try and get a baseline of what you think an "Artistic" Movie is?
a) Deep Inpact
b) Titanic
c) Good Will Hunting
d) Persona
e) Bugs Life
I'd have to go with D on that one.
Actually not too upset about the lack of other countries and their armies. The movie opening and closing with a waving american flag was a bit much. May as well be a can of coke or some blue jeans. The ending was a little too sentimental for my liking with the old soldier and Speilerg trying to milk one last tear from the audience.....tell me I've been a good man..tell me I've lived a good life Pfffffft
American history X , life is beautiful, and elizabeth were all as good or at least better in a good year for movies.
Life is Beautiful--magical, funny, moving, romantic, simply beautiful.
Daily Show--scathing, hilarious, Craig Kilborne, self-deprecating, totally unPC, shocking, tasteless, witty, irreverent, fresh for even the most jaded viewers.
Oh please. Babylon 5 is so shallow. "Nothing is all good, or all bad, it's shades of grey". Like that's an original or deep concept. That's my problem with the show, they try so hard to pound in their message, that you practically puke from the "drama". 5 minutes into the show, it's obvious where the show is going, and what they're trying to teach today.
I think the point he was making, evidently above your (empty, American) head, was there are better places to read about US TV reviews.
Good thing he didn't release a movie like that this year, you would've been PISSED!
The movie of the year was cube...I loved it. People that think cool math rules. Reagrdless of how good you are, would like it. Everyone else would also! I highly suggest it. Search yahoo.com if you want more info.
# Hack the planet, it's important.
What the hell? Can't you write an article without saying the word "geek" at least 50 times?
the rambling about shaving ryan,, i mean saving ryans priv,, wait a second i mean saving private ryan almost maid me lose interest but i think buffy is cute and all but i think simpsons is the champion, it has light political humor and social jokes that are just plain wrong you got to love it
Much as I think Jon Katz adds little to no value to Slashdot, I've thus far taken the attitude of live and let live.
But there now seems to be even less consideration of the international audience that a site like Slashdot caters to. This reads like the Life section of USA Today, with about as much relevance. Is this what Slashdot is now about?
This American recently saw a WW2 exhibit from the eyes of Russians. I was amazed (and shocked) at the enormous cost The Great Patriotic War was on the Russian people. I am now MUCH more appreciative of the price of that victory.
For those that care, Russia's casualties topped 27 million (18 million were civilians!), more than everyone else combined.
Generally yes, Stalin was very good at removing his best generals from command and poorly using the men he had. But the fact is that most of those who died were not in the Russian army. Apparently, Hitler had ordered a purge of all Russian towns and villages (ethnic cleansing. hmmm. sounds familiar.). I saw photos of entire cities completely leveled with chimneys being the only exception.
Agreed... Katie Holmes can have me anytime :)
Christ Carter? I suppose some X-files fans could be considered fanatical enough to worship Chris Carter :P
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Posted by Charles Bronson:
I fucking LOVE Dawson's Creek, although nowhere near as much as Felicity. So not only am I a geek, I'm also a bigass loser.
Posted by Jeremy Witt:
Movie: The Star Wars Episode 1 Trailer
TV: Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast
JWitt
Posted by MrTrick:
/.
I never thought I'd live to see the day that "Buffy" was referred to on
But I did! Yahoo(.com)!!!
Good job. This show is getting rave reviews all over the place, and now even on websites like this one. Bravo!
And if any of you geeks are doubting this show without even watching one episode of it, you're idiots. Yep, idiots. Cause you know why?
1) This show has one of the greatest casts on television. Sure, there's Buffy, but there's something to like in all the other characters. Willow uses the net to research her enemies, Oz is a brainiac, Xander is the heel of the school (and probably one of the greatest characters on TV), and Cordelia falls for the heel. THE GEEK GETS CORDELIA! How money is that??
2) The best episode I've seen for any TV show was Buffy's "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered". Xander throwing the curse to get back at Cordelia and the backfire of it is just classic. (note: The shot of him walking into the room where it starts at the floor is funny as hell....The s l o w m o t i o n shots of the chicks in the hallway kill me...)
3) It's campy, but not too much camp that makes you wanna stick your finger down the back of your throat and bring up that pizza you had for lunch (ex. Xena and Hercules. Please I'd watch these if I were a lesbian or a fag, but not otherwise. These shows are the reason people have the +/- Channel buttons on their remotes. Click!) The camp on Buffy is actually probably more wit and good writing than anything....'Cept for that "bending of the rifle" part of the werewolf episode. That was kinda stupid...
4) Even the supporting cast is great. My friends and I were so pissed that they offed Jenny Calendar. They shoulda done a Dawson's Creek type thing with that with Xander getting a piece of her....and what a piece she is/was.
5) Joss is the man.
So give the show a shot. And to all you kids that *are* watching, keep it up.....We can all moan about the Angel parts together, and cheer about the naughty Willow parts together. Remember Naughty Willow the other week? Hells yeah.
Trick
Posted by The Mongolian Barbecue:
Geeks like this geeks do that... blah blah blah. How can you make such a wild set of generalizations about a group? I've never seen private ryan, I never watch tv, and I think pop culture is full of shit and want no part of it. Your lack of taste is exceeded only by your lack of intelligence.
--
--
=8^
oh no, B5 has a plot and original story. I can't deal with it. Where's my mommy?
On the other hand, the spiral on the go board seemed stupid at first. Upon reflection, there was a group of 3 dead stones at the center of the spiral, where infitity lies. At least it was consistent with the infinity=death theme that appeared elsewere in the film.
The "cue the foo posts in 3, 2, 1..." posts will commence with no subsequent foo posts in 3, 2, 1...
Now that you mention it, I was struck by that line too. It's sad to see something that's ostensibly a tribute to mathematics, but employs no mathematical thought.
The "cue the foo posts in 3, 2, 1..." posts will commence with no subsequent foo posts in 3, 2, 1...
I have cable, and I don't get it. Who the hell moved it from the common Comedy Central to the uncommon Sci-fi Channel? What percentage of the country even has the ability to view this show anymore???
I guess my vote would be for Primary Colors. .
Tv... hmmm The Simpsons still hangs in there as best (biting social commentary, or is that bite-me social commentary?), followed closely by X-files, and B5. Star Trek reruns on the Sci-fi channel actually rule.
"shop smart:shop s-mart" ash
I didn't see Dark City until it came out on DVD. So the best Theatre Movie of 1998 was Private Ryan.
Dark City gets the Video Pick of the Year.
B5 is heads and talls about Buffy. Not so sure about that strange B5 movie that was on TNT though...
Oh and Metallica Garage Inc...oh yeah. I played "Am I Evil" and "Blitzkrieg" all day on Christmas.
I didn't see Dark City until it came out on DVD. So the best Theatre Movie of 1998 was Private Ryan.
Dark City gets the Video Pick of the Year.
B5 is heads and tails about Buffy. Not so sure about that strange B5 movie that was on TNT though...
Oh and Metallica Garage Inc...oh yeah. I played "Am I Evil" and "Blitzkrieg" all day on Christmas.
I liked Avengers too. Unfortunately Insurrection had a bright sunny day look and feel that must have been annoying to the eyes used to dimlit rooms and monitors. They like migranes, ugly aliens, and lots of wires and lots of hoses, and funny green LED lights.
Oh well. I'm going camping.
When I see Prince of Egypt I might have to change that vote.
^~~^~^^~~^~^~^~^^~^^~^~^~~^^^~^^~~^~~~^~~^~
ABORTED effort:
Close all that you have.
Uma did about as good a job as Timothy Dalton as Rhett Butler. As good as can be expected but there is no substitute. The same mannarisms don't look the same on a different body.
~ ^~
I guess I'm a fan of the old series, and thought the Mother-Father thing was kind of dumb. BTW was that Patrick McKnee that played the invisible guy?
However I did really like the movie. I wish they continued them.
Other wishlist
Remake of the Prisoner
Isaac Asimov's Foundation series.
^~~^~^^~~^~^~^~^^~^^~^~^~~^^^~^^~~^~~~^~
ABORTED effort:
Close all that you have.
...doesn't make my stomach wrench and hurl like eating rusty razor blades either. (Dark City? Happiness? PI??!?)~ ^~
^~~^~^^~~^~^~^~^^~^^~^~^~~^^^~^^~~^~~~^~
ABORTED effort:
Close all that you have.
Continuity across episodes and even seasons is what has made B5 so interesting for me. I have to remember the past. There are hints in shows not resolved until later (weeks or even years) after they're mostly forgotten. Each show does resolve a central issue every time but leaves consitant viewers something to come back for. There is a whole lot of development.
Best movie of the year: the Star Wars trilogy.
/. went and paid sixteen bux to go see three movies they could rent for $4.50.
With the exception of the militant Trekkers who boycotted them as a matter of principal, everyone on
This is beacuse Star Wars is escapism. Technofetishists dig science fiction and fantasy because it can elevate them beyond their world and into a "real life" that actually interests them. By default such a "real life" deals with The Next Big Thing in technologies and science, or magic, which is technology by other means.
Escapism isn't a bad thing. It's been driving the pace of technical innovation for the past hundred years or so: hard core coders do what they do with visions of Neuromancer and Snowcrash dancing in their heads. Since the technofetishist, as a "geek", lives in a dystopia by default the socio-political ramifications of cyberpunk don't register as much as jacking in to a unified network and cyborg chicks in leather. By the same token, the space program was feuled in america by the fecundity of pulps that doubtlessly influenced NASA engineers when they were young, and also the SF reneisance in the sixties that kept the wonder alive.
Generation X and its follow on generations of slackers and technofetishists are also driven by escapist literature and film. The penultimate example of the genre is the Star Wars trilogy. It is a fairy-tale, pure and simple, with wizards, damsels in distress, rites of passage, knights errant, and heroic rogues. It is a fast-paced romp through wonder, with charachters that become real to the viewer, and events so poingiant they form a private history shared only with other technofetishists.
Saving Private Ryan? Happiness? They were good movies, but they didn't epitomize all the hopes and aspirations the geek has for the cinema.
As for TV shows: Buffy is a soap opera about all the people the average Technofetishist despised in highschool. It is only of interest because it offers a babe-fest for those who just can't stomach Baywatch and need to temper the onslaught of whiny beautiful people with gothic horror. (Gidget horror?)
For a poingiant, intellectually stimulating and fiercely addictive television series, Babylon 5 has any other TV show beat. No any other genre TV show, but any other show, period. The simpsons, celebrating yet another year of unparraleled post-modern absurdist hilarity, comes in a close second.
You're the media expert. I shouldn't have to be explaining this to you.
SoupIsGood Food
And Lucy Lawless really can sing.
(Having said that, DW could be considered the best show of -any- year, given that it's about time travel. :)
Best movie, IMHO, deserves to be Star Trek: Insurrection (a brilliant sci-fi movie in it's own right, and one of the best Star Trek movies I've seen). I'm probably one of the few humans on Earth to like The Avengers movie (although I'd not regard it as part of the series), which I'd argue ranks up there, whatever anyone else thinks.
IMHO, you need to also ask: What'll be the best TV show/film of 1999? To that, I'll say "Bring Back Doctor Who - PROPERLY, this time - and see!"
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
You know what? I'm glad you have a different opinion - the world would get very boring if everyone agreed with each other all the time.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
I'm working on a project for creating and developing "free" (GPLed) films, drama, etc. (I've mentioned this before, but it deserves repeating. :) To go along with this, I'm writing, and looking for contributions of, GPLed software which will help people to create such works.
I've got the web pages for the Free Film Project over at Geocities at the moment. They're in for some heavy re-writing, just as soon as the net behaves itself & I can connect to Geocities' web-server.
The way I see it, if nobody is really happy with what is being produced, and the "free software" community can produce commercial-grade tools in a relatively short time, there's no reason why we can't just produce our own stuff. Even existing "independents" do very well at producing good films, but add in the whole "free" philosophy and you should end up with something that'll blow the socks off what's being done commercially now.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
...rocks. We drove all over town finding a place to see it, got in fifteen minutes late, and it was worth it.
Agree on Private Ryan--it was well done, but what was the *point*?
Yes, I agree B5 series 5 was ... disappointing except the last episode. But, what do you folks think of "a call to arms". Don't know if it'll not be lacking depth -- less continuity between episodes. Hope it does not degenerate into Star Trek Voyager.
I had to laugh at Chris Carter's apparent promotion.
"E's not the Messiah! E's a very naughty boy!"
Ahh - My eye!
The doctor said I'm not supposed to get Slashdot in it!
Gotta agree regarding "Homicide: Life on the Streets". Though, I found the camera work the first season: rough jump cuts, and just-a-bit-too-quick pans, a far better counterpart for the story lines, than the smother stuff that came in the seasons that followed.
Guess you can only push the masses so far.
In Liberty, Rene
"a bag of crack bigger than his head"
Damn that was funny. I laughed so hard that I got those little drops of spit on my monitor that magnify the screen so you can see the pixels.
I think most people, including the one writing the above review, get too caught up in the special effects of Saving private Ryan. It would have been a great movie even withough the effects or even if it had tamer battle sequences. Now, I haven't seen "Happiness", but "Saving Private Ryan" is certainly one of the best movies I have ever seen, and you're making a mistake if you think it is a special effects movie or if you think people liked it just for the special effects.
-Dean
Neon Genesis Evangelion is definatly awsome. Not only is it brilliantly drawn but it has a thick plot and incredible psychological themes. I love it to death!!!!
--- I love rei Ayanami
Pi should have been mentioned more. I found it fascinating. I think it has to be either number 1 or really really close on my list of favorite movies. Excellent choice.
margaret
The most moving flick _I_ saw last year was American History X. It wasa damn good thing it was a matinee and I got to walk into the light of day afterwards, otherwise, would have really hit s nasty mood after it.
-- There is no sig line, only Zuul.
...goes to the 70's show.
IT SUCKS!!
GOOD RIDDANCE!
"Reactionaries must be deprived of the right to voice their opinions; only the people have that right." - Mao
So there!!!!
===
Old Fart!!! Of tha SENIOR DADS!!!!!
http://surf.to/seniordads/
This sort of "Oh, it'll teach our kids to speak funny" bollox happened early on in the UK as well, and it's been proved completely wrong, as it's been demonstrated to help it's target audience (2-3 year olds) learn how to talk!!!!!!! The script is actually written by a qualified linguist, believe it or not!!!! There's a really helpful page by the Beeb with all the info....
As for "stoned teenagers", that's just because the UK seems to be really great at making really wierd childrens programs that people seem to read lots of differe nt meanings into!!!!! (eg the Magic Roundabout, Button Moon, Captain Pugwash, etc.) In terms of content, the prog is actually pretty similar to the 1970s pre-school kids show Playschool, and that was considered the epitome of education TV in the UK!!!!!!!
Old Fart!
===
Old Fart!!! Of tha SENIOR DADS!!!!!
http://surf.to/seniordads/
Boy, everyone on here keeps talking about this movie, yet I haven't seen it anywhere in the theaters around here. I guess our theaters were too hooked for 4 months on titanic that they passed it by. does anyone know if it is out on video yet?
You can't see this if you have sigs turned off.
I agree totally on the pick of VH1's Behind the Music, it's actually getting me to watch again. I wouldn't go with South Park as a selection though. It has some good points, but it definitely wouldn't be in my top 10. And for Best album of the year.. Metallica's Garage Inc wouldn't be one of my selections. Mabye it's because I already had most of the songs from their previous Garage CDs.
You can't see this if you have sigs turned off.
Law and order remains as one of the best TV shows to watch, IMHO. The characters develop throughout the series, but the arch of the story isn't as solid as B5 where you need to have watched almost every episode. A&E gets Kudos for playing the old episodes too.
You can't see this if you have sigs turned off.
It's hard to pick the best TV show of the year, since I only watch three or four, and skip everything else.
:-)
Despite my best efforts, Buffy certainly has won me over. Believe it or not, I rate it alongside B5. While the plot isn't as strongly arced as B5's, there is a good flow from episode to episode and you get the feeling of "something more" than the immediate plot unfolding before you...and the acting and writing it great. I find lots of similarities between the two, though I can see how one would be turned off by Buffy's premise.
I've also become a huge fan of Ally McBeal, and the old mainstay, Simpsons, which is making me wonder if the series will ever end. It just seems to never get old.
I'm also a fan of MTV's Real World, which also won me over despite my efforts. The premise of simply throwing people into a house and watching them interact is great, and it really does a good job of reflecting "normal" young adults in our culture.
As far as films, I'm torn. Looking back through 12 months of haze, the two films that stand out most in my mind is Prince of Egypt, and Pleasantville. The Truman Show certainly was interesting, and proved to me that Jim Carrey is a legit actor, but it just didn't have any depth.
Okay, so that's a little more than two cents.
While there wasn't many movies that sounded enticing enough to drag my ass to a theater, my vote goes to The Mask of Zorro. A simple, fun, action film - truly a lost art to Hollywood these days.
As for best television show, it's gotta be South Park. Honorable mention goes to VH1's Behind the Music series for being able to hook me into watching biographies of musical entertainers I otherwise didn't care about (not to say that I do now, but I couldn't resist watching the show whenever it was on).
And for best album of the year? Metallica's Garage, Inc.. It's been damn near impossible to get either CD out of my player.
Does Mr. Rollins do VO's for all the shows?
No, it's different for different groups. For example, Steven Tyler did the narration for Led Zeppelin. Was that William Burroughs who did The Who?
There are six Americans for every (little) Englander; Taco is American and the servers are located in America. What were you expecting, BBC News?
... can we expect to see you on top of a water tower with a rifle now?
It never promised every article to be relevant to you personally. I guess they didn't know how important you were.
a) If you don't like it, make a better one. If you can't make a better one, do you have any kind of right to be moaning in the first place?
b) You don't have to read articles you find uninteresting.
thus far taken the attitude of live and let live
Damm near 100% (assuming you mean the USA). Check out DishNetwork (www.dishnetwork.com), or USSB/DirectTV, or one of the other Satalite TV services. Now that the FCC has (IMHO, illegally) invalidated even more private contracts, not only can homeowners slip out of restrictave covenents and put up dishes, so can renters! Even if the owner (or covenent) says you can't. The FCC has voided it.
As to whether it's worth the money or not, well that depends on how much your local cable pusdomonopoly sucks, and how expensiave they are, and whate you manage to do to recieve the "broadcast networks". For me it's a big step up from cable. YMMV
I just started watching B5 a few monts ago... I'm so mad I didn't start watching it 5 years ago :(. I don't watch much TV, but that is one show I try to never miss. Is there going to be a new season? The thing I like most about it is that it has a kick ass continuing story line. I like this style of show a lot more than those that have a small story in each episode. B5 has an over arching very good story line and mini story lines in bettween. It's funny/exiting/action packed/cool/etc/etc :).
:).
As for best movie I don't know what to pick. But B5 is the best show by far. In second I pick the Simpsons once again
Snoop Baron
On Buffy, that is. But you must not forget mst3k. It is as relevant today as it has ever been.
Goes to B5 of course...
Drew Carey Show, hands down. Everyone else is wrong. They gave Joe Walsh a job and he wrote "Funk 49". End of Story.
Best movie? Hmm... George Romero's "The Flaming Death of Ally McBeal"
Nah.
Citizen Kane.
**>>BELCH
B5 is the best thing to happen to TV since power switches. But only if you've watched the whole series in order. I started with a couple in season 3 and 4, and they made no sense at all, JMS's hopes to the contrary. Then I watched starting with The Gathering and moving on through s4 (everything except ep. 10 in season 1) and MY GOD it was amazing.
:)
I can't seem to get hold of season 5. Does anyone know if I can get it on tape?
Cheers
"The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
You know something's gang agley when practically all you know of TV shows and movies is from satires of them. The satires are better. ( Still pretty bad, though. )
Yes yes yes! I don't think it was trippy so much as very well-written live-action anime, or something. I loved it. Very neat and thought-provoking.
:)
Are we more than the sum of our memories? I'd like to think so.
---
"'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.
Quine "quine?
"That 90's Show". My worst nightmare. 'Nuff said.
B5 was a smash this season...
However i don't think there have been any real good movies this year. Alot of producers are so caught up in this big "special effects" fad, that they fail to make movies with real content. Its a shame, i hope this sort of thing stops before it gets out of hand. There is nothing wrong with special effects, but if the entire movie is just based on it, then you don't have a movie, you have crap.
Maybe its me, i hope not....
Its spelt "L-I-N-U-X", but pronunced as "Free Beer"
I was rather disappointed with Happiness... It's pretty fucked up. It was an "objective" view of child molesters and perverts. How is this artful? I mean, it was pretty nasty to see a movie where part of it revolved around a middle school child learning how to masturbate and his father fucks his friends when they are over.
I didn't "care" or "sympathize" for the child molester, I mean, he was a pretty messed up guy who needed help (or a gunshot to the head).
Why glorify perversity and why call it "art". I could urinate on a block of wood and call it "art".
I enjoyed welcome to the dollhouse, I found it "daring" but Happiness was just beyond the limits of good taste. I felt like leaving as soon as that 12 year old boy spit up sperm at the breakfast table.
Who am I to judge someone's *art* though huh?
If that movie is art, the "Meet The Feebles" (a funny muppet porno movie) is the greatest piece of art ever.
I just think these movies are degrading to humanity, should we say it's okay to be a pervert and to like children? Is that the message we are trying to get across?
I will have to vote on Babylon 5 as the TV show. I mean who has ever stuck us with a 5 year storyline that can wrench your guts and make you laugh all in one show. You get more than you can ever wish for. But as for movies.. I saw nothing really oscar worthy or a 10 in my book. So I will allow the movie to go unanswered!
That darn Slashdot is so cool... Hey did you pay the phone *(#(Q%$#$ NO CARRIER
"I can't -- let l998 go by without pausing to reflect on the really significant events of the year " Or let two seconds go by without doing same.
Let's see, national elections of Senators and representatives, impeachment, MS anti-trust trial and momentum gain of Linux and Open Source, Netscape-AOL merger, et cetera, and "really significant events"--Buffy and that 70's show.
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
SCREW YOU ASSHOLE!!!
Babylon 5 was the best TV show this year. Period. I'm looking forward to Crusade.
I also like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The X Files, of course, continues to be a mainstay, esp. with its recent tendency to ruthlessly make fun of itself and all its characters.
I also agree that That 70's Show is brilliant and inspired, esp. for a sit-com.
And finally, while I don't generally like cop shows, Homicide: Life on the Streets is one of the best all-around general dramas on TV.
Chris Wright
Eviscerati.Org: All Hail the Eviscerati
I noticed in your column that you typed the years 1998 and 1999 with a lowercase 'L' rather than a '1'. The only people I know who still make that mistake are those who learned how to type on old manual typewriters (where the '1' key more often than not didn't exist), and never fully converted over...
Schwab
Editor, A1-AAA AmeriCaptions
film of the year by far.
Best show: Upright Citizens Brigade
It's been a long time since America came up with anything even approaching the genius of Monty Python's Flying Circus, but UCB comes close. They're hysterical, smart and completely unafraid to take chances. So what if some episodes fall flat? The successes- the "hole in the sheet" episode, the Little Donny Foundation, "New Brain!"- these make it the best thing on television.
Best movie: A Bug's Life.
OK, so it was Disney. And a kids' movie. (I'm 28.) But nothing kept me consistently as entertained in my seat. My jaw hit the floor in the first few seconds and stayed there. Don't be snobs! It was awesome. Happiness was also great, but not nearly as enjoyable an experience.
"It's OK, my sheet's got a hole in it!"
How could anyone forget Homicide?
In any given week, there are 4 shows I'm guaranteed to watch : The Simpsons, X-Files, ST : DS9 [An excellent show, IMO. And nice to see that Vic Fontaine guy actually being given a purpose with Nog...], and Homicide. Of all those, I look forward to Homicide like nothing else.
Sadly, this season has been weak -- the departure of Frank and Mikey, and all this who-likes-who stuff has weakened it. The best ep, of course, was the 2-parter where Mikey came back. To see himself go to the brink of redemption and still pull back was possibly the most frustrating thing I've seen on TV in a long time. He's so obviously a good guy deep down, but he's got all these damn psychological roadblocks keeping him from doing the right thing.
As for not liking most cop shows, well, that's understandable. The rest of them suck. Formulaic crap -- here's a good measure : Do they always get their guy? Do the good guys always win? Are the characters complex and, above all, human? Homicide is unique in that the characters all have this depth to them, a sort of recognizable humanity that seems lacking in most TV shows... Not all their cases are solved -- look at all the names in red on the board! I mean, Adena Watkins' murderer is still loose, and that murder was ~5(?) years ago... Look at The Subway episode, the girlfriend has no idea at the end that her boyfriend just spent the last hour of his life in agony trapped between the train and the platform, she just jogs past all the police cars and ambulances...
Look at the whole Luther Mahoney shooting -- a cop shoots a glorified drug dealer down in cold blood -- how many shows have the guts to show the real problems that brings up? Sure, good guy shoots bad man, but is it that simple? Hell, I cheered when Mahoney bit it, but I sure as hell learned to regret it. Look at all the problems : Kellerman and Stivers and Lewis are all caught up in the lie of a murder by murder police... All the moral, ethical and legal consequences on what is an unjustified police shooting of a murderer... All the complexity and depth -- no other show reaches this level...
See what you did? You HAD to get me started, didn't you...
B5 is the only show that I can think of on TV that allowed an entire sub-plot about multi-planetary corporations as a direct threat to democracy and individual rights. Bet that gives the advertisers a warm fuzzy. B5, Homicide, and Law & Order do well to allow for the heroes to be "fallen angels"/anti-heroes. The X-Files has lost something, but every once in a while it can still make me go, "BLEEP". And Frontline continues to throw enough stuff in my face that I have to think about doing the right thing.
I guess I didnt see "Buffy TVS" this year on tv, must be on WB or something, however That 70's Show should be the best TV flick of the Year. Get this, the Dad is _NOT_ an idot. What a fun twist! The "pot smoking" scenes are the best though. On episode they audio taped themselves and played it back after they lost their "high". Its just funny guys! Watch it!
--fatboy
I think that my movies go: Saving Private Ryan, Happiness, and American History X. Avery Brooks plays a terrific "authority" character. Edward Norton was awesome. Great story... I left the theatre feeling dirty tho :)
The Larry Sanders Show had the best farewell of any show last year, hands down. It will be sadly missed. Biting, irreverent comedy with no laugh track (hello, Sports Night) is something rarely, if ever, done well on a sitcom.
It's too bad Garry Shandling has decided to write lousy books as Larry Sanders in his spare time.
Not to slight Babylon 5/Star Trek/etc...them shows just ain't my thing. My apologies.
UCB is a little too cute, what with their little outfits and control center. It has its moments, but Mr. Show blows them away.
"That 70's Show" _is_ a complete waste of time, though. You'd be better off renting "Dazed and Confused" and seeing it once a week. Which isn't saying much.
It was better before it got slicker. It used to have _Ned Beatty_ as a regular on the show, for crying out loud. Now we have prettier actors who are starring in a parody of the former HLOTS. The producers are obviously spending more of their time working on Oz and less time making Homicide the refreshingly original show that it was. Now it's formula...one "music video" a show, a few jumpy edits here and there, repeat a couple of lines, and you have yourself an episode of Homicide.
There are exceptions (like last season's "Subway" episode) but, generally, when it isn't ripping itself off HLOTS turns into an "artistic" StrokeFest, much like Oz does when rapes and murders are not occuring. No thanks.
Bayliss and Munch are still super cool, though.
Please say yes.
I'm praying for you, jd.
The flaw was in the schmaltz. The ending was intended to jerk tears out of the viewers, much like the invented scene with Schindler at the end of Schindler's List. Spielberg doesn't know when to let up - the three hours of gut-wrenching cinema which preceded the ending were more than enough on their own to upset most moviegoers. But noooo, Stevie has to bang the stupid movie-going public over the head just to be sure they get it. It was completely shameless and the cloying bg music just made it worse.
Which brings me to your gripe. The movie was based on the story of American soldiers landing on a particular beach at Normandy. The film then follows these Americans around until the finale. Why must people of other nationalities pop up? This is ridiculousness fed by lingering bitterness over the Americans' late entry to the war. Let it go, dude. If you want a multi-national Normandy movie, make it yourself. Spielberg doesn't have to do things to appease hypersensitive foreigners.
Inserting token soldiers would NOT have made the movie better. "We're gonna make the krauts pay for Dieppe, eh!"...give me a break.
Lots of people are e-mailing me about Babylon 5 -- they like it a lot.
jonkatz@slashdot.org
I thought I saw a documentary once which said that, as the Germans were pushing towards Moscow, the retreating Russian army was burning the crops and food stocks ahead of them, to prevent the Germans from gaining new supplies. The resulting starvation was responsible for a large percentage of the Russian civilian deaths.
Of course, Stalin's evil, and questionable military tactics, does not diminish the tremendous sacrifices made by the Russian people in order to defeat Hitler's army. And, to be fair, the German people and footsoldiers were mostly victims as well. It is interesting to ask how much each individual citizen is responsible when their society is gripped by evil. What would you do? Would you recognize it in your own society, and work to defeat it? Is it happening to some degree right now?
The first 30 minutes of Private Ryan didn't even phase me. I don't really know if it was because there was so much going on or, I really am that jaded but it really didn't get to me. I liked the realism of the first few seconds where the door drops on the landing craft and just about everybody dies, but the movie as a whole just wasn't all that. I walked out of the movie, everybody else was silent or crying, but it didn't really reach me.
Having said all that there was one scene in it that reached me like no other has in a good while. When the Panzers role into ville but before you can see them come out of the smoke/haze, and all you get is that low rumbleing and see the ground shake. Man that really got me in the pit of my stomach, way better than any horror movie where I always find myself sitting there totally detached saying to person on screen, "ok here comes the killer and if you weren't so fucking stupid you know it too!"
You are the idoit... the dude is just expressing an opinion... if you like to be a hermit, fine... but some of us (a lot actualy) enojoy to do some other things once in a while.. U ever try SEX?.. its not bad, might help ya out in your views of the world
;-)
-- "The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant: It's just that they know so much that isn't so.
well, unless there's a new breed of geeks? Most geeks I've known have been into very alternative forms of entertainment (like coding esp, rockets, HAM radio -- not the everyday run-of-the-mill interests)
I haven't been in a theatre in like two years -- never liked it much (too big of a gamble that it'd be a waste of time); and I'm usually doing something else while watching one of the few TV shows I like (xena -- guess that is sort of "pop culture")
but for the most part, when people talk about the latest/greatest "pop" stuff, I'm clueless. I've never even seen ERrrrr, yet I hear people talking about it *in* *depth*.
hey... guess I'm not a 'geek'! (oh god -- that makes me a NERD =:-0
I consider myself a fairly easy going guy, but I couldn't help but notice my finger was hovering over the FLAME button after reading that "geeks love pop culture".
I asked the nearest slashdotter to me whether he had read this article, he replied "oh I saw that, I didn't read it though, being a geek I'm not that interested in pop culture"
That sums it up pretty nicely for me.
B5 was an awesome show and ill miss it but i think that the best part was that it was hard to figure out the plot arc. I mean the shadow wars ended way before the end of the series(where a regular network would have put it) and the story still had a lot of life left in it afterwards... "A Call to Arms" looked like a really predicable lead in to an new series (i mean geez a 5 year mission to find new life forms, blah, blah blah)
--
When she told me I was average, she was just being mean.
Just my $.02.
"In the name of the Moon... I will punish you!" -- Sailor Moon
Ethan
I thought Life Is Beautiful was one of the best movies of the year. It was an italian film, with sub-titles. Don't let that throw you off, the whole film was pretty funny. It was a comedy about the nazi death camps. I thought it was very touching. (yuck did I use the word touching?!?) I saw it over thanksgiving, you might be able to find it some places I would definitely recomend it.
As far as tv goes I only watch three shows, Simpson's, X-Files (skipping that's lame-ass show, uhh I mean that 70's show) and occasionally Law & Order. Take those in any order.
---
"To know recursion, you must first know recursion."
I sat through "Private Ryan" just fine, but as soon as I got outside, I felt felt a wave of sickness ... I broke down in tears 1 block away from the theatre. I thanked the higher powers above that I never had to go to war. I hugged my wife and told how much I loved her. Never has a movie had such a mental impact on me.
... they were killed in some of the most horrific circumstances possible.
Yes, the special effects had their place...how else can the sheer magnitude of human brutality be portrayed. The FX weren't for show. They were to recreate human experience. I don't believe that they were there to "fill in gaps in the plot", like most techno-fluff" that we've been subjected to (need I name them ??) Otherwise, "Ryan" would have end up just another "yee-haw Wayne" movie.
Our generation is so desensitized to violence, that most theatre goes didn't even get the point. We see body parts flying, blood-spurting and people hacked-hacked in movies all the time and think nothing of it.....
When was the last time you were actually MORTIFIED AND DISCUSTED at the sight of someone getting their head blown off ?? This time I WAS.
There was no avoiding it in "Ryan". You have to realize that millions of men died like that. They didn't just fall over w/ a sigh
For the first time (in a long while it seem) the technology of special effects were used RIGHT.
My hats off to the makers of "Ryan" as well as all those unfortunate enough to have had to serve on the front lines in any war.
Peace.
Yeah, the Russians were the big losers of WWII,
but they weren't at Normandie and that's what
the film was about. I always have to shake my
head though at the 6 million jews who died by
execution. It almost compares to the Russians.
Kinda explains the Russian penchant for paranoia
doesnt it?
Favorite show (in alphabetical order):
- Babylon 5
- Buffy
- Mystery Science Theater 3000
- Star Trek: Deep Space 9
- The X-Files
Etc. etc. and see how the poll results come in. Seems like a good idea to me.Ita erat quando hic adveni.
MST is the ultimate geek show. In my opinion, nothing else comes close. :) (That is, of course, just an opinion.)
Leilah
~ Leilah
It did not really air in '98 but I saq it this year as well. You are correct Evangelion is the best example of heroic literature to come out of the 20th century. Starman, the Golden Age, and the original Animal Man from DC comics were good reads as well as the Madman from Dark Horse (I know it did not start there) were all good examples. However, this series really summed up in my opinion the heroic ideal in 20th century man.
:->
I know that I am getting awfully deep over a anime series. However, this series was moving, symbolic and powerful in a way that Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Babylon 5 or even the hallowed Star Trek TNG can never be. I know I will get flamed for that but I am a fan of at least Star Trek TNG and for awhile Babylon 5 and I can say that while being VERY entertaining they did not have the beauty or depth of Evangelion or even Ghost in the Shell for another example. Hit me hard guys I can take it.
ACK
> and you might as well
> see Fear & Loathing too at the same time,
> then go rent Naked Lunch.
okay, just gotta insert a personal gripe here
( what, on
the film version of The Naked Lunch was a miserable, pathetic, watered down piece of crap. now, for your everyday Gen-Xer who's never read any Burroughs, it was probably a decent stoner flick. lots of nice flickering tracers, but...
personally, i'd love to see a decent adaptation of ANY of the late, great Old Man's work, but (if done truly in the spirit of Willy B) i can't think of any "civilized" country on the planet that wouldn't ban the bugger on the spot.
i forget the exact date, but do you realize how long The Naked Lunch was banned in the US?
hehe - is it just me, or does the subject of this thread:
Happiness? Try Lolita
...sound sound kinda sick
"Fear is the rootkit of democracy.." Blarkon
How bout a /. feature on MST3K?
Ex Machina "From the Machine"
ExMachina@GeekMafia.dynip.com [http://GeekMafia.dynip.com/]
Holy cripes on toast. What does this have to do with geekness in any way? Pretty much everything outlined in that article is gosh darned NORMAL. And, BLAND. Particularly the TV review.
... well, anything *interesting* (with the possible exception of _Happiness_), out of the ordinary, intelligent, or otherwise related to anything "geek".
Now, this being for "geeks", one might *think* it might touch on some of the exceptional things that have been on the air. Babylon5, for one... as for x-files, well the story's over, so all the series can do now is waffle and have monster of the week episodes. And maybe throw in some "muldar and scully.. will they do it?" subtext. Which is itself quite a shame, since part of the strength (imho) of the show and what set it apart was that it had a male and female character in a relationship that *wasn't* a romantic/sexual one.
Of course, thanks to the braying of the LCD, that's been washed away as well.
But, no mention of Babylon 5, no mention of Mr. Show, no mention of Upright Citizens Brigade, no mention of the movie _pi_ (hey. the math might've been screwy, the technology might've been equally silly, but.. well.. umm.. it had math and technology in *some* form. i'd think it would at least get an honorable mention), no mention of
And. Um. That 70's Show? A SITCOM! A piece of crap, marketing-demongraphic-spawned retro SITCOM!
Pop culture isn't the glue that holds together geek society, pop culture is NOISE that steals our time and insures we buy the right things.
Another damned comic
+++ NO CARRIER
I have wanted to see Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness, but movies aren't as high a priority (40 minute trip to the movie store and 3 y.o. keep my movie watching to QT-fests between Sesame Street). I did see Something about Mary and hoped it would be second. The Farrelly (?) Brothers are the best team since The Coen Brothers (Blood Simple was their first). There is nothing too taboo for them. I heard an interview on NPR and they talked about their writing style... almost as funny as their movies. They take the opposite of the 80s formula... make it look like something bad will happen, but it doesn't.. thats funny! Well these guess setup the bad and let it happen... I am probably one of the few who saw Kingpin and loved it... "Milking the cow" had to be one of the funniest lines I can remember...
Buffy... well, here I admit my tv viewing habits... This is a great teenage show that keeps it up week after week (unlike Felecity that follows it). The start of this season was flat, but it has picked up... With Angel back, things are interesting. And the Other Slayer in teh mix works... It doesn't try to handle the issues of the early BH90210 (which did one of the best anti-drug shows when Brandon is unknowing dosed by a girlfriend). That hooked me on 20210 early, but not for long... Once Sharon Dougherty left, so did the writing...
I waited for Katz's new column, and was happy as usual.
Am I the only one who disagrees with the assertion that pop culture is the common thread that ties all geeks? I'm pretty sure that one of the defining characteristics of a geek is their disdain for pop culture. Most will pick 2 or 3 favorites out of the handfull of shows already mentioned in this thread... and otherwise ignore TV all together. Someone said in an earlier post that "Hollywood == crap"; I think that sums up the general geek sentiment.
Having said all that, can we stop talking about geeks now? No offense, Jon Katz... I've enjoyed many of your writings, but on this geek business, I think you're falling into the old media trap of attempting to artificially create and define a sub-culture in a way that is most convenient for writing about. Isn't that what fiction is for? We all know the media loves to rant about pop culture. This looks more like a media rant about pop culture that is being falsely attributed to a particular sub-culture.
keel
----
"Oh, bother," said Pooh, as he hid Piglet's mangled corpse.
My vote for best show this year... or at least best new show. It's the only one I make a definite point of watching these days.
Save Maine's economy: write stuff down. All comments are exclusively my own, not my employer.
This is just my opinion, but I didn't like Dark City. The plot was interesting, but I felt the execution and some of the acting was horrible.
:)
Some parts of the movie were just dumb. The ending comes to mind. I almost bust a gut laughing when "they" put everyone to sleep at the Police Station.
The theatre I was in started clapping at the end, but it wasn't out of appreciation
I'd say the best movie IMHO was The Truman Show, but it had a couple serious flaws of it's own so don't jump on this...
Oh well, just my $0.02
What, no mention of Celebrity Deathmatch ???
and no BASEketBall???
J/K.
My pics: Fragging Private Ryan (the low-profile sequel)and Discovery Channel
OK, I admit this is solely from a techno/sci-fi standpoint.
Babylon 5 has stood out as my favorite TV show since it started (excluding the pilot which went over like a lead baloon with me). This show had the most amitious view of the future I've ever seen. Too bad this was it's last year. Let's hope for the best with "Crusade" when it starts in '99.
Deep Impact was horribly overshadowed by Armagedon, but was the clear winner in technical merit. No spinning Russian junk piles in space (that thing made Mir look brand new) or chain gun accessorised moon rovers. It went after the political, social, and personal impacts of such a doomsday event.
World Beach List, my latest project.
Definetly a hilarious show. Far better than any other show they have stuck between The Simpsons and The X-Files, even King of the Hill.
After they moved the X-Files from Friday evening it was all downhill, they sold out. So for months the only good thing on Sundays was the Simpsons.. (Remember when it was on Wed, then Thur, then Wed? hehe). the Simpsons rocks, best show of all time, and it only gets better.
"Me speak bad english? That's unpossible!"
-Hoagie
This is probably the funniest show to ever appear on a TV screen. While in 1998 it only had a few pilot shows durring the summer, it is now a regular show right after Drew Carrey on wednessday nights. Carey never had any intention of bringing the show to a regular run, but the demand by the public forced ABC to bring the 5 incredibly talented people to us every wednessday. Check it out. It really is the funniest thing ever on TV.
After hating this show in its debut season, I've come to relish it more than any other incarnation of Trek thanks to the hard work and broad story arcs that have fleshed out one tiny corner of the Star Trek universe in exquisite detail.
I'm shocked! In a forum such as this, I only saw one mention of Pi, the indie film about a genius on the edge of insanity who studies number theory with the absolute belief that anything - including the stock market - can be predicted.
/.
FWIW, I feel a bit more comfortable admitting that BtVS is my fav tv show after seeing such strong support on
--zeno
although Babylon 5's 5th season was pretty crappy
:)
to say the least, there were some nice B5 movies
which i did like. The latest one, a call to arms, has paved the way for A NEW SHOW with Sheridan and some of the other members of the old crew, and even some new ones. psst, watch the movie!
South Park was DEFINITELY the very, very best show of 1998!@!@ it rocked!!! it made me laugh my ass off!!! and its available for dowload on the internet WITH, dare i say it, a load of cool games. My favorite character is definetly Kenny.
He reminds me of furby, especially of that online
'kill the furby' game
"geeks love pop culture"...
:)
count me outta that one
me
Fear & Loathing was by far the best movie to come on in 98. Gilliam captured perfectly the life behind Hunter S. Thompson's masterpiece. It's a very existentialist parallel to Dante's Inferno.
And B5, of course, is one of the greatest television programs ever. Plot and character instead of incorrect or inane technobabble? Amazing!
I've never been as disturbed by a movie as I was when I saw Lolita. I thought Strange Days was pretty disturbing, but that wore off right after the movie ended. I have not seen Happiness, but would venture to say that Lolita was the best movie of 98, the year of its US release. I have never seen a man this broken. He was a pedophile, yet you left the theater angry at his crapped out luck. If you want to know more go here: http://www.showtimeonline.com/spotlight/lolita/
It was prevented from being screened in the US for a long, long time.
-espace
No offense to anyone, but I can understand why 'Buffy' and 'That 70s Show' rank high while Babylon5 ranks low in people's opinions. Babylon5 is hard to understand sometimes. Not only from the standpoint of how much you have to watch, but also from an intellectual standpoint.
The first time I really got into B5, it was after a 20+ stragiht hour marathon. Before that, B5 was simply an occasional curiosity that I KNEW was cool on some level, but I didn't understand. To really appreciate the VERY deep characters, the twisting plots, the rich atmosphere.....you have to spend TIME with it.
Just like any good thing (books, learning Linux, etc.) you can't just hop into it and expect to understand everything. But once you do, WATCH OUT! B5 will knock your socks off (And you would be surprised how good the acting is: especially from the people who play G'Kar and Londo).
But one more thing: B5 takes on issues that no one else would think about. What is the basis of the B5 story? Human Free Will, the effects of technology on culture, and the continuing value of things like love, honor, and faith (humanity, God, and/or otherwise).
Again, no offense to others and I see your opinions, but I really do not think that Buffy or That 70s Show or the X-Files, or any other show on TV comes to grips with those issues.
I loved the Babylon 5 series. I really loved the first four years of the five year arc. The fifth year was, IMHO, the weakest year but that's not surprising since JMS had to write the show so it could all wrap up at the end of the fourth year should they not have been picked up for a fifth. Regardless, I think it was a great show. Yeah, there was a lot of continuity, but that's what that show was about. It wasn't an episodal sci-fi show. It was a five year science fiction novella made for TV. Oh, did I mention I really liked it?
Oh yeah, I second that about the Big L. Downright funniest and most bizzare movie I've seen in quite a while.
I thought the movie kicked ass myself. So what if there were some slight factual problems? The point was not to be about math (completely). If they wanted it to be 100% accurate they would have, but they wanted to bring a point across.
I thought it was one of the best movies i've seen, although Saving Private Ryan came close.
I have to say that this year was a bad year for TV in general. I never saw That 70's Show, so maybe I'm making a premature judgement, but the commercials I saw on Fox never induced me to watch it. I've seen a good part of one episode of Buffy, and I have to say I was was impressed with neither the acting nor the dialogue. The only excuse I could see for Buffy's popularity is to see Sarah Michelle Gellar in suggestive outfits.
I liked the X-Files, although I was not a regular fan until this past year. Aside from that, though, I can't think of a single TV show that I watched religiously because it was good.
On movies, I think "Lost in Space" was a good movie to heckle, simply because it was so terrible. The best movie I saw this year? I didn't get a chance to see "Private Ryan" or the "Truman Show" even though I wanted to. Pi was good despite mathematical inconsistencies - I haven't seen a sci-fi thriller/suspense that good since Sneakers. Actually, one of the best movies I saw was an old one on video - "Johnny Stecchino" with Roberto Benigni (the guy from "Life Is Beautiful", which I also want to see). I think "Private Ryan" would be my top choice, had I seen it, but I'll just have to wait till it comes out on video. Anyway, those are my two cents.
-Y
"There is no culture in computer science, only cults." - M. Felleisen
There is no doubt that the Star Wars trilogy is, and always will be, awesome and unforgettable to several generations, however, you can't really call them the best films of 1998 as they aren't films of 1998.
There were plenty of great movies this year. Probably most people didn't notice it, but my pick for the year is "Men With Guns" (directed by John Sayles, maker of "Lone Star"). Runners up (in order): "Pi", "The Truman Show", "Dark City" (the most original looking film I've seen since "Brazil").
TV show? That's more difficult. "Big Life" on CBC Newsworld is, as usual, one of my favorites, which is probably only seen by Canadians. I agree with Katz that "That 70's Show" is great (and I'll admit that I watch "Buffy" sometimes). And, as always, "The Simpsons".
Jon, have you seen "Ain't It Cool News"? It is sort-of the slashdot for movie fans.
babylon 5 is one of the worst tv shows i have ever seen. not only are the special affects so blatantly fake, the acting is as well. at least that 70's show has a decent comedic performance.
Come on guys. . . You just scared off that one woman who read /.
:-)
But really, Buffy is a decent show, but it sometimes shows that cheezzy sheen that WB manages to give all their shows.
I like the Drew Carey show. It's funny. If it makes me laugh, it's good