Microsoft has some BSG fans?

Apparently snapped from a Microsoft ad...

Of Battlestars & Bonus Scenes

As the comment from Marauder a few weeks ago correctly surmised, Battlestar has settled into some "filler" episodes between mid-season and end of season finales, but their writing is still very strong, and they aren't afraid to push the characters around so we can find out a little more about them. I love that they never overplay the emotion in this show, but it is still there. Adama's recollection of his failed marriage were beautifully played, and was a great way to show that even great leaders have their doubt moments. The older actors really do shine in this show, with Adama, Roslyn and Tighe getting better writing and acting moments all the time.'

The move to Sunday nights has apparently yielded one success, the renewal of the show for a fourth season, or 13 episodes of it at least. Why they would dally with such a critical show to their line up does make me wonder, although we all know that critical success doesn't always mean ratings success, but sometimes you have to have a flagship to pin your credibility on, and god knows that Sci-Fi's original movies certainly aren't it.

But like embracing the dark side, the Sunday night timeslot has come with a price as they push for a broader viewership (but are wise enough to not mess with the scripts). One is the horrible pop-rock guitar that you get as they break for ads. It's bloody awful, and completely in defiance of all the subtle emotional and musical cues the show tries so hard to maintain. No wonder I prefer downloading and watching it later.

The other is the "bonus scene" concept at the end of the episode. Bonus scenes are fun for the fan boy, but as any good director's commentary will tell you, they are generally left out for good reason. The scenes haven't been to bad, but how are we supposed to treat them? Like deleted scenes, or as if they are BSG canon?

Take the first version after the Helo centric episode "The Woman King". It was a good scene, and quite a reveal for Helo, but I'm left confused as to whether to consider that this as a revealed event or not? Should we now assume that Adama knows of Helo's deliberate thwarting of the Cylon-genocide, and accepts it? Or is it an unspoken deleted scene, known only to the audience.

I may have to check back into the episode podcasts and see what Ron E Moore thinks of all this bonus stuff but lets assume he's smart enough to not bite the hand that feeds. What do you lot think?

BSG in two text messages

Last Sunday, my Gorgeous Wife was en route to Orlando and missed the new Battlestar Galactica episode "Taking a break from all your worries".

She caught it in replay on the hotel PPV system on Monday, and a sent me a couple of text messages during the episode that summarized probably what we were all feeling..

19:07pm: "Ohhh my god... it is Baltar!!!"
19:09pm: "Nevermind."

The intertube debate over who it is certainly is raging... for the moment, I am betting on Gaeta, but as anyone at my poker table will tell you, it's a very weak bet.

Spoiler Hilarity

When posting The Prestige article earlier this week, I consciously went back through the text and changed the bold headings as I thought the original headings were too revelatory, i.e. even if you caught the spoiler warning, you may still glance over the bold heading and feel I spoiled something.

I wondered if this was considerate or overkill? Especially considering it was a movie that has been out for months but just not yet on DVD. Should that be sufficient time for me to say "all bets are off" and spoil to my heart's content, or do I have to wait until ever socio-economic group has had a fair and equal chance to see the movie?

Who knows, but curiously the very topic was beautifully summed up by a poster named dvddesign on Digg today. In a long list of comments discussing the plot-twists of last Sunday's excellent Battlestar Galactica episode "Rapture", their was the inevitable complaint that the title of the thread revealed plot-points , and this guys comment was just pitch perfect:

So do we have to keep everything about everything a spoiler from everyone from here on out? Isn't there a place or time where it can be assumed that it's okay to discuss something without ruining anything for anyone, or do secrets have to be kept forever lest someone find out the big reveal?!?!

Add some larger words, some English spelling, and a few less exclamation marks and (s)he has captured my thoughts exactly. But dvddesign goes further, finally nailing the coffin shut for spoiler warnings from here on out...

• Vader is Luke's father.
• Bruce Willis is actually dead.
• She's his mother and his sister.
• Glenn Close didn't die the first time.
• Oceanic Flight 815 crashed because of a magnetic pulse beam coming from the island, and there's four toed statues.
• Shredder created the Ninja Turtles.
• Cartman ends up time-traveling to 3 months before he left and must wait even longer for a Wii.
• The chick in the crying game is a man.
• The final sin, envy, is revealed to be gwyneth paltrow's head in a box.
• Snape kills Dumbledore
• Kevin Spacey's character is Keyser Soze, he was faking all of it.
• Michael Corleone shoots and kills Fredo in a rowboat on the lake.

Did you get all those references? I think the only one that lost me was #3...
Oh yeah, there may be spoilers above. ;)

One sixth of 24 is...

I haven't seen 24 since I watched the first season in a bum-numbing DVD weekend back when everyone was into it. Enjoyed it, but not enough to keep up with it on commercial TV every week.

Was actually a little surprised to see that the show was still running (yep, ain't as up to date as I should probably be), as the terrorist plot devices they use seemed limited to 3 or 4 seasons (nuclear weapon, chemical weapon, biological weapon, nasty allergy weapon), but a little web analysis suggested that Season 5 was fantastic, especially the opening, so I decided to commit the GW and myself to the 4 hour lead-in to Season 6.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but not yet convinced I can make another 20 episode/hour commitment with commercials. Took a little while to get into it's stride, and they kind of telegraphed the fact that the bomb would go off (suitcase bombs: you can blow one up, and still have room left for plot!), but their is some kind of masochistic pleasure in watching Jack constantly in the physical and emotional wringer.

But, in keeping with the PC-using bad guys of the show, here's my list of demand in order to guarantee my continued co-operation:

• The country needs a new President
  The thing that killed the first episode for me was the setup. A bunch of suicide bombings, and already the President was bargaining with terrorists - well bargaining may be over-stating it, lets call it "succumbing immediately". Seems to go against all common sense and previous presidential quotes.
  Since then, this President has chosen to deal again (loading the prisoners on the plane), and ignored Jacks advice (on Fayed). The guy is 0 for 3.
  
  
• Jack must get a new team to back him up.
  So far, Jack's most reliable ally has been an ex-terrorist. The President has ignored him and sold him up the river, and his CTU mate chose to execute the order that involved handing Jack to his torturers (where's the donated suicide pill?), but then decided to ignore a Presidential decree (and Jack's advice) to leave Assad unharmed.
  
  But with a batting average that makes the President look like Babe Ruth (or Don Bradman, to keep my sporting metaphors closer to my heritage ), the CTU Attack Squad, or whatever you call the nameless SWAT-looking guys in kevlar, are becoming the very definition of royally incompetent. While the terrorists run rings around the White House and CTU with planning, intel, and good help, the CTU StrikeForce managed to screw up the attack on the storage unit, shoot Ahmed (the guy they were told to take non-lethally), and then botch the attack on the warehouse resulting a nuclear detonation. All that in only one evening!
  
  The only plus in all this is that they were vapourised, hopefully reducing the number of screw-ups they can participate in next week.
  
  
• My personal plea to any CTU gunmen, crooked Sergeant, terrorist hencman, kid with knife... someone... anyone kill Chloe. Annoying character, annoying actor, and are they wanly trying to make her out as a sex symbol? ("You all dated me, but you have to get over it, the country needs you!"). *Gack!*

Let the 20 hour countdown re-commence!

How Time Flies

Been a madhouse at my end, having picked up a new position at the company trying to get two new departments up and running, as well as moving apartment back in September to a condo out of Norfolk, just haven't been a bundle of energy after work lately.

But ManU leading the EPL table and their Champions League group have kept me sane, and some quality TV and movies lately now have forced me out of hibernation! Here's the (old) news I wanted to rave about for a bit..

Battlestar Galactica – Exodus Part 2

Brilliant episode, one of my favourites so far. They played the "planet-side" arc out just long enough to develop all the characters (including the Cylons), but not too long, as we really want to be them to be back in space with Adama & his titular ship. The Pegasus got it's heroic send-off (a somewhat telegraphed rescue, but still excellently executed effects-wise), and they even threw some wrenches in plot-lines we thought we could see developing in other ways (Kara's daughter). But best of all, they let the episode have a happy ending, and didn't feel the need to add a "Lost" style conclusion with too many unanswered 'hooks'. We got to enjoy the successful mission, the reunion of humanity, and can still look forward to the ramifications of the colonization, which will be raining down like ash on all, but will leave the most bitter taste with Tigh and Starbuck.

Doctor Who – The Man In The Fireplace

Growing up in Australia, had no choice but to be a Dr Who fan, and although I dipped a trepidatious toe into the first season of the new series, I was pretty unimpressed and never went back until they started playing this season right before Battlestar a few weeks ago. Overall, it has been pretty good. Like this Doctor for his flippant humour in the face of danger (he lives forever, of course he's seen it all before), and it may very well be the first Doctor who has some level of romanticism about him (or maybe I just missed all that as a kid). But this time traveling episode was not only beautifully written and plotted, I even got caught up in the emotion of the ending.

This episode has hooked me for now, and the Gorgeous Wife and I are both penciling it in as a must see series now.

So, to not appear like a complete sci-fi geek, let me just add the following...

The Departed

Leave your house, get in your car, buy a ticket and see this movie now. One of the best movies I have seen, especially in this genre, for years. Beautifully scripted (with credit to the Asian original, Infernal Affairs), magnificently executed, and one of the most talent-filled casts I have seen for ages. And the point about that cast is every single one of them is in top form. From the leads (Jack playing it 'not nice', and I'm not a Leonardo fan, but he and Damon are both pitch-perfect here), to the bit players (Wahlberg and Baldwin's interactions are hilarious) and the atmosphere held through the whole movie makes the near 3 hours fly by.

Some people didn't seem to like the ending, but it just made it a better movie (and less Hollywood standard) for me. Great stuff.

Looking forward to Nov 17 and the new Bond, which has one of the best trailers I have seen for Bond for years. Check it out here. Anyone see The Prestige? I am intrigued, and love the director, Chris Nolan. Leave me your comments on that one...