The ‘end’ of Random Dialogue

So, I’m officially abandoning this site for the time being. If you still have this feed in your reader, please redirect your RSS reader to:

http://whoisdialogue.tumblr.com/

That’s where I’m funneling everything media-and-commentary wise that I’m doing.

This site, obviously, isn’t going anywhere. I’m not taking it down, and I can think of a lot of ways to make sure of it in the future. For right now, though, don’t expect any more content.

Thanks.

Thoughts on TV

I’ve been ‘channel surfing’ via iTunes and the freebie streaming video services online. Basically, the rest of the world has caught up with me. I haven’t had cable for years, and now that shows are increasingly freely, legally available via streaming services I’m catching up on a few old favorites and new hotnesses. I have a few thoughts on recent and new (to me) television shows.

My Name is Earl

This show, for a while, suffered from the same problem I have with Monk: a ‘writers hating the characters’ problem. I’m now at the point with Monk where I can’t even watch that show anymore. It’s completely obvious that the writers have zero respect for the characters. They’re just shells to move around in a con game, false fronts to put in the latest ‘wacky situation of the week’. My Name is Earl, on the other hand, has apparently blossomed into a great character-driven show. The end of last season saw an extended plot element (Earl’s short-term wife) that really allowed the actors, writers, and director to breathe new life into what kind of started out like a one-trick show.

It’s been some time since I watched Earl, and it’s great to see it going strong into its … fifth season. Wow. Long time.

Burn Notice

Brian turned me on to this, and it’s fantastic. I highly recommend this to anyone that likes shows that treat you like an adult. It has adult situations without simpering swearing or needless sexuality. The ads all make it look like this sex-heavy show set in Miami, and it really isn’t. It’s primarily a character and story-driven show that lets things happen in much the way they would in real life. It’s really, really good.

Numb3rs

The first episode back in the new season was yesterday and I’m not very impressed. They left off on a huge cliffhanger; “To Be Continued” as the Epps’ father put it. The pickup was decidedly lackluster. There’s little done about Charlie’s security status, and while there is a new member on the team to replace Megan Reeves she had so little screentime as to be faceless.

30 Rock

I watched a few random episodes of this show and came away impressed with Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, and not much else. Good writing but not-so-hot supporting acting. I bet if I’d been following it more I’d enjoy it more, but as of right now not so much.

Clone Wars

I definitely agree with io9’s assessment of the first episode of Clone Wars. The show succeeds in many ways that the movie fails. Tighter action, less dialogue, more straightforward situations. I dunno why iTunes makes the awesomeness better, but I actually get to watch two episodes plus the free preview right away. Maybe it’s for signing up with the Season Pass?

In any case, I’m really looking forward to more of this show. It’s popcorn/bubble gum compared to what it could (should) be, but for all that there’s a distinct likeableness to what they’re offering. If you’re still someone that can deal with what Lucas has done to Star Wars, this is some of the better canon stuff they’ve done in the last few years.

Wanna Hear Something Stupid?

So, DRM is really dumb. Like, really really really dumb. Wait, dont’ stop reading. I promise this is vaguely funny and interesting to non-techs.

This is something friends of mine have been railing about for some time now, and I’ve generally agreed with them. But, if you want a quickie example of how dumb DRM is I have one for you.

Obama’s Acceptance Speech

It’s a pretty darn good one.

The Clone Wars

The Clone Wars is not a good film. I knew this before I saw it yesterday, just as I know that the animated series is going to dissapoint me. Despite that, I went to see the movie and I’m going to watch the series – most likely via Xbox Live. Why?

I’m a fan. At this point I’m not even a fan of the movies; statistically speaking the amount of screentime I find frustrating and annoying is beginning to overwhelm the amount of Star Wars movie screentime I enjoy. But I do love the world, I love the setting. There’s a lot to like in the Expanded Universe, and the basic concept of a space opera gone magical is a firm foundation for storytelling.

That said, I’m getting pretty sick and tired of trying to enjoy the Star Wars universe despite the machinations of George Lucas. If you look around the absolutely terrible dialogue in Clone Wars, there was a pretty great experience to be had there. High adventure,  a war story in an evocative setting, and absolutely beautiful imagery. I really like the movie’s artistic sensibility – it was like watching moving concept art, almost. Jabba, particularly, looked really cool. His flabby chin had some scaly definition in the film, resulting in a look not unlike some sort of dragon.

To be honest, I really want to see Lucas done with the world. Give it up, let other people run it from now on. I think it’s a fantastic setting, I think there should be people telling stories there … but I just don’t think he’s the right person to do it anymore. Let some other people deal with it in an intelligent and forward-thinking fashion. Please!

That said, looking twenty years into the future, I can already forsee the ‘re-envisioning’ that will happen after Lucas has stopped meddling. Folks are going to come back to the series to retool, straighten, and strengthen the tatters of story and simply incomprehensible core components. Much as I expect we’ll see Abrhams doing with Star Trek early next year, all it takes is a singular vision to breathe life back into a beloved franchise. I guess I can wait if I have to.

But I don’t wanna.

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July 29th Was a Big Day

Big day for me, generally speaking. Just wanted to make sure I remember.