“There is nothing wrong with your web browser. Do not attempt to adjust the monitor. I control the horizontal. I control the vertical. I control the lack of proper grammar. For the next few minutes sit quietly, for you are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the shock and awe which reaches from the inner mind to...The Ramblings of Marx.”

Welcome to the second installment of…The Ramblings of Marx. This is where I ramble about everything related (and sometimes not so much) to science fiction & fantasy. I know, I know, it has taken awhile for this second installment, but I’ve been darn tootin busy. I promise that in the future it will come out on a weekly (or so) basis.

Here are the topics I shall brave today:

To Return or Not To Return

It has been a bloody cut this year. So, what will be back next season?

Here is the breakdown so far…

Medium…Doesn’t Stand For Medium Quality

Have you seen Medium yet? If not, what are you waiting for? I was very reluctant when I first heard about this series. I mean…a series about a psychic mom doesn’t exactly sound thrilling when you first hear it. Plus, even though I enjoy reading about paranormal phenomenon, I had a hard time with the ‘based on a true person’ bit about the series. And hey, we already have one psychic on TV…and nobody can touch my man Johnny Smith.

But I tried the series out and I’m impressed. It started a little rough at first, but has really developed into a good series. The acting is great. Especially by Patricia Arquette & Jake Weber. The banter between these two is really great and the kids are even fun to watch. They actually act like kids and are cute acting. The series is darker than I first thought it would be, but it creates an interesting contrast between the family life and the crime investigation cases.

So, if you haven’t checked out this series yet, then check out the re-runs and be sure to catch season 2 this fall.

Joan of Arcadia has fallen…

I’m sorry to hear that Joan of Arcadia was canceled. I love the cast, but didn’t see this season. Alas I was waiting for the DVD to see season 2…perhaps everyone else was too (ouch). I hope the actors are quickly snatched up. Perhaps Michael Welch can return as young Jack on Stargate SG-1. Hey, you can’t get Richard Dean Anderson back, then replace him with his younger clone. Sounds logical to me…right?

Dead Like Me Pronounced Dead

I’m also very, very sad to hear that Dead Like Me was canceled. Ok, not “you killed Angel…you bastard” kind of upset, but still disappointed. I haven’t seen season 2 yet, waiting for the DVD, but I loved season 1. What sayeth you? Did season 2 go downhill or did Showtime make a big mistake?

Point Pleasant…What Was The Point?

Poor Marti Noxon. She is a great writer; we saw that in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But she is still a little wet behind the ears on creating a television series. This series was almost certain to be canceled by FOX from the beginning. Hell (no pun intended), she admitted it herself in an interview weeks before it was announced.

"I'm pretty much counting on not coming back," Noxon said in an interview. "Our numbers make North Shore look like a hit. That sucks, but I've gotten past the pain."

I watched this series and I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn’t get into it. Don’t get me wrong, it is an ok series and has lots of potential. There are some really great actors, like Richard Burgi (The Sentinel), Dina Meyer (Birds of Prey), Grant Show (Melrose Place - Hey, how can I not like Grant Show, we share the same birthday after all), Elisabeth Harnois, and Clare Carey (Coach). I think the one big thing that screamed out to me as a problem is the lack of ‘flow.’ I know that lots of things happen per episode, but I can’t seem to remember what, because each episode is just a stream of sub-plots for the overall story arc. The episode, ‘Last Dance’ I think demonstrated the best way to write the episodes. Yes, we had the contining plot of Boyd trying to push Christina over to the darkside and the love triangle of Christina, Jesse, and Paula. But, this episode stands out because it dealt with one major event, the charity dance. It also had flash backs that developed Lucus Boyd. So, I can always go, remember that dance episode. I can’t do that with any of the other episodes and that makes me feel like nothing happens per episode. I know that isn’t true, but hey I can’t fight human nature.

Perhaps the writing team should take inspiration from Battlestar Galactica. It is a series that has a continuing story that has many sub-plots that continue from episode to episode, but we have a major plot that is handled each episode (being attacked every 33 minutes, searching for water, fighting for fuel, interrogating a Clyon prisoner, the search for Starbuck, etc). Or perhaps take inspiration from Lost which has the continuing plot line of the mysteries on the island, but each episode also focuses on one character and a past event that fleshes out the character more.

Again, it is too bad that it didn’t work out. Perhaps Marti Noxon (and the other writers) can learn something from this to help in future projects. It is too bad that they couldn’t wrap up some major plot lines before FOX canceled them. Yet again another pattern in the serial SF series killer called FOX.

Which Will Fall This Fall?

So, we have six new SF series confirmed for Fall 2005. Which do you think will last or fall? Perhaps one of these will be the next Star Trek, Stargate, or X-Files. Perhaps they will all be canceled after a few episodes and be remembered only by their DVD release showing those precious unaired episodes.

Here is my predictions so far. Bear in mind I haven’t seen much of these series yet, so it could change quickly when I see their pilots.

I have high hopes for Night Stalker, Invasion, and Supernatural. I’m 50/50 on Fathom right now. I have doubts about Ghost Whisperer and Threshold.

Night Stalker and Supernatural both look great, so far. Containing elements that made X-Files such a hit, yet different enough to be their own beasts of franchise bliss. I was a fan of the original Night Stalker, so I’m excited to see the re-make. It looks darker and has a number of changes, but I’m not scared. Look how great Battlestar Galactica turned out, so maybe, just maybe this will be a big hit. Supernatural just sounds cool and two excellent actors (from Gilmore Girls and Smallville fame) that will be great for these roles…nuff said.

Invasion has the mega-hit Lost as a lead in, so that is a big plus right there. Maybe not so good for Alias, but great for Invasion. The concept, what little we know so far, sounds interesting and could be a great hook for the Lost fans to keep tuned in.

I don’t know what to think of Fathom yet, from what little I do know. They have a big budget, which means the pilot looks awesome, but if those ratings don’t hit big, then expect this series to sink fast.

Threshold’s concept sounds really interesting and it has a really great cast (Brent Spiner, Carla Gugino, and others). But the rumblings on the web about the pilot haven’t been very positive and I’m cautious about any series that Brannon Braga (of Star Trek: Enterprise un-fame) is involved in. But, we do have David S. Goyer on board behind the scenes. Goyer kicked buttocks with Batman Begins and don’t forget Blade 1 & 2 (don’t get me started on Blade: Trinity), so lets hope he can save Threshold from the Braga curse – “resistance is futile”. To be fair, perhaps Braga just needed something non-Star Trek to get his creative juices flowing again, but we shall see…

I don’t know what to think of Ghost Whisperer. I like Jennifer Love Hewitt, but the series sounds too much like Medium. Ok, she is younger, no kids, and doesn’t work with the police. So, what does her character do with the ability to see ghosts? If it just becomes a drama with that one supernatural element, it runs the risk of losing fans later, like Joan of Arcadia did. It is a difficult balancing act that Medium pulled off, and it may be too hard for Ghost Whisperer to repeat.

Batman Begins Begins A New Legacy

I saw Batman Begins last weekend. I give it a A-. It is without a doubt the best Batman movie ever. The creative changes they made to Batman’s origin were great. The script was great, the actors were fantastic, the directing was excellent, and to cut it short…Batman Begins kicks Bat-butt. My only complaint is that the action scenes were pulled in way too close, too often. I get the symbolism of how choatic combat is and how the combat mirrored the choas of the bats that scared a young Bruce Wayne, but it was overdone. As a martial artist and fan of action films I get really annoyed when I can’t clearly tell what is going on in combat. Why work so hard on the fight choreography if you are going to hide it? So, perhaps the movie would have been a little better if they could have pulled back the camera for some of the fights. Pulling in the camera is a great effect, but everything good can be overdone.

Will there be a sequel? To me, it is a no-brainer. The critics loved it, the fans loved it, and it did great in the box office, especially for a year that is turning out to be a slump for overall movie ticket sales. So, the question really is, who would you like to see play the Joker?

Blade: Trinity…Three Strikes Your Out?

First off, I loved Blade 1 & 2. But I just watched Blade: Trinity and I’m left with the feeling of “what happened to Blade?” I give it a C+. Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds were great, perhaps the only saving grace to the movie. Reynolds left me with no doubt that he could be Flash in the upcoming Flash movie. He has perfect timing for humor and action. Snipes was lacking in his acting this time around. Was it his fault or the script? We may never know. I do know that the script was poor. The villians were way over the top. I liked Dominic Purcell (boy did he bulk up – “Dominic can you tell me what your workout plan was?”) in John Doe and he did well with what he was given, but Drake was underused and abused by the writers. Don’t get me started on the other crappy vamps. So, the film is definitely worth watching if your fan of Blade like me, but it will disappoint. Not as bad of a disappointment as Highlander II or Endgame was for Highlander fans, but disappoint it shall. The good: the Nightstalkers and the dog scene (really funny). The bad: the script and the “lets make this scene look like a music video” method was way, way overused here.

It Is Done – Or…Now Ramble About My Ramblings

My rambling is almost over, but don’t let me stop you. Jump on over to the message board and post your response to my ramblings or just ramble about something else science fiction & fantasy related. So, that’s it. It’s done. Goodbye, paalom, hasta la vista, lehit, bai bai, tchau…will you stop reading? Later.

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