Spectrum is GREEN!

[annathepiper]

Dude, why didn't somebody TELL me they're remaking Captain Scarlet?! Wow, that trailer looks good. Even if they totally missed out on an opportunity to have it end with an ominous voice intoning, "THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERONS..."

But *whine*, no info yet on the site when this will be airing!

Comments

[annathepiper]

Oh cool, thanks for the tip! We'll have to keep an eye out for that--who knows, at some point maybe we'll be able to get it on DVD. :)

[ii2none59.livejournal.com]

This looks really good. I'll have to keep my eyes open for it! *g*

[annathepiper]

solarbird bought the DVD boxed set of the original Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, and it was a lot of fun. Surprisingly complex storyline for a show where all the action is carried out by puppets! It'll be really cool to see the storyline implemented with CGI and much more mobile and expressive characters. :)

[ii2none59.livejournal.com]

Sort of reminds me of the old Fireball XL-5 show that used to be on TV.

By any chance did you see "Team America: World Police"? It was by the same people that bring you South Park (meaning it was totally irreverant) and in the behind the scenes they said they had no idea that even with CGI, puppets would be so complicated to work.

Of course considering that one particular scene they did...well...never mind. LOL

[annathepiper]

I have indeed seen Team America--recently, even. And Gerry Anderson, the guy who did Captain Scarlet, was specifically one of their inspirations for that thing as I recall. He was a lot better at the puppetry thing than they were. ;)

[ii2none59.livejournal.com]

Well I hope that you won't at least see the darn strings! *g*

[annathepiper]

Ol' Gerry was actually quite good at hiding the strings! There are moments throughout Captain Scarlet where at least for a second or two you almost forget you're watching puppetry, he was that good at it. And the really surprising thing is--there is a lot more character depth than you'd expect for a show where all the cast members are puppets. I mean, Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue and the like are code names, and the characters actually have real names and backstory and everything. And sometimes, the good guys don't even WIN.

Also, THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERONS starting off every episode was just loads of fun in general. ;)

[ii2none59.livejournal.com]

Now THAT is realism! You wouldn't think they'd be so detailed, but that goes to showing how much they care about the characters (even when they're puppets).

Looking forward to catching it...and hoping it just won't be on cable or satellite (I have neither). I hate that.

[annathepiper]

Check out the original Captain Scarlet if you get a chance--you might be able to rent it, perhaps. As for the new one--mylildementor says episodes of that have already aired in Britain, so it'll be anyone's guess as to when we might see it in the States. We'll have to poke around on the Net, solarbird and I, to see if we can track it down.

[ii2none59.livejournal.com]

I'll check Netflix and see. Thanks. Add it to my exploding queue! LOL

[annathepiper]

Heh, you're welcome!

spazzkat's doing the Netflix thing here in our household as well. It's a bit daunting trying to keep up with all of the movies!

[ii2none59.livejournal.com]

Right now I have about 175 movies in my queue...but a lot of those aren't even on DVD yet, just flicks I add as I hear about movies or know I'm not going to see them AT the movies (like Kingdom of Heaven). And there's a few on there that I've seen in the past but would like to rent again, like Citizen Kane (I've also been meaning to add The Samurai Trilogy with Toshiro Mifune; I saw them over a year ago, and I liked them so much, I'd like to see them again). I just deleted about 10 the other day -- movies I figured I'll never care if I see or not, but I just always add more in their place *g*

I'll give Netflix credit for one thing. I've had a chance to see some flicks I doubt Blockbuster carries!

[annathepiper]

So far via Netflix we've seen Finding Neverland, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, a couple of episodes of an old British SF show called The Tomorrow People, Amadeus, The Day After Tomorrow, and a few other things... the tricky part is allocating the time to actually watch all this stuff. I'm not in the habit of regularly watching the TV anymore! I spend a lot more time looking at the computer screen. :)

[ii2none59.livejournal.com]

I spend a LOT of time looking at my computer. LOL In fact, it's helped me to cut down on my TV watching, which is quite good! I have the 4 out at a time rental program...and I gave my mother her own queue so that way she gets 2 movies and I get 2, and if I'm lucky, they time out on my off days so I can watch them then!

[annathepiper]

Yeah, computing has hugely cut down on my TV watching in general. I am often too occupied trying to take care of computer tasks to pay adequate attention to TV--right now the only thing that actively yanks my attention away from my keyboard is Battlestar Galactica, which is intense enough to command complete attention.

Heh, nice that you split the queue up with your mom! spazzkat's done the same, splitting up his queue with solarbird and me, though Dara's added a lot more to the queue than I have.

[ii2none59.livejournal.com]

Well, sometimes she wants to see movies that I had no interesting in renting on my own LOL Then when I realized that I was only getting to watch about two on my off days I thought "Hey...why don't I...?" *g* Now sometimes we have the same tastes in movies, and a few times she's suggested some to me (I just added 'The Lover' to my queue, which is this erotic flick set during in the Twenties during the French involvement in Vietnam); sometimes I suggest some to her (she had me add 'A Very Long Engagement' to hers)...and sometimes...we're not even on the same page!

I decided -- when my computing interests increased -- that it was much more fascinating to IM and check email and surf the Net in general than to see how many more CSI incarnations they could whip up. Right now, I watch more TV at work when we're not busy or I'm not online *g* (we have cable there) and usually that consists of The Iron Chef, other shows on the Food Network, somtimes HGTV, A&E, the History Channel...and Aqua Teen Hunger Force!

[annathepiper]

I think it's actually cooler that your and your mother's tastes don't coincide on everything--that way you get the surprise and interest factor of sometimes discovering something cool you might not otherwise have watched.

Yay, Iron Chef! And sometimes there's good stuff on A&E and the History Channel, indeed.

What we usually watch includes Battlestar Galactica, The Dead Zone, and Lost (Dara and I are still behind on this, we need to get caught up before the new season starts). Dara likes watching household shows like Changing Rooms and Ground Force. Sometimes we'll also check out Mythbusters and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. spazzkat likes Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go, of all things; our Tivo thinks we're a household full of SF nerds with children that watch anime, we think. It keeps throwing us cartoons. ;)

Though really, I think a lot of my TV watching over the next many months is going to be collecting DVDs of my favorite shows. I want to get the boxed sets for MacGyver (seasons 1 and 2 are out), Lois & Clark (season 1 is out, and that's the only season of that show I liked, but oh man Dean Cain was gorgeous), and, most importantly... Remington Steele. :D Mmmmm, Pierce Brosnan!

I also need to get more of Buffy; I've only got the first season so far on DVD. And I need to get the Firefly set as well, since I absolutely adore Firefly!

[ii2none59.livejournal.com]

I had seen the long list of TV shows being released on DVD now. I usually don't collect those -- just movies -- but I love the variety, and at least I figure I can rent some of them from Netflix if I'd like *g*

With there being several of us working at night, we try to find things we all agree on, so Iron Chef goes over quite well, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force got big on our platoon for the oddest reason: one of my coworkers did these really awesome drawings of Frylock, Shake, Meatwad and Dr. Weird and we took the names of the ones we wanted. For some reason I'm Dr. Weird, probably because I play around back in the lab area a lot! LOL (But my hair looks better than his :-P). We also watch a lot of History Channel, Discovery Channel, A&E. Let's face it: it's nice when we can sit around and watch TV! *g* Considering how swamped we've been lately!

[ii2none59.livejournal.com]

I know what I forgot to mention: yes, you're right -- it is nice that my mother and I have varying tastes sometimes when it comes to movies. I was so tickled the other day when she actually asked me if I had added any Toshiro Mifune movies to my queue and I told her about one -- I think it's 'Samurai Assasin' and she said she might watch it sometime.

Wait until you read my thread about her getting me to watch 'Alexander' on her behalf though. She owes me SO BIG TIME for that! LOL

[annathepiper]

Give me a pointer to the Alexander post? I have totally spaced on it, thanks to being surgery girl. :) Was that as awful a movie as I have been led to believe?

Cool about Samurai Assassin, though!

[annathepiper]

Netflix does seem to be fabulous for renting movies and TVs both, indeed. :)

Sounds like you and your platoon get in good TV watching indeed. :) I've seen some of your other posts about your job and gleaned that you work for the Louisville PD... is that right?

[ii2none59.livejournal.com]

I'll have to go through my tags and see if I can find Alexander. If I do, I'll pass it on.

Yes, it was as bad as they said it was. No director should be given that much money, allowed to make a movie that awful and then permitted to keep his DGA membership! LOL Okay...it wasn't "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (but then again, what is?) but it was just so damn pretentious. Even "Gladiator" had a few light moments. I think if anyone had smiled in "Alexander" their faces would have cracked...well, outside the sneaky smile of Angelina Jolie with her Natasha Fatale accent. (I think I joked that I kept waiting for her to say "Alexander...Moose and Squirrel must have hidden the Upsadasium somewhere.").

Oh -- found it: http://www.livejournal.com/users/ii2none59/186217.html and http://www.livejournal.com/users/ii2none59/185928.html. Knew it was around here. That'll cover a lot of it.

It was just muddled to me. Stone uses Anthony Hopkins in some attempt as a Greek Chorus to fill in the blanks and offer commentary. Val Kilmer -- I'm not sure why he was there. Actually, I would have liked to have seen more about his Philip of Macedonia than Farrell's weak performance as Alexander.

Anyway, read on and you'll see. I know one thing. Whereas men would follow Maximus Decimus Meridias to hell and back, Alexander as played by Farrell would be lucky to get his men to go around the block, let alone conquer the known world!

"Samurai Assasin" -- much better *g* It was nice to see a movie that actually told me something of the history of Japan and this particular assasination that started the downfall of the Samurai class. I didn't like "The Last Samurai." It's probably because I'm not a Tom Cruise fan, but I kept thinking 'there's a good movie in here...I just wish I could find it.' "Samurai Assasin" is talky; it's not filled with loads of sword fights, but I thought the political intrigue was fascinating, especially since -- if I understood it all correctly -- the samurai who conspire to assasinate this one official don't realize that his death will lead to the end of what they prize. (And no Tommy Cruise incarnations showed up either *g*).

[ii2none59.livejournal.com]

I was just getting ready to send you a nice reply...and we had a power surge and all my electricity shutdown for about 5 minutes. Not good, but I'm more blessed than the poor folks on the Gulf coast.

I was saying that the reason I was drawn to Netflix was the no deadlines and no late fees, and the convenience of dropping the DVD in the mail whenever you're done. With my schedule it's perfect. I also love the thousands of movies they have. There's no way I could walk into Blockbuster or Hollywood Video and find some obscure silent movie (Blockbuster might have 'Birth of a Nation,' 'Battleship Potemkin' and some Chaplin), or the 9 hour Soviet production of 'War and Peace' or Eisenstein's 'Ivan the Terrible parts 1 and 2.' I *might* find Kurosawa's 'The Seven Samurai' or 'Rashomon,' but I doubt they have the complete Zatoichi series or Lone Wolf and Cub.

The one thing I love about my job is that you never know from day to day what might happen! We can come in and do nothing all shift, and have plenty of time to watch Adult Swim, A&E, History Channel and Discover. Then there are the times when you walk in the door and are hit with a run and you don't stop until it's time to leave! (If then).

I work for what used to be called the Louisville P.D. In the BM days (That's Before Merger LOL). A few years ago Jefferson County government and Louisville government merged to make Louisville Metro, so of course that meant the police had to as well. It's been confusing. It'll probably be confusing for the next 10 years LOL The only thing our unit did was get more busy cause we have more territory to cover to get to scenes now (I'd never driven 25 miles ONE WAY to make the holdup of a McDonald's!!)

[annathepiper]

Yick, power surges!

RIGHT, I remember hearing about Louisville and Jefferson County merging into one entity.

And okay--so humor me here, since I'm slow on the uptake being Surgery Girl this week--you're a cop? Just trying to understand what you actually do. :) I've never chatted with anyone who works for a police department before. (Well, aside from the guy they had to come address Writer's Weekend in 2004... he worked for the Bellevue Police Department, and he's the guy they have go give interviews and such... he gave a nifty talk to us writers about various and sundry popular misconceptions about what police actually do. It was very cool. I don't know yet if it'll ever be useful to my writing since I don't plan to write anything where it would be pertinent, but one never knows what might come in handy!)

[ii2none59.livejournal.com]

First off -- HELLO SURGERY GIRL AND BEST WISHES TO YOU. Get some rest; watch some movies (Do you have your Extended Edition of Gladiator yet? I'm a bit behind on the news myself).

Yep...Louisville and Jefferson County merged into one enormous entity (reminds me of an ep on South Park *eg*).

I'm not a cop. I'm a civilian, even though I wear -- as I always call it -- "an ugly blue uniform." *g* I don't carry a gun or a TASER (TASER would be cool though LOL); don't have arrest powers.

My job title is Civilian Evidence Technician, which is a Crime Scene Technician, and I've worked for the police department for 19 years and in the Evidence Technician Unit (ETU) for 16, and I've been a certified trainer for about 6 years now.

What usually happens is that we're called out to various crime scenes (murders, physical assaults that could be life threatening, police involved shootings, sexual assaults of adults and children, business robberies, burglaries, carjackings, etc.) and at the direction of a lead detective or police officer, we photograph the scenes, videotape them (if a murder), fingerprint if needed and collect, preserve and transport evidence from the scene. Sometimes the cops or detectives bring the evidence directly to us as there's really not a scene per se (an item to be fingerprinted such as a plastic wrapped bag of cocaine or pot; a victim's rape kit). But we're responsible for the chain of custody and writing reports that detail every single thing we did as part of the case (I've literally handwritten 10 page reports in one sitting). We also write the requests to have evidence submitted to the State Lab for analysis. If you're on daywork, you attend autopsies of cases we're working and also transport the evidence to and from the Lab. We testify in court as well. (Which is the subject of my current rantings LOL).

So unlike CSI where they never seem to take a note and recall everything from memory; the women dress like hookers and DNA results are back in 5 minutes or less or the pizza's free, I'm in the real thing...and I think CSI and all those other make-believe shows are HILARIOUS! I've worked 24 hours straight or spent an entire shift doing nothing. I've had perps nearly spit on me; a suspected rapist wink at me; a suspected murderer flirt with me, and gone home smelling of smoke from a house fire! Maggots are virtually indestructible and fingerprint powder may cause cancer....And the job is still one of the coolest around!