January 16, 2007
Brannon Braga Must Die!
Just watch the last episode of the cancelled science-fiction television series Threshold after wasting hours and hours of your life on the previous nine episodes. That's all I'm saying. See how he ties up the storylines. If you don't feel like killing executive producer/writer Braga, you're a better man than I am, Gunga Din.
Posted by oko at 07:49 PM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2004
The Next Generation is so over
After six months of extremely dedicated television viewing, I've finally finished watching every single episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (from now on, known as "TNG"). I was always a fan of Star Trek the original series (from now on, known as "TOS"), but I had never paid any attention to any of the TV sequels. So why did I start on this arduous undertaking, why did I decide to commit some 176 hours of my life to a show that's been off the air for a decade?
Well, a big part of it was due to the fact that I had just watched every episode of TOS, and I wanted to see McCoy, Spock, and Scotty again, since they all made guest appearances on the newer series, and I wanted to see how TNG treated the characters (not very well, as it turned out). But an even bigger part is that I'm unemployed (AKA a freelance writer) and I've got the time to give such a time-consuming project.
After the horrible first season of TNG, I was thinking of giving up, but I still had the Spock two-parter to watch (which turned out to be crappy). I hated dweeby Wesley Crusher, eye-roll-inducing psychobabbler Deanna Troi, and creepy woman-stalker Geordi La Forge. I thought Jean-Luc Picard had about as much charisma as a damp popsicle stick compared to the kickass babe magnet known as Captain Kirk. But after a while, the characters actually started growing on me: Data and Worf were kinda fun, and the Borg were kinda interesting, too.
And now that I've seen the well written and touching last episode, I'm sad my ordeal is over. I still don't think TNG's characters are as interesting, iconic, or funny as the original trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, but I grew to like them. In my case, familiarity bred affection. TNG lacked the humor (mostly campy) of TOS, and had a P.C. earnestness about it that was sometimes grating, but the characters (and actors portraying them) seemed to genuinely like and respect each other. And after seven years' worth of character development, there was enough back story that you felt you really knew these people, and cared about what happened to them.
So I'm done, it's all over, and, thank God, I finally don't have to watch Star Trek anymore. Until my DVDs of Deep Space Nine start rolling in. Hey, I need to know what happens to Worf!
Posted by oko at 02:24 AM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2004
Earthsea earthsucked
I pity the fools who watched the SciFi Channel's adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin's classic Earthsea novels. I pity myself because I was one of them, wasting four hours of my life on a teen-angst-ridden piece of trash that bore little resemblance to the original. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement - I hated it, from the unnecessary plot changes to the manufactured romance to the odd grunge-inspired little woven cap that the charisma-less actor who played Ged wore. Anyway, I guess I'm not the only one disappointed. See Ursula K. Le Guin's complaint at Slate.
Posted by oko at 06:10 AM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2004
A fantastic list of fantasy books
In no particular order (except for my number one), my favorite fantasy series are (drum roll please). . .
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
These books have had a seminal influence on my life - people may say they're not particularly well written, but they hold an irresistible fascination for me, and they remain my favorite fantasy series of all time.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
'Nuff said, the book that launched a thousand imitators, none of them even coming close to the beauty, grandeur, and melancholy of the original.
The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Undeniably derivative yet undeniably touching.
The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper
I've recently reread the series, and was mildly disappointed, but the second book, The Dark is Rising, still kicks ass.
The Chrestomanci Series by Dianna Wynne Jones
Dianna Wynne Jones is seriously undervalued as a writer; she's funny, talented, and wildly creative, and she came up with a series of novels of kid-wizards at a wizards' training school 25 years before you-know-who.
The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin
The novels have grown smaller and slightly darker in scope, and are more human and less fantastic than the original trilogy I read as a child. The last two books are all growed-up, but does that mean I have to like them more? I don't.
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
If it weren't for the sheer imagination and exuberance of the first two books, which I loved, I wouldn't even have this series listed, because I hated the concluding volume The Amber Spyglass so much.
Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen by Garth Nix
A more recent series of complexly plotted fantasy novels with a World War I vibe that I thought were very good, especially the characterization of the Disreputable Dog.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
I normally stay away fron big, fat, metallic-foil covered paperback high-fantasy blockbusters of the Robert Jordan variety, but I have to admit, the first three books of the saga (another three or four are to come) were compulsively readable, with plenty of colorful, scheming characters, perverse plot twists, and gory battles involving the living dead.
The Harry Potter Juggernaut by J.K. Rowling
I almost didn't put these in, because I think there are so many other better fantasy novels and I'm so sick of the whole Potter media empire, but who am I kidding, I'm just as addicted as the nine-year-old next door.
Posted by oko at 02:42 PM | Comments (0)
