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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
I'm only writing about this because I was telling Donna last night about this awful movie I was watching on the SyFy channel yesterday and suddenly began to wonder why it bugged me so much.
I found the movie by accident as I was flipping channels: something about a huge shark and a huge octopus, and the scientist and his young and attractive student who were helping the Navy fight them. The first thing I noticed was that the inside of the sub didn't look anything like a sub. The crew didn't look anything like U.S. sailors, and weren't even in proper uniform. The sub models for the underwater scenes were awful. When the shark and the octopus finally started fighting, they obviously used the same shots several times, even to doing a mirror-image of one to try to stretch out the sequence. Blah blah blah. I can understand low-budget productions; no problem there. I certaily remember the Japanese Godzilla movies from the 60's. But in this day and age, I have to wonder why the SyFy channel, which is owned by NBC Universal, would be making stuff like this. Besides the fact that some companies are willing to sponsor them. To make matters worse, I was looking around the SyFy Web site later and decided to check out a few clips from other films. Unbelievable. Okay, so if I thought it was so bad, why did I watch it? It was one of those things where I had to, just because I couldn't believe it. Rant over.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
You were watching a channel where they think "SyFy" is a legitimate abbreviation!
Somewhere Harlan Ellison is screaming!
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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Cliffg37 Inner circle Long Beach, CA 2491 Posts |
I can't speak to the why's of this, but I will point out that for whatever reason, The Syfi Channel seems to live on low budget horror that is reminiscent of the 1950's movies, most of which started with a nuclear test enlarging some creature, or a nuclear bomb waking one up. These movies are not good. Yet Syfi keeps showing them which means...
a) there is an audience for them and companies are buying commercial time b) lots of unknown actors and actresses are getting screen time without an "R" rating c) Each movie seems to give work to one washed up has been actor d) maybe some executive likes this stuff. Personally, I seldom watch the movie on that channel. It just is not for me.
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right! |
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
You have four good points, Cliff; like a Fox Network news director told me years ago, a news program nowadays is just a way to bring an audience to an advertiser.
If I can go back to my rant for a couple of lines: I have no problem with low-budget productions. Geez, the original Star Trek series, American Graffitti, Star Wars, and lots of other movies had low budgets, yet were very well done. Long before the days of computer graphics. Being in the entertainment business, I just find it hard to understand why somebody would produce this kind of stuff. And we talk about bad magicians giving people the wrong idea about magic. End of rant. Again.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
I hate it when they get the military stuff wrong, the Navy more than anything. I mean, at least make the actors get a haircut. I also get angry with the press when they call enlisted people 'officers' to give them more validation when they are in the photo showing rank.
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Doug Higley 1942 - 2022 7152 Posts |
Leave out most of the sci-fi done in the 50's. Much of it made by real film makers and a lot of fun for us at the time. Also the spring board for MOST of the
icons of the recent age as well. While the SyFy channel IS GUILTY the ultimate rant needs be directed toward The Asylum. A terrible poverty row movie grinder that has ZERO interest in making a decent film...turns out TRASH by the dump load (look 'em up, The Asylum). Originally started to cheat old ladies at the vid counter by getting a similar name title on the shelf just before a REAL release occured in the theaters. Snakes On A Plane in theaters...Snakes On A Train in the super market the day before courtesy of The Asylum. They make crap with total distain for the audience...HOWEVER...young film makers are being hired and are getting experience with the quickies this oputfit turns out by the ton. A friend of mine just wrapped on their latest rip=off...are you ready??? TITANIC 2. The Asylum found a deep pocket sucker in the SyFy Channel. If you see ASYLUM on the lead title card...SWITCH the clicker. There isn't a chance it's worth watching or even comprehensable.
Higley's Giant Flea Pocket Zibit
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MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
The former gay guy on my couch (he is still gay he is just not on my couch, I did steal his dog back though...) was addicted to scifi channel movies. If the thing had croc in the title he had to watch it and he'd sit and say "why am I watching this again?" and none of us knew why....
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Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
Wait till you see what they did to "Princess of Mars" this Saturday. Or is that one old news too? Seems like Roger Corman / film school stuff with a little cgi is the new standard.
...to all the coins I've dropped here
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Dreadnought Special user Athens, Georgia 836 Posts |
The bulk of these SyFy channel original movies are garbage. I'm with Santa, the military stuff is just too stupid to be true. I'm tired of seeing Army Rangers, Special Forces and Navy Seal teams with gun toting women, it's garbage and is nowhere near realistic. And like Santa stated...give them a *** military haircut! AND TEACH THEM PROPER RADIO USAGE!!!! YOU DO NOT SAY OUT TO THE HIGHER RANKING PERSON!!!
Peace and Godspeed.
Peace
"Ave Maria gratia plena Dominus tecum..." Scott Would you do anything for the person you love? |
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-05-31 11:42, ed rhodes wrote: Apparently they tried to copyright "SciFi" but were denied, the argument being that "SciFi" is in the public domain. |
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MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
I can see that, the term SciFi has been around a looooong time.
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stoneunhinged Inner circle 3067 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-05-31 13:08, Cliffg37 wrote: This reminds me of a trip to the States four or five years ago. I was at my sisters house watching the Sci-Fi channel (when did they start calling it Syfi?), and Species 2 came on. So anyway, since I hadn't lived in the States for a decade, I had no idea whether the movies on that channel were censored or not. But watching the first ten or fifteen minutes I decided they were not, since I saw lots of R-rated gore. So I settled in on the sofa (does that make me gay?) for the whole movie, primarily with the singular purpose of seeing Natasha Henstridge nude...which was for me the whole point of the original Species...and when scenes came that I thought would include nudity, there was none. I sat through the whole movie, waiting for nudity, and there was none. But I couldn't be sure, of course, since I hadn't seen Species 2 before. I got home, used the Internet, and found that there was indeed nudity involved. So, we have this: you can, on the syfi channel, show people using 45s and shotguns to splatter aliens (who look exactly like humans!) apart (gore all over the white walls), but...you cannot show a woman's breasts. Sorry, folks, but that is just stupid. I can understand those who think that a woman's breasts shouldn't be shown on television (though I vehemently disagree with them), but I *cannot* understand why those breasts should be more destructive to the morals of our youth than viewing the gore involved in blowing someone's head into a pile of red, jelly-like particles onto otherwise unadorned walls. Perhaps someone can explain this to me someday. Until then, I will always view the syfi channel as a censor's monstrosity, where gratuitous violence is good, and a woman's breasts (the source of life to the most innocent) are bad. |
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Scott Cram Inner circle 2678 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-05-31 13:30, George Ledo wrote: The primary function of TV news, as with everything else on TV, has always been a way to bring an audience to an advertiser. You say "nowadays" as if that fact changed at some point in the past. Quote:
On 2010-06-01 01:12, S2000magician wrote: I had to double check on the internet to see for myself – they actually call it "SyFy" now?!? I thought George was just trying to be funny! |
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Pakar Ilusi Inner circle 5777 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-06-01 02:53, stoneunhinged wrote: Truer words have never been spoken!
"Dreams aren't a matter of Chance but a matter of Choice." -DC-
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-06-01 03:18, Scott Cram wrote: Hmmmm... good point. I don't remember if she said nowadays or not. That may be my word, not hers.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-06-01 13:06, George Ledo wrote: A newspaper journalist once told me that his job was to keep the advertisements from clanging together. John
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
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ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
Quote:
"Blakes 7." Paul Darrow once said they could almost do an entire season on what one episode of Star Trek TOS cost! Quote:
TITANIC 2. I can beat that, Doug. My kid found no less than TWO animated features based on the sinking of the Titanic. One is pretty much a remake of "Cinderella" (with, I am not kidding here, a rapping dog!) while the other actually explains that NO ONE DIED! The friendly sea creatures and the poor innocent giant octopus that had been tricked into sinking the ship in the first place saved them all! YAY!
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
I'd be curious as to how the Blakes 7 budget compared to Star Trek TOS, especially later (season 3?) when TOS's budget was slashed by about 10%. I've never seen Blakes 7; maybe I can find an episode online?
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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Clock Elite user Los Angeles, CA 460 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-05-31 11:19, George Ledo wrote: That's why. It's made to made to people go, "What the hell is this crap? I have to watch this train wreck. This is so bad! Honey, come take a look at this!" It was never intended to be a good movie. They knew exactly what they were making... and the reason you watched it is why they made it. |
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ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
Let me tell you one thing about "Blakes 7," They had a starship which would travel through space. On "Star Trek," this consisted of filming the Enterprise on a blue screen with the ship bolted down and the camera would simulate the movement, then they'd matte the Enterprise against a starfield.
"Blakes 7" would put the "Liberator" onto a dolly and film it being dragged across a painting of a starfield. I am not kidding. There was at least one instance where the dolly hit something and we watched the starship "wobble" through space!
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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