What Have You Watched Recently?

[ghost-angel]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

As a question' date=' why don't you like Xander?[/quote']

 

Up until the current season I found him to be an annoying child who simply refused and was unwilling to get over himself. Incompetence through self-absorbing pity is annoying. He's coming out pretty cool in Season5 though, growing up finally. Now it's just Buffy's annoying emotional outbursts I can dislike.

[Narf the Mouse]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

It seems to me like the writer's didn't know what to do with him - Is he an ordinary guy with a dark streak who covers it with humour, or is he a clown who can barely manage? He seems to flip-flop between the two definitions too much. Hard to make a good character out of that.

[Bazza]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Up until the current season I found him to be an annoying child who simply refused and was unwilling to get over himself. Incompetence through self-absorbing pity is annoying. He's coming out pretty cool in Season5 though' date=' growing up finally. Now it's just Buffy's annoying emotional outbursts I can dislike.[/quote']

By season 7, to me anyway, Xander, not Buffy nor Willow, has become the hero of the series.

 

What's your opinion on Giles?

[kahuna's bro]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

iron man 2

five repulsors out of five

[ghost-angel]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

By season 7, to me anyway, Xander, not Buffy nor Willow, has become the hero of the series.

 

What's your opinion on Giles?

 

Xander is definitely forming into the core of the groups emotional stability. Which is nice to see him getting some direction and consistency of character. I think Narf is right - they spent too many seasons not knowing what to do with the character.

 

Giles is consistently Giles; It helps that Anthony Steward Head is easily the best actor on the show, but the writers seem to have made sure Giles does not randomly change to suit the story. He has his moment of existential crisis, comes out of it, and moves on. The consistency of character is nice.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Giles is consistently Giles; It helps that Anthony Steward Head is easily the best actor on the show' date=' but the writers seem to have made sure Giles does not randomly change to suit the story. He has his moment of existential crisis, comes out of it, and moves on. The consistency of character is nice.[/quote']

 

 

Is also helps that he has the best song in the musical episode

 

 

Head made a guest appearance on Doctor Who in 2006. When he was first cast everyone thought he'd be cast as the Doctor's arch-nemesis the Master. Turned out he was the sinister headmaster (like the principal) of a private school. IMHO he would have been a better choice for the Master than they guy they got a year later, John Sims.

 

 

Although Derek Jacobi's brief turn as the Master was suitably chilling.

 

[Haven Walkur]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Mr. Head is a very good actor; he always brings at least a little dignity and reality to the most ridiculous, clichéd characters. I loathe Joss Whedon like poison and plague combined, but I'd still sometimes watch the repellent Buffy the Vampire (s)Layer just to see Anthony Head's turn as Giles.

 

And as the Repo Man/loving-father-with-a-dark-secret in Repo: A Genetic Opera -- Head was phenomenal, alternating between his character's dual personas and singing by turns as the anguished father and the bloody and amoral professional man. Menace and heartbreak alternated in Head's wonderful voice as he managed to realise both sides of his character, imbuing this sort-of comicbook figure with emotional reality and sometimes-alarming intensity.

 

In short...oh, he's good in this. He's really good.

 

And if you've ever wanted to see Head play/sing eeevil...look no further than the Repo Man.

[Bazza]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Xander is definitely forming into the core of the groups emotional stability. Which is nice to see him getting some direction and consistency of character. I think Narf is right - they spent too many seasons not knowing what to do with the character.

 

Giles is consistently Giles; It helps that Anthony Steward Head is easily the best actor on the show, but the writers seem to have made sure Giles does not randomly change to suit the story. He has his moment of existential crisis, comes out of it, and moves on. The consistency of character is nice.

I like Giles and agree Anthony Head is a great actor. He is the reason I started watching Merlin.

[ghost-angel]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

At this point - I am taking issue with the idea the Joss Whedon simply does not believe that anyone is capable of a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship, and if it appears two characters are then one of them dies.

 

It gets tiresome to have every couple end in tragedy, and takes the emotional punch out of the whole thing. Tragedy works best if there's a Happy to compare it to - and he never ever provides that for more than fleeting moments, which undermines the whole thing.

[Narf the Mouse]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Joss Whedon's fame exceeds his skill, IMO.

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Joss Whedon's fame exceeds his skill' date=' IMO.[/quote']

 

... But not necessarily his ego.

 

Note that I'm a big fan of 'Firefly' / 'Serenity', but am not blind to his flaws.

 

At least partially, I see JW as like some other talents (alleged or otherwise) in various fields. Basically, they did very good stuff early on (perhaps too good, too early), and then subsequently decided that everything they have done since can only be better.

[lapsedgamer]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

By season 7, to me anyway, Xander, not Buffy nor Willow, has become the hero of the series.

 

What's your opinion on Giles?

 

To me Xander was always the hero. He was was always the guy who had to overcome the most handicaps, and he was always the guy who got knocked down. He was also always the guy who kept getting up and facing down odds that could not have been less in his favor. I used to root for Willow too, but she became a power in her own right eventually and did not need me for moral support.

 

I know you weren't asking me, but Giles was always the one you could count on for common sense solutions. He was actually a hell of a coach/father figure too, right up until he realized that Buffy had surpassed her need for him. At which point, he did the smart thing and faded into the background.

 

... But not necessarily his ego.

 

Note that I'm a big fan of 'Firefly' / 'Serenity', but am not blind to his flaws.

 

At least partially, I see JW as like some other talents (alleged or otherwise) in various fields. Basically, they did very good stuff early on (perhaps too good, too early), and then subsequently decided that everything they have done since can only be better.

 

I think it is too early in his life to say that he has peaked. He has had three very good series (though one was on the Internet) and a movie that came out of nowhere to be the best genre movie of that year. He's no slouch, and he still has years of working life left to him.

[Bazza]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

At this point - I am taking issue with the idea the Joss Whedon simply does not believe that anyone is capable of a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship, and if it appears two characters are then one of them dies.

 

It gets tiresome to have every couple end in tragedy, and takes the emotional punch out of the whole thing. Tragedy works best if there's a Happy to compare it to - and he never ever provides that for more than fleeting moments, which undermines the whole thing.

True, but as I understand it from his point of view, it is not "real life" but a drama series, and thus needs conflict to create tension. I'm still really annoyed about what happened to Buffy's mum. I'll leave it at that not to spoil it further.

[kahuna's bro]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

x-play and aots

x-play is in reruns all week?how come

[Bazza]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

clash of the titans, with Harry Hamlin.

[kahuna's bro]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

moby dick the sinister sea saucer

[Bazza]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Sophia Returning a doco.

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

I think it is too early in his life to say that he has peaked. He has had three very good series (though one was on the Internet) and a movie that came out of nowhere to be the best genre movie of that year. He's no slouch' date=' and he still has years of working life left to him.[/quote']

 

I am not saying JW has peaked. But my impression is that he thinks everything he does can only be better than previous efforts. And it isn't, necessarily - just like the rest of us.

[Sweeper]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Crisis of Two Earths. Mark Harmond was mis-cast into Superman. He's definately Batman

[Susano]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Wuxia fest at my place: The Warlords, The Good The Bad The Weird, Mr Vampire

[kahuna's bro]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

some 1960's marvel super-heroes

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

The latest batch from Netflix consisted of

Barbarella, Everything is Illuminated, and Drag Me to Hell

[kahuna's bro]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

gi joe arise serpenmtor arise

[Enforcer84]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

• Cheeky - Italian sex farce not good but plenty of pretty naked women so for 90 minutes I was amused
  
• Serendipity - Hmmm I am not too hard to please, am a big fan of John Cusack, Eugene Levy, and Jeremy Piven, and a pretty girl with a British accent is good too. They guy playing her fiance is great, wish I could remember his name. It was exactly what I thought it would be. Enjoyed it.
  
• You Don't Mess with the Zohan - it was too long. Had some funny jokes that "oddly enough" went too long and lost their luster. I did enjoy seeing all the people in the film, Mrs Garret from Different Strokes and the Facts of Life! I think it would be a hoot to be in an Adam Sandler film. Watching them can occasionally be painful. This was one of those.
  
• Raising Helen - it was on while I was riding the exercise bike. Giggled here and there. Joan Cusack is also fun to watch. The musician from Serendipity was in it...father Dan and again, didn't disappoint.
  
• Russell Brand in New York City - funny. I like him.
  

[kahuna's bro]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

watching now the shadow