Watching Part Threes: Skipping To The End

This weekend is probably the last quiet summer house sitting weekend of the summer. House sitting all summer has been like a long writer's retreat. I get to be alone with my thoughts, hammer out plot points out loud and Mystery Theatre 3000 my way through films both good and bad.

Writing has been the focus of my time here, and I've gotten a lot done. Some of Broadcast 7 has already been scrapped, but that happens when you're writing off the map. There's always waste in experimentation. Most of what I've written is being kept, so it's going well. My white board tells me that I have one chapter to draft this weekend, so I'll be finishing that and then having a "Part Three Marathon" where I watch the final parts of trilogies.

On the list so far I have Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (I liked part 4, but I see it as a glorious addendum, and the word quadrilogy isn't in my vocabulary), Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, The Matrix Revolutions, Return of the Jedi, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and maybe something else if there's time. Why these films? Well, they're on hand, I saw each of them in the theatre, and they're different kinds of adventure films that sum up their stories pretty well.

When I was in the middle of Broadcast 6 I did the same thing, only with middle movies, or part twos of trilogies, and a funny thing happened. I realized that nothing I saw reminded me of what I was writing, but it gave my brain a nice long break. That break led to the Wheeler appearance, and for those of you who have read Broadcast 6, you know how important that was. Sadly, watching middle movies didn't accomplish what I was hoping for: a kind of calibration or certainty in how I wanted to handle the ending. My editor had to step in and work with me on that, and things worked out fairly well as far as I'm concerned.

I'd like to say that I'm looking for some kind of calibration while watching the endings of all these trilogies, but that's just not the case. While writing Broadcast 7 I have such a distinct feeling of being way off the map, creating something I've never seen anywhere else on a big scale. I'm thinking that watching these films will most likely just be a brain break, and I'll probably be pretty fresh on Tuesday. The chapter my white board says I'll be writing then could be pretty entertaining, and I'm looking forward to digging in!

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and takes some time to relax!

RL

[Anyone care to name their favourite trilogy?]

Lawrence Fishburne On CSI: CSI Revitalized?

CSI Vegas (the first CSI from which all others spun), has had its ups and downs both behind the scenes and in front of the camera.

To be honest it's one of my favorite shows along with CSI: New York. In addition to that, Grissom was one of my favorite characters on television. I enjoyed his character because of his struggles, triumphs, and the nemesis that followed his long term story.

I have to admit,though sadly, that it started to look like the Grissom character was starting to get a little old and I'm not speaking in terms of years. It's not because of the excellent actor behind that character, but the writing. I'm sure I wasn't alone in having the feeling that Grissom was being drawn off to better pastures. I approve the current destiny for that character, I like where he ended up. I won't give it away, you'll have to go watch a re-run on your own or buy this season's DVD set when it comes out.

Enter Fishburne, someone who is beloved to millions of science fiction fans of both mild mannered and fanatic variety. It is difficult not to recall his character, Morpheus, from the Matrix films. In fact I recall him fondly as I glance over to the Matrix Ultimate Edition Bluray discs, one of the only Bluray sets I ever plan on owning (I'm not a Bluray or Sony enthusiast, but hey, they were a gift).

Lawrence Fishburn plays Dr Raymond Langston, a professor who aids Grissom in an investigation in two episodes before starring in The Grave Shift, the first episode in the series with him in the lead of this ensemble cast. This episode isn't a reboot of the series, but re-introduces us to a job that has been depicted in a fairly jaded manner on CSI over the last couple years. Langston is a newbie that finds himself repulsed by many things that would repulse the audience if we were in his position. He learns things most of the viewing public wouldn't necessarily know, and walks us through re-introductions to many of the other mainstay characters while initiating the early steps of friendship, light rivalry and finding his place in the pecking order; somewhere in the middle.

I enjoyed the trip, seeing the good Doctor start to connect with characters all us CSI watchers are so familiar. In fact I think we're perhaps a little too familliar with some of these characters and take many of them for granted as a result. This is an episode about Langston's first day at work, and it's written so the audience experiences that with him. I enjoyed it.

As for Lawrence Fishburn's performance, he didn't disappoint me. Langston isn't Morpheus. He's a little stiff, much like his character from the Matrix but he shows more concern, reacts much more openly to the people around him and comes with that 'new guy smell' as I like to call it. He makes a few strides of his own but still has a lot to learn as evidenced by a few of his mistakes. All that comes through Fishburn's performance plainly.

I can't reveal anything about this episode plot wise, but it's an impressive episode in an already solid, well established series. I highly recommend that you catch it on rerun if you missed it or watch it online if it's available in your area.

RL

I like the new CSI and I'll be watching.

Speed Racer: Watch the Monkey

Andy and Larry Wachowski are two writer/directors that I'll trust until the day I die. What they did with the Matrix films and the Animatrix was amazing. Despite the opinions of detractors I still feel it's some of the best science fiction ever made.

Sadly, that trust lead me to watch Speed Racer recently.

I understand they were attempting to put forward a complete creative vision that included a colorful version of the future that was faithful to the spirit of the cartoon. In my opinion they tried a bit too hard. The background was so loud the entire movie looked cluttered and even though the CGI was fantastic it was so cartoony that it made the unrealistic acts in the movie look comedic.

I'm not going to say that this film doesn't have its merits. The attempt at delivering a completely saturated creative piece where no thing is left undoctored and the experience is fully engineered resulted in a film that stands apart. Art isn't always enjoyable, sadly, and I honestly didn't have a great experience watching this film.

I can honestly say that if I were 8 years old I might be on the edge of my seat for this, but the same could be said for a really good cartoon with 1% of the budget. It comes down to pacing, story and performance. Sadly, the performances were cheesy or made to look cheesy through the direction and appearance of the film. The pacing wasn't terrible, though after watching racing for so long became ho-hum. The story was predictable and very close to a tale that's being told over and over again these days; a few people standing up to evil corporations involved in broad conspiracy.

Could I do better with the same resources? I can answer that in one word: No.

They wanted to deliver a movie that was a piece of art as much as it was a cartoon adaptation. They accomplished that. I would have done it differently, yes, but better? I wouldn't want to compare any of my writing skills against the creators of the Matrix. I'm also not a director, hell, I don't even know one. I just hope their artistic vision is something I enjoy more in their next film.

Sadly, my favorite character in the movie was the monkey.

RL