Dimestore Merlin

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Night of a Million Pilots!

Tonight, Adult Swim showed five pilots for potential new series. It was like a smorgasbord of partially formed shows. I watched and effectively over-analysed each one. What follows are my thoughts on all the pilots with the occasionally witticism thrown in for good measure. The most important factor I took into account was the simple question "Would I watch this with any frequency if it were turned into a full series?" Read on for the shocking answers:

Superjail: This was very possibly the most surreal thing I have ever seen on television. That in itself is neither a good or bad thing, it is merely a feature. The art was amateurish and the characters were one-dimensional. There was no plot. It was simply an excuse for random chaos. There was nothing intellectually or aesthetically pleasing about the pilot in any way. Needless to say, I would not watch on regular basis.

The Drinky Crow Show: There is a built-in audience for this pilot as it was based on the underground comic strip Maakies by Tony Millionaire. One may wish to compare this show to a series of flash animations, also based on the strip, that appeared several years ago on SNL. This is a mistake, as the two projects are different in both visual and writing style.

The pilot was interesting, but I felt somewhat disappointed with what I saw. The characters felt a little to flat and predictable. The story was too chaotic and pessimistic for me. It left me feeling strangely depressed. Still the style was excellent. The computer-generated visuals were exquisite and captured the presence of the original strip's art very well. The music was turbulent, but fit nicely with the general tone of the show. There is a potential gem here; they just need to bang out a more concise plot and dynamic characters. I'd like to see a second episode before I form any lasting opinions on the show.

Fat Guy Stuck in Internet: Love that title. The story is pretty intriguing: a fat guy get transported into a physical realm which represents the Internet, complete with anthropomorphic representations of computer programs. Think Freakazoid meets Tron. I felt stunned by the visuals. The landscapes of the Internet were very impressive and great fun to gaze at. This show blends live action and computer generated images very nicely. I thought the script was decent, but lacks a certain amount of necessary wit to give it the right amount of class. The acting could also use some work; the star lacks subtlety and gets annoying quickly. Still, I want to see more of this.

The Crook'd Sipp: Hate that title. There was nothing memorable about this show. The plot is difficult to follow or care about. Something about a rich girl trying to find her real father. I'm a little confused about who the main character is supposed to be. It is narrated by the proprietor of a southern-style restaurant, but the focus of the story is on a rich family of imbeciles. At no point did I feel the urge to root for any of the characters, largely because most of them were totally unlikeable.
The art was way too busy. There were times when it was hard to figure out what was going on and the purposely crackly, old-timely look felt inappropriate in that it added nothing to the show's tone at all. I wouldn't watch again, but at least it wasn't as bad as Superjail.

Let's Fish: This was my personal favorite. The writing was actually very well done, which was unique to the marathon's programs. It speaks volumes that this was the only pilot which made me laugh out loud. The show blends live-action and traditional animation with great results. Nice character and environmental designs throughout. The different situations that the two protagonists get into were actually interesting and funny (An ominous and strangely catchy musical number by a Cuban refugee sticking in my mind the clearest). I would truly love to see this one get picked up. Plus, Brendan Small is involved. Bonus points!

All in all, I wasn't fully pleased with the sample, but there were a few winners in the marathon. I have my fingers crossed that Let's Fish gets the respect it deserves. I have a sinking feeling Superjail will get picked up based on the legions of viewers who love to gawk at meaningless violence. Still, it was worth my time.

Lastly, The Venture Bros. Christmas special was played right after the marathon. Nothing like capping of a night of new shows than with a tried and true classic.

http://www.adultswim.com/video/index.html?episodeID=8a25c392127659d1011276a08d150045

Spoilers Ahoy!

Today, I braved the rain and traffic to see Spider-Man 3. If you are even the slightest bit interested in comics, there is nothing that anyone could say to dissuade you from seeing this film, nor should there be. Still, I'd like to share some thoughts on the blockbuster which you might find interesting.

What I Liked:


(Most of) The Villains:

When I first heard there was going to be three villains in this movie, I was skeptical. Joel Shumacher only had two, and look how badly he screwed it up. Yet, I was pretty surprised at how well the villains' stories weaved in and out of each other. It was a little busy, but still highly entertaining. Essentially, Sandman and Harry Osbourn's stories were there to further Venom's. However, each story was not equal.

Sandman was easily my favorite villain in this film. He should have received far more screen time. I found the scene in which he first used his powers surprisingly romantic. The way that he kept trying to rebuild himself, falling apart until he got it right, was striking and artistic. Equally memorable was his final scene, where he simply blew away in the wind. How talented were the filmmakers that they could actually make Ben Parker's murderer a sympathetic character.


I enjoyed Harry Osbourn's portrayal as well. The new glider and suit were excellent, and I felt the character developed nicely. The whole series has been building up to his transformation into a villain and it was worth it. He was devious, but not so much that he couldn't be redeemed.


Mary Jane:

In the previous films, Mary Jane was, basically, a foil for Spider-Man. In the third installment, her story is far more interesting and she becomes a much more sympathetic and strong character in her own right. It was about time.


The Action Scenes (duh):

I takes a lot to get me interested in an action scene, but Spider-Man 3 accomplishes it thoroughly. The best in the film is Spider-Man and Harry's big brawl towards the beginning. It showed of Harry's new gear and featured some excellent choreography. Their rematch in Osbourn's mansion was also very well staged. A cut above most comic films in every regard.


The Resolution:

Ultimately, this film is about redemption. This is true of Spider-Man, Sandman, and Harry Osbourne. It is also an allegory for the destructive nature of revenge and the importance of forgiveness. All loose ends from the previous films were addressed and the ending was very fitting. It made me wish their would not be a sequel.


What I Didn't Like:




Venom:

As for Venom: his whole appearance was built upon the assumption that the audience could suspend their disbelief through most of the film. He arrived about ten feet from Spider-Man and Mary Jane. Nobody seemed to notice. Peter Parker showed it to his college professor, who identified it as potentially dangerous. He did not show it to the authorities. When Spider-Man ripped it off his body, he just so happened to be underneath the man whose career he ruined. It all just seemed too unlikely. He was also underutilized as we didn't get to see the beast in action until the very end. Such wasted potential.

At least Topher Grace played a decent smartass. He seems to have a real talent for that sort of thing.

Special Guest Star, Stan Lee!:

For about thirty seconds, Stan Lee had a cameo, wherein he gave the following observation:


"I guess it only takes one man to make a difference. 'Nuff said!"

Please. Giving Stan Lee a three second cameo as a hot dog vendor is fine, but giving him lines which are only morbidly amusing to comic fans who recognise their corniness is just wrong.


The Spider-Strut:

At the height of his Venom-based possession, Peter Parker struts along the streets of New York City, breaking into the hustle at random moments. He is accompanied by a jazz cover of his own theme song. For those of you who have not seen the film yet: it is as horrifying as it sounds.

A Theater Full of Annoying Children:
This has nothing to do with the film, but I am appreciating my DVD Player/Xbox 360 more and more. Every time something even remotely interesting happened on screen, it was accompanied by narration from every five-year old amateur film critic in the building. At one point, a little girl told everyone else to shut up. I nearly applauded her for her tenacity and cuteness.

Final Analysis:

Despite it's flaws, Spider-Man 3 is well worth your time. It successfully completes the story that was stated with the first film, and was definitely worth the price of admission. I also happened to notice how much darker this series gets with each film. If their really is another sequel, perhaps we'll get to see The Lizard bite Black Cat's head off in front of a Cub Scout troop. I'd pay to see that.

Blogging, you say?

Alright, I've finally given in. I've broken down and created a blog. If soccer moms and inmates can do it, so can I. On this site, I will primarily share my thoughts on comics and video games, although brief forays into current events or anything that happens to interest me will come up as well. It may become an Internet sensation which rockets me to fame, or it may flounder miserably and chronicle my descent into complete public humiliation, until I run my hard-drive through a table saw. Either way, the audience wins.

And now, to start things off, a frightening picture of Sonic the Hedgehog:

How on Earth did they get inside?