SciFi Channel Rants

Stargate Universe is the only new show on SyFy I've been watching, and I'm about to cross that one off my viewing list. I've already deleted all the episodes I've DVR'd, with the snail's pace that the episodes move, I can buzz through them in about 15 minutes or less.

I'm going to list a few reasons why the show sucks. I've previously covered my dislike for the jerky-cam footage, and all the gushing over the human drama... Time for some new reasons.

1) These are the wrong people. Yeah, we get it already, if I have to hear that phrase pop in in one more episode, I'm likely to throw a brick through the screen. The only hero so far was the senator that gave his life in the first episode to save the others, I have no fondness for anyone on that ship, the only smiles I get are at the new miseries they have to endure.

2) Where the hell are the right people? Seriously, they've got the communication stones, where are the Ancient experts who can pop in and get the ship's systems up and running, crack the master code, etc? Why isn't Captain Carter borrowing a body and getting some repairs underway? Why isn't Rodney McKay getting the computer to give up its secrets? Why isn't any other SG-1 or Atlantis expert popping in to help?

3) Who's in charge? In the first episode, Rush claims that General O'Neill placed him in charge, nothing ever seemed to officially contradict this, but everyone is still acting like Colonel Young is the one in charge. Which one is it?

4) How can Rush so easily manipulate the computer, yet not have access to major systems? He has simulated a Gate misdial making the ship appear to be moments from exploding, and planted records in the computer about a (fake) planet that gives the others hope, and he can do this while still being locked out? Surely such an insecure computer system could be easily hacked to give access...

5) How did Young wind up with such a sorry group of folks under him? We've always known that SG teams are the best and brightest, top soldiers, top scientists, team players, etc. How did so many weak folks end up on Icarus' Base?

6) Eli needs to learn how to man up and grow a set. Same applies to darned near everyone else on the ship.

Posted by Jim at 4:05 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

After much hype, the new Stargate series has launched. The previews hinted that the series would be a bit darker, a bit grittier. We saw glimpses of a group of people that seemed at odds with each other, lacking in hope, and overall ill equipped to deal with the position they found themselves in. Having seen the first episode, so far we're right on the mark. But the series has problems. Not the characters, the series.

Continue reading "Stargate Universe" »

Posted by Jim at 12:11 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

OK! I know that this entry has nothing to do with SciFi, Syfy, whatever. But having no better place to post this, this blog will have to suffice. That disclaimer out of the way, I'm going to rant for a little while about this, apparently wildly popular, movie. If you liked the movie, go away now, because I'm just going to hurt your feelings.

As with many movies and TV shows, I usually have a pretty good idea going in if I'll enjoy them or not. From the first preview I saw, I hated it. I did my best to avoid reading spoilers or other information which would have tainted my judgement before seeing the movie, and overall did a great job. I finally broke down this weekend and caught it at the local discount cinema (tickets $1.50 each), and would have ended up walking out at least three different times if it hadn't been for the fact that I had taken my wife with me, and she was enjoying the movie.

Continue reading "Star Trek- Yeah, the movie simply called 'Star Trek'" »

Posted by Jim at 9:46 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Well, Siffy's new series, Warehouse 13, is in full swing, and despite my efforts to avoid the show, I got roped into watching a few episodes. As I expected, I hated it.

My first thought is that the acting sucks, but then I thought it might be the writing that sucks more, which itself made the acting look bad, and now I honestly can't decide which is more to blame. Neither of the principal actors are believable as Secret Service agents, and the nutty caretaker of Warehouse 13 fluctuates wildly between total incompetent and blathering genius, neither of which are endearing qualities. There is also nothing new to the male/female partnership that is brought to the table, they seem to be equal parts Mulder and Scully, Booth and Bones, and Gilligan and Mary Ann.

Why is such a goof entrusted with the running of this oh so important warehouse? Where's the staff? Where's the maintenance budget? Siffy might as well have made a new series about Area 51, and revealed that the entire base is staffed by a single man, who also happens to moonlight as a crop duster for local farmers. Actually, I think I'd like that show better.

I'm not even going to get into the various goofy gadgets and their inventors, the breakthrough devices never known to the public, and more importantly that could never have been created with the technology that existed at the time.

It's just as well that Siffy has dropped the 'Sci' from their name, as anyone that does take an interest in science would find this series to be a total train wreck. Actually, I think I'd enjoy watching a train wreck more too...

Posted by Jim at 5:23 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Well, SciFi channel has gone and gotten themselves a new name, Syfy, which is supposed to be pronounced exactly the same as their old name, but personally I think it should be pronounced Siffy. The network has increasingly abandoned the genre that it was named for, so maybe this is at least showing acknowledgment of that by the network heads.

Their new slogan, though, 'Imagine Greater', instead shows an entire lack of imagination. If I were to indeed imagine greater, I'd end up canceling about 90% of the network lineup. Probably more.

Posted by Jim at 9:13 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The human train wreck continues. After last fall's 'final episodes' seemed to wrap up with the rag tag fleet finally reaching a burnt out Earth, we now have MORE final episodes as the human drama continues to deteriorate.

Seriously, there isn't a single character that I'd like to see survive, human or cylon. After seeing character flaws exposed and exploited week after week, I can't help but wonder if the universe would be better off without this whole bunch. Actually, I don't need to wonder. It would be.

Posted by Jim at 8:51 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Chalk another one up to the morons running the SciFi network. Apparently this was announced back in August, news first got to me just a few days ago. This was the last new show that I've been watching on SciFi, next to the Degree show, formerly known as Eureka.

Just when the show was starting to get interesting, with an offshoot of the Asgard race showing up, the Wraith on the ropes, it looked like things were being set up for another season or two of regular conflict and exploration in this new galaxy that we'd barely begun to explore.

Bummer.

Posted by Jim at 11:08 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I'm totally fed up with this season of Eureka and the overly placed Degree products in each episode. I have no problems with the commercials that run, but the Degree logo and product placement within the show is totally overdone, the way the camera lingers on the product, conspicuous placement of products (who keeps deodorant sitting on their desk at work?), the corporate logo on shipping containers, etc. And now show characters are doing ads as well during the commercial breaks.

I've never cared for their brand myself, but other family members use them from time to time, but not anymore, I'm refusing to buy their brand any longer, all their over-advertising has done is burn me out on the brand. Kind of ironic that a product to keep someone cool has me so hot under the collar...

Posted by Jim at 9:05 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I was so happy a while back when this show stopped running on SciFi, but now we have another lame season to look forward to, of yet another show that has absolutely nothing to do with science fiction.

I could probably rant further if I'd bothered to watch an episode or two, but I have no interest in watching lame programming.

Posted by Jim at 6:38 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

This is one of my favorite shows, and I'm very happy that a new season is finally here. I'm a bit disturbed at the blatant plugs for Degree deodorant, and don't care for the 'Made in Eureka' promos for the show that run throughout the day that don't really have anything to do with the series, but the show itself I consider to be some of the better programming available on TV currently. I find SciFi's marketing of the show to be childish and degrading, so what might have been a word of praise, is instead a rant against the network again underestimating the intelligence of their audience.

Posted by Jim at 10:03 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I'd say 'What the frak', but that phrase was old back in the '70's...

SciFi had this big thing that this was going to be Galactica's final season, and I was rather looking forward to the show being over. The snails pace at which the plot moved was agonizing, but that's probably mainly because I cared so little for the human drama that unfolded each week, and even more for most of the characters in the show. Sure, I wanted humanity to survive, but frankly most of the humans on the show were pretty pathetic, you secretly ended up rooting for the Cylons.

Anyway, big press about 2008 being the final season, nothing exciting about the commercials for coming episodes, nothing at all about a countdown to the final epidodes, then suddenly, they've found earth, they have an alliance with the Cylons, and everyone's pissed because the planet they found is a wasteland. Laughed my ass off.

As finale's go, this one was, I'm sure, a huge letdown for fans. Maybe they'll go do a DVD or something now, who knows. At least now they've got a prime spot for some new show, or maybe just run old Farscape episodes. But that would be too much to hope for...

Posted by Jim at 10:41 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Hmmm, the TV Guide listing classifies this flick as Drama/Action/Other. Yup, no SciFi to be found there.

I found the original version of this flick to be quite entertaining, and laughed my ass off through most of the last half of the movie, but this 'sequel' just plain sucks.

Posted by Jim at 10:54 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

My sister in law enjoys this show, which doesn't surprise me, as she believes that her house is actually haunted. Anyway, SciFi Channel continues to have this idea that shows dealing with the paranormal are in some way related to Science Fiction.

This still just drives me totally nuts... I really wish their parent company would stop pushing all this other crap onto SciFi, and just start up another network to deal with this fluff.

Posted by Jim at 9:33 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

ECW, Extreme Championship Wrestling, is one of the more ill suited bits of programming on SciFi lately. It ranks right up there with John Edwards' lame show where he tried to convince folks that he could speak with the dead, and is probably only slightly worse than Ghosthunters.

I've always considered science fiction to be generally targeted at a more intelligent audience than other fare, though this tends to be more the case in printed works rather than what makes it into theaters or onto television. Wrestling, to me, has always seemed to be targeted at the opposite extreme, and how it has managed to find a home on the SciFi network continues to elude me.

Continue reading "ECW = lame programming" »

Posted by Jim at 8:25 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Yawn. More lame programming, mutant animals, and dry story lines. The 'SciFi Original' label is turning into more of a warning label, it seems...

Posted by Jim at 6:30 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Apparently the term 'SciFi' doesn't have the same meaning to the network folks as those of us elsewhere, or we wouldn't be treated, and by treated I of course mean quite the opposite, to Horror and Fantasy programming, two entirely separate genres which do not necessarily have an overlapping demographic of fans.

At least they aren't showing ECW as much lately...

Posted by Jim at 9:15 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

SciFi's Battlestar Galactica sucks. This fact may come as a surprise to some, considering the rave reviews that the show seems to be receiving. Of course, these rave reviews are coming from the same lowbrow reviewers that enjoy American Idol and are amazed at the plot twists on the latest Survivor episode.

I could write a lengthy diatribe for each epidode, but that would be giving the show more attention that it deserves. Instead, I'll pick several of my top nits, in no particular order.

Continue reading "Battlestar Galactica sucks" »

Posted by Jim at 11:41 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Great. After 10 years of being on the air, the brain trust at the SciFi Channel has cancelled Stargate SG1. For the last few years, they've used this show to leverage so much other crap to get viewers, I can't help but feel that they may have shot themselves in the foot one last time...

Posted by Jim at 5:17 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)