tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post4233633109448839275..comments2024-03-29T09:14:53.583+00:00Comments on All That Is Solid ...: Red Dwarf: Back to EarthPhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-85102201549174173212009-04-15T20:12:00.000+01:002009-04-15T20:12:00.000+01:00Yes, very much the anti-Buffy. She went put and ki...Yes, very much the anti-Buffy. She went put and kicked ass, and this one cowers in the shadow of her vampire protector. Not the most progressive of gender messages is it?Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-33397711562001013972009-04-15T18:09:00.000+01:002009-04-15T18:09:00.000+01:00A lot of girls seem obsessed with "Twilight". If ...A lot of girls seem obsessed with "Twilight". If anything, the heroine, Bella, is the "anti-Buffy".<br /><br />Rather than sunny Sunnydale, it's set in Twin Peaks territory; cloudy and wet Forks, Washington.<br />Nor is Bella an action hero, but a klutz who can't fight her way out of a paper bag.<br />To compensate, she drives a big old pick up truck to High school, like a suit of protective body armour.<br /><br />Much of the drama centres around her developing relationship with her enigmatic classmate, Edward Cullen.<br />It transpires that he belongs to a family of all-American, "vegetarian"vampires.<br />They're sharply dressed, drive flash cars and play baseball in the woods.<br />While not all 'blood relations', they form a cohesive unit.<br />Whereas Bella's parents are divorced and barely talking.<br /><br />Edward is immortal, so he's been 17 for a "long time".<br />(Evidently not long enough to graduate High School).<br />He doesn't need to eat or sleep, but is otherwise just a regular guy.<br /><br />Bella can and does get hurt, ending up dancing at the High School Prom with her foot in a cast.<br />She's not very handy with wooden stakes either.<br />She spends a lot time being driven by Edward at high speed, getting carried through the dripping forests and admiring his "perfect looks".<br />But there's nothing camp about Edward. He's torn by unexplained inner turmoil.<br /><br />You should be able to work out what the fringe benefits of hanging with the Vamps might be for Bella.<br />However, the Vampire community disapprove of mixed marriages and most just aren't 'veggies'.<br />Cue gore.prianikoffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-13952630671112630252009-04-14T20:16:00.000+01:002009-04-14T20:16:00.000+01:00I'll have to leave the Twilight discussion to some...I'll have to leave the Twilight discussion to someone else - I haven't been following the series at all. Is it better than Buffy? What's all the fuss about?Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-43289943996247843902009-04-14T16:57:00.000+01:002009-04-14T16:57:00.000+01:00Yes, some disappointing Easter viewing alright.
T...Yes, some disappointing Easter viewing alright.<br /><br />The latest Dr Who was decidedly crap, so was Red Dwarf. <br />- A bit like the middle-aged reunion of a once successful rock band.<br />Trying to recapture the old magic usually doesn't work, because they're in a different place.<br /><br />To be credible, the characters had to be psychologically developed.<br />Without that credibility, what was once funny becomes arkward, embarassing and repetitive.<br />Lister is still dressing like he's going down to Camden Lock, but looks more like someone who spends his time browsing for antiques in Camden Passage.<br />The Cat's preening narcissism and Rimmer's insecure-bombastic schoolboyish nerdyness no longer seem quite appropriate.<br /><br />But the scriptwriter's laziness landed the characters with lame dialogue and an equally lame plot.<br />So who cares about the obligatory "How it was Made" bonus episode?<br />It all reeks of trying to cash in on the burgeoning DVD and international satellite market.<br /><br />A left wing discussion of the "Twilight" series might be more interesting right now, as it seems to be capturing the teen imagination.prianikoffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-53970865753999563592009-04-13T23:46:00.000+01:002009-04-13T23:46:00.000+01:00I honestly think that they didn't show the episode...I honestly think that they didn't show the episodes. Instead, they brought a despair squid to Earth and infected us all so we are hallucinating and we all dreamed in our despair that they showed something shockingly shite and named it Red Dwarf. Even that would have made a better plot.<br /><br />Henceforth, I thinking I should pretend that those three shows are not part of the Dwarf canon. The show ended with Series 8.Damon Lordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17060702905405453616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-11855586279930607202009-04-13T12:11:00.000+01:002009-04-13T12:11:00.000+01:00It was awful. You're bang on about the tiredness o...It was awful. You're bang on about the tiredness of the programmes' plot - I couldn't believe it when it first became clear that that was the way the plot was going. It just seemed too awful to be true. I thought they really over-egged the Blade Runner references too, as if they had to force it home in case anyone missed it. Also, there wasn't a single funny joke - the only bit that made me chuckle was the bit where the crew are introduced to the creator by two mini-Rimmers (but even that was a reference back to the Rimmer World episode years ago).<BR/><BR/>They showed the 'Back to Reality' episode with the Despair Squid (when they think they've been in a virtual reality game) on Dave after the third episode of the Easter Special. The quality of that old episode was 100 times better - and what's more it was funny. Very disappointed.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11986710256832859804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-88789207707097234072009-04-13T10:34:00.000+01:002009-04-13T10:34:00.000+01:00There's been talk of a feature film ever since I f...There's been talk of a feature film ever since I first started watching Red Dwarf in the late 80s. I don't think this script was for that.<BR/><BR/>As for the US market, I'm not sure about that. But I'll tell you something - the last series may have been crap but it was the highest rated of the show so far. How did that happen?Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-5557657064226870432009-04-13T09:30:00.000+01:002009-04-13T09:30:00.000+01:00Couple of questions: Wasn't there talk of a Red Dw...Couple of questions: Wasn't there talk of a Red Dwarf feature film? Could this have been the intended script?<BR/><BR/>And were the final two series made with an eye on trying to crack the US market? I seem to remember that aesthetically they looked quite different - more polished, bigger budget - which I always felt sort of betrayed the series' 'bad British TV sci-fi' roots (Blake 7, The Tomorrow People etc).Rabelaishttp://mediastudiesisshit.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-47975630171686853202009-04-13T09:25:00.000+01:002009-04-13T09:25:00.000+01:00Either way it's all very tired. If there is to be ...Either way it's all very tired. If there is to be a new series new writers need to be found ... and the fancy CGI needs dumping too!<BR/><BR/>But still there were some people who like it. When I went through some of the Red Dwarf fan forums last night there were people claiming they were rolling around the floor in tears. They must have been the only ones who were.Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-32279543384569210992009-04-13T00:23:00.000+01:002009-04-13T00:23:00.000+01:00I wonder whether the basic idea of the script wasn...I wonder whether the basic idea of the script wasn't written a long time ago, or at least thought up a while ago, whilst still fresh before languishing in development hell for a while. This strikes me as the only possible explanation for how a plot <I>so derivative</I> could possibly be thought up.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08570084990430000647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-16044059935695972712009-04-13T00:12:00.000+01:002009-04-13T00:12:00.000+01:00Forgot to mention how derivative it was - even can...Forgot to mention how derivative it was - even cannibalising plots from previous Red Dwarfs! It was atrocious and everyone associated with it ought to euthenise themselves.Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-64060969295426478312009-04-12T23:40:00.000+01:002009-04-12T23:40:00.000+01:00The plot was also disturbingly similar to that of ...The plot was also disturbingly similar to that of the League of Gentlemen Apocalypse film (apart from the final twist).Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08570084990430000647noreply@blogger.com