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Things for Wednesday
May. 6th, 2009 09:04 am- Read Neal Stephenson's Anathem. The good news is that it has an ending, that Stephenson is still a very skilled writer who gets a lot of credit for playing with ideas, and that overall the book was entertaining. The bad news is that he really should be kept to 600 pages no matter what and not allowed to pad out his works to over 900, and that while the book never jumps the tracks, it certainly can't decide where the train is headed. I would give this a mild recommendation, and say that I found it more satisfying and original than Cryptonomicon.
- So JJTrek is opening tomorrow, and I have little enthusiasm for it. I still plan to see it, if only to see Nimoy as Spock one last time. But most of what I've read over the past few months, compounded by an ad campaign actually saying "this is not your father's Trek" and an attitude emerging in lots of places of "hey, old Trekkies, go away!" is leaving me really, really uneasy. I know that the franchise is moribund, I know that a reboot of sorts might be needed, and I know that the original series is still the same as ever and that nothing will change that. But that doesn't mean I have to like seeing the show I loved be left by the wayside. (FYI, I won't be getting to see this for a little while, so I would appreciate spoiler-free reactions from fellow old school fans.)
ETA: Comments this this from Abrams only make me that much more unhappy. When the director is telling purists to stay home, I am very much inclined to do so. (I don't care, though, about Shatner.)
- One more week of Dollhouse to go, and I have to say that if all we get is 12 episodes, I won't be heartbroken. I've enjoyed a lot of it, including a lot of the acting, but the premise is still troubling, the week-to-week plots are hit and miss, Eliza Dushku is not really that strong, and it's really hard to relate to the main character when she's a blank. I'm glad this show got the chance, but this isn't a case like Firefly where I will keep wondering what could have been. Never mind that by the time Firefly ended, I was quite intrigued by most of the characters and here I only want to know more about Boyd and Topher (and maybe Adelle).
- Two weeks and three hours of Lost to go. I am loving this season. I think the finale will be quite amazing. Not much to add.
- Two weeks of Supernatural left, too, but while the acting has been stellar and some of the moments have been great, the whole Angels and Demons thing is not particularly gripping. One of our friends pointed out that the whole "down to earth rednecks fighting monsters" thing is missing. And that really has changed the show. I will add that we are also not seeing the urban legends and folklore anymore. I still love this show, but I doubt it will ever get back to what it was.
- So JJTrek is opening tomorrow, and I have little enthusiasm for it. I still plan to see it, if only to see Nimoy as Spock one last time. But most of what I've read over the past few months, compounded by an ad campaign actually saying "this is not your father's Trek" and an attitude emerging in lots of places of "hey, old Trekkies, go away!" is leaving me really, really uneasy. I know that the franchise is moribund, I know that a reboot of sorts might be needed, and I know that the original series is still the same as ever and that nothing will change that. But that doesn't mean I have to like seeing the show I loved be left by the wayside. (FYI, I won't be getting to see this for a little while, so I would appreciate spoiler-free reactions from fellow old school fans.)
ETA: Comments this this from Abrams only make me that much more unhappy. When the director is telling purists to stay home, I am very much inclined to do so. (I don't care, though, about Shatner.)
- One more week of Dollhouse to go, and I have to say that if all we get is 12 episodes, I won't be heartbroken. I've enjoyed a lot of it, including a lot of the acting, but the premise is still troubling, the week-to-week plots are hit and miss, Eliza Dushku is not really that strong, and it's really hard to relate to the main character when she's a blank. I'm glad this show got the chance, but this isn't a case like Firefly where I will keep wondering what could have been. Never mind that by the time Firefly ended, I was quite intrigued by most of the characters and here I only want to know more about Boyd and Topher (and maybe Adelle).
- Two weeks and three hours of Lost to go. I am loving this season. I think the finale will be quite amazing. Not much to add.
- Two weeks of Supernatural left, too, but while the acting has been stellar and some of the moments have been great, the whole Angels and Demons thing is not particularly gripping. One of our friends pointed out that the whole "down to earth rednecks fighting monsters" thing is missing. And that really has changed the show. I will add that we are also not seeing the urban legends and folklore anymore. I still love this show, but I doubt it will ever get back to what it was.
