TV Ranting Part 2

I MISS THE SOPRANOS! I know that everyone hated the ending to the series (okay not everyone but a good number excluding myself), but it probably was one of the best pieces of television I have seen in a while. It’s a show I could never become bored with. The violence, the family struggle, and the mental health problems made it an experience I will always remember. One that can never be repeated no matter how hard anyone tries.

Which brings me to m subject point of why hasn’t there been another mafia show created to replace The Sopranos. With the amount of stories that actually exist about the Italian Mafia and the imagination of a talented writer, I’m sure that a series could be created that would satiate my appetite. If my memory serves me right the last mob television show before The Sopranos was a show called Wiseguy which aired in the late 80s, which if you think about it is actually kind of depressing. Like Dunkin Donuts, America runs on violence, and the mob sometimes is the epitome of violence, at least within the American psyche. Movies itself are inundated with the subject of the mob (two of the greatest movies of all time are The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II). America loves the subject of the Italian mafia and it puzzles me why it is not another common subject of television. Someday my wish may be granted and I will be granted the presence of another great mob show but until then, bring on prepubescent teens and their slapstick antics (NOT!)

Videogame-to-Movie Adaptation

Surfing ign.com, I often hear about the latest movie news. And every so often I hear about a movie adapted from videogame sources. For some reason, these movies always fail (and I wonder why). Is it because they have the wrong director? Or is it the wrong screenwriter? Maybe just interference from the studio executives? I don’t think so. My opinion. I think many of these movies should never have been made, because something that was written for a videogame isn’t necessarily adaptable to the screen. The first people you have to appease in the film are always the fans, who can never be appeased because there is just not enough time for the plot. You can never appease a fan of the original source unless you do a straight adaptation of the video game (and then there is no point in the first point). The second people you must appease are the movie goers, those that are there just to enjoy the movie. The plot that worked well for a videogame is not always the most interesting subject to watch in a movie, especially if you have to leave out certain plot points. If you don’t adhere to at least one of these groups, the film is doomed to failure (and it seems they always do).

To prove my point here is a quick list of the videogame adaptations that I can recall right now:

Super Mario Bros.
Double Dragon
Mortal Combat
Mortal Combat: Annihilation
Street Fighter
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li
Hit Man
Doom
Postal
The Resident Evil Trilogy

There are probably a lot more but I am getting tired and very forgetful.

Note: This is only a list of movie based on video games and not an opinion by the author.

TV Show Rant Part 1

Considering one of my favorite tv shows may be canceled after this season, I think its time to talk about some issues. The Sarah Connor Chronicles, for those who don't know, is a contitnuation of the Terminator series (ignoring Terminator 3). Gracing some good reviews in its first season, it was granted a second season of 22 episodes but ever since the series premiered this fall, its been on the roller coaster ride to cancelation hell. First, the network wasn't going to order the last 10 episodes in the series and then once it did, it moved the series to Friday nights (which is apperently where old shows go to die). I know ther ratings might be slipping, but these networks have to remember one thing and that is with showss like this, you have to watch every episode or otherwise you are left out of the loop and lost forever. That is why many people either wait for reruns, watch episodes online (legally or otherwise), or just wait for the DVD release. Unfortunatly it seems like the networks don't really give a damn and sometimes good shows die (like Family Guy and Futurama did originally). Sometimes the networks just anger me to no end. They order more episodes of shows like The Simpsons (which I stopped watching 10 years ago, but cancel shows that are actually fascinating and that still have stories to give. Oh well, just have to hope otherwise.

WHY!!!??? (Spoilers Included)

I was looking through imdb.com today and was rading about "Rosemary's Baby". Roman Polanski's version is terrifying, many of character's actually seem like people I would see at my job any day of the week, yet they are evil, going so far as to impregnate a woman with the son of Satan. Back in high school, I was writing a paper on the short story "Where are you Going, Where have you Been" by Joyce Carol Oates and in my research I came across the book the "Son of Rosemary" by Ira Levin (the same author as "Rosemary's Baby") and I thought, "Wow, this should be interesting to read. Well it wasn't the worse piece of crap I've read but it kind of robbed me of my time. Not only do they continue the original book with the Rosemary coming out of a coma after the last thirty years, they totally threw away both books plots with Rosemary waking up from a dream right before the events in the first novel (WHAT THE HELL!!!! WHY DOES THIS SOUND LIKE A BAD TV SHOW!!!) That's fine. It can't ruin the movie that is legendary among horror fanactics (among a unoffical trilogy of "The Exorcist" and "The Omen").

This is before I saw a link for a film called "Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby?". All could think of at the time, was "Are you F'ing kidding me?" Turns out that the actress who won an Oscar for her role in the film (Ruth Gordan) also was in this one. Did she really want to do this or did she really run out of money. My hope is it was the latter. God help whoever decided to direct this piece of TV crap that has a 3 on imdb.com (actually it looks like he was an actor/director; guess that formula doesn't always work lol). And yes I am judging a book by its cover but considering it doesn't take a genius to realize this was a bad idea, then I think I am entitled to this error this one time.

Strange Talents

Anyone that really knows me, especially many of the guys in my fraternity can you have a very strange talent. Many of you have read that I truly appreciate the Oscars. Well, this talent can prove that fact very quickly. Anytime I'm sitting in lunch and one of my friends has to amuse himself or a friend, all they have to say to me is "Hey Joe, who won Best Picture in 1984?" and almost immediately I say "Amadeus". For some reason, everyone gets wowed by it and start naming off different years until they get bored or frustrated. I even have friends that ask me to name all the years I can remember. I'm getting pretty good actually and have memorized it down to 1960 when "The Apartment" won but after that it gets a little hazy. Anyone else have any other strange talents that they can think of (cause I know all of you are probably going to be blogging like crazy soon lol).

Blogging = Big Pain in the A**

Wow. If I realized anything from this course, it is definetly that blogging is a big pain in the a**. I know this is soemthing a lot of people like to do , to tell the world what they're thinking or to let off steam but this is probably one of the hardest things for me to do. I hate to express my thoughts in words, it just never seems right. I've never kept a diary or journal (or are they the same thing...hmm). I don't even send out e-mails unless I have to. The idea of a blog just seems so aggravating, recording your every thought. I think George Carlin (God I miss him) was here, he would probably say that no one is this important, to have their every thought and idea written down, it's just not natural, only maybe the 3% that own all the oil should do that (that's a joke btw lol). Don't get me wrong (and please don't fail me Prof.) but blogging really does suck! Anyone else agree?