Alias

Started by zerocool41, January 18, 2004, 08:23:34 PM

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MacGuffin

Abrams takes 'Sailor' helm for Universal
Source: Hollywood Reporter

J.J. Abrams is attached to direct Universal Pictures' "The Good Sailor," a drama being written by Brent Hanley that revolves around the sinking of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis. Chris Moore is producing with Abrams, who will oversee the development of the story.

On July 30, 1945, the Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Philippine Sea. Hundreds went down with the ship, but about 900 sailors were left in shark-infested waters. The ship was never missed, and by the time the survivors were spotted by accident five days later, only 316 remained. The ship's captain, Charles McVay III, was later court-martialed for the incident, the only World War II Navy captain to be court-martialed for losing his ship.
 
In the late 1990s, Hunter Scott, a seventh-grader from Pensacola, Fla., decided to do a school project on the event after watching "Jaws," in which the incident is recalled in a monologue. Beginning by contacting survivors, the boy's project generated publicity that led to a re-examination of the incident and McVay's exoneration in 2001 of culpability in the loss of the ship and its crew members.

Combining elements of the past and present, the drama would focus on the 12-year-old boy and his relationship with one of the ship's survivors, whom he forces to deal with the haunting events of 1945.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

MacGuffin

Not a fan of this season so far. Don't care much for the sister character, especially the lovey-dovey relationship with Eric. Don't know if the X-Files type direction is where the show going now, but vampires don't fit in Alias. It was good episode that Kelly MacDonald was on, but again, a freezing chemical agent that shatters the guy into a million pieces (like T2) takes the show past it's core.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

matt35mm

I grudgingly have to agree.  I'm a total fan of the show, and have been since episode one, but it's getting weak.  It almost pains me to see it.  I still think it's consistently entertaining, but it feels like cotton candy.  There's just no substance to it anymore.  I think it's because of the decision to make each episode self-contained, with missions that don't have much to do with the characters (i.e. the Kelly MacDonald episode).  It does make it easier to gather new viewers, who can just come in at any point and follow along, and the ratings are higher now, but it's costing the show in quality.

But my GOD!  Season 2 of the show was the best thing ever, sitting down with some hot chocolate every Sunday night and watching Alias was always just the best way to end the weekend before having to go to school the next day.  I still maintain that the last episode of season two was the best thing I've ever seen on TV.

modage

now that carnivale is over, i'm going to give this show a shot starting with season one.  i hope it rules.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

MacGuffin

Despite the obvious "borrow" from Kill Bill, this last week's episode was definitely the best one of the season.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

matt35mm

It was pretty good, but nothing like the older episodes.  Unfortunately, you're right, it was one of the best of the season.

I happened to catch Lost before it, and Lost still sorta blew Alias away.  I don't always watch Lost, and maybe that was just a really strong episode of Lost.  But Alias SHOULD be better than it is right now; it should be kicking Lost's butt, even a great episode of Lost wasn't as great as those great episodes of Alias from season one/two.  Nothing was as great... I'm getting nostalgic.

modage

i watched the first episode which was good, but the wall-to-wall pop music, all of it terrible (except cat stevens "trouble" which was already used in Harold and Maude), was really distracting.  is the entire series like this?  or do they lighten up with it.  it was not very well placed.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

MacGuffin

Quote from: themodernage02i watched the first episode which was good, but the wall-to-wall pop music, all of it terrible (except cat stevens "trouble" which was already used in Harold and Maude), was really distracting.  is the entire series like this?  or do they lighten up with it.  it was not very well placed.

Umm... told you so?
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

modage

haha, so IS the whole series like that?  because i liked everything else but that.  
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

matt35mm

Quote from: themodernage02haha, so IS the whole series like that?  because i liked everything else but that.  
No, they chill out on that.  The original idea was to juxtapose her "normal" life with her spy life, and the pop music was put to her normal life just to make her seem like an average 28 year-old chick I guess.  But they focused less and less on her normal life, and for the longest time she didn't have anything resembling a normal life.  Recently they've been trying to put a little bit of that element back in with her sister (they live together, so they sometimes have a vibe of just two 20-something roomates).  But they might've dropped that idea, too, because that hasn't been done in the past few episodes.

Season two had the perfect balance.

MacGuffin

Quote from: themodernage02haha, so IS the whole series like that?  because i liked everything else but that.  

Did you give up on it?
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

modage

NO WAY!  we're done with 4 of the 6 discs of the first season and i've already got the 2nd season lined up in my queue.  the music concern was really not an issue AT ALL after the first episode where it was really distracting.  now theyre the episodes are sprinkled with a song or two here or there but nothing distracting.  further thoughts soon...
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

matt35mm

Quote from: themodernage02NO WAY!  we're done with 4 of the 6 discs of the first season and i've already got the 2nd season lined up in my queue.  the music concern was really not an issue AT ALL after the first episode where it was really distracting.  now theyre the episodes are sprinkled with a song or two here or there but nothing distracting.  further thoughts soon...
I told you.  Season two will blow your mind.

modage

okay, i finished season one the other night.  i'm hooked!  its good, sometimes great but always highly entertaining. the thing about tv is, even when a show isnt great you can still get hooked on it.  i've almost stopped watching movies due to my compulsive tv watching recently.  which is really weird.  

the last several episodes of the season were just great.  the thing that sort of dragged the show down if anything was just during the beginning when you werent sure what the 'main arc' was and she was just going off on these missions that you didnt really know what the hell for and the repetitiveness of that.  but once you start getting into the story and especially the characters the show really takes off.

my complaint about the music became non-existent, but as i found out the pilot had 9 songs in it.  the rest of the episodes averaged between 2 and 4 songs which were more naturally placed.  http://www.alias-tv.com/music1.html  

anyways, i never had anything for or against jennifer garner in the past, but after seeing the show i really like her.  its remarkable the way she pulls off her character so effortlessly and naturally being both tough as hell and vulnerable and making you never disbelieve.  its also great how the character isnt written as some unstoppable robot but, you know, someone who isnt perfect and sometimes puts herself ahead of what else is going on.  

also: one of the best things about the show (so far, for me) is how sloan went from being 'the bad guy' to someone you can really empathize with.  this gives the show so many more layers and it becomes a lot more interesting and complex.  really well done.   all the characters are great really, (except for the roomate and her ex-fiancee who they've realized isnt as interesting and have shown less and less of, thankfully).  but the dad is especially just..... enigmatically watchable.

one last thing, seems like a small thing but for me its a big thing.  i LOVED how the show after running through all the 'previously on alias' stuff would immediately start into the new episode without you realizing you were now watching 'live' stuff because they DIDNT have the stupid fade to black.  the first time or two they did the fade out it was excusable because she was passed out or  something but then they got lazy and just started fading out whenever they wanted to.  it sucked.  it must have been a concious effort to make it that way in the beginning, i dont know why they stopped.  and the episode where they skipped the opening to re-cap the whole season in the interrogation for 40 minutes, what was THAT about!?!  

so, i would give it a B+ and i hope that season 2 is even better and that 3 and 4 arent a total letdown, because i'm definitely a fan now.  i'll probably be caught up by the time season 5 premieres in the fall.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

MacGuffin

Quote from: themodernage02and the episode where they skipped the opening to re-cap the whole season in the interrogation for 40 minutes, what was THAT about!?!

That was an episode played after the Super Bowl. They were trying to attract more viewers by recapping everything that happened up until then so new viewers wouldn't be lost and maybe follow the series afterwards, since the mentality is, 'I don't like coming into a series I didn't start watching from the beginning.' And for loyal viewers, it was kinda a 'So Now Then' recap so you could remember plot-points that would prove a 'Pay attention so you know where the series is headed.'
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks