AFTERTHOUGHTS (8)

8.1 On the heels of major wins at this year’s Saturn Awards, Superman Returns, Battlestar Galactica, and Heroes are all nominees in several categories of the upcoming Constellation Awards, “…Canada's new set of annual science fiction awards, focused on rewarding excellence in science fiction film and television.”
This is a partial list of the nominees:

Best Male Performance in a 2006 Science Fiction Television Episode
Masi Oka, Heroes, “Genesis”

Best Female Performance in a 2006 Science Fiction Television Episode
Hayden Panettierre, Heroes, “Genesis”
Katee Sackhoff, Battlestar Galactica, “Torn”

Best Science Fiction Television Series of 2006
Battlestar Galactica
Heroes

Best Male Performance in a 2006 Science Fiction Film, TV Movie, or Mini-Series
Brandon Routh, Superman Returns
Clive Owen, Children of Men
Hugh Jackman, X-Men: The Last Stand
Hugo Weaving, V For Vendetta
Nathan Fillion, Slither

Best Female Performance in a 2006 Science Fiction Film, TV Movie, or Mini-Series
Julianne Moore, Children of Men
Kate Bosworth, Superman Returns
Maribel Verdu, El Laberinto Del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Natalie Portman, V For Vendetta

Best Science Fiction Film, TV Movie, or Mini-Series of 2006
Children of Men
El Laberinto Del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Superman Returns
V For Vendetta

Best Technical Accomplishment in a 2006 Science Fiction Film or Television Production
Battlestar Galactica, Visual Effects (Zoic Studios)
Children of Men, Cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki)

Best Overall 2006 Science Fiction Film or Television Script
Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, & Hawk Ostby)
Heroes, “Six Months Ago” (Aron Eli Coleite)
El Laberinto Del Fauno (Guillermo Del Toro)

Outstanding Canadian Contribution to Science Fiction Film or Television in 2006
Battlestar Galactica
Evangeline Lilly

Check out the Constellation Awards website for the complete list of nominees.
Winners will be determined by the Canadian viewing public, so all you Canadians out there, go vote for your favorite SF TV shows and films.

8.2 Meanwhile, on the good ship Galactica, apparently, whatever comments Edward James Olmos made at this year’s Saturn Awards night, they aren’t an “official” announcement of the series’ end. Executive producer David Eick made his own statement, and promises the public “… that when [executive producer] Ron [Moore] and I make a decision about Galactica's future, we'll let you know."
Okay. Breathing a little easier now.

8.3 Hey! There’s gonna be a Heroes World Tour before the second Volume kicks off this fall. To emphasize the global scope of Volume Two (“Generations”), the Heroes cast will be globe-trotting to promote the show, and presumably, work to broaden Heroes’ already impressive fan base.
Awesome!

8.4 And, in some other Heroes news: spin-off, people!
Not only is NBC ponying up for a world tour, they’re putting together a 6-episode mini-series, Heroes: Origins.
Origins will introduce a new character each week, and then, in an interactive twist, the audience will then get to vote for their favorite character, who will graduate to the third Volume of Heroes.
It’s like American Idol with superpowers!
That bit of news also had an interesting revelation. They’re already pegging a third season.
Origins will air during the mid-season hiatus of Heroes, so as to avoid those dreaded re-runs. With 24 chapters in Volume Two, plus the half-dozen Origins episodes, that’s an even 30 hour-long doses of Heroes coolness starting this fall. (Read about it here.)
I’ll say it again: Awesome!

HEROES
Season 1
Chapter 21
(WARNING:
SPOILERS)
“The Hard Part”

Sigh. Didn’t I say? That Peter shouldn’t meet Ted?
These people…

Directed by John Badham (yes, Mr. War Games is back), “The Hard Part” pretty much sets things up for the final 2 chapters of this Volume.
D.L. and Jessica are off to save Micah, who is under the careful guard of Candice; Mohinder uses his own antibodies to save Molly Walker (heh. The “Walker system”…), something he was a little late in doing for his own sister; Peter convinces Claire to stay in New York for the cause; Mr. Bennet and sidekicks are in New York (heh. At Kirby Plaza) to destroy the Walker system; Hiro tries without much success (or conviction) to kill Sylar; and Sylar gets it in his head to become the President.

And as unlikely as that last one may sound, this was an interesting aspect of this chapter, as we see the reasons why Gabriel ended up the way he did, with his pathological need to be “special.”
We also get to see an important facet to Sylar’s character: that he is actually hesitant to be the cause of so many innocent deaths. Sure, his reasons are still self-motivated: that he would find no gain in their deaths—unlike when he murders someone with powers—but still, at least the man shows some smidgen of remorse.
Of course, that’s before he does the bone-headed move of calling up his snow globe-obsessed mother and it becomes all too clear where the seeds of Sylar sprung from.
Things go horribly awry, and well… Let’s just say that was a momentary lapse, and the unhinged watchmaker is back in town.
(I could have done without the voice over though, when Sylar discovers he may be the “exploding man” who will cause so much grief for New York. It’s one of my pet peeves, people apparently talking to themselves for no good reason. I mean, the audience is smart, right? They could figure out what the deal was, couldn’t they?)

Oh, and Grandma P is in on Linderman’s plan! Man, this woman is playing so many sides. Is she hedging her bets, or is she actually one of the baddies here?
Still, you gotta love her.

And now Peter has crossed paths with Ted and he’s in danger of a meltdown.
Again, didn’t I say?
Of course, given that we’ve got two more episodes to go, I guess that means Peter gets it under control, at least at the beginning of next chapter. After that, all bets are off.

I do have to mention the downside though. This is one of those episodes where there are too many headless chickens running around, too many subplots vying for screen time. Understandable, perhaps, given that they have to amp things up towards the volume’s climax, but hopefully in Volume Two, we could have a slightly smaller number of characters, thus making them more manageable, and the subplot juggling a little less frenetic.

Parting shot: Hayden Panettierre’s well-deserved win at the Saturns is justified here (as it is in all the other chapters of this Volume). Those tiny moments: Claire on the stairs as Nathan’s family arrives; Claire’s reaction to her discovery that Nathan can fly. Those weighty moments: Claire at Kirby Plaza, as she shares a Moment with Peter.
This girl is amazing.

Parting shot 2: Yes, I belatedly realized I should be using the terms “volume” instead of “season,” and “chapter” instead of “episode,” as per Tim Kring’s narrative structure for the show.

(Image courtesy of comicbookresources.com.)

AFTERTHOUGHTS (7)

7.1 Okay. Colour me happy.
Superman Returns took home 5 of the 10 nominations it was up for at this year’s Saturn Awards. It won for Best Fantasy Film, Best Actor (Brandon Routh), Best Director (Bryan Singer), Best Writing (Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris), and Best Music (John Ottman).
It’s just too bad Parker Posey and Tristan Lake Leabu didn’t win in their respective categories (Best Supporting Actress and Best Performance by a Younger Actor).

Other wins I’m happy for (and there’re loads of them):

Best Science Fiction Film: Children of Men
Best Horror Film: The Descent
Best International Film: El Laberinto Del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Best Supporting Actress: Famke Janssen (X-Men: The Last Stand)*
Best Performance by a Younger Actor: Ivana Baquero (El Laberinto Del Fauno)
Best Make-Up: Todd Masters, Dan Rebert (Slither)

Best Network Television Series: Heroes
Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series: Battlestar Galactica
Best Actor on Television: Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
Best Supporting Actor on Television: Masi Oka (Heroes)
Best Supporting Actress on Television: Hayden Panettiere (Heroes)**

Best DVD Special Edition Release: Superman II (The Richard Donner Cut)
Best DVD Television Series: Masters of Horror
Best Retro Television Series on DVD: Adventures of Superman (Complete 6 Seasons)

The Filmmakers Showcase Award: James Gunn (director of Slither)
The Service Award: Kerry O’Quinn (former publisher of Starlog Magazine)***

Congratulations, one and all.

It should be noted though that Lost got completely walloped, entering the awards with 6 nominations and leaving with no wins.
Their nominations were for Best Network Television Series, Best Actor (Racer X himself, Matthew Fox), Best Actress (Evangeline Lilly), Best Supporting Actor (Michael Emerson and Josh Holloway), and Best Supporting Actress (Elizabeth Mitchell).

7.2 Okay. Now colour me sad.
Battlestar Galactica may have taken home the award for Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series, but it’s been officially reported that the next season will be its last.
Yes, we all knew it was coming (they would have to find Earth, eventually), but still.

I can’t say it any better than the astounding Edward James Olmos did: “I think that this is some of the finest usages of television that I have been a part of in my life. Bar none. I’ve been doing this for 42 years. I’ve done some really good work in television and motion pictures but there really is nothing like this show.”****

So say we all.

7.3 And to return to Saturn for just a bit…
Jennifer Love Hewitt took home Best Actress in a Television Program or Series (for Ghost Whisperer), beating Lost’s Lilly and Galactica’s Katee Sackhoff, not to mention Medium’s Patricia Arquette and The Closer’s Kyra Sedgwick, both of whom have received nods from the Emmys, Globes, and the SAGs.
Boy, Love Hewitt must really be a good actress, huh?

* I did not like the film at all, but I love Famke Janssen and she did her best with what could have potentially been a great substantive role if the “Dark Phoenix” saga had not been reduced to a piddling subplot in X-Men: TLS. I mean, there’s a damn good reason why it’s called a “saga.”

** Hayden’s win here is all the more commendable given she was up against some strong competition from Dexter’s Jennifer Carpenter and Lost’s Mitchell.

*** Starlog was one of the magazines that kept this young film freak entertained and informed in the dark ages of Before The Internet.

**** Quote from iF Magazine.

LOST Season 3 Episode 8 (WARNING: SPOILERS)
“Flashes Before Your Eyes”

So this episode was a sudden change in pace, as the flashback section is presented as one unbroken sequence, ostensibly showing us what Desmond experienced after he turned the failsafe key in Season 2’s finale.
Bam, back in the apparent past, only to learn the lesson that he cannot change what seems to be his destiny.
Of course, we find out that he’s still trying to change someone’s fate (which was the great punchline that made this episode), though also burdened with the awful inevitability that he ultimately won’t be able to stop it. (Tell us it ain’t true, Des!)
But then, given this episode’s atypical structure, the other subplots are stopped dead in the water, and all apparently so we can learn the possible fate of one of the survivors we’ve come to know and love. (Or inevitable fate, if we’re to take the wedding ring woman’s words as gospel truth.)
Not sure if that’s worth the trade-off, but there’s still a lotta season to go, so I’m just gonna sit tight.

Parting shot: On the plus side, The Others’ (hah! Get it?) Mrs. Mills, Fionnula Flanagan does a great turn as the wedding ring woman (a.k.a.—ahem—Ms. Hawking).

Parting shot 2: Lost racked up 7 nominations at the Saturns this year: Best Network Television Series; Best Actor in a Television Program or Series (Matthew Fox); Best Actress in a Television Program or Series (Evangeline Lilly); Best Supporting Actor in a Television Program or Series (Josh Holloway and Michael Emerson); Best Supporting Actress in a Television Program or Series (Elizabeth Mitchell); and Best Television Series Release on DVD (The Complete Second Season).
Winners will be announced on May 10, 2007.

(Originally posted 022107)

HEROES Season 1 Episode 16 (WARNING: SPOILERS)
“Unexpected”

Okay. I’m officially annoyed with Isaac now.
As appropriate as this episode’s title is, it could very well have been called “The Three Noodges.”
Noodge 1: Mohinder, who is currently doing a Julia Roberts and sleeping with the enemy, unwittingly leading Sylar right to his victims. C’mon, Mo! You’re a smart guy! You gotta see through the mask, dude!
Noodge 2: HRG, who does the big boo-hoo, I never meant to hurt your mother, Claire, I just wanted to protect you. Yeah, bang-up job, Mr. Bennet.
Noodge 3: Isaac. Not only does he lead HRG to Claude, but he pulls an Ana Lucia and plugs Simone. (Dumb a$$. When Heroes started, I really didn’t care much for either Isaac or Simone, but the characters grew on me. And when Simone finally bought into the whole “people with powers” thing, I was genuinely jazzed. And now she’s bleeding all over Isaac’s floor and he’s holding the gun. I repeat: dumb a$$.)
Meanwhile, I’m so happy for Claire, finally getting to unload on dear old Dad in the hospital. Of course, Ted and Matt and the instant e-mail lady have to bust up that party. (You know, I kind’a thought it would take them awhile to actually get down to bidness, but there ya’ go. Now all the Bennets are in deep doo-doo.)
Actually, you know what? Make that “The Four Noodges.”
Noodge 4: me. It only sunk in when Peter first displays telekinesis on the rooftop: he is the most powerful character at the moment. What’s he got? Flight, invisibility, invulnerability, precognition, one-way telepathy (is there a better term for it?), TK, and presumably, control over the space/time continuum—since he already met Future Hiro—and also, whatever other powers Sylar’s managed to suck up. Man, he can kick major a$$!
I should’ve seen it earlier, but there you go. Been too busy getting distracted by the other subplots.
This episode was written by Jeph Loeb (read Superman For All Seasons. Now.) and directed by Greg Beeman (who, in another timeline, is busy directing episode after episode of the hit TV show about Aquaman, Mercy Reef, but in this timeline, is doing a brilliant job on Heroes).
Great episode that amps things up nicely.

Parting shot: If Ando really is heading back to Japan, I’m gonna miss him. And is it just me or have we had enough Stan Lee cameos already?

Parting shot 2: Heroes got 5 nominations at the 2007 Saturns: Best Network Television Series; Best Supporting Actor in a Television Program or Series (Greg Grunberg and Masi Oka); and Best Supporting Actress in a Television Program or Series (Hayden Panettiere and Ali Larter).
Winners will be announced on May 10, 2007.

(Originally posted 022107)