Reasons to Watch Heroes

An amusing and compelling list of reasons to start watching Heroes again on Television without Pity. My favorite reason was "They just generally suck less." Right on!

Second Ep of Dollhouse Review

Joss Whedon's new show agains made me say Meh. This second episode - a re-hash of "The Most Dangerous Game" - with sex! - again made me feel too icky. And now I want to shower.

In other news, the likable show Chuck continues to suffer ratings problems. I'm agreeably interested in Lost once again. And I've fallen in love with the British-show-turned-American Life on Mars.

Would it kill the networks to have a likable, empowered woman on television again? Annie from Life on Mars is one of those, but she has so little screen time.

Vacant Expression Bot - Dollhouse Pilot Review

TO: Joss Whedon
RE: Dollhouse

If I wanted to watch a vacant-expression-bot passively doing the will of men for money, I'd go rent a porno. Or watch "Confessions of a Shopaholic." (Isla Fisher is a talented actress, but in that movie is mostly in the passive-vacant-expression-bot mode.) And what's up with all those soft-core camera angles?

Joss said in interviews he wanted the audience to feel "icky" - well, count me ickified.

Also: For a similar plot, see "Futurama's episode "I Dated a Robot."
DON'T DATE ROBOTS!

New Heroes, Chuck in 3D

So, what did you all think of the new episodes of Heroes and Chuck Monday night?

I think the reset on Heroes is pretty interesting (although I was disappointed that HRG was once again playing on team evil) and hope it continues in an interesting vein, albeit one completely stolen from the X-Men plotlines archive. It definitely looks like we're heading towards the alternate future that was first featured, where the Heroes are hunted criminals.

Chuck 3-D was too bad, since NBC didn't do enough to distribute the 3-D glasses, but a good-enough episode.

Along with Lost, I'm glad these shows are back. I've been down with a broken foot, and good television is very important for healing! In other good news, Reaper is coming back a little bit earlier, around the beginning of March!

I'm finally going to watch a little Battlestar Galactica on DVD, too, though I have flashbacks to the seventies version that I tried to avoid as a tiny tot...

No More Year's Best Fantasy and Horror anthologies

I just heard this sad news here:
http://lcrw.net/wordpress/?p=768
I am really sad about this because it was one of the few anthologies that actually included poetry. And I just found out about it three years ago. And now it's going away!
This economic climate makes it harder than ever for book publishers, editors, and writers. Please do what you can to support your favorite magazines, writers, and publishers. Keep buying books!

In other news, would anyone out there be interested in helping put together a talk for ComicCon on Comic Book Heroes (and Heroines) and Literature?

Girl Geek Must Reads

So it's Christmas, end of 2008, time of lists and lists and more lists.

So what is on your girl-geek must-have reading list?

1. The Elegance of the Hedgehog
This book is not brand new, but I just discovered it, and can't stop talking about it. Love philosophy, cheesy movies, Japanese pop culture, love/hate the French? You'll love this book!

2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1 (Season 8)
The year in Buffy comics. Let's face it: in a Bella versus Buffy smackdown, Buffy is hotter, stronger, cooler, and just an all-around better role-model. So, forget buying your neice one of the Twilight books - get her Buffy comics instead!

3. Pretty Monsters: Stories
Loved Kelly Link but was afraid Stranger Things Happen had too much adult content for your sixteen-year-old little sister? This short-story collection is still disturbing and weird, but safe for all ages.

More to come...but if you're still shopping, here are some names of some of my favorite short-story writers: Haruki Murakami, Osamu Dazai (Blue Bamboo is his best), Catherynne M Valente, Neil Gaiman (still charming - and I love his "The Dream Hunters" comic - gorgeous and touching)

"Our Father" - Heroes Review

I want to like Heroes. I really do. In last night's episode, I loved how Claire and Hiro interacted to each other and to the scene from their childhoods. I loved Claire's sunny impression of a babysitter for her parents, Hiro's touching scenes with his dying mother.
And then the writers completely spoiled those wonderful previous scenes by having Arthur Petrelli appear in the past (who, as far as we know, has never shown time or space travel capabilities - or the ability to know where mutants (sorry, Heroes) are in space and time.) What the hell? It was like - well, we have no reason to believe Daddy Petrelli can do any of the things he just did to get here, but why do we care? We're the writers! Uck. Then poor Hiro gets defeated a second time by Arthur, just when his character was finally allowed to have some gravity again. Where's the love for Hiro's character, I ask?
And what's with the stealing of Buffy Season 4's "Initiative" plot line? Lame.
And you just know Sylar and Peter didn't really kill that Arthur character. Sure, they burn Elle, but they just leave Arthur on the floor like he didn't come back from a coma just a month ago?
In other words, writers of Heroes, really? Really?