SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Did anyone watch the series premiere of Falling Skies with Noah Wylie? I'm undecided, but hoping it works. It's rather a cross between War of the Worlds and Pat Frank's book: Alas, Babylon. Hope it works from accuracy and credibility standpoints. I can only suspend belief to a certain point. Frankly, I expected more from Stephen Spielberg, including better sound values. Background sounds, music and gunfire volumes often made it impossible to hear what the cast was saying -- amateurish at best.

Just started here. Will give my thoughts in the morning.

Better not suck...

I watched about an hour and a half of it and then gave up. I was hoping for more, but it just seemed like a bunch of retread ideas I've seen done elsewhere and done better. It's a shame. I like Noah Wylie and had high hopes for it.

I didn't think it was great, but I didn't find it abjectly awful either. The acting is pretty good. There was at least one plot twist I didn't see coming, and enjoyed. Willing to give it another go.

Had no idea it was even premiering then tuned in about 20 minutes into it... it held my interest and I'll tune into the next. We'll see form there.

I watched the premiere last night and I think I need to re-watch it. Either I missed some of the backstory, or all the backstory was told in the year-long hype and left out of the actual two-hour opener.

The only acting that didn't appear to be acting came from Colin Cunningham (definitely a different role for him from a clean-cut Air Force officer in the Stargate franchises). Noah disappointed in his performance. Oh, and it was cool to see Dale Dye in a cameo. I hope we see more of him later.

I'm not super-excited about this series, but at least it's something to watch over the summer that's scripted and vaguely resembles science fiction.

Welp.

I am not dissapoint.

Yet, at any rate.

I'll give it another episode or two to feel it out, but I'm a bit wary so far.

"Not awful but not great either" just about sums it up. The characters are pretty much stock, but I don't expect a great deal more from a series premiere. I really liked that the writers skipped over the whole aliens-are-invading! thing and just got to the point 6 months later where the war was all but over...

Notwithstanding the soppy stuff with the little kid, there is potential here. The bad guy in the 2nd half of the episode had a certain rakish charm, and they set up next week's episode nicely. I also like the main character quite a bit. I'll give it a few more episodes too.

I am trying out this one and Outcasts on BBC America. So far I like this one more than Outcasts, even though Outcasts has a more Sci-fi premise, it feels much more like a drama taking place on another planet.

I think the Aliens in Falling Skies are kinda cool and I love that I am already trying to figure out a bunch of stuff, though will be very disappointed if my first guess is right. (Like the mechs having two legs?... but no spoilers!!)

I watched the premiere last night on Comcast On Demand. I enjoyed it, but the show seems to be loaded with a lot of the fairly typical tropes you see in shows/movies that fall in the catagory. My interest level in TV shows has waned quite a bit over the last year, so I'm not sure if I'll give this much of a chance unless they throw in more twists.

Dale Dye was as usual, good to see him in something. Few can deliver military dialogue like he can.

After a couple of weeks, I've already given up on Fallen Skies. Outcasts looks like a keeper though. Really looking forward to where they are going with that one.

Tad wrote: "After a couple of weeks, I've already given up on Fallen Skies. Outcasts looks like a keeper though. Really looking forward to where they are going with that one."

Sadly, Outcasts has already been canceled. BBC didn't renew it for a second series.

FS was far too stereotypical and devoid of genuine characters to hold my attention for more than a half hour.

Ahh... Outcasts was canceled? I finally get my husband to sit and watch a sci-fi series with me... he actually likes it... and they cancel it!!! Grr... He won't watch falling Skies with me. It's not brilliant, but I am hooked. What can I say, I have a soft spot for bad sci-fi!

I find I enjoy one (or two) seasons of a good show a lot better than multiple seasons of a mediocre one. Survivors was another BBC show (remake) that didn't last more than a couple of series, but I enjoyed it while it lasted.

John wrote: Sadly, Outcasts has already been canceled. BBC didn't renew it for a second series.
Well that sucks. It started out slow but got better with each episode. I was looking forward to it coming back. Dammit.

David wrote: Notwithstanding the soppy stuff with the little kid, there is potential here.
Agreed. That's the part I hate the most.
This last episode was good, lots of action and some backstory.

Finally watched the third episode last night (the one that aired on Sunday night (26 Jun 2011) in the States on TNT.

Not impressed. I sometimes feel like I'm being forced to watch one of those gawdawful Saturday night movies that Syfy airs. Bad acting, cheap sets and cheap CG.

Things that really bothered me about last night's episode include:

(view spoiler)[If you don't know anything (or much of anything) about the alien invaders, don't drag them back to where all your refugees are living and hiding.

All research (including taking the harness off the child victim) should be done in separate removed facilities from where your civilian refugees are living/hiding.

For being so advanced, why do the aliens and their robots not have infrared technology? Or ultrasound?

Why do they need our scrap metal (and are ignoring all the cars abandoned on the street) and earth child slave labor to gather it? Giving the writers a wee bit of credit - the characters did actually ask the last question in the dialogue.

And now our rakish rogue leader is a chef? Wow ... (hide spoiler)]

At least Leverage was minimally entertaining, although it fell flat for a season opener as well.

It definitely has it's issues.
I agree that we're consistently given mediocre scifi on television. I've long since given up hope of outstanding scifi on television. I have to take what's given and be moderately happy with it. It's mediocre scifi or no scifi. It does piss me off knowing what the genre really has to offer and never getting it. Which is why Books Rule!

I guess for me, Falling Skies fits in (a little) with my possible running story line of "What would I, as a mother, do to save my children if there was...." (Fill-in: alien invasion, natural disaster of epic proportions, Zombie Apocalypse.. etc.)

Yeah, I'm a little twisted, but I kinda think that's what makes me a great writer!!

For what it is worth, I am afraid my children would ultimately die in such situations. They aren't obedient enough to survive!!!

Jackie wrote: "Which is why Books Rule! "

True, oh so true.

I just struggling reading SF - I'd much rather watch it. :) My own foible, I know.

Okay, just caught ep #3 online. It was... okay.

Pros: pretty good atmosphere, cool aliens, better-than-decent effects. I continue to like how we've been dropped into a situation that's already well underway, and left to catch up. Some stuff about Noah Wyle's wife tonight, that was nicely done I thought. Some of those images of the kids collecting scrap metal were creepy. (And yeah, why bother with this?) And of course the final 5 seconds were a nice hook for next week.

Cons: The characters continue to be stock types. I can roll with this a little longer, but not much more. Pope is the only one acting with any kind of verve; he's a type too but at least he's playing it to the hilt. A lot of people stand around striking poses but not doing much else. The soppy little-kid stuff wasn't overwhelming this time, but I have no reason to believe it's going away entirely anytime soon.

It sure would be nice to have a significant female character who wasn't a mom/teacher/caregiver. And a prominent non-white character who had more than like six lines. I know, I'm grousing... or dreaming.

I'll give it two, maybe three more tries to develop into something engaging. Right now it's eye candy.

Aww, come on people! You're being too hard on this thing. Go watch the first few eps of BSG or ST:TNG, and you'll see they weren't so great right off the bat either! It takes time for a show to develop its rhythm so I'm hoping that will happen here. Fallgin Skies has a solid premise and some pretty decent acting, not to mention good special FX. Okay it's not Shakespearem, but come on, when was the last time any of us tuned in to watch Shakespeare?

Last year when Tennant did Hamlet.
lol

Jackie wrote: "Last year when Tennant did Hamlet.
lol"
along with Patrick Stewart.


If you go geek, go full geek. :P

True True. I should have mentioned Stewart. I'm a bad little geek.

Shoot! No wonder you guys are tough to impress.

Larry wrote: "Did anyone watch the series premiere of Falling Skies with Noah Wylie? I'm undecided, but hoping it works. It's rather a cross between War of the Worlds and Pat Frank's book: Alas, Babylon. Hop..."

My wife and I couldn't get through the first episode. Got better things to do with our time, like watching the Mariners lose another game or sorting out a sock drawer.

Brad wrote: No wonder you guys are tough to impress.

The thing is, we've seen some really good scifi come to TV, so we know it can be done; and we know the awesome scifi books out there just waiting to be put the screen. It kills me to see such medocrity when I know it can be done so much better; it gives scifi a bad name and that is what really pisses me off.

Heidi wrote: "I guess for me, Falling Skies fits in (a little) with my possible running story line of "What would I, as a mother, do to save my children if there was...." (Fill-in: alien invasion, natural disast..."

I felt that way about my kids, too, and I let similar feelings cause me to move my family across the country when things looked bleak around Washington after Viet Nam. But the good news is that their basically undisciplined natures turned out to be an entrepreneurial strength, and they've survived just fine past forty. Don't worry.

Larry wrote: "My wife and I couldn't get through the first episode. Got better things to do with our time, like watching the Mariners lose another game or sorting out a sock drawer. "

Glad to hear it, I also could not suffer through Falling Skies past the first 45 minutes. The characters or situation just did not grab me at all.

This is off topic--I started watching a BBC series called Misfits. It is like Heroes but with realistic kids who are a bunch of screw-ups. That is a good show.

Richard wrote: This is off topic--I started watching a BBC series called Misfits.

Misfits is one of BBC's best. I love it and eagerly await the new season. How far are you into it?

Jackie wrote: "Richard wrote: This is off topic--I started watching a BBC series called Misfits.

Misfits is one of BBC's best. I love it and eagerly await the new season. How far are you into it?"

Just watched the first two episodes. Have the rest of Season 1 queued up, will try to watch this weekend.

Richard, you're in for a lot of fun. Nathan is a trip. I'll probably do a marathon of both seasons before the new season starts up.

Jacki wrote: "The thing is, we've seen some really good scifi come to TV, so we know it can be done;"

I feel like I'm here defending this thing that isn't all that great. I just think there are some good parts and mediocre parts, but people are being a little harsh about this thing that's only run for 3 episodes. Maybe it won't get any better and that's a drag, but maybe it needs some time to get some momentum going. Enjoy it for what it is, is all I'm saying.

I'm curious though: just what "really good scifi" have you seen on TV? I thought BSG was great at times but pretty run-of-the-mill at others; V and Flashforward were a joke IMO and I was never a big fan of Farscape, Firefly, Heroes or Stargate. Star Trek has always been a mixed bag and I don't get HBO (so haven't seen Game of Thrones). Walking Dead has characters that are as stock as Falling Skies even after an entire season. So... is there some secret, brilliant show out there I've missed?

I hope there is!

Brad wrote: "So... is there some secret, brilliant show out there I've missed? "

Great writing!

I really enjoy Dr. Who under Moffat. I also love most of the Stargate series and I'm a diehard Star Trek fan (I've watched all things Star Trek but only read a few of the books).

I enjoyed watching BSG, but I didn't consider it SF, most like space opera can cranky and wonky.

I miss Terminator the Sarah Connor Chronicles.

I've never watched Babylon 5 but it gets such great reviews, I should probably put it in my Netflix queue.

Brad, Don't feel that you have to defend it from me. I'm not saying for anyone to NOT like it. And I'm not even saying I don't like it. It's mediocre and I'm sick of mediocrity in all things, not just TV or scifi TV. I plan on giving it a few more eps to see if it gets better, either it does or it doesn't. I don't care; I'm not invested one way or another. And that is telling in itself. I need to connect to my characters but that's just me.

What do I think is great scifi?
Doctor Who. Torchwood. Misfits. BSG. StarGate. ST:TNG. Firefly. Andromeda. Dollhouse. StarGate Universe. ST: Voyager. Outcasts.
I'm sure there's plenty more but I'd need to think about it.

Game of Thrones is fantasy, not scifi in any way but it was fabulous. That's how TV should be done, even if I have to pay for it, I don't mind at all.

Babylon 5 was great, but I suspect hasn't dated well. BSG was the best thing to come along in the last 10 years. Too much of the other stuff is made for the lowest common denominator in an attempt to broaden appeal. In the end, as we all know, you can't please everyone. The more you try, the more you'll just put off your core market.

Neither of the two above were perfect, but both well worth watching. I also thought Caprica was worth the view, if but a character driven drama and an acquired taste.

I caught episodes of Babylon 5 but didn't have the opportunity to view it with any regularity. It's on my To Rent list for this summer.

I liked Caprica as well. Another one I forgot was Dark Angel. There has been good scifi, we just don't get it too often. It's not a popular genre on TV, it doesn't get the ratings required.

Everyone is not going to like the same things, and there's nothing wrong with that.

After watching too many hours of TV, whenever I choose to watch a new TV series, it has to bring something new and something authentic to the table. Shows like BSG and Firefly had that quality to me. Or even a show like The 4400 on USA a few years ago. Falling Skies, while I want to like it, would love to watch Noah and Moon every week, it just feels like a warmed-up version of War of the Worlds on a low budget. I am also getting more impatient now in my old age...if a TV show doesn't grab me in the first episode, I am lost.

I am also suspicious whenever Steven Spielberg's name is attached to a TV series. He hasn't had a good track record.

Richard, I too look for the unique on TV. So many shows are just recycled old shows. And I don't mean just scifi. Police, medical and legal dramas are the worst. It's all the same show, change the names and the location but it's nothing new.
You hit on something important also: age. I've gotten more discriminating in books and TV as I get older simply because time is running out, I need to spend it wisely. Some shows I'll drop right away, some within 3 or 4 episodes.
Something else that I now require is to feel something for the characters, doesn't matter what, feeling is what connects me to them and keeps me interested in them.

I loved The 4400, I was disappointed when it was cancelled.

I agree with you, Jackie, character is what counts and that is the most important thing. The 4400 had a lot of interesting characters going from the past to the present. BSG had characters that felt real. LOST was one of my favorite series because of the character drama.

I find it hard to watch a lot of TV for all the reasons you mentioned. I've lost interest in almost all shows on NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX. Although recently we started watching SUITS on USA. I liked the first 2 episodes of that show, even though it has some unbelievable things, the characters are vibrant.

Jackie wrote: "I loved The 4400, I was disappointed when it was cancelled. "

I did as well.

Has anyone seen Battle: Los Angeles? Is it good or terrible?

How about Sucker Punch?

I haven't seen Battle: LA but everything I hear about it makes me think it was horrible. I'll probably Netflix it anyway, as I like to see alien monsters blow things up (see also: Falling Skies) and I believe a great deal of that happens.

BTW, I read somewhere that the effects for Battle: LA were done by the same people who did the truly horrific Skyline, and that Skyline was rushed into release in order to beat the other film, the fear being that audiences would only have stomach for one alien movie. Dunno if it's true, but it makes a good story.

Basically, alien-invasion stories are tough to do well. Remember Footfall (the book) by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle? Now there's an alien-invasion story for ya... Would make a great series too (too long for a single movie IMO).

David wrote: "I haven't seen Battle: LA but everything I hear about it makes me think it was horrible. I'll probably Netflix it anyway, as I like to see alien monsters blow things up (see also: Falling Skies) an..."

I get the feeling that "LA" is an Independence Day rip-off, but without the big budget actors and special effects.

Al: You're probably right!

From what I've heard, Battle: LA is as much about the bond between Marines (or the equivalent) as it is about explosions, etc.

Thanks, Karen. Maybe I'll pass. I like a good war movie and I like a good SF flick, but this one sounds, so far, like a dud. No one here has actually seen it, just heard this or that. If it's been ignored by our crowd here, it must not measure up to "good" SF standards.

No one seems to have heard anything about "Sucker Punch" which seems to be Fantasy, so maybe I'll pass on that one as well. (Strange title for a fantasy. . . .)

I saw them both. Battle: LA was basically Transformers with aliens instead of robots. Lots of action but lot of shaky hand-held camera, which gets my vote for Most Overused Movie Trick of the '00s (and yeah, I know it's 2011 now!) It tries to give a grunt's-eye-view of the battle, sort of like Cloverfield did with that alien invasion... it's okay but mostly it just gave me a headache. Worth a rental I suppose if you have a big screen TV and want some mindless action. Aaron Eckhart has good charisma but you can't say the characters were particularly memorable.

Sucker Punch is just ... either brilliant or ridiculous. Maybe both. Visually it's astonishing, maybe the most visually arresting movie I've seen. A lot of it takes place in this girl's head, so everything can be thrown together--Nazis and dragons and dirigibles and whatever. This is all great, but the so-called characters are half-naked (or more) tough chicks and ninja-girls and so forth who stepped straight out of a 16-year-old boy's World of Warcraft fantasy. The dialgue is horrific too. So, if you see it, I'd advise going in with low expectations just to catch the spectacle (which is pretty much what I did with Avatar, and hey, I enjoyed that okay).

FWIW, my idea of great movies? 2001, THX 1138, Alien, The Thing From Another World (1951 version), Them!, and pretty much anything with Vincent Price or Ray Harryhausen monsters.

I enjoyed BAttle LA. It was kind of a weird smash up of War movie and sci-fi and at moments it was... awkward. As for the comparison to Independence Day, definitely not!!

I had not heard the story about Skyline, but the effects were completely different. Skyline is kinda like Falling Skies. Good if you like bad cheesy Sci Fi (yes, I am guilty!!!) But Battle LA can stand on it's own two feet. Although it did the hand held to an extent it wasn't nearly as bad as Cloverfield.

As for sucker punch, I r4eally want to see it!! It is based off a comic book (Ahh... my bad, I believe the correct term is a graphic novel?!?!?) And if it is half as good as Sin City, I am SOOOO there!!

Yeah... I'm kind of a geek... I also watch anime.. so.. yeah