Buffy is Over

Well I haven't updated in a long time but we just finished Buffy Season 7 and Angel Season 4. I've had serious 'god I hate this show' moments with Buffy but in the end I have to say it's a great watch. Angel I like most of the time and I'm happy we have 1 more season to go.

All I can think about right now, as far as Buffy goes, is this:


Edit: Now I see that's someone's redraw instead of the original. The original is soooooo much better at poking fun of David Boreanaz with his long even hairline, big forehead and impossibly small ears.

Here's a crop of a screencap but photoshopping it into workable order is proving to be a big time pain.

Sequel Craziness

30 Upcoming Movie Sequels you didn't know about:

Some make sense, some are absolutely terrible and some are just odd. T

Ones that spark comment in me?
The Brazilian Job: That is far too much like The Brazilian Wax. I can't think of anything but that when I read that title.
Shrek 5: They are really going to take this too far and run it into the ground. Oh, wait...I hear Rocky calling!
Jurassic Park 4: Bad, just bad. And even worse...rumors of David Boreanaz attached to the movie. No, please no. Say it ain't so. I will have to see it then but I will still hate it. Sigh.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

The entire list:

The Brazilian Job: the follow up to Paramount’s US remake of The Italian Job is still on the cards, and it’s got a 2009 release date marked. Jason Statham, Mos Def, Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron are attached, as is director F Gary Gray.

I, Robot 2: All we know on this one is that it’s in the scripting stages still, with a potential 2010 release date planned in. No news on Mr Smith's involvement.

I Am Legend 2: Warner’s huge Christmas 2007 hit could also have a follow up, although it’d be interesting to see if Will Smith returned to it. A 2010 release date is also being mooted for this one.

Beverly Hills Cop 4: If Die Hard can still do it at the box office, why can’t Axel Foley? Er, because the third BHC movie was crap, and a flop. Still, it’s not stopped development work going ahead on number four. No further news than that, though.

National Treasure 3: Not a huge surprise, but as the Nic Cage Indiana Jones knock off franchise has proved to be quite a juggernaut, you’ll only have to wait until 2011 for the third film in the series.

Cars 2: We spotted this on AintItCool – is Pixar really looking to make a sequel to its weakest film? Apparently so…

Toy Story 3: This one, after lots of umming and ahhing, appears to be a goer. It won’t, as was speculated, be a straight-to-DVD affair, and Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are both expected back on voicing duties. It’ll be out in 2010.

Jeepers Creepers 3: MGM is running the rule over a potential third instalment in the horror franchise, with director Victor Salva still attached. Hmmm.

Shrek 5: The fourth film was a no-brainer after the tepid third outing made so much cash. But a fifth instalment has also been confirmed. No wonder Shrek is the same colour as an American dollar…

Night at the Museum 2: Ben Stiller is returning for his most commercially successful role outside of the Meet the Parents franchise. We can wait. No news on the proposed Meet The Little Focker, though.

Crank 2: High Voltage: This is more like it. Crank is a guilty pleasure right up there with Snakes on a Plane, and it’s coming back for more. Shooting starts next month, for a 2009 release, and Jason Statham returns as Chev Chelios. As he should.

Transporter 3: Statham again. He’s making this too, and it’s in pre-production. Presumably, he’ll go from Crank 2 straight onto this.

Super Troopers 2: A sequel nobody asked for! Hurray! Expect it in 2010, as it’s in the early writing stages still, we believe.

Silent Hill 2: Sony is looking at a follow up to the crap-but-popular video game adaptation. 2010 is the current slated release date.

The Descent 2: We understand that Neil Marshall won’t be directed this one, which has the, er, working title of The De2cent. He’s attached as Executive Producer, with Jon Harris stepping behind the camera (he edited the first film, as well as the more recent Stardust).

The Grudge 3: Yup, it’s in pre-production now, for release next year. That’ll likely be the scariest thing about it.

Ice Age 3: 1st July 2009. That’s the date you’ll need to avoid if you want to miss the next Ice Age movie. Hopefully it’ll be better than the second one…

Ghost Rider 2: A surprise hit last year, Marvel is developing a follow-up to the Nic Cage comic book flick, and tentatively has 2009 marked for release. No director is thus far attached.

The Untouchables: Capone Rising: A prequel to Brian De Palma’s cracking prohibition thriller of, er, twenty years ago. De Palma is back behind the camera, and the project is in the pre-production stages now.

The Thomas Crown Affair 2: Weird, this. It’s taken them ages to do a sequel, and then they draft in Paul Verhoeven to direct a follow-up to someone else’s film. Pierce Brosnan returns, and filming starts shortly.

The People Under The Stairs 2: No sign of any Wes Craven involvement, though, and release may even be this year. Hmmm. We'd wager DVD will be its home.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Er, that’s what they’ve called The Mummy 3, which is out on 1st August. Brendan Fraser and Jet Li star.

Punisher: War Zone: Ray Stevenson becomes the third person to play The Punisher on screen. You’ll be able to find out how he did on 12th September this year.

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder: Casper Van Diem is back, but it’s still going straight to DVD, as the piss-awful second film did. It’s due out later this year.

Pink Panther 2: Oh dear. And I’m a Steve Martin fan. It’s out on 13th February 2009.

Ace Ventura 3: No Jim Carrey though, and no chance of it seeing the inside of a cinema. Head to Blockbuster later in the year if you want to catch it.

War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave: Another straight to DVD sequel, but this one’s of note because it’s directed by Soul Man/Hitcher star C Thomas Howell. Blimey.

Jurassic Park 4: It’s taken them ages to sort this out, but the latest is that Laura Dern is still attached, and that it’ll be released in 2009. Don’t hold your breath though, as shooting would need to start really very soon...

Scary Movie 5/Saw 5: You could have guessed at these if you didn’t know about them already. Both should see the light before the end of the year. Sadly.

Buffywatch: When you have trouble liking the main character...

My husband and I have now finished watching Buffy and Angel through the ends of Seasons 4 and 1 respectively. Comparing between the two shows I have seen a few things but one really stands out:

I really don't like Buffy.

I love both shows, and I think Sarah Michelle Gellar does a wonderful job but when it comes right down to the character I just...don't like her. Seeing Angel brought that into focus. Angel is a tragic hero but he bears that with grace and strength. Buffy is in some ways equally tragic as Angel but in many ways she's got it much better. Yet she is barely more than a spoiled brat most of the time. And much of her tragedy she brings upon herself. She listens to no one at some crucial moments and can easily get in the way of solutions.

I hope I like her more in the end.

Buffywatch: Neck Ruptures

I don't know why, but that ghastly line stuck with me (where Joyce is talking about how they've all lost friends to various means, including neck ruptures). The wonderful one-liners on Buffy never cease.

We're more than 1/2 way through Season 3 now. It's funny, it's deep, it's enthralling. The stories are great. Buffy goes through a lot in this season. I was sad to see Cordelia and Xander break up, humored to see Joyce and Giles temporarily hook up, happy to see Spike return for a moment, and am excited to see Angel grow stronger.

I still have a bit of a hard time with Angel. I was led to the series because of David Boreanaz and stayed because of the writing. DB is a far better actor now (and age has done him very, very well indeed) so it's still hard to watch him before he grew in his craft. Angel is far too dark for such a sunny, happy person and his short moments of comedy really shine.

Sarah Michelle Gellar is a really good actress, I believe. I didn't like her before watching Buffy. But she's perfect in the role and plays it very well. The humor, the sadness, the strength; nothing is beyond her ability.

I'm surprised to say it, but I think my favorite character, at least so far, is Cordelia. Charisma Carpenter delivers her lines beautifully and they give her some of the best scenes AND lines. The prom night fight scene where Cordelia has a spatula had me rolling and great lines "Now lets be clear. The brain damage happened before I hit you." give tense scenes great comedic value.

Xander is ever-funny, Willow does straight-funny and Giles and Oz are both deep AND funny. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to find this show.

So many scenes stand out in the episodes we've watched but it's hard to convey such a witty, on point show with a few lines of text. Simply put: it's worth the watch.

Even though it's a massive distraction...

Song of the Day

Dido - 'White Flag'

Some songs just grow on you, insidiously. I watched this video simply because David Boreanaz is in it and how can you have a proper celeb fascination without viewing all the work? Admittedly, I didn't like the song at first but now I've gone back again and again and I don't even watch it while it plays. I just listen. Enabling is disabled by request on the video, but you can view it here. I can see why it was such a popular song.

Buffywatch

As I posted in my Bones blog, we received our Buffy and Angel complete box sets yesterday; 2 days ahead of schedule (go Amazon!). The plan was to start watching them Friday evening but dear husband caved and we watched the first 3 episodes of Season 3 last night.

I've been told that Season 3 is the best season of Buffy and I'm not inclined to argue that, based on what I've seen so far. The one liners are great, the story is deep, and the last thing I've seen at this point is naked David Boreanaz falling back to earth. What's not to like?

I'm still not sure I like Faith, but I do know that Buffy's Mom really annoys me. She's just kinda...mean and whiny. Empowered Willow is great and I'm happy that Xander and Cordy quickly got back together. I've been snoopy enough to know it won't last...but I really love watching them together.

My favorite blogs...

Blogs have been my dirty little habit for some time now and I range far and wide. From the sailor-mouthed infertile, to the David Boreanaz obsession , and again (c'mon, someone make one devoted just to him and I'll love you forever. On second thought...that would quickly turn creepy and wrong) and the gobbling of celebrity drivel.I get around. I read about Lost, a gamer girl playing a creepy male gnome, and everyone else's dirty secrets.

Unsatisfied with even that rapacious bit of consumption I have now decided to jump into the fray myself. I am currently writing a novel. It's my first and I'm sure I will have many stumbles along the way. Come, grab a glass of iced tea and laugh at my expense!