obsession boyfriend i'm psyched girl crush i'm dreading enemy

(need an explanation?)

advertisements





when in Stratford-upon-Avon, U.K., I stay at
Adelphi Guest House




question of the day: What is Bryan Singer gonna do with ‘Battlestar Galactica’?

Have you heard? Universal has signed Bryan Singer -- of Valkyrie, X-Men, and The Usual Suspects fame -- to produce and direct a Battlestar Galactica feature film.

I wrote a bit about my thoughts on this prospect yesterday over at Film.com. The gist: I don’t see how this can end up as anything other than a generic space opera, Singer’s talent aside.

Am I wrong? Is there something left to do with BSG that is neither a continuation of Ron Moore’s Sci Fi Channel epic nor a cheap-ish imitation of Star Wars (just like the 1970s TV show was)?

What is Bryan Singer gonna do with Battlestar Galactica?

(If you have a suggestion for a QOTD, feel free to email me. Responses to this QOTD sent by email will be ignored; please post your responses here.)

(more below the ad... scroll down...)



(links here are good for finding recent posts, but will not be fully functional till I finish tagging 11 years worth of reviews and blog entries; I'll post a notice when tagging is done)
(more below the ad... scroll down...)



comments

I basically agree with the evaluation of the fan base in the Film.com story. It was passionate but not that large. Even if they all go see a Singer BSG film (which I doubt would happen), that would not translate to box office success.

Personally, unless the film turns out to be a dumbed down big loud action summer movie that draws big crowds because that's what some people want from their summer movies, I think this film is already doomed.

I'm sure there's something more to mine from BSG, only because I think there's always something more there or another fresh take waiting to be written. (See: Star Trek.) I think it's rare that someone's version of a story becomes the Final Word Never to Be Improved On. Unless you're Shakespeare, maybe.

Other than ruin it? Your guess is as good as mine.

Ooooh, oooh, is it going to be darkerer and edgierier than the show?

I think what we'll see will be a repeat of the series. You have to remember that as good as BSG has been, only a very small part of the mass audience has seen it. So if Singer were to basically make a feature version and merely repeat what it's been doing, it would still be new to many people.

Obviously, this is just me talking outta my hat and I could be wrong, but presenting old sci-fi memes that the mass audience is unfamiliar with has worked for Lucas, Spielberg, and Cameron, albeit they've mostly taken their inspiration from old printed sci-fi, rather than cable tv shows.

Seen the trailer for "Avator"?

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=123136271519&h=CcZ2H&u=Js2uw&ref=nf

In the words of my buddy Doug, we have to see it, if nothing else to see so many science fiction paperback covers brought to life.

It's all a setup for a gigantic crossover, see . . .

The Galactica crew lands on Planet Krypton just before it's blown to bits . . . but not before they meet a general named Zod, who looks curiously like Dean Stockwell. Then they can all talk to the floaty CG heads of Marlon Brando and Lorne Greene together as they set off in search of Earth.

I have no idea, but I have to say I am not thrilled at the prosepects either.

My Gods. The show just ENDED, For the Love of Six!

Are we going to have a new movie for "Two And a Half Men" once the sitcom goes off the air???

WHERE, I ask you, is the massive groundswell for a Battlestar movie? Everyone I know who was following the series was content with how it ended. This is madness! MADNESS I TELL YOU!

Everyone I know who was following the series was content with how it ended.

Really? I can't assemble a group of fans greater than three and still have consensus on whether it ended satisfactorily or not.

But I doubt the ones who don't think so are clamoring for a sideways-spinoff movie.

I loved RM's BSG and loved the way he ended it. There is only one thing I want to see, and that would be the Cylon War that Adama fought in as a young man. After that scene in Razor wherein he saw the original Hybrid experiments I thought, sheesh, there's your spinoff. But then again, that was RM, so I dread what anyone else would do with that story as well.

I guess the first clues will be when we see who is being cast. If we see any known cylons showing up, for instance. There are endless prequels that could involve Head.Baltar and Head.Six, but again, dread, dread, dread.

How about Starbuck as a man?

I was not a fan of Moore’s version but will admit he got some things right. The mini-series based on the name Battlestar Galactica got a good rating, almost half the audience did not tune in for the series. Moore’s show increasingly used shock value as a gimmick, his serious thought provoking show became a parody of itself. I don’t doubt he laughed as critical acclaim came in season after season but having a few critics tune in is not formula for success. It was a niche TV show. Universal wants a mass appeal summer box office smash. Why is it so hard to believe a middle ground can be met? Riveting sci-fi action, realistic characters people can admire with a well done story. Overly dark and flawed are played out.

Depends on which Brian Singer we get. X-Men Singer will rock the shit out of BSG.

And even as a fan of the new series (and I'm the biggest BSG apologist there is) I am always willing to jump on board some kickass space action. I'm a little trepidatious, especially after Superman, but Valkyrie proved Singer still has the chops to make a thrilling movie out of a story whose ending we already know, so he might be just the guy for a third shot at the BSG mythology.

(SPOILERS for original BSG ending)
I think that it will follow on directly from the "real" end of the series. it will be a psychological study of the difficulties of technological man in adjusting to the rigors of prehistoric life. Mostly it will consist of cavemen sitting around a fire and grunting rhythmically. I don't predict big box office.

@PaulW: "Everyone I know who was following the series was content with how it ended."

>

i wasn't. but then, of course, you don't actually *know* me.

@bronxbee: I remember you! You were in that acting troupe that went around the audience punching people! You hit my girlfriend! You were great...

When I'm saying 'content,' I'm saying that they accept the ending. They do bitch about it, question obvious plot holes, etc. but they accept that it happened, and that for the most part at least it didn't end with a shameless unexplained Cut to Black like the So...........................

The BSG finale was so awful they might as well reboot the whole thing again. I'll never go back and re-watch any of Moore's version.

And as for The Sopranos, Tony is killed in the diner. The cut to black is from Tony's POV. It's all in the editing of the final scene and was foreshadowed that entire season. Chase wanted to bring Tony to an end without satisfying the bloodlust of the casual viewer.

Ron Moore's version was a masterpiece. He made us think, he made us use our imaginations to draw our own conclusions. That is what made BSG so great. Human nature always wants things tied up and presented with a little bow on top saying "here you go." Personally, I loved how it began, continued and ended. My fears are that Singer is going to go forward with his original 2002 plan with Richard hatch and attempt to revive the original show and cast. If so, I predict dismal and EPIC failure. Don't get me wrong, I loved the original as a kid in the 70's, I just don't think there's a viable way to revisit the mythos in any form but Ron Moore's mythos.

How about Starbuck as a man?

Seen it.

The BSG finale was so awful they might as well reboot the whole thing again. I'll never go back and re-watch any of Moore's version.

I think the end was a let down after all the build up, but the series as a whole was good good enough that we started rewatching it a week after it ended (and I'm still listening to the soundtracks).

Jim

Well, let's ignore Moore's BSG momentarily and suppose the events happen in contemporary time. Adama and crew are seeking us out, while being followed by an enemy that is vast in number and far ahead of us technologically. What is going to happen when the Colonials get here? The Cylons won't be far behind.

That's where I'd go with the movie. Build off the original series. Get rid of some of the cheese factor. Recast Richard Hatch as Apollo, who, thirty years later, has taken over as admiral of the fleet. The Colonials find modern day earth and everything else moves from there...

I like it Jolly...it could just work. Surprisingly, after I spoke with Richard once for www.bsgpilots.com he made mention of his alliance with Singer back in 2002 as the two attempted a BSG revival, and his planned storyline isn't too far off from yours. Yes...it could work and I think I could watch that. Of course, as you said we need less "cheese."

post a comment

who I am


I'm MaryAnn Johanson: writer and ponderer in New York City who drinks too much wine and thinks way too much about such inconsequences as movies, TV, books, and the meaning of life.
[email me]
[become a Facebook fan]
[visit my personal Facebook page]
[follow me on Twitter]
[friend me on MySpace]

FlickFilosopher.com is available on Kindle

• contributor, Film.com
• member, International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences
• visit my scratchpad blog, MaryAnnJohanson.com
• read my Doctor Who fan fiction

photo by David Speranza

(postings feed)


top critic on Movie Review Query Engine


as seen on Rotten Tomatoes


member, Online Film Critics Society


member, Alliance of Women Film Journalists

Add to Technorati Favorites

monthly archives

recent screenings and hot movies

just opened (U.S.)
red for no The Twilight Saga: New Moon
yellow for maybe Planet 51
not viewed by me The Blind Side [trailer]
not viewed by me Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans [trailer]
yellow for maybe Broken Embraces
green for go Red Cliff [trailer]
yellow for maybe The Missing Person [trailer]
green for go Precious (expanding)
green for go Fantastic Mr. Fox (expanding)
just opened (U.K.)
red for no The Twilight Saga: New Moon
green for go A Serious Man
green for go The Informant!
box office top 5 (U.S.)
yellow for maybe 2012
red for no A Christmas Carol
green for go Precious
green for go The Men Who Stare at Goats
yellow for maybe Michael Jackson's This Is It
top limited releases (U.S.)
green for go Precious
red for no The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
green for go An Education
green for go A Serious Man
yellow for maybe Coco Before Chanel
box office top 5 (U.K.)
yellow for maybe 2012
red for no A Christmas Carol
not viewed by me Harry Brown
green for go Up
green for go The Men Who Stare at Goats
coming soon (U.S./U.K.)
red for no The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond
yellow for maybe Serious Moonlight [trailer]
yellow for maybe A Single Man [trailer]
green for go Everybody's Fine [trailer]
red for no The Strip
green for go The Private Lives of Pippa Lee [trailer]
green for go The Young Victoria [trailer]
green for go Creation [trailer]
green for go The Road [trailer]
green for go The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus [trailer]
other current flicks (U.S./U.K.)
green for go Amelia
red for no Antichrist [trailer]
red for no Astro Boy
yellow for maybe The Box
green for go The Boys Are Back
green for go Bright Star
green for go Capitalism: A Love Story [trailer]
yellow for maybe Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
yellow for maybe Collapse
red for no Couples Retreat
green for go Creation [trailer]
green for go The Damned United
green for go An Education
green for go Five Minutes of Heaven
yellow for maybe The Fourth Kind
red for no Gentlemen Broncos [trailer]
green for go The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus [trailer]
green for go The Invention of Lying
red for no Jennifer's Body
green for go The Messenger [trailer]
green for go Ong Bak 2: The Beginning
yellow for maybe Paranormal Activity
red for no Pirate Radio (aka The Boat That Rocked)
yellow for maybe A Single Man [trailer]
yellow for maybe Where the Wild Things Are
red for no Whiteout
red for no Women in Trouble
green for go Zombieland

2009 screening log

new on dvd

11.17 (Region 1)
green for go Star Trek [buy]
green for go Humpday [buy]
green for go Bruno [buy]
green for go Is Anybody There? [buy]
yellow for maybe The Limits of Control [buy]
yellow for maybe My Sister's Keeper [buy]
yellow for maybe How to Be [buy]
green for go Farscape: The Complete Series [buy]
green for go Gone with the Wind: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition [buy]
(complete list of this week's new releases at Amazon U.S.)

11.16 (Region 2)
green for go Star Trek [buy]
green for go Moon [buy]
green for go Sunshine Cleaning [buy]
yellow for maybe Four Christmases [buy]
yellow for maybe Tyson [buy]
green for go An Evening with John Barrowman [buy]
green for go Doctor Who: The Key to Time [buy]
green for go South Park: Christmas Time in South Park [buy]
green for go Star Trek Trilogy [buy]
green for go Star Trek: The Next Generation Movie Collection [buy]
green for go Star Trek: Films 1-10 Remastered Special Edition [buy]
yellow for maybe Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 2 [buy]
(complete list of this week's new releases at Amazon U.K.)

11.10 (Region 1)
green for go Up [buy]
red for no The Ugly Truth [buy]
green for go The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Second Season [buy]
green for go Ink [buy]
(complete list of this week's new releases at Amazon U.S.)

11.09 (Region 2)
green for go Bruno [buy]
yellow for maybe The Age of Stupid [buy]
red for no Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian [buy]
green for go The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Second Season [buy]
green for go All Creatures Great and Small: Christmas Specials [buy]
(complete list of this week's new releases at Amazon U.K.)

11.03 (Region 1)
green for go The Taking of Pelham 123 [buy]
green for go Thicker Than Water: The Vampire Diaries Part 1 [buy]
yellow for maybe Food, Inc. [buy]
red for no G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra [buy]
red for no Aliens in the Attic [buy]
red for no I Love You, Beth Cooper [buy]
green for go North by Northwest (50th Anniversary Edition) [buy]
green for go Doctor Who: The War Games [buy]
green for go Doctor Who: The Black Guardian Trilogy [buy]
green for go National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Ultimate Collector's Edition) [buy]
green for go Mission: Impossible: Complete Series [buy]
(complete list of this week's new releases at Amazon U.S.)

11.02 (Region 2)
green for go Public Enemies [buy]
yellow for maybe Last Chance Harvey [buy]
red for no Year One [buy]
red for no Blood: The Last Vampire [buy]
green for go Wallace and Gromit: The Complete Collection [buy]
(complete list of this week's new releases at Amazon U.K.)

my book (Amazon U.S.)

my book (Amazon U.K.)

advertisements

search

Google
flickfilosopher.com
web