Finding Nemo

YEah, I did find the sewage treatment bit somewhat...farfetched. Ah well.

Krin...yup. That's the kind of impression I got. Wish I'd be able to get to know him anyway, but that's fandom for you... :bonk: I confess I'm just totally unfamiliar with LEXX...this was a cable show, I take it? I refuse to pay for the cable channels I really want...hence, I don't get them!

rusty
 
Lexx was on the scifi channel...should be on basic cable...call your provider and throw a fit!
Greg
 
rrtanton said:
I confess I'm just totally unfamiliar with LEXX...this was a cable show, I take it? I refuse to pay for the cable channels I really want...hence, I don't get them!

rusty

Hi Rusty --

Unfortunately, some of the best channels and shows are on cable (e.g., Discovery, Animal Planet, Sci-Fi, National Geographic, History, etc.) I assume that's because the increased income from individual subscribers allows the production values, scripts, and subject matter to be far better than those of network TV.

That being said, the fact is that -- similarly to network TV -- 90% of cable TV is garbage. (Of course, to quote the late s.f. master Theodore Sturgeon, "90% of everything is garbage.") And even some of the "good 10%" of cable shows would not have been possible to show on the networks, for various reasons.

In the specific case of LEXX, it simply wouldn't have gotten past the censors on network TV. I've seen network shows rated "M" (mature audiences only), and LEXX pushed the envelope way beyond that rating. Many of the episodes, if they were theater films, would have been rated somewhere between "R" and "NC-17". (The show was a joint Canadian-German effort, and I get the feeling that the media are a lot more liberal in those countries than they are here.)

Unfortunately, LEXX is no longer seen here -- I don't know if it was because they simply stopped making episodes, or what. The show is definitely an "acquired taste". However, if it's ever aired in re-runs, I would recommend it enthusiastically to those with open minds, strong stomachs, and a particularly twisted sense of humor. :twisted:

Kai's My Guy,
Tani
 
rrtanton said:
I confess I'm just totally unfamiliar with LEXX...this was a cable show, I take it? I refuse to pay for the cable channels I really want...hence, I don't get them!

rusty

Commercial TV here in Australian is worse than dreadful. I love my cable TV - it keeps me sane. Discovery Channel and The National Geograpgic Channel are my life savers.

TaningiaDanae said:
That being said, the fact is that -- similarly to network TV -- 90% of cable TV is garbage. (Of course, to quote the late s.f. master Theodore Sturgeon, "90% of everything is garbage.") And even some of the "good 10%" of cable shows would not have been possible to show on the networks, for various reasons.

There are cable TV stations I have never watched. I get a basic package of about 15 channels.

(The show was a joint Canadian-German effort, and I get the feeling that the media are a lot more liberal in those countries than they are here.)

First series of 4 films was German-Canadian co-production. Season 4 was co - Canadian and English and was total garbage. Season 2 and 3 were made by the Donovan brothers from Halifax with support from Aliance-Atlantis

Unfortunately, LEXX is no longer seen here -- I don't know if it was because they simply stopped making episodes, or what.

Yep. Season 4 was the last and was made at the insistence of the Sci-Fi channel was a waste of film. The studio in Halifax was sold.

The show is definitely an "acquired taste". However, if it's ever aired in re-runs, I would recommend it enthusiastically to those with open minds, strong stomachs, and a particularly twisted sense of humor. :twisted:

I got into LEXX after watching a day of Star Trek: Next Generation episodes. In LEXX there are people having sex, eating, going to the loo and basically being human. It was just what I needed at the time!

I do apologise as I seem to have chopped off the original posters names.

KRin
 
Heya,

A little more on Anime/Manga... (:twocents:)

I am a HUGE anime and manga fan. I have spent more on Anime DVDs and Manga than I care to say. Much of my collection is Studio Ghibli films ("My Neighbor Totoro", "Spirited Away"), series such as "Cowboy Bebop", "Trigun", "Vision of Escaflowne", "Serial Experiments: Lain", movies such as "Jin-Roh", Osamu Tezuka's "Metropolis", and "Cardcaptor Sakura". I have seen many, many more series, so I have a unique perspective on it.

Its true that anime tends to show death as a pretty harsh subject, even when the villain him/herself dies. Violence is seldom ever gratuitous, even though this is not always the case. In the case of Disney, they walk a razor's edge when dealing with violence, and don't always do it well.

Animation is a funny thing. Its an art form that is seldom given the respect it deserves, even though it pushes the boundaries of reality in cinema. I used to watch anime for the look. Now I watch animation when the story is good. Pixar has good writers. To a lesser extent, so does Disney. But all pale to Studio Ghibli.

For those of you with children (small ones), I would suggest "My Neighbor Totoro" or "Kiki's Delivery Service". For those who are older, you might try "Spirited Away" or "Princess Mononoke" (major violence in the latter). I simply think you shouldn't always have to leave a theatre with your brain turned off.

"Nemo" sounds like a kick! I have to see it.

Sushi and Sake,

John
 
i liked trigun, even if the story is a bit short....havent gotten around to finishing jin roh....not a huge fan of cowboy bebop but defiitely see what your saying about the violence.... is metropolis in anyway related to the fritz lang movie?

:cthulhu: :heart: :beer:
 
Fujisawas Sake said:
Saw "Finding Nemo"... Loved it!

Anyone else notice that one of Nemo's buddies was a cirrate octo? 8)

Sushi and Sake,

John

Just saw it today, and yes, the little guy was in fact a Dumbo Octopus (Grimpoteuthis). Almost -- but not quite -- as cute as the real thing. Hmmm.... wonder if the inclusion of a Dumbo was an hommage to the eponymous elephant of Disney fame?

Tano :goldfish:
 
Tani,

Sweet! That's what I thought! I have a "Grimpy" poster at home... Oh! I forgot: I also have a Grimpoteuthis beanie that I bought at the Monterey Bay Aquarium a few years back. It has a friend - a Vampyrotheuthis beanie. I'll post the photos when I get home from Texas, if anyone wants to see them.

Grab shell dudes!

Crickey! Crocodile Hunter Live! This week on Animal Planet... I wonder if he's ever hit his head on a sea turtle? I have... It hurts... :bugout:

Sushi and Sake,

John[/i]
 
Fujisawas Sake said:
Heya,

A little more on Anime/Manga... (:twocents:)

I am a HUGE anime and manga fan. I have spent more on Anime DVDs and Manga than I care to say. Much of my collection is Studio Ghibli films ("My Neighbor Totoro",

I've just ordered another copy of this as my copy had faded to green and white, it was clear as a bell, just no colour!

"Spirited Away"), series such as "Cowboy Bebop"

I adore Cowboy Beebop! I'm watching it on cable and its close to the end, I think I'll buy the movie.

, "Trigun", "Vision of Escaflowne", "Serial Experiments: Lain", movies such as "Jin-Roh", Osamu Tezuka's "Metropolis", and "Cardcaptor Sakura".

Watched this just the other night on cable!

For those of you with children (small ones), I would suggest "My Neighbor Totoro" or "Kiki's Delivery Service". For those who are older, you might try "Spirited Away" or "Princess Mononoke"

I've just ordered this as well in the last week. It's on its way to me as I write.

John

I saw the "Matrix Reloaded" on Monday - it was an hour too long, the story was a little thin on the ground and there weren't enough squids in it.

KRin -who has tried to reply to the message within the message so my lines are in the above quote. Darn
 
Hey there John!

I was watching some of CROC HUNTER LIVE last week, and it was great fun. One of the best surprises was when Dame Edna Everage showed up as a special guest. "She" is still going strong, purple Big Hair wig and all! Steve, completely straight-faced (I don't know how he did it!), introduced "her" as his "Auntie", and s/he greeted him with a big hug and a kiss. Not surprisingly, Dame Edna managed to get some hysterical double-entendres past the ANIMAL PLANET censors (obviously when they repeated the broadcast, nobody at the network bothered listening to what s/he was saying). I'd better not repeat them here -- just keep your fingers crossed that the censors don't catch on before they show it in re-runs. :wink:

Now believe it or not, there is a FINDING NEMO tie-in here: The voice of tough-guy Bruce, the shark who "falls off the fish wagon", is done by none other than Barry Humphries -- the male alter ego (well, actually, the other way around) of Dame Edna Everage. Talk about versatility!

Regarding Miyazaki: The first film of his I saw was MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO. It was many years ago when a friend of mine bought it for her little daughter, and I came over so that my son (just slightly older) could see it too. My friend and I also fell in love with it. I especially loved the references to Shinto (which appear to be in all Miyazaki's animé), e.g. the scene where the "big daddy Totoro" and his friends do a ritual to make the tree grow.

Subsequently, when PRINCESS MONONOKE came out, I rented it also. While it was quite beautifully animated, the plot was so convoluted that by the end of the film I had no idea what was going on. All I can think of is that the Japanese script lost something in the translation. Anyway, I wasn't as impressed as I was with TOTORO.

Later on, I found a copy of KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE on sale at a local variety store, and picked it up as I heard such good things about it. I liked it much better than PRINCESS MONONOKE -- it was a lot less ponderous and more comprehensible.

Most recently, I fell completely in love with SPIRITED AWAY. I consider it the second finest animated feature in the history of the medium (the first being Disney's FANTASIA). In addition to the magnificent artwork and animation, the story had the sort of depth and archetypal truth that one finds in an ancient myth or fairy tale. There were definite elements of ALICE IN WONDERLAND / THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS (another pair of books with profound meaning beneath the fanciful surface), and a brilliant coming-of-age theme that might have been straight out of Japanese classical mythology. The only problem I had with SPIRITED AWAY was that I wish there had been subtitled translations of all the signs and other Japanese writing seen in the film -- I get the feeling that information would have enhanced the meaning and subtler aspects of the story.

Anyway, I am now the delighted owner of a brand-new VHS copy of SPIRITED AWAY. I rarely buy videos (I'm much more of a book buyer), but since this one meant so much to me -- and since I had accumulated enough B&N Reward Points to get it 100% gratis -- there's no way I could have passed it up.

Later, 'gators....
Tani
 
Awwww.... :P

I think you'll like Nemo... It was a great Father's Day movie, and a lot of fun.

I have never seen a Miyazaki film I didn't like. Another Studio Ghibli director you might like is Isao Takahara, who has done wonderful films like Grave of the Fireflies, Heisei Tanuki Gassen Pon Poko (The Heisei-Era Tanuki War Pon Poko), and the enjoyable Only Yesterday. Takahata's works tend to be more serious in nature, but are wonderful films.

Anime can appeal to pretty much all age groups, but do exercise caution: Japanese animation covers the ENTIRE cinematographic spectrum. There are WONDERFUL children's films, great dramas, comedy... And yes, pornography as well. Those films are called "Hentai" or "Ecchi" (a Japanese phonetic approximation of the letter "H"). These are best avoided.

Happy film-watching!

Sushi and Sake,

John (The Tanuki Gessenden)
 

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