Smallville vs Hollywood

I like Smallville and never miss an episode. However, I do have to agree with the earlier comment that sometimes the show makes me want to smash my television set. I’d say the plot lines are about 50/50 good/bad. For every Red Kryptonite or Dr. Swann type episode(complete with slow Superman theme), you’ve got a stinker like three little witches or flashback to the 50’s.

The writers tend to stretch out what I think are very boring plot lines and condense stuff that has so much potential to rock.

Personally, I liked Superman Returns just fine, although it took a second viewing (during which I turned my brain off) to fully enjoy it. Tons of discrepancies and minor things that pissed me off the first time I was able to let go of the 2nd time. But I agree 100% that the character development was poorly done.

[quote]holifila wrote:
Professor X wrote:
holifila wrote:
Am I the only one on here that just thinks Smallville is OK? There have been eps that I kind of dug, but then there are a lot of episodes that I just want to throw my remote at the tv. I’m not trying to be negative, but there are MUCH better shows on tv.

As for comparing the different mediums, I think the best was the Superman animated series.

Just my .02

The Superman animated series sucked plain and simple. The only reason it lasted as long as it did was because they paired it up with Batman’s. They were only able to save that character through the Justice League series (which is the effort they should have actually held onto).

Cool, another person I disagree with. Oh well to ech his own.

X, have you checked out Battlestar Galactica? [/quote]

I watched one episode and was completely lost. It didn’t grab my attention so I never bought it on dvd. Too many clones and dramatic pauses. As far as shows go, I have every dvd released for “24”, Smallville, Lost and CSI. Even “24” has really bad episodes that drag out pointless plot lines (like his daughter’s whole existance) up against really good scenes.

The only show that seems to get it right nearly all of the time to me is CSI. Even if some of the science pisses me off (like the mycotic infection of a weight lifter after breathing in bacteria from a year old gun shot in the wall with flesh still attached to it due to his drug use causing an immune deficiency…WTF?), they do a decent job overall.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
holifila wrote:
Professor X wrote:
holifila wrote:
Am I the only one on here that just thinks Smallville is OK? There have been eps that I kind of dug, but then there are a lot of episodes that I just want to throw my remote at the tv. I’m not trying to be negative, but there are MUCH better shows on tv.

As for comparing the different mediums, I think the best was the Superman animated series.

Just my .02

The Superman animated series sucked plain and simple. The only reason it lasted as long as it did was because they paired it up with Batman’s. They were only able to save that character through the Justice League series (which is the effort they should have actually held onto).

Cool, another person I disagree with. Oh well to ech his own.

X, have you checked out Battlestar Galactica?

I watched one episode and was completely lost. It didn’t grab my attention so I never bought it on dvd. Too many clones and dramatic pauses. As far as shows go, I have every dvd released for “24”, Smallville, Lost and CSI. Even “24” has really bad episodes that drag out pointless plot lines (like his daughter’s whole existance) up against really good scenes.

The only show that seems to get it right nearly all of the time to me is CSI. Even if some of the science pisses me off (like the mycotic infection of a weight lifter after breathing in bacteria from a year old gun shot in the wall with flesh still attached to it due to his drug use causing an immune deficiency…WTF?), they do a decent job overall.[/quote]

Smallville really does do a good job. Having stumbled upon it at the video store thinking that my then-girlfriend liked it I quickly devoured the first and second season (having surgery during the period helped) and then downloaded the third and fourth in residence and the fifth watched live. The plotlines do get really stupid, no doubt; the freak of the week stuff does get old. Part of me doesn’t blame them however, it’s difficult to put together ~24 episodes a season of a show like Smallville where the end is not only “well known”, but sort of pre-destined and mapped out, in that Clark and Lois can’t love each other yet because well there’s next season, etc. etc. I think to me Tom Welling does a phenomenal job, as does Lex Luthor, so much so that the movie characters do seem like real goofs; when I saw the Chris Reeve Superman for the first time, I couldn’t believe what a buffoon Lex Luthor was, for me Kevin Spacey had too much of that vibe as well. I agree as well the whole Clark Lana Chloe Lex thing is too drawn out but the melodrama is what makes the show great; the depth of these characters makes them real and more than just superheroes.

X, have you checked out any of the HBO stuff? Comparing that network to regular tv is like the olympia to a natural bodybuilding contest (not that the olympia is the ideal). Entourage is funny, as is Curb Your Enthusiasm (much more so) but for depth of character, the early seasons of Six Feet Under, and Deadwood are both exceptional. Oz as well is excellent and I think that the Sopranos is the best show on TV, except, after going through the first three season of the Wire, my mind is unsure right now; talk about a brilliant show with incredible acting, real themes, great writing, and a message. If there’s one show not enough people are watching, it’s that one. HBO is really what TV is supposed to be about.

[quote]RebelSell wrote:
X, have you checked out any of the HBO stuff? Comparing that network to regular tv is like the olympia to a natural bodybuilding contest (not that the olympia is the ideal). Entourage is funny, as is Curb Your Enthusiasm (much more so) but for depth of character, the early seasons of Six Feet Under, and Deadwood are both exceptional. Oz as well is excellent and I think that the Sopranos is the best show on TV, except, after going through the first three season of the Wire, my mind is unsure right now; talk about a brilliant show with incredible acting, real themes, great writing, and a message. If there’s one show not enough people are watching, it’s that one. HBO is really what TV is supposed to be about.
[/quote]

I used to watch OZ when it first started. The black guy in the wheelchair who is now on Lost was one of the better characters (as was Mr. Echo). I don’t even know if he’s still on it as I don’t watch much. I may be one of the few people in the country that hasn’t seen one episode of The Sopranos.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
I used to watch OZ when it first started. The black guy in the wheelchair who is now on Lost was one of the better characters (as was Mr. Echo). I don’t even know if he’s still on it as I don’t watch much. I may be one of the few people in the country that hasn’t seen one episode of The Sopranos.[/quote]

Entourage is a good show. It has some filler episodes but the writing is great. Its a hard edge type of comedic writing. And every episode has ungodly looking women to oogle at to boot.

I think it is comical that Smallville’s Clark is afraid of heights. Is it to give us a feeling that he has some vulnerability? The guy can fall from space and survive! He he…

Overall I knew what it was going to be about when it debued and it did not disappoint me. My daughter didn’t want to see it at first, then she saw Tom Welling who then became the wallpaer on the computer. The witch episodes, I think led to Lana’s boyfriend (Played by Jensen Ackels)getting his own series with Supernatural, other than that, I dug the tattoo :slight_smile:

[quote]Rookie21 wrote:
Gotta say being a guy who doesn’t really watch much TV at all, other then a few select episodes. Smallville has been the only show that i actually give a damn about missing but on my TV theres all different episodes on a scatter of networks at different times.

Then summer came and I lost track and now I dont even know when its on…with that if anyone in ontario knows what station has the current ones id be a happier person :D[/quote]

Season Starts Thursday Sept 28th 8/7c

[quote]dmanor wrote:
I think it is comical that Smallville’s Clark is afraid of heights. Is it to give us a feeling that he has some vulnerability?[/quote]

It looks like he got over that in season 5.

I’m goign to agree that CSI is a show that manages to get it right the majority of the time.

And I’m also a fan of the new Battlestar Galactica (which makes more sense when you’ve seen a few episodes).

X, you should also check out The 4400 for scifi and the showtime series Weeds for comedy. I sat down with a borrowed copy of the first season of The 4400 and watched the whole thing, then went and rented the second season and watched that as well. It certainly has its flaws, but its an damned entertaining show (much like Smallville). Did the same thing with Weeds once my wife watched through the first season over her summer break. My main complaint with that show is that it has some stereotypes being reinforced, but towards the end of the first season and through this season, thats changing. Or it seems to be anyway.

I’m one of the few thats yet to see an episode of 24.

[quote]holifila wrote:
Am I the only one on here that just thinks Smallville is OK? There have been eps that I kind of dug, but then there are a lot of episodes that I just want to throw my remote at the tv. I’m not trying to be negative, but there are MUCH better shows on tv…

Just my .02[/quote]

It’s very “WB” at times, especially with the misunderstandings between Clark and his various female interests.

Superman The Movie: Hollywood has to create enough gee-wow-whiz-bang in commercials to put a bunch of fannies in theater seats — that’s the bottom line.

Smallville and Other TV Shows: MUST draw things out and keep them interesting enough so that you tune in next week. The bottom line is making sure they can get the best prices for their commercials.

On a non-crass level, I have heard a number of times in the past few weeks that this is “the new Golden Age of television” and I would have to agree.

I have any number of shows that pique my interest way more than 90% of the shit I see at Blockbuster.

Prison Break, 24, Vanished, Eureka, Rescue Me, The Shield, Nip/Tuck, Criminal Minds, N3UMBERS, L&O Crim Intent, Lost, Six Feet Under — many of these writers have really tapped into how to “set the hook” just right.

[quote]Plisskin wrote:
I’m goign to agree that CSI is a show that manages to get it right the majority of the time.

And I’m also a fan of the new Battlestar Galactica (which makes more sense when you’ve seen a few episodes).

X, you should also check out The 4400 for scifi and the showtime series Weeds for comedy. I sat down with a borrowed copy of the first season of The 4400 and watched the whole thing, then went and rented the second season and watched that as well. It certainly has its flaws, but its an damned entertaining show (much like Smallville). Did the same thing with Weeds once my wife watched through the first season over her summer break. My main complaint with that show is that it has some stereotypes being reinforced, but towards the end of the first season and through this season, thats changing. Or it seems to be anyway.

I’m one of the few thats yet to see an episode of 24. [/quote]

I agree with you about 4400. I have both seasons of that and like it. I just hope they take it to a new level next season because so far, the tension has been slowing down instead of building up. If they are going to have a war, they need to get on with it. They are playing it like they did mutants in X-men. With the similarities, they need to bring the powers out more.

[quote]PGA200X wrote:
BoxBabaX wrote:
Tim Schwab wrote:
SWR-1240 wrote:
I used to love Smallville, until that one episode when Lona was possessed or something by a witch. Her acting has been terrible in the series ever since, and they were going too far into paranormal stories.

They should let ‘Charmed’ handle that stuff. Even if Alyssa Milano was bad at acting (which she isn’t!), it would still be a great series.

I agree about the first couple of seasons of Smallville though, especially Lex’s character development.

I agree.

My wife and I both really enjoyed seasons one through three.

We started watching season four, and it seemed like the show all of a sudden started getting pressure from the network to include more sex scenes. It seemed so random and irrelevant. I am not against sex scenes by any means, but it can be difficult watching them with the misses.

Um, did you just say thats its difficult for you to watch “sex” scenes from smallville with your wife?

What in the hell is the world coming to?

Wow…[/quote]

My wife and I are relatively young and have two children. She’s about the same age or younger as most of the girls on the show, only none of them have had children and have great bodies, where as she is still working hard to get back where she was before the babies.

If I need to explain further, you’ll never understand.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
I agree with you about 4400. I have both seasons of that and like it. I just hope they take it to a new level next season because so far, the tension has been slowing down instead of building up. If they are going to have a war, they need to get on with it. They are playing it like they did mutants in X-men. With the similarities, they need to bring the powers out more.[/quote]

It should be more interesting now that the 4400 aren’t chemically ‘castrated’ and can develop their abilities. Plus, we’ll have some sort of new dominant force moving around with the baby grown into an adult. I’ve been trying to figure out that trio since the start. What their purpose is in the show. I’m kind of thinking the father might end up being the one to have to control the daughter. Who knows. However, I love the idea of the ripple effect.

[quote]Tim Schwab wrote:

My wife and I are relatively young and have two children. She’s about the same age or younger as most of the girls on the show, only none of them have had children and have great bodies, where as she is still working hard to get back where she was before the babies.

If I need to explain further, you’ll never understand.

[/quote]

Your wife has hangups about her weight manifesting as anger at you when you see nice looking women on TV?

[quote]human743 wrote:
Tim Schwab wrote:

My wife and I are relatively young and have two children. She’s about the same age or younger as most of the girls on the show, only none of them have had children and have great bodies, where as she is still working hard to get back where she was before the babies.

If I need to explain further, you’ll never understand.

Your wife has hangups about her weight manifesting as anger at you when you see nice looking women on TV?[/quote]

Very accurate.

[quote]Tim Schwab wrote:
human743 wrote:
Tim Schwab wrote:

My wife and I are relatively young and have two children. She’s about the same age or younger as most of the girls on the show, only none of them have had children and have great bodies, where as she is still working hard to get back where she was before the babies.

If I need to explain further, you’ll never understand.

Your wife has hangups about her weight manifesting as anger at you when you see nice looking women on TV?

Very accurate. [/quote]

No offense, guy, but that sucks and I have no doubt that spills over into other areas. What is she doing about herself to correct this problem…because the problem isn’t the tv show or you.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Tim Schwab wrote:
human743 wrote:
Tim Schwab wrote:

My wife and I are relatively young and have two children. She’s about the same age or younger as most of the girls on the show, only none of them have had children and have great bodies, where as she is still working hard to get back where she was before the babies.

If I need to explain further, you’ll never understand.

Your wife has hangups about her weight manifesting as anger at you when you see nice looking women on TV?

Very accurate.

No offense, guy, but that sucks and I have no doubt that spills over into other areas. What is she doing about herself to correct this problem…because the problem isn’t the tv show or you.
[/quote]

Those were also my thoughts, how is she going about getting back into shape?

Wow, could the guy who wrote this:

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Why has Hollywood forgotten what makes a good story and why do people buy tickets anyway?[/quote]

Be the same guy who wrote this?

Heh, heh… Welcome to the winter of our discontent, my friend.

[quote]Digital Chainsaw wrote:
Wow, could the guy who wrote this:

Professor X wrote:
Why has Hollywood forgotten what makes a good story and why do people buy tickets anyway?

Be the same guy who wrote this?

What is a “good movie” to you then? Some people should probably just avoid the movie theater altogether.

Heh, heh… Welcome to the winter of our discontent, my friend.[/quote]

Way to take words completely out of context. The second statement is referring to those who find NO MOVIE EVER as good enough. These are usually the people who walk out of every movie they go to exclaiming, “that sucked”. I realize we all have different tastes, however, if MOST people of a certain personality type like a movie, chances are, the guy who claims it sucks simply has poor taste. Most guys who ever watched the Batman cartoon series thought Batman Begins was a good movie. So when I hear a woman talk about how bad it is, I simply ignore her opinion because it probably doesn’t mean much overall as far as actually recognizing a good movie.

I do agree that Hollywood cinema seems afraid of taking chances anymore. That is why there are so many remakes of horror movies and tv shows. The Dukes of Hazard? Did anyone see that for any other reason than to see Jessica Simpson’s ass?

Every once in a while, you run across a Quinton Tarantino or a John Singleton who believe in a story strong enough and have a style bad enough to go against the grain. However, for every one of them, you have 500 overhyped, overprocessed and over-CGI’ed pieces of sterilized crap.

Take Terminator 3 for instance. What the fuck was the point? Yes, it made money, but did it even come close to T2 which is still considered a sci fi classic? Not even.

Wow, those were two of the more supportive comments I’ve heard in awhile. Thanks for reminding me that the problem isn’t me.

Currently I just got her a little more comfortable in the gym, and I’m showing her how to do compound lifts. She’s taking Fahrenheit and eating clean about 85% of the time. Getting in 8 meals a day in like I do is kind of challenging for her mentally (it still seems counter-productive to be eating that often). The weight is coming off, but her skin doesn’t bounce back as quickly as she would like it to.

Thanks again for the comments. Any suggestions OTHER than “get over it” are welcome.