Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 464
April 2, 2013
April 2, 2013: From guest stars to recurring favorites! My Top 10! And 1 for good luck!
Television, like life, is just full of surprises. Shows you expect to be huge hits tank while apparent duds become breakout hits. Seemingly average episodes on the page magically come together onscreen while guest characters envisioned for a single episode appearance will pop, surpassing all expectations to develop into fan – if not writer – favorites. Chalk it up to a number of things – the writing, the direction, the onscreen chemistry – but, in the end, you have to give credit to the actors who brought these characters to life and made them so much more. Here are my Top 10 “guest stars to recurring favorites”. Plus one for good luck!
WALTER HARRIMAN
Played by Gary Jones.
First Appearance: Children of the Gods (Stargate: SG-1, Episode #101) as Chevron Guy.
First, he was simply Chevron Guy. Eventually, he got a first name: Norman. And, finally, he got another first name – and a last name: Walter Harriman. In time, Walter became as iconic a part of SG-1 as the gate itself.
OSIRIS
Played by Anna-Louise Plowman
First appearance: The Curse (Stargate: SG-1, Episode #413)
There’s something doubly, deliciously evil about a stylish villainess – triply so if she has an English accent. Just too damn good to kill off in her first appearance, she returned for several more outings before her alter-ego, Sarah Gardner, got the happy ending she deserved.
HARRY MAYBOURNE
Played by Tom McBeath.
First appearance: Enigma (Stargate: SG-1, Episode #116)
Everyone loves a good rogue, and Harry Maybourne was good as you could get. Sneaky, self-serving, and an incredible pain-in-the-ass, he developed into a perfect foil for Jack O’Neill. A rival worthy of respect and admiration.
HERMIOD
Voiced by Trevor Devall
First appearance: The Siege III (Stargate: Atlantis, Episode #201)
The Asgard always had a dry sense of humor, perhaps none more than this acerbic fellow who, I suspect, would have been equally at home on Frasier.
MICHAEL
Played by Connor Trinneer (and Brent Stait for one episode)
First appearance: Michael (Stargate: Atlantis, Episode #218)
What made Michael stand out was his complexity and depth. A product of Atlantis’s own creation, he was an outcast at odds with his own identity. Can you blame him for being angry?
ACASTUS KOLYA
Played by Robert Davi
First Appearance: The Storm (Stargate: Atlantis, Episode #110)
Sure, aliens are plenty scary, but none proved quite as fearsome as Acastus Kolya. It’s a testament to the character that he made an appearance even after his presumed death two years earlier.
RADEK ZELENKA
Played by David Nykl
First appearance: Thirty Eight Minutes (Stargate: Atlantis, Episode #104)
The unassuming Czech scientist first introduced in Thirty Eight Minutes eventually developed into a beloved member of the expedition – and his verbal sparring with Rodney became a regular episode highlight.
TODD
Played by Chris Heyerdahl
First appearance: Common Ground (Stargate: Atlantis, Episode #307
Dangerous and inscrutable, yet possessed of an almost palpable nobility. He would develop into Sheppard’s most formidable adversary.
BAAL
Played by Cliff Simon
First appearance: Summit (Stargate: SG-1, Episode #515)
As far as villains go, you’d be hard-pressed to find one more stylish or possessed of a better sense of humor.
VALA MAL DORAN
Played by Claudia Black
First appearance: Prometheus Unbound (Stargate: SG-1, Episode #812)
A mercenary with a heart of gold (she would certainly trade in for cash if she could) – and serious trust issues – went from hijacking Daniel Jackson to earning herself a spot on SG-1. Damn, she was fun to write for.
Played by Robert Picardo
First appearance: Heroes II (Stargate: SG-1, Episode #718)
From irritating pencil pusher to lovable Commander in six short years. His road to redemption was a joy to behold. And script.
Tagged: Atlantis, SG-1, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: SG-1
April 1, 2013
April 1, 2013: The Supermovie of the Week Club reconvenes! Cookie Monster reviews Kick-Ass! Goa’uld-related news!
Dis film be filled wit violence, torture, and a little girl charakter more potty-mouthed den Grover dat time he developed “chemikal burns” on his blueberries after jacuzzi party wit Madonna. It be a terruble, TERRUBLE movie for kids.
But a super, FANTASTIK movie for monster. Me loved it!
Say hello to my little friends.
Kick Ass ask de qwestion: What if? What if a regular kid wit no super powers or fancy gadjets, armed only wit de human spirit and courage of his own conviktions, decided to be a superhero? What would happen?
Well, he would get the crap beat out of him and nearly killed of course. Which be exaktly what happen to our hero, a lovable high school loser after he buy himself a mail-order costume and take on persona of…Kick-Ass! On de one hand, he almost die. On de other hand, he rushed to hospital and get bunch of metal plates inserted into his broken body so dat, in his words, he “look like freakin’ Wovlerine!”. Yep, metal plates be terruble for getting thru airport security, but pretty great for taking punches to de head. Just avoid standing too close to microwave ovens.
She could handle herself on de mean streets of Sesame
Kick-Ass hit de streets and test out his harder-to-hurt new body. He still get de crap kicked out of him – but dis time, witnesses take cell phone videos of beatdown. He become biggest internet sensation since square-dancing monkey. Emboldened, he go have a talk wit ex-boyfriend of girl he like from skool. Turn out he a drug dealer wit a short fuse for people who threaten and taze him. Touchy! He and his buddies about to kill Kick-Ass when – another superhero crash de party. But, unlike Kick-Ass, dis superhero not playing pretend. She de real deal. And she be only eleven years old! What an inspiration!
She demonstrate some pretty sweet moves, dispatching baddies in gruesome fashion to updated version of de Banana Splitz theme song.
Now monster not usually like kids in movies – but Hit Girl be an exception. She like a cross between sword-wielding Kill Bill gal, dat Home Alone kid, and Paul Bettany after a few drinks.
Batman dialed to 11
Hit Girl, of course, accompanied by her dad (Duh! She only eleven!) a superhero called Big Daddy who remind monster of a brain-damaged Batman. Turn out he former cop who be framed by mobster and kicked off de force. His wife die, leaving him to raise his daughter de best way he know how – by shooting her and teaching her how to kill bad guys. And you thought your dad was tuff!
It turn out dis same mobster now very pissed because drug dealer worked for him. He tink Kick-Ass responsible and enlist help of his own so to trap him. His son go undercover as superhero -
Red Mist
Son (aka Red Mist) befriend Kick-Ass and use him to set up Big Daddy and Hit Girl. Hit Girl shot and fall out window. Big Daddy and Kick-Ass captured and tortured live on de internet. But live events have way of going horribly wrong for Swedish quiz show hostesses, overenthusiastic sports reporters, and bad guys when Hit Girl show up and take dem out.
Sadly, too late for Big Daddy. Which be bad news for mobster because dere’s nothing worse den an angry kid. Who happens to be a costumed vigilante.
Paybacks a bitch. In a purple wig.
Hit Girl and Kick-Ass team up and go after mobster. Blood! Bullets! Blades! Bazooka! And, in de end, we all learn valuable lesson about power, responsibility, and de correkt use of a jet pack shoulder-mounted machine guns.
Verdikt: Wild over-de-top fun!
Rating: 9.5 out of 10 chocolate chippee cookies!
Goa’uld-related news: http://www.netbase.com/press-release/netbase-announces-intergalactic-language-support/
Tagged: comic book movies, Comic Books, Comics, Cookie Monster, Cookie Monster movie reviews, Cookie Monster reviews Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass, superhero movies, superheroes, SuperMovie of the Week Club
March 31, 2013
March 31, 2013: Days of Stargate Atlantis past concludes! Stargate: Extinction! And beyond!
Looking back over my 11+ years with the Stargate franchise, I have one giant regret – the missed opportunity of bringing you that Atlantis movie. We came close…so close…
Late in Atlantis’s fifth year, when we were working on the final few scripts of the season, we had no way of knowing what the future held. A sixth season? A wrap-up movie? Robert Cooper suggested we hedge our bets by preparing for both. His idea was to add an extra month to the production schedule during which we would shoot the sixth season opening two-parter that, in the event the show wasn’t picked up, could become a direct-to-dvd feature. It was a brilliant plan which I, in turn, proposed it to the decision-makers. Given the green light, we could roll right into production on the heels of Enemy at the Gate. We just needed the go-ahead sooner than later in order to make sure we had all the actors on board.
Sadly, we never got the go-ahead and, although we did end up eventually writing the script for the Atlantis movie (Stargate: Extinction), in hindsight, that window of opportunity at the end of the show’s sixth season was our last, best shot at seeing it made. The bottom fell out of the dvd market, the script was shelved and, well, here we are today.
As I already mentioned in past entries, the movie would have opened on a shot that revealed Atlantis’s new home on the lunar surface. We learn that the gate has been offline since its return to Earth but, under pressure from the IOA, the decision is made to bring it back online, have it supersede the Earth gate, and make it a permanent lunar base. The decision isn’t embraced by everyone. Woolsey and McKay, for instance, point out that they still have a responsibility to the people of the Pegasus galaxy. Of course the IOA are hardly moved.
Unfortunately, when the gate is finally brought back online, Zelenka reports a build up of energy in the capacitors. Too late they realize that the Ancients put a failsafe in place in the event Atlantis was moved. McKay realizes – the city will self-destruct unless it returns to the Pegasus galaxy.
Woolsey gets the band back together, transporting John and Ronon up from the hospital emergency room where they are getting fixed up following a bar room brawl (an opportunity to write in the scar actor Jason Momoa had received at the time). John, in turn, pays a visit to Area 51 and, again under the heavy protests of the IOA, springs his buddy, Todd.
The plan is to use the wormhole drive to execute a series of jumps to Pegasus – however, the drive burns out partway through their journey, stranding them in the Triangulum Galaxy, some 300 000 light years from home. They manage to muster up enough power for one, final short range jump, putting them within range of a subspace anomaly they detected.
What follows is a high-flying adventure involving a mysterious civilization tapping the limitless potential of the accretion streams between two stars, time travel, and a race against time to avert not only the destruction of Atlantis but the extinction of an entire race.
Some of the standout sequences that come to mind include one in which Sheppard ends up trapped on an enemy mothership, falling back to a room holding some of the tech the enemy has stolen from Atlantis. Enemy soldiers surround the locked chamber, preparing to storm it when – the door shakes, buckles, and blows outward to reveal Sheppard in one of the Asgard exo-suits. Cue kickass Iron Man sequence.
Another involves Todd risking all to ambush a future version of himself aboard the bridge of the enemy mothership, saving Atlantis from a final, devastating attack. The two battle. “So young and impetuous,”remarks Future Todd. ”So old and foolish,”counters ours. Eventually, Future Todd gets the upper hand and pins his opponent. He raises his dagger for the finishing blow – only to have someone reach in and grab his wrist. Rodney McKay to the rescue. Allowing our Todd seizes the opportunity to turn the tables.
John and Todd make the most unlikeliest of odd couples in this one, forced to work together for the greater good. ”If I had to pick one thing I like best about you,”says Sheppard during one hair-raising moment, “I’d have to say it’s your sense of humor.” A stone-faced Todd informs him: “Yes, back on the hive, I was known as “the funny one”.”
Enemy fighters are scrambled, Beckett takes the chair, the mother ship faces off against Atlantis, the city takes significant damage, Teyla suffers a terrible loss, some wonderful heroic moments for Ronon, McKay, and Teyla as well.
Atlantis ultimately returns to the Pegasus galaxy where Todd is granted his freedom. ”You did save the city after all,”explains Woolsey. ”Of course I did,”says Todd. ”How else would I have gotten home?”. And, in a moment that demonstrates how far things have come, John gives his former enemy a parting handshake. Woolsey hopes that, some day, their paths will cross under better circumstances. Todd agrees. ”It would be wonderful to have you for dinner sometime,”he says before heading through the gate.
Atlantis re-establishes itself, Beckett gets his turtles back from Rodney and assumes a permanent position as Atlantis’s new head of medical R&D, and John comforts a grieving Teyla now aware – via the revelations of time travel – that they are destined to be together.
And we fade out on a night shot of Atlantis, a jewel on the water…
Yes, it would have been a great movie, but I think it would have been an even better sixth season two-part premiere.
And, yeah, we had long-range plans for that too:
September 30, 2008: An AU Season 6!
Now that I think about it, I believe 619 and 620, the two-part season finale, would have involved an idea I’d been kicking around involving our team returning from a mission to an AU Atlantis that has been taken over by a mysteriously resurrected Michael, its personnel (Woolsey, Keller, Beckett, even Chuck!) now hybrids in league with their former enemy. Damn. So many opportunities missed!
Tagged: Atlantis, Science Fiction Television, scifi television, SF television, SGA, Stargate, Stargate Atlantis movie, Stargate Extinction, Stargate: Atlantis
March 30, 2013
March 30, 2013: Support your local bakers! And umbrella dancers!
Every Saturday morning (and Sunday morning during the summer), Akemi and I head down to the farmers market to support our local growers. Starting this weekend, we can now head down to the bakers market and support our local bakers as well. And so, today, after swinging by Nat Bailey stadium, we headed over to the Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre to check out the sweets.
Sadly, because it was held indoors, Bubba – who had joined us for the trip – had to wait outside…which meant that Akemi and I had to take turns browsing. She was a quick in and out, spending all of five minutes inside before returning empty handed. I, on the other, went a little crazy. Like I said, I was there to support my local bakers/entrepreneurs. Their kids gotta eat!
And so do I!
Today’s haul…
My first purchase was from this animated entrepreneur who informed me that I was her first sale. Ever. It was maybe five minutes after the market opened, so I have no doubt she did a brisk business.
I had a choice between chocolate and orange but elected to go with orange for Akemi.
Chocolate-dipped orange shortbread cookies.
A trio from Sweet Lily: super buttery crisp palmiers, brown butter blondies, and soft chocolate chunk cookies.
Speaking of buttery, these lemon poppyseed friands from Yummy Workshop were that – and moist, and delicious.
Akemi is a big fan of marshmallow desserts, so I picked up a bag of these matcha gimauve. She eyed them suspiciously, took a small bite, slowly chewed – then popped the rest into her mouth. And then another.
Akemi is also a big fan of biscotti. I figure you can’t go wrong with chocolate.
This place offered a selection of ice cream sandwiches – and samples!
I went with the Affogato. I’m not a huge coffee guy but the espresso flavor was great and the soft cookie was a perfect accompaniment.
I only picked up one cupcake from Vivi Cupcakes and Treats and ended up regretting the fact I didn’t get more.
They specialize in caramels, but I picked up the salted caramel sauce. Looking forward to trying it with a scoop of vanilla.
Yuzu biscuits. Subtle in citrus flavor yet no less tasty.
A foursome from Geek Sweets. Clockwise from upper left: the Hello Kitty, the Easter Cream Egg, PB&J, and Red Velvet. The owner strongly recommends I check out Battlestar Galactica.
And Akemi’s favorite – the red velvet cheesecake. She prefers the corner piece. I’m more of a middle kind of guy.
We returned home, dropped off Bubba, took Jelly for a walk, then headed downtown for a walk with Lulu. Akemi was eager to check out the cherry blossoms.
Lulu too, but for completely different reasons.
I never realized the number of cherry blossom trees in Vancouver. They line almost every suburban street.
Akemi – along with most of the city’s Japanese population – are anxiously looking forward to Vancouver’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival that kicks off next week and runs through most of April. Highlights will include umbrella dances, haiku, and blossom viewing. My buddy Carl has, I’m sure, already made plans to attend. No one appreciates a good haiku like Carl.
Tagged: baked goods, Bakers Market, Bakers Market Vancouver, Brown Paper Packages, cherry blossom festival, cherry blossoms, Desserts, Geek Sweets, Life's Lemons, sakura, Sweet Lily, sweets, Treats and Blossoms, Vivi Cupcakes and Treats, Yummy Workshop, [in the oven] 
March 29, 2013
March 29, 2013: Build your own wraith facility! Here’s how!
So, how’s everyone doing? Good, good. Enjoying the long weekend? Great. Here in Vancouver, it looks like we’ve finally put winter behind us. The sun is out, the temperature has risen, and my french bulldog, Lulu, is in full spring mode -
Toasty
Ready to hit the park – little buddy in tow
Out and about
As for me – well, I’m taking the long weekend off. I plan to hit a couple of farmers markets, do a little dim sum, sit in my backyard with the dogs and read – maybe even get around to trying that bottle of Absinthe if I remember to pick up the sugar cubes. Oh, and, of course, update this blog. There are a few subjects I want to hit, some thoughts on the ill-fated Atlantis movie I’d like to post, a Supermovie of the Week review I need to remind Cookie Monster about, and those Art Department packages I’d like to upload. But, for today, let’s just concentrate on one -
Unfortunately, I don’t have the entire Spoils of War package but, or the wraithly inclined, I did come across these pink tech pack revisions…
Wraith facility – cloning chamber & corridor chamber
Ah, this takes me back. In addition to our standing stages at The Bridge Studios, we would also make use of the stage at Norco which housed, among other things: various wraith facilities, hive, Earth, and goa’uld ships. Eventually, we consolidated production so that, in the final few years of the franchise, all of our standing sets were at the Bridge.
Wraith facility – corridors
Why did we refer to them as chicken legs and mushroom consoles?
Mmmmmm. Tasty-looking chicken legs.
The HERO mushroom console
Wraith facility – Queen’s lair & corridors
“Projector to be hidden behind chair riser”. Well, ideally. I remember watching dailies of one episode where the projectors were exposed for all to see. They were so cool and techy looking that the director (not one of our regulars) assumed it was actually part of the wraithy set dec. Also those “umbilicals strewn across floor in Queen’s lair” and other wraith ships and facilities were the perfect cover for wires and electrical cords.
Wraith facility – entrance
Greens: “Dense mixed forest green set outside North entrance”. Yep, one of the many talented departments that made up the production was “Greens” who were tasked with creating believable vegetative backdrops. In this case, just a touch of forest greens give a hint of an exterior beyond the entrance way.
Puddle Jumper
From the comfy confines of Stage 1, the puddle jumper would travel throughout the Pegasus Galaxy and back through the magic of that greenscreen out its front window.
Wraith dart
I always liked the design of the wraith darts, alternately organic, techy, creepy, and comfy-looking.
Tagged: Atlantis, SGA, Spoils of War, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis, wraith, wraith facility
March 28, 2013
March 28, 2013: Other not-quite-production issues!
Decisions, decisions…
When I sat down to write yesterday’s blog entry, I hadn’t really intended it to be a rant about the state of the BC film & television industry – and the willingness of the standing provincial to help out in the least. I had planned to write about my dogs, but once I started writing I got sidetracked and, well, it was a rant long overdue.
Who dat dog?
Anyway, what I had wanted to say yesterday was that, when it comes to work, it’s not as simple as just picking up and moving. I have other lives to consider. A couple of years ago, when I was working in Toronto, I ended up having to make two trips to fly all four of my dogs cross-country in cabin (because it’s dangerous for pugs and french bulldogs to fly cargo), had to find an apartment that allowed dogs, had to move from that apartment to another apartment that accepted four dogs, had to find a doggy daycare for them, had to find a good local vet, had to drop them off and pick them up from their daycare every day, took them out (down the elevator, around the block to the park and back) three times a day, and, when my Maximus was diagnosed with a metastatic tumor, ended up doing the 90 minute drive to the Guelph small animal hospital (and 90 minute drive back) every Wednesday for his treatments. That’s in addition to their regular vet visits, feedings, and meds (The tracrolimus gel must be applied directly onto their eyeballs. It doesn’t get any easier, trust me.).
Lulu shares my affinity for uni
And I’m just talking Toronto. Heading down to L.A. offers up a host of other complications. Namely…
The happy couple = Akemi and Bubba
Akemi just got her permanent residence card. Now she must reside in Canada for roughly 3 (36 months) out of the next 5 (60 months) years. That’ll prove a little tricky if I’m working in the U.S.
Dressed up for dinner
Of course, these are all problems I’d be more than happy to stew over if and when one of these shows gets picked up.
And I’m not the only one. Despite her hip dysplasia, Jelly is just as eager to get going:
March 27, 2013
March 27, 2013: A rare political tirade!
By this time next week, I should have pretty good idea of what I’ll be working on next – and, more importantly, where. Whether it’s the SF space opera or the urban fantasy series or the non-genre cable show or one of a number of other opportunities, scoring the gig will only be half the battle. A change of location could well be in the cards.
I wish it were as simple as getting the green light and then moving forward on production here in Vancouver with the many talented individuals I worked with on Stargate. That would be a best case scenario but, realistically, even if one of our shows does get the go-ahead, there’s a strong likelihood we may be headed east, to Toronto, to shoot it. It’s incredibly frustrating because, as much as I love Vancouver, the ruling BC Liberal party has made it almost impossible for new productions to seriously consider shooting here. Simply put, your budget goes a lot further in Ontario – which is why that province is so unbelievably busy. BC, on the other hand, is another story. The film & television industry here is hurting. The work is going elsewhere. And what is the government doing to help? Not a hell of a lot. They claim that matching Ontario’s tax credits would be, in their words, “a race to the bottom”, in which the province would lose out on revenue. Bullshit.
This is what I had to say on the subject a couple of months ago:
“This link offers a great analysis of the situation (http://www.scribd.com/doc/121494475/Kurt-Bruun-BC-Film-Incentive-Analysis) and a great explanation of how it works. Kurt Bruun sums it up this way:
“BC was standing around one day thinking about how it loved apple pie (yes, I’m using a pie analogy for money).
“MMM….I love apple pie,” said BC.
“What’s that?” said BC’s next door neighbor “You like apple pie?”
“Heck no,” replied BC “I said I looove apple pie!”
“Well,” said the neighbor “You can have this apple pie I have right here for free.It’s a delicious apple pie!”
“Free apple pie? What’s the catch?” asked BC
“Well, you can have this here beautiful apple pie but once I give it to you, do you mind if I have a small slice of it back….say, 7.9%?”
“Deal!!” exclaimed BC. And BC took the pie, sliced off 7.9% and gave it to the generous neighbor.
This arrangement went on for years with the neighbor always bringing BC the apple pies and BC slicing off the 7.9% to enjoy over 90% of it.One day the neighbor came up to BC and said “Hey buddy, times are tough and I’m wondering if there’s any chance you could slice me off another couple of percent off that pie. You can still have the pie but maybe just make my slice a little closer to 10% than the usual 7.9% we’ve been doing for years.”
“You know I sure do love your apple pies, neighbor but…up yours!” said BC. “I want to only give you back 7.9% still.”
And the neighbor walked away with the whole pie.”
It’s not, as many think, a case of productions taking money out of the taxpayer’s pockets. Unlike BC residents who must pay taxes here, a production will pay taxes wherever it chooses to set up shop. By coming here to shoot a film or television series, it is helping to fill the government coffers, both directly (in the taxes it pays as a business entity) and indirectly (by employing hundreds of BC residents who, in turn, pay taxes as well). By driving productions away to far more attractive shooting locales, it’s the BC government that is taking money out of its own pocket.”
The BC Liberals make it sound as if it’s a level playing field in which an equal amount of productions are shooting in both provinces and thus paying taxes in both. That there is idiot talk. They’re either too stupid to figure it out or completely disingenuous, relying on the simpleton assumption that the matching “tax breaks” the BC film & television industry will take money out of taxpayer pockets. Again, just the opposite is true. Matching Ontario’s tax incentives or, at the very least, making BC more competitive, would level the playing field, luring productions to BC that would spend money in BC, employ BC residents, and pay taxes in BC – rather than go elsewhere.
But the BC Liberals, apparently, can’t be bothered to help. They’re too busy dropping 11 million dollars on a Bollywood awards show, a move many see as a transparent attempt to win votes ahead of the upcoming provincial election (http://ca.ibtimes.com/articles/446815/20130316/times-indian-film-awards-fixed-held-before.htm). Unlike the tax incentives, this 11 million dollars IS money out of taxpayers’ pockets.
The BC Liberals don’t seem all that interested in helping those in the BC & Film Industry keep their jobs. And I’m sure those in the BC & Film Industry are looking forward to May 14th, the date of the next general election, for the opportunity to return the favor.
Further reading:
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2013/03/26/bc-film-production-in-steep-decline
http://www.royalcityrecord.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Liberals+support+film/8136576/story.html
Tagged: BC film & television industry, Save BC Film
March 26, 2013
March 26, 2013: You asked for it! Atlantis floor plans! The Control Room! The ZPM Room! Weir’s Office! The Adrift & Lifeline Art Department Package!
This week feels like the calm before the storm. Of course, I could be wrong and it may actually be the calm before the calm before the storm. Or, worse, the calm before the storm that never comes. Paul and I are closing on several writing assignments (an action feature, an SF pilot, another SF pilot), and a few projects poised to move forward (development on one, going to camera on another pilot, and a potential series pick-up on a third), but, of course, in this line of work nothing is assured. Things certainly look promising but, in all fairness, they’ve looked promising for some time now as we’ve maintained a holding pattern in expectation of a decision, one way or the other.
I’m considering working on another spec pilot or going the kickstarter route and just shooting that horror script, but I fear that the moment I start on either, one of the aforementioned deals will close and I’ll have to switch gears.
For better or worse, things seem to be coming to a head so here’s hoping that, sometime next week, I’ll be able to make a big announcement.
In the meantime, I’ve got this blog to keep me busy – and this entry in particular. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a slew of Stargate plans – blueprints, schematics, sketches, and designs – from the last few seasons of Atlantis and both seasons of Universe. Most of these are huge, oversized documents that need to be scanned and digitized. About a dozen, however, are part of Art Department packages for specific episodes. Rather than offer them up in order of their air dates, I thought it would be more interesting to just pick them at random and upload them as dedicated, individual blog entries.
And so, since you asked, today’s entry offers up a host of Atlantis designs. From the season 4 two-part opener Adrift/Lifeline:
During prep week, the Art Department assembles a package containing an overview of the various sets and builds for a given episode. As changes are made, the package is tweaked and these progressive stages are reflected in the color of the ensuing drafts. For those of you interested in learning about the various revisions and their corresponding colors, check out my explanation here: March 10, 2008: THE ULTIMATE EXTREME EXTRA SUPERFANTASTIC BEST LUCKY ULTRA NUMBER ONE FINAL FINAL DRAFT
Atlantis – Control Room
While there was a four month hiatus between production of the third season finale, First Strike, and the fourth season premiere, Adrift, hardly any time had passed onscreen. Thank goodness for our eagle-eyed Art Department who placed little continuity reminders throughout: “One monitor was askew at end of First Strike” and “First Strike continuity – windows OUT throughout/aftermath still in place”. These, of course, a reference to the blast that blew out the windows at the end of the season finale, seriously injuring Elizabeth. A reminder also goes out to the various other departments for a Zelenka leg brace and that nasty-looking piece of glass that embeds itself in Ronon. By the way, there’s a reference to “large piano in deep background”. Obviously, we’re not talking about an actual piano – rather, a control console that resembled one (thus the nickname).
Keller’s lab/infirmary
Clearly, the meager two-bed set-up is optimistic. Room for plenty more in the event of some unforeseen catastrophe – like an Asuran attack.
Atlantis ZPM room
I love the reminder to “check ZPM functioning”. And then, just in case someone actually did check and found it lacking in the expected energy requirements: “one section lights up”. Oh, is that all? Another reference to those darn “pianos” and continuity reminder as per “The Siege”.
Atlantis – balcony
Whenever we shot outside, on the balcony, we tended to stay on our characters and relied on lighting, the occasional breeze, and the grey practical backdrop to convey a sense of an overcast day. In scenes where we actually wanted to see the background, we relied on our VFX team to create something convincing – in this case, a beautiful night-time twin-moon view.
Atlantis – halls & corridors
That, of course, is the gate at bottom left. The door to Stage 4 (via the productions offices), where the Atlantis set once stood, is corner right.
Elizabeth’s office
The layout didn’t really change despite the changes in command although the set dec was a little different. Whereas Elizabeth’s tastes ran to the artistic (ie. Athosian statuettes), Carter added a more personal touch in the various photos that lined the back wall. Woolsey’s office was a little more austere, but he did include a personal touch with the photo of his beloved yorkie, lost to his wife in the divorce.
Replicator core room
The layout of the replicator core room looks a lot like the Atlantis gate room. Note the tiny human figure at the bottom left, included for scale.
Replicator City – control room
This being the replicator version of the Atlantis control room, set dec is reminded to strip away all Earth touches like computers, desks, and chairs. Things should be just as they were the last time we were here – in the episode Progeny.
Operating room
The doors on the right presumably lead out to the infirmary and the area is “dressed” as such – gurneys, equipment – to suggest the operating room adjoins it. Since the doors on the left remain closed, we have no way of knowing what’s on the other side. My guess is the home theater room. On the bottom left is a note to Prosthetics/Make Up re: Weir’s skull/brain swell. I remember seeing the “brain swell” demonstration and being impressed (and slightly nauseated) by the very realistic brain that expanded as air was pumped inside. If I remember correctly, it was the work of Todd Masters and Masters VFX.
Infirmary outside operating room
This is the area Ronon walks out of to visit Weir and deliver his bedside talk – one of my favorite scenes of the two-parter.
Damaged hallways
This was shot in the VFX stage, the biggest on the lot. This is where we shot the space jump. There’s a note: for the greenscreens and “Atlantian floor treatment, bordered by green” because the view of the devastation below is a visual effect. Up top, construction is asked to pockmark the wall with “asteroid” (meteorite) hits. Wonder where they got the meteorites?
Hallways – outer city
This, the VFX stage, was so massive it actually held several sets simultaneously including, at one point or other, the village, the hive ship, and the various Earth ships.
Chair room
And before we took over the space, it was the set of one of the Blade movies – which is why we would occasionally refer to it as The Blade set. Love the attention to detail on the snowflake design bordering the chair.
Atlantis – halls and corridors
There’s a note regarding “Gurney will roll into McKay’s Lab/Infirmary & Operating Room”. This is, of course, part of the frenetic opening sequence in which a badly injured Elizabeth is wheeled through the halls and into the infirmary. So frenzied, in fact, that we didn’t notice that part of the medical equipment being wheeled through the shot off the top wasn’t medical equipment at all but actually a camera.
Replicator City – corridors
Again, similarities to the real Atlantis are intentional on the part of the Asurans – but certain visual cues suggest a different location. SPFX/PROPS are reminded what they need to bring to the party for the scenes in which the replicators hit the AR fields: weapons and, of course, aluminum shavings.
Holding cell
An interesting set. While there was certainly enough space between the bars to accommodate our cameras, one could argue there was also enough space for a determined prisoner to slip through. Which is why there were always guards posted on duty. Still, I would argue you wouldn’t need guards if that cell would have been just a little more secure. What were the Ancients thinking?
Asuran City – ZPM room
The south wall was presumably an issue so we just got rid of it. Bless the set’s modular design.
Puddle jumpers on Asuran rooftops
I always preferred the coziness of the jumpers over the roomier Universe shuttle or utilitarian SG-1 cargo ship. As I mentioned in a previous post, “gak” refers to the exposed inner-workings/guts of some high-tech device – in this case the ARG.
Puddle Jumper Bay before take-off
It’s amazing the amount of work and detail that went into shots that would last mere seconds onscreen. But they went such a long way toward creating this world. None of this: “Hey, we parked the jumper up on the roof. You’ll just have to trust us!”.
Limbo set
One of three different looks outside our parked jumper.
Midway Station
It wouldn’t be until much later, in the aptly titled Midway, that we would actually get a tour of the place. Check out more floor plans of the station here: March 15, 2013: Things Stargate! Note: “All objects in this area must appear to be strapped or bolted down to sell zero-gravity”. Check out Carter’s zero-g ballet, compliments of VFX Supervisor Mark Savela and his crew, here: September 4, 2012: Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! SGA’s Fourth Season! Adrift!
Apollo Bridge
Yes, now that you mention it, it DOES look very similar to the bridge of the Orion, the Prometheus, and the Daedalus. Oh, and the Korolev and Sun Tzu if you must know. But that’s because Earth built them on the same designs. Of course you know you’re on the Apollo thanks to the “dimensional brass Apollo plaque”.
Atlantis to M35 117
And, since some of you asked, the Art Department packages also contained gate addresses when appropriate. Point of Origin: Atlantis = Subido.
Atlantis to Earth
Always wanted to dial Earth from Atlantis? Well, here ya go.
Tagged: Adrift, Atlantis, Lifeline, science fiction, scifi, scifi television, SF, SF television, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis
March 25, 2013
March 25, 2013: The Supermovie of the Week Club reconvenes! Cookie Monster reviews X-Men Origins: Wolverine!
Noooooooooooooooo! BIRDSEYE VIEW of monster on knees, head trown back, staring up at de sky in anguish while me scream: Nooooooooooooooooo! DAT pretty much sum up monster’s review of dis movie. Me know, me know. Why would monster use such a hackneyed and cliched camera shot to sum up X-Men Origins: Wolverine? Well, read on…
Noooooooooooo!
Story begin in mid-19th century where sickly kid named James sprout bone claws and kill gardener (who turn out to be his dad) for killing his dad (who turn out not to be his dad and also not a gardener). CUT TO CHEESY BIRDS-EYE VIEW of kid on knees, head trown back, staring up at de sky, crying out. Him and his brother run for it…
Blood(y) Brothers
And keep running for it. In film’s most inspired sekwence, we treated to de two immortal brothers as dey fight, side by side, in WWI, den WWII, den Vietnam, den other clashes. It made painfully/clumsily obvious dat one brother good, de other bad. Dey shot by firing squad (immortal too!) – but seem a-okay when military guy, Major William Stryker, pay dem a visit and offer dem a deal.
Brothers (let’s call dem Wolverine and Sabretooth) end up joining team of mutants for special op. Among de team, fans of Marvel Comics may not rekognize Wade “super ninja” Wilson, aka Deadpool, who turn out to be a pale version of his comic book self…and, eventually, nothing at all like him. Op leads dem to jungles of South America in search of mystery metal. Dat where our hero, Wolverine, part ways wit de team – and his angry brother.
Six years later, angry brother kills his old teammate, a carnival hobbit. Why? Dis never really explained.
Wolverine build new life for himself in de woods wit weird girlfriend who, in one of movie’s most ridikulous scenes, try to seduce him by telling him Native American legend of de Wolverine. DIS be seksy? Next day, Stryker show up at his work place and tell him someone killing off de old team members. Based on de fakt dat one be dead. Quite de pattern, huh?
Suddenly, Wolverine sense someting. He find…decapitated wolverine. ? And diskover his girlfriend, dead. Ish. CUT TO: BIRD’S EYE VIEW of our hero, on his knees, head trown back, screaming.
Noooooooo!
Boy, dat’s good film making. Good 1990′s film making.
Wolverine track down his brother Sabretooth, to a…well, it supposed to be a bar but it look more like a garage wit some tables and chairs. Nice work, locations department! Brothers fight. Wolverine get beat up.
Always test de temperature of de water before getting in de bath!
Wolverine want revenge! Stryker offer to make him indestruktible (despite fakt dat he already be pretty damn indestruktible). He get injekted wit super metal, adamantium, dat coat his skeleton – and, somehow, his claws. Stryker want to wipe his memory so Wolverine go beast mode and eskape.
Elderly couple diskover him in barn. And, like most people who come across naked strangers on deir property, dey trust him completely and take him in.
And end up getting killed for it, thus confirming what monster’s grandmother, Grandma Monster, always said: “Nice guys finish dead”.
Stryker blows up barn but movie surprises us wit yet another cheesilicious shot – dis one of our hero racing away while someting explode behind him!
Noooooooooooooo!
Damn. De only ting missing from dis film be requisite shot of our hero walking slowly away as someting else explodes behind him like -
Noooooooooooo!
Yeah. Like dat!
Wolverine try to track down Stryker. For some reason, he have to box former obese teammate for information. He track down another mutant, Gambit, who less Remy LeBeau from de comic books and more a steampunk stage magician.
Finally, Wolverine track Stryker down to sekret lab where he be holding a bunch of innocent mutants and….SURPRIZE!- his girlfriend who not really dead AND a mutant! Shocking, no? Meh. Marginally interesting? Meh.
While Wolverine frees prisoners, he and his brother team up against…Deadpool!
No! Not Deadpool! Some stoopid movie version of Deadpool who have sword claws and a bunch of other mutant powers. What de Fudgee-o?
Just becuz dey call him Deadpool don’t make him Deadpool
Wolverine decapitate him. Meanwhile, his girlfriend have chance to kill Stryker but she not do it becuz…Yep, you guessed it!…dat would make her no better den him. Movie also does a great job ham-fisting other cliche beats: brothers’ love/hate relationship, “Me didn’t sign up for dis!” speech, “You’re not an animal – Oh, yes you are!” moment, and “You don’t have to do this” appeal. Monster not sure, but me even remember a “I’m getting too old for dis” chestnut.
Young Professor X show up as mutant prisoners eskape and offer to help dem. Really? AFTER dey eskape?! Nice timing, baldy!
VERDIKT: Nooooooooooooooo! Wolverine and Sabretooth brothers? Silver Sable and White Queen Sisters? And Deadpool…some other charakter entirely? A movie dat tinks it be A LOT more clever den it aktually be.
RATING: 4.5 chocolate chippee cookies.
Tagged: comic book movies, Comic Books, Comics, Cookie Monster, Cookie Monster film reviews, Cookie Monster movie reviews, Cookie Monster reviews X-Men Origins: Wolverine, superhero movies, superheroes, The X-Men, Wolverine, X-Men Origins: Wolverine
March 24, 2013
March 24, 2013: Pasta-making 101!
A little over a week ago, Akemi and I attended a gelato-making class. Today, we took part part in a pasta-making class. Yes, we’re working our way backwards. Next week, who knows? Deviled eggs and pigs-in-a-blanket?
Being huge fans of Pasta Famiglia artisan pasta (available only at our local winter farmer’s market), we were thrilled to hear that owner Peter Ciuffa was offering a course in fresh pasta making. Given Peter’s passion for food, and pasta in particular, Akemi and I knew we were in for a treat.
Akemi, as always, travels apron-ready.
For $45/person, we were given a hands-on demonstration of the pasta-making process that culminated in a sampling of our hard work, and enough take-home fettuccine and spaghettini for a couple of meals. I know, I know. Being Italian, I should know all about making pasta – and I do, up to a certain point. My mother used to make pasta all the time growing up – and still does. Unfortunately, as interesting as it looked, I was ultimately more focused in the end-product and so, never really pay that much attention to lead-up.
Today, I paid attention. Our instructors, Peter and his sister, Daniela, regaled us with stories of childhood kitchen adventures with their mother as part of a fun and informative afternoon.
Peter and Daniela
We started with 200 grams of Type 00 Italian flour. After making a little well at the center of the flour, we add two farm fresh eggs, a pinch of salt, and started mixing with a fork – breaking the eggs and then, slowly but surely, incorporating the surrounding flour.
Eggs in the well
We mixed. And mixed. And mixed some more until our dough began to take shape – at which point we dusted our table top with flour, transferred the dough, and started the kneading process.
Akemi, building those triceps.
We kneaded. And kneaded. And kneaded some more. Eventually, my dough began to assume the smooth, silky texture we were looking for. Done! It was at this point that Akemi switched doughs on me. So I kneaded. And kneaded. And kneaded some more!
A beautiful baby dough
With our dough done, we allowed it to rest, covered, for 20-30 minutes while Peter and Daniela taught us one of their mother’s favorite pasta sauce recipes. Olive oil, garlic, parsley, and a tomato base were slowly cooked down while we redirected focus to the dough – cutting, shaping, and then feeding our pasta through the pasta machine’s rollers, working our way through the various settings which yielded an increasingly longer, increasingly thinner sheet.
Akemi and I were a well-oiled machine (much like the well-oiled pasta machine we were using). One of us fed the pasta into the rollers while the other cranked. Then, we switched. In no time, we had our sheets and then, it was onto the cutting. We had a choice of two settings – fettuccine or spaghettini – and elected to go with both. After dusting the freshly cut pasta, Akemi immediately went to work, laying it out so that the individual strands wouldn’t stick together -
Painstaking work. I refer, of course, to my picture-taking while Akemi sorts out the spaghettini.
With the sauce done, we all got to sample the fruits of our labor…
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“Yammy!” as Akemi would say.
Wow. What a world of difference. From now on, I’m only eating home made pasta.
Provided Akemi has the time to make it.
Like tonight for instance:
Our pasta haul
Dinner:
Spaghettini with Italian sausage, broccolini, garlic, basil, and olive oil.
Thanks to Peter and Daniela for a great afternoon (and even greater dinner!). My mother is already planning my Level 2 class: orecchiette and capundi!
Tagged: pasta, Pasta Famiglia, pasta making 
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