Mad At Sci-Fi Channel AND Myself

[rokitflite]

*sigh* I just finished watching yet ANOTHER low budget "Sci-Fi Pictures" movie on the Sci-Fi channel... "SS Doomtrooper". I swear the effects in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" looked more believable than the "monster" in this film. It's like someone at Sci-Fi bought a 20 year old computer with computer animation 1.1 on it and they crank out 3 movies a month with such insulting special effects that are so painful to watch that I am thinking of getting novocain eye drops. I don't think the programmers know how to make bullet hits at all because every creature they create seem impervious to gunfire. And the WORST part of it all? My stupid butt is incapable of turning off the TV or switching channels everytime one of these things come on

 

[Ando]

I used to have the same problem. But now I no longer have cable so I either try to rent good movies or read a book. Mostly I just build rockets though. Rockets have become a bit of an obsession as of late.

 

[Nuke Rocketeer]

The Sci-Fi channel is a large crap pile with a few extremely valuable gems buried in it. Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica are top shows worth watching, but virtually everything else is pure crap. With all the good science fiction stories out there, you would think that they could do better than crummy horror movies with sorry special effects.

Joe W

 

[vjp]

LOL, this thread sounds like a re-hash of last year's "Atomic Train" and "Alien Apocalypse" discussions:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18425

 

[shreadvector]

You were expecting something with production quality on the level of Pink Flamingos?

Originally posted by rokitflite
*sigh* I just finished watching yet ANOTHER low budget "Sci-Fi Pictures" movie on the Sci-Fi channel... "SS Doomtrooper". I swear the effects in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" looked more believable than the "monster" in this film. It's like someone at Sci-Fi bought a 20 year old computer with computer animation 1.1 on it and they crank out 3 movies a month with such insulting special effects that are so painful to watch that I am thinking of getting novocain eye drops. I don't think the programmers know how to make bullet hits at all because every creature they create seem impervious to gunfire. And the WORST part of it all? My stupid butt is incapable of turning off the TV or switching channels everytime one of these things come on

 

[JRThro]

Originally posted by rokitflite
And the WORST part of it all? My stupid butt is incapable of turning off the TV or switching channels everytime one of these things come on

Scott, try using your *hands* next time!

 

[Eagle3]

SciFi should have snagged Firefly when they had a chance.

 

[rokitflite]

Originally posted by vjp
LOL, this thread sounds like a re-hash of last year's "Atomic Train" and "Alien Apocalypse" discussions:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18425

Yep, and I read that whole thread over again!

 

[kenobi65]

The lesson here, rockitflite, is you should never be watching SciFi on Saturday night. Friday nights aside, SciFi runs a lot of cheesy stuff, but the Saturday night movies are predictably awful.

 

[Dan]

I was looking forward to that black hole movie but it kinda sucked b/c they had some kind of monster in it too...it should have had a more realistic story to it. I also wanted to see the earth get wiped out by a black hole, but instead they killed the hole by throwing the monster into it. total crap. usually I'll only watch scifi to make fun of the cheesy movies

 

[jflis]

Originally posted by Dan
I was looking forward to that black hole movie but it kinda sucked b/c they had some kind of monster in it too...it should have had a more realistic story to it. I also wanted to see the earth get wiped out by a black hole, but instead they killed the hole by throwing the monster into it. total crap. usually I'll only watch scifi to make fun of the cheesy movies

That was my problem with black hole... The previews looked ok, but as soon as I realized there was a monster I knew the solution to the black hole... would have been MUCH more interesting to have them explore a scientifically *plausable* approach to the real problem...

oh well...

 

[timb]

Hee hee, saw a space movie (or the end of it at least) last Friday with Gregory Peck as one of the main characters. At one point the Russian space ship shows up, and doing my best MST 3000: "Comrads, can I borrow a cup of sugar?"

SciFi channel has two problems: 'way yonder too many commercials & cheesy content. The only thing I watch on it is Dr. Who and I've been somewhat less than happy with even that.

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

Originally posted by rokitflite
*sigh* I just finished watching yet ANOTHER low budget "Sci-Fi Pictures" movie on the Sci-Fi channel... "SS Doomtrooper".

I spent too much one month and punished myself by watching this turkey. Actually it seemed like a made for tv remake of the Doom movie which was predicatbly awful. In this case instead of Doom, it looked like they ripped off Wolfenstein.

Oy...

 

[roadkill]

SciFi - channel blows most of its production budget
for three excellent shows: SG1, Atlantis and Galactica.

...So you know the rest is produced with minimal budget -
script writing included - and it shows in high suckiness factor...

 

[huxley]

Yeah, the "Horror" channel sucks most of the time!

At least the repeated programming blocks are getting a bit smaller!

Love when they play 3 good movies in a row tho (i.e. mission to mars, red planet, 2010!)

 

[wwattles]

More than once have I come to bed on a Saturday night and told my wife that I would have been better off chewing on aluminum foil whilst repeatedly sticking my head into an oven and slamming the door shut, instead of watching what I'd hoped was going to be a good movie.

At least on "Doomtrooper" I had the good sense to leave in the middle of it. Well, actually, my consciousness left in the middle of it, and I later awoke from sleeping on the couch with a kink in my neck and a pain in my back.

Maybe they should continue making the crummy sci-fi movies, and hire back the MST-3K guys to do their thing, even on the first-runs of the movies. At least it would add some suspense and uncertainty as we wondered what Crow, Tom, and Joel would say next.

As to the horror movie side of things, who decided that Sci-Fi equals a madman hacking people to bits, or that it equalled barbarians and funny-looking little people fighting dragons? Last I checked, science-fiction was its own genre, separate and distinct from horror and fantasy.

And on a lighter note, ever noticed what it sounds like when you say "horror movie"? It's almost enough to make your significant other do a double take when you say, "Well honey, I'm off to go watcha horror movie with the guys..." Kinda gives a new meaning to someone saying "I love getting scared out of my pants by horror movies..." (Paging PeeWee Herman... Paging PeeWee Herman...)

WW

 

[Rocket Al]

A lot of the stuff you see on the SciFi channel (From last week on one night alone "Scarecrow" and "Scarecrow: Slayer", for example) that they call their "SciFi original pictures" are not really done for the SciFi channel at all. They are really just incredibly cheaply done things that have nowhere else to go, most of which are already in release on DVD, but get a cheap deal for the "world broadcast premiere" Other good examples would be the "War of the Worlds" with C. Thomas Howell, "Raptor Planet" and "Raptor Island", etc, by companies like "UFO" and "The Asylum". You would be shocked and stunned at how quickly and cheaply these things were shot..... something like 12 day shooting schedules.


Al

(who, at this very moment, is sitting about 5 feet away from one of the guys who directed some of these things because the rent needed to be paid.....

 

[Brian62]

All these sci fi movies suck. Poor effects and plots. I am so sick of pathetic over the top CGI wanna be interactive crapola. I for one do not think much of battlestar galacta either, crap I watched it when i was a kid and it was probably better then! USA movies are in same boat when it tries the same stuff. I am sorry but all these weekly sci fi series suck. Common! how many different nose pieces and goofy ears can a person take. It is all the same Star Trek stuff from 20 years ago. Why the heck do you people wanna watch remakes of that old stuff. Where are todays trendsetters? I mean look, spock's ear piece communicator is common today on people, as is the Captains communicator,Nextel walkie talkie. Now that was ahead of its time, and tru sci fi.

 

[rokitflite]

Originally posted by Rocket Al
You would be shocked and stunned at how quickly and cheaply these things were shot..... something like 12 day shooting schedules.


Al

Ummm, no I wouldn't

 

[Ando]

The Sci-Fi channel is a large crap pile with a few extremely valuable gems buried in it. Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica are top shows worth watching

and no more Farscape

 

[jflis]

Originally posted by Ando
and no more Farscape

Yeah, I'm waiting for them to announce a show called "Night Whisper"...


...THEN we'll see who's writing letters to who...

 

[Art Upton]

Originally posted by jflis
Yeah, I'm waiting for them to announce a show called "Night Whisper"...


...THEN we'll see who's writing letters to who...

Yea, write 'em up Jim !

BTW, did you know Public Enemy had a fat boy rocket for sale before Estes did ?

 

[Art Upton]

Originally posted by Eagle3
SciFi should have snagged Firefly when they had a chance.

Hi Buzz,

my Firefly and Serenity combo pack just arrived tonight.

Starting the first eposide is playin' now.

Thanks for the tip,

It is definitly a cowboy space show

 

[vjp]

I heard a quick buzz about Firefly when it first came out, but I never caught it when it originally aired (it came and went without much publicity by Fox). Finally, about 6 months ago, I got the DVD set and I was instantly hooked. And, instantly dismayed that a show that good could have been axed so quickly.

There is a special hell for mindless TV executives who cancel shows like this... a SPECIAL hell.

 

[shrox]

Imagine how I feel, they didn't even want to interview me...

 

[Fred]

Serenity was a great show and Firefly is wicked. I have both. As to why it was cancelled when you have dross like the new BG on I have no idea. I like old SF a lot. It's campy and cheesy. You can see the strings but at least there are characters you can like. A lot of the newer shows specialise in lower necklines and what could be generously called flawed characters. SF used to be about adventure and wonder now it's more like as the stomach turns. By the way apeaking of my kind of SF if you remember zVOyage to the Bottom of the Sea it's out in DVD now. Its b/w which is really kind of neat. I can also let my 12 year old watch it without having to worry. What a concept
Cheers
fred

 

[dknight]

ECW!ECW!ECW!ECW!

Yea, I know it's scripted but some of the storylines are better than the low budget shows outside of the friday night shows. And usually better acting.
smilie

(':kill:')

Doug

 

[Eagle3]

Originally posted by Art Upton
Hi Buzz,

my Firefly and Serenity combo pack just arrived tonight.

Starting the first eposide is playin' now.

Thanks for the tip,

It is definitly a cowboy space show

I sort of remember when the show first aired, but never checked it out. I caught one episode on Sci Fi when they were showing it and I was instantly hooked. I got tired of waiting for the shows to air so I picked up the DVD set which I still watch a lot. My wife, who likes some Sci Fi loves the show as well.

Serenity is just too cool. Sure there's a little cheese here and there, but it's one of the best SciFi flics I've seen in years. I read somewhere that if they made $100mil off combined sales Joss Whedon would try and make another. That would be great, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[GuyNoir]

Originally posted by wwattles
that I would have been better off chewing on aluminum foil whilst repeatedly sticking my head into an oven and slamming the door shut,

Ah. A fan of "Ed, Edd and Eddy", I see. . . (grin)

 

[kenobi65]

Originally posted by Eagle3
I read somewhere that if they made $100mil off combined sales Joss Whedon would try and make another. That would be great, but I'm not holding my breath.

Well, it was the remarkably strong sales of the original Firefly DVD set that got Universal interested in spending the money on Serenity. Unfortuantely, even with generally positive reviews, Serenity absolutely tanked at the box office (only about $25 million in U.S. ticket sales, and $39 million in worldwide sales, vs. an estimated production budget of $40 million), and it's unlikely that Universal, or another studio, would be willing to bankroll anything new. A shame, because, I agree, it's a great 'verse.