With an opening weekend gross of over 70 million dollars, 300 has stunned critics and sent Hollywood scrambling to figure out the secret to its success. As it turns out, it takes little more than a cursory observation to understand why the movie has performed so well. 300 has a look all its own and treats its distinctive subject matter in a unique and refreshing fashion. In short, it’s original. So you know what that means for movie-goers in the months to come. That’s right. More of the same! More gods! More minotaurs! More epic battles! Look forward to the Special Platinum Edition releases of Clash of the Titans and Hercules in New York as well as a cavalcade of crappy cinematic catastrophes as everyone falls all over each other to cash in on 300 Fever. Greek myth and legend are “in“! Strike while the iron is hot! Of course given the coming glut, studios may have to find a way to differentiate their product from the slightly dissimilar product already out there. Some may attempt to do so by giving their movie a contemporary spin, say marrying their period piece to an anachronistic modern soundtrack, following the leads of such masterpieces as A Knight’s Tale and Marie Antoinette, while others will undoubtedly stick to the tried and true formula of epic scale opulence steered by A-list stars, like such memorable gems as Alexander, Kingdom of Heaven, King Arthur, and Troy. And it won’t stop there. Like their passing dalliances with Kabbalah and Global Warming, celebrities will embrace this equally transient fad, declaring a passion for all things Greek as they unearth delightfully antiquated names for their babies to the amusement of fans everywhere. Get ready for Bellerophon Paltrow, Agesilaus Pinkett-Smith, and Testiculus Jolie-Pitt. I, for one, can’t wait.
An excellent lunch today at work – pictured: lamb shank in hunter sauce, a couscous with chickpea and roasted carrot salad, braised red cabbage, and there’s a turkey meatloaf somewhere under there. For dessert: bread pudding with caramel sauce (the secret is to layer the bottom of your bowl with caramel sauce, THEN drop in your hunk of pudding, and spoon a second dollop of caramel over that). Martin Gero has already wearied of my lunch mockery after only one post and refuses to let me snap a pic of what I think was steamed artichoke hearts in a light balsamic vinaigrette. Or it may have been chicken. Finally, here is a concept drawing of the new Atlantis base mascot: Monty the radioactive gopher. Whaddya think?
Let’s try to keep pace with all those questions –
Anonymous #1 writes: “Why was Mitchell’s role reduced so much in S10?”
Answer: When you have five characters to service, you’re not going to get to spotlight all of them all the time, especially when you bring in a new regular like Vala who may command some stories just as Mitchell, as the new regular in season 9, commanded his own stories. Still, amid the bigger Ori arc than ran through season 10, Mitchell did get his chance to shine in episodes like Uninvited, Company of Thieves, and Bounty.
Zabadoo writes: “Which did you personally prefer, season 10 of SG-1 or season 3 of Atlantis? What is your favorite season of SG-1 and why? Same for Atlantis and do you think that season 4 of Atlantis will be the series’ best so far?”
Answer: Like a parent asked to choose favorites, I’ll say I loved both season of SG-1 and season 3 of Atlantis equally. But loved SG-1’s finale season just a little more, It was the show’s final season after all. As for my favorite SG-1 season? Not sure. Seasons 4, 8-10 stand out. As for Atlantis – I’m enjoying what we’re putting together for season four which will, of course, be the best season ever.
AgentDark writes: “You’ve been working on the show for a while now Joe – who would you consider to be your Sith Apprentice ie the one who, after learning everything they can from you, will rise up to destroy you and take your position?
Answer: Apprentice? Are you kidding? Carl Binder has more experience producing television than anyone while Martin Gero continually blows me away with his production savvy and technical know-how. However, re: the rising up to destroy me and take my position – definitely Gero.
Anonymous #2 writes: “Do you like Ghiradelli chocolate?”
Answer: We had a Ghiradelli’s in Vancouver year’s ago and I used to love their sundaes.
Anonymous #3 writes: “Can we expect some ground shaking character revelations alla The Gift in season 4?”
Answer: Yeah, there’ll be more than a few major revelations upcoming in season four.
Leave a Reply