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Post by prometheus74 on Jul 21, 2009 22:14:01 GMT -5
Have any of you ever seen "V - The Original mini-series"? I picked up the DVD the other day for $15 and watched all 3 hours+ of it in one sitting. Great stuff! And it has a connection to TGAH, since one of its main characters is played by none other than Faye Grant (Rhonda). The special effects are a bit dated at times----not that there's anything wrong with that! I rather enjoy watching old movies and TV series that were made before the advent of today's boisterous CGI tchnology and THX sound. Times were simpler back then. I remembered some of V from my childhood, but hadn't watched any of it in about 25 years. I have yet to listen to creator Kenneth Johnson's full-lenght commentary but am looking forward to it. I know from experience that the guy does great commentaries.
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Post by MelMac on Jul 21, 2009 22:24:39 GMT -5
I've seen both "V" and "V: The Final Battle" and liked both. It was easier to watch it now than when I was a little kid, and remember mom telling me to cover my eyes when the alien child was born.
Now "V: The TV series" I have not seen, but it didn't do well and they canned it after a season I believe. That said, one thing that people found out was that had it continued, Julie - Grant's character - would've been killed off within a few episodes of the season.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Jul 21, 2009 22:40:58 GMT -5
Never seen it. I have really never had the urge too. *Shrugs*
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Post by prometheus74 on Jul 21, 2009 23:26:14 GMT -5
Never seen it. I have really never had the urge too. *Shrugs* You might be pleasantly surprised if you give it a go. If you do ever decide to watch some of it, make sure you start with the original two-part miniseries.
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Post by MelMac on Jul 29, 2009 21:19:26 GMT -5
You know, I remembered that I had the music from this series on a cd collection, and listened to it the other day. It actually has a good sound to it - makes you a little creeped out when the Visitors come and then when the rebels go and defeat them (the variation in the music).
Funny enough - when they were promoting the series, they posted up posters similar to the ones shown in the series. when it neared time for the show to air, they sprayed painted "V" in red on top of them.
Sad to say - that wouldn't wash now - not if the officials had crackdowns and issues with the electronic chip character flipping people the bird on "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." (Forgot the character's name, but it's the hothead Intellivision looking character).
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Post by Videofox on Jul 29, 2009 21:49:58 GMT -5
I loved both miniseries and they are on my "to-get" list. The series, however, was horrible (and even as a kid who was mostly watching it for the special effects anyway, I could see the lack of quality. It didn't even make any sense; after all, why would the lizards agree to share L.A. with the humans when they considered us nothing but food and clearly had the advantage? That's like putting lions in the same pen with lambs and expecting them to play nice. By the way, there is a remake of "V" in the works right now, to be aired on ABC I believe. After Kenneth Johnson writes a sequel novel to the original series with intentions of making a new movie out of it, someone else comes along and takes the idea to "re-imagine" it. Reminded me of execs screwing over Richard Hatch who shelled out his own money to make a promo trailer to a Battlestar Galactica sequel and instead hiring someone else to start from scratch. But I'm not bitter. There are a couple of clips of the new "V" online somewhere (can't remember where...but you can find it). It stars Morena ("Firefly") Baccarin, Laura ("Smallville") Vandervoort, and Scott ("Party of Five") Wolf. Morena is the new Diana, but alas, now called Anna. Go figure.
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Post by MelMac on Aug 25, 2009 21:39:39 GMT -5
I was watching part of it today - the scene where Diana tries to convert Julia to their cause, and I forgot just how creepy that scene was. The only thing that got me though was I thought Julie found herself running down the corridor with the humans that were caught for food frozen in storage, but it's a cave actually in this part. That scene happens at the end.
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Post by MelMac on Nov 2, 2009 16:55:02 GMT -5
They're doing a new series of "V" on ABC beginning pretty soon. I'm not quite as impressed with this version of it so far - it looks a tad too sterile, and the concept is different. That said, the effects are better, and the new "Diana" (she's been renamed) looks very alienesque - both as a humanoid version and, oddly enough, looks like she really is lizard underneath (BTW, I mean head shape, not actual appearance. )
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Nov 2, 2009 19:26:50 GMT -5
They played V all weekend on SyFy.
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Post by MelMac on Nov 2, 2009 21:45:21 GMT -5
They played V all weekend on SyFy. Wish I had known that - I could've watched a little of it Saturday before going to the haunted house.
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Post by MelMac on Nov 5, 2009 20:16:23 GMT -5
Supposedly the show is going to air tonight. I'll see if it's on, watch it and let you know how extremely different it's supposed to be. There is ONE huge difference from the first run - how soon we find out the Visitors aren't who they seem to be... ETA: Apparently - I read Tuesday's paper by mistake, and it was Tuesday, not Thursday. So - has anyone watched it and if so, how was it? If no one has - ABC will have it online Saturday with commentary available.
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Post by MissDavidson on Nov 6, 2009 13:27:44 GMT -5
I liked it. My sister was (is) a big fan of the two miniseries and show, as was (am) I (when I finally got over the trauma of the scene in in the original miniseries where the one visitor gets a mouse from a dumpster at the hospital and proceeds to consume said mouse while saying "Mousy, mousy mousy!").
That being said, I enjoyed the series premiere of the new show. I did catch myself comparing and contrasting this with the old franchise. I think it's a pretty good update. None of the characters are the same, and I do believe the plot will be different, although the goal of the Visitors will remain the same. I actually like Anna better than I liked Diana; Diana got on my nerves. Kenneth Johnson, who created the whole "V" franchise, is involved with the new series as well.
Note: There are at least two links to GAH in the original "V". Faye Grant, of course, and then Richard Herd, who played Vice President Adam Taft in the pilot, played John, the Supreme Commander of the Visitors in the original miniseries.
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Post by greenguy on Nov 6, 2009 16:14:51 GMT -5
Kenneth Johnson, who created the whole "V" franchise, is involved with the new series as well. Actually Ken Johnson is not involved in the new series. He had to go to the guild and battle to get the "created by" credit. Funny how Glen Larson had to do the same for the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. Cool that you liked it Miss D. I recorded it, but haven't watched it yet. I would like to find a new version of an old favorite that I actually like...LOL
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Nov 7, 2009 1:10:56 GMT -5
This is why I tend to watch new shows, GG. ;D
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Post by MissDavidson on Nov 8, 2009 23:25:21 GMT -5
Actually Ken Johnson is not involved in the new series. He had to go to the guild and battle to get the "created by" credit. Funny how Glen Larson had to do the same for the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. Well that totally sucks. . . I think that the original creators shouldn't only get credit, they should have story approval. . . *sigh*
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Post by Ms Boku on Nov 11, 2009 8:11:04 GMT -5
I actually like V. It's set to today which makes it more creepy than the original. So far I am impressed.
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Post by Videofox on Nov 11, 2009 20:42:29 GMT -5
Note: There are at least two links to GAH in the original "V". Faye Grant, of course, and then Richard Herd, who played Vice President Adam Taft in the pilot, played John, the Supreme Commander of the Visitors in the original miniseries. Adding to that, there was also a family named Maxwell that were main characters...especially Robin. I noticed how they didn't wait too long to reveal the Vistors' alien appearance. It was a major shock scene to most in the original version, but today, even people who never watched V or was around when it aired already knew their "true face" so they didn't beat around the bush this time. No suspense there; one disadvantage to remaking a classic. The political allegory is still intact, although updated for the times. The original aliens, of course, were compared to the Nazis. The new ones...well, it appears to me that they are a "stand in" for another political group, and I won't say it out loud as it might start a fight. So I'll leave it at that. ;D
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Post by MelMac on Nov 30, 2009 2:06:10 GMT -5
Having watched the last couple of episodes until 2010, I have to say I'm mixed about this take on the series. They are bringing in quite a few of the original ideas in creative ways - such as the alien baby and such, but I'm not quite as fond of their evil plan here as much as the original.
The acting is quite good for a style of show like this. Two characters really stand out for me right now though: Anna is beautiful, but very cold and calculated, as she showed clearly in the last episode. Ryan is also a good conflicted member of the Fifth Column - loves his girlfriend, and is quite scared of what has happened as of the last episode and worries what will happen to her. Willie (original series) is still my favorite of the Fifth Column visitors; but Ryan comes very close. Lisa almost stands out, but she seems to be a little too much like Anna, and the other characters just don't really stand out to me right now.
Overall, it's a good remake and hope that when it comes back it'll be even better, but still... it's just missing something right now.
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Post by MissDavidson on Dec 4, 2009 20:15:04 GMT -5
In the original miniseries, Robin Maxwell was originally to be portrayed by Dominique Dunne. In fact, she was running lines with David Packer (Daniel Bernstein) when her ex-boyfriend came to her house and murdered her. (Kinda makes David Packer a wuss, doesn't it?)
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Post by MelMac on Dec 7, 2009 14:18:37 GMT -5
Wow, I didn't know that Miss D. That's sad too that the original Robin was murdered that way.
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