10 Best SciFi TV Episodes Of All Time

I discovered Blastr this morning thanks to a link going around showing off an Empire Strikes Back chess set made of legos and have officially added the site to my ever growing google reader.

The first article I discovered was one naming the ten best Sci Fi Television Episodes of all time. And, I gotta say, it's a pretty damn good list. Open in up in a new window, read it, then come back here. Don't worry. I'll wait.

While I absolutely agree with their Buffy, Dr. Who, X-Files, Lost & Firefly episodes (and don't consider myself fluent enough in Outer Limits or Star Trek to have an opinion), I question their Battlestar choice. 33 is a great episode and as the first ep after the mini-series it DOES establish the tone of what's to come and all that, but I tend to lean more towards the season 2 or 3 finales...not that they were brilliant stand alone sci fi pieces, but they WERE breathtaking episodes of science fiction television. I won't be so silly as to suggest my own favorite BSG episode, Unfinished Business, as a candidate, considering there's practically no sci-fi in that episode whatsoever (but a whole of love and shipping!), but 33? I'm just not so sure.

Twilight Zone has so many classic episodes that Eye of the Beholder seems like a perfectly fine choice. It's classic, but disturbing & relevant classic, not almost-silly-at-this-point classic like let's say Nightmare at 2000 feet or overdone classic like To Serve Man. So while I suspect many will object to this selection, I'm actually fine with it.

If I had to add to this list...might I suggest a showing from Angel? If we are talking fantastic episodes that both played with & showed off the conventions of Science Fiction, it's hard to not look to season five's Smile Time. Watching that episode single handedly sold me on watching all of Angel's final season, and I sure am glad I made the effort - GREAT season, by far the best of the spin-off's five years.

So what would you add to this list? What would you take off? What would you tweak? Eager to hear your thoughts, especially from those of you who watch the Sci fi shows I haven't checked out yet i.e. Supernatural and....um...that might be it.

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How Chris Nolan Incepted Us With Inception & May Be Taking Over The World

Note: Inception spoilers lie ahead. Do not read if you haven't seen Inception. In fact, if you haven't seen Inception, please close the computer immediately and go see it. Good deal!

Okay. So. This just happened. It's 4:30 in the morning now and I started writing at 3:50.

The first thing I remember is being in a hotel room. High in a hotel room, cause it's just me, a hotel room, room service and a tv. Fun! Then all of the sudden, I hear the zzzzt sound of a hotel door being opened and it's someone who I love very much, but was not expecting to see behind the door and someone who I don't want to see when I'm blazed out of my mind. So I ask what Person A is doing there! Person A had to see me. I explain that I'm really tired. Person A suggests breakfast. I say I don't think that would work and note how odd all of this is and think, how funny if I was dreaming...

Cut to: I'm a library with Person B and Person C.

(Back ground: Person B is an old friend of mine who recently got involved in a theater company I work with. Person C is the artistic director of the theater company. Person B works in theater at a high school and Person C is in the process of finalizing a deal where the theater company teaches, in some cases, theater to kids - we had a meeting yesterday where this was brought up.)

Person B tells Person C that the kids talk about the program all the time and they just love it, etc. etc. I interject, "Wait, didn't we JUST have that meeting yesterday?" Person C replies "Quick turnaround."

So I start thinking...about how earlier I thought I might be dreaming...

I then say "Okay, this might sound totally weird, but I LITERALLY have no idea if I'm in a dream or not right now, it's totally fucked up." And look to them for answers, for them to tell me I'm ridiculous. Blank stares. I suddenly feel threatened and terrified.

I think think - "where's my totem. fuck fuck, where's my totem? I need to know if I'm dreaming. If I am, I need to wake up."

I try to look at my hands, I can't see them. Something is wrong. I reach into my pocket and realize I don't have a totem, so what else, what else. The pocket! What pocket am I reaching into? What am I wearing? What WAS I wearing earlier? I can't see it. I then decide that my shirt must be made of my mother's name and my pants must be made out of my dad's name. But then I realize none of this makes sense, I can't see what I'm wearing & there is no such thing as a shirt made out of Elizabeth* or pants made out of Arthur* - this is a fucking dream.

So I say think, okay, WAKE UP! Things get shaky, but it works! I'm suddenly in bed!

But wait, it may be cause it's dark, but it looks like my bedroom in my parents' house, not where I sleep now. I then look to the side of the bed and see what may or may not be a foreboding figure standing in front of me, holding a weapon. I scream at the top of my lungs AND FALL OUT OF BED, hitting my stand up lamp on the way down.

I instantly wake up in actual real life, terrified, on the verge of hyperventilating. I turn the light on, get my cat, and write all of this down.

I'm not sure where all of this falls on the scale of positive vs negative ways a movie affects your life, but Inception played a role in my dreams tonight in a way bigger then "I dreamt about Inception."

I understood after seeing this movie, on a subconscious level, that what it was telling me about dreams was true. That I could figure out if it was real or not, that I could wake myself up, that telling my dream-mates that I think I'm dreaming is dangerous and - interesting that screaming & falling on the last plane of dreaming before waking up is what actually woke me up? We all know the "kick" on the first plane in a dream within a dream is what actually wakes you up. Well, we think we know this cause we saw Inception. And now it just happened in my dream.

Chris Nolan, I don't know what kind of genius mastermind you are and I hope if you do take over the world, it's a benevolent dictatorship. Because you just made some shit up in a movie and I DECIDED IT WAS FACT WITHOUT EVER DECIDING IT WAS A FACT. Which also happens to be what occurs when someone is incepted in your movie. When Inception occurs. You incepted me with Inception. You incepted all of us. And now for better or for worse, I am finding it easier and easier to recognize when I'm dreaming (something similar, but not quite as intense, happened a week or so ago). At this stage, being conscious of the fact that I'm in my subconscious freaks me out to much to stay there, and I always wake up. But if this movie is somehow singlehandedly building our minds up enough to be able to fully participate in lucid dreaming, which, who knows, could lead to the film's technology existing in real life? Which could lead to actual physical Inception? Which you could totally do with an army of top notch lucid dreamers?! Well that's a whole other fucking movie right there, isn't it?! Except real if it was real! But IS IT REAL?!

WHAT'S HAPPENING?!

I also happen to be so sleepy and tired with a brain that has yet to recover from all of the 8 hours of drinking and 3 hours of sleeping that occurred yesterday, that it's no wonder I was high in my dream. My brain can't even function normally in my subconscious. That's how tired I am. But maybe it's also this complete inability to keep my eyes open that allowed for such a deep sleep so soon after I turned the lights off. Two levels in after a half hour, if that, of sleeping?

I must know go back into the land of the unknown (and by unknown I mean very well known) of my subconscious and hope things go more smoothly this time. Dating Joseph Gordon Levitt, Rupert Grint, James McAvoy or Aaron Tveit would definitely be acceptable subject matter.

See you on the other side.

*Not my parents' actual names, changed for purposes of this story. See full post

These are my Inceptionssss

(cross-posted from The Ecstatic Truth)

so… by now, everyone and their dog has already seen Christopher Nolan’s Inception (my poodle was not a fan, as her small but adorably fluffy dog brain doesn’t really allow her to form the complex thoughts required to enjoy even an ill-conceived Christopher Nolan film such as The Dark Knight), and has an opinion of both its value and its meaning. but not everyone and their dog has a blog through which to share said opinion (my poodle only has a twitter account). unfortunately for us all, i have both. so here’s my take on this whole shebang... it's not a review so much as my own reading of the film. having said that, i implore you only to read on if you’ve seen it. and if you haven’t seen Inception… see Inception.

the article after the jump

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Saturn Awards Wrap Up 2010

I had the pleasure of attending the 36th Annual Saturn Awards last night and live tweeting the entire event for you readers. But in case you aren't a fan of Twitter, here are some highlight tweets from last night, along with some exclusive photos!

Awesome Quotes 

She got confused about which side of the card had nominees and which had the winner, but managed to turn her faux pas into a very endearing comedy bit. I like her about 3000 more times than I ever have before. Though as a Joss alum, she should have known how to pronounce the name of nominee Morena Baccarin.

A whole lot more after the jump!

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SATURN AWARDS - LIVE TWEETING TONIGHT!

Hey fine folks!

Starting tonight around 6:30PT, keep an eye on @loquaciousmuse for All Things Fangirl's Second Annual Saturn Awards Live Tweeting.


We kept you readers constantly up to date last year to an enthusiastic response, so we're doing it again!
We even got a nice little shout out from Cinematical regarding our tweets. Hopefully the show this year will be just as jam packed and our tweets will be just as frequent & exciting. Though few things are as cool as getting a picture with Jacob from Lost touching you on the shoulder. Well. I suppose a photo of Jacob from Lost handing you a glass of wine would be even better, yes? LOST REFERENCES FTW!!!

Take a look at the 36th Annual Saturn Awards nominees here. I can't believe that Alexander Skarsgard, John Noble, Jeremy Davies and Michael Emerson are all nominated opposite each other. I LOVE THE SATURNS! See full post

To Open Wide Or Not To Open Wide

Was reading Harry Knowles' review of Splice last night and found myself obviously thrilled to be reading yet another great review for a movie I adore, but also found myself bothered by certain parts of the review. See if you can notice a theme.

SPLICE is such a film. A delicate, crazed, wonderful, beautiful and warped film that we don't see in wide release any more. Mainstream horror & science fiction is generally these days a remake or a gore fest....

SPLICE is going to be on more that 2,500 screens this weekend.

A release on the same scale as the global abomination known as MARMADUKE, the lessor film KILLERS and the hysterical comedy GET HIM TO THE GREEK. That is, frankly, AMAZING...

It is so amazing to see this released by a major studio. Reminds me of DISTRICT 9 that way. A lower budget independent science fiction taking on issues and making a compelling genre film

While Harry clearly loves the idea of Splice being opened wide - I'm not quite on board.

Sure, District 9 opened wide, but it also had a huge campaign, covering all bases - genre, viral, mass market, screened & had a panel at Comic Con, had those Humans Only signs out and about before anyone even knew the name of the movie, and it was CLEARLY a summer movie. It had aliens and guns and spaceships, people. Plus while D9 had its hard to handle moments, it doesn't go anywhere near where Splice goes in terms of a certain level of fucked-up-ness. D9 had a chance at a huge opening weekend, the pieces were in place. Splice just doesn't.

Now, let me clarify. I love Splice. I LOVE Splice. Which is WHY I'm concerned about it opening wide. This movie is amazing, but it is not for everyone. People who don't know what they are in for, if they bother to see it, very well may walk out. It's controversial, it's provocative. A lot of people outside of the genre community haven't even heard of it. At Wondercon, when Vincenzo Natali spoke so eloquently about the film and spiked my interest - barely a single person in that room knew anything about that movie coming in. Which means Splice has had only TWO MONTHS to do, in terms of buzz & publicity, what District 9 did over YEARS. Sure people loved the movie at Sundance, in January, but if I wasn't even hit by the buzz then, I'm not sure it really counts as the marked beginning of buzz-building. I don't see a scenario in which this film mimics D9 in terms of box office either. If Splice magically pulls off a 25 million dollar opening weekend, I will HAPPILY eat my words. But I think 10 million would be a huge accomplishment at this point.

Now, if Splice weren't opening wide, if it were opening limited, it would have time to find its audience without the giant studio behind it wondering immediately if they made the right investment.  It would have time to build word of mouth, to grow steadily, to become the film you MUST go see NOW,  because it's too good and unique to let slip by. I worry, with a 2,500 screen opening and not the publicity or star power to back up that big of an opening, the numbers will be considered a disappointment and the movie will fade into obscurity. The reason why non quality horror films open wide is because everyone goes to see it opening weekend, makes all of its money right when it comes out, then it has a huge drop off and soon leaves theaters because it's a piece of shit.

But because Splice is such a HIGH QUALITY film, a special film, it deserves better. It is not meant to be thrown out into the vicious competition of summer in the hopes of finding an audience, somewhere, anywhere. Opening a "word of mouth" movie WIDE in the  SUMMER means if it doesn't open with huge numbers, it will be pushed out of theaters the weekend after, in favor of the plethora of high profile summer movies that, ohwhatdoyaknow, COME OUT IN THE SUMMER. June 11th, we have Karate Kid & The A-Team (I will see A Team). June 18th we have Toy Story 3 & Jonah Hex (the latter of which which I suspect won't be in theaters for very long, but movies have to leave theaters for this one to enter theaters, regardless of its box office performance! Though I WILL be seeing it. And Toy Story. Duh.), the 25th we have Knight & Day and Grown Ups (neither of which appeal to me) and June 30th, Eclipse (Obviously seeing it. But I won't get drunk this time. Promise.)  These movies have to be on multiplex screens somehow and how are those decisions made? "Which movie is bringing in the smallest numbers? You're out."

I think you guys may be interpretating a wide release as a sign of support from the studio, when really it just means Splice was a pick-up that they needed to release. Don't get me wrong, I love Warner Brothers, I just think someone needed to take the time to say, this belongs in the fall and deserves a much longer, a much better campaign, and maybe, just maybe, it should be released limited. (And KEEP SPOILERS OUT OF THE TRAILERS. Is another thing. Someone should have thought of. But that's another issue entirely.)

I hope I'm wrong. I hope this movie exceeds our expectations and opens huge.

-I'll scream and bless this country if it hits 30 million.

-I'll be bouncing off the walls if it hits 20-30 million (25,000 means 10,000 per screen, just like District 9's 30 million to 3000 screens, and boy, would that be great!)

-I'll be sad, but not suicidal if it hits between 10 & 20 mil -12,500 means about a 5000 per screen average, which is dealable.

-I'll sadly shake my head and think "I knew it" if it opens between 5 and 10

-If it opens under 5? Let's not talk about that scenario, shall we?

I don't mean to sound as if I don't support small movies getting a chance or a studio release. I think that's all fantastic! I just worry about the pieces not coming together. Why is this movie not coming out closer to Halloween? If you're making the push to get big numbers (which is the only reason, speaking from a business stand point, to open wide initially, isn't it?) then how can you not have the marketing campaign to back that up? Even opening the film in October would have given it more of a chance. But June? Counter-programming, sure, but what part of Middle America is going to see Splice before seeing any number of movies currently out or coming out this Friday? And if you don't care about that audience...why are you opening so wide? Not to mention, Splice would STILL be counter programming in the fall, because it is a fantastic, high quality, genre film. It's not some shitty gore-fest, which most everything else is around Halloween. It IS counter programming, people, in any effing event.

This may all be silly. The movie may open just fine. I just hate seeing films I love not even stand a chance.

Please prove me wrong. Please go see Splice this weekend - give it a HUGE opening weekend (25 mil would be the D9 equivalent & considered a huge success) and encourage the studios to keep picking up smart, fascinating, well-made genre films like this.

I love this movie so much. I hope you do too :). I've seen it twice. It holds up. GO SEE IT. And stop watching the trailers.

P.S. If you think I'm totally wrong, and hey, I might be, don't be afraid to comment! I'm interested in your thoughts on this subject, readers, and am open to all ideas. See full post

Choose Your Own Lost [MOAR LOST!]

It's like choose your own adventure, but with unanswered Lost questions! Fun for haters and lovers alike! And may actually be created by Beauty & the Geek contestant/comedian/friend of a friend Nate Dern.

Play here.

[No idea where I found this link]
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Lost Series Finale - A Conversation

 A screen-cap from possibly my favorite moment of the finale? Okay!

So. @xoxogg and I have been disagreeing about Lost this entire season. We decided our next gchat conversation on the matter, which was to no doubt come after the finale, would be posted here as a point/counterpoint. So here it is, as promised. And in case you're wondering, xoxogg has been a Lost lover from the start, so much so that he has trouble picking a favorite season. But he started to get worried with the season 5 finale, and has overall strongly disliked season 6. I too have been watching since the beginning, but didn't become obsessed like I am now until the end of season 3. My favorite seasons are 4 and 5. Here is our discussion on the Lost series finale.

 xoxoGG: Are you ready to do this with me?

LoquaciousMuse: I should be.  I’m just sad its over and my face hurts, my brain is fried and I'm saaaaaaad.

xoxoGG: Okay, so then, you go first: tell me what you thought how you felt, and then I'll go.

LoquaciousMuse: Hmmm.  I thought it was beautiful.  I loved that half of the season was the epilogue and we didn't know it, that the finale still managed to turn a device we thought we knew on its head.  I love the idea that these souls are bonded together and I see them "moving on" together as them going into their next life, but souls forever bonded, which is something I believe in and I notice people are interpreting the end to fit whatever their own faith is, which I think is lovely even if it's just spirituality ‘cause I'm more of a secular spiritualist anyway, and it allowed room for anything, making the themes love, redemption, about characters and closure which it has always been about, and I wanted character resolution and I got it.  The character arcs were amazing, especially Hurley's and Jack's.  The reunions were breathtaking, I sobbed during every one.  The acting was spot on -- Charlie saying "Claire" broke me. And I like the idea that there are questions left unanswered, because it allows continual theorizing, and keeps the show alive past its end date.

xoxoGG: Alrighty, can I cut in?  :)

LoquaciousMuse:  Yes haha.

xoxoGG: As you know, I've been SUPER pissed this whole past season because the show has been such a shadow of its former self -- completely eschewing character and development for a last minute ultimate good vs. ultimate evil (thought not really blah blah blah I'm sure the writers can't even explain it) storyline that's taken up all of our time on-island this past five months, but, ultimately, I didn't hate the finale.  I think it was the best that we could have gotten given the lackluster sixth season that we've had and I really did enjoy the character reunions.  I'm not even bothered by the revelation that the side flashes were basically heaven's waiting room (though I could have done without the multi-religious church at the end -- I mean, I get that they wouldn't want to alienate anyone's faith but Jesus a little heavy handed) -- that said, I think it was an ultimately lackluster SERIES finale it capped the show that I’ve been watching this year perfectly.  But that show isn't the one that I started watching six years ago.

LoquaciousMuse: I don't think it was ever about ultimate good versus ultimate evil and Across the Sea helped illuminate that it's a lot more complicated than that, that they were just people. MiB would do anything to get off that island. Jacob would do anything to protect it.  

The complete discussion after the jump

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But If I Think About It Too Much More, I'LL START BAWLING AGAIN

 

*****

"Christian Shephard? Seriously?" 

"Well, doc, how about you come down off the mountain top and tell us what the hell the burning bush had to say for itself."  

"That was Charlie."

"We're not candidates anymore." 

"We don't get involved. Whatever got you tossed inside a well, that's the kind of drama Bernard and I don't want to have anything to do with."  

"Her name is Ji Yeon,"

"Looks like you've got your first gray hair." 

"I'm going to kill you."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"It's a surprise."

"Jack, I believe in you, dude." 

"I think you're a good guy, Sayid."

"You're not John Locke. You disrespect his memory by wearing his face, but you're nothing like him. Turns out he was right about most everything. I just wish I would have told him that when he was still alive."  

  

"Great pleasure to meet you, Charlotte." 

Excuse me, is this table 23?"  

"Looks like you were wrong, too."

"Are you going to take my son?"  

"Claire?" 

"I hope that somebody does for you what you just did for me." 

"If the island is going down, I'm going down with it."  

"I'm with you, dude."

"Tell me I'm going to see you again,"  

"I love you,"

"We should get coffee sometime."

"I'd love to, but that machine ate my dollar. I've only got one left."

"We can go Dutch."

"Juliet, it's you. It's me."

"It's me, baby,I got you. I got you, baby."

"Yeah. Kiss me, James."

"You got it, Blondie." 

"I've missed you so much."  

"Hurley, it needs you."

"What?"

"It needs to be you, Hugo." 

"I'll see you in another life, brother."  

"I'm very sorry for what I did to you, John. I was selfish, jealous. I wanted everything you had." 

"What did I have?"

"You were special, John, but I wasn't."

"Well, if it helps, Ben, I forgive you."

"Thank you, John. That does help. It matters more than I can say." 

"I think you do what you do best, take care of people."

"That's how Jacob ran things. Maybe there's another way. A better way."

"Will you help me?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I could really use someone with, like, experience. For a little while." 

"Will you help me, Ben?"  

"I'd be honored."

"Cool." 

"You know, you were a real good number two."

"And you were are great number one, Hugo." 

"Yeah, I'm real. You're real. Everything that ever happened to you is real. All those people in the church, they're all real, too." 

"Well this is a place that you all made together so that you could find one another. The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people. That's why all of them are here. Nobody does it alone, Jack. You needed all of them and they all needed you."

Thoughts: That was beautiful. If you don't get it, if you don't like it, I'm sorry you didn't get to experience what I experienced last night. I'm confident this will go down as one of the greatest television shows in history. I don't give a shit about the questions that remained unanswered. We got our character resolutions and that's what the show has always been about. I'm happy to theorize about the things that weren't made clear. It keeps the show alive. I don't want answers for every little thing, and you don't either. Can't wait to show my kids this series one day, and to rewatch the whole thing with them. So happy I've been a part of Lost since the beginning, even if my obsession didn't start until the season three finale, carrying on into seasons 4, 5 and 6. I have a lot of theories and a lot to say on this finale. If you wanna chat about it, let's chat about it.

[Photos]
[Quotes] See full post

Get Clean, Dharma Style [WANT]

I've actually written about geek soap before, but this clearly the best of all geek soap, is it not? I mean, it's effing DHARMA soap, people. From LOST.

Buy some for yourself! Only $5.50! See full post

This Episode Has Been in my Brain for 5 DAYS ALREADY

FINALLY!

"We insist, even if we have to kidnap you"

"You are the closest thing to a father she's ever had"

"Maybe this is happening for a reason. Maybe you are supposed to fix me"

"Mr. Locke, maybe you are mistaking coincidence for fate"

"Its where I was told I could summon the monster. That's before I realized that it was the one summoning me."

"I want to see this"

"He doesn't get to save his daughter".

"I chose you because you needed this place as much as it needed you". 

"Because you became a mother

"You are now like me"

"I'm just glad it isnt me"

"You don't seem like you're a cop to me."

"You didn't tell me Ana-Lucia was going to be here."

Thoughts: 

42 Kwan? If Kate was crossed out cause she's a mother, many have been speculating that 42 has meant Jin this whole time, as he has been an absent father, just like Sawyer, who was also not crossed out, despite being a father. Another theory? The long standing "Ji Yeon is a candidate" school of thought. Jacob did touch BOTH Sun & Jin after all, and now little Ji Yeon is an orphan, totally alone, nothing to tie her to the off-island world.

I'm hoping in my heart of hearts that master manipulator Ben Linus is pulling one long and awesome con on Smokey as revenge for the years of Smokey masquerading as Jacob & using Ben as a pawn. Ben had to kill Widmore cause Widmore killed Alex. I don't think it means he's turned completely to the dark side. Plus he had to convince Smokey he meant business, right?

Kate is going to the concert - is Jack her connection to the island or is Aaron, who perhaps will be borne out of Claire at said concert - going to be the key? Her motherhood, as we discovered in this episode, has become what makes her matter in the world.

Michael Emerson and Terry O' Quinn both killed it in this episode. And Matthew Fox's moment of literally stepping up [to the plate] brought me to tears. 

I can't wait for this finale. 

[Photos]

[Quotes]

[Quotes]

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