Stargate: SG-1 S9E19 'Crusade' - DVD
"Using the Ancients' communication technology, Vala, who is in the Ori
galaxy, contacts the SGC. She tells them that after being sucked into
the wormhole she awoke in a bed in a village much like the one she and
Daniel had visited when they used the communication stones. The locals
think she fell from the sky - a gift from the gods - and befriends the
gentle Tomin, a devout follower of the Ori who has a bad leg. Vala has
two pieces of information for the SGC: first, she is pregnant though
insists that she didn't have sex with anyone; and second, the Ori have
been building a fleet of ships and building up its army. Meanwhile,
Colonel Chekov advises General Landry that the Russians will not be
renewing their working agreement with the United States and will be
taking their Stargate."

Vala Mal Doran: It's funny, isn't it? Daniel always wanted to get into
my pants, and now I'm in his.

Vala Mal Doran: I did my best to blend in. At first, according to Tomin
and, therefore, as far as the villagers were concerned, I was the woman
who fell from the sky, which made me feel kind of special. I later
learned that they always suspected I'd escaped from another village as a
result of some scandal and then I started to feel much more like I'm
used to.

Plot Hole: Colonel Chekov's leverage over the SGC is that Russia will
remove the stargate from the SGC, because the stargate is technically on
loan from Russia. However, Stargate Command has, many times, removed
stargates from other worlds for use elsewhere in the galaxy (or in the
Pegasus galaxy). They would have no problem obtaining another stargate
for their own daily use, if indeed, they don't already have several on
hand. (My addendum, just a couple of episodes ago they had a dozen or
more they "rescued" from a Ba'al.)

Trivia: Joseph Mallozzi was not happy with the design of the Ori
spaceships and thought they looked like flying toilet seats.
Vala, just before Tomin yelled to her that his limp was cured, is
beating dough. The beat is that of Tusk (Fleetwood Mac, 1979)
The directorial debut of Robert C. Cooper, executive producer and head
writer for the series. Cooper is also co-creator of the spin-off series
Stargate: Atlantis (2004) and Stargate Universe (2009).
Claudia Black who plays Vala, was pregnant in real life during filming,
so they wrote it into the story line.

Michael Ironside does his usual excellent job of chewing scenery. :D

Commentary: Writer/Director Robert Cooper and DP Peter Woeste. This was
a "second unit" episode, with the bulk of the episode being shot by the
second unit using secondary characters. Claudia was seven months along
during production of this episode. There are advantages to the
Executive Producer also being the director, like overtime is very easy
to get approved. A lot of discussion of how the episode was shot, what
kinds of shots, etc. Cooper talks a lot about how the "core story" of
SG-1 is about how religion can be misused. Talk of how important "happy
accidents" are to a good production, the ability to take advantage of
the unexpected. The scene of Vala's nightmare about living fire was one
such example. Cooper talks about how the way that TV shows are shot
because of time and budget constraints really force the actual filming
to be the part that gets the least time and attention to making it good.
Cooper spreads praise to a lot of people, emphasizing that the entire
show is a large team effort.

----------------------

Stargate: SG-1 S9E20 'Camelot' - DVD
"Based on the information Vala gave them, SG-1 travels to the planet
where Merlin may have hidden his secret weapon to defeat ascended
beings. There they find an appropriately medieval village and learn that
Merlin kept a library there. The locals have never been inside owing to
a curse on anyone who dares enter, but SG-1 finds a way in. Once inside,
they find a secret chamber that may reveal the location of the weapon.
The SGC, meanwhile, has located the Ori's Supergate. Sam's attempt to
get control of it is too late, and four Ori ships make their way
through. In the ensuing battle, much of Earth's fleet is destroyed, and
the future of several SGC members is left in doubt." (Sounds like a
typical season finale cliff-hanger to me.)

Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: So all you had to do was shoot the
control crystals?
Dr. Daniel Jackson: Pretty much.
Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Sounds like one of my plans.

Dr. Daniel Jackson: This is interesting. This is a-a reference to
Merlin's prophetic abilities. There's a-a similar myth on Earth, that
Merlin could see the future because he actually aged backwards in time.
It's not meant to be taken literally, but we have seen that a lot of
legends and folklore have a-a strong basis in fact. Avalon, Atlantis...
Teal'c: The Easter Bunny.
Dr. Daniel Jackson: I guess there's a few exceptions.

Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Hey, has anyone stopped to think how
this thing might possibly work? I mean, how do you kill something that's
pure energy?
Dr. Daniel Jackson: Well, technically, Merlin's research didn't
refer to killing. A better translation would be 'neutralizing' or
'canceling out'.
Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Well it still begs a lot of
questions. How do you aim at something you can't see?
Dr. Daniel Jackson: Clearly it can't be a weapon in the
conventional sense. See, Ascended Beings transcend ordinary space-time
as we know it. This device would have to do the same thing.
Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: In other words, you have no idea what
it might be.
Dr. Daniel Jackson: Yeah, pretty much, that's it.
(I think Daniel is counting of the script writer to save them.)

Dr. Daniel Jackson: [a reply to the Ori ships] "Then to Tyolus, say to
the people of the low plains, seek not the wickedness amongst your
neighbors lest it find purchase in your own house."

Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Well I hate to break it to you folks but
the only technology I'm seeing is a bunch of dusty old books.
[tugs on one of said dusty old books, causing the bookcase to slide to
one side revealing a secret passage.]
Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: And a secret passage.

Trivia: Inside Merlin's Library the set dressers placed two desiccated
bodies. None of the characters address the presence of the bodies and
the actors themselves missed seeing them.
The Russian BC-304 Korolev is named after Sergei P. Korolev, the lead
Soviet rocket and spacecraft designer during the 1950s and 1960s
The library is protected by a shield but spiders as well as a food
source must able to enter.

Its Denethor from The Lord of the Rings! Wait, Merlin was in The Lord
of the Rings? Something's not right here....

Commentary: Director Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping. Recorded three
days before the start of production of season 10. Amanda complains that
she has to cut her hair. Browder wanted to "Kirk" (or "Ricker,
whatever) a woman in the show, so as its the final episode of the season
his only option was the 15-year old sword girl (played by a 20-something
year old actress). So that didn't happen. Amanda had a cold during
shooting and was very sick by the end of shooting. The Whack-a-Mole
machine makes an appearance. Amanda jokes that Martin's directing made
her so sick she threw up. He responds that he'll have to remember
exactly what he did so he can do it again. One of the crew who helps
Carter into her space suit was played by a supervisor from Rainmaker,
the company that does all their Stargate Puddles.

Again, end of disc and end of season so watched the extras. Bio of Brad
Wright, BTS of 'Crusade' and the photo galleries.

What Did You Watch?

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On 8/20/23 10:18 AM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:

> What Did You Watch?

I did some work yesterday, but also took it easy, and didn't do much...

P.S. I set up a smaller antenna in my bedroom, so I now have OTA TV in
that room as well. Weirdly, the smaller antenna would not pick up CBS
(the tower is only 3 miles away!) with where I first placed the antenna
(on my sliding glass door) - but when I positioned the antenna higher in
the room (near the ceiling), then I picked up all of the channels,
including CBS, just fine.
There's a whole subplot with this story - the first antenna sent by
Amazon just *disappeared* into one of their shipping centers (it's still
disappeared, AFAIK!), so I had to have them send a second one, which
finally did arrive.

This will mostly be short:

soaps: GH - Wed's & Thur's ep's. Not much happened here worth remarking
on. Sonny's plan against Mason and the EVOL! nanny continues to play
out. Gregory has more "attacks" while babysitting Finn's kid (Violet?),
and is finally forced to admit that he is sick to Finn. Dante figures
out that Cody is trying to get himself committed to Ferncliff to get to
Sasha.

golf - Day 3 at the BMW Championship. English golfer Matt Fitzpatrick
and Scott Scheffler tied for the lead at day's end, with Brian Harman
one back, and people like Rory McIlroy just one back from that.
Meanwhile, Jordan Speith is right on the cutline to advance to the final
tourney or not!

Her Deadly Night in Paris (Lifetime) - This was OK.
The lead actress, Shifra Zuckerman, turns out not to be be a
dead-ringer for Skylar Samuels afterall, but she is still darn cute.
Wouldn't mind seeing her headline more Lifetime flicks. Not sure if this
was actually filmed in Paris, but it must have been filmed in France as
most of the cast seem to be legitimately French actors...
Note: It's mistitled! - The murder, and most of the film's action,
takes place during the day!!

On 8/20/2023 10:18 AM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
> Stargate: SG-1 S9E19 'Crusade' - DVD
> "Using the Ancients' communication technology, Vala, who is in the Ori
> galaxy, contacts the SGC. She tells them that after being sucked into
> the wormhole she awoke in a bed in a village much like the one she and
> Daniel had visited when they used the communication stones. The locals
> think she fell from the sky - a gift from the gods - and befriends the
> gentle Tomin, a devout follower of the Ori who has a bad leg. Vala has
> two pieces of information for the SGC: first, she is pregnant though
> insists that she didn't have sex with anyone; and second, the Ori have
> been building a fleet of ships and building up its army. Meanwhile,
> Colonel Chekov advises General Landry that the Russians will not be
> renewing their working agreement with the United States and will be
> taking their Stargate."
>
> Vala Mal Doran: It's funny, isn't it? Daniel always wanted to get into
> my pants, and now I'm in his.
>
> Vala Mal Doran: I did my best to blend in. At first, according to Tomin
> and, therefore, as far as the villagers were concerned, I was the woman
> who fell from the sky, which made me feel kind of special. I later
> learned that they always suspected I'd escaped from another village as a
> result of some scandal and then I started to feel much more like I'm
> used to.
>
> Plot Hole: Colonel Chekov's leverage over the SGC is that Russia will
> remove the stargate from the SGC, because the stargate is technically on
> loan from Russia. However, Stargate Command has, many times, removed
> stargates from other worlds for use elsewhere in the galaxy (or in the
> Pegasus galaxy). They would have no problem obtaining another stargate
> for their own daily use, if indeed, they don't already have several on
> hand.  (My addendum, just a couple of episodes ago they had a dozen or
> more they "rescued" from a Ba'al.)
>

But wouldn't the Russian gate be primary, so every time SGC sends a team
out they'd wind up returning to Russia?

> Trivia: Joseph Mallozzi was not happy with the design of the Ori
> spaceships and thought they looked like flying toilet seats.
> Vala, just before Tomin yelled to her that his limp was cured, is
> beating dough. The beat is that of Tusk (Fleetwood Mac, 1979)
> The directorial debut of Robert C. Cooper, executive producer and head
> writer for the series. Cooper is also co-creator of the spin-off series
> Stargate: Atlantis (2004) and Stargate Universe (2009).
> Claudia Black who plays Vala, was pregnant in real life during filming,
> so they wrote it into the story line.
>
> Michael Ironside does his usual excellent job of chewing scenery.  :D
>

I don't remember Irsonside on Stargate. :-(

> Commentary: Writer/Director Robert Cooper and DP Peter Woeste.  This was
> a "second unit" episode, with the bulk of the episode being shot by the
> second unit using secondary characters.  Claudia was seven months along
> during production of this episode.

She was really pregnant?!?
And that star kid of hers really shook up the direction of the season.
Although I guess she still could have been written in through other means.

There are advantages to the
> Executive Producer also being the director, like overtime is very easy
> to get approved.  A lot of discussion of how the episode was shot, what
> kinds of shots, etc.  Cooper talks a lot about how the "core story" of
> SG-1 is about how religion can be misused.  Talk of how important "happy
> accidents" are to a good production, the ability to take advantage of
> the unexpected.  The scene of Vala's nightmare about living fire was one
> such example.  Cooper talks about how the way that TV shows are shot
> because of time and budget constraints really force the actual filming
> to be the part that gets the least time and attention to making it good.
>  Cooper spreads praise to a lot of people, emphasizing that the entire
> show is a large team effort.
>
> ----------------------
>
> Stargate: SG-1 S9E20 'Camelot' - DVD
> "Based on the information Vala gave them, SG-1 travels to the planet
> where Merlin may have hidden his secret weapon to defeat ascended
> beings. There they find an appropriately medieval village and learn that
> Merlin kept a library there. The locals have never been inside owing to
> a curse on anyone who dares enter, but SG-1 finds a way in. Once inside,
> they find a secret chamber that may reveal the location of the weapon.
> The SGC, meanwhile, has located the Ori's Supergate. Sam's attempt to
> get control of it is too late, and four Ori ships make their way
> through. In the ensuing battle, much of Earth's fleet is destroyed, and
> the future of several SGC members is left in doubt."  (Sounds like a
> typical season finale cliff-hanger to me.)
>
>     Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: So all you had to do was shoot the
> control crystals?
>     Dr. Daniel Jackson: Pretty much.
>     Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Sounds like one of my plans.
>
>     Dr. Daniel Jackson: This is interesting. This is a-a reference to
> Merlin's prophetic abilities. There's a-a similar myth on Earth, that
> Merlin could see the future because he actually aged backwards in time.
> It's not meant to be taken literally, but we have seen that a lot of
> legends and folklore have a-a strong basis in fact. Avalon, Atlantis...
>     Teal'c: The Easter Bunny.
>     Dr. Daniel Jackson: I guess there's a few exceptions.
>
>     Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Hey, has anyone stopped to think how
> this thing might possibly work? I mean, how do you kill something that's
> pure energy?
>     Dr. Daniel Jackson: Well, technically, Merlin's research didn't
> refer to killing. A better translation would be 'neutralizing' or
> 'canceling out'.
>     Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Well it still begs a lot of
> questions. How do you aim at something you can't see?
>     Dr. Daniel Jackson: Clearly it can't be a weapon in the
> conventional sense. See, Ascended Beings transcend ordinary space-time
> as we know it. This device would have to do the same thing.
>     Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: In other words, you have no idea what
> it might be.
>     Dr. Daniel Jackson: Yeah, pretty much, that's it.
> (I think Daniel is counting of the script writer to save them.)
>
> Dr. Daniel Jackson: [a reply to the Ori ships] "Then to Tyolus, say to
> the people of the low plains, seek not the wickedness amongst your
> neighbors lest it find purchase in your own house."
>
> Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Well I hate to break it to you folks but
> the only technology I'm seeing is a bunch of dusty old books.
> [tugs on one of said dusty old books, causing the bookcase to slide to
> one side revealing a secret passage.]
> Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: And a secret passage.
>
> Trivia: Inside Merlin's Library the set dressers placed two desiccated
> bodies. None of the characters address the presence of the bodies and
> the actors themselves missed seeing them.
> The Russian BC-304 Korolev is named after Sergei P. Korolev, the lead
> Soviet rocket and spacecraft designer during the 1950s and 1960s
> The library is protected by a shield but spiders as well as a food
> source must able to enter.
>
> Its Denethor from The Lord of the Rings!  Wait, Merlin was in The Lord
> of the Rings?  Something's not right here....
>
> Commentary: Director Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping.  Recorded three
> days before the start of production of season 10.  Amanda complains that
> she has to cut her hair.  Browder wanted to "Kirk" (or "Ricker,
> whatever) a woman in the show, so as its the final episode of the season
> his only option was the 15-year old sword girl (played by a 20-something
> year old actress).  So that didn't happen.  Amanda had a cold during
> shooting and was very sick by the end of shooting.  The Whack-a-Mole
> machine makes an appearance.  Amanda jokes that Martin's directing made
> her so sick she threw up.  He responds that he'll have to remember
> exactly what he did so he can do it again.  One of the crew who helps
> Carter into her space suit was played by a supervisor from Rainmaker,
> the company that does all their Stargate Puddles.
>
>
> Again, end of disc and end of season so watched the extras.  Bio of Brad
> Wright, BTS of 'Crusade' and the photo galleries.
>
>
> What Did You Watch?
>

On 8/20/2023 10:18 AM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
> Stargate: SG-1 S9E19 'Crusade' - DVD
> "Using the Ancients' communication technology, Vala, who is in the Ori
> galaxy, contacts the SGC. She tells them that after being sucked into
> the wormhole she awoke in a bed in a village much like the one she and
> Daniel had visited when they used the communication stones. The locals
> think she fell from the sky - a gift from the gods - and befriends the
> gentle Tomin, a devout follower of the Ori who has a bad leg. Vala has
> two pieces of information for the SGC: first, she is pregnant though
> insists that she didn't have sex with anyone; and second, the Ori have
> been building a fleet of ships and building up its army. Meanwhile,
> Colonel Chekov advises General Landry that the Russians will not be
> renewing their working agreement with the United States and will be
> taking their Stargate."
>
> Vala Mal Doran: It's funny, isn't it? Daniel always wanted to get into
> my pants, and now I'm in his.
>
> Vala Mal Doran: I did my best to blend in. At first, according to Tomin
> and, therefore, as far as the villagers were concerned, I was the woman
> who fell from the sky, which made me feel kind of special. I later
> learned that they always suspected I'd escaped from another village as a
> result of some scandal and then I started to feel much more like I'm
> used to.
>
> Plot Hole: Colonel Chekov's leverage over the SGC is that Russia will
> remove the stargate from the SGC, because the stargate is technically on
> loan from Russia. However, Stargate Command has, many times, removed
> stargates from other worlds for use elsewhere in the galaxy (or in the
> Pegasus galaxy). They would have no problem obtaining another stargate
> for their own daily use, if indeed, they don't already have several on
> hand.  (My addendum, just a couple of episodes ago they had a dozen or
> more they "rescued" from a Ba'al.)
>

But wouldn't the Russian gate be primary, so every time SGC sends a team
out they'd wind up returning to Russia?

> Trivia: Joseph Mallozzi was not happy with the design of the Ori
> spaceships and thought they looked like flying toilet seats.
> Vala, just before Tomin yelled to her that his limp was cured, is
> beating dough. The beat is that of Tusk (Fleetwood Mac, 1979)
> The directorial debut of Robert C. Cooper, executive producer and head
> writer for the series. Cooper is also co-creator of the spin-off series
> Stargate: Atlantis (2004) and Stargate Universe (2009).
> Claudia Black who plays Vala, was pregnant in real life during filming,
> so they wrote it into the story line.
>
> Michael Ironside does his usual excellent job of chewing scenery.  :D
>

I don't remember Irsonside on Stargate. :-(

> Commentary: Writer/Director Robert Cooper and DP Peter Woeste.  This was
> a "second unit" episode, with the bulk of the episode being shot by the
> second unit using secondary characters.  Claudia was seven months along
> during production of this episode.

She was really pregnant?!?
And that star kid of hers really shook up the direction of the season.
Although I guess she still could have been written in through other means.

There are advantages to the
> Executive Producer also being the director, like overtime is very easy
> to get approved.  A lot of discussion of how the episode was shot, what
> kinds of shots, etc.  Cooper talks a lot about how the "core story" of
> SG-1 is about how religion can be misused.  Talk of how important "happy
> accidents" are to a good production, the ability to take advantage of
> the unexpected.  The scene of Vala's nightmare about living fire was one
> such example.  Cooper talks about how the way that TV shows are shot
> because of time and budget constraints really force the actual filming
> to be the part that gets the least time and attention to making it good.
>  Cooper spreads praise to a lot of people, emphasizing that the entire
> show is a large team effort.
>
> ----------------------
>
> Stargate: SG-1 S9E20 'Camelot' - DVD
> "Based on the information Vala gave them, SG-1 travels to the planet
> where Merlin may have hidden his secret weapon to defeat ascended
> beings. There they find an appropriately medieval village and learn that
> Merlin kept a library there. The locals have never been inside owing to
> a curse on anyone who dares enter, but SG-1 finds a way in. Once inside,
> they find a secret chamber that may reveal the location of the weapon.
> The SGC, meanwhile, has located the Ori's Supergate. Sam's attempt to
> get control of it is too late, and four Ori ships make their way
> through. In the ensuing battle, much of Earth's fleet is destroyed, and
> the future of several SGC members is left in doubt."  (Sounds like a
> typical season finale cliff-hanger to me.)
>
>     Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: So all you had to do was shoot the
> control crystals?
>     Dr. Daniel Jackson: Pretty much.
>     Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Sounds like one of my plans.
>
>     Dr. Daniel Jackson: This is interesting. This is a-a reference to
> Merlin's prophetic abilities. There's a-a similar myth on Earth, that
> Merlin could see the future because he actually aged backwards in time.
> It's not meant to be taken literally, but we have seen that a lot of
> legends and folklore have a-a strong basis in fact. Avalon, Atlantis...
>     Teal'c: The Easter Bunny.
>     Dr. Daniel Jackson: I guess there's a few exceptions.
>
>     Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Hey, has anyone stopped to think how
> this thing might possibly work? I mean, how do you kill something that's
> pure energy?
>     Dr. Daniel Jackson: Well, technically, Merlin's research didn't
> refer to killing. A better translation would be 'neutralizing' or
> 'canceling out'.
>     Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Well it still begs a lot of
> questions. How do you aim at something you can't see?
>     Dr. Daniel Jackson: Clearly it can't be a weapon in the
> conventional sense. See, Ascended Beings transcend ordinary space-time
> as we know it. This device would have to do the same thing.
>     Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: In other words, you have no idea what
> it might be.
>     Dr. Daniel Jackson: Yeah, pretty much, that's it.
> (I think Daniel is counting of the script writer to save them.)
>
> Dr. Daniel Jackson: [a reply to the Ori ships] "Then to Tyolus, say to
> the people of the low plains, seek not the wickedness amongst your
> neighbors lest it find purchase in your own house."
>
> Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Well I hate to break it to you folks but
> the only technology I'm seeing is a bunch of dusty old books.
> [tugs on one of said dusty old books, causing the bookcase to slide to
> one side revealing a secret passage.]
> Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: And a secret passage.
>
> Trivia: Inside Merlin's Library the set dressers placed two desiccated
> bodies. None of the characters address the presence of the bodies and
> the actors themselves missed seeing them.
> The Russian BC-304 Korolev is named after Sergei P. Korolev, the lead
> Soviet rocket and spacecraft designer during the 1950s and 1960s
> The library is protected by a shield but spiders as well as a food
> source must able to enter.
>
> Its Denethor from The Lord of the Rings!  Wait, Merlin was in The Lord
> of the Rings?  Something's not right here....
>
> Commentary: Director Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping.  Recorded three
> days before the start of production of season 10.  Amanda complains that
> she has to cut her hair.  Browder wanted to "Kirk" (or "Ricker,
> whatever) a woman in the show, so as its the final episode of the season
> his only option was the 15-year old sword girl (played by a 20-something
> year old actress).  So that didn't happen.  Amanda had a cold during
> shooting and was very sick by the end of shooting.  The Whack-a-Mole
> machine makes an appearance.  Amanda jokes that Martin's directing made
> her so sick she threw up.  He responds that he'll have to remember
> exactly what he did so he can do it again.  One of the crew who helps
> Carter into her space suit was played by a supervisor from Rainmaker,
> the company that does all their Stargate Puddles.
>
>
> Again, end of disc and end of season so watched the extras.  Bio of Brad
> Wright, BTS of 'Crusade' and the photo galleries.
>
>
> What Did You Watch?
>

This is a double-posting, Arthur - just so you know...

On 8/20/23 12:10 PM, Arthur Lipscomb wrote:
> On 8/20/2023 10:18 AM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>> Stargate: SG-1 S9E19 'Crusade' - DVD
>> "Using the Ancients' communication technology, Vala, who is in the Ori
>> galaxy, contacts the SGC. She tells them that after being sucked into
>> the wormhole she awoke in a bed in a village much like the one she and
>> Daniel had visited when they used the communication stones. The locals
>> think she fell from the sky - a gift from the gods - and befriends the
>> gentle Tomin, a devout follower of the Ori who has a bad leg. Vala has
>> two pieces of information for the SGC: first, she is pregnant though
>> insists that she didn't have sex with anyone; and second, the Ori have
>> been building a fleet of ships and building up its army. Meanwhile,
>> Colonel Chekov advises General Landry that the Russians will not be
>> renewing their working agreement with the United States and will be
>> taking their Stargate."
>>
>> Vala Mal Doran: It's funny, isn't it? Daniel always wanted to get into
>> my pants, and now I'm in his.
>>
>> Vala Mal Doran: I did my best to blend in. At first, according to
>> Tomin and, therefore, as far as the villagers were concerned, I was
>> the woman who fell from the sky, which made me feel kind of special. I
>> later learned that they always suspected I'd escaped from another
>> village as a result of some scandal and then I started to feel much
>> more like I'm used to.
>>
>> Plot Hole: Colonel Chekov's leverage over the SGC is that Russia will
>> remove the stargate from the SGC, because the stargate is technically
>> on loan from Russia. However, Stargate Command has, many times,
>> removed stargates from other worlds for use elsewhere in the galaxy
>> (or in the Pegasus galaxy). They would have no problem obtaining
>> another stargate for their own daily use, if indeed, they don't
>> already have several on hand.  (My addendum, just a couple of episodes
>> ago they had a dozen or more they "rescued" from a Ba'al.)
>>
>
> But wouldn't the Russian gate be primary, so every time SGC sends a team
> out they'd wind up returning to Russia?
>
>
>> Trivia: Joseph Mallozzi was not happy with the design of the Ori
>> spaceships and thought they looked like flying toilet seats.
>> Vala, just before Tomin yelled to her that his limp was cured, is
>> beating dough. The beat is that of Tusk (Fleetwood Mac, 1979)
>> The directorial debut of Robert C. Cooper, executive producer and head
>> writer for the series. Cooper is also co-creator of the spin-off
>> series Stargate: Atlantis (2004) and Stargate Universe (2009).
>> Claudia Black who plays Vala, was pregnant in real life during
>> filming, so they wrote it into the story line.
>>
>> Michael Ironside does his usual excellent job of chewing scenery.  :D
>>
>
> I don't remember Irsonside on Stargate.  :-(
>
>> Commentary: Writer/Director Robert Cooper and DP Peter Woeste.  This
>> was a "second unit" episode, with the bulk of the episode being shot
>> by the second unit using secondary characters.  Claudia was seven
>> months along during production of this episode.
>
> She was really pregnant?!?
> And that star kid of hers really shook up the direction of the season.
> Although I guess she still could have been written in through other means.
>
> There are advantages to the
>> Executive Producer also being the director, like overtime is very easy
>> to get approved.  A lot of discussion of how the episode was shot,
>> what kinds of shots, etc.  Cooper talks a lot about how the "core
>> story" of SG-1 is about how religion can be misused.  Talk of how
>> important "happy accidents" are to a good production, the ability to
>> take advantage of the unexpected.  The scene of Vala's nightmare about
>> living fire was one such example.  Cooper talks about how the way that
>> TV shows are shot because of time and budget constraints really force
>> the actual filming to be the part that gets the least time and
>> attention to making it good.   Cooper spreads praise to a lot of
>> people, emphasizing that the entire show is a large team effort.
>>
>> ----------------------
>>
>> Stargate: SG-1 S9E20 'Camelot' - DVD
>> "Based on the information Vala gave them, SG-1 travels to the planet
>> where Merlin may have hidden his secret weapon to defeat ascended
>> beings. There they find an appropriately medieval village and learn
>> that Merlin kept a library there. The locals have never been inside
>> owing to a curse on anyone who dares enter, but SG-1 finds a way in.
>> Once inside, they find a secret chamber that may reveal the location
>> of the weapon. The SGC, meanwhile, has located the Ori's Supergate.
>> Sam's attempt to get control of it is too late, and four Ori ships
>> make their way through. In the ensuing battle, much of Earth's fleet
>> is destroyed, and the future of several SGC members is left in
>> doubt."  (Sounds like a typical season finale cliff-hanger to me.)
>>
>>      Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: So all you had to do was shoot the
>> control crystals?
>>      Dr. Daniel Jackson: Pretty much.
>>      Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Sounds like one of my plans.
>>
>>      Dr. Daniel Jackson: This is interesting. This is a-a reference to
>> Merlin's prophetic abilities. There's a-a similar myth on Earth, that
>> Merlin could see the future because he actually aged backwards in
>> time. It's not meant to be taken literally, but we have seen that a
>> lot of legends and folklore have a-a strong basis in fact. Avalon,
>> Atlantis...
>>      Teal'c: The Easter Bunny.
>>      Dr. Daniel Jackson: I guess there's a few exceptions.
>>
>>      Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Hey, has anyone stopped to think
>> how this thing might possibly work? I mean, how do you kill something
>> that's pure energy?
>>      Dr. Daniel Jackson: Well, technically, Merlin's research didn't
>> refer to killing. A better translation would be 'neutralizing' or
>> 'canceling out'.
>>      Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Well it still begs a lot of
>> questions. How do you aim at something you can't see?
>>      Dr. Daniel Jackson: Clearly it can't be a weapon in the
>> conventional sense. See, Ascended Beings transcend ordinary space-time
>> as we know it. This device would have to do the same thing.
>>      Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: In other words, you have no idea
>> what it might be.
>>      Dr. Daniel Jackson: Yeah, pretty much, that's it.
>> (I think Daniel is counting of the script writer to save them.)
>>
>> Dr. Daniel Jackson: [a reply to the Ori ships] "Then to Tyolus, say to
>> the people of the low plains, seek not the wickedness amongst your
>> neighbors lest it find purchase in your own house."
>>
>> Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Well I hate to break it to you folks but
>> the only technology I'm seeing is a bunch of dusty old books.
>> [tugs on one of said dusty old books, causing the bookcase to slide to
>> one side revealing a secret passage.]
>> Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: And a secret passage.
>>
>> Trivia: Inside Merlin's Library the set dressers placed two desiccated
>> bodies. None of the characters address the presence of the bodies and
>> the actors themselves missed seeing them.
>> The Russian BC-304 Korolev is named after Sergei P. Korolev, the lead
>> Soviet rocket and spacecraft designer during the 1950s and 1960s
>> The library is protected by a shield but spiders as well as a food
>> source must able to enter.
>>
>> Its Denethor from The Lord of the Rings!  Wait, Merlin was in The Lord
>> of the Rings?  Something's not right here....
>>
>> Commentary: Director Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping.  Recorded three
>> days before the start of production of season 10.  Amanda complains
>> that she has to cut her hair.  Browder wanted to "Kirk" (or "Ricker,
>> whatever) a woman in the show, so as its the final episode of the
>> season his only option was the 15-year old sword girl (played by a
>> 20-something year old actress).  So that didn't happen.  Amanda had a
>> cold during shooting and was very sick by the end of shooting.  The
>> Whack-a-Mole machine makes an appearance.  Amanda jokes that Martin's
>> directing made her so sick she threw up.  He responds that he'll have
>> to remember exactly what he did so he can do it again.  One of the
>> crew who helps Carter into her space suit was played by a supervisor
>> from Rainmaker, the company that does all their Stargate Puddles.
>>
>>
>> Again, end of disc and end of season so watched the extras.  Bio of
>> Brad Wright, BTS of 'Crusade' and the photo galleries.
>>
>>
>> What Did You Watch?
>>
>
> Sorry if this is a duplicate.  Thunderbird won't send and I have to keep
> resending this.
>
> I watched:
>
> Jason's Lyric (TMC) 1994 drama starring Allen Payne as a young man
> trying to juggle family life with his ex-con, good for nothing, brother
> (Bokeem Woodbine), and love life with his new girlfriend (Jada Pinkett).
>  I never saw this movie before now.  I guess it was OK.  I was reading
> in the trivia that the movie was originally rated NC-17 due to the sex
> scenes, but was edited down to an R.  I was actually very surprised
> seeing Jada in the sex scene.  It wasn't the type of thing I'd expect
> her to do, but this was a long time ago and she was much younger then.
>
>
> Deep Cover (blu-ray) 1992 crime movie directed by Bill Duke and starring
> Laurence Fishburne as a cop who goes *deep* undercover as a drug dealer.
>  He goes so deep under that his boss (Charles Martin Smith) forces him
> to sale drugs and turns a blind eye when Fishburne kills a rival drug
> dealer to maintain his cover.  Eventually the line between cop and
> criminal starts to blur.  The movie also costars Jeff Goldblum as a
> crooked lawyer and would-be drug kingpin.  The movie holds up very well
> and I've always enjoyed Goldblum chewing the scenery as the villain. And
> the new print for the blu-ray looks great.
>
>
> Landscape with Invisible Hand (theatrical) New sci-fi movie set in the
> near future after Earth has been invaded and occupied by aliens.  The
> aliens pass themselves off as benign and friendly beings just trying to
> help civilize a barbaric planet, but they are much closer to the aliens
> from "They Live" in terms of how they operate. On paper, humans still
> run the planet, and it's never really explained how the aliens took
> control, but they briefly mention the military tried to resist but
> business people looking to make a buck eagerly sold out to the aliens
> for money.  Now humanity has been divided into the few wealthy elite
> that live in the sky with the aliens and the rest of humanity which is
> mostly in poverty.  But the actual plot of the movie involves two human
> teens (Asante Blackk and Kylie Rogers) who decide to broadcast their
> budding romance to the aliens like sort of a reality show that the
> aliens will pay to watch.  But when the two teens fall out of love but
> keep broadcasting their romance the aliens sue them for fraud.  There
> are other things that happen in the movie too.
>
> Overall, the movie is very interesting in terms of "They Live" style
> social commentary where human civilization is being run by a foreign
> power and the various details and touches in the movie as a result.  For
> example if you want to get a good job you have to work for the aliens
> and to do that, you have to learn their language.  Or how the Earth
> educational system keeps shifting to focus on the alien's history and
> culture and how benevolent they are.  While the human teachers are
> completely disgusted by what's going on but powerless to stop it.
>

On 8/20/23 12:07 PM, Arthur Lipscomb wrote:

> On 8/20/2023 10:18 AM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>
>> What Did You Watch?
>
> I watched:
>
> Jason's Lyric (TMC) 1994 drama starring Allen Payne as a young man
> trying to juggle family life with his ex-con, good for nothing, brother
> (Bokeem Woodbine), and love life with his new girlfriend (Jada Pinkett).
>  I never saw this movie before now.  I guess it was OK.  I was reading
> in the trivia that the movie was originally rated NC-17 due to the sex
> scenes, but was edited down to an R.  I was actually very surprised
> seeing Jada in the sex scene.  It wasn't the type of thing I'd expect
> her to do, but this was a long time ago and she was much younger then.

Still have never seen this, or "Fresh". The latter (also from '94) I've
been interested in seeing all the way back, but I've just never gotten
around to it.

> Deep Cover (blu-ray) 1992 crime movie directed by Bill Duke and starring
> Laurence Fishburne as a cop who goes *deep* undercover as a drug dealer.
>  He goes so deep under that his boss (Charles Martin Smith) forces him
> to sale drugs and turns a blind eye when Fishburne kills a rival drug
> dealer to maintain his cover.  Eventually the line between cop and
> criminal starts to blur.  The movie also costars Jeff Goldblum as a
> crooked lawyer and would-be drug kingpin.  The movie holds up very well
> and I've always enjoyed Goldblum chewing the scenery as the villain. And
> the new print for the blu-ray looks great.

I'd check this out too.

> Landscape with Invisible Hand (theatrical) New sci-fi movie set in the
> near future after Earth has been invaded and occupied by aliens.  The
> aliens pass themselves off as benign and friendly beings just trying to
> help civilize a barbaric planet, but they are much closer to the aliens
> from "They Live" in terms of how they operate. On paper, humans still
> run the planet, and it's never really explained how the aliens took
> control, but they briefly mention the military tried to resist but
> business people looking to make a buck eagerly sold out to the aliens
> for money.  Now humanity has been divided into the few wealthy elite
> that live in the sky with the aliens and the rest of humanity which is
> mostly in poverty.  But the actual plot of the movie involves two human
> teens (Asante Blackk and Kylie Rogers) who decide to broadcast their
> budding romance to the aliens like sort of a reality show that the
> aliens will pay to watch.  But when the two teens fall out of love but
> keep broadcasting their romance the aliens sue them for fraud.  There
> are other things that happen in the movie too.
>
> Overall, the movie is very interesting in terms of "They Live" style
> social commentary where human civilization is being run by a foreign
> power and the various details and touches in the movie as a result.  For
> example if you want to get a good job you have to work for the aliens
> and to do that, you have to learn their language.  Or how the Earth
> educational system keeps shifting to focus on the alien's history and
> culture and how benevolent they are.  While the human teachers are
> completely disgusted by what's going on but powerless to stop it.

Sounds interesting. I'll check this out if it shows up on one of my
streamers. (Unfortunately, this is exactly the kind of film that will
end up on Starz... :( )

On Sun, 20 Aug 2023 10:18:35 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:

>
>What Did You Watch?

I watched THE MEG after it being mentioned here. One thing that struck
me was the visual effects at the end with the hammerhead sharks coming
to attack the mini-subs (I think they called them gliders in the
movie) which would never happen in real life as the hammerhead shark
has a fairly small mouth. It's nothing like a great white shark so it
isn't going to be able to get its' jaws around the glider/sub.

Admittedly it's a small thing given how many crazy things happened in
the movie but it bothered me because it was completely unnecessary. At
least with megalodons they were playing with the concept so it didn't
bother me with all the things that didn't make sense (like that
thermocline keeping them deep under the ocean.) Or that the gliders
have sonar that can pick up the megalodons but nothing was picked up
when the megalodons followed the glider up.

On 8/20/2023 12:59 PM, shawn wrote:
> On Sun, 20 Aug 2023 10:18:35 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
> <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>
>
>>
>> What Did You Watch?
>
> I watched THE MEG after it being mentioned here. One thing that struck
> me was the visual effects at the end with the hammerhead sharks coming
> to attack the mini-subs (I think they called them gliders in the
> movie) which would never happen in real life as the hammerhead shark
> has a fairly small mouth. It's nothing like a great white shark so it
> isn't going to be able to get its' jaws around the glider/sub.
>
> Admittedly it's a small thing given how many crazy things happened in
> the movie but it bothered me because it was completely unnecessary. At
> least with megalodons they were playing with the concept so it didn't
> bother me with all the things that didn't make sense (like that
> thermocline keeping them deep under the ocean.) Or that the gliders
> have sonar that can pick up the megalodons but nothing was picked up
> when the megalodons followed the glider up.

Normally I would have watched The Meg and The Meg 2, but the trailer for
The Meg 2 looks so bad, I just don't have any interest in seeing it, at
least in the theater. I'll probably get around to them whenever the Meg
2 is available to stream or shows up on cable.

On 8/20/23 1:28 PM, Arthur Lipscomb wrote:

> On 8/20/2023 12:59 PM, shawn wrote:
>> On Sun, 20 Aug 2023 10:18:35 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
>> <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>>
>>> What Did You Watch?
>>
>> I watched THE MEG after it being mentioned here. One thing that struck
>> me was the visual effects at the end with the hammerhead sharks coming
>> to attack the mini-subs (I think they called them gliders in the
>> movie) which would never happen in real life as the hammerhead shark
>> has a fairly small mouth. It's nothing like a great white shark so it
>> isn't going to be able to get its' jaws around the glider/sub.
>>
>> Admittedly it's a small thing given how many crazy things happened in
>> the movie but it bothered me because it was completely unnecessary. At
>> least with megalodons they were playing with the concept so it didn't
>> bother me with all the things that didn't make sense (like that
>> thermocline keeping them deep under the ocean.) Or that the gliders
>> have sonar that can pick up the megalodons but nothing was picked up
>> when the megalodons followed the glider up.
>
> Normally I would have watched The Meg and The Meg 2, but the trailer for
> The Meg 2 looks so bad, I just don't have any interest in seeing it, at
> least in the theater.  I'll probably get around to them whenever the Meg
> 2 is available to stream or shows up on cable.

Agreed.

Based on what happened with "The Meg", I expect "The Meg 2" to show up
on Max.