MovieChat Forums > Total Recall 2070 (1999) Discussion > Where to next?

Where to next?

posted 8 years ago by madp
20 replies | jump to latest

Where to next?

Time to choose another show!

Please, now nominate two shows you think you'd like to watch with us next.

PLEASE PROVIDE LINKS FOR THE IMDB PAGE OF YOUR NOMINATED SHOWS. Like this [link=tt0061287 ], except with no space before the final bracket. I ask this so we make sure the show exists and the SHOW'S TITLE LOOKS DIFFERENT. THANKS A LOT!

These were the shows best voted in the last round. They should be remembered when choosing the next one:

1) Total Recall 2070
2) Life on Mars (2006)
3) Star Cops (1987)
4) Invasion (2005)
5) UFO (1970)
6) Awake (2012)

Nominations to enter the voting process are limited to two shows of 30 episodes or less.

Nominations are open and will close on Sunday, December 13th in the evening. Voting will take place from Monday, December 14th to Friday, the 18th. The winner will be announced on Friday evening, or even earlier if everyone has already voted and we agree it's OK to declare a winner. Then one week later on Friday, December 25th, 2015 ( Ho, ho, ho!), we will start. Obviously, since it will be Christmas, we celebrate it with family, and everything else basically stops in our respective countries, viewing and comments might be delayed a few days, which is OK, but I'll post the entry on the new board on Friday anyway.

That's it. We have always managed to find something good about every show we have chosen and as hard as it is to believe, this has become a tradition passed from friend to friend since 2007.

Any questions? Just ask.

[–] madp 8 years ago

I might just as well be the one to start. My nominations are the following:

1) Twin Peaks (1990) - "An idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks." 30 episodes divided into 2 seasons, so it technically qualifies. This show is definitely a cult one, and, because of that, I believe the board is still alive with the "locals" still active. This will increase our chances of getting new group members. Besides, we can rest assure that this show is a quality choice. The downside is that some people may find it too artsy and enigmatic and, after The Prisoner, we might not be ready for something like that all over again.

2) Better Off Ted (2009) - "In a science-based company, a manager tries to keep control of his scientists while being pressured by his shrewd boss." 26 episodes, 2 seasons. After a humorless show, why not a clever and funny comedy? And a lighter show like this might be just the right thing to attract old group members back.

[–] JohnQ1127 8 years ago

"Twin Peaks", that's an interesting one. I actually have never seen although several of my friends have raved about it for 20 years.

I didn't think 2 season shows were eligible? That kind of changes things especially if you start considering premium cable shows. If 2 season shows are eligible how about 3 season shows under 30 episodes?

[–] madp 8 years ago

by JohnQ1127 » I didn't think 2 season shows were eligible? That kind of changes things especially if you start considering premium cable shows. If 2 season shows are eligible how about 3 season shows under 30 episodes?

We had already done Pushing Daisies, with two seasons, anyway. And after some discussion it's been established that 30 episodes, in honor of The Time Tunnel (a standard from before my time which we may change in the future if we so prefer), were the limit. So it really makes no difference if the 30 episodes are distributed in one or three seasons. Just remember that with shows of more than 15 episodes we will have an Assessment in the middle to decide whether we should continue.

[–] JohnQ1127 8 years ago

We had already done Pushing Daisies, with two seasons, anyway. And after some discussion it's been established that 30 episodes, in honor of The Time Tunnel (a standard from before my time which we may change in the future if we so prefer), were the limit. So it really makes no difference if the 30 episodes are distributed in one or three seasons. Just remember that with shows of more than 15 episodes we will have an Assessment in the middle to decide whether we should continue.

Yeah, I thought it was a one season limit. Under 30 episodes regardless of seasons gives more flexibility to the choices. I forgot you guys did Pushing Daisies because I was going to nominate that one.

[–] madp 8 years ago

by JohnQ1127 » Yeah, I thought it was a one season limit. Under 30 episodes regardless of seasons gives more flexibility to the choices. I forgot you guys did Pushing Daisies because I was going to nominate that one.

Peersonally, I think 30 episodes is a lot, really, and I'd advise picking quite shorter shows. However, these "rules" have been and are being shaped after all this time, things seem to be working fine, and I try keeping things going as smoothly as possible ever since I "inherited" the moderator position. But evolution is necessary and inevitable, so things are always open to change.

As for Pushing Daisies, yes we've seen it, I nominated it as it's one of my favorite shows ever, and that's a good example why one season can't be a limit, since season 1 has only 9 episodes. We did have an Assessment after season 1, though, and chose to continue with season 2. Night Gallery, on the other hand (before my time!) I hear was so badly received that the entire group bailed out after season 1 was over.

You can see which shows we've done in the initial "Attention XXX board" entry posted in the very beginning of our participation here. I have no objection about revisiting one of the old shows that has already been covered, as long as nobody in the present group formation has seen it. So, for now it's anything before Tales of the Gold Monkey. Also, some of the Old Timers are likely to show up in 2016 pushing a The Time Tunnel revival for its 50th anniversary, and we should at least consider that if they come back, though I'm not so sure what the big deal with this show is. But, then, it's a tradition...

[–] michaellevenson1 8 years ago

oh goody nomination time.
I'll do one now and a second over the weekend. My first show is The Sandbaggers which was acclaimed by New York Times as the greatest tv spy show of all time. It's certainly very impressive and deals with the workings of the SIS a covert intelligence unit deployed by the British Government. It was written by Ian Mackintosh a former intelligence officer. Now I remember at the time thinking, how realistic is this ? What if the KGB saw this is this writer running a risk of his own safety? Mackintosh never finished the series HE VANISHED of the face of the Earth , he was flying a light aircraft over Alaska close to Russia.!!!
No wreckage has ever been found. The show is deeply complex and amazingly for a spy show has very little gunplay. If I say "tinker tailor soldier spy" we all know exactly what ballpark we're in. This show is a gamble for the group , this is outside the comfort zone, very talky, so if nominated I'd be OK with a second vote 7 episodes in just in case of difficulties. We have 20 episodes over three mini series of 7 ,6 and 7 , and is available on youtube.
The Sandbaggers (1978)

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] brimfin 8 years ago

More from League of Gentlemen, one character is the calamitous vet.
Scene: The vet visits a farm to put down a sheepdog. The vet is shown into the living room ,a dog is on the settee,
" That's Masey doctor"
The farmer has tears rolling down his face "sorry doctor I have to compose myself"
The farmer leaves,the doctor approaches Masey " well old girl time to go, no more pain, rest my friend" The doctor uses a syringe and Masey dies. The door opens and the farmer returns carrying a dog, " well here's Fred doctor I'll miss him ,at least I've got Masey to comfort me!!"

Well, that sketch decided it for me, all right. No offense, but after that, there’s no way I’d ever vote for that show, and I probably wouldn’t watch it if it got picked. My one and only experience of having to put down our dog (which was horribly done by a callous vet) began with us bringing her and our younger dog into the office and the vet pointing to the younger dog and asking, “Is that you want you want to euthanize?” The thought of a healthy dog being put to sleep turns my stomach.

Mind you, there is a certain irony to this. In an early episode of GET SMART, Max is protecting a female witness when six different people pull their guns out, but some are on his team so he is able to sneak away with the witness. He assures her that nobody will get hurt, because if they shoot someone they themselves will also be shot. Suddenly, we hear six shots in succession and all six people are shown lying dead on the floor. Max shakes his head and says, “Of course, in a situation like that, all it takes is one wise guy!” I personally found that hilarious and still chuckle inside every time I think of it. So yes, I can laugh at six PEOPLE getting killed, but not one dog dying (well, two actually.)

Here’s a way the sketch might have worked for me: Opens with the same setup and the farmer exiting. The vet prepares his syringe, but drops it and accidentally knocks it under the couch. After several frustrating attempts, he finally gets it back out and then goes back to the dog. Just as he is about to put the needle in, the farmer comes in carrying Fred and gives him the same line as before. The vet either faints at what he almost did, or perhaps slips the needle behind his back and says, “Well, I’ll…just go get my syringe now.” You still have the joke about (almost) euthanizing the wrong dog, but no healthy dog gets hurt. But the scene you described almost brings tears to my eyes.

[–] madp 8 years ago

by brimfin » So yes, I can laugh at six PEOPLE getting killed, but not one dog dying (well, two actually.)

Truth be told, Get Smart's deaths were always quite cartoonish, if that's even a word.

I agree about animal deaths. As for comedy deaths in general, this reminds me of the controversy there was in Seinfeld when George buys the cheapest wedding invitations possible, Susan his fiancée licks the envelopes to mail them, and dies. Realizing he's free now, George goes for a drink with Jerry and Elaine and later hits on Marisa Tomei. I remember people wondering on talk shows, "Wasn't that supposed to be a comedy?"

Oh, and that also brings to mind A Fish Called Wanda, in which an assassin keeps trying to kill an old lady, but he only manages to kill her little dogs, and each time he does it, he gets mortified because he's an animal lover.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] lorkris 8 years ago

Being as we are entering a busy and happy season I will nominate two shows that are not too dark. I do like the dark shows.
The Unusuals (2009)
Jeremy Renner right before he took off. His acting ability was very evident. Kind of an offbeat show. This is only 10 episodes and is on both youtube and dailymotion.
[link= tt0317364]
This show may come off a little ‘teen show’ but I remember liking it. What would it be like to see your teen years through your adult self’s eye. This is 15 episodes and on youtube.
I will admit I almost did not submit because I saw Better Off Ted as a nominee. I liked this show very much and actually just did a re-watch of it two months ago.

[–] lorkris 8 years ago

Don't know what I did wrong with the second link. I will try it again.
Do Over (2002)
If it still does not work I don't know why. Just in case it does not show up it is called Do Over and is a show from 2002. If searching from IMDB you need to title search Do Over and hit return because it does not show up otherwise.

[–] madp 8 years ago

by lorkris » Don't know what I did wrong with the second link. I will try it again.

When you wrote "[link= tt0317364]" you left a blank space after the "=" sign. And what a bummer to know you just watched Better Off Ted. But this problem often happens with recent shows. I guess we can watch it... five years from now.

[–] brimfin 8 years ago

Okay, after much consideration, here are my nominations:

The Gates (2010) I really just found this looking through what NETFLIX had. According to the description it’s about a gated community where law enforcement is plagued by witches and werewolves. Some of the cast I have seen in other shows and they were good (Rhona Mitra, THE LAST SHIP; Marisol Nichols, RESURRECTION BLVD.) And it’s only 13 episodes, a little break after a 22 episode show. Available on NETFLIX, obviously.

Earth 2 (1994) The story is about a colony on a new planet that is a second chance for Earth. I started it years ago, but quit after someone I liked on it got killed. I’ve heard some people say it was good; it might be worth a second shot. 21 episode show available on NETFLIX.

I thought of nominating UFO, but didn’t know if we wanted to do a 26 episode series after just doing a 22 episode series. And I’d really like to be able to watch the next show on NETFLIX instead of my computer.

[–] michaellevenson1 8 years ago

ok folks I've withdrawn League of Gentlemen.I didn't want to upset anyone it's too British a show too controversial.
So my second nomination is probably even more ridiculous. This is a group of dedicated Sci fi and cult tv fans but have never seen the longest such show in the world. Doctor Who of course. Thirty five seasons of Sci fi sold around the world .Could it be crowbarred into this situation? Why not ,the original classic show was made up of 150+ stories each divided into 25 minute parts, either 4 or 6 to a story, so each adventure was a mini series of sorts.
I'm nominating probably the most famous of all time GENESIS OF THE DALEKS a 6 part story featuring the doc's deadliest enemies. In six short weeks this group's default reply when asked about Dr Who could be " Yeh I've dipped my toe in the show" instead of " Nope never seen the longers running Sci fi show in the world"
Its definitely available on Dailymotion for free ,probably Hulu too. Not youtube but if you go onto youtube and type in " Dr who Davros and Tom Baker" you should come across a clip titled The Power of Life and Death, this is an appetizer for this mini series /adventure. If it leaves you cold then never ever ever ever consider watching Dr Who.
Also it would be a totally different experience doing our reviews,the message board is extremely active, at least two new threads a day!!
If irs nominated I'll give some background detail so Dr Who rookies can enjoy it .Basically The Doctor tries to avert the creation of a race of murderous cyborgs The Daleks who in the previous eleven seasons have appeared nine times causing death and destruction and in this 12th season story the 4th Doctor played by Tom Baker goes back in time to halt their development. Like James Bond by the way the lead actor changes, but I'll leave any more background for now. One last thing ,would any member of this group watch this on their own? No Dip your toe into the longest running Sci fi show ever for six little weeks or forever wonder what show could possibly last 35 seasons,the writing, the ideas the production for 35 SEASONS?!! In six weeks you could have an idea
Doctor Who (1963)
Genesis of the Daleks: Part One (1975)

[–] madp 8 years ago

by michaellevenson1 » ok folks I've withdrawn League of Gentlemen.I didn't want to upset anyone it's too British a show too controversial.

Yes, I'm sorry if British humor sometime feels strange to us. You guys sure like controversial stuff. Once I had the idea of nominating Black Mirror, because there are a couple of excellent stories in this sci-fi anthology, but then I felt discouraged by a certain episode with a certain Prime Minister, a certain pig and a certain act between them... Otherwise I recommend that show. But then, again, it's British and it's controversial. By the way, It sure would be nice if we could attract some fellow Brits to join our discussions.

Doctor Who of course. Thirty five seasons of Sci fi sold around the world .Could it be crowbarred into this situation? Why not ,the original classic show was made up of 150+ stories each divided into 25 minute parts, either 4 or 6 to a story, so each adventure was a mini series of sorts.
I'm nominating probably the most famous of all time GENESIS OF THE DALEKS a 6 part story featuring the doc's deadliest enemies.

You certainly got me interested in Dr. Who now. I've been meaning to get started, but it's so much to see that I feel discouraged. I'm glad we have a recommendation now as for where to start.

However, you say "each adventure was a mini series of sorts" and it's the "of sorts" we could have problems with. The original intention of the group was to watch one-season, preferably cancelled, shows, and one of the fun things, I believe, would be to discover some obscure show and the reason why it got cancelled. Something shut and done.

In time we've adapted things here and there, but the basic idea has remained pretty much the same. A couple years ago, dtmuller nominated The Twilight Zone, season 1 because it's an anthology after all, and I persuaded him to nominate something else because TZ was a major success and if we start nominating fractions of shows, then part of any show can be nominated. The situation you describe seems rather unique, since the stories seem self-contained, but Daleks seem to be popping up everywhere along the other 1000 episodes of Dr. Who...

Perhaps this is the time we try something new and open ourselves to a new idea. And since this is your second second nomination, I'd like to make a special exception in this case and include that, as long as it's OK with the other group members. After all, we have a precedent, as the group has done Night Gallery season 1, and that show wouldn't qualify. However, I must tell you in advance I won't be voting for Dr. Who because I think we still have a lot to explore in the field of short, preferably cancelled, shows, and I'd rather stick to that for a while longer.

Guys, what do you think? Should we open an exception in this case?

[–] michaellevenson1 8 years ago

Thanks for your reply.
I made a mistake with the youtube clip, it's titled "the power to end all life"
The crux of this story is that if the doc succeeds in destroying the Daleks isn't he as bad as them in committing genocide.
This would not be the first time individuals have gone onto the Dr Who message board as "novices" . The last time about 30 replies in a day was the response. So lets see what happens.