Dr Horrible

Wonkyth · Fri 22/05/2009 13:32:38

I've been a Joss Whedon fan for quite a while, but as I've only really seen Firefly, no Buffy or other more well known titles, I wasn't sure whether I had an accurate show of what Whedon's work was like.
Then I found This: Dr Horrible.
This is quite possibly the best piece of film I've ever seen.
Based on this alone, I could say that Whedon is the best thing that ever happened to film.

Vince Twelve · Fri 22/05/2009 14:21:12

We liked it too.

Sam. · Fri 22/05/2009 15:23:07

Dollhouse has been renewed despite disappointing ratings, maybe the networks are learning?

Disco · Fri 22/05/2009 15:44:15

Yeah thank heavens for that. They may be learning that DVR should count as well, since the ratings increased somewhere between 25% and 35%, but like a week later :/ If only Firefly was on in the age of Hulu and Unbox.

Snarky · Fri 22/05/2009 23:05:29

Except Dollhouse ~~kind of~~ sucks.

Joss Whedon's shows have been on a steady downward trajectory:

Buffy - awesome
Angel - variable
Firefly - bland
Dollhouse - embarrassing

If it wasn't for the greatness of Dr Horrible, I'd say he's lost his touch.

Darth Mandarb · Fri 22/05/2009 23:23:22

Quote from: Zooty on Fri 22/05/2009 15:23:07Dollhouse has been renewed despite disappointing ratings, maybe the networks are learning?

The networks learn?!? I think not! All they care about (seemingly) is what makes money. The quality of the show doesn't matter. Case in point; Firefly. Greatest sci-fi show ever and yet it was canceled after 1/2 a season. The show has/had sooooo much potential and was just amazing ... but they put it on Friday night (death sentence) and forced it to air out of sequence (which is just ridiculous).

Granted me calling it the "greatest sci-fi show ever" is subjective ... I'm not the end-all authority on what is/isn't good!

Dollhouse started out rough for me (first 5-6 episodes) but it really got good towards the end of the season. I'm glad it was picked up for another season.

Quote from: Disco on Fri 22/05/2009 15:44:15If only Firefly was on in the age of Hulu and Unbox.

Couldn't agree more! One follow-up movie a few years later is not enough! We browncoats want more!!

Oh and yeah ... we did discuss this [dr. horrible] awhile back and yes it is teh awesomness!!

Wonkyth · Sat 23/05/2009 09:06:35

I think Firefly was a victim of infighting. I was told that some idiot who didn't like Joss set Firefly up for fail.

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Sat 23/05/2009 10:33:56

I saw Dr. Horrible quite awhile ago and thought it was good, though aside from Firefly I've got no use for Whedon.

Interestingly enough, James Gunn came up with an internet 'series' of his own called PG PORN! that had Nathan Fillion in the first episode. So far I've found these to be better than Dr. Horrible. I'm not a particular fan of Gunn's slash n' bash scripts (Dawn of the Dead was hideous) but when he's working on his own IP he seems to do okay (as long as you don't mind his Lloyd Kaufman-inspired approach to filmmaking).

Jared · Mon 25/05/2009 06:47:14

Dollhouse is the feces. The good kind that black people talk about, I mean. I've never been happier for a show to get renewed.

Incredibly, I'm only a fan of Joss Whedon's work as of this year. Prior to this, my mate would attempt to convert me to Buffy the Vampire Slayer by showing really lame episodes, and whinging to me when I dissed them that "Yeah, but it wasn't a good one". I pointed out to him that maybe the answer was to actually show me a good one for a change. It turned out the answer was realy to show me an episode of Firefly while we both drunk and I was an instant convert from that moment onwards.

voh · Mon 25/05/2009 17:43:21

Buffy and Angel always made me go 'meh'. Firefly is one of my all-time favourite shows and after Dr. Horrible I felt I owed it to myself to give Dollhouse a try. While I can't say I fully enjoyed the first 5-6 episodes, I knew it was going to get better after those episodes (internet reviews ftw) and persevered.

I haven't been this glad a series got picked up in a while.

And then I decided to watch Nathan Fillion's new show, Castle, which was my second present, as I also enjoyed the hell out of that and it also got renewed.

TV life is good. Oh, except, of course, that My Name is Earl has been cancelled. That sort of irked me.

Snarky · Tue 26/05/2009 15:05:12

I could never figure out what people thought was so special about Firefly. The first time I watched it I lost interest after a couple of episodes, and even after I went back and watched the whole thing it didn't make any particular impression on me. It's not that it's bad, exactly (although some of the acting is pretty iffy). It just seems 100% generic to me. Now Dollhouse I think is actively bad, but at least it's different, and touches on some heady ideas. I'd have an easier time comprehending fan devotion to an interesting failure like that than to the "gee, it's a western in space" concept of Firefly.

People are different, obviously, and it's great that people like it even if it's not for me.

I do think it's a shame that so many people can't get on the Buffy wavelength, though. I think the best way to approach that show at first is as a comedy--it has arguably the best one-liners of any modern TV show--and only gradually get caught up in the drama, the mythology and the season arcs. Unfortunately the early seasons in particular are starting to look a bit dated, due to the low budget, HDTV-unfriendly film stock, and 90s fashions.

The occasion for this post, BTW, is the news that there might be another Buffy movie... without Joss Whedon. Also it's not going to be about Buffy, but about another slayer. Yeah, that plan can't fail.