[scifinoir2] Re: No More Sci Fiction at Scifi.com
Quite often. In fact, I have a SF workshop member that has a story out there. After I saw this on boingboing, I went and downloaded a few more to read. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Show of hands- who actually went to the site? Even *once* counts... Brent Wodehouse [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/ As of Friday, June 15, 2007, SCI FICTION will no longer be availabe on SCIFI.COM. SCIFI.COM would like to thank all those who contributed and those who read the short stories over the past few years. There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[scifinoir2] Re: John From Cincinnati
I gave up after the surfing at the start of the show. You mean there was actually something to recommend this show? -- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, ravenadal [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Levitating surfers, pet birds brought back from the dead, a prophet who was apparently born full grown this morning and is learning the venacular as he goes along... This is the kindest of the many reviews I read loathing this show. Of course, I LOVED it. Can't wait to see more. ~rave! http://www.variety.com/index.asp? layout=print_reviewreviewid=VE1117933836categoryid=1264 Posted: Wed., Jun. 6, 2007, 1:41pm PT John From Cincinnati (Series -- HBO, Sun. June 10, 10 p.m.) Filmed in Imperial Beach, Calif., by Red Board Prods. and HBO Entertainment. Executive producers, David Milch, Gregg Fienberg, Zvi Howard Rosenman, Mark Tinker; co-executive producers, Kem Nunn, Peter Spears, Scott Stephens; producer, Ted Mann; director, Tinker; writers, Milch, Nunn. Cissy Yost - Rebecca De Mornay Dr. Smith - Garret Dillahunt Shaun Yost - Greyson Fletcher Meyer Dickstein - Willie Garson Mitch Yost - Bruce Greenwood Ramon Gaviota - Luis Guzman Kai - Keala Kennelly John - Austin Nichols Bill Jacks - Ed O'Neill Linc Stark - Luke Perry Butchie Yost - Brian Van Holt Barry Cunningham - Matt Winston By BRIAN LOWRY John From Cincinnati might be the strangest show ever produced for American television -- an HBO drama that makes Twin Peaks look like Mayberry RFD. Yet even worshippers at the altar of writer extraordinaire David Milch are likely to find themselves bewildered and frustrated with the premiere, and two subsequent episodes only marginally improve matters. It's easy to admire the hypnotic poetry in Milch's dialogue, but this existential surfing fantasy -- infused with a touch of Starman -- dips and swerves amid its confounding currents, and hardly appears like the standard-bearer to help lead the pay service into a post-Sopranos future. Indeed, fans of Milch's Deadwood (notably, a few members of that show's cast show up here) might wonder what possessed HBO to inadvertently hasten the foul-mouthed Western's demise to liberate the producer to pursue this perplexing, messy bit of whimsy inspired by surf novelist (and series co-creator) Kem Nunn. Built around three generations of surfers, the show's patriarch is Mitch Yost (Bruce Greenwood), a wave-conquering legend whose son, Butchie (Brian Van Holt), was equally promising before the high life got the best of him and he became a junkie. Mitch and his wife Cissy (Rebecca De Mornay) thus care for their grandson Shaun (Greyson Fletcher), another surfing prodigy who Mitch desperately wants to protect from Butchie's fame-driven fall and the leeches (including a surf promoter played by Luke Perry) that would latch onto him. Into this fractured family drama descends John (Austin Nichols), a messianic figure who mostly seems to parrot what others say to him. Once John arrives, strange things start occurring -- from Butchie feeling no dope sickness to Mitch inexplicably levitating a few inches off the ground. Some things I know, and some things I don't, John repeats with childlike simplicity. Butchie guesses he's from Cincinnati -- hence the title -- whereas the audience is left to ponder whether the fresh-faced lad comes from outer space, Heaven or somewhere else equally exotic. If the show quit there, it would be maddening enough, but Milch tosses in family friend Bill (Ed O'Neill) and a peculiar, suicidal lottery winner (Matt Winston) that won't earn any prizes from GLAAD, along with other quirky characters whose larger contribution remains fuzzy at best. For his part, John seemingly wants Mitch to surf again (get back in the game, as he puts it), but where the narrative flows is anybody's guess, and after three hallucinatory hours, I'm not really sure I care. Part of that is because the characters prove almost uniformly unpleasant beyond the serene John, barking and squabbling in obscenity-laced exchanges that awkwardly wed NYPD Blue's terse cop-talk with Deadwood's frontier barbarism. Mitch and Cissy -- while well-played by Greenwood and De Mornay -- are particularly poor company, even with their understandable anger at Butchie and the world at large. In a sense, John From Cincinnati represents the ultimate leap of creative faith -- with HBO having banked on Milch and Nunn to locate a TV series at the heart of this acid flashback. Perhaps they eventually will, but unless the audience is surprisingly tolerant and forgiving, by the time that ship comes in, most of those who tested the waters will have drifted away. © 2007 Reed Business Information
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: No More Sci Fiction at Scifi.com
I wnet there the first time I learned of its existence, bac`k in '05. Frankly, I didn't find anything to keep me there. Maybe I didn't look long or hard enough... being_marian [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Quite often. In fact, I have a SF workshop member that has a story out there. After I saw this on boingboing, I went and downloaded a few more to read. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Show of hands- who actually went to the site? Even *once* counts... Brent Wodehouse [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/ As of Friday, June 15, 2007, SCI FICTION will no longer be availabe on SCIFI.COM. SCIFI.COM would like to thank all those who contributed and those who read the short stories over the past few years. There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Got a little couch potato? Check out fun summer activities for kids. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[scifinoir2] Re: John From Cincinnati
Please note I am definitely a minority opinion regarding the Gospel according to John. It scored pathetic post Soprano ratings and was reviled by most critics. I taped it on my DVR and watched it primarily because I remain a large Rebecca De Mornay fan. I dug its loopy, surfer-dude existentialist vibe. A benign non-believer, I love that this dysfunctional, near trailer trash family lives in an age of miracles. Further, surfing has always fascinated the resolute non-swimmer in me. I was one of the few subscribers to the original Silver Surfer comic book and am one of the few diehard fans of the Keanu Reaves/Patrick Swayze surfer/bank robber flick, Point Blank. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, being_marian [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I gave up after the surfing at the start of the show. You mean there was actually something to recommend this show? -- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, ravenadal ravenadal@ wrote: Levitating surfers, pet birds brought back from the dead, a prophet who was apparently born full grown this morning and is learning the venacular as he goes along... This is the kindest of the many reviews I read loathing this show. Of course, I LOVED it. Can't wait to see more. ~rave! http://www.variety.com/index.asp? layout=print_reviewreviewid=VE1117933836categoryid=1264 Posted: Wed., Jun. 6, 2007, 1:41pm PT John From Cincinnati (Series -- HBO, Sun. June 10, 10 p.m.) Filmed in Imperial Beach, Calif., by Red Board Prods. and HBO Entertainment. Executive producers, David Milch, Gregg Fienberg, Zvi Howard Rosenman, Mark Tinker; co-executive producers, Kem Nunn, Peter Spears, Scott Stephens; producer, Ted Mann; director, Tinker; writers, Milch, Nunn. Cissy Yost - Rebecca De Mornay Dr. Smith - Garret Dillahunt Shaun Yost - Greyson Fletcher Meyer Dickstein - Willie Garson Mitch Yost - Bruce Greenwood Ramon Gaviota - Luis Guzman Kai - Keala Kennelly John - Austin Nichols Bill Jacks - Ed O'Neill Linc Stark - Luke Perry Butchie Yost - Brian Van Holt Barry Cunningham - Matt Winston By BRIAN LOWRY John From Cincinnati might be the strangest show ever produced for American television -- an HBO drama that makes Twin Peaks look like Mayberry RFD. Yet even worshippers at the altar of writer extraordinaire David Milch are likely to find themselves bewildered and frustrated with the premiere, and two subsequent episodes only marginally improve matters. It's easy to admire the hypnotic poetry in Milch's dialogue, but this existential surfing fantasy -- infused with a touch of Starman -- dips and swerves amid its confounding currents, and hardly appears like the standard-bearer to help lead the pay service into a post-Sopranos future. Indeed, fans of Milch's Deadwood (notably, a few members of that show's cast show up here) might wonder what possessed HBO to inadvertently hasten the foul-mouthed Western's demise to liberate the producer to pursue this perplexing, messy bit of whimsy inspired by surf novelist (and series co-creator) Kem Nunn. Built around three generations of surfers, the show's patriarch is Mitch Yost (Bruce Greenwood), a wave-conquering legend whose son, Butchie (Brian Van Holt), was equally promising before the high life got the best of him and he became a junkie. Mitch and his wife Cissy (Rebecca De Mornay) thus care for their grandson Shaun (Greyson Fletcher), another surfing prodigy who Mitch desperately wants to protect from Butchie's fame-driven fall and the leeches (including a surf promoter played by Luke Perry) that would latch onto him. Into this fractured family drama descends John (Austin Nichols), a messianic figure who mostly seems to parrot what others say to him. Once John arrives, strange things start occurring -- from Butchie feeling no dope sickness to Mitch inexplicably levitating a few inches off the ground. Some things I know, and some things I don't, John repeats with childlike simplicity. Butchie guesses he's from Cincinnati -- hence the title -- whereas the audience is left to ponder whether the fresh-faced lad comes from outer space, Heaven or somewhere else equally exotic. If the show quit there, it would be maddening enough, but Milch tosses in family friend Bill (Ed O'Neill) and a peculiar, suicidal lottery winner (Matt Winston) that won't earn any prizes from GLAAD, along with other quirky characters whose larger contribution remains fuzzy at best. For his part, John seemingly wants Mitch to surf again (get back in the game, as he puts it), but where the narrative flows is anybody's guess, and after three hallucinatory hours, I'm not really sure I care. Part of that is because the characters prove almost uniformly unpleasant beyond the serene John, barking and squabbling in obscenity-laced exchanges that awkwardly wed NYPD Blue's
[scifinoir2] Re: John From Cincinnati
I tried to watch it but it just left me cold. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, ravenadal [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Please note I am definitely a minority opinion regarding the Gospel according to John. It scored pathetic post Soprano ratings and was reviled by most critics. I taped it on my DVR and watched it primarily because I remain a large Rebecca De Mornay fan. I dug its loopy, surfer-dude existentialist vibe. A benign non-believer, I love that this dysfunctional, near trailer trash family lives in an age of miracles. Further, surfing has always fascinated the resolute non-swimmer in me. I was one of the few subscribers to the original Silver Surfer comic book and am one of the few diehard fans of the Keanu Reaves/Patrick Swayze surfer/bank robber flick, Point Blank. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, being_marian md_moore42@ wrote: I gave up after the surfing at the start of the show. You mean there was actually something to recommend this show? -- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, ravenadal ravenadal@ wrote: Levitating surfers, pet birds brought back from the dead, a prophet who was apparently born full grown this morning and is learning the venacular as he goes along... This is the kindest of the many reviews I read loathing this show. Of course, I LOVED it. Can't wait to see more. ~rave! http://www.variety.com/index.asp? layout=print_reviewreviewid=VE1117933836categoryid=1264 Posted: Wed., Jun. 6, 2007, 1:41pm PT John From Cincinnati (Series -- HBO, Sun. June 10, 10 p.m.) Filmed in Imperial Beach, Calif., by Red Board Prods. and HBO Entertainment. Executive producers, David Milch, Gregg Fienberg, Zvi Howard Rosenman, Mark Tinker; co-executive producers, Kem Nunn, Peter Spears, Scott Stephens; producer, Ted Mann; director, Tinker; writers, Milch, Nunn. Cissy Yost - Rebecca De Mornay Dr. Smith - Garret Dillahunt Shaun Yost - Greyson Fletcher Meyer Dickstein - Willie Garson Mitch Yost - Bruce Greenwood Ramon Gaviota - Luis Guzman Kai - Keala Kennelly John - Austin Nichols Bill Jacks - Ed O'Neill Linc Stark - Luke Perry Butchie Yost - Brian Van Holt Barry Cunningham - Matt Winston By BRIAN LOWRY John From Cincinnati might be the strangest show ever produced for American television -- an HBO drama that makes Twin Peaks look like Mayberry RFD. Yet even worshippers at the altar of writer extraordinaire David Milch are likely to find themselves bewildered and frustrated with the premiere, and two subsequent episodes only marginally improve matters. It's easy to admire the hypnotic poetry in Milch's dialogue, but this existential surfing fantasy -- infused with a touch of Starman -- dips and swerves amid its confounding currents, and hardly appears like the standard-bearer to help lead the pay service into a post-Sopranos future. Indeed, fans of Milch's Deadwood (notably, a few members of that show's cast show up here) might wonder what possessed HBO to inadvertently hasten the foul-mouthed Western's demise to liberate the producer to pursue this perplexing, messy bit of whimsy inspired by surf novelist (and series co-creator) Kem Nunn. Built around three generations of surfers, the show's patriarch is Mitch Yost (Bruce Greenwood), a wave-conquering legend whose son, Butchie (Brian Van Holt), was equally promising before the high life got the best of him and he became a junkie. Mitch and his wife Cissy (Rebecca De Mornay) thus care for their grandson Shaun (Greyson Fletcher), another surfing prodigy who Mitch desperately wants to protect from Butchie's fame-driven fall and the leeches (including a surf promoter played by Luke Perry) that would latch onto him. Into this fractured family drama descends John (Austin Nichols), a messianic figure who mostly seems to parrot what others say to him. Once John arrives, strange things start occurring -- from Butchie feeling no dope sickness to Mitch inexplicably levitating a few inches off the ground. Some things I know, and some things I don't, John repeats with childlike simplicity. Butchie guesses he's from Cincinnati -- hence the title -- whereas the audience is left to ponder whether the fresh-faced lad comes from outer space, Heaven or somewhere else equally exotic. If the show quit there, it would be maddening enough, but Milch tosses in family friend Bill (Ed O'Neill) and a peculiar, suicidal lottery winner (Matt Winston) that won't earn any prizes from GLAAD, along with other quirky characters whose larger contribution remains fuzzy at best. For his part, John seemingly wants Mitch to surf again (get back in the game, as he puts it), but where the narrative flows is anybody's
[scifinoir2] Re: No More Sci Fiction at Scifi.com
Well, the editor was Ellen Datlow before the SF channel decided to drop publishing fiction. I've liked her choices for best fantasy of the year and for Omni. If you didn't like those books/magazine perhaps you might not have liked what she chose for the online magazine. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I wnet there the first time I learned of its existence, bac`k in '05. Frankly, I didn't find anything to keep me there. Maybe I didn't look long or hard enough... being_marian [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Quite often. In fact, I have a SF workshop member that has a story out there. After I saw this on boingboing, I went and downloaded a few more to read. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin truthseeker_013@ wrote: Show of hands- who actually went to the site? Even *once* counts... Brent Wodehouse Brent_Wodehouse@ wrote: http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/ As of Friday, June 15, 2007, SCI FICTION will no longer be availabe on SCIFI.COM. SCIFI.COM would like to thank all those who contributed and those who read the short stories over the past few years. There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Got a little couch potato? Check out fun summer activities for kids. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: No More Sci Fiction at Scifi.com
I *do* like those anthologies. I own about six of them. Old age, amybe? Senility? Stupidity? Pick your factor today. being_marian [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Well, the editor was Ellen Datlow before the SF channel decided to drop publishing fiction. I've liked her choices for best fantasy of the year and for Omni. If you didn't like those books/magazine perhaps you might not have liked what she chose for the online magazine. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I wnet there the first time I learned of its existence, bac`k in '05. Frankly, I didn't find anything to keep me there. Maybe I didn't look long or hard enough... being_marian [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Quite often. In fact, I have a SF workshop member that has a story out there. After I saw this on boingboing, I went and downloaded a few more to read. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin truthseeker_013@ wrote: Show of hands- who actually went to the site? Even *once* counts... Brent Wodehouse Brent_Wodehouse@ wrote: http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/ As of Friday, June 15, 2007, SCI FICTION will no longer be availabe on SCIFI.COM. SCIFI.COM would like to thank all those who contributed and those who read the short stories over the past few years. There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Got a little couch potato? Check out fun summer activities for kids. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - TV dinner still cooling? Check out Tonight's Picks on Yahoo! TV. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: No More Sci Fiction at Scifi.com
This is a lot like when OMNI shut down...the first thing people asked was well, who was really reading this magazine anyway? and the fact is, a LOT of people were reading Omni, but the publisher marketed their soft porn titles better, so the rate base was larger, hence they could sell more ads. Much is the same with scifi.com as a whole. When Ronald Moore was doing the BSG podcasts, people were going to the site. Right now, there's wrestling and cheezy horror movies on the channel, so why would I go to the site? The people who WERE going to read the fiction on site can't compare to the people who are going to download episodes/wallpaper about Heroes, so it's seen as a segment of the property that isn't worth keeping. Media companies are completely missing the boat when it comes to using sci-fi to reach audiences and sell advertising. The science fiction fan is a dedicated consumer who, generally speaking, will buy products and services that are relevant to their lives and interests. And, apparently, we will spend more to get them. WE are the target consumer for a hybrid car. WE are the only ones who care about the filtration capabilities of an HVAC system. Science fiction people will stand on line for an hour to see a crappy sequel to a movie we've seen 1000 times. If you're trying to unload a new cellphone, why roll the dice advertising during Real World? There is a Golf Channel because luxury brands can't reach the same audience with that level of disposable income while advertising during Will Grace. And so there is a staff that understands what it takes to reach this audience and how to not piss them off. There should be a similar sensitivity where people who are interested in sci-fi are concerned. Sci-fi is treated in TV media as this throw away segment of the viewing audience, just a joke. those geeks sure are dedicated. Yes, they are. Sci-fi people buy more movie tickets on a regular basis than any other segment. Killing the fiction from sci-fi.com is a mistake. It shows that the science and speculative fiction audience isn't being taken seriously. And arguably, that's our own fault. However...it's also an opportunity! This is a chance for someone with a jazzy url to become a new home for science fiction writing to be published online. A new Omni magazine online would be great, and now would be a good time to bring it on! On Jun 14, 2007, at 9:22 AM, being_marian wrote: Quite often. In fact, I have a SF workshop member that has a story out there. After I saw this on boingboing, I went and downloaded a few more to read. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Show of hands- who actually went to the site? Even *once* counts... Brent Wodehouse [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/ As of Friday, June 15, 2007, SCI FICTION will no longer be availabe on SCIFI.COM. SCIFI.COM would like to thank all those who contributed and those who read the short stories over the past few years. There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: John From Cincinnati
I love Point Break as a goofy fun movie. What's the fascination with surfing or Rebecca DeMornay? -- Original message -- From: ravenadal [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note I am definitely a minority opinion regarding the Gospel according to John. It scored pathetic post Soprano ratings and was reviled by most critics. I taped it on my DVR and watched it primarily because I remain a large Rebecca De Mornay fan. I dug its loopy, surfer-dude existentialist vibe. A benign non-believer, I love that this dysfunctional, near trailer trash family lives in an age of miracles. Further, surfing has always fascinated the resolute non-swimmer in me. I was one of the few subscribers to the original Silver Surfer comic book and am one of the few diehard fans of the Keanu Reaves/Patrick Swayze surfer/bank robber flick, Point Blank. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, being_marian [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I gave up after the surfing at the start of the show. You mean there was actually something to recommend this show? -- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, ravenadal ravenadal@ wrote: Levitating surfers, pet birds brought back from the dead, a prophet who was apparently born full grown this morning and is learning the venacular as he goes along... This is the kindest of the many reviews I read loathing this show. Of course, I LOVED it. Can't wait to see more. ~rave! http://www.variety.com/index.asp? layout=print_reviewreviewid=VE1117933836categoryid=1264 Posted: Wed., Jun. 6, 2007, 1:41pm PT John From Cincinnati (Series -- HBO, Sun. June 10, 10 p.m.) Filmed in Imperial Beach, Calif., by Red Board Prods. and HBO Entertainment. Executive producers, David Milch, Gregg Fienberg, Zvi Howard Rosenman, Mark Tinker; co-executive producers, Kem Nunn, Peter Spears, Scott Stephens; producer, Ted Mann; director, Tinker; writers, Milch, Nunn. Cissy Yost - Rebecca De Mornay Dr. Smith - Garret Dillahunt Shaun Yost - Greyson Fletcher Meyer Dickstein - Willie Garson Mitch Yost - Bruce Greenwood Ramon Gaviota - Luis Guzman Kai - Keala Kennelly John - Austin Nichols Bill Jacks - Ed O'Neill Linc Stark - Luke Perry Butchie Yost - Brian Van Holt Barry Cunningham - Matt Winston By BRIAN LOWRY John From Cincinnati might be the strangest show ever produced for American television -- an HBO drama that makes Twin Peaks look like Mayberry RFD. Yet even worshippers at the altar of writer extraordinaire David Milch are likely to find themselves bewildered and frustrated with the premiere, and two subsequent episodes only marginally improve matters. It's easy to admire the hypnotic poetry in Milch's dialogue, but this existential surfing fantasy -- infused with a touch of Starman -- dips and swerves amid its confounding currents, and hardly appears like the standard-bearer to help lead the pay service into a post-Sopranos future. Indeed, fans of Milch's Deadwood (notably, a few members of that show's cast show up here) might wonder what possessed HBO to inadvertently hasten the foul-mouthed Western's demise to liberate the producer to pursue this perplexing, messy bit of whimsy inspired by surf novelist (and series co-creator) Kem Nunn. Built around three generations of surfers, the show's patriarch is Mitch Yost (Bruce Greenwood), a wave-conquering legend whose son, Butchie (Brian Van Holt), was equally promising before the high life got the best of him and he became a junkie. Mitch and his wife Cissy (Rebecca De Mornay) thus care for their grandson Shaun (Greyson Fletcher), another surfing prodigy who Mitch desperately wants to protect from Butchie's fame-driven fall and the leeches (including a surf promoter played by Luke Perry) that would latch onto him. Into this fractured family drama descends John (Austin Nichols), a messianic figure who mostly seems to parrot what others say to him. Once John arrives, strange things start occurring -- from Butchie feeling no dope sickness to Mitch inexplicably levitating a few inches off the ground. Some things I know, and some things I don't, John repeats with childlike simplicity. Butchie guesses he's from Cincinnati -- hence the title -- whereas the audience is left to ponder whether the fresh-faced lad comes from outer space, Heaven or somewhere else equally exotic. If the show quit there, it would be maddening enough, but Milch tosses in family friend Bill (Ed O'Neill) and a peculiar, suicidal lottery winner (Matt Winston) that won't earn any prizes from GLAAD, along with other quirky characters whose larger contribution remains fuzzy at best. For his part, John seemingly wants Mitch to surf again (get back in the game, as he puts it), but where the narrative flows is anybody's guess, and after three hallucinatory hours, I'm not really sure I care. Part of that
Re: [scifinoir2] No More Sci Fiction at Scifi.com
The scifiNoir Lit group did a group reading and review of an Octavia Butler story that was posted there a few years ago. I wonder why they did not at least archive the stories. Tracey Brent Wodehouse wrote: http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/ http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/ As of Friday, June 15, 2007, SCI FICTION will no longer be availabe on SCIFI.COM. SCIFI.COM would like to thank all those who contributed and those who read the short stories over the past few years. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
