Matthew Friend

@BaronDestructo Now, having read the description you so helpfully directed me to, my curiosity is even MORE piqued.

@MattWhoWrites All episode breakdowns in the previous post.

Stargate Trivia: The Atlantis Season 6 stories we never got to tell. The white board ideas for the show’s sixth season and a rough summary of each episode... Now What? I and II (601, 602) The opening two-parter would have been the Stargate: Extinction script, a time travel episode that would have seen our crew stranded in the Triangulum galaxy. There, they encounter a curious civilization as well as an unexpected foe in the form of a future version of Todd the wraith. With the help of present-day Todd, however, our heroes manage to turn the tables on the enemy and resume their journey to the Pegasus galaxy. Children of the Corn/Fantastic Four (603) While traveling aboard the Daedalus, our crew comes across a seemingly derelict ship. They board and, while searching the darkened interior, discover a group of children in stasis. They revive the kids who explain they were enroute to a planet to be reunited with their parents, colonists who had completed work on a new satellite community. The children are welcomed aboard and are being ferried to their destination when a mystery ship appears and opens fire on the Daedalus. Our heroes try to outpace their pursuer, but as a game of intergalactic cat and mouse ensues, the team begins to suspect that their young passengers may not be as innocent and harmless as they appear. Carl’s Replicator Story (604) Progeny, The Real World, Phanthoms, Echoes, Lifeline, Ghost in the Machine - Carl Binder was the king of ghost AND replicator stories. No doubt he would have written one for the show's sixth season. And it would have been brilliant. Classic Stargate (605) Classic Stargate was an idea Martin Gero pitched, a story that would take place in the early years of the Atlantis expedition, a flashback to an adventure we had never been privy to. Carter Roshomon (606) Carter Roshomon was a story idea that didn’t make the cut in season 4 and ended up in the season 5 pile despite the fact that Carter was no longer the base commander. It was originally envisioned as our spin on Kurosawa’s 1950 classic.  Colonel Carter faces a possible court-martial and dismissal after an off-world op goes awry. During the ensuing investigation, we are offered three different flashback versions of the charged events.  What happened and what was she being accused of? Guess we’ll never know. Since it didn’t make the cut in season 5, I moved it into the potential season 6 episode discussion list. The Red Shirt Diaries (607) Carl Binder wanted to do a story told from the POV of a red shirt, one of those ubiquitous no-names we lose over the course of an op who is mourned then quickly forgotten in the episode tag when the team is yukking it up in the cafeteria. Sheppard DOA (608) Inspired by the 1950 thriller, Sheppard D.O.A. would have seen John racing against time to find out how he was infected with a deadly toxin and, ultimately, who was responsible and why. And also, maybe, find an antidote. The Replacements (609) Brad pitched out a story in which the team run afoul of an alien race and, while being pursued, end up victims of a temporal effect that catapults them six months into the future. They return to Atlantis to find they’ve been given up for dead and replaced. As they attempt to settle in to their new positions (and work with their replacements) the alien race indirectly responsible for their predicament pays Atlantis a visit… Mid-Season Two-Parter I and II (610-611) The mid-season two-parter would have seen Sheppard's team return to Atlantis following an op, only to discover it has been taken over by wraith hybrids. But not just any wraith hybrids. While they were off-world, Michael (who survived the events of The Prodigal) targeted the city with a biological attack that has transformed the Atlantis personnel into hybrids. Sheppard, McKay, Ronin and Teyla soon find themselves on the run, from their former friends, and a determined Michael out for revenge. Hamster Ball (612) Sometimes you come up with an idea fully formed. Other times, it may be nothing but a vision. In this case, a vision of the individual team members trapped in giant hamster ball-like containment vessels. Compounding the problem is the fact that they are trapped in a small chamber, in direct line of the stargate, meaning the next time the gate kawooshes, they risk total annihilation. How do they get trapped? How do they get out? And, most importantly, what the hell else happens in this episode? You’ll have to ask writer Alan McCullough. Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (613) McKay’s experiment with a time-traveling puddle jumper sends duplicate versions of the team both backwards and forwards in time. The story jumps between three different timelines: five years into the past (where one version of the team struggles to acquire the puddle jumper and undo the damage done without affecting the timeline), five years into the future (where Atlantis is under siege by the alien race introduced in The Daedalus Variations, while another version of the team attempts to acquire the jumper so that they can warn their past selves), and the present (where McKay continues to tweak his experiment) with developments in each timeline influencing events in the others enroute to a mindbending climax. Hexed (614) While visiting an alien community, Sheppard is cursed by a kooky local. At first, our heroes laugh off the incident – until Sheppard runs into a spate of bad luck. VERY bad luck. Shep whumpers rejoice! Entropy (615) In season 5, Paul wanted to do a story in which the effects of the McKay-Miller gate bridge have serious other-worldly repercussions for the city - but we ended up doing something similar in Brain Storm so we pushed this idea. So I reimagined a version where a mishap with a ZPM triggers a subspace burst that disperses time fractals throughout Atlantis. And within these varying shards of warped spacetime, the rules of physics no longer apply. Revenge (616) Sheppard and his team must mount an op to save Todd after he is captured by rivals. Re-assuming her role as a wraith queen, Teyla leads the team aboard a hive ship in order to track down and rescue their unlikely ally. Payback (617) Following devastating attacks on three other teams, Sheppard and co's off-world investigation takes a surprising turn when they are attacked by a puddle jumper. On the run on an alien world, they are pursued by an enemy who is able to predict their every move. Their mysterious pursuer is revealed to be Lt. Aiden Ford and a group of mercs armed with Ancient tech. Our heroes must find a way to turn the tables on their former friend - and, ultimately, find out the surprising source of his all-too familiar resources. Turn of Events (618) With an uncooperative Ford now imprisoned on Atlantis, Sheppard's team investigates the most likely source of the black market Ancient tech (Episode 215, The Tower). There, they discover Atlantis's sister city is in the hands of a group of rogue Genii led by none other than @RobertJohnDavi's Acatus Kolya who we learn survived the events of "Irresponsible" thanks to a modified personal shield emitter. It turns out Kolya has been busy, consolidating his power base. Our team's attempts to thwart him fail, necessitating a tactical retreat - but not before they obtain a crucial piece of information: the mirror location of the Ancient ZPM factory hidden on Atlantis. Pre-Finale (619) Using the information gathered last episode, our heroes are finally able to access the city's hidden ZPM factory. The room, it turns out, holds even more secrets: the locations of similar Ancient storehouses throughout the Pegasus galaxy. An exploration of one such seemingly long-abandoned chamber yields a shocking discovery: none other than Elizabeth Weir who has been kept "on ice" since her capture by the Asurans. With Elizabeth's help, the team is able to gain access to an Asuran weapon specifically built to target Atlantis. Thus armed, Sheppard and co. pay a return trip to Kolya, determined to neutralize his threat once and for all. But they are too late. They arrive just in time to see the Ancient city rise up out of the ground and ascend, up into the sky and the stars beyond. Our heroes are already aware of its destination: Atlantis. Season Finale (620) Sheppard's team return to Atlantis with a dire warning, only to be informed that long range scanners have picked up the sister city. And it's headed straight for them. All off-world teams are recalled. It's going to be all hands on deck as the city prepares for war and the sister city makes its inexorable approach. We are treated to some classic character-centered moments as the city readies for what will be their biggest battle, against a better equipped, better prepared opponent. Finally, it is time! Atlantis rises up, off the surface of the ocean, and makes its descent, up through the stratosphere, beyond the exosphere, taking up a planetary orbit. And when the sister city appears, Atlantis launches its jumpers and drones. Their opponent responds in kind. The most epic battle in Stargate history is joined. Sheppard skillfully pilots his jumper into the heart of the enemy city and lands on a pier. His team disembarks, Asuran weapon in tow, determined to finish the job they set out to complete last episode. But they're on the clock and running out of time, facing down enemy soldiers and drone strikes as they desperately seek to set up the Asuran weapon as close to critical systems as possible. But they're not the only ones running out time. Atlantis, outgunned by a foe that has been preparing for war, suffers heavy damage. Even if our team succeeds in their mission, it looks like it will be a pyrrhic victory. And then - a fleet of hive ships drop out of FTL and concentrate their fire on the enemy ship. It's Todd. He and his fleet take the pressure off Atlantis, buying Sheppard and his team enough time to initiate the Asuran weapon and retreat back to the jumper, making good their escape as, behind them, the weapon initiates, setting off a chain reaction of explosions that claim the enemy city. Atlantis returns to the planet's surface. Sheppard thanks Todd. Wraith and human achieve an "understanding". And peace finally returns to the Pegasus Galaxy. END OF SEASON 6

@BaronDestructo My curiosity is immediately piqued by "Hamsterball." What on earth was that one about?

@GoranGligovic I like the Nausicaa movie a lot, though it's never been one of my favorite of Miyazaki's. The manga, on the other hand, I feel might just be his magnum opus. Enjoy the ride.

@chaingunpope Don't forget Blue Eye Samurai.

With Shogun airing now and Rise of the Ronin coming soon, it's a good time to be into samurai stuff 🗡️

@Shiori_Sohma @GhibliUSA I don't think the award existed then.

@GhibliUSA The first?! So not even Spirited Away won?

A message from Toshio Suzuki.

@BittrScrptReadr I feel like a big part of what draws her to Anakin is that assertive, outwardly confident attitude BECAUSE it embodies that youthful spirit she's desperately clung to, and her desire for this blinds her to how a lot of that attitude is born from his fear, uncertainty, and trauma.

@BittrScrptReadr She clearly yearns for the simplicity of purpose and certainty she had in her youth, when she and a rag tag band of other idealists could beat the odds, stop the bad guys and save the day, but now her life is one of constant coldness and fear.

@tvaziri That scream he does in the final battle is seared into my brain. You know the one.

Just thinking about “Glory” (1989), where Braugher gave an absolutely stellar performance alongside Denzel and Morgan Freeman.

get the fuck out of here

@djaxx Love an aesthetically pleasing work station...especially if it's a bit of a mess. Can't wait to see your film! (Side note: I have the same Wind Rises poster and I'd recognize those Ghibli storyboard books on your shelf anywhere).

@tinselman What is it? A film? A book? Premise sounds interesting, so I'm looking forward to it either way.

Hi all! I’ve completed NESTING DOLLS, a sci-fi thriller. Stranded in a space station on Mars (year 2220), Jules Satko struggles for sanity and survival in a world where perception is dictated by Quinn, an AI as powerful as a god, with the emotional intelligence of a child. Questions? Please ask! There is no release date... I’m currently looking for the right representation.

@iamchrisjudge Seems almost like theater, which makes me curious: are scenes blocked with the camera movement and angles firmly in mind or is it fluid? Even if it is, you all must have an a lot of freedom as actors since the "camera" isn't bound by the usual physical limitations of filmmaking.

I’ve tried to not get involved, but here’s my 2 cents: live action tv and “film” are infinitely easier to shoot. Multiple takes, setups, and start/stops. GofW is one continuous take, meaning every scene is 1 shot and has to be perfect. There’s no “fix it in post “, as in film/tv

@tvaziri Specifically how those special features often centered on below the line jobs and the less sung disciplines of filmmaking. It wasn't just the stars and maybe the director, it was a whole community of diverse artists and craftsmen. Made the whole endeavor seem appealing.

@tvaziri That's what really bums me out about home video releases not having those kinds of comprehensive special features anymore. Me and a lot of my filmmaking friends can trace wanting to be filmmakers right back to watching the appendices on the Lord of the Rings: EE DVD sets as kids.

oh nothing just ripping my old T2 (Artisan) DVDs which were carbon copies of the T2 CAV LaserDisc special edition which had the most amazing special features of all time

@dunkwun I can vouch for it! It's been almost ten years since I've seen it, but I remember liking it a lot more than the American cut.

Honored to be doing this with the Lincoln Center, but very excited to say they got their hands on the original Hong Kong cut of Wong Kar-Wai's The Grandmaster. I've never seen the HK cut, so its very exciting, but I also can't vouch for it, but thats what makes this fun! weeeee

@JackMarrinson And if you're not seeing as many discussions about plagiarism as before, it's probably because folks have already made and remade their points about it. Why regurgitate them again for folks clearly too wrapped up in their consumer-brained entitlement to empathize?

@JackMarrinson To me a tool should allow an artist to better and more precisely apply intent. Image generators specifically don't do that, and are sold on a promise that you don't HAVE to, which makes them shitty tools. At best they're art commission simulators. Are commissioners now artists?

Been seeing this take a lot lately. Artists moving past the plagiarism issue and attacking the fundamental premise of art generation. This is not a winning argument. All this waxing poetic about the nobility of hard work and the rewards of the creative process means [...]