Show Review: Stream Episode One
I’ve been fascinated by the push for web-based television shows (not web-extensions of TV shows, but original works placed on the web in small 3-5 minute episodes). The recent incarnation is Whoopi Goldberg vehicle Stream. The show has only one episode up at the moment, which is the one I’m reviewing, but the description of the show is quite intriguing: Thanks to a drug she took when she was seventeen, moments from various points in Jodi’s life become intertwined, effectively letting her experience two moments at once.Jodi has spoken with her future husband; she’s visited the psychiatric ward where she will reside in her twenties, and she has come face to face with a vision that will haunt her throughout her life.Ultimately, Stream is about a woman who spends a lifetime wrestling with her personal demons, and gathering the strength to face her worst fears.Stream snaps back and forth through three phases of Jodi’s life: her past as an intelligent but headstrong teen; her present in a psychiatric facility, and her future as an adult clinging to a normal life after years of tribulation.The story unfolds in and around New York City, as we travel with Jodi from the wealthy suburban home of her youth to the nebulous world of an institution, and the unforgiving streets of the South Bronx. The first episode of this mind-bending psycho-thriller clocks in at three minutes and thirty seconds, but immediately establishes, or tries to at least, the basic premise: that Jodi can experience time as if it were stationary; she can experience her past and her future together.The production quality is decent and thankfully aims for a more minimalist approach than a clouded CG-infested approach. It also seems like this is a series that is well cast, what with Whoopi Goldberg at the head and a collection of unknown, but seemingly capable actors and actresses supporting her.I should say that I’m a Whoopi fan. I don’t know why, but I enjoy Goldberg’s movies. Stream is, for me, another of her projects I intend to stick with. It’s hard to judge this series effectively on one episode, but after seeing it I can say that I am interested. I want to know more about Jodi, about how she ended up the way she is, and where she will end up when this is all over.Give the first episode a look and let me know what you think. It’s only a few minutes out of your day and you might find yourself as interested as I am in the end.
The Haul of Books Volume Three
I have more books to show the world. The books in this post are part of the huge box my friend gave me while she was packing to move, and there should be two or so posts more of this stuff before I run out of the freebee books. Of course, with school already started I have plenty of other books to show you all, but that will come at another time. For now, here’s this edition’s haul:First up are Starman by Sara Douglass and Broken Blade, King of Shadows, The Western King, and Kingmaker’s Sword by Ann Marston. The latter group are apparently Scottish semi-fantasy, which sounds interesting to me!And then there are March Upcountry by John Ringo and David Weber, Requiem For the Sun and Prophecy by Elizabeth Haydon, and The Woad to Wuin by Peter David. If you look closely in this picture you can actually see the edge of the box from whence these books came.Thoughts on any of these books are certainly welcome!Expect at some point in the relatively near future–once my last school book comes in from wherever it’s coming from–there will be a collection of posts dedicated to my reading list for this quarter. I thought last quarter was bad, but this quarter is certainly kicking my butt. Twenty-eight books to be read in about ten weeks. You do the math…
Rejection: Archaeopteryx
Alright, so I guess it’s about that time when all the rejections start rolling in. The good news is that I’m not bothered by it! So, this story is off to someplace else… Anywho!