The Andromeda Strain

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Omphalos
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The Andromeda Strain

Post by Omphalos »

I'm thinking that this is looking pretty cool. I was never much for the first adaptation of this story, and although it is a made for TV movie, I have hopes that it wont suck. The cast is looking OK to me too. They are:

Benjamin Bratt … Dr. Jeremy Stone
Christa Miller … Dr. Angela Noyce
Eric McCormack … Jack Nash
Daniel Dae Kim … Dr. Tsi Chou
Rick Schroder … Major Bill Keane MD
Andre Braugher … General George Mancheck
Magda Apanowicz … Suzie Travis
Viola Davis … Dr. Charlene Barton

A few made for TV regulars, to be sure. And it will be odd hearing Jin speak in something other than Korean. But I'm going into this one with high hopes.

What do the rest of you think?
Something is about to happen, Hal. Something wonderful!

-James C. Harwood, Science Fiction Writer, Straight (March 5, 1956 - May 25, 2010)



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Post by SandChigger »

Kim and Shroder are the only two I even recognize. Oh well.

I wonder if one of my stations will eventually pick it up?!

(By the way, wasn't Kim on 24 or Alias for a while? I remember seeing him a part where he spoke English! :) )
"Chancho...sometimes when you are a man...you wear stretchy pants...in your room...alone."

"Politics is never simple, like the sand chigger of Arrakis, one is rarely truly free of its bite."

Arrakeen is an unawakened ghola.
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Post by Omphalos »

Not sure what Kim was in before. But:

Mcormack was Will in Will and Grace (hated it)
Miller was the hot love interest on Drew Carey (loved it)
Schroder is Ricky Schroder, of Little Lord Fauntleroy fame (eh?)
Braugher was the African American cop in Homicide: Life on the Street. A bald, ballsy badass. (eh?)
Bratt was the Latino (Native American?) cop on Law and Order. (love it still)
and Im not sure about the other two.
Something is about to happen, Hal. Something wonderful!

-James C. Harwood, Science Fiction Writer, Straight (March 5, 1956 - May 25, 2010)



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Post by SandChigger »

Thanks, that clears most of them up! :D

Still not sure about Bratt, though.

(They showed two or three of the last seasons of Will & Grace over here. When I caught it, I watched it just for the rich bitch's sarcastic Latina maid. I like her. :) Drew Carey, hilarious. Saw quite a bit of Homicide and still watch Law & Order: SVU. I realized with a shock one night a month or two back that most of the shows I watch are about crime and the American justice system. :shock: )
"Chancho...sometimes when you are a man...you wear stretchy pants...in your room...alone."

"Politics is never simple, like the sand chigger of Arrakis, one is rarely truly free of its bite."

Arrakeen is an unawakened ghola.
Omphalos
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Post by Omphalos »

Im really drawn to Law and Order type shows too. I like the crime/drama stuff, but what I love about Dick Wolf's shows is that he injects lots of discussion on public policy and criminal remedies. Its very horn-book style law, but its fun for me to go through the analysis in my own head as I am watching the show.

Bejamin Bratt:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000973/

Used to put the stones to Julia Roberts, IIRC.
Something is about to happen, Hal. Something wonderful!

-James C. Harwood, Science Fiction Writer, Straight (March 5, 1956 - May 25, 2010)



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Post by GamePlayer »

It's a shame I don't see more of Benjamin Bratt in the movies. He had a small role in Soderbergh's fature film Traffic and he was very good. I also liked his work on Law and Order. Speaking of which, I always felt Chris Noth and Sam Waterston deserved a broader audience as well but Jill Hennessy gets all the attention I can spare :)
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Post by Omphalos »

SandChigger wrote:Drew Carey, hilarious.
Remind you of home? :wink:
Something is about to happen, Hal. Something wonderful!

-James C. Harwood, Science Fiction Writer, Straight (March 5, 1956 - May 25, 2010)



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Post by SandChigger »

Omphalos wrote:
SandChigger wrote:Drew Carey, hilarious.
Remind you of home? :wink:
Too much so. ;)


(Ah, so that's Benjamin Bratt. I always think he should have a Hispanic name or something.)
"Chancho...sometimes when you are a man...you wear stretchy pants...in your room...alone."

"Politics is never simple, like the sand chigger of Arrakis, one is rarely truly free of its bite."

Arrakeen is an unawakened ghola.
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Post by Rakis »

Saw it, 3 hours waste of my time...the original movie was WAY better...
Neutrinos watch alert !

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THE ANDROMEDA STANK?

Post by SandChigger »

Watched the first part (1:30) of this thing Saturday night and most of the second part last night.

Only "most" because I fell asleep during it at some point (around where THE BAD MAN stopped the colored female doctor's family from leaving at the airport and blackmailed her into hiding a sample) and didn't wake up until they were getting into the tunnel to try to climb up and stop the self-destruct sequence.

(If I fell asleep, how did I know about the blackmail, you ask? The night before, I sneaked a peak at the synopsis on WP. And basically killed any interest I had in watching the second half. Just went through the motions because there wasn't anything else I haven't already seen on—end of the month cable/satellite blues!—until Law & Order came on at 11:00.)

DAMN, THIS THING SUCKED.

The lame attempt at building suspense by having Bratt flopping around on the floor trying to get the ID card of the already dead Shroder (token gay character...they always die!) into the computer panel slot, and then fumbling around with Shroder's thumb against the screen pissed me off more than anything.

And the totally unnecessary introduction of both wormholes and time travel really, REALLY PISSED ME OFF. :evil:

(And if I'm not mistaken, wasn't having the President's wife in harm's way (in L.A., in the path of the winds carrying the contagion) a not-so-subtle "borrowing" of a similar situation in Failsafe? Sheeeeeyut. :roll: )
"Chancho...sometimes when you are a man...you wear stretchy pants...in your room...alone."

"Politics is never simple, like the sand chigger of Arrakis, one is rarely truly free of its bite."

Arrakeen is an unawakened ghola.
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Post by GamePlayer »

That's too bad. But I didn't have much hope for it anyway.
"What are we to call him, this Player of Games?"

"The books of Kevin J Anderson and Brian Herbert lie in a realm of uncertainty between self-conscious absurdity and genuine failure"
Omphalos
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Post by Omphalos »

It was standard made-for-TV fare. IOW, loads of potential, loads of promotion, but a pretty poor delivery.
Something is about to happen, Hal. Something wonderful!

-James C. Harwood, Science Fiction Writer, Straight (March 5, 1956 - May 25, 2010)



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Post by GamePlayer »

I've often thought Made-For-TV movies are what the real movies would look like if they were fully censored, ruled by committee and 100% homogenized for the lowest common denominator. As bad as things get in the film industry, Made-For-TV productions will always be there to remind us how truly awful it could be :)
"What are we to call him, this Player of Games?"

"The books of Kevin J Anderson and Brian Herbert lie in a realm of uncertainty between self-conscious absurdity and genuine failure"
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Post by SandChigger »

:shock:

Well, that woke me up.
"Chancho...sometimes when you are a man...you wear stretchy pants...in your room...alone."

"Politics is never simple, like the sand chigger of Arrakis, one is rarely truly free of its bite."

Arrakeen is an unawakened ghola.
GamePlayer
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Post by GamePlayer »

Scary thought, isn't it? :)
"What are we to call him, this Player of Games?"

"The books of Kevin J Anderson and Brian Herbert lie in a realm of uncertainty between self-conscious absurdity and genuine failure"
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