Suprnova.org went dark for good yesterday.
I mention this because it was the central clearinghouse for bit torrents, and one which I only fully appreciated once I got my laptop and upgraded my DSL to an always-on connection. The breadth and scope of movies, TV shows, books, music, and so forth available there was just astounding. Copyright is doomed.
For my part, suprnova was of interest purely for grabbing the odd television episode I missed due to TiVo scheduling conflicts (Wednesday nights are the new Thursdays) or, in one case, due to having no initial interest in the series until internet buzz caught my attention. That series is UPN's Veronica Mars.
The buzz compared Veronica to Buffy, and I can see where the comparison came from. Both feature high school blondes with sharp tongues who use their powers to fight for justice. In Veronica's case, her "powers" are street smarts and investigative know-how. Kristin Bell's Veronica comes off as a cross between Buffy and Smallville's Chloe-- smart, determined, and glossy. She's a little too savvy, actually-- it'd be nice to see her fall on her face once in a while, instead of always carrying the day-- but the snappy dialogue might certainly be described as Whedonesque.
The setting is yet another one of those California towns and schools populated by snobby rich kids who'll turn and devour their own at the drop of a Prada bag. Is that really what high school's like out there? Does that scenario really resonate with viewers, or is it just too familiar to Hollywood writers, living in their fishbowl, to pass up?
Three things won me over. The aforementioned snappy dialogue. The slowly-resolving mystery of the murder of Veronica's best friend Lilly and subsequent disappearance of Veronica's mother. And the terrific performances of Kristen Bell and Enrico Colantoni as Keith Bell, Veronica's father and the former sheriff who, having lost his job (for accusing Lilly's rich father of her murder) and his wife (who left him shortly thereafter), now works as a private investigator and raises Veronica alone. The relationship between Veronica and her father is one of the show's strengths, and Colantoni-- who never impressed me as Just Shoot Me's photographer Elliot-- is a revelation here.
In any case, Veronica Mars is a series I never would have discovered without suprnova and Bit Torrent, and now it's joined my season pass list. Perhaps it may appeal to you as well.
Posted by Peter at December 21, 2004 02:48 AMWell, if copyright is doomed, then I better get out of the intellectual property business. Any ideas of a new career that doesn't involve ground beef?
Posted by: Clay on December 21, 2004 06:16 AMMcDonald's. That Ain't Beef.
Posted by: Chris Lemon on December 21, 2004 10:36 AMI recorded the first half dozen or so episodes of Veronica Mars. Although I liked the ideas a lot, the execution was lackluster. I think the show would have benefitted from a more immersive ongoing storyline, rather than the somewhat episodic nature it has to date. I just found myself not eagerly seeking out the next installment because it was fairly formulaic/predictable rather than really being a mystery show. The dialog is done well, but I've not been super excited by the plot, and finally dropped it off my recording schedule. It may pick up after another season, but I wasn't willing to wait it out.
Posted by: Jesse on December 22, 2004 12:36 AMNeptune is down south near San Diego, which is spiritually, intellectually, politically and emotionally as far from LA as you can get and still be in the sunshine.
Unfortunately, the kids at Neptune High are not that different from the kids at the real-life High school that serves my neighborhood. The real-life punk across the street totalled his $45k beemer for Xmas and now mommie wants daddy to buy him a new one so she doesn't have to loan him her car to go to school. Riding the school bus and perhaps saving some lives, maybe even his, never even crossed their minds.
So yeah, the turds on VM might be a little hollywood, but not that unbelievable in a place where a "starter home" costs $800k.
Posted by: Wes on January 26, 2005 01:36 AM