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agt_spooky) wrote2007-04-22 08:50 pm
agt_spooky) wrote2007-04-22 08:50 pm
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TV Guide watercooler review of Hollywood Babylon
Well we have FINALLY seen Hollywood Babylon here in Chicago last night, so I can finally post Tina Charles's watercooler review from tvguide.com, and a few brief thoughts of my own at the end. :-)
Wow, it really feels like I haven't written one of these in forever. I'm not going to go on a gigantic diatribe about these month-long hiatuses, but, something has to be done about them. They are interminable. They force me to try and figure out something else to do with my free time. The nerve.
Anyway, on to "Hollywood Babylon." Dean's a fanboy at heart, I love it. Seeing him channel his inner geek regarding horror movies and pop culture lore was just awesome. Sam's frustration with Dean was just so very funny. Love that the boys infiltrated the movie set so easily and made themselves comfortable. Did it seem like they even squatted in one of the trailers on the lot? Only the Winchesters could pull that off. But, I can't believe they killed off Gary Cole. And Donna's dad from That '70s Show! And poor, poor Walter the screenwriter guy. His script was completely butchered to bits — it started off as a well researched and allegedly well written script that was then Hollywood-ified, meaning lots of T&A, illogical plot developments, easy scares and bad dialogue. Plus, the ghosts he forced to murder people turned against him. So very reminiscent of Sue Ann from "Faith," right? She used the reaper to save the innocent and kill those she thought were immoral. And that reaper dude turned on her, too.
I basically laughed my way through this episode. I'm not sure it was as hilarious as "Tall Tales," but I was constantly laughing. There were so many in-jokes. I kind of liked that the real McG (executive producer of Supernatural) wasn't playing the reel McG. Whoever that guy was, he was really funny. The summoned spirits were kinda creepy and the supporting cast was good. I kept expecting Gary Cole to go all Bill Lumbergh from Office Space on us. The whole making-the-movie-brighter shtick was hilarious. I think that's been a minor complaint fans have had about Supernatural — the show is so dark you can't see anything sometimes. Making fun of yourself is always a good thing in my book, by the way. I've never been on a movie set, but I've been on plenty of TV ones. So, some of the stuff that went on in "Hollywood Babylon" hit pretty close to home. Take Gary's idiot studio exec, for one. Let's just say that stuff happens, OK? The part where he was talking about not understanding how the spirits were summoned: After all, if they're in hell how are they supposed to hear the Latin chanting? Then before you know it, his exact words ended up in the script. Funny. And so happens in real life.
More funny moments:
1) Dean being such a geek on the studio tour.
2) Sam/Jared getting off at Stars Hollow, after the studio guide mentioned if you look real hard you may see one of the stars from Gilmore Girls.
3) Anytime Dean was in PA mode (complete with nifty headset) and Sam was trying to be about the case. Love Dean's "Copy That."
4) Dean's all with it when talking about Tara's performance and how it's probably better because she's using sense memory. Remember he had no clue what method acting was in "Asylum"? He's come a long way.
5) Sam having to smooth over the whole Dean getting the studio exec a smoothie from craft services business.
6) Tara talking about not being able to muster up fear when all she has to look at is a tennis ball. And McG telling her it's going to look really scary once the special-effects guys get through with it. How many interviews have you seen where the actors talk about how weird it is to act opposite a dot or something like that? I believe Jensen and Jared have.
7) Dean and food. 'Nuff said.
8) Sam's looks. He gave some great looks the entire episode. I especially love the one after the writer incorporates the camera picking up the frequencies of the ghosts into the movie.
9) Dean taking the script over to Tara acting all shy and fanboy-like.
10) Dean's Die Hard shout-out: "Come out to the coast. We'll get together, have a few laughs."
Other thoughts:
— At least they made mention of Madison, which is more than I can say for them mentioning the fact that a possessed Sam shot Dean for the second time. I'm still hoping that comes up. Maybe somewhere around season-finale time?
— One degree of separation: Gary Cole was on Midnight Caller. Supernatural's executive producer Robert Singer exec-produced that show and directed some of its episodes.
— The studio tour guide mentioned Lois & Clark, a show Singer also executive-produced.
— The episode's Hell Hazers II actress Tara Benchley's credits include Boogeyman, a movie Supernatural creator Eric Kripke wrote and produced.
— The Hell Hazers II: The Reckoning trailer was hilarious. Looked like an episode of Supernatural. However, confusion happened when a real trailer followed the fake one. I had no idea what was going on. And that movie was called Hot Fuzz, so I momentarily thought there were two fake trailers on in a row.
— It makes sense that Dean had no idea who "lonelygirl" was. Lonely Girl became an Internet star on YouTube. If Dean never even knew about MySpace, he probably doesn't know much about YouTube.
— Dean got some lovin'. She was no Lindsay Lohan, but she was an actress.
— All right. No more all-funny episodes (this season). I want angst and more angst. And lots more action. And Jeffrey Dean Morgan. And mythology. Then more angst. With some humorous brotherly banter sprinkled in for good measure.
— I don't have the energy to include everything I loved, so please feel free to add to the funny moments and funny lines lists. There were just too many to choose from.
Favorite Lines:
— "Check it out. It's Matt Damon." "I'm pretty sure it's not Matt Damon." "No, it is."
— "Does this seem like swimming-pool weather to you Dean? It's practically Canadian."
— "What's a PA?" "I think... kind of like slaves."
— "They'll let anybody in this business, huh?"
— "I loved you in Boogeyman." "Oh, god. What a terrible script, but thank you."
— "Taquito? They're wonderful."
— "It's already all over the Internet." "Yeah, we know."
— "I wanted to ask you. What was it like working with Richard Moll?"
— "Why would a ghost be afraid of salt?"
— "What else would a ghost be scared of?" "Maybe shotguns." "That makes even less sense than salt."
— "You're one hell of a PA." "Thank you."
— "It's just a movie, that's it!"
— "I can't believe there's an afterlife." "There's an afterlife all right. But mostly it's a pain in the ass."
~~~~~
Ok, my turn! I've seen a lot of varying reactions to this episode on my flist. Some liked it, some hated it. I think I fall in the in between, actually. It's not one that I think I'll watch multiple times (like BUABS) but I did think it was funny (but not as much as Tall Tales or Hell House).
It's nice that Dean just wanted to take a vacation, to let Sam get a breather from all that just happened with Madison. I love Dean's 'big brother mode', not wanting to see his brother hurting.
What annoyed me the most was the total waste of Gary Cole! I was so excited that he'd be in this and he had that one brief scene with the boys and then 15 minutes later he's dead! Hmph.
Loved all of the SPN and Hollywood in-jokes, but there may have been a bit too many. Dean in full on geek fanboy mode, to me, was the best part, with Sam's expressions toward Dean the second best part. :-) The plot itself was 'eh', taking a backseat to all those inside jokes. Though I did love the Gilmore Girls one. Hee.
And was it just me, or did Walter kinda resemble Kripke? I think that casting was done on purpose. *g*
Oh and when that fake trailer for Hell Hazers came on and they showed those two bits from Scarecrow and Route 666 I just laughed and laughed. The trailer thing was a cute bit thrown in there.
But when Sam and Dean walk off into the 'sunset'? Yep, that's what wincest is made of. LOL! I have GOT to get me an icon of that scene!
So....any thoughts from you guys? Loved it? Hated it? Somewhere in between? Any particular joke that you thought was the funniest?
April 19, 2007: Hollywood Babylon
Anyway, on to "Hollywood Babylon." Dean's a fanboy at heart, I love it. Seeing him channel his inner geek regarding horror movies and pop culture lore was just awesome. Sam's frustration with Dean was just so very funny. Love that the boys infiltrated the movie set so easily and made themselves comfortable. Did it seem like they even squatted in one of the trailers on the lot? Only the Winchesters could pull that off. But, I can't believe they killed off Gary Cole. And Donna's dad from That '70s Show! And poor, poor Walter the screenwriter guy. His script was completely butchered to bits — it started off as a well researched and allegedly well written script that was then Hollywood-ified, meaning lots of T&A, illogical plot developments, easy scares and bad dialogue. Plus, the ghosts he forced to murder people turned against him. So very reminiscent of Sue Ann from "Faith," right? She used the reaper to save the innocent and kill those she thought were immoral. And that reaper dude turned on her, too.
I basically laughed my way through this episode. I'm not sure it was as hilarious as "Tall Tales," but I was constantly laughing. There were so many in-jokes. I kind of liked that the real McG (executive producer of Supernatural) wasn't playing the reel McG. Whoever that guy was, he was really funny. The summoned spirits were kinda creepy and the supporting cast was good. I kept expecting Gary Cole to go all Bill Lumbergh from Office Space on us. The whole making-the-movie-brighter shtick was hilarious. I think that's been a minor complaint fans have had about Supernatural — the show is so dark you can't see anything sometimes. Making fun of yourself is always a good thing in my book, by the way. I've never been on a movie set, but I've been on plenty of TV ones. So, some of the stuff that went on in "Hollywood Babylon" hit pretty close to home. Take Gary's idiot studio exec, for one. Let's just say that stuff happens, OK? The part where he was talking about not understanding how the spirits were summoned: After all, if they're in hell how are they supposed to hear the Latin chanting? Then before you know it, his exact words ended up in the script. Funny. And so happens in real life.
More funny moments:
1) Dean being such a geek on the studio tour.
2) Sam/Jared getting off at Stars Hollow, after the studio guide mentioned if you look real hard you may see one of the stars from Gilmore Girls.
3) Anytime Dean was in PA mode (complete with nifty headset) and Sam was trying to be about the case. Love Dean's "Copy That."
4) Dean's all with it when talking about Tara's performance and how it's probably better because she's using sense memory. Remember he had no clue what method acting was in "Asylum"? He's come a long way.
5) Sam having to smooth over the whole Dean getting the studio exec a smoothie from craft services business.
6) Tara talking about not being able to muster up fear when all she has to look at is a tennis ball. And McG telling her it's going to look really scary once the special-effects guys get through with it. How many interviews have you seen where the actors talk about how weird it is to act opposite a dot or something like that? I believe Jensen and Jared have.
7) Dean and food. 'Nuff said.
8) Sam's looks. He gave some great looks the entire episode. I especially love the one after the writer incorporates the camera picking up the frequencies of the ghosts into the movie.
9) Dean taking the script over to Tara acting all shy and fanboy-like.
10) Dean's Die Hard shout-out: "Come out to the coast. We'll get together, have a few laughs."
Other thoughts:
— At least they made mention of Madison, which is more than I can say for them mentioning the fact that a possessed Sam shot Dean for the second time. I'm still hoping that comes up. Maybe somewhere around season-finale time?
— One degree of separation: Gary Cole was on Midnight Caller. Supernatural's executive producer Robert Singer exec-produced that show and directed some of its episodes.
— The studio tour guide mentioned Lois & Clark, a show Singer also executive-produced.
— The episode's Hell Hazers II actress Tara Benchley's credits include Boogeyman, a movie Supernatural creator Eric Kripke wrote and produced.
— The Hell Hazers II: The Reckoning trailer was hilarious. Looked like an episode of Supernatural. However, confusion happened when a real trailer followed the fake one. I had no idea what was going on. And that movie was called Hot Fuzz, so I momentarily thought there were two fake trailers on in a row.
— It makes sense that Dean had no idea who "lonelygirl" was. Lonely Girl became an Internet star on YouTube. If Dean never even knew about MySpace, he probably doesn't know much about YouTube.
— Dean got some lovin'. She was no Lindsay Lohan, but she was an actress.
— All right. No more all-funny episodes (this season). I want angst and more angst. And lots more action. And Jeffrey Dean Morgan. And mythology. Then more angst. With some humorous brotherly banter sprinkled in for good measure.
— I don't have the energy to include everything I loved, so please feel free to add to the funny moments and funny lines lists. There were just too many to choose from.
Favorite Lines:
— "Check it out. It's Matt Damon." "I'm pretty sure it's not Matt Damon." "No, it is."
— "Does this seem like swimming-pool weather to you Dean? It's practically Canadian."
— "What's a PA?" "I think... kind of like slaves."
— "They'll let anybody in this business, huh?"
— "I loved you in Boogeyman." "Oh, god. What a terrible script, but thank you."
— "Taquito? They're wonderful."
— "It's already all over the Internet." "Yeah, we know."
— "I wanted to ask you. What was it like working with Richard Moll?"
— "Why would a ghost be afraid of salt?"
— "What else would a ghost be scared of?" "Maybe shotguns." "That makes even less sense than salt."
— "You're one hell of a PA." "Thank you."
— "It's just a movie, that's it!"
— "I can't believe there's an afterlife." "There's an afterlife all right. But mostly it's a pain in the ass."
~~~~~
Ok, my turn! I've seen a lot of varying reactions to this episode on my flist. Some liked it, some hated it. I think I fall in the in between, actually. It's not one that I think I'll watch multiple times (like BUABS) but I did think it was funny (but not as much as Tall Tales or Hell House).
It's nice that Dean just wanted to take a vacation, to let Sam get a breather from all that just happened with Madison. I love Dean's 'big brother mode', not wanting to see his brother hurting.
What annoyed me the most was the total waste of Gary Cole! I was so excited that he'd be in this and he had that one brief scene with the boys and then 15 minutes later he's dead! Hmph.
Loved all of the SPN and Hollywood in-jokes, but there may have been a bit too many. Dean in full on geek fanboy mode, to me, was the best part, with Sam's expressions toward Dean the second best part. :-) The plot itself was 'eh', taking a backseat to all those inside jokes. Though I did love the Gilmore Girls one. Hee.
And was it just me, or did Walter kinda resemble Kripke? I think that casting was done on purpose. *g*
Oh and when that fake trailer for Hell Hazers came on and they showed those two bits from Scarecrow and Route 666 I just laughed and laughed. The trailer thing was a cute bit thrown in there.
But when Sam and Dean walk off into the 'sunset'? Yep, that's what wincest is made of. LOL! I have GOT to get me an icon of that scene!
So....any thoughts from you guys? Loved it? Hated it? Somewhere in between? Any particular joke that you thought was the funniest?
Gratuitous food...
Dean as a fanboy(with his own sexy headset)was just a delight. If it's just him and Sam he pretty much eats what he can get, but if the food is free and just lying around, look out. I was surprised he could switch back to badass mode with all the chowing down he was doing. And when that trailer was rockin'--you know, where we'll all be pushing repeat on the DVD--I just yelled, "Oh hell no, you DIDN'T!" (At least he didn't bang Lindsay Lohan. Ick.) Loved Sam's look AND that Dean snagged more food AFTER sex; sometimes, he is such a dog!
And I agree, no more freaky eps this season; with what seems to be coming (and I can hardly wait for it), it would be too jarring; I want blood and tears and screeching Impala tires and high stakes. And JOHN!
no subject
Are ghosts on movie sets not allowed to sneak up on people from behind?
Re: Gratuitous food...
no subject
But anywayz :P I liked this one better than Tall Tales. TT was way overdone in my opinion and the humor felt forced. Like they were trying way too much to be funny. I think the funniest ep was Hell House (it had a very good plot too). But if I should choose between TT and HB, I would go with Hollywood Babylon... Hey, maybe we need a poll! "What funny ep of SPN do you like best", or something like that :)
no subject
It did give me some great laughs, though. Dean being a geek and with the food, and with Tara...xD And the headset! Poor Sam, having to say everything ten times over because Dean was too involved with being a PA! I loved the GG nod with Jared, too, because I used to watch GG.
I can't really decide whether I like this or Tall Tales better, but Hell House is still my favorite funny ep for sure. :D
no subject
Yep, their union contracts prohibit it. ;-)
Re: Gratuitous food...
Oh geez, were we supposed to be scared?? Ok, um, that didn't work so much for me, either.
I was hoping for something more like X-Files' "Hollywood A.D.
Me, too! That was a great episode.
Gary Cole was killed off too soon!
Tell me about it! I was convinced that he wasn't dead yet when he fell through the ceiling and they'd save him. Surprise! He's really dead! Like I mentioned, a total waste of a great actor.
Dean as a fanboy(with his own sexy headset)was just a delight.
Yep, that truly was the highlight of the entire episode, at least for me!
but if the food is free and just lying around, look out
I know! LOL! Like in Provenance and even in Nightmare he just starts chowing down!
And when that trailer was rockin'--you know, where we'll all be pushing repeat on the DVD--I just yelled, "Oh hell no, you DIDN'T!
When that scene started, with the close up on Tara's name on the trailer and it was shaking I had that exact same reaction! Dean, you horndog, you. LOL! But hey, can you blame him? He got the chance to get a little action with an actress he was a fan of. How many of US would turn down a chance to get a little action with either Jensen or Jared?? LOL!
And I agree, no more freaky eps this season;
Yes, please. Two was one too many this year.
want blood and tears and screeching Impala tires and high stakes. And JOHN
DUDE! Bring it ON!
Re: Gratuitous food...
no subject
Still, it was enjoyable. And maybe the boys needed a bit of a break before the rest of the angst-fest started...
no subject
Man, you must be loving this season! :-)
maybe because Tall Tales and Hollywood Babylon weren't that far appart, it feels like they are overdoing
I agree. Hell House last season was a nice change of pace, as was Tall Tales. But that AND Hollywood Babylon was one funny episode too many this year.
And I also agree that Hell House was the funniest of the bunch. Mainly because it was Sam and Dean just being brothers and screwing around with each other.
Hey, maybe we need a poll! "What funny ep of SPN do you like best"
You know what? I think that's a fun idea! I'll see if I can get one up tonight or tomorrow morning. :-)
no subject
Yeah, that's my feeling, too. I guess maybe because we already had a funny one this season I didn't really see the point in another one, and I enjoyed Tall Tales more, too.
Also, near the end, I wondered why Sam and Dean just stood there while the ghosts ripped into that guy.
You're right! Dean did have the shotgun and the other guy showed him the ghosts attacking him. Yeah, what the guy did was wrong, but they're not usually ones to just stand by and watch someone die.
It did give me some great laughs, though.
And everything you said there are the reasons I enjoyed it as well - Sam and Dean, not the plot! :-)
I can't really decide whether I like this or Tall Tales better, but Hell House is still my favorite funny ep
Mine as well! Because it was just Sam and Dean being brothers messing with one another. Hee!
no subject
Oooh, that's a good way to describe it. Yeah, the plot was just "eh" and there was almost too much time spent with the other characters and not Sam and Dean.
And maybe the boys needed a bit of a break before the rest of the angst-fest started...
True! Looks like there's some heavy duty stuff coming up. Ah, back to the angst!
no subject
In the fake trailer, there was also a scene from Bloodlust, of gordon dipping his knife in the dead man's blood. I have to go through that in slo-mo, I bet there are more! The URL at the end is fake ww.hellhazers2.con
I did love that Madison was mentioned. And I loved them walking off into the sunset. I also loved that Dean knew all the gossip on set! *LOL*
And, I KNOW this will NEVER be used in the series, but Dean's line about liking being a PA, "Kinda feels like I'm part of the team, you know?" (paraphrase) could SO become a great discussion between he and Sam about that feeling being what Sam always wanted as a kid.
Dean LOVES jargon! *hee* And he LOVES responsibility (so long as it doesn't, you know, involve killing siblings or anything) And, of course, Dean LOVES free food! Besides that this has already been established as a Dean thing (the Bugs Bar-B-Q, Provenance Auction, Tall Tales Candy bowl) I wonder if it was doubling as an in-joke about Jared's appetite and craft services?
Also, I know that it isn't an established fact that fangirls make Jensen nervous, but in light of that, it was so CUTE to see him go up to Tara like a fanboy "I know it's uncool to say this but . . ."
Also, I thought Jared's line, "I wonder if the spirits want to shut down the movie 'cause they think it sucks? Cause it kinda does." Could have been funny, I thought it was funny in the promo, but something about the editing or direction or something was off.
Also, I think the girl cracking up while reading the Latin and saying "I hate you guys" HAD to be an in-joke!
no subject
They were, weren't they? Although I sure as heck didn't mind it as much as in No Exit!
In the fake trailer, there was also a scene from Bloodlust, of gordon dipping his knife in the dead man's blood
[snaps fingers] I knew that looked familar! For the life of me I couldn't place it. Thanks!
The URL at the end is fake ww.hellhazers2.con
Yeah, get it? CON? As in "we conned you?" :-)
I also loved that Dean knew all the gossip on set!
Oh gosh, that was too funny, when he's rattling all that off to Sam while they're watching the daillies, and Dean had only been there for half a day!
could SO become a great discussion between he and Sam about that feeling being what Sam always wanted as a kid
You're not the only one who I've read mention that and yeah, I definitely agree. We'll probably never see it, like you said, but I'd love to!
And, of course, Dean LOVES free food!
The food thing KILLED me! And let's not forget Dean chowing down on the free mini weiners in Nightmare, either. :-)
I wonder if it was doubling as an in-joke about Jared's appetite and craft services?
OMG that would be hysterical if that's what it was referring to!
it was so CUTE to see him go up to Tara like a fanboy
His face! Tell me that doesn't look like any fangirl going up to ANY actor they've got a crush on. *g*
Also, I think the girl cracking up while reading the Latin and saying "I hate you guys" HAD to be an in-joke
Yep, can't you just see Jared saying that during one of his many latin speaking scenes and someone off camera starts messing with him? Hee!