The unrated CAPRICA pilot film hit the street today. Huzzah. I saw this several months ago and I am sure a large number of you BSG fans will really enjoy it. Check out what CAPRICA star Esai Morales has to say about Joseph and William Adama in this short interview. Jane Espenson talks about the upcoming CAPRICA TV series here. And The Futon Critic covers last night's CAPRICA panel at the 2009 PaleyFest in Los Angeles...were any of you there? Sounds like a great night.
Buy your CAPRICA DVD on Amazon, or download CAPRICA from iTunes. Let us know what you think!
Meanwhile I'm sure Logan is collecting up a million reviews for us...Right, Logan?
If you're still in a buying mood -- Blu-ray fans can preorder BSG: The Complete Series over on Amazon (also on DVD). And you DVD hounds can read about the 13 hours of extras and the 3 extended episode cuts we'll be getting on the Season 4.5 DVD set (also on Blu-ray). All of which hit the street on July 28th. Oh and here is more info, and photos of the box, for the Blu-ray Complete Series. Yum.
[...sorry, but apparently the tee is sold out.]
26 comments:
*SPOILERS*
Not a fan of Caprica. Daniel gave off a creepy pedophile vibe, his daughter is unlikeable (I wanted to turn the DVD off after the first five minutes), the big moment at the end left me apathetic.... I love the actor who plays Daniel, but it's painfully obvious he was miscast. His wife was wonderful to watch; her range of emotions were honest and raw. The Adamas inclusion added nothing to the story and comes across as a lame ploy to play on our nostalgia for BSG.
When the cylon came to life at the end, I was lol'ing. The end gave the impression that what's coming is a comedy where a robot is dressed up by her bff with prosthetics to look human so she can enter into sitcom hilarity at school, the doctor's office, and home!
The mythology and mystery behind the cylons creation is an unnecessary story to tell. It's doing nothing but upsetting my own imagination of the events before
Do we know which episodes are getting the extended cuts on DVD? I'm pretty sure Islanded and Daybreak will be two, but I'm at a loss for the 3rd.
Ron's directorial debut of course.
According to the podcast Disquiet is one of the extended ones, and one that cut a whole major plot element out due to time.
How did you get to see the pilot early, Proggrrl? Do you have access to the writers? If you do, I'm so jealous! I'd spend so much time chewing their ears off -- metaphorically; I don't have an ear fetish or anything; okay, I do, but that's not what I meant. :)
@muldfeld: Well first of all, I read the CAPRICA script last year (as many fans got to do), and liked what I read.
I was also given a peek at the rough pilot film in December by a friend who works on the show. The visual effects were not in place yet but the cut was pretty final and my opinion remains as positive as it was from the script. In fact, the finished pilot is very faithful to what was published back then.
Enjoy it, folks.
It was *excellent* - really enjoyed it, and it has whetted my appetite for the full series...
Thanks, Proggrrl. I intentionally wanted to avoid reading the script to keep everything a surprise. I got so upset when IGN put up spoilers a month or two ago.
I've preordered my copy months ago, but I'm a bit busy now and it'll arrive in a little over a week. Can't wait! Eric Stoltz is great and I really liked the guy acting as Adama on Jericho. I just hope there's a character as mindblowingly amazing as Baltar in it.
I really hope Toni Graphia and Mark Verheiden return as well as Ron Moore writing more scripts, even if it's a distant hope!
Spoilers.
@dorkyturtle.
You are funny. Yeah, I like Caprica better . . . when it was called "Short Circuit"!
JK. I liked Graystone's creepiness. Any more creepy, though, and he would have been "mad-scientist creepy". I was a little nervous he might belt out a "Mwah hah hah hah hah hah!" laugh when he was delivering one of his monologues. Thankfully, he didn't. The love scene with his wife struck me as particularly creepy, so soon after the death of his daughter. Hmm . . . a scientific genius who has been described as arrogant who seems to be able to disassociate from his feelings, especially when sex is involved. Remind you of someone?
You make a good point about the inclusion of the Adama family. Sure, it resonates, and it adds an interesting and compelling backstory . . . for Battlestar Galactica. I wonder how it will contribute to this series, though. Its purpose is not readily apparent to me.
There is no real mythology to the story of the cylons, so you're safe on that one. There is, however, mystery. This series will certainly take that away from you.
I was intrigued by the blatant racism in the show. It was more subtle in BSG. Although, war against robots would probably bring all colors and creeds of humanity together to some extent. I wonder how it will play out in this series. Along with the sheer decadence shown in this world, the state of humanity up to The Cylon War and The Fall is clarified here. Adama's decommissioning speech in the mini-series is more powerful to me after watching this show.
I hope the secret society of monotheism will add all sorts of intrigue to the series. The headmistress drawing the symbol on the desk sparked my imagination. BSG established there is one, true god. How does he ("he", right?) make himself known to the colonials? We may get answers we wanted from the BSG finale from this show instead. Anyway, I expect the society - and all that it yields - will become one of the more interesting aspects of the series.
Minor hijack of the thread here, forgive me: I met my first BSG fan in person tonight. I have never actually *met* another BSG fan *in person*. She worked at the Barnes and Noble in the DVD section near my house. I asked her if she had received any new releases, and she pointed to the list hanging behind her. She pointed to "The Wrestler", and I wrinkled my nose. She asked me if I was looking for something in particular, and I simply said, "Caprica". To that, she put her hand to her chest and swooned (I'm not kidding. She swooned. The woman swooned). Of course, we talked about the finale and such.
Oh! They ran out of copies of "Caprica", so I went to Target and got one. [insert rim-shot sound-effect here]
@ Proggrrl
So, will Galactica Sitrep include news, interviews and opinions on Caprica from around the web from here on out?
GB
I'm not convinced that RM was ending the discussion (in Daybreak) with "yes, there is one true god"... what I got from that epilogue was more that Head-B and Head-Six think/interact/are aware of an intelligence that interfaces with the universe in ways we/the Colonials don't. Which doesn't make them righter than we are, just differently knowledged (not necessarily more). :)
I'd bet on Kara or Sam, or Laura or Lee any day, before I'd trust H-B or H-6... I think that they (K-S-L-L) knew things the (creepy) Heads never could.
And I'd back that up with this interesting quote from Caprica tonight: "It doesn’t concern you sister, that kind of absolutist view of the universe, right and wrong determined solely by a single all-knowing, all-powerful being whose judgment cannot be questioned and in whose name the most horrendous of acts can be sanctioned without appeal?"
Which sounds an awful lot to me like Ron Moore talking in somebody else's mouth. He's never seemed like a mono-follower to me - either that, or he thinks that he has to appease the general paganism of sf-fans, and has been playing us all along. :)
Remember the old hybrid's statement that his children think of him as a god? I've wondered, are the Head-Six and Head-Baltar those children? Esp. since those Cylons were clearly of an earlier incarnation.
I think (hope) that in Daybreak, Ron was teasing out definitions of reality, data, memory, identity, etc. and how those may be transmitted throughout the universe... and I think Caprica reinforces that. If soul/self can be transmitted and retained as data parts (per Zoe), and the forms of that transmission are only limited by technology, then wouldn't an advanced technology have the potential to jet souls/selves about, as the Heads traveled space and time?
But does that answer the Mystery of it all? I don't think so. And I think Starbuck and Sam were a part of Mystery and not just technology. In the western world, technology is often held to cancel out Mystery. Ron has often seem to suggest that they may cancel each other out in our comprehension, but not in possibility. The lovely Base Ship hybrid seemed to fuse that space of tech and Mystery... I wish we could have seen more of her. (Will she be explained in Caprica? If so, they'd better do well by her, or I will protest loudly...)
All that said, I feel betrayed by the epilogue of BSG 4.5. Even if I think Ron is playing with us, it still feels yucky to be poked at, as if what just went before didn't matter. I wouldn't have minded him walking about in Vancouver reading the magazine... I just didn't need the banter of the Heads. (Especially after bumping off nearly all the women of the series, and leaving the best men bereft, or in Sam's case, dead.)
To return to Caprica... my favorite part was the end. The thought that Zoe (which means life) will inherit the stars is somehow immensely appealing. I rather hope she isn't stuck for eternity with that creepy Ben, though... that would bum anyone's cosmic trip!
I did find Amanda Graystone wonderful. I'd expected to dislike her character based on the previews, but I thought she was just right. The Sister was horrid (not horridly acted, just horrid)... but even Daniel was comprehensible. Very much like Baltar - narcissistic, arrogant, amoral - but also a bit more real in temperature.
I hope they do decently by Lacey (I am afraid they won't) and get rid of Ben sooner rather than later (" "). Ben and Sister Clarice were much too "bad" for me -- what I like about BSG is its revelation of human/cylon complexity, and I really hope Caprica follows that up. So either they need to get them out of B&W and into the gray scale fast, or the writers need to bump off those two characters!
... Whew! Now that was rather more than I intended to say! :)
Sorry. Is there a reason Caprica is already available for sale but not broadcast? I guess I answered my own question.
I almost rushed over to iTunes and bought it. Then I remembered the Razor stand alone sale shortly followed by it's repackaging with season 3 at a much reduced price.
I'm not sure who does the marketing and promotion for the show but between the very long season breaks (not including the strike, unpleasant as it was), the Razor/Season 3 debacle and the horrifically bad show ending they are not doing Battlestar nee Caprica any justice by having it available but charging for it.
I do hope people are willing to wait until summer or fall for "The Plan" and even longer for Caprica to reach broadcast television. Though in TV land that can be a very long time.
Yes I understand it's a matter of individual choice but I'm not willing to be tricked again by marketing scheme with shaky results. Like the show finale.
@mad: I guess you haven't been reading our blog very closely, as we've been covering this whole situation in a sort of ludicrous detail that only folks who comment regularly on fan blogs might want to hear about. ;-P
This unrated, extended cut (along with the extras on the DVD) is coming out now to feed our BSG need...to get us psyched about the new prequel series...and to allow SyFy and TPTB to get some fandom feedback about this first glimpse at the new show.
There's no real downside here to fans, as far as I can see. But I know some of you just enjoy bitching and moaning, no matter what. LOL.
@madmonq I have to agree with you. I have a sneaky hunch that Caprica will be packaged with 4.5 when it comes out this fall. I'm in no huge rush to see Caprica, so I will add it to my Netflix queue and wait along with everyone else.
@ProgGrrl I'm not bitching and moaning. It's a matter of economy. I am only working PT now and don't know how long THAT will last. Entertainment spending money is a thing of the past.
@martel...What about renting the DVD from netflix or whomever you rent from? That way you won't need to wait so long.
I'm torn on this. I found it enjoyable enough but I question whether that stems from quality or its BSG connection; in other words, would I enjoy this show as much on its own as I did knowing it's laying the backstory for Battlestar? Unfortunately, I can never answer that.
And while it didn't immediately hook me as the miniseries did it was still an interesting ninety minutes, and I'll definitely tune in for the premiere (which I hope isn't this film turned into two episodes).
Oh, and the boobs totally shocked me. In, you know, an awesome way.
Hey, has anyone seen this trailer for the miniseries before it aired? It has all kinds of alternate takes and bits of dialogue that were obviously deleted from the final cut.
What a trailer, though; it really conveys the themes of the show!
@ProGrrl. No real downside for fans? How about paying for a product that is ready for broadcast? Or do you mean only true fans are willing to shell out while unbelievers are thrust into outer darkness? At least I'll have my 30 bucks.
Fan feedback? If they were that interested they wouldn't charge for it. Fan feedback will not change a whit of the show. Studio feedback is another story. See:Firefly.
Please note that I, once again, wished Caprica and "The Plan" well. But I'm also glad my bitching was justified, however incidentally. martel and neverAcquiesce make good points. neverAcquiesce in particular, wondering if Caprica is a rebound relationship or the real thing, proving you can ask questions and still be loyal. Then, there are others who appear happy to have a date no matter how badly they are treated.
If you want to be an apologist for your faith, fine. Please be reminded, that doesn't mean your faith is well placed in the first place.
@mad: you pay the $18 to get the unrated, full cut, with the extras on the DVD. Just $15 if you buy it on iTunes.
This blog is very much written from the perspective of truefans who like BSG so much that they want to buy all the pieces as they come. We don't see that as a negative. And obviously you have to pay the going rates; in fact, our payments to NBCU's home video department is one of the things that keeps this franchise very alive and keeps our DVD sets full of features and extras. It's called "show business" for a reason, and some of us understand that.
Any fan who doesn't have interest or funds to buy this stuff, can wait till 2010 and watch the broadcast version of Caprica, obviously.
rented it the other night. Very enjoyable although , as some have said, I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much coming in " cold " as it were. Unlike some others I liked the girl playing Zoe a lot. She seemed like a real kid to me.
I will be watching it again before returning it to the local renty place.
I didn't love it. I liked it. This disturbs me a bit. I want to love it. I need something to fill up the vasty nothingness in my TV obsession life. Not one fraking decent trivial obsession in my life right now. I guess I will have to get some work done and go back to being a boring grownup. Grumble grumble.
Great pilot by the way, BSG fans have it way better that Star Wars fans did with their prequels.
And it makes me want to see an episode on Tauron, just to see the way things are there.
I thought the quality of all things "Battlestar Galactica" continued with "Caprica". I've followed this closely since SciFi first announced interest in a prequel series some years ago. I admit skepticism clashed with fandom until this past Tuesday, when I finally got to see the episode I'd waited years to see.
Let me say this is NOT the Miniseries; not in scope nor scale, but it isn't meant to be is it? I find the pilot adds so much to the mythology only hinted at in BSG and the pilot gets better upon repeat viewings. The origin of Cylon monotheism, mistrust of Caprican aristocracy, the drive to "play god, create life", even the stoicism of William Adama, and much more, are all given faces and names to help enhance not detract from BSG.
Its subtle but once you get used to the style of "Caprica" it is sweeping and much more grounded than "Battlestar Galactica" by virtue of both setting and subject. This is a society on the brink, BLIND to what is coming. Heck, some are blissfully heralding the Fall. "They know not what they do."
A great number of cards are set in the pilot that remain to be played out. Nevermind the overall Cylon arc, which is endlessly fascinating, more than any Terminator (I am a fan of that franchise as well despite recent missteps). You've glimpsed all the layers of prejudice, rampant nationalism, conspiracy and assassination, criminal syndicates, religious extremism and indoctrination, (watch out for Lacy and Sister Willow in Terrorism 101)trains blowing up, pyramid games, sexual revolution, bloated consumerism and holobands (I want one) which all beg moral, ethical, and legal debates(Joseph Adams/Adama is a lawyer with mafia ties! Can Zoe or any avatar be tried for treason?, etc.) all thanks to a single episode.
I continually say to naysayers about "Caprica" that Battlestar had 50,000 stories to tell during one war, "Caprica" has more than 50,000,000,000 over 5 decades, 12 or more worlds, from all walks of life crossing every and all genres, and a couple of interstellar wars BEFORE the Cylon Revolts, and they will.
I was prepared to dislike "Caprica" and to be done with the Colonies for good...much like I was prepared to dislike Galactica from the beginning. I suspect with the same caliber of authorship and execution, that is regretfully rare on television, I will be a regular viewer. I'm loving "Caprica" the more I think about it, which is what all good drama should do, with boobies, guns and robots...
So Say We All.
Program note: I have collected a ton of Caprica reviews from all kinds of press outlets and websites, that I will be posting shortly. Plus, there are bunch of great videos from the Paley Caprica event, and some other interesting items that I'll be posting here shortly.
@Eric: yeah that's one of my favorite things about CAPRICA, the Tauron (and Adama family) backstory. I assume that we'll be seeing a lot more of that, of the crime family, and hopefully of all the other planets as well.
Perhaps even...the Baltar Family farm? ;-)
Speaking of Baltar - did anyone find Daniel Graystone's home and Baltar's home in the miniseries very similar?
I think you're onto something ProgGrrl, Daniel could pay Baltar's family farm a visit at one point or another :D
I think the Caprica pilot was pretty awesome myself. The story is great, and stands up by itself even without the help of BSG. My friend who doesn't even like scifi came around by chance just as i put it on to play, and is now a convert. Vowing to watch the entire BSG series before the Caprica episodes come out.
And all the nods to BSG and the backstory made it such a pleasure for a true BSG fan like me to watch. omg... the closing scene gave me some serious goosebumps
Did anybody think the nightclub had the same look as the opera house?
It was the same location...the V-Club is the Opera House
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