Completely Mindless, somewhat lame, spontaneous fandom pop culture war poll

[shadowkat]

So here's my completely mindless and spontaneous pop culture fandom war poll. The questions pertain to wars that I've seen on fan boards and live journal posts since 2002. I could only post 15 questions. So that left out a few cool ones. All the questions - I've seen heated discussions about online, believe it or not, that's why they came to mind. I mean a couple of people really hate or love some of these choices with a PASSION, almost as if their very lives depended on it. Also, you have to make a choice, no, indecisive wish-washy - oh I love everyone. Because what's the fun in that? You can skip questions of course. Outside of that? No real rules.

And since I posted it, I'll take it too. Although, you probably can already guess most of my answers. ;-) (ETA: on the last question - I wavered. I like both, and I read one more than the one I picked, at least recently, but that's mostly because the other requires too much brain-power, and I'm mentally drained at the moment.)

[Poll #1164928]

Comments

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Oh - I think Star Trek is a clear winner in most polls - because of the Star Wars prequels and well it is showing it's age. While Trek, revitalized itself with STNG and the middle films.

Agree on TV vs. films. It used to be the opposite, but since the advent of cable - that's changed. Cable shows such as the Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Sex in the City, and others raised the bar on network shows.
Also in TV - you have more time to tell the story. In a way it's the difference between reading a short story or short novel and a novel or series of novels.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I've always loved short stories. I've often felt that a short story really showed how well a story teller could give me characters, a setting and could order their thoughts and ideas into something clear with some punch.... When I loved an author I always would seek out their short stories because they really seemed to be something special (I think Oscar Wilde's best work were the short story fairy tales he wrote).

But it is true that it is harder to really create an interesting, layered character in a film, and have time to give the character (even harder in an ensemble) an arc of any interest, all while telling a good story. But when I was young I frequently found that movies could do that for me.... now it is rare. Most movies feel like they use stock characters instead of coming up with unique individuals, and they have no arc.... It all feels like it was assembled by committee. I don't think I'm being too critical, I think most movies coming out of Hollywood are boring (violent but ultimately with nothing deeper to say).

In the old days TV shows were pretty thin, and totally predictable. My Father used to tell us the ending before the show was even to the first commercial, and he was rarely wrong. But lately we've been getting some really imaginative TV! Pushing Daisies, Chuck, and some of the other new shows seem to have some interesting characters and surprising story lines.... As you know, I'm blown away by Dexter!

Anyway, I think you are right:
I loved the first two Star Wars (I mean episodes IV and V, and I find that numbering to be annoying) but it seemed to just get worse after that IMO. The most disappointing thing about the prequels is that they sucked all the fun out of those first films (besides, I hated Geo Lucas going back and altering some scenes from the earlier films).

OTOH I can still enjoy watching ST:tos, and I love rewatching ST:NG and ST:DS9... I don't really care about most of the movies that were made in the Star Trek universe, most of them were embarrassing.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Can't say I share you love of short stories - having written and read quite few. English Lit majors read and write a lot of short stories.

They are hard to do well. Unlike a film - where you can tell alot in the space of a second or two, a short story can often take four pages to get the same thought across.
There are a couple masters - but they invariably depress the heck out of me - Updike, Cheever, Lorrie Moore, Issac Asimov, Harlan Ellison, Philip K.Dick, and more.

I think my main problem with them is I'm also left wanting more, left unsatisfied. For me reading a short story is akin to well eating a cream puff. Tasty. But not satisfying.

The other problem with short stories is there is no real market - a complaint that Stephen King made recently. It is very hard to get short stories published. It is oddly easier to get a novel published - believe it or not.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

It is too bad that there isn't a market for short stories, it used to be that newspapers carried some fiction, and there were a lot of magazines w/good fiction... Actually I would be happy if there was more market for serials (like the way Dickens was originally published back in his day).

I'm satisfied if the author really manages to tell his whole story: in addition to Oscar Wilde, I absolutely adored William Sayronian's short stories (I thought they were way better than his novels, almost as good as his plays). It seems like a wonderful complete gem to me.... Often w/novels I feel that the author is rambling on and telling me stuff that isn't part of the story. I guess I'm just saying that the written piece should be just as long as it needs to be, and I often feel that some novels are flabby.

Jane Austen is a good example of a novelist I love because she is such an elegant writer: using language and imagery that says exactly what she means to say, and doesn't drone on and on.

But of course I realize it is all a matter of taste, and it isn't like I don't read a lot of novels! Have you gotten Jim Butcher's latest yet? I've ordered it but I won't get it for a while....