Post by Jester on Oct 29, 2012 6:31:08 GMT -5
Good day one and all, boys and Indy, welcome, welcome, welcome.
This Thursday the 1st of November I shall be celebrating my anniversary of me joining this site. One whole year of chatbox perving, wanking and shitting. A year of The Long Coats, VOID and Inferno. A year of reviews, suggesting songs and stalking you all on facebook.
So bring a bottle and some cake and celebrate my RU first Birthday with me.
(Also, friday the 9th is my actual 21st. So yay me!)
To kick things off, every day this week leading up to thursday, I shall be revealing my top ten favourite scripts of my year on RU. Keep your eyes peeled on this thread...
10.
This was one of the very first scripts I read on the site and still remains one of the secret joys of the forum. Johno's Pokémon script plays out like a wonderful tongue in cheek self aware ode to the legendary series. Being a fan myself I was incredibly receptive to the gags. Johno expertly crafted the style and quirks of the Anime series, whilst parodying the game series and overall Pokémon legacy as a whole. But Johno pulls a fast one in the final act by taking quite the dramatic turn, and suddenly what's at stake matters.
It's a shame Pokémon: Black&White didn't receive more reviews. I originally didn't score it, as I was still perfecting my review method, but in hindsight---
9.
A very recent script I read and reviewed holds 9th place. It's a shame it took me so long to get into Real Fantasy as I feel like I've missed out on a lot I'm sure I would have enjoyed. However, Real Fantasy II has been a great fresh access point to the show and I'm slowly putting things together. This fourth entry into season two provided a completely unexpected u-turn. From the hilarious wacky opening moments I realised I was in for a rare treat. The sheer enjoyment of this episode left me grinning from ear to ear. It was a risk, and a gamble pulling an episode like this, but it worked wonders.
8.
Another very recent entry sits in at number 8. Chilled's show Pulse as a whole is solid. In my review for episode 2 I compared it to Homeland. Both shows in the same sense have a feel of history and omniscience. Episode 2 was simply airtight. Chilled knows what he is doing. He knows where he is going and it's not for me to question him. I'm strapped in for the ride. The concept alone is unique in the fact it takes several established ideas; the blackout, the superpowers, the post apocalyptic world (no zombies yet mind you), the shadowy Organisation and experiments etc and combines them in this winning formula. It's a lot to balance, but Pulse does it masterfully. And this second episode is a huge and enjoyable testimony to that fact.
7.
Black Skies at Night was always slightly special to me. Day 1 of joining the site ONE YEAR AGO!!! Black Skies was the first show I was exposed to. The appeal of the thread, it's ominous title, it's summery left me quite excited. I was so taken with Black Skies, that I stole the title for myself. The main appeal for me however, was the fact I'd begun work on a similar idea which would eventually become Inferno. Being fascinated by the religions motifs and whatnot made me excited to see what another writer could do with it. I waited patiently for the pilot which I eventually read and reviewed. But for me it was the second part of the pilot which really shone. Dean has a wonderful talent for capturing the dialect and tones of characters, often portraying regional accents with ease. I was left quite stunned by this achievement. The action packed furious plot was daringly captivating and full of imagery (big fan). It's a shame the show was axed. I was a fan.
6.
A Winchester of different sorts. It's no secret that I'm a Goosebumps fan. A SAM WINCHESTER Goosebumps fan. Goosebumps as a show really resonated inside of me. I connected with it's message on growing up and found myself quite smitten by Matthew and Co's plight. I loved the first two episodes, as you can see in my reviews for them, but it was this episode that made me realise I was reading something very very special. I can only describe this episode as iconic. The image of the young girl bursting into flames on the stage still echoes in my head. It was wonderfully tragic and gothic and it all played out in my favourite place; the theatre. Character development went hand in hand with the plot here, a key moment for me would be Marlene "under cover" having a part in the play. Such a bold step forward for the otherwise private young Vampiress. This episode was the moment I realised Sam is often in a league of his own.
5.
The Rider was reviewed back on Moviereels in a time when my reviewing method left something to be desired. However, the Rider was one of those scripts I would have barely paused to quote. Maybe it shouldn't be in this list because it was reviewed in my time before here, but fuck you! ... Sorted.
From it's opening train robbery (which I still remember!) The Rider plays out like a Tour De Force of Western homages. It's quite inspiring seeing such classic storytelling methods click together. You got The Outlaw, The mostly silent Rider, The gang, The sheriff, and barmaid, the train robbery, the shoot out, its just the perfect formula. The title character- ominous nameless "Rider"; man of few words, recalls Sergio Leone's Man With No Name. Daz captured the allusive poetry of Western's which is often a hard thing to achieve.
4.
I've always been an Indef Fan. It's an appealing show done with enough British edgy wit and sarcastic humour that it just clicks for me. Furtherly, Daz imbeds the fair share of cultural references which I've always seen as an American thing to do. But it all works here. Episode 4 for me was Daz perfecting his formula. Everything felt balanced, but more importantly, it came full circle. I'd had some issues with the previous episodes feeling a little open ended, but when Cake signed off it's final page I felt a sense of resolution. More importantly, I felt pretty content. Cake managed to give a strong message, drive it's characters forward and entertain me all at the same time. Indef's finest episode to date. The show sits in it's own calibre of class, and this really was it's finest moment.
3.
Sadly this is the only episode of Boundless, a show with infinite possibilities. The concept alone was intriguing. But then you add a writer with Neckie's finesse, and you have something truly unique and wonderful. Necktie combined genre's into possibly the most dazzling script I've ever read. Carried by a sarcastic quick fire wit lead character and kept fresh by the ever-shifting Genre, Boundless kept me as a reader on my toes. What helped was buckets of mystery and gallery of the finest supporting character's I've read. The script was bursting with its sheer imagination, visual style and a confidence that showed Necktie knew he was about to achieve something special.
2.
I think we all know I'm an Eden fan. But to be perfectly honest, I hate the zombie genre with a passion. I find it done to death (ha), tiresome and lacking in originality. Plus, I've always found Zombie stories to be unfocused in their lure. Like, do Zombies gain superhuman strength or some shit when they die because they seem to rip flesh apart and smash down doors with relative ease. My zombie hate meant that Johno had a lot to deliver on in order to win me over. How'd he do it? With powerful characters, each well structured and thought out. Sometimes Eden verges on melodrama but often the balance is perfect, giving me engaging plot and constantly asking questions of it's reader. I love any show that's trying to say something, that's making it's audience uncomfortable, making us all think. Eden reaches these levels often.
However, it was the episode "Birthday" which got me the most. "Birthday" came after a string of uneven episodes so my expectations were exceeded. Johno took a heartwarming bittersweet story, stripped it off the dangers of melodrama, and presented a likeable heart wrenching tale of love and loss between brothers. It presented a metaphorical lost of innocence and a sense of the harsh reality of a new world.
I'm not ashamed to admit it brought me to tears. It's central relationship was written so naturally that a real human beauty shone right through into my heart. It remains Johno's Magnum Opus and one of the sites true greats.
1.
Ok... SURPRISE! Not. I think we all knew it'd be this script. I think more so than any other script, this episode holds a special place in my heart. I think Sam achieved things with "Monster Blood, Galaga and Castles" that probably wasn't intentional. But sometimes that happens. It's the magic of creative writing.
I had a nightmare writing the review. I wrote a long ass essay and lost it due to a shitty internet signal. I originally scored it a 9/10. However, I slept on it, and had fantastic dreams of Aliens, gothic romance, zombies, knights and all sorts. When I woke, I realised how my mind was still thinking about 1.06 and in truth, there wasn't a single flaw to be found.
It's always a brave thing to do, stepping away from the main plot and giving a self contained episode, especially one as quirky as this one. But if there is one man for the job, then that man is Sam Winchester. What was delivered was a fantastical comic piece which reached deeper levels of character development , simply by having the characters sitting around telling stories, than any other show I've seen. It was beautiful and poetic and recalled so many great moments from my own childhood. To this day, it makes my eyes sting to think the most important thing in Matthew's life (amongst all the monsters and chaos) was getting a high score! What a perfect and innocent time of life to be at.
Sitting there, not dressed, middle of the day, unemployed with my tea, 1.06 (and Goosebumps as a whole) warmed my heart and pulled at it's strings. It was topped off by a wonderfully unspoken final story, shared in confidentiality with us, the audience, and Marlene which left me smiling like I was in love. It's a beautiful thing for a script to do that and here Sam did it with such ease. It's truly admirable.
So kudos. 1.06 still remains Goosebumps diamond moment for me, and I'm sure I'll never forget it. <3
This Thursday the 1st of November I shall be celebrating my anniversary of me joining this site. One whole year of chatbox perving, wanking and shitting. A year of The Long Coats, VOID and Inferno. A year of reviews, suggesting songs and stalking you all on facebook.
So bring a bottle and some cake and celebrate my RU first Birthday with me.
(Also, friday the 9th is my actual 21st. So yay me!)
To kick things off, every day this week leading up to thursday, I shall be revealing my top ten favourite scripts of my year on RU. Keep your eyes peeled on this thread...
JESTER'S TOP TEN---
10.
"Pokémon: Black&White"
By Johno
By Johno
This was one of the very first scripts I read on the site and still remains one of the secret joys of the forum. Johno's Pokémon script plays out like a wonderful tongue in cheek self aware ode to the legendary series. Being a fan myself I was incredibly receptive to the gags. Johno expertly crafted the style and quirks of the Anime series, whilst parodying the game series and overall Pokémon legacy as a whole. But Johno pulls a fast one in the final act by taking quite the dramatic turn, and suddenly what's at stake matters.
It's a shame Pokémon: Black&White didn't receive more reviews. I originally didn't score it, as I was still perfecting my review method, but in hindsight---
9/10
9.
Real Fantasy- 1.04- "The Magician"
By Kurai
By Kurai
A very recent script I read and reviewed holds 9th place. It's a shame it took me so long to get into Real Fantasy as I feel like I've missed out on a lot I'm sure I would have enjoyed. However, Real Fantasy II has been a great fresh access point to the show and I'm slowly putting things together. This fourth entry into season two provided a completely unexpected u-turn. From the hilarious wacky opening moments I realised I was in for a rare treat. The sheer enjoyment of this episode left me grinning from ear to ear. It was a risk, and a gamble pulling an episode like this, but it worked wonders.
Original Score--- 9.5/10
8.
Pulse- 1.02- "The Things we Have, the Things we’ve Lost"
By Chilled DC
By Chilled DC
Another very recent entry sits in at number 8. Chilled's show Pulse as a whole is solid. In my review for episode 2 I compared it to Homeland. Both shows in the same sense have a feel of history and omniscience. Episode 2 was simply airtight. Chilled knows what he is doing. He knows where he is going and it's not for me to question him. I'm strapped in for the ride. The concept alone is unique in the fact it takes several established ideas; the blackout, the superpowers, the post apocalyptic world (no zombies yet mind you), the shadowy Organisation and experiments etc and combines them in this winning formula. It's a lot to balance, but Pulse does it masterfully. And this second episode is a huge and enjoyable testimony to that fact.
Original Score--- 9/10
7.
Black Skies at Night- 1.02- "Devil’s Delight, Part 2"
By Dean Winchester
By Dean Winchester
Black Skies at Night was always slightly special to me. Day 1 of joining the site ONE YEAR AGO!!! Black Skies was the first show I was exposed to. The appeal of the thread, it's ominous title, it's summery left me quite excited. I was so taken with Black Skies, that I stole the title for myself. The main appeal for me however, was the fact I'd begun work on a similar idea which would eventually become Inferno. Being fascinated by the religions motifs and whatnot made me excited to see what another writer could do with it. I waited patiently for the pilot which I eventually read and reviewed. But for me it was the second part of the pilot which really shone. Dean has a wonderful talent for capturing the dialect and tones of characters, often portraying regional accents with ease. I was left quite stunned by this achievement. The action packed furious plot was daringly captivating and full of imagery (big fan). It's a shame the show was axed. I was a fan.
Original Score--- 9/10
6.
Goosebumps- 1.03- "Phantom of the Auditorium"
By Sam Winchester
By Sam Winchester
A Winchester of different sorts. It's no secret that I'm a Goosebumps fan. A SAM WINCHESTER Goosebumps fan. Goosebumps as a show really resonated inside of me. I connected with it's message on growing up and found myself quite smitten by Matthew and Co's plight. I loved the first two episodes, as you can see in my reviews for them, but it was this episode that made me realise I was reading something very very special. I can only describe this episode as iconic. The image of the young girl bursting into flames on the stage still echoes in my head. It was wonderfully tragic and gothic and it all played out in my favourite place; the theatre. Character development went hand in hand with the plot here, a key moment for me would be Marlene "under cover" having a part in the play. Such a bold step forward for the otherwise private young Vampiress. This episode was the moment I realised Sam is often in a league of his own.
Original Score--- 10/10
5.
"The Rider"
by Daz
by Daz
The Rider was reviewed back on Moviereels in a time when my reviewing method left something to be desired. However, the Rider was one of those scripts I would have barely paused to quote. Maybe it shouldn't be in this list because it was reviewed in my time before here, but fuck you! ... Sorted.
From it's opening train robbery (which I still remember!) The Rider plays out like a Tour De Force of Western homages. It's quite inspiring seeing such classic storytelling methods click together. You got The Outlaw, The mostly silent Rider, The gang, The sheriff, and barmaid, the train robbery, the shoot out, its just the perfect formula. The title character- ominous nameless "Rider"; man of few words, recalls Sergio Leone's Man With No Name. Daz captured the allusive poetry of Western's which is often a hard thing to achieve.
Original Score--- 5/5
4.
Indefinitely Delayed- 1.04- "Cake"
By Daz
By Daz
I've always been an Indef Fan. It's an appealing show done with enough British edgy wit and sarcastic humour that it just clicks for me. Furtherly, Daz imbeds the fair share of cultural references which I've always seen as an American thing to do. But it all works here. Episode 4 for me was Daz perfecting his formula. Everything felt balanced, but more importantly, it came full circle. I'd had some issues with the previous episodes feeling a little open ended, but when Cake signed off it's final page I felt a sense of resolution. More importantly, I felt pretty content. Cake managed to give a strong message, drive it's characters forward and entertain me all at the same time. Indef's finest episode to date. The show sits in it's own calibre of class, and this really was it's finest moment.
Original Score--- 9/10
3.
Boundless- 1.01-"Pilot"
By Necktie
By Necktie
Sadly this is the only episode of Boundless, a show with infinite possibilities. The concept alone was intriguing. But then you add a writer with Neckie's finesse, and you have something truly unique and wonderful. Necktie combined genre's into possibly the most dazzling script I've ever read. Carried by a sarcastic quick fire wit lead character and kept fresh by the ever-shifting Genre, Boundless kept me as a reader on my toes. What helped was buckets of mystery and gallery of the finest supporting character's I've read. The script was bursting with its sheer imagination, visual style and a confidence that showed Necktie knew he was about to achieve something special.
Original Score--- 9/10
2.
Eden Rising- 1.08- "Birthday"
By Johno
By Johno
I think we all know I'm an Eden fan. But to be perfectly honest, I hate the zombie genre with a passion. I find it done to death (ha), tiresome and lacking in originality. Plus, I've always found Zombie stories to be unfocused in their lure. Like, do Zombies gain superhuman strength or some shit when they die because they seem to rip flesh apart and smash down doors with relative ease. My zombie hate meant that Johno had a lot to deliver on in order to win me over. How'd he do it? With powerful characters, each well structured and thought out. Sometimes Eden verges on melodrama but often the balance is perfect, giving me engaging plot and constantly asking questions of it's reader. I love any show that's trying to say something, that's making it's audience uncomfortable, making us all think. Eden reaches these levels often.
However, it was the episode "Birthday" which got me the most. "Birthday" came after a string of uneven episodes so my expectations were exceeded. Johno took a heartwarming bittersweet story, stripped it off the dangers of melodrama, and presented a likeable heart wrenching tale of love and loss between brothers. It presented a metaphorical lost of innocence and a sense of the harsh reality of a new world.
I'm not ashamed to admit it brought me to tears. It's central relationship was written so naturally that a real human beauty shone right through into my heart. It remains Johno's Magnum Opus and one of the sites true greats.
Original Score--- 10/10
1.
Goosebumps- 1.06- "Monster Blood, Galaga and Castles"
By Sam Winchester
By Sam Winchester
Ok... SURPRISE! Not. I think we all knew it'd be this script. I think more so than any other script, this episode holds a special place in my heart. I think Sam achieved things with "Monster Blood, Galaga and Castles" that probably wasn't intentional. But sometimes that happens. It's the magic of creative writing.
I had a nightmare writing the review. I wrote a long ass essay and lost it due to a shitty internet signal. I originally scored it a 9/10. However, I slept on it, and had fantastic dreams of Aliens, gothic romance, zombies, knights and all sorts. When I woke, I realised how my mind was still thinking about 1.06 and in truth, there wasn't a single flaw to be found.
It's always a brave thing to do, stepping away from the main plot and giving a self contained episode, especially one as quirky as this one. But if there is one man for the job, then that man is Sam Winchester. What was delivered was a fantastical comic piece which reached deeper levels of character development , simply by having the characters sitting around telling stories, than any other show I've seen. It was beautiful and poetic and recalled so many great moments from my own childhood. To this day, it makes my eyes sting to think the most important thing in Matthew's life (amongst all the monsters and chaos) was getting a high score! What a perfect and innocent time of life to be at.
Sitting there, not dressed, middle of the day, unemployed with my tea, 1.06 (and Goosebumps as a whole) warmed my heart and pulled at it's strings. It was topped off by a wonderfully unspoken final story, shared in confidentiality with us, the audience, and Marlene which left me smiling like I was in love. It's a beautiful thing for a script to do that and here Sam did it with such ease. It's truly admirable.
So kudos. 1.06 still remains Goosebumps diamond moment for me, and I'm sure I'll never forget it. <3
Original Score--- 10/10
So there you have it. Here's to another year of reviews from me to you and you to me. Much love angels, sleep tight! <3
since no one else decided to comment. 
I do appreciate it. 
