Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community  

Go Back   Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community > Interests > Tilted Entertainment


 
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 02-09-2008, 10:24 PM   #1 (permalink)
Tilted
 
creepysusie's Avatar
 
CBC's new "JPod"

Ok, as a HUGE Douglas Coupland fan, I was originally super excited about the production of the Canadian TV show, <i>JPod</i> from the adaptation of the book of the same name.

Now that it has been on for a while. What are some thoughts on it?

I personally dislike it. with a passion.

The book was a wonderous piece of fiction. The show is a cheesy sit-com.
creepysusie is offline  
Old 02-09-2008, 10:37 PM   #2 (permalink)
Young Crumudgeon
 
Martian's Avatar
 
Location: Canada
I haven't yet read jPod and don't generally turn on my television for anything other than hockey games. I did enjoy Microserfs, however, so I'll have to bump the book up on my list. I hadn't decided what to read next yet anyway, so it may as well be that.

After I read the book, I'll probably check out the show. I'll likely have to pirate it off the internets, but what the hell. If it's CBC programming I reckon I've already paid for the bloody thing anyway.
__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame
Martian is offline  
Old 02-10-2008, 12:01 AM   #3 (permalink)
change is hard.
 
thespian86's Avatar
 
Location: the green room.
I own most of Coupland's stuff but really disliked JPod; almost as much as I hate his new one The Gum Thief. Anyways, I'm more into his older stuff. Didn't watch the show because I didn't like the novel.
__________________
EX: Whats new?
ME: I officially love coffee more then you now.
EX: uh...
ME: So, not much.
thespian86 is offline  
Old 02-10-2008, 01:42 AM   #4 (permalink)
Getting it.
 
Charlatan's Avatar
 
Super Moderator
Location: Lion City
I love Coupland's work but haven't been able to see the new series as I am out of the country.

Is it really that bad? It has some great writers working on it and the word in the industry is that it's quite good. Apparently the later episodes take it to a new level (I know, I hate hearing that too).

The one thing I do know is that the ratings have been dropping like a rock.
__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke
Charlatan is offline  
Old 02-10-2008, 11:52 PM   #5 (permalink)
Tilted
 
creepysusie's Avatar
 
Well, they filmed parts of it at SFU (my university of study), which particularly vexed me because i was not allowed to walk on certain parts of the campus due to filming. I figured that if I pay for my tuition, i should be given the right to walk wherever I shall damned like.
Maybe that is keeping me from warming up to it. But all the advertising has been pushing the show so heavily so it was so disappointing to see it to be so horrible. I like Douglas Coupland; I haven't read Gum thief, but i have most of his library and have seen some of his art work in person and I find it fascinating.
I mean the show has lots of little bits of Coupland in it. when they are changing scenes, there is the type of still art like graphics you would expect from him. I enjoyed that aspect of it, because i like his jilted art style. But unfortunately, I find that to be the most creative part of the show.
It not only forces romantic couplings in the show of Ethan and Kaitlin in such an uncomfortable way, but is heavily hinting towards a relationship between John Doe and Bree.

And what is with all the racial stereotypes?? I'm chinese, but hell, my parents didn't wish i was a boy to the point that Bree's parents exagerate it! And the british lady? ppphhhhttt
creepysusie is offline  
Old 02-18-2008, 12:48 AM   #6 (permalink)
Young Crumudgeon
 
Martian's Avatar
 
Location: Canada
Well, I've read jPod. And I really wanted to enjoy it. I did enjoy it, but it certainly isn't Microserfs.

Anyone who hasn't read the book and would like to do so unspoiled should not read any further.

The characters are defined by their quirks to the point of one-dimensionality. Cowboy is a cough syrup-swilling sex fiend, Kam is a crazy charismatic Chinese gangster, John Doe is obsessively normal, etc. I understand why these things are included, but there is absolutely nothing more to these characters. As a result they feel more like sit-com characters than anything else. It's impossible to build up any empathy for them because they're not human.

I enjoyed Coupland's self-portrayal and I wonder if he's truly as evil and exploitative as he depicts himself to be. All the same, the subplot of him buying Ethan's laptops felt forced. It's as if Coupland read through his first draft, realized that there was no way readers would suspend disbelief to that level and added this whole twist of him buying someone's life instead of writing a piece of fiction to try to lend the book an air of authenticity. That's not really necessary, as part of the book's charm is that it's so damn surreal. Ethan's mother is running a highly regulated and very lucrative grow-op in the basement and has no problem with threatening bikers with a gun to extract debts. No character in the book thinks anything of this. Kaitlyn, who at that point in the novel has just started dating Ethan, has no issue with helping her boyfriend's mother sort and weigh cannabis buds. Kam Fong sells a character into slavery and everyone (including the one sold) seems to love him all the more for it. This is all inherently unbelievable and trying to ground it just doesn't work.

There's also the issues of the games the jpodders play. I understand, they're geeks, they do random things, they're all mildly autistic. But I don't need to flip through ten pages of Pi to understand that they're looking for a digit out of sequence. I don't need to flip through ten pages of random numbers two pages later to get that they're doing the same damn thing all over again. This seems more like a device to pad a 250 page book out to 500 pages more than anything else.

All of these are actually minor quibbles with the story, however, and I could've enjoyed the book despite them. The big problem I had with it is that there is no plot. The story simply includes a series of subplots loosely tied together with no over-arching theme or dramatic tension. The plots aren't resolved so much as they eventually just peter out. I kept expecting everything to come together but it never happened; eventually the book just ended, and that was that.

For all that, I did enjoy the book, but I was largely disappointed with it; I've come to expect more from Coupland's work. I think I would've enjoyed it much more than I did if I'd gotten it from the library, but unfortunately the city workers are on strike here and I ended up buying it. I justified the purchase because I always have enjoyed Coupland's previous efforts, but now I feel cheated having paid $20 for a book I know I'm never going to read again. I get the social commentary aspect, but I feel like as a writer of fiction one should always strive first to tell a story that's enjoyable, and I feel like Coupland lost sight of that with jPod. He managed it all the same, but just barely.

I'm going to check out the tv series next. I actually feel like this premise could work better in that medium, but I guess we'll see how that goes. Impressions after I've watched a few episodes.
__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame
Martian is offline  
Old 02-18-2008, 01:34 AM   #7 (permalink)
Getting it.
 
Charlatan's Avatar
 
Super Moderator
Location: Lion City
I liked the book and thought the whole random numbers and calculating pi thing to be kind of neat... much like Vonnegut's scribbled illustrations of assholes and the like.
__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke
Charlatan is offline  
Old 02-18-2008, 01:46 AM   #8 (permalink)
Young Crumudgeon
 
Martian's Avatar
 
Location: Canada
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlatan
I liked the book and thought the whole random numbers and calculating pi thing to be kind of neat... much like Vonnegut's scribbled illustrations of assholes and the like.
It's a gimmick, and I thought it was kind of jarring. Vonnegut's illustrations were interesting precisely because they were illustrations; a picture conveys information in a way that the written word can't. Having a string of numbers with a randomly inserted letter adds nothing narratively that isn't already said by 'I have randomly inserted a letter into this string of numbers.' My interpretation of it was that it was a way to fill whitespace and it brought me away from the narrative.

Of course, the reason I don't read film reviews is because interpreting fiction is a highly individual process. It's all a matter of taste. These are my impressions.
__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame
Martian is offline  
Old 03-19-2008, 01:23 AM   #9 (permalink)
Getting it.
 
Charlatan's Avatar
 
Super Moderator
Location: Lion City
I guess we can all rest easy now that J-Pod has been canceled.
__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke
Charlatan is offline  
Old 03-19-2008, 01:31 AM   #10 (permalink)
Human
 
SecretMethod70's Avatar
 
Administrator
Location: Chicago
Wow, canceled already? I only just saw the first episode uploaded onto the internets!

I know nothing of the book, but I downloaded the first episode when I saw it because...well, I could

I didn't really like what I saw at all. I don't know if it was the directing, or the writing, or what, but it just seemed overly unbelievable and just plain bad. For one thing, while Alan Thicke may not be the greatest actor, he's certainly not as bad as he was in the pilot! And the main set of characters just reeked of stupid geek stereotypes, which bothered me quite a bit. Pilots tend to be worse than the overall show, but it would have taken some massive improvement for me to find the show watchable.
__________________
Le temps détruit tout

"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling
SecretMethod70 is offline  
Old 03-19-2008, 01:42 AM   #11 (permalink)
Getting it.
 
Charlatan's Avatar
 
Super Moderator
Location: Lion City
Hence it getting canceled.

The CBC decided to pull the plug and cut its losses. It was probably the right move by the sound of everything. Perhaps they can but their (our) money into something better.
__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke
Charlatan is offline  
Old 03-19-2008, 01:48 AM   #12 (permalink)
Human
 
SecretMethod70's Avatar
 
Administrator
Location: Chicago
Well I guess that's sorta cool that the CBC is so efficient at canceling bad shows
__________________
Le temps détruit tout

"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling
SecretMethod70 is offline  
Old 03-19-2008, 01:53 AM   #13 (permalink)
Getting it.
 
Charlatan's Avatar
 
Super Moderator
Location: Lion City
Don't laugh... usually they aren't very good at canceling things.
__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke
Charlatan is offline  
Old 03-19-2008, 05:00 AM   #14 (permalink)
Transfer Agent
 
troit's Avatar
 
Location: NYC
Being someone who has neve been exposed to Jpod before I did a search on youtube. The following is an introduction clip for those others who are also not familiar with the show:



I mean how bad can the show be - It's got Alan Thicke!!
__________________
I've yet to dephile myself...
troit is offline  
Old 03-19-2008, 05:21 AM   #15 (permalink)
Functionally Appropriate
 
fresnelly's Avatar
 
Location: Toronto
...and I just started reading the book.
__________________
Building an artificial intelligence that appreciates Mozart is easy. Building an A.I. that appreciates a theme restaurant is the real challenge - Kit Roebuck - Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life
fresnelly is offline  
Old 03-19-2008, 07:36 AM   #16 (permalink)
Upright
 
i liked the book, douglas copeland is pretty awesome, but this show is absolutely horrendous, the acting is terrible at best, granted ive only watched maybe one episode but i dont see it getting much better haha
kligger is offline  
Old 03-19-2008, 08:55 AM   #17 (permalink)
Tilted
 
creepysusie's Avatar
 
Yeah, I agree with Kligger
I liked the book. It's no microserfs or hey nostradamus, but the show was such a disappointment.
It wasn't just merely htat it was bad, but it took the most basic, racist stereotypes and put it on CBC!!
The acting is not only terrible, but Kaitlyn, a character that was quirky for her own right lost all her charisma. The plot didn't work and John Doe is not very normal.
I jsut don't like it
creepysusie is offline  
 

Tags
cbc, jpod

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 12:43 PM.

Tilted Forum Project

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2
© 2002-2012 Tilted Forum Project

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360