The 10th Kingdom.

HeDanny · Post by **HeDanny** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 3:09 pm

I generally avoid Mini-series like the plague.

[old man]
They just do not make them like they used to. Go watch RICH MAN POOR MAN, or THE DIRTWATER DYNASTY. That is how a mini-series should be.
[/old man]

My mum rented the first 10th kingdom DVD, not realising it was part one of a mini-series. I watched it with her. Ok, so we got "taken" by not realizing it was a mini-series. should have read the blurb more carefully or something.

After seeing that first DVD, I went out and just bought the whole set. It was without a doubt an out of the blue wonderful surprise to me.

I also was very surprized at how much I enjoyed the DINOTOPIA mini-series. I bought that one as well. I have only seen the first episode of the follow-up TV series. Did not like that as much as the mini-series but liked it enough to eventually trying some more episodes later down the track.

Just recently I saw a Mini-series I believe was called "Voyage of the Unicorn". It too was one of those high fantasy stories that took ingredients of old fairy tales and myth and folclore and re-interpreted them to make a unique story. It too was quite entertaining.

Over all, I think that the mini-series I have seen over the last say 2 years have been an awful lot better than most any mini-series made in the last 20 years. I think they are finally starting to remember what a Mini-series should be about. They are not just "really long made for TV movies", which is what they felt like from about the mid 80's till 10th Kingdom.

Luprand · Post by **Luprand** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 3:50 pm

HeDanny wrote:Just recently I saw a Mini-series I believe was called "Voyage of the Unicorn". It too was one of those high fantasy stories that took ingredients of old fairy tales and myth and folclore and re-interpreted them to make a unique story. It too was quite entertaining.

Int'resting ... there's a book you might enjoy, called "The Voyage of the Basset" (as a take-off of Darwin's "Voyage of the Beagle"), where James C. Christensen has some fun with folklore. Main character has a love affair with Medusa, of all people (although she /is/ wearing sunglasses at the time).

--Sij

HeDanny · Post by **HeDanny** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 6:17 pm

That happened in the Mini-series mentioned as well. I would say it must be based on that book, then.

The main character (the father who has the romance with Medusa) is played by Beau Bridges. Played REALLY WELL by him. Then again I am just a tad bias towards the whole bridges acting family.

MixedMyth · Post by **MixedMyth** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 8:44 pm

I remember this one. I missed the last installment, though, because I went to Spain. I didn't really care much for it, though. Parts of it just...grated, I guess you could say. Think it was the Hallmarkisms.

But I do NOT inherantly object to miniseries. There are some very good ones. For example, the SciFi channel Dune miniseries was very, very good. As Neverwhere was a miniseries (actually, that came before the book!). Also noteworthy is the old live action Narnia series.

I also liked Gormenghast, but mostly because it was so very insane. "But I can't be your father. You see, I'M A DEATH OWL! WHOOOO! WHOOOOOO!"

Bek · Post by **Bek** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 9:35 pm

My BF had to force me to see it, but I loved it. And had impure thoughts about Wolf for a long time

There was going to be a sequel, but since the original didn't do well on TV, it was canceled. The writer/director swears he wants to find a way to do it, but who knows. It's supposed to be about Virginial and Wolf's kiddo, I think. There are petitions online for it, IIRC.

JexKerome · Post by **JexKerome** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 1:40 am

MixedMyth wrote: But I do NOT inherantly object to miniseries. There are some very good ones. For example, the SciFi channel Dune miniseries was very, very good.

Excuse me but, THE HELL?! FAT fremen living OUTSIDE?! NO SHIELDS?! Desert scenes a blind man could tell where shoddily done in a set? 1000% more graphic sex scenes than in the books it portrayed?! Sorry, but that was the most horrible mangling of a classic ever; though I've yet to see their butcher work on the Earthsea series, so I might be mistaken with that...

MixedMyth wrote: As Neverwhere was a miniseries (actually, that came before the book!). Also noteworthy is the old live action Narnia series.

I also liked Gormenghast, but mostly because it was so very insane. "But I can't be your father. You see, I'M A DEATH OWL! WHOOOO! WHOOOOOO!"

I own the Neverwhere book, love it, haven't watched the series, but so far the Gaiman has yet to do bad work. Gormenghast I own on DVD, it rules; I want the books though. The Narnia series I missed when they were shown on cable here, in spite of my best efforts to catch it. Now Disney's making movies out of them, and I fear.