#rip ian holm

[spinnenpfote6]

Frodo Baggins at his and Bilbo's birthday party

(The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring)

[sillylotrpolls]

In a previous poll, voters chose Mamma Mia! as the next show that should be performed by "former hobbits." This follow-up poll asks the obvious follow-up question.

Ian Holm has been included despite his passing as this is fantasy casting, so why not?

[coupleofdays]

I have been thinking about a particular aspect of Alien: Romulus, and how it's similar to Tron: Legacy. Spoilers for both movies ahead.

One of the characters in Alien: Romulus is Rook, a broken android who looks and talks exactly like the character Ash from the original Alien movie. This was done by using a combination of physical and digital effects, and sound filtering of the voice actor, in order to create a character that looks and sounds like Ian Holm, who played Ash, but is now dead.

There are of course many arguments to be made about the ethical and artistic implication of this kind of "reviving" of a dead actor, or similar "de-aging" that has been done in other movies. One common argument is that such attempts usually aren't entirely life-like, that the characters fall into the "uncanny valley".

But in this case, I think that if Rook looks "uncanny valley", that's actually kind of appropriate. The character is, after all, a creepy android, ripped in half and only repaired enough to lay on a table and talk to the other characters. If he looks "off", not entirely human, that makes sense in the context of the film.

As I was thinking about this, I realized that the same can be said for the character Clu in Tron: Legacy, who is a CGI-de-aged version of Jeff Bridges. In this case, I also don't think that it's a problem if the character looks "uncanny valley", since he is supposed to be a computer program, a digital copy of the young Kevin Flynn, living in an entirely digital world. If he looks like he's made out of CGI, that's entirely appropriate.

(Of course, this argument might not work for the flashback scenes where the human character Kevin Flynn is a similarly de-aged Bridges, but I have my own weird headcanon about that.)

On the whole, I guess I think that there are some specific contexts where it might be fitting to actually embrace the uncanny valley phenomenon: When it's a character who's intended to be artificial, or maybe just somehow unnatural or supernatural. I would love to see a horror movie some day that has a monster that is intentionally made to look creepy through the uncanny valley effect (yes, I am aware of all those "The Polar Express was actually a horror movie" jokes).

[its-a-geeks-world]

Matt Dale was, among other things, author of Beyond the Mirror Image: The Observer's Guide to Quantum Leap, the quintessential QL guide, co-host of the Quantum Leap Podcast and fan of the series for many many years. He sadly passed away a few days ago. He's survived by his partner and son.

Just earlier this morning I was watching one of the interviews conducted by him. As part of the QL community I am heartbroken, sad and angry at the unfairness of life.

Thank you so much, Matt, for all the work you've done over the years and being a huge part of keeping the community alive for so long.

May your star forever shine upon us.

Please consider donating to the Gofund.me campaign to support his family through this horrible time. Thank you.

[princesssarisa]

RIP Benjamin Luxon.

Why did I not know until just now that we lost this magnificent British baritone two months ago?

His filmed opera performances – Don Giovanni, Papageno, Count Almaviva, Ford, Falke, Monteverdi's Ulisse – were always outstanding, as were his many recordings, not just of opera, but of folk music, parlor songs, and other music as well. (As a note to @ariel-seagull-wings, he also played the town crier in the 1989 TV adaptation of The Tailor of Gloucester starring Ian Holm.)

Even after his singing career was cut tragically short by hearing loss, he built a new career as a narrator, poetry reader, and stage director.

He'll never be forgotten.

[jonfucius]

Great Star Trek Rewatch - TNG Season 2

Originally posted on Twitter 17 March 2021 - 6 April 2021

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 is up next in my Great Star Trek Rewatch. As with ENT, DSC, STX, TOS, TAS, TOS FF, and TNG Season 1, mini-reviews will document my progress.

The Child: A reused Phase 2 script gives Troi a unique pregnancy story, though I don’t like the loss of bodily autonomy. Still, it’s hard not to feel a little sad when Ian “dies.” Pulaski is instantly dislikable yet charismatic, a testament to Muldaur’s performance. 7/10

Where Silence Has Lease: I really dig the surreal scenes aboard the pseudo-Yamato, and the philosophical discussion about death later in the episode. The episode swings and hits, but it’s a single. 7/10

Elementary, Dear Data: Everyone loves a period romp, and a it’s Sherlock Holmes romp to boot. Moriarty is a compelling villain, whose motivation mirrors that of Data’s: what does it mean to be human? 8/10

The Outrageous Okona: A romantic farce with the dashing titular character at the center. I can see why Billy Campbell was both a finalist for, and ultimately passed over for, the role of Riker. It would’ve been great to see Whoopi Goldberg and Joe Piscopo trade jokes. Alas. 6/10

Loud As A Whisper: I appreciate the deaf representation, but the denouement leaves something to be desired. I’m fascinated by the idea of Riva’s chorus, however. A grisly scene in an otherwise tame series really drives home the danger into which Riva is going. 7/10

The Schizoid Man: Intriguing concept that is strung out far too long. Props though to the late W. Morgan Sheppard and Susie Plakson, who makes her Trek debut as Dr. Selar. 6/10

Unnatural Selection: This one hits a little differently in a post-COVID world. I don’t care for rapid aging stories, however. I do appreciate the somber tone at the end, with Pulaski’s voiceover paying tribute to the Lantree’s crew. 6/10

A Matter of Honor: I love this episode. It’s top-notch from the top down. Riker’s sojourn aboard a Klingon ship gives us some much-needed insight into the franchise’s most iconic aliens. Klag is one of my favorite guest characters. 10/10

The Measure of a Man: Another standout episode from this season that shows just how high Star Trek can go when it wants to. If you have access to the TNG Blu-rays, make sure to watch the reconstructed extended edition as well. 10/10

The Dauphin: After two standout episodes we get a dud. I don’t like the implication that Salia’s worth as an individual was directly tied to her appearance. 4/10

Contagion: The episode does a ton of worldbuilding without being tiresome. The stakes are high, with the destruction of the Yamato (RIP Capt Varley) and the Romulans investigating. The gag of Picard appearing on the warbird’s bridge, and his parting shot, is a great capper. 8/10

The Royale: The surreal style is reminiscent of “Spectre of the Gun,” but I still think that entry is the stronger of the two. Still, it’s a decent, off-beat entry that has somewhat disappeared from the franchise. 6/10

Time Squared: A small time jump sets this one apart from most time travel stories. The knowledge that this could have led into “Q Who?” is a bummer, since the anomaly ended up being pointless. Nice callback to “We’ll Always Have Paris,” and foreshadowing of the next episode. 7/10

The Icarus Factor: I wish Worf’s B-story and Riker’s A-story could have been swapped, because the former is far more compelling and less repetitive. 6/10

Pen Pals: The debate about the Prime Directive is meaty and well worth watching, which grows organically from Data’s communications with Sarjenka; the conclusion to Wesley’s subplot also easily melds with the main storyline. 7/10

Q Who?: In a petulant fit, Q tosses our heroes into the path of the enigmatic Borg. Great things have small beginnings, indeed. The Borg’s horrific relentlessness is on display here. 9/10

Samaritan Snare: The Pakled are a swing and a miss. I love Picard’s scenes with Wesley, however. And I don’t fully buy Picard’s sudden vain streak. 5/10

Up the Long Ladder: Hoo boy the Irish stereotypes. The pro-choice message gets a little lost in the shuffle, as well. 5/10

Manhunt: Lwaxana Troi haters can back off; she’s a delightful change of pace. Worf’s admiration of the Antedeans always cracks me up. 7/10

The Emissary: K'Ehleyr is one of the greatest Klingon characters ever written or performed, and her chemistry with Worf is off the scales. The Klingon sleeper ship concept is intriguing, and shows how much the galaxy has changed in the decades between TOS and TNG. 8/10

Peak Performance: This is just a fun, plot-driven action piece. Wesley's sneaky antimatter gambit, Riker's glee in playing pirate against the Enterprise, and the fooling of the Ferengi make for a fun outing. Guile, indeed. If only the season had ended here. 9/10

Shades of Gray: The use of barely-relevant scenes from previous outings makes the clip-show nature of this one stand out even more. I'm giving it a generous 3 points for the three days it took to film the "new" material, which is actually not horrible. 3/10

And with that, TNG Season 2 comes to an end in my Great Star Trek Rewatch. Final score: 6.86/10. Highest score(s): “A Matter of Honor,” “The Measure of a Man.” Lowest score(s): “Shades of Gray.”

[quantumleapanalyses]

Way back in the day, I posted the Kickstarter for the book Beyond the Mirror Image. Now I have to post another, sadder, fundraising page.

Matt Dale (who wrote Beyond the Mirror Image, and has said he's taken some things from this blog for his book as well- went both ways there) recently passed away and his brother-in-law is now raising some money for funeral expenses.

[ashe-fics]

Matt Dale, one of the hosts of the Quantum Leap Podcast, passed away on Christmas Day...

Last thing posted on the YouTube channel was him reciting A Visit From St. Nicholas which is frankly the saddest thing.

RIP Matt 😔

[lea-andres]

I was gonna make a joke poll asking if Ian Flynn were to follow me to either my Batman or Sherlock Holmes hyperfixation, which one he would do more damage in, but then it occurred to me he'd do the same damage in both. Story qualities would be shit, RIP your fave female character because all the nuance you love about her will be gone. Irene Adler would especially not survive an Ian Flynn interpretation, considering there aren't many other character options that we could spread the "love" (/sarcasm) to.

[patwrites]

The last time we see Bilbo (save the Rivendell sequence) until the end of ROTK. RIP Ian Holm.

[officiallylatetotheparty]

Had to make this out of one of our favorite scenes in The Fifth Element.

Ian Holm and Chris Tucker delivered this comedic moment on a silver platter.

[evankart]

Ring-bearers, rip ian holm

[scottstiles]

The sea calls us home.

[l-o-t-r]

In loving memory of Sir Ian Holm

It is with deep sadness that we said goodbye to our beloved Ian Holm today. He was a tremendous actor, a titan of theatre and a beloved figure in television and film, playing many iconic roles. He brought Bilbo Baggins to life in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy with warmth, sincerity and a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Ian Holm was beloved by his fans around the world and an inspiration to his colleagues. 

Good bye, dear Bilbo!

(9/12/1931 - 6/19/2020)

[silvaris]

Welcome to Bag End by VelvetShad

[outtagum]

I think I’m quite ready for another adventure.

RIP Sir Ian Holm (12 September, 1931 – 19 June, 2020)