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Hercules Is Locked Into SciFi’s Superb LOST ROOM!!

Published at:  Dec 12, 2006 9:27:07 PM CST

SPOILER ALERT !!

I am – Hercules!!

If you like “Lost” or “The 4400” or “Heroes” or “Twin Peaks” or “The Twilight Zone” or the first two seasons of “Alias,” I suspect you’ll find yourself thoroughly engrossed in “The Lost Room,” a new six-hour miniseries running on SciFi over the next three nights.

It’s an exceedingly well conceived, constructed and paced tale about a motel key that can somehow fit into any door’s keyhole, and turn that door into a portal to a room that was somehow sucked outside of time and space and our reality at 1:20 p.m. on May 4, 1961.

Once in the room, the keyholder can exit any door on the planet just by thinking about where he or she wants to go.

It gets better. It turns out the roughly 100 ordinary objects that once occupied the room take on strange properties when they’re taken back out into our reality. There’s a coat, for example, that makes one invulnerable to bullets. There’s a plastic ballpoint that can incinerate people. There’s a radio that makes you three inches taller if you tune it to the right station. There’s a comb that allows the combed to freeze time. There’s a bus ticket that can instantaneously transport anyone to just outside Gallup, N.M.

Sometimes, we’re told, when one combines some of these magical objects, they can do even more amazing things.

When a Pittsburgh police detective (Peter Krause of “Sports Night” and “Six Feet Under” fame) unexpectedly comes into possession of the Lost Room’s key, he discovers people have been collecting and coveting and fighting over these objects – some of which bring their users great wealth and power – for decades. When his daughter (Elle Fanning) accidentally becomes trapped by the room, his quest to get to the bottom of all the weirdness becomes that much more compelling.

The complex but highly accessible script, by someone named Laura Harkcom and veteran digital effects artist Christopher Leone (with somebody named Paul Workman contributing to the story but not the teleplay), is exceedingly clever in how it imagines these objects have affected people, events and the world over the past 45 years. And the writers have devised an interesting and weirdly logical set of rules for how the Lost Room works.

The cast is one of the best ever gathered by SciFi for one of its originals. Aside from Krause and Fanning, there are memorable turns contributed by Kevin Pollak (“A Few Good Men”) as a menacing millionaire, Dennis Christopher (“Breaking Away”) as a forensics investigator who allows himself to get sucked into the dark side of the Lost Room’s world, comedian Margaret Cho (“All-American Girl”) as a tracker of the lost room objects, Peter Jacobson (“In Justice”) as the bus-ticket holder, Ewen Bremner (“Trainspotting”) as Harold the very dizzy comb guy, Chris Bauer (“The Wire”) as Krause’s partner and Roger Bart (“The Stepford Wives”) as a mercenary object hunter dubbed “The Weasel.”

I don’t know how it happened (a better exercise regime? an effective hair straightener?), but Julianna Margulies – whose character is keen to rid our world of all the room’s objects - is somehow hotter now at 40 than she was as a twentysomething ER nurse 12 years ago.

I found the series’ first two nights brainy, exciting, scary, moving, full of incident and even quite funny at junctures. Its story is dense, but agreeably so if one pays attention, and I’m very much looking forward to the conclusion SciFi did not forward to the Ain't It Cool offices.

Four stars.

But what matters Herc’s opinion?

Variety says:

…Strange and clever, "The Lost Room" is full of winding corridors, peculiar twists and wry, oddball humor, set against a mystery that recalls TV's better Stephen King productions -- before, that is, they invariably fell apart in the last act. Building on Sci Fi's success with such fare as "The 4400" and "The Triangle," this well-cast project creates a dense world of "object hunters" that should tap directly into the basic cabler's geekazoid base, helping them to fill this relatively barren TV period by booking a three-night stay. … think of "The Lost Room" as a relatively low-key affair that should inspire most of the audience checking it out to stay checked in.


The Hollywood Reporter says:

… two things happen that really shouldn't because the character is too smart. But if they don't, there is no miniseries. First, Miller gets the motel key and, rather than put it in an evidence room or somewhere else for safekeeping, takes it home with him. Second, he leaves the key out where his young daughter can play with it and, of course, vanish into the mystery motel room or somewhere. … Directing credits are shared by Craig R. Baxley (Nights 1 and 3) and Michael Watkins (Night 2). They maintain a consistent tone and pace, creating a world that is more puzzling and fascinating than scary.


Entertainment Weekly gives it a “B” and says:

… A large part of the fun is watching Miller learn to maneuver through this new, weird world, fathering clues that will bring back his daughter – it’s like Riven meets Lord of the Rings … Had the writers stayed true to their mythology, this miniseries would have been absolutely stunning. As it is, it’s still pretty great. …


TV Guide says:

… an especially silly descent into incoherence. Peter Krause keeps a straight face as the bland hero of this mystery/fantasy, in which a motel-room key opens onto a room that takes you anywhere (and that swallows his daughter). The key is one of many magical everyday objects being sought by members of cabals named the Order and the Legion. It's as ridiculously dense as latter-day Alias, but not as much fun. …


The New York Times says:

… beguiling … Why the phantoms of that era (with their Watergate comb-overs, heavy-framed glasses and perpetual highballs) scare us so much, and why now, is up to cultural historians to decide. For now, though, they make fine ghosts in a sci-fi series, and in Peter Krause they meet their modern-day match.


The Los Angeles Times says:

… a long ride to nowhere but with some nice scenery and exciting turns along the way. If ultimately frustrating and fickle as regards even its own invented rules of supernatural physics, taken simply as a thing to watch, it's pretty enjoyable. Indeed, that is almost the definition of a Sci-Fi Channel miniseries. … In the end, nothing — or nothing much — is revealed. Krause's particular story does resolve — that is, the question of whether he'll get his daughter back. (But I think you already know the answer to that one.) Ultimately, there is no more explanation of how the room got lost or why a comb should be able to stop time, for example, than how those beans Jack traded the cow for got to be magic. This feels like a bit of a cheat, given the investment of time, and yet there's something honest about it as well: Any explanation would be as arbitrary as the rest of it.


The Seattle Post-Intelligencer says:

…The tale's beyond complicated, to be sure. But it also may be the most watchable six hours of strangeness you'll see this season. "The Lost Room" deserves credit for its twisty and, at times, humorous take on classic American sci-fi storytelling, if nothing else. …


9 p.m. Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. SciFi.












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    + Expand All

    Readers Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 1:11:08 AM CST

    Yeah...

    by son of batman

    but it's got Dakota Fanning's even uglier little sister in it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 2:50:20 AM CST

    advertising everywhere

    by jinamina

    I'm seeing promos for this on a lot of other channels. I hope they promote Battlestar Galactica like crazy during this so as to draw in the extra audience this thing might attract. I'm excited about this mini-series. Looks interesting.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 6:59:11 AM CST

    Damn You Casey McCall

    by el fuego

    Yeah, I'll probably be watching this...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 7:12:54 AM CST

    Julianna Margulies is definitely hotter than ever!

    by derlanghaarige

    Have you seen her in Season 4 of Scrubs!?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 7:54:59 AM CST

    Huh. Sounds interesting.

    by team america

    I didn't plan on watching this, writing it off as more Sci-Fi Channel silliness, but these reviews sold me. They all seem to agree that it falls apart during the last act, but who cares? That's more than you can say about most of the crap this network airs (Galactica aside).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 9:24:36 AM CST

    it all falls apart in the end?

    by durhay

    Like that alien miniseries a few years ago?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 9:41:08 AM CST

    "Get in the backseat of my car, and lay on the floor."

    by billyeveryteen

    Season 4 Scrubs Margulies, is indeed, way hot. Hope this doesn't suck.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 11:23:49 AM CST

    I think that falling apart

    by novaman5000

    was a reference to King stories. I'll be watching this. Oh, and Apostle, I have the world's smallest violin here... Can you guess what song it's playing?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 11:28:44 AM CST

    I think it's gonna be really good

    by platious.com

    I was part of the crew on this film here in New Mexico and I thought that the script was excellent, I'm glad Herc liked it.... they want it to turn into a series...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 11:31:38 AM CST

    Laura Harkcom was really cool btw

    by platious.com

    I really liked her, look out for her stuff in the future, she's a good writer and very nice.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 11:53:47 AM CST

    I'll record it

    by bob of the shire

    Wasn't going to, but I will now. SciFi has been advertising it enough, can't watch BSG without seeing half a bajillion ads for it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 12:52:32 PM CST

    I like weird shows like this

    by cromulent

    I'll watch it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 1:45:52 PM CST

    Wow, a GOOD Sci-Fi Original?

    by spaceman spliff

    Let's hope this is just the first of more quality original product from the Sci-Fi channel. (BSG excepted, of course.) Every time I see previews for the inevitably crappy monster-of-the-week movie, I wonder how many Farscape episodes its budget could have paid for.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 3:50:59 PM CST

    "What does the comb do?" "It can stop time."

    by billy goat

    I'm sorry, but every time the ad comes on, and I hear that line, I have to laugh. I have no confidence that this show will be any good.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 3:56:05 PM CST

    Perhaps

    by quin the eskimo

    this could become a series ala Battlestar Galactica?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 4:48:50 PM CST

    Quin the Eskimo..

    by torpor_haze

    that was just what I was thinking, but this thing has a lot of relative star power that I don't think Sci Fi budget could handle.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 11, 2006 5:03:19 PM CST

    I got a definite Stephen King vide from the promos.....

    by jimmy jazz

    as well. In fact I thought it WAS a King story for awhile. But the "Falls apart in the last act" stuff pretty much confirms who the writers had in mind with this script.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 12:30:39 AM CST

    Very good

    by almost_human

    so far. I can't believe this came from the network that brought us Mansquito, but I guess Bill Gates $$$ buys a lot more talent than usual.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 1:52:22 AM CST

    A Few Things

    by baseballfury

    First, the first part of the miniseries was awesome. Second, and just to inform y'all, Sci-Fi Channel doesn't actually produce about 90% of the so-called "Sci-Fi Channel Original" movies that they show. They just buy the American rights to foreign or very low budget movies which have already been made, and that is very inexpencive for them to do. So really, it wouldn't mean more episodes of Farscape if they didn't show the movies. It would just mean more repeats of Farscape, because there would be nothing else to show.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 7:09:03 AM CST

    baseballfury

    by pviii

    while you're correct in one sense (scifi does that for their saturday night horror-shlock movies), their tent-pole films ie. The Triangle, Battlestar Galactica, Taken, and now The Lost Room, are almost entirely funded by Sci Fi. If you check out these titles in Blockbuster, they'll most likely have the sci fi/ universal logo on the boxes, not whatever Mansquito has. These once-a-year mini-series are very important for sci fi in that they press their other original shows during breaks rediculously hard in hopes of drawing more viewers.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 7:40:03 AM CST

    Cheaply made, but entertaining....

    by russman

    Although I wish they didn't go to the "I gotta save my kid" route. I know they need to get him emotionally involvevd to dive into this, but that's _always_ the drive for characters - sure it's universal, but come-on... someone has to have a better idea.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 8:00:48 AM CST

    Spaceman Spliff - well said!

    by russman

    I think all of us Scapers should use that line the next time Sci-fi pumps out a total piece of shit: I wonder how many episodes of Farscape could've been made with that money.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 9:49:54 AM CST

    Great 1st Night

    by pabodie

    Nice to get the return of Nate and a solid, well-made sci-fi story in one package. A little King-y (Buick 8, Room 114, whatever), but engaging and entertaining TV. If I had the key I would go to the Oval Office and touch W with the bus ticket. Every day.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 10:01:52 AM CST

    I think the first Dune is still the

    by veritasses

    best "SciFi Original" movie/mini-series. I agree with Russman. The Lost Room is pretty low budget and isn't perfect by any means but it's entertaining enough to get me to watch the rest of the series.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 10:09:06 AM CST

    Pabodie

    by almost_human

    Let me lend you my pen . . .

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 10:26:10 AM CST

    Pencil... makes pens.

    by billyeveryteen

    Pretty funny.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 10:36:24 AM CST

    that one kid creepy....

    by torpor_haze

    too much attention is placed on him, so he probably has something to do with the room. Might be an "object" himself even.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 11:43:33 AM CST

    Billy,

    by novaman5000

    I thought it was pens, too, but I think it's actually pennies. The guy follows that up by saying "he made 500 bucks a day just tapping his pencil".

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 11:44:48 AM CST

    Thanks Nova

    by billyeveryteen

    I'll have to recheck that.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 12:07:34 PM CST

    Awesome show!

    by drpain

    Man, I didn't think much of it tuning in last night, thought I'd just give it a look at. Wow, I was surprised how good it is, sort of a blend of classic x-files and twilight zone.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 1:01:34 PM CST

    The show definitely reminds me of an...

    by rbatty024

    extended Twilight Zone episode. That's high praise. I especially like how the rules are set forth and (at least since last night) they aren't played around with too much. There's nothing worse than a screenwriter making something new up to get himself out of a jam. Good stuff.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 3:23:19 PM CST

    Man-of-Stool

    by optimus122

    Please fucking die already you fucking retarded imbecile

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 9:14:26 PM CST

    Christ on a Cracker, Really?

    by mr. winston

    Man, you people must be hard up for entertainment because the first night of this show was abysmal. Sure, it's kind of an intriguing idea - to me it's sort of building off the philosophy in THE LANGOLIERS - but the writing is flat-out AWFUL. I think Peter Krause has been great in everything, but even he can't save Miller, who's so wooden he's growing bark. The dialogue sucks beyond reproach, the camerawork is docile at best, the set design is boring as all hell and the director has no idea how to work any kind of performance out of another Fanning kid.


    The only part I enjoyed was the character who played the dude with the bus ticket, and that was only because the actor was great. I actually thought it sucked so badly that I'm not bothering to TiVo the next two nights.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 9:22:36 PM CST

    Better than Superman Returns

    by skydemon

    Finally got around to renting and watching that last night, now that I'm watching the first part of Lost Room, I wish I had started this last night instead. Yea, Superman was ok, but this "Lost Room" is veeerrrrrry interesting, and much more entertaining.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 10:03:38 PM CST

    Stupid spot welding around gas.

    by evilwizardglick

    The glasses thing with the spot welding around a trail of gasoline was stupid. You can't even make the argument that the glasses would have stopped combustion, because they didn't until Ruby grabbed them. And ten cop cars silently sneaking up on a house in the middle of nowhere. Sure they did.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 12, 2006 11:05:35 PM CST

    I'm surprised at the hate

    by lovecraftfan

    It's a really fun show.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 8:48:52 AM CST

    Not bad at all really

    by bug doc

    Compared to most of the other crap available, this show is interesting and fun. I watched the first night and expected it to be another Mansquito but was pleasantly suprised to find it was not too bad. I liked the concept but agree that some of the acting is not great but I don't agree about the guy playing the lead. I can easily see them making this into a weekly series and putting it on Friday nights. The only thing that bothers me is that I'm sure tonight it will suck since most agree the last act is weak. I will see. By the way, we are split in my house. My wife and son hate it and opted to watch the crap that is King Kong last night while my daughter and I watched it in the other room. Nuff said about their tastes.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 10:21:55 AM CST

    So it's "Firday the 13th: The Series" redux?

    by childe roland

    Finally watched the first episode last night and just couldn't get past that "this concept has been done before" vibe. I mean, the lost room itself is pretty novel and I wish they'd do more with the lore of the room itself, but that first episode seemed to be all about the objects...and the objects were largely just dumb. My brother kept coming up with different ideas for objects they could use, and it was really distracting. "So what's the French Tickler do?" "It instantly impregnates anyone it touches." "Bummer." "What about the garden gnome?" "It enforces the Travelocity guarantee." "What does that mean?" "Nothing, really. But it can't stop talking about it." Funny, but ultimately did nothing for my appreciation of the show. I'll ride it out, though, if only on the off chance they do more with the room itself.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 11:12:16 AM CST

    Childe Roland- I hada feeling you wouldn't like it

    by lovecraftfan

    I'm surprised how most people here hate it. I think the show is extremely inventive and far better than what Sci-Fi usually does. Loved last night's episode.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 12:02:34 PM CST

    I haven't seen this yet, but...

    by gandalf the gaye

    ..fucking Hell, Herc, how can we trust you now? You said Jericho was good and that was a piece of shit.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 1:01:06 PM CST

    The photo thingy was pretty cool..

    by billyeveryteen

    But why did they have sex?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 2:17:01 PM CST

    Mr. Winston - Yes you will.

    by zauriel

    It's one part of a three-part miniseries. You can't tell me you're that anal ("oh my god, the set design was *horrible*, has anybody ever actually seen a motel room before???"). It's a very intriguing concept and involving story. You talk big but 10 bucks says you watched the second one already and you'll be watching the finale tonight as well.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 2:22:32 PM CST

    I want this to become a regular series

    by zauriel

    I was worried that by only being a 3-part miniseries, this would try to resolve so much of its mythology regarding the objects and the history of the room, give us a quick answer and leave so much untouched ... but I actually see the reviews stating the last act doesn't answer a whole lot as a good sign, that they really are planning on taking this to become a regular Sci-Fi series. I could really get into it.

    And it's great because it doesn't even have to be Peter Krause or his character as the focal point of the series, if he decides not to do it (though I would assume they probably discussed this already with him so he may go along). It could be any other character, with the focus of the story falling on collecting all 100-plus objects to be re-inserted into the room in their exact places to finally get an answer as to what the room is all about.

    Any way you put it though, 4 stars on Sci-Fi's effort here.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 2:27:44 PM CST

    EvilWizardGlick - re: the glasses

    by zauriel

    You do realize the glasses have to be looking at the area in order to work, right? Not like they just have a "radius" in which combusion can't occur around them. That's why he put them on, and as he walked around the fire, bits of it went out at a time -- the parts he was looking at. It's why the gun didn't go off that the Order put to his head, because he could see it through the glasses.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 2:44:00 PM CST

    Well...Even Though I Didn't Bet...

    by mr. winston

    ...it looks like you owe me $10. I didn't watch. Of course I have no evidence to show you to back this up, so I'm sure you'll just come back with, "Yes you did and you're lying about it," but what more do you want from me?


    It IS an intriguing idea and I made sure to admit as much. So was VANISHED, which I stopped watching because the writing was terrible. So were half the episodes of THE OUTER LIMITS, which I stopped watching because the production values sucked. If you want to call it "Anal", go right ahead. I call it "Disliking Bad Writing, Wooden Acting and Shitty Direction". If you're willing to settle that's just fine; I'm not.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 2:45:55 PM CST

    I Like It

    by roboteer

    Not as good as HEROES, but better than a lot of the vaste wasteland.
    It reminds me more of the 69 episode FRIDAY THE 13TH TV series. This couple inherited a pawn shop wherein many antiques were cursed and had special powers that also hurt/helped the one wielding it. It was their mission to track down the sales and retreive as many items as possible.... For some reason I keep thinking if they could only exit the LOST ROOM window back in '61, they could buy IBM at $11. Then it came to me that Hiro on HEROES already can do this. Build a stake from casinos or the track and then buy and sell stocks with good to cancel limit orders and make hundreds of millions question free.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 2:47:58 PM CST

    Don't get me wrong, Lovecraftfan...

    by childe roland

    ...I still see potential in the premise. I was just a bit blindsided by how much of the plot seems to be driven by the "gotta catch 'em all" aspect of the object hunt and the way that relates to the daughter's fate. I can't help that it immediately made me think of Friday the 13th: The Series when they introduced the pawn shop owner and the secret society that is devoted to collecting these objects. I maintain that the idea of a room out of time and space is very cool and I'd love to see more exploration of its history, the theoretical physics or metaphysics surrounding it. But I realize it's too early to completely and fairly judge the seires after just watching the first eppy. I'll get around to the rest eventually. I'm just not as hot to do that now as I was before I saw the first.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 3:40:18 PM CST

    Ownz show

    by optimus122

    Excellent work by Sci FI channel , im loving every second of it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 4:32:08 PM CST

    Yet you came back for more ...

    by zauriel

    You didn't watch, but it's nice to see you make it a point to come back the following day of not watching the show to catch up on the talkback for the show you're not watching.

    Look, I can see even-handed constructive criticism dished out for something you don't particularly take to; you think the writing is lacking or acting is wooden ... but you said that the first episode was "ABYSMAL" and the writing was flat-out "AWFUL". Those are comments reserved for something like "Frankenfish" which was on at 2:00AM following all 3 showings of the second Lost Room episode. And yes, commenting on something like "docile camera-work" is anal. Trying to rip on a mini-series for boring set design (do they need to spruce up the houses they use and Gallup, NM? Is the motel room too lackluster in color?) is anal. So I must surmise that you are either a film student or associated with the industry in some way, or just very, very anal.

    But hey, to each their own. You don't like it, sorry to hear that. I think Sci-Fi's got a winner in their hands and I'm glad I stopped in to check it out. I find it entertaining enough (despite the set design and camerawork drawbacks) to devote myself to watching a weekly series if they end up going that route, and I certainly hope they do.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 7:13:06 PM CST

    No,

    by almost_human

    It is enjoyable, but no series is needed. It'll be Object Pokemon meets Friday the 13th The Series.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 10:03:58 PM CST

    Glass eye was bad ass...

    by billyeveryteen

    I'd watch a series.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 10:04:23 PM CST

    bent Polaroids.

    by evilwizardglick

    For being "indestructable" those polaroids looked beat to shit.
    Not sure the flare can ignite tranny fluid. I've never heard of it happening. Then again.....
    Great series though. Even suggests that objects are addictive. Anyone recognize the ending theme from somewhere?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 10:49:42 PM CST

    the polaroids weren't the objects...

    by torpor_haze

    they were taken by the collectors. the only photo that's an object was the one that has "Gallup" on it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 10:55:04 PM CST

    FLASH GORDON

    by strshp2rpr

    This miniseries is fucking awesome. Im just starting part 3 now. However, something terribly important and possibly life altering came up during one of the Sci Fi Channel promos. They were talking about their upcoming slate of shows for next year and said "FLASH GORDON"!!! Why haven't we heard anything about this? I can't find anything on it. Does anyone know what this is all about? Also, whats the difference between the new Painkiller Jane coming out and the one that came out last year (never saw, but should I?)?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 13, 2006 11:38:12 PM CST

    Flash Gordon was a suprise to me too....

    by torpor_haze

    but one thing Sci Fi has been good at is keeping a lid on their upcoming programming. Usually you can't find anything about it until they premiere it. Regarding Painkiller Jane, I don't know. I saw the movie they did before and was nothing special. Hopefully they made it better, cause Emanuelle Vaugier is much hotter than Kristana Loken in my opinion. I'll need something more than her to keep my attention.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Dec 14, 2006 1:10:07 AM CST

    They left so many threads dangling that...

    by novaman5000

    They either just guaranteed us a series or they are the laziest writers in recent memory. I'm thinking the first one. They opened so many things up in the last 15 minutes that they HAVE to be planning to continue this. I say good shit... I'm intruiged and I think there's enough mythology/villains/good characters that this doesn't have to become a "pokemon" esque show. I enjoyed the miniseries. It got better as the nights went on.

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  • Dec 14, 2006 1:12:49 AM CST

    Also, about the objects

    by novaman5000

    However they looked when the room popped out of existance is how they look for eternity. beat up before, beat up after. Still, only the "Gallup" one was an object. Also, I did notice something that bugged me. They found the fingerprint on the mirror, which was part of the motel's original state, and reset when they reset the room. The fingerprint leads to the old man, who said that he and his wife owned the motel AFTER room 10 had already blinked out of existance... Why, then, is his frozen fingerprint on the mirror, if he wasn't there until AFTER the room became frozen? Did I miss something?

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  • Dec 14, 2006 2:39:54 AM CST

    Series possiblities

    by strshp2rpr

    Wow, there is so much to go with here. This has definetely got to be a series, or a bunch of miniseries. They've set up so much cool mythology. I mean, every object has 45 years of history....that could fill a whole series. One character mentioned the Kabal Wars...imagine the glass eye and the scissors fighting the pen and letter opener and who knows what else....theres a kick ass mini. The jacket stopped bullets, but thats because all objects are indestructible...what is the jackets other power? The TV was still in the room...does that have a story, what would its power be? What about the furniture? The original 5 years of the collectors could make a great series/mini series. The origins haven't really been fully explained. Kevin Pollack...what happened to him and the glass eye? Does the key still exist/is it accesible at all? If not, do the objects have powers anymore? Peter Krause is an object now...what happens from here? Im geeking out right now. I want more. Sci Fi would be crazy not to expand on this. Do a series of movies/minis/series. This could be the next Stargate of Farscape with all different franchises. Ahhhh....brain overloading....must stop typing.

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  • Dec 14, 2006 2:43:30 AM CST

    Fingerprint

    by strshp2rpr

    As far as teh fingerprint...while it is a bit of a plot hole, it could easily be explained away. Remember the wife who didn't remember being married at all. Apparently reality was ripped apart and rearranged and left things missing. Maybe history was different pre-event and the couple in fact already owned the motel. Or, with all the experimenting they were doing, he could have somehow manipulated it. Remember he saw her for a few seconds at one point...maybe he altered it then. For some strange reason, Im totally creeped our right now and not comfortable going to sleep.

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  • Dec 14, 2006 10:13:25 AM CST

    Fingerprint

    by amaysingstories

    I was thrown by this too on the second night, but the third night tidy'd it up nicely. There was always a room 10 at the Sunshine Motel (who builds a motel with only nine rooms?). When the Event happened, ripping the room, the Objects, and the Occupant out of time and space, everyone forgot about them ever being there. The poor dude's wife forgot about him, and the motel owners forgot about having a room 10. That's when he noticed a spare room 10 key hanging on his board and got confused because they did not have 10 rooms (and it is not the Key, but just the spare key that motels always have. The Key was in the room when It happened). The fingerprint always returns when Room 10 is reset because the motel owner had left it there before the Event, presumably while cleaning it for the Occupant.

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  • Dec 14, 2006 10:21:12 AM CST

    Where do you go if you exit out the Window?

    by amaysingstories

    That's the one thing I kept wanting them to try, but they never did. If you exit the Room through the Window instead of the Door, are you stuck in some sort of displaced analog of Gallup? Hell? And what about thinking of a door to the past? is that allowed, you think?

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  • Dec 14, 2006 11:49:27 AM CST

    If you exit through the window...

    by childe roland

    ...you are immediately reborn as a cesarian baby. I watched the second eppy last night, and enjoyed it more than the first. The hotel itself was a neat touch and the idea of the man from the room being an object is intriguing (even if I still dislike the whole object thing). I'll be watching the rest of the mini, for sure.

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  • Dec 14, 2006 4:57:07 PM CST

    Room

    by cobbio

    I'm in agreement with most people here. I liked it, even it's conclusion. What I think made "The Lost Room" work was Peter Krause's poise. I wasn't expecting much from him as a police detective, since I've only seen him as an aging hippie on "Six Feet Under," but I liked his cool, calm onscreen presence. Also, Margulies indeed looked yummy, and I was glad Krause kissed her (more than kissed, actually... but they couldn't show the in-bed stuff) in the last segment. Every actor strove to take their role in the miniseries seriously, rather than laugh at themselves as actors in most Sci-Fi movies do. It was a new approach.
    The Object thing was weird for me at first, I admit. I'm not entirely sold on its mythology, since I think they could've actually gone science fiction with it and come up with quantum physics explanations for what was happening -- or something -- but then I think about the fact they're going to turn it into a show, and leaving such explanations open makes sense.
    The miniseries entertained me, and I'd be inclined to check out a show if they make one.

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  • Dec 14, 2006 8:55:34 PM CST

    opening night: 2.1 million= no series

    by pviii

    half the viewership of the substantially worse The Triange and the putrid Earthsea. Here's to quality!

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  • Dec 19, 2006 11:33:07 AM CST

    It's French for cock

    by pap

    Absolute shite. If I hadn't been on holiday and/or stoned I'd have wanted to kill stuff. Wooden acting hitched to a balsa wood plot.

    And the glass eye? Please. It's like "we can't afford many special effects, so let's make our main weap a glass eye and have that bloke who issues the permits in Wayne's World 2, who incidentally, is famous for having different coloured eyes, as one of our principals". Yay! A million bucks saved for the plot!

    Dogcock.

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  • Jan 22, 2007 9:40:35 PM CST

    brilliant

    by mr_x

    excellent, hope they make it into a series.

    And really i just can't believe how anal some of you geeks are. seriously get out of your moms basement, get a girlfriend.. do something more constructive then analysing to death a fricking tv show. jeez

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  • Jan 22, 2007 9:40:37 PM CST

    brilliant

    by mr_x

    excellent, hope they make it into a series.

    And really i just can't believe how anal some of you geeks are. seriously get out of your moms basement, get a girlfriend.. do something more constructive then analysing to death a fricking tv show. jeez

    Reply to Talkback

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