ilweran on 12/8/2010 at 11:30
Quote Posted by Thirith
I find it so difficult sometimes to filter out the nostalgia factor when assessing things I liked as a kid or teenager. (
The Dark Crystal and
Labyrinth, I'm looking at you!)
If we're doing nostalgia Mysterious Cities of Gold and Ulysses 31 had great opening titles.
Kolya on 12/8/2010 at 13:35
For what it's worth, I watched Labyrinth for the first time about 4 years ago and loved it.
Of course I'd watch anything with David Bowie and Muppets in it and think it's brilliant. :D
Thirith on 12/8/2010 at 13:43
Labyrinth definitely holds up better, probably because the script and pacing are stronger; The Dark Crystal creates a fascinating world but the pacing is all over the place.
Anyway, title sequences... :-)
rachel on 12/8/2010 at 14:43
From the year 1988 I bring you some little known (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFgLL8EN71I) Lalo Schifrin goodness.
I saw the pilot only once, I was 8 and for years it shaped my idea of what sci-fi was. That music got stuck in my head ever since. I'd love to see it today to see if it aged well... Probably not ;)
henke on 12/8/2010 at 14:57
Quote Posted by Thirith
I watched the opening sequence and it looked pretty generic to me. What makes it special for you?
The narrators voice is great, it has such gravity to it. And yes, the music is cool as hell.
Quote Posted by Gingerbread Man
Why yes.
Cool, I'll have to watch it. :)
edit: aaaaand I have watched it. The first episode. It's on youtube. It's... not that good. Perhaps it was more original in 2004 but watching it in 2010 I feel like I know a lot of these jokes already. There were a few really good parts though that made me laugh out loud.
"The doors of darkness had openend. Doors that were hard to shut again because they were abstract and didn't have handles." :laff:
Shakey-Lo on 12/8/2010 at 16:22
Oh please. The first episode of Darkplace is the greatest piece of television mankind has ever produced. (Later episodes are not up to the same standard.)
The funniest parts though are not what is said, but things like every closeup being composed with the head in the exact centre of frame, or Liz Asher momentarily putting her hand on her hip before remembering she's supposed to deliver the line and then put her hand on her hip, or Thornton holding a shovel in one shot and a paper cup in the next.
To me the blatant 'jokes' are the weakest part because it crosses the line into 'intentional' comedy and weakens the otherwise perfect awfulness.
henke on 12/8/2010 at 17:11
Really? To me all the pretend-bad acting and pretend-incontinuity got a bit weary.
I just watched episode 2 and I actually liked it better, it felt like they'd learned something from making the first episode. Like what works and what doesn't.
Morte on 12/8/2010 at 17:24
A decent title sequence is a bit of a lost aren, isn't it? The running time of TV shows are getting shorter and shorter to squeeze more ads in, so an elaborate title sequence is pretty much the first to go.
I guess changing viewing habits might have something to do with it as well. I hardly ever watch live broadcasts anymore, so what might be an opportunity to grab a sandwich quickly becomes an annoyance to be skipped if I'm watching a show on dvd, or downloaded.
Anyway I'm going to cheat terribly and nominate the (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4thzyFFdvVc) Se7en title sequence, which is just aces.
Also, this thread is conspiciously lacking a (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AepyGm9Me6w&feature=fvw) Hawaii 5-0 option, even if just for comedy purposes.
Scots Taffer on 13/8/2010 at 00:52
Yeah, echoing what's said before - most HBO shows: Six Feet Under, Deadwood, The Sopranos, even True Blood (which I don't watch) has a very effective title sequence.
The Wire's differing season openers were good and all, but not to the same level, the music is more affecting than the titles.
Dexter also, I love the juxtaposition and the musical cues and the editing.
Northern Exposure sets the light tone of the show and also establishes the setting of the fictional town of Sicily, Alaska.
Police Squad is irreverent and funny, sets the barometer for silliness early.
The X-Files was good for its time and genre, as was Eerie Indiana.
What about movie title sequences. I could talk about those all day.
Psycho alone is fucking perfect.
