'Starburst' Joss interview (lots of W/T stuff)

[morgan1707]

No offence, April, but Joss will do what he pleases! He broke Angel and Buffy, and B/A shippers weren't pleased - the same could be done with W/T.

But I hope that won't happen anytime soon...

[kpmuse]

But I think Joss has said that a big part of why he broke up Buffy and Angel was to be able to do the spinoff. And since he loves angst so much, I suppose it made sense that Angel would do this breaking Buffy's heart.

Joss has already broken Willow's heart several times already (e.g cheating, betrayal, unrequited love, leaving) and I just can't see them doing these types of arcs again permanently. It would be an old, boring trick. By the way, they have also had Tara in danger several times - so I can't see that again.

So I really expect the troubles to be new and clever, ending with growth and closeness for Willow and Tara. This just makes sense to me for the year of "Oh Grow Up".

[This message has been edited by kpmuse (edited August 12, 2001).]

[xita]

morgan, but I disagree. For better or for worse, Willow and Tara being lesbians directly affects their future on the show.

[Dr.G]

Ah but Morgan breaking up W/T would please the W/T haters, and Joss doesn't like them.

[april]

and besides, the hellmouth hath no fury like a band of w/t shippers scorned. even joss should know that...

[Cannelle]

Joss, hey, what are you saying? Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a great director. I guess that Amélie From Montmartre is a best movie than Buffy The Vampire Slayer (the film!!!). But, even the best episode from BTVS (for example Hush) is absolutely nothing by comparison with Amélie from Montmartre. Joss is not the best director in world. Jean-Pierre Jeunet neither but I guess that Joss is a little boastful!
Finally, go to the movies and watch Amélie from Montmartre!

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Les chevaliers du zodiaque Contre les forces démoniaques Gardent toujours au fond de leur coeur Le courage des vainqueurs

[xita]

Well not to get in an argument, but Joss didn't direct BTVS the movie. And comparing an hour show to a full length movie is unfair.

[AutumnT]

quote:

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Originally posted by kpmuse:
. By the way, they have also had Tara in danger several times - so I can't see that again.

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Oh, I can easily. This is a show where the lead characters are almost constantly in danger of some sort. Bad things are always happening to them from the danger standpoint. I'd be surprised if she wasn't in danger at some point next year.

I'm sure the characters will get out of said danger, but that's part of the fun of Buffy.

[This message has been edited by AutumnT (edited August 12, 2001).]quote:

[Hugin]

I like Jean-Pierre Jeunet's work a lot. But I have no idea what battles Joss tried to fight behind the scenes on that movie, and lost. What I do know, is that while the movie had a good solid first ten minutes, and two or three interesting set peices after that, most of the rest of it was terrible.

And by terrible, I mean that after giving the audience some very interesting characters and ideas, Jeunet proceeds to throw them away in the flattest manner possible, Alien Resurrection is far less interesting in it's execution overall than Alien 3, which is a crying shame, because somewhere in there are much better ideas than Fincher had.

I don't think Joss actually thinks Jeunet is unimaginative, but in terms of the action/suspense/horror triumverate that makes the Alien movies go..he largely failed. In fact, in this respect he reminds me very much of Tim Burton, who I admire greatly for many things (foremost his unique visual style), but who should never be allowed to direct an action sequence again, because he's just bad at them. Anyway, I think the lesson for Joss is that he should try to retain as much control over projects as possible, up to and incuding directing his own work. Then it can succeed of fail on his terms at least.

-len

[drlloyd11]

Jeunet ...
Alien 4 did suck, and Joss did work with him.
So....

quote:

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Originally posted by Cannelle:
Joss, hey, what are you saying? Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a great director. I guess that Amélie From Montmartre is a best movie than Buffy The Vampire Slayer (the film!!!). But, even the best episode from BTVS (for example Hush) is absolutely nothing by comparison with Amélie from Montmartre. Joss is not the best director in world. Jean-Pierre Jeunet neither but I guess that Joss is a little boastful!
Finally, go to the movies and watch Amélie from Montmartre!

---

quote:

[Cannelle]

quote:

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Originally posted by xita:
[B]Joss didn't direct BTVS the movie. [B]

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No he wrote it. As I heard...

quote:

[FrenchRose]

Alright I know this is not a Joss vs. Jeunet thing, but I just gotta say that if we were to judge the guys on their talent, then of course Joss wins ; he's an accomplished writer, a terrific director and has a terribly good sense of what makes a story, in words or in film, work. Now Jeunet - I liked some of what he did but I seriously think he's not all he's cracked up to be. Here in France there's this whole 'oh a frenchie directed a movie with Sigourney Weaver' thing, so most people are like 'take that yanks, we can do it as well as you do'. But truth is, Jeunet only know a few tricks and uses them over and over again. To me, the fact that some of the Amelie Poulain shots so closely resemble those from Alien 4 is plain scary... And if you consider what Joss does with the cards he's given... I mean, if he had the bucks and time Jeunet does, well he would put my fellow frenchie to shame.

Rose, a bit defensive maybe....

[kpmuse]

quote:

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Originally posted by AutumnT:
Oh, I can easily. This is a show where the lead characters are almost constantly in danger of some sort. Bad things are always happening to them from the danger standpoint. I'd be surprised if she wasn't in danger at some point next year.

[This message has been edited by AutumnT (edited August 12, 2001).]

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My point really was that it might be getting a bit old to have Tara in physical danger all the time as one of the trouble spots for her and Willow.

I don't see the other leads such as Anya, Xander or Giles in danger all the time.

If there is to be trouble for Willow and Tara, I hope that the writers will come up with something new this upcoming season and not something that has been done repeatedly, even if it is always fun to watch them get out of it. Just speculating on how they can evolve their relationship in a new way e.g. a moral dilema, co-habitation issues, raising Dawn, impact of Dark Magic, outside influences, family issues, etc.

Kris

quote:

[morgan1707]

quote:

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Originally posted by xita:
morgan, but I disagree. For better or for worse, Willow and Tara being lesbians directly affects their future on the show.

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How?quote:

[BBOvenGuy]

Willow and Tara being lesbians affects their future on the show because Joss has recognized the social importance beyond the fourth wall that having a stable and real same-sex couple on TV has. Originally he said he didn't want to have the relationship end badly and/or kill off one of the girls because it was too much of a cliche - and he may still think that way, but I think he's grasped their larger significance now and it's important to him.

[This message has been edited by BBOvenGuy (edited August 13, 2001).]

[morgan1707]

Thanks for that, Bob! But from my personal opinion, that doesn't guarantee Willow or Tara's future on the show.

Sorry, but that's what I think.

[xita]

It certainly affects the way Joss thinks and that is what counts.

Joss wants to send the right message. It's important to him.

[kpmuse]

Plus, nobody else in tvland is doing a stable, long term, true love same sex relationship, so Joss gets to be different and a leader on this.

I've heard that he is competitive and wants to put out the better than the best, and W & T only add to the unique, cutting edge quality of the show.

[Katharyn]

An interesting comparison at this point may be the reasoning behind earlier breakup's of characters. I don;t pretend to know all those reasons, but for example Seth Green's decision to leave created the Oz/W storyline that saw them split.
Given (I believe but cannot say for certain) that the whole of season 3 was building up to the departure of Angel to his own show that would explain the B/A split and if (and again I have no idea when the decision was made) Charisma signed up to Angel early enough also covers the X/C split. I may be totally wrong about Marc Blucas but I believe he too was wishing to leave(?)
If you look it in that light (and my suppositions are fact anyone shed any light on them?) Joss has never actually split a pair of major characters in love(at least not permanently) for any reason other than their own wishes or a spin off show. Which is good news for W/T and all of us.
What, as my naff memory serves to tell me, he has done is set up other couples to take the fall in individual episodes.
Oh...I just remembered Jenny, best not to think about that one.

Opinions Kitties?

Katharyn

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She's my always

[Dr.G]

Oh but why do we worry so much anyway, I was watching the BBC a few days ago, and Sam Neill told us in a very creepy voice we could all be sucked into a black hole.

*Harrumph* whatImeantersay is maybe we could stop predicting doom and gloom, they are still shooting the first ep, Buffy is a dynamic show, nothing is set in stone (meaning the exact way the season will unfold).

Of course the one thing I *am* sure of is that Willow and Tara will *never* break up. Hah. Follow my logic.

[This message has been edited by Dr.G (edited August 13, 2001).]

IP: Logged

[This message has been edited by Dr.G (edited August 13, 2001).]

[AutumnT]

quote:

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Originally posted by Katharyn:

Oh...I just remembered Jenny, best not to think about that one.

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Actually it is fine to think about. That was a case of an actress having problems with the material for religious reasons. She had real issues with having to be inhabited by a demon at one point. I was always under the impression that these issues led to her demise on the show.

Also a very good point is brought up about Joss and his feelings about being a leader in portraying a gay relationship. I've heard he was prouder of the toaster sent to him by lesbian fans than on his Emmy nomination.quote:

[Kabuki]

This may be optimism talking, but I'm fairly certain we'll see Willow and Tara together to the end of the series. They'll have some ups and downs, especially since up to "Tough Love" last season there was never a conflict between them, where all the other couples on the show have had conflict galore. They've started with the conflict over magic and that's something to be explored next season. But I think Willow's development as a character, never mind the social implications for a minute, has lead her to Tara and now they will have to face whatever will happen in the last seasons together. The way things are going, the stakes are only going to get higher for the Scooby Gang in the next two seasons, so all W/T have to worry about is sticking together and *gulp* not dying.

I am much more worried about Xander and Anya. Xander has been sidelined for much too long and he hasn't been joss-tortured (on-screen) nearly as much as Buffy and Willow have. He has some heartbreak coming to him, if "Restless" is any indication (I do probably read far too much forshadowing into that episode, but when I watch the exchange between Xander and Snyder I start to worry). Anyway, Xander and Anya are much too happy for it not to go horribly wrong. I hope they at least get to get married first.

[Claudia]

Pardon me for stirring up a dormant thread, but, Autumn, from what I can tell from web-searching, Robia La Morte very much objected to her role in _Amends_, playing the First Evil. Not to the possession that occurred while she was a recurring character. It seems pretty clear that Joss needed her to die, and that he was willing to break up a couple to do so.

That said, I'm confident he'll do well by Tara and Willow. Of course, for me that doesn't necessarily mean they're together forever. It means they're in well-told stories. I figure the chances are good of together forever, but it's not as certain.

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"I always thought that was a cliche," she says. "You know, 'his heart moved within him at the sight of his lover's face.' But it isn't."
"None of them are, if you say them right." -- Black Wine