Heroes -- "Better Halves" -- 10.30.2006
#52
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I thought the episode was pretty good. It answered a lot of questions in Nikki's backstory.
And Hiro playing with an imaginary sword and making sound effects, again, was hilarious. No surprise really.
And Hiro playing with an imaginary sword and making sound effects, again, was hilarious. No surprise really.
#53
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by CreamyGoodness
I missed last night's episode. I thought I could go on NBC's site and watch it but when I try, it says video not found and then it kind of slows up my system until I close the browser, at which time I get and error saying that the program is not responding. Bad mojo!
It seems to happen with any show I try to look at - just the full episodes, not the minute-long recaps.
Anyone know what's up? Kind of a bummer when they advertise something that doesn't work. (ABC's video works.)
With this in mind, does anyone know where I can find the episode? Thanks.
It seems to happen with any show I try to look at - just the full episodes, not the minute-long recaps.
Anyone know what's up? Kind of a bummer when they advertise something that doesn't work. (ABC's video works.)
With this in mind, does anyone know where I can find the episode? Thanks.
The current week's episode is repeated on the SciFi Channel on Fridays at 7:00PM.
#54
Originally Posted by Snowmaker
Am I the only one she does nothing for? Maybe if she had longer hair, but that boy-haircut ruins it for me.
This chick does nothing for me - Short hair
![Thumbsdown](/images/smilies/thumbsdown.gif)
#55
Moderator
Originally Posted by Snowmaker
Am I the only one she does nothing for? Maybe if she had longer hair, but that boy-haircut ruins it for me.
#57
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by Thrush
Shouldn't DL in theory be impervious to physical harm? I mean if someone is chocking him he could just phase out, move and they are holding a fistful of air. Same thing if some one tries to hit him, assuming he sees it coming.
It's probably a concentration thing. He actually has to concentrate to use his powers. The choke caught him off guard but once he got back his composure he was able to put his hand through her chest.
I didn't think the Niki storyline dragged at all. Her and Clair are still my favorite storylines. The less we see of crocked mouth guy the better but Heroin Man is starting to grow on me.
#59
DVD Talk Hero
Also, DL probably had no idea that Niki was so damn strong now. He was definitely caught off-guard.
BTW, there is a name for Niki's alter-ego that is used by the production/cast/crew:
This info was from Greg Beeman's blog.
BTW, there is a name for Niki's alter-ego that is used by the production/cast/crew:
Spoiler:
This info was from Greg Beeman's blog.
#60
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My fave line of the night
Mini-Bilson - Theres is apparently also a guy who can stop time
(not)Evil Dad - Cool!
Mini-Bilson - Theres is apparently also a guy who can stop time
(not)Evil Dad - Cool!
#61
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BTW, whats the significance of the cracked glasses?
#62
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Masi Oka: Coder, Actor, Hero
By John Gaudiosi
02:00 AM Oct, 25, 2006
Millions of viewers of NBC's Heroes know actor Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura, the bored young Japanese office worker who discovers he has the power to alter time and teleport. What they probably don't know is that he's been working behind the scenes for years as one of Industrial Light & Magic's top programmers.
In an ensemble cast that features solid acting all around, Oka steals the show every time he's on the screen. The show literally has his Hiro living out the exploits of his own comic book, 9th Wonders.
Since graduating from Brown University in 1997, Oka has worked on more than 30 big-budget Hollywood films at ILM. During that time he has written more than 20 programs and 100 plug-ins for the leading special-effects house. While audiences might not have known his name or face until Heroes, they've seen his programming magic on the big screen in films like The Perfect Storm, Star Wars: Episode II, Terminator 3 and the first two Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
"I've been programming computers since elementary school, where they taught us, and I stuck with computer science through high school and college," said Oka. "ILM offered me an entry-level position at its Marin, California, headquarters, but they refused to fly me out for the job interview. Fortunately, Microsoft also was interested in hiring me and they flew me out to Seattle, then down to San Francisco and back to Providence."
Oka ended up taking the job with ILM and remains with the company to this day, despite his hectic TV production schedule. He said ILM was a great place to start in the industry because he learned a lot about the pipeline and how the company worked.
"It was also a way for upper management to determine how much drive we had," said Oka. "If we wanted to, we could always start our own projects."
After a year and a half of training, which included some work on Star Wars: Episode I and Rocky and Bullwinkle, Oka got his first big "show" with The Perfect Storm. He worked with John Anderson to create the computer-generated water effects for the film. All of the water effects in that film, as well as water effects in more recent films like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, were the result of code written by Oka.
"That allowed me to get my name out in the ILM community and people wanted me to do a lot of particle work, fluid stuff and modeling for different shows," said Oka. "I became more of a firefighter, going around from show to show doing short-term work as a hired gun to solve problems on a very quick basis."
A lot of the software Oka wrote became applicable to other shows. For example, the computational fluid dynamics he worked on in Terminator 3, which allowed liquid metal to take shape, handled the drool in Dreamcatcher. His surface-cracking technology from Star Wars: Episode II worked well for Pirates of the Caribbean.
"The key to digital effects is to do things that are visually accurate but done cheaply and approximated," said Oka. "I would simulate viscosity or advection, things that are specific to the way water moves. We'd do a cheap simulated effect for these movements and they were used for things like the spray and wakes in The Perfect Storm."
Oka managed to get his Screen Actors Guild card by performing in a few industrial videos. After working on The Perfect Storm for nearly two full years, Oka moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career in 2001. He appeared in a number of TV shows (Scrubs, Reba, Without a Trace) and films (Along Came Polly, Legally Blonde 2, House of the Dead 2) before Heroes thrust him into the spotlight.
Working remotely from ILM's Los Angeles studio, Oka has remained active with movie effects, although now he's limited to one or two days of ILM work a week because of his production schedule.
"I love both acting and programming equally," said Oka, who enjoys challenging both sides of his brain. "I think it enriches me and enhances me as an artist. I have a lot of appreciation for what people do in front of the camera as well as behind the camera. I don't think I could like one without the other. Eventually, I think the road will lead me down to producing or directing, because it's more about problem solving."
Should Heroes' early success continue for NBC, Oka said he would love to be able to direct an episode in season three or four and bring all of his ILM cronies in to help out.
"I'd make use of my employee discount -- buy two effects and get one free," joked Oka.
By John Gaudiosi
02:00 AM Oct, 25, 2006
Millions of viewers of NBC's Heroes know actor Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura, the bored young Japanese office worker who discovers he has the power to alter time and teleport. What they probably don't know is that he's been working behind the scenes for years as one of Industrial Light & Magic's top programmers.
In an ensemble cast that features solid acting all around, Oka steals the show every time he's on the screen. The show literally has his Hiro living out the exploits of his own comic book, 9th Wonders.
Since graduating from Brown University in 1997, Oka has worked on more than 30 big-budget Hollywood films at ILM. During that time he has written more than 20 programs and 100 plug-ins for the leading special-effects house. While audiences might not have known his name or face until Heroes, they've seen his programming magic on the big screen in films like The Perfect Storm, Star Wars: Episode II, Terminator 3 and the first two Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
"I've been programming computers since elementary school, where they taught us, and I stuck with computer science through high school and college," said Oka. "ILM offered me an entry-level position at its Marin, California, headquarters, but they refused to fly me out for the job interview. Fortunately, Microsoft also was interested in hiring me and they flew me out to Seattle, then down to San Francisco and back to Providence."
Oka ended up taking the job with ILM and remains with the company to this day, despite his hectic TV production schedule. He said ILM was a great place to start in the industry because he learned a lot about the pipeline and how the company worked.
"It was also a way for upper management to determine how much drive we had," said Oka. "If we wanted to, we could always start our own projects."
After a year and a half of training, which included some work on Star Wars: Episode I and Rocky and Bullwinkle, Oka got his first big "show" with The Perfect Storm. He worked with John Anderson to create the computer-generated water effects for the film. All of the water effects in that film, as well as water effects in more recent films like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, were the result of code written by Oka.
"That allowed me to get my name out in the ILM community and people wanted me to do a lot of particle work, fluid stuff and modeling for different shows," said Oka. "I became more of a firefighter, going around from show to show doing short-term work as a hired gun to solve problems on a very quick basis."
A lot of the software Oka wrote became applicable to other shows. For example, the computational fluid dynamics he worked on in Terminator 3, which allowed liquid metal to take shape, handled the drool in Dreamcatcher. His surface-cracking technology from Star Wars: Episode II worked well for Pirates of the Caribbean.
"The key to digital effects is to do things that are visually accurate but done cheaply and approximated," said Oka. "I would simulate viscosity or advection, things that are specific to the way water moves. We'd do a cheap simulated effect for these movements and they were used for things like the spray and wakes in The Perfect Storm."
Oka managed to get his Screen Actors Guild card by performing in a few industrial videos. After working on The Perfect Storm for nearly two full years, Oka moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career in 2001. He appeared in a number of TV shows (Scrubs, Reba, Without a Trace) and films (Along Came Polly, Legally Blonde 2, House of the Dead 2) before Heroes thrust him into the spotlight.
Working remotely from ILM's Los Angeles studio, Oka has remained active with movie effects, although now he's limited to one or two days of ILM work a week because of his production schedule.
"I love both acting and programming equally," said Oka, who enjoys challenging both sides of his brain. "I think it enriches me and enhances me as an artist. I have a lot of appreciation for what people do in front of the camera as well as behind the camera. I don't think I could like one without the other. Eventually, I think the road will lead me down to producing or directing, because it's more about problem solving."
Should Heroes' early success continue for NBC, Oka said he would love to be able to direct an episode in season three or four and bring all of his ILM cronies in to help out.
"I'd make use of my employee discount -- buy two effects and get one free," joked Oka.
#63
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by Tommy Ceez
BTW, whats the significance of the cracked glasses?
At first I thought the cracked glasses were just going to be for the comic book. Meaning that you will see the cracked glasses in the painting and know that he was in "bad guy mode" Now I'm not understanding the significance at all.
#65
DVD Talk Hero
He didn't pick them up until Eden mentioned Nathan. Did Nathan break the glasses? They may have just been a pair of broken glasses of which he was presently reminded.
#66
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Originally Posted by Groucho
Can somebody please explain the whole "Mini-Bilson" thing?
![](http://cdn.compuserve.com/gallery/i/b/bilson/4547189_Max.jpg)
i.e.: mini-Bilson. Apparently it's caught on in here. lol.
BTW, PAtman, I like your moniker for not nice Nikki better than the cast/crew one. And can someone please explain what DL's powers are? I get that he somehow escaped prison, but I don't get what he did to Nikki?
#67
DVD Talk Legend
Think Kitty Pride in X-Men. He and phase all or part of his body through solid objects.
As for what he did to Nikki he phased his hand into her chest and probably started to re-solidify it.
As for what he did to Nikki he phased his hand into her chest and probably started to re-solidify it.
#68
DVD Talk Hero
I'm guessing he solidified some parts of his arms while inside Niki's lungs and cause the airflow to go away and this made Niki become unconscious while he ran away with Micah.
#69
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Originally Posted by stevevt
#71
Heroes is officially my favorite show now. Even though last nights episode was a little slower, I thought it had a lot of really strong elements. It was written better than most of the other episodes, and the recurrent theme of you are what you CHOOSE to be, not what you are born to be was particularly well done. Throw in some uber cool moments with CheerDads "cool" (awesome) and Hiro playing with his sword, a couple of very cool twists (the show is very good at subtle misdirection of characters) and solid advancement of the plot and this episode just rocked! Plus, people are starting to talk about it (like Lost) and it had its biggest ratings of the year last night. Heres to several good years of Heroes on TV.
#72
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
I've finally caught up to the show, and have been pleasantly suprised on how well its come on since ep 2.
It's become a same night watch show now
It's become a same night watch show now
#73
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Great show and way better than lost (people will probably flame me for saying that). At least there's progression and the stories lines are more focused
#75
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Apparently my memory is not that great when it comes to this show. I was talking about it at work today and a few people said that Sylar has been revealed (the black guy that can wipe memories) saying that he was the one who Grunberg was shooting at in the FBI building. I don't remember his identity every being revealed. Have I missed something?