Crispy78 wrote: Hopefully everyone already knows about this one, but Taskmaster on UK channel 4.
5 celebrities (generally comedians or comic actors, but it varies) compete to complete the often-bizarre tasks for the Taskmaster - a wonderfully bossy and capricious Greg Davies. Greg is assisted by little Alex Horne, who is actually the creative genius behind the show. Over the course of each series, the 5 guests are scored for the completion of their tasks, and at the end the winner gets a golden trophy of the Taskmaster's head. Sounds a bit crap, right?
It's incredible. Most of all I love the insight you get on the contestants - I've discovered people who are unexpectedly hilarious, unexpectedly inventive, and unexpectedly useless. And the lengths that contestants go to to win the favour of the Taskmaster are at times astonishing. Josh Widdicombe, for instance, on the task for 'get the Taskmaster the best present for £20', got the Taskmaster's name tattooed on his foot. Some of the best series are those featuring contestants that are actually friends of the Taskmaster - thinking of Rhod Gilbert and Ed Gamble in particular.
It's even made me warm massively towards Rosie Jones (a comedian with cerebral palsy), who is wasted on panel shows like Mock The Week and always just felt like a diversity inclusion. Here, her sense of humour, self-deprecation and downright weirdness get a chance to shine and she is probably my favourite contestant of this series.
Watch it - the UK version at least. I gather it's been sold extensively abroad (sounds like Alex Horne has made a bloody fortune from it) but I suspect that without Greg and Alex it would be a lesser experience.
It's a good a good batch of contestants for this series, so a return to form after the previous run.
Crispy78 wrote: Hopefully everyone already knows about this one, but Taskmaster on UK channel 4.
5 celebrities (generally comedians or comic actors, but it varies) compete to complete the often-bizarre tasks for the Taskmaster - a wonderfully bossy and capricious Greg Davies. Greg is assisted by little Alex Horne, who is actually the creative genius behind the show. Over the course of each series, the 5 guests are scored for the completion of their tasks, and at the end the winner gets a golden trophy of the Taskmaster's head. Sounds a bit crap, right?
It's incredible. Most of all I love the insight you get on the contestants - I've discovered people who are unexpectedly hilarious, unexpectedly inventive, and unexpectedly useless. And the lengths that contestants go to to win the favour of the Taskmaster are at times astonishing. Josh Widdicombe, for instance, on the task for 'get the Taskmaster the best present for £20', got the Taskmaster's name tattooed on his foot. Some of the best series are those featuring contestants that are actually friends of the Taskmaster - thinking of Rhod Gilbert and Ed Gamble in particular.
It's even made me warm massively towards Rosie Jones (a comedian with cerebral palsy), who is wasted on panel shows like Mock The Week and always just felt like a diversity inclusion. Here, her sense of humour, self-deprecation and downright weirdness get a chance to shine and she is probably my favourite contestant of this series.
Watch it - the UK version at least. I gather it's been sold extensively abroad (sounds like Alex Horne has made a bloody fortune from it) but I suspect that without Greg and Alex it would be a lesser experience.
The UK version is the original and the best, Greg Davies is a legend. But I've watched the NZ one too, and it's also worth a look.
Had been looking forward to this one since it was announced, as I'd always heard good things about the manga version.
Unfortunately, despite some pretty disturbing imagery, I'm mostly finding it to be unintentionally (I think) hilarious, which is not what you want from a horror series.
The main problem is, despite all the weird, freaky stuff going on, no one seems even slightly bothered by it, apart from the main girl and her boyfriend that is. Like one episode children are turning into giant snails, but rather than take them to the hospital or something, to figure out what's going on, the school builds them a pen to live in, because that's their life now, they're Snail People. And without the characters taking things seriously, it's hard for me to take the show seriously.
Apparently, it's a very bad adaptation, but unless huge chunks of the story were rewritten, I'm not sure how that could cause the tone to be so off.
It's got on episode to go, let's see if it rallies or remains a complete clown show.
A few things. First of all, the first episode basically ate the entire series budget, got the director I believe fired, and the rest was done on a shoestring.
More importantly though, I think it helps to understand why Junji Ito's work is so hard to translate. His stories are often about recreating that monster in the closet or under the bed style fear and the manga format is a big part of why it works. In manga, you as a the reader are forced to open the closet door or look under the bed and a lot of his stories are about making you question whether you want to turn the page and see what horrors lie beyond. In animation, the director forces you onward. There's a sense of time that grounds you in reality that gets lost in manga, similar to how "talking is a free action" feels completely natural in comics but leads to bizarre moments where characters spend minutes explaining a single punch.
I think Chainsaw Man's anime will forever suffer similar problems. The manga is so good because of how the panels guide your eye and it constantly plays with the medium to convey its message. There's a scene towards the end of the first major section of the series (probably 2-3 seasons from now, I will try to explain this without plot spoilers) that people are going to hype to no end that I don't think is going to hit nearly as hard. Basically, a character is ordered to do something that enables another character's horrific actions to put the weight of those actions on that character. The genius bit of it all is how its framed so the reader feels that same responsibility. It's made clear that by turning the page, you as the reader are responsible for what happens next and I don't think that will hit nearly as hard in animation.
Had been looking forward to this one since it was announced, as I'd always heard good things about the manga version.
Unfortunately, despite some pretty disturbing imagery, I'm mostly finding it to be unintentionally (I think) hilarious, which is not what you want from a horror series.
The main problem is, despite all the weird, freaky stuff going on, no one seems even slightly bothered by it, apart from the main girl and her boyfriend that is. Like one episode children are turning into giant snails, but rather than take them to the hospital or something, to figure out what's going on, the school builds them a pen to live in, because that's their life now, they're Snail People. And without the characters taking things seriously, it's hard for me to take the show seriously.
Apparently, it's a very bad adaptation, but unless huge chunks of the story were rewritten, I'm not sure how that could cause the tone to be so off.
It's got on episode to go, let's see if it rallies or remains a complete clown show.
A few things. First of all, the first episode basically ate the entire series budget, got the director I believe fired, and the rest was done on a shoestring.
More importantly though, I think it helps to understand why Junji Ito's work is so hard to translate. His stories are often about recreating that monster in the closet or under the bed style fear and the manga format is a big part of why it works. In manga, you as a the reader are forced to open the closet door or look under the bed and a lot of his stories are about making you question whether you want to turn the page and see what horrors lie beyond. In animation, the director forces you onward. There's a sense of time that grounds you in reality that gets lost in manga, similar to how "talking is a free action" feels completely natural in comics but leads to bizarre moments where characters spend minutes explaining a single punch.
I think Chainsaw Man's anime will forever suffer similar problems. The manga is so good because of how the panels guide your eye and it constantly plays with the medium to convey its message. There's a scene towards the end of the first major section of the series (probably 2-3 seasons from now, I will try to explain this without plot spoilers) that people are going to hype to no end that I don't think is going to hit nearly as hard. Basically, a character is ordered to do something that enables another character's horrific actions to put the weight of those actions on that character. The genius bit of it all is how its framed so the reader feels that same responsibility. It's made clear that by turning the page, you as the reader are responsible for what happens next and I don't think that will hit nearly as hard in animation.
Yeah, I've had other people explain to me that it really should never have been adapted, even without the production problems, it just wouldn't work as an anime.
Unfortunately I'm not a manga person (I just don't enjoy it as a medium), so having a go at the original isn't an option either.
1970’s UK cop drama, and a pretty hard edged trailblazer.
And y’know, it still holds up. Horribly outdated in some of the stuff it portrays, but what stands out to me is that Regan and Carter don’t always get their man, which adds to its veracity.
Where it’s outdated, it’s not provocative, just a product of its time with casual racism and sexism. Though not in the language used, which is something.
Yeah this is pretty good. Season 3 dropped. My family all enjoyed it very much.
Pretty decent pacing, character interactions, and flow. It doesn't feel like an RPG campaign, just a episodic show with an overall storyline to follow. Often times things adapted from RPG campaigns FEEL like it.
It is funny to me that what happens in 30-45 minutes of TV time would take 12 hours of RPG time! LOL.
We're 3 episodes in on this and it's really good so far. It's set in the late 80s. Essentially a kid goes missing, someone paints a pentagram on his garage door and people start to freak out about satanism (as was the wont back then). A couple of nerd kids who have a band have an idea to use it to get people to come to their show. Hijinks and other more intense things ensue. The build up of crazy in a small town is impressive. Overall it's really good so far. It's only 8 episodes at this point so we'll see how it sticks the landing but between Bruce Campbell, Anna Camp, and Julie Bowen to achor the adult actors and some really good kiddos it's well done. It's also weird to see a restrained Bruce Campbell. I know he CAN act. I'm just not used to him actually doing it.
Apart from a slow first episode, I thoroughly enjoyed this and didn't think it was anywhere near as bad as the Internet said it was.
Was it a story that needed to be told? Absolutely not, but it was a solid bit of entertainment.
I think this highlights something we all forget, that the disparity of views is massive, and Disney viewing figures suggest the bulk of the audience has zero interaction with people in different social sphere. I found mind boggling to see stuff like kid under cloak and a host of other stuff. But it was enjoyed by many many people. Its interesting that we seem so siloed now we rarely interact with people with radically differing views.
Apart from a slow first episode, I thoroughly enjoyed this and didn't think it was anywhere near as bad as the Internet said it was.
Was it a story that needed to be told? Absolutely not, but it was a solid bit of entertainment.
I think this highlights something we all forget, that the disparity of views is massive, and Disney viewing figures suggest the bulk of the audience has zero interaction with people in different social sphere. I found mind boggling to see stuff like kid under cloak and a host of other stuff. But it was enjoyed by many many people. Its interesting that we seem so siloed now we rarely interact with people with radically differing views.
The show did definitely contain some pretty dodgy material, just not enough to spoil my enjoyment of it.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:Kid Under Cloak was silly. But….hand wavey space magic powerful effect on the weak mind, for me, gives enough wiggle room.
The important thing is that fight at the end. Which is superb. Not just excellent stage swordplay, but actual farting around with Force Powers.
You don't even need to include the Force to rationalise Kid Under Cloak.
It's a stupid idea and they realise that, but they're running out of time and it's the best thing they can think of, they're just hoping in the chaos and confusion they can get close-ish to their ship before someone notices.
The interesting one will be how Andor lands for me (I'm watching it next).
I liked Rogue One but to me Star Wars is Space Wizards with Laser Swords.
I really loved Andor, as it actually sets out why the Empire is to be feared, and why the Space Wizards with Laser Swords need to be deployed. Its properly good story telling with characters who have understandable and consistent motivations. Very limited "oh I guess that happens now". Very satisfying watch.
Andor cheats though - because you could slap any setting over it and it works. A vaguely Leninist rebellion against authoritarian/fascist government. As many have said it is potentially only superficially star wars. Remains to be seen if there is enough of a market of people like me, compared to the space wizards market, to make that style of story viable.
The_Real_Chris wrote: Andor cheats though - because you could slap any setting over it and it works. A vaguely Leninist rebellion against authoritarian/fascist government. As many have said it is potentially only superficially star wars. Remains to be seen if there is enough of a market of people like me, compared to the space wizards market, to make that style of story viable.
But that’s the purpose of a setting isn’t it? To provide a backdrop a gains which interesting stories can be told.
Jedi are not the entirety of the Star Wars setting, and given the beating they have been getting at the hands of Ashoka and The Acolyte, they probably need a bit of a rest until someone can sort out an actually appealing story for them.
Ashoka and the Acolyte were fine. They weren't GOOD but they were fine. More Ashoka than Acolyte admittedly simply because the characters/actors were simply better in Ashoka.
Andor really was top notch and star wars to me is also space wizards with laser swords.
Andor shines a light on the “little people”, and why The Empire eventually lost.
It wasn’t a group of space wizards that did them in, it was Regular Joes who stood up against Tyranny. Particularly in Return of the Jedi, Luke largely served as a distraction, getting Vader away from the ground attack.
Though he was central in getting the Ewoks onside.
Automatically Appended Next Post: The Simpsons, S35
It’s still alright. But of all the accent controversies, you think they’d bother to get Willie and Maisie’s accents right.
Wait. Maisie is voiced by Karen Gillan. Doing a rubbish Scottish accent.
Something a bit different, the few sports I enjoy on telly.
Darts, and Snooker.
These are games I can play myself, albeit I’m completely terrible at them. But because, at least when I was growing up most pubs had a Dartboard, and some (especially Working Men’s Clubs) had Snooker tables, they were accessible games.
To see them played by professionals, I can better appreciate the astounding skill of those players. Snooker especially, where you’re not only planning your next half dozen or so shots in advance, but also factoring in how many points remain on the table, how many you need to defacto win the frame, and in terms of ball placement, how to play so if you don’t pot, you leave your opponent in the worst possible position without hamstringing yourself.
Darts is similar, but you typically get more of a party atmosphere and a bit of the ol’ Razzle Dazzle showmanship from the competitors. But the skill on display is remarkable. From their accuracy to their planning, including rapid calculation and recalculation should a shot miss its intended target.
1981 anime about rebels fighting the even Earth Federation for their freedom. I had the toys as a kid but never saw the anime. Never even saw it available.
Now I see why. Brutal deaths on camera, the horror of war, and it looks like the good guys ultimately lose.
A so-so series. But in the finale? It could be they’ve just tried to adopt Shaun of the Dead into the mythos.
See, they end up in the company of a couple of Scot’s, and plan to walk to England via the Channel Tunnel. The Scots explain that Britain did ok when it all went to hell, as the Army took over.
Which is of course, exactly what we see at the end of Shaun of the Dead.
Which does make sense, as any Zombie apocalypse is manageable on an Island if you get on top of it swiftly enough.
Though as someone who lives close to the English end of Eurotunnel, I was amused that for the French end, they clearly used Any Old Train Tunnel, with a painted sign.
A so-so series. But in the finale? It could be they’ve just tried to adopt Shaun of the Dead into the mythos.
See, they end up in the company of a couple of Scot’s, and plan to walk to England via the Channel Tunnel. The Scots explain that Britain did ok when it all went to hell, as the Army took over.
Which is of course, exactly what we see at the end of Shaun of the Dead.
Which does make sense, as any Zombie apocalypse is manageable on an Island if you get on top of it swiftly enough.
Though as someone who lives close to the English end of Eurotunnel, I was amused that for the French end, they clearly used Any Old Train Tunnel, with a painted sign.
After the events of the finale, I find them to be a bit unreliable. We'll find out in Season 3.
So far, it's not quite the tour de force of season 1, but I think that's unavoidable. Arcane had the brilliance of genius that I don't think you can just replicate. It either happens or it doesn't.
It's still really good in the first 2 episodes so far. Much better than most shows have any right to be, and still capturing a really strong essence I think few shows manage to do.
Every character is justified in what they do. None of them are guiltless. None of them are beyond your ability to understand and sympathize with them. Even Jinx of all characters remains with a sympathetic edge.
Fantastic series. We just don't get shows like this very often.
It’s the 1995 revival, and my viewing sorted for the foreseeable.
But, I also need to finish watching Eerie, Indiana.
The original series is still on YouTube for free, but with ads. The revival was on there like less than two months ago, but I just checked and now it's not. It might cycle back in the future.
I believe you've stumbled on to one of those sites that likes to make fake trailers (they've got a trailer for Black Panther 3 that's not been officially announced, yet alone ready for a trailer featuring Will Smith ).
There has been a teaser for Disney+’s 2025 slate, which included a sneaky peaky at Alien Earth. And a few frames of from that are in the trailer I shared.
Finally watching the Last of Us after sitting on it for forever. Good show, but some of the episodes irk me for how the drag and don't really have anything to do with the main plot. The first one with Bill (?) I think I was okay with because it was sweet and didn't end the way I expected it to so it won me over. The second one, the Ellie flashback episode, is just...
Waiting for the anvil to drop of the dead girl walking.
For forty minutes. Bill won all my kudos already and I just didn't have any left for a duller episode.
Of note, the Ellie flashback wasn't in the original story. It was added later as a post launch DLC and I think it worked a lot better in that context. By its nature it doesn't really "fit" anywhere, despite being a well done standalone story.
Bill's story takes a sluggish bit of the original and reworks it into something standalone right when the story is transitioning to a new phase while being used to give a little more context to characters we wouldn't otherwise see again. It's kind of an interesting bit to see what works and what doesn't.
Just finished Dr Who season ???, the Disney Plus one, the latest one.
And well, there were a few good episodes in there but the conclusion was just a pile of nonsense, nothing makes sense and nothing matters and there's no point in guessing because it's made up as we go along.
those shows, ncis especially from what i can recall from when i'd watching it to kill time, are like time capsules of "who is the news showing to be scary to the average american at this time"
Arcane season 2 has been solid. Hard to meet expectations after season 1 and suffers a bit from getting closer to the world of the game and lacking a villain with the gravitas of Silco. Feels a bit more aimed at LoL fans than the original, which I'm not. Looking forward to seeing where act 3 goes.
I watched the animated Watchmen Part 1 on Max today.
It is BAD.
The voice acting is wooden from almost the entire cast. Its like they read the script in a room alone with no context for the lines.
There are some VERY slightly altered scenes or expanded information from either the comic or movie version. There is even a semi interesting attempt to do the Dr Manhatten's backstory scene in a neat way. But the poor voice acting and sound design ruins it. An interesting idea executed awfully.
AKA Terminator the anime.
Got mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, I like and appreciate the move away from Arnie and the Conners, I also liked seeing how a Terminator would operate somewhere that wasn't as gun-friendly as the USA. On the other hand, I hate most of the main cast (Malcolm and his kids are so annoying!).
My son has been obsessively watching old Saturday Night Live segments on YouTube. Celebrity Jeopardy was, of course, one of the first things we showed him. However, at least one of the skits is missing—the one with John Goodman playing Marlon Brando is nowhere to be found. I think this is also the one where Norm’s Burt Reynolds coins the name Turd Ferguson.
Is it gone because Trebek ends the segment saying, “That’s all for Celebrity Jeopardy. I’m going to go home and put a gun in my mouth.” do you think?
If so, I feel shutting off dark humor as a way to vent and making suicide an unspoken taboo will only have negative effects on mental health, especially for people with suicidal ideation.
Gotta admit, I struggled to get past the first couple of episodes, this just isn't the type of show I would normally watch and its thin veneer of Star Wars doesn't really change that.
But I stuck with it and it really grew on me, I can see why people like it, it's a very well done show.
Staples of 90’s UK TV Comedy Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer in a gentle fishing/cookery show, where the two old friends go fishing and muck about.
It originated after Bob’s brush with death, when he changed his lifestyle to healthier eating, and started going fishing with Paul as a hobby.
What results is a completely charming and entertaining day trip type show, with the added bonus of being two very funny comedians annoying/entertaining each other.
I've only dipped in and out of it, but the episodes I've seen have made me feel vaguely sad. Obviously I can't claim any insight into the inner workings of their friendship, but it felt to me like Paul was just not very nice... Seemed to be just bloody grumpy and continually rude / dismissive / disparaging to Bob. Maybe I've just happened to catch the wrong episodes - but, like I said, just made me feel a bit sad...
I don’t know if long-running Youtube series count as TV, but we’ve been watching through Sam Aronow’s history channel in order, and it is as compelling as a drama. Starting from the Chanukah episode, through the Hasmoneans (with the later dynasty’s Game of Thrones antics), through the I Claudius years to the fall of Rome and beyond. And the personalities only get better defined and more clearly drawn the closer to modern times we get. Highly recommended.
Then at bedtime we throw on a couple of the “baby goats” videos by Sunflower Farms Creamery for that critical sleepy time Awwww.
Fun little twist of the knife into the struggling superhero genre. Witty, oft times vular and ridiculous, I overall* enjoyed this journey into the soulcrushing life of Hollywood franchise productions. Probably 2 episodes longer than it needs to be, but I tend to say that about most things nowadays. I’ll probably rewatch some time later to try to catch some of the quick one-liners in the background or other stuff I missed. At roughly 30 minutes an episode, its an easy watch.
* Hated the character Dag(so annoying) and the awkward love affair between the directors assistant and some downtrodden extra who hilariously always seems to be wearing a mo-cap suit.
We’re about 6 or 7 episodes in, and if we were watching this weekly I think I wouldn’t have made it this far. It’s not as weird as I was expecting. I understand it gets more surreal later on, but so far I’m watching for the soundtrack and a handful of top notch character actors. With the relationship melodramas and escalating depravity the over-the-top parody elements are starting to kick in more, so I’m sure I’ll make it through. We’re only halfway through season one(?) and Laura Palmer has already undergone quite the transformation. Characters like Hank and Josie seem to keep getting worse/more interesting at an astonishing rate.
My son is quite enjoying it. My wife would hate it, so we can only watch it when she is at choir practice. I hope we’re able to get through all three seasons and the movie by the end of the year…
Rewatched Andor, very good show, I especially like the exchange between Mon Motha and Luthen:
"People will suffer"
"That's the plan"
Guerilla warfare 101, provoke atrocities and repression as a recruitment tool.
Moving on to Rogue One, enjoying it EXCEPT for the soundtrack. It feels like a fan fic where they have to find music that's close to the original but not so close as to cause copyright issues.
Except YOU'RE NOT A FANFIC! Play the dang Imperial March dang it!
Kid_Kyoto wrote: Rewatched Andor, very good show, I especially like the exchange between Mon Motha and Luthen:
"People will suffer" "That's the plan"
Guerilla warfare 101, provoke atrocities and repression as a recruitment tool.
Yeah, it showing that the original people who formed what would become the Rebellion aren't going to be your idealistic farmboys, but fanatics who are more than willing to use the tools of the Empire for their own ends (for example, did Cinta kill the governor's family on Aldhani to tie up loose ends before she left? It's definitely within the realm of possibility with how careful Luthen's cell is with regards to the security of his inner circle) was a very good choice.
I wouldn't say Andor is just a bloke. He has all the makings of an incredible revolutionary soldier. He is resourceful, incredibly perceptive and a lightning fast learner, to say nothing of his nerves of steel. Within a couple of days on Aldhani he had observed what handedness each of the group was, including that one of them was left handed but favoured his right when shooting, and knew why all that mattered with regards to impersonating imperial soldiers, as well as became completely familiar with the plan of attack which the others had weeks to prepare for.
What Andor isn't is a leader. He's not one who can give a rousing speech to inspire others to rise up. But the important thing is that he knows this about himself, and so he has no ego about it. He can identify others who can do that instead, like Kino on Narkina 5.
Andor isn't your Trotsky who rallies the flagging red army with a speech from the roof of an armoured train. He's Stalin, robbing banks and doing shakedowns and other dirty work to get funds for the cause.
I also like how precocious Mon Motha is with her speeches no one listens to (the scenes of Senators turning off their lights and walking out are great) and her legislation that will never pass.
She's going to get a lesson in how revolutions are not tea parties (to quote Mao).
In other news there's a rumor about Andor's arch nemesis in Season 2.
Kid_Kyoto wrote: I also like how precocious Mon Motha is with her speeches no one listens to (the scenes of Senators turning off their lights and walking out are great) and her legislation that will never pass.
She's going to get a lesson in how revolutions are not tea parties (to quote Mao).
In other news there's a rumor about Andor's arch nemesis in Season 2.
Finished Arcane. It's very very good but not the same way season 1 was. Things get more videogamey and the ultimate lesson appears to be that Ozymandias was right. It's great, but never surpasses season 1 for me. Absolutely worth watching whether or not your a LoL fan though.
Chronicles Of Narnia. The BBC production of C.S.Lewis' children's classic, is basically a cross between Oz and Middle Earth. Four children enter a Wardrobe in a game of hide'n'seek and step through to the magical land of Narnia. The forth story in the series - The Silver Chair - allows a good send off for the series, which the film series was tragically denied...
Box Of Delights. 40 years ago this series was shown on BBC1, and was about a young school boy - Kay Harker - who is entrusted with a magic box that is truly full of delights. Whats interesting about this show is that it used a digital effects system that allowed for some rather notable animated sequences, the most memorable is when Kay is transported into the titular box and enters the forest of Herne The Hunter. "Inform the commander that Lord Vader's shuttle has arrived" - yup, that's Herne The Hunter!
I don't watch TV. It's a cultural wasteland filled with inappropriate metaphors and an unrealistic portrayal of life created by the liberal media elite.
Lathe Biosas wrote: I don't watch TV. It's a cultural wasteland filled with inappropriate metaphors and an unrealistic portrayal of life created by the liberal media elite.
Spoiler:
Babylon 5
Nice Babylon 5 reference. One of these days I’ll have to start another rewatch of the series.
Christ, I hated The Young Ones as a child! Ever since that episode where they shove a bin bag over their heads and he keeps sneezing....ERRHHHHH!!! Disgusting!
Yeah, all of the recorded Bottom Live shows can be found on the 'Tubes and they're great fun. Two perfect partners in comedy just bouncing off each other and occasionally remembering to say an actual line from the play.
Bit of an odd one.
It's basically The Suicide Squad (Which I liked) but animated (Which I also like), so I should really like this, but I don't.
I'm not sure why I don't, I just thought the first two episodes were pretty lousy.
Won't be watching any more, which is a shame because I was looking forward to it.
Ahtman wrote: Anyone watch Superman & Lois? Is it worth watching? (this seemed the place to ask instead of starting a thread just for a quick recommendation)
I really liked it, enough to rewatch it. Second best Superman after Reeve, IMO.
This Superman is more relatable than past versions. He is responsible rather than infallible, and the scenes where he pretends to be a dork in order to be more involved with his sons lives are charming. There could have been a lot more of that actually. The super hero stuff all looks good and there is a decent amount of it.
The show can be pretty clever at times and knows what it is. They are able to subvert expectations in a good way, and make clever use of that in the first two seasons. Their spin on the "hallway fight" was pretty inspired I thought. They know they aren't Oldboy or Daredevil but were still able to put out (a) very cool Superman take on it. And if you told me I'd empathize most with what had been a cartoonishly terrible Silver Age villain from S2 beforehand I wouldn't have believed it.
On the negative side, its a show that is trying to appeal to all 4 demos and there is a LOT of filler if you aren't interested in the teen angst storylines with his sons or the saga of Lana Lang's family. S3 leans into the 35+ women demo more than the others and has two high Q rating actors playing the villains. I haven't seen the 4th season yet.
I think Secret Level loses out to love death and robots as the latter was entirely unconstrained. Of the 4 episodes I’ve watched so far, 3 were very much run as in-game cinematics and were therefore predictable and without a satisfying conclusion.
Pac Man, however, was properly interesting, primarily because the story was entirely unconstrained from what fans expect to see.
SamusDrake wrote: Chronicles Of Narnia. The BBC production of C.S.Lewis' children's classic, is basically a cross between Oz and Middle Earth. Four children enter a Wardrobe in a game of hide'n'seek and step through to the magical land of Narnia. The forth story in the series - The Silver Chair - allows a good send off for the series, which the film series was tragically denied...
Box Of Delights. 40 years ago this series was shown on BBC1, and was about a young school boy - Kay Harker - who is entrusted with a magic box that is truly full of delights. Whats interesting about this show is that it used a digital effects system that allowed for some rather notable animated sequences, the most memorable is when Kay is transported into the titular box and enters the forest of Herne The Hunter. "Inform the commander that Lord Vader's shuttle has arrived" - yup, that's Herne The Hunter!
Just doing Box of Delights myself.
I’m old enough to have seen this when it first aired, and outside of repeats, that’s probably the last time I saw it.
The effects, especially for BBC effects budget effects stand up surprisingly well. But the music is clearly by the same guy that scored that era of Doctor Who. Very synth heavy with brass and woodwind.
Overall it’s definitely retained its charm. And honestly, in the wake of Harry Potter and similar, I’m surprised nobody has tried a new adaptation.
Since everyone is excited about this I thought I'd give it a go.
From a pure eye-candy perspective, it's amazing, but other than that I found it kinda meh.
It probably didn't help that I had little to no knowledge of the various IP's, but apart from the Space Marine and Pac-Man stories they felt very incomplete.
I watched the half of Secret Level for games I was excited for. Overall its all kind of grimdark, which kind of has a numbing effect that dilutes the stuff that is supposed to be grimdark. It's possible the ones I skipped break things up with more color, but judging by the thumbnails I doubt it. Anyway, on to the reviews in the order I watched them:
Space Marine
It's 40k and its well done. It doesn't offer anything fresh for existing fans, nor does it provide a hint of context for non fans, but its very well done and the art style of the series fits it well.
Armored Core
This is easily my favorite of the 4. Another setting that fits the style well and they really nailed the way the mechs move and fight. Had a story, though it'd be nice if there was a moment where he gets the job to hammer home the mercenary nature of it. Again, I fear if you don't know the games its all kind of obtuse, but it worked for me in a way not even Space Marine did.
Pac-Man
This was always going to be a mess but oh what a mess it is. Somehow its the most silly edgelord nonsense of the bunch and also the most corny and full of dumb references. All I could think of was Bomberman: Act Zero and every terrible dark reboot of the late 2000s. This was too cringy to laugh at.
D&D
This one had some color towards the end and overall was pretty solid. The opening had all the hallmarks of the others, hiding everything in shadows, probably for budget reasons. The end built to a pretty triumphant feeling hero moment and while I wasn't invested in the story it started capturing the setting well.
Possibly forgotten media, Children’s BBC folk horror type tale, by one Russell T Davies, some years before he brought back Doctor Who.
And it’s pretty damn good. Set in a small, fairly isolated English village, the eponymous Century Falls. A village with a secret, and a legacy.
Being a kids show it is relatively tame. But the undercurrent of paganistic, gothic horror comes through all the same. And I dare say it wouldn’t take a great deal to nudge it into a more terrifying shape for a more mature audience. But nobody should do that, because it stands as testament to horror not needing gore and violence. Atmosphere alone can do plenty.
I don’t know if it’s available to stream anywhere, but my copy is DVD. Well worth seeking out.
I haven't watched this show in several years. I bought the full series on DVD and last time around I stopped before the end.
The Pilot episode is an hour and a half, not too bad. It sets the stage fairly well with one huge plot hole which had they realized at the time could have been a thing that the SG team needed to take care of in the first season or first few episodes.
Other than that I really like the ending of the pilot episode. It's ominous and says something close to, " buckle up it's going to be a wild ride."
Stargate SG1 is easily my favorite Science Fiction show. Probably because it reminds me of the original Ghost Recon game for pc.
" Ghost Recon in space and other places. "
SG-1, where as soon as mankind gains a reliable method of interstellar travel, we immediately pick a massive fight, and start nicking anything that isn’t nailed down.
And I love it.
Not you, Jonas Quinn. Parker Lewis couldn’t lose, but my gosh you could.
Be on the lookout for Colonel Paul Davis, portrayed by actor Colin Cunningham, who leads the much maligned SG-13.
In "Stargate SG-1," SG-13 is often the subject of recurring jokes and humorous references, primarily due to their reputation for being somewhat unlucky or inept compared to other teams. Some of the recurring jokes include:
1. **Unfortunate Missions**: SG-13 is frequently mentioned in the context of missions that go wrong or end poorly, leading to the implication that they have a higher casualty rate or face more dangerous situations than other teams.
2. **Team Composition**: The team is sometimes portrayed as being made up of less competent or more eccentric members, which adds to the humor surrounding their missions.
3. **Running Gags**: Characters like Colonel Jack O'Neill and others often make sarcastic comments about SG-13's performance or the outcomes of their missions, reinforcing the idea that they are not the most successful team in the Stargate program.
I still quote Jack O'Neill. Though a candle burns in my house no one is home.
Mostly due to my head injuries. I've exceeded the recommended number of zero by three.
I'd probably watch an SG13 show, at least 6 to 8 episodes.
I'm a fan of the HFY genre of modern silly sci-fi I found a year or two ago on Reddit, probably due to SG1.
What really makes SG1 work for me is the team dynamic, and the crossover of personal skills.
Teal’c, O’Neill and Carter are all lifelong military veterans, with O’Neill and Teal’c being the Noble Warrior more than just soldiers.
Carter and Jackson are the well qualified scientists, with complimenting fields
Jackson and Teal’c bring knowledge of the ancient civilisations and the Goa’uld.
And so when the team meet an issue in need of resolution, it’s rarely just one of them that provides the answer.
I think that’s why O’Neill’s replacement worked better than Jackson’s. The actor for Jonas Quinn was fine, but he never really filled the boots as well. Mitchell however, whilst carefully not a carbon copy, fulfils the same role as O’Neill. He’s decisive, but in a different approach.
Vala gets a pass because Claudia Black. Often in leather.
"Claudia Black in leather" ... naughty naughty Dok. lol
I also love that SG1 uses the formula. The formula you ask?
Yep. Just like the A team. Things go wrong when the characters are on their own, get captured then Zang! Magic. Put them all in the same room and watch them work. The bad guys never see it coming. Which is silly but lots of fun.
My favorite episode is the Jack O'Neill "groundhog day" episode where he keeps reliving the same day over and over... and is forced to not only listen to Daniel Jackson's science, but actually learn science.
Lathe Biosas wrote: My favorite episode is the Jack O'Neill "groundhog day" episode where he keeps reliving the same day over and over... and is forced to not only listen to Daniel Jackson's science, but actually learn science.
This is hands down one of the best "groundhog day" episodes I've ever seen. And lord knows they were popular in any sci-fi/fantasy show for a long long time.
I can’t remember the episode, or the exact wording, but it’s a later one and the quote is along the lines of “if you two make me say “huh?” one more time, remember I’m allowed to shoot you”.
Just finished that last night.
I found it difficult to watch. It's a solid episode for sure. A conclusion to the pilot episode and a nice launch for the full team roster.
The scale of this show is wild. By which I mean the setting and how things work.
General Hammond talking with the visiting Col. about pushing things up the chain of command. It was intended as a threat but it fell laughably short once it's revealed Hammond works directly for the President.
I could not stop laughing.
It also displays how compartmentalized Jack really. Even though we don't at this time know all the details about his service and just how messy and distasteful it got. It's a nice peak inside without giving it all away.
I saw a "Chad SG1" meme a week ago and I think that's what brought on this re watch. Wish I had saved it.
So disappointing this one.
10 awesome episodes of wacky supernatural, shounen battle, rom-com anime hijinks absolutely ruined for me by the final two.
First problem was the late introduction of a prominent side character I found incredibly annoying, but the final nail in the coffin was deciding that the end of season cliffhanger would be
Spoiler:
Lets threaten the main female character with gang rape, again.
Probably won't come back for the next season, I'm so soured on the show right now.
Also thought the cliff hanger for DanDaDan really soured a show that otherwise managed comedy about sex and alien abductions in a way ridiculous enough not to be offensive. I've read through the manga and mostly watch the show for that reason, but the anime picking that as a point to leave off on was not the best move. Rumor mill is the series is getting a quick season 2 that'll go into one of its best arcs. I hope they didn't choose to end on that cliff after learning they'd get another season.
In the new department;
Jentry Chau vs the Underworld
This show is extremely similar to Star vs the Forces of Evil, but with less weirdness comedy and more relationship and teen drama. But the drama is pretty well managed and forms satisfying arcs by the end of the first season. If you liked Star when it was good, you might like this show. It's also very reminiscent of Life and Times of Juniper Lee for anyone who remembers that show.
We got to the episode of Twin Peaks where “It’s happening again” with some Bob action. My son said, “Now it’s really getting interesting.” I agree. The series is finally giving the flying rodent gak I was hoping for.
Love Twin Peaks, but the event series from a few years ago was just horrible to sit through. It still had a few good moments but far too few to be recognised as the show we loved back in the 90s.
Hmmm. Would you be able explain what made it not work without using spoilers, please? All the reviews I’ve seen praised the new series, so I’d like to know if it’s overhyped before I get my expectations up.
I’ve heard it increases the surrealism of the show, which is our favorite part.
Meh. Especially compared to Star Wars Visions and Marvel What If? most of these shorts aren't very good and some a very cryptic if you're not already familiar with the setting. If you'd not played either Space Marine video game, I think the 40k one would make basically no sense, but at least it's a slick 20 minute action sequence. Really captures that the Astartes are basically walking tanks. The Armored Core one has Keanu Reeves I think? That's neat.
Overall very meh. Visually impressive but narratively impenetrable if there even is a narrative.
So disappointing this one.
10 awesome episodes of wacky supernatural, shounen battle, rom-com anime hijinks absolutely ruined for me by the final two.
First problem was the late introduction of a prominent side character I found incredibly annoying, but the final nail in the coffin was deciding that the end of season cliffhanger would be
Spoiler:
Lets threaten the main female character with gang rape, again.
Probably won't come back for the next season, I'm so soured on the show right now.
I've spent the whole season trying to math out where they were going to end it and they definitely chose an odd spot. The Cursed House arc is fantastic. Probably the first big payoff of everything set up so far that gives nearly the whole cast time to shine. Jiji in particular gets a lot of layers and by the end becomes key in expanding the cast into a real group of friends with layered dynamics beyond the basic romance.
But I'm with you that its totally baffling to show two episodes of the arc and cut to cliffhanger literally mid assault. In the manga the attempt to drown her doesn't even happen and the creepy confrontation is mostly a quick action beat to kick things off. Leaving the story off here for 6 months is just a terrible stopping point and would have been far better to leave us with Momo's first crush as something to leave off on and tell the whole arc in one go.
The Japanese live-action Spider-Man series, known as "Supaidāman," aired in 1978 and presented a unique take on the iconic Marvel character. This adaptation diverged significantly from the original comic book narrative, introducing a distinct storyline and a variety of new elements.
The protagonist, Takuya Yamashiro, is a motorcycle racer who gains spider-like abilities after a fateful encounter with an alien named Garia. This encounter not only grants him superpowers but also sets him on a mission to combat evil forces threatening Earth.
Takuya faces a range of formidable foes throughout the series, primarily the Iron Cross Army, a villainous organization led by the sinister Professor Monster. The Iron Cross Army is composed of various monstrous henchmen, each with unique abilities and designs, posing significant challenges for Takuya.
Notable adversaries include the likes of the Spider-Man's nemesis, the monstrous "Giant Spider," and other bizarre creatures that showcase the show's imaginative approach to villainy.
In addition to his battles against evil, Takuya is supported by a few key allies, including his mentor Garia and his friends, who assist him in his fight against the Iron Cross Army.
Takuya's character is also marked by his use of firearms, a departure from the traditional portrayal of Spider-Man, who typically refrains from using guns. This aspect adds a layer of complexity to his character, as he navigates the moral implications of wielding such weapons in his quest for justice.
One of the most iconic elements of "Supaidāman" is Takuya's giant mecha, the Marveller. This transforming vehicle serves as both a mode of transportation and a powerful combat machine, allowing Takuya to engage in battles on a grand scale. The Marveller can also transform into a giant robot , further enhancing the show's appeal to fans of mecha and tokusatsu genres. This combination of superhero action, mecha battles, and unique storytelling elements helped "Supaidāman" carve out a distinct niche in the landscape of Japanese television and contributed to its lasting legacy.
NEW YORK, NY – June 11, 2024 – AMC Networks today announced it has greenlit the third series in its expanding Anne Rice Immortal Universe, a drama slated for AMC and AMC+ focused on a secretive society called The Talamasca. With a working title of Anne Rice’s The Talamasca and slated for a 2025 premiere, the series will feature the men and women responsible for tracking and containing the witches, vampires, werewolves and other creatures scattered around the globe.
Members of The Talamasca are introduced in Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire and Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches, the two current series in AMC’s Immortal Universe franchise. Oscar-nominated John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) and Mark Lafferty (The Right Stuff, Halt and Catch Fire) are serving as witers, co-showrunners and executive producers of the new series. Hancock will also direct.
I really enjoyed the first two seasons of Interview and Mayfair Witches first season was good enough (just a little confusing at times) that I'm watching the second season which just premiered this week.
Goosebumps is back for a serialised anthology series on Disney+. David Schwimmer is our token adult, and we’ve a largely late teen cast.
I’m on the first episode, and I’d say this is a little strong for tweens and younger. No gore as such, but it has a decently creepy atmosphere which probably isn’t suited to younger viewers.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Kind of torn on the tone.
Goosebumps (books and tv show) served as many now veteran horror fans’ first brush with the genre, and was aimed at the young teen market.
So whilst as an adult I can appreciate the more serious tone, I can’t help but wonder whether it’s truly worth the bother. I mean, the late teen/young adult market is already served pretty well, Spesh as at the age of our protagonists (17), I was already on to proper horror, rating system be damned. And I doubt much if anything has changed since the late 90’s in that respect.
And so when you go that bit darker, and reduce the lighter things, there’s an argument you’re serving the wrong audience. Serving said audience well (the show is well made and pretty creepy, relying on atmosphere over gore), but still arguably the wrong audience.
Crispy78 wrote: Not a review as such - but really excited about Shardlake, which hit Disney+ today.
Tudor murder-mystery, based on a series of novels by C J Sansom - who sadly died just a few days ago. I love the books, and previews saying that the series does them justice have me very keen to watch ASAP.
Watched it - it's great. Very close adaptation to the book - biggest change is introducing the 'main' sidekick character early (in the books, Jack Barak does not appear until the second), but it makes more sense editorially. Certainly does the book justice, and I want them to make more. Please watch it!
Bah! Didn't listen to me, did you? Disney just bloody cancelled it. Also pulled the plug on Extraordinary, which I was also very much enjoying. Got to concentrate all their efforts on buggering up Star Wars I guess...
Not sure why I skipped out on this season for so long, as I've loved every season. I guess it was a pandemic thing and I never saw it get much fanfare and I forgot about it. I had been seeing Season 5 clips(mostly Jon Hamm scenes) popping up in my YouTube feed and it reminded me to watch this season.
Pretty fun, quirky, brutal story of criminal gangs/syndicates coming and going in running the Kansas City crime scene. Started with Jews, then Irish, then Italian and now African American gangs making their moves and how it affects the various members of the community. Chris Rock is the leader of the the black gang, with (as per the norm for Fargo) a solid ensemble of actors in support. Its also the origin story for Bokeem Woodbines character of Mike Milligan in season 2 of Fargo.
Catching this now that I can binge it. I can see what all fhe fuss was about. The characters are mostly degrees of horrible people but they can be dramatic. Gotta hand them that.
I feel bad for Jamie. Jamie got horrible advice from everyone and just shat on from all sides. Even when he gets out of his abusive home life, he just keeps getting bad advice from other people. Tragic.
Beth is a psycho but she is a psycho who is consistently entertaining to watch. I feel like many of the other characters were kind of just there. Kayce and Monica kind of 'vanish' as their own characters after season one. Kind of wish we'd gotten more from the wranglers. They were a group with a lot of interesting and underused characters. Give me a Jimmy spinoff. Jimmy could make for a fun character/star of another show after all his development by the end of season 5.
Wasn't planning on watching more of this, but it pulled me in again.
About halfway through now, and while it's still pretty meandering and I remain unconvinced that the writers actually know where it's all leading to, it feels like a step up from the very side-questy second season.
Now to see if it has a decent ending or goes for big, cliff-hangery, nonsense again.
I just finished Creature commandos. It leaned a little into what you'd expect from adult cartoons, graphic for the sake of being graphic, but mostly it had an interesting story to tell with great characters. The highlight for me was that it didn't waste much time- other than a backstory flashback for each character, it really just came in, told the tale it wanted to, and got out. Very compact and efficient, I'd highly recommend it.
Now on ITV-X and seems to be shaping up to be a good show (I know nothing of it before watching). One wonders how bad the Raven Society is when the UK is currently stuck in V for Vendetta mode. The show is a bit more Rated: 18 than I was expecting, but Bannon's portrayal of a young Alfred is worth a watch, with hints at issues with PTSD. But Paloma Faith's comedy-working-class-psycho-from-up-north is already tiresome, and I'm only three episodes in.
Wasn't planning on watching more of this, but it pulled me in again.
About halfway through now, and while it's still pretty meandering and I remain unconvinced that the writers actually know where it's all leading to, it feels like a step up from the very side-questy second season.
Now to see if it has a decent ending or goes for big, cliff-hangery, nonsense again.
Darn cliffhangers!
Overall the show continues to have the same problems, a very slow pace (You could easily cut about 5 episodes out of the middle and not miss that much), an annoying new character, adding yet more mysteries and plot lines that ultimately go nowhere
Spoiler:
Although I am torn on the whole "Evil baby" story line simply resulting in the Smiley Nightperson getting resurrected as he was always the creepiest of the bunch
.
But it remains an oddly fascinating show, and it does now feel like it is getting somewhere, just very slowly.
Wasn't planning on watching more of this, but it pulled me in again.
About halfway through now, and while it's still pretty meandering and I remain unconvinced that the writers actually know where it's all leading to, it feels like a step up from the very side-questy second season.
Now to see if it has a decent ending or goes for big, cliff-hangery, nonsense again.
Darn cliffhangers!
Overall the show continues to have the same problems, a very slow pace (You could easily cut about 5 episodes out of the middle and not miss that much), an annoying new character, adding yet more mysteries and plot lines that ultimately go nowhere
Spoiler:
Although I am torn on the whole "Evil baby" story line simply resulting in the Smiley Nightperson getting resurrected as he was always the creepiest of the bunch
.
But it remains an oddly fascinating show, and it does now feel like it is getting somewhere, just very slowly.
Looking forward to season 4 if/when it pops up.
Yeah, wild premise that drew me in immediately, but towards the end of the 1st season it started getting ridiculous. Tapped out halfway through the 2nd.
Its like the Key & Peele sketch where everyone got to make a gremlin.
Its like the showrunner just went around giving everyone a mystery box to put in every episode.
The original mini-series, something I was aware of as a kid, but much too young to have watched, let alone understood.
What’s wild to me is the use of John Williams’ Star Wars suite in-universe. Wonder how much they had to cough up for those rights!
Got to say though, for a TV Mini-series made more than 40 years ago, the sets and uniforms and that really hold up. I mean, they’re nothing fancy, and that I think is its strength. The Visitor’s wardrobe absolutely stands out without silly flashy materials.
Even the acting is pretty decent, and the plot spend some time exploring different human reactions.
Again, I’m struck by just how well this has held up. It’s no more campy than it needed to be, and plays everything pretty much straight.
I think what really works here is the directors know how to work around the effects and scenery. It’s all used fairly sparingly, which works nicely, letting the plot and acting do the talking, rather than the spectacle.
Again, I’m struck by just how well this has held up. It’s no more campy than it needed to be, and plays everything pretty much straight.
I think what really works here is the directors know how to work around the effects and scenery. It’s all used fairly sparingly, which works nicely, letting the plot and acting do the talking, rather than the spectacle.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh, snap!
Make sure to watch V:The Series next. Michael Ironside joins the cast. I think it only lasted 19 episodes. Let me fact check myself...
Yep. 19. The downside to the series was that writer, producer, and director Kenneth Johnson was not involved in the production of the weekly series. So some of the plot isn't as tight.
as a fan of the original games and new vegas, I thought this was alright, pretty good in some parts. The characters acted really odd in certain places though, and it felt more like it was a show for people who don't know a lot about Fallout with some references thrown in to tide over more hardcore fans. Certain plot points felt a bit unnecessary, and I really loathe how they dumbed down the complex 'war is something humans will always partake in, given time' and the parodic elements into 'capitalism le bad (coming from the multi-billion dollar company that neglects its workers) and that corporations would....drop a bomb to make more money? Mate what are you spending the money on if society has collapsed? Johnny Pemberton was great in it though, I must admit.
Been putting off watching this one, but my fears were unfounded, it's a pretty faithful continuation of the old X-Men series.
Only have a couple of minor niggles with it, the breakneck speed at which it rattles through plot points (Although that was a weakness of the original too) and the somewhat icky Rogue x Magneto pairing (I think the writers forgot that Rogue was still a teenager when she was part of Mystique's gang), but overall definitely worth a watch if you were a fan of the show back in the 90's.
Now they just need to continue the 90's Spider-Man series, I don't think we ever did learn what happened to Mary Jane.
Another pretty damn good season of storytelling. Kind of impressive, given the linked and ensemble nature of each season. This time set in 2019, where a woman is abducted(after like 3-4 attempts) by a corrupt Sheriff, setting off a series of events that leads to mass violence. There’s a lot of quirky characters and strange storytelling, which is the hallmark of this series. It was great, but I don’t rate it over season 4, personally. I know critics prefer S5 over S4, but I really enjoyed the back and forth war and betrayal in S4.
I think thats mainly because S4 was essentially a mob story set in the 50’s. I love that era of mafia history when they are at their peak and still an unkown/unacknowledged quantity in America, up until the big Apalachin Meeting raid in 57.
And after a cold, soggy, but importantly Doggy trip to my friend’s woods, followed by a nap, ifs finishing up V, The Final Battle.
It’s genuinely thrilling. The action sequences are punching well above their weight for a tv movie, which is all the more impressive when you realise it could’ve quite easily gone a bit A-Team.
This, and the first series, have genuinely blown my socks off with their quality.
I’ve gone ahead and ordered a physical copy of the follow up TV series.
It is hard to share with folks what a cultural event V was when it first hit. It was one of those things like The Matrix or Blair Witch. Everyone was talking about it and watching it.
Renegade Nell
A woman of ill-repute has a fairy companion for an unknown reason that gives her super-powers. This is set in 1705 IIRC and mentions the Battle of Blenheim and the War of the Spanish Succession to place it. There are also Jacobites and Queen Anne as a central part of the plot. If I was English, I think I would have gotten a lot more out of it as there are many nods to English folklore and class structures.
There are two things that are striking to me:
1. This show is strongly anti-oligarchy in the themes, dialogue and messages. Despite eventually having a Monarchy theme, that is more of a "rescue" and save the status quo element, because the alternative is worse!
2. There is a anti-media narrative as well. I find this particularly rich coming from Disney, but there you go.
The story and sub-plots wrap-up nicely, but the main question on why Nell has a Fairy is left unresolved. Therefore, there is room for a season 2 involving more of the Fae realms.
It definitely feels that way to me. Whilst I didn’t see it at the time (this being my first proper watch), I am familiar with that era of telly. Its production values alone, let alone the overall ambition is easily understated.
I found the Visitor’s poisoning the well against scientists particularly chilling, given the conspirasphere of today, and other things Qe Don’t Discuss On Dakka.
DVD of the series arrived earlier, so I’m looking forward to that, even if it’s apparently not very good.
Been putting off watching this one, but my fears were unfounded, it's a pretty faithful continuation of the old X-Men series.
Only have a couple of minor niggles with it, the breakneck speed at which it rattles through plot points (Although that was a weakness of the original too) and the somewhat icky Rogue x Magneto pairing (I think the writers forgot that Rogue was still a teenager when she was part of Mystique's gang), but overall definitely worth a watch if you were a fan of the show back in the 90's.
Now they just need to continue the 90's Spider-Man series, I don't think we ever did learn what happened to Mary Jane.
Rogue/Magneto is a major bit of the Age of Apocalypse storyline in the comics. I assume they're setting the stage for that. And yes, its icky in the comics if you think about it too.
Easy E wrote: It is hard to share with folks what a cultural event V was when it first hit. It was one of those things like The Matrix or Blair Witch. Everyone was talking about it and watching it.
Renegade Nell
A woman of ill-repute has a fairy companion for an unknown reason that gives her super-powers. This is set in 1705 IIRC and mentions the Battle of Blenheim and the War of the Spanish Succession to place it. There are also Jacobites and Queen Anne as a central part of the plot. If I was English, I think I would have gotten a lot more out of it as there are many nods to English folklore and class structures.
There are two things that are striking to me:
1. This show is strongly anti-oligarchy in the themes, dialogue and messages. Despite eventually having a Monarchy theme, that is more of a "rescue" and save the status quo element, because the alternative is worse!
2. There is a anti-media narrative as well. I find this particularly rich coming from Disney, but there you go.
The story and sub-plots wrap-up nicely, but the main question on why Nell has a Fairy is left unresolved. Therefore, there is room for a season 2 involving more of the Fae realms.
There won't be a second series I'm afraid, Disney cancelled it :(
This is my shocked face. Most streaming shows only seem to have 1 season in them.
Also, while I am on the topic I think the lady who played Lady Winscott also played Morgana in the Merlin TV show. Talk about being type-cast!
Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands This looks like an old syndicated TV show, but I am not sure from where. It has some weird editing and I also have this odd suspicion that some parts are dubbed.
That said, they put all of their budget on the screen in the form of set design and costume design. There is a very distinct visual palette for the show. It looks really great.
The storylines are okay enough, but it really comes to shine with the political storylines that they keep growing each episode. The individual episode plots and characterization are not great, but the overarching story is pretty solid.
Of course, CGI for the period (2016-ish) and for a syndicated show leave a lot to be desired.
I have only finished the first part of the season, but I intend on finishing it. You can find it on Tubi.
I'll have to look up the other openers if someone posted them as I only remember that one and that song. Regardless, I do remember watching that as an 80s kid and enjoying.
The later seasons are from a second run that started in 2014? or so. I didn’t watch the seasons because I couldn’t get my son interested in the show and didn’t have time to watch on my own. The music is slightly different for each of the locations where the seasons take place.
Ah, thanks for the info and I never would have guessed something so obscure would have gotten rebooted almost 30 years later. That definitely explains why I wasn't aware of it! For me, watching that cartoon (and others like Robotech) on the same UHF local channel or two I'd later watch old samurai/kungfu flicks and old b&w sitcom reruns like Munsters/Adams family defined an era the era for me.
Yesterday we finished the original run of Twin Peaks. It had a good ending, if a bit of a downer. The non-Cooper stuff kind of reminded me of the series finale for SOAP. Later this week we’ll see Fire Walk With Me.
Anyway, we followed that finale up with the TNG episode Sub Rosa, the one where Crusher boinks a space ghost. Weird day.
I’m always struck by just how casualty smoking featured on old shows. Not without good reason (expensive, smelly, pointless addiction) you just don’t see it anymore. Even on baddies.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: I’m always struck by just how casualty smoking featured on old shows. Not without good reason (expensive, smelly, pointless addiction) you just don’t see it anymore. Even on baddies.
There was a lot of censorship attempts stateside to get smoking out of films and TV shows.
For a little while there was even an attempt to increase the ratings for films that had smoking in it.
Same in the UK. And I can’t say I’m against it. I smoked for many years, and it never did me any good. It really is the worse drug to be addicted to.
Through quirk of fate, I was out drinking on the respective days Scotland then England introduced a smoking ban in pubs. Was weird at first. But I soon adapted.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: I’m always struck by just how casualty smoking featured on old shows. Not without good reason (expensive, smelly, pointless addiction) you just don’t see it anymore. Even on baddies.
Yeah I really notice it in something like Cowboy Bebop where casual smoking happens all the time and you compare that to modern shows; even those set in times when smoking was common, and its just not there at all. These days you might get a lead character who makes a point of exotic smoking - pipe or something - but otherwise its very much gone.
Go to the 12:49 mark in this video to see some of the reasons why smoking was so casual in the US up until the 80's. A large portion of the adult US population smoked, cigarette ads were everywhere and there were really no barriers to purchasing them (just drop some money in the vending machine and pick your poison). Big Tobacco really had had as much influence in the US then as social media does today.
When I began my working life, in a hotel, we had a cigarette vending machine. I always remembered that being a rip off. Not only was it 10% or so more expensive? But you got fewer tabs per pack to boot. So an already expensive and frankly pointless addiction became more expensive, and I suppose more pointless if you relied on that.
Heck, thinking back to the 80’s, when we’d visit Grandad’s print house, his staff would be smoking at their machines.
Anyways. The A-Team, a retrospective.
I absolutely adored this show as a kid, and of course Mr. T was my favourite.
I’m now getting through season 3. And this is genuinely one of those shows You Couldn’t Make Anymore.
Not because of pc or woke or what have you, but because so much of it is just done and dusted.
Never a show to take itself terribly seriously, it’s well known for ridiculous gun battles where nobody gets hurt, and like GI Joe, anytime a vehicle gets squished we see the occupants safely escape. Which means the violence is all sterilised.
I’m aware there was much clasping of pearls over the violence showing, but in the modern day it’s mostly silly rather than thrilling.
Add in the ridiculous builds they do when inadvisably locked in a shed, and you end up with a unique, if not exactly high rent show.
I’m sure there’s typically someone, somewhere convinced they could remake this. But to do so and recapture the silliness played largely straight, without trying to nod and wink or play against expectation? That I just don’t think would work.
Also? Mr. T is…kinda singular. He wasn’t just popular because he’s well ‘ard. But though out the show he’s the friend to the kids. He loves his Mum, drinks his Milk and takes his vitamins. So he acts as a pretty positive role model.
I love that film. I haven't watched the series for about 35 years, but I thought the film hit all the right points. It doesn't double down on the "building random stuff when locked in a cage" aspect of the original, but there is a bit of fabrication going on.
I am now sad to think that even the film is 15 years old at this point :(
I never took to the film. It’s one of those I know I’ve seen, but other than the tank parachuting scene, is one of those I couldn’t tell you a damned thing about.
Not gonna dump on it though.
Law & Order, Special Victims Unit
Fell down a YouTube clips rabbit hole for this series, and so bought S1 on Prime.
It’s very good, isn’t it? A drama without being dramatic about it as CSI and NCIS would become. At least the first season, I dare say it’ll jump the shark at some point over the years. But so far it’s top notch stuff.
Lathe Biosas wrote: Please no more L&O it's always on TV in America. The USA network ran a SVU marathon that lasted for months. Months if nothing but L&O:SVU.
Rewatched the first episode of Panty and Stocking, absolute insane whirlwind of quality anime animation, sex and poop jokes, swearing and satire of america, it's completely mad, but really entertaining.
Lot of UC zealots didn't like this OVA series when it came out for continuity reasons, but UC zealots are always wrong anyway.
Good animation. Good story. Maybe hinges a bit too close at times to 'Zeon did nothing wrong' in tone, but avoids Unicorn's missteps in that Zeon is never presented as the idealistic state it posits itself to be. In addition to the prequel exploring Char's origins, it's as much about the Zabis and the Zabis are presented as a colorfully dysfunctional band of misfits who lead millions (billions) of people off a cliff. Against all of that is the story of the creation of mobile suits, both the Zaku and the Gundam itself.
It's a good series of OVAs. Slow at times and with large recap sections from back when it had a long and messy release schedule but still a solid series.
Finished Season 2 of Arrow, this show is a lot more violent than I thought it was going to be. They don't hold back with killing the gak out of people with sharp pointy objects.
The anime adaptation of this manga famous for being a pretty good Berserk ripoff is... Bad. It's actually shockingly bad. First the animation is gak, which negates the manga's main thing of epic action scenes and artwork. But if that's not bad enough, the adaptation of the plot to screen is filled with jumps and skips that go unexplained on screen. The show will jump rapidly from chapter to chapter as if speed running and the end result is gak slips by so quickly the plot appears random at times.
Disappointing. The manga is mostly known for being a pretty good Berserk ripoff, but the adaptation is done like it was an obligation for the studio no one had much interest in so the whole thing comes off like a bad seasonal anime.
Just finished Pennyworth which I found very enjoyable. It's a shame it ended where it did, having a conclusion denied them by the instigation of the Gunniverse. The first two series where the strongest, particularly the second 'Casablana' series. (Can't go wrong copying Casablanca... or can you? See, or rather don't see Barb Wire).
I did try and spot some Batman references: Alfie's home street, Aziz's red phone in 10 Downing Street, American agents driving Lincolns....
Fun to watch, one of the babies (along with Cavil and Gadot) that got thrown out with the bathwater with the Gunnpurge. And Bannon should have had the chance to say "you're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off..."
The anime adaptation of this manga famous for being a pretty good Berserk ripoff is... Bad. It's actually shockingly bad. First the animation is gak, which negates the manga's main thing of epic action scenes and artwork. But if that's not bad enough, the adaptation of the plot to screen is filled with jumps and skips that go unexplained on screen. The show will jump rapidly from chapter to chapter as if speed running and the end result is gak slips by so quickly the plot appears random at times.
Disappointing. The manga is mostly known for being a pretty good Berserk ripoff, but the adaptation is done like it was an obligation for the studio no one had much interest in so the whole thing comes off like a bad seasonal anime.
I tried watching that on Amazon - I'm glad I'm not the only one that felt like chunks of the story were missing or that things very conveniently happened or jumped into place by accident and so forth. Good to hear that the manga is more indepth.
I do hate it when TV Adaptations rush the story and pacing and jump ahead. They can kind of be ok if you've read the original material enough to fill in the blanks; but if you've not then either it appears lazy or haphazardlyrandom
The anime adaptation of this manga famous for being a pretty good Berserk ripoff is... Bad. It's actually shockingly bad. First the animation is gak, which negates the manga's main thing of epic action scenes and artwork. But if that's not bad enough, the adaptation of the plot to screen is filled with jumps and skips that go unexplained on screen. The show will jump rapidly from chapter to chapter as if speed running and the end result is gak slips by so quickly the plot appears random at times.
Disappointing. The manga is mostly known for being a pretty good Berserk ripoff, but the adaptation is done like it was an obligation for the studio no one had much interest in so the whole thing comes off like a bad seasonal anime.
Yeah, I think I stopped after episode 3.
Hilariously, Anime News Network did an interview with the director and even he states that the manga is much better.
Loki:- Season 2 Not quite as good as season 1.
It felt weirdly incomplete, like this was only half of what they had planned for the season but they ran out of episodes, so they just stuck the ending on.
Speaking of endings I wish
Spoiler:
Loki himself had got a bit of a happier one, I think he deserved it by then.
The anime adaptation of this manga famous for being a pretty good Berserk ripoff is... Bad. It's actually shockingly bad. First the animation is gak, which negates the manga's main thing of epic action scenes and artwork. But if that's not bad enough, the adaptation of the plot to screen is filled with jumps and skips that go unexplained on screen. The show will jump rapidly from chapter to chapter as if speed running and the end result is gak slips by so quickly the plot appears random at times.
Disappointing. The manga is mostly known for being a pretty good Berserk ripoff, but the adaptation is done like it was an obligation for the studio no one had much interest in so the whole thing comes off like a bad seasonal anime.
Yeah, I think I stopped after episode 3.
Hilariously, Anime News Network did an interview with the director and even he states that the manga is much better.
Loki:- Season 2 Not quite as good as season 1.
It felt weirdly incomplete, like this was only half of what they had planned for the season but they ran out of episodes, so they just stuck the ending on.
Speaking of endings I wish
Spoiler:
Loki himself had got a bit of a happier one, I think he deserved it by then.
Overall I did enjoy it despite a few niggles.
Given the final imagery is quite important to Secret Wars, I think there's still an opportunity for that.
This released awhile back and was infamous at the time for its insane over the top levels of censorship. The censor bars and circles have since been removed to reveal a typically violent anime series, and honestly? I think it was funnier and more entertaining with the ridiculous censorship of typical anime violence.
Without that gimmick to make the series kind of funny, all you have is Flashbacks the anime, where every action scene and sequences is interrupted by episode long flashbacks explaining every character's history before they got superhuman mutant powers so they could go fight mutant cockroaches on Mars. Yeah. This is a series about people with superhuman mutant powers fighting mutant cockroaches on Mars. Sounds like an anime to anime all animes, but you've gotta get through about thirteen episodes of flashbacks completely unrelated to that insane premise and then the first season ends.
And to make it worse, barely any of these characters are interesting aside from their ridiculous mutant cockroach fighting superhuman mutant powers. At least when iShura did the 'here's an anime series of cool characters and why they exist' thing they had actually interesting characters to do it with.
You can't even enjoy this series for the ludicrous action, or the ludicrous censorship!
Speaking of;
iShura
One of those anime's you'd hardly know exists because Disney/Hulu doesn't tell anyone they have it.
It's an odd series. Premised on the near cliche idea of a fantasy world with a demon king and a hero to defeat him, except with a legitimately interesting twist; the Demon King has been defeated by the Hero but no one knows how it happened, and all the superhuman heroes from other worlds and such are still running around causing problems. Basically an anime about what happens to a world filled with Isekai heroes after the big bad world ending threat is dead and what the feth do you do with all these utterly OP people/monsters running around now that there isn't a Demon King who needs defeating?
Most of the episodes for the series are kind of shorts/vignettes exploring a particular OP protagonist and their OP protagonist powers and backstory. And most of them are legitimately interesting! Any of them could be the hero of a story, but instead, they're all being driven against each other by circumstances that slowly build in the background of the first half of the series before becoming a free-for-all of superhuman OP powers madness in the second half. And the second half is honestly pretty decent. Very Fate/Stay Night Holy Grail War or Basilisk in how you just watch these characters go head to head and see who comes out on top. Who survives? Who doesn't? It's a rough first half, helped along mostly by each individual character being more than interesting enough to star in their own show with the second half slapping them together in a decent action extravaganza.
The worst parts of this series are that characters actually die in it and it asks a surprisingly poignant question about what the feth do you even do with superhuman monsters when they have nothing better to do but make problems? The setting has already won the war against evil. It's the peace it's in danger of losing and that's a borderline original setting concept for isekai anime!
Has a second season currently airing that goes back to being vignettes and I'm not sure if it'll repeat the first season yet in throwing all the characters it introduces at one another in another action extravaganza.
Lathe Biosas wrote: Finished Season 2 of Arrow, this show is a lot more violent than I thought it was going to be. They don't hold back with killing the gak out of people with sharp pointy objects. .
It balances it out by having nobody ever actually stay dead...
I'm currently rewatching the Expanse.
Almost at the end of season 1... It's been long enough that I've forgotten a lot of the details, helped by the fact that the first time through I was watching it while working so wasn't paying as close attention as it deserved. It's still really good, though.
Seasons 1 and 2 are great. I lost the mojo on season 3 but 4 is supposed to be excellent again.
Watched the first few episodes of Delicious in Dungeon. It's weird. The familiar D&D vibes are comfortable and the characters are easy enough on the brain, but it's just weird. Not sure 8f I'll continue.
just finished it on Netflix, I would give it a 3 stars, it was just to here and there for me, it has the survivors in the woods for 30 seconds then shows their now lives for 30 minutes, I wanted more woods surviving and less civilian life. All the twists where either actually good or just to trying to get your attention to keep watching. The religious girl dies and everyone starts wanting to be cannibals. The beginning is what I expected to see faster and earlier, and I don't care about their lives' after all their trauma, I want to see the trauma. The season ending was great, I still want to know more, like if Tai is in the cult or her sleepwalking self is just her possessed by whatever evil is out there, what will happen with our addict, and will Shauna's daughter realise how bad of a mother she is and go to the cops. Shauna is a bad mom too, I don't want to hear any defense, she was trying to save her skin by manipulating her daughter into not teller her dad that her mom is cheating on him, the show did convince me that he was cheating, but in reality he's a good man, knew of the atrocities, knew of the dead baby, and still loved her, he even loved her after he found out about the cheating, if she cheats again or bad mouths him, her fate is sealed as the worst of them all.
The Pitt on HBO Max. Basically if Scrubs were serious instead of a comedy and in pseudo real time. The season takes place in an ER at a fictional teaching hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania over a fifteen hour period with each episode being one hour of the day: episode one is 7am to 8am, episode two is 8am to 9am, and so on. So far the medical situations aren't over the top but still interesting; the dynamics of the staff as well as the logistics of keeping a emergency department running are sprinkled about here and there; the drama never really goes into melodrama, at least as far as I have gotten into it. The medicine and procedures are apparently quite accurate going by doctors and nurses overall reactions I've stumbled across. Maybe it is just because I haven't watched a hospital series in a long long time but I have found it engaging.
Started Frieren on Netflix. I really like the art style, but most of all I appreciate that it doesn’t jump about like a crack addled squirrel. Nor is it super preachy and gritty.
Nice world building, nice character development, and every now and then something undeniably bad gets absolutely kerb stomped in an impressive manner No grittiness, no moral grey areas. Simple story. Gentle and enjoyable.
Frieren is pretty great for how wildly and effectively it subverts basically every cliche of its genre and turns what is far and away the trashiest corner of anime into a trashy corner with a true gem in it.
As an example of how trashy that corner is; I Left My A Rank Party to Help My Students Explore the Dungeon.
1) its title is its premise and sentence long so you automatically know the plot is dog gak.
2) there's a generic looking boy-guy on the cover surrounded by cute anime girls that are even blander than he is so you know the art is dog gak.
3) the opening scene of the show is Improbable Chick Magnet With No Personality, 114564th of his name, making a reasonable complaint and being rebuffed by people so unbelievably stupid you know they're only there to be punched in the face and die.
And that's where you quit the show, because there isn't a single original idea here, the art isn't worth looking at, and you can effectively guess the entire plot within the first minute of the show. This anime is trash.
Frieren is not trash. It subverts or reinvents almost every idea or cliche fantasy anime and has a unique tone and plot. Frieren good. Anime where the title is the premise deserve to burn.
Technically Frieren's premise is in its subtitle, but that's also technically an improvement.
The why of the synopsis thing is kind of funny. Basically, most of this stuff gets mined out of what is effectively a fanfic forum in Japan. They all read like clickbait because they basically start as clickbait to get noticed.
I just watched a 2 parter from the 1993 show: Power Rangers in Space where the Power Rangers fought and then teamed up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Why I didn't remember this bit of trivia has made me go home and rethink my life.
And I’ve got to say? The opening episode is really solid! Dare I hope the rest of the season follows this genuine uptick in quality?
I mean, don’t get me wrong. Like Viz, it’s been a long time since it was as funny as it used to be. But also like Viz, I’ll still take it at its most mediocre as a still perfectly fine slice of telly.
Started watching Star Trek Discovery... I'm 5 episodes in to Season 1.
Is this an alternate universe show, maybe a sequel series to the Kelvin timeline?
Without spoiling anything, is there a reason why everyone on this show is an evil douchbag, with giant high-tech ships and strange "Klingons," that don't look or act like Klingons?
I've never seen Frieren before. I might have to check it out. Is it a complete series, or ongoing?
Season 1 covers the first 60 Chapters of the manga. The manga is currently up to Chapter 140, but is currently on hiatus.
Season 2 has been confirmed, but I don't recall if there is a release date yet.
So, it's ongoing and it doesn't feel particularly close to the finale in the manga. There's a good chance that it's never finished.
Frieren also isn't hugely dependent on finishing to be enjoyabole. The end goal is pretty vague which makes sense given the premise. It's a show about finding value in the journey and living in the now. I'm sure the ending will wrap things up nicely, but I don't think it's what makes the story resonate with people.
The 'end goal' has been explicitly stated. It's not vague.
You can watch Frieren and enjoy it now because it doesn't end on a cliffhanger and resolves the last story arc it introduces.
I'd skip the manga unless it comes back from hiatus because it's paused in the middle of a significant story arc.
By vague I mean more that it isn't the main drive of the story. It's in no way the core appeal of why the story works. Its a story that doesn't need an end for the rest of it to have meaning the way a lot of shows do.
Quixote wrote: Started watching Star Trek Discovery... I'm 5 episodes in to Season 1.
Is this an alternate universe show, maybe a sequel series to the Kelvin timeline?
Without spoiling anything, is there a reason why everyone on this show is an evil douchbag, with giant high-tech ships and strange "Klingons," that don't look or act like Klingons?
The Discovery is more high tech than normal Federation ships due to its experimental nature. Other Federation ships don't look quite as advanced, although they do still look a bit off compared to the original series just as a result of special effects differences and budgets between the 1960s and now.
But no, there is no explanation given as to what the hell they were thinking with the Klingons in this show. They do walk back some of the design in season 2, giving them back hair and changing their armour designs.
Star Trek The Motion Picture was the first piece of media to introduce a new look for Klingons.
The next several movies refined the look and introduced a great deal of variety.
Especially Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The movie that focuses prominently on Klingons has some of the least conventional Klingon looks.
General Chang wouldn't look out of place in TOS with his minimal ridges. The rest of the Klingons have a more subdued and regal look relative to TNG/DS9 Klingons.
Undiscovered Country: Azetbur
Spoiler:
TNG: Duras Sisters
Spoiler:
They definitely don't look like the same species.
TLDR: The appearance of Klingons has been extremely fluid for 40+ years now and they're the de facto target for creatives to show that their Trek is different.
Jimmy Carr, the least funny person on the face of the planet, hosts a show in which comedians try to make each other laugh.
But, Saint Bob Mortimer, comedy great and easily one of the silliest, nicest and funniest men on the planet is one of said comedians. Which means I’m tempted.
But….yes a second one, the first got all mucky, this is Bob Mortimer. I listen to Athletico Mince. I know how quickly and how often he’ll corpses in the middle of his glorious nonsense.
trexmeyer wrote: Star Trek The Motion Picture was the first piece of media to introduce a new look for Klingons.
The next several movies refined the look and introduced a great deal of variety.
Especially Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The movie that focuses prominently on Klingons has some of the least conventional Klingon looks.
General Chang wouldn't look out of place in TOS with his minimal ridges. The rest of the Klingons have a more subdued and regal look relative to TNG/DS9 Klingons.
Undiscovered Country: Azetbur
Spoiler:
TNG: Duras Sisters
Spoiler:
They definitely don't look like the same species.
TLDR: The appearance of Klingons has been extremely fluid for 40+ years now and they're the de facto target for creatives to show that their Trek is different.
Right. But Discovery says that those Klingons have (except Chang) never been to war. Because all Klingons in war are bald.
Also, the Klingons in Discovery have elongated heads.
He starts out at full jerkass, and the writers are aware enough to rub it in the audience’s face. He’s more likeable than Jerkass Homer, and I think the writers try to make him less abrasive later on..? But yeah, once the show stops delivering the quality lines, it becomes unwatchable.
Back then jerkass characters with no redeeming qualities were all the rage, from Cartman to Seinfeld to Raymond to Jim Carrey. Today those types of characters aren’t as dominant in comedy, only politics.
Seinfeld is another show that’s just not for me. That slap bass punchline/transition just seems…smug.
Then again, I do tend to struggle with US Sitcoms in general.
Not Frasier though, which feels oddly British in its humour, skewering as it does two pompous idiots, with their pomposity most often being their downfall. That they’re both therapists charged with and trusted to help others manage their own lives is just the icing on that cake.
Futurama is great in its early days. I feel like after they got cancelled and came back something in the magic is "missing". I think they drop more of the concurrent story elements and lean more into quirky/one-off and "its based on that other film/tvshow/hot modern topic" type episodes.
So you have some story going on but it feels like its moved to a back-seat.
It's a shame because it loses an edge of the charm of the original seasons.
Largely missed this series when it was new, and have been meaning to get into it since it started making waves, but I always ended up getting distracted by whatever was the latest hotness.
And as expected, its really good. I'll have the first season done in a few hours and may just dive into season 2 right away. January Jones is such a smoke show, and then there is Christina Hendricks...
Just finished Reacher season 3. I found it a bit meh. By focussing on an infiltration mission the bad guys were rather laid out early and it was all a bit predictable. The leads didn’t have a great deal of chemistry and I found the leading lady’s accent a bit annoying.
This was in sharp contrast to Season 1 that I rewatched just beforehand that didn’t have any of those problems. Oh well, maybe there will be a 4th season. They are only 8 episodes each.
Easy E wrote: Do you guys think it was rushed to get to the audience?
No I don't think so. The production values are all the same I think. The gunfights are maybe a bit more simple than previously, and no huge set piece, but there are definately enough people getting their faces taken off.
As I said above, I think its the lack of cast chemistry and any real mystery. Just kind of feels a bit phoned in. I watched all of it though, so it was sufficiently compelling for that. It maybe bit a bit overly sentimental as well, trying to tug on heartstrings in between total maulings.
So from a story point of view I've enjoyed it much more than season 2 as it also had less just plain insane elements so far (disclaim I don't think I've seen the last 2 episodes). But I still rank season 2 higher because of the chemistry between everyone.
Season 1 still reigns supreme but honestly if any other show turned in season 3 it would be one of their top seasons (from a story/quality standpoint)
Dark Gathering A horror comedy about a cursed young man who befriends the cousin of his quirky female best friend, a weird little girl who is building an army of ghosts to take down a powerful evil spirit.
I quite enjoyed this one, the main trio have a good dynamic and all the hauntings they investigate are rather creepy and occasionally down right disturbing
Spoiler:
like the case of the magic incest babies
. My main issues with it are, it has the classic "Ends on a cliffhanger so you move on to the manga" ending, which I hate but it doesn't bother me as much as it used to (I guess I'm mellowing with age), and I have an issue with the best friend,
Spoiler:
essentially she's been obsessively stalking her friend for years, it's meant to come off as quirky and funny, but I don't agree.
But despite that it's a good little show.
Akudama Drive A girl in a neon dystopia ends up part of a crime gang through a series of unfortunate events.
I suspect this one is based on a gacha game, given how everyone is known by their job title rather than a name, and the fact it's very much style over substance.
That's not a bad thing though, you get some really good, if often over the top, action scenes and the main girl gets a surprising amount of character growth, particularly in the increasingly depressing second half of the show.
The censorship of the gore gets distractingly heavy-handed in places (Three of the main characters are serial killers, it was obviously always going to be a bloody and violent show, so I don't get while the makers couldn't come with a better plan than blacking out parts of a scene when things get a bit too gruesome), but yeah, overall another good show.
I liked the third Reacher season better than the second (too many side characters mini-Reachers) but less than the first one (neat, distilled story that does not try to juggle too many plotlines/characters).
What I was missing the most in the 3rd is that Reacher felt more like a cunning thug than a ripped Sherlock Holmes that he was in the first season.
Akudama Drive A girl in a neon dystopia ends up part of a crime gang through a series of unfortunate events.
I suspect this one is based on a gacha game, given how everyone is known by their job title rather than a name, and the fact it's very much style over substance.
That's not a bad thing though, you get some really good, if often over the top, action scenes and the main girl gets a surprising amount of character growth, particularly in the increasingly depressing second half of the show.
The censorship of the gore gets distractingly heavy-handed in places (Three of the main characters are serial killers, it was obviously always going to be a bloody and violent show, so I don't get while the makers couldn't come with a better plan than blacking out parts of a scene when things get a bit too gruesome), but yeah, overall another good show.
Nope, this show is a completely standalone, one and done anime original. Really enjoyed it myself. Glad to see it get some love.
Akudama Drive A girl in a neon dystopia ends up part of a crime gang through a series of unfortunate events.
I suspect this one is based on a gacha game, given how everyone is known by their job title rather than a name, and the fact it's very much style over substance.
That's not a bad thing though, you get some really good, if often over the top, action scenes and the main girl gets a surprising amount of character growth, particularly in the increasingly depressing second half of the show.
The censorship of the gore gets distractingly heavy-handed in places (Three of the main characters are serial killers, it was obviously always going to be a bloody and violent show, so I don't get while the makers couldn't come with a better plan than blacking out parts of a scene when things get a bit too gruesome), but yeah, overall another good show.
Nope, this show is a completely standalone, one and done anime original. Really enjoyed it myself. Glad to see it get some love.
That surprises me, I was totally getting gacha game vibes off it, I could just see people getting annoyed that they kept collecting 2* Hoodlums when they were trying for a 5* Cutthroat.
Watched the Netflix Devil May Cry anime. It was not great, in my opinion. Basically Devil May Cry in name only, outside of the personality of Dante.
Most of the other characters from the games get butchered, especially Lady who now swears in every other word or thereabouts. Some familiar enemies make an appearance, but some of them have their designs changed for no real reason (such as Agni and Rudra who have heads which aren't on their swords now).
The fight scenes are okay, but they really missed an opportunity to incorporate choreography from the games. Like, throughout the entire show Dante never performs a stinger or million stab with Rebellion that I can recall.
Plot points from the games have been put in there without the context that makes them good moments. Like Dante unlocking his devil trigger, and part of Lady's backstory with her father.
All in all, a disappointment. Should've given it to the people who made Edgerunners.
Have to concur. There's parts of the show that are imo, well done (sound effects in this series are way better than they needed to be). But overall, very meh as a series.
Dante is the one highlight as this is easily the best animated Dante out of the two animated Dante's that exist (and they really nailed everything that makes his character so fun) but they did nail his character imo. It's just everything else in the plot and the story that kind of don't mesh, right down to the hyper-predictable plot points, the so-so animation. I'm also just, frankly, feel like episode 1 is one of the worst episode 1s of any show I've ever seen. Is this a Devil May Cry series, or not even trying to hide it bad guys pretending to be good guys throwing out exposition for ten-fifteen minutes series? Subsequent episodes are better but episode 1 is just fething bad except for the pure glory of seeing Dante play DDR, which hurts because that is brilliant and almost everything else in the episode is blarg.
As a whole I'd agree it's not great.
It's an okay source of background noise, I guess. It's not like the show is offensively bad or anything. It's just a heap of missed opportunity and lost potential. It's hard for me to give the show anything higher than a 5/10.
All in all, a disappointment. Should've given it to the people who made Edgerunners.
Studio Trigger would have been good for a DMC show. It's not like DMC is a paragon of great storytelling. It's flashy. The peak of style over substance. Trigger can do substance (Edgerunners absolutely proved that) but their true talent has always been in their grasp of flashy animation and style. I think they'd have done very well with this IP.
Yellowjackets season 3 may feel a little bit lighter on how many events actually happen, but still kept me and my wife glued to the screen. The weird dichotomy between pretty dark survival horror vibes (young characters) and black comedy (older characters) works surprisingly well. Looking forward to the season finale tomorrow, the build-up promises solid shocks.
I absolutely recommend the series. I am pretty picky with TV series (bore me with one episode and I give up on you) so Yellowjackets must really do its thing exceptionally well.
Watching a YouTube highlights reel of Ser Bronn out of off of Game of Thrones.
He’s long been a favourite of mine, and I think I just twigged why. His lines, and the delivery, are almost Pratchett. Someone angry and unsurprised at the world. Who doesn’t put on airs and graces, but says it how he sees it.
That opening scene where we clearly see Apophis realise “oh….oh dear. These peeps can put up a decent fight…let’s run away, but likely, stately run away. But most importantly, RUN AWAY!
And as we’ll see over 10 seasons? That was the exact moment the Goa’uld realised they’d fethed up.
Hadn’t realised just how badly. But the first inkling.
See, they’d provoked the dirty little thieving tech monkies. And it’s all downhill from here. For the Goa’uld.
For us viewing humans? Claudia Black is just 8 short years away.
I’ll stick that on next. Whilst I’m still disappointed in last season’s finale, and the less said about Space Babies the better? It was an otherwise solid series.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Right, that was a strong start.
Bit worried about another Super Special Companion With A Mystery, but I can live with it.
aku-chan wrote: The new season of Doctor Who is off to a much better start than the previous one
It felt like there was a well written story at some point that got butchered at the writers table to hamfist in the whole ultra-incel angle IMO.
Feels like a decade ago you would have had much the same story except that it would have an ID/ego/superego type body horror, trapped by machines driven by the guys ID while every 9th 'hiccup' was conscious morality/ego being discarded by the AI. With the 8 step words being used for tension - a clock on the front of each robot but then strategically hidden from view at times, along with a hair trigger response to 'wrongthink'.
And there was a scene near the end that makes me think that at some point that is the story that was submitted - after the reveal "every ninth word your mind is free, every ninth word is telling us the truth ... help me, save me, pain"
As if they forgot to cut it from the final re-write, one moment it's ultra-mega-murder incel, then it's body horror victim, then it's the doctor dancing and laughing over his polished corpse.
Finally got around Good Omens seasons 1&2. The first season was fun though it felt a tad rushed at the end to tie it up. Season 2 felt rushed and like it had a smaller budget. Not bad enough to be avoided but not as strong as season 1 by a decent amount. The cliffhanger ending was unnecessary and annoying knowing the odds of any follow up on the TV front are nil. Having the mains kiss and admit romantic feelings seemed a misstep. Up until then they seemed like a J.D. and Turk relationship from Scrubs where they had a strong bond but it wasn't a romantic one. It didn't feel organic and came across as more that just having two people being close could only mean sexual attraction was part of it so they threw it in. Didn't ruin the show it just felt off.
No idea what the books are like. One of the reasons I didn't watch the show earlier is I hadn't read the book but I realized I still have a back log of books so might as well go ahead and watch it.
Flipping through the channels the other night I found MacGyver (original series, not the crappy reboot). I thought I'd watch an episode for nostalgia.
Pleasantly surprised they'd upscaled it to high-definition standards. The bad, the effects budget became A LOT more apparent.
The episode revolves around MacGyver's friend Pete being caught on the wrong side of battlelines during a revolution in a fictional Central American country. All the bad guys are basically wearing the "bad guy uniform" of camo tank tops, with the occasional pair of sunglasses. Although they are "rebels in the mountains", main bad-lady seems to have access to lip filler and cosmetics. Also some of the background henchmen are Gringos with berets.
Then I noticed I could see their breath a couple times. Okay, okay, they are in the mountains, perhaps it's winter and a cold morning. Then I noticed the mountains themselves. Really tall and pointy.....and covered almost purely in fir trees. Yep, totally Central America and not British Columbia.
I’m still stunned at just how good its first season was. Yes there’s utter guff in there. It’s 90’s sci-fi, of course there’s guff.
But there is so, so much world building off the back of the movie. And in that world building, seeds sown which might take entire seasons to properly flower.
It also sets up the dynamic I’ve previously praised, where all four members of the team have their own special area, but with some crossover.
For instance?
O’Neill, Carter and Teal’c are born soldiers.
Teal’c and Jackson are the history and language guys.
Jackson and Carter are the science peeps.
And some of the best episodes across its 10 year run are when The Main Expert isn’t present or is messed up, forcing their Natural Buddy to step up.
The trials and tribulations of a 1960s Ad Agency in New York. Pretty damn good, but not so good that I want to rush off to watch the next 6 seasons of marital problems, alcoholism, sexism, racism and the sheer cynicism of the business.
Very well acted and well written, but I wish I had caught this ride while it was in progress, rather than play catchup so many years later. I may slowly chip away at the series over time, but I’m not sure I have the patience/attention span.
I'm just going to slap this hour long video down because honestly, I agree with the guy. Anime fans of mine? This season, we are eating well because there is a staggering number of good, promising, and even downright original idea filled animes this season. After years of a constant unending barrage of banal, trashing, garbage, eye rolling isekai knock off animes, this season is fething loaded.
There's an Anne of Green Gables anime adaptation. And it's actually good!
Yeah, I think I totally picked the right time to try getting back into anime again.
From this season I'm following:- Kowloon Generic Romance, Lazarus, To Be Hero X, Witch Watch, My Hero Academia - Vigilantes, Apocalypse Hotel and An Assassin And A Ninja Under One Roof.
My Mother's Basement is probably my favorite reviewer overall. Didn't see the new ones to watch was out. Honestly most seasons lately have been great, there's just an incredible amount of garbage you need someone to sift through to find the gems.
Really liked the debut of Gquuuuux. I normally like the idea of Gundam more than the actual show anymore, but this one definitely worked for me.
Really liked the debut of Gquuuuux. I normally like the idea of Gundam more than the actual show anymore, but this one definitely worked for me.
The premise took me by surprise, and yeah. I'd be annoyed by the second episode in any other show (a full flashback in episode 2 that doesn't follow up on the breakneck 'no time to explain' pacing of episode 1? dicey) but at least as a Gundam guy, I enjoyed the scenario the episode presented and the way it sets up the setting.
Really liked the debut of Gquuuuux. I normally like the idea of Gundam more than the actual show anymore, but this one definitely worked for me.
The premise took me by surprise, and yeah. I'd be annoyed by the second episode in any other show (a full flashback in episode 2 that doesn't follow up on the breakneck 'no time to explain' pacing of episode 1? dicey) but at least as a Gundam guy, I enjoyed the scenario the episode presented and the way it sets up the setting.
This is my daughter's first Gundam that we started with me only knowing it was an alternative universe and assuring her she didn't need to know anything to enjoy it. We're like 3 minutes in and she's like "who's Char?" and I'm like.... uhhhhh..... I'm not sure I can explain that in anything less than a 7 week course.
Yeah. They kept this being the first fullblown 'what if' entry in the franchise under wraps until the premier. I don't think I saw anyone pegging that G-Quacks would be a UC series.
I’m still stunned at just how good its first season was. Yes there’s utter guff in there. It’s 90’s sci-fi, of course there’s guff.
But there is so, so much world building off the back of the movie. And in that world building, seeds sown which might take entire seasons to properly flower.
It also sets up the dynamic I’ve previously praised, where all four members of the team have their own special area, but with some crossover.
For instance?
O’Neill, Carter and Teal’c are born soldiers.
Teal’c and Jackson are the history and language guys.
Jackson and Carter are the science peeps.
And some of the best episodes across its 10 year run are when The Main Expert isn’t present or is messed up, forcing their Natural Buddy to step up.
I bloody love this show. And I always will.
It's just a shame what happened to Tealc after he left the SGC. He apparently floated around as a mercenary for a bit until working for the League of Shadows.
Such a shame the last I saw of him was being arrested by the GCPD.
Cobblers. He went back in time and became the Greek God of War, bumped off all the others, then the Titans, went north, had a kid, lost his wife, got grief from the Norse Pantheon and had to give all of them a kicking as well.
I am belatedly catching up on Cobra Kai cause I never saw the last season.
I just want to say, I'm on season 4, and I am completely invested in how committed the All Valley tournament committee is to arguing about the stupidest gak XD. Who takes their karate mats seriously? These guys! And I love it! I'd watch an entire episode just about these people and their banal arguments over stupid stuff lol
LordofHats wrote: I am belatedly catching up on Cobra Kai cause I never saw the last season.
I just want to say, I'm on season 4, and I am completely invested in how committed the All Valley tournament committee is to arguing about the stupidest gak XD. Who takes their karate mats seriously? These guys! And I love it! I'd watch an entire episode just about these people and their banal arguments over stupid stuff lol
I just can not handle shows like that anymore, because I LIVE those types of banal shows every..... fething..... day.
Considering every single other person from the films has come back even if it's for a cameo it's got to be her choice. Maybe she said no from Day 1 because they don't really mention or refer to her in any way.
I haven't seen Yellowstone, but having grown up with generous doses of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, every now and then I feel like catching something with cowboys in it... and figured I might as well go in chronological order just for LOLs.
Didn't know much about this series going in, so had no specific expectations... but I'm halfway through and it's really, really good. Grim as hell... but wonderfully written and engaging despite a relatively slow pace, enough 'wins' in there to not make the grimness overwhelming, and with a bunch of characters who are not at all perfect, but manage to remain likeable (at least so far).
After a slew of super-heavy, 'everything's terrible' streaming westerns, this is fantastic.
Yellowstone itself isn't terrible but you have to be ready and willing to watch a show about horrible people being horrible in one big trainwreck (and know that what other people say about Yellowstone will probably forever change your opinions of their personal character...). 1923 isn't bad, but honestly 1923 season 1 is really like half a season of a show stretched out into a full season and season 2 is the same and idk. 1923 just isn't very satisfying because it's just more of the original show but with a much more boring trainwreck to enjoy.
Sounds like I started in the right place, then... I hadn't been as interested in the others, so may just skip them.
Edit - So, finished just now. That was ... a lot.
Stayed excellent, though, aside from finding out right at the end that
Spoiler:
the narrator was dead the whole time. Not a big deal, just a storytelling device that I really don't like unless there's a sensible reason for a dead person to be telling us what's going on, and this wasn't that sort of story.
Sam Elliott, though. Might just be the sort of stuff I usually watch, but these days he seems to be mostly used as the hardbitten old guy who wanders in, says some hardbitten old guy things and exits stage left. His character in this got to cover a lot of ground, and the dude can act.
Now I think I need to go find something more cheerful to watch for a while...
One of my associates was aghast that I never watched DragonBall Z and loaned me a veritable stack of DVDs, of what I assume is the entire run of the series.
Lathe Biosas wrote: One of my associates was aghast that I never watched DragonBall Z and loaned me a veritable stack of DVDs, of what I assume is the entire run of the series.
Is any of this worth watching?
Just watch the Dragonball Z Abridged series on YouTube. The first few episodes are a bit rough, but by the time they get to Namek the series has hit its stride and continues a hot streak until the end of the Cell Saga that exceeds the quality of the actual Dragonball Z anime. It tells the same story, but succinctly and with jokes, and cuts out a tremendous amount of filler while actually increasing the emotional impact of many story arcs.
For its time it was groundbreaking and still has some fantastic fights throughout; its just kind of miserably paced for the modern day, which is a problem that even the Kai edit doesn't really solve.
If you want to know what the hype is really about, I'd recommend the manga these days. It holds up a lot better than the show and keeps the drama and action pretty well intact. It's also easier to appreciate the "pre-Z" era of the story, which has some great storytelling, character and world building that kind of took a back seat when Z shifted to focusing on tackling a single major villain.
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: My memory of Dragonball Z was an awful, awful of lot of nothing happening, then a single punch or kick at the end of the episode.
Your memory is mistaken. At the end of the episode would be three or four kicks, animated at two frames each, over and over again for about 5 seconds.
MDG hates Dragonball Z. There’s a whole back and forth in the mini movie review thread. He hates it irrationally the same way he won’t try Lower Decks. Which is fair enough, and even the kind of whimsical grudge against a subgenre I can get behind—but don’t mistake that for the universal opinion.
The manga is a great suggestion. It’s not full of filler like the anime, and the artwork is much more consistent.
I still stand by DBZ Abridged as an excellent way to enjoy Dragonball Z. It’s a lot of fun and very quotable.
Like any long running series, it’s going to look daunting to get into you til you find a good starting place. The manga is great from the beginning (when Goku is a child) or from the Z period (when Goku is an adult with one child). Abridged is good once you get past a couple episodes (which are still funny). For the anime, I’d suggest starting with one of the TV movies, which are generally self contained stories that play out similarly to whatever was happening in the main series when they were made.
I greatly enjoyed the lesser known, knock-off live action movie version.
I just don’t see the appeal, based on what I’ve seen of Dragonball Z, and its whole “very little happens for a long time, then quite a lot happens in a very short time” shtick.
If others enjoy it? All power to them. It’s just not for me.
You may be thinking of my General “I just don’t get it” take on most, but not all anime.
I greatly enjoyed the lesser known, knock-off live action movie version.
I just don’t see the appeal, based on what I’ve seen of Dragonball Z, and its whole “very little happens for a long time, then quite a lot happens in a very short time” shtick.
If others enjoy it? All power to them. It’s just not for me.
You may be thinking of my General “I just don’t get it” take on most, but not all anime.
Which Live Action DragonBall movies? The Interwebs mention 2 of them...
).
, further enhancing the show's appeal to fans of mecha and tokusatsu genres. This combination of superhero action, mecha battles, and unique storytelling elements helped "Supaidāman" carve out a distinct niche in the landscape of Japanese television and contributed to its lasting legacy.
