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2022/12/15 08:38:45
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
I also spotted national Treasure went up, I actually really liked the movies so will try to catch the TV show this week.
Also on Disney+ I started watching The Patient
Steve Carrell (40 year old virgin, The office etc) plays a psychotherapist kidnapped by one of his patients. His kidnapper wants him to continue therapy for a particular compulsion, he's a serial killer.....
This is (in my opinion) weirdly dark but funny at the same time. It's meant to be a straight up thriller and the cast play it straight but it's also very funny in it's concept and execution (no pun intended). Surprisingly it really works though and I am really enjoying it.
The episodes are only 30 minutes each which I think works really well, they are just about the right length.
Worth a look and apparently it's a limited series so wraps everything up at the end, so not a huge investment in time, but so far it's enjoyable (or I have a very sick sense of humour).
"Dig in and wait for Winter"
2022/12/15 11:28:31
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
It’s not getting very good write ups, but I enjoyed both episodes.
Now I’m on The Hardy Boys. Kind of dimly aware of them as akin to an American Famous Five, but don’t think I ever saw or read any of the books as a kid,
Show is alright.
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The TV show based on the Child's Play movies continues into its second season and continues to be better than it has any right to be.
Which is not to say it's brilliant, that would be beyond miraculous given it's DNA, but it knows what it is and leans hard into it, embracing and celebrating the bonkers nonsense from the movies rather than acting ashamed of it and trying to be more grown up.
The show feels like everyone was having a blast on set, and it's hard not to be affected by that on viewing.
Self referential, knowing, funny, gruesome and over the top. No new ground is trodden, nobody is going to be converted to the franchise if previous entries hadn't hit the spot, but if you have any affection for this sort of OTT comedy horror, an underserved genre, on TV especially, then it's a must watch.
We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark
The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.
The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox
An old show called Chocky which I heard about back in the day, but don't recall ever watching. Nothing in the show seems familar so I guess its one that escaped me. Its based on a John Wyndham book.
Third episode in and so far its about a young boy who has an alien force, of unknown origin, living rent free in his mind. His parents initially assume he has an imaginary friend but his friends and teachers begin to notice surprising results at school.
A pleasant surprise; Jeremy Bullock stars as a psychologist. I met him in Thurrock Lakeside many years ago, where he kindly signed my Boba Fett poster. He's gone now, bless him, but its always nice to see him pop up in other things.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2022/12/20 14:55:33
Casual gaming, mostly solo-coop these days.
2022/12/20 19:51:55
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
Crikey, I haven't seen GGG in donkey's years and can't remember much about it apart from Kathy's character giving her flat mate( the chap from The Big Blue Line? The one with Rowan Atkinson? ) grief.
Casual gaming, mostly solo-coop these days.
2022/12/20 20:33:18
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
I guess crude, in the sense of poorly constructed and/or of poor quality is an excellent description!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/12/20 20:33:50
We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark
The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.
The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox
I love the scripts for it. It’s completely OTT, and it works so well.
It’s reminiscent of Bottom, in that it’s two flatmate’s so individually socially dysfunctional, they have to be friends because no-one else can stand them.
It’s incredibly British in its humour. Linda and Tom can be utterly vile to each other, but will usually stand together if it’s an outsider having a go.
Linda’s bizarre and deeply worrying anecdotes about her life and Tom’s utter delusion about his acting ability just crack me up.
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It's Mrs Brown's Boys: The 90s Edition as far as I'm concerned.
We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark
The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.
The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox
This years watch was a little sad due to the loss of Mr Coltrane but it's still a wonderfully silly take on the story, if you've got Iplayer give it a whilrl and raise a glass of Nurse McCreedys Surgical Bruise Lotion (or other booze) in Mr C's memory
"AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED."
2022/12/23 23:47:13
Subject: Re:Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
This years watch was a little sad due to the loss of Mr Coltrane but it's still a wonderfully silly take on the story, if you've got Iplayer give it a whilrl and raise a glass of Nurse McCreedys Surgical Bruise Lotion (or other booze) in Mr C's memory
Video game adaptations don't have a storied history in general, and sadly Halo does nothing to advance the cause.
Fundamentally I think the issue is that many adaptations expose a fairly sparse background in most video game franchises, and this is no different.
What starts as apparently a The Mandalorian knock off soon pivots into a story around the creation of the Spartan program and starts moving events towards where the player joins the story at the start of the first game.
We know the studio has confidence in the show as it's been renewed for S2, and there's definitely money been spent here. I just couldn't shake the feeling that in some scenes I was watching expensive cosplay rather than a professional TV production. Small details on the costumes, which look great in action, look off in close up dialogue exchanges, props (and I mean guns) look like they're light in the actors' hands, CGI ranges from nearly perfect to dated and jarring.
The "superhero discovers their mysterious origins and the shocking revelations associated with it" trope is well trodden, and this does nothing new with it.
I feel fans of the games are going to struggle with the changes made to allow for a plot to happen, and people who aren't fans of the game aren't going to find anything else here to engage them, so it begs the question who is this for?
We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark
The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.
The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox
The sad thing is that Forward Unto Dawn is a surprisingly good movie. It's a completely workable drama/war fic from start to finish. One of the best video game adaptations ever made really.
Then the Halo TV series ultimately doesn't even feel like Halo to me. Most of the characters are butchered and where they're not they're using the Karen Travis versions (which are butchered by her anyone who isn't a super special awesome soldier man is evil fetish). The lore is mostly butchered by add in subplots that don't need to exist. Chief takes his helmet off at every opportunity. Hunters are more like the Flood than Hunters.
The story mostly feels like a bad Firefly fanfic, not an adaptation of Halo. Which is sad because the Nylund novels did a very good job fleshing out Halo's setting and for some reason they're continually passed over and/or retconned.
And the CGI was terrible. I don't know where the budget for that series went, but it wasn't to make it look good.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/12/30 01:56:53
It all went on the Covenant Elders. But I don't think there was enough for every scene, because in some of them I was really taken by the quality, and in others I was wondering if I'd hallucinated.
That said, Paramount + is limited to 1080p in the UK, so it might be doing some favours over 4K.
I know Chief keeps taking his helmet off, but I felt that was at least explained by the last scene, and we won't see him taking it off for a while now?
You're right about the sub plots though, the only reason I didn't criticise the whole Madrigal thing is because I'm wondering if it's set up for further down the line, but as it stands it's a horribly stunted and unnecessary diversion.
We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark
The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.
The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox
Turkish near-future dystopia thing about a guy who's immune to a bizarre disease that has decimated Istanbul (or possibly all of Turkey or the world, no discussion of anywhere further afield).
Was a bit worried it was going to be a sledgehammered Covid allegory but it never actually goes in that direction. Solid casual watching show. Has unusually good subtitling for a Turkish programme.
2022/12/31 10:37:01
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
Ok, I'm calling it, I've given this steaming pile 4 episodes and I can't watch another one. I'm normally pretty forgiving for first seasons, I understand it can take a minute for everything to gel, but.. I just.. can't.
How this show gets made when other streaming services are dropping infinitely superior shows left right and centre is beyond me.
How this gets made now is even more baffling. This would have been an average show 20 years ago in the wake of the success of Lost and it's many imitators, but how such a low budget, poorly realised, derivative show makes it to pilot, let alone series, during 2022 defies explanation.
What is confounding beyond reason is this heap of steaming horse gak not only got renewed, but got an order for MORE EPISODES.
If somebody is prepared to tell me this turns into Breaking Bad with Sabre Toothed Tigers, I'll listen to your argument, but for now, this show singlehandedly notably lowers the average quality of all TV ever made just by existing.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2023/01/03 04:54:18
We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark
The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.
The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox
It’s….alright, I guess. Bit over long and whimbriling (yeah, whimbriling).
Cut it down to say six episodes, excising the pointless guff in favour of remembering there is in fact an overarching plot.
Also, let Gomez have some exuberance. Please. And let Pugsley have the same, and not some whiny wimp.
Personally, I really loved it, even if it was definitely more of Burton thing than an Addams story.
On the anime front, My Hero Academia ended its first half of the season on a suitably devastating note. One of the few times I'd read the manga and felt an arc hit me better in the anime even knowing what was happening. Looking forward to what's next.
Mob Psycho ended strong as well. I wish the initial setup felt more like a series final, but the original OP kicking in during the finale was fantastic.
Special mention to Chainsaw Man. My main gripe is just that they barely scratched the surface and left some teasers that I'm forced to keep quiet about for what feels like an eternity now.
Spy x Family remains a gem. I'm not sure the anime provides anything that isn't readily available in the manga, but its just such a joy of a series in whatever form.
2023/01/09 15:44:54
Subject: Re:Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take the best bits of The Thing (John Carpenter original & prequel), The Abyss and Deepwater Horizon, throw those bits in the bin and cobble what's left into a 6 part TV show, with the special effects budget of 1 Dr Who Episode......
Neither had I but apparently Amazon did....
This feels like it's going to probably be the biggest wasted TV opportunity of 2023. Solid British cast including Iain Glen, Owen Teale, Martin Compston, Mark Bonnar, Mark Addy and more, in a sci-fi / horror mystery set on an oil rig, wasted by ham-fisted writing and incredibly ropey special effects.
They have obviously set this up for a second season, but after wasting 6 hours of my life wading through these 6 episodes I'll be unlikely to watch. Such a shame.
"Dig in and wait for Winter"
2023/01/09 23:30:22
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
So, this exists. I'm not sure it makes sense to anyone who hasn't played the games (especially 2 & 3), as the lore drops are minimal and somewhat meaningless.
Its a simple heist story for an artifact in the Tevinter Imperium (the bad evil wizards, who have slaves). First two episodes (of 6) are pretty much that. Then it becomes, well, more Dragon Age. And I mean that in the worst possible way, where people are doing awful things for inadequately explained reasons. And also trauma, obviously, because the universes Bioware creates now run on trauma, but the choices are... irrationally terrible. Episode two was almost nuanced, but someone clearly stepped in and said 'Nope. Can't have that.'
Also the main character is more of a DC superhero rather than a rogue, and that also escalated (except when the plot demanded she fail briefly) and got increasingly grating as things went on.
I also fear its setting up things for the next game, and I _really_ don't want that antagonist, even as a secondary villain.
---
Anyway. Not great. Watchable while on the treadmill, but not something I'd watch again. Some good voice talent that's rather wasted (as are pretty much all the secondary characters), including some that reinforced the She-ra Reboot vibe I thought they were going for in episode 1 (which probably increased my disappointment when the show wandered off).
Oh, also. Lots of blood effects. Not particularly convincing blood effects, but the animators really liked getting their slightly neon carrot juice/ketchup mix all over everything.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2023/01/09 23:33:45
Efficiency is the highest virtue.
2023/01/12 03:22:42
Subject: Re:Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2023/01/12 03:23:54
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
2023/01/12 22:45:55
Subject: Re:Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
Apparently there's a US show by the same name, but this is the UK one which is completely different.
This is what Phoebe Waller Bridge did before Fleabag, although both shows were released at a similar time, and I think it's fair to say that there are similarities.
PWB plays Lulu, a wannabe bohemian wielding a ukelele who descends on London in order to "surprise" her childhood friend. Their friendship frequently borders on the inappropriate, and is the dynamic which the show pivots on.
Lulu discovers Anthony in a committed relationship, living as a property guardian (an official form of squatting to prevent actual squatting) in a condemned hospital, with all the characters necessary to populate a comedy show.
While doing a search to see if there were any more episodes (there aren't, these 6 are all there is, but it's relatively self contained) I saw this show referred to as a British Friends, but with a realistic attitude to property prices, rental costs and living in London, and honestly I can't better that as a description, with the exception of adding that being filtered through Waller-Bridge's brain alters what Friends looks like a lot.
Crashing almost certainly suffered for all the noise that Fleabag got when it was released, and while that show is undoubtedly the more polished and less derivative spin on the 30 minute comedy format, Crashing stands on it's own merit and perhaps deserves a higher profile of its own.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/01/12 22:46:13
We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark
The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.
The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox
The one thing I took away from Absolution is that it aped Critical Role so hard it literally hired the cast.
??
Only if you consider Matt Mercer the entire cast of Critical Role. He's the only one in the show.
2 others were guests for a couple epsiodes a few years ago (around 2019? Ish?) and the voice director was a guest PC way back near the beginning, but it'd be a stretch to consider them part of the cast.
If you want to see (hear) the entire cast of CR in something, Pillars of Eternity 2 is the place to find them.
This message was edited 5 times. Last update was at 2023/01/13 18:23:03
Efficiency is the highest virtue.
2023/01/13 18:24:47
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
Up to season 12 and 13 on BritBox, and this is the era I grew up with.
It’s genuinely crazy just what this show was able to do, especially given the time period.
Fair amount of humour to it, but far from dodging serious issues it confronted them head on. Alcoholism, Heroin Addiction, Assault, Teen Pregnancy, SA, Kiddy Fiddlers, Inappropriate Relationships. All sorts. Approached honestly, without glossing over the grubbier bits of the real world.
Just terrific stuff.
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