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2024/09/17 14:48:42
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Battlefield Tourist
MN (Currently in WY)
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Scavenger's Reign
Survivors of a spaceship accident are stranded on an alien world. They have to survive.
This is all animated and won an Emmy. I just started watching it, and the alien world is lush and full of alien-ness. Very fun animation. They keep the basics simple by design, but there is a lot going on in the ecology. Reminded me of some old, classic early Sci-fi stories, with very interesting and imaginative flora and fauna on display.
It is too early to tell if it will work as a story though.
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2024/09/17 21:08:24
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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Escape to River Cottage
A classic UK show, where chef Hugh Fearnley-Eats-It-All decamps from the big smoke, to a small holding in Dorset, to live off the land for a year.
It’s part cookery show, part documentary and a wonderful watch. Indeed from an arguable publicity stunt, Hugh became ever more dedicated to that lifestyle, and whilst he now runs a farm, restaurant and what have you? He’s still down the neck of the woods well over a decade later.
Wait.
25 years later.
Jeebus…..
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2024/09/18 11:08:43
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Revving Ravenwing Biker
Wrexham, North Wales
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Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:Escape to River Cottage
A classic UK show, where chef Hugh Fearnley-Eats-It-All decamps from the big smoke, to a small holding in Dorset, to live off the land for a year.
It’s part cookery show, part documentary and a wonderful watch. Indeed from an arguable publicity stunt, Hugh became ever more dedicated to that lifestyle, and whilst he now runs a farm, restaurant and what have you? He’s still down the neck of the woods well over a decade later.
Wait.
25 years later.
Jeebus…..
The other half and I like Hugh and his early River Cottage stuff was a good watch, but I think the restaurant and the 'green gardening & living' school were always the long term plan, and kudos to him for getting Channel 4 to kickstart it for him. The fact that he hasn't sold it on yet is a testament to his integrity and any programme that he presents has a green/sustainable slant. Just goes to show that not every Eton graduate has to be a, well, person of low regard.
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2024/09/18 11:14:26
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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Indeed. I feel that, from the off, he was taking it all seriously, and with a genuine interest which may have extended as far as an initial passion.
Granted I’m sure he’s not exactly struggling for money overall, but that he’s stuck to his roots and done campaigning (including getting the EU to ban catch discards!) speaks to his genuine nature about the whole thing.
Really must visit River Cottage HQ at some point. I’ve done Rick Stein’s restaurant decades ago, so about time I did a “big name”.
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2024/09/18 23:22:25
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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Second series now, entitled Return to River Cottage.
Despite the simple fact I’m unskilled and would almost certainly starve to death? I’d still love to have that sort of lifestyle.
It’s overly romanticised and bloody hard work, but it seems so peaceful and idyllic.
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2024/09/19 13:56:35
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Revving Ravenwing Biker
Wrexham, North Wales
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You don’t see the days on end of digging soil, and you will certainly not see the production team that do the bulk of the work. But hey, that’s telly.
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2024/09/19 14:37:31
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Battlefield Tourist
MN (Currently in WY)
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I ran across Bubblegum Crisis on a 24-hour channel that was streaming them one after the next. I admit, I was hooked and could not stop watching.
Sure, there is a lot of nostalgia in watching them. The voice-acting/dub is terrible. The dialogue is terrible. It is offensive on so many levels and misogynistic, with some annoying stereotype characters.
All that said, there is something about them that still has not been topped. The Boomers are cool. The "city" is cyberpunk. The mecha suits are super fun. The world feels alive and real. I really dug it a lot.
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Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
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2024/09/19 17:44:38
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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MarkNorfolk wrote:You don’t see the days on end of digging soil, and you will certainly not see the production team that do the bulk of the work. But hey, that’s telly.
I’m not sure it would the be production team. There are plenty of scenes of Hugh getting his hands dirty.
Are the scenes filmed staged? Absolutely. But he did live in the cottage, and wasn’t married at the time. Plus, the plot of land was definitely of a size where one person could manage it, as it’s less than five acres, and four of those are for his livestock.
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2024/09/20 08:16:15
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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Frasier S2
And he’s back again, in the second season of the revival show.
The first season was, acceptable I guess. Kelsey Grammar was his usual consistently entertaining self, but it was missing Niles, Martin and Eddie. The rest of the cast weren’t exactly dreadful, but it wasn’t the same. Though I think overall preferable to trying to make the new cast directly analogous to the original.
This time everyone is feeling a bit more settled in their role, and the writers seem more confident.
It perhaps inevitably remains somewhat lesser than the original series. But, as tv sitcoms go this is still enjoyable enough, devoid as it is the smugness of drivel like Friends and Big Bang Theory.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Sexy Dancing Intensifies, it’s….
Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected
A series of slightly macabre tales, often of morality.
They’re typically quite inventive, but rarely supernatural. The two seasons (1 & 3) on Prime were satisfying enough.
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2024/09/20 18:09:51
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2024/09/21 19:21:38
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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The Golden Girls
I watch this off and on on Disney+, and it’s just fantastic.
Wholesome, but with a certain caustic wit and odd rude bits.
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2024/09/23 16:03:31
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Battlefield Tourist
MN (Currently in WY)
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Started re-watching the old X-men cartoon before taking a shot at X-men 97.
Man, the theme music still cooks. The rest? Well, the best mid-90's story telling you could get in a Saturday morning cartoon.... so not great....
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Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
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2024/09/23 18:39:51
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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Whilst still an enjoyable classic, I think it’s fair to say it came second to Batman, The Animated Series at the time, and hasn’t aged anywhere near as well.
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2024/09/24 18:14:45
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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The Punisher
Been forever since I watched this, and it’s still pretty bloody good.
Castle is of course a badass, but not in a completely ridiculous way. Whilst he has a shield of narrativium, it’s mostly powered by being ballsy but Not Stupid. When he’s going through the bad guys like butter, it’s with at least a strong sense of realism and the advantage of years of training and experience.
The lack of one-liners, a typical censor pleasing tension breaker is definitely welcome. And I think I rate it above John Wick.
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2024/09/24 19:05:37
Subject: Re:Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Using Inks and Washes
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Delicious In Dungeon
Not usually a fan of fantasy anime these days, even when the cast aren't literally teenagers who've been sucked into a MMORPG, they still feel very gameified (And that's ignoring how much of it is pure nerd-bait).
But I enjoyed this one, it's still a bit gamey here and there, but it felt more like someone had animated a wacky D&D campaign, which works for me. Looking forward to season 2.
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2024/10/03 11:00:31
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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Grotesquerie
A horror crime thriller, with plenty of weird.
It’s aired up to episode 4 in the uk, and whilst I don’t yet really understand what’s going on (ref, plenty of weird) I’m getting my kick out of.
I think I’ll give this a solid binge at the weekend.
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2024/10/10 15:12:41
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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Under The Bridge
8 part true crime drama. And it’s pretty decent, and played straight with drama. Focuses on the murder of a 14 year old girl, and the hunt for the killer.
It’s all very sympathetic, showing our teenage suspects in a neutral light. Given they claimed to be part of the Crips, there was room for “therefore hip-hop am bad”. But the portrayal is just of…kids. Stupid, dumb, listless kids, who’ve somewhat romanticised what they believe gang culture to be. And at no point is their preferred music pointed at as being the driving force.
It is a bit of a slog because of its careful approach, but I’ve really enjoyed it.
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2024/10/10 15:56:37
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Lieutenant General
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Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:Grotesquerie
A horror crime thriller, with plenty of weird.
It’s aired up to episode 4 in the uk, and whilst I don’t yet really understand what’s going on (ref, plenty of weird) I’m getting my kick out of.
I think I’ll give this a solid binge at the weekend.
It's airing here in the US on FX. I decided to give it a pass, but did notice that one of the characters (Ed Lachlan according to Wikipedia} is being played by Travis Kelce (a.k.a. Mr. Taylor Swift ).
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'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'
- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim |
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2024/10/10 16:19:58
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Fixture of Dakka
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DanDaDan
This one is weird in a way that only the best like FLCL or Gurren Lagann can get away with. I picked up the manga last month and burned through every chapter in a week or two. The anime is just top notch in every regard and one of the few times where knowing all the places it has to go has me more excited to see it brought to life.
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2024/10/11 02:29:15
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau
USA
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I also suggest DanDaDan. It's a series very much in the vein of FLCL and Chainsaw Man as a series that indulges in colorfully loveable characters and insane levels of wacky weirdness. As the story goes on though it can hit some crazy emotional points. The manga is very good as well. The best part imo are the MCs though, who have a great romantic arc that feels fairly original since the two MCs are fresh takes on old tropes.
Another interesting anime this season is Orb: On the Movements of the Earth. It's a historical fiction series inspired by the heliocentrism controversies of Western Europe in the late Middle Ages and early modern period and follows an unconventional but well executed plotline that takes seriously themes of rationality and faith. Not sure how many episodes the anime will have. It might cover the first two arcs of the series.
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This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2024/10/11 02:34:06
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2024/10/11 10:11:33
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Leader of the Sept
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My youtube feed recently has popped up a series which I think is called Gate. It seems to revolve around modern day Japan being invaded through a dimensional rift by a classic fantasy army. I keep meaning to chase it down to see if its actually any good, or if its just bullet porn of what happens if rather crap dragons take on helicopter gunships and fast jets
Also reminds me a bit of Gruntz by Mary Gentle.
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Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!
Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 |
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2024/10/11 11:22:43
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Longtime Dakkanaut
London
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I remember Gruntz. A lot of odd sex stuff... Entertaining core idea though.
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2024/10/11 21:58:23
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau
USA
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Flinty wrote:My youtube feed recently has popped up a series which I think is called Gate. It seems to revolve around modern day Japan being invaded through a dimensional rift by a classic fantasy army. I keep meaning to chase it down to see if its actually any good, or if its just bullet porn of what happens if rather crap dragons take on helicopter gunships and fast jets
Gate: Thus So the SDF Fought There has ups and downs.
If you want to see epic battles between fighter jets and dragons? Yeah. No it's most SDF porn, which does have several entertaining scenes nonetheless, but there's never really any moment where any doubt is had that the SDF is going to win and that the fantasy people are utter morons for trying to oppose them. Still some entertainment value but its interspersed with cringier harem anime tropes about 'technically not sixteen' girls and a middle-aged man. So yeah, ups and downs. It's a great concept that became fairly middle of the road in terms of its execution and S2 just isn't as good as S1.
Beyond that, this anime is one of my infamous 'Imperial Japan did nothing wrong' animes. So if you're of a certain mindset or hyper aware of certain issues about Japan and the rest of Asia, the series can be kind of stomach turning to watch for its implications, which the original author is completely unapologetic about, but the anime does slightly tone down. So if that's something that'll upset you you have been warned.
It's a 6 maybe 7 out of 10 anime. Mostly its best parts are in the first 2/3rds of season one where it's just modern military styling all over fantasy armies and bandits for some good popcorn fun before the author's politics and nationalism start worming their way in.
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2024/10/11 22:00:03
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2024/10/13 05:41:06
Subject: Re:Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Pyre Troll
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Went and watched the first season of The Old Man, which is about said old man who was cia in the mid 80's, and things that were thought hidden and buried start coming to
light after someone tries to take him out
Overall i rather enjoyed it, jeff bridges and john lithgow as old spies was fun, even if to me it often felt like when he was talking, bridges came across as having something in his mouth (i'm from the south so my first thought was chewing tobacco i'll admit)
While some of the twists were things i could guess at, it had enough going on that i'm looking forward to at some point getting to season 2
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2024/10/14 07:42:20
Subject: Re:Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Using Inks and Washes
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Uzumaki
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.
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2024/10/14 15:48:17
Subject: Re:Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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[DCM]
Savage Minotaur
Baltimore, Maryland
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On Episode 2 of HBO's "The Franchise".
Pretty topical to this sub-forum.
Its about the production of a super hero movie in the midst of "Franchise Fatigue" ("Its a made up disease!" - Studio Exec). Its like "Silicon Valley" but on the set of the shittiest superhero movie. Cast drama, production drama, studio interference, visionary director waffling on the story and budgetary constraints all happening at one time.
At a run time of 30ish minutes an episode, its an easy watch, and there is a lot of "inside baseball" talk and references to dumb events that people fret over, like a bungled high five with a studio bigwig at a comic-con in 2017(I'm not sure what that refers to, but the delivery was pretty funny). There is so much going on in peoples looks/actions and the dialogue that I'll have no problem going back and re-watching to see what I missed.
It also has the actress that played Stormfront in The Boys, so it pretty funny so far to see her in such a tonal shift. She does play hardball with her production staff, so she still has that bite that made her character such a great villain, but not a Nazi this time.
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2024/10/14 15:52:03
"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
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2024/10/16 11:43:22
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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Stargate Origins
An unnecessary and unfulfilling webisode based Stargate prequel.
The Gate looks cheap, and doesn’t light up. The sound effects, in play since the first movie, are different.
Oh, and at the end everyone loses their memory of what happened on Adydos, rendering the entire exercise moot.
Avoid.
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2024/10/17 21:25:31
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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Curfew
Fresh on Paramount+. A murder mystery set in a United Kingdom where all men are tagged, and have to remain home between 7pm and 7am. Yet a woman is murdered, and it’s believed a man was responsible.
But how can that be, when no man can leave his home without the authorities knowing? And is the timing, a week before a Parliamentary Vote making the curfew permanent a coincidence?
Six episodes long, and so far the first episode is showing real promises. Complexities exposed, different sides presented.
Hopefully it can keep up the nuanced exploration of an interesting social concept.
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This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2024/10/17 21:59:17
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2024/10/18 09:36:56
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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So far so good. The whole Curfew is more a backdrop than the purpose of the show. And we find out more about the extremes taken in the name of protecting women.
For instance, as well as the 7pm to 7am Curfew on all men (including boys, excluding Police Officers and one assumes ambulance staff etc), episode 2 reveals a heterosexual couple needs government approval to cohabit - regardless of whether they were doing so before the Women’s Safety Act came into force.
This is certainly interesting, and thanks to aforementioned fairly balanced and nuanced storytelling, fairly thought provoking.
If you’re gonna watch it, do so with an open mind and just appreciate the story for what it is, not what you expect it to be.
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2024/10/18 10:13:39
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Frenzied Berserker Terminator
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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.
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2024/10/18 10:19:53
Subject: Tiny TV Reviews - Short Reviews For The Small Screen
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon
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Bob Mortimer is the Master of Taskmaster.
Completely potty, but also incredibly intelligent.
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