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Post by stubbs on Mar 29, 2018 9:18:41 GMT -5
It's dragged a bit along the way, but it's picking up nicely now, and this week had the brutal fight between Hector and Achilles.  ...... I'm glad to hear it picks up, I'm about halfway through and it's definitely been missing something. |
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Post by stubbs on Mar 30, 2018 3:02:10 GMT -5
I'm glad to hear it picks up, I'm about halfway through and it's definitely been missing something. As is the case with so many shows nowadays, they could've comfortably told the story in half the number of episodes. Also, the central relationship between Helen and Paris/Alexander is less than inspiring - maybe it's the actors playing the parts, but it's hard to believe that those two could've brought about all that death and destruction. ......  Yeah, the lack of chemistry between Paris and Helen is a major problem given it's the crux of the whole story. |
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TV Shows
Apr 4, 2018 17:59:16 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by johnnypt on Apr 4, 2018 17:59:16 GMT -5
If Tolkien is difficult to translate to film, Peake is darn near impossible. They tried about 20 years ago and it was...ok. It kind of got the mood, but the story is just tough to do. Titus is a baby through the first book so it’s a hard focus. I don’t think I knew someone tried to finish Titus Awakes, but it’s best to use everything out there (including the novella) to make a coherent tale. |
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Post by andys on May 9, 2018 22:41:22 GMT -5
The new Cobra Kai series on YouTube Red is actually pretty good and worth getting the free month to watch it (and then canceling before you get charged anything). It's a rare example of a show in which I found myself rooting for everyone involved - there really aren't any outright villains aside from some high school bullies and most of the conflict just comes from tragic misunderstandings among the various characters. Contrary to what the trailers indicated, it's not a simple inversion of the original Karate Kid inspired by all the "Daniel was the real bully!" memes that have popped up in recent years (although that does get touched on a tad).
William Zabka does a great job coming back to his old Johnny Lawrence character and giving him a more nuanced personality. He's still technically the Dark Side sensei but he's on a sort of faltering, zig-zagging quest for redemption, and the kid who plays his star pupil Miguel is freaking great. The show is to the Karate Kid franchise what Rocky Balboa and Creed were for the Rocky movies. I definitely want to see another season.
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Post by robp on May 10, 2018 3:33:55 GMT -5
+1 for the new Cobra Kai series
We've also been enjoying Barry, story of a hitman who wants to become an actor. Shades of Lawrence Block's Hitman series of books, but very enjoyable. Particularly the Chechen gangsters!
For a comedy fantasy series, has anyone else seen Zapped? Modern day office worker gets transported to a Pratchett-esque fantasy world. Worth a watch!
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Post by andys on May 22, 2018 18:24:23 GMT -5
The Terror finished up last night and it was pretty good, although predictably downbeat  I read that the producers apparently are angling to make an anthology series out of it, with new seasons apparently being centered around other doomed exploration missions, which makes me dubious because they likely won't have an acclaimed novel to guide them anymore. |
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Oct 10, 2018 9:19:27 GMT -5
I started watching this older dystopian show from 2015, The Man in the High Castle, this week on Amazon Prime. I'm only three episodes into Season 1, but really digging it. The show is based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, which I haven't read. The concept reminds me of a novel I have read, The Proteus Operation by James Hogan, which was interesting, involving as it did time traveling special-ops who were attempting to go back and revise history. Not having read this PKD novel, I have no idea where the series is going, but the theme about the NAZIs and Imperial Japan winning the war, concurrently with an underlying theme of this isn't how it's supposed to be, is interesting and makes for some cool cinematography (swastika banners hanging in New York, etc.) Another theme beginning to appear is the increasing likelihood of a German attack on the Japanese held Pacific States - reminiscent, I feel, of the same situation that occurred between the US and Soviet USSR who, after teaming up in the 40s, then took opposite corners in the world fighting ring as opponents. On a realism note, the firearms are a bit too heavily based on the WW2 era pieces, but look awesome. The series is set in 1962, but the 'allied' revolutionaries are still using Thompson SMGs (they began converting to the M3 'Grease Gun' during WW2). It took years to replace the Thompson inventory so it's certainly likely revolutionaries might get their hands on some, but the M3 and subsequent M3A1 would most likely be their go-to, and certainly should be more prevalent in the show (I have't seen one yet). On the Nazi side, the Germans are still using Mauser K98ks and MP-40 submachineguns. The bolt-action Mauser would certainly have been replaced after nearly 2 decades had passed. The MP-40, as venerable as it is, would have likely been replaced with an assault rifle of some fashion ala the HK/ CETME rifles which made their appearance in the 50s (the Nazi gun designers were behind the invention of many of those - Ludwig Vorgrimler, for one). The Japanese are still armed with their Type 38 and Type 99 Arisikas which literally look like they've survived since the 30s (the ones you see close up look as beat up as my own Type 99 which has seen better days). The cinematography and acting are fantastic. I don't see where a complaint could be lodged against either, IMO. The Imperial Japanese are brutal, and still deeply rooted in their honor and mystique. The NAZIs are cold-hearted killers, exactly as one would expect of their NAZIs, and absolutely calculating, thus far. And I really enjoy the intro to this; the rendition of Edelweiss by Jeanette Olsson is poignant, to say the least. Season 1 Trailer: |
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Post by themirrorthief on Oct 10, 2018 9:24:53 GMT -5
I actually read this story a long time ago. The show looks interesting, might check it out
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Post by themirrorthief on Oct 10, 2018 9:27:29 GMT -5
I'm glad to hear it picks up, I'm about halfway through and it's definitely been missing something. As is the case with so many shows nowadays, they could've comfortably told the story in half the number of episodes. Also, the central relationship between Helen and Paris/Alexander is less than inspiring - maybe it's the actors playing the parts, but it's hard to believe that those two could've brought about all that death and destruction. ...... the kidnapping of Helen was just an excuse for the Greeks go conquer Troy by most accounts. In fact, the entire thing may have been a setup. Helen may have been just a high class call pretending to be Menelaus wife girl for all we know |
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Oct 24, 2018 12:29:56 GMT -5
Recently discovered this 2017 show Knightfall on Netflix and really enjoying it. It involves the Knights Templar in the 14th century, picking up the tale with the fall of Acre and the loss of the holy chalice. Great cinematography -- I especially enjoyed the scenes from inside the knights' helmets! |
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Post by KiramidHead on Oct 24, 2018 14:48:13 GMT -5
Daredevil Season 3 is really good, more than making up for the mistakes of Season 2 and Defenders.
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Post by andys on Oct 25, 2018 13:00:49 GMT -5
Daredevil Season 3 is really good, more than making up for the mistakes of Season 2 and Defenders. I haven't watched it all yet, but it's certainly a step up on what came before. That said, it stills drags badly at times and suffers from some serious pacing issues - 30 solid minutes of Karen Page in one episode is pushing things. Even allowing for the fact that TV and comics are vastly different mediums, it's still disappointing to see them 'borrow' so heavily from the Frank Miller classics and yet somehow manage to (mostly) suck all the pulpy goodness out of those stories. I'll admit I haven't watched more than a few episodes of DD season 1, but the general impression I get from the Netflix shows is that there's an air of self-importance and stuffiness that has infested a lot of live-action superhero stuff (Marvel's movies have generally been pretty good about avoiding this...)? |
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Post by johnnypt on Oct 25, 2018 13:19:54 GMT -5
I haven't watched it all yet, but it's certainly a step up on what came before. That said, it stills drags badly at times and suffers from some serious pacing issues - 30 solid minutes of Karen Page in one episode is pushing things. Even allowing for the fact that TV and comics are vastly different mediums, it's still disappointing to see them 'borrow' so heavily from the Frank Miller classics and yet somehow manage to (mostly) suck all the pulpy goodness out of those stories. I'll admit I haven't watched more than a few episodes of DD season 1, but the general impression I get from the Netflix shows is that there's an air of self-importance and stuffiness that has infested a lot of live-action superhero stuff (Marvel's movies have generally been pretty good about avoiding this...)? DD Season 1 is probably the least self-important and stuffy of the original four series. DD and Punisher are the grittiest, the other three are enjoyable to different degrees but do have elements of what you point out. |
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Post by Erik on Oct 26, 2018 18:01:22 GMT -5
Is anyone watching 'The Haunting of Hill House' on Netflix? It's a ten episode season, and honestly one of the best horror shows I've seen. It's legitimately scary with some brilliant twists and surprises.
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Post by KiramidHead on Oct 26, 2018 20:07:25 GMT -5
I'll admit I haven't watched more than a few episodes of DD season 1, but the general impression I get from the Netflix shows is that there's an air of self-importance and stuffiness that has infested a lot of live-action superhero stuff (Marvel's movies have generally been pretty good about avoiding this...)? DD Season 1 is probably the least self-important and stuffy of the original four series. DD and Punisher are the grittiest, the other three are enjoyable to different degrees but do have elements of what you point out. Daredevil, Punisher, and Jessica Jones all make sense for more serious shows. Luke Cage has had a bit of a lighter tough, though. Not even gonna address Iron Fist, that show was crap. XD |
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I read that the producers apparently are angling to make an anthology series out of it, with new seasons apparently being centered around other doomed exploration missions, which makes me dubious because they likely won't have an acclaimed novel to guide them anymore.
