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Post by Ozymandias on May 4, 2020 6:37:13 GMT -5
Just finished WestWorld, this 3rd season wasn't as good as the two previous ones.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on May 4, 2020 8:38:16 GMT -5
Into The Night is a recent Netflix miniseries (6 episodes) adapted from a Polish novel.
It’s an apocalyptic thriller in which an unexplained phenomenon causes the sun to kill animals. (They say “all living things", but clearly trees are still thriving, so...)
Apparently it has to do with the inversion of the sun’s magnetic field, and in a very welcome change for such a series, the cast does not include a specialist explaining everything. The mystery endures, as it would in the real world. All that we know (and need to know, really) is that the sun will kill us, that hiding in a building won’t help, and that the only way to stay alive is to run away from dawn in a westward direction -which our cast is doing, aboard a passenger airplane.
The show is built a little like Lost, in that each episode focuses more particularly on one character, revealing things we didn’t suspect. Good guys become bad guys and back again as we learn more and more about them. The sense of urgency is magnified by the fact that there is not a lot of redundancy among the characters: there’s only one pilot (who’s wounded and requires surgery), and people have to resort to Youtube videos to learn how to refuel and maintain the plane. Good thing that internet servers keep functioning through the apocalypse, something that seems a little odd if the sun’s electromagnetic output is suddenly strong enough to kill people... but let’s let it slip.
The only thing that irked me was an unnecessary subplot about DNA being modified by the sun’s radiation. While that is definitely something that happens daily and would happen more often should the sun’s output increase, there is no way for such modification to cause food to suddenly lose its flavour or nutritive value, or to cause biofuels to go bad. Such lousy technobabble brings nothing to the story, and damages the willing suspension of disbelief so carefully maintained until then. Thankfully, that subplot was dropped quickly.
A good show to listen to while drawing, and one that grabbed my whole attention for the finale. Netflix has pumped a lot of money into production since a lot of the material it presented went away to other streaming services, and shows like this one demonstrate that it can be a successful experiment.
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Post by impulse on May 4, 2020 9:19:00 GMT -5
Just finished WestWorld, this 3rd season wasn't as good as the two previous ones. That's too bad. I haven't watched it yet, but IMO S1 was phenomenal. S2 was pretty good but a step down. I was worried about S3, but this seems to confirm my thoughts. I forgot who I heard this from, but to paraphrase and cosign - the concept and initial story of S1 was so fascinating that it should have been a 2-3 season story on its own. They changed the setting too fast IMO. |
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Post by impulse on May 4, 2020 9:21:20 GMT -5
Into The Night is a recent Netflix miniseries (6 episodes) adapted from a Polish novel. It’s an apocalyptic thriller in which an unexplained phenomenon causes the sun to kill animals. (They say “all living things, but clearly trees are still thriving, so...) Apparently it has to do with the inversion of the sun’s magnetic field, and in a very welcome change for such a series, the cast does not include a specialist explaining everything. The mystery endures, as it would in the real world. All that we know (and need to know, really) is that the sun will kill us, that hiding in a building won’t help, and that the only way to stay alive is to run away from dawn in a westward direction -which our cast is doing, aboard a passenger airplane. The show is built a little like Lost, in that each episode focuses more particularly on one character, revealing things we didn’t suspect. Good guys become bad guys and back again as we learn more and more about them. The sense of urgency is magnified by the fact that there is not a lot of redundancy among the characters: there’s only one pilot (who’s wounded and requires surgery), and people have to resort to Youtube videos to learn how to refuel and maintain the plane. Good thing that internet servers keep functioning through the apocalypse, something that seems a little odd if the sun’s electromagnetic output is suddenly strong enough to kill people... but let’s let it slip. The only thing that irked me was an unnecessary subplot about DNA being modified by the sun’s radiation. While that is definitely something that happens daily and would happen more often should the sun’s output increase, there is no way for such modification to cause food to suddenly lose its flavour or nutritive value, or to cause biofuels to go bad. Such lousy technobabble brings nothing to the story, and damages the willing suspension of disbelief so carefully maintained until then. Thankfully, that subplot was dropped quickly. A good show to listen to while drawing, and one that grabbed my whole attention for the finale. Netflix has pumped a lot of money into production since a lot of the material it presented went away to other streaming services, and shows like this one demonstrate that it can be a successful experiment. Good lord, that sounds like too much anxiety to watch. |
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Post by Ozymandias on May 4, 2020 9:52:24 GMT -5
Just finished WestWorld, this 3rd season wasn't as good as the two previous ones. That's too bad. I haven't watched it yet, but IMO S1 was phenomenal. S2 was pretty good but a step down. I was worried about S3, but this seems to confirm my thoughts. I forgot who I heard this from, but to paraphrase and cosign - the concept and initial story of S1 was so fascinating that it should have been a 2-3 season story on its own. They changed the setting too fast IMO. There are those who say they were slow. For me, they were adequate regarding tempo. Season3 on the other hand, was slow or redundant; in the sense that the only necessary players were Dolores and Rehoboam. Take the rest out and you can still tell the same story, in less than half of the time. |
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Post by beccabear67 on May 4, 2020 12:47:27 GMT -5
I'm only following World On Fire and What We Do In The Shadows right now (and slightly following Coronation Street).
I tried a Future Man but too much dirty humour in the beginning put me off... it got funnier once they were in 1969 L.A. at least, I might try the second one (this is now on season 3 so must be some reason).
I see West World free on demand with entire seasons... maybe I should give it a try, but like Game Of Thrones I'll have to figure out when I have to watch them by before they are removed.
I'm hoping to see season 3 of Babylon Berlin someday too.
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Post by Prince Hal on May 4, 2020 21:16:53 GMT -5
"The Plot Against America."
Six episodes on HBO.
I liked it more than I did the novel, which I read maybe 15, 16 years ago, when it came out.
Builds slowly, which I didn't mind at all. The last two episodes are almost unbearably realistic. Zoe Kazan (excellent in the longest episode in "Buster Scruggs") is like a volcano in this series, with the final episode containing a couple of stunning explosions.
Warning: not a lot of belly-laughs, as my father-in-law used to say.
"Blood," two seasons, Amazon Prime, IIRC. Typical intertwining, dark, keeps-you-guessing about every character. I think the second season was a tad better than the first. Both were compulsive watching.
"Baptiste," PBS. Watched the most recent episode tonight (Fourth, I think.) Liking it more and more. Baptiste is French, living in Amsterdam, running up against the Romanian mob. I'm enjoying it more and more each episode.
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Post by Ozymandias on May 5, 2020 3:08:23 GMT -5
The only thing I really liked about the show was the ellipsis surrounding Alvin's war efforts. It was too family centered, for a series that didn't grab me emotionally wise.
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Post by Prince Hal on May 5, 2020 9:56:03 GMT -5
The only thing I really liked about the show was the ellipsis surrounding Alvin's war efforts. It was too family centered, for a series that didn't grab me emotionally wise. That's what I felt gave the story much of its power; it showed how different one family's reactions to events can be. It also showed how "history," which we usually observe from a bird's-eye view and thus seems removed from our daily lives, has a profound impact on us, even if we don't realize it at first. The steady but almost unnoticeable deterioration of the family's way of life was a chilling reminder of just how fragile democracy is and how easily it can be dismantled. |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,202 
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Post by Confessor on May 17, 2020 18:04:12 GMT -5
Lastly, if any of our UK members could recommend other comedies for us, it would be greatly appreciated. One thing I will note is that neither of us likes "uncomfortable comedy" (think The Office, either US or UK). Cheers! One of my favourite semi-recent British comedy shows is Peter Kay's Pheonix Nights. It's a hilarious look at the fading world of working men's clubs in the north of England. It's not "cringe comedy" like The Office, but it is VERY working class humour, in the best possible sense. The characters are very earthy and real, in so far as you actually meet people like that around Britain. It's a show that revels in the tragi-comedy of everyday British life. There are only two seasons, with only about 6 episodes each, but every single one is a classic. It's a comedy show that makes me absolutely howl with laughter. I don't know how well the humour will translate to America, but I love it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Nights |
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Post by Ozymandias on May 18, 2020 4:36:32 GMT -5
Fleabag was ok.
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Post by Batflunkie on May 19, 2020 20:52:10 GMT -5
Think it says a lot about me as a person when the first thing I decide to watch on my 30 Day Netflix free trial is Pee-Wee's Playhouse  |
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Post by impulse on May 20, 2020 9:11:19 GMT -5
Think it says a lot about me as a person when the first thing I decide to watch on my 30 Day Netflix free trial is Pee-Wee's Playhouse That show is bonkers and funny to look back on. If you want something that's short and similar to comics, I'd recommend "I Am Not Okay With This" next. Its' really good and only 7 episodes so far, so you can binge it in one night if you really want to. |
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Post by Batflunkie on May 20, 2020 13:24:46 GMT -5
Think it says a lot about me as a person when the first thing I decide to watch on my 30 Day Netflix free trial is Pee-Wee's Playhouse That show is bonkers and funny to look back on. If you want something that's short and similar to comics, I'd recommend "I Am Not Okay With This" next. Its' really good and only 7 episodes so far, so you can binge it in one night if you really want to. Was expecting them to have more stuff though, but I guess the fact that everyone and their mother has a streaming service now kind of hurt them in that respect. At least they have a lot of older shows and movies, can't say that much for Hulu. Still think that it's bonkers that you have to pay $12 for no ads. What's the point in paying for the basic $6 package then?
Oh well, at least I have every season of Power Rangers, Pee-Wee's Playhouse, some anime and cartoons, and a bunch of movies (some Kung-Fu, some not) to keep me happy, among other things
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Post by impulse on May 20, 2020 13:44:53 GMT -5
That show is bonkers and funny to look back on. If you want something that's short and similar to comics, I'd recommend "I Am Not Okay With This" next. Its' really good and only 7 episodes so far, so you can binge it in one night if you really want to. Was expecting them to have more stuff though, but I guess the fact that everyone and their mother has a streaming service now kind of hurt them in that respect. At least they have a lot of older shows and movies, can't say that much for Hulu. Still think that it's bonkers that you have to pay $12 for no ads. What's the point in paying for the basic $6 package then? Oh well, at least I have every season of Power Rangers, Pee-Wee's Playhouse, some anime and cartoons, and a bunch of movies (some Kung-Fu, some not) to keep me happy, among other things
Yeah, with the streaming industry fracturing and everyone trying to get their piece of the pie, no one service is a catch-all anymore. The good thing/trick is to not sub them all constantly, just swap them out since there are no contracts. In my case, we have Netflix and Hulu year round. Netflix has something for everyone and we like some of their exclusive shows. Hulu is good because we don't have cable or a good antenna for the networks. That pretty much covers those shows for us plus no commercials. If you have Cable Hulu is pretty much pointless. We've swapped in HBO or YouTube Premium or whatever for a month at a time here and there for this show or that. We have Disney+ free for a year with our phone plan. We also got Amazon's VOD included free with our Prime membership, but I am trying to phase them out as their business practices get more light shone upon them. |
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