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Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2018 3:33 pm
by Siao7
minchy wrote:I've heard a few people saying that the world they created in altered carbon was good, but that's where the positives stopped! A couple of people I know who've seen it said that the script writing and acting were awful. But I usually have similar taste in TV to mac_d, so I'll give it go based to the 2 recommendations above and see how it goes.
It may seem slow after the first few episodes, but stick with it and in the end it kind of ties everything together.

Bit of eye-candy as well!

Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2018 4:54 pm
by minchy
Siao7 wrote:
minchy wrote:I've heard a few people saying that the world they created in altered carbon was good, but that's where the positives stopped! A couple of people I know who've seen it said that the script writing and acting were awful. But I usually have similar taste in TV to mac_d, so I'll give it go based to the 2 recommendations above and see how it goes.
It may seem slow after the first few episodes, but stick with it and in the end it kind of ties everything together.

Bit of eye-candy as well!
That description kind of sounds like how I felt with the first season of Dirk Gently. Took me until ep 7 to actually get what the show is about! Having said that, I highly recommend Dirk Gently, really enjoyed it after I finally understood it and season 2 was really enjoyable for me.

Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2018 5:34 pm
by Siao7
minchy wrote:
Siao7 wrote:
minchy wrote:I've heard a few people saying that the world they created in altered carbon was good, but that's where the positives stopped! A couple of people I know who've seen it said that the script writing and acting were awful. But I usually have similar taste in TV to mac_d, so I'll give it go based to the 2 recommendations above and see how it goes.
It may seem slow after the first few episodes, but stick with it and in the end it kind of ties everything together.

Bit of eye-candy as well!
That description kind of sounds like how I felt with the first season of Dirk Gently. Took me until ep 7 to actually get what the show is about! Having said that, I highly recommend Dirk Gently, really enjoyed it after I finally understood it and season 2 was really enjoyable for me.
Ok, thank you, I'll give it a go. Currently all the series I follow seem to have stopped for some reason!

Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2018 3:26 am
by mac_d
Siao7 wrote:
minchy wrote:I've heard a few people saying that the world they created in altered carbon was good, but that's where the positives stopped! A couple of people I know who've seen it said that the script writing and acting were awful. But I usually have similar taste in TV to mac_d, so I'll give it go based to the 2 recommendations above and see how it goes.
It may seem slow after the first few episodes, but stick with it and in the end it kind of ties everything together.

Bit of eye-candy as well!
Yes, Siao7 is spot on here, at least for how I felt starting out. I think I watched Ep 1,2 and maybe 3 over about 5-6 sessions but thereafter it was "can't wait for the next one" mode.

I liked the acting for the most part. I enjoyed the writing too generally. I thought most of the characters we were supposed to like were rather likeable, those we were supposed to dislike were dislikable. The plot was fairly good. The concept, I think, is really cool (Dollhouse is/was a favourite of mine and it had some similarities). A couple of the light bits of philosophy raised some interesting questions.

Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 5:34 am
by mac_d
Prison Break S5.

As with all Prison Break apart from maybe the excellent first season, you have to be prepared for a bunch of whacky shenanigans, a plot that makes the entire SAW movies series seem un-convoluted, a character who is some utterly omniscient and about a bajillion pointless cliffhangers (less so with 5, but most of the first 4 have a cliffhanger for every advert break).

Anyway, on the whole I enjoyed it but it's 9 episodes when I think it should have been, say, 6. Kinda silly, usually fun. on the whole, if you only liked S1 or S2 of PB, skip it. If you watched all 4 seasons then you'll perhaps enjoy. If you never watched PB, don't start here. Its on UK Netflix.



Also since the last show discussed was Altered Carbon, I actually watched it again recently and enjoyed it probably a little more - I guess a combination of already having an understanding of the show universe and knowing the plot meant you notice some smaller things that crop back up.

Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2018 1:35 pm
by mac_d
Daredevil S3 on Netflix.

Definitely mark this one up in the "hit" column of the very hit and miss Marvel Netflix shows. Good plot, good casting on the new people and the existing cast is spectacular. Some excellent fight scenes. Some bad donkey long shots though still not as cool as the hallway scene from DD S1 early on but that's one of my favourite ever scenes. Good length and didn't feel like it was padded out. I really like the fact that Matt's injuries actually seem consistent. It bothered me in Punisher that Frank could get shot in the head, set on fire and blown up by a bazooka and would stick a bandage on it and be pretty much fine by the next episode. Daredevil actually has always done a better job at managing it. I thought this was a great season. The biggest compliment I can give the show is that I don't know which season I would place as my favourite.

Some plot specific or otherwise spoiler-y thoughts
Spoiler (click to show)

My Marvel Netflix Opinions
Hits: DD S1/2/3, JJ S1, Punisher S1.
Neutral: Defenders.
Misses: Luke Cage S1, Iron Fist S1
Probably Misses but I got bored and stopped watching: Luke Cage 2, Jessica Jones 2.

Biggest disappointment was Jessica Jones S2. It confirmed, for me, my thought that David Tennant carried the show in S1. Not solely him, but the writing for his character too. But without him, not very exciting.




Derren Brown's Sacrifice

I love Derren Brown, but I thought this was junk. Boring, seemed silly and unlike his other specials I felt it was obvious how it would end.

Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2018 4:12 pm
by mac_d
House of Cards S6. Or, at least the first 2 episodes of it.

Well, to begin with I must say that House of Cards was pretty much in nosedive. I think S1 and S2 were brilliant, with a coherent and reasonable plot that was exciting and believeable. By S5, they had pretty much gone off into a fantasy. S6 doesn't pull it back up. The show does not work without Kevin Spacey, though given the allegations against him and including 8 from people on the set, I can fully understand why he wasn't brought back. While Robin Wright is fantastic, she isn't a solid core and the writing and plot has fallen off too. House of Cards seems like one of these things that ran it's course over 2 seasons but popularity brought it back and ran it into the ground.

Perhaps it picks up and gets interesting but I was not enjoying it at all.

Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 2:37 pm
by minchy
Stranger Things 3 didn't disappoint, it had a little of the customary Netflix preachyness, but to be fair, women's rights in the 80's were shocking and it was fairly accurate to how women were treated in the workplace and should be a bit of an eye opener to see for anyone who didn't live through that time.

But the series as a whole was great with a really good final episode and cliff hanger.

#neverendingstory

Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 10:30 am
by Siao7
minchy wrote:Stranger Things 3 didn't disappoint, it had a little of the customary Netflix preachyness, but to be fair, women's rights in the 80's were shocking and it was fairly accurate to how women were treated in the workplace and should be a bit of an eye opener to see for anyone who didn't live through that time.

But the series as a whole was great with a really good final episode and cliff hanger.

#neverendingstory
Yeah, fully agreed.

Anyone watched Chernobyl yet? It is supposed to be amazing

Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 12:11 pm
by JN23
Siao7 wrote:
minchy wrote:Stranger Things 3 didn't disappoint, it had a little of the customary Netflix preachyness, but to be fair, women's rights in the 80's were shocking and it was fairly accurate to how women were treated in the workplace and should be a bit of an eye opener to see for anyone who didn't live through that time.

But the series as a whole was great with a really good final episode and cliff hanger.

#neverendingstory
Yeah, fully agreed.

Anyone watched Chernobyl yet? It is supposed to be amazing
I've watched Chernobyl. Really really good but a tough watch in some points. Was good some of the stories they focused on throughout.

Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 4:25 pm
by Siao7
JN23 wrote:
Siao7 wrote:
minchy wrote:Stranger Things 3 didn't disappoint, it had a little of the customary Netflix preachyness, but to be fair, women's rights in the 80's were shocking and it was fairly accurate to how women were treated in the workplace and should be a bit of an eye opener to see for anyone who didn't live through that time.

But the series as a whole was great with a really good final episode and cliff hanger.

#neverendingstory
Yeah, fully agreed.

Anyone watched Chernobyl yet? It is supposed to be amazing
I've watched Chernobyl. Really really good but a tough watch in some points. Was good some of the stories they focused on throughout.
Thanks, sounds like a good one. I remember it so vividly as well. Ok, I think it will be next on the list!

Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 7:20 pm
by JN23
Siao7 wrote:
JN23 wrote:
Siao7 wrote:
minchy wrote:Stranger Things 3 didn't disappoint, it had a little of the customary Netflix preachyness, but to be fair, women's rights in the 80's were shocking and it was fairly accurate to how women were treated in the workplace and should be a bit of an eye opener to see for anyone who didn't live through that time.

But the series as a whole was great with a really good final episode and cliff hanger.

#neverendingstory
Yeah, fully agreed.

Anyone watched Chernobyl yet? It is supposed to be amazing
I've watched Chernobyl. Really really good but a tough watch in some points. Was good some of the stories they focused on throughout.
Thanks, sounds like a good one. I remember it so vividly as well. Ok, I think it will be next on the list!
It is definitely worth your time.

Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 9:40 am
by Siao7
JN23 wrote:
Siao7 wrote:
JN23 wrote:
Siao7 wrote:
minchy wrote:Stranger Things 3 didn't disappoint, it had a little of the customary Netflix preachyness, but to be fair, women's rights in the 80's were shocking and it was fairly accurate to how women were treated in the workplace and should be a bit of an eye opener to see for anyone who didn't live through that time.

But the series as a whole was great with a really good final episode and cliff hanger.

#neverendingstory
Yeah, fully agreed.

Anyone watched Chernobyl yet? It is supposed to be amazing
I've watched Chernobyl. Really really good but a tough watch in some points. Was good some of the stories they focused on throughout.
Thanks, sounds like a good one. I remember it so vividly as well. Ok, I think it will be next on the list!
It is definitely worth your time.
Thank you. I started it yesterday, the first episode is really good. So very dark, definitely catches the feeling!

Re: The TV Thread

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2020 2:14 am
by mac_d
Altered Carbon Season 2.

It's not so great. I really enjoyed S1. I thought it was a world that made sense within it's own rules. Obviously, and sci-fi or fantasy you have to take with a pinch of acceptance for whatever the premise is. I've not read the books so I don't know how much was written like it was versus liberties the show has taken. It might be faithful to the books, or it might not, but I didn't much care for it. I do not think I'd watch S2 again but I'll watch S1 again for sure at some point. However, I'm only through 6 of 8 episodes but it's been a slog. S1 I felt was a slow start, it took an episode or two to really establish the world but got really good.

I'll spoiler my more specific points as beyond this.
Spoiler (click to show)
If the finale changes my opinion significantly I will update.



The Witcher.

I just recently played Witcher 2 (Xbox 360) and Witcher 3 (Xbox One). I've not read the book but I was on a Witcher kick so thought it was a good time.
It's a fun enough series. I like Cavill as Geralt, and felt most of the cast was pretty good. A few odd choices. Triss in the show does not look like Triss from the games. Admittedly, her appearance isn't vital to anything plot but to me, it wasn't Triss feeling. Plus, as a fan of busty redheads...
Plot... Well, they tried something with it. I think it was a poor choice to some degree as I think it could put people off as it's slightly more complex than just watching the thing as it goes on and everything is what it seems. More under the spoiler tags.
Battle scenes. Right, a review I read said that the big fights were of the same quality as something like Game of Thrones (Ya know, the good battles - not S8). The fights are decent, but that reviewer is not one I see many agreeing with. Even the climactic battle wasn't worthy of comparison to something like the Battle of the Bastards (although that is one of the all-time battles in any form of visual media so an unfair comparison).
World - I think they did an AWFUL job setting up the world. You don't get told where anything is. Aerdin, Cintra, Nilfgaard etc are not explained at all where they are relative to each other or how strong they really are. If not for just playing the games, I think this might actually have broken me away from the show. They don't explain Geralt or Witchers very much. They don't explain the signs etc. I just feel like this was written by someone who knew and loved the book and should have considered more that The Witcher isn't Harry Potter where 90% of folk know the broad strokes of the world.

Specific comments, with a minor spoiler of the Witcher 3 game
Spoiler (click to show)
The Witcher now sits in that odd place of shows I like but would only recommend with trepidation due to what I perceive as it's flaws and shortcomings. I haven't checked what the general consensus has been about it though, so maybe my idea of the flaws isn't shared widely. All in all, I did enjoy it.

And Toss a Coin to Your Witcher is a bad donkey song.