TV Shows

[Mavy]

I actually enjoyed lower decks considering it was supposed to be the worst thing since ST:Discovery.

I think it's better than discovery and also does a good job of making fun of the star trek tropes.

I also love final space.

[Candy Arse]

I've started watching The Expanse. Love it so far.

[Mavy]

It just gets better too. S5 starts in December!

[Twiztid Elf]

Brave New World

I'd been hanging onto Stan for new South Park. When they said it's going to be on channel 10, I was going to can it, but then I saw they were making Brave New World.
Then I got busy and never really had a chance to watch it. Finally got around to it now.

It's been a long time since I last read Huxleys Brave New World, so I can't really comment about how accurate it is to the book. I remember the basic gist of it.
Society enslaved and controlled. No free will. Unlike Orwell 1984 though, Brave New World controls its citizens via enforced pleasure through happy drugs and mandatory sex.

I have to say, I quite enjoyed it. Lots of interesting and thought provoking concepts and situations. I liked the actors and the characters also.
Good stuff.

[unfnknblvbl]

The Stand (2020)

I'm almost at the end of episode 2, and it's crap. Disjointed story telling and wooden acting despite a star studded cast. The only reason this is making any sense is because I've read the book a dozen times, FFS.

3/10, and that's only because so far it hasn't cut out any of the characters from the book.

[Candy Arse]

What's it like compared to The Stand they released in the 90s?

[Rorschach]

I was really looking forward to the remake but then saw the early impressions roll in - going to avoid based off the characterisation of Randall Flagg. It's a massive let down because they could have easily spun out of the Stand an actual adaptation of the Dark Tower series for television. Much as I liked Idris Alba in the role as Roland, The Dark Tower movie was all sorts of weaksauce.

[unfnknblvbl]

What's it like compared to The Stand they released in the 90s?

Completely different. I liked that series, but I saw it before I read the book. At least that one told the story in a linear fashion.
This one dumps you in three quarters of the way through the story and tells you all the interesting bits through poorly transitioned flashbacks.
For example, the opening scene of the book? Last moments of the first episode, well and truly after we've seen Frannie bury her dad and Stu escape the facility. Ugh.

[Cletus]

The Stand (2020)

I'm almost at the end of episode 2, and it's crap. Disjointed story telling and wooden acting despite a star studded cast. The only reason this is making any sense is because I've read the book a dozen times, FFS.

3/10, and that's only because so far it hasn't cut out any of the characters from the book.

Same...I've also probably read the source material at least 5 times (once for the standard and maybe four times for the revised edition)... Why can't they follow the story in chronological form? Why are we thrust into the story at the point where the survivors are clearing bodies in Boulder? Past, present, future...the story seems to be told as recollections rather than unfolding events. Amber Heard is no Nadine Cross....not by a long shot and I don't think I'm on board with Skarsgard playing Flagg. There are some odd casting choices in my opinion. I'll keep watching, but only because the book is in my top three ever and I have to know what they've done with it....but my hopes have faded for this being a definitive version of one of the greatest books ever written.

[Ambrose Burnside]

The book is one of my all-time favourites too, definitely top 3-5. Recently re-read it just before Christmas. Was excited for the show, the cast looked excellent ... Haven't bothered once I saw the reviews start to roll in

[Cletus]

If you're ever looking for some other amazing books, try these two by Clive Barker
Imagica
The Great and Secret show.

I doubt anyone could be disappointed with these novels.

[unfnknblvbl]

The book is one of my all-time favourites too, definitely top 3-5. Recently re-read it just before Christmas. Was excited for the show, the cast looked excellent ... Haven't bothered once I saw the reviews start to roll in

I just don't understand how they could cock it up so badly on this day and age with that cast. This should be like Michael Jordan in a dunking contest against me, ffs.

I'm hoping it gets better in the last third, but... Ugh.

[Rorschach]

I'm going to argue tone-deaf writers who don't have a love for the source material? Even if the remade the original TV series with a new generation of actors and better sets it would have been better.

[Rorschach]

I'm going to argue tone-deaf writers who don't have a love for the source material? Even if the remade the original TV series with a new generation of actors and better sets it would have been better.

[Ambrose Burnside]

If you're ever looking for some other amazing books, try these two by Clive Barker
Imagica
The Great and Secret show.

I doubt anyone could be disappointed with these novels.

Haven't read any Clive Barker, thanks for the recommendation!

Currently reading the Witcher books for the first time.

[unfnknblvbl]

The book is one of my all-time favourites too, definitely top 3-5. Recently re-read it just before Christmas. Was excited for the show, the cast looked excellent ... Haven't bothered once I saw the reviews start to roll in

I just don't understand how they could cock it up so badly on this day and age with that cast. This should be like Michael Jordan in a dunking contest against me, ffs.

I'm hoping it gets better in the last third, but... Ugh.

I went back for episode 3 and I wish I hadn't. The timeline is all over the fucking place, and despite the fact that it's ten hours long, they've managed to cut all kinds of stuff out. Nick's story has been condensed into maybe ten minutes so far. No interaction with the sheriff or doctor, and I'll bet GameStop short options on them cutting out that crazy chick they pick up on the way to Hemingford Home. And why does Mother Abigail live in Colorado and not Nebraska? The cornfield dreams make no sense in Colorado, ffs.

I will however grudgingly admit that Tom Cullen has been cast and played extremely well so far. The "touched by god" character is difficult these days.

I've not been this angry at a movie or TV show since The Hobbit.

[Twiztid Elf]

I watched Holey Moley.
It was bad.

[Deef]

We need more terrible shows; they're fun to hear about.

And can we mention which services these shows are on?
All of the below are from Netflix. We have Prime as well, but I can't think of anything on it that got my attention.



- You Me Her
It's a story of a 1-guy 2-girls thruple trying to make it work, and damn, I found the first 2 seasons really fun. Fast and witty dialogue, maybe a bit pseudo-intellectual but we enjoyed it. At the time I regarded it as top tier stuff, and enjoyed rewatching both seasons before the 3rd arrived.

But hole-ee crap does it die in the arse. I have never seen a series rot this hard. After the third season actually wraps everything up... convincingly if not super pleasingly... it for some reason then rises from the grave with 2 more zombie seasons and they. are. woeful. Season 5 was literally about making it to the end of an episode without getting up to go do something else.



- You
The hero is a stalker whose internal monologue carries much of the show.
There's little chance you haven't heard of this if you have Netflix, but it case you haven't and can deal with the subject matter, this has been crazy good.
Two seasons so far, and who knows, perhaps this could end up being another situation like You Me Her (above), because these first 2 seasons were amazing. Season 1 was so great. Season 2 blows it away. I don't see how Season 3 will be able to live up to it.

And John Stamos is in it, briefly.



- Cobra Kai
Well and truly done with this. I got through Season 1 alright, but I tried to finish S2 and couldn't. There's 1 episode of it left and I just can't. It's bad.



- Mars
Interesting approach of a fictional story being interlaced with and supported by non-fiction content. Part sci-fi with a team of colonists about 15 years in the future trying to survive on Mars, and part something-of-a-doco, with real-life footage and talking heads (including Elon) discussing the topic of colonisation. Sometimes it works well and sometimes it breaks your flow, so it's not perfect, but overall it does lend a good feeling of weightiness to the fiction and... I think I simply enjoyed the actors and clean production. It might sound clunky but I rate it.

[Candy Arse]

I'm crossing one off my list of shame and blitzing through the whole Sopranos series. Absolutely loving it so far.

[Froggy]

I watched Holey Moley.
It was bad.

I loved it Any show where the contestants are getting absolutely smashed cracks me up. I was in love as soon as the annoying stay at home leather hand bag woman got absolutely smashed by the windmill.

[t0mby]

Been watching a French series on Netflix called Lupin which I'm really enjoying. It's about a man who tries to find out who framed his dad for stealing a precious necklace and subsequently hanged himself for the penalty. It's got English dub.

- Cobra Kai
Well and truly done with this. I got through Season 1 alright, but I tried to finish S2 and couldn't. There's 1 episode of it left and I just can't. It's bad

GET OUT!

[Deef]

Ufff. I tried to keep liking it but I especially dislike Robby and his undercut, and Samantha and her stronnng Disney vibe. I cringe the most when these two are on screen.

I started Lupin also, and yeah it seems decent. Hasn't hooked me yet but very little can.

[t0mby]

I'm up to the 3rd or 4th ep of Lupin, been a few good moments. Haven't paid attention to how many eps there are.

[Twiztid Elf]

Alright, you have my attention. Do not fuck this up. Pretty please.

[Gamma]

Watched the new(ish) Masters of the Universe on Netflix. Didn't know anything about it prior, so was pleasantly surprised to see it was a Kevin Smith thing. Watched it all, enjoyed it all, jumped online to see what others thought and apparently I was supposed to hate it because it's woke and KS is a cunt, or something. Whatever. It's far more compelling than "more of the same" would have been, and Mark Hamill as Skeletor is perfect. I can't help but think that a lot of the complaints are knee-jerk reactions to the first episode. Looking forward to the next season.

Just started watching Castlevania (Netflix again), am almost at the end of the second season and it's really good. This has got to be the best translation of a videogame to a show or movie I've ever seen. They even managed to give Slogra and Gaibon their moveset from SotN without it looking stupid. I'm annoyed at myself for waiting this long to watch it, though I guess now I won't have to wait as long for the new season(s).