This show had some of the most unlikeable characters ever in Danvers and Navarro.
OT: TMB TV/Streaming Shows Club: Thread for streaming/TV show discussion…
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I didn’t see all the seasons of TD but the ones I did see had few likeable characters.
Absolutely this ^. Danvers and Navarro were great IMO.
Agree. I didn't get how they justified some of the mystical sorcery stuff as they wrapped up the plot. Having said that, I think TD is the best series I've ever seen at immersing the viewer into the location and culture. Deep south Louisiana, streets of LA, rural Arkansas and dark/cold Alaska (some was filmed in Iceland). I only wish I watched season four during the summer. I had to be bundled up in a blanket.
A couple of reviews:
Masters of the Air - The character development has been really weak so far. Of course, that is because character development is a challenge given the fact that it is hard to decipher who is who while in the air as the all look the same in their flight suits, masks goggles and helmets. In addition, they go through a lot of characters. They could try to change this part, but then lose the fact that this was a reality of the "Bloody 100th". Having said that, as someone who loves history, the battle scenes and realism are simply incredible. Episode five is just ridiculous. I am hoping the coming episodes, with crew now spread all over Europe, will have more development.
Curb Your Enthusiasm - The first two episodes were ho hum to me. Larry David's great talent is creating uncomfortable situations that we all end up in and/or asking inappropriate questions.There is great sarcasm quality there. I think Larry wanted to make some personal statements that led to the plots suffering. The third episode is back to Larry. He comes up with four situations where he inserts himself into uncomfortable situations simply by observing and asking questions most people let slide by.
Masters of the Air - The character development has been really weak so far. Of course, that is because character development is a challenge given the fact that it is hard to decipher who is who while in the air as the all look the same in their flight suits, masks goggles and helmets. In addition, they go through a lot of characters. They could try to change this part, but then lose the fact that this was a reality of the "Bloody 100th". Having said that, as someone who loves history, the battle scenes and realism are simply incredible. Episode five is just ridiculous. I am hoping the coming episodes, with crew now spread all over Europe, will have more development.
Curb Your Enthusiasm - The first two episodes were ho hum to me. Larry David's great talent is creating uncomfortable situations that we all end up in and/or asking inappropriate questions.There is great sarcasm quality there. I think Larry wanted to make some personal statements that led to the plots suffering. The third episode is back to Larry. He comes up with four situations where he inserts himself into uncomfortable situations simply by observing and asking questions most people let slide by.
We'll have to disagree. I think LD is very good at disguising plots into his sarcastic artistry. He may be making a statement on how hard it is to keep up with "woke" demands or he may be making a political statement. But he has an overall plan and that plan is his plot.
My biggest issues were a) the non-explanation explanation of what happened to the men in the ice. How did their eyes get scorched? Ears bleed? Too much reliance on the supernatural IMO; b) how in the world did a dozen Native women storm the Tsalal station, round up everyone with weapons, load them into a truck, and then take them out to the ice, without ANYONE knowing anything about this?? I get they cut the power but no forensic traces? Tire marks? Very weak IMO, but I liked the overall effect; c) that six scientists/engineers suddenly went Jack the Ripper on a woman for destroying their work? WTF? 32 stabs? C'mon. d) weak/no explanation of the tongue. Also not sure what happened to Navarro - guess she ditched her cop life and went for a walkabout? Why?
All that said I liked the parts more than the whole, and overall thought it was the best since S1.
you nailed it. The production and acting were exceptional. The writing was not.
+1. on your "biggest issues" because they pretty much align with mine.
I also didn't like.............................................................................................................................................................spoiler alert................................... the animal skeleton spiral they showed toward the end, where the heck did that come from?
I liked the small town Stephen King, scratch the surface and it bleeds, atmosphere though.
My take and its probably wrong is that whatever they were using to get through the perma frost was causing a lot of the "super natural" stuff.
And yes on the tongue. That was a pretty big plot point that they glossed over with "its not my story" weak.
Also could we just get one main character that is somewhat likeable? And I mean the entire 4 series. LOL.
Absolutely agree with the other poster about the filming. That town just looked cold and nasty but not bad after the sun came out.
The other positive is I thought the acting was good but it would be tough for me to recommend it to anyone.
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The skeleton spiral was the tattoo that several characters had during the previous episodes.
And speaking of glossed-over plot points, the one Tsaslal scientist said that they made a profound discovery that could help millions and that the discovery was in some way a result of the horrible pollution problem. What was this discovery and was it now lost? The notion that dozens were being sacrificed to save millions was intriguing but totally abandoned in the story.
I agree. I know Larry & his wife are ultra liberal but I thought the GA election thing was too much and largely untrue. That takes some of the fun out of it for me. I prefer when the show sticks to every day issues and stays clear of politics. That said, comparing the lawn jocky melting to Giuliani was hysterical.
Anyone enjoying Masters of the Air can follow the episode back stories on The Decider.
Episode Five was Epic. I don't want to give anything away but the recap in The Decider, Episode Five is outstanding
Episode Five was Epic. I don't want to give anything away but the recap in The Decider, Episode Five is outstanding
Yea I got the spiral that was an easter egg back to season 1 but not how it was now relating to an actual "monster" so that just kind of threw me. Also and this is the nerd cinematographer coming out in me. But when the TSAL Scientist was holding that trap door shut there was a shot of him from the bottom up and he was very much in the same spiral shape. Just thought that was pretty cool.
I also thought the ice caves were giving off strong Alien vibes.
Tonight (2/22) marks the end of the road for District Attorney Jack McCoy in Law and Order. I don't watch the show as much as I used to, although I do catch the reruns - but the character of Jack McCoy was one of my favorites on television. Hard to think of Sam Waterson without thinking of Jack McCoy.
Some other favorite characters
Lenny Briscoe (Law and Order)
Hawkeye Pierce (MASH)
Archie Bunker (All In the Family)
Benny Stulwicz (LA Law)
Jeb Bartlett (West Wing)
Leo McGarry (West Wing)
Some other favorite characters
Lenny Briscoe (Law and Order)
Hawkeye Pierce (MASH)
Archie Bunker (All In the Family)
Benny Stulwicz (LA Law)
Jeb Bartlett (West Wing)
Leo McGarry (West Wing)
I found the new law and order's production to be lacking. It just didn't feel the same to me and I lost interest. Sam Waterston is great in Grace and Frankie. You bring up an interesting list of characters although I've always hated Hawkeye. I always thought he was mean in a difficult time and he wouldn't last on TV today (MeToo!).
So characters I've enjoyed:
Hal, Bryan Cranston, (Malcome in the Middle)
Niels Crane, Frazier
Benson, Soap
Buster, Arrested Development
Tobias, Arrested Development
Ted Baxter, MTM Show
Belker, Hill Street Blues
Chloe, 24
Mike Ermantrout (sp), Breaking Bad
Ruth, Ozark
Leon Black, Curb Your Enthusiasm
And the best of all time, IMHO, Barnie Fife
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LOL, I couldn't stand either him or Martin Sheen in that.
But I loved Lilly Tomlin.
Hulu coming out with a Chad Powers show. You may recall, Chad (Eli Manning) was a walk on for Penn State and was famous for the "Think Fast, Run Fast" quote.
www.si.com
Chad Powers, Penn State's Walk-On Star, Is Coming to Hulu
Eli Manning's 2022 alter ego and college football viral hero is getting his own series.
www.si.com
Fave Characters (limit one per show):
Roger Sterling, Mad Men
Boyd Crowder, Justified
Paper Boi, Atlanta
Annie Edison, Community
Danaerys Targaryen, Game of Thrones
Donna Clark, Halt and Catch Fire
Malotru, Le Bureau
Malcolm Reynolds, Firefly
Tommy Shelby, Peaky Blinders
Roger Sterling, Mad Men
Boyd Crowder, Justified
Paper Boi, Atlanta
Annie Edison, Community
Danaerys Targaryen, Game of Thrones
Donna Clark, Halt and Catch Fire
Malotru, Le Bureau
Malcolm Reynolds, Firefly
Tommy Shelby, Peaky Blinders
Shogun premiere tonight on FX/Hulu - getting some of the best reviews I’ve ever seen…
Looks interesting.
Also I'm late to the party on this one but the PBS series All Creatures Great and Small is fantastic.
I started watching the latest season and went to the library and picked up the first 3 seasons. Just fantastic. The animals are adorable and the scenery is jaw dropping gorgeous.
I remember the first time they did it because Dr. Who (Peter Davison) was Tristan.
Watched first two episodes today and it is well done. This show and Tokyo Vice has the Japan vibe humming.
It is encouraging that the audience reviews are keeping pace with the critics reviews. That rarely happens anymore.
I watch a good bit of Japanese TV/Movies, a lot of them on Netflix: Midnight Diner and Terrace House (Japanese reality show sorta like 'Real World') are favorites. I also finally got around to watching Ryusuke Hamaguchi's (Drive My Car) delightful 'Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy', which is a film told in three short stories: An unexpected love triangle, a failed seduction trap, and an encounter that results from a misunderstanding are the three episodes, told in three movements to depict three female characters and trace the trajectories between their choices and regrets. And really, the true translation of the film's title is 'Chance and Imagination', which is definitely more appropriate.
Eh, nothing for the trolls to get too worked up about (no wokeness, patriarchy, etc.) - just good old fashioned storytelling. I mean, outside of video games/anime and maybe the original Shogun series, there aren't a lot of western media telling stories about feudal Japan.
Er, wait....
Alright, I'll play with the same limitation.
Drama:
Sterling, Mad Men
Omar, The Wire
Tony Soprano, The Sopranos
Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones
Tommy, Peaky Blinders
Walter White, Breaking Bad
Saul Goodman, Better Call Saul (got to cheat)
Tom Wambsgans, Succession
Comedy:
Andy Dwyer, Parks & Rec
Michael Scott, the Office
Job Bluth, Arrested Development
Frasier Crane, Frasier
There just seem to be many more instances of critics wildly overrating a show than the audience overrating a show. Good to see both critics and audience agreeing for once.I watch a good bit of Japanese TV/Movies, a lot of them on Netflix: Midnight Diner and Terrace House (Japanese reality show sorta like 'Real World') are favorites. I also finally got around to watching Ryusuke Hamaguchi's (Drive My Car) delightful 'Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy', which is a film told in three short stories: An unexpected love triangle, a failed seduction trap, and an encounter that results from a misunderstanding are the three episodes, told in three movements to depict three female characters and trace the trajectories between their choices and regrets. And really, the true translation of the film's title is 'Chance and Imagination', which is definitely more appropriate.
Eh, nothing for the trolls to get too worked up about (no wokeness, patriarchy, etc.) - just good old fashioned storytelling. I mean, outside of video games/anime and maybe the original Shogun series, there aren't a lot of western media telling stories about feudal Japan.
Er, wait....
Re: Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Amazon Prime): Lived up to the hype and had a whopper of a season finale (I loved everything overall but not a big fan of massive cliffhangers). One of the best shows of the year - easy.
Re: Shogun: Only two episodes, but extremely engaging and just so well made. I did think the contemporary music at times was a bit disorienting (noticed longtime NIN partner Atticus Ross did the score) but you can see the chess pieces in place for a sprawling GOT-esque political drama. It's extremely well done and looks tremendous. Really loved everything going on and can't wait to watch the rest. I did find it interesting that the main female lead is named 'Mariko', which coincidentally enough is the name of Wolverine/Logan's Japanese girlfriend in the 'Wolverine' min-series/movie...
Oh, and sign me up for team Kiku:
Re: Shogun: Only two episodes, but extremely engaging and just so well made. I did think the contemporary music at times was a bit disorienting (noticed longtime NIN partner Atticus Ross did the score) but you can see the chess pieces in place for a sprawling GOT-esque political drama. It's extremely well done and looks tremendous. Really loved everything going on and can't wait to watch the rest. I did find it interesting that the main female lead is named 'Mariko', which coincidentally enough is the name of Wolverine/Logan's Japanese girlfriend in the 'Wolverine' min-series/movie...
Oh, and sign me up for team Kiku:
Baka!Re: Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Amazon Prime): Lived up to the hype and had a whopper of a season finale (I loved everything overall but not a big fan of massive cliffhangers). One of the best shows of the year - easy.
Re: Shogun: Only two episodes, but extremely engaging and just so well made. I did think the contemporary music at times was a bit disorienting (noticed longtime NIN partner Atticus Ross did the score) but you can see the chess pieces in place for a sprawling GOT-esque political drama. It's extremely well done and looks tremendous. Really loved everything going on and can't wait to watch the rest. I did find it interesting that the main female lead is named 'Mariko', which coincidentally enough is the name of Wolverine/Logan's Japanese girlfriend in the 'Wolverine' min-series/movie...
Oh, and sign me up for team Kiku:
I bought the digital version when it came out but was not aware it would hit streaming so soon. Ah well...
As much as I like Andrew Scott and Dakota Fanning, this is just way off and again, another story unnecessarily re-told. Scott could do the part but his performance here is very out of tune with Ripley's motivations (which in the books/film, is less money, but more romance with Dickie). There is zero chance this is better than the film, which is near perfect in every way (especially the cast; Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cate Blanchett missing from top pic):
I am currently watching a series named "Tokyo Vice" that is pretty darn good. It is about an American kid moving to Japan and becoming a reporter for Tokyo's largest newspaper in the early 2000s. It causes him to get involved with the local Yakuza (mafia) and the police force. it is slightly reminiscent of True Detective in that you get immersed in that weird Tokyo Japanese vibe. The Japanese make the BEST bad guys.
I started watching this when it first came out but never finished. MAX is kind of not promoting it because Ansel Elgort was accused by a 17 year old of soliciting nude photos of her when he was 20 and it was a big topic during his press for West Side Story.
But, I did like what I saw - it's incredibly difficult to do what this guy did (it's a true story) by getting hired by a Japanese newspaper.
