Blue_Mike
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Meet Hanako At Embers
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Post by Blue_Mike on May 18, 2024 14:45:57 GMT
Mike Judge's Beavis & Butthead S2 - 9/10 Quite humourous. Satirical commentary on the times, yes.
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rawshark
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Post by rawshark on May 20, 2024 12:27:18 GMT
X-Men ‘97 / 100
I’ve got to say I’m loving the trend of reviving old animated series with the original, now adult, audience in mind. Samurai Jack nailed it and so does this.
You have to navigate round a bit of clunky dialogue (I AM THE GOBLIN QUEEN!) but it’s a small price to pay. There’s some real heart in mouth moments in there. And incredibly, it’s so content-rich Wolverine comes out of it as a fairly minor character.
I really hope this leads on to a similar revival for Spider-Man ‘98. Poor Mary Jane has been floating in limbo for nigh on 26 years now.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2024 20:42:45 GMT
Shogun
Fucking loved that. Took the politics of early Game of Thrones without the need for massive set pieces(which are still great if done well), with great characters and shocking violence. The setting is epic too.
10/10
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Post by dfunked on May 20, 2024 21:21:57 GMT
X-Men '97 - 9/10 Smashing stuff. Any other modern show would have dragged the content they had for this season into twice as many episodes, but they weren't at all afraid to just keep the foot on the gas with the pacing of this. Excluding the jubilee episode, which felt like it started to veer into filler territory. So many cool moments throughout. I'd forgotten what an absolute fucking boss Rogue can be. Looking forward to S2 already.
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Post by Syrette on May 20, 2024 22:26:06 GMT
Shogun is a 10/10 for me too, but I'm really not convinced about more of it especially as the series covers the book (but not the real history).
Would have been happy with it being a one and done, but I'm intrigued to see what they can do with it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2024 22:44:09 GMT
Didn't realise there was more to come. Really is pointless as it's all done with that set of characters. If it's an anthology type then I'd welcome it.
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on May 20, 2024 23:05:48 GMT
There's all sorts of stories from the Tokugawa period they could tell with the remaining characters. Sure, they won't have the book to fall back on, but the trick the book pulled (real historical characters with poetic licence) could easily be repeated.
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Tomo
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Post by Tomo on May 20, 2024 23:30:50 GMT
Blue Lights S1 - a good 7/10
It's a step above most BBC cop dramas, but still a BBC drama for good and for worse. It's immensely watchable and the characters are actually really great. It just doesn't quite have the sense of jeopardy to elevate it into being phenomenal.
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Post by minimatt on May 21, 2024 6:48:23 GMT
Obituary (netflix) 6/10
Dexter-alike which almost but not quite lands. Only 6 ~45 minute episodes but still drags in places. Not quite funny enough to be a dark comedy, doesn't have the suspense of, eg. Dexter. Suspend your disbelief enough to accept a village of 5,000 can maintain a fully staffed newspaper including a full time obit writer and it's not bad telly by any means, but if you're not beset by chronic insomnia you'll probably find better.
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rawshark
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Post by rawshark on May 21, 2024 7:59:05 GMT
Ashley Madison: Sex Lies and Scandal (Netflix) I think there’s a similar doc on Disney, but haven’t seen that so don’t know how they compare. But I did have a working knowledge of the Ashley Madison data hack before so it was interesting to see how this three part series handled it. It’s not bad. It features a range of people affected, from those working in the company to those whose information was released online. The best thing the doc does is retain a non-judgemental tone while using archive media footage which was anything but. While the stories of those who signed up to the site and felt the consequences of it with the breach are compelling, I think they could have used more subjects. As is there are only two covered in any depth - one a church pastor who sadly took his own life, and the other a Christian Vlogger who it turns out had way more skeletons in his closet than just an Ashley Madison account. The doc touches on how there were .gov and .mil accounts released too, which questioned national security, but sadly doesn’t really go into that as much as it maybe should. The vlogger has the last word on the doc, which I feel was unintentionally hilarious, as he hears that Ashley Madison is still up and running, and unironically says “I think it’s evil on another level” Leave it to the American conservatives to always hold on to the moral high ground no matter what. So a decent primer, although I think the This American Life episode covering the story was a better and tighter account of it. 7/10
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cubby
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doesn't get subtext
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Post by cubby on May 21, 2024 9:44:50 GMT
I can't be the only one who sees those Addison Lee taxis and thinks "that cheating app is getting more brazen" *every single time*...
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loto
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Post by loto on May 21, 2024 12:15:18 GMT
Sugar (Apple Tv) 7/10
Enjoyable enough private eye series with Colin Farrell searching for a movie mogul’s daughter. It’s spliced with old movie footage and has high production values and is generally very well done. After a very strong opening, it meanders a bit and doesn’t do the noir as well as LA Confidential. All in all, worth a watch but it does peter out a bit, despite a major reveal in the later episodes
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rawshark
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Post by rawshark on May 21, 2024 12:45:43 GMT
I can't be the only one who sees those Addison Lee taxis and thinks "that cheating app is getting more brazen" *every single time*... Dude, get out of my head.
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Post by Whizzo on May 21, 2024 16:52:52 GMT
Imposter: The Man Who Came Back from the Dead Channel 4 (all 4 episodes available on demand now)
The very weird case of Nicholas Rossi (or a shit load of other names) a sex offender, rapist, con man, kidnapper, violent arsehole that fled the US and ended up in the UK to be identified by his tattoos while comatose suffering from COVID in a Scottish hospital or is it? Is it the story of Arthur Knight, an Irish man that fled abusive care in Dublin to London to make a life like Delboy (his description) selling books and a completely decent bloke?
Well unless you've been in a coma for the last couple of years you'll probably know it's the former rather than the latter. The full story is just fucking bizarre, the bloke is a thoroughly awful and dangerous human being that really, really needs to be put away forever.
There's twists and turns, a lot of surprises and the people who come out of it best are the women who weren't afraid to go to the authorities, some law enforcement actually did stuff.
The series finishes before we know what the final sentence will be and there's something very depressing that happens in some court footage near the very end the Utah court seemingly confused when Rossi still claimed he was Knight I imagine there'll be a follow up at some point.
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Post by simple on May 23, 2024 21:32:42 GMT
The Adam & Joe Show (all4)
Still a lot of fun. The toy stuff has a lot of nostalgia attached but is more obviously dated than the live action sketches. Some excellent stuff that I’d totally forgotten about like People Places on the E4 series really shine now.
Its a shame that series 3 and 4 both have episodes missing but I assume that must be some rights thing.
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Post by retro74 on May 23, 2024 22:04:09 GMT
I watched the Ashley Madison thing on Netflix a week or so ago, it was crap. The Christian influencer couple were completely grotesque, a pair of almost subhuman ghouls who didn’t deserve to come of the other side smelling of roses
Also watched the first series of The Responder on bbc, it started quite promisingly but seemed to lose a little impetus towards the end, I’ll still watch series two though
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rawshark
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Post by rawshark on May 23, 2024 23:33:00 GMT
I watched the Ashley Madison thing on Netflix a week or so ago, it was crap. The Christian influencer couple were completely grotesque, a pair of almost subhuman ghouls who didn’t deserve to come of the other side smelling of roses Also watched the first series of The Responder on bbc, it started quite promisingly but seemed to lose a little impetus towards the end, I’ll still watch series two though oh wow. I get they were insufferable, that the whole “I knew my wife was pregnant before she did” thing was bullshit, and that he was an absolute gash… but to be fair she did nothing wrong. I mean other than forgive him, but that the Christian thing to in Texas, y’all. Honestly, he didn’t come out smelling of roses. He came out like he would live the rest of his life under her thumb.
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dmukgr
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Post by dmukgr on May 24, 2024 13:12:26 GMT
A Murder at the End of the World (disney) 7/10 but a good 7/10, one of those flawed but fondly remembered 7/10s
I understand it's the same writers as The OA - that extremely original, bit odd, definitely good sci-fi that Netflix being netflix killed before its conclusion. Anyway, this is far less left field but retains a lot of the style, has some really good cinematography, and is allowed to finish its story.
Similar setup to Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None", bunch of folks invited to remote location, they start dying. This time the host is a tech-bro and so we get all that nonsense threaded through and the story bounces around between the present and chief sleuth's previous sleuthing.
It's good, it's fun, it has some flaws. Characters actions are often incongruent, there are "it wouldn't work like that" situations you just have to forgive and anyone who's ever so much as opened telnet is going to have to sit through some cringe "hacking" dialogue
But solid 7/10 with some stylish cinematography
I watched this off the back of your post, and would say 7/10 is fair, possibly 8/10 and as someone who loves Christie stuff it was right up my street.
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Post by simple on May 26, 2024 23:00:52 GMT
X-Men (disney+)
A long slow rewatch that was supposed to be in preparation for X-Men 97 starting.
I mostly still enjoyed it but its showing its age in terms of presentation and animation quality. There are basically three tiers of story; adaptations of classic arcs with the new team, individual character’s stories and terrible filler. No real surprise that its best when its putting Chris Claremont stories on screen and probably peaks with Dark Phoenix.
The biggest weakness is probably the animation. Even when the show is at its best its not above having a character with the wrong colour hair or clothes for a whole scene or body proportions distort wildly if they have to move.
And at its worst the final season is truly shite with the majority of the voice cast missing for most of it and the art style and animation absolutely plummeting. Near unwatchable at times.
Overall though, if you skip the last season entirely you’ve got an iconic team, being featured in broadly faithful versions of classic stories alongside some surprising character depth. And admittedly a bunch of corny overwrought dialogue and Saturday morning cartoon presentation too.
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rawshark
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Post by rawshark on May 27, 2024 7:44:34 GMT
Yeah even for its day it was quite a rough looking cartoon. Not to mention the episodes didn’t always come out in the right order.
And yea the last season was pretty terrible. If anyone really wants to watch it to prime themselves for ‘97, I reckon you can just watch the episodes covering Mr Sinister’s origins and the revival of Apocalypse, then the final episode. None of them are particularly outstanding but they are at least story relevant. You really don’t need to see Jubilee retelling fairy tales with x-men playing out the roles.
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rawshark
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Post by rawshark on May 27, 2024 13:44:24 GMT
The little chap is teething so needed something simple to sit in front of while he passed out from all the crying…
Short Circuit - Disney +
No, not Johnny 5. It’s a series of experimental animated shorts from the Disney studio. Worth skimming through. Most sit in the “charming” category but a few standout and pull on heartstrings.
Zootropolis + - Disney +
A set of short films based on the film. Zootropolis/ Zootopia doesn’t get talked about much, which is a shame as I liked it quite a lot. Most of these shorts are mildly diverting but the two set in the Rat subsection of town work the best. The Godfather-based one particularly. The shorts tie in to the main film quite cleverly too.
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Post by simple on May 27, 2024 14:02:35 GMT
It really is remarkable the fall off in quality in that final X-Men season. Impressive that the X97 showrunners were brave enough to not just position it as a continuation of the adventures of that X-team but as a direct continuation picking up more or less exactly from the end of the final episode.
But eesh, its a struggle. Jubilee’s fairytale put a pause on my rewatch that last months until I picked it back up after 97 ended.
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Post by britesparc on May 28, 2024 22:56:30 GMT
Couple of shows I've watched recently:
X-Men '97 (2024) ***** Nothing really to add that others haven't said. Yes, it's melodramatic and the fast pace means some stories or emotional beats rush by at speed; it shows its roots as a kids' show and might just be impenetrable if you're not somewhat familiar with mutants. But, blimey, it takes the ball and runs with it, with nuanced character work and well-crafted allegories. Plus some of the set-pieces are frankly phenomenal, some of the scenes hit bloody hard, and some of the performances are incredible. (Disney+)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-23) **** After watching the first season when it first debuted, I've recently decided to go back and more or less binge the rest of the show. I'll be honest, at first I bounced off it hard. I'm not a fan at all of this style of "adult" animation; the caustic humour and, frankly, casual cruelty felt so at odds with Trek. But blimey it really picks up. Once the characters get their feet under the table properly the affection for the source material shines through, and when it does go a bit "Adult Swim" you can be more forgiving because of the development and nuance that's been established. Some episodes feel like proper, classic Trek with jokes; and many of the jokes really do feel like clever, witty spins of stuff that only exists in this universe. Also, for nerds, it really does pull out the references and in-jokes. Yes, some episodes are better than others, and it's a lot better when it's basically doing a straight-up Star Trek story. I'm kinda glad this year's fifth season is the last, too, because I don't want it to overstay its welcome. But I do really, really like it now. (Paramount+)
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lukasz
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Meat popsicle
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Post by lukasz on May 29, 2024 3:16:19 GMT
X-Men ‘97 / 100 I really hope this leads on to a similar revival for Spider-Man ‘98. Poor Mary Jane has been floating in limbo for nigh on 26 years now. They have to now. We, dorks who watched it as kids are still dorks but with money! And spiderman is bigger brand name than xmen so they really should do it. But I still have to watch 97 myself. So happy it got so many positive reviews!!!
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loto
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Post by loto on May 29, 2024 6:44:12 GMT
Rebus 9/10 (BBC iplayer)
I read a couple of the books way back, but this is a very well made adaptation with a cracking Rebus. It’s dark, funny, tense in parts and just very well made, Edinburgh looks gorgeous as always, even if we don’t spend long in the nicer parts. I thought the last episode spent a wee bit too long in eulogies, but they set it up for a second season beautifully and I really hope they make it. Well worth a watch, six episodes about 50mins each, I think
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cubby
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doesn't get subtext
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Post by cubby on May 29, 2024 6:50:24 GMT
Aye 'twas a braw shaw
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Post by Vandelay on May 29, 2024 8:39:36 GMT
Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-23) ****After watching the first season when it first debuted, I've recently decided to go back and more or less binge the rest of the show. I'll be honest, at first I bounced off it hard. I'm not a fan at all of this style of "adult" animation; the caustic humour and, frankly, casual cruelty felt so at odds with Trek. But blimey it really picks up. Once the characters get their feet under the table properly the affection for the source material shines through, and when it does go a bit "Adult Swim" you can be more forgiving because of the development and nuance that's been established. Some episodes feel like proper, classic Trek with jokes; and many of the jokes really do feel like clever, witty spins of stuff that only exists in this universe. Also, for nerds, it really does pull out the references and in-jokes. Yes, some episodes are better than others, and it's a lot better when it's basically doing a straight-up Star Trek story. I'm kinda glad this year's fifth season is the last, too, because I don't want it to overstay its welcome. But I do really, really like it now. (Paramount+) If you haven't watched the Strange New Worlds episode "Those Old Scientists", you should definitely do so.
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Post by britesparc on May 29, 2024 9:14:18 GMT
I need to watch Strange New Worlds. I'm subbed to Paramount till the end of the year so want to try to catch up with that and Discovery before then!
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rawshark
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Post by rawshark on May 29, 2024 9:38:51 GMT
X-Men ‘97 / 100 I really hope this leads on to a similar revival for Spider-Man ‘98. Poor Mary Jane has been floating in limbo for nigh on 26 years now. They have to now. We, dorks who watched it as kids are still dorks but with money! And spiderman is bigger brand name than xmen so they really should do it. But I still have to watch 97 myself. So happy it got so many positive reviews!!! Im assuming the only thing that could stop it from happening with the success of X97 is the tangled mess of licenses that has plagued Spider-man for years. I’d love for it to happen. The original series has dated badly since it was first on, but it did a tremendous job of telling long form story arcs that lasted whole seasons. It set it apart from the equally excellent (and it has to be said, much more visually appealing these days) Batman Animated series, which excelled in telling self contained stories in 25 minutes or so.
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Post by britesparc on May 29, 2024 9:40:47 GMT
My understanding is Marvel/Disney owns Spider-Man animation outright - they've got their own brand-new animated series in the works, for instance. So I don't think there's anything stopping them making a sequel series to the 90s show. (Spoiler for X-Men 97 follows) Of course, X-Men 97 has already resolved the Spider-Man cliffhanger by showing Peter and MJ back together again in the final episode.
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