TV Strut (what u watching related)

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  • thropethrope 750 Posts
    I started watching Lost early in season 2 after DVD'ing season 1, and watched every episode from season 2 on, live on tv with many friends. Please take my advice: do not watch this show. The creators teased us with intriguing network sci-fi, but as you go on, it becomes clear they really just made shit up as they went along, with only a very loose idea of where things would end up. You put up with the cheesy melodrama because of the serial elements of the plot, and the fantasy/sci-fi aspect, only to be disappointed. Promising story-lines were discarded on a moments notice, the various mysteries of the island were either ignored or given wholly lame tack-on explanations. The final season is an epic trainwreck. The finale and "resolution" of the story is so bad, it would be given a harsh grade in a Jr. High Creative Writing class. I'm not sure I could get through this show watching it all on DVD, after the craving for new answers goes away you just get a lot of boring filler episodes.

  • edulusedulus 421 Posts
    fine replace with battlestar galactica

  • TheKindCromangTheKindCromang 1,463 Posts
    Just started watching "Spaced". The characters are very specific but definitely feel like people I've known plus great music choices. I know I'm late on this - anyone else into this show?

  • dollar_bindollar_bin I heartily endorse this product and/or event 2,326 Posts
    TheKindCromang said:
    Just started watching "Spaced". The characters are very specific but definitely feel like people I've known plus great music choices. I know I'm late on this - anyone else into this show?

    I was glad this finally got a legit US DVD release, apparently those great music choices made it difficult to license for the US market.

  • Otis_FunkmeyerOtis_Funkmeyer 1,321 Posts
    I watch Game of Thrones but so far I don't think it's really living up to it's billing as fantasy.

    The only "fantastic" things are:

    White Walkers - which we saw for all of thirty seconds in the first episode and haven't heard from since

    The location/world - but fiction doesn't equal fantasy

    Dragons - which are extinct so we only see skulls and eggs

    Direwolves - which are basically just large loyal fierce wolves.

    Ravens that carry messages - ok I guess.

    Am I missing anything? The plot so far could very easily take place in the real world a few hundred years ago.

    Not that I don't enjoy it, I just keep waiting for the fantasy elements to show up.

  • motown67motown67 4,513 Posts
    Have to agree. In fact, I thought it was heading towards royal soap opera.

  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    Well, you don't have to enforce such a narrow view of what fantasy should be. It's a pretty broad genre, in print at least. I'm just happy that something of real quality is being made in the field.
    Science fiction film can quite happily accommodate everything from 2001 & StarWars (space), Bladerunner (which is basically just a LA detective story set in Tokyo), Gattaca (ordinary life with a biopunk theme), Monsters (a road movie masquerading as an invasion movie) and more. I don't see why fantasy shouldn't be as broadly represented.

    Winter is coming.

    The White Walkers have a twitter http://twitter.com/#!/WhiteWalkers

  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    Yeah, I guess it's up to your definition of fantasy. My lady thinks there's too much fantasy already. But she also thinks it's pretty Showtimey with all it's bangin' and breastasizin'.

  • Otis_FunkmeyerOtis_Funkmeyer 1,321 Posts
    Well I subscribe to the distinction that in science fiction, there is a fictional scientific explanation for the impossible occurrences in the story, while in fantasy, it's just "magic". I guess my point was GOT hardly has any impossible occurrences anyway, and the ones it does have aren't even important to the plot. May as well just call it fiction or drama.

  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    Otis_Funkmeyer said:
    Well I subscribe to the distinction that in science fiction, there is a fictional scientific explanation for the impossible occurrences in the story, while in fantasy, it's just "magic". I guess my point was GOT hardly has any impossible occurrences anyway, and the ones it does have aren't even important to the plot. May as well just call it fiction or drama.

    I'm enjoying it as it is, but I'm all for getting some dragons and shit up in this bith.

  • GrandfatherGrandfather 2,303 Posts
    Yes, can someone please cast a spell or something. One wizard is all i need.

  • RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,779 Posts


    :real_headz:

  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    Otis_Funkmeyer said:
    Well I subscribe to the distinction that in science fiction, there is a fictional scientific explanation for the impossible occurrences in the story, while in fantasy, it's just "magic". I guess my point was GOT hardly has any impossible occurrences anyway, and the ones it does have aren't even important to the plot. May as well just call it fiction or drama.
    I see what mean, but I don't really agree. IMO fantasy doesn't have to = magic. Beowulf, King Arthur, even Homer's Odyssey are cornerstones of the fantasy genre. It doesn't all have to be Tolkien or C. S. Lewis.

    I think the fantasy elements are there, although they are subtle, I'm guessing that was part of the appeal when considering it for a tv adaptation. The White Walkers and their zombies, are a constant looming threat. As are the seasons. The endless winter/summer theme is a pretty big part of the story - subtle, but still fantasy.
    They've have also been played down a little from the book. The strange white & pink tree Lord Stark is seen cleaning his sword by, after chopping off the deserters' head, is talked about more in the book - In the centre of the a godswood is the 'Heart tree' it has eyes and is a sacred, sentient pagan type thang.

    In a way it's kind of a post-fantasy story, in the 'post apocalyptic' sense. Rather than being full on wizards and warlocks, it bridges the gap between early European history and fantasy. Which is where most fantasy stories have their roots anyway.

  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    A friend of mines teased me with 8 scripts from the upcoming breaking bad season. I'm conflicted as to whether I should read or not

  • thropethrope 750 Posts
    Otis_Funkmeyer said:
    I watch Game of Thrones but so far I don't think it's really living up to it's billing as fantasy.

    The only "fantastic" things are:

    White Walkers - which we saw for all of thirty seconds in the first episode and haven't heard from since

    The location/world - but fiction doesn't equal fantasy

    Dragons - which are extinct so we only see skulls and eggs

    Direwolves - which are basically just large loyal fierce wolves.

    Ravens that carry messages - ok I guess.

    Am I missing anything? The plot so far could very easily take place in the real world a few hundred years ago.

    Not that I don't enjoy it, I just keep waiting for the fantasy elements to show up.


    it might be the middle to end of next season, but they are coming. as is winter. just sayin'. more fantastical shit goes down.

  • BeatnicholasBeatnicholas 1,005 Posts
    dollar_bin said:
    TheKindCromang said:
    Just started watching "Spaced". The characters are very specific but definitely feel like people I've known plus great music choices. I know I'm late on this - anyone else into this show?

    I was glad this finally got a legit US DVD release, apparently those great music choices made it difficult to license for the US market.

    classic show, captures uk student life of a certain epoque. was a cult series the first time around.

  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    Ulysses31nicholas said:
    dollar_bin said:
    TheKindCromang said:
    Just started watching "Spaced". The characters are very specific but definitely feel like people I've known plus great music choices. I know I'm late on this - anyone else into this show?

    I was glad this finally got a legit US DVD release, apparently those great music choices made it difficult to license for the US market.

    classic show, captures uk student life of a certain epoque. was a cult series the first time around.

    Yep still one of my favourite comedy shows of all time. Struggling to think of any other show that managed to balance an overload of film references with jokes that actually worked whether you'd seen the original or not. The highpoint in every person involved in its career to date IMO.

  • BeatnicholasBeatnicholas 1,005 Posts
    exactly. so much of it was really well observed as well, ahead of its time. like i remember staying up all night blazing and playing resident evil, around the time they had the staying-up-all-night-playing-resident-evil episode.

  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    Ha! Yeah that was an episode extremely close to my heart as well. It was one of those shows that seemed to be made by people our generation for people our generation without ever trying to be overly trendy. While Pegg's writing on it was superb I also think that Stevenson's more whimsical humour helped balance out the laddish elements, something that has been missing from most of the stuff Pegg and Frost have done since.

    So damn quotable as well.

  • BeatnicholasBeatnicholas 1,005 Posts
    Frost is terrible in Attack the Block, i honestly don't know why they even bothered having him in there. He's only ever been any good as Pegg's sidekick.

  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    Y'all up on Rob Corddry's show Children's Hospital? Cause if you like comedy, you might want to seek it out. Not sure where you can easily download it, but the episodes are super short yet hilarious.

  • cookbookcookbook 783 Posts
    Guzzo said:
    A friend of mines teased me with 8 scripts from the upcoming breaking bad season. I'm conflicted as to whether I should read or not

    i can read them for you and report back

  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    DB_Cooper said:
    Y'all up on Rob Corddry's show Children's Hospital? Cause if you like comedy, you might want to seek it out. Not sure where you can easily download it, but the episodes are super short yet hilarious.

    5-minute episodes. Episode 1:


  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
    Cosmo said:
    Unlike a lot of the HBO series that start out with the slow burn and then get outstanding, Game Of Thrones really came out the gate fully swinging. I was hooked by the second episode, and by the 3rd episode I'm convinced that The Dwarf is the best character on television right now. Dude is the illest.

    yes. the dwarf is killing life right now; best dude on TV (until Mad men starts up again).

  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
    Okem said:
    I thought I'd start a general TV tread rather than cluttering up the board with more separate tv related threads.

    What have you been enjoying on the old goggle-box soulstrut?
    -

    Game of Thrones


    I unabashedly ride for this D&D white person fantasy show.

    (requisite disclaimer: it's no Wire, Sopranos -- shit I'm not even sure its up to Boardwalk Empire or True Blood; but it's the only thing I'm really making it a point to watch this Mad Men off-season.)

  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
    leftright said:
    can't hate on a show that uses the Skinny Boys for their intro




    this show sons "its always sunny in philly"

    slacker-workplace-low-budget-situation-comedy-related

  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
    my girl has me fusking with Dexter at the moment on DVDs.

    it's aight.

    sorta silly sometimes but I can't front I really like the main dude's character.


  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,896 Posts
    Damn. Tonight's eps of Thrones was great. I didn't think Bean would go down like that.

    I hate that there is only one more episode left. Season 2 probably won't be on for a year and a half.

  • motown67motown67 4,513 Posts
    The last 2 episodes of Throne make up for the middle episodes which were verging on soap opera for me.

  • DOR said:
    Damn. Tonight's eps of Thrones was great. I didn't think Bean would go down like that.

    Yup. Definitely keeps the show off the pre-dick table.
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