Boys season 3 was so good. While Homelander is a hell of a character and the actor tremendous, I still enjoyed Soldier Boy the most. Indeed, what if Captain America were a c-unt (let's see if anyone here gets that reference).

 

And the Black Noir storyline was far more interesting than his comic book counterpart.

 

The weakest part was probably the AOC character storyline felt very muted and forgotten, insignificant.

 

 

Black Bird on Apple TV.  Serial Killer series.  Only 2 episodes in but pretty good so far

Adapting comic books can be tricky; for instance Preacher started off incredible, then turned to sh*t. The Boys started off fine, then season 3 was the best thing I've seen all year.

 

Sandman was supposed to be unfilmable, unadaptable. And if you're a Rhodes scholar and somehow understand the source material, then they'd agree it would be impossible to adapt without enormous changes.

 

But this Sandman series (I've watched 6 of the 11 episodes) is incredible. There are significant changes of course, mostly cosmetic updates to make the cast more diverse, but the show still captures that magic of the series. The more memorable comics - the Death and Hob Galding episode, the battle in hell, the restaurant - are excellent and keep some of the original dialogue: "I was always told it is bad manners to keep one's friends waiting." Love it!

 

Hell, I think the show IMPROVED Doctor Destiny's backstory; that actor deserves a round of applause, he's clearly acting on another level. Plus Death does a fine job, and I'd love to see an adaptation of The High Cost of Living. Perhaps a standalone mini-movie?

 

Only real complaint: Patton Oswalt. Jesus. It's very distracting hearing his voice, the dialogue isn't that great, and the character seems like forced levity. I can't believe the producers or showrunners listening to his episodes and thought, yeah, this fits. 

ferris bueller is getting a spinoff movie, which sounds kinda clever and funny:

 

 

The creators of Netflix's Cobra Kai, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald have been announced as the producers of Sam And Victor's Day Off, a Ferris Bueller's Day Offspin-off focusing on the two car valets who take Cameron's father's Ferrari for a joyride. The movie will be set on the same day as Ferris Bueller's Day Off and explore more about what the valets, who only had a few brief moments of screen time, got up to.

welp here is the trailer you have been waiting for.

 

we won’t have to bother with the roku movie because they show most of it here 😂

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 20222 yr by mrnyc

Shadow and Bone was very good. Where is season 2????

Echoes is BEYOND ludicrous. Entertaining bad.

 

 

Edit: Episode 7 is sh*t.

Edited September 4, 20222 yr by TBideon

Devil in Ohio is PREPOSTEROUS. 

She-Hulk could have been so much better. Good first episode, but my god does it go downhill. The actress is wonderful, charming, and very funny - but that is it! Such an awkward and lifeless series. 

 

And the special effects are shockingly bad. 

 

Marvel Phase 4 can't die soon enough. 

hmm it looks like avatar 2 will be an entirely roto-scope cartoon this time -- here is the new trailer:

 

 

 

I absolutely loved Fargo seasons 1-3.

 

Four was strange though. It wasn't boring by any means, and I'm glad I watched it (just finished last night), but they seemed to pack in far too many storylines. SPOILERS Killing Rabbi in the middle of the series was odd since he was arguably the hero. I guess they were subverting expectations or whatever the cliche - but I wanted a showdown with him and Rushmore.

 

And I'm not understanding why they half-assed the supernatural stuff. SPOILERS from the spaceship in season 2, to the Twin Peaks stuff in 3, to the ghost in 4, I just don't think those elements helped the show. 

 

Not Olyphant's best work either. Usually he kills it, but not in Fargo. And Rock's youngest son was just dreadful. 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 14, 20232 yr by TBideon

i watched a comedy special on netflix of comedian sheng wang.

 

it was funny all the way through and cute.

 

his american mutt mix of vietnamese, houston and los angeles hippy is all front and center in his speech and mannerisms and its compelling in itself -- plus his jokes and pacing are tight and his delivery is flawless.

 

also, and i think rare for this kind of thing, but it is family friendly with zero cursing and nothing bad, just the funny.

I did like Tulsa King on Paramount, Sylvester Stallone plays a NYC mob guy sent out there.

Well, 

 

Under the Banner of Heaven does not exactly promote Mormonism/the LDS movement. Christ, are we sure they're not just a well-dressed cult?

 

And that's just the "moderates"; in middle of the series we start to meet the extremists, whom the moderates seem to somewhat condone. 

 

What an odd show.

 

Edited January 22, 20232 yr by TBideon

 

have a look at star wars as a 80s japanese anime (a.i. generated):

 

 

 

22 minutes ago, mrnyc said:

 

have a look at star wars as a 80s japanese anime (a.i. generated):

 

 

 

Pretty sweet!

In the last two weeks, I rewatched the 6 original cast Star Trek movies.

 

1: Amazing first half, booooooooring second half, almost unwatchable. If I never hear the word "V-GR", I'll die a happy man.

 

2: Very good movie. A bit overrated though. I thought Kahn's revenge story was a bit underdeveloped.

 

3: I watched Star Trek 3. I enjoyed them stealing the ship. I liked Christopher Lloyd. And I can't remember a thing about the movie otherwise.

 

4: Very funny movie. It looked like the cast was having fun filming. The giant space sausage was a great visual.

 

5: Underrated. I was surprised how entertaining and touching it was, even with the goofy Wizard of Oz nonsense near the end. 

 

6: The best in the series. The best villain, the best ending, the best line "We SURRENDER"... it really was a perfect sendoff.

 

Yesterday I started Generations and got bored after 15 minutes and turned it off. Couldn't even make it to Kirk's initial death scene. It's a shame we only saw Kirk, Scotty, and Walter Koenig. Bones and Spock were pivotal to the film and tv series - and did Nichols and Takei really hate Shatner so much they couldn't play nice for a few days of filming?

Intense:

 

I started re-watching Picket Fences. As a kid I remember this show being watchable, watching with my parents, and I liked Fyvesh Finkel and MEIN GOTT Lauren Holly. The woman from Poltergeist too.

 

As an adult, I can't tell if it's a comedy misidentified as a drama, a less abstract Twin Peaks, or just a quirky experiment to see what David E Kelley could get away with.

 

The show is surprisingly open, even relaxed, about rape, abortion, torture, good guys calling women whores, threesomes, serial killing, sodomy and FISTING(!?!?), and other touchy issues - and that's just the first two episodes.

 

Watching the show with whole new perspective as an adult. The only issue -- Hulu's MADDENING commercials

I've been marathoning Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ("DS9"). It's better than I remember, but the Bajoran and prophet nonsense, at least in the first 4 seasons, makes me roll my eyes. Thos episodes are booooooooring. Thank god for the Dominion War; it totally saved the show.

 

As much as I love the Next Generation ("TNG"), DS9 has far more complex, nuanced characters, in particular the Ferengi and Cardassians. 

 

Also, Worf is completely different from TNG. A huge upgrade, real character involvement.

I just watched season 3 of Party Down this weekend, and it's just as funny as the first two seasons. If you haven't watched Party Down before, I highly recommend it.

On season 2 of Enterprise.

 

What... what is this show? How does it exist? I'll forgive the special effects, but the writing and acting are just SHOCKING. Bakula is likeable and Blacock isn't bad... the rest... oh boy. From the deep and complex characters and storylines in TNG and DS9 to this crap? I just don't get it. 

 

And the characters act like simpletons. Child-like. They just do the dumbest things each episode, and clearly Starfleet hasn't given them any direction. Just have fun Bakula and friends. Is the show being ironic? Unintentional parody of TOS?

 

Also, the episode with Padma Lakshmi guest starring is in particular dumb and cliche. Kahless, give me strength. She's just horrible. Stick with Top Chef.

 

I'll give Strange New Worlds a chance after. Not sure I can stomach Voyager quite yet.

 

Edited April 22, 20232 yr by TBideon

1 hour ago, TBideon said:

On season 2 of Enterprise.

 

What... what is this show? How does it exist? I'll forgive the special effects, but the writing and acting are just SHOCKING. Bakula is likeable and Blacock isn't bad... the rest... oh boy. From the deep and complex characters and storylines in TNG and DS9 to this crap? I just don't get it. 

 

And the characters act like simpletons. Child-like. They just do the dumbest things each episode, and clearly Starfleet hasn't given them any direction. Just have fun Bakula and friends. Is the show being ironic? Unintentional parody of TOS?

 

Also, the episode with Padma Lakshmi guest starring is in particular dumb and cliche. Kahless, give me strength. She's just horrible. Stick with Top Chef.

 

I'll give Strange New Worlds a chance after. Not sure I can stomach Voyager quite yet.

 

 

Strange New Worlds is ok.  Still has the over the top emotionalism, cliche faux inspirational monologuing and out of place quipiness of all Kurtzman era Star Trek, but at least the stories are basically Star Trek sci-fi stories, and not just "Big Dumb Action Sci-Fi Show" stories. 

 

Don't buy the hype on Picard: Season 3.  It's schlock.  There is some nostalgia value in seeing all the TNG characters back together, and even on Enterprise D for a little bit, but that's it.

Okay, Star Trek: Enterprise definitely has its challenges, but the second half of season 3 is just captivating, and I hear season 4 is even better.

 

Once these shows get dark, they seem to improve. DS9 did with Dominion, TNG with the Borg. 

 

Separately, I convinced my neighbor to watch Smile. Yikes, basically a higher budget, more cliche, crappier It Follows. Not a fan.

I have watched a few 1990-vintage episodes of COPS on youtube over the past year.  Each one has been a dense time capsule, and the shows are structured in a really amazing way, often oscillating between frivolous disputes (i.e. two guys arguing over a house cat) and crazy tragedies (a motorcycle cop being airlifted after a traffic accident).  

 

So many pieces of dialog are amazing and you're able to instantly "rewind" on youtube to confirm the question what the hell did that guy just say?  And then the comments are just as amazing, with people often catching tidbits that you missed. 

 

Also, many regional accents are much more pronounced than today.  Last night I watched New Orleans: Mardis Gras 1990 and it's almost impossible to understand the police or the NO natives at certain points.  The episode ends with the police riding horseback down Bourbon St. at midnight on Fat Tuesday.  There is no narration or dialog other than an announcement from an unseen bullhorn that Mardis Gras is over.  Then, for about 45 seconds, there is a dramatic close-up of a street sweeper rambling down the street, about 100 feet after the police horses.  

 

No way would any programming today get away with a long take close-up of a street sweeper to end an episode.  There is this smart mix in the shooting and editing between handheld camerawork that responds quickly to action, and then mood-setting, tripod-mounted B-roll.  

 

 

On 2/11/2023 at 11:12 AM, TBideon said:

In the last two weeks, I rewatched the 6 original cast Star Trek movies.

 

1: Amazing first half, booooooooring second half, almost unwatchable. If I never hear the word "V-GR", I'll die a happy man.

 

2: Very good movie. A bit overrated though. I thought Kahn's revenge story was a bit underdeveloped.

 

3: I watched Star Trek 3. I enjoyed them stealing the ship. I liked Christopher Lloyd. And I can't remember a thing about the movie otherwise.

 

4: Very funny movie. It looked like the cast was having fun filming. The giant space sausage was a great visual.

 

5: Underrated. I was surprised how entertaining and touching it was, even with the goofy Wizard of Oz nonsense near the end. 

 

6: The best in the series. The best villain, the best ending, the best line "We SURRENDER"... it really was a perfect sendoff.

 

Yesterday I started Generations and got bored after 15 minutes and turned it off. Couldn't even make it to Kirk's initial death scene. It's a shame we only saw Kirk, Scotty, and Walter Koenig. Bones and Spock were pivotal to the film and tv series - and did Nichols and Takei really hate Shatner so much they couldn't play nice for a few days of filming?

 

yeah i liked the last one a lot, but definitely 4 is best. its so california and so perfectly what star trek is supposed to be all about. plus yes very funny. nuclear wessel? ha. and it keeps giving after all these years with some trivia i found here --- the associate producer's punk cameo lol:

 

 

 

^ speaking of that …. i love these barbie/oppenheimer mashups 😂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 2, 20231 yr by mrnyc

aaand … it’s over!  🙀🔥😂

 

Wait... Harry Kim gets chastised for f-king an alien on Star Trek Voyager??? Who in God's name okayed that storyline and its contradictions to every interspecies romance preceding and subsequent. 

 

 

Edited July 2, 20231 yr by TBideon

Season 3, Episode 3 of Reservation Dogs.

 

Oooo boy. Talk about a change in tone. Hell of an episode and show. It's a shame the series is ending this season.

 

 

Edited August 11, 20231 yr by TBideon

Season 5 of Billions - what in god's name has happened? It's like the writing itself got Covid.

 

Everyone looks bored, tired, lifeless, are phoning it in, and the storylines just awful, nonsensical, confusing. The hell happened to the charm and character development from seasons 1-4.

 

I should have rewatched Detroiters instead.

Started rewatching Newhart this week. Not seen it since I saw it contemporaneously during ‘82-‘90 when I was (mostly) a teenager. Just as charming and as funny as I remembered. 

Spoiler:

 

It ends the same as Ride the Lightning

As a long-time Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan (who hasn't exactly loved the reboot seasons), I've been watching a lot of Rifftrax episodes lately. There is a channel, as well as many on-demand episodes, free on PlutoTV. It's perfect "something to have on in the background" television.

 

Also free on PlutoTV, I've been watching Mr Wizard's World with my six-year-old kid. He likes it as much as I did back in the day.

 

Speaking of vintage Nickelodeon, I stumbled onto a Youtube series/project called Nick Knacks, which is a very well researched and comprehensive history of Nickelodeon and EVERY show ever shown on it. There are currently 98 episodes, some of which are multi-part, and multiple specials and addendums - and he has still only made it into the early 1990's. I wouldn't normally watch a youtube series like this, and certainly not during the day while I'm working (I usually listen to music) but something about this really works - and it's fascinating.

 

Nick Knacks caught my attention by staring with the history of Warner's interactive QUBE cable system, which I'm old enough to remember once it made it to Cincinnati and family members got cable. Nickelodeon started as the Pinwheel channel, produced in Columbus, and Pinwheel eventually became one of its first shows. I definitely watched Pinwheel when I was a little kid, so that episode was fascinating as well. The first few episodes were good enough I kept going, eventually catching up to when I started watching the channel (1982? 1983?). I've since learned the in-depth history of plenty of shows I instantly recognized, but basically forgot about. I'm still working my way through the full collection, but approaching middle school era (for me) when after school TV was more Disney Afternoon and Comedy Central.

 

 

Edited December 15, 20231 yr by mrCharlie

If there's a better show than Mayor of Kingstown, I'm not seeing it.

Good god... the Deadwood actors looked like they aged 25 years in just 12 in between season 3 and the 2019 movie. 

 

Half of them look like the crypt keeper.

Tulsa King on Paramount is excellent.   Sylvester Stallone plays a 75 year old NYC mobster released from prison after 30+ years and exiled to Tulsa by the family.  He absolutely nails the role.   Martin Starr plays a low key dispensary owner to perfection.

On 5/5/2023 at 7:49 PM, mrnyc said:

 

yeah i liked the last one a lot, but definitely 4 is best. its so california and so perfectly what star trek is supposed to be all about. plus yes very funny. nuclear wessel? ha. and it keeps giving after all these years with some trivia i found here --- the associate producer's punk cameo lol:

 

 

 

 

When Kirk invites the whale doctor to dinner, I asked my girlfriend if they were going to get whale steaks.   I got a laugh and a smack for that.

I've been watching Landman, Taylor Sheridan's latest.  (online rumor is he may play a role later as Ali Larter's character's ex husband).

 

The plot is somewhat of a stretch, but Billy Bob Thornton is tremendous in this role.  He continues TS's tradition of getting the most out of established male actors (Costner, Stallone).   He also has a tradition of caricaturizing his female characters, and his ex/future wife (Larter), daughter, and the young attorney maintain it.  Paulina Chavez is doing a very good job as the young Mexican widow, though.   She could end up having a hell of a career.

3 hours ago, E Rocc said:

 

When Kirk invites the whale doctor to dinner, I asked my girlfriend if they were going to get whale steaks.   I got a laugh and a smack for that.

 

 i don't think people eat whales? the eskimos eat the blubber maybe? you don't hear about whales as seafood. must be inedible.

6 minutes ago, mrnyc said:

 

 i don't think people eat whales? the eskimos eat the blubber maybe? you don't hear about whales as seafood. must be inedible.

Christie's in Newport, RI, used to serve whale.  Completely incongruous, it looked like beef and tasted like fish. Otherwise, Christie's was a very good restaurant.

16 minutes ago, mrnyc said:

 

 i don't think people eat whales? the eskimos eat the blubber maybe? you don't hear about whales as seafood. must be inedible.

 

I wanna say it's on the menu at some of the more remote areas of Norway. 

The first three episodes of Season 3 of Reacher dropped yesterday on Amazon Prime.   It's based on the book "Persuader".

The Pitt is pretty good.

 

And now I'm marathoning ER. Season 1 and 2 were tremendous. On 3 now, though I don't know how far I'll get when the original cast leaves.

 

Edited February 20Feb 20 by TBideon