Aint No Right

chaos wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 07, 2019 12:10 pm

So I watched season 5 of Black Mirror (3 episodes). It's very disappointing.

nausearockpig wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 07, 2019 5:07 pm

chaos wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 07, 2019 12:10 pm

So I watched season 5 of Black Mirror (3 episodes). It's very disappointing.

What did you think of Bandersnatch?

chaos wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 08, 2019 10:01 am

nausearockpig wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 07, 2019 5:07 pm

chaos wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 07, 2019 12:10 pm

So I watched season 5 of Black Mirror (3 episodes). It's very disappointing.

What did you think of Bandersnatch?

I haven't seen it.

perkana wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 12, 2019 2:23 pm

I wasted like 2 hours and gave up. The idea was interesting but as much as I tried to use all the options, I got tired.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015 ... _brand=tny

HBO’s “The Casual Vacancy” is another British-made literary adaptation about sexual hypocrisy and class snobbery, this one set in a modern English village called Pagford. Based on J. K. Rowling’s first novel for adults, it opens with the sudden death of a progressive councilman, Barry Fairbrother, who advocates for social services, like a methadone clinic. Before Barry has even been buried, his seat becomes the focus of competition among three local candidates: a gormless rich boy, an even more gormless school administrator, and a malevolent bully who is nothing but gorm. The town may be picturesque, with its cobblestones and its ancient abbey, but it’s full of Babbitts and vipers, junkies and yuppies, and, in Rowling’s biting portrait, there’s no way to escape the small-town claustrophobia. Once the town’s teens begin to post their parents’ secrets online, the repercussions are dire, even without the option of beheadings.

Sarah Phelps’s screenplay performs major surgery, not just in plot but in tone: it excises the saddest bits of Rowling’s book, making it about thirty-five per cent less tragic. Phelps also trims characters, turns strangers into family members, and simplifies the plot, which in the book deals with the rather abstruse question of whether to rezone a poor community adjacent to Pagford. In the TV show, a pair of venal richies (Michael Gambon and Julia McKenzie, having a blast) scheme to turn a quietly useful community center into a lucrative destination spa. The result is a warmer story, streaked with satire rather than marinated in it. Perhaps the greatest contribution comes from the performance of someone who barely appears: Rory Kinnear (best known as the Prime Minister in the pig episode of “Black Mirror”), whose Barry is a poignant, meaningful figure, a do-gooder whose loss is real for the town’s most vulnerable residents.

Also excellent is Abigail Lawrie, as Krystal, the Anne Boleyn of Pagford. In her first scene, Lawrie, in short shorts, eyes flashing, struts into a large room full of mocking schoolmates, upending her audience with bravado. To the town elders, Krystal is merely the skank daughter of a junkie. She seduces sons; she sinks property values. But, in the course of three episodes, we begin to see the world through her eyes, and this change, rather than making the story treacly, makes it angrier, earning any agitprop. We’re living in an age of political dramas, many of which celebrate the dream of lifting the scepter, the thrill of a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. There’s something refreshing about this story’s furious smallness, which treats an addict’s need for food and transportation with the seriousness of some regal jock’s Italian divorce. ♦

nausearockpig wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 12, 2019 6:30 pm

perkana wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 12, 2019 2:23 pm

I wasted like 2 hours and gave up. The idea was interesting but as much as I tried to use all the options, I got tired.

Don’t worry, you missed nothing other than wasting your time. It was very poor, and a massive decline in what was an excellent show. Boooooooo...

perkana wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:08 pm

nausearockpig wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 12, 2019 6:30 pm

perkana wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 12, 2019 2:23 pm

I wasted like 2 hours and gave up. The idea was interesting but as much as I tried to use all the options, I got tired.

Don’t worry, you missed nothing other than wasting your time. It was very poor, and a massive decline in what was an excellent show. Boooooooo...

Haven't watched the new season. I was talking about Bandersnatch. I usually get very bored with these "options" games.

creep wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 23, 2019 7:07 pm

random jane's shirt sighting on big little lies tonight. this season is a little slow going so far...

Bandit72 wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 08, 2019 9:22 am

Just finished Chernobyl. My word, it is AMAZING.

Epix's stylish new Batman prequel series isn't worried about how many comic book Easter eggs it can cram into its nearly 75-minute premiere, but instead, focuses on developing its titular hero, Alfred Pennyworth, into a dynamic character who's worth following in his own right. Series creators Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon, both Gotham alums, center their creative attention on making Bruce Wayne's future butler compelling without emphasizing his attachment to the Caped Crusader.
It all starts with actor Jack Bannon's engaging interpretation of Alfred, who's more akin to James Bond than the kindly grandfather figure we've come to know from the comic books and recent film adaptations. At this stage in his life, Alfred is a young man struggling to make a life for himself after serving in the military. And funnily enough, Alfred's dad is a butler, who ridicules his son for working as a bouncer at a local nightclub instead of getting a real job. At its core, Pennyworth is an intriguing coming-of-age story for Alfred as he endeavors to balance work and personal relationships, all while striving to overcome the guilt he feels for surviving a war so many of his friends didn't come back from.

The only real tie-in to the larger Batman universe (apart from Alfred himself) are some brief encounters with Thomas Wayne (portrayed by Ben Aldridge), which is both a pro and a con. On one hand, the creators don't overuse their "Hey, look, there's Batman's dad" card, but on the other hand, it would have been nice to spend a bit more time with Papa Wayne in the premiere, since it appears that Alfred and Thomas will form some kind of bromance down the road. In the end, we're glad Heller and Cannon erred on the side of less Wayne and more Pennyworth... It is Alfred's show, after all.

Set in an alternate 1960s London not too far removed from our own, Pennyworth has a visually striking look that's similar to Fox's Gotham or even Batman the Animated Series, complete with ominous flying blimps and a smokey industrial center. But unlike Batman's hometown, this version of London boasts some beautiful scenery as well, which is especially apparent when Alfred takes his love interest, Esmé (played by Emma Corrin, who'll next be seen as The Crown's Princess Diana) on a lovely stroll through the park. Corrin's Esmé is far from a typical damsel in distress, continually keeping Alfred on his toes. Even in a show with plenty of machismo posturing and man pain, the ladies also get some time to shine.

One of the unexpected delights of the premiere is Bet Sykes, played by singer-songwriter Paloma Faith. Sykes is the muscle for a mysterious organization known as the Raven Society. And for someone so small, Faith is a formidable figure with a lilting Northern UK accent.

Her boss, Lord Harwood (Jason Flemyng), is a bit more mustache-twirly than Sykes, delivering some eloquent villainous monologues while wearing a bad-ass robe. We're not quite sure who the big bad of the show will be, but if the Raven Society's underlings are any indication, Season 1 of Pennyworth is off to a great start.

Verdict
Epix's Pennyworth is a fantastic new edition to the Batman mythology that doesn't use its connection to the Caped Crusader as a narrative crutch. Creators Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon wisely center their story on Alfred's coming-of-age journey, while surrounding him compelling supporting characters like Thomas Wayne and the villainous Bet Sykes. The alternate 1960s London backdrop adds to show's unique look, setting it apart from many of the comic book show we've seen on network TV.

perkana wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 26, 2019 1:12 pm

Watched this doc yesterday...very interesting. But I really don't think anyone involved feels accountable. I'm glad they helped in the end, but it felt like they did because they were caught.