[Matsu]

In another corner of nerd-dom people are losing their shit over whether there can be Bipoc Elves in Middle Earth. I don’t have strong feelings about that, but the studio’s laughably wokist influencer response strategy was cringeworthy.

[kscherer]

Well, there's only 26 letters in the English alphabet, so I hope they don't leave any elves out.

[drewprops]

Sandman on Netflix was a lot of fun.


...

[drewprops]

Several weeks ago I was at loose ends after finishing watching a streaming series. Everybody I know had a show that I "just had to see", but you've got to feel it, right?

Finally, I started watching a show on Apple+ called "For All Mankind".

I did it reluctantly, but nothing else was calling to me at that moment, and Apple has been turning out really high quality shows.

At first it felt like yet another period astronaut show set in the 1960s.

And then the Russians landed on the moon first, and everything I knew went out the window.

This wasn't just a period show, it was an alternate universe show as well. Public figures who died prematurely in our universe survived in that universe, and vice versa.

Some technologies arrived earlier in their universe, bringing very subtle changes to the way things worked.

Manned space exploration followed the path that my generation was promised, instead of going dormant and diverting to probes, like we've done in our universe.

It's a real humdinger of a show, and the third season just wrapped up tonight.

If you've been meaning to catch up on shows like Ted Lasso, and if you're a fan of space exploration, you might add this to the list to watch when you start on Apple+.

[kieran]

For All Mankind is my favorite show on Apple TV+

The writing is fantastic and the story lines have been super interesting.

[chucker]

[seasons 2 and 3 spoilers]

I'm not a huge fan of the Danny and Jimmy plot. Other than that, pretty strong show. (I think season 1 may be unsurpassed, though.)

[kieran]

The entire wiring around Danny has been awful, including the stupidly unwise creeper stalker thing with you know who. Just don't understand why they went back to that.

[drewprops]

Peacock is running The Undeclared War right now. I'm 3 episodes in.

It's a Channel 4 production about a future cyberwar between Russia and the UK (and her allies).

The most striking thing about the show is the mechanisms by which the Russian intelligence agency use social media to sow the seeds of discord against its enemies in the free world.

There's a great sequence where you see a conflict erupt between two opposing protest groups who happen to run into each other in a British neighborhood. They really go at it tooth and nail, with plenty of punching and clawing and stomping.

As it turns out, both protests were organized by the same Russian intelligence cell operating out of London - they set the time and the date to run the two mobs into each other and were there to film it happening so they could get online later to spread the news about the conflict in order to cause more disruption.

The way that they represent hackers figuring out code, by maneuvering through real life dream worlds of puzzles, is mildly annoying but I guess it's a good shorthand for non-programmers?

No spoilers please, I'm still in the middle of it!

...

[Brad]

I didn't think I'd care for the Lord of the Rings prequel spinoff, but I'm enjoying my weekly dose of Tolkienesque high fantasy. For the most part, Rings of Power does a great job of imparting that epic feel of Peter Jackson's LotR trilogy. They've released 4 hour-long episodes so far out of a planned 9 episodes… for this season. I love Peter Jackson's LotR trilogy, and I put on the extended edition about once a year. It's a shame they only made those three movies. cough Rings of Power is treading familiar ground and casts new actors into some roles we've seen or at least heard about before, but the new/borrowed material from things I've never read (like The Silmarillion) breathes a little fresh air into the franchise.

They're definitely dragging out their story for far longer than it ought to be, though. It feels… thin. Sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread. I've already found myself occasionally skipping forward a few seconds during some of the plodding parts. The hobbits err harfoots feel distinctly less hobbity than in LotR, but not in a good way. It's hard to describe exactly how. Though they've clearly put a lot of care into crafting sets and props, I suspect maybe this show lacks all those clever forced perspective and trick camera shots and body doubles that made Frodo and his pals feel so much smaller than Gandalf and the big folk. Of course, it's hard not to mention the outrage from racists online regarding non-white actors playing certain characters. For the most part, it makes absolutely no difference to the show or the story and feels perfectly natural to me. I do wish they'd chosen actors for some family members (parents and children) to at least look more like each other, but that issue aside, all the actors do a great job with their roles regardless of skin tone.

Unfortunately, I just discovered that they're working on a second season. I was hoping this would be just a one-off miniseries, not an unending journey. As much as I love LotR, this feels hugely disappointing with the already glacial pacing of the show. I seriously hope the creators are able to find some restraint and cap their show after just another season or two so, ending it properly somehow… but I'm sure they'll try to milk every possible dollar from their investment.

[turtle]

This show is in my plans to watch, just haven't gotten there yet.

[chucker]

I'm trying to get into She-Hulk, but it doesn't make it easy. I can't tell after five episodes where this show wants to go.

[turtle]

I stopped watching pretty much everything from Marvel at this point. They moved from good fun superheros of old to ... something different.

Some of it is checking all the boxes for current era filmmaking and others just seems to be a grab for more money as opposed to fun. Trying too hard kinda thing. Hard to put my finger on it actually. Maybe I'm just tired of it.

[709]

Originally Posted by chucker I'm trying to get into She-Hulk, but it doesn't make it easy. I can't tell after five episodes where this show wants to go.

I started it this past weekend too and I'm four episodes in. It's popcorn enough for me to keep watching, but you're right, where it's headed is a mystery. Maybe it goes nowhere and is just a bit of Marvel fourth-wall-breaking fun with a character pretty much nobody knew existed until now.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by 709 Maybe it goes nowhere and is just a bit of Marvel fourth-wall-breaking fun with a character pretty much nobody knew existed until now.

Maybe.

Minor episode five spoiler:

There's a clue towards something bigger at the end of episode five, which you'd already know about if you've looked at the cast list. But even that doesn't really tell me much just yet…

[709]

Originally Posted by chucker Minor episode five spoiler: There's a clue towards something bigger at the end of episode five, which you'd already know about if you've looked at the cast list. But even that doesn't really tell me much just yet…

Yeah, I don't know what to make of that. He works for the law firm's NYC office? (doubtful) He decided to move across the country to draw attention away from his friends? (maybe. Fisk is a part of this universe now ala Hawkeye) Dunno. We'll see tomorrow I guess.

[Brad]

I really wish Star Wars could stop using droids as comic relief.

The grimdark tone of Andor's opening felt good. Then the droid showed up and acted like every other stupid childish droid in recent years. You could completely cut that droid and the episode would only be better.

[chucker]

Watched Hawkeye. Fun romp.

Pacing was a bit off; too much going on in the final episode.

I also don’t really understand why Eleanor gets engaged to Jack; seems that draws unnecessary attention?

Easy to binge. Far more enjoyable than She-Hulk. I loved Taiana in Orphan Black; it really doesn’t feel like they’re using her acting potential.

[Ryan]

Any other Great British Bakeoff fans? Apparently there's a Mexican food episode this season and it's terrible.

https://twitter.com/andyheriaud/stat...17183982137344

"Where to put the guackymolo?"

[kieran]

We watched it last night and it was as cringey as you would expect it. They made the most stereotypical jokes and comments and most of the bakes had no idea what anything had to do with Mexico.

[Ryan]

I wouldn't have thought the over-the-top meta-ness of She-Hulk would work but they pulled it off.

She-Hulk/Jen Walters breaks the fourth wall to debate the writers about her own story and force a different ending because "that's what Hulks do, we smash."

[kieran]

I've been going through Madam Secretary over the last couple of months and I really enjoy it.

Really enjoyed The West Wing and wanted a similar show and this is pretty close. Since I'm getting to the end, now I'm searching for what to watch next.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by kieran I've been going through Madam Secretary over the last couple of months and I really enjoy it. Really enjoyed The West Wing and wanted a similar show and this is pretty close. Since I'm getting to the end, now I'm searching for what to watch next.

The Thick Of It.

[drewprops]

I thought that the Marvel one-off Werewolf By Night was a LOT of fun. Funny, scary, and intriguing - a loving throwback to classic monster movies.

Originally Posted by Ryan I wouldn't have thought the over-the-top meta-ness of She-Hulk would work but they pulled it off. She-Hulk/Jen Walters breaks the fourth wall to debate the writers about her own story and force a different ending because "that's what Hulks do, we smash."

I have not loved She Hulk, but I have not hated it either. The final episode was fun, I enjoyed it.

[Ryan]

Watched the Rings of Power finale last night.

Overall the show exceeded my expectations, which were admittedly low. I wish it wasn't paced like Game of Thrones but I get it. The season got stronger towards the end IMO. One of my hunches was right, one was wrong. I figured out that the Stranger was a wizard pretty early on, but didn't realize he was going to be Gandalf (well, that part isn't confirmed but I feel confident about it). I kinda thought Celebrimbor was going to be Sauron instead of Halbrand, but the dude is clearly under Sauron's influence. That chain shadow makes it pretty obvious.

[709]

Originally Posted by drewprops I have not loved She Hulk, but I have not hated it either. The final episode was fun, I enjoyed it.

Maslany is the best thing about the whole series - she's just so great. I didn't mind the show (occasionally wonky CG aside), it was just enough for what it was. MCU filler. Which I'm fine with.

Saving the werewolf show for a night a bit closer to Halloween. 🎃

[drewprops]

Avenue 5 is in its second season. It is NOT a show that fits any clean description. I frankly didn't like the first season. I didn't understand the show. With season 2 my dislike has changed to idle curiosity about what might happen in each new episode, because it's not very predictable. The show should be marketed as coming from the Douglas Adam's universe, because there's a strong Golgafrincham vibe surrounding the people running the ship and the passengers aboard the ship.


...

[Matsu]

I want to like rings of power more, but it comes off a bit amateurish at times - like fan fiction: so you want some middle earth do you? Well, here it is. Harfoots and dwarves, very good. Southrons, good. Orc father? Interesting and good. Astro man wizard, good enough. Sauron acolytes? Retarded and stupid. High elves, possibly even more retarded and stupid. Galadriel? OMG she’s dumb, and the acting doesn’t help. Maybe they bring it altogether as the youthful origins and mistakes that lead to her later wisdom, but so far she’s just dense, like most of her kin.

[drewprops]

It's always interesting how we walk into a show. I have resisted scrutinizing Rings of Power critically. I have always wanted to see Numenor and the Elven cities and to dial back to this era, and am willing to let it be a bit twee at times (my rennie friends are already learning the songs from the show).

Conversely, I have finally started watching the Game of Thrones prequel and all I see is world building tropes - structure. I don't care about anyone or anything, and all of their lore is just random number generator content to me. Blah blah blah dragon blah blah blah.

But!!

Avenue 5? Now that's some real hinky shit, man.

I tweeted the creator to tell him I finally understood the show as being akin to Douglas Adams' B-Ark from Hitchhikers.


...

[drewprops]

Okay.

A few weeks ago I finally tried watching a little movie on Paramount+ about the making of a movie. Not a documentary, but a narrative retelling of the actual production.

It was nearly over before I realized that it had spent so much time developing just a bit of the story. How could they finish it in time??

I took a look and realized that it was a 10 episode mini-series.

Every episode was a delight, and many times I caught myself saying out loud "They're never going to get this thing made!!" before realizing that it DID in fact get made and was an incredible hit, becoming a Hollywood classic.

I really appreciated seeing how many dilemmas the film's producer faced, from corporate bean counters to casting problems to the involvement of the actual mafia.

Great casting all around (the terrific actress Juno Temple from Ted Lasso has a fantastic role).

The film was The Godfather, and the series is called The Offer (as in, an offer you can't refuse).

...

[Matsu]

I’ve had my eye on that one. Looks fantastic.