ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Glad my recommendation led you to it! I agree completely about Netflix, I've tried to watch a few of the shows you mention and bailed out because of the reasons you mention, never finishing them. In general, Netflix movies are worse than Netflix series, though I'll make an exception to that for "Altered Carbon."
I generally thought it was OK, and would have thought better of it if I'd never read the book(s). But while they got the visuals of the city right, and I think they nailed Kovacs and the female cop, the actors did a great job with them. But, man did they stray from the book in ways that did not make it better, but more complex and in the service of what was obviously thought to be a way to increase appeal that really didn't. The female cop did NOT have a family in the book, let alone all the time wasted in family arguments about resleeving. The whole thing with the hackers daughter was overstated and took too much time, and Kovacs had no sister. Also, they make it seem like the UN shock troops were not Envoys, in the book those were the Envoys, UN trained troops he didn't line up with the "terrorist" group until after he left the Envoys. Why do such a major change as that? None of the changes made much sense to me and diluted the impact of the show, and due to that they deleted some amazing things that happened in the book that would have made stunning visuals.
In general I think most big Hollywood type movies suffer the same fate. Tens of millions of dollars for special effects, and maybe ten dollars for a script. Recently I was very impressed with the movie "Ex Machina" because it was a simple, spare production, only 4 main characters, filmed in a simple space, but with a stunning and thought provoking story. I think too often you have to go to Indie type films for this.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
I just finished watching the series "Hanna" on Amazon. It was quite good IMO, being 7 episodes it can go into more depth than the movie of the same name, which I also enjoyed.
Also, Amazon video now has the classic UK scifi show "UFO." Despite the ultra mod 1960s run amok style and costuming (really, purple hair?) the show is actually fairly gritty and dark especially for the day. In one episode you find out that not only did the head of the anti-alien organization sacrifice his marriage to his work, he wound up having to delay a flight with medicine for his injured son, due to needing it for his mission, which resulted in his son's death.
Really enjoying seeing "UFO" again, as I watched it in my youth when it first came out. One thing, just like the original Star Trek, the colors pop and seem overblown a lot more on today's TV sets as opposed to the old early gen color TVs.
After Life in Netflix. I've watched the series the times now, and thankfully Ricky is going to message a second series.
Beosound Stage, Beovision 8-40, Beolit 20, Beosound Explore.
I've got that in my queue to watch soon. I almost started it last night.
I just finished "Dead To Me" on Netflix which was wonderfully quirky.
https://youtu.be/eIGGKSHMQOM
beolion:Just bought the blue ray version of A Star Is Born. What a beautiful movie with great acting and well played music. No wonder why this movie got such great reviews. And with a B&O surround - well. Amazing ;-)
No wonder why this movie got such great reviews.
And with a B&O surround - well. Amazing ;-)
I assume you mean the newest incarnation? weren't there like 5 versions of that movie? I can remember my mom and wife wanting to see "Chicago" which I didn't want to see but wound up liking and being impressed with the musical performances and such, so you can't judge a book by its cover. My wife will probably want to see this sometime.
Chernobyl.
Beautifully filmed. Looks like well documented.The tension and the weight of the Soviet union at the time are well transcribed.
If you can get along with the english to much known actors with too much british accent. It really worth viewing.
5 ep, 50 min each.
Chernobyl looks fascinating.
I am watching "After Life" and find his unfiltered reaction to the inanities of life delightful, he acts like I think most of us would if our filters were removed. Long time Beoworld folks will recognize that my filters are not that restrictive either.
I think I like "Dead To Me" better though, both deal with spouses dealing with the tragic loss of their partner. Am enjoying both.
Started watching an allegedly based on HP Lovecraft movie "Cthulhu" and abandoned it after about 10 min, definitely NOT a Lovecraft type tale regardless of the title. I have watched a movie on Netflix called "The Void" which is very creepy and very much in the style of Lovecraft.
Here's a warning to those who think eschewing all forms of physical media and relying on streaming alone is a great idea. I use a lot of streaming myself, but I also own a lot of DVD/BR discs and all my CDs are ripped and stored locally.
I have been watching the old UK TV series "UFO" as I mentioned earlier. Night before last I made it through all but the last two episodes. Last night I sit down to watch the last two, and lo and behold they are no longer on Amazon Prime, and when I went to look for them on Amazon to rent they said they no longer have rights to this video. So, down the memory hole it goes. I have had this happen before, with "Lexx" and with several movies that disappeared but they seemed to reappear quickly, so it's interesting how that works out.
So, if you're really into a series, binge it quickly before it goes away!
Watching "Good Omens" on Amazon Prime Video, based on the book. Very funny and beautifully filmed.
Went back and rewatched "The Void" on Netflix, a very Lovecraftian horror film, quite creepy.
To me, Black Mirror lost a lot of its interest when transferring from UK production to US production (just after S02).
Still watchable, but not so iconoclast…
There are some excellent US/Netflix ones, Black Museum and White Christmas in particular, but the latest 3 were a tad less impactful. Even had one with a happy ending! How wrong is that? Still one of the best things on TV though, and Bandersnatch was very good.
They did manage to cover a particularly odd marital infidelity and open marriage approach though this season, and the one about the man kidnapping the tech company employee did cover some things that are currently going off the rails with people and technology.
Jeff: They did manage to cover a particularly odd marital infidelity and open marriage approach though this season, and the one about the man kidnapping the tech company employee did cover some things that are currently going off the rails with people and technology.
I haven't seen that season and wasn't even aware it exist… BUT !
Marital Infidelity and "replacement of the loved one" was well scripted in the two first seasons (episodes with integrated eye camera and clone with social network data). The remaining themes, I can't say until I see them.
White christmas was thrilling indeed. But not to the level of the 2 first seasons who were really like "Hey, this can happen TOMORROW. We're on the edge of that!" And thats all the problem with US BM. It projects action too far for us to be really involved.Take "National Anthem", It could happen NOW. Take the eye built in video recorder, it could happen now (locate my friends feature on IOS). Take the waldo episode: it already happened: in italy not to mention USA (being Trump or Reagan and many more!)
In that, the US episode with Bryce Dallas Howards was good, because today we all kind of rely on online rankings. But before Boston Dynamics research go hunt us, we'll have plenty of time to ruin the planet, It's just SCI-FI, it not makes me think.
No, even if its a good show, It really lost the warning message it carried in first seasons.
My thinking.
Jacques
I don't think it's completely lost the message, though perhaps it doesn't seem as radical now that we're used to it m ore. Metalhead was truly terrifying, especially as the Boston Dynamics robot dog was in the news constantly when it came out, and the one about social media scores is happening now in China. I also thought Playtest was horrific.
A great example of the scifi genre Cyberpunk, which I've enjoyed since I first read a William Gibson book, the short story collection "Burning Chrome" and of course "Neuromancer." It truly shows how human society can be warped by the use or abuse of technology.
"National Anthem" and "The Waldo Moment" could also happen right now, along with "Shut Up And Dance." The new season episode "Smithereens" is also very timely and could happen right now.
The one with Miley Cyrus, what can I say. She actually did a good job acting in it, and the story of abuse of young stars is right on, but I do not like her due to years of over the top in your face behavior I can't seem to read the news without seeing at least some of it. I do admit though she did a good job at it.
"White Christmas" was an episode with some of the most abject cruelty I've ever seen in a show, the cruelty of the woman to her pickup, the cruelty of the man to the "cookies" and the cruelty to him at the end. Same with "Black Museum." A lot of cruelty.
I'm two episodes into Amazon's "Jack Ryan." Didn't expect much, as I'd kind of gotten over Clancy's books years ago, but wow, outstanding so far. Really gets a hook into you.
Jeff:I don't think it's completely lost the message,
Hi Jeff,
I've been watching first episode season five last night: to me it was totally irrelevant and really miss the hit. Really from far the worst episode of all seasons combined and you must know now the they're a lot around I dont like that much!
The video game is really just an excuse to make the story of average mid life couple crisis stick to Black Mirror themes. They're is absolutely no need of that gimmick to make somebody question his desire for the loved one, being attracted to someone else or even just the idea of someone else. Those questions already existed thousands of years ago. And the modern twist of the "maybe gay desire" is also very common and was never better said than in the video comment in Solaris (Soderbergh's) DVD: when the girl is hot, whatever she might be (ghost, living dead, antimatter or in our case your male best friend's sexy female avatar) you just want to hum-hum her…
Poor treatment of classic subject with stupid or too easy conclusion, awkwardly paired with tech, just to fill a fifth season…Hope the two other episode will be if not better, not this bad.
My opinion.
I can see your points, and agree it pushed it to get a cyberpunk take on waning desire and infidelity, but I am perhaps more tolerant of that. It did to me show how the typical everyday problems people experience can be pushed in different directions by technology. Too often today I think partners drift apart when one starts flirting online, or indulging in too much pornography surfing and such, and it was a proper cyberpunk tale in that it showed tech and how it can influence this, even if it was not startlingly original.
I think a more thought provoking way of exploring this would have been to show the development of sex dolls to its obvious high tech robotic conclusion, and am kind of surprised they didn't follow that more. Same story could have been made much more interesting, especially if it was the wife preferring a robot to her husband.
matador43:To me, Black Mirror lost a lot of its interest when transferring from UK production to US production
The same happened to Wheelers Dealers... (may be even worse for the french version...)
matador43:The video game is really just an excuse to make the story of average mid life couple crisis stick to Black Mirror themes. [...] Those questions already existed thousands of years ago.
[...] Those questions already existed thousands of years ago.
At that time, they were playing “Roman Invaders”
Just watched the boxed set of Killing Eve series 2. First 2 programmes slightly disappointing relative to series 1, but the pace picks up. Apparently there is already a series 3 in planning.
Jodi Comer is the absolute master of foreign and British accents, and many have been taken aback by her natural regional accent when she has been interviewed or responding at an awards ceremony.
Graham
We've started watching a Netflix series, "What/If" that starts off with a proposal similar to "Indecent Proposal" in that the rich investor woman, played by Renee Zellweger, pays the woman who has this fledgling biotech company 80 million in investment/partnership for one night with her husband. But she's playing a deeper game, and it's hard even 5 episodes into it to figure out exactly what. We've been enjoying it, kind of teases the mysteries out, and still unsure of where it's going.
Watched "I Am Mother" on Netflix. Good AI movie about a post extinction event world, where a robot is taking frozen embryos and creates a daughter and raises her. Things are going well until a woman shows up banging on the doors from an outside world that's supposedly too contaminated for life and all humans allegedly extinct. Good drama, neither Mother or the woman tell the poor girl the truth.
I finally "get rid" of that painful Black Mirror season .
The second episode was as the first, absolutely useless and completely pointless with the initial BM message: What? you can't drive and phone at the same time? Uh, it was already true in the Nokia 5510 times. I'm ashamed for whoever work on thoses two episodes.
BUT,
I was pleasantly surprised by the last episode, with the virtual friend. Even if it's not near close to the average BM UK episodes, I found it clever in the messages, the means and the shooting. I still hope that this will be not enough to launch a new season : please kill the beast now!
Yes, I Liked it too.
I found it very peaceful and very well played.
Also been watching "The Loudest Voice".
Seems promising. Also very well played and of course, Gladiator's transformation is astounding.
But I missed "The Newsroom" a lot even if I didn't want to see it back in a 4th season which would have been too much.Having the same universe in a new story perfectly fits what I think has to be done. Lets see if it keep going well.
I've stumbled across a show on Amazon Prime Video that should appeal to Black Mirror fans. It's called "Dark/Web" and is a collection of dark cyberpunk stories, each episode different but connected by a story arc. The arc is these people start getting mysterious emails from a woman they went to high school with. Each one gets a different email with a different story attached. The majority of each episode is this story acted out. The stories are dark and dangerous cyberpunk, as the people try and contact the woman and wonder why she's sending the stories, it turns out she's missing and the stories contain clues about how to find her, as do the emails themselves. I'm only 3 of 8 episodes in, so not sure where the arc is going, but the individual stories are intense.
The first one concerns a ride sharing service like Uber or Lyft, and how the app the driver uses drives him to actions he doesn't want to do. The second involves a woman who, due to a selfie with a famous musician, suddenly becomes known to everyone and how badly that turns out. Very dark, but thought provoking in the same way the better Black Mirror episodes are. Not sure where this popped up first though but it's on Amazon now.
Just finished the two seasons of "The End Of The F***ing World" on Netflix, a UK show about these two misanthropic, sociopathic teens who run away, and their ongoing misadventures. Really dark comedy but very funny.
Jeff:Just finished the two seasons of "The End Of The F***ing World" on Netflix, a UK show about these two misanthropic, sociopathic teens who run away, and their ongoing misadventures. Really dark comedy but very funny. Jeff I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
Duels: I was thinking about watching that. Good recommendation, I’ll give it a try.
I was thinking about watching that. Good recommendation, I’ll give it a try.
Will be interested to know what you think. It's not for everyone I think, dark humor often isn't. The actor and actress do a wonderful job portraying two truly oddball people. The actor playing the boy also played in the Black Mirror episode "Shut Up And Dance."
Jeff:Will be interested to know what you think. It's not for everyone I think, dark humor often isn't. The actor and actress do a wonderful job portraying two truly oddball people. The actor playing the boy also played in the Black Mirror episode "Shut Up And Dance."
Glad to hear you are enjoying it, I feel the same way about it. One friend who watched it found it too depressing for her she said. I find it really funny, but dark humor isn't for everyone. There's a t-shirt I've seen with a picture of Joseph Stalin on it that says: Dark humor is like food, not everyone gets it.
The boy is a piece of work, but the girl is really anti-social and unrestrained. The ennui both of these kids have built up so early in life is amazing. The kissing scenes are particularly funny.
On Netflix I watched a fascinating if strange anime based around Sturgill Simpson's latest album, "Sound And Fury." The album is great, and the anime goes well with the songs. It's not particularly a story, but a series of somewhat related vignettes set to the songs of the album, some killer animation, very surreal. If anyone watches it, you have to watch to the very end, there's a vignette after the final credits. If you bail when the credits hit you'll miss an important part of the story.
Season two just dropped here a week or two ago, so hopefully it'll hit your area soon. The 2nd season is interesting and funny, picks up where the first season left off. After the events of season one these two kids are even more damaged and off kilter.