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On telly this week

Started by Emperor, 24 December, 2011, 04:01:53 PM

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By-Jove

Quote from: CrazyFoxMachine on 14 October, 2016, 01:45:27 PM
To distract from the sorrow I thought I'd do a summary on here of what LG and I are watching at the moment - we watch quite a heft of TV and have opinions on all of it so WHY NOT.

Agents of S.H.I.E.LD - Season 4
Seems to have been floating over the "shall we stop watching it" bin since the start of season 2 - something (the occasional nods to the cinematic universe & the charming FitzSimmons) keeps it just about watchable. It suffers from what most big-network syndicated US dramas do which is endless time-wasting melodrama and metre-thick idiocy. Some neat twists keep it bearable but DC's colourful TV output puts this to shame.

Ash vs. Evil Dead - Season 2
Fully taken with the slapstick mixed with gore and general excellence of season 1. Just silly enough to take the edge of the scares, just scary enough to take the stupidity out of the silliness. A good balance and doesn't fuck about also Lee Majors was in episode one.

Blunt Talk - Season 2
Underrated. This dirty-minded comedy about an opinion-piece anchor with a heart (played by the evergreen Patrick Stewart) took me by surprise at how open-minded it actually is. In contrast to Family Guy's one-sided cruelty this greasy world is populated by kind and broken perverts. Every interaction is a therapy session - every grubby incident is compassionately dealt with. It is, at times, quite revelatory. Stewart has claimed he had more fun making this than anything he's ever done and it does show. It may not be for everyone but it kind of works for me.

Damned
Jo Brand's sharp-but-bleak recent BBC sitcoms about nursing having flown a bit under people's radars I think but here on C4 she's bringing her absorbingly naturalistic tone into a busy comedy about social care. Frantic, heartbreaking, maddening and spellbinding with an incredibly strong cast I hope this gets the attention it deserves.

Divorce
Sharon Horgan's recent 'pilot' with Linehan for BBC's sitcom season is a hint of what you get here - razor sharp bleak life meets cutting comedy stuff. In Divorce we have the unlikely tormented love triangle of Thomas Haden Church, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jemaine Conchords Clement and it's interesting. Like Veep you get an odd kick of hearing Americans recite acidic British scripts - only seen the first one but it seems worth a gamble.

Impastor - Season 2
Michael Rosenbaum (young Lex from Smallville) plays an utter cad and compulsive liar masquerading as a pastor in a small town and basically spends the episodes desperately-trying-to-keep-a-lid-on-everything in grand sitcom tradition. Another one that took us by surprise, featuring a likeable cast and some genuinely cringeworthy situations. Often charming, sometimes quite tense - always a lark.

The Last Man on Earth - Season 3
I watched the first two because of my love of Lord & Miller (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Lego Movie etc) and the goodwill they fostered is yet to wear off. It's a post-apocalyptic character piece of sorts - quite off kilter and never consistent enough to generate hatred nor complete adoration but nonetheless quite transfixing. The bizarre setting, the odd character dynamics and the curiously gripping plot twists keep us coming back for more.

Luke Cage
We tend to watch Netflix stuff on a week-by-week basis which makes it more manageable but leaves us fragile to spoilers. Only seen the first of this and it's a hell of an opener. Colter's Cage is excellently downplayed and the classy pulpy tone is perfectly set by a brilliantly chunky retro score by Black Dynamite's Adrian Younge who I've been a fan of for ages. In fact the whole thing seems to be dipped in Daptone records which is... well it's just perfect. It sets a really unique tone next to Daredevil's gritty realism and Jessica Jones's angsty nineties thing.

Morgana Robinson's The Agency
I've been entranced with Robinson ever since seeing her in a series of comedy shorts done for iPlayer by Vic and Bob's production company and of course her demented turn in the pleasingly weird House of Fools. She's an uncanny impressionist and hilarious with it. Like most impressions shows this is held together by a flimsy pretext and is fairly hit-and-miss - also the odd heavy focus on the overlong and fairly cruel Natalie Cassidy skits feels a bit unnecessary.

Red Dwarf XII
As I've said on the dedicated thread - for this former Red Dwarf obsessive it's not offensive in the least and I get like a massive nostalgic childhood wave of joy everytime I watch it but the pacing is off this series - the endings seem too brusque and the daring tone compared to the funny-but-safe X is being marred by that a little frankly.

The Simpsons - Season 28
Yeah still watch this week by week. Never stooping to the cynical hatefulness of Family Guy (never mention the crossover that was as wrong as Tellytubby porn) but frequently as awkwardly out of touch as a bored granddad firing off lame topical Tweets. The Simpsons is now more tired habit than intelligently-crafted endeavour and the feather light touch of showrunner Al Jean (a permanent fixture since season 13 hmmm) means that each season is scattershot at best. Some episodes are surprisingly touching and funny, some are actively abysmal and some are divertingly bizarre (in Season 27 there was a non-Halloween episode where the family just randomly go to Kang and Kodos' planet).

Star Wars Rebels - Season 3
I hated Clone Wars simply out of reverence to the excellent Genndy Tartakovsky series - I thought it was flabby, I thought it was pointless. Rebels however charts unknown ground and is thrilling for it - often visually quite stunning (although their Plasticine hair is distracting) and after Season 2's unexpectedly jarring finalé [spoiler]where Darth Maul shows up and Ahsoka Tano is finally sadly felled by her former master[/spoiler] it has gained an unlikely edge of genuine drama to it. Occasionally oversimplified for the intended audience but quite engaging. Really didn't expect to grow to like this quite as much as I have. ALSO TOM BAKER.

The Strain - Season 3
Guillermo del Toro's body-horror vamp-pocalypse series had me at episode 1 with its odd balance of grimdark and pulpy silliness - and the unexpectedly involving characters. The pace is rarely sluggish and the deaths are Thronesian in their impact thanks to a nicely focused cast of charismatic actors (the great Dave Bradley in their number). Rarely goes for the cheap shot, is sometimes deeply brutal.

Is that the rumoured and even later series of Red Dwarf. I have every one of those on DvD &/or on Blue-Rae. Aside from the boxset of the series. I thick there was Back to Earth and  even smaller series called X. I think. I'm not bothers in to internet search this right now. I feeling really cooked after being out shopping all day. I feel like sleeping in a tub of water.

I also found one of magazines I had with interesting bit n pieces of information behind the scenes from the original series. The one with Dwanye Dibbley on the front. It also has a comic book story as well. the only one I brought because I really wanted the keychain with tiny image of the Green ship, Star-Bug inside a sere thru plastic cover.

Suck my Thermas

Anyway, I heard or read there was new a series. If that's the one your talking about. I never liked the last two. The one where they were driving around in the same district where Carnation Street is filmed in and in that green car done up to look like their ship.

You know which one

Their take on Blade Runner.

This seemed so terrible and a red mark against the original episodes.

Mardroid

That was the Red Dwarf mini series Back To Earth you're referring to By-Jove.

There have been two more full series broadcast since then. The last one ended quite recently. (They  actually filmed two pretty much back to back, so there is another (series XII) already filmed to come out next year. So I guess technically there's three series since Back to Earth, but XII is still in post-production.)

If you're worried the later two series X and XI are like Back to Earth, don't be. I liked BtE, but I do think they went overboard with the Blade Runner parody. It certainly is a departure from the main series.

X and XI are back in full sci-fi sitcom mode. Tonally I felt X was a bit different from the classic series, but not bad for all that. XI is pretty much up there with the better series I think, although there's been a lot of complaints about the abrupt endings. I felt they mostly fit (apart from Shannara) but the fact so many take issue suggests maybe there is a problem.

I think the comeback has been largely successful, anyway.

Goaty

Captain America: The First Avenger on Film4.

Strange that the film get better and better in next two sequels, rather than many films

Theblazeuk

Idk, The First Avenger might be my favourite out of the three. Winter Soldier might be objectively a better movie but First Avenger is fun.

sheldipez

Quote from: CrazyFoxMachine on 14 October, 2016, 01:45:27 PM
Star Wars Rebels - Season 3
I hated Clone Wars simply out of reverence to the excellent Genndy Tartakovsky series - I thought it was flabby, I thought it was pointless. Rebels however charts unknown ground and is thrilling for it - often visually quite stunning (although their Plasticine hair is distracting) and after Season 2's unexpectedly jarring finalé [spoiler]where Darth Maul shows up and Ahsoka Tano is finally sadly felled by her former master[/spoiler] it has gained an unlikely edge of genuine drama to it. Occasionally oversimplified for the intended audience but quite engaging. Really didn't expect to grow to like this quite as much as I have. ALSO TOM BAKER.

I still loathe the prequel films but thoroughly enjoy Clone Wars, there really is some cracking episodes across the run exploring the deeper mythology stuff and just cool one shot shows. Surprised how much I like Clone Wars as none of the proper film depictions of the same characters appealed to me (and I hated the Clone Wars film they did, that was beyond awful with Jabba's son, 90 minutes of cringe, the animation wasn't even finished either, the choice to do a film before they had mastered the animation software is mind blowing).

I think Rebels is generally great but I think Clone Wars still my favourite of the two, which is surprising as Rebels is my choice of Star Wars era. We're only two seasons in (gonna wait for Season 3 blu ray so I can marathon them) so my opinion might change by the end of the run but Clone Wars did produce some quality TV that's worth going back over even for the most cynical anti-prequel trilogy fan.

I really like what that team does, long may Dave Filoni and co. continue with Lucasfilm animation.

Hawkmumbler

Season 3 certainly up's the friction with the introduction of [spoiler]Grand Admiral Thrawn[/spoiler].

Link Prime

Sky Atlantic are airing documentary Beware The Slenderman on Thursday at 10pm.

Pyroxian

Agents of SHIELD season 4 starts this Sunday(29th)  on E4

Fungus

Tonight on Film4. Dredd followed by Futureshock! The Story of 2000AD.

CrazyFoxMachine

Thought I'd do another run-down of what LG and I are currently consuming telly-wise as I'm off work ill and feel the need to waffle.

Detroiters: Season 1
So here's the best new discovery. Sam Richardson plays the gloriously awkward Richard Splett in Veep (I guess the American counterpart of Miles Jupp's hypnotically shit John Duggan in The Thick of It) - here he and a gang of SNL writers have concocted a comedy about two endearingly naive marketing men who do work for local businesses in the city of Detroit. It's early days but the comedy isn't cynical, the two leads are outstanding and the setting feels quite grounded (featuring a cast of locals and clearly all filmed there). Very taken with it thus far - also there's a soundtrack of Motown and MC5... oh yes.

The Expanse: Season 2
As I've said in the dedicated thread this is really one of the best TV dramas I've seen in a while and unprecedentedly good for a modern sci-fi. Great characters, solid effects and some layered post-GoT political machinations. A particularly stunning recent episode ended in such a way that we had to re-watch it. Which neeever happens. Can't recommend this higher.

Inside No.9: Series 3
See what I said today on the dedicated thread. Solidly great, utterly horrible television. Glorious.

Legends of Tomorrow: Season 2
Almost poetically dumb American trash TV but endearingly messy at times and with an engaging cast of misfits. Also time travel. This season Arthur Darvill has gone evil, they had a big silly crossover with other DC tv series that I don't watch, they've done some of the most historically inaccurate things I've ever seen and they crow-barred a love story in FASTER THAN ANY TELEVISION SERIES HAS EVER DONE and yet I'm still down with it.

The Simpsons: Season 28
Because old habits die hard - there has been the occasional flutter of funny in the last few months (a double length Great Gatsby parody in late January was quite solid) - but as others have said, it's even become stale to take the time to say how stale this is. Kill it off at 30 at least. WON'T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN.

Star Wars Rebels: Season 3
Going from strength-to-strength for me ever since the brutal finale of season 2 - with the rise of double-agent fulcrum and the introduction of Lars Mikkelsen's malevolent Danish Thrawn there have been moments of completely unexpected tension this series. A real gem.

Tracey Ullman Show: Series 2
As patchy as a countryside cow and funny only 40% of the time but still inexplicably stuffed with a mind-boggling cast of good UK writers and watchable for the occasionally stunningly anarchic turns such as a Viz-esque skit about the homelife of the Murdochs and quite a biting bit with a ranting Germaine Greer at a bus-stop alienating members of the public with her 'OUTRAGEOUS OPINIONS'. Not essential, not mold-breaking but sometimes surprisingly on it.

Trollhunters: Season 1
Guillermo Del Toro's 3d animated netflix series about a kid laboured with an amulet and an impossible task. At times it can be by the numbers but it's bright, well-paced and features some stunning voicework particularly from the late lamented Anton Yelchin (as well as the Frasier boys and Ron Perlman). As close as you can get to like... a 10 hour dreamworks animated film which I genuinely never thought 3D kids animation could do.

JLC

Still have to catch up on The Expanse heard good things & Inside No.9 is of course essential viewing.

I really enjoy Legends of Tomorrow, its silly & frenetic in the best way & has a great comic book tone.

Mardroid

I didn't realise there was a second series of The Expanse already. I watched  a whole lot of series 1 shortly after it premiered on Netflix late last year. (Unfortunately I'd cancelled Netflix and my time period ran out short way from the end. Never mind, I'll catch up...)

Dark Jimbo

Accidentally discovered tonight on BBC4, a stealth-scheduled end to Simon Day's Brian Pern saga, commemorating the late singer-songwriter.
@jamesfeistdraws

Link Prime

Quite surprised to find that Film 4 are airing 2016's High Rise tonight.
Kudos to my other half for hitting record earlier - it's already showing (likely still available on catch-up though).

One to delete from the Amazon wish list...

Hawkmumbler

Finally got to see Line of Duty Season 3 ep 1. Absolutely brilliant start to the serial.