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Current TV Boxset Addiction

Started by radiator, 20 November, 2012, 02:23:29 PM

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Professor Bear

Quote from: Proteus4 on 13 October, 2013, 09:43:27 PM
Joking aside, it's interesting that we have strong opinions on Skylar smoking (and a lot of people gave off about skylar for smoking at the time too) when we miss the fact that Walter is a total scumbag drug dealer who turns everything he touches to shit.  Skylar's actions were no where near as wicked as Walt's.

No-one is defending Walt because his actions are unquestionably reprehensible.  Skyler, on the other hand, has lots of people suggesting it's fine to give a fetus a birth defect or two if you're feeling stressed out a bit.  I do not agree.  Nor do I agree that someone's gender, ethnicity or status as a disabled person excludes them from objective criticism.

Proteus4

Quote from: JOE SOAP on 13 October, 2013, 09:54:17 PM

You bunch of misogynists can't even spell her name right- it's Skyler.

no no no. Its Skylar.  and Waltar.  and Jessa!

Jeepers. learn to spell, mate.  :D

Dave
My opinion is not to be trusted: I think Last Action Hero is AWESOME. And What Women Want.

Professor Bear


Definitely Not Mister Pops

I watched that Netflix Original Prison Drama, Orange is the New Black.

Overall it's very satisfying, but the show's Achille's Heel is the protagonist. At first she comes across as an immature, thoughtless, unsympathetic narcissist, but as the show progresses, it becomes more obvious that that's what the writers were aiming for. My main problem with her was that she seemed to base her personality and decisions on with whomever she last had a conversation, it seems like a bit of a crutch.

Where the show shines is the rich and varied supporting cast, there's sleazy screws, guards whose good intentions make them incompetent, and inmates from all walks of life. Unhinged crazies, religious fanatics and flakey hippy-dippy former pot farmers and looming over them all Kate "Janeway" Mulgrew as the russian battleaxe who runs the kitchen and ostensibly, the prison. The power dynamics between her and her wardens is where this show really shines, and Mulgrew shows some serious acting chops. That woman could give ye a look that would make yer shite freeze while simultaneously making yer bowels void themselves.
You may quote me on that.

Professor Bear

Mulgrew and Schilling were also in the short-lived shagging doctors soap Mercy together, fact fans.  It wasn't very good, as I recall, but Mulgrew was.  She was also on good form in the Black Donnelys, which can be found in bargain bins for about three quid and is basically what the makers of Peaky Blinders were aiming for when they made their car-crash of a series, though BD didn't have Sam Neil's epic Bayelfaaaaaast accent which is - no bullshit - the only reason I am still watching Peaky Blinders.

"EYE do not trost any of YOUZ, YEW most awall ORN mi trost - AND IT WILL TAK SOME IRONING!"

Definitely Not Mister Pops

Sam Neil, born in Omagh, canny do a Norn Irish accent? That's shackin, so it is.
You may quote me on that.

Spikes

Still happily ploughing through my 'Allo 'Allo Secret Army boxset.

(Though rather annoying available copies of the sequel, and future watching fun - Kessler are proving to be so darn expensive  >:(

Grand stuff, but boy the RAF chaps need a slap. No wonder they keep getting caught, or have to be killed by the [spoiler]resistance.[/spoiler]

radiator

#322
Quote from: Mister Pops on 15 October, 2013, 07:53:10 PM
I watched that Netflix Original Prison Drama, Orange is the New Black.

Overall it's very satisfying, but the show's Achille's Heel is the protagonist. At first she comes across as an immature, thoughtless, unsympathetic narcissist, but as the show progresses, it becomes more obvious that that's what the writers were aiming for. My main problem with her was that she seemed to base her personality and decisions on with whomever she last had a conversation, it seems like a bit of a crutch.

Where the show shines is the rich and varied supporting cast, there's sleazy screws, guards whose good intentions make them incompetent, and inmates from all walks of life. Unhinged crazies, religious fanatics and flakey hippy-dippy former pot farmers and looming over them all Kate "Janeway" Mulgrew as the russian battleaxe who runs the kitchen and ostensibly, the prison. The power dynamics between her and her wardens is where this show really shines, and Mulgrew shows some serious acting chops. That woman could give ye a look that would make yer shite freeze while simultaneously making yer bowels void themselves.

Broadly agree - Schilling is a very good actress - and let's face it a bit of a knockout - but I do think Piper is the weakest character on the show, followed closely by Alex Vause. The show's creator has actually admitted that she used the character of Piper as a 'trojan horse' in order to sell the show to networks.

Quote"In a lot of ways Piper was my Trojan Horse. You're not going to go into a network and sell a show on really fascinating tales of black women, and Latina women, and old women and criminals. But if you take this white girl, this sort of fish out of water, and you follow her in, you can then expand your world and tell all of those other stories. But it's a hard sell to just go in and try to sell those stories initially. The girl next door, the cool blonde, is a very easy access point, and it's relatable for a lot of audiences and a lot of networks looking for a certain demographic. It's useful."

http://www.npr.org/2013/08/13/211639989/orange-creator-jenji-kohan-piper-was-my-trojan-horse

The stars of the show for me were the other inmates - the 'Miss Claudette' arc was especially moving and, ultimately, [spoiler]heartbreaking[/spoiler]. I loved how characters were introduced almost as caricatures (the crazy one, the religious lunatic, the terrifying Russian chef etc), but then fleshed out and humanised in a very satisfying way as the season progressed. I adored the supporting cast - there's some truly incredible acting talent on this show - some future superstars in there for sure. I'm hoping season 2 will go further in this direction and away from the soapy/far-fetched 'lesbian love triangle' aspect.

JamesC

I've been watching lots of Star Trek TNG. Season five is currently airing on SyFy and this is the first time I've seen any of these since they were first on BBC 2.
My favourite character is Ensign Ro - she's believably competent and has a hard edge that most of the characters lack. She also has a certain amount of vulnerability - she's very well portrayed by the actress.

Tiplodocus

TNG seasons 5 to 7 is why I love it.

Still some real stinkers in there but it's what cemented the geek in me.
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

Professor Bear

Quote from: Mister Pops on 15 October, 2013, 08:26:02 PM
Sam Neil, born in Omagh, canny do a Norn Irish accent? That's shackin, so it is.

He was originally deported to Australia, his accents are that criminal.

Homeland, which is basically 24 without the invincible Jack Bauer at the center of things, although it is just as daft, lacking in sympathetic characters and prone to dedicating far too much screen time to the misadventures of children of the main cast as 24 was.  I caught up with the first four episodes of the current (third) season and it's changed tack a bit from previous seasons to be a bit Chaos Day-Dredd-ish with the normally monolithic CIA element reduced to a shadow of its former self in the wake of a large-scale terrorist atrocity, but the first four eps make a good mini-arc with a decent twist at the end to disguise some glaringly obvious plot deficiencies and what seems essentially to be some sort of running theme about ladies with daddy issues that I am not entirely sure would be present if we were watching a show focused more on male protagonists.  Still, it's worth a punt if you haven't already.

I, Cosh

Well, I've made it to the end of the second series of Breaking Bad and, on the way, found a couple of characters to unequivocally root for. Sadly, Walt's already killed one of them but it looks like Saul will be in it for the long haul. His cheerful crookedness is a welcome respite from the anguished shouting elsewhere.
We never really die.

Hawkmumbler

Stephen Fry on Out There. A very heart warming and often shocking look at how homosexuality is viewed in western and 3rd world nations. Say what you will about Fry as an intellectual, he has hit the nail on the head here. As an open Bisexual whose currently in a relationship with another guy, I can honestly say ive been the victem of a lot of nasty cooment and a bit of physical vioence (nothing I couldnt fight back against naturaly) and doggedly support the LGBT community in its war against stereotyping and misconception,which is exactly what Fry goes out to do in these two episodes. He challenges the bigoted beliefs and ill informed opinions masquerading as facts held by politicians and the public alike.

Then I go and read this piece of shit article. It gets even worse in the comments section.
http://digitaljournal.com/article/360276#tab=comments&sc=0

Professor Bear

Quote from: Hawkmonger on 21 October, 2013, 09:56:54 PMIt gets even worse in the comments section.

The internet in a nutshell.

Hawkmumbler

Well, They look to have gone and deleted all the comments. How surprising. ::)