ericmvan
Veteran
Supposed to be working on something more important
Posts: 9,027
|
Post by ericmvan on Dec 23, 2020 2:39:42 GMT -5
I'm trusting that everyone has at least heard of The Queen's Gambit. It's every bit as good as its reputation.
I feel compelled to mention it because I read the novel when it came out and daydreamed for years about a film adaptation (and in fact Heath Ledger was planning to do one when he died), and then saw Anya Taylor-Joy in her first film, The Witch (twice!) and was sure she'd become an immense star. She is now -- number 1 on IMDB's StarMeter, and apparently it's been that way for weeks. I wasn't let down in the least by either the story or her performance.
She's got major roles in the next film by Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World) and then the new film by Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse) alongside Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Alexander Skarsgard, and then she's playing a young Furiosa in a Mad Max; Fury Road prequel.
|
|
|
Post by homerdante on Dec 23, 2020 3:51:31 GMT -5
Queen's Gambit was quite good.
The Expanse Season 5 is fantastic, best season yet imho.
|
|
|
Post by umassgrad2005 on Dec 24, 2020 17:17:33 GMT -5
Queen's Gambit was quite good. The Expanse Season 5 is fantastic, best season yet imho. The expanse is back after a so-so season four.
|
|
|
Post by Chris Hatfield on Dec 28, 2020 11:20:03 GMT -5
Finished season 2 of The Mandalorian this weekend. Pretty great as a space western with Star Wars stuff in it, which is how I'd characterize it.
Will admit I didn't pop quite as much as others did for the big final episode reveal (I popped bigger for the fight scene in episode 6 involving the other legacy character, honestly, which was pretty fantastic). Was a little too deus ex machina for my taste, although it was admittedly cool.
Also, as someone who loved her in BSG, Katee Sackhoff has been pretty disappointing. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be her character's affect, but she seems like he's community theater overacting in every scene she's in.
Last point - the music in this show is phenomenal, and possibly the best thing about it.
|
|
|
Post by voiceofreason on Jan 2, 2021 14:13:09 GMT -5
Yellowstone is like the Sopranos set in Bozeman Montana. A bit over the top sometimes but never a dull moment.
|
|
|
Post by rjp313jr on Jan 4, 2021 13:40:18 GMT -5
Wayne on Amazon Prime is pretty good. I Mention it because it’s a good binge watch first season, set out of Brockton and a lot of people have never heard of it.
Some of you older folk may not like it tho, not to stereo type but I’m going to.
|
|
|
Post by umassgrad2005 on Jan 5, 2021 14:12:55 GMT -5
Yellowstone is like the Sopranos set in Bozeman Montana. A bit over the top sometimes but never a dull moment. I thought the first two seasons were crazy good, the third was so-so with basically nothing happening till the last 15 minutes. Then one of the bigger cliffhangers of all time. It was almost like season three was a fill in the blanks season to set the stage for the final seasons. I can't wait for season four, yet I sure hope it's more like the first two.
|
|
|
Post by rjp313jr on Jan 5, 2021 14:49:34 GMT -5
Yellowstone is like the Sopranos set in Bozeman Montana. A bit over the top sometimes but never a dull moment. I thought the first two seasons were crazy good, the third was so-so with basically nothing happening till the last 15 minutes. Then one of the bigger cliffhangers of all time. It was almost like season three was a fill in the blanks season to set the stage for the final seasons. I can't wait for season four, yet I sure hope it's more like the first two. Often times when developing a show they plan out the first season or two then wait to see if it’s going to be popular enough to keep it going. Then they are left having to pick it up from there and are struggling with changing things to keep it fresh and often go away from a formula that works.
|
|
|
Post by umassgrad2005 on Jan 6, 2021 14:28:14 GMT -5
I thought the first two seasons were crazy good, the third was so-so with basically nothing happening till the last 15 minutes. Then one of the bigger cliffhangers of all time. It was almost like season three was a fill in the blanks season to set the stage for the final seasons. I can't wait for season four, yet I sure hope it's more like the first two. Often times when developing a show they plan out the first season or two then wait to see if it’s going to be popular enough to keep it going. Then they are left having to pick it up from there and are struggling with changing things to keep it fresh and often go away from a formula that works. Have you watched Yellowstone? What your saying is very correct for a bunch of shows. I don't think that's what happened with Yellowstone, not with the creator already talking about the ending and how it won't go on for a long run. It just felt like a season to set up the final seasons, which you needed the back stories so you'd fully understand. I get it, yet it wasn't as enjoyable. That being said I fully expect it to go back to what it was. I have a lot of faith in Taylor Sheridan and think he's just getting started making great movies and TV shows. Yet your point is a good one. He needed season three to set up, what I expect or hope will be an epic ending. Yet if he knew he'd have five seasons he might have done things differently. That's the issue with TV, they cancel way too many shows after a season.
|
|
|
Post by rjp313jr on Jan 6, 2021 15:42:26 GMT -5
Often times when developing a show they plan out the first season or two then wait to see if it’s going to be popular enough to keep it going. Then they are left having to pick it up from there and are struggling with changing things to keep it fresh and often go away from a formula that works. Have you watched Yellowstone? What your saying is very correct for a bunch of shows. I don't think that's what happened with Yellowstone, not with the creator already talking about the ending and how it won't go on for a long run. It just felt like a season to set up the final seasons, which you needed the back stories so you'd fully understand. I get it, yet it wasn't as enjoyable. That being said I fully expect it to go back to what it was. I have a lot of faith in Taylor Sheridan and think he's just getting started making great movies and TV shows. Yet your point is a good one. He needed season three to set up, what I expect or hope will be an epic ending. Yet if he knew he'd have five seasons he might have done things differently. That's the issue with TV, they cancel way too many shows after a season. I have not watched it - tried the first season but it didn’t hook me and honestly, I can’t watch shows week to week anymore so I’ll go back to it once i can binge it on my terms. My comment was more in the general sense of shows. The Good Place is a good show in that it was planned out to be 4 seasons from the start and wasn’t going to go any longer even if popular. It’s a very unique comedy with good acting that’d I’d recommend for people who want something light with short episodes.
|
|
|
Post by greenmonster on Jan 30, 2021 9:34:42 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by chrisfromnc on Feb 16, 2021 17:14:57 GMT -5
Just finished “Queen’s Gambit” on Netflix. It was extremely good. There isn’t a single one dimensional character in the whole (7 episodes) series. Nobody is “the good guy” and nobody is “the villain”. I hadn’t realized how regular it is for movie and TV characters to completely lack any sort of depth until this wonderfully refreshing show came along. I easily give it 5 stars, 2 thumbs up, 10 out of 10 or whatever you consider the highest rating possible.
You don’t need to know anything about chess to enjoy it. It’s a great story, told well.
|
|
|
Post by soxfansince67 on Dec 18, 2021 22:26:03 GMT -5
The Peter Jackson three part Beatles documentary on Disney plus - Get Back - is absolutely spellbinding - and in the last part, just plain exciting. I've watched it in its entirety twice now. I was 8 when Meet the Beatles entered my home. Life changing!
|
|
|
Post by jimed14 on Dec 19, 2021 14:54:25 GMT -5
Yellowstone is like the Sopranos set in Bozeman Montana. A bit over the top sometimes but never a dull moment. Just started Yellowstone and love it 3 episodes in.
|
|
|
Post by jimed14 on Dec 19, 2021 14:58:11 GMT -5
The Peter Jackson three part Beatles documentary on Disney plus - Get Back - is absolutely spellbinding - and in the last part, just plain exciting. I've watched it in its entirety twice now. I was 8 when Meet the Beatles entered my home. Life changing! I watched the first two episodes and love it. I would have loved just sitting in the studio like Yoko was. And when I watch it, I just have to wonder why they broke up. That didn't seem like a band that was about to break up. No fighting and a lot of laughing and goofing around.
|
|
|
Post by voiceofreason on Dec 19, 2021 15:24:12 GMT -5
Yellowstone is like the Sopranos set in Bozeman Montana. A bit over the top sometimes but never a dull moment. Just started Yellowstone and love it 3 episodes in. If you love it already hold on it as just keeps getting crazier. Good one to binge watch as it is hard to quit once you get started.
|
|
|
Post by soxfansince67 on Dec 19, 2021 16:29:05 GMT -5
The Peter Jackson three part Beatles documentary on Disney plus - Get Back - is absolutely spellbinding - and in the last part, just plain exciting. I've watched it in its entirety twice now. I was 8 when Meet the Beatles entered my home. Life changing! I watched the first two episodes and love it. I would have loved just sitting in the studio like Yoko was. And when I watch it, I just have to wonder why they broke up. That didn't seem like a band that was about to break up. No fighting and a lot of laughing and goofing around. Wait until you see part 3! The whole series shows how the Let It Be movie was so misleading Paul sitting there "creating" the song Get Back on his bass in part 1 was pure magic.
|
|
mobaz
Veteran
Posts: 3,049
|
Post by mobaz on Dec 20, 2021 10:11:26 GMT -5
The Witcher Season 2 (released Friday on Netflix) has been great. I'm not overly prone to like fantasy shows but I am open to them and Witcher is by far my favorite. I haven't read any of the source books but played Witcher 3 video game, mostly ignoring the plot. I miss some of the quirks of Season 1 (ambiguous timeline, "monster of the week" mentality that fits the character) but am still happy as I near the end of S2.
Yellowstone and Get Back are both on my list but haven't prioritized them yet. Maybe I should!
|
|
|
Post by umassgrad2005 on Dec 20, 2021 11:13:16 GMT -5
Yellowstone is great, a must watch weekly show for me. It's great because my wife also enjoys it. Might have the best cliffhanger in TV history.
|
|
|
Post by jimed14 on Dec 20, 2021 20:34:55 GMT -5
Ozark season 4 starts on 1/21! Full season released at once.
Billions season 6 starts 1/23.
I love that I can binge Yellowstone. I hate waiting 10+ months for a new season on all these shows. I forget what is going on half the time.
|
|
|
Post by chrisfromnc on Dec 21, 2021 6:56:51 GMT -5
I had no idea I’d thoroughly enjoy Schitt’s Creek as much as I did. It is absolutely hilarious and the growth of the characters from season to season is tremendously endearing. It’s easily one of my favorite situation comedies ever. I encourage anyone who hasn’t tried it to give it a try. You’ll thank me.
Agree with JimEd that I’m looking forward to Billions and Ozark.
I’d forgotten that The Witcher season two is out. Season one exceeded my expectations but I kinda like a lot of the fantasy sword and sorcery stuff.
|
|
mobaz
Veteran
Posts: 3,049
|
Post by mobaz on Dec 21, 2021 8:45:37 GMT -5
I had no idea I’d thoroughly enjoy Schitt’s Creek as much as I did. It is absolutely hilarious and the growth of the characters from season to season is tremendously endearing. It’s easily one of my favorite situation comedies ever. I encourage anyone who hasn’t tried it to give it a try. You’ll thank me. Can you sell me on Schitt's Creek some more? I'm a fan of similar comedies (Arrested Development, It's Always Sunny, Community, Good Place are among ones I return to often) but after an episode or two of Schitt's Creek I just didn't "get it."
|
|
|
Post by chrisfromnc on Dec 22, 2021 8:10:26 GMT -5
I had no idea I’d thoroughly enjoy Schitt’s Creek as much as I did. It is absolutely hilarious and the growth of the characters from season to season is tremendously endearing. It’s easily one of my favorite situation comedies ever. I encourage anyone who hasn’t tried it to give it a try. You’ll thank me. Can you sell me on Schitt's Creek some more? I'm a fan of similar comedies (Arrested Development, It's Always Sunny, Community, Good Place are among ones I return to often) but after an episode or two of Schitt's Creek I just didn't "get it." Sure. I had a close friends who had the exact experience. The friends watched an episode or two and were just… meh. I told them to give it another shot and they did. When they did they fell in love with the show and binged it. I’ve recommended it to lots of people and so far have a 100% success rate and every single one tells me what a great piece of entertainment it is. Like it’s one of their all time favorites. It is that good. The premise, which you already get, is pretty standard stuff (a rich family has to move to the wrong side of the tracks). What separates the show is the writing and the character development. These snobby people are actually very likable. You care about the characters in a significant way. The supporting cast is fantastic too. You laugh out loud at least a couple of times every episode. The costume/wardrobe stuff alone makes you laugh. Watch four episodes. If you aren’t into it at that point, you’ll be the first I’ve talked with that doesn’t really enjoy it. For me it is up there with some of the best TV I’ve watched (Sopranos, Ozark, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones).
|
|
|
Post by jimed14 on Dec 22, 2021 11:40:10 GMT -5
Schitt's Creek is one of the best comedies of all-time. Incredible acting and writing for a comedy. The characters are all f'ing hilarious.
|
|
|
Post by beasleyrockah on Dec 22, 2021 14:29:21 GMT -5
I think HBO has the best selection of original content. Netflix may have more, but there's a lot of mediocrity and few top end choices imo. If you haven't explored many HBO shows beyond the older big names (The Sopranos, The Wire, Band of Brothers, True Detective, Deadwood, Six Feet Under, GOT, etc.) you should pick it up ASAP. They have a good selection of documentaries too.
|
|