Movies/TV worth watching (or at least discussing)

[JasonEvans]

Has anyone checked out She Hulk yet? The reviews I've seen are all over the board, but for the most part they seem positive. I couldn't help but think that she was Princess Fiona's twin sister in the final trailers. I'm sure I'll check out sooner than later.

I got to screen the first several episodes. It has some nice humor and seems at least somewhat relevant to the larger Marvel story. It is not Loki or Wandavision, but is better than Hawkeye and Cap/Winter.

On a different subject, we've only got the final two episodes of the Orville left to watch. Talk about a show that totally grew up. From being greatly panned in season one (by critics, although I loved it), to now having a 100% Tomatometer rating in season three. The last episode we watched (with a Dolly Parton cameo) yanked at our heart strings so much that we had tears on our cheeks. (It still had some truly funny moments too.)

Moving to Hulu helped out tons. No longer encumbered by commercials, or time limits, each episode is given plenty of space to develop a story. Some episodes are just over an hour, while the one we just watched was an hour and a half.

Crossing every finger that McFarland is given a fourth season; it seems likely with the response that this one has gotten.

I've watched 5 eps of the new season. It is OK so far but everyone tells me it is going to get better. One thing that bugs me a bit is that they really fall in love with the CGI shots of ships and future cities and the such so that we often spend needlessly long looking at a CGI image while not advancing the story. I don't need to spend 30 seconds watching shuttles spin around the mothership. It doesn't advance the story and is obviously just some image cooked up by your animators. Yawn.

I find it interesting that the show has gone from being a Star Trek spoof to dropping a lot of the humor and just being another version of Star Trek:TNG at this point. I think Seth is a pretty creative guy and yet I find a lot of Orville to be such an obvious rip off of TNG. I wish he had more to say here other than "this is an homage to Data and this is an homage to the holodeck and this is an homage to Klingons..."

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Has anyone checked out She Hulk yet? The reviews I've seen are all over the board, but for the most part they seem positive. I couldn't help but think that she was Princess Fiona's twin sister in the final trailers. I'm sure I'll check out sooner than later.

After watching Tatiana Maslany absolutely wreck the universe in Orphan Black, I'll watch her in anything.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I find it interesting that the show has gone from being a Star Trek spoof to dropping a lot of the humor and just being another version of Star Trek:TNG at this point. I think Seth is a pretty creative guy and yet I find a lot of Orville to be such an obvious rip off of TNG. I wish he had more to say here other than "this is an homage to Data and this is an homage to the holodeck and this is an homage to Klingons..."

That's often thought of by people checking out The Orville, yet it's not a ripoff, it's an homage to what TNG was. McFarland has said as much. At first it was also a satirical look at Star Trek and sci-fi shows in general, but it's a better show for having dropped it. You can only carry that humor so far. (That's why Family Guy, Robot Chicken, and Lego doing Star Wars is brilliant in small chunks, but it would be really hard to sustain a whole show with the premise.)

There will always be detractors, as there are with any show, specifically when it comes to sci-fi. Being original is insanely hard these days. Hell, I've been binging the original Dr. Who the past couple months, starting again with the first Doctor. It was released at the same time as Star Trek TOS. Doctor Who takes lots from that show. In the latter 70s, the Who script writers even made changes to their own original stories to avoid being called out for ripping off Star Wars.

Anyway, long story short, keep going past the first 5 episodes. It's some of the best story telling on TV, which is why there is a loud clamor for season 4 to be greenlit.

[Skydog]

After watching Tatiana Maslany absolutely wreck the universe in Orphan Black, I'll watch her in anything.

Must spread comments, etc.

I’m with you on Tatiana - she was incredible in OB. Also fantastic in Perry Mason. Likewise will check out anything she is in.

[LasVegas]

The first episode of She-Hulk was great. Mark Ruffalo is truly such a fantastic actor. I only wish they would have continued with him being his human self vs Smart Hulk. I suspect he isn’t it it much more though.

The Resort on peacock also has really picked up and I’m totally invested in what happens now

[JasonEvans]

I changed the title of this thread, so it will have relevance and life beyond the pandemic (which may be sorta, kinda over... but let's not get into a debate about that).

Also, here is my 100 word review of George Miller's gorgeous film Three Thousand Years of Longing: https://flixchat.blogspot.com/2022/0...ews-three.html

Longing will be on the short list for technical awards this year. I just wish it had a story to match the visuals.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I showed uncharacteristic patience to wait for all of the episodes of the second season of Only Murders in the Building to come out before watching any of it and just binged it. If you liked the first season, you will like the second season. It continues to be very well done, funny, entertaining. Some of it is a bit contrived but it is easy to get past that. Selena Gomez is brilliant playing off of Steve Martin and Martin Short, as well as a number of other quirky characters and with some great appearances from other celebrities like Tina Fey, Nathan Lane and Jane Lynch (I found Amy Schumer's cameo to be kind of annoying).

[Skydog]

I showed uncharacteristic patience to wait for all of the episodes of the second season of Only Murders in the Building to come out before watching any of it and just binged it. If you liked the first season, you will like the second season. It continues to be very well done, funny, entertaining. Some of it is a bit contrived but it is easy to get past that. Selena Gomez is brilliant playing off of Steve Martin and Martin Short, as well as a number of other quirky characters and with some great appearances from other celebrities like Tina Fey, Nathan Lane and Jane Lynch (I found Amy Schumer's cameo to be kind of annoying).

Agree with both the review and the strategy of waiting until you can binge it. Mysteries like this aren't really once-a-week type fare. It's not like you need time to digest each epi or discuss with friends. Watching 2 or 3 episodes a night over a week or so - that is about optimal for me.

[Skydog]

Last night I enjoyed watching the newly released first two episodes of "Welcome to Wrexham" (FX, Hulu), a documentary about Ryan Reynolds' and Rob McElhenny's purchase of Wrexham Football Club. It will follow their attempt to help lift it out of the doldrums, the lowly fifth division of English soccer where it's been stuck for the last decade and a half. Wrexham the town is a small working class town in Wales but it's team is, I believe, the third oldest soccer club in the world. At it's height it played in the Championship, one step below Premier League -- heady days for a town of 50k. But like industrial towns around the globe Wrexham the town has fallen on hard times and the club descended with it, getting demoted to 3rd, then 4th, and now 5th division soccer. Now neither Ryan or Rob know crap about soccer but they (well, mainly Ryan) are pouring their personal resources ($$) into the club as they try to get it promoted out of the National League, the single A of English soccer. I'm really looking forward to following along on this journey.

Note: The doc starts toward the end of the 2020 season and I assume will always be many months behind real time. Please don't give out any spoilers about how the club has done since then.

[duke74]

Last night I enjoyed watching the newly released first two episodes of "Welcome to Wrexham" (FX, Hulu), a documentary about Ryan Reynolds' and Rob McElhenny's purchase of Wrexham Football Club. It will follow their attempt to help lift it out of the doldrums, the lowly fifth division of English soccer where it's been stuck for the last decade and a half. Wrexham the town is a small working class town in Wales but it's team is, I believe, the third oldest soccer club in the world. At it's height it played in the Championship, one step below Premier League -- heady days for a town of 50k. But like industrial towns around the globe Wrexham the town has fallen on hard times and the club descended with it, getting demoted to 3rd, then 4th, and now 5th division soccer. Now neither Ryan or Rob know crap about soccer but they (well, mainly Ryan) are pouring their personal resources ($$) into the club as they try to get it promoted out of the National League, the single A of English soccer. I'm really looking forward to following along on this journey.

Note: The doc starts toward the end of the 2020 season and I assume will always be many months behind real time. Please don't give out any spoilers about how the club has done since then.

Well put. I enjoyed it immensely. Thought it was going to be a Ted Lasso knockoff, but was very much wrong.

Looking forward to following along on their journey.

[OldPhiKap]

Last night I enjoyed watching the newly released first two episodes of "Welcome to Wrexham" (FX, Hulu), a documentary about Ryan Reynolds' and Rob McElhenny's purchase of Wrexham Football Club. It will follow their attempt to help lift it out of the doldrums, the lowly fifth division of English soccer where it's been stuck for the last decade and a half. Wrexham the town is a small working class town in Wales but it's team is, I believe, the third oldest soccer club in the world. At it's height it played in the Championship, one step below Premier League -- heady days for a town of 50k. But like industrial towns around the globe Wrexham the town has fallen on hard times and the club descended with it, getting demoted to 3rd, then 4th, and now 5th division soccer. Now neither Ryan or Rob know crap about soccer but they (well, mainly Ryan) are pouring their personal resources ($$) into the club as they try to get it promoted out of the National League, the single A of English soccer. I'm really looking forward to following along on this journey.

Note: The doc starts toward the end of the 2020 season and I assume will always be many months behind real time. Please don't give out any spoilers about how the club has done since then.

Well put. I enjoyed it immensely. Thought it was going to be a Ted Lasso knockoff, but was very much wrong.

Looking forward to following along on their journey.

I liked it.

I am sure I’ve said this before, but I really recommend “Sunderland ‘til I Die” on Netflix. A two-season documentary season following the relegation of Sunderland from the Premiere League, and how that impacts the team and especially the town. And it sounds like the towns of Sunderland and Wrexham have had similar economic arcs.

[missfinch]

I watched the Manti Te’o ‘Untold’ documentary on Netflix last night. I remember being plenty amused when the story broke but it was clearly pretty tough on him and his family. Almost a decade later he still gets emotional talking about it but he seems to have weathered it well. And I still get a chuckle out of the Halloween costume:

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[JasonEvans]

I've watched 5 eps of the new season. It is OK so far but everyone tells me it is going to get better. One thing that bugs me a bit is that they really fall in love with the CGI shots of ships and future cities and the such so that we often spend needlessly long looking at a CGI image while not advancing the story. I don't need to spend 30 seconds watching shuttles spin around the mothership. It doesn't advance the story and is obviously just some image cooked up by your animators. Yawn.

I find it interesting that the show has gone from being a Star Trek spoof to dropping a lot of the humor and just being another version of Star Trek:TNG at this point. I think Seth is a pretty creative guy and yet I find a lot of Orville to be such an obvious rip off of TNG. I wish he had more to say here other than "this is an homage to Data and this is an homage to the holodeck and this is an homage to Klingons..."

So, when I wrote the above, I was wrong. I had only seen 4 episodes. I have since watched a few more and -- whew -- the show has gotten a ton better. The past few episodes have been really great sci-fi, including a truly compelling look at the perils and morals of time travel, a discussion of the morality of using machines as slaves, and a clever twist on prejudices involving same-sex relationships. There is also a discussion of what to do when given the ability to wipe out your enemy. Is genocide ever justifiable?

I think I am on the last or second-to-last episode at this point and I will join the chorus of folks who say there should be more seasons of this show. Props to Seth MacFarlane for putting some really thoughtful sci-fi on TV.

[CameronBornAndBred]

So, when I wrote the above, I was wrong. I had only seen 4 episodes. I have since watched a few more and -- whew -- the show has gotten a ton better. The past few episodes have been really great sci-fi, including a truly compelling look at the perils and morals of time travel, a discussion of the morality of using machines as slaves, and a clever twist on prejudices involving same-sex relationships. There is also a discussion of what to do when given the ability to wipe out your enemy. Is genocide ever justifiable?

I think I am on the last or second-to-last episode at this point and I will join the chorus of folks who say there should be more seasons of this show. Props to Seth MacFarlane for putting some really thoughtful sci-fi on TV.

Glad to read that you went back for a second shot. We just watched the 2nd to last episode last night, and again, it's a heart string puller. (With humor as well.)
Very much looking forward to seeing how this season is wrapped up in the final episode, and hoping that it won't be the series finale. (With the strong reviews, I'm sure that Hulu and Disney have payed attention.)

[wavedukefan70s]

Interview with a vampire series on amc.
May give it a try.

[acdevil]

Halfway through the third season and The Umbrella Academy is still solid.

[JasonEvans]

Halfway through the third season and The Umbrella Academy is still solid.

This season is even stranger than previous ones. I enjoy the characters and the banter but there are things that happen this year that almost seem random and made up. The powers of the various Academy members are unclear and shifting for no reason other than plot convenience... and don't even get me started on Reginald Hargreeves. I enjoyed the season and find the show a pleasant distraction, but it is not exactly top tier in terms of genre stuff on TV these days.

[acdevil]

Well - after binging 10+ seasons of the Walking Dead, this sort of mindless fare was just what the doctor ordered.

[JasonEvans]

Well - after binging 10+ seasons of the Walking Dead, this sort of mindless fare was just what the doctor ordered.

I have not bothered to pinpoint it, but around season 6 or 7, the Walking Dead became more a chore than a treat. I'm still slogging away at it, not really sure why, but am eager to see it end this winter. I doubt I will be watching any of the spin-offs or sequels.

[acdevil]

I have not bothered to pinpoint it, but around season 6 or 7, the Walking Dead became more a chore than a treat. I'm still slogging away at it, not really sure why, but am eager to see it end this winter. I doubt I will be watching any of the spin-offs or sequels.

It definitely has episodes that are incredibly hard to watch (looking at you 7.1). And if you think hard about it, it really is hard to say for certain who the good guys are at times.