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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Sept 29, 2013 7:33:21 GMT
S.H.I.E.L.D. was neither particularly good nor particularly bad.
But I'll tell you what series _is_ particularly bad. Atlantis.
Martin
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 29, 2013 14:19:46 GMT
It licked donkey balls.
-Ralph
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Post by Bogatan on Sept 29, 2013 16:04:23 GMT
I didn't mind Shield and expect it will get better but I was a little disappointed. It wasn't bad, but the new regular characters and the main plot were all just a little dull.
It probably didn't help that I had rewatched The Train Job 16 hours earlier (eleven years and one or two hours since I first watched it) and that is an amazing pilot introducing an instantly likeable cast into an interesting world and in a fun plot.
Speaking of Firefly it was great to see Ron Glass in Shield, I hope he returns. Gunn was also good as the sort of bad guy, but surely if Whedon Alumni are going to be used in Shield Adam Baldwin is the perfect fit. I'd say the same for Eliza Dushko too, but Shield already feels more like Dollhouse than Firefly.
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Post by legios on Sept 29, 2013 16:37:37 GMT
At 35 minutes into "Atlantis" I am inclined to agree with Ralph and Martin. It has all the charm, wit and sophistication of a "SyFy Original" and a tone-deafness towards Greek mythology that niggles at me continually.
Karl
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Post by blueshift on Sept 29, 2013 17:11:49 GMT
It feels a lot like Merlin v2! Suspiciously so in fact!
I ended up enjoying Merlin though it never reached its potential. We shall see!
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Post by Bogatan on Sept 29, 2013 17:32:09 GMT
I still havent watched most of the last series of Merlin. I'd enjoy the episode I was on but then have no urge to watch the next.
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Post by legios on Oct 3, 2013 19:30:13 GMT
I have made a few discoveries whilst I have been off. Firstly, that the 1980's Mission:Impossible is awful - it is not just that it is turgid and terribly paced, it is that it lacks any of the appeal of watching the IMF carry out a clever con-job on their opponent and succeed through a carefully thought-through scheme. Instead they just have bags full of magitech which can do pretty much anything they need it to so it feels more like shooting fish in a barrel. The cast also lack much charm and screen-presence as well, falling a long way short of either the original or revised original M:I cast.
On the other hand I have discovered that one of the digital channels is airing latter episodes of a Canadian police series which I quite enjoy, namely "Flashpoint". I suspect that if the US did a show about a S.W.A.T team there would be a lot more gunplay than there tends to be in this series. It is nice to see that even into the second or third season (I'm not clear which one they are airing) "Flashpoint"s characters are much more concerned about finding ways to resolve the situation and not shoot their guns - and that she show acknowledges the weight that can be attached to having to take a life. It is refreshing to have a show about an armed response unit which treats the win condition as "we penetrated the guys psychology and got him to let go any hostages and put down his weapon and surrender" rather than "we shot the bad guy and managed to not shoot the hostage".
I've also been watching a stack of UFO episodes recently as well. There is a strange range of things on offer in the middle of the DVD running order - an episode about a psychic who has penetrated S.H.A.D.O security, one about Manchurian Candidate style brainwashing, a "Grey Lady Down" damaged submarine drama, and then something about seances, an alien possessing a cat and... it is all terribly seventies in places. Nice to see a young Michael Jayston pop up in one episode, a return appearance by Wanda Ventham is always nice as well. What did surprise me was the revelation in one episode that Commander Straker suffers from claustrophobia - Ed Bishop plays him with such a square-jawed reserve that it was unexpected for him to be given a chink in his armour like that - added a nice character layer to "Sub-Smash".
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 3, 2013 22:13:43 GMT
things Phil know about Flashpoint: Amy Jo Johnson is in it! There that,s got it at least one extra viewer.
UFO is fab, and at times barking radio rental.
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 4, 2013 10:39:39 GMT
I must see the Jayston episode!
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Oct 4, 2013 11:08:53 GMT
things Phil know about Flashpoint: Amy Jo Johnson is in it! There that,s got it at least one extra viewer. Now, unlike most heterosexual males of my generation I didn't have the " Pink Ranger" crush when Amy Jo Johnson was in "Power Rangers". But now, I can understand having a crush on her as she is now. It is so gloriously random. It really does feel like one doesn't know what to expect from one episode to the next. Ralph, for information, the episode with the Jayston is entitled "The Sound of Silence" in case that helps to track it down. Karl |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Oct 4, 2013 12:49:47 GMT
Ralph, for information, the episode with the Jayston is entitled "The Sound of Silence" in case that helps to track it down. What tonight on Phil's DVD shelves? |
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Post by Bogatan on Oct 4, 2013 18:17:36 GMT
Flashpoint is very good, but always seems to be moved around so much I have never seen a continuous, in order run.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Oct 6, 2013 9:54:45 GMT
I thoroughly recommend the second episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I hope this is the norm, and that the pilot was just an anomaly in terms of its entertainment quota, or lack thereof.
Martin
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Oct 6, 2013 11:01:50 GMT
Ah, splendid. I wasn't hugely impressed with the pilot. Wasn't terrible, just not that good either. Will try to catch up this evening. And might give Flashpoint a go sometime as well.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Oct 8, 2013 18:08:40 GMT
I shall check the second episode out over the next few days.
Andy
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Oct 9, 2013 23:16:56 GMT
Just watched it. A definite improvement although parts of it still felt somewhat too staged/forced. Will be back for episode 3 though.
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Post by legios on Dec 3, 2013 20:11:51 GMT
Due to being somewhat variable in how I am doing at the moment, and the discovery that the Lovefilm app for my iPad contains scads of superhero cartoons I have been doing a bit of curling up on the sofa watching champions of justice battling foul fiends (sometimes with the Hammers of Justice!).
First up was "Young Justice" of which I have now seen half of the first season and all of the second (the title switch is confusing, I didn't realise the first season was even on there originally). I have to say that it wasn't entirely my cup of tea. It wasn't badly executed, and in terms of animation style and colour palette I actually quite liked it on a technical level. It has a good voice cast as well actually. It hasn't really gelled for me as I can't quite fathom out exactly what it is trying to do. It seems like the weird result of throwing DC Universe ideas into a blender - it is called Young Justice and does have the Young Justice cast amongst its characters, it seems to half-heartedly play with the "young heroes coming of age" schtick that belongs to the Teen Titans (and by the time you get to Season Two the cast reads more like the pre New 52 Teen Titans) but the actual setup of super-powered covert ops taking on the downlow missions the Justice League can't is the premise of The Outsiders. The result feels like something that never entirely commits properly to one aspect or another of its setup and ends up falling between stools. It isn't actively bad, but just comes across as bland and unfocused which is rather a shame. If it wasn't for the fact that I have periods of enforced couch piloting at the moment I probably wouldn't have watched as much as I have.
The same accusations cannot be aimed at "The Brave and the Bold", which I have now filled in the gaps and watched every single episode of - and will likely be rewatching very soon. B&B is, as far as I am concerned, the best superhero television we have had in years. There is a sense of sheer fun and joi de vive that runs through the show which I absolutely adored. Having been introduced to Batman through things like the reprints of things like The Laughing Fish and bonkers Silver Age tales I have always had a sense that there was something wonderfully absurd at the heart of the Batman and B&B embraces that. Yet it still manages in one episode to give us one of the most disturbing depictions of the demise of the Waynes that I have seen in any of the spin-off media. But at its heart the show is possessed of a love of the absurdity of a man fighting crime in a blue and grey suit inspired by a bat (and that is another thing I love about the show - the Batsuit is a match for the one that I grew up with in the late seventies comics which endears it to me). And more, B&B gives us a Batman who actively enjoys fighting crime and believes that he is making a positive difference in the world - rather than a brooding, tortured, possibly insane figure of revenge against a cruel world, he is a two-fisted adventurer always ready to oppose evil with his wits, strength and a neat line in word-play. It also does a surprising good job of fleshing out the guest characters, whether they be one shot wonders or recurring parts. Heck, the show even makes Aquaman an actual workable character with a distinctive personality - something which one could argue was a first. "Brave and the Bold" is, at the bottom line, fun. It wants to be a swashbuckling adventure show of good against evil, and I think it brings a light that is quite valuable amongst modern action cartoons. On the one hand I wish the show was still with us, but on the other it had three sparkling seasons and got out of Dodge/Gotham on a high. I don't know that you can say fairer than that.
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on Dec 11, 2013 21:09:41 GMT
Quite enjoying 'Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History', a three-part documentary which does what it says on the tin. Some of it I knew, some of it is new to me but it's very interestingly presented and put together. Airs on BBC4. The first two episodes are on the BBC Iplayer currently.
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Dec 12, 2013 20:29:48 GMT
Might be worth a watch, I have time on my hands so I might plonk myself down in front of that.
Courtesy of my rental service I have been catching up and sampling things recently. "Gundam SEED Destiny" has now taken the crown of the only Gundam series Karl has seen to cause him to throw in the towel - even with effectively infinite time to slog through it. (The old title holder was "Gundam Wing" but I gave that another go and it faired a lot better once I realised that the characters I disliked because they seemed like colossal idiots were supposed to be... colossal idiots. I had thought it was a bug, but once I realised it was a feature it was much more watchable).
Season Four of "Burn Notice" has started to roll through, honestly this is a show that feels like it has outlived its natural lifespan - tying off the whole "burned spy" thing fairly rapidly it feels like it pulls a new reason for Michael Weston to stay on the downlow out of its hat after a few episodes. It's got a good cast, it isn't terribly taxing and Fiona is rather easy on the eye. I'll stick with it, its a rental so it doesn't feel like it is costing me too much and it is decent daft fun.
What has surprised me though is "Arrow". I stuck it in the rental queue on the basis of "give it a go, it is a DC TV show so it'll likely be rubbish but what the heck" and it has actually turned out to be a lot more watchable than I expected. I was expecting something with the same terror of acknowledging its source material as Smallville had, and the premise of "Green Arrow Begins" didn't really fill me with hope either. Fortunately it turned out that neither of these things were on the shows mind. They give us the backstory in the first five minutes and by the half an hour mark Ollie Queen has set up his hidden base of operations, put on his costume and set out on a career of bringing vigilante justice to the cabal who are destroying the fabric of Starling city to enrich themselves.
Yes, it's basically Batman - specifically it has quite a lot in common with the broad details of the "Young Bruce Wayne" show that rattled around unmade for years. That doesn't really bother me because well.. it's Green Arrow, who started out as basically a Batman knock-off anyway. I don't even mind that they've gone for a gritty "hero who kills his way through Mooks" schtick. I think that is because they aren't really selling Green Arrow as a "superhero" per-se, rather an Urban Vigilante with a theatrical schtick. Is it absurd? Of course it is - you have a grim vigilante going around a city in a dark-green Robin Hood style hood fighting evil rich people and their gun-toting henchman with a bow and arrow. Of course it is absurd, but somehow it carries it off reasonably well. It certainly isn't afraid of its source material either - whilst Smallville ran away from having actual Super-villians, Arrow turns around in Episode Three and gives us a version of Deadshot (a sort of "Nolanised" take on him) by episode three. And then it cameos John Barrowman as an evil rich dude in a suit the very next episode (John Barrowman being sinister is frankly the comedy highlight of the episode). It isn't exactly high-art, but if you were going to do a low-power, gritty urban vigilante take on a DC character then this is probably the what you would hope to be turning out. It is competent, the cast is decent and the obligatry inter-personal angst actually feels like it makes some sort of sense. I've added a few more discs of the first season to the rental queue, it has certainly caught my interest more than Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D did in the same time-frame.
Karl
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Dec 17, 2013 6:55:42 GMT
I'm not proud to admit it, but I find 'Storage Wars'/'Storage Hunters' strangely interesting.
Martin
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Post by Philip Ayres on Dec 17, 2013 7:25:58 GMT
I think some of out other members could start a post in this section with the same words......
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Post by legios on Dec 17, 2013 22:05:41 GMT
Watching more of "Arrow" it becomes abundantly clear that it wants to be Batman with all its heart - when you go from episodes that give you Helena Bertenelli in full "Huntress" mode, to Firefly you just have to accept that they are going to be stealing Gotham's rogues gallery wholesale.
(It did make me realise why they have been tiptoeing around his love-interest's first name is Dinah and using a middle name instead. When they had the perfect opportunity to allude to Helena as "Huntress" and steered wide it clicked in my head. The "Birds of Prey" license is still valid, so they don't have the rights to "Dinah Lance" or "Huntress".)
Karl
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Post by Bogatan on Dec 17, 2013 22:20:47 GMT
Arrow was the most improved series on US TV last year, the first 10 episodes are fun enough in a KO Nolan Batman kind of way as you say, but after the mid season break it turned into a seriously addictive show. So far season 2 has continued in the same way, though they are now heading into full on comic superhereoes and villains territory and surprisingly (given it being rooted in Nolans non super powered universe) seem to be pulling it off.
Of course theres Felicity Smoak too.
And sadly you're not alone in finding Storage (fill in the blank) addictive, I went through that phase about 6 months ago.
I've just started watching Breaking Bad. Nearing hte end of season 2 now and it's getting dark.
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Post by Shockprowl on Dec 17, 2013 22:48:35 GMT
IT Crowd is, perhaps, the best TV show EVER MADE IN ALL OF HISTORY. I watched it when it was first aired, then a bit on-line, but now rewatching it on E4. Fantastic. Clever. Funny as heck.
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Post by legios on Dec 19, 2013 20:02:50 GMT
Arrow was the most improved series on US TV last year, the first 10 episodes are fun enough in a KO Nolan Batman kind of way as you say, but after the mid season break it turned into a seriously addictive show. So far season 2 has continued in the same way, though they are now heading into full on comic superhereoes and villains territory and surprisingly (given it being rooted in Nolans non super powered universe) seem to be pulling it off. Considering that they have had Deathstroke popping up quite a bit in season one it doesn't feel like it would be too much of a leap. I have now passed "Vertigo" in the first season - I had been telling myself that if they were going to give the "Speedy" nickname to Oliver's sister there was one plot element they needed to pay-off and I was pleased to see them pay it off well. Now, if they could see there way to giving Miss Dinah Laurel Lance a bit of kicking people to do - I'm not expecting or asking for the fishnets, but a bit of boot-to-face time would be good. Doesn't really do anything for me I'm afraid. :-) I've only seen this once, and only by accident through being too miserable that day to change the channel. It didn't really leave much impression on me. Maybe I lack the necessary hunting instincts? Nothing I have seen of that show makes me want to watch it at all. All of the advertising seems to be of the tone of "Watch this show about horrible people doing awful things" and I think "No, ta". Karl |
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Post by legios on Dec 21, 2013 21:11:59 GMT
"Mr Weston, I'm not sure you aware of the calibre of opponent you are dealing with. This man has faced the best in the business - Collin Chou is only scratching the surface. He's faced McGann, Stallone, Statham..."
Burn Notice has just given me the joyous sight of Michael Weston versus an evil spy-recruiter played by TV's Own Eric Roberts. Michael Weston punching Eric Roberts in the face is a joyous thing to see on my television.
Karl
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Post by legios on Dec 29, 2013 22:00:24 GMT
Having seen occasional episodes of it back in the day, and discovered that it's DVD release is available through my rental service, I thought I would give the "New Captain Scarlet" series a go. Having seen the first two episodes this evening I am favourably impressed. The writing is pretty good - maintaining some of the grimmer elements of the original (the phrase "but to create they must first destroy" may never be said, but the implication of what the Mysterons do is never in doubt), whilst expanding on the sense of the character interconnections (one of the things that I loved about Captain Scarlet was that a lot of the lead characters were on first-name terms and there was a sense that there were friendships that went beyond the fact that they wore the same organisation's uniform. This is actually something that the more recent series does slightly better - by lengthening the time we see Scarlet and Black working together before Mysteronisation we get to see them demonstrate both how they are quite different as people, but how they have an easy camaderie which transcends their differences - which makes their inevitable face-off more meaningful). The plotting is pleasantly breackneck too - it certainly doesn't waste any time at all in getting straight to the mayhem and vehicular chaos which was a large part of the appeal of Captain Scarlet.
It also has some absolutely wonderful mechanical design - I'd like to say that they had me at the Falcon interceptors, but in truth they had me at the new version of Cloudbase. Both a worthy update of the original and so good that Doctor Who pretty much stole it wholesale ("Ahem, UNIT? Spectrum has seen your Valiant and wants to speak to you about a certain matter of half-inched blueprints). And then they decide to ice the cake by giving us the long wheel-base eight wheeler SPV and the lovely idea of a Para-wing equipped combat tricycle! From what I recall of catching isolated episodes from later in the series the opening episodes do seem to be fairly typical of the show, so I have a feeling I am in for an enjoyable ride the rest of the way.
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on Dec 31, 2013 20:58:37 GMT
Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe 2013 was as biting as I had expected.
Watching Mamma Mia! It is car crash movie making. Mesmerising!
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Jan 2, 2014 18:35:32 GMT
I decided to watch 'Still Open All Hours'. That was my first mistake.
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Jan 2, 2014 18:38:43 GMT
Caught up with 2013 Wipe this afternoon was well worth a watch, cutting and pointed as per usual.
Karl
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