Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Mon Aug 17, 2020 12:12 pm**

We caught up on everything Netflix, so for a bit of a drama break we started watching Superstore. We just started the second season and I am amused.

Posted: **Mon Aug 17, 2020 1:30 pm**

coopasonic wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 12:12 pm We caught up on everything Netflix, so for a bit of a drama break we started watching Superstore. We just started the second season and I am amused.

Oddly enough, my wife and I started that relatively recently and we are also amused. Most of the way through Season 3. We watch an episode every now and again when we need a burst of humor.

We've also started (re)watching Leverage. I've seen it all, but the wife has not - it is exactly what I need in these times.

Posted: **Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:13 pm**

We’re watching season 3 of Infinity Train on HBO and it can really be emotionally hard hitting. What a wonderful show.

Posted: **Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:55 pm**

I was looking at some YouTube videos a short while back and one of the suggestions in the side panel was for an episode of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Apparently some individual has put together a vast collection of episodes on Youtube broken out by specific guests. For example one video is of all of Billy Connolly's visits in chronological order and there are a whole bunch of these plus lots of other collections. Good Lord! Ferguson is pure genius, he has to be one of the all time best talk show hosts. Some of these clips had me laughing so hard I was crying. Not everyone of them is comedy gold but the vast majority are really really good. I see now how he landed a beautiful younger wife, he is so fast and funny and just charms most of the ladies that he talks with, it's brilliant. Between just some really great guests, Geoff the skeleton and Ferguson simply making himself laugh to tears, If you need a bright spot in your day/evening watch a few of these clips and I can almost guarantee you will come away smiling.

Posted: **Thu Aug 20, 2020 2:38 pm**

$iljanus wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:13 pm We’re watching season 3 of Infinity Train on HBO and it can really be emotionally hard hitting. What a wonderful show.

I wish HBO and Roku would get their crap together. My PS4 is not playing volume correctly for some reason and my Chromecast isn't working, so I don't have any options to watch HBO on my big TV. Makes me want to buy a smart TV...kind of.

Posted: **Sun Aug 30, 2020 8:48 pm**

I am clearing my head and watching some relaxing classic television...

Firefly

Posted: **Sat Sep 12, 2020 7:42 pm**

Finally finished Sons of Anarchy. I have mixed feelings. I didn't find the finale that bad, or GoT-level underwhelming. But I definitely thought the show lost its way in the last couple seasons. And while at least there were consequences for Jax, they weren't appropriate ones and many others seemingly got off easy despite the genocide-level body count the series accumulated. (That is, if they didn't die themselves).

The show was always moving, but it didn't really go anywhere beyond documenting the cost of crime and rise/fall stuff, which other shows have done better (e.g. contemporary Breaking Bad). I have thoughts beyond that, but they're still percolating.

REAL, ACTUAL SPOILERS:

Spoiler:

I'm glad he lasted till the end because Callie/Unser was wonderful, but what was the point of the 5+-year terminal cancer that didn't kill him before a bullet did? Lol. I get that it added to his character, but I don't think he needed it... the washed up, tainted cop whose wife left him routine was sufficient. That said, I guess it's refreshing to see a character with cancer who doesn't either die or recover within one season? And also, props for really digging in and dressing Unser in those baggy t-shirts for the entire latter half of the series, demonstrating how little he cared about other than Gemma, reducing the body count, and whatever case or project he was obsessed with. Along with Chuckie, this Unser was a rare example of successfully extending the role of a hanger-on supporting character that probably should have been gone much earlier in the run.

Deputy Hale's surprise death (season three) was... surprising, but it was disappointing. While the character wasn't original, I still found him interesting and wanted to see his opposition to the club when he became full chief.

Bobby's death was hard to take (one of my favourite characters and I suspect a fan favourite as well), but it was thematically appropriate. And frankly, after the season seven murders he uncharacteristically participated in without hesitation, I can't feel he didn't deserve it. I'm also so pleased Juice's role expanded... remember in season one he was pretty much the club equivalent of the I.T. character? Often these characters are left by the wayside.

Supporting roles is really something this show did right. Even single-season appearances tended to feel natural, or were at least interesting. E.g. Annabeth Gish's sheriff in season seven and her relationship with Chibs. She was given time to be more than just another "clean/dirty law enforcement of the day", even if it didn't wind up amounting to much in the end.

Were there really any club members/associates who weren't completely irredeemable by the end? Smits/Nero is the only obvious one. In fact, I'm surprised they didn't just staple a halo to his scalp. I thought he was a great character, and obviously he did a couple horrible things (though, in the scope of the show, barely), but I was surprised he was willing to take so much crap and the show allowed him to preserve his integrity. (Also, how did his name not wind up in the titles by the end?) But, I guess someone deserved a good ending, and Wendy deserved some support. Speaking of which, I never thought Drea de Matteo would return to a major role... that was great, internally logical, and is something else rarely seen even in well planned, serial prestige television that runs for this long.

In the end, I think the show was at its best focusing on smaller club drama. While family was at its core, they really hit the Teller family drama too hard, and too often. Sagal/Gemma absolutely won me over, but seven seasons of her machinations, the kids and the people taking care of them, and hand-wringing over J.T.'s legacy was too much. Yes, I know it was intrinsic; it's just that it wasn't balanced. Maybe with the personal/family lives of some of the other characters? The show was also hard to take seriously in terms of the wider gang/crime plots where it felt very generic and also improbable. I mean, we're talking about 5-8 guys on bikes, and to be honest most of them aren't very bright.

It was amusing to see how many The Shield, Deadwood, and X-Files regulars popped up. Even Chiklis finally did, at the end. There's obviously a Fox connection with the first and last; I'm not sure how it came about with Deadwood.

Posted: **Sun Sep 13, 2020 9:30 am**

I followed that up with the first episode of Mayans M.C. From what I've read (including here), the show has a lukewarm reception. My first impression is that there's an appealing change in tone and flavour. The characters are immediately interesting. But the bullshit is the same. Frustrating coincidences and forced cameos. Flashbacks that I fear are going to last all season or series. An immersion shattering disregard for life. (Let's take out a whole gang on day one with presumably no repercussions!) I'm also a little concerned with the complexity of two layers of undercover operations. I actually love that sort of thing, but it's rarely pulled off well or given room to breathe.

It's appealing enough to continue, but I don't know if I'm going to do so immediately. I'm all Sons of Anarchied out and need to digest something lighter or less emotionally manipulative for a while.

Posted: **Tue Sep 15, 2020 12:10 am**

Mine (2016) with Armie Hammer, currently available on Netflix.

I didn’t bother to check the reviews beforehand, which say it’s terrible. But as you may know, I’m a sucker for war films.

Armie does a good job in a meh film. As with all films, it’s about the people. Who he is, how he got there, and what he’s willing to do to keep moving forward.

Posted: **Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:17 pm**

Just finished Cobra Kai. Now I'm trying to find something new to watch. I'm finding that it's hard to find something that doesn't fall into one of three categories: tedious dramas about everyday life, absurd comedies, or utterly dark and gritty shows.

What happened to fun in TV shows?

Posted: **Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:44 pm**

The Good Place

Posted: **Wed Sep 16, 2020 10:19 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:17 pm Just finished Cobra Kai. Now I'm trying to find something new to watch. I'm finding that it's hard to find something that doesn't fall into one of three categories: tedious dramas about everyday life, absurd comedies, or utterly dark and gritty shows.

What happened to fun in TV shows?

They're out there. Have you looked at Mrs Fisher's Murder Mysteries and Murdoch Mysteries? Both are fun shows in their respectful genres but never take themselves too seriously. Especially Murdoch Mysteries which has delved into sci-fi and light horror over the years. In a recent season, they even had an episode that involved a young H.P Lovecraft.

Posted: **Wed Sep 16, 2020 10:27 pm**

I'll take a look at those, thanks. I'm still confused as to why grim and dark shows remain the default in an era when life is grim and dark. It seems like people would want something more... hopeful. Optimistic. Something that isn't about the worst qualities of humanity.

I like grim, gritty, dark shows, too. But it's just too much these days.

Posted: **Wed Sep 16, 2020 11:04 pm**

Yep, agreed. It's kind of why I've argued against the need for such a dark and gritty Batman in this day and age. I mean, I get the point of Batman, but surely there could be a more optimistic direction involving compromises? Why does the direction always need to strive to be darker and grittier than the last?

Anyway, as for fun shows, I sometimes have to look beyond the usual sources. Sometimes even look for something older. I don't know if you've ever watched Due South, but that's another great one. And one of my all-time favourite comedies is called Corner Gas.

Posted: **Wed Sep 16, 2020 11:13 pm**

Rumpy wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 11:04 pm Yep, agreed. It's kind of why I've argued against the need for such a dark and gritty Batman in this day and age. I mean, I get the point of Batman, but surely there could be a more optimistic direction involving compromises?

Sure. The compromise is 'also make films about characters that aren't fundamentally grim.'

Shazam, for instance, or a proper Superman film. A Batgirl/Nightwing film. The right Green Lantern (be careful - several of them are dicks.) Make optimistic films about optimistic characters. There are tons of them! But even choking on all the grimdark out there, I won't say to take a grim character and make them happy. It's as bad as making a dark Superman film (Zack Snyder, I'm talking to you.)

Posted: **Wed Sep 16, 2020 11:23 pm**

Yeah, agreed on Snyder's Superman. I really didn't like that take. Almost as if he was pulling him down to Batman's level.

I just think that, yes, while Batman is generally a dark character, I still see no reason why he has to be insufferably grim. I mean, throughout everything, even different comic books, etc, you have shades of how dark the character's been, just like 60's Batman was hammy. I just feel that we've likely reached a point where the darkness we're seeing via the most recent version is too much. It's not even really about the character. It's about the direction and vision. Just lighten it up a notch and it wouldn't compromise anything about his character. Or maybe we just need to take a break from the character for a bit, because I'm feeling like the current version isn't fit for this period we're in.

Posted: **Wed Sep 16, 2020 11:49 pm**

Maybe. I still like dark shows. I'm loving The Boys, for instance. I like that there are dark superheroes, and I like that there are grim stories when I'm in the mood. I just wish there were more alternatives when I'm not in that mood. But that doesn't mean I want all positive shows, either.

Let me put it this way. If you want optimistic sci-fi, you don't make a happier Aliens. That wouldn't be Aliens. Instead, you make more Star Trek.

Posted: **Thu Sep 17, 2020 12:09 am**

Fully agree with you there, and just to clarify I'm not advocating for Batman to become a goody-two-shoes like Superman. I'm just saying that there's been change over several decades of over the direction of the character so I can't see why there can't still be change. To think he can't change or won't change is to deny that there have been changes, and some pretty major changes at that, to the direction they've chosen to take the character.

I like dark shows too. For the most part, they all have their place.

And you're right, you have The Orville spoof Aliens

Posted: **Thu Oct 29, 2020 10:25 pm**

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Jul 02, 2020 9:52 pm
Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2020 9:44 pm I’m working my way through the first Book of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

I do find myself having to check my reactions to character actions and reactions by reminding myself that these are teenagers.
S1 done.

Finally done.

Not bad for me, seeing as I've probably seen more movie trailers than Avatar episodes of late.

Posted: **Sun Nov 01, 2020 2:11 pm**

All shows canceled or ending in 2020

Seems to be about 70 or so.

Posted: **Sun Nov 01, 2020 2:49 pm**

Saw the first few seasons of Walking Dead, meh.
Hope somebody picks up The Magicians.
Better Call Saul was planned to end.
Tried 5 minutes of F is for Family, didn't grab me.

Aaaaand that's all.

Posted: **Wed Nov 04, 2020 5:48 am**

Watched Citizen Kane for the first time. While drinking fairly heavily. It was pretty good.

It's currently on HBO Max.

Posted: **Wed Nov 04, 2020 12:45 pm**

Finally finished Star Trek: Lower Decks. I probably enjoyed it more than any Trek since DS9 ended.

Still working my through Modern Family because as detestable as I find its conventions and lack of a social conscience, the writing can be pretty clever for a network sitcom. I like to watch it when I'm tired and don't want to think too hard.

I decided to take a crazed stab at something Netflix recommended, and am actually really enjoying Blood of Zeus. I don't generally go out for serious adult animation, but the design is really lovely here and the music is superb. I especially like the concept art/rough animation they show during the credits of each episode that shows you how the character designs evolved, etc.

Posted: **Wed Nov 04, 2020 11:44 pm**

We started Orange is the New Black a couple months ago and IDK if we're going to stick with it. We're near the end of S1. Does it get really great later on?

Posted: **Sat Nov 07, 2020 8:47 am**

Good Time (2017) is another film that proves Robert Pattinson's acting ability. It's 100 minutes of desperation and anxiety and a meditation on those who fall through the cracks. Pattinson's character isn't outright evil or sociopathic, but he's utterly lost without any support system and is unable to resort to anything beyond schemes and violence to protect the only thing he truly seems to care for, his diabled brother. It's not a happy watch, but it's engrossing in the best way. The synthesizer score by Oneohtrix Point Never is fantastic.

Posted: **Mon Nov 09, 2020 5:45 pm**

I watched the first episode of Moonbase 8 on Showtime last night. Basically, three idiots and a professional football player (Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs) are isolating in a remote area to simulate living in a moon colony for NASA. The three idiots are played by Tim Heidecker, John C. Reilly, and Fred Armisen. While it's certainly silly, it's not the kind of absurdism you'd see on Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job! or Check it Out! I enjoyed it and will keep watching.

Posted: **Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:10 pm**

Sudy wrote: ↑Wed Nov 04, 2020 12:45 pm Still working my through Modern Family because as detestable as I find its conventions and lack of a social conscience

“Lack of social conscience”? What were you expecting? A more pronounced presence of the working class?

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Nov 04, 2020 5:48 am Watched Citizen Kane for the first time. While drinking fairly heavily. It was pretty good.

It's currently on HBO Max.

God, I could drone on and on about how that movie single handedly changed cinema. But one thing I always found remarkable is the use of camera angles. Prior to Citizen Kane most American films were shot as if you were in an audience watching a play. Orson played with the perspective though and did things like tearing the floors of the stage up and putting his cameras below the stage looking up to convey strength in the subject in some scenes, while doing the opposite to convey weakness in others. There are numerous books on just how goddamn amazing that film...and Orson...were.

Posted: **Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:52 pm**

Hepcat is a master of using the floor cam technique for his many, many videos on Upskirt.com. The man knows what he's talking about!

Posted: **Mon Nov 09, 2020 9:23 pm**

Where do you even come up with these web sites, man?

Posted: **Mon Nov 09, 2020 10:24 pm**

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 9:23 pm Where do you even come up with these web sites, man?

Your twitter feed?

Posted: **Mon Nov 09, 2020 11:15 pm**

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:10 pm
Sudy wrote: ↑Wed Nov 04, 2020 12:45 pm Still working my through Modern Family because as detestable as I find its conventions and lack of a social conscience
“Lack of social conscience”? What were you expecting? A more pronounced presence of the working class?

Lol! Why not? It's not like it was created by Chuck Lorre or something. I'm obviously out of the loop... but I don't watch much network television. It just amuses me that something titled "Modern Family" omits the "...that makes more than $100,000 a year" at the end of the title. Like, I didn't know there were enough wealthy viewers to pay for the advertising.

Posted: **Tue Nov 10, 2020 5:05 am**

Meh, that’s been a common issue for ages. Friends, Seinfeld, etc. Heck, it got so bad in the 90s that if a show was set in New York City, I just expected people without any discernible income were going to be living like kings.

Posted: **Tue Nov 10, 2020 5:06 am**

Jeff V wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 10:24 pm
hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 9:23 pm Where do you even come up with these web sites, man?
Your twitter feed?

I don’t have a Twitter feed.

Posted: **Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:41 am**

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Nov 10, 2020 5:05 am Meh, that’s been a common issue for ages. Friends, Seinfeld, etc. Heck, it got so bad in the 90s that if a show was set in New York City, I just expected people without any discernible income were going to be living like kings.

That's very true... there have been a few exceptions, but they often mock the lower classes as much as striving to portray them realistically. Still, network television has grown somewhat more of a social conscience in the past 10+ years, and just how out of touch Modern Family can be is consistently jarring to me. Especially on the rare occasion they do touch on income equality or explore a social issue that's not one of their pet causes. Generally they play it so, so safe. I'm not hate-watching it... like I say, I find it to be enjoyable low-investment television. I just have to keep asking myself the question of who it's for. And I guess it's what's left of the centrist, upper middle class who are delightfully oblivious to what's going on around them.

I don't have a particular argument to make, I just find it interesting.

Posted: **Tue Nov 10, 2020 10:25 am**

I do believe it serves an important role in portraying a homosexual couple not as something edgy, but rather as something that’s just accepted. Normalizing a homosexual relationship instead of turning it into either a sideshow for comedy, or something to be held up like some kind of badge of honor as if saying to the audience “oooh, we’re woke!” isn’t exactly what I would expect in a show that lacks any social conscience. It may not tick all the boxes you want, but that doesn’t mean it therefore ignores them all.

Posted: **Tue Nov 10, 2020 10:34 am**

Yes, I definitely noticed and appreciated that. I was actually shocked when the characters mentioned being unable to marry in the early seasons, forgetting that same-sex marriage hasn't been a thing in many places for as long as it has been in Canada (2003-2005). Even that seems like it was just yesterday. But then I think back and remember the politics of the 90s when I was growing up and realize how big of an accomplishment this truly was.

Posted: **Wed Nov 11, 2020 11:32 pm**

I've watched the first two seasons of Westworld. I'm about 20 minutes into season 3, and I'm just not sure I want to continue right now. I've enjoyed parts of it, but I really prefer a coherent story, while Westworld seems to be written to confuse the viewer. You never, ever know what's going on. It reminds me a little of Lost that way.

Is season 3 worth spending on the ~ten hours on?

Posted: **Thu Nov 12, 2020 12:11 am**

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed Nov 11, 2020 11:32 pm I've watched the first two seasons of Westworld. I'm about 20 minutes into season 3, and I'm just not sure I want to continue right now. I've enjoyed parts of it, but I really prefer a coherent story, while Westworld seems to be written to confuse the viewer. You never, ever know what's going on. It reminds me a little of Lost that way.

Is season 3 worth spending on the ~ten hours on?

Alas, I feel the show weakened after each successive season. I think the avclub review of the third season aptly sums it up:

tv.avclub.com wrote:It’s not revolutionary science fiction. It’s not especially thoughtful or unique. It’s just shiny and slow and kind of dumb, and it’s always going to end up less than the sum of its parts.

If you're in the mood for top notch science fiction, I recommend watching Counterpart on Prime video instead (assuming you have Amazon Prime).

Posted: **Thu Nov 12, 2020 12:13 am**

I enjoyed it, but I seem to have a decent tolerance for wankery in my entertainment and don't mind being a little dissatisfied. I still found season 3 extremely interesting, and thought Aaron Paul's character was great. I found its exploration of social credit systems to be very interesting, and the other near-future stuff to be captivating. But the actual plot was definitely meandering and illogical at times, and suspending disbelief is more difficult during a show that constantly asks you to think and feel so hard.

While I think it will make slightly more sense if you continue on immediately, you could always put it on the shelf for a while and watch a recap of the earlier seasons when/if you feel like continuing.

Posted: **Wed Nov 18, 2020 6:39 pm**

I posted earlier about Netflix raising prices. Heres more price hikes. Seems streaming wont really beat cable much anymore..or soon.

https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/42932490/c ... he-purpose

Bad news for cord-cutters who left cable or satellite to save money: costs for some of the more popular streaming services are going up. Netflix increased prices about two weeks ago. Hulu Plus Live TV jacked up the price by $10 a month a few days ago. And Google hiked the price of YouTube TV to $65 a month. Fubo raised its most popular subscription to $65 a month. There are cheaper options of course. Philo is just $20 a month for 63 channels but there are no sports or local channels. Sling is $30 for 50 channels but it has no locals or networks either.

Bottom line, to get everything you want to watch costs about $65 a month plus taxes and fees. Price increases for TV are nothing new, but for cord-cutters, the savings aren't what they hoped. Some even say they're thinking of unsubscribing.

Octopus Overlords

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