Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 7:11 pm**

Aliasbuck wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2020 2:33 pm
Jeff V wrote: ↑Wed May 06, 2020 9:45 pm Abnormal Attraction. How did Hepcat miss this one? Among the cast is Gilbert Gottfried, Steve Buscemi's brother, and Malcom McDowell. Total freak show.
Wait, Gilbert Gottfried is Steve Buscemi's brother????? That would explain quite a lot...

No, separate people. Brother has the same Graves disease distended eyes though and is easy to spot.

Posted: **Wed May 20, 2020 2:23 pm**

Jeff V wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2020 7:11 pm
Aliasbuck wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2020 2:33 pm
Jeff V wrote: ↑Wed May 06, 2020 9:45 pm Abnormal Attraction. How did Hepcat miss this one? Among the cast is Gilbert Gottfried, Steve Buscemi's brother, and Malcom McDowell. Total freak show.
Wait, Gilbert Gottfried is Steve Buscemi's brother????? That would explain quite a lot...
No, separate people. Brother has the same Graves disease distended eyes though and is easy to spot.

Lame attempt at humor foiled again, though I was tempted to ask if Steve Buscemi's brother Gilbert has Graves disease (feel free to throw tomatoes).

Posted: **Wed May 20, 2020 7:16 pm**

I laughed. Be vindicated.

Also, now I know everyone famous who has Graves' Disease.

Posted: **Thu May 21, 2020 3:46 pm**

Sudy wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 7:16 pm I laughed. Be vindicated.

Also, now I know everyone famous who has Graves' Disease.

In the category dead presidents, were you aware George Bush I, his wife Barbara, and their dog all had it?

Posted: **Thu May 21, 2020 7:50 pm**

I actually did read about them! Well, the humans. I'm most amused to learn of the dog.

Posted: **Fri May 22, 2020 12:53 pm**

So that was fun, on page 4, the "Tales from the Loop" in the spoiler tag auto plays. Scared the shit out of me. Took a while to figure out what was doing it.

Posted: **Fri May 22, 2020 7:05 pm**

Has anyone watched Tales from the Loop? Is it any good?

Posted: **Fri May 22, 2020 7:21 pm**

hepcat wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2020 7:05 pm Has anyone watched Tales from the Loop? Is it any good?

I have - it's interesting and visually interesting and menacholy - i enjoyed it but it was like watching a series of sci fi poems. I really enjoyed it but it's not everyones cup of tea. I think if you watch the first episode youll know whether you'll like it or not.

Posted: **Fri May 22, 2020 9:09 pm**

Cool, thanks for the info.

Posted: **Sun May 31, 2020 9:51 pm**

Posted: **Sun May 31, 2020 10:11 pm**

Posted: **Mon Jun 01, 2020 11:36 pm**

Just finished watching The Vast of Night and thought it was absolutely terrific.

It's essentially a clever sci-fi movie set in the 1950s, and a very fond homage to old school episodes of the Twilight Zone and radio theatre. In fact it even opens framed as an episode of "Paradox Theatre", a Twilight Zone-style series.

Anyway, it's definitely well worth checking out. Here's the official trailer for it:

Posted: **Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:38 pm**

For those folks to get that many extended, almost perfect tracking shots on the budget they had was amazing. I praised it in the movie trailer thread, but it really is something special. Low budgets sometimes brings out the best in filmmakers.

Posted: **Tue Jun 02, 2020 10:53 pm**

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:38 pm For those folks to get that many extended, almost perfect tracking shots on the budget they had was amazing. I praised it in the movie trailer thread, but it really is something special. Low budgets sometimes brings out the best in filmmakers.

Absolutely!

I was thoroughly impressed by just how well-crafted it was with such a minimal budget.

Posted: **Wed Jun 03, 2020 7:50 am**

At one point we had a tracking shot through an entire freaking town.

And I could listen to Fay and Everett banter all day. That’s the sure sign of a good script when your dialogue alone is worth the price of admission.

Posted: **Tue Jun 16, 2020 7:31 am**

What the hell autoplays on this page when I load the Reply screen? It doesn't happen when I just "read" page 5 of the thread, and no video is running in the review section at the bottom of the screen. Anyway....

Finished the last two seasons of Man in the High Castle. Not sure why I waited this long, though the obtrusive ad for season 4 that continually played on Prime didn't help. The bright, modern pop song seemed incompatible with the tone and setting of the series. Overall, I was quite pleased with how they wrapped things up. (Up until the very last scene, anyway... but I get it.) The last couple episodes were very cinematic.

Spoiler:

- Such a shame Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa didn't return for the final season. Along with Davalos he was the soul of the series. (And was a favourite of mine growing up.) I read that he was absent due to a scheduling conflict with Lost in Space, but that seems odd. Was it at some point uncertain that there would be a season 4?

- I understand the arc of Joe Blake, and I read that his demise is similar in the source material (that's generally quite a bit different than the series), but his season 3 death felt jarring, and not in the arguably positive "Game of Thrones" sense. More like... early 2000s shock fodder. It did seem appropriate considering the development of both Joe and Julianna, and I guess it's still nice to be occasionally surprised. But it felt like Joe was being built up for a redemption arc that would last the length of the series, even if it ultimately failed. Instead, his ambivalence was transposed onto Helen and eventually John Smith (which was likely ultimately the end game for their arcs regardless), and the show seemed to decide that all its major nazi characters were irredeemable and must pay the ultimate price for their sins. Which... is probably the right decision given the current state of the world lol. Mind you, Helen does her best to atone too late, but she gives the rebels the opportunity to win. (And somehow, John's death is all it takes to save the west coast from being carpet bombed? You're telling me everyone in the American Reich is going to instantly fall in line behind his #2 the moment he rips off his nazi regalia? But yeah, I get that we can't have two episodes of denouement.)

- I loved the BCR plot and characters, but it felt thrown in. Where the heck was this movement for the first three seasons? Would have been great to see these characters develop and further integrate them into the plot.

- I feel like the show struggled to establish a writing philosophy when it came to characters. Sometimes it would eject them mercilessly when their arc was complete, and keeping them around would have meant shoehorning them into the plot (Joe Blake, Frank Fink... kinda). Other times they would just vanish (Ed McCarthy... am I just not remembering what happened to him? Was he captured by the Japanese with Frink? Did he escape and is now living happily with his cowboy in Denver?) Sometimes they did go the shoehorn route. (Nicole Dörmer... had a purpose in season 2, but had a sub-plot that was mostly filler in S3. "Look, I'm in America now too!" Not that it was uninteresting, but it didn't seem to have much of a point. I guess it demonstrated another angle of being gay/bisexual in this world, where even your high standing in the party would only protect you for so long. Robert Childan is arguably another example, and he stuck around for the whole show somehow. But he's so likable as the ever self-interested, not-quite-a-coward that I have to give him a pass.)

- Juliana really went full rebel by the end. I loved her development, but it felt stalled by S4. It felt like the role of main character passed to John Smith. Not that I'm complaining, because Rufus Sewell was absolutely riveting in S4 (and the entire series). The flashback and multiverse elements could have been trite, but watching him come undone was both captivating and moving. I think the show did an amazing job of humanizing these incredibly villainous characters (also Joel de la Fuente's Kido) without ever excusing their actions. I think alternate John Smith felt perhaps a little too fundamentally different from John Smith prime. I guess you could make the excuse that in addition to the different circumstances, his personality may have been innately different in the other universe.

- Overall this was a great show. Even if I still don't quite get the mechanics of travelling, the portal, and the films. And the logistics of building a bullet train from NYC to Scranton. How the hell are these people accessing the portal at the end, and why? Why are they unconcernedly passing by the armed rebels like zombies, with the swastika overhead? Are there charred remains on the other side for all the people who tried to cross whose doppelgangers are still living? I GUESS WE'LL NEVER KNOW.

Posted: **Tue Jun 16, 2020 10:39 am**

It's the Tales from the Loop trailer.

Posted: **Tue Jun 16, 2020 6:30 pm**

I just rented The Thirteenth Floor (trailer). A 1999 sci-fi thriller that asks:

Spoiler:

The ending was a bit too Hollywood but it was an interesting ride. I loved the driving through barricade scenes.

Here is a review with spoilers:

Posted: **Wed Jun 17, 2020 12:55 pm**

Malificent wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2020 7:21 pm
hepcat wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2020 7:05 pm Has anyone watched Tales from the Loop? Is it any good?
I have - it's interesting and visually interesting and menacholy - i enjoyed it but it was like watching a series of sci fi poems. I really enjoyed it but it's not everyones cup of tea. I think if you watch the first episode youll know whether you'll like it or not.

I just finished it last night, a little surprised there isn't more talk about it here. It's a pretty unique show, kind of haunting, kind of depressing, sort of a blend between Twilight Zone, Black Mirror, and The Leftovers. Each episode is an individual story but they all tie together, most notably in the 8th episode finale. Ep 2 was probably the one that hit me the most, and the finale wrapped the season up well enough in it's weird way.

Posted: **Wed Jun 17, 2020 1:24 pm**

rittchard wrote: ↑Wed Jun 17, 2020 12:55 pm
Malificent wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2020 7:21 pm
hepcat wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2020 7:05 pm Has anyone watched Tales from the Loop? Is it any good?
I have - it's interesting and visually interesting and menacholy - i enjoyed it but it was like watching a series of sci fi poems. I really enjoyed it but it's not everyones cup of tea. I think if you watch the first episode youll know whether you'll like it or not.
I just finished it last night, a little surprised there isn't more talk about it here. It's a pretty unique show, kind of haunting, kind of depressing, sort of a blend between Twilight Zone, Black Mirror, and The Leftovers. Each episode is an individual story but they all tie together, most notably in the 8th episode finale. Ep 2 was probably the one that hit me the most, and the finale wrapped the season up well enough in it's weird way.

Its definitely unique, both visually and in overall tone. I also found it to be a harder watch (emotionally) than I had been expecting going in.

Posted: **Wed Jun 17, 2020 1:37 pm**

Mrs Kub and I have been watching the Amazon Kids show Just Add Magic.

It's pretty fun, in a Disney sort of way. Quick, 26 minute episodes with some fun/interesting story arcs. A nice change of pace from fraught dramas.

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2020 2:01 pm**

I'm a little surprised about The Boys Season 2:

Amazon Prime Video’s superhero satire The Boys will premiere the first three episodes of its second season Friday, September 4, the streamer announced today, with new episodes available each Friday until the season finale on Oct. 9.

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2020 2:15 pm**

I'm 3 episodes into The Man in the High Castle. Not bad, so far. It's not very phildickian yet, but they're still setting up the world and major conflicts.

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2020 2:40 pm**

Started watching Jack Ryan, 5 episodes in so far. I was looking for something action-y to watch when working out, and it certainly fits the bill. I've been mostly ignoring Prime Video and just defaulting to Netflix for stuff to watch, but there are definitely quite a few Amazon shows that seem intriguing. It also helps that I finally figured out how to make the subtitles on the Amazon Roku app bigger (I can't hear half the dialogue when I'm running on a treadmill, so subs are a must).

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:21 pm**

Kraken wrote: ↑Sat Jun 27, 2020 2:15 pm I'm 3 episodes into The Man in the High Castle. Not bad, so far. It's not very phildickian yet, but they're still setting up the world and major conflicts.

If you enjoy The Man in the High Castle, you will love Counterpart. With terrific performances from J.K. Simmons throughout, it has to rank as one of the most engrossing, intelligent, and well-crafted dark sci-fi thrillers around:

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:25 pm**

gilraen wrote:Started watching Jack Ryan, 5 episodes in so far. I was looking for something action-y to watch when working out, and it certainly fits the bill. I've been mostly ignoring Prime Video and just defaulting to Netflix for stuff to watch, but there are definitely quite a few Amazon shows that seem intriguing. It also helps that I finally figured out how to make the subtitles on the Amazon Roku app bigger (I can't hear half the dialogue when I'm running on a treadmill, so subs are a must).

Amazon has some really good shows.

Fleabag
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Bosch
Carnival Row was interesting

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:57 pm**

Anonymous Bosch wrote: ↑Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:21 pm
Kraken wrote: ↑Sat Jun 27, 2020 2:15 pm I'm 3 episodes into The Man in the High Castle. Not bad, so far. It's not very phildickian yet, but they're still setting up the world and major conflicts.
If you enjoy The Man in the High Castle, you will love Counterpart. With terrific performances from J.K. Simmons throughout, it has to rank as one of the most engrossing, intelligent, and well-crafted dark sci-fi thrillers around:

I'll bear that in mind, although I don't want to subscribe to Starz to see it.

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2020 4:22 pm**

Counterpart stumbled a bit in its final season, but overall it was a fantastic show. I loved every minute of it and was sad that they didn't continue the story after the rather momentous ending.

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2020 4:54 pm**

Kraken wrote: ↑Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:57 pm I'll bear that in mind, although I don't want to subscribe to Starz to see it.

Rest assured, you don't need to. It's currently included with Amazon Prime Video.

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2020 4:54 pm**

Kraken wrote:
Anonymous Bosch wrote: ↑Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:21 pm
Kraken wrote: ↑Sat Jun 27, 2020 2:15 pm I'm 3 episodes into The Man in the High Castle. Not bad, so far. It's not very phildickian yet, but they're still setting up the world and major conflicts.
If you enjoy The Man in the High Castle, you will love Counterpart. With terrific performances from J.K. Simmons throughout, it has to rank as one of the most engrossing, intelligent, and well-crafted dark sci-fi thrillers around:

I'll bear that in mind, although I don't want to subscribe to Starz to see it.

And you won't have to since the series is now included on Amazon Prime.

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2020 5:37 pm**

Anonymous Bosch wrote: ↑Sat Jun 27, 2020 4:54 pm
Kraken wrote: ↑Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:57 pm I'll bear that in mind, although I don't want to subscribe to Starz to see it.
Rest assured, you don't need to. It's currently included with Amazon Prime Video.

Ah, good. I'll never grasp how streaming rights/ownership works. If a trailer is watermarked Starz, I naively believe that I need to get Starz.

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2020 5:56 pm**

Kraken wrote: ↑Sat Jun 27, 2020 5:37 pm
Anonymous Bosch wrote: ↑Sat Jun 27, 2020 4:54 pm
Kraken wrote: ↑Sat Jun 27, 2020 3:57 pm I'll bear that in mind, although I don't want to subscribe to Starz to see it.
Rest assured, you don't need to. It's currently included with Amazon Prime Video.
Ah, good. I'll never grasp how streaming rights/ownership works. If a trailer is watermarked Starz, I naively believe that I need to get Starz.

Yeah, that's certainly a frustratingly nebulous aspect of watching streaming content. I was considering re-watching Babylon 5 several months ago, and recalled seeing it listed as being available with Prime Video. But alas, it was apparently rotated out in 2019 and was only available for about a year or so. So unless a show you're watching is an original specifically created for that streaming service (e.g.The Man in the High Castle on Prime Video), chances are it won't be available indefinitely. Suffice to say, I'd prioritise watching Counterpart over The Man in the High Castle because it may well require a Starz subscription to do so in the future.

Posted: **Sun Jun 28, 2020 5:02 pm**

Watched Chan-wook Park's The Handmaiden today. Like all of his movies, very stylish, sexy, and lots of WTF moments. The ending wasn't particularly unexpected though.

Posted: **Mon Jun 29, 2020 9:48 am**

I have started re-watching the t.v. show Eureka over the weekend staring from Season 1 ep 1 as I originally came in to it late. I forgot how much I enjoyed this show and how much fun it is to watch Colin Ferguson. Just a fun show all around.

Posted: **Mon Jun 29, 2020 10:15 am**

Tao wrote: ↑Mon Jun 29, 2020 9:48 am I have started re-watching the t.v. show Eureka over the weekend staring from Season 1 ep 1 as I originally came in to it late. I forgot how much I enjoyed this show and how much fun it is to watch Colin Ferguson. Just a fun show all around.

I just saw this on Amazon and was planning to restart this coming weekend. I totally agree - just a joy to watch.

Posted: **Mon Jun 29, 2020 10:23 am**

I was watching Eureka some years ago, but I'm pretty sure I only watched the first 3 seasons. I should really go back and finish it.

Posted: **Mon Jun 29, 2020 10:48 am**

I really enjoyed Eureka, but it is one show that I felt was downgraded from pilot to full production. The Sheriff in a particular. In the pilot he was intelligent. In the show he was Homer Simpson.

Posted: **Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:14 pm**

Jeff V wrote: ↑Sun Jun 28, 2020 5:02 pm Watched Chan-wook Park's The Handmaiden today. Like all of his movies, very stylish, sexy, and lots of WTF moments. The ending wasn't particularly unexpected though.

If you read the book "Fingersmith," the movie was based on that.

Posted: **Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:51 pm**

I just stumbled across an old movie favorite on Prime, Nate and Hayes. It’s not a good movie, but it would make a great Space:1889 adventure.

Posted: **Wed Jul 01, 2020 10:21 am**

It looks like Amazon just added a Watch Party feature. One person hosts the party (and controls the movie like pausing and starting) and can invite up to 100 people, and they can chat through it.

However:
1. It only works for (some?) movies and tv shows available through Prime, not videos purchased from Amazon or movies from Amazon's free IMDB tv feature.
2. It only works through a desktop browser.
3. Everyone has to be a member of Prime
4. If you own something that's also on Prime, it doesn't look like you get the option (at least, I own Downton Abbey Season 1, which is on prime, and there's no option for me to start a watch party. But I can for other seasons, which I don't own. I have to assume this is a bug.).

OOFS, anyone?

Octopus Overlords

Amazon Prime TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies

Re: Amazon TV/Movies