Octopus Overlords

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 11:13 pm Regarding the new Spanish horror series 30 Coins:

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Nov 16, 2020 4:02 pm Looks interesting, but is it subtitles only? That's a show killer for me, unfortunately.

Subtitles only. The show is up now.

And I was about to give up at the halfway mark for the first episode when they
So yeah, starts slow...then turns creepy.

It’s a lot like the original The Omen so far though.

I've watched the first three episodes of 30 Coins, and it has its ups and downs. Most of the stuff with the Father Vergara is pretty solid, but I'm not digging Paco and Merche. Elena is pretty good when she's with Vergara, but Paco drags her down in her scenes with him. I think it's interesting how each episode moves forward with the coins while still maintaining a "monster of the week" feel (so far, anyway). And, yeah. That part in the first episode was super creepy.

The first half of the first episode did not impress me. Thankfully I stuck around though once you know what showed up. That's when it became almost a creature feature. At that point I started enjoying it.

Father Vergara is definitely the most interesting character. I can only hope they inject some more life into the supporting characters as they go on.

Also, I want to live in that town where the show is set. It’s so idyllic. Well...other than the monsters and demons.

Just as an FYI, the prepay option that was offering a discount was originally set to end on 1/15. However, in checking it now, they've extended the price break to 3/1/21 (saving 20% when you pre-pay 6 months).

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Jan 13, 2021 5:08 pm Just as an FYI, the prepay option that was offering a discount was originally set to end on 1/15. However, in checking it now, they've extended the price break to 3/1/21 (saving 20% when you pre-pay 6 months).

Thanks for posting this. I was just about to add it soon because the deal would be up, but can now wait for a while.

And now they're releasing Godzilla vs King Kong two months early:

First it was the Warner Bros. decision in late-2020 to shift all of its 2021 theatrical releases over to the HBO Max streaming service. Now, one of the studio's big blockbusters for the year, Godzilla vs. Kong, will be arriving for streaming an unheard-of two months ahead of schedule.

The new release date is March 26, 2021.

It's not uncommon for Hollywood to shift release dates around even when there isn't a dangerous illness sweeping across the planet. But this is still a surprise, starting with the fact that Godzilla vs. Kong is even coming to HBO Max as part of the Warner Bros. 2021 plan.

I would prefer to see this in a theater, so hopefully they’ll open up some of them before then. I do love me some kaiju action.

Locked Down

I watched the first half of Locked Down over the weekend with my wife, who apparently managed to stay awake through the entire thing. It took way too long to get to the heist aspect of things. There were some amusing, relatable pandemic moments in what I watched, but I think they really could have cut down on that significantly to move things along.

hepcat wrote:I would prefer to see this in a theater, so hopefully they’ll open up some of them before then. I do love me some kaiju action.

Theaters are open in Jersey with limited seating. Heck for 200 bucks you can rent an entire theater for up to 20 people.

I don't believe there was more than twenty people at any of these showings.

If you get bored sometime, take a deep dive into the Adult Swim section of HBO Max.

So far, I've discovered:

1) Tigtone - A parody of D&D characters starring Tigtone, a blissfully unaware hero with only one desire: to quest. It's far more bizarre than that synopsis makes it sound though. Far more.

2) The Shivering Truth - Stop motion animation vignettes that are almost impossible to describe. They're beyond bizarre and make David Lynch look like Michael Bay when it comes to narrative. I'm still trying to wrap my head around whether I'm supposed to laugh, scream in terror or cringe in embarrassment. I suspect it's all three.

They've been expanding the Adult Swim section a lot, but I didn't realize those were on already. They're pretty new.

I just looked, and I think we need to set up the Lord Mortis signal. They've got Lucy, Daughter of the Devil up now, and I seem to recall he was a huge fan of that show.

hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 4:23 pm
1) Tigtone - A parody of D&D characters starring Tigtone, a blissfully unaware hero with only one desire: to quest. It's far more bizarre than that synopsis makes it sound though. Far more.

I have watched a single episode and I am already willing to declare that this may be the weirdest thing I have ever watched...

...and I think I love it.

Induce the birthing trolls!

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 7:47 pm Induce the birthing trolls!

It's like if Terry Gilliam was 17, on LSD, and a longtime gamer.

How they make the show is almost as bizarre as the show itself.

30 Coins really knows how to make Lovecraftian monsters. And they use them sparingly so that when they do show up, they’re all the more creepy.

The Head on HBO Max is hella fun. First, it’s set in an ice station in Antarctica. Second, it’s set in an ice station in Antarctica. And third, it’s set in an ice station in Antarctica. Oh, and there’s someone killing people.

I am a sucker for any show or movie set in remote ice stations. I can’t help it. I’m hooked.

hepcat wrote:The Head on HBO Max is hella fun. First, it’s set in an ice station in Antarctica. Second, it’s set in an ice station in Antarctica. And third, it’s set in an ice station in Antarctica. Oh, and there’s someone killing people.

I am a sucker for any show or movie set in remote ice stations. I can’t help it. I’m hooked.

I saw the trailer and it was pretty scary. Perfect for watching alone in the dark after everyone is sleeping because no one else will watch it. (gulp)

They even show them watching John Carpenter’s The Thing at one point. What I consider to be one of the most perfect horror films ever made.

hepcat wrote:They even show them watching John Carpenter’s The Thing at one point. What I consider to be one of the most perfect horror films ever made.

Yeah, Carpenter's The Thing is on par with Alien as not just a great horror movie but just a good movie all around.

Sadly, The Head isn't actually a creature feature or a horror film. But it is a good whodunit set in, and stop me if I've mentioned this before, an ice station in Antarctica. Still, it does have some horror trappings with the gore and the claustrophobia that comes with being stuck in such a remote location.

/me looks outside.

I'm not really sure I'm in the mood for something set in the Antarctic right now . . . .

I can't NOT watch something set in remote ice stations. I blame John Carpenter's The Thing and Ice Station Zebra for that. In addition, submarine movies are must watch tv for me. I think it's just the whole claustrophobic aspect that makes it all very real and tense for me.

I read both Ice Station Zebra and Night Without End (same author) back when I was about ten, and I've had a love for remote arctic settings ever since.

$iljanus wrote: ↑Tue Feb 09, 2021 9:37 am

hepcat wrote:They even show them watching John Carpenter’s The Thing at one point. What I consider to be one of the most perfect horror films ever made.

Yeah, Carpenter's The Thing is on par with Alien as not just a great horror movie but just a good movie all around.

Side note here, but if you're a fan of John Carpenter's The Thing, you owe it to yourself to seek out The Void. Get a 7 day trial for Shudder streaming service (my favorite streaming service...all horror, all the time) and watch it. It uses practical effects just like The Thing...and it's set in a remote hospital under siege from...something.

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Feb 09, 2021 3:30 pm

$iljanus wrote: ↑Tue Feb 09, 2021 9:37 am

hepcat wrote:They even show them watching John Carpenter’s The Thing at one point. What I consider to be one of the most perfect horror films ever made.

Yeah, Carpenter's The Thing is on par with Alien as not just a great horror movie but just a good movie all around.

Side note here, but if you're a fan of John Carpenter's The Thing, you owe it to yourself to seek out The Void. Get a 7 day trial for Shudder streaming service (my favorite streaming service...all horror, all the time) and watch it. It uses practical effects just like The Thing...and it's set in a remote hospital under siege from...something.

Since I only get to watch horror movies by myself at night these movies are going to be the death of me...

Formix wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 9:44 am I’m in solely for studio Ghibli,

i found out the only way to see Earwig and the Witch is through this streaming service. that's too bad.

I was about to watch that when I took a look at the reviews. They are not good.

So it's not a sequel to Hedwig and the Angry Inch?

AWS260 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:01 pm So it's not a sequel to Hedwig and the Angry Inch?

Whoa, been a while since a boner has knocked the phone out of my hand...

If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times. Stop making calls while you’re in a YMCA shower.

So I started Doom Patrol (currently in episode 3). I have no context on this at all. I can't figure out if I like this or not. At times I think the humor misses the mark and at times undermines the whole show. At other times it works well. I know people hated Cyborg being in this, but I love him since it's Rigsy from Doctor Who! Anyway, this feels like a hot mess. The whole puppet show thing was just so stupid. I also think the effects for Mr. Nobody look... really really bad. It's also distracting to hear Alan Tudyk do a voice nearly identical to his portrayl of the Joker in Harley Quinn (now THAT show I love).

Anyway, just a few of my thoughts as I am about to finish the third episode...

If you didn’t like the puppet show episode I’d just stop. It’s not for you as the show doesn’t change in humor or tone. You’re really going to hate Danny the Street and Flex Mentallo, I expect.

Personally, I think it’s an amazing show (the puppet show was fantastic), and it has been a critical darling since it started (both seasons are near 100 percent on rotten tomatoes). But we all have different tastes.

The problem is there are plenty of other parts that I like. Some of the humor works very well. But some of the humor and other things undermines it for me. For example in episode 4 the singing purple horse head was ridiculous to the point of undermining the episode. At other times the humor really hits. (shrugs.) I don't want to quit it yet so I must like it more often than not.

Baphomet’s form was straight from the comic. She also sometimes appears as Jayne Mansfield. It’s supposed to be absurd and surreal. That’s the Doom Patrol in a nutshell. But it’s also heartbreakingly poignant at times, as well as being hilarious at others.

Doom Patrol, Legion and Wandavision are examples of shows based on comic books that prove they can be thoughtful, intelligent television.

I have now watched 7 episodes of Doom Patrol. If I have watched 7 eps of anything I guess that must mean that I like it. I still think there are some things that don't work for me at best or are dumb at worst, but I am rolling with it.

I can't think of anything that was overtly "dumb" in the show. As I mentioned before, there may be things you're not understanding because it's more a wink to fans of the source material/ (Baphomet's form, for example), or you're expecting realism where it's not really intended nor wanted (Baphomet's form, for example) .

Grant Morrison's run on the comic is the show's source, and he's decidedly in the intellectual group of writers for the genre, like Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman. He also has a tendency to heavily mine mythology for his ideas...and humans have invented some seriously goofy myths over the course of our time on this planet. Something he parodies quite a bit in his work (Baphomet's form, for example).

Also, if you think Danny the Street and Flex Mentallo are dumb, I will block you on OO.