[Streaming] Max (né HBO Max)

[hepcat]

Just saw that season 3 of Warrior starts on Thursday. Time to dim the lights (the show is very low lit) and watch some brutal violence!

Two episodes in and it’s still gloriously violent fun.

I’m glad they kept Hong from last season. Although they seem to have de-goofied him. I like him goofy, man.

[hepcat]

Just for the sake of curiosity, I tried watching the first episode of Idol.

The bad word of mouth on this one is completely justified. The show is friggin' horrible. It's not that it's offensive (it is), but rather that it's stupid. I mean, jaw droppingly stupid. This is George du Maurier's Trilby as interpreted by a brain trust consisting of Mark Wahlberg, Tara Reid, a half awake house cat and a fern.

Oof. I made it to the 15 minute mark before I had to tuck and roll out of the car.

[disarm]

Just for the sake of curiosity, I tried watching the first episode of Idol.

The bad word of mouth on this one is completely justified. The show is friggin' horrible. It's not that it's offensive (it is), but rather that it's stupid. I mean, jaw droppingly stupid. This is George du Maurier's Trilby as interpreted by a brain trust consisting of Mark Wahlberg, Tara Reid, a half awake house cat and a fern.

Oof.

I've watched all of The Idol and it's definitely not a great show. I watched the first couple episodes out of curiosity, then finished it just because it was only five episodes total. I hoped it would gain even a little bit of depth or meaningful direction, but that never happens. It's shallow from start to finish and really seems like cuts were made at some point in development or filming. The main concept behind the show (young pop star being manipulated by the industry and people around her) could have been an interesting foundation, but they blaze through five hours with so much time wasted on "shock" scenes that the show never goes anyplace interesting. Even the big twist in the final episode comes across as completely contrived.

It's very clear in my mind why The Idol isn't getting a second season.

[hepcat]

I read a few tweets that made me chuckle. Most of them were pretty harsh on The Weeknd. One of them said they were glad smell-o-vision wasn't a thing because of the way he looks.

[Smoove_B]

I watched the first episode as well and didn't "get" it. Wasn't sure if it was because I'm an old person and I wasn't in the target demographic. I didn't really have an opinion about the acting (or the actors), it just felt like it was created for a different audience (maybe).

[disarm]

I read a few tweets that made me chuckle. Most of them were pretty harsh on The Weeknd. One of them said they were glad smell-o-vision wasn't a thing because of the way he looks.

I hadn't seen that yet, but it's a pretty valid point. I wouldn't say he's bad actor, but he plays a total creep and by the last couple episodes, he's fueled by so much drugs and alcohol that he's kind of a mess.

[hepcat]

it just felt like it was created for a different audience (maybe).

And here's that audience.

[Smoove_B]

I don't know how to say it without sounding like Jame Gumb, but if I didn't know who the actress was, I'd say she should be a model - her facial features seemed chiseled to perfection (her cheekbones in particular).

[Isgrimnur]

Her mother was a French model.

[hepcat]

And her father has scissors for hands.

[hepcat]

After reading some good reviews, I started Garcia! this weekend. Set in modern day Spain, it’s the story of a 60’s super agent who is cryogenically frozen and then awakened by accident. Sure, we’ve seen it all before, but what sets it apart is the lead actor’s sincere performance, and the concept that he worked for Francisco Franco’s government. Agent Garcia truly is a good person, but he was on the wrong side of history. The writers also don’t shy away from the fact that a lot of the older generation sees the days under Franco as full of law and order, and overlook the tyranny and concentration camps where many of those who spoke out against the regime ended their lives.

Two episodes in and I have to say, I’m quite enjoying it. Even if the lead actress is annoyingly energetic.



Edit: and finished. It was a bit more serious than I thought it would be. Especially towards the end. But overall it was a fun, well made super spy entry from Spain. The lead actor playing Garcia was fantastic. He was just so sincere as a good man who worked for the wrong people for the right reasons.

But good lord, the lead actress was just awful. I kept hoping her character would pull a Poochie and return to her home planet. Her overacting was just grating.

[Isgrimnur]

Max Will “Soon” Add News & Sports To Its Streaming Mix, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav Says, Though No Timeline Is Given

[Smoove_B]

It's very clear in my mind why The Idol isn't getting a second season.

Are you a wizard?

A decision on whether to renew or cancel The Idol was in flux until recently, sources say. There was no set plan for a multi-season story, though there were options to continue the show following the end of the five-episode season.

[hepcat]

The Idol is a show that made me incredibly happy that "Smell-o-Vision" never became a thing.

[Smoove_B]

We really live in the strangest timeline:

Dubbed a “programming pop-up,” from September 1 to October 31 there will be a new section on Max called “AMC+ Picks on Max” with selected shows from the AMC library available at no extra cost and with no advertising for Max subscribers.

...

According to The Hollywood Reporter, there will be “more than 200 episodes from seven different” AMC shows available on “AMC+ Picks on Max,” including Interview With A Vampire, Dark Winds, Gangs Of London, Fear The Walking Dead, Killing Eve, A Discovery Of Witches, and Ride With Norman Reedus.

[hepcat]

It feels like all these entities are dipping their toes into the waters of consolidation to see how it feels.

I look forward to the return of the Spice Channel on Disney Plus.

[Isgrimnur]

[Blackhawk]

Which means that next they'll be 'X'.

[Kraken]

I haven't watched anything on Max in months. A couple of days ago I logged in on my PC to see what I had saved on my list, but the list wouldn't let me scroll it. Every time I hit the forward arrow it immediately jumped back to the beginning.

Browser setting? Firefox problem? I wasn't in the mood to troubleshoot so I just bounced over to Netflix instead. I should probably stop paying Max $16 every month.

[Carpet_pissr]

I should probably stop paying Max $16 every month.

You definitely should. Especially when you can get the ad-free version for half that (or free dependng on who you use for your cel service)

Or could get it for half that (less than half actually) - remains to be seen if that deal will continue, it's been about a year so time to look for the "new deal". I really like Max, and have definitely gotten value out of it for what I paid. Watched Dune a couple of times at least, and they keep adding new good content (wonder at what point the writer's strike will affect that though).

[Kraken]

Did y'all know that you can snooze Max for up to three months at a time, up to three times a year? I didn't until I went to cancel it last night. That's pretty ideal for me; I will want to watch The Gilded Age, which should be just about done by then. They really don't have anything else I want to see right now and I'm sure Wife is going to want Paramount+ when the Frasier reboot starts up. (Fine by me; I have a lot of Star Trek to catch up on.)

[Blackhawk]

Did y'all know that you can snooze Max for up to three months at a time, up to three times a year? I didn't until I went to cancel it last night. That's pretty ideal for me; I will want to watch The Gilded Age, which should be just about done by then. They really don't have anything else I want to see right now and I'm sure Wife is going to want Paramount+ when the Frasier reboot starts up. (Fine by me; I have a lot of Star Trek to catch up on.)

How does that differ from simply canceling and resubscribing?

[Carpet_pissr]

Did y'all know that you can snooze Max for up to three months at a time, up to three times a year? I didn't until I went to cancel it last night. That's pretty ideal for me; I will want to watch The Gilded Age, which should be just about done by then. They really don't have anything else I want to see right now and I'm sure Wife is going to want Paramount+ when the Frasier reboot starts up. (Fine by me; I have a lot of Star Trek to catch up on.)

How does that differ from simply canceling and resubscribing?

It’s better for the company. (it acts like an auto-renew, but deferred). When that later date comes, they just charge your card w/o having to ask you.

If it’s like other streamers that offer a similar option, I don’t think there is a benefit for the customer.

[Blackhawk]

That's always been my impression (Audible was always really pushy about this.) They just don't want your sub turned off. Enough people are likely to forget, and either get charged again, or get charged for months before they realize that it's potentially worth millions to get customers to pause their accounts.

I'd rather just cancel and decide for myself when I'm ready to re-up.

[Isgrimnur]

[Kraken]

Did y'all know that you can snooze Max for up to three months at a time, up to three times a year? I didn't until I went to cancel it last night. That's pretty ideal for me; I will want to watch The Gilded Age, which should be just about done by then. They really don't have anything else I want to see right now and I'm sure Wife is going to want Paramount+ when the Frasier reboot starts up. (Fine by me; I have a lot of Star Trek to catch up on.)

How does that differ from simply canceling and resubscribing?

Keeping the account open preserves your saved list and history. It also mollifies Wife, who is against canceling it.

[Blackhawk]

I can't argue with the latter. I will say that I've never unsubbed/resubbed to any service that didn't keep any lists intact.

[hepcat]

Ditto.

[Blackhawk]

I think that means he loves me!

[AWS260]

This is the first thing I've seen that makes me want to re-start my HBO Max subscription. No clue what it's about, but the visuals are extraordinary. They remind me of the comic book Prophet.

[Anonymous Bosch]

This is the first thing I've seen that makes me want to re-start my HBO Max subscription. No clue what it's about, but the visuals are extraordinary. They remind me of the comic book Prophet.

Looks promising. Here's how it's described…

After their deep-space freighter is damaged, the stranded crew of the Demeter must fight to survive on a beautiful yet dangerous planet.

In this surreal sci-fi animated series from creators Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner, the remaining crew of a damaged interstellar freighter ship find themselves stranded on a beautiful yet unforgiving alien planet – where they must survive long enough to escape or be rescued. But as the survivors struggle to locate their downed ship and missing crewmates, their new home reveals a hostile world allowed to thrive without human interference. Featuring lush, visually stunning animation, Scavengers Reign presents a wholly unique view of the consequences of unchecked hubris and humanity’s eternal desire to conquer the unknown.

Premieres October 19 on Max.

[Blackhawk]

I have to say - I am not a fan of the modern anime-inspired, low-detail, weird-eyes, choppy animation style. It's not bad now and then, but it seems to be the go-to for every single animated show that doesn't have a MacFarlane or Groenig behind it.

[Kraken]

I have to say - I am not a fan of the modern anime-inspired, low-detail, weird-eyes, choppy animation style. It's not bad now and then, but it seems to be the go-to for every single animated show that doesn't have a MacFarlane or Groenig behind it.

That was my reaction. I like the art style and the potentially surreal story but the animation is rather poor.

[hepcat]

I see no real difference in the animation quality of this and the Batman or Justice League animated series, to be honest. Looks fine to me.

[Blackhawk]

I see no real difference in the animation quality of this and the Batman or Justice League animated series, to be honest. Looks fine to me.

Part of it is the choppiness, where it looks like they only draw every third frame. Another part is that while the two you mentioned are heavily stylized for effect (they were based off the Max Fleischer Superman and Tim Burton's Batman), their style never replaced every other form of animation on the planet. The psuedo-anime style has been taken up by seemingly everything. I gave up on getting excited about animated shows. Hey, they're doing an animated Witcher/Dragon Age/whatever! Yay! Then the trailer comes out and it looks just like this. Even the well-written shows (Dragon Prince, Vox Machina) use variants of this style.

Is it any wonder that something like Arcane blew people away with it's animation style? Now, I'm not saying that every shows should look like Arcane (it was expensive and time consuming), just that there is more than one way to draw a cat, and this particular cat style is getting really, really old.

[hepcat]

I guess I don't watch as many animated shows as you as I'm hard pressed to think of that many shows sharing this look. I see the choppiness you mention, but it seems like a stylistic choice...and something else I don't see as much as you seem to.

I'm looking forward to this show. It looks interesting.

[Blackhawk]

It's not that I watch that much animation (other than the Groenig/Macfarlane/FormerlyVoicedByRoiland set, plus a couple mentioned above), it's that they've announced quite a few shows based on properties that I really like, gotten excited to see, and then they release the trailer... and it's the same anime-inspired style, over and over.

And to be clear, there's nothing wrong with anime. I love Studio Ghibli, and I've seen a few anime shows (some of which I liked, some of which left me scratching my head.) It's that it's overused, including for things that the style isn't well suited to. It's that the style has become pervasive.

It's the zombies of animation. It's the bacon of animation. It's the MOBA/Battle Royale of animation. It is the pumpkin spice of animation.

[hepcat]

What other shows look like this to the extent that they’re driving you away from things you looked forward to?

[Blackhawk]

What other shows look like this to the extent that they’re driving you away from things you looked forward to?

I feel like I'm on trial here.

Other than the ones I mentioned above, I don't know. Once I see the style, I move on.

[hepcat]

No, no trial. I was just curious because you made it sound like it was so overused that it was ruining things for you frequently. I was scratching my head trying to figure out what shows.