Octopus Overlords

I read the Gibson book when it first came out. Don't remember much, but I'm definitely in like Flynn.

If it is mostly VR stuff, then I'll probably tune out after 5 minutes. I really dislike that entire genre, with the very rare exception of a few attempts. I have the same issue with movies that take place in dreamscapes.

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 5:56 pm If it is mostly VR stuff, then I'll probably tune out after 5 minutes. I really dislike that entire genre, with the very rare exception of a few attempts. I have the same issue with movies that take place in dreamscapes.

I agree, but Clobber Girl generally entertains me.

It is time for some good SF to address the current Klepts.. IN!

stimpy wrote: ↑Sat Aug 27, 2022 8:34 pm Samaritan with Sylvester Stallone........
No. Just.........no.

Goodnight Mommy

My Best Friend's Exorcism

Nanny

It's an older movie (2012), but I watched FDR: American Badass on Prime last night and I'm at a loss for words. It's Barry Bostwick as FDR fighting Nazi werewolves who spread polio. It's highly offensive, and funny as hell.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Thu Oct 13, 2022 8:58 am It's an older movie (2012), but I watched FDR: American Badass on Prime last night and I'm at a loss for words. It's Barry Bostwick as FDR fighting Nazi werewolves who spread polio. It's highly offensive, and funny as hell.

I'm in!

The Good Nurse

Shotgun Wedding

Run Sweetheart Run

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Fri Oct 14, 2022 10:36 pm The Good Nurse

I think this might be in the wrong thread?

Perhaps

Just a reminder The Peripheral episode 1 came out today.

Edit: This just in: There are two episodes up, and this show is excellent!

How many episodes until the season is over? I can't do the once per week anymore.

Jeff V wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 9:48 pm How many episodes until the season is over? I can't do the once per week anymore.

A quick search says eight episodes.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 9:52 pm

Jeff V wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 9:48 pm How many episodes until the season is over? I can't do the once per week anymore.

A quick search says eight episodes.

Remember the olden days when a season was 26 episodes?

If you're still liking it after 8, I'll add it to the watch list.

I don't miss those days at all... the majority of series were filled with so much padding. I'd rather watch three different series now with better actors.

I feel like we've swung too far in the other direction. Storytelling can be too 'efficient.'. Sometimes those filler episodes had character development in them that weren't part of any long-term plan, but became significant later in the series.

I don’t think that’s an episode quantity issue. If you can’t give your characters depth over the course of 8 hours or so, you’re just a bad writer.

That's not what I meant.

I mean that sometimes the fluff can do a lot to tie the viewer to the world and the characters, and that a few extra episodes lets writers experiment a little.

I'm not saying that I want 26 episodes, including bottle shows and clip shows. I'm saying that efficiency in storytelling can be pushed too far sometimes,and that I sometimes feel like shows don't have as much of a distinctive, unique personality as they used to. There are numbers between 26 and 8.

Yeah I agree, I generally enjoy 10 and 12-episode seasons better than 6 and 8-episode ones. There are exceptions of course... it depends on the breadth of the story and the writing. Did we know Mulder and Scully better for having seen them 20+ times per season? Definitely. The series wouldn't have been the same with only the monster-of-the-week episodes or the serial arc ones. The serial story had a tendancy to run off the rails at times, especially in later seasons. But that was likely less a failure of the format than of the writing.

I'm bummed some of the new Star Wars and Marvel series are so short. But I also felt like the Netflix Marvel series seasons were generally too long. The equilibrium is going to be different for each series/story. I think a well planned arc is always going to trump procedurals churned out by monkeys with the mere goal of extending the run of the series. But formulaic, repetitive shows can also have their virtues in terms of comfort and simplicity. When you get home from a 12-hour shift you don't want to watch something with the complexity of le Carré.

I think 13 episodes is the sweet spot. Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, some of the best television we’ve ever had seemed to arise only after television broke the 22 to 26 episodes a season rule. And I think it’s because of what Sudy mentioned. Unless the writers are obscenely, amazingly talented, writing what’s effectively a 1500 to 2000 page novel ever year is just unsustainable.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sat Oct 22, 2022 2:34 am That's not what I meant.

I mean that sometimes the fluff can do a lot to tie the viewer to the world and the characters, and that a few extra episodes lets writers experiment a little.

I'm not saying that I want 26 episodes, including bottle shows and clip shows. I'm saying that efficiency in storytelling can be pushed too far sometimes,and that I sometimes feel like shows don't have as much of a distinctive, unique personality as they used to. There are numbers between 26 and 8.

Seeing as how the first episode is over 70 minutes and the second is over 65, there's plenty of content to be found here.

Plus The Peripheral is based off a book. How much experimenting do the writers really need to do in this one?

Jeff V wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 10:30 pm

Jaymann wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 9:52 pm

Jeff V wrote: ↑Fri Oct 21, 2022 9:48 pm How many episodes until the season is over? I can't do the once per week anymore.

A quick search says eight episodes.

Remember the olden days when a season was 26 episodes?

If you're still liking it after 8, I'll add it to the watch list.

Why would you have 8 hours to watch it in the future but not 8 hours to watch it over the next 7 weeks?

Don't make me whip out the list.

But on a serious note, I think Jeff just prefers to binge watch. I can understand that. Remembering what happens after a week away can sometimes be a bit daunting. Especially if you're also watching a few other shows.

Recap is your friend. But even after a week I skip it.

pr0ner wrote: ↑Sat Oct 22, 2022 9:09 am
Seeing as how the first episode is over 70 minutes and the second is over 65, there's plenty of content to be found here.

Plus The Peripheral is based off a book. How much experimenting do the writers really need to do in this one?

I have no idea what The Peripheral is even about. The topic had spun off into a more general discussion.

Do new shows still have recaps? Do I just tune them out because they're so embedded into the convention of watching television that I don't notice them anymore but expect them? Like did Westworld and Bjoack Horseman have recaps? Or do they just assume people are going to binge/re-watch/read the AV Club review to understand what's going on?

[Skip Recap]

Sudy wrote: ↑Sat Oct 22, 2022 10:19 am Do new shows still have recaps? Do I just tune them out because they're so embedded into the convention of watching television that I don't notice them anymore but expect them? Like did Westworld and Bjoack Horseman have recaps? Or do they just assume people are going to binge/re-watch/read the AV Club review to understand what's going on?

Most shows with even a minimum arc have them. But they're sometimes a bit lackluster. I'm just saying people like Jeff and I, who were born during the Prohibition or earlier, sometimes have trouble remembering things. Hell, I left the water running AGAIN the other day and had to mop my floor for a half hour. And you expect me to remember that Aegon II is not Aegon I, nor is he Aemon IV or Areola III???

Sudy wrote: ↑Sat Oct 22, 2022 10:19 am Do new shows still have recaps? Do I just tune them out because they're so embedded into the convention of watching television that I don't notice them anymore but expect them? Like did Westworld and Bjoack Horseman have recaps? Or do they just assume people are going to binge/re-watch/read the AV Club review to understand what's going on?

Shows that drop their whole season at once, like Bojack Horseman, don't. Shows that drop their seasons weekly, like The Peripheral or Westworld or House of the Dragon or the new Star Trek shows, still do.

Chekhov's recap.

"Hey, remember that character that was in that one episode two seasons ago?

I wonder what's going to happen this week?"

Let it be said that we debated the important things in life here.

I would have saved that bon mot for such things as a spirited, 3 page debate over whether or not Marmaduke was neutered or something.

...oh shit...I just started a debate over whether or not Marmaduke was neutered, didn't I.

The People We Hate at the Wedding

pr0ner wrote: ↑Sat Oct 22, 2022 9:42 am Why would you have 8 hours to watch it in the future but not 8 hours to watch it over the next 7 weeks?

I have very little time to watch TV period. When I do, it's usually a block of hours, maybe once every few weeks or so. Watching as many as I can at that time is the most efficient way to watch something.

If I watch one episode, it may or may not be derailed by oh look, SQUIRREL! It often takes me several episodes to really get into anything, and many get left unwatched after an often-mediocre first episode (characters and plot are being established, things make more sense later on).

I watched My Best Friend's Exorcism last night. Do yourself a favor and read the book instead.

The adaptation failed to capture a lot of the humor in the book, and felt rushed throughout. They also softened or eliminated entirely a lot of the more serious elements, which doesn't make sense given it got an R rating anyway. Big disappointment.