Television programmes [2]

People who go online to complain about people who go online to complain about people who go online to complain. It amused me.

{{Ah well no wonde rit went over my head, complaining about people is pretty much my entire MO!  }}

Might give this a watch. Looks like X-files.

{{Could be interesting- keep an eye o that one Chris.

Missed this over xmas, but thought it was fun anyway and informative }}

I'm interested to see how closely the "History" channel show follows the actual Project Blue Book.  Have to look into that.

EDIT: just did. As the preview suggests is a mix of real history with storymaking.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-project-blue-book-review-20190108-story.html

{{I am very much in two minds about this based on the limited information available




Its been adapted by Peter Harness, who some of you might know from his Who work, where he has, well an interesting episode resume- Kill the Moon, The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion and Pyramid at the End of the World.

Bu rather more concerned by what's being said- starts good with the producer but has a weird change, or error-

“H.G. Wells' seminal novel has been adapted for the screen many times but it's always had a contemporary (and American) setting, this is the first version to be set in London and the Home Counties during the Edwardian period.”

The novel is set during the Victorian era, not the Edwardian was 1901-1910 which is about a decade after the novels setting, why such a odd minor change I have no idea!

Next we have Harness, and this is where the crabbit meter perks up-

"The version of The War of the Worlds that I wanted to make is one that's faithful to the tone and the spirit of the book, but which also feels contemporary, surprising and full of shocks: a collision of sci-fi, period drama and horror. There is nothing cosy or predictable about Wells’ novel, and that’s what I want to capture in the show. We have an incredible cast, a brilliant director and a wonderful crew - and I can’t wait for them to explode the terrifying story of the first alien invasion on to our screens.”

And this is where the crabbit meter starts to humm dangerously-

'This version stars Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark) and Rafe Spall (The Life Of Pi, The Big Short) as Amy and George respectively, and is set to bring a welcome 'twist' to the well-worn tale on the small screen, as the story will follow the couple as they face "the escalating terror of an alien invasion, fighting for their lives against an enemy beyond their comprehension" in Edwardian England!'

welcome "twist"? Welcome to who exactly?

That seems to confirm the Edwardian setting, but also a major change, the main character is no longer trying to reach his wife, he's brought her along! That changes the dynamic in every major scene- for example the first major incident he is caught up in at Waymeet, he only escapes by pure chance, as he ready admits, you can buy that- the main character surviving the attack by sheer luck, but now two of them have to survive it by sheer luck which is starting to stretch it, or they have to make up a completely new way to survive it.

How will the encounters with the Artilleryman work? And even more so the close claustrophobic parts where he is trapped alone with the increasingly raving Vicar and  Martian encampment out the window? I just cant see that working anywhere near as well with three people in it.
But mainly you lose entirely the sense of increasing desperation and acceptance that his wife is 99% likely dead and soon enough so he will be too which leads to his final suicidal run to a Martian- that climatic emotional moment, that ending just doesn't work if he has her there all the time. And if they kill her off to get that its is a complete change to the books ending for the main character (and her obviously).

Looks like I have will wait yet for a faithful adaption of that book!!   }}}

Now this is what I don't like. You remove the tension that we can all feel when we are protecting our own. You don't take yer fecking wife, girlfriend, partner along. That is the crucial heart of the story, the struggle to reach them, the defiance to not be defeated, What else is left if you tinker around with that ? Is the encounter with the 2 women, one of which has lost her husband ? If I remember correctly isn't He getting annoyed with them at some point as he takes them with him ?

{{Almost Azriel, that was the brother, about a third of the book follows his brother fleeing London, on the overcrowded roads he meets two women driving a cart and rescues them for a hold-up, and they go together to the coast- that's where the whole Thunderchild warship v tripod fight comes in.

Not to blow my own sporran but in the adaptation I wrote on here somewhere I changed those two women to be the wife and the the cousin she went to stay with- a big coincidence maybe but it let me keep characters the viewer would be familiar with and let me expand their roles somewhat (and in the case of the cousin who is only name checked in the book it let me just use the personality of one of the existing women anyway)in a way that seem more natural to the novel and the time period- and more importantly their eventual fates are left unknown till the end to the viewer and more importantly the main character who is trying to find her.
If his wife is with him through the story then I dont see where the personal drama is going to come from, well I can, sort of, but it would be utterly different in tone and feel from the book.}}

Top 5 episodes from any TV show. not in any order. my faves.

1. Buffy, the singing one
2. first episode of Lost
3. Turn Left, Dr Who
4. The Door, GoT season 6, ep 5
5. The Winds of Winter, GoT season 6 ep 10

I'm glad someone else recognizes the awesomeness of the Buffy musical!  I know some fans who detest it, but I thought it was great.  The best part is when Spike looks up at his raised arm as part of the choreography, goes "Sod this!" and stomps off.

I'd say about half of all the Frasier episodes are genius.  For me the best episode is when Frazier takes out the new boss, not realizing he's gay and thinks it's a date.  This leads to the following exchange which of course can't translate to the page (and I'm quoting from memory so not accurate):

Niles: "Frazier, there's something I need to tell you.  Dad wanted to, but I won the coin toss.  Frank is into you."
Frazier: "Nonsense, Frank's not gay!"
Niles: "Well he appears to be under that impression."

ALL the Firefly episodes are genius.

I'll have to go off and think about particulars of other shows.

The Ember Island Players

Im a boring old fart, I like murder mysteries, crime, detectives, "Endeavour" that sort of thing, & University Challenge

I think my top 5 list is too short, but they are the ones that have stuck in my mind and made me go wow. I think the Buffy musical was genius, I normally find musicals really boring but that was amazing.
I have never seen Firefly will find out whether you can get it on dvd. I would really add Blink to that list.

ok, top 5 favourite recentish series

1. Babylon Berlin
2. The Night Of
3. The Night Manager
4. The Bodyguard
5. Luther

deep into procrastination mode.

Shows that I've been watching:

X-Files (went through all of it, including the new stuff...Amazing)
Californication
Aquarius (after X-files and Californication, decided to try Aquarius based on David Duchovny alone, the show is amazing and David Duchovny continues to be a giant among men haha)
The Blacklist (James Spader…nuf said)
The Walking Dead (Which I am one of the few who think the show has gotten better since Jefferey Dean Morgan joined the cast)
I went through Firefly
The Rookie New show with Nathan Fillion, which is quite good


Those are the most notable shows I have been watching, there are others, but I'll stick with these ones for now.

yep X-files is a classic

I'd have to get the streaming version of netflix just to watch Babylon Berlin.

If you can Halfy I think you would love it. It is mesmerising, atmospheric and the lead girl is lovely. It is in German and I saw it with Italian dubbing, there is an English version as well. It was such a success that they are making another series.

and its got Brian Ferry singing.

Eldy wrote:

Bluebottle wrote:The Ember Island Players

Hm... I'll try to just pick things out of left field

1 Polònia ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbvp8al-1xc )
2 L'école du pouvoir ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGYNyh3NM1M )
3 Lars Monsen ( https://tv.nrk.no/serie/canada-paa-tvers/sesong/1/episode/1/avspiller )
4 Nichijou ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZSltqAuNMQ )
5 Oooooh, and something making fun of the danish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykj3Kpm3O0g

Once again, nobody's been watching WestWorld? Just started watching the second season.  I find it every bit as seductive as Game of Thrones.  It's all about the Mind Fuck.  But in GoT the MF is in what happens to beloved characters, in WW the MF is all about discovering characters are bewilderingly not what you thought.  (You see how I pulled an Eldy in that last sentence?)

Anyway, if you haven't seen Westworld, you owe yourself.  But the mind fuckery does't start until the second episode, the first one is spent in introductions and building expectations to be suddenly snatched away.  It builds.

I enjoyed the first half of the first season, despite all the gratuity. But then the second-half went down-hill quickly in terms of writing.

Actually I felt the first season was a wonderful build up of new revelations to a brilliant conclusion.

But the second season doesn't feel fresh, and the playing with narrative timelines is simply confusing without the purpose of the first. Only partway into the second season and not feeling the same magic.

Loved Deadwood, did not know about this until today.

This is great! Deadwood is the same level as Firefly in my book.