Television programmes [2]

Yeah, his yellow eyes when he first collects her pendant off her sticks in the head.

It must have been another episode when she's in the tub. So close...

So Shogun has been remade, and is coming out on the FX channel.  It's gotten good reviews - it may be as good as the original, but will be hard to tell because the impact of the first one had much to do with the novelty.  The lead characters don't have the starpower of the originals: here's hoping they will rise to the occasion presented by the material.

Edit: I found something to look at.  The production values look flawless, but when I hear producers say schlock like "this is a story about agency..." I  find myself harassed with doubt.

{{ Um looking at that it seems Shogun has a female lead now? I don't recall that from either the book or earlier TV adaptation. It seems they have seriously padded up the role of the female translator who doesn't appear until near the end, I suspect they have taken the role of the priest, the Jesuit priest and the one he befriends in prison and sort of rolled them all into one female character- which given how that sort of forcing women into stories they don't belong in has gone before, is cause for some concern. Also a catholic woman is an odd choice to be representing the Catholic Church of all churches in the 1600's!}}

The Jesuits were active in Japan.  No reason why she can't be a convert, and it would explain how she becomes a translator.

I don't see any hints of his other crew members, who were a big component of the first part of the story.  It seems like they are not telling James Clavell's Shogun, but something inspired by it.

{{ yes, there are three priests in the book, but in the book he doesnt meet her, the translator, till way, way into things, and then she drops right back out again after he is moved elsewhere, but from this trailer you'd assume she was the main character of it.}}

You know damn well no screen writer can resist shoving in a love story where there ain't none to be had.  The main virtue of the original is they were very faithful to Clavell's story, and book writers aren't as drawn to love stories because heaving bosoms need to be seen, not described.

"Her bosom heaved".   Nope, doesn't work.

(Note: does 'bosom' really have one s and no u? )

Watched the first 3 episodes. Each episode is like watching a movie. Brilliant.

Yes, I'll be watching it too soon. Very curious to compare to the original.

Might be worth watching

{{ Was just about to post that too Chris- it certainly has the look and sound of the games. Good to see that 'future as seen from the 1950's vibe' alive and well.
Doesn't seem to be based on any one particular game- there's elements of Fallout 2's GECK plan to revive the world, there's visual stuff from Fallout 3 and 4 particularly the Brotherhood look and the Power Armour, the Ghouls are a bit less, well ghoulish looking than the games versions, presumably to let the actor act more and spend less hours in the makeup chair. But the plot seems more or less original with little elements from across the 4 main games in the series.
But yeah actually got some high hopes for this one as a decent game to tv series. }}

{{ I'm hoping the look and vibe of the tv series isn't just a borrowed aesthetic but retains the original's humorous satire on the American Dream-



The intro sequence to the last mainstream game in the series, Fallout4, sets the pre-war scene and how it got to this point pretty well, without going into details on it so shouldn't be spoilery, as the show is made with at least one eye on the existing fanbase of the games, and anyone whose played a Fallout game would know all this going in.



Though my favourite intro is that of Fallout 3, which the trailers seem to lean into for their feel. }}

That Vault-tec ad has the same tongue in cheek feeling as Robo Cop.

{{ Yeah its certainly an influence, especially in the Vault-Tec commercials and information films, including, even in cartoon form, the over-the-top violence.



But the satire of America is still there in other products and their commercials, such as this one for the theme park Nuka-World, based on the most popular soft drink in America, Nuka-Cola.



It's a mad idea to have thought of, yet somehow brilliant- take that shiny, futuristic, all atomic powered imagining that the 1950's had of the future, then imagine it actually happened, then blow all that up in a nuclear war, leaving a ruined society of survivors, mutants and radiation, but all harkening back to that 50's feel of America and its idea of what the realisation of the American Dream would look like. Meanwhile in post-apocalyptic reality, "war, war never changes." }}

that's an incredible amount of creativity going into a game! I'm starting to feel the pull to rethink the anti-game stance in my life.

{{ you should try the hours of lore and world building behind the Elder Scrolls series Halfy (Skyrim is one of them, its almost like delving into Tolkien without realising what you're getting yourself into). There's quite a lot of the vault-tec commercials and information films, nearly always with their mascot Vault-Boy dying horribly.

There was a fan made tv series based on Fallout done several years ago that I enjoyed, so if you want a taste of at least the setting and potential style of the new show it's worth giving a go. }}

One does have to wonder why everyone is in pseudo western garb except for the comely lass who feels her midriff needs airing. Despite all the effort at world building the influence of incel programmers apparently reigns supreme.

{{ It's hot in the wasteland? In fairness to the games at least Fallout and Elder Scrolls (they make them both) they are roleplaying games, so you can pick to be a female character and how you dress is up to you, and what you can rob, steal or take off the corpses of the people you just met. }}

Saw the first episode of Shogun, and it was pretty okay.  It doesn't seem to have the same clarity of storytelling as the first one, and definitely a darker lighting palette.  I think the writers inserted some extra scenes to explain the background and to highlight the confusion stemming from cultural differences, but I don't think it helps.  

It is a very good production and there's nothing wrong with the writing, even if it doesn't sport the effortless crystalline genius of the original.  I'll keep watching and may even reacquire the book to see if I'm remembering things right.  It seems to me the original version omitted but never deviated from the book.  This version so far seems to deviate but without doing violence to the template.

Not sure how long I'll continue with Shogun.  The main problem is the main character, who can't pull off the sense of nobility of a Richard Chamberlaine.  Part of it is the script's fault, having him shout louder at people in English if they don't understand him, but even without this grievious stupidity he still comes across as slightly inebriated all the time, which is not something he'd have access to in his condition as a semi captive so far.  And it's not a good drunk.  He simply can't carry the part, taking the shine off the whole thing.

And then they were attacked at night and our cute little translator (remember her?) grabs a spear and turns into a regular Mary Sue, taking out opponents right and left.  Next scene she's back to her demure self and nobody so much as mentions it. This is all fine and good if it were a fantasy, but this is Shogun, which introduced America to pre-modern Japanese culture.  Some respect for reality is in order.  When she broke character and started whirling around taking out combatants like a tasmanian devil I nearly switched it off right there.  

I may watch a bit more because the story has veered so far from the book by the third episode that everything is new, and the production values are good.  But it will never match the glory of the original.

Just watched the whole series of Line of Duty, the BBC police thingy. I never saw it when it first came out, but I have to say it's fantastic. I really enjoyed it, especially the first 3 series. Some fantastic actors.

Line of Duty was good. I dont think I watched the first series but have seen the last couple.

Just watching The Morning Show on Appe TV. Quite similar to Succession in its feel and surpsingly complex character played by Jennifer Aniston.

Shogun does look good, but I dont have Disney+

Shogun would look better if it didn't suffer in comparison to the near flawless original. You're not missing anything life changing.

{ Watched the first 4 episodes so far of Fallout. It's not bad at all. Not the greatest bit of storytelling ever told (nor are the games) but it's decent, entertaining and sticks pretty close to the source in terms of visuals and the like. Vaults, Power Armor, the various weapons, the factions and their attire, it's all spot on pretty much.
The main character is likeable and the other two leads have a nice moral ambiguity about them that sits with the game's premise. Fair warning if you're squeamish though it also retains the game's ridiculous levels of over-the-top violence and gore, but at least it's well done over-the-top violence and gore.
So far I'd recommend it, it's got a good premise as the game do, it's got good characters, and it's a decent adventure/road trip movie, just in a post apocalypse. }}

The Night Manager with Tom Hiddlebum is coming back yay!