[Binder of Demons]

QuickTidal, on 19 July 2014 - 12:05 PM, said:

The wife and I have been blitzing through VERONICA MARS on Netflix. Into Season 2 now. I had no idea this show was this good. I can see why everyone went so bananas for it.

It has some cheesy moments throughout it's run, but it's a very well written, and well made show. There are some great actors in it as well. Kristen Bell is excellent, and her interaction with Enrico Collantoni (her father in it) is fantastic fun too.

I'm glad they got to make a movie, which i must really get around to watching.

Would love to see Bell get a chance to work with Joss Whedon properly cos they seem like a perfect fit, as she can really deliver snappy idiosyncratic dialogue in a believable way.

I wouldn't mind re-watching Veronica Mars, except I find the very highschool drama aspect a bit of a struggle on a rewatch.

[QuickTidal]

We are both properly addicted now to VERONICA MARS.

Oh and both believe that Veronica belongs with Logan...not effing Duncan.

[QuickTidal]

Because of the romance level I've never been compelled to read the books...but this looks quite good.

[MTS]

Just started watching Orange is the New Black. Very compelling TV show, and quite eye-opening (not that it's a documentary or anything, but still).

[QuickTidal]

NAKED DATING.

Yes, this reality show is EXACTLY what it sounds like. The format is identical to former one-season wonders like DATING IN THE DARK, where one guy and one woman are brought to tropical paradise told to strip down and go on a date totally naked. This is further complicated by the show bringing two more women and two more men who the respective "contestants"(?) for each of the first guy and girl to ALSO go naked dating with. There is a communal outdoor hotel and pool ect. where they all congregate and eat/splash about (naked or not).

This is pretty much the lowest common denominator or reality show (worse than the Bachelor(ette)? That's unpossible!) and we were sucked in for the same reason everyone else would be...to see people awkwardly blind dating in the nude. I feel ashamed we watched the whole hour. LOL.

Anyways. It's out there. That's about as much as I can say about it.

EDIT: Only reproductive organs are blurred out....the butt is apparently not nudity.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 23 July 2014 - 05:46 PM

[Abyss]

MTS, on 21 July 2014 - 08:35 AM, said:

Just started watching Orange is the New Black. Very compelling TV show, and quite eye-opening (not that it's a documentary or anything, but still).

Marathon'd S1 and 2 not too long ago. Good television. The way it manages to be both a comedy and a drama is impressive.

[worry]

It's even more impressive in light of how tonally misguided Weeds became not too long into its run. OITNB is like a breath of fresh air in comparison.

[McLovin]

Currently plowing through S2 of THE FOLLOWING. Stabtastic...

[amphibian]

I am extremely leery of anything Jenji Kohan does because of how badly Weeds was handled.

It's like she took the moments of real comedy and satire, then smothered it with the worst storylines possible.

[worry]

OITNB will never be confused for The Wire or anything, but it is so head and shoulders above Weeds it's ridiculous. There's a dedication to (and affection for) its characters, numerous compelling storylines (not gonna lie, there's a couple duds in both seasons, but they are vastly outnumbered), and while it does tackle some serious issues it is never bogged down in cynicism (which was the double edged sword of Weeds that ultimately tanked it). Basically, it's both fun and affecting IMO.

[amphibian]

I thought what tanked Weeds was the inability or the unwillingness of the writers/Kohan to actually get deep down and examine stuff. Instead we got Mexican drug war porn, El Andy whisking people over the border (which still gave me a few laughs), Nancy doing random swerve-bys of different venues (hotel, Wall Street, trucker stops etc) and no actual expose of the corruption, laziness and apathy that we got in the first two seasons.

My younger brother and I call one of my cousins El Andy because his name is Andy. He's not going to get the joke for maybe another 10 years, if ever (neither of us are explaining it to him).

[worry]

Yah, I guess what I mean by cynicism being double-edged is that early on it was used as a scalpel to dissect some issues (the drug war, suburbia, etc -- I ain't saying they were original issues) without mercy, but it soured into a total disinterest in the characters or sharp satire for the sake of glib jokery (which for instance made later moments regarding the loss of the father, which were supposed to resonate, ring totally hollow). But I never finished the show, I think I reached my limit at season 5.

In contrast, if OITNB is anything, it's character driven. And like I said, while it's not The Wire, whenever it does tackle "issue" material it actually mostly does a good job of it. Class, mental illness, prison profiteering, and gender dynamics chief among them. I dunno, Weeds eventually left a sour taste in my mouth for sure, and OITNB has been one of the more pleasant surprises (warts and all) I've had in recent TV years. But I'll stop with the trumpeting. If you actually watched all 8 seasons of Weeds it's possible your opinion of Kohan is unsalvageable.

[amphibian]

If I remember right, I got to halfway point of season seven and then stopped.

[Defiance]

Just got HBOGo from a friend. Currently watching True Detective upon his request. It's also nice to have access to episodes of Last Week Tonight right away (even though 80% of each episode gets put up on YouTube). I gotta say, I really like John Oliver's format - dedicating at least half of each show to a single, often overlooked subject is a nice change of pace.

Going to check out The Wire and The Sopranos as well.

[Defiance]

Yup. I know next to nothing about all of them. The only spoilery thing I know is how The Sopranos ends, but that's pretty unavoidable - like being a gamer and knowing Aerith dies in FF7. And even then it's not that big of a deal, since I have no clue what the context behind those last few minutes are.

[tiam]

Been watching Arrested Development on Netflix. Very good show with Jeffrey Tambor playing the brothers probably my favorite character.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

tiam, on 30 July 2014 - 05:16 PM, said:

Been watching Arrested Development on Netflix. Very good show with Jeffrey Tambor playing the brothers probably my favorite character.

You're in for a treat. Such an enjoyable show.

[QuickTidal]

Lord Gator, on 01 August 2014 - 01:13 AM, said:

Is anyone checking out the new fantasy reality show The Quest? What a neat never been done concept! I'm checking it out.

Ed: that was pretty cool!!

Ed 2 for Stormcat:

I watched it expecting to dislike it...then found myself not only liking it, but wanting to be a damned contestant! That sequence where they come upon the castle in the distance at dawn....holy shit, I'd have crapped myself with joy! I also liked the Commander of the army screaming at them during the scorpion challenge.

[QuickTidal]

Lord Gator, on 01 August 2014 - 05:04 PM, said:

Ikr it was crazy cool. I'm wonder how much it cost to do that show.

It would be interesting to find out. At a guess I have a feeling that most networks who do reality shows have begun to feel the strain of people not being interested at the level they used to be...so this is an upping of the game. If this works as a show, they could apply this type of thing to LOTS of stuff. Aliens, Zombies, Apocalypse...

[Studlock]

Gravity Falls is back, so that means for the next couple fridays there's going to be Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, and Legend of Korra all on the same night. I'm a bit of a cartoon 'nerd' and this is like a godsend.