[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Tsundoku, on 26 August 2022 - 10:22 PM, said:

I find myself tending to agree with QT on this. Just because you can show something doesn't mean you have to.

I'm just a big a fan of the newd ladies and boobies and stuff as anyone but a sex scene doesn't have to veer into pr0n territory in a drama show. You can show the beginnings to set the tone (consensual, forced etc) and then the aftermath, which would convey what's going on. There's just no need for the whole shebang. So to speak. Plus it leaves more time for the rest of the plot. Same goes with graphic violence and caesarians etc.

Maybe it's done more for "bums on seats" than anything else? Just pure titillation for ratings sake. I dunno. It's a slippery slope when people get used to it though. Reminds me of the South Park episode where they say "Shit" on TV.

With streaming IDK why they don't more frequently include optional 'extended scenes' or allow people to watch partly expurgated versions (or make it easier to skip over certain parts, maybe get a quick written or verbal summary of any details that are important for plot or character development or world building).

One could try to make ethical arguments in favor of forcing the audience to watch the c-section---for example, if audiences would associate it with the idea that the United States is backsliding into popular conceptions of 'medieval barbarity' (accurate or, as in this case, mostly not (with the possible exception of Henry the Eighth at least)) and have their opposition to abortion bans etc. strengthened (whether it would actually have that effect is highly questionable (though it could be tested), and there are certainly more direct ways to do it (more closely mirroring the present day horror stories)...).

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 26 August 2022 - 11:29 PM

[ContrarianMalazanReader]

Maybe it's just me, but I guess after watching a few New French Extremity movies such as Baise-moi, I find the C-section scene from HotD to be rather tame.

[Tsundoku]

Yeah I remember readiong about Baise-moi etc back in the day and thinking "What is the point of that? Might as well just watch pr0n." Because that's all it seems to be - an attempt at combining highbrow (?) drama with blatant porn. Or just porn with higher production values and slightly better acting. Making cinema more visceral and confronting, like that rape scene Monica Bellucci did in "Irreversible"? Definitely disturbing. Maybe a warning, to strip away any illusions about what rape actually is?
Making it mainstream? Shrug, YMMV.

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 27 August 2022 - 12:39 AM

[ContrarianMalazanReader]

The only two times a scene of visceral violence made my stomach turn was when James McAvoy's character finds the dismembered remains of his lover, one of Idi Amin's wives, in The Last King of Scotland, and Sharlto Copley's character getting his face torn off in Elysium.

[Briar King]

Lost some brownie points on my end…using the same fucking theme song.

I was cool with the member berry hearing it at the end of the pilot but come on! *says a dying Star Wars fan.

This post has been edited by Cancelled: 29 August 2022 - 01:37 AM

[ContrarianMalazanReader]

I expected a different theme song as well.

[Briar King]

I think it maybe even more glaring to me right now as I’m rewatching SG-1 and SG Atlantis, same franchise yet clearly different intros. Idk just consider me blah on the choice to carry it over here.

[ContrarianMalazanReader]

IMO they should have gone the Law & Order route using the GoT theme song as a base and change a few things here there like they do with the many L&O spin-offs.

[Tsundoku]

Law and Order: Westeros or CSI: Westeros would be quite interesting. No shortage of suspects, if they even bothered hiding. I'm sure there's a Cluedo: Westeros that is quite a short game.

And how good would having the "Ding ding" or whatever from L&O and The Who tracks from the various CSIs be?

[Malankazooie]

Oh dear, serious pedo vibes in episode 2. Haven't heard any complaints though, so must be ok. Because it's a fantasy show with dragons? Not sure.

Each scene with just two actors were very good. The best being between princess Rhaenyra and Rhaenys.

The actress (Milly Alcock) who plays young Rhaenyra really shines in episode 2. When she swoops in on Syrax at Dragonstone, disembarks and shuts down Daemon, damn that was *chef's-kiss. BTW Syrax looks like a normal dragon, what in the hell is going on with Daemon's??

It's too bad that young Rhaenyra will be aged out for older Rhaenyra (so the actress will change), because Milly Alcock is excellent. uh-huh-huh-huh.... you said all cock. < had to beat you children to it, to get it out of the way. Hopefully we get a few more episodes with her before the change.

Alicent Hightower needs one of those boujee pedicure kits that you can buy from a luxury dept. store chain. She could fix those cuticles and stop picking at them.

The Crabfeeder! snap-snap-snap.

DG weighed in on the first two episodes. I find they guy really annoying a lot of the time, but here you go.

[ContrarianMalazanReader]

My biggest gripe in terms of casting is that the actress who plays young Alicent and Olivia Cooke, who plays adult Alicent, look the same age.

[Tsundoku]

ContrarianMalazanReader, on 30 August 2022 - 07:13 AM, said:

My biggest gripe in terms of casting is that the actress who plays young Alicent and Olivia Cooke, who plays adult Alicent, look the same age.

Some people age very gracefully, so they just got 2 actresses who look very similar.

[Malankazooie]

Disagree. Olivia Cooke was in Bates Motel, which begun a 5 season run ten years ago. She was older looking then young Alicent even then. Also Bates Motel is excellent. Highly recommend.

[QuickTidal]

Okay so...

Episode 2 (finally watched) was PHENOMENAL, and shows me that HOTD is a MUCH better show than GOT ever was. EDIT: to say that I understand that GOT walked so that HOTD could run....so I'm not dismissing GOT (minus the last two seasons) as the great TV we needed to get here....I'm just glad we're here.

The costuming, the music, the heraldry, the dragons being distinctive, ect. ALL an improvement. Like the Kingsgaurd armor looking actually WHITE and being distinctive with cool helmets....or the various Knight's heraldry being blatantly well coloured....things like that.

Do I still have issues with it (aforementioned above), yes.

Am I enjoying it a lot in spite of that? Also yes.

Matt Smith keeps my eyes GLUED to the screen when he’s on and his scene with Rhaenyra in this ep was PERFECTION (Milly Alcock is also killing it)

Oh, and I love how Caraxys is massive and stalks the screen like a zombie berserker on the verge of killing at any moment….and then Syrax comes up out of the sunny clouds as the music swells like some golden goddamn Paladin half his size and stands across from him without blinking. Fuck me that was excellent.

Anyways, Ep 2 has made me enjoy this more than I think I wanted to. Onwards and upwards. I'm ready to be hurt again I guess?

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 02 September 2022 - 02:40 PM

[ContrarianMalazanReader]

I really love the way Caraxys moves like some sort of snake.

Anyway, unlike everyone else I had no issues with the final season of GOT, maybe because I had noticed how the series started to wildly deviate from the books around season 5 I had already mentally prepared myself, so I guess I wasn't let down.

Assuming GRRM finishes the story and both TWOW and ADOS are published before he kicks the bucket, it wouldn't surprise me if HBO chose to do a second adaptation of ASoIaF that is much more faithful in terms of aesthetics and and includes characters that were excised such Lady Stoneheart, Arianne Martel and the many members of the Greyjoy family.

[worry]

Ep. 3: Thought the Daemon scenes in this ep were okay, not boring at all but kinda goofy & underwritten; and the Viserys & Rhaenyra (etc.) stuff was really quite good.

[Malankazooie]

Episode 3 welcomed it's first Starbucks cup frame moment. Oh boy, here we go. I suspect there will be incessant mewling about it. Kind of like Viserys hounding his daughter Rhaenyra to marry, amirite? What up with Viserys's missing fingers anyway? I don't think that was explained or occurred on screen? The only connection I can pick up on is the sickness Viserys was afflicted with in the first episode where he was having a sore on his back treated. With that ominous reveal and the fact that Rhaenyra saw the white stag methinks Viserys's time is about to sunset.

I think Daemon's dragon may be modeled after Mesoamerica dragons (just needs some feathers), but not sure on that. Still, I think it looks weird.

Oh yeah, had to look it up, a new dragon enters the scene - Seasmoke. Roasting some crab people. *crab-people *crab-people *crab-people.

This post has been edited by Malankazooie: 05 September 2022 - 11:55 PM

[worry]

Viserys cut his finger on the iron throne at the end of ep 1 after berating his brother, then was treating it with a physician in ep 2 (the maggots scene).

[Malankazooie]

Oh yeah that's right, can't believe I forgot about that because the scene was more disgusting then the birth scene. Shame on HBO for including it. Do better HBO, we don't need gratuitous maggot wriggles in our fantasy shows with fire breathing dragons. I think it points to Viserys being a sickly dude though, which can't bode well. Guess we'll see how it plays out.

Oh yeah, another thing I picked up on is Daemon doing his thing at the end, from reading the King's letter and all that transpired after. Meant to project strength and instill confidence in him as a worthy successor? Because, new prince is born and current king is sticking to his decision?

Oh one more thing. Lannisters gonna Lannister.

side note - every time I see Otto Hightower I think of the movie Little Nicky for some reason.

This post has been edited by Malankazooie: 06 September 2022 - 02:57 AM

[QuickTidal]

Renewed For 2 More Seasons, on 05 September 2022 - 03:49 AM, said:

Ep. 3: Thought the Daemon scenes in this ep were okay

I am the opposite, I loved Daemon's scenes...it spoke very much of Crabfeeder being the catalyst to the eventual "Dance" as it were...Dameon was like "Help? I don't need his fucking help" and proceeds to go in zig and zag, kick ass, take no names, kill the leader....all to basically say to Viserys, I'm not forgiving you and your son will feel that wrath too if you fuck with me.