What are you binge watching?

[nwhoopfan]

"Savage River" was good. Maybe a bit much with the red herrings, but that's what most mysteries do, right? The ads on Tubi are obnoxious.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Enjoy it, then get back to us after the final episode.

You've got me conditioned to think it ends badly, but I think it's still good thru 4 eps.


Did you happen to notice the background music? Lots of pulsating synthesizer stuff that adds moody atmosphere. I think it's pretty cool.

 

[storrsroars]

You've got me conditioned to think it ends badly, but I think it's still good thru 4 eps.


Did you happen to notice the background music? Lots of pulsating synthesizer t that adds moody atmosphere. I think it's pretty cool.

I didn't really notice the music in Steal. But I loved the 70s selections in Ponies. Even songs I didn't like back then.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I assume you're talking about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms here. I've watched the first three episodes and have enjoyed it so far. It's a much more YA version of Game of Thrones, so it's much lower stakes. At least through the first few episodes, the most "shocking" scenes so far showed a guy having explosive diarrhea.

I like it. Very different direction to GoT or HoD in that it is lower stakes, but the characters are also much more likable. Peter Claffley is barely adequate as an actor, but he is so personally likable in the show that it doesn't matter. The kid is great. Even Daniel Ings, who only has one setting of completely over the top in shows I have seen him, is immensely likable and fun as Lionel Baratheon.

In GoT, most of the main characters are morons and/or self-destructive, especially in the early seasons, and the characters in HoD are unlikable. I like AKotSK approach to set the show in a world where everything is not just a misery. Life sucked in the middle ages, but people did survive and found a way to get pleasure from life.

My biggest complaint: If they are going to dump this many characters on us in just 6 short episodes, we need more exposition to explain who they are. It would not have cost much, just an additional 3 minute scene with a few characters talking about who everyone in that episode is and why they are there.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Shrinking Season 3 - Good show that has become more ensemble, which is the right move. Jason Segal is better in a crowd than as the lead. Harrison Ford is perfect for his role, and all the casting is solid. I have mentioned before that I think the daughter character is particularly well cast, although the show seems to be de-emphasizing her this season.

The show feels like an old school 80's/90's sitcom with a problem, a solution, and a moral in every episode.

 

[storrsroars]

Shrinking Season 3 - Good show that has become more ensemble, which is the right move. Jason Segal is better in a crowd than as the lead. Harrison Ford is perfect for his role, and all the casting is solid. I have mentioned before that I think the daughter character is particularly well cast, although the show seems to be de-emphasizing her this season.

The show feels like an old school 80's/90's sitcom with a problem, a solution, and a moral in every episode.

I like that they're giving Ted McGinley more to do, but not at the expense of Christa Miller, who's been hilarious the entire way. I actually find Segal the least entertaining of the ensemble.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I like that they're giving Ted McGinley more to do, but not at the expense of Christa Miller, who's been hilarious the entire way. I actually find Segal the least entertaining of the ensemble.

Jason Segal is kind of like a Jerry Seinfeld of his generation in that he is a very good, influential comedian, but he is not a good actor.

Winning Time was a show about NBA basketball players that had to cast every tall guy they could find, and Segal stood out as the worst actor on the show.

On the other hand, many of the comedians of his generation frequently collaborate with him and a lot of his work is highly regarded.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Jason Segal is kind of like a Jerry Seinfeld of his generation in that he is a very good, influential comedian, but he is not a good actor.

He's very good at playing Jason Segal. He's like quite a few others that are fairly one note. Seth Rogen I'm looking at you.

 

[storrsroars]

Jason Segal is kind of like a Jerry Seinfeld of his generation in that he is a very good, influential comedian, but he is not a good actor.

Segel is basically an unfunny Albert Brooks.

Unlike Seinfeld or Brooks, he was never an actual comedian. He is a comic actor. And he is definitely one note - insecurity - IMHO.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I didn't really notice the music in Steal. But I loved the 70s selections in Ponies. Even songs I didn't like back then.

I only watched 2 episodes of Ponies, haven't come back to it for a while. I didn't really notice the music in that show.


Okay, Steal got pretty convoluted by the end. I'll give you that.

 

[billythekid]

New season of Shoresy just hit Hulu. It's by the same folks that brought us Letterkenny and, IMO, is even funnier.

 

[Palatine]

I watched THE EXPANSE, all 50 something episodes. If you like sci-fi this is pretty good. In the future Earth, Mars and The Belt (the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter) are all separate political entities. There is good bit of action, battles and such, mixed with political and personal intrigue. The is also some alien discovery which changes the dynamic between the groups. It is pretty well done, from performances to sound and music, and special effects. The story line contains enough changes and reversals to keep you interested.

I am a big sci-fi fan and enjoyed it. Wouldn't say I binged watched it. I would watch an episode or three around dinner. The fact I made it though all six seasons says something, but I'm not sure what it says.

 

[storrsroars]

I watched THE EXPANSE, all 50 something episodes. If you like sci-fi this is pretty good. In the future Earth, Mars and The Belt (the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter) are all separate political entities. There is good bit of action, battles and such, mixed with political and personal intrigue. The is also some alien discovery which changes the dynamic between the groups. It is pretty well done, from performances to sound and music, and special effects. The story line contains enough changes and reversals to keep you interested.

I am a big sci-fi fan and enjoyed it. Wouldn't say I binged watched it. I would watch an episode or three around dinner. The fact I made it though all six seasons says something, but I'm not sure what it says.

After listening to Neil deGrasse Tyson describe the myriad reasons why humans cannot succeed in colonizing Mars, I can never watch a movie or show involving Mars and partake in suspending reality again. But I guess that's why they call it science fiction.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I watched THE EXPANSE, all 50 something episodes. If you like sci-fi this is pretty good. In the future Earth, Mars and The Belt (the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter) are all separate political entities. There is good bit of action, battles and such, mixed with political and personal intrigue. The is also some alien discovery which changes the dynamic between the groups. It is pretty well done, from performances to sound and music, and special effects. The story line contains enough changes and reversals to keep you interested.

I am a big sci-fi fan and enjoyed it. Wouldn't say I binged watched it. I would watch an episode or three around dinner. The fact I made it though all six seasons says something, but I'm not sure what it says.

I made it most of the way thru the series, but I checked out eventually. There was a fairly significant difference when the show moved from SyFy Network to Amazon. While there was a bigger budget, I just didn't enjoy the storytelling or the characters as much after the change.


This was all based on a book series. 8 or 9 books. Was really good...until the last book. Authors (there were 2 using one pen name) had no idea how to close out the series, it was awful.

 

[nwhoopfan]

After listening to Neil deGrasse Tyson describe the myriad reasons why humans cannot succeed in colonizing Mars, I can never watch a movie or show involving Mars and partake in suspending reality again. But I guess that's why they call it science fiction.

Can you watch any movie or show? Most are not really particularly based in reality, regardless of subject matter.

 

[storrsroars]

Can you watch any movie or show? Most are not really particularly based in reality, regardless of subject matter.

Yeah, but few of those have been exposed as impossible by NdGT.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Yeah, but few of those have been exposed as impossible by NdGT.

Eh. Most of the canon of sci fi is really unlikely, if not impossible. Some of it might be based on theoretical stuff that has some merit, but it actually becoming reality doesn't seem like a good bet. Where is our faster than light space ships, exploring other galaxies thru worm holes/black holes, even something simple like laser blasters?



But then I laughed hysterically when I saw "Vertical Limit" in theaters because all of the climbing based stuff was so far off. It was not supposed to be a comedy.

 

[storrsroars]

Eh. Most of the canon of sci fi is really unlikely, if not impossible. Some of it might be based on theoretical stuff that has some merit, but it actually becoming reality doesn't seem like a good bet. Where is our faster than light space ships, exploring other galaxies thru worm holes/black holes, even something simple like laser blasters?



But then I laughed hysterically when I saw "Vertical Limit" in theaters because all of the climbing based stuff was so far off. It was not supposed to be a comedy.

Not to get too deep into this, my Mars thing is because this is something we're actually trying to do in my lifetime so there's a reality component to it. A lot of the other space shows are waaaay out in the future where there may be other kinds of power for propulsion and maybe we've found wormholes or whatever. I've just been listening to Tyson and other physicists lately talking about the futility of trying to land humans on Mars. Even if you could get there, it has more things that will kill you than Australia!

 

[nwhoopfan]

Not to get too deep into this, my Mars thing is because this is something we're actually trying to do in my lifetime so there's a reality component to it. A lot of the other space shows are waaaay out in the future where there may be other kinds of power for propulsion and maybe we've found wormholes or whatever. I've just been listening to Tyson and other physicists lately talking about the futility of trying to land humans on Mars. Even if you could get there, it has more things that will kill you than Australia!

That's why we gotta send all the peasants/convicts to Mars first to terraform it. A couple generations of sacrificial lambs and maybe it will be livable eventually.

In all seriousness, we can't collectively manage/handle our problems on this planet. Actually getting to another planet and trying to colonize it seems like something humankind is currently incapable of accomplishing. Never mind if it's destined to fail to begin with.

 

[Palatine]

After listening to Neil deGrasse Tyson describe the myriad reasons why humans cannot succeed in colonizing Mars, I can never watch a movie or show involving Mars and partake in suspending reality again. But I guess that's why they call it science fiction.

I wouldn't worry about deGrasse, he is more self promoter than scientist.

He completely ignores than many if not most trips to Mars will be one way. People will go intending to stay. That solves all the problems associated with the return trip. And people are very creative. Necessity is the mother of invention. Problems will arise. We will solve them. He underestimates us.

Most of the naysayers also make the mistake of thinking in terms of fuel. Which today is basically keroene. Future propulsion is likely to be much different. Nuclear fission engines would be lighter and much faster. And we could have fusion in a few of decades. There is interest and some work has been done on electric and ion propulsion. And then there is the Magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster, it uses electricity and magnets to shoot a stream of charged particles (plasma) out the back at incredible speeds—up to 110,000 meters per second (about 250,000 mph). It has been demonstrated but there is a power issue that needs to be worked out.

deGrasse would have told the Wright Brothers to forget the airplane concentration on your bicycle shop.