Film and Episodic Content Discussion Thread

Was it consistent throughout the series? I am intrigued by it but got a gut sense it would taper off quickly. No idea where that notion came from though.

 

No idea either. Very consistent, and I actually think it got stronger as it continued. Even if you disagree, it's only seven episodes so not much commitment.

 

I've only seen 2 episodes, so can't fully address consistency. I will say the only hard part of going from episode 1 to episode 2 was leaving behind one of the best child actors I've ever seen, Isla Johnson as the young Beth Harmon--so good that it was hard to refocus on the adult actress later on. Plus the Dickensian, sun-never-shines vibe of that children's home was so compelling, as were the main character's compelling interactions with the handyman who taught her chess (Bill Camp) and her friend, Jolene (Moses Ingram).

But then 20" into episode 2 I was firmly back in the narrative saddle--and marveling at one of the more complex, well-written maternal figures I've ever encountered: Marielle Heller as Alma Wheatley (the Dickens vibe persists & amplifies).

This production has an insanely high IMDB rating (8.8) plus all manner of critical acclaim. Judging by the superb writing & acting shown in the first 2 episodes, consistency won't be an inssue. Rather, it should be a narrative thrill ride (seatbelts required) with a rare surfeit of talent on display...

 

All right, looks like something to try then. I find IMDB ratings a bit better for me than Rotten Tomatoes for the limited legitimacy I give those things. If I dont like I'll come back and incessantly bitch about it .

 

My latest essay is short but not to be confused with a lack of enthusiasm about a film that seared into my mind when I saw it as a kid.

 

I'm watching the French spy series The Bureau. Almsot finished season 1 and it's the best thing I've watched in a long time. Very Le Carre-esque, minimal action very tense. Also has that meloncholic futility feel about it that Le Carre has, that the whole business is a pointless game within a game. Absolutely superb.

 

"melancholic futility feel" -- know exactly what you mean. Hell, 95% of all content I seek out is this way. Sounds like my kind of series.

However, just checked & it's yet another pay channel on Prime Video. That's too bad. I have Netflix & Prime Video, but am reluctant to go any further (the amt of total content starts to get silly).

 

I'm 3 episodes into THE BOYS & liking it a lot. I'm not familiar w/the comic it's based on--but the idea of superheroes with bad character/motives is intriguing. The small, nasty film, BRIGHTBURN, explored this last year (imagine the demonic main character of WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN with superpowers). THE BOYS is the kind of show that will do best if it stays utterly depraved & evil in most characters & most respects.

Yet I can already feel the narrative slide beginning. This crew that conspires to kill Translucent & go after other supes is, well, a bunch of non-entities, apart from the aggrieved young man who lost his S.O. to a supe. Not the actors (they're solid, especially the always watchable Karl Urban)--but the characters they play. I mean, who the f**k are these world-weary, under-equipped & under-funded (but darkly motivated) supe-killers? The plot takes its sweet time explaining that. And the longer it diddles/dawdles, the less I care. That's problematic, given that this wrecking crew apparently is the jump-starter of most of the plot.

There are some really different & worthy things here: Elizabeth Shue's role is well written & quite depraved in an ironically mannered, polite way--I'm glad this "actress of a certain age" is given strong material that lets her strut her stuff. Anthony Starr as Homelander radiates psychopathy & menace--he's scary as hell and a hoot to watch. And the actress who plays A-Train's doomed girlfriend is impossible not to watch.

Still, THE BOYS is interesting enough that I'll probably ride it to the end...

 

I really enjoyed that series. I keep hoping for more seasons but so havent seen anything new.

I havent seen S1 in a while and have yet to see S2, but if I remember correctly they do go into the backstories of some of the "good guys" a bit more later on in the series but I do think there is still some weakness there.

 

If you ahven't seen it and can find it, the mini-series adaption of Le Carre's A Perfect Spy is a magnificent example of this. The film version of The spy who came in from the cold is fantastic too.

The Bureau is up to Season 5. It's availble down here in Aus on one of our FTA on-demand channels.

 

Great tip on A PERFECT SPY. Unfortunately, it seems not available on Prime Video...it only pops up purchasable DVDs.

I keep checking for THE BUREAU on Prime & Netflix. Just checked again, and find Season 1 now available on Prime Video (though subsequent seasons are not included). I'll dive into that tonight!

Content moves from one platform to the other quite suddenly, I've found. After watching Episode 1 of MYSTERY ROAD on Amazon, a week later it was only available via separate Acorn TV subscription. And a show I like on Netflix, PERSON OF INTEREST, suddenly was only available on a pay-by-episode basis on Prime (rats!).

Final point re "Melancholic Futility Feel" -- recently watched a '60s film very much in this vein, THE IPCRESS FILE, and loved it all over again. Michael Caine's character is anything but melancholic, but the bureaucratic milieu, amoral goings-on, and London rain definitely tilt towards melancholy...

 

3 Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri. Wouldnt say its old hotness but its the first things that came to mind when I read your question so maybe that means something.

Game Night is probably the one that stands out the most for me re typical comedies.

John Wick is the standard barer for action for the last decade IMO. Pretty consistent across all 3 films if you accept the basics of the world its set in.

The Arrival: one of the best sci-fi flicks in a while.

There's also the various Pixar films too.

 

YES!! I bought the 4K DVD just to have it on tap. A few others:

UNDER THE SKIN -- one of best & creepiest SciFi films I've ever seen

ATOMIC BLONDE -- beautiful actress kicks major ass in Cold War Berlin (yes!)

SAFE HOUSE -- we all know the Denzel of THE EQUALIZER, but here is an earlier & purer example of Denzel as a deeply skilled & dangerous spy. It's also one of the more convincing roles ever by Ryan Reynolds

 

Safe House was really good, you're right.

Atomic Blonde I liked, I need to watch it again as I kind of watched it in pieces.

Under the Skin - I couldnt get in to that one. Was very bleak if I remember, maybe I wasnt in the mood to watch at the time.

 

I have to advocate for UNDER THE SKIN a bit here. A few observations:

1 - That "melancholic futility feel" we talked about above is really just a few degrees away from the more extreme vibe of UTS: namely, pure dystopian hopelessness & soulless-ness, when humans are prey for an alien invader who (at least at first) appears utterly without a soul as we know it.

2 - The "found footage" nature of some of the stalking-of-human-prey scenes. Hard to imagine the balls it takes to do it, but the filmmakers often weren't using actors; instead, real young men of that area got in the car with Scarlett Johanson's alien hunter. They weren't in on the joke at all (that's chilling)

3 - The soundtrack, which is cold, soulless, utterly brilliant (heard it on the radio once not long after seeing the film; it scared the shit out of me all over again)

4 - The final scene, revealing the true awfulness of humans, a real "who's the alien now?" moment

5 - And Scarlett Johanson's courage in getting naked for this film (it's not something she does often). IMO it was brilliant, because the scenes where she is naked are so unnerving/unsettling and she is so alien that I could barely look at her.

UTS is like an inside-out version of ARRIVAL, sans hope & empathy, and focus on the alien, not the human.

Just realized 2 other must-see films per above:

THE EQUALIZER: Brilliant script & concept of Denzel's character, who pretty clearly is "wandering the earth, like Caine in Kung Fu"

TAKEN: Men of a certain age felt some hope seeing a past-his-prime Liam Neeson do a perfect role in this influential film (goes to show just how brilliant Luc Besson is--the man always has 3 aces in his hand).

 

Just received a bit of welcome news: One of the most messed up & wonderful books ever in the vampire genre, Todd Grimson's BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR, is being made into an 8-episode Netflix series. I just added this to My List via Reminder:

https://www.netflix.com/title/80233374

For those who unfamiliar with Todd Grimson, this is a writer who doesn't publish often, and when he does, it really means something. His first book, STAINLESS (1996), is one of the most brilliant horror books in my experience. It's about vampire life in ultra-modern L.A. and somehow reminds one of Edgar Allen Poe, Jerzy Kozinski, and Clive Barker while never veering from its own flat, horrifying style: blood-drenched slacker fiction.

BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR (1996) is his 2nd book. It's only slightly less brilliant than STAINLESS. The word "phantasmagorical" was created to describe BNCF...

I just learned Grimson has published a book of short stories--STAB OF HAPPINESS (2012). I immediately ordered it.

If the Netflix series is even close to the source book, it will be a real thrill ride.

 

Doing a video on this soon.

 

I can't wait!

 

Have yet to see Arrival the movie but read "Story of your life" by Ted Chiang which it is (supposedly) based on. What I like about this novella is how it is a compelling human story (a love story really) while at the same time depicting just how alien aliens are likely to be. Under the Skin depicts aliens in that way as well, but in the end I don't find it convincing because there is a touch too much modern nihilism in it. Why would the aliens bother with such an elaborate scheme (for example posing as us) if they are just going to consume us in the end? UTS alien-ation is more reflective of aspects of nihilistic human psychology than it wants to admit, whereas Chiang's aliens actually have a reason to contact/communicate yet at the same time being themselves (no anthropomorphization of them).

UTS has many things to recommend it of course.