TV/Movies Megathread

[Darth Wagtaros]

Yeah, the BSG remake was filmed in a near lightless room for large parts of it.

[HVC]

The "darker = more cinematic!" thing going on with many TV shows is driving me nuts indeed.

I blame Christopher Nolan.

Nah, it's not that. I lived through this evolution first-hand, so I can attest from my experience.

Can I still blame him for 20 years of broody angst in DC movies?

[Barrister]

The "darker = more cinematic!" thing going on with many TV shows is driving me nuts indeed.

I blame Christopher Nolan.

Nah, it's not that. I lived through this evolution first-hand, so I can attest from my experience.

1990s and 2000s broadcast shows were very brightly lit because of budgetary reasons. You could set up a very basic setup that flooded everything with light, needing little adjustments between setups. That way you could shoot faster and chew through the pages of the script. The first digital cameras also had very little dynamic range (that is, you couldn't have much contrast onscreen while still retaining detail) - that's the reason why The Phantom Menace is so flat-looking, btw.

When "peak tv" began to hit in the late 2000s, a way to distance itself from "shitty broadcast shows" was to make use of moodier lightning. Better digital cameras were now available that allowed this without having to shoot in film. In the end, expressionistic lightning became a marker of perceived quality. And here we are.

Now, there's also the issue that in many cases, the content pipeline is so frantic that production standards have regressed to 1990s broadcast. Meaning, you have to have the moody lightning but you don't have the time to work on the different setups.

Interesting perspective.  Thanks.

[Josquius]

Sort of remains me of that phenomena with modern TVs where by default they make everything look like a shitty day-time soap opera.
Shitty broadcast TV is actually better. It has more frames per second. Modern TVs upscale to this.
But our brains are wired by years of experience to expect a certain look from films that means fewer frames per second.
Broadcast TV had better lighting...but we've developed an association of dark lighting with quality productions.

I wonder if there's a way out from this

[viper37]

Will LOTR's extended edition finally fit on one disk??
New DVD-Like Disc Holds More Movies Than You Can See in a Lifetime

[celedhring]

Babysitting update.

Since I realized he seems to enjoy musicals more than anything at this point - he's too young to even grasp plot or character - I leaned on that heavily as of late.

- Mary Poppins. My favorite Disney live action film (their family fare at least), hadn't seen it in decades. It remains thorouhgly enjoyable, trying to up the ante every scene with trickery and inventiveness. Nephew was asleep during the cartoon scenes but woke up in time for the bank run scene and chim-chim-cheree, was engaged through the end.

- Singing in the Rain. Is this one of the happiest movies of all time or what? I have had a thoroughly shitty week and this put back a smile on my face. Such exuberant and relentless fun. Anyway, nephew was engaged throughout, but seemed to lose interest by Broadway Melody Ballet - which has always been my favorite segment of the film, even more than the titular number. Funny thing that ocurred to me is that I presume the fact this is a period movie is lost to the majority of people watching it nowadays. Wonder how people will experience our current nostalgia movies when they are watched in 50 years.

[viper37]

Since I realized he seems to enjoy musicals more than anything at this point - he's too young to even grasp plot or character - I leaned on that heavily as of late.

I remember as young kid, I had a special turntable for kids, unscratchable, with Disney stories on it.  I dislike most kid's music even then, I preferred stories.

VHS wasn't yet a thing.  But I watched Daniel Boone and Davy Crocket on tv.  Less singing, more shooting and fighting.

[Syt]

- Singing in the Rain. Is this one of the happiest movies of all time or what? I have had a thoroughly shitty week and this put back a smile on my face. Such exuberant and relentless fun.

Alex DeLarge agrees.



On the topic of the "next classic sci-fi franchise" - Apple is doing a Neuromancer:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/neuromancer-tv-series-adaptation-a-go-at-apple-1235838414/

'Neuromancer' TV Adaptation a Go at Apple
Graham Roland will serve as showrunner on the 10-episode series based on William Gibson's book of the same name.

Following a years-long development process, Apple will officially make a TV series based on William Gibson's acclaimed sci-fi novel Neuromancer.

The tech giant and streamer has handed out a 10-episode series order to the drama based on the 1984 cyberpunk novel that launched Gibson's career and the so-called Sprawl trilogy that also includes novels Count Zero (1986) and Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988).

Dark Winds creator Graham Roland and J.D. Dillard (The Twilight Zone) created the series for television. The series, a co-production between Skydance Television and Anonymous Content, will see Roland serve as showrunner with Dillard on board to direct the pilot.

Apple says Neuromancer revolves around a "damaged, top-rung super-hacker named Case who is thrust into a web of digital espionage and high stakes crime with his partner Molly, a razor-girl assassin with mirrored eyes, aiming to pull a heist on a corporate dynasty with untold secrets."

"We're incredibly excited to be bringing this iconic property to Apple TV+," said creators and executive producers Roland and Dillard. "Since we became friends nearly 10 years ago, we've looked for something to team up on, so this collaboration marks a dream come true. Neuromancer has inspired so much of the science fiction that's come after it and we're looking forward to bringing television audiences into Gibson's definitive 'cyberpunk' world."

Roland and Dillard will exec produce the series alongside Skydance TV's Dana Goldberg and Matt Thunell, Drake's DreamCrew Entertainment's Adel "Future" Nur and Jason Shrier and Zack Hayden and author Gibson.

Neuromancer is Apple's latest collaboration with Skydance TV, joining sci-fi drama Foundation, The Big Door Prize, and the untitled Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson comedy series from David West Read.

Apple also has a prolific relationship with Anonymous Content, with the company also collaborating on Jessica Chastain vehicle The Savant, Taika Waititi's Time Bandits, Alfonso Cuarón's Disclaimer; The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, Dickinson and Defending Jacob.

Neuromancer has had a troubled development history, with several attempts at a film (and one video game) fizzling before they could get off the ground. Deadpool director Tim Miller most recently tried to helm an adaption for Fox back in 2017.

The order for Neuromancer comes after Amazon adapted Gibson's 2014 book The Peripheral as a TV series in 2022. Despite initially renewing the drama starring Chloë Grace Moretz from Westworld producers Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan, Amazon ultimately canceled plans for the second season.

[Tamas]

I hope it will feature Keanu Reeves and his wooden delivery. I don't think anything can be considered cyberpunk without that anymore.

[Syt]

I hope it will feature Keanu Reeves and his wooden delivery. I don't think anything can be considered cyberpunk without that anymore.

Johnny Mnemonic II - Electric Boogaloo

[Duque de Bragança]

I hope it will feature Keanu Reeves and his wooden delivery. I don't think anything can be considered cyberpunk without that anymore.

Johnny Mnemonic II - Electric Boogaloo

Pity the Cannon Group is no longer around to deliver that sequel. 

[frunk]

I'm still waiting on my Diamond Age adaptation.

In January 2007, the Sci-Fi Channel announced a planned six-hour miniseries based on The Diamond Age.[9] According to a June 2009 report in Variety, Zoë Green had been hired to write the series, with George Clooney and Grant Heslov of Smokehouse Productions as executive producers on the project.[10]

[Josquius]

I'm still waiting on my Diamond Age adaptation.

In January 2007, the Sci-Fi Channel announced a planned six-hour miniseries based on The Diamond Age.[9] According to a June 2009 report in Variety, Zoë Green had been hired to write the series, with George Clooney and Grant Heslov of Smokehouse Productions as executive producers on the project.[10]

[celedhring]

Neuromancer is one of those books that was groundbreaking at the time but has influenced so much stuff that a straight adaptation will have a bit of a "so what? that's it?" feel to it.

It's beautifully written tough. Sci-fi is often a genre more about ideas than prose, but Gibson was a genuinely gifted writer.

[Tonitrus]

Will LOTR's extended edition finally fit on one disk??
New DVD-Like Disc Holds More Movies Than You Can See in a Lifetime

For certain kind of data storage purposes maybe...but I have the feeling that discs will never be appealing again, no matter the storage capacity.