TV/Movies Megathread

[CountDeMoney]

Jazz was a lot more fun before Miles Davis came around.

Discussing jazz was a lot more fun before Minsky came around.

[Syt]

Better Call Saul was extremely good this week, with the focus entirely on Mike Ehrmantraut.

[The Minsky Moment]

Jazz was a lot more fun before Miles Davis came around.

Discussing jazz was a lot more fun before Minsky came around.

You said it was preening, noxiously self-centered and ostentatious.  I was just backing you up by example.

The thanks I get.

[CountDeMoney]

Jazz was a lot more fun before Miles Davis came around.

Discussing jazz was a lot more fun before Minsky came around.

You said it was preening, noxiously self-centered and ostentatious.  I was just backing you up by example.

The thanks I get.

Wasn't experimental enough.  NEEDS MOR FUZION

[viper37]

Star Trek, the original series

A bunch of people taken straight out of a Mad Men episode try themselves at space travel.  Despite many near catastrophes, they somehow always manage to survive, except for the occasional red shirt, and save the ship from impending doom.  Interesting.


Space! had a marathon over the week-end, all remade episodes, blu-ray quality like the recent re-release.  Pretty impressive, the work they've done with the special effects.
I watched a few, including Trouble with Tribles and Mirror, Mirror.  These were pretty interesting given they tie in nicely with some Deep Space Nine episodes

[Syt]

The Tribbles DS9 episode was indeed very, very good.

[Eddie Teach]

Fantomas I: In the Shadow of the Guillotine. French movie from 1913. Interesting, mostly for the historical perspective.

One difference I noted between this and later silent films was the slower pacing. Though it only gives you the bullet points of conversations, you're shown enough footage of people talking that there's definitely room for the actors to have said other lines leading up to those.

[Martinus]

I gotta say I really disliked the (US) Borgias - and I love both Game of Thrones and Tudors. I think it's the same reason I didn't quite enjoy House of Cards - everybody was just so nasty, there was really no incentive in investing in any of the characters, unless you liked "wickedness porn".

[Eddie Teach]

I think it's the same reason I didn't quite enjoy House of Cards - everybody was just so nasty, there was really no incentive in investing in any of the characters, unless you liked "wickedness porn".

On the plus side, that means the writers have to stay on their toes. Shows with likable characters can survive a drop-off in quality because the audience is invested in the characters. Shows like House of Cards or Seinfeld have to stay crisp.

[celedhring]

Got started up with Better Call Saul yesterday. Watched only the first episode; loved the intro with him working at the take away place and reminiscing the glory days; the rest of the episode was just allright. I guess I don't like loser McGill too much as a character, but he has to start somewhere before becoming Saul Goodman.

[Eddie Teach]

Finished revisiting the Lord of the Rings. It's pretty good, and definitely better not going in hoping it will be one of my favorite movies ever.

I do think it could have been better if they'd gone for less of an "epic" feel. Too many inspirational montages, too many meaningful glances set to soft music. Instead of Star Wars, we got Braveheart x3. I suppose that's kind of consistent with the tone of the books, but it wasn't annoying when reading it.

[Syt]

Got started up with Better Call Saul yesterday. Watched only the first episode; loved the intro with him working at the take away place and reminiscing the glory days; the rest of the episode was just allright. I guess I don't like loser McGill too much as a character, but he has to start somewhere before becoming Saul Goodman.

He's starting to change alright. I thought the first few episodes were ok, but the last two were IMHO very good, especially the last one.

I've been wondering, though: how does that chair get wedged against his office door from the inside?

[jimmy olsen]

Germany should be ashamed!

http://thediplomat.com/2015/01/why-are-russell-crowe-and-the-avengers-flocking-to-south-korea/

In 2013, South Korea's movie market was the 6th biggest in the world according to the Motion Picture Association of America, putting South Korea ahead of Germany and only slightly below India. The number of South Korean moviegoers reached over 200 million in 2014, up 25 per cent from 2010, and sales at cinemas last year were estimated at $1.5 billion, data from Korea Film Council reveled.

South Korean viewers have proven their purchasing power is as strong as other big movie markets such as the United States or China: Iron Man 3 generated about $64 million in South Korea, a figure topped only by markets in the U.S. and China. The animated film Frozen did even better, generating about $100 million and making South Korea the film's the second most profitable market after the U.S.

As Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, said during his visit to South Korea in 2013, "South Korea has a considerably sized movie market. It is interesting to see so many movie lovers here. The fact that about 7 million people watched Avengers in a country with 50 million population proves it."

[celedhring]

Got started up with Better Call Saul yesterday. Watched only the first episode; loved the intro with him working at the take away place and reminiscing the glory days; the rest of the episode was just allright. I guess I don't like loser McGill too much as a character, but he has to start somewhere before becoming Saul Goodman.

He's starting to change alright. I thought the first few episodes were ok, but the last two were IMHO very good, especially the last one.

I've been wondering, though: how does that chair get wedged against his office door from the inside?

Watched the second, and liked it more. [spoiler]How he negotiated the two skaters' "sentence" with Mijo was brilliant[/spoiler].

Nice touch with all those homages to 70s films I love; Network in the first episode, All That Jazz in the second...

[The Larch]

I gotta say I really disliked the (US) Borgias - and I love both Game of Thrones and Tudors. I think it's the same reason I didn't quite enjoy House of Cards - everybody was just so nasty, there was really no incentive in investing in any of the characters, unless you liked "wickedness porn".

Yup, for me when they go to Naples [spoiler]and they show that guy who has a dinner scene composed with the corpses of his enemies[/spoiler], that was way too much, the straw that broke the camel's back.