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Post by Celebith on Jan 18, 2024 0:58:37 GMT -5
@midnight is back, with a (hopefully) funnier and (definitely) less problematic host. First episode was fun - each guest got a few solid laughs, Taylor Tomlinson carried things well. The 'bell' thing isn't as good as someone yelling 'POINTS!' five thousand times per episode, but as long as it keeps showing up on youtube I'll keep watching it.
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Post by Prole Hole on Jan 18, 2024 6:48:04 GMT -5
Wasn't massively whelmed by this year's Taskmaster Champion of Champions. It was... fine but definitely lacking a certain something. Dara's placement was all but inevitable and while it was utterly delightful to have Kiell Smith-Bynoe, a show-best contestant, in place of Mae Martin (who was honestly a bit bland overall) there just wasn't an awful lot of bite to it. The tasks were a bit meh and it was all a little disappointingly rote. Ah well, least we found out who's on the next season.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jan 18, 2024 9:10:55 GMT -5
@midnight is back, with a (hopefully) funnier and (definitely) less problematic host. First episode was fun - each guest got a few solid laughs, Taylor Tomlinson carried things well. The 'bell' thing isn't as good as someone yelling 'POINTS!' five thousand times per episode, but as long as it keeps showing up on youtube I'll keep watching it. Oh wow, I didn't know this was a thing. I really liked @midnight. Fast paced, funny, easy watching. It sucks that Chris Hardwick sucks, because his chronically online personality was a perfect match to the format. It felt like the whole thing was his idea and was just something he wanted to do. He didn't come off as a hired gun, as I fear most anyone else in this role will do. I haven't watched this though, and I've liked Tomlinson elsewhere, so we'll see.
I think in general I miss that "gallery of comedians" format. Best Week Ever and all those VH1 specials come to mind.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jan 18, 2024 9:24:34 GMT -5
That reminds me, if any of you really loved I (heart) the 90s and similar stuff on VH1, I've been watching the "Rewind the 90s" docu-series on Disney+/Hulu (it seems to be on both). It's an entertaining look back at a formative decade.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Jan 18, 2024 13:14:56 GMT -5
We watched all of the just-ended season of Fargo over the last week and thought it was excellent. John Hamm was great playing possibly the biggest piece of shit in the series to date (which is an extremely high bar to clear), and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sam Spruell, and Joe Keery all did excellent work with their characters, giving them really satisfying arcs. But Juno Temple, who I haven't seen in much, was the highlight of all of this to me. She played that character so well, and so much of the show hinged on that character ringing true.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jan 18, 2024 13:35:19 GMT -5
We watched all of the just-ended season of Fargo over the last week and thought it was excellent. John Hamm was great playing possibly the biggest piece of shit in the series to date (which is an extremely high bar to clear), and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sam Spruell, and Joe Keery all did excellent work with their characters, giving them really satisfying arcs. But Juno Temple, who I haven't seen in much, was the highlight of all of this to me. She played that character so well, and so much of the show hinged on that character ringing true. Juno Temple was in The Dark Knight Rises briefly (she's Anne Hathaway's roommate) but most recently was in Ted Lasso with her actual British accent so it was funny to see the ads for Fargo with her doing a North Dakota thing.
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Post by haysoos on Jan 18, 2024 15:57:01 GMT -5
We watched all of the just-ended season of Fargo over the last week and thought it was excellent. John Hamm was great playing possibly the biggest piece of shit in the series to date (which is an extremely high bar to clear), and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sam Spruell, and Joe Keery all did excellent work with their characters, giving them really satisfying arcs. But Juno Temple, who I haven't seen in much, was the highlight of all of this to me. She played that character so well, and so much of the show hinged on that character ringing true. Juno Temple was in The Dark Knight Rises briefly (she's Anne Hathaway's roommate) but most recently was in Ted Lasso with her actual British accent so it was funny to see the ads for Fargo with her doing a North Dakota thing. Juno Temple was the highlight of The Brass Teapot. Still not sure how I feel about Killer Joe. Both Juno Temple and Matthew McConaughey put in great performances in the movie, but the whole thing just seemed too artificial and stagy, and there's some questionably icky segments.
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Post by haysoos on Jan 18, 2024 16:10:00 GMT -5
We watched all of the just-ended season of Fargo over the last week and thought it was excellent. John Hamm was great playing possibly the biggest piece of shit in the series to date (which is an extremely high bar to clear), and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sam Spruell, and Joe Keery all did excellent work with their characters, giving them really satisfying arcs. But Juno Temple, who I haven't seen in much, was the highlight of all of this to me. She played that character so well, and so much of the show hinged on that character ringing true. I thought Dave Foley did pretty well as Danish Graves too. John Hamm was fantastic, but with his cadence and voice, I kept expecting he would break into the Dead Flag Blues The only problem I had with this season is that the resolution was perhaps too satisfying somehow? Almost everything turned out how it should, with less ambiguity or head-scratching than usual. I am glad that apparently Furguson is now being taken of by Indira.
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moimoi
AV Clubber
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Post by moimoi on Jan 18, 2024 20:27:36 GMT -5
We watched all of the just-ended season of Fargo over the last week and thought it was excellent. John Hamm was great playing possibly the biggest piece of shit in the series to date (which is an extremely high bar to clear), and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sam Spruell, and Joe Keery all did excellent work with their characters, giving them really satisfying arcs. But Juno Temple, who I haven't seen in much, was the highlight of all of this to me. She played that character so well, and so much of the show hinged on that character ringing true. I thought Dave Foley did pretty well as Danish Graves too. John Hamm was fantastic, but with his cadence and voice, I kept expecting he would break into the Dead Flag Blues The only problem I had with this season is that the resolution was perhaps too satisfying somehow? Almost everything turned out how it should, with less ambiguity or head-scratching than usual. I am glad that apparently Furguson is now being taken of by Indira. Yeah, I'm ok with the loss of Lamorne Morris's state trooper, but I wish he had gotten to do more in the finale.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jan 23, 2024 10:08:11 GMT -5
I know the Walking Dead series has been very popular but there are like.... 3 or 4 spinoffs now? Do people really love the zombies that much??
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Post by Jean-Luc Lemur on Jan 24, 2024 14:55:57 GMT -5
They’ve even mostly given up Tina’s zombie thing in Bob’s Burgers, right?
Kind of blows my mind that Bob’s is older than Tina. I certainly didn’t expect it to last this long, but I also didn’t expect it to veer as hard into “comfort tv” as it did. I am enjoying this season, though, the Rudy episode was a real treat.
Speaking of H. Jon Benjamin projects although the first four seasons of Archer—and a big chunk of the later ones—are up there as some of my favorite, tv ever but after the first post-Jessica Walter—and first post-Adam Reed-writing—season I couldn’t keep up. I actually didn’t realize how long ago that was. I gave up in season eleven, and the most recent—and final—was fourteen! I had some inkling that the most recent season was its last. Looking up on wikipedia I saw that they were actually canceled, the three-part finale was unexpected and hastily put together, and that they’d imagined the fourteenth season the first of a three-season arc featuring a new character.
While I kind of do want to see how it ends, I am glad I am not a pop culture completist.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jan 24, 2024 15:49:04 GMT -5
They’ve even mostly given up Tina’s zombie thing in Bob’s Burgers, right? Kind of blows my mind that Bob’s is older than Tina. I certainly didn’t expect it to last this long, but I also didn’t expect it to veer as hard into “comfort tv” as it did. I am enjoying this season, though, the Rudy episode was a real treat. Speaking of H. Jon Benjamin projects although the first four seasons of Archer—and a big chunk of the later ones—are up there as some of my favorite, tv ever but after the first post-Jessica Walter—and first post-Adam Reed-writing—season I couldn’t keep up. I actually didn’t realize how long ago that was. I gave up in season eleven, and the most recent—and final—was fourteen! I had some inkling that the most recent season was its last. Looking up on wikipedia I saw that they were actually canceled, the three-part finale was unexpected and hastily put together, and that they’d imagined the fourteenth season the first of a three-season arc featuring a new character. While I kind of do want to see how it ends, I am glad I am not a pop culture completist. The last few seasons of Archer (post-coma) were mostly a return to form and pretty good. I didn't really like the coma seasons that much, but opinions vary. I didn't realize it was rushed - the three-part "Into the Cold" finale did seem a bit tacked on but worked, I thought.
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Post by Jean-Luc Lemur on Jan 24, 2024 21:28:59 GMT -5
Pedantic Editor Type For me the trajectory is: 1. Pretty great but still finding its legs in places 2.-3. Near perfect 4. Still quite good but slipping Early 5 (Vice). It’s so over. Mid-late 5 (Vice). We’re back! 6. We’re tired, but entertained, more-or-less depending on the week 7. Good idea, not great execution 8 (Dreamland). Masterpiece, but best watched as a two-part miniseries than episode-per-episode 9 (Danger Island). Was lukewarm to this at first, but on rewatch it’s become one of my favorites, in some ways brining things full circle with Frisky Dingo. I kind of take this as a natural endpoint now. 10 (1999). Comfort food, but the final scrne with Malory and Sterling in the hospital was beautiful and also makes a good endpoint. 11. I enjoyed it but kind of grew weary as it went on, and by the AJ in Switzerland episode I felt like I was watching Archer’s shadow more than Archer, if that makes sense. It felt like a revival years later, which it actually kind of was. I should probably give the rest a shot, though. I think one challenge is that the show premiered when I was in college and was so in sync with me and my friends’ senses of humor and interests that it’s hard to escape that early glow.
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Post by The Sensational She-Hulk on Jan 25, 2024 9:55:48 GMT -5
I watched three episodes of Living Single last night because I'd only ever seen bits and pieces when it was originally on, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why my fellow millennials aren't obsessed with this show instead of Friends, which I did watch when it was airing and found mildly funny at best (look, we had a roof antenna; my options were limited until I went to college). Living Single is goddamn hilarious. I can't wait to watch more.
I also began Deadwood this week. (It is for this reason I also started Living Single. You need something to balance out the HBO-ness of it all.) What a deliciously chewy show! Al is awful and I love how quickly they establish that he's got his evil mustachioed little tentacles wrapped around every single piece of the town. I know that they asked the showrunner to focus on another era instead of ancient Rome, because the other (excellent) show was already in development at the time, but man. I'd love to see Ian McShane's take on Emperor Augustus. Can we get him in a remake of I, Claudius?
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Post by nowimnothing on Jan 25, 2024 10:53:21 GMT -5
I also began Deadwood this week. (It is for this reason I also started Living Single. You need something to balance out the HBO-ness of it all.) What a deliciously chewy show! Al is awful and I love how quickly they establish that he's got his evil mustachioed little tentacles wrapped around every single piece of the town. I know that they asked the showrunner to focus on another era instead of ancient Rome, because the other (excellent) show was already in development at the time, but man. I'd love to see Ian McShane's take on Emperor Augustus. Can we get him in a remake of I, Claudius?
Pear did a great episode by episode review of Deadwood on the TV>Archive board a few years back if you want to read along as you watch. I guess we should update it with the reunion movie at some point.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jan 25, 2024 11:33:38 GMT -5
This might be more of a Reddit kind of question, but I like it better here.
Besides Jeopardy! and The Daily Show, are there other examples of popular shows - like, "institution" level shows - that have had such tedious, drawn out, and public auditions to replace a host? And if no, then what the heck? Like when Jon left, there was Trevor. It wasn't a whole thing.
Is it dereliction of duty on part of the producers, or are they just milking it as its own media stunt?
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jan 25, 2024 11:52:35 GMT -5
This might be more of a Reddit kind of question, but I like it better here.
Besides Jeopardy! and The Daily Show, are there other examples of popular shows - like, "institution" level shows - that have had such tedious, drawn out, and public auditions to replace a host? And if no, then what the heck? Like when Jon left, there was Trevor. It wasn't a whole thing.
Is it dereliction of duty on part of the producers, or are they just milking it as its own media stunt?
I can't think of any other shows - daytime talk shows shift hosts a lot (RIP Regis Philbin) but that usually isn't a whole Thing. With both Jeopardy and the recent Daily Show kerfuffle I think the producers shot themselves in the foot. We all know how Jeopardy went, and TDS could have just given Amber Ruffin or Roy Wood Jr the job, and it's not clear to my why they didn't.
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Post by nowimnothing on Jan 25, 2024 11:56:38 GMT -5
This might be more of a Reddit kind of question, but I like it better here.
Besides Jeopardy! and The Daily Show, are there other examples of popular shows - like, "institution" level shows - that have had such tedious, drawn out, and public auditions to replace a host? And if no, then what the heck? Like when Jon left, there was Trevor. It wasn't a whole thing.
Is it dereliction of duty on part of the producers, or are they just milking it as its own media stunt?
The Late Late show in 2004 when Craig Kilbourne left is probably the best example, but it is not institution level. There has certainly been a lot of controversy in hosting shows though such as Leno getting the Tonight Show over Letterman and then the later battle between Leno and O'Brien. Those did not have the audition aspect but there was obviously a lot of mismanagement at the producer level that played out very publicly.
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Floyd D Barber
AV Clubber
The Train I used to Drive (not me driving, though)
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Jan 25, 2024 12:08:37 GMT -5
I watched three episodes of Living Single last night because I'd only ever seen bits and pieces when it was originally on, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why my fellow millennials aren't obsessed with this show instead of Friends, which I did watch when it was airing and found mildly funny at best (look, we had a roof antenna; my options were limited until I went to college). Living Single is goddamn hilarious. I can't wait to watch more.
I also began Deadwood this week. (It is for this reason I also started Living Single. You need something to balance out the HBO-ness of it all.) What a deliciously chewy show! Al is awful and I love how quickly they establish that he's got his evil mustachioed little tentacles wrapped around every single piece of the town. I know that they asked the showrunner to focus on another era instead of ancient Rome, because the other (excellent) show was already in development at the time, but man. I'd love to see Ian McShane's take on Emperor Augustus. Can we get him in a remake of I, Claudius?
I heard a terrible rumor that HBO, in it's wisdom, was going to pull Deadwood off their streaming platform, and while rumors are easier on the back than the short handled shovel, I have begun another rewatch. I am now midway through the third season, and still I am picking up new stuff with each episode. I believe I have mentioned before how much I love this show. The dialog and character development equals or exceeds anything else I have ever watched. It's kind of a shame that Bullock's character doesn't allow Olephant really show his full range as an actor. I get that the "randy maniac bishop" doesn't get to show his gift for comedy like Santa Clarita Diet" did, but the cast overall is such a delight. As the show was first airing, I followed it on the old "alt.tv.Deadwood" Usenet group. Jim Beaver, Ellsworth, would sometimes post there with information about the show. If Google is still maintaining those groups, it would make some interesting reading. I am envious of you getting to see Deadwood for the first time. Enjoy it. Can be combative.
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Post by haysoos on Jan 25, 2024 23:07:15 GMT -5
This might be more of a Reddit kind of question, but I like it better here.
Besides Jeopardy! and The Daily Show, are there other examples of popular shows - like, "institution" level shows - that have had such tedious, drawn out, and public auditions to replace a host? And if no, then what the heck? Like when Jon left, there was Trevor. It wasn't a whole thing.
Is it dereliction of duty on part of the producers, or are they just milking it as its own media stunt?
There was certainly all kinds of drama about succession around The Tonight Show. From Joan Rivers to Letterman and Leno, all the way to Conan O'Brien and back. Not sure it was really the kind of drama as Jeopardy though. They didn't deliberately set up a rotating job interview test with each candidate. The Jeopardy one felt like a backdoor way to give it to the producer guy, but they accidentally triggered more interest than they expected and had to change their foregone conclusion. TDS is absolutely trying to milk it.
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Rainbow Rosa
TI Forumite
not gay, just colorful
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Post by Rainbow Rosa on Jan 26, 2024 15:53:13 GMT -5
This might be more of a Reddit kind of question, but I like it better here.
Besides Jeopardy! and The Daily Show, are there other examples of popular shows - like, "institution" level shows - that have had such tedious, drawn out, and public auditions to replace a host? And if no, then what the heck? Like when Jon left, there was Trevor. It wasn't a whole thing.
Is it dereliction of duty on part of the producers, or are they just milking it as its own media stunt?
I think these two situations are only superficially comparable.
Jeopardy! films two days a week for six months out of the year. Hosting the show has a learning curve but is obviously masterable in the span of under a year. Pretty much the only job requirement is that you stay out of major political issues - note that Mayim Bialik's axing from the show coincides with her deciding to trade in on her status as Jeopardy! host to lend weight to her opinions on Hamas, and that Ken Jennings won't even say outright that he's not a Mormon anymore. It is maybe the most plum gig in all of television; even if Mike Richards wasn't a sentient ball of mucus, I think pretty much anyone who could credibly take over from Alex Trebek and wanted that gig would be jockeying for it behind the scenes.
In sharp contrast, hosting The Daily Show sounds like hell; who wants to spend five years of their life inserting themselves into the eye of the culture war week after week? No sane person wants to do that. The only person who's still doing that in 2024 is Jimmy Kimmel, and his prize is... occasionally hosting awards shows that no one likes and having Aaron Rodgers call him a pedophile on ESPN. PET asks, why not just hire Amber Ruffin? (Well, she's presumably under contract with Universal, but pretend she isn't.) Well, she's had a late-night show for the last three years, and it's run for... 36 episodes. I think she made the same decision that fellow late-night comedy-news-show breakout stars John Oliver and Samantha Bee did, and moved to a weekly format for mental health reasons. Even fans of the show would agree that the "plot arc" of The Daily Show between 2000 and 2015 was watching as Jon Stewart's brain was liquefied in slow motion by long-term exposure to cable news.
(It also is controversy-repellant for Viacom: it was reported that Hasan Minhaj was supposed to be The Daily Show's permanent host - and then, whoops, turns out he completely fabricated his life story! If someone in the cavalcade of guest hosts gets cancelled, they can be easily memory-holed.)
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Jan 26, 2024 16:20:35 GMT -5
This might be more of a Reddit kind of question, but I like it better here.
Besides Jeopardy! and The Daily Show, are there other examples of popular shows - like, "institution" level shows - that have had such tedious, drawn out, and public auditions to replace a host? And if no, then what the heck? Like when Jon left, there was Trevor. It wasn't a whole thing.
Is it dereliction of duty on part of the producers, or are they just milking it as its own media stunt?
(snip)
In sharp contrast, hosting The Daily Show sounds like hell; who wants to spend five years of their life inserting themselves into the eye of the culture war week after week? No sane person wants to do that. The only person who's still doing that in 2024 is Jimmy Kimmel, and his prize is... occasionally hosting awards shows that no one likes and having Aaron Rodgers call him a pedophile on ESPN. PET asks, why not just hire Amber Ruffin? (Well, she's presumably under contract with Universal, but pretend she isn't.) Well, she's had a late-night show for the last three years, and it's run for... 36 episodes. I think she made the same decision that fellow late-night comedy-news-show breakout stars John Oliver and Samantha Bee did, and moved to a weekly format for mental health reasons. Even fans of the show would agree that the "plot arc" of The Daily Show between 2000 and 2015 was watching as Jon Stewart's brain was liquefied in slow motion by long-term exposure to cable news.
To be clear, I mostly asked that because she and Roy Wood Jr seemed both interested and like good choices -- if she wasn't actually interested, then I can't blame her. You're right, it's a much harder and more mentally taxing job than Jeopardy (among others).
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Post by Desert Dweller on Jan 26, 2024 22:30:45 GMT -5
This might be more of a Reddit kind of question, but I like it better here.
Besides Jeopardy! and The Daily Show, are there other examples of popular shows - like, "institution" level shows - that have had such tedious, drawn out, and public auditions to replace a host? And if no, then what the heck? Like when Jon left, there was Trevor. It wasn't a whole thing.
Is it dereliction of duty on part of the producers, or are they just milking it as its own media stunt?
In sharp contrast, hosting The Daily Show sounds like hell; who wants to spend five years of their life inserting themselves into the eye of the culture war week after week? No sane person wants to do that. The only person who's still doing that in 2024 is Jimmy Kimmel, and his prize is... occasionally hosting awards shows that no one likes and having Aaron Rodgers call him a pedophile on ESPN. PET asks, why not just hire Amber Ruffin? (Well, she's presumably under contract with Universal, but pretend she isn't.) Well, she's had a late-night show for the last three years, and it's run for... 36 episodes. I think she made the same decision that fellow late-night comedy-news-show breakout stars John Oliver and Samantha Bee did, and moved to a weekly format for mental health reasons. Even fans of the show would agree that the "plot arc" of The Daily Show between 2000 and 2015 was watching as Jon Stewart's brain was liquefied in slow motion by long-term exposure to cable news.
(It also is controversy-repellant for Viacom: it was reported that Hasan Minhaj was supposed to be The Daily Show's permanent host - and then, whoops, turns out he completely fabricated his life story! If someone in the cavalcade of guest hosts gets cancelled, they can be easily memory-holed.)
I actually think the current Producers of TDS are incompetent and have no skill at talent evaluation. And this is why they are bringing Jon Stewart back. Because he DOES have this skill, and found a bunch of great people. I suspect this is Stewart's primary job duty at this point. Like, "Hey we'll let you do this only ONCE a week, and in exchange can you please find us a permanent host?"
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Floyd D Barber
AV Clubber
The Train I used to Drive (not me driving, though)
Posts: 7,616
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Jan 26, 2024 22:41:01 GMT -5
Just now finished Deadwood the series, and the Deadwood movie. Again. I won't lie, maybe I'm just becoming a sentimental fool in my old age, but I teared up a little at the end.
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Post by The Sensational She-Hulk on Jan 27, 2024 13:08:58 GMT -5
I heard a terrible rumor that HBO, in it's wisdom, was going to pull Deadwood off their streaming platform, and while rumors are easier on the back than the short handled shovel, I have begun another rewatch. I am now midway through the third season, and still I am picking up new stuff with each episode. I believe I have mentioned before how much I love this show. The dialog and character development equals or exceeds anything else I have ever watched. It's kind of a shame that Bullock's character doesn't allow Olephant really show his full range as an actor. I get that the "randy maniac bishop" doesn't get to show his gift for comedy like Santa Clarita Diet" did, but the cast overall is such a delight. As the show was first airing, I followed it on the old "alt.tv.Deadwood" Usenet group. Jim Beaver, Ellsworth, would sometimes post there with information about the show. If Google is still maintaining those groups, it would make some interesting reading. I am envious of you getting to see Deadwood for the first time. Enjoy it. Can be combative. I know people call its dialogue "Shakespearean," but it really is -- in every sense of the word. Even the vulgarities! The lines just flow with such a cadence. I really like the doctor and his apparent unwillingness to be intimidated by power or money (at least so far). Him telling Alma so bluntly to stop wasting his time was interesting in particular!
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Floyd D Barber
AV Clubber
The Train I used to Drive (not me driving, though)
Posts: 7,616
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Jan 27, 2024 16:32:56 GMT -5
I heard a terrible rumor that HBO, in it's wisdom, was going to pull Deadwood off their streaming platform, and while rumors are easier on the back than the short handled shovel, I have begun another rewatch. I am now midway through the third season, and still I am picking up new stuff with each episode. I believe I have mentioned before how much I love this show. The dialog and character development equals or exceeds anything else I have ever watched. It's kind of a shame that Bullock's character doesn't allow Olephant really show his full range as an actor. I get that the "randy maniac bishop" doesn't get to show his gift for comedy like Santa Clarita Diet" did, but the cast overall is such a delight. As the show was first airing, I followed it on the old "alt.tv.Deadwood" Usenet group. Jim Beaver, Ellsworth, would sometimes post there with information about the show. If Google is still maintaining those groups, it would make some interesting reading. I am envious of you getting to see Deadwood for the first time. Enjoy it. Can be combative. I know people call its dialogue "Shakespearean," but it really is -- in every sense of the word. Even the vulgarities! The lines just flow with such a cadence. I really like the doctor and his apparent unwillingness to be intimidated by power or money (at least so far). Him telling Alma so bluntly to stop wasting his time was interesting in particular! Doc, and many other characters just grow more complex and multidimensional as the series goes on. That, as well as the dialog are it's greatest strengths. Some are truly good, some are evil, but no one is a cartoon.
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moimoi
AV Clubber
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Post by moimoi on Jan 28, 2024 21:51:58 GMT -5
I watched three episodes of Living Single last night because I'd only ever seen bits and pieces when it was originally on, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why my fellow millennials aren't obsessed with this show instead of Friends, which I did watch when it was airing and found mildly funny at best (look, we had a roof antenna; my options were limited until I went to college). Living Single is goddamn hilarious. I can't wait to watch more.
One of my formative experiences as a non-black, but also non-white, person in America, was choosing between Martin and Seinfeld (Martin, hands down) and Living Single and Friends (Living Single, obviously). Somehow the premise of 'white people being white in New York' did not appeal as much 'silly comedian and his ultra-likable friends hang out in Detroit, creating indelible characters and catchphrases' or 'Queen Latifah, Tootie, the girl from In Living Color, and cousin Pam date in Brooklyn'.
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repulsionist
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actively disinterested
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Post by repulsionist on Jan 30, 2024 15:01:40 GMT -5
Samurai Jack (S5:E4-5)
Gennedy's storyboards are full of action; Bryan Andrews' storyboarding isn't doing mere aping of Tartakovsky's style and brings its own input. Craig Kellman's character design and Scott Wills' art direction are awe-inspiring. Lots more use of blackspace in this that the first 4 seasons. The story that I've absorbed from just these episodes is more grim than the first run. Jack is much more affected by his loneliness in this season.
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Post by DangOlJimmyITellYouWhat on Jan 30, 2024 23:04:24 GMT -5
Just now finished Deadwood the series, and the Deadwood movie. Again. I won't lie, maybe I'm just becoming a sentimental fool in my old age, but I teared up a little at the end. I honestly can’t watch the movie again; something about it -beyond the obvious Thing and The Other Thing*- really punched me right in the feels. *too tired to do spoiler tags but def do not want to spoil The Sensational She-Hulk
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Post by DangOlJimmyITellYouWhat on Jan 30, 2024 23:07:02 GMT -5
I heard a terrible rumor that HBO, in it's wisdom, was going to pull Deadwood off their streaming platform, and while rumors are easier on the back than the short handled shovel, I have begun another rewatch. I am now midway through the third season, and still I am picking up new stuff with each episode. I believe I have mentioned before how much I love this show. The dialog and character development equals or exceeds anything else I have ever watched. It's kind of a shame that Bullock's character doesn't allow Olephant really show his full range as an actor. I get that the "randy maniac bishop" doesn't get to show his gift for comedy like Santa Clarita Diet" did, but the cast overall is such a delight. As the show was first airing, I followed it on the old "alt.tv.Deadwood" Usenet group. Jim Beaver, Ellsworth, would sometimes post there with information about the show. If Google is still maintaining those groups, it would make some interesting reading. I am envious of you getting to see Deadwood for the first time. Enjoy it. Can be combative. I know people call its dialogue "Shakespearean," but it really is -- in every sense of the word. Even the vulgarities! The lines just flow with such a cadence. I really like the doctor and his apparent unwillingness to be intimidated by power or money (at least so far). Him telling Alma so bluntly to stop wasting his time was interesting in particular! My love for Alma Garrett is all-encompassing and unwavering and I’ll burn everything down for her. And yes, Doc Cochran is goddamn amazing.
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