The Return of The Son of A Telly Watching Fish
O HAI!
I think I'm just going to stop apologizing for my sporadic presence on Live Journal and for not staying in touch as much as I would like to. My job is a total timesuck; I'm not a big user of social networks - I only use Twitter to know how deep the snow is in the city where I work. My email box is a jumbled mess which I always intend to sort out...manana. That's just the way it is.
Just know that I miss you all and that I do lurk and read your posts even if I don't always comment.
Right, on with business:
Hands up: who's watching Game of Thrones? Best thing on telly since....hmmm...probably The Wire or The Sopranos.
I was very critical of the first season because I thought they tried to cram too much in 12 eps, wasted too much time on "sexposition" and it gave the overall season a choppy feel. But I found season two much better paced - the epsiode Blackwater was breathtaking (you got to watch it on dvd or blu ray - the sound of wildfire explosions are tremendous with that very low, gut shaking sound that reminded me of the opening in TFoTR when Sauron goes all nukey).
Now season three... woah, season three is simply blowing me away. The interweb is buzzing with praise over last episode's scene where Daenerys Targaryen PWNS THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYTHING - and rightly so. As I was saying to maidenjedi this was the first time a tv shot measured up to something I had imagined while reading the books (well, except for the Unsullied wearing pants - PHILISTINES!)
So yeah, if you haven't given this a go yet, please do. Trust me, even if medieval fantasy is not your thing, it's so well done and gorgeous to look at it's hard not to be smitten. Quality transcend genres IMO. Homeland subject matter is not my cup of tea at all, but I got hooked because it is a damn fine show. Same with the Sopranos or The Wire or my beloved West Wing. So stop saying "knights and dragons, ugh!" and give GoT a chance.
And as much as I loved Daenerys kicking some major ass last episode, I think I love little things like this even more:
Passive agressiveness with CHAIRS. Bloody brilliant!
Here, have a Joffrey target practice (I love to hate Joffrey, Jack Gleeson should be nominated for an Emmy) :
Also, can I say that I totally ship Brienne and Jaime? They're both such wonderfully layered characters.
CAUTION ADULT THEMES.
Yeah, I could whine a bit over the Podric silly story line, but it's a minor gripe among all the awesomeness. Also, total fangirl flailing over Diana Rigg playing the Queen of Thorns. You probably weren't born you lot, but back in the days The Avengers (along with Space 1999) used to scare the crap out of me.
Okay, if I haven't made my point with all this, I don't know what will.
Next:
Hannibal.
Meh. The lead actors are just not working for me. I find Hannibal played by Mads Mikklessen too "obvious". I find very little of the silent menace exuded by a Anthony Hopkins. This Hannibal creep factor extends to the fact that he keeps bringing food to the people around him. LOOK! He's feeding them human flesh! OMGZG!1!!!
Nah, subtelty, not this show forte. I might watch the eps where Gillian is in, out of curiosity but that will be it.
Understand that I am a die hard fan of The Silence of the Lambs both the book and the film, so this show was always going to be a very hard sell for yours truly.
Defiance:
I haven't quite made up my mind yet. I always welcome new sci fi shows, and this one is trying something quite ambitious with eight alien races, known as the Votans stuck on Earth, having to share an accidentally terraformed world with the remaining humans.
Hm, how can I put it? I don't find the aliens alien enough. Their cultures are deja vu, run of the mill. The Castithans look great, but their love of long baths and their religion - with people being unfairly punished for their sins and priests wearing the ubiquitous robes, hoods and masks are hardly a novelty. The volge are heavily armored warriors, the Indogens are no nonsense scientists...etc. I guess that's my main bone of contention. What was forgivable in the heydays of Star Trek and Babylon 5 is less forgivable post Battlestar Galactica which gave us Cylons who - by their thoughts and deeds, felt stranger and inspired more "otherness" than any of those Votans. This said, it is entertaining enough and it is only a few eps old. But it better give us something more substantial than forehead aliens and Romeo & Juliet family feuds. I want to see more about the effect of terraforming and how the natural world is mutating because this is a really cool concept. It's good to see Julie Benz playing the rookie mayor and the lead actor, Grant Bowler is doing an okay Han Solo-ish job. It could be a good show, but I very much doubt it will ever be a great one.
Real Humans/ äkta människor
This is really good, if you can get your hands on it. It's a Swedish scifi drama with ROBOTS *grin*. Look, just watch the trailer. Not sure when it will appear on Anglo-Saxon countries' shelves but if you're an Asimov fan, keep an eye for it.
Right, that'll do pig. :)
All Done, bye bye.
I think I'm just going to stop apologizing for my sporadic presence on Live Journal and for not staying in touch as much as I would like to. My job is a total timesuck; I'm not a big user of social networks - I only use Twitter to know how deep the snow is in the city where I work. My email box is a jumbled mess which I always intend to sort out...manana. That's just the way it is.
Just know that I miss you all and that I do lurk and read your posts even if I don't always comment.
Right, on with business:
Hands up: who's watching Game of Thrones? Best thing on telly since....hmmm...probably The Wire or The Sopranos.
I was very critical of the first season because I thought they tried to cram too much in 12 eps, wasted too much time on "sexposition" and it gave the overall season a choppy feel. But I found season two much better paced - the epsiode Blackwater was breathtaking (you got to watch it on dvd or blu ray - the sound of wildfire explosions are tremendous with that very low, gut shaking sound that reminded me of the opening in TFoTR when Sauron goes all nukey).
Now season three... woah, season three is simply blowing me away. The interweb is buzzing with praise over last episode's scene where Daenerys Targaryen PWNS THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYTHING - and rightly so. As I was saying to maidenjedi this was the first time a tv shot measured up to something I had imagined while reading the books (well, except for the Unsullied wearing pants - PHILISTINES!)
So yeah, if you haven't given this a go yet, please do. Trust me, even if medieval fantasy is not your thing, it's so well done and gorgeous to look at it's hard not to be smitten. Quality transcend genres IMO. Homeland subject matter is not my cup of tea at all, but I got hooked because it is a damn fine show. Same with the Sopranos or The Wire or my beloved West Wing. So stop saying "knights and dragons, ugh!" and give GoT a chance.
And as much as I loved Daenerys kicking some major ass last episode, I think I love little things like this even more:
Click to viewPassive agressiveness with CHAIRS. Bloody brilliant!
Here, have a Joffrey target practice (I love to hate Joffrey, Jack Gleeson should be nominated for an Emmy) :
Also, can I say that I totally ship Brienne and Jaime? They're both such wonderfully layered characters.
CAUTION ADULT THEMES.
Yeah, I could whine a bit over the Podric silly story line, but it's a minor gripe among all the awesomeness. Also, total fangirl flailing over Diana Rigg playing the Queen of Thorns. You probably weren't born you lot, but back in the days The Avengers (along with Space 1999) used to scare the crap out of me.
Okay, if I haven't made my point with all this, I don't know what will.
Next:
Hannibal.
Meh. The lead actors are just not working for me. I find Hannibal played by Mads Mikklessen too "obvious". I find very little of the silent menace exuded by a Anthony Hopkins. This Hannibal creep factor extends to the fact that he keeps bringing food to the people around him. LOOK! He's feeding them human flesh! OMGZG!1!!!
Nah, subtelty, not this show forte. I might watch the eps where Gillian is in, out of curiosity but that will be it.
Understand that I am a die hard fan of The Silence of the Lambs both the book and the film, so this show was always going to be a very hard sell for yours truly.
Defiance:
I haven't quite made up my mind yet. I always welcome new sci fi shows, and this one is trying something quite ambitious with eight alien races, known as the Votans stuck on Earth, having to share an accidentally terraformed world with the remaining humans.
Hm, how can I put it? I don't find the aliens alien enough. Their cultures are deja vu, run of the mill. The Castithans look great, but their love of long baths and their religion - with people being unfairly punished for their sins and priests wearing the ubiquitous robes, hoods and masks are hardly a novelty. The volge are heavily armored warriors, the Indogens are no nonsense scientists...etc. I guess that's my main bone of contention. What was forgivable in the heydays of Star Trek and Babylon 5 is less forgivable post Battlestar Galactica which gave us Cylons who - by their thoughts and deeds, felt stranger and inspired more "otherness" than any of those Votans. This said, it is entertaining enough and it is only a few eps old. But it better give us something more substantial than forehead aliens and Romeo & Juliet family feuds. I want to see more about the effect of terraforming and how the natural world is mutating because this is a really cool concept. It's good to see Julie Benz playing the rookie mayor and the lead actor, Grant Bowler is doing an okay Han Solo-ish job. It could be a good show, but I very much doubt it will ever be a great one.
Real Humans/ äkta människor
This is really good, if you can get your hands on it. It's a Swedish scifi drama with ROBOTS *grin*. Look, just watch the trailer. Not sure when it will appear on Anglo-Saxon countries' shelves but if you're an Asimov fan, keep an eye for it.
Right, that'll do pig. :)
All Done, bye bye.