[Whazzzup]

The finder Disney plus 2012



Ok didn’t watch cable back in the day, so lol, the finder. Roll em and weep. Brain damage or savant, who cares, it’s a who dunit er how to find it hoot. 3.75 puffs out of 5 for 32 minutes of fun, just 1 season tho.

 

[dougms3]

Shogun 10/10

Only 4 episodes released so far but my god. This show is absolutely stunning. The visuals alone are gorgeous, but the whole show seems to have been made with a no limit budget. The costumes, cgi, set, story, characters, this one is going after the game of thrones crown.

 

[tdockweiler]

Reacher (Season 2) - 9/10

This one was a lot better than Season 1.
This is just what I needed right now. Sort of like a faster paced detective show, but in the Die Hard style in a way.
It's very very violent/graphic, but also has some comedy in it. Probably the most fun/entertaining show i've seen in awhile.
The "good guys" aren't really that good and will basically kill everyone on sight in the most graphic ways possible.
I mean do we really need the bad guys to be shot 20+ times (while unarmed) and people being tortured to death (by the so called "good guys") while in intensive care in the hospital? The idea of "bringing them to justice" to these guys means murder basically. Laws apparently don't even apply to them in this TV series.
I also thought how some episodes played out was very strange. You'd have an action scene, then they'd all take a break to discuss details at a diner and then visit a hotel. Then repeat. I guess it wouldn't make sense to have a whole show with non-stop action scenes, plus they're on the road during most of the show.

Not sure exactly what made this season better than the 1st, but I think adding 3 more friends to the cast to help Jack Reacher out made the show better. Plus the comedy helps a little.

The level of violence reminded me of the obliterated Netflix series. I loved that series, but critics hated it. I hope they have a season 2, but not likely.

 

[tdockweiler]

Arthur the King - 8/10

True story about a group of people who come across a dog that teams up with them on a cross country race through the jungle.
I went to see this movie without having any idea what it was about.
I figured it would be another film like "Beethoven", but I was definitely wrong.
It's not necessarily a kid's movie and even adults can enjoy this one.
I thought it was worth seeing in the theaters.
I believe it's based on a book too. I should read it.

PS if you like movies about long distance running, hiking or even mountain climbing, you might like this one too.


The Tourist (Season 2) - 8.5/10

Was pretty great until the last 3 episodes. It's almost as if they ran out of ideas.
Still one of my current favorite recent TV shows.
I hope they continue the series.

 

[bagwell359]

Shogun:

Certainly the new production captures the visuals and details very well. On that basis alone, it's worth watching, and I've been pleased to do so.

However as with most books vs celluloid comparisons, the book has inner dialog/bursts of insights that set them apart and ahead of film.

Shogun and Dune:

Ironic indeed that two of my favorite books ever - I first read in 1981 - Dune and Shogun which have been made into a movie (twice) and a mini-series previously, were again remade in this time. If someone asked me which books outpace the film versions the most, those two would be at the tip of my tongue.

Forget the "daunting" length of Shogun - it just means the world in there has lots of room to expand and envelop the reader.

 

[Whazzzup]

Alone together 2018 Disney plus



Rockin buzz saw of verbose intellectual repartee between our cute as a button and camel toe male lead, in a sitcom worth a bud at least. Hilarious tongue n cheek look at female male aromantics that don’t know it, want to be it, but make no compremises in life, fun. 4 out of 5 puffs.

 

[tdockweiler]

3 Body Problem - 4/10

I watched this at random because I liked the trailer and it has the same producers as "Game of Thrones".
Such great ideas here, but such a wasted opportunity to make something really amazing. They could have.
They really messed up. I don't know if it was a rush job or they didn't have a big enough budget or what.
I don't know if they can salvage this mess on season 2. I hope so.

It starts out pretty well and the scenes in China are some of the best scenes of the series.
The problem is that the writing is really poor and has a lot of bad dialogue.
The biggest issue is that the acting is really not that good from mostly everyone. It's like C- grade acting from most.
It just comes across as completely wooden. None of them have any real personality.
The entire show doesn't have one really likable character for me. I don't know if this is just bad writing or what.
When you've got scenes with 3 main characters together it's mostly just pure cringe when they start talking.
Jack was by far the most annoying person. He tried to be funny, but just comes across as annoying.
I can't think of anything his character added to the show.

The best acting IMO was that of Zine Tseng who played the character Ye Wenjie. She had the only really good scenes in the series.
The worst ones were any of the VR scenes.

Most scenes just feel like a train wreck waiting to happen. They start out ok, then they just get worse the longer they go on.
It's as if the directors did 10 takes for a scene and just used the worst one. It's rare for me to see so many scenes in a row that are just so poorly made.
Scenes that should be suspenseful just end up being completely dull. During the raid scene, it's so poorly shot that I don't even know what the heck is going on.

Even the soundtrack is poor. I guess for me the only positive thing about this series is in how creative it's story is. It's cinematography is also pretty good.
I really want to love this series. So many good ideas! I believe it's based on a book. I'll have to read up on this.

BTW there is obviously going to be a season 2.
I'm sure it's been made already or is in production.
I would hire all new directors if not.
It really does feel like maybe the budget wasn't large enough for a series like this.




TIP: Watch The Foundation instead. You won't regret it! I wish someday I could buy a blu-ray of the series, but Apple would probably never allow that.

 

[Whazzzup]

Wayward pines 2015 Disney +



Ok don’t think to much about the logistical nightmare that would be to build this town. But focus on the struggle to uncover what’s really going on, the zombie vamps outside the wall, and the societal dynamics of living in a whoopsie, we shouldn’t have done this so let’s keep a lid on it. 3.75 puffs for a place and time without weed. Yikes

 

[dougms3]

3 Body Problem - 4/10

I watched this at random because I liked the trailer and it has the same producers as "Game of Thrones".
Such great ideas here, but such a wasted opportunity to make something really amazing. They could have.
They really messed up. I don't know if it was a rush job or they didn't have a big enough budget or what.
I don't know if they can salvage this mess on season 2. I hope so.

It starts out pretty well and the scenes in China are some of the best scenes of the series.
The problem is that the writing is really poor and has a lot of bad dialogue.
The biggest issue is that the acting is really not that good from mostly everyone. It's like C- grade acting from most.
It just comes across as completely wooden. None of them have any real personality.
The entire show doesn't have one really likable character for me. I don't know if this is just bad writing or what.
When you've got scenes with 3 main characters together it's mostly just pure cringe when they start talking.
Jack was by far the most annoying person. He tried to be funny, but just comes across as annoying.
I can't think of anything his character added to the show.

The best acting IMO was that of Zine Tseng who played the character Ye Wenjie. She had the only really good scenes in the series.
The worst ones were any of the VR scenes.

Most scenes just feel like a train wreck waiting to happen. They start out ok, then they just get worse the longer they go on.
It's as if the directors did 10 takes for a scene and just used the worst one. It's rare for me to see so many scenes in a row that are just so poorly made.
Scenes that should be suspenseful just end up being completely dull. During the raid scene, it's so poorly shot that I don't even know what the heck is going on.

Even the soundtrack is poor. I guess for me the only positive thing about this series is in how creative it's story is. It's cinematography is also pretty good.
I really want to love this series. So many good ideas! I believe it's based on a book. I'll have to read up on this.

BTW there is obviously going to be a season 2.
I'm sure it's been made already or is in production.
I would hire all new directors if not.
It really does feel like maybe the budget wasn't large enough for a series like this.




TIP: Watch The Foundation instead. You won't regret it! I wish someday I could buy a blu-ray of the series, but Apple would probably never allow that.

Totally agree.

It was very promising but this series was terrible.

 

[M3NTAL]

@Whazzzup - are you being held hostage by young-in's? Your Disney choices of late are concerning

Looking forward to some more serious 5 puffers. Bardo was the last feature length that made me feel something.

 

[Whazzzup]

@Whazzzup - are you being held hostage by young-in's? Your Disney choices of late are concerning

Looking forward to some more serious 5 puffers. Bardo was the last feature length that made me feel something.

Our Disney plus is ending in a couple weeks so we jammed in some fun stuff we haven’t seen. Picked up net flix again and have Apple TV till next year.

 

[M3NTAL]

Hope you have a top-ten list LOL. X-Men '97 and catch-up with OG - that should occupy you with some Jean Grey and Rogue.

 

[nraymond]

3 Body Problem - 4/10
...
I really want to love this series. So many good ideas! I believe it's based on a book. I'll have to read up on this.

The books were a big hit in China, and in 2014 when the first book in the series was translated to English it was the first novel by an Asian writer to win a Hugo Award for Best Novel, and was nominated for a Nebula award as well. The books were recently adapted into a TV show in China by Tencent and I think that did well. Changes were made by the Netflix production to make it more friendly to an international audience, with the original author as a consultant. The location was moved from China to London, and Chinese characters were changed to be people from other places and some alterations were made to character roles. The Netflix version has been controversial in China:

https://www.voanews.com/a/for-chine...ix-s-3-body-problem-is-a-problem/7542267.html

There's been ongoing conjecture about whether the books are an allegory for Chinese nationalism (where the aliens represent the west). In 2019 the author publicly said it is not a nationalistic allegory:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/06/24/liu-cixins-war-of-the-worlds

TIP: Watch The Foundation instead. You won't regret it! I wish someday I could buy a blu-ray of the series, but Apple would probably never allow that.

If you've read The Foundation books by Isaac Asimov, you may not like the show... it's a well made show, but the show's story doesn't actually follow the books much at all. It's a strange adaptation IMO.

 

[tdockweiler]

The books were a big hit in China, and in 2014 when the first book in the series was translated to English it was the first novel by an Asian writer to win a Hugo Award for Best Novel, and was nominated for a Nebula award as well. The books were recently adapted into a TV show in China by Tencent and I think that did well. Changes were made by the Netflix production to make it more friendly to an international audience, with the original author as a consultant. The location was moved from China to London, and Chinese characters were changed to be people from other places and some alterations were made to character roles. The Netflix version has been controversial in China:

https://www.voanews.com/a/for-chine...ix-s-3-body-problem-is-a-problem/7542267.html

There's been ongoing conjecture about whether the books are an allegory for Chinese nationalism (where the aliens represent the west). In 2019 the author publicly said it is not a nationalistic allegory:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/06/24/liu-cixins-war-of-the-worlds


If you've read The Foundation books by Isaac Asimov, you may not like the show... it's a well made show, but the show's story doesn't actually follow the books much at all. It's a strange adaptation IMO.

The one positive thing that came from watching this series is that I now have heard about the books and how good they are.
They're on my must read list and I plan on getting the first in the series ASAP.

I wasn't aware when I watched this that it was based on a book series by a Chinese author. It's good that at least they had a diverse cast in this one.
I'm glad they didn't have the entire film in English.

I've heard from reviews that some of the scientists in the series were not even real characters from the book. Now it makes sense why they were such poorly written characters.

For anyone that is interested in the Chinese series, Episode 1 seems to be available on Youtube for free and it's not pirated, but a legal free episode from the company that released it.

I plan on watching episode one. Not likely any US streaming services have the Chinese version though. I'd buy it if I could, but not pay for a third streaming service.

BTW I was thinking how cool it would be to have someone like Denis Villeneuve direct every episode. He would be a perfect fit for the series if you've seen "Arrival".
That was a movie I disliked in the theater, but I had missed crucial dialogue that's important to understand the story. I watched it at home and loved it. How does that happen?! It has a really great soundtrack too!

The 3 Body Problem just seems like a book that would be insanely difficult to translate to a TV series.
I imagine the Chinese version is a lot better.

Not so fun fact: Did you know there is a version of Breaking Bad from Mexico?
Would be amusing to watch.

 

[SilverEars]

I saw this short clip of Conan, which I think is really good sketch. Interestingly, scenario is something you'd find on twilight zone.