The Sword and Laser discussion
TV, Movies and Games
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What else are you watching?
Gary wrote: "I also watched the television show Yellowstone Season 3 on Peacock Network (bought the network for one month just to see this show) and Yellowstone Season 4 on the Paramount Network (not Paramount Plus). It’s a new Western with aspects of the TV soap Dallas, except with cattle in Montana rather than oil in Texas, and the Godfather movies. Not science fiction, but I liked it a lot."Although I haven’t seen Yellowstone yet, I really like Taylor Sheridan’s stuff. He did Sicario, Sicario 2, and Hell or High Water. I especially enjoyed the latter.
I have been watching Invasion in Apple Tv. I am enjoying it.
Whoa I had no idea Yellowstone was a Taylor Sheridan joint. Definitely going to have to watch this now.
Yellowstone seasons 1-3 & 1883 are top knotch! I loved them! I can't watch Yellowstone season 4 on Paramount+ (WTF?), but I think it's coming to Peacock in about a week. I've got 1 episode left of Reacher in the meantime for my testosterone fix. ha
Finally got around to watching 'The Rise of Skywalker'... better late than never and I'm glad I didn't pay to watch it. Is it just me or is it really that bad?
It's really that bad. "Somehow, Palpatine returned." *hurl*
The Batmobile & Everything You’d Ever Need To Know | The Batman’s *modified* 1969 Dodge Chargerhttps://youtu.be/0gC5hhFWe5k
Interesting breakdown. It’s a shame this is just a fake movie car and not something one could actually build, because it otherwise looks pretty realistic.
AndrewP wrote: "Finally got around to watching 'The Rise of Skywalker'... better late than never and I'm glad I didn't pay to watch it. Is it just me or is it really that bad?"I am a Star Wars fan. It is the only one the films I didn't go to see more than once at the cinema, nor buy on DVD afterwards.
Disney and JJ :-(
John wrote: "AndrewP wrote: "Finally got around to watching 'The Rise of Skywalker'... better late than never and I'm glad I didn't pay to watch it. Is it just me or is it really that bad?"I am a Star Wars fa..."
The movies are garbage, and the only thing that makes the overarching story palatable is the fan theory that Rey is the reincarnation of Anakin. Even then you have to squint a lot and hit yourself on the head with a hammer in order to get past the most egregiously stupid aspects.
It’s space fantasy, how hard could it be? Turns out the answer is “very”.
I watched The Adam Project on Netflix, the Ryan Reynolds time travel flick with Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Seldaña and Catherine Keener. The kid who plays young RR is amazingly good. It’s his first film and he’s a natural.It’s a nice lightweight adventure with a few fun moments. Pleasant, you know? Like the terrific Boss Level (on Hulu), they also use the Boston song “Foreplay/Long Time” for their time travel/time loop needle drop, and I’m here for it. We need more Boston in movies.
Watched the season finale of Resident Alien. Second season was not near as good as the first. It's as if the producers realized they had a hit and instead of finishing one storyline and moving on to the next, they just started a new one and left the audience hanging for the one that got them watching the show.Ended on a cliffhanger, but at least the outro said that Season 3 would be this summer. I'll probably watch, but it won't be appointment TV any more.
Trike wrote: "Like the terrific Boss Level (on Hulu), they also use the Boston song “Foreplay/Long Time” for their time travel/time loop needle drop, and I’m here for it. We need more Boston in movies."Is that just a feeling you have, or is it more than a feeling?
Ah, Boston. It's been such a long time, since they had an album...
We finished watching Spider-Man: No Way Home last night! We loved it! I gave it 10/10 stars which is very rare from me. My only complaint is I'm not a fan of the end credits scene being a trailer (looking at you, Sony). I know that's why they were called trailers originally.
Seth wrote: "Is that just a feeling you have, or is it more than a feeling?"John (Taloni) wrote: "Ah, Boston. It's been such a long time, since they had an album..."
Well played.
I loved the first episode of Halo. It perfectly complemented the games.
Just finished the premiere of Moon Knight on Disney+. I have no history with the character. I've never read the comics.I really enjoyed it. Oscar Isaac does a good job as the 'confused, I don't know what's happening to me' guy who hears voices. Even though the audience is as much in the dark as the character, I was intrigued not confused by what was going on and I'm looking forward to watching more.
Chris wrote: "Just finished the premiere of Moon Knight on Disney+. I have no history with the character. I've never read the comics.I really enjoyed it. Oscar Isaac does a good job as the 'confused, I don't k..."
I have read the comics, and Moony has been a guest star in a number of comics I grew up reading, such as Spider-Man, Heroes for Hire and West Coast Avengers. There are so many variations of the character and his backstory over the years that they can choose any direction. It was clear from the trailer that they would use the version with Dissociative Personality Disorder (formerly called multiple personalities), but aside from that there are a number of ways to go.
In some, Marc Spector is essentially Batman except with schizophrenia, some have his DID a lifelong thing that allowed Khonshu to give him powers, some have his DID caused by Khonshu, some have his abilities tied to the phases of the moon (and he turns into a werewolf when it’s full)... just all sorts of stuff, depending on the writer. I quite liked Warren Ellis’ version, less so the Brian Michael Bendis one, where he was basically Daredevil + Punisher.
I was also on the fence due to the fact Jeremy Slater is the showrunner. He wrote that terrible Fantastic Four and bad Death Note adaptation, but on the other hand did the very good Umbrella Academy for Netflix.
So far so good, though. Definitely leaning into the supernatural version of the character.
I read the Doug Moench/Bill Sienkiewicz Moon Knight b&w magazines back in the day. Moon Knight was suave back then.
The first episode of the Halo series is on YouTube,https://youtu.be/Bkf1pAhs_KY
It is incredibly bad. I watched this absolutely agog at how terrible it is. Remember that bad 1990s tv series Space: Above & Beyond? It looks like an episode of that. In 2552 they’re still driving 2002 Chevy Tahoes and 2010 Toyota Hiluxes. That’s so cheap. This looks like a fan film. That’s embarrassing, but worse is the writing. How did this script make it past the first draft?
Instead of telling us how badass Spartans are, why not show us? Instead of telling us that people don’t trust the UNSC, why not show us? Open the show with the marines and Spartans doing crowd control and people protesting them. Then have the Covenant attack, forcing them to make a choice. You get your action sequence and set the political groundwork at the same time.
The CGI ranges from decent to totally awful. Even game ragdoll physics look better than what’s in the first sequence.
Halo: Forward Unto Dawn is a superior effort, and it was done for a fraction of the budget, to boot.
https://youtu.be/dTGqNRhm_qQ
The Outcasts movie was made for this group. In a high school, there is literally a sword clique and a laser clique.
I devoured every episode of Dark in three days. That’s how you do time travel!
Tamahome wrote: "The Outcasts movie was made for this group. In a high school, there is literally a sword clique and a laser clique."Phillip wrote: "I devoured every episode of Dark in three days. That’s how you do time travel!"
I have no idea what either of these are.
Trike wrote: "Tamahome wrote: "The Outcasts movie was made for this group. In a high school, there is literally a sword clique and a laser clique."Phillip wrote: "I devoured every episode of Dark in three days..."
Dark is a German show on Netflix. It has three seasons (26 episodes) and shows people in a few families making a mess of things as they continuously travel through time. It's like Stranger Things and It had a baby (kids go missing, happens every 33 years). I highly recommend it.
Mod
It does become very complicated trying to keep all the time related threads together and who's who, with people shown over multiple time periods and ages and not always chronological. They can be younger in later time periods or older in previous time periods.
Especially if you watched it like I did with a long break waiting for the new season.
Tassie Dave wrote: "Dark was fantastic. It is a very intelligent Time travel drama. 10/10. Highly recommended also.It does become very complicated trying to keep all the time related threads together and who's who, ..."
I did not keep up and didn't watch the third season. It should be binged one season right after the other !
Dark is awesome but yes one that is tough to follow at times. I can't remember is there going to be a new season or is the 3rd it. I feel like I watched it all early pandemic.
Calvey wrote: "Dark is awesome but yes one that is tough to follow at times. I can't remember is there going to be a new season or is the 3rd it. I feel like I watched it all early pandemic."The third is the last season. It was pretty definitive in how it ended.
Now I will have to check to make sure I saw the last season. I hate getting old!
Dark also has a very good (but very spoileriffic, so probably avoid it until you've finished the series) website.https://dark.netflix.io/en
For fun, (view spoiler).
Dark got really obnoxiously recursive in season 3 and I gave up on it. It was constant “we must end the knot!”, “we must preserve the knot!”, “we must end the knot!”, “we must preserve the knot!”, and so on ad infinitum.
this just drop an audio drama - Sci-Fi Podcast "HORIZONS" | Episode 1: Genborn | DUST found on YouTube.
I just finished the finale of Severance and wow, it gave me chills. The show started out as a bit of a slow burn but it really built into an incredible crescendo.
The Severance finale had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, all 'go faster, go faster!!!!' - very effective, cannot wait for next season.
I binged all 7 episodes of season 2 of Pacific Rim: The Black this morning. (Netflix.) Each episode is 20 minutes and it just cranks right along. Did not feel like 2-1/2 hours at all.
Trike wrote: "I binged all 7 episodes of season 2 of Pacific Rim: The Black this morning. (Netflix.) Each episode is 20 minutes and it just cranks right along. Did not feel like 2-1/2 hours at all."How did it compare to the first season?
Chris wrote: "How did it compare to the first season? "Just as good. It’s a shame this is the end.
I guess animation on Netflix isn’t doing so well, since they shuttered that division and fired everyone this week. Which probably means the stuff already announced with release dates is all we’re going to get.
It’s too bad, because some of these shows have been great. I hope Arcane finds another home, because I really liked that first season. Everyone’s mentioning that the adaptation of Bone: The Complete Edition was canceled, but I have to assume everything else was, too. Terminator, BRZRKR, Volume 1, Mech Cadet Yu, Redwall, etc.
Just went to see Everything Everywhere All at Once... This is the best movie I have seen in years. Oh my word it is unbelievably good. Most of the audience sat stunned at the end before they could get up and leave.
Do yourself a favour and see this t the Cinema (The best SFF movie since Arrival).
I saw it too and liked it. It's pretty bizarre though. Your normal friends might not understand, lol.
Trike wrote: "Chris wrote: "How did it compare to the first season? "Just as good. It’s a shame this is the end.
I guess animation on Netflix isn’t doing so well..."
Someone is going to start an animation-only streaming service and get filthy rich.
Mod
Like Crunchyroll and Funimation ?
Tassie Dave wrote: "RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Someone is going to start an animation-only streaming service and get filthy rich."Like Crunchyroll and Funimation ?"
Well, just Crunchyroll now, but there are others too, like Hidive, Retrocrush, etc. So many options for streaming anime.
It's not SFF, but I just caught up on Slow Horses on Apple TV. I'm not sure I want to read the books, but I'm really enjoying the show so far. British spy stuff with Gary Oldman!
Ian (RebelGeek) wrote: "It's not SFF, but I just caught up on Slow Horses on Apple TV. I'm not sure I want to read the books, but I'm really enjoying the show so far. British spy stuff with Gary Oldman!"The first book in the series Slow Horses by Mick Herron was on sale a few weeks ago so I bought and read it. I enjoyed the story but I haven't decided if I want to continue reading the series, which has 7 titles with one more on the way https://www.goodreads.com/series/1013...
The book has the right vibes to make an entertaining tv show
Ian (RebelGeek) wrote: "It's not SFF, but I just caught up on Slow Horses on Apple TV. I'm not sure I want to read the books, but I'm really enjoying the show so far. British spy stuff with Gary Oldman!"I am also enjoying the TV show and it actually prompted me to take the first book out of the library. This is pretty different than what I typically read, so I am hoping that the show is a close translation of the book, as otherwise not sure how much I will actually be into it.
It's been many years, but I read a lot of James Bond novels in my youth. I think I'll dig it. Slow Horses is on my Want to Read list.
The Sword and Laser
Books mentioned in this topic
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (other topics)The Thursday Murder Club (other topics)
Ironheart, Vol. 1: Those With Courage (other topics)
For He Can Creep (other topics)
The Shadow Rising (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
George R.R. Martin (other topics)Robert Jordan (other topics)
George R.R. Martin (other topics)
Robert Jordan (other topics)
George R.R. Martin (other topics)
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I also watched the television show Yellowstone Season 3 on Peacock Network (bought the network for one month just to see this show) and Yellowstone Season 4 on the Paramount Network (not Paramount Plus). It’s a new Western with aspects of the TV soap Dallas, except with cattle in Montana rather than oil in Texas, and the Godfather movies. Not science fiction, but I liked it a lot.
Next, I plan to watch Picard Season 2 on Paramount Plus. There will be 10 episodes that release one per week from March 3, 2022, to May 5, 2022.
I also plan to watch Star Trek Discovery Season 3 on DVD from the Library. They released seven episodes of Season 4 last year and the other six will be released before March 2022 on Paramount Plus.