TV, NETFLIX, AMAZON PRIME, CABLE SHOWS & SERIES

[Irving]

Halfway through original Westworld now.

Okay here goes. Original Westworld was pretty good, probably before it's time when it came out. Michael Crichton continues to impress me. That said, if the new version tried to stick to exactly the same story, it would have been a steaming pile of shit and HBO would never have touched it. Not because the original was bad, but because it didn't have enough depth for a series (can any 1.5 hour movie?), and it needed to be updated to speak to today's audience. I think a fitting analogy would be if you tried to make a modern day horror movie where every one has land lines and the bad guy cuts the power. Great for any time before the 2000's, laughable for any time after.

I really enjoyed seeing where the new writers pulled all the elements of the new show from. The feel of the updated basement and work area is right on, as is the guest's first introduction to the park, from the hover craft and trams, to the Blacksmith being one of the first buildings you see in the background. OBC, you mentioned the music in the new one. The end scene music of the original seems to be the backbone of the updated music. One of my favorite elements of the new is modern music disguised as old timey piano music and the time it takes me to identify the artist/song each episode. Memorable stuff from the new version is Nine Inch Nails and RadioHead.

Conclusion: The original was great for when it was released, but the new version is leagues better, and it has to be or else it'd be a flop. Pretty much all of the main story elements of the original are worked into the new version, but buried within an enormous level of depth. Tip of the hat to the writers for sure. Having seen both makes me appreciate both on a deeper level and I'm glad I spent the time to watch the original.

[Irving]

I’m still waiting to start watching season 2 of Ozark. I enjoyed the first season.

Season 2 wasn't that bad. Not as good as the first though.

No spoilers, but Ray don't read this anyway.

I agree that I liked season 1 better than 2, even though 2 was good; but it took me a while to figure out why. Referring back to Justin's comment about Whats-his-directors-face strict adherence to whatever his formula is, I feel like season 2 of Ozark falls too neatly into the classic formula. Season 1 was more enjoyable because everything was new and there was a lot of character development, but also it felt like the characters made progress with respect to their challenges. Season 2 everything is established, there is a bit more character development, but for the most part it is just a parade of seeming insurmountable problems. After a while that gets old and it's nice to see the protagonists succeed every once in a while. If Marty is being cunning and figuring out brilliant plans to overcome challenges, the show feels refreshing and engaging. If Marty is constantly confronted with elements that he can't really control and he feels like he has little control, the show feels like another rehash of classic drama. Season 1 had a better balance than season 2.

Unrelated, but I heard that Aaron Paul is going to be in season 3 of something, but I can't remember if it is Ozark or Westworld.

[ray1970]

No spoilers, but Ray don't read this anyway.

Ha. Like you’re going to tell me that and not pique my curiosity.

Of course I had to read what you wrote.

I’m still looking forward to watching it for myself but I kind of understood what you were saying.

Thanks.

[Gman]

Not sure how I missed this thread, but it's interesting to see what many of you thought about Altered Carbon. Took me a couple of episodes to get on board with, but I really ended up enjoying it.

Glad to hear there's a Season 2 in the works.

...but this is one series, if you're an actor playing a role and are angling for more money, they'll just 're-sleeve' your character. ;-)

From what I understand of the books that the series concept comes from, the story takes place over hundreds of years.

Sent from my electronic leash using Tapatalk

[Great-Kazoo]

Netflix
Extinction - a 1.5 hr movie


Can't say anything other than WOW.. But we're sci-fi (or is it sysy) fans, so factor that in.

[Irving]

Saw the preview for it, glad to hear it was good.

[Honey Badger282.8]

You're going to cherry pick a few dozen episodes out of a multi year series and just watch those?

Yep. After watching the show a few times I realized that I was never really into it unless the episode was about her character. Her story was interesting enough that I kept watching, thinking that she would enter the main plot. It never happened so the show feels like a chore to sit through. If the author had kept Ned Stark as the main character, I’d probably still watch. With GoT, all of the characters are nothing more than fodder for the real lead of the show: the throne. Each story is arc is about what the characters will do to sit there.

[Honey Badger282.8]

Netflix
Extinction - a 1.5 hr movie


Can't say anything other than WOW.. But we're sci-fi (or is it sysy) fans, so factor that in.

SyFy is the only channel I miss by not having satellite tv.

[Great-Kazoo]

SyFy is the only channel I miss by not having satellite tv.

I found you can download an app from amazon or someplace else to access syfy.

[Irving]

When I had cable, I stopped watching SyFy before they even changed their call letters because it seemed like everything was B movie quality garbage.