Recent Films and TV Shows that were good...

overscan (PaulMM)

overscan (PaulMM)

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A bit tired of the negativity towards modern TV and films, much of which I think is deserved, so instead lets have a topic about good TV shows and films you've seen.

I really enjoyed or am currently enjoying these:

The Peripheral (Amazon Prime)
Adaptation of a William Gibson Sci-Fi novel I haven't read. Not afraid to be slow and thoughtful at times. Good acting. Still airing season 1.

Severance (Apple)
Very weird drama thiller with dark comedy and sci-fi overtones. Excellent cast and intriguing premise and the right amount of mystery made it compulsive viewing. Has been renewed for Season 2.

Sandman (Netflix)
Has been criticised by some for recasting some characters as female and more ethnically diverse than the original comic, but this was an excellent and compelling watch. Like all Neil Gaiman's work, it deals with big moral and spiritual matters in a fantastic setting. Season 1 is split into two distinct halves, and some people found the second half less interesting, but I liked it all.

Enola Holmes 2 (Netflix)
Just a fun film to watch with your kids. My 13 year old daughter loved it. First one was also enjoyable.
 
Final Space (TBS)
A seemingly silly sci-fi animated space opera, it soon delves deep into some effectively creepifyin' cosmic horror. Surprisingly touching in places, with characters you get to care about, and a lot of truly intriguing sci-fi concepts. Small problem: you'll never be able to watch it ever again. The entire series has been written off as a tax loss, which means it has been yanked from all streaming services, the first two seasons DVD removed from sale (season three was never sold) and it has been entirely memory holed. So unless there is some sort of bay full of pirates that might happen to have copies... this show will always remain tantalizingly out of reach.

True Detective (HBO, season one)
On the surface a cop show, spread out over something like 20 years. It, too, turns out to be heavily steeped in cosmic horror, with what at first seems to be a lone serial killer turning out to be something much more and much worse. There are two more seasons, but they are unrelated to the first, and were really not at all good.

Primal (Adult Swim)
The worst of all tropes, cavemen alongside dinosaurs, turns out to be Freakin' Awesome. Violence, gore, sexytimes and a virtual complete lack of explanation for the many WTF aspects of the show.

Star Treks Prodigy and Lower Decks
The only Star Treks since the end of "Enterprise" in 2005, these two shows are animated. Prodigy is CGI and aimed at kids; Lower Decks is cell animation aimed at adults. Two very different shows, but both - unlike certain *other* shows claiming to be Trek - respect the canon and are written by people who know the lore and, more importantly, actually like it. The humor on Lower Decks isn;t for everyone, but if you like Modern Adult Humor and you like Star Trek, you'll like Lower Decks. Prodigy is very much aimed at kids, but even then they don;t seem to dumb it down too much, and they manage to keep the heart of Star Trek in place.

The Orville (Hulu)
I'm not saying it's Star Trek... but it's Star Trek. The first season was very much "Family Guy" humor, but that was clearly done so that Seth Macfarlane could get his project made. In the seasons since the show has really dialed back on the dick jokes and dialed up the awesomeness. The most recent season on Hulu was a *massive* step up in storytelling and production values, with single episodes having the sort of spectacle that you used to assicate with Star Wars movies.

Upload (Amazon)
Apparently a sitcom, it's not ha-ha humor, but hmmm humor. set in the near future where you can upload your mind into one of many "Matrix" simulations, the science fiction concepts are worth watching. the production values are astonishing for a show nobody seems to have heard of., and the utter horror potential of uploading is laid bare.

Chernobyl (HBO)
What happens when you take technical incompetence, bad design work, government interference *and* government apathy, stir in some insane political ideology and a bunch of boooooze? Why, wacky hijinks! An industrial accident becomes, you guessed it, full-on cosmic horror. Nothing quite grabs you by the yabbos like an episode ending on a cliffhanger of a few people struggling through the darkness, their flashlights mysteriously burning out, their geiger counters going absolutely batshit.
 
The Boys

For All Mankind

Halo (If you haven't played the game I hear.)

Invincible

Carnival Row

Love, Death, and Robots (Season 3)

Ancient Apocalypse
 
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I really enjoyed The Boys, Upload and Carnival Row and the latest season of The Orville swerved from Star Trek TNG fan fiction towards DS9 territory - its pretty good. On the fence with Halo and my wife found the first For All Mankind didn't grab her but I might try that one again.
 
"The Pentaverate". A delirious mini-serie with Mike Myers and a little laugh in a humor full of absurdities. It is the story of a Canadian journalist (Ken carborough) who finds himself embarked in spite of himself in a world of conspiracy theories and adventures within a secret society that he wants to reveal.
 
I'd add Battlestar Galactica, but it's not recent any more, so there's this. A YouTube reaction channel from an Arizona couple. They binge watch series as well as films, and are currently at the 2nd half of 3rd season of BSG. Impromptu guest appearances by their daughters and sometimes their dog. Funny married couple banter, Mrs Movies does drum solos on her cushion for BSG openings.


No particular order...

Currently screening or renewed

The Peripheral

1899
Has had good reviews and pedigree, so I'll be looking at that.

For All Mankind

The Sandman

Archer (RIP Jessica Walter)

Beforeigners
A Norwegian series. The story is a not-too-subtle commentary on immigration but the twist here is that the immigrants are from the past, so you see 19th century folk, Vikings, and Cro-Magnons trying to get along. Modern-day cop is paired with Viking woman who likes mead - a lot. Often very funny.

Foundation
Has some apparently coincidental similarities with the Asimov cycle of the same name, quite nice to look at.

Invasion
Essentially The War of the Worlds. Some consider it boring as it moves very slowly, but I don't mind as long as it keeps moving. Several plot strands worldwide, a couple of which are converging.

His Dark Materials
YA, multiverse, steampunk-ish.

Russian Doll
Time loops and alternate histories. Natasha Lyonne is apparently playing herself as far as I can tell. My gf's Hungarian, so the 2nd season trip to Budapest was great to watch as she recognised the nightclub she'd been to and translated the language - apparently subtitles clean up the swearing a lot.

Recently finished

Chernobyl

The Terror
First season, anyway- it's self-contained. Inspired by the ill-fated Franklin expedition's search for the Northwest Passage.

Counterpart
Equal parts Le Carré, Dick and Kafka. Cancelled after its second season but if you take that as the narrative end, it actually has a chilling symmetry, if not closure. Since COVID it has even more impact.

Devs

Maniac

The Good Place

Legion

Mr Robot

Watchmen (TV version)

The Man in the High Castle

Orphan Black
It's disconcerting watching Tatiana Maslany being interviewed. 'Where are the rest of the cast?" I ask. Oh right...

The OA
Near death experiences, multiverse, incredibly self-indulgent by its creator to the point of obscurity (or silliness) but interesting because of that. Cancelled after two seasons, so every end is loose.

I found them all at the very least interesting and entertaining, though they may not be everyone's cup of tea. Lots more that I've missed, I'm sure.
 
His Dark Materials is excellent, but COVID seems to have delayed the 3rd season.

Legion was quite an interesting take on the superhero genre.

The Good Place is a really good comedy.

I liked Foundation, but even though its 38 years since I read it I'm pretty sure its not faithful to books at all.

My wife really liked Russian Doll, I thought it was mildly interesting.
 
More about this. Gruesome violence, narcos, and lawyers ? not my area of interest at all. Should have been For all mankind, but I'm too much a space nerd tech & history not to scream in horror at the plotholes as big as a Truax Sea Dragon. Season 3 had plot holes big enough for planet Mars to fit comfortably.

So Better call Saul it was.
I really enjoyed
- The brothers cruel rivalry and shenanigans
- the character of Jimmy and others (Kim, Chuck, Howard)
- the story arcs with all the small maniacal details and easter eggs, all the nods to Breaking Bad (negative result: can't stand Walter Dickhead White anymore)
- the overall story, which starts slowly and rather smoothly, then brutally goes into "train wreck mode" from season 4 onwards, up to full madness and carnage in season 6
- the Cartel story that fill the gaps in Breaking bad (with all the psychotic nutcases, Tuco Salamanca and his extended family, Gus and his box cutter, Don Eladio & Bolsa)
- the cinematography, which is really gorgeous (makes one wanting to travel to New Mexico, they have a way of filming that desert... )
- the soundtrack, added plenty of songs to my playlist

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2TE_WyCwgc
 
Second the nomination for True Detective season 1. Absolutely creepy, befitting the distasteful subject at its core. The acting is superb and the editing and cinematography are brilliant.

Sadly, several run throughs of the “biker gang invades the projects” scene reveal it’s not a continuous shot as is often asserted. Still hair-raising and brutal, nevertheless.
 
It is a mistake of the highest order to believe that all quality entertainment comes out of the legacy companies of Hollywood and their ilk. Some of the best entertainment comes, instead, from small groups or even individuals who have talent, skill, and, most importantly, a healthy dose of giveadamn. Examples:

Astartes
A Warhammer 40K fan film made by one guy. Even if you know nothing of 40K, just sit back and behold the awesome.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7hgjuFfn3A


Enterprise Leaves Spacedock
Best viewed on a ginormous screen in the dark, this is three and a half minutes of Star Trek VI recut with new VFX by, again, one guy. It's spectacular.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdRUL8RbDw8


Wanderers
Again, ONE GUY. Yeah, it's seven years ago, not five... but it still kicks Hollywoods ass.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH3c1QZzRK4
 
I second a lot of what has been said, and may try some of what I haven't seen .

The most unique and satisfying thing I have watched recently is "Midnight Diner" on Netflix. Episodes are not too long, so easy to dip a toe & see if it appeals.
 
Orionblamblam said:
It is a mistake of the highest order to believe that all quality entertainment comes out of the legacy companies of Hollywood and their ilk. Some of the best entertainment comes, instead, from small groups or even individuals who have talent, skill, and, most importantly, a healthy dose of giveadamn. Examples:

Astartes
A Warhammer 40K fan film made by one guy. Even if you know nothing of 40K, just sit back and behold the awesome.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7hgjuFfn3A


Enterprise Leaves Spacedock
Best viewed on a ginormous screen in the dark, this is three and a half minutes of Star Trek VI recut with new VFX by, again, one guy. It's spectacular.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdRUL8RbDw8


Wanderers
Again, ONE GUY. Yeah, it's seven years ago, not five... but it still kicks Hollywoods ass.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH3c1QZzRK4
Click to expand...

These are all great and I would really like to see more. Hopefully someone's picking them up or sending money their respective ways.
 
One for the family - Wednesday (Netflix) is really good, my kids (10 and 13) loved it as did my wife.

Basically it's teenage Wednesday Adams going to a school for "outcasts" where strange things are happening.

Its by Gough and Millar, who did "Smallvillle" back in the day. Morticia and Gomez are miscast, but the young actors are all great.
 
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Good Night Oppy

Documentary on the Opportunity Mars rover. A bit schmaltzy but very engaging.

www.imdb.com

Good Night Oppy (2022) - IMDb

Good Night Oppy: Directed by Ryan White. With Angela Bassett, Steve Squyres, Moogega Cooper, Abigail Fraeman. The film follows Opportunity, the Mars Exploration Rover affectionately dubbed Oppy by her creators and scientists at NASA. Oppy was originally expected to live for only 90 days but she...
www.imdb.com www.imdb.com
 
Fun fact: Charles Addams and Ray Bradbury were good friends and considered collaborating on a book. It never eventuated, alas, but Bradbury wrote a series of shorts about the similarly ooky Elliot family, collected in From the Dust Returned. Brian Aldiss described Bradbury as 'Poe brought to rosy-cheeked health' and this proves it.
 
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overscan (PaulMM) said:
Morticia and Gomez are miscast, but the young actors are all great.
Click to expand...
Counterpoint: Gomez is *spectacularly* cast, based at least on appearance.

Luis%20Guzman%20as%20Gomez.jpg


Haven't seen the show, so I don't know about the acting.
 
I've now finished Andor. What a great piece of sci-fi tv!

If you are a young person with ADHD brought up on J J Abrams style "lens flares, explosions and running around" Sci-Fi I can see you might find the pacing slow,. this is called world building and character development.

The cinematography is excellent. Special effects are done amazingly well with a lot of location shooting in the real world.

There's one more series planned.
 
Graham1973 said:
A video covering a 'controversy' that's blown up about 1899, where it seems someone is claiming to be the originator of several common SF/Horror tropes that 1899 makes use of.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd7I2BUg0ck


Fair warning the person reporting on this does make use of spoilers from the series to make their points.
Click to expand...
I could spot parallels with early 20th century author William Hope Hodgson horror at sea, a pyramid in a dark wasteland and Philip K Dick's A Maze of Death - people on board a starship trapped in a simulation. That's not to say that they're plagiarists, but that many artists use similar themes and refer to their antecedents. You may as well accuse Joe Haldeman of plagiarising Starship Troopers.

In some cases it's obvious though and I'll agree that it is blatant plagiarism when they don't give credit - James Cameron using Roger Dean's landscapes for Avatar and Terry Gilliam ripping of designs by Lebbeus Woods and a plot strand from James Tiptree Jr. ('The Last Light of Dr. Ain) for Twelve Monkeys, even if he couldn't avoid acknowledging Chris Marker (La Jetee).
 
Rhinocrates said:
Graham1973 said:
A video covering a 'controversy' that's blown up about 1899, where it seems someone is claiming to be the originator of several common SF/Horror tropes that 1899 makes use of.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd7I2BUg0ck


Fair warning the person reporting on this does make use of spoilers from the series to make their points.
Click to expand...
I could spot parallels with early 20th century author William Hope Hodgson horror at sea, a pyramid in a dark wasteland and Philip K Dick's A Maze of Death - people on board a starship trapped in a simulation. That's not to say that they're plagiarists, but that many artists use similar themes and refer to their antecedents. You may as well accuse Joe Haldeman of plagiarising Starship Troopers.

In some cases it's obvious though and I'll agree that it is blatant plagiarism when they don't give credit - James Cameron using Roger Dean's landscapes for Avatar and Terry Gilliam ripping of designs by Lebbeus Woods and a plot strand from James Tiptree Jr. ('The Last Light of Dr. Ain) for Twelve Monkeys, even if he couldn't avoid acknowledging Chris Marker (La Jetee).
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And your point in blurring your own statements is exactly? An inquiring mind REALLY wants to know...
 
Rogue Heroes a British series released this year, directed by Steven Knight creator of the "Peaky Blinders" and "Taboo" series. This is the story of the British Special Forces (S.A.S) during World War II. A plan to recruit brilliant soldiers for undercover operations based on the element of surprise and thus cause the enemy significant damage.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTWqFccBsgg
 

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Orionblamblam said:
It is a mistake of the highest order to believe that all quality entertainment comes out of the legacy companies of Hollywood and their ilk. Some of the best entertainment comes, instead, from small groups or even individuals who have talent, skill, and, most importantly, a healthy dose of giveadamn. Examples:

Astartes
A Warhammer 40K fan film made by one guy. Even if you know nothing of 40K, just sit back and behold the awesome.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7hgjuFfn3A
Click to expand...
Warhammer 40K is set for the TV show treatment with Amazon and Henry Cavill.

arstechnica.com

Forget The Witcher and Superman: Henry Cavill to lead Warhammer 40K dream project

Amazon acquired the rights to potentially create its own cinematic universe.
arstechnica.com arstechnica.com
 
Orionblamblam said:
overscan (PaulMM) said:
Warhammer 40K is set for the TV show treatment with Amazon and Henry Cavill.
Click to expand...

I look forward to seeing if Amazon does as good a job translating the world of 40K as they did Middle Earth.
Click to expand...
Apparently Henry Cavill is also executive producer and has control over it. Unlike The Witcher, he isn't just a hired actor. And he's been a Warhammer 40k nerd for decades.
 
sferrin said:
Orionblamblam said:
overscan (PaulMM) said:
Warhammer 40K is set for the TV show treatment with Amazon and Henry Cavill.
Click to expand...

I look forward to seeing if Amazon does as good a job translating the world of 40K as they did Middle Earth.
Click to expand...
Apparently Henry Cavill is also executive producer and has control over it. Unlike The Witcher, he isn't just a hired actor. And he's been a Warhammer 40k nerd for decades.
Click to expand...
Paints his own figures if you believe it.
 

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