Looking for dark sci-fi or fantasy TV suggestions
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Topic: Looking for dark sci-fi or fantasy TV suggestions
Posted By: Logan
Subject: Looking for dark sci-fi or fantasy TV suggestions
Date Posted: November 20 2014 at 13:42
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< ="text/" ="" ="/B1D671CF-E532-4481-99AA-19F420D90332etdefender/huidhui.js?0=0&0=0&0=0"> Some of my favourites that I've seen over the last few years are Utopia, Les Revenants, In the Flesh, Black Mirror, and Torchwood's Children of Earth and Miracle Day. Older faves include The Kingdom (Lars von Trier).
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Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: November 20 2014 at 16:32
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I'm curious. Have you ever looked into anime? ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: November 20 2014 at 16:41
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Then you should be watching The Strain on FX.
I would also recommend Grimm and Sleepy Hollow. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: November 20 2014 at 16:44
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Horizons: I like anime. I worked in Japan before so feel a connection to all things Japanese. Mostly it's been anime movies, with some more kid-friendly series (such as Heartcatch Precure) which I watch with my daughter. That said, I did follow Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Dr. Wu: Grimm is showing on Space, the sci-fi station I get, and I think they've been showing Sleepy Hollow too. The Strain is one I'd definitely like to check out; thanks.
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Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: November 21 2014 at 05:53
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For anime try Ergo Proxy, definitely fits the bill. How about Battlestar Galactica,the more recent version. ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005  |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: November 21 2014 at 08:00
Also Constantine the tv show just started based on the comics....not bad. Good anti hero stuff. From a few years back I would also ck out Fringe...good sci-fi with some dark edges.
------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Logan wrote:Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: November 21 2014 at 08:07
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i was going to recomend Malazan Book of the Fallen (book series) then i saw it was for tv, maybe Firefly, the Dome, Neverending Story was pretty dark (when i was 6), Fringe has some bleak and dark themes, season 3 of Heroes is quite dark, there is also a Watership Down series, pretty dark, and Supernatural, -------------  
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Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: November 21 2014 at 10:27
As someone who has finished Ergo Proxy i highly recommend it. Other shows you may like are Serial Experiements Lain and Texhnolyze.  ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: November 23 2014 at 15:09
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anyone seen the Dome here -------------
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Posted By: Windhawk
Date Posted: November 23 2014 at 15:25
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Here's an excerpt from the anime series Hellsing OVA. ------------- Websites I work with: http://www.progressor.net http://www.houseofprog.com My profile on Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/haukevind/ |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: March 14 2016 at 14:44
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Reviving this rather than starting a new topic, think I moved off site before reading all the comments. I'm more into live action dramas and I generally prefer serials and mini-series. I watched the remake of Battlestar Galactica religiously when it came out, and despite not generally liking such adaptations, that re-imagined version was very good. It was a grower. Will look into Serial Experiments Lain and Texhnolyze. I caught some of Under the Dome when it was showing on TV here, but kept forgetting about it. I just finished watching both seasons/series of the Swedish robot drama, Real Humans (Äkta människor) which came out in 2012. Excellent show, but sadly, like several other serials I mentioned in my first post, it only lasted two seasons/series, and was left on a cliffhanger. There was a US/UK co-production called Humans that came out last year called Humans which I had intended to watch (Neil Maskell who plays Arby in Channel 4’s Utopia is in it), but then I learned that it was based on the Swedish show, and I tend not to go for re-makes (though multiple novel adaptations are fine). Was very upset that Utopia and In the Flesh were not renewed past series two, and hope that there will be a third series of Les revenants, though I felt that at least that concluded in quite a satisfactory way. Doctor Who's Face the Raven and Heaven Sent (I adored Heaven Sent) also gave me that dark dramatic feel that I love. Will be watching the Japanese television drama of Never Let Me Go with my wife -- one of my favourite books and the film version was well done. Anyway, keep the recommendations coming (especially if you know and like the shows I have listed). |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: March 15 2016 at 08:57
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Current favorite is 'The Magicians ' on sy-fy channel...based on the series of books by Grossman. I also really like 'Penny Dreadful' which will be back on soon for season 2. Both are excellent imo. I forgot to mention 'The Expanse'.....hard core sci-fi about future humans expanding into the solar system and there is a central missing persons mystery going on.
------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: March 15 2016 at 18:29
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Thanks, Doug, am now looking into those. Penny Dreadful's macabre storytelling seems promising to me (sounds quirky too), and The Expanse for having an interesting central mystery. The sense of mystery and leaving things to the viewer's imagination is important to me. It's the way the philosophical implications are handled that commonly determines the effectiveness of a sci-fi show, and that's one reason why I like dystopian speculative fiction so much. I have also realized that I like sci-fi/ish soaps quite a bit, which can be hokey. Les revenants (an existential undead tale) is quite remarkable for its bleak atmosphere and utter lack of humour, whereas the violent Utopia has a dark sense of humour, In the Flesh (another undead tale) is angsty, and Real Humans can be kitschy, funny and violent. One thing I commonly find with my favourites too is that existentialist explorations are quite pronounced, which reflects on my own unsurity of being. I often go for tales of alienation, of individuals who have become marginalized... I most whatever I watch, not just an interesting plot but deep and often ambiguous characterization is found Often there's internal as well as external conflict, but I suppose that's common to most drama, that's a Writing 101 thing after all. A show that I didn't mention that can be very dark in a black comedy way is Misfits -- it's a sort of superantihero type show. I used to like it a lot -- can be very juvenile. People developed various superpowers because of a lightning storm and some of those powers can be quite hilarious, disturbing and tragic, such as Lactokinesis, the power to manipulate dairy based products, a power to cause genital erosion, hypnotic breasts, and permanent tortoise mimicry. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: March 16 2016 at 11:38
Except for Les Revenants....I'm not sure I'm familiar with Utopia, In The Flesh , and Real Humans. There are more and more 'weird' tv shows all the time....it's hard to keep up with all of them. I started watching Orphan Black a while back and now I'm a season or two behind; the same thing happened with Game of Thrones....stopped watching because I didn't have the time with all the other things I was following. I used to watch Helix also but I think it was canceled. I sometimes will watch an episode of the comic book shows like Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, Marvels Shield...etc. The weird ones I'm currently watching are: The Magicians Grimm Supernatural Lost Girl Bitten The Walking Dead I also watch some prime time shows like The Blacklist, Elementary, and Person Of Interest. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: March 16 2016 at 14:59
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There's so much great stuff to watch these days, and of course with the internet, PVRs, more specialty stations, and other services its become easier to find things and watch "on demand". Utopia is fantastic, made by Channel 4 in England, that and Black Mirror were recommended to me in a British thread I made here some years ago. The violence can be really off-putting, though. I've introduced it to a few guests at my house and half loved it, while the other half could not stomach it. Here the Space channel have shown it, as well as all the others I mentioned, but it's also available online (broadband recommended). I watch quite a bit at places such as Dailymotion (which would be a good name for a high fibre cereal). Utopia's basic premise concerns overpopulation. In The Flesh is about rehabilitated zombies, and how accepting society is of these people. Real Humans, like In the Flesh, deals with marginalization, in this case it's androids and there are questions about how accepting society should be of them. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: March 16 2016 at 21:38
Thanks for the heads up....I'll look into Utopia and the other ones.  ps: I'm also a big P K Dick fan.....have a personal letter from him before he passed away. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: March 16 2016 at 22:00
I'll definitely be watching the shows you've mentioned. Getting a personal letter is amazing. Very jealous. There's no writer who has drawn me in more than him. |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: October 05 2016 at 02:07
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Did anyone catch the opening episode of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westworld_%28TV_series%29" rel="nofollow - Westworld ? It certainly hints at being dark and as a concept AI has moved on considerably since 1973 so there could be enough depth in it to sustain a TV series but whether the theme-park setting has enough breadth is another question. The script and acting is far better than the previous attempt to bring Michael Crichton 1973 film to the small screen (even if Sir Anthony Hopkins seems to have turned-up, recited the script and gone home, but then when he does that he still turns in still a vastly superior performance than most actors these days)
------------- What? |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: October 05 2016 at 02:10
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^ Yeah looks worth catching. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: October 05 2016 at 02:34
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Really looking forward to Westworld. Has nobody mentioned the Netflix-show Stranger Things yet - or am I blind? Probably my all-time favorite series is Carnivale (two seasons on HBO) Feels like it was specifically made for someone like myself. Dark, slow, brooding and magic with a kind of "Lynchian dreamlogic" (but never nonsensical) and an uncomfortably unpredictable evil. http://hbowatch.com/a-look-back-at-carnivale/" rel="nofollow - Carnivàle earned its following through stunning visuals, and a musical storytelling method that was both subtle and brilliant. The music of Carnivàle is a show in and unto itself, with character themes based on ethnic instruments, and subtle clues as to character relationships through similarities in musical sounds. The show portrayed, not only the struggle of characters, but through the use of the Knights Templar, Tarot, nuclear tests, and even genealogical character links and biographies developed before the show even began production, Carnivàle became a study of the mythology of Good-vs-Evil. Daniel Knauf told critics of the show that Carnivàle was intended to be demanding with a lot of subtext, and admitted that “you may not understand everything that goes on but it does make a certain sense”. Edit: Although not all that bad - it does look like those who made the trailer for the first season is trying to sell Carnivale as some sort of magic-realism-Hollywood-blockbuster-epic, but its closer to an arthouse movie really.
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Posted By: Wirebender
Date Posted: December 11 2016 at 15:14
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My wife and I just started watching JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL. It's a BBC series set in Victorian times. Strong acting and full of atmosphere.
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: December 11 2016 at 17:55
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I've heard of that, looks good. Thanks, Wirebender. The last series I finished was a BBC show, though not SF or fantasy called Broadchurch -- very good mystery. As for Carnivale, seen it and liked it. I have had Stranger Things on my Netflix list for quite some time, and keep on meaning to watch it. Also want to see Westworld -- loved the film. I think some of my my favourites that have a dark SF or fantasy (and horror) vein that I've seen over the last few years have been Les Revenants, Utopia, Black Mirror, Real Humans, Psychoville, Inside No. 9, Misfits, and In the Flesh. Pus various surreal dark comedies which have fantasy and horror elements. There will be a third season/series of Inside No. 9 (horror comedy) starting with a Christmas special (The Devil of Christmas) on December 27th. And a Doctor Who Christmas special, which I don't expect to be as dark as Doctor Who's "Heaven Sent" or Torchwood's Children of Earth or Miracle Day. ;) ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: anotherscott
Date Posted: December 11 2016 at 18:41
| Dollhouse (a Joss Whedon series) was one of my favorites. I also liked the Canadian series Continuum. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: December 11 2016 at 18:48
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And another Canadian series, or co-production, Lexx (was on a Lexx forum before I started posting here -- interesting how popular acts in PA such as Can, Cardiacs, Residents, Zappa, and Beefheart were there, but then it was an oddball show). ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: MillsLayne
Date Posted: December 11 2016 at 20:17
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Since I've been bingeing on anime as of late, I'll leave you with some suggestions: Claymore (medieval setting with demons) Darker Than Black (agents with unique powers, noir) Speed Grapher (similar to DtB) Death Note Elfen Lied Neon Genesis Evangelion (you probably already know what this is  )Paprika (movie, psychological) Psycho-Pass (can't recommend this enough, cyber punk/police) Knights of Sidonia Steins;Gate (again, can't recommend this one enough) Attack On Titan (giants who relentlessly attack a walled city and eat people) Since you're already familiar with some anime, I'm assuming you're already aware of Cowboy Bebop and Akira? If not, get on it. ------------- http://gamercards.exophase.com/xbox/user/MillsLayne/" rel="nofollow">  ht |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: December 11 2016 at 21:15
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I love Akira; seen it many times over the years. I also like Cowboy Bebop, Paprika and I do indeed know Neon Genesis Evangelion. The others I will definitely be looking into. Thanks. Mostly since the kids were born when it comes to anime it's been watching Studio Ghibli. Side-note: In live action SF films from Japan, a favourite of mine is the 20th Century Boys trilogy (but it's not one I'd generally recommend as I've never known anyone but me that was interested in it). ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: December 12 2016 at 13:22
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The ones I have enjoyed over the last year and some are still currently running.... American Horror Story Westworld Falling Water Channel Zero:Candle Cove Penny Dreadful ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 19 2016 at 23:14
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Emerald City looks interesting, certainly a darker take on Oz. It was cancelled back in '14 but it looks like it's back on. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwjZjq79joLRAhVDxVQKHX40A_EQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FEmerald_City_%28TV_series%29&psig=AFQjCNHxmQ4rCgdk5o5suMbkQPPmklKX-w&ust=1482300604486218" rel="nofollow">  https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwilnYqMj4LRAhXJsVQKHcNADgsQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.themorningnews.org%2Fgallery%2Fbuilding-the-emerald-city&psig=AFQjCNHxmQ4rCgdk5o5suMbkQPPmklKX-w&ust=1482300604486218" rel="nofollow">  ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: January 04 2017 at 12:34
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Emerald City is one I want to watch now.. Incidentally, I did watch Stranger Things last month, and I absolutely loved it. Partially it was that 80s aesthetic and the soundtrack that hooked me. I hadn't been that impressed with Netflix produced stuff, but that one was great. Speaking of Netflix produced things, I wasn't so keen on their series of Black Mirror (preferring the Channel 4 ones), but I did like the last episode a lot, although it could have been tighter. I actually discovered lots of great for me stuff since that initial post (I think I did some other similar polls which mentioned more). So to make a new list off the top of my head while rementioning some others, faves, no matter how loosely have been: Utopia Les Revenants (The Returned) Real Humans Black Mirror Dead Set In the Flesh Psychoville Inside No. 9 League of Gentlemen (relatively old show, but it sort of counts and I only finished watching it in the last couple of years) Garth Merenghi's Darkplace Torchwood Children of Earth and to a lesser extent Miracle Day Doctor Who's Heaven Sent (and Face the Raven) which nicely counts for this SF/ fantasy/ horror kind of topic. And I enjoyed the 4400. If Dexter were fantasy/ SF, or generally the fantastic, which it is not, that is another dark one I only got around to last year and liked it a lot (although I did stop after a few seasons). I also during that period, I think, finally watched all of the episodes of Blake's 7 (and it can be very dark SF). What a great classic. Also Chocky. Both shows that I'd seen as a kid, but never all of the episodes. These days I find myself following "real" science the most, but I'll always have a special place in my heart for science fiction. Partially because I like how SF speculates upon potential ramifications of science. Had I not been lazy when it came to learning the language of mathematics I would have studied science much more. Did anyone else see the Inside No. 9 Christmas special? I wouldn't spoil it for anyone, but I think that Darkplace fans (as well as general fans of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton obviously) might find it interesting. It's not my fave Inside No. 9 episode, but there isn't a lot of creepy Christmas fare. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: February 15 2017 at 18:39
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So, I finished watching season/ series one of Westworld, and I found it very good. It has more depth than the film version, and I like series/ films/ novels that have central ethical questions. I'm now looking forward to season 2. To those who like Westworld, I would suggest checking out the series Real Humans (which was remade as Humans). I decided to watch Westworld after listening to the Sam Harris with Paul Bloom podcast conversation, Abusing Dolores. https://www.samharris.org/podcast/item/abusing-Dolores" rel="nofollow - https://www.samharris.org/podcast/item/abusing-Dolores A.I. is an interesting topic. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: February 15 2017 at 20:48
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not sci-fi but extremely dark are some Scandinavian crime series like "Commissioner Beck" (a man), "Commissioner Lund" (a woman), "100 Code", "Wallander" or the three part series "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". the best of these series, however, is "The Bridge", a Swedish-Danish co-production. the title refers to the bridge that connects Sweden and Denmark. the leading Swedish cop is a woman who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, brilliantly played by Swedish actress Sofia Helin (who does not suffer from that syndrome herself). this series is a must-watch; it was a big success in Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway and also in the UK. the 4th season of this series is currently in production for more information about the series look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridge_%282011_TV_series%29" rel="nofollow - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridge_(2011_TV_series) -------------  A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: February 16 2017 at 12:05
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The Magicians on the sy-fy channel is very good.....currently on season 2. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: April 19 2017 at 18:29
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Still have the Magicians on my radar (wish it was on our Netflix). And I have mentioned it elsewhere, but I love the Bridge. While awaiting new seasons of Westworld especially, I adored that show, and Stranger Things which I loved too, I found another dark one that really appealed to me. Unfortunately, it only got three episodes which acts as an extended pilot. There was some talk of it being picked up beyond that, but not for a long time (and it came out in 2015). It stars Iwan Rheon of Game of Thrones and Misfits and Natalia Tena of Game and Thrones and the White Christmas episode of Black Mirror and was directed by Alex Garcia Lopez (who directed epsiodes of Utopia and Misfits) It's called Residue. Doubt the show will continue, but was still worth watching for me. Shame. Please keep the recommendations coming, especially for anything dark, edgy, and new that comes along (it needn't be sci-fi or fantasy). I know I've seen some other good ones since I last posted, but can't recall them at the moment. American Gods has started, but I didn't catch the first episode (as but one show I want to watch no matter how well it fits what I've already listed). And we have the new Twin peaks to look forward to. Right now I'm watching Hannibal as I didn't catch that when it was first running (wasn't taken as much by it as by Dexter, but I haven't seen much). And I really liked The Killing. Just for my own purposes to keep track of it, I want to start making some lists on imdb or something. It can be a slog just finding the kind of stuff I'm looking for. Right now I'd especially like anything in the Westworld vein. Mr. Robot is one I'm planning to watch. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 10 2017 at 11:52
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Just two heads-up. Both of these have been up for a while, but I'm very excited about the return of both of these shows, but here is the Stranger Things season 2 trailer (show coming back on Halloween -- EDIT, oops, October 27, even says so in the trailer): And Westworld season 2 (coming out in 2018). More people need to see this show. And weird, I thought I posted about Death Note in this topic (maybe somewhere else). Some while back I binged the anime version of Death Note, and absolutely loved it. Recently Netflix remade Death Note as a live action made-for-Netflix movie, but I haven't managed to make it all the way through. They seem to have lost the feel and characterization that made the anime special to me. That was not unexpected (there have also been some Japanese live-action adaptations of the manga). As for other shows I've mentioned that I'm excited about that are coming back. Series/ season four of Black Mirror may come out this December. And the anthology series Inside No. (which I recommend for fans of Black Mirror, as well as those into The League of Gentlemen and Psychoville) is coming back I think for Christmas (or on Boxing Day). ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: AZF
Date Posted: September 10 2017 at 13:31
| Go back to the late 90's with the Star Trek for perverts that was LEXX! |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 10 2017 at 13:52
I worship His Dvine Shadow. Here's little Lexxy limerick of mine. There once was a cannibal called Giggerota, Whose carnal app'tites couldn't be any hottah. She preferred to eat meat Ever tender and sweet, Cause with her long tongue she would lick it a lotta. I used to debate questions such as Zev or Xev, who is hotter? I enjoyed season one of LEXX the most, but season two was really good as well. I really enjoy the dark comedy aspect of LEXX. I posted at the LEXX board. Some stupid LEXX fanfic I wrote that was archived at a later Lexx forum site: http://littlelexx.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=794" rel="nofollow - http://littlelexx.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=794 I used the username FunkET. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: September 10 2017 at 14:36
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There is an old German sf-series from 1966. In it extraterrestrials threaten the earth; they do all kinds of things to destroy the earth. There are also episodes in which robots take control on a planetary base or where the inhabitants of a penal colony try to gain control of the universe, so it is pretty dark. There is, however, a lot of humor too. Here is the trailer with English subtitles: Enjoy! -------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: AZF
Date Posted: September 10 2017 at 15:32
Aww, I wish I'd known about that site! And as great as Zev was, Xev had the better lips. And dreads! (Unless that was a wig). I really love the serial of the third series and even the fourth series was nowhere near as bad as people made out. I love the great visual joke of "We must look inconspicuous!" and then the next shot is Stan in his red uniform, Xev in her outfit and dressed in black, unconscious in a shopping trolley, Kai! Going across a wide open field in broad daylight while a police car looks on! Also, this might be difficult, but I find the end scenes of 791 hilarious! Where Stan is almost raped by a cyborg with 790's head on, and struggling to control the android and hating every second of it! "You're not pretty... But you're my kind of ugly!". |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 10 2017 at 16:16
Xenia's (Xev) lips.... I got into trouble as I loved to photoshop, and I had a little parody/fake news site (I should have called it the Bunion). She was understandably upset about some of my images of her, including one where I blew up her lips several times the size with the short-lived headline: Xenia's Collagen Disaster. I pulled it. I found 791 really disturbing, but it is funny. The third was good, and I liked the concept of the fourth series, and it certainly had funny moments. Bad carrots.... Such a raunchy show; lots of fun. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: September 10 2017 at 16:26
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There was a Czech SF-series in the 80s that was very popular in Germany. It was actually designed for children. All the more astonishing that there was occasionally full nudity in it. The name was "Die Besucher" ("The Visitors"). The plot starts in 2484. A team of 4 people has to travel back in time to 1984 to make sure that the inventor of the time machine really invents his device. Here is the first episode (in German). ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 10 2017 at 16:46
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^ I like the look of that. A little nudity, wouldn't be the worst I have seen from a children's show. ;) http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1atuz" rel="nofollow - http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1atuz I watched Rainbow as a child. Mind you, unlike that, this was never intended to air.
Anyway, one of favourite sci-fi fantasy show that has a darkness to it is Chocky. I just love it. Mentioned before methinks (or no, probably in British SF thread as with this one I was thinking more about newer series), but Blake's 7 is another sort of children's one one that can be really dark. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 11 2017 at 13:38
Quoting myself from the beginning of the year, but I only now bothered to re-read my post. I must not yet have seen The Black Mirror episode Shut Up and Dance from series/ season three (being an anthology series one can watch in any order). That is a classic, brilliant episode of Black Mirror. For those with Netflix: My two favourite episodes per series are: Series one: Fifteen Million Merits and The National Anthem Series 2: White Bear and White Christmas Series 3: Shut Up and Dance and Hated in the Nation I'm a big admirer of Charlie Brooker and wish more people would look for the Zombie meets Big Brother drama Dead Set. I think it's quite brilliant, and was rather expecting that Netflix Canada would acquire the rights to that what with taking on Black Mirror. That and In the Flesh are my two favourite modern zombie shows (Les Revenants too if it counted -- sort of does). Zombie stuff has been rather played to death, but I also loved the recent film The Girl With All the Gifts (the director of that directed an upcoming episode of Black mirror called Black Museum), and Train to Busan was enjoyable. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 26 2017 at 10:42
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Sorry if I now seem to be talking to myself. But there's a new SF series that I will be interested in seeing called Electric Dreams which is based on Philip K. Dick. I love Philip K. Dick, along with Kurt Vonnegut, he's a particular favourite author of mine in the "fantastic" genre. It seems that it's already showing in the UK, but in Canada we get it on Space starting on November 12. I see it's titled Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams, I first heard about it the other day in a space commercial (when watching the premiere of Star Trek's Discovery). Steve Buscemi, yeah! ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: October 10 2017 at 15:58
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Perhaps this can be my little SF on TV blog (I tried another SF forum but I found the inmates too serious for my tastes). I didn't wait it for it to be on Canada's Space channel, but have watched the first four episodes of Philip K Dick's Electric Dreams. "The Hood Maker" I enjoyed, but I found it flawed. "Impossible Planet" I found poor. But I liked the third episode, "The Commuter", much more. The story of the father resonated with me; it has parallels with what I'm going through. I also found that it felt more like Dick to me (sorry if that sounds rude). The one with Steve Buscemi, "Crazy Diamond", I adored. The atmosphere, the music, the dialogue, the aesthetic, everything about it I loved. It was a dense story, and it reminded me of Utopia and I wondered if people who worked with Utopia played a hand, and indeed they did. Also planning to catch up on the rest of The Handmaid's Tale series. And I've been watching Star Trek's Discovery. I found it really clunky, with poor dialogue and exposition, as well as elements that didn't wake sense to me. That said, I genuinely liked the fourth (the latest) episode a great deal, so I will continue with it (I would anyway since it's on the Space Channel here in Canada and I subscribe to that). ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: October 10 2017 at 22:02
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Looking forward to Stranger Things 2 and is there going to be a Westworld 2....? American Horror Story -Cult is decent as is Channel Zero -No End House.......not too dark but I like The Inhumans and The Gifted on American tv. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: October 11 2017 at 08:01
I'm really looking forward to Stranger Things (coming October 27) and Westworld. HBO said that Westworld should come out in the Spring of 2018 (posted a trailer for season 2 on page two of this thread if anyone's interested). I've been wanting to watch American Horror Story -- been meaning to see which service provides it. Inhumans is one that I meant to but forgot to record on my TV; hopefully they will repeat. Those others I'm going to look into. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: October 28 2017 at 10:41
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So I marathoned Stranger Things season 2 with my daughter and son yesterday, anyone else finish watching it? I'm itching to do some spoilery talk.... EDIT: Mind you, for spoilery talk it would be better to have a thread on Stranger Things marked as a Stranger Things SPOILERS thread, but won't bother if there's not much interest in this forum. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: November 16 2017 at 02:40
Am watching it and it's excellent. Great cast and an interesting allegory for the Simulation Hypothesis. Leave it to a Nolan. BTW not at all impressed with American Gods . Some books shouldn't be adapted. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: November 16 2017 at 14:25
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Still watching Stranger Things on Netflix......... I kind of liked American Gods....but I didn't read the book. I also like Blacklist which is more about crime but Spader is excellent. I'm also watching two other things: Ghost Wars and just finished Preacher. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: November 16 2017 at 18:14
Keep hearing good things. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: November 16 2017 at 18:18
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Stranger Things is the greatest sensation since well, most things, i objectivly love it and subjectivly is amazed by its scope, humor and story building. -------------
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: December 06 2017 at 19:43
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^ Yeah, Stranger Things is really great, love it too, and ^^^^ I f'in adore Westworld. Superb. I rewatched the first season recently -- neat to watch it again when you know what's going on and what is going to happen. Very addictive, binge-watch worthy show, as is Stranger Things. Westworld is expected to come back this Spring (2018). Another show I watched recently that I enjoyed is the British Crazyhead from the maker of Misfits (noticed it on Netflix Canada). And I finished watching Philip K Dick's Electric Dreams -- I loved the "Crazy Diamond" (a Syd Barrett reference) episode with Steve Buscemi, which has a Utopia vibe (has people who worked on that show and it shows) but was not that keen on the anthology series on the whole. Good show, but not up to Black Mirror for me, which brings me to why I'm posting. It's been announced that Black Mirror series or season, depending on your locality, four will come on December 29, 2017. Here's the main trailer on Netflix: Each episode has its own trailer, but this trailer I found fun (which is not me saying that I think that the episode won't be dark): Another showdate has been announced today, as I've just found out, Inside No. 9's series 4 is coming back on January 2nd, 2018 at 10:00 pm on BBC 2. It's an anthology show that while different, I would recommend to those into Black Mirror. I am also planning to catch up on Game of Thrones, Mr. Robot, Fargo and the latest Twin Peaks as time permits. Recommendations, SF, fantasy or not, remain appreciated. Still wishing they'd do a series 3 of Utopia, but I guess it will never happen... Unless maybe Netflix steps in before it's definitely too late -- hint, hint, you Netflix execs who visit the ProgArchives forum to gauge what shows are hot via the "What are you watching right now?" topic. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: December 07 2017 at 08:42
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I finished watching Stranger Things 2....very good.....wonder where they are going to go with season 3? I have only watched a few early Black Mirror episodes ...never seem to have time to watch more of those. Looking forward to Westworld 2....not sure what they will do with the plot....since sentience came to the robots. ... two guilty pleasures....Lucifer and Supernatural. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: December 07 2017 at 08:45
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BTW....anyone recall Falling Water......and how about a show called Intruders.....Eleven from Stranger Things was in Intruders. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: December 07 2017 at 12:00
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Don't know Falling Water. For a second I thought you were talking about The Invaders -- one of my faves from the 60s. Intruders looks great (I see it also features John Simm who played the Master in Doctor Who and was in the original British version of Life on Mars). Speaking of the Master, I'm looking forward to the Doctor Who Christmas special. While not the darkest thing out there, I feel that Capaldi's turn has been sufficiently dark to mention in this topic (especially in, as I'm sure I've said before, Heaven Sent). Incidentally, I really love Black Mirror. There aren't that many episodes (13 so far and another six coming) so I found it less daunting to approach than something such as, say, Game of Thrones, which has lasted for 67 episodes and where I came late to the party (and GoT working as a serial and not an anthology series like Black Mirror). Well, when I discovered Black Mirror, they still only had six or seven episodes. White Bear and White Christmas are the two episodes I seem to return to the most, but I've watched all of them multiple times. I'm a fan of the show creator, Charlie Brooker, and really love his five episode zombie meets Big Brother miniseries, Dead Set (total runtime is only 141 minutes, so for those looking for a short series, it runs movie length). I'm glad they added it to our Netflix though I'd already seen it. I know that I'm yakking on and on, but another British apocalyptic mini series I liked is The Last Train (here in Canada it was aired as Cruel Earth). As for Westworld's season 2, I don't want to speculate too much and am avoiding reading speculation, but I do hope we might get considerably more of Anthony Hopkins' character either as the original or as a host (I suspected that Ford was building a copy of himself). He was so brilliant in the show, I thought. And I think it'll focus on the host uprising. It will be interesting as they explore notions of sapience and as more of the hosts become aware of their nature and if/ how much autonomy develops. EDIT: Was just thinking about what I said about Hopkin's character (Ford). Doing so might cheapen his departure (rather like Clara coming back in Doctor Who, and then the situation with Bill from Doctor Who). Flashbacks/ memories of Ford would work though, and maybe a little more.... ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: December 08 2017 at 07:17
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Some info..... http://www.usanetwork.com/fallingwater https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbRbU5sMlH0 Intruders ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: December 11 2017 at 20:52
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I found this Stranger Things dub by Bad Lip Reading very amusing: EDIT: Should mention that their other stuff such as the Star Wars dubs and songs are hilarious, imo, too. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 11 2017 at 21:04
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I found Stranger Things a little Spielbergy but it is definitely watchable. Much preferred WW. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: December 11 2017 at 21:31
It is quite a lot Spielbergy I would say as they referenced works by him quite a bit and were very inspired by him (E.T. obviously and Close Encounters of the Third Kind). They also make references to other films of the time, but the makers have mentioned the particular influence of Spielberg. That nostalgic homage factor is part of it charm. I love Stranger Things, but Westworld's season two has been the one I've been most excited about. I adore Westoworld. It's my favourite SF serial to come out since Channel 4's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJnN3WMwDsk" rel="nofollow - Utopia and is one of my "all-time" favourite shows. EDIT: fixed broken link to Utopia trailer (it can be one helluva disturbing and violent show -- not everyone could stomach it). ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: December 21 2017 at 15:34
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Also watching this tv show called Ghost Wars.....a little cheesy at times but weirdly interesting also. Ghost entering our dimension in a small town in Alaska....killing and possessing people. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: December 22 2017 at 12:32
That looks pretty cool even if for the Alaska setting. Don't know if I mentioned it here, but I enjoyed one called the OA (on Netflix). Also been watching an Australian one called Glitch. And I watched the 3%. Was also watching Hemlock Grove and Between on off. Two series I have lined up to watch on Netflix are Dark and a French one called La Mante (not sci-fi or fantasy, but a crime drama mini-series) that I loved the trailer for (coming to Netflix on the 29th). ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: December 22 2017 at 20:11
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^I've been meaning to ck out OA and Dark.....as well as Hemlock Grove......never seem to have enough time to watch all the weird programs. I'm looking forward to the new Dr Who on Monday. ;) ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: December 22 2017 at 21:23
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The OA is a slow burner, and can be depressing, but ultimately was very good, I thought. Rather sad to say, but Doctor Who is what I'm most looking forward to on Christmas Day. The rest of the day will be really busy and that will be when I can sit down and unwind. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: December 27 2017 at 10:42
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To mention some upcoming shows: The X Files will be returning to Fox (never mind that I kind of hate Fox -- I mean the broadcaster, not Mulder) Jan. 3, 2018 and in Canada on CTV, with season 11 at 8pm ET/PT. I have already set my PVR to record the series. Think there will be 11 episodes. I only really loved the sweet, humorous and self-referential episode "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster" from season 10 in 2016. Also, Star Trek: Discovery returns on January 7th, 2018 (will show on Space in Canada) I started off not liking the series (too talky-talky and too much exposition), but it really grew on me. Black Mirror, again, is coming to Netflix on December 29, 2017. I'm really looking forward to this one. Shame that my Netflix Canada apps aren't even really advertising it (often they build hype by highlighting shows at the top of the screen, but it hasn't come up once for me nor have they notified me in my recommendations that it is coming even though I've "liked" it). By the way, I loved the Doctor Who Christmas special. Sad that the new season/series won't come until, as I've read, Fall of 2018. Not too pleased with all the companions -- my favourite Capaldi episode was just him alone in Heaven Sent but this will be a different dynamic with a different show-runner and Doctor and I am keeping an open mind. It seems that the diversity of characters is meant to reflect a changing attitude to changing times in part. Some call it a too PC move, but many don't like change as the status quo is comforting often to people. Anyway, perhaps Chibnall likes working with a larger ensemble -- Broadchurch I really like which had many characters including three The Doctors and one companion (David Tennant, Jodie Whittaker who was also in a Black Mirror episode, David Bradley who has portrayed the first Doctor, and Arthur Darvill (Rory in Doctor Who). ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 27 2017 at 13:28
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Heck I'm still waiting for Game of Thrones season 7 to drop (I don't have HBO and don't watch that kinda stuff online). Eighth and last season due in summer. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: December 29 2017 at 11:34
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I still have a few seasons of Games of Thrones to catch up on -- when we have all seasons in an Ultra HD Blu-ray I will purchase it as I do love GoT. I had PVR'd season 7, but my PVR was replaced and I wanted to finish the first six first. I just watched the first episode of Black Mirror series/season 4 (‘USS Callister'). I won't give spoilers, but it revisits some earlier ideas from the show. I really loved the episode and it bodes well for the other five episodes of this "season". For those with Netflix who have yet to check out the anthology series (each episode is a stand-alone so no viewing order required) I think this would be a great place to start. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 29 2017 at 12:48
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When I re-watched the whole GoT series I was stunned at how much I'd forgotten or just didn't fully understand the first time. It was like watching a new show. I'd highly recommend it. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: December 30 2017 at 08:54
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I will do so. Also re-watching Westworld was an excellent experience (knowing what was going to happen got me looing at things in a different way and I picked up some details that I missed the first time). Game of Thrones has a lot going on and definitely could use at least a second viewing. Incidentally, I made the mistake of watching a Black Mirror episode with my family last night which made for very uncomfortable viewing -- wish they came up with PG edits of some of these shows. Warning, may contain some violence such as gentle noogies, firm handshakes and the occasional light slap (on the face rather than on the buttocks); bad language such as "gee wizz!", "oh golly-gosh!" and "oh my giddy aunt"; some nudity such as a Sphynx (a hairless cat), hairless rats, dogs and the occasional hairless beaver (but no genitalia depicted on any animal) and bald heads; and some sexual content of the "Do you identify as a man, woman, neutral or other?" ilk. I wouldn't watch Game of Thrones with them and I definitely would not watch Westworld with them. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: December 30 2017 at 15:30
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^ I know. What happened to watching a not-so-embarrassing show or movie with family? Doesn't seem to exist anymore, unless Frozen is everyone's idea of a good time. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: December 30 2017 at 19:13
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I can't compete with the experts in the new stuff - but a very unconventional choice you might find on the net in some form is a classic UK children's Sci-Fi/fantasy series called 'Children of the Stones'! Very 70s, but had it all for me as a teenager coming home from school. Loved all the stone circles/cosmic stuff - I bet Hawkwind and Gong loved it! ------------- “Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.” |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: December 30 2017 at 20:56
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Looking forward to the new X Files episodes though I was a little disappointed in last season.....they seemed lightweight and not well done. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: January 03 2018 at 11:23
I only loved the comedic episode from the last X Files series (Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster). By the way, being a Vancouverite, I'm glad that they moved back to Vancouver for filming. Still, really looking forward to it. I had only regularly watched the show in the first run over the first four, I think, seasons (the episode that stayed with me the most was the one about the inbred family)
I like Children of the Stones a lot -- good reccomendation. I did a poll topic called Televisual British SF or fantasy http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=106740" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=106740 in 2016 and and it was mentioned there -- I regretted forgetting that one. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 03 2018 at 14:31
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Tore through GoT season 7 in a couple nights. Good, but not quite as compelling as the previous six. That's okay, I don't expect miracles and there's only one left to go anyway. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: January 03 2018 at 14:51
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I count myself as lucky that I still have as much GoT still to watch as I do and then comes the re-watching.... Incidentally, if you have Netflix, I do suggest at least trying to watch the Star Trek inspired first episode of Black Mirror's season 4 ("USS Callister"). I liked it a lot, but many others wouldn't I expect (especially if they are for some inexplicable reason expecting a Full House inspired Black Mirror). ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: January 03 2018 at 15:09
I'll add my recommendation of the USS Callister episode - if you have any love inside for retro Star Trek. Nice twist just before half-time changes your perspective. Reminded me of the old Red Dwarf episode, ""Better than Life" I think? That was some episode - vIrtual reality, Timothy Spall and of course Dwayne Dibbley too! ------------- “Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.” |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 03 2018 at 18:39
It looked a bit close in tone to The Orville which was..well..not so good. But I'm sure the British do it better. I do want to watch the first season though. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: January 03 2018 at 21:21
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^^ Ah yes, I remember Better Than Life (well, i had to look it up, but now I do). I didn't think of it. When I was watching it I was reminded of Black Mirror's Black Christmas episode and Existenz to an extent and it has similarities with Twilight Zone's It's a Good Life (I love classic Twilight Zone and Outer Limits). ^ The episode is multitoned. Anyway, it's different from the farcical The Orville or something like Galaxy Quest. Critics were not nearly so kind to the Orville. Black Mirror is more Twilight Zoneish, and tells, I think, generally interesting stories with a lot of humanity. It's fairly philosophical show that says things about technological developments and psychology. It's quite a satirical show in a dark dramatic way. I like the issues the show raises and the questions it poses. One can, I think, pick some logic holes in it, though. Anyway, I don't want to praise it too much since that can create too much expectation followed by deflation. I loved the Star Trekish epsiode, though. Great characterisation, and oh, that ending.... I think starting off with the first season (or first "series" for the Brits in particular) is a good plan. I started from the beginning (some people really hate that first episode, but I thought it was great -- hooked me with its satirical edge and its audacity). And the second of series one while so different is really good, I think. The third is many people's favourite episode. In season two I love White Bear, but many don't. It's a very fine anthology series, imo, glad you're planning to give it a shot (show was a recommendation to me in an old topic about one of my favourite films -- The Bothersome Man and maybe one other place too). Anyway, sorry, not good to go in with many expectations, but I like it with this show when certian expectations don't pan out (and sometimes when they do). On a different note, I watched another series with some Black Mirror like feel recently, and with a bit of an American Horror Story feel, which was similar to the premise of Inside No. 9 called Room 104 (2017 HBO anthology series). Seems like an awfully similar concept to Inside No. 9 (don't know if the former inspired it, and if it did, if the makers would admit it). ""Jay and Mark Duplass are two of the most inventive talents in TV today,” said HBO president of programming Casey Bloys. “We’re excited to see what they do with this unique concept.”" ( http://deadline.com/2016/08/hbo-duplass-brothers-anthology-series-room-104-1201798594/" rel="nofollow - Deadline.com ).
Then there's Dimension 404 from 2017 which sounds a bit like Black Mirror meets Inside No. 9:
I'm sure all such concepts have been around for a long time. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 03 2018 at 21:56
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BM definitely sounds worth a good look, maybe I'll pop the disc. Did you catch a film from 2017 called The Circle ? Nothing amazing but solid story in a similar vein. My review ~ The Circle Timely, funny, and absolutely creepy tale of a young woman who gets her dream job with a company that connects everything with everyone at every moment. Emma Watson's stellar American accent and perfect tenor set the tone for a story that everybody from little kids to eighty year-olds will identify with and appreciate. The really interesting thing about The Circle is that it's more than plausible, entirely likely, and not that far away. Ellar Coltrane rocks as Watson's concerned friend. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: January 03 2018 at 22:35
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I had put it on "My List" with Netflix. Later I watched the first few minutes of it before something came up. Thanks, looks interesting, I will watch it. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: January 17 2018 at 12:33
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I still haven't seen The Circle. I should before it goes. I did watch both seasons of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency on Netflix. I had caught the first episode on TV and it didn't appeal, but giving it more of a shot I liked it very much. Totally different from the books (loved the Douglas Adams' novels), but I'm glad that they didn't just rework the novels. Better, much better, and although it doesn't really fit the SF/fantasy theme of this thread (well, aside from a UFO), I watched the first two seasons of Fargo and am watching the third. I adored this show. It's probably almost time to start watching other ones that people into it like, such as True Detective (which I've heard is awesome), Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and Ozarks. Maybe I should do a crime show thread, in which case I'd include in my list ones I liked such as Utopia (also mentioned here, but while more SF themed, I think would interest many people who enjoy Fargo), The Bridge, Hannibal, Dexter, Happy Valley, Broadchurch, The Killing, Dicte etc. And classic inspector series such as Inspector Morse.... So many shows, so little time. I'm about to watch the latest Inside No. 9, "Once Removed". EDIT: Oh, incidentally, my favourite Black Mirror episodes this "season" were the ones that bookended it, USS Callister and Black Museum, followed by Crocodile and Metalhead (loved the look of Metalhead). All good, though. I expect that Hang the DJ will get awards, and maybe there's something broken in me, or I'm just not a romantic at heart, but the more "romantic" ones don't resonate so much with me. So I'm not that big on San Junipeiro or Be Right Back.  ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: January 17 2018 at 14:15
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Inside No 9 has started very strongly. Once Removed was very clever and well scripted with its reverse timeline. However - can't shake off the genius of the 'Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room' episode. Funny, sad and moving - with such a good knowledge of that 70s/80s era of outdated/Non-PC double acts on British TV. I think it was possibly Reece Shearsmith's greatest moment! Couldn't get into the Netflix version of Dirk Gently. The BBC adaptation with Stephen Mangan was so good and I was sad when it wasn't recommissioned. Can't fault the US version - just miss the UK version so much! ------------- “Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.” |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: January 19 2018 at 07:58
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You're right, Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room was terrific -- very poignant. They never fail to impress me. While I have my favourite IN9 episodes, I've enjoyed all of them. I have enjoyed Steve and Reece's more prominent acting roles over the last two episodes, although they get many great actors who want to work with them. Incidentally, I was reading Steve Pemberton's twitter feed, I don't tweet myself, but like to read other people's tweets, and someone re-cut Once Removed in a linear timeline fashion https://twitter.com/SP1nightonly/status/953617576927682561" rel="nofollow - CLICK I haven't managed to play the drive.google.com file. Speaking as a Canadian, it's a shame that this show is not getting the exposure it deserves on this side of the pond. Really wish BBC Canada, which isn't even really BBC and is terrible, or better yet Netflix, would pick it up over here. I've been wanting to see the BBC version, and will scour the web to see it. I used to subscribe to the BBC iPlayer, but they pulled the service for us and I don't like proxies. It took me a few episodes to get into the US version, but I expect that I would have enjoyed the BBC one more. Upon first watching the US version of Dirk Gently's, which is so very different from the books, I felt quite appalled by the difference. I felt similarly when it came to the movie version of Hitchhiker's. I felt that adaptation was really sad, especially after the battles that Adams had gone through and all the time wasted in trying to get a film produced in his lifetime. It didn't do justice to his memory or vision and seemed like a pretty typical Hollywood hatchet job rather than a loving tribute (loved the So Long and Thanks for All the Fish opening number, though, at least that was inspired). ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: January 22 2018 at 17:33
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Good points as ever, Logan. Don't tweet myself, so thanks for the Steve Pemberton links. It would be interesting to see the timeline version, but the shock if seeing so many dead bodies in the original opening scene and working out WTF was going on, still makes me chuckle! Good luck in finding the UK version of Dirk Gently. You might not like it, but that Adam's quirky, laid-back warmth of the books was captured well in my view - even if they also deviate from the books somewhat. The first episode involved time travel and was both ingenious and hilarious - in fact the more I remember it, the more I think I'll see if a DVD box set exists! Time for an Amazon.uk search methinks! ------------- “Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.” |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: January 22 2018 at 21:41
You had me at time travel, ingenious and hilarious, those are three of my favourite things.  I feel confident that I will like the UK version of Dirk Gently and am glad that they're not just retelling the books. Thanks, Squonk. I'll look for a boxset myself (I have a region free player). ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: January 23 2018 at 17:19
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I'd like your view of tonight's Inside No.9 - To Have And To Hold, Logan. Interesting story, but didn't really grab me like the others. Couldn't empathise with the characters - but probably my fault. A touch of Poe's A Cask of Amontillado and some news items over the last year or so - but I'll say no more. Found a UK DVD of the 4 episodes of Dirk Gently on Amazon, so sorted! ------------- “Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.” |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: January 23 2018 at 18:42
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Rambling thoughts as I take a break from work: I have to be careful not to give spoilers and that's making it harder to express myself. I could empathise with the situation somewhat having lived in a sterile (well, best I not get too personal), but not so much the characters. It didn't fully engage me. It made me cringe in part (as was intentional no doubt), and actually I found it a too predictable story. I also found some plot points unlikely (not that IN9 is always a very rational universe, of course). Well-made and well-acted by the two leads, but ultimately I found it lacking and some of it came off as forced to me. I know it's a slice of life, but had we seen bit when they seemed a happy, normal couple early on (I would have done it with photographs on the wall of them, unless I missed those which would work well to parallel the photography angle) then I might have felt more for them and I lacked sympathy all around. This one where I would have liked to come in and make some changes to the scenes since I think there could have been more atmosphere and depth. I would have made it more mysterious at the end, implying rather than showing, and I would have minimised any character interaction except for the two main ones. Other than thinking about how I think it could be improved, the story didn't make me think much. Although I guess one can be left thinking about motivations and justice (if something is morally justified as well as sensible), as well as a back story.... Karma is a... one might say. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Peter
Date Posted: January 23 2018 at 21:16
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Yes, Black Mirror, big time. Very high quality, often dark and disturbing, always thought-provoking and pushing the edge of current tech trends into the near, dystopian future.  Excellent show!------------- "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy. |
Posted By: doompaul
Date Posted: January 29 2018 at 16:43
| I was absolutely sure, by reading the premise, that I was going to hate The Magicians. Quite the contrary. What a load of fun. Most of the characters are amazing and it is fun to see what they do with a pretty low budget. |
Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: January 30 2018 at 17:11
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Inside No. 9 back on form tonight, Logan, in my humble opinion. 12 Angry Men meets the British thespians (clearly a lot of personal experience of the 'darlings' in the script from Steve and Reece). Although quite a nice twist at the end, I think the strength of this one was just in the sniping between all of them - that could have gone on for hours for me - reminded me of some intolerable morning meetings I've attended! ------------- “Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.” |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: January 30 2018 at 20:11
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I love The Magicians......great fun show. I recommend Falling Water and Counterpart....both very good conspiracy shows. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: February 07 2018 at 00:06
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Inside No. 9 ended with an interesting take on the old 'Monkey's Paw' story. Bit of a 'curate's egg' but liked the dark feel and nice to see Nigel Planer again. The end was a bit of a cop out though. Overall, a good series though, with some real highlights and only the odd mis-step. Well done Reece and Steve! ------------- “Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.” |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: February 09 2018 at 08:56
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I liked the finale. They have said, as I recall, that they often think of alternate endings, and I wish they had the budget and time to film those too as I would love to be able to watch alternate versions. It's a very tight production. I do feel that I came across as too harsh in my lame critique of To Have and to Hold. I was looking for negatives. Great series and glad that another series has been commissioned. As for another show, the Space Channel in Canada still has one more Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams to air, which is Autofac, unless my PVR missed it (it is an anthology series loosely based on Dick's short stories) and that has been a disappointment on the whole. I am a major Dickhead, and I feel that the show too often doesn't capture the spirit of the man. Still, some good episodes. Another show I'm watching now is Black Lightning. I'm not usually much into superhero/ superpower type stuff (in TV I loved loved Misfits but not Heroes), but this American series I am enjoying. I have enjoyed various dark films based on comics and manga. I started on Altered Carbon, but not into it so far. Sense8 is one that many seem to love but I couldn't get into. I should look at Den of Geek to see what they suggest as I like that site. Been watching Helix on Netflix, but it has never managed to fully engage me as I don't think that it's a very smartly written series, people, who should be brilliant, do silly things, the dialogue is clunky, and the show is not tight enough. Got impatient with it. Falling Water is one I've really wanted to see. Counterpart looks cool. My favourite show that I'm still watching is Fargo (season three). The third season is not on Netflix otherwise I would have seen it already. That show blew me away -- I was late coming to it. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Argo2112
Date Posted: February 09 2018 at 11:51
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I just started watching Altered Carbon on Netflix. It's pretty good so far. Has a real Blade Runner feel to it. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: February 15 2018 at 15:14
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^It does, I will persevere with Altered Carbon. I saw this a couple of days ago, and thought I'd share it with the Progheads here -- it might give some Black Mirror watchers nightmares.   Metalheads, on the other hand, might love it. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: February 15 2018 at 15:28
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30th Anniversary of Red Dwarf today! What was life like before Lister, Rimmer, Cat and Kryton? Definitely less fun. "Smoke me a kipper....." ------------- “Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.” |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: June 15 2018 at 16:04
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Happy belated anniversary, Red Dwarf! --------------------------------------------------- I've been loving season 2, mostly, of Westworld. Some really great episodes. And I saw a trailer on Netflix for a The Dark Crystal series: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which is due to show in 2019. I really loved that film as a youngster, and I still do. ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: May 21 2019 at 10:26
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Just a note that the Westworld trailer for season 3 has dropped (love the use of Pink Floyd in it). And for a couple of other upcoming shows, the recent Black Mirror trailer for season 5. They are coming out with three new stories set to come to Netflix on June 5, 2019: And the Stranger Things one (it will be coming out on July 4th, 2019): And... My most recent show that I've been watching is the Korean zombie themed Kingdom, which I'm enjoying very much (Korea had one of my favourite modern zombie films with Train to Busan). ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: May 21 2019 at 13:33
As long as that thing doesn't try to clamp onto my testicles and try to open me, I'd be okay with it. People will start naming theirs. Dumb things like "Daisy" and "Ralph" and "Nutmeg". ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: May 21 2019 at 14:18
If I ever want a robot to clamp onto then crack open my nuts, I'll stick with this Nutcracker robot, which can be purchased on amazon:  Please insert meaty nuts in hole ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: May 21 2019 at 14:19
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I think Westworld has run it's course.....it didn't look like the trailer even had anything to with Westworld itself. Unless it is set in one of those created tourist worlds I probably won't be watching. Sadly I no longer have Net flix and I'm not sure I want to pay for Mirror and Stranger Things since I am already paying up the arse for cable via Comcast. I'm currently watching A Discovery of Witches....not too bad....I could do without the romance between the head vampire and head witch but the cast is good and the plots are decent with decent effects.
------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |