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    Watching the new series of Digging for Britain. Archeology show that follows digs up and down the U.K.. It’s like Time Team’s grown-up, sexy cousin: all drone shots and sites that put out. Some of the finds have been ace (the Romans knew how to kick back and relax). It helps that there are multiple sites running over several years. I forgot how massive the English countryside is. It’s also about six feet taller than it used to be.

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      Originally posted by San Bernardhinault View Post
      Just watched On The Rocks. Sofia Copolla, Bill Murray. It seems to be one of those films that has high-critics on Rotten Tomatoes but very average audience. Usually that means it’s boring and self-serious. But I think this time the critics were right. It was charming with some very funny sections and some incredible timing and pacing from Murray.
      We watched it when it came out and I remember enjoying it although virtually none of it has stayed in my memory and I even had to do a quick google search to check it was the same film I was thinking of.

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        Eternals.

        Loved it. Prime Jack Kirby space opera visuals and general nonsense, THE BLACK KNIGHT INCOMING and

        *****SPOILER*******

        Blade's voice at the end of the second stinger! (Mahershala Ali)

        *****ENDS*************

        I remember Gilgamesh when he joined the Avengers back in the days when Captain America was just The Captain and Reed and Sue Richards were in for the ride. I remember buying the 300th issue of the Avengers when the new team made its debut in February 1989 from the comic book shop on Drummond Road in Croydon. Holy shit, I feel old.

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          Just finished Station Eleven. Based on the book by Emily St John Mandel.
          By crikey it's a beautiful show. The first 5 episodes are slow paced, but visually and symbolically lush and deep.
          Then when it picks up pace in the second half it retains the depth and style while providing more drama.
          The last episode had me bawling n'all.

          It does jump about between pre and post apocalypse, so if you don't like that, t you won't like this. It even does the thing I complained about Boba Fett doing the other day. The difference is, this is really good.
          It is about a respiratory disease that kills 99% of the population though, so if you're feeling like it might trigger you after the last couple of years, consider yourself forewarned.
          Anyway, it's beautiful, beautifully acted and we'll worth a go.

          Comment


            Originally posted by Eggchaser View Post
            Eternals.

            Loved it. Prime Jack Kirby space opera visuals and general nonsense, THE BLACK KNIGHT INCOMING and

            *****SPOILER*******

            Blade's voice at the end of the second stinger! (Mahershala Ali)

            *****ENDS*************

            I remember Gilgamesh when he joined the Avengers back in the days when Captain America was just The Captain and Reed and Sue Richards were in for the ride. I remember buying the 300th issue of the Avengers when the new team made its debut in February 1989 from the comic book shop on Drummond Road in Croydon. Holy shit, I feel old.

            I’ve watched some of it. So far, I think it’s the worst Marvel film of the 21st century.

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              Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man III jointly for me.

              The problem with Eternals is that although it's roots are embedded in the comic universe, it's also very standalone. Kirby loved creating and drawing wacky science fiction characters who exist slightly over there from the mainstream heroes and villains. It's something of a retread of the New Gods he created over at DC; in the first issue of Forever People you wouldn't know they'd arrived on Earth in the DC universe if Superman hadn't rocked up for a couple of pages to check they weren't up to shenanigans (before scooting off again).

              I still enjoyed it.

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                Several years after the first series was released I've started watching The Expanse. I am enjoying it but having read the books I am noticing a shift in emphasis and repositioning characters.

                Also we have the classic "spaceship crewspace is a large room full of air" which I don't see ever being realistic in a functioning long-distance spaceship.

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                  The Tragedy of Macbeth on Apple TV. I thought it was ace. Proper Wiene/Lang/etc. black & white aesthetics. Brutalist architecture. What’s brilliant is that it’s so easy to follow: the text has been adapted brilliantly. The language pops. It also dispenses with the Scottish accents, which sunk Welles’s noble attempt. Despite the A-listers at the helm (Washington and McDormand), it’s the supporting cast from top to bottom that really bring it to life.

                  Comment


                    Originally posted by Eggchaser View Post
                    Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man III jointly for me.
                    .
                    Both good shouts although Thor: The Dark World is redeemed by prominent use of a Vimto can in a plot point.

                    Comment


                      Originally posted by Patrick Thistle View Post
                      Several years after the first series was released I've started watching The Expanse. I am enjoying it but having read the books I am noticing a shift in emphasis and repositioning characters.

                      Also we have the classic "spaceship crewspace is a large room full of air" which I don't see ever being realistic in a functioning long-distance spaceship.
                      The ISS is. So was the Shuttle. Any Mars trip will be too. There's a level of isolation that people won't be able to cope with, being suited up for 6 months is one of them. And you know, they only have to deal with 1 atmosphere of difference. submarines do it with tens of atmospheres.

                      And they depresurise during skirmishes.

                      Besides, there's just a level of interaction you can't have if you can't see character's faces. I reckon they do a pretty decent job generally of showing the scarcity of both water and air in the belt given the limitations of the format.

                      I think in this case you're looking for holes that aren't really there.
                      Last edited by hobbes; 15-01-2022, 11:10.

                      Comment


                        I did watch the grand finale of The Expanse actually.
                        I haven't posted because I'm still sort of ruminating on it.
                        The thing I will say is, the first half of the episode was great, the second seemed awfully rushed/abrupt. If they'd only have had another 30 minutes i think they could have made it almost perfect.
                        They stuck the landing, but it was a 5.4 from the East German judge.

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by Hot Pepsi View Post


                          I’ve watched some of it. So far, I think it’s the worst Marvel film of the 21st century.
                          If we're opening it up beyond MCU/Marvel Studios sole productions then the recent Venom sequel probably takes that title for me.

                          That said, if we're opening it up that much I haven't seen many of the X-men movies or all the Fantastic Four films and there are some turkeys amongst them apparently.

                          Comment


                            Originally posted by Ray de Galles View Post

                            If we're opening it up beyond MCU/Marvel Studios sole productions then the recent Venom sequel probably takes that title for me.

                            That said, if we're opening it up that much I haven't seen many of the X-men movies or all the Fantastic Four films and there are some turkeys amongst them apparently.
                            The last Fantastic Four film sucked ass. CGI ass. Easily the worst of the stable.

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by Hot Pepsi View Post


                              I’ve watched some of it. So far, I think it’s the worst Marvel film of the 21st century.
                              As long as Barry Keogan's Hollywood career isn't impaired as a consequence.

                              Comment


                                Didn't even bother seeing it. The Chris Evans ones were at least entertainingly bad.

                                The first two X Men films are great. The moment those claws slid out of Hugh Jackman's knuckles in the bar fight I knew we were in for a treat.

                                First Class and Days of Future Past are good, Logan is a great deconstruction of the genre. The opening scenes of Wolverine: Origins with Logan and Victor as soldiers down the years should have been the whole film. The rest is not so good.

                                On reflection, Iron Man III is the worst MCU film, it is the only one I've never watched again. I think the double villain bait and switch killed it for me, when they moved the Extremis villain sideways and ruined a legendary foe (although his turn in Shang Chi more than made up for that).

                                Comment


                                  Originally posted by hobbes View Post

                                  The ISS is. So was the Shuttle. Any Mars trip will be too. There's a level of isolation that people won't be able to cope with, being suited up for 6 months is one of them. And you know, they only have to deal with 1 atmosphere of difference. submarines do it with tens of atmospheres.

                                  And they depresurise during skirmishes.

                                  Besides, there's just a level of interaction you can't have if you can't see character's faces. I reckon they do a pretty decent job generally of showing the scarcity of both water and air in the belt given the limitations of the format.

                                  I think in this case you're looking for holes that aren't really there.
                                  It was the interior of the Knight shuttle in episode 2 that just felt too big for me. I thought the Canterbury was done well. And when they went into the Scopuli.

                                  Even though they are "open" the ISS and shuttle always look a bit cramped.

                                  It's nowhere near as bad as any Star Trek spaceship though.

                                  Comment


                                    Well, it's 300 years hence, so one would expect an element of progress I suppose.

                                    The Star Trek thing is of course an entirely different thing, being future fantasy rather than science fiction if you like. You can't go into Trek, Star Wars etc. with any sense of reality - it's all just ludicrous. But that's ok as long as it's consistent. Entertainment doesn't have to be completely accurate, just internally consistent. You can have a heisenberg.compensator on your transporter as long as you done try to explain it.

                                    There's nothing in the Expanse books that doesn't fit current understandings of science. The medium of tv makes that harder to do ( you can't have every belter being super tall with out sized head and hands without spending more than your budget on cgi and it's much tougher to simulate very low G than zero G on screen.
                                    But on the whole they've worked incredibly hard to make it as accurate and realistic as possible - mainly because the authors were on the writing team and it's important to them.
                                    I guess I'd wonder that if having a slightly bigger pressurised cabin than you'd expect 300 years in the future is what you draw the line at reality wise, how do you watch any tv at all? There are bigger holes in almost every other programme, sci-fi or otherwise.
                                    Last edited by hobbes; 15-01-2022, 14:36.

                                    Comment


                                      Originally posted by Discordant Resonance View Post

                                      As long as Barry Keogan's Hollywood career isn't impaired as a consequence.
                                      Agreed. His performance in The Killing of a Sacred Dear is superb. (Farrell’s too.) My only concern is that he gets typecast as the awkward wrong ‘un. Example: when he showed up in the Green Knight I knew exactly what was going to happen.

                                      Comment


                                        Originally posted by Ray de Galles View Post

                                        If we're opening it up beyond MCU/Marvel Studios sole productions then the recent Venom sequel probably takes that title for me.

                                        That said, if we're opening it up that much I haven't seen many of the X-men movies or all the Fantastic Four films and there are some turkeys amongst them apparently.
                                        Right. The most recent attempt at F4 was shit.

                                        Comment


                                          Originally posted by hobbes View Post
                                          Well, it's 300 years hence, so one would expect an element of progress I suppose.

                                          The Star Trek thing is of course an entirely different thing, being future fantasy rather than science fiction if you like. You can't go into Trek, Star Wars etc. with any sense of reality - it's all just ludicrous. But that's ok as long as it's consistent. Entertainment doesn't have to be completely accurate, just internally consistent. You can have a heisenberg.compensator on your transporter as long as you done try to explain it.

                                          There's nothing in the Expanse books that doesn't fit current understandings of science. The medium of tv makes that harder to do ( you can't have every belter being super tall with out sized head and hands without spending more than your budget on cgi and it's much tougher to simulate very low G than zero G on screen.
                                          But on the whole they've worked incredibly hard to make it as accurate and realistic as possible - mainly because the authors were on the writing team and it's important to them.
                                          I guess I'd wonder that if having a slightly bigger pressurised cabin than you'd expect 300 years in the future is what you draw the line at reality wise, how do you watch any tv at all? There are bigger holes in almost every other programme, sci-fi or otherwise.
                                          I thought it was 200 years.

                                          The authors specifically didn’t want the belters to be tall ans skinny. They felt that would make them look too much like aliens to to the audience. I recall in the early seasons, they had some supermodels and volleyball player-type people who were tall and skinny, but they mostly abandoned that.

                                          The show deviates from the book because they had to finish it without covering the last two books about the Laconian empire. Also the actor who plays Alex got metooed so they wrote out the character before the final season.

                                          At least, I thought this was supposed to be the end. They left a few bits dangling that could go into another season.

                                          Comment


                                            Well there's some spoilers.

                                            hobbes it's only an observation. It's in no way a deal-breaker. I'm looking forward to seeing the Rocinante.

                                            I really enjoyed the books.

                                            Comment


                                              Originally posted by Patrick Thistle View Post
                                              Well there's some spoilers.

                                              hobbes it's only an observation. It's in no way a deal-breaker. I'm looking forward to seeing the Rocinante.

                                              I really enjoyed the books.
                                              All of those things are widely reported.

                                              I’m still working on the final book.

                                              Comment


                                                I'm not sure how far through the books I got. I read the one where they go through the Gate and land on a planet where everyone goes blind and I think the next box was about Naomi's former lover dropping a rock on earth. And I don't think I've read beyond that.

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                                                  Ilus is book 4 (gate planet) and Naomi's former lover dropping rocks covers books 5 & 6 which is where the TV show finishes.

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                                                    I saw Licorice Pizza tonight. I should probably watch Boogie Nights and Punch Drunk Love again, as I find most of his work overrated. There Will Be Blood is the only one I have watched several times.
                                                    Licorice Pizza felt like several sketches stuck together. Haim and Hoffman were very good as the two main characters and it was amusing in places. What really irked was a scene of anti-Asian racism (absolutely non essential to the plot, but clearly PTA thought it really funny as did several of the audience). Seemed really odd.

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