I watched the first episode of Y: The Last Man there on Disney+. Honestly not a bad start at all albeit massively depressing. I’ve read the graphic novels though so it was interesting seeing the very subtle differences. Worth noting that the first issue of the comics was in 2002 and such an apocalyptic event taking place this year instead would be totally different. The casting’s fantastic and they got the tone dead on. It’ll be fun to see this one pan out, let’s just hope they adapt the whole thing.
Anyone braved the new Star Wars: Visions yet? ( @RogerRoger , et al.)
I noticed it dropped onto Disney+ yesterday but probably won’t have time until this weekend to try it out. Each episode is quite short — like 15-20 min., so it’ll be reasonable to binge the whole season in a couple of sittings.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@velio84 I’ve not read the book, but the hype they’ve been creating for the show for the last couple years has me curious. I just read IGN’s glowing review of the first two episodes and I think I might just have to move it toward the top of my list. I’ve barely spent much free time on TV over the last year and so I have quite a lot of shows to watch, but this might be one of the first. The comparison of a Sci-Fi Game of Thrones sounds pretty awesome.
——————
I did get a chance to watch the first two episodes of Star Wars: Visions and I have mixed feelings. The first episode ended up being really good. The anime style character design and interaction felt right at home with that story. There were new characters that were familiar yet novel. The full-motion animation was a little at odds with the anime visuals at first, but I got used to it and in the end I’d say it looks quite beautifully animated. The traveling samurai storyline fits well with the Star Wars universe since Lucas apparently was inspired by Kurisawa’s films.
The second episode was much less impressive. In fact I found it pretty dull. I had no connection to the main characters, although it was really great to see some of the iconic Star Wars characters show up in an anime style rendering. But the storyline was just kind of… weird.
I’ll have to watch the remaining episodes later this weekend but as a Star Wars fan, I am intrigued.
@Th3solution Thanks for the reminder about Star Wars: Visions back there. Honestly, I've been struggling with what I'm gonna call "content anxiety" lately. It feels like every other day, there's been a release or a trailer or a news story about something I'm supposed to get excited about, and it's started to drag me down because there literally aren't enough hours in the day anymore. Visions, along with Marvel's What If...? series, is the first casualty of my personal rebellion against this corporate expectation that I drop everything and rush headlong towards any and all shiny new content; as a result, Wednesday completely passed me by. I was trying to finish what was already in front of me, namely the 30 Rock finale.
Having grumbled about all that, I did find myself watching the first three Visions yesterday, because I was stuck somewhere with an hour to kill and no other weapons to hand. Oddly enough, I had the exact opposite reaction to those first two episodes; I thought the first was safe, straightforward and kinda boring, whereas the second was bold, daring and demonstrated the versatility of the Star Wars universe. To put it in gaming terms, it was literally Jedi: Fallen Order meets Guitar Hero and, despite my well-documented loathing of popular music, I respected its effort to do something hitherto unseen, and solve a conflict without shooting blasters, swinging lightsabers or wielding the Force. It was bizarrely charming, as well as charmingly bizarre, and caught me by surprise in a way the first episode failed to, because that one had been exactly what I'd imagined when I first heard the "it's gonna be Star Wars anime" series pitch, and told a story we've seen a dozen times before (albeit in a very beautiful way).
So, I agree with you about having mixed feelings, but it seems we're mixed in different ways! Which should be interesting going forward. I'll gradually work my way through what remains, and come back with further thoughts; please do tag me if you're gonna do the same! Hope you enjoy!
@RogerRoger I’m with you. I’m probably going to start Foundation soon since the hype is huge and the early response is overwhelmingly positive. My Apple TV+ sub runs out soon and I had planned to just let it elapse because I’m just hardly having the time to use it, so I want to try to get all of Foundation in before I cancel. Which, I have no idea how long they are going to be dropping episodes.
I plan to mix in some movies and drama in to counter all the Sci-Fi, if I can. But I think SW Visions and What If… will fit in nicely as a “2-3 episode every so often” break between the heavier stuff and the football season which I am sampling from time to time.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution Every streaming service always has something, doesn't it? I saw a trailer for Foundation the other day and admittedly, it does look impressive, so I hope you find that the hype is real, and that you can squeeze it all in before your subscription runs out.
And agreed; I think the short, standalone nature of stuff like What If...? and Visions makes for the perfect viewing snack, so to speak. I reckon that, if I tried to binge 'em, I'd fail.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@JohnnyShoulder Well it's just like you speculated a couple of weeks ago, Marvel shows are now being removed from HBO Nordic, without any warning might I add. I just looked through my watchlist and noticed that a show was missing and it was Marvel's Inhumans. Although it doesn't seem like it was a good show so it's not a huge loss, but I still have two other Marvel shows, Cloak & Dagger as well as Runaways, that I haven't watched yet and I don't want to rush through them before they're most likely removed as well.
But man this really sucks. First they started cancelling Marvel shows like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist on Netflix, and now they're removing shows from HBO. I wouldn't mind this if Disney had more variety in terms of different shows on their service, but it's primarily Disney, Marvel and Star Wars stuff and that doesn't interest me so much.
Finished Midnight Mass last night… and I liked it quite a bit. There were a few nit-picks etc. but overall a real solid horror mini-series. Hamish Linklater is phenomenal as the priest.
@LtSarge Oh really? But naughty for the shows to dissappear just like that.
I feel the same way as you with D+, I've kinda gone off Marvel and Star Wars recently. It would be good to have on the side for a few months, but it would never be my main streaming service as there is not enough variation for me. Mind you, I've not really looked to see what shows they have on offer. But I think I would like to give Apple TV+ a go first before, as there are a few shows which has piqued my interest. And you get a free sub with PS Plus.
Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
@colonelkilgore his performance over the series is just that. Midnight Mass is instantly my favourite of the Flanaverse right now. I don't think I'll be ready for a rewatch anytime soon but I'll be excited for when I do.
@BowTiesAreCool so I agree actually. My missus thought I was crazy for suggesting I was considering placing it above The Haunting of Hill House (which I did love] but I really like the depiction of vampirism juxtaposed with that old-time religion-vibe.
Being a Star Wars and Marvel fan, Disney+ is a must have. I probably spend as much or more time on it as i do on Netflix. I’d say D+, Netflix, and HBO Max are top tier for me. I can live without Amazon Prime, AppleTV+, Hulu, Paramount+, etc.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Been enjoying What If...? Quite a bit, yesterday's episode was great stuff. Haven't quite finished Visions yet but personally haven't got anything to complain about, it's fun and interesting to see different takes. Nothing mind blowing, some really cool episodes and settings, fun action.
I agree with what others have said about the content drops and corporations just constantly vying for your attention. It's partly why I've stopped binge watching stuff, and am not rushing to watch shows when others are discussing it and asking me "have you seen (insert new show here)?!"
Just trying to chill out with content exposure, and not rush to things as much.
My partner ended up with a free trial of Apple TV+ and so we checked out Ted Lasso and ended up binge-watching the entire first season. Despite its colourful language (which at least made sense, given the show's setting) and a few unnecessary moments of "adult activity", it surprised me as one of the most wholesome, heart-warming streaming exclusives in recent memory.
We also watched the first three episodes of The Morning Show, which would appear to be a well-written, fair and balanced meditation on all sides of the #MeToo movement. Despite wanting to discuss it in the same breath as The West Wing or The Newsroom, however, and despite its excellent cast working overtime, it only seems to fulfil about 80% of its potential. We won't get to finish it before the trial ends, but it's something I think I'd like to return to someday, if only to see whether it ever finds that missing 20% because, if it does, it could end up being a really worthwhile show.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@Th3solution I'll be honest, not really. I've seen a trailer for Foundation and I hate to say it, but it didn't grab me in the slightest. I have no idea what Mythic Quest even is, sorry! The thing is, because it's a free trial of the service, neither of us wanted to admit to wanting to keep it, but it also helps that it's a relatively new service, so most shows are only just starting their second seasons. Once it's built up a must-see library, I think we'll look to grab the occasional month and play catch-up on its biggest names.
Do you think that's a fair assessment of its exclusive content? Have you found yourself spoilt for choice, or are you just watching a small handful of shows on it?
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger Mythic Quest is a show which apparently takes place in a video game developer studio (of a popular MMO if I’m not mistaken). On its surface that sounds like exactly the show we Push Squires would love. But I think it’s had fairly middling reviews. So I haven’t watched any of it yet.
I think you’re correct about Apple TV+, it’s sort of in its infancy, compared to its counterparts. The quality seems more variable from what I’m reading too. I’m a poor judge of the content though since I haven’t watched many things on it yet. I keep saying I’m going to try See, Mythic Quest, For All Mankind, Ted Lasso, Servant, and now Foundation, but it’s just not gonna happen. I’m glad to hear Ted Lasso lives up to the hype so I’ll try a few episodes of that before my free trial ends in a month or two.
I think the service hasn’t really marketed itself very well either. I mean, this is Apple! One of the biggest marketing machines on earth! How can they not be selling us on these shows? You’ve got big names like M. Night, Stephen King, Tom Hanks, Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Anniston, Jason Mamoa, … and you can’t sell me on anything you’ve got going except a show with a guy named Sudeikis whose name I never knew before? This is the company that lures me into paying $1000 for a phone every two years and they can’t make me compelled to watch their stuff even when they give it away.
The app for Apple TV+ (On my phone) is poorly designed also. Sure, the lines are pretty and it has that Apple cleanness to it, but it’s almost unusable. Netflix, HBO, and Disney have a tried and true app design — easy to navigate, easy to find something to catch your eye, and easy to search if you know what you want (or even get easy suggestions if they don’t have it on their service). Why is the Apple TV+ content hidden behind a bunch of garbage and icons for content that isn’t even on their service. It’s a mess.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Got another mail from HBO about the HBO Max upgrade and apparently, I'm getting a whole slew of new content on the service AND paying less every month. The current monthly fee is €11 and later this month it'll be €9, which isn't that huge of a price cut but in long-term it's very welcoming to see. On top of this, they'll also be offering a yearly subscription price where you can pay €70 for 12 months, which gives you 4 months for free. While I don't see myself taking advantage of that offer anytime soon because I'm never sure how much I'm going to use a service, it's definitely nice to have that option in case I change my mind in the future.
HBO is seriously the service that just keeps on giving. More content for less money, it honestly doesn't get better than that.
@Th3solution Wow, okay! Mythic Quest does sound interesting. It also sounds like the kinda show which could be entirely ruined by knowing a little bit about its subject matter, though. I'll look up some reviews about it and keep it in mind for when we return to the service. Cheers!
Ah, you're on a free trial as well, then? At least you're not paying for the pleasure of not watching all those shows you've listed there! Good point about the marketing, I hadn't considered that. As a simple passer-by who doesn't buy Apple tech, I'd always assumed that this was Apple trying to compete in the streaming TV marketplace but, if I stop and think about that for more than three seconds, why would they want or need to? And why hasn't their marketing been clearer, or more effective? You're asking the same kinds of questions, and you're literally holding an Apple device right now, for goodness sake!
But they're obviously throwing money at it for a reason. Maybe it's a slow-burn kinda thing. Maybe because it's Apple, they can afford to play the streaming game a little differently.
And yeah, we accessed Apple TV+ through a Google Chromecast (I think) but even on there, alongside all the other apps and services where you'd think they'd wanna avoid unfavourable comparisons, its interface was all style over substance and kinda counter-intuitive. I'm amazed to hear that it's just as bad on their own hardware; more evidence that they're working from half a plan, I suppose.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
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