Topic: The TV Show Thread

Sacked "The Penguin" off after Episode 4. Not impressed - it's all so (massively) derivative of other (better) crime dramas. Zero for two in the Matt Reeves Bat-verse. I'm going to watch "Barry" instead.

@LN78 I'm just thankful I'm not the only one unimpressed. I quit after the first episode. Probably could have given it more of a chance but while the first episode wasn't bad, I didn't really care about anyone.

Also now that the finale has come out it's been confirmed this all picks up in the Batman sequel and I'm just not that interested in that either.

@zupertramp Yeah - I'd seen it all before. Once Farrell's shtick started grating on my nerves it was all over.

Well I've finished Arcane. I need to rewatch it start to finish but for the time being I'm not overly impressed with the conclusion. Didn't hate it, so that's good. But felt a little ambivalent by the end. Hmm. Could be it's just one of those journey over destination works.

@Th3solution @JohnnyShoulder @FuriousMachine

Veering off into the TV thread with a continuation of the recent discussion: Digital vs Physical and 4K players etc. So it may be of interest to you.

Game of Thrones has been in the rotation for semi-binging lately via 4K streaming, but I had the crazy idea of trying out the regular Blu Ray and seeing if it was noticably different and in what ways. And I think it actually ended up looking slightly better 😅 there were no cases of any weird digital artifacts breaking up darker scenes and backgrounds that can plague during streaming content, thats for sure. And the HDR upscaler from the player/TV combo seemed to create great highlights too.

1080p SDR: via standard Blu Ray on OLED.

Not too shabby and not far off native 4K if you ask me. And certainly a match for the resolution you get in the exact same content via 4K streaming. Most scenes even appeared to have at least as good an HDR effect as the genuine HDR via streaming, too.

The consensus being that it was now actually more pleasing to the eye via the Blu Ray disc than the NOW/SKY 4K stream 😱 The Panasonic 820 has proven itself a decent player, for sure.

@Ravix That player looks like pure gold! Back in the good old DVD days, I got my hands on one of Panasonic's flagships at the time and got it chipped to be region free. That was an awesome player; glad to see they haven't lost their touch

@Ravix Yeah my player and tv does a good job of upscaling blu rays really nicely. Some films i have totally forgotten that they were not a 4K disc!

Just watched the first episode of Rivals on Disney+. I wasn’t really fancying it but ended up really enjoying it. Think we’re gonna like this!

Having to burn my Gregg Wallace merchandise, my Masterchef 4K Blu-Rays, the lot. This one really hits deep. Not.

Mastertwat.

3 eps deep into Rivals and… ****ing brilliant! 🤣

@nessisonett Time to throw that effigy I have of him onto a bonfire.

Really enjoying Say Nothing. While there's nothing particularly groundbreaking about this historical drama it is well done and I find the Troubles extremely interesting (and tragic). Well acted, well shot and overall a compelling bit of television. Loving the actors playing the sisters.

Mrs. Davis - binged the whole thing in one day and was a nice surprise actually. Didn’t know what to expect but the Preacher-esque eclectic black comedy was both a shock and very welcome. Nowhere near as good as the Preacher comic but quite a bit better than the Preacher tv show.

@colonelkilgore Loved Mrs. Davis! A show that simply refuses to move in a straight line and is all the better for it. One of the more original series released in recent years, I can only hope for more quirky shows like this. And also, hope Lindelof is currently working on something, after this and Watchmen, I'll be paying close attention to whatever it is he comes up with next.

@FuriousMachine yeah I’d kinda thought Lindelof had lost his way a few years back and began to play it safe but this (& Watchmen as you’ve mentioned) has made me think he’s got his mojo back.

@colonelkilgore I'm not terribly familiar with his output prior to Watchmen, but I hear The Leftovers is a must-see. When I restart my Max subscription in February, that will be at the top of my list.
I'll gratefully take recommendations for other Lindelof works worth watching, if you have 'em

@FuriousMachine The Leftovers is a strange one mate. It’s season 2 is incredible… honestly an amazing season of tv. Season 1 on the other hand was… intriguing enough to keep me on the hook until season 2 I guess but not my favourite. Season 3 was good but I remember feeling a little unsatisfied with the climax, something I’ve often found with Lindelof’s work starting with Lost. Just checked IMDb and he wrote The Hunt (a movie) which I really liked, in case you haven’t seen that.