3082 replies to this topic

[Quint]

Sounds like rubbish!

I'm out!

Imagine in FotR the Hobbits arrive at Bree for the night, but instead of joining the merry antics of the pub's patrons, they instead order in a bevy of whores for tits in their faces and skilled fellatio. Next morning they wake with sore heads - cursing themselves for completely forgetting about the meet with Gandalf, and that's Game of Thrones.

[Stefancos]

But there is sex!

Wohoooo! Count me in for some of that!

[Richard]

What's interesting is that sex is noticeably absent from the books.

I'm almost done with the first season of Carnivale. It is really good. Takes its time to warm up, though.

Karol

"Carnivale" has been described as "Twin Peaks meets John Steinbeck". Apt.
Just wait until it develops in series 2. What do you think of the climax of series 1?

[Jason LeBlanc]

Yea, Carnivale season 1 moves at a fairly slow pace. Season 2 moves MUCH faster

[Quint]

But there is sex!

Wohoooo! Count me in for some of that!

Some of it doesn't involve women...

[Richard]

But there is sex!

Wohoooo! Count me in for some of that!

Some of it doesn't involve women...

The best kind...so I've heard.

Are "Made In Chelsea" "TOWIE", "Desperate Scousewives", and all that stuff real, or acted?

[Quint]

They're fucking staged garbage of the variety you'd normally find under the rim of a public toilet seat.

[Stefancos]

Some of it doesn't involve women...

Eeeeeewwww....i'm not havin' that!

[crocodile]

Don't fight it, Stefan. Embrace it!

Karol

[Incanus]

Embrace the poxy whores Stefan!

[Stefancos]

Sure, but man-on-man action????

[KK.]

Sure, but man-on-man action????

I suspect thats what will be present in this week's episode...

[Quint]

I haven't started season 2 yet and for some reason I'm now not sure I want to.

[crocodile]

And why is that?

Karol

[Quint]

What K.K just said.

[KK.]

I'm only assuming that based on the previews of Renly we had (and since this ep is all about renly..)...but in now way is that a reason to avoid season 2. For all we know, that stuff could only be on for a second. I believe that the pacing will definitely pick up with this episode, so for people complaining about the pace (ahem, BloodBoal), there'll prob be more action in this one.

I'm more concerned about how they'll manipulate and twist Margarey Tyrell's character...

[Quint]

I'm not actually going to stop watching it

[KK.]

All is well then!

*Puts away torture devices..*

[crocodile]

Finished the first season of Carnivale and immediately started the second. It's getting really good now.

Karol

[Alexcremers]

I thought it was good from the get-go. Most of my recollections are from those first episodes.

[Koray Savas]

I finally got around to watching The Office. UK original, of course.

I've always been a fan of Gervais and Merchant, but this pushes it over the edge, they're geniuses. Infinitely better than anything in Extras and their stuff with Karl Pilkington. They've always been hilarious, but Extras lacked the dramatic character writing present here. I've literally just watched the whole series in a single sitting, and I was in tears by the end. I don't know why I was so moved by the Tim/Dawn relationship, maybe because it reflects a lot of my personal life, but I found it so incredibly real and well acted. Even being able to give David Brent, one of the most egotistical and inconsiderate and superficial beings in TV history, a moving and satisfying conclusion is brilliant in itself.

The series also further proves that their 2 season structure is near flawless. American cable television just tries to get as many views as possible without any real quality, and then subsequently drags it on until it's dead. The US version is proof of this. I haven't watched it past Season 3, but I can tell that it just changed the names on the original series' scripts and then dragged it on, and it still keeps going apparently.

[crocodile]

I thought it was good from the get-go. Most of my recollections are from those first episodes.

Oh I did like it from the start, but the story starts to pick up some momentum. That's what I meant. I've got two gripes about it, though: the music is really generic TV score and on-the-nose (well, maybe except for Justin's theme), and the characters don't seem to go anywhere (apart from Justin). They just have the same exact conversation in every single episode. But because it's so well done, you enjoy watching it anyway.

Karol

[Quint]

I finally got around to watching The Office. UK original, of course.

I've always been a fan of Gervais and Merchant, but this pushes it over the edge, they're geniuses. Infinitely better than anything in Extras and their stuff with Karl Pilkington. They've always been hilarious, but Extras lacked the dramatic character writing present here. I've literally just watched the whole series in a single sitting, and I was in tears by the end. I don't know why I was so moved by the Tim/Dawn relationship, maybe because it reflects a lot of my personal life, but I found it so incredibly real and well acted. Even being able to give David Brent, one of the most egotistical and inconsiderate and superficial beings in TV history, a moving and satisfying conclusion is brilliant in itself.

The series also further proves that their 2 season structure is near flawless. American cable television just tries to get as many views as possible without any real quality, and then subsequently drags it on until it's dead. The US version is proof of this. I haven't watched it past Season 3, but I can tell that it just changed the names on the original series' scripts and then dragged it on, and it still keeps going apparently.

[Stefancos]

Still, no Fatty Owls...

[Alexcremers]

I thought it was good from the get-go. Most of my recollections are from those first episodes.

Oh I did like it from the start, but the story starts to pick up some momentum. That's what I meant. I've got two gripes about it, though: the music is really generic TV score and on-the-nose (well, maybe except for Justin's theme), and the characters don't seem to go anywhere (apart from Justin). They just have the same exact conversation in every single episode. But because it's so well done, you enjoy watching it anyway.

Karol

I don't remember the music to be a problem. But I wonder, do you think Williams' music is so unusual? Agreed with the characters, they don't go anywhere but perhaps that's a good thing? The only story arc of true importance is the clashing of the devil and the angel. But who is who?


Alex

[crocodile]

I thought it was good from the get-go. Most of my recollections are from those first episodes.

Oh I did like it from the start, but the story starts to pick up some momentum. That's what I meant. I've got two gripes about it, though: the music is really generic TV score and on-the-nose (well, maybe except for Justin's theme), and the characters don't seem to go anywhere (apart from Justin). They just have the same exact conversation in every single episode. But because it's so well done, you enjoy watching it anyway.

Karol

I don't remember the music to be a problem. But I wonder, do you think Williams' music is so unusual? Agreed with the characters, they don't go anywhere but perhaps that's a good thing? The only story arc of true importance is the clashing of the devil and the angel. But who is who?


Alex

What bothers me about the music is that it sounds cheap as opposed to the otherwise amazing production values. Same with Game of Thrones. And I wish they did something less obvious with it. More striking perhaps. Take There Will Be Blood, for example. Also a period piece but the music does something else. This show deserves better.

As for Williams, his approach is somewhat rare these days. When I watched War Horse some time ago, I thought to myself "no one in the audience will get this". Which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Oh and I just finished watching episode 6 of the second season. Six more to go...

Karol

[Alexcremers]

I see what you mean, crocs. The accessibility of the music is perhaps one of the consessions Carnivale has to make (in order for the show to be made made in the first place). Only when you're PTA or Haneke, you can do what you want.



Alex

[crocodile]

Well, I just finished it. It's a very entertaining show, but far from perfect. It's funny how it almost mirrors Twin Peaks in so many ways. I'd like to see more of it, but it's still more complete than I thought it would be.

Karol

[Quint]

It's on my list. Does it end as well as Twin Peaks - given that both were cut short? There's something about TP abrupt halt which makes it deliciously satisfying.

[crocodile]

It doesn't end as abruptly. I'd say both endings have some similarities.

It's not as quirky as Twin Peaks, though. But then again, what is?

Karol

[Alexcremers]

It ends abruptly because HBO suddenly decided to cancel the show. Too ambiguous, too few viewers. Don't get the comparison with Twin Peaks though.

[crocodile]

I'd say it has this "end of act 1" feel to it. It's not so much of a cliffhanger. My point is the show feels complete enough to enjoy it for what it is (which is about 1/3 of it). They revealed some things about where the story would go from there.

Karol

[Quint]

I've heard the Twin Peaks comparison a number of times.

[crocodile]

Don't get the comparison with Twin Peaks though.

Similar theme, mythology, "ending", strange setting and characters. Different tone and feel, obviously.

Karol

[Jason LeBlanc]

Daniel Knauf planned out Carnvale to be a six-season show, with each 2 seasons making up 1 of 3 acts. So that's why the season 2 finale is mostly completely satisfying with only a few things left open to continue. Who knows how different Season 3 / Act 2 would have been. It'd be great if the DVD sales have been enough to get HBO to make a miniseries or something to continue the show, but since it hasn't happened by now I'm sure it never will

[crocodile]

Well, the good thing is it can never go downhill.

Karol

[Jason LeBlanc]

If you want to know the information he's revealed about where you the show would have gone, you can start here:

http://en.wikipedia....character_fates

[Quint]

So Carni ends satisfactorily, then? It didnt make you go, Noooooooooooo?

What I'm asking is did they get a chance to hastily wrap it up, as it were?

Twin Peaks ends on a brilliant question, which makes it work.

[Jason LeBlanc]

It ends with the end of Act 1 out of 3 planned Acts.... it wraps up most things going on, but there's plenty of questions left unanswered that Acts 2 and 3 would have answered. But as a self-contained 2season story, it still works pretty well

[crocodile]

It ends in a similar way to Twin Peaks. Ends some storyline but leaves some stuff unresolved and promises new direction. But all of that still works as an ending.

I was satisfied with the ending of Carnivale, given the circumstances.

It's good, Quint. Watch it, if you can.

Karol