What TV SHOWS are you watching?

Those are great storytelling and story construction points about The Great. My other main problem with it is that it just wasn't funny.

MOON KNIGHT continues to be fun; Oscar Isaac just does an amazing job every episode inhabiting his different personalities.

Getting around to the JACK RYAN series. I tried reading a Tom Clancy book back in the day and was bored out of my mind. Then I worked in a bookstore and got sick of every single one of his books having that picture of him in that stupid fucking flight jacket and aviator sunglasses. And he was never in the military so it was just boomer cosplay.

Anyway, the TV show is better than the books. It's pretty standard high-octane geopolitical intrigue, but competently executed with prestige production values and a good cast. It's a little weird seeing Jim Halpert as a spy, but good on him for not getting typecast. I guess the Napoleon Dynamite guy is still looking for work.

I typically don't have much patience for realistic violence in the 24, Homeland, etc. kind of way. I could just turn on the news. But this mostly keeps it restrained except when necessary for the plot.

The only Jack Ryan book I read back in the day was Hunt for Red October. But I recall the character as being a nerdy, book-smart, fish out of water in the intrigue business, so Krazinsky seems like a good fit. It was the movies with Harrison Ford and Ben AFLAC that turned him into an action hero (I think-- who knows what he became in the other books).

I'm feeling very mixed on Moon Knight. Oscar Isaac is probably my favorite working actor, so I'm not surprised he's great in it. But the story just isn't doing much for me. It's too mystical for my tastes. I'm an old-school Moon Knight guy, back from the early runs when he was just an obvious Batman knock-off. To be fair, I knew going in that this show wouldn't be that, but I get tired of every Marvel property dealing with the End Of The World. The lower stakes of Hawkeye were excellent in that regard.

Gregarius wrote: The only Jack Ryan book I read back in the day was Hunt for Red October. But I recall the character as being a nerdy, book-smart, fish out of water in the intrigue business, so Krazinsky seems like a good fit. It was the movies with Harrison Ford and Ben AFLAC that turned him into an action hero (I think-- who knows what he became in the other books).

Clear and Present Danger is one of my all-time favorite films, and (personal trivia) the first DVD I ever purchased. Ford's portrayal of Ryan is definitely not "action hero", I'd say more "forced to fight". I think he does even less in Patriot Games, but it's been a while since I have seen that one.

Most of the action hero stuff is reserved for John Clark and Ding Chavez. I was always pissed that we never got a Rainbow Six film with those actors.

Never saw the Affleck film, I can't stand him.

Msample wrote: TOKYO VICE just aired the final episode of the season. At first I thought it was a limited series, but the way it ended sure makes it seem they are leaving things open for a second season. I hope they follow through, the series overall is pretty damn good.

I really enjoyed this show, and it will be a crime if they don't continue it, especially since the fucking season OPENS with a scene that they NEVER revisit.

I would describe The Great as Downton Abbey meets It's Always Sunny, and I think it's a damn funny show. The first couple episodes really are setting the stage; things take off as the power balance between Peter and Catherine starts wobbling.

hotseatgames wrote:

Msample wrote: TOKYO VICE just aired the final episode of the season. At first I thought it was a limited series, but the way it ended sure makes it seem they are leaving things open for a second season. I hope they follow through, the series overall is pretty damn good.

I really enjoyed this show, and it will be a crime if they don't continue it, especially since the fucking season OPENS with a scene that they NEVER revisit.

Yeah that was a disappointment not following up on that scene. I've seen some speculating that maybe it was meant to go 10 eps but then filming was cut short either due to Covid or some bad behavior on the part of Ansel Egwort or whatever TF his name is. I am REALLY hoping for a second season given how many things were left hanging.

Gregarius wrote: I'm feeling very mixed on Moon Knight. Oscar Isaac is probably my favorite working actor, so I'm not surprised he's great in it. But the story just isn't doing much for me. It's too mystical for my tastes. I'm an old-school Moon Knight guy, back from the early runs when he was just an obvious Batman knock-off. To be fair, I knew going in that this show wouldn't be that, but I get tired of every Marvel property dealing with the End Of The World. The lower stakes of Hawkeye were excellent in that regard.

I'm actually digging the mystical vibe. I did like HAWKEYE and am with you on lower stakes being generally better. But there's lots of street-level heroes even just within the MCU -- Hawkeye, Daredevil, Punisher, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Spider-Man. And whatever room they leave is filled by Arrow and (the 900lb-gorilla) Batman. I'm not sure what a non-woo-woo Moon Knight would have added to that. So I'm enjoying the spooky gods as a nice palette cleanser. And you get to see MK argue with an anthropomorphic hippo.

dysjunct wrote: MOON KNIGHT
Getting around to the JACK RYAN series. I tried reading a Tom Clancy book back in the day and was bored out of my mind. Then I worked in a bookstore and got sick of every single one of his books having that picture of him in that stupid fucking flight jacket and aviator sunglasses. And he was never in the military so it was just boomer cosplay.

Anyway, the TV show is better than the books. It's pretty standard high-octane geopolitical intrigue, but competently executed with prestige production values and a good cast. It's a little weird seeing Jim Halpert as a spy, but good on him for not getting typecast. I guess the Napoleon Dynamite guy is still looking for work.

I've read all the Clancy books he actually wrote, the early ones (before he fired his editor) many times each. Up to Without Remorse they are uniformly fantastic. After that point the plot "realism" and writing quality gets pretty uneven IMHO.

Jack Ryan, as a character, was a former Marine until he was injured in training and medically discharged. So he is very comfortable with fighting though he never resorted to it much outside of Patriot Games. As much as I like Fords incarnation, I think I prefer Baldwin in THFRO. Certainly better than Affleck or Pine. The TV show is its own thing, very much divorced from both the Ryan of the books (though the series is sort of a proto-Ryan set before he meets his wife) and the style of Clancy in general IMHO. The first season was good though, the second season a little less so.

I do hope they continue, both to advance Ryan into something like what we see in the books and to see if/how they would adapt THFRO or PG into a modern storyline (the idea the Russians have a super sub is, these days, is kinda far fetched and certainly there is little threat of an Irish terrorist organization now). The problem with technothrillers of the Clancy variety (versus the seemingly endless Special Ops warriors gone rogue ones) is the full spectrum integration of all levels of military and intelligence.

This is something almost no movie/show has ever tried successfully and I'm not sure the american audience, much less international ones, would be happy to see just how competent (i.e. horribly invasive and unstoppable) modern electronic surveillance, satellite observation, human operators, and drone warfare can be when focused and unfettered by politics. We are seeing it in the Ukraine conflict now with cell phones and airpods being used to triangulate targets (as well, I am sure, some anonymous phones calls about where and when to send missiles). The Clancyverse has the Americans as the unabashed "good guys" in a fairly uncynical way (unless this develops in later books) versus most of the technothriller stuff coming out today.

Msample wrote:

hotseatgames wrote:

Msample wrote: TOKYO VICE just aired the final episode of the season. At first I thought it was a limited series, but the way it ended sure makes it seem they are leaving things open for a second season. I hope they follow through, the series overall is pretty damn good.

I really enjoyed this show, and it will be a crime if they don't continue it, especially since the fucking season OPENS with a scene that they NEVER revisit.

Yeah that was a disappointment not following up on that scene. I've seen some speculating that maybe it was meant to go 10 eps but then filming was cut short either due to Covid or some bad behavior on the part of Ansel Egwort or whatever TF his name is. I am REALLY hoping for a second season given how many things were left hanging.

Tokyo Vice is loosely based on a memoir written by the real Jake Adelstein. He worked for that Tokyo newspaper long enough to potentially support several seasons of a show. We have certainly seen enough potential so far for a full second season just to resolve events of the first season. That final episode was alternately tense and explosive, yet still restrained compared to what was possible. Great stuff.

Attack of the Hollywood Cliches is a really funny netflix show hosted by Rob Lowe that exposes all of the silly tricks in movies. Obviously everyone here is well aware of these things but they are presented in an amusing way with a quite diverse range of films that is a pleasure to be reacquainted with.

They really hone in on some good things and a lot of bad things about trends in hollywood. They don't shy away from some uncomfortable bits. I could argue some of their points but they are tongue in cheek enough that i feel like there is a sly wink at almost everything. Lowe is also FANTASTIC as the host.

It has some flashes of boobies so it is sorta not appropriate for kids so beware if you are watching it while they are running around.

dysjunct wrote: MOON KNIGHT I guess the Napoleon Dynamite guy is still looking for work.

Anyone watch Undone? I didn't even realize they were coming out with a second season, it's an easy binge. Decent follow-up.

charlest wrote: Anyone watch Undone? I didn't even realize they were coming out with a second season, it's an easy binge. Decent follow-up.

I remember that one. Good show, I'll have to check it out.

I'm two episodes into the last block for Ozark. While I'm happy to have it back and to see a story resolution, they are really stretching believability with some plot points.

That was my main issue with Ozark: the difficulty in suspension of disbelief. I watched the first season in the frame of mind of Breaking Bad. Granted, there were moments that BB had with the believability issue (the magnet, the machine gun, etc.) but they tended to be isolated incidents, not entire plot elements as you point out. We got a couple episodes into the second season and I just lost the thread. It seemed like they were writing things for shock value, rather than because they actually followed a planned story a la Vince Gilligan (BB, Better Call Saul.) So, I gave up on it and am not compelled to return at the moment.