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Post by AD on Apr 25, 2011 22:09:42 GMT -5
Also, two episodes into Game of Thrones and i'm sold. I had a hard time with certain aspects of the first episode last week - largely in mapping out who is who - but after rewatching the premiere and seeing the second episode I think it's a pretty fantastic achievement in storytelling as much as it is in production design. The final scene where the queen sentences the dire wolf was finely acted with understatement. I like that the presentation of Ned alternates from a pure romanticism of his nobility to his willing adherence to unjust laws and customs. I have not read the books, although my brother has and he is a big fan. I've got the first two episodes of Game of Thrones recorded and waiting to be watched. I really wasn't that excited about it until reading this post. The Killing remains good. I'm still a bit skeptical of the father's recent turn, I really hope he doesn't become the same rampaging vengeful father we've seen so many times before in this type of thing. But the writers seem to know what they're doing, so we'll see. Anyone here been watching The Borgias? I'm curious about checking it out, but I forgot to set the DVR for the first episodes, and I don't know if it's worth tracking down some torrents to get caught up. Finally, to finish up my random thoughts about recent television, who else watched Mildred Pierce? I enjoyed it for the acting and recreation of the period and all that, but I have to admit that I greatly preferred the 1945 Michael Curtiz film version, despite it's relatively simplified plot.
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Post by Her 69 Eyes on Apr 25, 2011 22:34:24 GMT -5
I saw both versions of Mildred Pierce as well. I'm not too enthusiastic about either version, but I would agree that the 1945 version is better.
Winslet was excellent in a number of scenes - the two best of the series were the interview with Hope Davis and the discovery of Veda with Monty. I felt like the entire adaptation, however, was so languid that she didn't have a whole lot to do but look sincere. The scenes with Veda produced some of the intensity that I had hoped for, particularly the aforementioned "discovery" scene which used nudity more effectively than i've seen in quite some time (especially on HBO, seeing as how literally every episode of anything involves no less than five breasts).
I'm working on a paper about how the Production Code changed the role of women in Hollywood. In the early thirties, women were often independent, whereas the Production Code's moralizing beginning in 1934 meant that most women had to put on an apron and serve as an accessory to her husband, even in "women's pictures". Mildred Pierce is among the best examples that I can come up with. As much as it has been called a pioneering feminist work, all I could think while watching it was that it was about a woman who violently learns that she should have stayed in the kitchen in the first place.
I use that term to describe how the audience "gets off" on seeing a murderer punished or killed in these kinds of narratives. An example would be a vigilante movie wherein the audience is supposed to delight in seeing criminals being murdered as if it is morally just. A close cousin to torture porn!
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Post by Maf on Apr 26, 2011 18:09:09 GMT -5
I use that term to describe how the audience "gets off" on seeing a murderer punished or killed in these kinds of narratives. An example would be a vigilante movie wherein the audience is supposed to delight in seeing criminals being murdered as if it is morally just. A close cousin to torture porn! Oh that makes sense, I thought you had made a typo or something.
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Post by AD on Apr 30, 2011 1:15:29 GMT -5
I am also now officially hooked on Game of Thrones. Just two episodes in and I feel completely immersed in this world. The politics, the mythology, the history of it all. I'm sure we've only begun to scratch the surface of those things, and I can't wait to dig deeper. I particularly like how they seem to be keeping the mysticism to a minimum. I was expecting a full on swords-and-sorcery type of scenario, but I'm still not sure if magic really exists in this universe, or if it's all just superstition. Don't spoil it for me if you've read the books.
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Post by Atomsk on May 15, 2011 22:08:45 GMT -5
Catching up with the last episodes of Season 6 of How I Met Your Mother before the Season Finale comes on tomorrow. Just finished "Bad News", and about bawled my eyes out.
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Post by Rishlicious on May 18, 2011 8:04:54 GMT -5
I demand that Eric provide weekly reviews of this. It would be a great test of how differently you can say "This week, Zooey Deschanel was a chauvinistic creation who exists purely to accessorize the men."
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Post by Her 69 Eyes on May 18, 2011 16:47:05 GMT -5
I just threw up in my mouth a little.
Isn't she ZANY?!
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Post by VyperJMc on May 18, 2011 20:34:24 GMT -5
I just cum'd in my pants a little. Isn't she SEXY?! Fixed.
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Post by VyperJMc on May 20, 2011 6:34:46 GMT -5
Just finished watching seasons 1-4 of Dexter over the past 2 weeks. I really enjoyed it. That season 4 cliffhanger was a doozy.
Anyone who has Showtime know if they've got season 5 up on their On Demand channel? I'm anxious to catch up.
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Post by Rev on May 20, 2011 16:11:58 GMT -5
I'm the same boat as you. Watched all four seasons in the past few weeks, and I just started Season 5. Really loving this show so far.
Want some streaming links to it, or do you prefer tv-quality?
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Post by AD on May 20, 2011 16:22:57 GMT -5
Looks like we're all watching Dexter at the same time. I'm through the first three seasons, myself.
It's like reading a great page-turner novel. Every episode is like a chapter in the book, and every chapter ends with the perfect sentence that makes you immediately want to read the next chapter, like right fucking now! And not in the cheap, obvious way that a show like True Blood tries to do it, with every episode ending right as a character get attacked. That gets old quick.
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Post by VyperJMc on May 20, 2011 18:16:58 GMT -5
Yeah, link me up, Rev. I don't think I can wait until August to catch season 5 on Blu Ray.
And to add to AD's point, I watched each season in one sitting (from 7pm to 7am I watched all of season 4 last night).
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Post by Rev on May 21, 2011 0:04:09 GMT -5
Thats nuts. I would've done that too, if it wasn't for one of my apartment mates insisting we watch it together. www.sidereel.com/Dexter/season-5If you can't figure out how it works, click the episode, the click search links. Then proceed from there. I usually use Megavideo and VideoBB, but the other ones should be good too.
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Post by VyperJMc on May 21, 2011 0:12:24 GMT -5
Thanks, homie!
I don't like watching shows or movies on my computer, but after the way season 4 ended, I can't wait.
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Post by Her 69 Eyes on May 21, 2011 3:18:28 GMT -5
I went through the same thing with Dexter two years ago, though I only made it through the first two seasons before hitting a wall. I haven't caught up yet.
I do enjoy the show and, like you guys, find it to be a great "page turner", so to speak. However, I will readily admit that the show makes me cringe more than any other show that I would say I actively like. The voice-over has a tendency to be shockingly bad: "I've lived in darkness a long time. Over the years my eyes adjusted, until the dark became my world and I could see." There are worse examples that I can't come up with at the moment, but, whenever I want to fully embrace the show, lines like those aggressively push me away. Not to mention the flashback sequences with the fucking ridiculous wigs...
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