What was the last TV Show or Movie you saw, and did you like it?

[DC_P]

Tracker on CBS, based on the book The Never Game. Justin Hartley (the handsome guy from This is Us) plays Colter Shaw, a "lone-wolf survivalist with extensive tracking skills who travels the country as a 'rewardist.' Shaw makes his living aiding law enforcement and private citizens in exchange for reward money."

I had hoped it would be good, but no. It's not bad, merely "meh." If you've seen one CBS crime-drama, this fits exactly into that mold.

What galls me, though, is the gun-handling: at least Shaw doesn't use a tea-cup grip or similar nonsense (which I still see on shows from time to time), but I swear no one carries with a round in the chamber - there's always a dramatic racking the slide after drawing the gun, which leads me to say (every frickin' time), "He [or she, let's be fair] wasn't even ready to shoot!" Add to it that Shaw carries his .45 in the small-of-the-back position (I'm not sure if he even has a holster), and I'm in danger of falling over from my eyes rolling so hard.

Agreed on all counts. Even when someone picks up a gun that had been fired, there has to be the racking action and cool sound. I think the writers (and maybe the general public) think that shows they know how to handle guns. At least Colter stopped walking around with his finger on the trigger like in the first episode. It's cringy at times, but what new network show isn't? I am really growing to hate his ex that is the lawyer, but I think she is supposed to be a likable 'strong woman' type. The Mrs likes it, so we watch it and I try not to comment...

[Guerrero]

The Mrs likes it, so we watch it and I try not to comment...

Samesies. If it were up to me, we would have bailed after episode 2.

[GyroF-16]

Samesies. If it were up to me, we would have bailed after episode 2.

FWIW - we bailed after episode 1…

[feudist]

I haven't watched the series yet (it's next on the watchlist after Shogun), but I think the movie was Guy Ritchie's best work since Snatch, and one of Hugh Grant's best roles ever. So good to hear the series is entertaining, but by all means check out the movie. I understand the 'world' of the movie and TV series is the same, but the characters are different and the plots unrelated.

Plus one.
Grant should play more sleazy creeps.
Colin Farrell and he stole the show. Every bad boy needs a mentor like Coach.

[Bigguy]

FallOut


4/5 on Prime.

This definitely won't be everybody's cup of tea. It took me a couple of episodes to get interested, but I was curious enough to hang in from the first one.

Though nobody comes right out and says it, this obviously takes place in a parallel universe. They have technology that rivals ours as the bombs go off, but the style of clothing and decoration is defiantly 1960s. There some undefined war that many of the characters had gone through before the apocalypse.

The imagery is obviously cold war, and you have two factions. At first I thought it was simply a woke explanation of how nationalism (loving your country) is bad. As I kept watching, I started to see the criticisms were tongue in cheek at best. I almost wonder if somebody didn't slip a conservative message into what looks like a woke one as a way to get it aired. For example, the nationalists are unarmed and love peace at any cost while those who previously supported the communists are the ones now armed and raiding.

There's plenty of star power including Walton Goggins. He's one of the reasons I kept watching through the first couple of episodes.

If you do watch it, keep an eye out for stuff in the background. Old signs, advertisements, names of buildings and streets, that sort of thing. I was halfway through the season when I caught on to it. The wife says she might watch it, and if she does I'll watching it again with her, now alert for the subtle clues about the real message.

I recommend it.

[MountainRaven]

FallOut


4/5 on Prime.

This definitely won't be everybody's cup of tea. It took me a couple of episodes to get interested, but I was curious enough to hang in from the first one.

Though nobody comes right out and says it, this obviously takes place in a parallel universe. They have technology that rivals ours as the bombs go off, but the style of clothing and decoration is defiantly 1960s. There some undefined war that many of the characters had gone through before the apocalypse.

The imagery is obviously cold war, and you have two factions. At first I thought it was simply a woke explanation of how nationalism (loving your country) is bad. As I kept watching, I started to see the criticisms were tongue in cheek at best. I almost wonder if somebody didn't slip a conservative message into what looks like a woke one as a way to gt it aired. For example, the nationalists are unarmed and love peace at any cost while those who previously supported the communists are the ones now armed and raiding.

There's plenty of star power including Walton Goggins. He's one of the reasons I kept watching through the first couple of episodes.

If you do watch it, keep an eye out for stuff in the background. Old signs, advertisements, names of buildings and streets, that sort of thing. I was halfway through the season when I caught on to it. The wife says she might watch it, and if she does I'll watching it again with her, now alert for the subtle clues about the real message.

I recommend it.

Here's some information about the Fallout universe: link.

[Guerrero]

Avatar: The Last Airbender (live action) on Netflix

I'm a huge fan of the Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon (the Nickelodeon one from almost 20 years ago), to the point of calling it a modern-day masterpiece. The Netflix series isn't. I got through 2.1 episodes before calling it quits. It fails to capture what made the cartoon great in almost all respects, and the acting was equivalent to Netflix casting a bunch of Jenga blocks. You can pass on it.

That being said, let's talk about the cartoon version instead (also on Netflix)! Let's get the (possible) negatives out of the way: yes, it's a cartoon. Yes, the animation isn't outstanding (but it's not bad, per se). Yes, it's intended audience is 10-year old kids, so some of the humor, emotion, etc. is directed at that age group. Also, any series that goes on long enough (Avatar has 61 episodes) will have its share of filler and clunker episodes, and Avatar is no different. The biggest problem is that these filler/clunker episodes mostly occur in the first season, which might discourage people from getting to the second and third seasons (which would be a tragedy).

Now lets talk about the good. The character development is outstanding, not just for a kids show, but for any show, ever. By the end you will be saying to yourself, "This is a kids show?!?" and not because of any super-adult themes/violence/etc. but from the depth of the characters. While I will say that the main character, Aang, doesn't develop that much, everyone around him does, incredibly so. The story is also epic, with a huge, world-spanning scope. The writing is, at times, incredible, and you will even find yourself laughing at the childish humor. I said above that the emotion is sometimes juvenile, but, especially in the third season, the feels are deep and moving (there's a certain reconciliation scene that still causes me to tear up). This version is definitely worth your time.


And my theory: it's actually about Zuko.

[rob_s]

Trying to find something to stream on my iPod on a couple of flights this week.

Don't want to watch shogun, 3 body, or fallout as i feel like if enjoy the visuals more on the big tv and the I pad wouldn't do them justice.

Reacher was a good ipad streamer. So was the gentlemen. Action but nothing too flashy.

[DC_P]

Here's some information about the Fallout universe: link.

It's definitely a weird time line. I played (and loved) Fallout 3 & 4. I have only watched the first episode so far, but it looks promising. Walton Goggins' character seems to have some Boyd Crowder similarities.

[Chance]

Anyone who has played the Fallout games is going to feel right at home and actually pleasantly surprised by the quality of the show (or that's been my experience two episodes in).

For those who aren't familiar: imagine Mad Max meets Star Wars, but instead of aliens, everything is mutated due to radiation left over from a nuclear war. It's quirky, over-the-top violent, and frequently funny. Great world building and they knocked the aesthetic out of the park.

Easy to recommend for those that love the games. For everyone else: worth a try if you can shift your brain into neutral and just go with it.