bleeding heart Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 I think "Girls" is really good. I avoided it until just recently, in part because I'd heard (more than once) that it was "the new Sex and the City." This is not a selling point for me. At all. I think Sex and the City is fairly crappy, myself. But Girls is not much like SatC...unless females in New York is the criteria. Also, Girls has actual, breathing, interesting male characters...whereas the men of Sex and the City are (to paraphrase Heather Mallick on one of her better days) "walking sex organs that shoot money." Also, I disagree with Boges; I don't think there is an underlying meanness to the characters. I think there is sometimes a rather overt meanness...but that the underlying qualities are in fact kind of sweet. I see them as mostly good people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 Also, I disagree with Boges; I don't think there is an underlying meanness to the characters. I think there is sometimes a rather overt meanness...but that the underlying qualities are in fact kind of sweet. I see them as mostly good people. You think Jess and Hannah are "good" people? They're abysmally selfish. Also I didn't say they were mean, I just found them to be completely unlikeable people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybercoma Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 I've never actually watched anime before, although I'm familiar with the genre. I guess I'm too old, since the craze was solidly after my time. However, my wife and I just finished the first season (only season so far) of Attack on Titan (Singeki no Kyojin) and it's absolutely fantastic. Partly because it's a blend of themes that I enjoy. First, it's not a children's show at all. It's quite dark. More importantly, however, the writing is excellent stuff. It's as good, if not better than, much of the stuff on television today. The show is mildly scifi, but incredibly post-apocalyptic dystopian. If that's the kind of thing that interests you and you don't mind reading subtitles, I'd suggest checking it out. Actually, the first episode is a great taste of what the entire series is like. It's only a half hour show. Check out that first episode and if you like that, then you'll definitely like the rest of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Seinfeld's characters were also shallow and selfish, as revealed in the odd finale. It's ... just not like Seinfeld ... to my mind. Not at all. Both shows are great, to my mind, but ... no. I can't see it. At all. I am nonetheless interested in your assertion, and also in my reaction to it. So here are 10 reasons off the top of my head that Girls is NOT like Seinfeld. 1) One is a network show, the other a cable show with all the trappings ie. drugs, sex, nudity 2) One is a comedy, one is serio-comic. 3) One is fantastical, the other rooted in reality 4) One is 30-somethings on the brink of middle agedness, one is about 20-somethings a year or two out of college 5) One is about New Yorkers with normal jobs ... and a standup comic, and the other is about New Yorkers in the arts scene 6) One is set in the 90s, the other in the contemporary digital world 7) One is written with sitcom hooks such as catch phrases, recurring jokes, physical comedy, comedic entrances, and the other is written using palette of real emotions, believable contemporary relationships, realistic stories and a cinema verité style 8) One is a strictly commercial product aimed at a broad audience, the other has pretenses of higher social comment 9) One is a studio audience multi-camera sitcom shot in a studio in California the other is filmed in the streets, bars, lofts, art studios and boho apartments of New York 10) One is about mostly men, and the other is about mostly I did say specifically that the characters of both are selfish. Seinfeld was like that from episode one, not just the finale. Recall the masturbation pact episode? That was pretty hardcore for its day. 1)if seinfeld was made today, it would look the same as Girls regarding language and it would be on cable.(Note The next Larry David project was on HBO, Curb Your Entusiasm) 2) huh? 3) huh? 4)a few years difference perhaps 5) normal jobs? Elaine was the only one in the primary cast who had a job. 6)huh? 7)shallow people don't have real emotions that involve others , don't have actual relationships, and it is simply not believeable that any oif them can love in a very expensive place withpout work or income. That applies to both series btw. 8)both are aimed at commercial success 9)I agree they have different sets 10) Yep, they don't have exactly the same plot or Girls gets sued. I don't think there is any doubt that Lena Dunham studied Seinfeld pretty carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hardner Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 I did say specifically that the characters of both are selfish. Seinfeld was like that from episode one, not just the finale. Recall the masturbation pact episode? That was pretty hardcore for its day. Yeah, that was a great show. 1)if seinfeld was made today, it would look the same as Girls regarding language and it would be on cable.(Note The next Larry David project was on HBO, Curb Your Entusiasm) Well... you have to imagine a TV universe where no Seinfeld existed first. 2) huh? 3) huh? Seinfeld had perhaps 2 serious moments in the entire series. It's pretty much a comedy. Girls has many serious moments. Seinfeld had fantastic elements after the first few years... in other words things that weren't at all realistic. 5) normal jobs? Elaine was the only one in the primary cast who had a job. Newman, George, Elaine and others had jobs... 6)huh? The world has changed. 7)shallow people don't have real emotions that involve others , don't have actual relationships, and it is simply not believeable that any oif them can love in a very expensive place withpout work or income. That applies to both series btw. 'Shallow' is a simplification, but yes they do have real emotions. The money side of it is beside the point, but it's actually explained in Girls when Hannah has to ask her parents for money, then eventually gets a job to pay the rent. 8)both are aimed at commercial success Sure, but one is a huge network showpiece, and the other has the other aspects as I said. 9)I agree they have different sets It's an entirely different setup - 3 camera sitcom vs steadycam/on location shooting. I don't think there is any doubt that Lena Dunham studied Seinfeld pretty carefully. I would be shocked to find that out. Dunham made an art house film called Tiny Furniture which explores the same territory as Girls. Seinfeld was a huge stand-up, and Larry David had done television before. They came from totally different traditions and backgrounds. Both shows are in New York though, I will give you that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleeding heart Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 For a show called "Girls," Hannah's love interest Adam has shaped up to be the most interesting character. It's pretty evident that Dunham likes men; whereas with the writers of Sex and the City....that's not so clear. (They loved men who were tycoons, maybe.....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hardner Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 For a show called "Girls," Hannah's love interest Adam has shaped up to be the most interesting character. It's pretty evident that Dunham likes men; whereas with the writers of Sex and the City....that's not so clear. (They loved men who were tycoons, maybe.....) The so-called millennials are well explained in this show, I think. They have some great wisdom but are young and still immature at the same time, so you get that contradiction in the characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 "Newman, George, Elaine and others had jobs..." Of the four main characters- Jerry, Elaine, Kramer and George- only Elaine has a job. George only flirted with employment when he absolutely had to.... Newman did not have a job as much as a calling, since the Post Office was his Holy Grail... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Orange is the New Black's second season got released on Netflix today. Hard to discuss it at this point since all the episodes are available. Someone could binge watch this weekend and know all the spoilers. Interesting way to watch TV. I guess that's the way everything is going but the weekly release method gives you a 2 months to stay interested in a show. (ei. Game of Thrones) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimmy Posted June 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Good points... When episodes are released one at a time, it builds suspense and anticipation. "Argh, I can't wait to find out what happens next week!" And, when episodes are released one at a time, all the fans are watching at the same time. One of the fun things about following a series that has a fan following is chatting about the episode with other fans online or in the lunch-room. Having the whole series at your finger-tips whenever you have time to watch it might be convenient, but I think you lose out on part of the experience. I know someone who is an avid GoT fans, but he refuses to watch until he has the set of BluRay discs in his hands. So he doesn't get to participate in the weekly post-mortem discussions. I think he's missing out on half the fun. -k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted June 8, 2014 Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 Good points... When episodes are released one at a time, it builds suspense and anticipation. "Argh, I can't wait to find out what happens next week!" And, when episodes are released one at a time, all the fans are watching at the same time. One of the fun things about following a series that has a fan following is chatting about the episode with other fans online or in the lunch-room. Having the whole series at your finger-tips whenever you have time to watch it might be convenient, but I think you lose out on part of the experience. I know someone who is an avid GoT fans, but he refuses to watch until he has the set of BluRay discs in his hands. So he doesn't get to participate in the weekly post-mortem discussions. I think he's missing out on half the fun. -k Game of Thrones is different in that millions of people- those that have read the books- already know what is going to happen. That cuts them out of lunchroom discussions unless they want to kill the buzz. Not many of the other good series available on cable have that option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 The second season of Orange is the New Black is very good. And I'm not just saying that because the Lesbian sex scenes have increased ten-fold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty AC Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 It is a very good season, with a solid finale! I ended up watching most of Weeds by Jenji Kohan after liking the first season of Orange so much. Weeds is also fantastic! Well at least the first 5 or 6 seasons anyway. Jenji also created a series called Stones about a divorced couple and their family living in the same house. Her stuff is generally quirky with interesting, multi-layered characters; has anyone watched it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Weeds was good until they left suburbia and went on the road. It is unusual for a series to change locations in midstream, and it did not help Weeds. Aimlessly blah after that. Orange did not grab me. Does it get much, much better after the first few episodes? I was surprised to see recently that it was nominated for awards as a comedy. Is it meant to be funny? Been watching Tyrant, a new one on Bravo. Meh. Also just started watching the second season of a very good series called Ray Donovan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 The first few episodes of Orange aren't terrific. It can be funny at times. What makes it cool is how they do origin stories of the inmates and how they got into prison. That gets better in the second season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 The first few episodes of Orange aren't terrific. It can be funny at times. What makes it cool is how they do origin stories of the inmates and how they got into prison. That gets better in the second season. Oh God, origin stories. 'Lost' lost me when they started that crap up for all 11,000 people on that plane that crashed. They milked that vein for about 5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) Oh God, origin stories. 'Lost' lost me when they started that crap up for all 11,000 people on that plane that crashed. They milked that vein for about 5 years. Well it's a story about people in prison. You ask yourself. How did they get there. They have parts of episodes that show you. The more endearing part of the show. Season 2 also has a set of clearly definable villains. More so than Season 1 anyway. Piper also takes somewhat a backseat much of the season, which is a good thing. Edited July 17, 2014 by Boges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 The final season of Boardwalk Empires starts this Sunday. They left off in the mid-20's. I've read they'll take this season to the end of Prohibition. Lucky and Meyer will be top dogs and Al Capone will be well the Al Capone everyone knows. 3 events in history that I hope they address in some detail. The death of Arnold Rothstein and the St. Valentines Day Massacre. Both events that happened in the late 20's and would completely change the BE universe we know. Also, of course, the Stock Market crash. How does Nucky make it through that? I'm looking forward to seeing how the excellent show comes to a close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 I'm not sure when it will appear, but I really want to see the second season of The Fall. Wonderful stuff. Also True Detective, which apparently has no storyline connection or shared characters from the terrific first season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 True Detective will come back in January. Completely different storyline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjrr Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Wheres the Sci-Fi? How about a new StarTrek series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Wheres the Sci-Fi? How about a new StarTrek series? Last attempt at a Star Trek series was a bust. The Star Trek universe is doing the JJ Abrams re-boot route now. There's a Sci-Fi'ish show people seem to like on Showcase called Defiance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimmy Posted September 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 There's a Sci-Fi'ish show people seem to like on Showcase called Defiance. The second season of Defiance just ended last week. It's more Road Warrior than sci-fi... it's a post-apocalyptic environment where the science-fiction elements aren't very prominent (probably to save production costs as much as anything...) It was just alright, but I watched. The premise: 20 years earlier a fleet of aliens, fleeing their own dying planet, arrived with the intention of destroying the humans and taking Earth for themselves. The sides fought to a stalemate, leaving the alien fleet destroyed and Earth in ruins. War continues elsewhere on earth, but in the independent city of Defiance, built in the ruins of St Louis, humans and several species of aliens live together, trying to coexist and rebuild a functioning society despite lingering hate and mistrust. After the events of season 1, the independent city has been taken over by the fascist Earth Republic, who have installed a military man as acting mayor. The good: an interesting attempt at world-building. One of the alien races in particular has been quite developed as a culture. Some of the characters have become well developed and multifaceted. The most endearing characters on the show are the alien crime family who started off as antagonists and are pretty awful people. The alien doctor is hilarious, but she has an incredibly evil past. The new military mayor is partly what you'd expect-- a fascist goon-- and partly a good guy at heart who is trying to do good while serving awful superiors. This is the part of the show that I liked most: characters who'd be stock villains in other series are, in a way, protagonists of their own stories in this show. The bad: the main story arc was a bit of a dud. The characters who are supposed to be the main protagonists-- the deposed lady mayor, the roguish human lawkeeper and his adopted alien daughter-- are the least interesting characters on the show. It feels like the show grinds to a halt when these central characters take center stage, and gets going again once the secondary characters and their subplots take over. -k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dog Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Just finished Happy Valley, another Netflix exclusive. Well-acted and well-shot and stocked with compelling characters, the story is hampered by plot threads that go nowhere and some narrative shortcuts. Nonetheless, worth a viewing for Sarah Lancashire's performance alone. Contains hints of Fargo, Prime Suspect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Wheres the Sci-Fi? How about a new StarTrek series? Bring back Firefly!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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