And ABC just cancelled after five episodes.
To be honest, I expected this after the first episode. Watched it because of Katey and I do like it. But I understand that it gets no traction with viewers. It isn't a clear cut drama because of all the comedy elements. It is also not funny enough to be a comedy. And it shouldn't be with a topic like that. So it tries too much to pull in viewers from different angles. Maybe if they had focused on the dramatic aspects it could have survived. Acting wasn't bad, I liked seeing Katey again.
Let's see if they at least manage some kind of ending.
You have to be a huge fan of Mike Myers and his style of humor. It wasn't producing big laughs for me but it's actually smart below the surface. Could have been a better movie instead of mini series. But if you watch it a couple episodes at a time it's not a strain to get to the end. Which was actually not bad.
If you're looking for a historical accurate tale you should not watch this. There are more than "some events/persons that have been altered" for the story. The whole timeline of events is messed up. Meaning, many of those events happened at other times than shown here. This isn't a history lesson, it's a scripted drama. Entertainment. And that's totally fine with me because it does not claim to be anything else.
Historical drama is one of my guilty pleasures and this feels like watching something akin to Dallas or Denver in medival England. The costumes are amazing and having the oportunity of filming in this great locations is a luxury that makes this look so much better. The spanish accents are a little bit thick and sometimes it was hard to understand the actors. But in general they did a great job and I was especially taken in by Charlotte Hope.
Even from this mostly fictional depiction I gather that Catherine of Aragon must have been an interesting person and I might even take the time reading up about her. And if a show manages to do that I can only rate it as a success.
Was in this purely because of Eva Green. I don't know the book and I have no intention of reading it now.
Even with only one episode left I couldn't bring myself to finish it. It was that awful for me. I lost interest around episode four, the fifth was just running in the background. I was so bored I didn't care. The concept for the story is supposedly interesting but if you can't keep people interested in what you're about to tell, that ultimately has to be considered a failure. What is descripted as "fateful coincidences" you can also call lazy writing. Let's be honest, those coincidences are rather unbelievable. Things happen because they have to or otherwise the story would be stuck in the mud. Maybe I'm lacking the imagination and I don't think I'm the audience for a novel written by a woman in her mid twenties. According to imdb highest rating comes from women 18-29 while lowest from men 45+. Go figure, we need demographics here, too.
It looks good, though. Costumes and sets, but that alone does not cut it. Eve Hewson has the charm of a tombstone. Eva Green does her usual best, the rest tries but ultimately there are to many characters to follow.
It's a love-it-or-hate-it show. But I read many comments by people who read the book and say it's bad.
This is the kind of show I can watch anytime, anywhere and I will always be in a better mood than I was before.
The term "Totally Ninja !" could have been invented for this in the first place.
Update: I just read that Max Wright passed away a couple of days ago. RIP in thank you for all the great moments.
Great production, perfect cast (McShane could play the Devil himself).
Funny thing, I never considered reading the book althought it stands on our shelf for years. Well, thanks for there is television ;-)
I've always had an interest in how movies were made, especially SFX. I don't know if people really see the scope of what ILM did for movies. They were always inventing new tech, pushed by George Lucas demands of what he had in his mind. But Lucas wasn't a dictator, he just knew how to get the best out of them. And because of that ILM is still industry standard. They are still there pushing technology to the limit and beyond.
Listening to all of them talking about the times way back when, and seing a lot of photographs and short clips, gives you a great feeling what a tight knit group they were. Those are people with a passion for what they are doing. Plus, those interviews are real and not put together from different sources to make this docu. I was stoked to have Lucas himself in it. Seeing the transition from physical to digital effects was also very interesting to follow from the perspective of the ones who've been there. You feel sympathy for Tippet who was a genius in his field. Althought he didn't became obsolete over night, on the contrary. He was still needed and I hold his work in high regard.
So wether you're just a Star Wars fan, or a movie fan in general, who likes to know how they did it, WATCH THIS ! And quite frankly, avoid the other Star Wars docu that is airing parallel to this.
@andreas1138
Like promised, here's my review.
I watched the 2005 movie and therefore decided to give this one a try also when I found the DVD box online.
This wasn't a cheap TV production. And while it surely looks outdated, especially in terms of the SFX and rather like being even ten years older than it is, all this doesn't matter. The movie, according to imdb, had a 180 m$ budget (which is huge) and benefited from better technology. But this is made with a lot of love and dedication for detail and espcially the animal costumes are phantastic.
From the three parts I like "The Lion...." the most. Which is part due to the fact that the protagonists change moving forward and I didn't like Eustace or Jill that much to be honest. There is obviously a strong christian theme which starts and ends with Aslan. Interestingly, as a full fledged astheist, that didn't bother me at all. The funny thing is, I didn't even made the connection until I read about it. Then many things present themselve in a different light.
It's still a great adventure story for kids to dream about traveling to a mystique land and living through a series of adventures.
I be honest, after Endgame I was done with Marvel and had zero interest in the franchise any longer. And would this not be included in Disney+ I probably wouldn't even watch it.
I went into this with zero expectations and was probably as confused as many at the beginning what to make of this. But in the end I really enjoyed it. It was different and actually had a plot instead of just sewn together CGI shots.
And now I am willing to look into what's coming next.
Every decade has its own kind of special movies and this documentary gives a very good overview. The problem is that it races through the decades and you only get a few sentences about each movie. There is no deeper exploration. Two minutes per movie and on to the next. It also feels a bit selective at times althought I could not point my fingers to what movies they left out. Then there are movies mentioned as being revolutionary and influential that I haven't even heard of.
In my case this was just a reminder of the movies I had seen and the ones I didn't, with little informational content. And that a lot of the high praised and awarded movies did little for me. Maybe it could serve as a guideline for younger movie fans as to what movies they should watch. At the same time I think everyone should explore the movie history on their own.
One other thing. The sequence in which the episodes were broadcast is wrong. I've watched the first three and the third clearly was meant to be the last which would make a lot of sense. You should start with The Golden Age, finish with The 2000s and watch the rest accordingly.
Easily the best TV show in a long time. Superb acting and very intelligent writing.
I will have to re-watch this before the second season because it´s so complex I´m not sure I´ll remember everything when the time comes.
Just finished watching it and, like some, I´m a bit on the fence. It´s a good show that has a lot going for it, most of all the cast. The acting is outstanding at times and gives you some really beautiful moments between the characters. John Nobles performance is among the best I´ve ever seen on TV. And I became very fond of Anna Torv. And despite the fact that a lot of the scientific background is borderline at best the show never feels silly.
But like some others mentioned I too think the plot went south during the later parts. The first two season got me hooked pretty fast, the third I think was at times to much to fast. But with the forth came the nosedive. It deteriorated to a point where I simply didn´t cared anymore for the plot and just went on watching to see how it ends. Not to mention that the conclusion has huge logical problems.
I´m not regretting watching it but I don't want to watch it again.
I know most people don't respond well if you say something negative about their favorite show but I can't help it. If you like it I'm glad for you (really) but please allow me my opinion.
I am one of those who doesn't think that this is THE best show ever. It's not even the best sitcom in my opinion. It had its moments but not many. Maybe it isn't fair to judge it 25 years after the fact because that is a long time in TV land and things change. But most of the stuff I dislike has nothing to do with timeframe.
First, why this is called Friends is beyond me. Those are the most dishonest, selfish, egoistic and sometimes even mean group of people I've seen on TV. They constantly try to withhold stuff and most of the comedic situations spawn from that. I don't see where it is funny to go behind your friends backs. There are those moments where there behave like friends should, but those come usually after they screwed up.
Than there is the characters. I've written in some episode's comment that Ross is the most obnoxious character I've ever seen on TV. And I've seen my share. And there is WAY too much of him and Rachel who I also disliked deeply. They pull down every episode they're in which is pretty much every episode. That constant back and forth, the bickering and their pretensious behaviour is so annoying. Joey was funny at first but that wears out fast once you get past 50 episodes. Very one-dimensional. I don't even know what to say about Chandler because he is that bland. Monica went from "I don't care" through "I kinda like her" but ultimately annoying. Phoebe I liked until she, too, got the I-need-to-marry virus. Until that she was honest in that she didn't care what others thought about her and just made her thing. Alltogether there was little character developement in any of them. I couldn't connect with them and was more interested in what guest stars might turn up next.
And what it is anyway with all the girls need to find guys to marry and get babies and the guys needing to score? It is a good thing there wasn't any social media available because with all those gay and trans jokes there would have probably been a lot of heat.
That laughing track is way over the top. It accompanied literally every sentence. It even ruined jokes by starting to early. And what is wrong with building up an emotional moment and going through with it instead of ruining it with a bad joke ?
So, why did I watch, and even complete, it ? It's simple. And I mean that in the true sense of the word. You don't have to pay close attention to the plot, f.e. you don't have to stop it if the phone rings, you can even skip an episode completely. It's like having a radio playing in the background. Sometimes reading the synopsis was as interesting as the actual episode. Let's be honest: continuity, logic and depth of story were not the trademarks of Friends. It is full of holes and errors. But it fitted my daily schedule. I could drop in a couple of episodes here and there. And I punished myself a little bit because I went out and bought the whole series at once. Had I watched the first season first I would stopped there and then.
This is the longest review I've written in a while which shows I thought about this show a lot. I like versitality, it would be boring if every show was the same. That doesn't stop me though from speaking my mind. This is a love or hate kind of show. I don't hate it as such. But there were only just one or two episodes a season I think were more than average. It became better towards the end (either that or I caved) but it was an effort to get through and I am glad I'm done with.
There are two kinds of sitcoms - the ones that you can watch every couple of years and still have good laughs about and then the ones you didn't even laugh at the first time. Now guess what this belongs to.
What I love the most about it is the total lack of so-called political correctness. A show like this would be impossible today because there would be an outcry and commitees beeing formed to get this off the air.
Oh what great were those times.
Am I the only one who thinks comedy/sitcoms were better in general when they didn´t grew on trees?
Up to today "The Nanny" still is one of my all time favs. Although you knew from the start of the show were it would lead, and although they were using about every possible cliché, the characters grew on me and I not only watched for the good comedy it was but to see how the story and the characters evolved.
Today, whenever I happen to find an episode running, and it is still running somewhere, I can´t resist to watch.
I dropped out after season one because I didn't connect with it. I wasn't expecting Sci Fi and would rather have settled for a real alternate reality. What I watched felt long and tedious. Like it could have fit within a two hour movie. I also don't think it was that well done all things considered. It was good but not outstanding. Yes, it was nominated a lot but it didn't win a lot and most of it for supporting actors or the title sequence.
What can I say ? Another highly rated show I dropped. Maybe I should look for those rated in the 60 %tage.
The last true Star Trek. Such a shame it didn't got the end it deserved.
And No, I don't consider the crap JJ Abrahms puts out Star Trek.
I rarely say this about any show/movie but this is a must see.
History can teach us a lot and I don´t know of many shows that do it as great as Band of Brothers does.
I am a sucker for Behind-the-scenes and Making-of stuff. I always watch the extras on any film I watch. This docu seemed like a natural fit for me. I can't blame it for only having two movies in it I like (never saw Dirty Dancing and always disliked Home Alone). What I do blame it for is the comedic narration. That really didn't fit well. Informational content it as good as it gets.
Supplement for season 2:
Everything I wrote about the first season holds true for the second also. Shame, because the stories itself are actually really interesting.
Nature documentary, BBC, David Attenborough - need I say more ?
The original, the one & only Addams Family.
Love Ted Cassidy.
Probably the best-looking, worst-written TV show I've ever seen.
Three episodes aired and already there is lots of discussion. People hate it, people love it. Remember TNG ? ;-)
If you don´t expect a 300m $ Blockbuster á la Hollywood you won´t be dissapointed. For a TV production this is very good. Is it historical accurate ? I don´t know and quite frankly I don´t care because it was very entertaining. And that´s all I ask for - otherwise I´ll watch a documentary.
Alien obduction...invasion...conspiracy....government cover-up....no, it´s not x-files
Although there are some similarities Dark Skies takes a fictional plot and puts it inside actual historical events. It works in a this-is-how-it-could-have-been way. There are a bunch of historical figures involved in the story.
The plot was supposed to cover four decades, from the 60s to the new millenium, unfortunately it fell short and I think got cancelled in the end. Which was really a shame as this was one of the most promising plots I had seen. So this will go into the history books of TV as another "what if...." show.
Come to think of it, I guess Spielberg took the general plot idea for "Taken"
By todays standards it might look naive but this was a groundbraking series at it's time. If you only know the remake take the time to watch this. It's worth it.
Whatever you do, do NOT watch the movies (Specials). They are basically put together from parts of the series.
The first is a shortened Version of the three-part "Saga of a Star World" which starts the show. The second is made of parts from "The Living Legend" and "Fire in Space" which are put together rather clumsy and in a different order, in the end telling a different story through large parts.
I only started watching this recently. And now that I've reached the beginning of S5 I have already decided to pull out.
I loved the first two season, they were an easy 10 for me. The third was exceptable to watch but the forth killed the show for me. Stupid side-plots that lead nowhere were implemented just to fill the extended season. Characters were killed for no apparent reason and those killings, for the most part, did nothing for the plot - they were just gone. For me, this show lived through and from its characters. And those who are left don't interest me any more. From one episode to the next I was sying to myself "watch another, maybe it's getting better". Not happening. Still, not awful, it just doesn't interest me any longer. I've seen what I needed to see.
They promised the show would be better in S5 but I for one am not buying in any longer.
This was my first contact with a SciFi show and my favorite as a kid. I had an Eagle model and build myself a Comlock and a Stun Gun out of Lego. I must have been 8 or 9 years old.
The production value, thanks to the Andersons, was really good. It looked absolutly believable. Yeah, the science isn´t waterproof but this was the 70s. You got away with a lot. The second season was not as good as the first (I remember some really ridiculous space monsters). They tried to americanise it by implementing tons of changes that just didn´t work out with the established facts of the first season. And those changes were also not explained during the shows second year. It became a different show.
All things considered this show is called a classic for a reason. As a fan of sci-fi you should have watched this at least once.
I was a huge fan of the original BSG from the moment I say it back in the early 80s. I flat out rejected the remake at first only to discover later when I did watch it that it´s one of the best shows I´d seen.
That´s why I went into Caprica with an open mind and without prejudice. It´s a good show, I do not see this as a soap, but here´s the thing. It would have work without beeing part of the BSG mythology. Maybe it would have worked better, maybe it would have last longer. Because it´s not enough BSG for the fans and to much of it for the casual viewer.
Ron Moore says in an interview on the DVD set that they basically put two ideas for a show together - one about Artifical Intelligence and one about the origin of the Cylons. And that´s how it felt. As I said, it´s a good series, I liked it, but the plot every now and then feels pressured to fit the BSG mythology.
OK, I might be a bit biased here because the 80s were my teenage years so I grew up with those shows but I think that decade produced some of the most memorable. Shows you don't just watch and forget about but shows you never forget and that you want to watch again. Like Moonlighting.
They had actors that could act, writers that could write - they were great with dialogue. They created characters not two-dimensional look-alikes.
