Just keeps getting better and better. Really loving the mother/daughter bonding on this one! Favourite new series!
Watching through Buffy for the first time recently. I missed it the first go-round as i would've been too hardcore goth for such bubblegummy fare when it was first coming out. It's good timing, actually, i feel like the ensuing 2 decades have put me in a place to appreciate Joss Whedon's campy vision.
I feel like Teacher's Pet is the episode where the series starts to hit its stride. The main characters seem to be establishing their chemistry, which is excellent and worth watching for that alone. Secondarily, it's good, goofy late 90s fun. While this show could easily veer towards the obnoxious, somehow it toes the line and is charming instead. I feel like if this came out even 3 years later, it wouldn't have worked, as i imagine they'd have been tempted to use CGI instead of practical effects and the whole thing would've been rendered dated and cheap. Instead, Buffy has kind of a timeless quality, in lines with weird, goofy teen horror romps, from Eerie, Indiana to The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina.
I also like to imagine a world where teenagers go out and watch live music almost every day. Makes me miss going to shows.
The scene with Andrew Layton seeing sunlight and tasting cooked food for the first time in 7 years illustrates why i think Snowpiercer's going to work. Seems on-track to illustrate some of the more sociological aspects than Bong Joon Ho's more action-oriented affair.
Excellent performances from Daveed Diggs and Jennifer Connelly, thus far. Snowpiercer pulls you into an interesting world, that is a deadly effective, razor sharp satire of so many of today's social ills.
Excited to see where they go from here!
I wrote a more in-depth review, that is still spoiler-free, on my Mastering Modernity blog: https://masteringmodernity.wordpress.com/2020/05/19/snowpiercer-episode-1-review-first-the-weather-changed/
Cast already seems like they're finding their footing. Chemistry is emerging. Strong, charismatic characters. Creepy settings. Alt-rock bops.
Yes, some of this show is cheesy AF, but i also feel like it's so foundational to the way that teen shows have been done since. Archetypal, i would say. Interested to see where things go!
Off to a good start. A bit darker than i was expecting. Also a bit more madcap.
Has revived my interest in chess. Am utterly hooked!
Really loving this show so far! Had forgotten how much Egyptian mythology was involved in this series.
At times, I was finding myself getting irritated with Steven because he just sorta shuts down but also - that's a fair reaction against getting attacked by ancient Egyptian jackal demons when you're just a normal person.
Some absolutely wonderful performances. And how in the heck did i not realize sooner this is directed by psychedelic horror wizards Benson and Moorehead? That alone is enough to make me obsessed with this series.
Eagerly awaiting the next one. Having a wonderful time watching this with my sweetheart @TheMysticWood.
With this episode, American Gods may have cemented itself as my favourite TV show.
I feel like it actually IMPROVES upon the source material. Some of the embellishments have shown themselves to be effective and i think that gives legitimacy to the source material. In this episode, i love the interplay between Wednesday and Demeter and the backstory on Technical Boy is rather fascinating.
And Bilquist's arc has proven to be one of the best of the season. I think they're doing a tremendous job and i can't wait to see where it goes next!
Utter perfection. Oddly engrossing! Anja Taylor-Joy is quickly becoming a cinematic force to be reckoned with!
The surprise, sleeper hit of the year, for me, so far.
With "Holy Ghost," Lovecraft Country pulls ahead, proving itself to be a contender among the all-time great Horror TV shows. "Holy Ghost" gives hope that the series can do the compelling episodic format just as well as the more arc-oriented episodes, if not better. Even better, "Holy Ghost" is goddam terrifying!
Personally, i am loving how this show is taking the fear and horror of racism and adding in a supernatural element. Like, moving into an all-white neighborhood where yr decidedly unwelcome and terrorized non-stop is already nerve-wracking. O, and guess what? Yr house also has the ghost of a bigoted serial killer and undead wizard, as well as their victims!
10/10, it doesn't get better than this imo. Some excellent performances from the cast, and top shelf chemistry, just seals the deal. Lovecraft Country is quickly becoming one of my new favourite shows!
Excellent acting, top notch production values, lots of action, and a truly chilling setting in Jim Crow America finds Lovecraft Country starting off with a bang! Promising to be exciting and lots of fun, while also critically engaging with the more problematic aspects of Lovecraft's legacy.
Only one production misstep and a couple of changes from the book were enough to give pause but, overall, "Sundown" is very nearly perfect... i'm even more excited for this series now, and i've been waiting for it to drop for 6 months!
you can read my full, slightly spoilerific review, on Forestpunk: https://forestpunk.wordpress.com/2020/08/17/lovecraft-country-s01-e01-tv-review-sundown/
"Welcome to dating in the 90s"
"I am Kavra."
Here for this so far. Good performances, strong chemistry. Hokey effects. I love it so far.
a personal favourite! right in the feels...
As a big fan of the comic, i'm here for this! Also, not entirely on-board with the 'this is too light-hearted' sentiments, seeing that a large portion of humanity is wiped out via a viral pandemic. Kind of grim and dark, imo, and it gets more so as the series goes along.
Visually stunning and great performances, too! Recommended.
In which Buffy tries to have a regular social life.
"i almost feel like a girl."
Buffy's really getting into its groove by this point. There's some great chemistry between the cast. The action is fun. There's enough arch Gothic camp to overcome the sometimes painful 90s delivery. I could watch people run around creeping cemeteries and mausoleums all day.
The singer at The Bronze's outfit in this episode is the most 90s thing ever - and its glorious! And where is this, where there are so many young people dancing with each other to live music? I've never seen that in my life, even in the 90s.
Jesus, that goth chick is so goddam annoying!
best episode so far! John Cho is magnificent!
"The craft is a chick thing."
"One day I'm a member of Gen Y with great hair, the next I'm Tabitha."
Man, they really love that shapeshift CGI.
"We are all slip-sliding into the dark." - MeeMaw
feeling this so far! excited to see where it goes from here!
So far i'm into this! At this point, it's nearly an annual tradition that i start out in the fall with a new season of American Horror Story, feel excited and hopeful, and then lose all interest by around episode 6 or so.
This season, so far, feels a little different. It feels like it's not trying so hard to be 'edgy,' while still delivering some genuine scares. Visuals and editing are razor sharp, as always, plus some good performances. And i'd watch simply for the weatherbeaten New England aesthetics.
Feeling hopeful, so far. Let's see what happens!
watched with TheMysticWood and BoggartQueen on 4th of July night
the best yet!
watched with TheMysticWood and BoggartQueen on 4th of July night
At what point does enthusiasm become creepy? Mickey Mouse Club is either pure cult recruitment material or the result of threats. "Tap dance or the puppy gets it!"
"Blink three times if you need help."
Old school clowns, grinning children, alligators, square-jawed counselor types with frozen rictus death grins. The first episode of Mickey Mouse Club is as terrifying, disorienting, and overwhelming as you could hope for!
The Newsreels are pretty neat though!
Well, that got crazier, (and bloodier), than i was expecting.
a coupla really leftfield turns in this episode. i'm here for it!
O man, this series is getting really good! And while it veers from the book in a couple of key ways that i don't fully understand, i think it may be better television for it.
Some of the most impressive occultism i've seen on-screen, big or little, with some truly exceptional effects. With Gil Scott Heron playing on the soundtrack, no less. Lovecraft Country is quickly becoming a favourite, even though it creeps me the hell out and is often quite hard to watch. That's kind of the point!
i really like the first 3 seasons, so i hope they can keep it up. As it stands, i feel like Bill Burr just screaming and ranting for an hour is wearing a bit thin. But it does seem authentic to that period in time, sort of an Archie Bunker style of parenting.
Will keep going and see how it progresses.
On the plus side, outstanding cast, good chemistry, good acting, good action.
On the downside, it's PAINFULLY 90s, there's a bit of the "Hey, Fellow Kids" style of adult actors playing teenagers, and some of it is a bit cringe. But i never watched this series when it was coming out, so it's interesting to see this foundational cornerstone. Feels almost proto-emo, in a way, although it's pretty solidly alt/grunge.
Going to attempt to collate my thoughts and impressions as i go through the seasons. Stay tuned!
