HBO Max

[The_Omega]

On 12/21/2022 at 3:53 PM, The_Omega said:

We finished season 1 of The White Lotus.  I enjoyed it, not sure how much she did.  Amazing how much damage the rich white people did to the lives of locals in a week.  Coulda done without seeing Armond

  Reveal hidden contents

take a ish in the suitcase.  It was obvious what he was doing, they didn't need to show it.  Also, looked like the Jennifer Coolidge character gave the spa manager a nice stack of cash.  Maybe not enough to keep a start up rolling in cash but definitely enough to at least get started on a shoestring budget, but she didn't even count it.  I understand her disappointment, but that was a pretty outrageous lack of gratitude.

 

Finished season two last night. First the good.  The finale was fantastic. They did a good job of building up the Tanya storyline.   Also, despite her very bushy eyebrows, I enjoy looking at Simona Tabasco very much. Hopefully she has a lot more nude scenes in her future. Lastly, the scenery, and cinematography, are spectacular. Both seasons depict resorts that I’d very much like to visit.  Now the not so good. I can’t say I ‘’don’t like’’ the show, but most of the characters are unlikeable enough that it tempers my enjoyment. They’re not all ‘’bad’’, obviously, the sons in both seasons, Quinn and Albie seemed like decent sorts, and F Murray Abraham and Tanya both grew on me, but overall, as people, as they’re written, they mostly suck.

[The_Omega]

4 hours ago, The_Omega said:

Finished season two last night. First the good.  The finale was fantastic. They did a good job of building up the Tanya storyline.   Also, despite her very bushy eyebrows, I enjoy looking at Simona Tabasco very much. Hopefully she has a lot more nude scenes in her future. Lastly, the scenery, and cinematography, are spectacular. Both seasons depict resorts that I’d very much like to visit.  Now the not so good. I can’t say I ‘’don’t like’’ the show, but most of the characters are unlikeable enough that it tempers my enjoyment. They’re not all ‘’bad’’, obviously, the sons in both seasons, Quinn and Albie seemed like decent sorts, and F Murray Abraham and Tanya both grew on me, but overall, as people, as they’re written, they mostly suck.

Oh, and Michael Imperioli has a Peter Griffin ball sack chin.

[TEW]

On 12/30/2022 at 3:07 PM, The_Omega said:

Finished season two last night. First the good.  The finale was fantastic. They did a good job of building up the Tanya storyline.   Also, despite her very bushy eyebrows, I enjoy looking at Simona Tabasco very much. Hopefully she has a lot more nude scenes in her future. Lastly, the scenery, and cinematography, are spectacular. Both seasons depict resorts that I’d very much like to visit.  Now the not so good. I can’t say I ‘’don’t like’’ the show, but most of the characters are unlikeable enough that it tempers my enjoyment. They’re not all ‘’bad’’, obviously, the sons in both seasons, Quinn and Albie seemed like decent sorts, and F Murray Abraham and Tanya both grew on me, but overall, as people, as they’re written, they mostly suck.

That’s kind of the point of the show.  

[TEW]

As far as the new lineup, I have morbid curiosity for the new True Detective and The Last of Us. I’ve watched the first season of succession, but it was so long ago that I’ll probably just restart it from the beginning.

Not much there that I’m really looking forward to see, if I’m being honest.

The golden age of television is over despite a proliferation of high budget streaming services. Blockbuster movies are mostly dead at this point as well, with Tom Cruise being the notable action hero exception.

There are a lot of decent small budget horror films these days, and A24 makes some good movies. I think that’s where the best entertainment is now.

[vikas83]

3 hours ago, TEW said:

As far as the new lineup, I have morbid curiosity for the new True Detective and The Last of Us. I’ve watched the first season of succession, but it was so long ago that I’ll probably just restart it from the beginning.

Not much there that I’m really looking forward to see, if I’m being honest.

The golden age of television is over despite a proliferation of high budget streaming services. Blockbuster movies are mostly dead at this point as well, with Tom Cruise being the notable action hero exception.

There are a lot of decent small budget horror films these days, and A24 makes some good movies. I think that’s where the best entertainment is now.

Dude, Succession is the best thing on TV right now. And it gets so much better in seasons 2 and 3. 

[TEW]

18 hours ago, vikas83 said:

Dude, Succession is the best thing on TV right now. And it gets so much better in seasons 2 and 3. 

I liked season 1, just having issues with consistently watching TV shows with a bunch of seasons. Things should be quiet for the next two months so it’s definitely on my watch list.

[DaEagles4Life]

I just finished Season 1 of White Lotus and on to season 2. I am definitely enjoying it and crazy Mike White wrote this himself 

[Agent23]

On 1/10/2023 at 12:25 PM, DaEagles4Life said:

I just finished Season 1 of White Lotus and on to season 2. I am definitely enjoying it and crazy Mike White wrote this himself 

started WL2 on Monday and finished it last night (7eps I think). Surprisingly I may have liked season 2 more even though it include a lot more reading. 

[Agent23]

Very bizarre seeing some new elements and new takes on a story I feel like I’ve experienced a dozen times with watching the premiere of The Last of Us 

[LeanMeanGM]

29 minutes ago, Agent23 said:

Very bizarre seeing some new elements and new takes on a story I feel like I’ve experienced a dozen times with watching the premiere of The Last of Us 

I loved the episode but thought it was pretty much the same as the game. Nothing stood out as too different. 

[Agent23]

11 hours ago, LeanMeanGM said:

I loved the episode but thought it was pretty much the same as the game. Nothing stood out as too different. 

It wasn't bad, but it felt like a reenactment in some ways because I am so familiar with the source material. Within 2-3 episodes I'm sure  that feeling will numb a little bit as this version of the story and characters take up their own space in my mind.

As a non-video game, the audience needs to feel Sarah's death a bit more. The morning breakfast shows just how much Joel is reliant on his daughter in a sense. Knowing its just the two of them and that she's kind of bearing some of the load in their family is a dynamic that could have been the same thing with the game characters that we just didn't have need to experience. I liked this change/addition. 

With Joel getting home late, even seeing that she spends time visiting neighbors worked too, though in the game it seemed like more a 40s-something man that barged into their house as an infected, and them making an invalid wheel-chair grandma become the threat seemed like more of a "lets ramp this up for TV" moment than anything else. I guess the "pro" of that is showing that I guess even cripples can miraculously become a threat if the fungus is among us. Some added horror twist showing the two victims in the kitchen, as well as adding when the trip drives off in the truck seeing the other neighbor across the street getting attached by the infected family Sarah spent the afternoon with. 

But with unnecessary changes like the grandma being the threat, in the game it seems like chaos is happening in the neighborhood that takes Joel out of the house, where he runs back in and grabs/loads a gun. In this version we have a phone call from Tommy in lockup that takes Joel out of the house. Him being arrested (and also calling a 2003 cell phone as opposed to a 2003 landline) was completely unnecessary and I don't see how it served the plot or anything else. I also like Joel and Sarah experiencing a threat in their home and as they go to escape, Tommy showing up because he too has encountered "the crap" that is going down. Joel and Tommy showing up in the nick of time as Sarah is about to be dinner for grandma just seemed corny.

Then in the future, I like that we see "a day in the life of" with Joel and that he can pitch a child's body into the fire. We also see Tess get roughed up which her introduction in the game is Joel waving his hands near her face asking "what's this?". What I did NOT like, is in the game in pursuit of Robert some of his cronies try to stop Tess and Joel, one calling her a ****, and her blasting dude in the face. We also see them chase down and corner Robert, with her shooting him in the head because hes of no use to them. Both show Tess as this true badass, but the show doesn't do any of that. The game also has an implied gesture that something romantic may have been between her and Joel (the way she says her line in the game makes it seem like it could have been a past relationship, but the show full-on has her snuggle up in bed with him).

I guess also when he and Ellie wait in the apartment until nightfall, video game Joel's delivery of dialog such as "killing time" and whatnot when Ellie asks what hes doing just feels like it has a different weight to it where Pedro (who I enjoy in everything) just has a nonchalant feel to it that doesn't feel as serious. I'll watch the ep again sometime this week but those are some of the items with creative license that caught my attention, both good and not-so-good. 

[LeanMeanGM]

41 minutes ago, Agent23 said:

It wasn't bad, but it felt like a reenactment in some ways because I am so familiar with the source material. Within 2-3 episodes I'm sure  that feeling will numb a little bit as this version of the story and characters take up their own space in my mind.

 

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As a non-video game, the audience needs to feel Sarah's death a bit more. The morning breakfast shows just how much Joel is reliant on his daughter in a sense. Knowing its just the two of them and that she's kind of bearing some of the load in their family is a dynamic that could have been the same thing with the game characters that we just didn't have need to experience. I liked this change/addition. 

With Joel getting home late, even seeing that she spends time visiting neighbors worked too, though in the game it seemed like more a 40s-something man that barged into their house as an infected, and them making an invalid wheel-chair grandma become the threat seemed like more of a "lets ramp this up for TV" moment than anything else. I guess the "pro" of that is showing that I guess even cripples can miraculously become a threat if the fungus is among us. Some added horror twist showing the two victims in the kitchen, as well as adding when the trip drives off in the truck seeing the other neighbor across the street getting attached by the infected family Sarah spent the afternoon with. 

But with unnecessary changes like the grandma being the threat, in the game it seems like chaos is happening in the neighborhood that takes Joel out of the house, where he runs back in and grabs/loads a gun. In this version we have a phone call from Tommy in lockup that takes Joel out of the house. Him being arrested (and also calling a 2003 cell phone as opposed to a 2003 landline) was completely unnecessary and I don't see how it served the plot or anything else. I also like Joel and Sarah experiencing a threat in their home and as they go to escape, Tommy showing up because he too has encountered "the crap" that is going down. Joel and Tommy showing up in the nick of time as Sarah is about to be dinner for grandma just seemed corny.

Then in the future, I like that we see "a day in the life of" with Joel and that he can pitch a child's body into the fire. We also see Tess get roughed up which her introduction in the game is Joel waving his hands near her face asking "what's this?". What I did NOT like, is in the game in pursuit of Robert some of his cronies try to stop Tess and Joel, one calling her a ****, and her blasting dude in the face. We also see them chase down and corner Robert, with her shooting him in the head because hes of no use to them. Both show Tess as this true badass, but the show doesn't do any of that. The game also has an implied gesture that something romantic may have been between her and Joel (the way she says her line in the game makes it seem like it could have been a past relationship, but the show full-on has her snuggle up in bed with him).

I guess also when he and Ellie wait in the apartment until nightfall, video game Joel's delivery of dialog such as "killing time" and whatnot when Ellie asks what hes doing just feels like it has a different weight to it where Pedro (who I enjoy in everything) just has a nonchalant feel to it that doesn't feel as serious. I'll watch the ep again sometime this week but those are some of the items with creative license that caught my attention, both good and not-so-good. 

 

 

Solid points. I get they have to stay close to the source material to set up a story like this, I just hope as the episodes go down it strays from the linear path the first episode was on. Seeing the previews though kinda feels like they wont. 

[DaEagles4Life]

Read Selma maybe the worst show ever. 

[we_gotta_believe]

13 hours ago, Agent23 said:

It wasn't bad, but it felt like a reenactment in some ways because I am so familiar with the source material. Within 2-3 episodes I'm sure  that feeling will numb a little bit as this version of the story and characters take up their own space in my mind.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

As a non-video game, the audience needs to feel Sarah's death a bit more. The morning breakfast shows just how much Joel is reliant on his daughter in a sense. Knowing its just the two of them and that she's kind of bearing some of the load in their family is a dynamic that could have been the same thing with the game characters that we just didn't have need to experience. I liked this change/addition. 

With Joel getting home late, even seeing that she spends time visiting neighbors worked too, though in the game it seemed like more a 40s-something man that barged into their house as an infected, and them making an invalid wheel-chair grandma become the threat seemed like more of a "lets ramp this up for TV" moment than anything else. I guess the "pro" of that is showing that I guess even cripples can miraculously become a threat if the fungus is among us. Some added horror twist showing the two victims in the kitchen, as well as adding when the trip drives off in the truck seeing the other neighbor across the street getting attached by the infected family Sarah spent the afternoon with. 

But with unnecessary changes like the grandma being the threat, in the game it seems like chaos is happening in the neighborhood that takes Joel out of the house, where he runs back in and grabs/loads a gun. In this version we have a phone call from Tommy in lockup that takes Joel out of the house. Him being arrested (and also calling a 2003 cell phone as opposed to a 2003 landline) was completely unnecessary and I don't see how it served the plot or anything else. I also like Joel and Sarah experiencing a threat in their home and as they go to escape, Tommy showing up because he too has encountered "the crap" that is going down. Joel and Tommy showing up in the nick of time as Sarah is about to be dinner for grandma just seemed corny.

Then in the future, I like that we see "a day in the life of" with Joel and that he can pitch a child's body into the fire. We also see Tess get roughed up which her introduction in the game is Joel waving his hands near her face asking "what's this?". What I did NOT like, is in the game in pursuit of Robert some of his cronies try to stop Tess and Joel, one calling her a ****, and her blasting dude in the face. We also see them chase down and corner Robert, with her shooting him in the head because hes of no use to them. Both show Tess as this true badass, but the show doesn't do any of that. The game also has an implied gesture that something romantic may have been between her and Joel (the way she says her line in the game makes it seem like it could have been a past relationship, but the show full-on has her snuggle up in bed with him).

I guess also when he and Ellie wait in the apartment until nightfall, video game Joel's delivery of dialog such as "killing time" and whatnot when Ellie asks what hes doing just feels like it has a different weight to it where Pedro (who I enjoy in everything) just has a nonchalant feel to it that doesn't feel as serious. I'll watch the ep again sometime this week but those are some of the items with creative license that caught my attention, both good and not-so-good. 

 

 

I like it so far. Biggest nit picks for me are them not mentioning the spores at all, and some other minor things that all add up and turn the tone of the show too dark too soon. Specifically, the army dude in the cold open just immediately following the order without questioning it, unlike how he hesitates in the game. His conflicted humanity adds more suspense to the way it played out in the game's cutscene compared to how they portrayed in the show. Ellie also comes across as too hardened and desensitized compared to the game where I remember her being more vulnerable early on. Joel, inversely, comes across as not crass enough and needed to be shown much more desperate and almost without a will to live. Different character arcs than what I recall, but still super stoked about how it's all going to play out over the course of a season.

[Gannan]

I've never played the game (don't have a playstation). So I came into the show not knowing anything about it. First episode was good. A little like TWD, but good characters and actors. 

[DiPros]

On 1/6/2023 at 12:35 AM, vikas83 said:

Dude, Succession is the best thing on TV right now. And it gets so much better in seasons 2 and 3. 

Thanks.  I have been looking for something to watch.  Started it last night.  Love it.  Lots of f words.  Wow.

[Talkingbirds]

WTF did I just watch ?  The Banshees of Inisherin Is a terrible snooze fest.  Should have watch Piranha 3D instead.

[Mike030270]

Is there a thread for Last of Us? Can't find it. First episode was great. I'm fine with the changes they did

[we_gotta_believe]

On 1/15/2023 at 10:59 PM, Agent23 said:

Very bizarre seeing some new elements and new takes on a story I feel like I’ve experienced a dozen times with watching the premiere of The Last of Us 

 

On 1/15/2023 at 11:30 PM, LeanMeanGM said:

I loved the episode but thought it was pretty much the same as the game. Nothing stood out as too different. 

 

23 hours ago, Agent23 said:

It wasn't bad, but it felt like a reenactment in some ways because I am so familiar with the source material. Within 2-3 episodes I'm sure  that feeling will numb a little bit as this version of the story and characters take up their own space in my mind.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

As a non-video game, the audience needs to feel Sarah's death a bit more. The morning breakfast shows just how much Joel is reliant on his daughter in a sense. Knowing its just the two of them and that she's kind of bearing some of the load in their family is a dynamic that could have been the same thing with the game characters that we just didn't have need to experience. I liked this change/addition. 

With Joel getting home late, even seeing that she spends time visiting neighbors worked too, though in the game it seemed like more a 40s-something man that barged into their house as an infected, and them making an invalid wheel-chair grandma become the threat seemed like more of a "lets ramp this up for TV" moment than anything else. I guess the "pro" of that is showing that I guess even cripples can miraculously become a threat if the fungus is among us. Some added horror twist showing the two victims in the kitchen, as well as adding when the trip drives off in the truck seeing the other neighbor across the street getting attached by the infected family Sarah spent the afternoon with. 

But with unnecessary changes like the grandma being the threat, in the game it seems like chaos is happening in the neighborhood that takes Joel out of the house, where he runs back in and grabs/loads a gun. In this version we have a phone call from Tommy in lockup that takes Joel out of the house. Him being arrested (and also calling a 2003 cell phone as opposed to a 2003 landline) was completely unnecessary and I don't see how it served the plot or anything else. I also like Joel and Sarah experiencing a threat in their home and as they go to escape, Tommy showing up because he too has encountered "the crap" that is going down. Joel and Tommy showing up in the nick of time as Sarah is about to be dinner for grandma just seemed corny.

Then in the future, I like that we see "a day in the life of" with Joel and that he can pitch a child's body into the fire. We also see Tess get roughed up which her introduction in the game is Joel waving his hands near her face asking "what's this?". What I did NOT like, is in the game in pursuit of Robert some of his cronies try to stop Tess and Joel, one calling her a ****, and her blasting dude in the face. We also see them chase down and corner Robert, with her shooting him in the head because hes of no use to them. Both show Tess as this true badass, but the show doesn't do any of that. The game also has an implied gesture that something romantic may have been between her and Joel (the way she says her line in the game makes it seem like it could have been a past relationship, but the show full-on has her snuggle up in bed with him).

I guess also when he and Ellie wait in the apartment until nightfall, video game Joel's delivery of dialog such as "killing time" and whatnot when Ellie asks what hes doing just feels like it has a different weight to it where Pedro (who I enjoy in everything) just has a nonchalant feel to it that doesn't feel as serious. I'll watch the ep again sometime this week but those are some of the items with creative license that caught my attention, both good and not-so-good. 

 

 

 

23 hours ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Solid points. I get they have to stay close to the source material to set up a story like this, I just hope as the episodes go down it strays from the linear path the first episode was on. Seeing the previews though kinda feels like they wont. 

 

10 hours ago, we_gotta_believe said:

I like it so far. Biggest nit picks for me are them not mentioning the spores at all, and some other minor things that all add up and turn the tone of the show too dark too soon. Specifically, the army dude in the cold open just immediately following the order without questioning it, unlike how he hesitates in the game. His conflicted humanity adds more suspense to the way it played out in the game's cutscene compared to how they portrayed in the show. Ellie also comes across as too hardened and desensitized compared to the game where I remember her being more vulnerable early on. Joel, inversely, comes across as not crass enough and needed to be shown much more desperate and almost without a will to live. Different character arcs than what I recall, but still super stoked about how it's all going to play out over the course of a season.

 

1 hour ago, Gannan said:

I've never played the game (don't have a playstation). So I came into the show not knowing anything about it. First episode was good. A little like TWD, but good characters and actors. 

...

4 minutes ago, Mike030270 said:

Is there a thread for Last of Us? Can't find it. First episode was great. I'm fine with the changes they did

 

[Mike030270]

1 minute ago, we_gotta_believe said:

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

I'm not going through the HBO Max thread for a specific show when people are talking about numerous ones that I may still be watching. That's why I asked if there was a thread about it...

[we_gotta_believe]

It was literally mentioned 3 posts above yours, lol

[Bwestbrook36]

18 hours ago, we_gotta_believe said:

Biggest nit picks for me are them not mentioning the spores

They talked about the fungus in the intro. Spores are what fungus derives from. 

[we_gotta_believe]

33 minutes ago, Bwestbrook36 said:

They talked about the fungus in the intro. Spores are what fungus derives from. 

No I mean the spores being airborne like in the game. 

[Bwestbrook36]

4 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

No I mean the spores being airborne like in the game. 

Oh ok got you, I'm actually watching it now lol

[Agent23]

16 hours ago, we_gotta_believe said:

No I mean the spores being airborne like in the game. 

I believe I read online a couple weeks ago that the show is NOT planning to show any spores/airborne contamination. Whether its purely a creative decision or not wanting people to talk while wearing masks... uncertain. One of the great moments in the Boston subway tunnels though deals with spores so if they in fact do NOT have those, I'm curious to see how they approach that scene.