Show recommendation thread

TLB

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Decided to binge my way through Stranger Things S4 now that the whole thing dropped. I loved S1-3 for the sci-fi of it, but moreso for the 80's feel. I was very concerned when they left the end of S3 with a Russian Prison as it made me think they are going in a whole different direction. Not so fast, my friend.

Same cast, but now in 1986 rather than where we left them in '84. Kids are split up and those out west (Cali?) have their own sequence of events as they inevitably try to get back to Hawkins for the finale. Other half of the kids are still in Hawkins, and bad things are afoot. The third plotline picks up that S3 reference to a Russian prison where they are feeding prisoners to a demogod and they said 'no, not the American' without showing who it was. This storyline involves Hopper* being alive, and Wynona Rider trying to rescue him. I'll try not to spoil much, but there is a new villain 'Vecna' with a lot of flashbacks to Eleven growing up under Modine in the lab = there's a history, and he ends up being the driving force from the upside down trying to take over our reality. Does it live up to the first 3 seasons? I suppose. I didn't come away let down, though I think a better evaluation would come if the first 3 seasons were re-watched leading into S4. All the actors are a little older, but generally not so much to be an issue (though Wynona is really showing her age, IMO). There's a little bit of hokey-ness to it, but that was always present. There's some HS bullies that are a bit overplayed, but whatever, it's part of '86. I suppose the worst aspects for me were Wynona earning her way off that list of attractive girls from my era, Modine getting old, and Paul Riser getting fat. It happens. It does leave the possibility for a S5 with the same crew, I'll spoil that bit for you because when would Netflix kill a cash cow?

7/10 - not totally rad, but on par with the earlier shows.


*Hopper in a frozen desolate Russian landscape, coming so soon after the (delayed) release of the Black Widow movie where he was a Russian in a frozen desolate Russian landscape - this carried some ironic humor for me. Maybe it is just me.
 

TLB

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Switched up, kept The Boys on hold with Amazon while I binged through The Terminal List based on the discussion in this thread. I'll start by saying I generally like Chris Pratt, and I'll give credit for trying to break type cast of his goofy character in The Office and his goofy Star Lord in the MCU. More points, however, for exec producing something like this and getting it to the screen, as I still struggle to take him 100% serious.

Terminal List is based on a book. I didn't read the book. I have read some similar (huge fan of the Bob Lee Swagger series by Stephen Hunter), but I knew nothing about this story other than a general sense of revenge with an arse kicking central character. The story itself felt a bit too unrealistic (I know, I know, coming from a guy who gorges on made up crap), too much of a stretch but still almost possible in terms of who was evil and why, and the blood path Pratt made along the way. Two closest supporting roles, that of the the reporter who seemed to be an A- or B+ actor for the role (maybe it was the role?) and Ben, his CIA ex-SEAL best buddy, were decent. Like I say, the reporter just felt off, most especially in the final episode when she hands the DefSec a copy of the article with a faked headline only to sit there and try to bust things down logically in a defiant attack. That dialogue moved a bit quick to digest, begs why printing a fake article in the first place, and really has me wondering what she thought the end of that discussion would lead to other than her getting killed? Ben, the bud, was played well, and while his ending in the sequence makes sense it felt cheap like there wasn't any real hints earlier and we just wanted to throw this in at the end. I get it, I do, and the actor played the ending scene very well, it just felt cheap.

I'll be honest, what really gets me, is how well this was made for Amazon as a series. The PTSD and memory mixing Pratt is suffering is very well executed. Early on it really sets the tone for asking 'what is real, what is he imagining' and carries through with the mental struggle he is making and questioning along the way. I would read the book if only to see how that's carried across in printed word, because on screen it worked beautifully. I can't speak to the technical accuracy of what he did, how he operated, etc., but it remained believable - other than falling down mountains, getting shot, sky diving and swimming ashore, swimming lakes for the final attack, and still carrying on like superman. But I'm not going to knock that, it's par for these stories, written or on the screen, so yeah, I'll allow it.

8/10 - mostly for the memory issues and their presentation, the rest could be out of a hundred other action series/films. I don't see how they can make a sequel. I hope they don't. Not out of fear of disappointment, or concern that there is nobody left and no story to tell (the writers ALWAYS come up with another story to tell). I just want Pratt's character to fade away and deal with the issues he still has. Coming back from those is what prevents me from accepting a sequel.
 

Detroitgator

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Jul 15, 2014
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Decided to binge my way through Stranger Things S4 now that the whole thing dropped. I loved S1-3 for the sci-fi of it, but moreso for the 80's feel. I was very concerned when they left the end of S3 with a Russian Prison as it made me think they are going in a whole different direction. Not so fast, my friend.

Same cast, but now in 1986 rather than where we left them in '84. Kids are split up and those out west (Cali?) have their own sequence of events as they inevitably try to get back to Hawkins for the finale. Other half of the kids are still in Hawkins, and bad things are afoot. The third plotline picks up that S3 reference to a Russian prison where they are feeding prisoners to a demogod and they said 'no, not the American' without showing who it was. This storyline involves Hopper* being alive, and Wynona Rider trying to rescue him. I'll try not to spoil much, but there is a new villain 'Vecna' with a lot of flashbacks to Eleven growing up under Modine in the lab = there's a history, and he ends up being the driving force from the upside down trying to take over our reality. Does it live up to the first 3 seasons? I suppose. I didn't come away let down, though I think a better evaluation would come if the first 3 seasons were re-watched leading into S4. All the actors are a little older, but generally not so much to be an issue (though Wynona is really showing her age, IMO). There's a little bit of hokey-ness to it, but that was always present. There's some HS bullies that are a bit overplayed, but whatever, it's part of '86. I suppose the worst aspects for me were Wynona earning her way off that list of attractive girls from my era, Modine getting old, and Paul Riser getting fat. It happens. It does leave the possibility for a S5 with the same crew, I'll spoil that bit for you because when would Netflix kill a cash cow?

7/10 - not totally rad, but on par with the earlier shows.


*Hopper in a frozen desolate Russian landscape, coming so soon after the (delayed) release of the Black Widow movie where he was a Russian in a frozen desolate Russian landscape - this carried some ironic humor for me. Maybe it is just me.
We're still trying to figure out how Winona schit $40K and got to AK in 24 hours. :dunno:
 

-THE DUDE-

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Just finished terminal list a couple days ago…almost stopped after episode 1 but reluctantly kept going and was hooked by the end of episode 2.
 

TLB

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I don't see how they can make a sequel.

Caught a recent interview with the author, Jack Carr, on the Glenn Beck show. Terminal list is the first in a series of 5 books (now 6 as he's writing it). When they signed with Amazon, it was for a 2 season deal. The kicker is Terminal List was started in 2014, and those who've read or watched it know how it goes. He stated the problem is the second book, True Believer, has a storyline of Russia building up quickly for an invasion of Ukraine. For real world reasons, they may not pursue that second story. So, he's in a wait-and-see mode to see if there is indeed a S2 (has to be, given Terminal List is THE most streamed show on Amazon), and what storyline will be used.
 

LoyalGatorFan

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Jul 10, 2019
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Decided to binge my way through Stranger Things S4 now that the whole thing dropped. I loved S1-3 for the sci-fi of it, but moreso for the 80's feel. I was very concerned when they left the end of S3 with a Russian Prison as it made me think they are going in a whole different direction. Not so fast, my friend.

Same cast, but now in 1986 rather than where we left them in '84. Kids are split up and those out west (Cali?) have their own sequence of events as they inevitably try to get back to Hawkins for the finale. Other half of the kids are still in Hawkins, and bad things are afoot. The third plotline picks up that S3 reference to a Russian prison where they are feeding prisoners to a demogod and they said 'no, not the American' without showing who it was. This storyline involves Hopper* being alive, and Wynona Rider trying to rescue him. I'll try not to spoil much, but there is a new villain 'Vecna' with a lot of flashbacks to Eleven growing up under Modine in the lab = there's a history, and he ends up being the driving force from the upside down trying to take over our reality. Does it live up to the first 3 seasons? I suppose. I didn't come away let down, though I think a better evaluation would come if the first 3 seasons were re-watched leading into S4. All the actors are a little older, but generally not so much to be an issue (though Wynona is really showing her age, IMO). There's a little bit of hokey-ness to it, but that was always present. There's some HS bullies that are a bit overplayed, but whatever, it's part of '86. I suppose the worst aspects for me were Wynona earning her way off that list of attractive girls from my era, Modine getting old, and Paul Riser getting fat. It happens. It does leave the possibility for a S5 with the same crew, I'll spoil that bit for you because when would Netflix kill a cash cow?

7/10 - not totally rad, but on par with the earlier shows.


*Hopper in a frozen desolate Russian landscape, coming so soon after the (delayed) release of the Black Widow movie where he was a Russian in a frozen desolate Russian landscape - this carried some ironic humor for me. Maybe it is just me.
Wasn't a fan of the longer length episodes but everything else you said is spot on
 

Alumni Guy

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Any Better Call Saul fans? The finale was Monday and was curious what you guys thought
I thought it was pretty solid. Jimmy/Saul had one last run at a hustle, then voluntarily called it quits. I hate when good shows end with a clunker. Saul didn’t end that way.

Also, Kinmy’s new life sucks.
 

Gulfstream

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I haven't gone back all 40 pages of this thread to see if this show has been mentioned or not.

Wormwood (2017) Netflix six- part documentary about Dr. Frank Olson's secret life/work at CIA, his mysterious death, and his sons 50+ year to find out the real cause of of his passing. While I had heard of and seen his name in other books I never really followed up on anything until stumbling across this show.

The show is put together very well with real time interviews with his family, CIA personnel, and journalist...namely Seymour Hersh and flashbacks to the events leading up to Dr. Olson's death.
 

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