Discuss and Rate the Last Thing You Watched (non-movies)
- Thread starter Hawki
- Start date
Brave New World the Peacock adaptation
(bought on Google Play) Is on Peacock in the USA and Sky, Now TV and Virgin TV Go in the UK
Rating: 9.9999/10
Saying why Peacock's adaptation of Brave New World is so very good it's near perfection is difficult because the terms and the language barely exist to explain it. The only way it can be explained is as feelings. It's the early seasons of Game of Thrones, It's Babylon 5 at it's peak, it's Black Mirror when it just started out. But it feels better than them too. It's TV with that level of feeling, the feeling you've just watched something ground breaking and brilliant and rare such that you'll never see the like of it for a while again.
Grant Morrison (the comic book writer) was given the task of taking the Aldous Huxley dystopian sci-fi novel and adapted it. This show, this adaptation takes a ground breaking novel and makes it work for the modern age far more. It changes so much but it only makes the symbolism and themes of the original book so much stronger and more relevant to the present day.
The show just has had so much love poured into it that it actually took me a while to notice the amazing framing of shots because of just how great the sets and costume work is. The acting is also stellar for all the cast.
Some of the changes from the novel:
The only thing stopping it being perfect is the ending that was pretty much trying to set it up for a possible 2nd series or continuation. However it does still feel like it works as an ending too it's just not fully final but considering the way the novel ends it's actually a massive change and I'd argue improvement over it because it doesn't end with John's existence having changed nothing and the New World being the same as it was after him.
There's sex, there's violence but all of it is in service of themes it's all deliberate and oddly one of the things very much kept that was brought up often in the books.
I kind of want to talk about the themes but also don't want to because that would spoiler so much of the joy and wonder of the series and how it's kept some of the ideas of the book and seemingly managed to add in extra themes and ideas somewhat to make it even more of a social commentary about modern times.
I'll leave off with this. I watched this series and I felt things. I felt happy and joy watching it and absolute despair and sadness too but I kept watching because I wanted to feel them and the series made me want to feel them because it's so well crafted and compelling you don't feel bad for feeling things and the series very much wants you to feel things. This is a series with the emotions of the people in that viral video of people cheering in the cinema as Captain America holds up Thors hammer combined with the worse crushing feelings than what Happens to Spiderman in Infinity war but more so. It feels like you're always ready and wanting to see what happen next even if it's crushing and saddening to watch play out.
(bought on Google Play) Is on Peacock in the USA and Sky, Now TV and Virgin TV Go in the UK
Rating: 9.9999/10
Saying why Peacock's adaptation of Brave New World is so very good it's near perfection is difficult because the terms and the language barely exist to explain it. The only way it can be explained is as feelings. It's the early seasons of Game of Thrones, It's Babylon 5 at it's peak, it's Black Mirror when it just started out. But it feels better than them too. It's TV with that level of feeling, the feeling you've just watched something ground breaking and brilliant and rare such that you'll never see the like of it for a while again.
Grant Morrison (the comic book writer) was given the task of taking the Aldous Huxley dystopian sci-fi novel and adapted it. This show, this adaptation takes a ground breaking novel and makes it work for the modern age far more. It changes so much but it only makes the symbolism and themes of the original book so much stronger and more relevant to the present day.
The show just has had so much love poured into it that it actually took me a while to notice the amazing framing of shots because of just how great the sets and costume work is. The acting is also stellar for all the cast.
Some of the changes from the novel:
- Contraceptive dispensers are gone, it's just assumed it's not been rolled into the Soma etc
- More mixing of the classes but still class structure with Beta's existing more to help facilitate the pleasure of Alpha's with then seeing Alpha's as desirable simply due to conditioning
- More defined societal levels
- More defined societal expectations
- The savages are no longer tribal or like native americans on reservations but can best be described as modern day rural southern americans but more sort of the kind you'd find near trailer parks.
- The ending is almost completely changed actually
- Bernard is now a psychologist not a sleep learning expert and he's no longer short or implied to have had accidents happen relating to his artificial womb but they have found a guy to play him who doesn't look conventionally attractive so he does stick out among the Alphas
- Helmholtz Watson is now Wilhelmina 'Helm' Watson so a sex change and the character isn't a writer anymore be a director of feelies and experiences (Implied to be like VR but with sensory feeling) and experiences implied to be specially organised unique parties. Also the character is far more tortured than the novel.
- More elaboration about things in New London
- An origin for Soma
- Indra the AI system helping control the World State of New London.
- The whole John quoting Shakespeare stuff is gone
- Changed attitudes to sex to be more up to date as sex before marriage isn't seen quite the same as it was in the 1930s.
- References to social media and also use of it in the form of a specialised contact lens that connects through into a persons brain
- Lenina actually is capable of understanding John or trying to though she's now a reduced social caste compared to Bernard
- More stratified and define structure of the New World society
- The Savage Lands being more fleshed out and the revelation (it's literally in episode 1 so it's not a spoiler) that most of it is fake and put on for show.
The only thing stopping it being perfect is the ending that was pretty much trying to set it up for a possible 2nd series or continuation. However it does still feel like it works as an ending too it's just not fully final but considering the way the novel ends it's actually a massive change and I'd argue improvement over it because it doesn't end with John's existence having changed nothing and the New World being the same as it was after him.
There's sex, there's violence but all of it is in service of themes it's all deliberate and oddly one of the things very much kept that was brought up often in the books.
I kind of want to talk about the themes but also don't want to because that would spoiler so much of the joy and wonder of the series and how it's kept some of the ideas of the book and seemingly managed to add in extra themes and ideas somewhat to make it even more of a social commentary about modern times.
I'll leave off with this. I watched this series and I felt things. I felt happy and joy watching it and absolute despair and sadness too but I kept watching because I wanted to feel them and the series made me want to feel them because it's so well crafted and compelling you don't feel bad for feeling things and the series very much wants you to feel things. This is a series with the emotions of the people in that viral video of people cheering in the cinema as Captain America holds up Thors hammer combined with the worse crushing feelings than what Happens to Spiderman in Infinity war but more so. It feels like you're always ready and wanting to see what happen next even if it's crushing and saddening to watch play out.
Reacher (Amazon Prime) - 9/10
I'm up to episode 5 of 8 and its been pretty awesome. The great thing about most Reacher novels is that they're really basic so making them into a show - which better suits them than film - isn't a massively expensive endeavour. And as much as I enjoyed the movie with Tom Cruise, Alan Ritchson is an amazingly better fit for the character. He's got presence, he looks good doing the action scenes - which are mainly hand to hand - and best of all, he's got the kind of intense stare you'd expect a man like Reacher to have.
The plots are of course the same lurid, pot boiler and other outrageous bullshit that you'll recognise if you're a reader of the books. Magnificently fun watch, won't change your life though.
I'm up to episode 5 of 8 and its been pretty awesome. The great thing about most Reacher novels is that they're really basic so making them into a show - which better suits them than film - isn't a massively expensive endeavour. And as much as I enjoyed the movie with Tom Cruise, Alan Ritchson is an amazingly better fit for the character. He's got presence, he looks good doing the action scenes - which are mainly hand to hand - and best of all, he's got the kind of intense stare you'd expect a man like Reacher to have.
The plots are of course the same lurid, pot boiler and other outrageous bullshit that you'll recognise if you're a reader of the books. Magnificently fun watch, won't change your life though.
- Feb 7, 2011
- 8,594
- 3,109
- 118
- Country
- 'Merica
- Gender
- 3 children in a trench coat
Jack Reacher on Amazon Prime.
So far, freaking awesome! It stars the guy that play Aquaman on Smallville. Looks like he ate a truck.
B+
EDIT: LOL... is that Lana Lang from Smallville?!?!??! Reviewing.
EDIT: Yep. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9288030/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1
So far, freaking awesome! It stars the guy that play Aquaman on Smallville. Looks like he ate a truck.
B+
EDIT: LOL... is that Lana Lang from Smallville?!?!??! Reviewing.
EDIT: Yep. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9288030/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1
The Book of Boba Fett, and this is just a very weirdly put together show.
The first 4 episodes weren't good at all, really. I wasn't really invested in the flashback plot, and the present-day plot hasn't moved an inch since what was implied in the post-credits scene at the end of the Mandalorian Season 2.
They are just 4 mostly pointless episodes, that I am not in any particular hurry to rewatch.
Then episodes 5 and 6 come out, and they completely blow the previous 4 episodes out of the water, whilst simultaneously A) not featuring the titular character, and B) not even advancing the show's plot, other than re-introducing The Clone Wars' Cad Bane, and having the Mandalorian on Boba's side for the finale.
It is like the show went on a 2 week break, and instead we got a 2-episode Mandalorian special.
Im curious to see how the finale is, but as it stands, I am pretty convinced that the show has failed at its concept. This was supposed to be Boba Fett's standalone adventure, and it has completely failed to do that, in my eyes.
Its a complete anomaly. Boba Fett has been one of the most famous/popular Star Wars characters since he first appeared in 1980, and hardcore fans have been clamouring for a Boba Fett standalone movie/show for years, and then it finally comes out, and he gets sidelined in his own show by a Disney Original Character, that the fanbase seems to universally prefer.
I guess the Rule of Cool can only take you so far.
The first 4 episodes weren't good at all, really. I wasn't really invested in the flashback plot, and the present-day plot hasn't moved an inch since what was implied in the post-credits scene at the end of the Mandalorian Season 2.
They are just 4 mostly pointless episodes, that I am not in any particular hurry to rewatch.
Then episodes 5 and 6 come out, and they completely blow the previous 4 episodes out of the water, whilst simultaneously A) not featuring the titular character, and B) not even advancing the show's plot, other than re-introducing The Clone Wars' Cad Bane, and having the Mandalorian on Boba's side for the finale.
It is like the show went on a 2 week break, and instead we got a 2-episode Mandalorian special.
Im curious to see how the finale is, but as it stands, I am pretty convinced that the show has failed at its concept. This was supposed to be Boba Fett's standalone adventure, and it has completely failed to do that, in my eyes.
Its a complete anomaly. Boba Fett has been one of the most famous/popular Star Wars characters since he first appeared in 1980, and hardcore fans have been clamouring for a Boba Fett standalone movie/show for years, and then it finally comes out, and he gets sidelined in his own show by a Disney Original Character, that the fanbase seems to universally prefer.
I guess the Rule of Cool can only take you so far.
Last edited:
Wait, wasn't she involved with some kind of crazy cult that did sex trafficking, slavery and such assorted fucked up shit?
Yup. This is what I mean when I said the Book of Boba feels reluctant to actually be about Boba.
It seems so very interested in throwing in cameos from other shows and all kinds of fan service, but drags its heels when it comes to the newly introduced characters and the plot. In one episode Boba recruits a group of teenagers with attitude to be his goon squad on Power Rangers scooters. Do they even have names? Don't know, and don't particularly care. I mean, the show doesn't seem to care either, so why should I? The evil Chewbacca gets like 5 minutes of expository backstory, and afterwards just stands there in the background. Fennec Shand pretty much gets nothing, despite being Boba's right hand.
Meanwhile, 2 of the 6 episodes released revolve mostly around guest characters, who get the best character moments so far, and the arguably best action scenes, and an extended cameo of cgi Luke mf'ing Skywalker, which I'm guessing is where a good chunk of the budget went..
One episode left and only now is it picking up any steam.
Last edited:
That was Allison Mack...
It is a lengthy history of grooming various vulnerable women into "leadership" positions within the cult by the leader Keith Raniere. The acting/Hollywood-pursuing scene is rife with vulnerable ppl of all gender ripe for such creeps.
Looked into it, and yeh, it was Mack. Was convicted not too long ago actually. 3 years prison. Seems light imo considering the heinous shit she was an active participant to. I mean, she was probably brainwashed to some degree, but still, the idea to literally brand women with the initials of the cult leader was her idea.
Tho Kristin Kreuk was somewhat involved with the cult, but apparently just superficially, and not in any criminal inner circle capacity.
Last edited:
Yikes! I did not know that.
"NXIVM
In November 2017, Kreuk and her Smallville co-star Allison Mack were linked to a multi-level marketing organization and cult known as NXIVM, which was founded by Keith Raniere. In March 2018, following Raniere's arrest, Kreuk disclosed on her Twitter account that she had joined NXIVM believing it was a "self-help" group but left in 2013, and had not witnessed any illegal or nefarious activities during her time in the group. Kreuk's statement was backed by actress Sarah Edmondson, who had participated in exposing NXIVM's activities.[36]"
ITMT: Holy moly. Just finished Season 4, Episode 7 of Ozark. And all of a sudden, I see that this is Season 4 PART ONE. and it isn't done yet.
The writing this season has fallen off a cliff, but I'm still enjoying it and want to know how thing finish in what is supposed to be the last season of the show. But no idea when Season 4 part 2 starts. Dang it.
People are doing and saying things I don't buy. But a meh season of this beats so many other shows.
Last edited:
Started Reacher on Prime. I really don't understand why everybody's creaming their pants about it, like Prime just cracked some sort of alien language instead of a shitty airport novel ready-made for cheap TV.
I haven't watched the first Tom Cruise movie. I saw the second one and don't remember anything about it. What I get from the show is Jack Reacher is a giga chad who is always the tallest, strongest, handsomest and most intelligent person in any one room, has a military record the size of Apocalypse Now Redux and is a magnet for all sorts of dumb bullies who don't know any better (to be fair the first guy just takes a look at him and apologizes). Maybe people have been missing this kind of blatant male power fantasy from their streaming, I dunno. I guess the one fight in the episode was kinda cool but not worth the other 50 minutes.
I haven't watched the first Tom Cruise movie. I saw the second one and don't remember anything about it. What I get from the show is Jack Reacher is a giga chad who is always the tallest, strongest, handsomest and most intelligent person in any one room, has a military record the size of Apocalypse Now Redux and is a magnet for all sorts of dumb bullies who don't know any better (to be fair the first guy just takes a look at him and apologizes). Maybe people have been missing this kind of blatant male power fantasy from their streaming, I dunno. I guess the one fight in the episode was kinda cool but not worth the other 50 minutes.
Jack Reacher has very similar appeal that James Bond does, with a little bit of the Western’s mysterious drifting gunslinger. He’s alway the biggest and baddest guy in the room, bangs the hot chick of book, kills all the really awful bad guys and foils all the nefarious plots.
I mean I love this trashy shit because it’s Mills and Boone for boys. There’s nothing hugely complicated or nuanced about it. I will say though, if episode one left you cold, then the other seven aren’t gonna do much for you either since they’re basically the same tone all the way through.
Yeah but Bond gets cool gadgets and femme fatales and exotic locations and interesting villains. He's suave, charming, has a sense of humor. Reacher is a hobo in small-town USA who likes to show off and talk down to everybody. Nothing against the actor but the character himself sounds like Steven Seagal fanfiction.
I'm just killing time until Peacemaker drops Thursday.
Steven Seagal fanfiction isn't quite accurate: Steven Seagal would never let himself get hit and beaten up as much as Reacher gets in the books. Man is way too up his own ass for that.
I personally am waiting for someone to waft a Matthew Reilly book under Michael Bay's nose. That'll be a recipe for some dumb as shit action romps.
I'm not interested in Reacher, but I'll happy takes this how or the Tom Cruise version over almost anything done by Seagal. Mother-fucker stopped caring after Exit Wounds and the many straight-to-DVD films show. Seagal is a sexual creep too, so he can fuck off extra hard. I can't even bother to watch his good material anymore.
Is it really arguable? When's the last time we saw anyone in Star Wars get straight up cut in half? Boba on the train was fun but that really was the only noteworthy action scene in 4 episodes. AND HE DOESN'T EVEN SHOOT ANYONE. This whole fucking show doesn't have Boba Fett go pew pew.
But yeah, budget for the last two episodes made it look like we were watching a completely different show. Episode 5 had some shots that looked better than the entire Sequel Trilogy (that's not even a joke). I guess we should have seen this coming when they announced that Mandalorian Season 3 was coming 2 years after Season 2. No fucking way they'd let such a popular property rest for a whole year.
Had to look that up, you're right, just one more episode. Can't see at all how this could have a satisfying conclusion, I thought there would be 8 episodes.
It's amazing that once the Book of Boba Fett is about Boba Fett again, the quality of the show takes a nosedive. And even when he's back, Mando steals the show. This is sort of a spoiler I guess, but the fucking Boba Fett show ends with a Mando scene. Incredible.
Pretty big meh. Boba himself was fine, Mando was great as usual, but as a finale, it absolutely dropped the ball. The "war" for Mos Espa turned out to be more of a mildly violent dispute. Everything you expect to happen happens, except a little more poorly shot and acted. Oh, and you can't expect me to care about Fett's motley crew when this is the first time you've dropped their actual fucking names, in the finale of the season. The mods are AWFUL. They belong in some fucking SyFy or whatever is a sub-CW tier show.
So all in all, what a waste of time. Might as well have given us Mando Season 3 or Kenobi a year earlier.
Pretty big meh. Boba himself was fine, Mando was great as usual, but as a finale, it absolutely dropped the ball. The "war" for Mos Espa turned out to be more of a mildly violent dispute. Everything you expect to happen happens, except a little more poorly shot and acted. Oh, and you can't expect me to care about Fett's motley crew when this is the first time you've dropped their actual fucking names, in the finale of the season. The mods are AWFUL. They belong in some fucking SyFy or whatever is a sub-CW tier show.
So all in all, what a waste of time. Might as well have given us Mando Season 3 or Kenobi a year earlier.