Abhimanyu

I'd imagine it'd have looked pretty crap on a big TV screen, but on a laptop, it didn't look any worse than an old television picture to me. Back before I left home, in the pre-digital broadcast days, pretty much everything we watched on BBC2 used to look far worse than this did. But I'm the last person who anyone should be asking about picture quality, because short of visible pixelation and/or image distortion, it just doesn't really register for me - I appreciate HD for sports broadcasts and that's about it.

Yeah, I'm a big A/V nerd. I never watch any TV/movies on subpar quality. I used to make exceptions for TV but these days, television has started incorporating cinema-quality cinematography/direction/FX so I figure I should watch that stuff the way it was meant to be seen. I generally hook up my laptop to a large HDTV via an HDMI cable to watch everything I download. It looks almost as good as the standard digital cable picture with the regular sized rips. When it's content that I know is visually spectacular (like The Walking Dead), I occasionally spend the time/bandwidth on the larger 720p rips. Those look absolutely amazing on the big screen. Just makes it more fun.

Yeah, I saw this on the interwebs but decided not to watch it once I saw the quality. Thanks a lot for the review.

Clayface and Mr Zsasz would be my first choices.

They'd have to do a bit of retconning to pull off the latter choice. Zsasz actually shows up in Batman Begins as a (very) minor villain. From what I recall, he's one of the inmates who break out of Arkham in the final act only to be subdued and recaptured.

This probably wouldn't stop them if they really really wanted to include Zsasz as a major character in the next movie. I think they only namechecked the character once or twice in Batman Begins.

Watched the first couple episodes of Luther. The cases/plotting is rather cliche and more than faintly ludicrous. Thankfully, the performances by Elba and the actress playing the psycho killer are good enough to keep me watching. There's some well written scenes thrown in there. Yet another example of 'incredibly irritating ex-wife' character though, undoubtedly being manoeuvred via laboured plotting into some soon-to-appear peril.

Yeah, I was definitely overstating the case there. But I don't know if there's that much of a gap between the recognition factor of Penguin/Riddler and Ra's among the nerds. Many of the nerds I know cite Tales of the Demon among their favourite Bat stories. I suppose it's possible that the nerds I know are more hardcore than the average nerd. Who's to say?

But yes, amongst non-nerds there's definitely a gap in recognition, I agree.

One point I was meaning to make is that these days, as far as comics readers are concerned, Ra's is enjoying a comparative rise in his profile.

Ra's definitely has a much much higher profile than Scarface. In fact, I'd say that Ra's might be every bit as familiar as Riddler or the Penguin these days. I don't remember the last time I saw the Penguin in a major storyline and the Riddler usually just pops up here and there causing some minor mayhem. But given his relationship to Talia and Damien, Ra's has been on the fringes of Grant Morrison's work on Batman for a while now.

I doubt that the studios will go for that even if Nolan does. They want villains with name recognition. So unless they include Scarface in a secondary villain role, it probably won't happen. Would've been fun though.

I guess I'll give it a skip then. I didn't like Heroes very much so that isn't exactly a rousing recommendation.

 

Well, I say only US comedy but I'm giving The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret a shot, there's potential in there but two episodes in and it's struggling to really engage me.

And the third episode actually edges into 'bad' territory. Its final big cringe-humour-slapstick setpiece was a little embarrassing IMO.

Anyone been watching No Ordinary Family? The new show about a family that gains superpowers? If so, any views to offer up?

Oh I watched Louie from beginning to end as it aired. Amazing stuff.

I'll give Eastbound and Down another try then.

Thanks, Atticus, for recommending Whites. I got hold of the first episode and enjoyed it. Lot of familiar faces.

Definitely agreed on the 30 Rock front. Those tapes were amazing. But as you say, I'm not sure they'll be sustaining this level of hilarity. Community, on the other hand, has me in stitches week after week. It's really quite a job to do the whole meta thing without seeming terribly precious and, simultaneously, pull off a show with an honest emotional core to it. Love it.

Sean, Eastbound and Down is good, then? The subject matter isn't really my thing and the early episodes I saw didn't grab me so I didn't stick with it. But if you give it a recommendation, I might dip into it again.

Our man Lem finally showed up on SOA this week and things are the better for it.

Guess it's good news that it's been renewed at least, going through a bit of a television malaise at the moment as none of the new stuff has grabbed me at all (sorry, Terriers fans) and returning favourites haven't really been at their best. Apart from Dexter, which even at its worst can coast on Hall's performances and the basic premise.

Yeah, hopefully the next season will be an improvement over this one. But Kurt Sutter's steadfast refusal to even consider well reasoned out criticism from fans unhappy with the current season doesn't bode too well.

Despite enjoying Terriers, I can get where you're coming from, John. None of the new shows this season have grabbed me the way Mad Men or Breaking Bad or The Shield et al did back in their early episodes. Boardwalk Empire is good but not as good as I'd hoped (still early days though). The show I look forward to the most each week is - oddly enough - Community.

Yeah, I'm really quite pleased that 30 Rock seems to be making more of an effort to duplicate its earlier glories as opposed to the rather low standard of last season's episodes. I've really enjoyed the season so far.

Lou, if you're still taking recommendations, I'd also point you to Joe Hill's books. He's Stephen King's son and is currently putting out better work than his dad has produced in a while. His first novel's a nicely creepy ghost story called Heart Shaped Box and his short story collection '20th Century Ghosts' is excellent. There's a story in there about a haunted movie theater that might actually be up there amongst my favourite short stories. Well worth checking out.

Also, Community and Modern Family were running neck and neck for a little while there but the former has far outstripped the latter in my book. Classic show - it's the highlight of my comedy viewing every single week. This latest episode was a riot. Not that this comes as a surprise given that such has been the quality of the whole season so far.

Mirren looks absolutely made for the part, and the visuals are great, but I have absolutely no time for the score.

Heh. People really love adapting The Tempest in various unusual ways.

Mirren's taking a lot of against-type roles lately. Am glad to be seeing her onscreen more often.

Fucking hell, Sons really is a mess at the moment.

 

I actually swore in disappointment at the tele with the pregnancy reveal, surely the last thing this show needed was another bloody outlet for melodramatic mewling and literal gnashing of teeth! What's worse, now they're trying to humanise Stahl - look lads, Fox isn't HBO and you're not the fucking Wire. The Jax/Clay relationship and how it reflects the past/future of the club is there for when you want to get all deep and serious which is great cause that's a really strong foundation for that kind of storytelling and I actually give a shit about it!

 

Sethos, I think you're actually being optimistic with your take on what the reveal is going to be up North, they might take it a step further and we'll find out that Gemma isn't Jax's mom - she pointedly referred to him as 'my son' when on the phone to yer one up North which set about a million terrified alarm bells ringing with me.

 

I don't think nearly enough has been done to establish that the Sons are falling out of favour with the residents of Charming - that's a good basis for a season right there but all we're getting are a couple of characters outright stating that's the case rather than actually seeing this manifest on screen. There's been zero follow-up on the shooting at the end of the first episode!

 

Oh and where the fuck is Lem?!?

This exactly. Right down to the swearing at the screen. It was so utterly unnecessary. You can bet she's going to be In Peril at some point this season too.

In trying to humanize Stahl, they just ended up making her more cartoonish.

The Belfast trip is going to be all about Jax finding out things about his dad (plus associated crying/angst) and not nearly enough about SOA kicking ass and rescuing babies (not that them going to Belfast to rescue a baby is where I wanted to see the show go).

I miss Henry Rollins!

at least it wasn't as boring as the pevious two episodes.

This is definitely true. My complaints are mainly due to the fact that SOA has now become a drama whose primary note is soap opera-style family melodrama. The biker stuff seems to be secondary. A commenter on TWOP called it 'Days of Our Sons of Anarchy Lives' which really sounded accurate to me! But as you say, hopefully they will pull things up a little.

They did do some interesting things with the character in the first two episodes but I'm afraid they're starting to drift back to the Dexter's life status quo.

 

Well to be fair the status quo has - as far as the series has been concerned - always been Dexter and Rita. So there's a fundamental change there. I do think they need to take more risks now, though. Thankfully, Dexter's fast-growing emotional ability, his loss of interest in killing, the fact that he's brutally murdered someone just because they were rude and he was angry, and Quinn's realisation that Dexter is Kyle Butler - all in the first two episodes - suggest that we'll be getting them soon, rather than having to wait until the last four episodes of the season.

Thing is, apart from Rita's absence, all those plot elements have been thrown around for years now. Cop who suspects Dexter, Dexter feeling emotions, Dexter wondering about his killing, Dexter regressing to his killing...it all feels really really familiar. Rita was one of the most irritating characters in TVdom so I'm glad she's gone but now he has a baby who will, in some ways, replace her as his go-to device for 'Who am I? What am I doing?' existential angst.

Maybe I'm being too harsh because I did enjoy these two episodes but the last two seasons were subpar enough that I am a little skeptical now.

I don't know about loss of interest in killing though. Much of the second episode seemed to be about how the Dark Passenger is rearing his head again.

Thanks for the rec btw, John. That sounds like something I'd definitely enjoy. Will try to scare up an episode.

Also, guys...SOA, oh man...

Cartoonishly evil lady villain is also a LESBIAN! Doc is PREGNANT! Everyone is CRYING AGAIN! It's my SON! Deal with the Devil!!

At this point, I'm really just watching for the Mayan B-story and Tig weirdness.

 

 

Haven't actually caught the last couple of episodes of Boardwalk Empire, any thoughts on that (the episodes, not my laziness) ?

The second episode was a little obvious and on-the-nose with its plot mechanics and Themes (capitalization not accidental). It felt a little like Sopranos/The Wire-lite. The third episode, however, was a vast improvement. Lot of storylines kick into high gear, Omar gets a bigger part and things generally start getting brutal and fun.

I, for one, would love to see a supernatural Dexter. This is not one of the shows I take seriously anymore so some kind of ridiculous game changer would be welcome as long as it's done in an entertaining fashion.

They did do some interesting things with the character in the first two episodes but I'm afraid they're starting to drift back to the Dexter's life status quo.

 

 

How's Gaiman's short story collections Smoke and Mirrors or

Very good indeed. And Fragile Things (his other collection) is better. I actually think Gaiman's short stories are the best pieces of writing he's put out since his post-American Gods slump in quality/rise to fame (YA aside). Amidst all the mediocre comics and screenplays, the short stories really stand out.

. A book of short stories set in Castor's world would be fun but I don't know whether the market would support it (and whether Mike would particularly want to write it).

You really should suggest it to him. It would be a fascinating read. I've often thought the same. There are so many interesting stories that can be mined from a world where the dead rise. I actually LIKE that Stephen King goes on tangents (when he's doing it properly, that is). My favourite part of The Stand, for example, is the beginning - when the world is ending and this is illustrated using random snippets of apocalyptic type events occurring all over America. I'd love it if Carey gave us a collection of such vignettes from Castor's fictional universe. It's an excellent idea - go message him, James!

Lou - to my knowledge, only the first three books have been published in the US. Very unfortunate. But you should be able to find the fourth and fifth on Amazon UK or someplace. Once you've read the first three, you'll be jonesing for the rest.

Also, Lou - Mike Carey's Felix Castor series of supernatural noir novels. I couldn't recommend them highly enough. Especially since you're a member of a Hellblazer fan forum! Everything that is great about Hellblazer is present and accounted for in distilled, consistently high quality doses in those books. Read them in order. They're all excellent. The first one's called The Devil You Know.