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Kevin Klemme
March 09, 2020
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Kevin Klemme
January 27, 2020
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Kevin Klemme
August 12, 2019
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oliverkinne
December 19, 2023
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oliverkinne
December 14, 2023
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Mycelia Board Game Review

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oliverkinne
December 12, 2023
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oliverkinne
December 07, 2023
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River Wild Board Game Review

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oliverkinne
December 05, 2023
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oliverkinne
November 30, 2023
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Jackwraith
November 29, 2023
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oliverkinne
November 28, 2023
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Spitfireixa
October 24, 2023
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oliverkinne
October 17, 2023
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oliverkinne
October 10, 2023
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October 06, 2023
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Outback Crossing Review

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What TV SHOWS are you watching?

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17 Jun 2018 07:37 #275595 by ThirstyMan
As I understood it, the writer (J. Michael Straczynski) knew he was doing a 5 season arc from the beginning and planned it that way.

It was often held up as an example of how to write a long arc as opposed to making it up as you go along aka Lost etc

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17 Jun 2018 07:49 #275598 by ChristopherMD

ThirstyMan wrote: As I understood it, the writer (J. Michael Straczynski) knew he was doing a 5 season arc from the beginning and planned it that way.


Correct but then they got canceled and he fit the 5th season arc mostly into the 4th season. Then the show was picked up for a 5th season by another network and he used whatever was left to fill that.

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17 Jun 2018 09:01 #275605 by repoman
The Passing Bells on Amazon Prime

This is a five part mini series about World War 1. It depicts the experiences of two soldiers, one German and one British, during the Great War. There is a book series of the same name but I don't think this show is based on them.

The Good:

The premise is good. I always crave historical dramas that depict the viewpoint of the side less told like the Germans in the world wars or a confederate soldier in the Civil War etc. In regards to WW1, with the exception of All Quiet on the Western Front, we usually only are told of the war from the British point of view. So having a dual focus on both British and German viewpoints is cool. Even if, as usual, the French are minimized.

The costumes seem to my inexpert eye to be fairly accurate. They seem to time the switch from the silly spike helmet to the steel helmet appropriately.

At least some passing attention is paid to the Eastern Front. Not a lot but some. And some good stuff depicting the families on the home front.

The So-so:

The Battle scenes are not very impressive which I assume is because to make an impressive battle would cost a huge amount of money. So you have close shots of guys running across some uneven ground with an occasional artillery sound effect and some thrown dirt. There is one notable exception when the German soldier gets involved in some house to house fighting on the Eastern Front. That was pretty harrowing.

The history of the war is weak. They speak the expected names. Verdun, the Somme, etc but you have no context for these battles so no real investment in them.

The Bad:

So I see on Wikipedia that the script was written for a younger crowd and family viewing which explains the maudlin tone through out. If you have never read Farewell to Arms or All Quiet on the Western Front then you won't have to throw up your hands when you see the plot points stolen from those classics. The ending is supposed to be gut wrenching and filled with bitter irony but I found it lazy.

So overall a mixed bag.


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18 Jun 2018 09:51 #275674 by Shellhead
Binge-watched American Horror Story: Hotel (season five) over the weekend. All the usual AHS elements were present: a quality cast of actors, dimly-lit sets, an abundance of storylines, multiple supernatural elements, lots of drama, and a ridiculous bodycount. This was my favorite season in terms of music, with various goth classics mixed in with a surprising variety of other good songs. There was quite a bit of nudity and sex, and this was the gayest season of television that I have ever watched. At several points in the season, one character or another would adamantly declare "I am not gay," and then immediately proceed to do something that was most certainly gay. Various influences include The Shining, Se7en, Dracula, and Let the Right One In.

Lady Gaga was justly made the star of this season, as the Countess. I'm not a fan of her music, but she has an amazing presence and surprisingly decent acting ability. She plays off well against various AHS regulars like Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Sarah Poulson, and Kathy Bates. The surprise was AHS regular Denis O'Hare, who stole so many scenes as a transvestite bartender.

The story, though loaded with subplots and twists, was told in a straight-forward manner. But the style was often languid and dreamy, which made events seem a bit unclear even when they really were clear. The early focus was on the driven cop storyline, but that fortunately veered sharply away from cliche after a while. This show could have actually ended with episode 10 and I would have been fairly happy. But the show soldiers on through two more episodes, giving each character a satisfactory conclusion. The final two episodes dragged at times, but the emotional beats were great.

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19 Jun 2018 04:30 #275731 by mc
Replied by mc on topic What TV SHOWS are you watching?
Has anyone watched El Ministrio del Tiempo? It's this Spanish time travel thing but there's a LOT of Spanish references/jokes that I know are going over my head... just wondering if it's worth persisting or not, particularly as there were some plot holes in the first episode (I think)... the light comic tone would probably make up for it but then, I'm missing half the jokes.

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19 Jun 2018 09:17 #275742 by Shellhead

mc wrote: Has anyone watched El Ministrio del Tiempo? It's this Spanish time travel thing but there's a LOT of Spanish references/jokes that I know are going over my head... just wondering if it's worth persisting or not, particularly as there were some plot holes in the first episode (I think)... the light comic tone would probably make up for it but then, I'm missing half the jokes.


Never heard of it, but one of the best time travel movies that I've seen was a Spanish science-fiction movie called Timecrimes. Maybe the show was dropping references to that movie.

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19 Jun 2018 19:38 #275775 by trif

mc wrote: Has anyone watched El Ministrio del Tiempo? It's this Spanish time travel thing but there's a LOT of Spanish references/jokes that I know are going over my head... just wondering if it's worth persisting or not, particularly as there were some plot holes in the first episode (I think)... the light comic tone would probably make up for it but then, I'm missing half the jokes.


We've watched the first two episodes and want to return to it. I've really enjoyed what we've seen so far and I rather enjoy a time travel series that plays with a history I'm very unfamiliar with.

Probably should be watched with easy access to Wikipedia.

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19 Jun 2018 20:41 #275778 by hotseatgames
Two episodes into season 2 of Goliath. It's good, and if you liked season 1, you'd like this.

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26 Jun 2018 10:15 #276235 by hotseatgames
Finished season 2 of Goliath. Season 1 was much more of a legal drama. Season 2 is some fucked up body horror conspiracy stuff. It's almost irrelevant that he's a lawyer in season 2. It's very good, but strays a bit too far off the path. Also, the penultimate episode was some of the most tense stuff I've seen on tv in a while.

Also finished season 2 of Westworld. Ugh. Utter nonsense. Also, there is an end credits scene, fyi.

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26 Jun 2018 10:25 - 26 Jun 2018 12:56 #276237 by charlest
I didn't like the finale of Westworld either, although I did dig the end credits part.

Enjoyed the first episode of Goliath season 2.

I just finished the first season of Six and it was alright. Not sure if I'll watch the second season.

The most recent episode of The Handmaid's Tale really bothered me. I really enjoy the show but it just struck me in a way which was very upsetting, something that is rare for media to do (Room is the only other thing from the past few years which bothered me nearly as much).
Last edit: 26 Jun 2018 12:56 by charlest.
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26 Jun 2018 10:36 #276239 by hotseatgames
I have seen the first 5 or so episodes of season 1 of Six. I think the writing is bad. I enjoy the "ops" stuff, but all of the personal life / character interaction... lame. Walton Goggins is too good of an actor for that show.

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26 Jun 2018 10:57 #276241 by charlest
Yes, exactly. The special effects and action is great, but everything in between is very poor. It makes me yearn for early seasons of Homeland.

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26 Jun 2018 11:51 #276249 by Black Barney
Charlest, for Room was it the sort of casual and inevitable nature in which rape was portrayed that bothered you? That movie in unsettling in a bunch of ways and I’m just curious which part hit you hardest?

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26 Jun 2018 12:07 #276250 by charlest

Black Barney wrote: Charlest, for Room was it the sort of casual and inevitable nature in which rape was portrayed that bothered you? That movie in unsettling in a bunch of ways and I’m just curious which part hit you hardest?


Mostly the stuff with the kid. I've become a big baby due to being a father.
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26 Jun 2018 12:40 #276254 by Gregarius

charlest wrote: The most recent episode of The Handmaid's Table really bothered me. I really enjoy the show but it just struck me in a way which was very upsetting, something that is rare for media to do (Room is the only other thing from the past few years which bothered me nearly as much).

I'm kinda surprised it took that long. I gave up about a third of the way through Season 1, when I realized the show only made me depressed and angry. Please do not feel the need to tell me what put you over the top.
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