The Bear is absolutely not a comedy show (although it does have some very funny bits) and I have no idea how or why anyone would even suggest that it is!
It is, however, very very good indeed.
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I just finished Our Flag Means Death and Star Trek Lower Decks Season 4.
OFMD suffers mostly from my inability to feel sympathy for the super-rich. I know Stede is in a rough position, blah blah blah, but his ability to do whatever he wants because he has ungodly amounts of money justā¦ infuriates me. But Waititiās Blackbeard is absolutely amazing. Heās so good that I found myself putting up with a lot of the weaknesses in the show (Jimās storyline was amazingā¦ and then absolutely truncated suddenly) so I could see more of that portrayal. Bloody brilliant, and worth the rough patches. Oh, and I do like the way they handled Stedeās marriage/ex-wife situation. That was well done.
What can you say about Lower Decks that hasnāt been said? Itās brilliant. Itās Star Trek done by people who love Star Trek, and have obviously thought a lot about it. And a few really well done emotional notes forgive a few deus ex machina moments. Even with the brilliance of Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks remains my favourite new-era Star Trekā¦ it may dislodge DS9 from that lofty position if it continues putting out bangers. And the season finale? 10/10, no edits, no notes.
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Who knew that Lower decks was setting itself up as a continuation of the Next Gen episode lower decks.
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Iām enjoying Blue Eye Samurai. I know the trope of the lone swordsman, bent on revenge has been done before, but this is pretty good. Only a few episodes in.
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I really enjoyed it. It definitely goes interesting places and doesnāt just feel like a retread of familiar ground.
Incredible voice cast as well.
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It won all the Emmys (and other prizes) in the comedy category though which is the confusing part to me.
There are some funny moments which is true and we enjoy the show but not as a comedy one.
Very curious how that got decided.
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Well I found this article about exactly that topic: Emmys 2024: Why people are baffled by The Bear's wins - BBC Culture
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The real question is: Is it as funny as The Martian ?
Just finished watching Love and Monsters. Itās a B-tier post apocalypse story with a likeable, but hapless and improbably lucky protagonist that borrows from the style and motifs of Zombieland and Warm Bodies, though lacking the humor of the former or the drama of the latter. It has some tense moments but lacks the tension of A Quiet Place. The story is thin and predicable, but the CGI is decent and the creature designs are nice. So while I think it is a lesser version this type of film, it was enjoyable could be mined for rpg ideas.
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Thing I always say: steal ideas from bad sources, because your players may be too embarrassef to admit it even if they recognise itābut more seriously, one thing that makes a source bad is that the ideas arenāt well-integrated, so you can take one element without wotking hard to disentangle it from the rest.
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Went and saw Argylle last night. What starts out as a relatively straightforward comedic spy romp culminates in over-the-top ridiculousness in the most glorious way. We both really enjoyed it.
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I particularly enjoyed the use of high-NRG tracks to soundtrack the first few scenes of violence. Excellent musical choices.
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Iām off to see Argylle tonight, looking forward to it
And now, having seen Argylleā¦itās ok. Ish. Gets a bit silly in the end. Samuel L Jackson is wasted. Sam Rockwell is pretty good.
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We finished Griselda last night, after a week watching an episode per night, and a double session last night. Great job from Sofia Vergara, and it is great to see a recreation of how was Miami in the late 70s and early 80s; the soundtrack is great, there was plenty more disco than I expected.
Also I have been catching up with Yellowstone, I am somewhere round the middle of season 2. Great performances from an (at least to me) not so famous cast. I particularly enjoy Kevin Costnerās character daughter , Beth. She is ruthless, and so damaged.
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Rebel Moon isā¦ interesting.
Itās just a crash of the best parts of Firefly, Star Wars, and The Expanse and yet somehow not as good as any of those on their own?
Which isnāt to say itās not good.
It is. Itās justā¦ discordant, I think? I few too many flashbacks?
Ah well. Enjoyed the heck outta it.
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Yeah Beth is great.
As Iāve been ill, Iāve just binged The Diplomat. An excellent mini series
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Lower Decks is brilliant Trek, and if one can ride through the difference in animation style Prodigy is also another great show, though aimed at a younger demographic, but the call backs to Voyager, through Janeway, make it a worthwhile fun watch too.
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Blue Eyed Samurai, again is another story that we found really compelling.
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WE watched strangers aon a train yesterday, and throw mama from the train today. And dammit, the remake is a better movie. The original ending is very deux ex machina, the plot has worked itself into a corner, so Bang! runaway carousel, dying villianā¦ Having the resolution be no murder is much tidier.
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I suddenly want a film edited together from all the different train films.
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