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  #7541  
Old 20th June 2024, 07:09 AM
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Didn't realise new series of the Boys had started, I don't log in much to prime nowadays, anyhow I'm sure some scenes they just seeing how far they can go, and lets be honest some clips would have been censored on vhs let alone tv years ago.
Censorship deffo more relaxed on tv nowadays than years ago.
Tiny spoiler alert if not seen,
One scene they heard a noise from in a sauna room they open the door and a scene that almost resembles Human centipede, a bloke having a wank and about 4-5 other blokes behind him all mouth to their arses, and wife just sits there stunned and says what the f&&k are you watching?
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  #7542  
Old 4th July 2024, 11:32 PM
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Star Trek - Return of the Archons. Kirk and company find themselves on a planet where the populace are happy and content. All the time. Except when they're crazy. Really liked this one, very creepy. The vacuous "happiness" of the people reminded me of the Jasmine story arc in season 4 of Angel and just as unsettling. Kinda digging TOS these days, always had trouble getting into it before but it's winning me over now.
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  #7543  
Old 5th July 2024, 02:13 PM
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As iank did earlier this year i've just done a complete watch of Smallville. All ten seasons. I did it as i had never seen the final series and had it in my to-watch pile for a couple of years.

For the unfamiliar Smallville recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian Clark Kent as he adjusts to life in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman.

The evolution in the show was gradual but huge as well, characters came and went and from the initial seasons when there were six or seven names in the opening credits montage it dropped in the final season to a mere four.

I think the reason it worked and i liked it so much was the quality of it's actors, in particular the older cast members like Annette O'Toole, John Schneider (Clark's parents) and the excellent John Glover as Lionel Luthor.

However the star of the show for me was definitely Michael Rosenbaum as the definitive Lex Luthor and it didn't seem just as rich a show when he was killed off and didn't return for the eighth season. None of the characters were unlikable which really helped and Tom Welling makes for a superb Clark Kent.

There are loads of scenarios and characters which when i first watched the series as it was initially released on dvd meant nothing to me, however in the intervening years and with the sheer wealth of DC films and series which followed in Smallville's wake ideas like Amanda Waller (Pam Grier) and the Suicide Squad, Blue Beetle, Martian Manhunter, the Justice Society and so forth resonated with me much more. As an aside it was notable how much the character Booster Gold was an influence on Antony Starr's Homelander in anti-superhero series The Boys.

It's a show which had pretty much everything - thrills, laughs, tears and it's fair share of horror. It was interesting in a way as every season was rated BBFC 15 but there was never any real gore in it until the tenth season where we saw swords rammed through people and blood spilling out but several episodes throughout the ten series were pure horror.

The tenth and final season was like a greatest hits adventure with pretty much everyone from previous stories returning in some form or other and all were welcome. The final scene as Clark runs along the rooftop and rips open his shirt to reveal the famous 'S' symbol had me almost in tears of happiness as he never wore the costume of Superman throughout the whole 217 episodes.

If there's any justice then Welling, Rosenbaum, Erica Durance's Lois Lane and Justin Hartley's Green Arrow need to feature in the DC multiverse of films.
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  #7544  
Old 5th July 2024, 06:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs View Post
As iank did earlier this year i've just done a complete watch of Smallville. All ten seasons. I did it as i had never seen the final series and had it in my to-watch pile for a couple of years.



For the unfamiliar Smallville recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian Clark Kent as he adjusts to life in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman.



The evolution in the show was gradual but huge as well, characters came and went and from the initial seasons when there were six or seven names in the opening credits montage it dropped in the final season to a mere four.



I think the reason it worked and i liked it so much was the quality of it's actors, in particular the older cast members like Annette O'Toole, John Schneider (Clark's parents) and the excellent John Glover as Lionel Luthor.



However the star of the show for me was definitely Michael Rosenbaum as the definitive Lex Luthor and it didn't seem just as rich a show when he was killed off and didn't return for the eighth season. None of the characters were unlikable which really helped and Tom Welling makes for a superb Clark Kent.



There are loads of scenarios and characters which when i first watched the series as it was initially released on dvd meant nothing to me, however in the intervening years and with the sheer wealth of DC films and series which followed in Smallville's wake ideas like Amanda Waller (Pam Grier) and the Suicide Squad, Blue Beetle, Martian Manhunter, the Justice Society and so forth resonated with me much more. As an aside it was notable how much the character Booster Gold was an influence on Antony Starr's Homelander in anti-superhero series The Boys.



It's a show which had pretty much everything - thrills, laughs, tears and it's fair share of horror. It was interesting in a way as every season was rated BBFC 15 but there was never any real gore in it until the tenth season where we saw swords rammed through people and blood spilling out but several episodes throughout the ten series were pure horror.



The tenth and final season was like a greatest hits adventure with pretty much everyone from previous stories returning in some form or other and all were welcome. The final scene as Clark runs along the rooftop and rips open his shirt to reveal the famous 'S' symbol had me almost in tears of happiness as he never wore the costume of Superman throughout the whole 217 episodes.



If there's any justice then Welling, Rosenbaum, Erica Durance's Lois Lane and Justin Hartley's Green Arrow need to feature in the DC multiverse of films.
I didn't realise the series finally ended on that reveal. With the fabulous score from John Williams too. I gave up on Smallville as it just seemed to be going nowhere and purposely dragging things out. I lost interest around series 6 or 7.

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  #7545  
Old 5th July 2024, 07:59 PM
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I didn't realise the series finally ended on that reveal. With the fabulous score from John Williams too. I gave up on Smallville as it just seemed to be going nowhere and purposely dragging things out. I lost interest around series 6 or 7.
Although i loved the episodes set in Smallville it did need to move full time to Metropolis which thankfully it did for the final three seasons. However it was faithful in it's ten years in the life of Clark Kent scenario as Clark went through high school, college and then onto working at the Daily Planet.

You'll have missed all the Suicide Squad, General Zod and Watchtower stuff unfortunately.
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  #7546  
Old 19th July 2024, 09:54 PM
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The Boys: Season 4

If you read the reviews saying that this Season was treading water, then you would have had a good idea of how this season went. If you follow American Politics, then you can see where the ideas come from. It's also true about there being shocks for shocks sake (Especially Episode 6)

I love the Series so it does pain me to do a negative review but the frustrating thing was that no matter what the Boys had on Homelander and co, it never seemed to matter and the bad guys would just carry on as normal. I know that it happens in real life but in a TV show, I don't like it when either the good or bad guys are in complete control for long periods of time.

It wouldn't shock me that in Season 5 that the good guys start getting their way until episode 7. Still excellent performances all round especially Antony Starr and Karl Urban.

Cobra Kai: Season 6 Part I

The first 5 episodes which basically is trading water or going round in circles which sees conflicts and affiliations recycled from previous seasons which a storyline involving Mr. Myagi being something new. This should have been a 90 minute special instead of 5 episodes.

Fitting that these shows either ended or started their current seasons as in a way I have found memories of during Lockdown, trying to order the DVD of Season 1&2 of Cobra Kai from Amazon but being sold out so I went to the back up of the Season 1 DVD of The Boys only for Cobra Kai to be back in stock when I started watching it. Obviously I bought it.

2 very good investments but I'm pretty sure I would have gotten The Boys anyhow.
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  #7547  
Old 25th July 2024, 11:30 PM
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Time bandits, wtf did I try to watch, either I just have little tolerance for films or TV shows nown or I'm missing the point of the concept of them.
I found it awful in every sense, could have got better and more likeable actors, acting was abysmal and stupid, the parents were utter tripe, the humour side to it pathetic and cringeworthy, no likeable characters. Tried to be different and funny to the point it just didn't work (well didn't for me) I gave up after one episode. Ill give it another go sometime and try a few more episodes, but I couldn't find anything good to say about it. But no doubt I'm wrong and like I said I'm missing the point and humour and someone will disagree and like it, laugh: and tell me it's getting good reviews,
I feel the charm and appeal of films and TV shows from years ago is what made them so great they seem to be missing in modern films and TV shows. Eg a lot of the nu Dr who recently.


Starring
Charlyne Amanda Y,
Lisa Kudrow,
James Dryden,
Kal-El Tuck
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  #7548  
Old 4th August 2024, 06:06 PM
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Loved watching the swimming at the Paris Olympics.

Been watching the swimming events religiously since London 2012 and once more thoroughly enjoyed it.

Just a pity it's finished. At least as far as swimming is concerned. The arena was packed every night with 15,000 fans going wild as local boy Leon Marchand picked up four gold medals across the nine days.

The next games in Los Angeles will have a 40,000 seat arena so that should be something else.

As always the presenters and pundits (Clare Balding, Rebecca Adlington and Mark Foster) and commentators (Andy Jameson and Adrian Moorhouse), who have been with me for the ride across the twelve years, were once again exemplary and brilliant company for the races.

Last edited by Demdike@Cult Labs; 4th August 2024 at 06:24 PM. Reason: A misspelling of Clare.
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  #7549  
Old 4th August 2024, 08:16 PM
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Although I haven't seen many swimming races, those I have seen have been thoroughly engaging and, in several cases, extremely close. The men's 100 m breaststroke, for example, saw the three medallists separated by only 2/100s of a second, and I really felt for Adam Peaty, whose quest for three consecutive Olympic golds in that event was so tantalisingly close.

As you said, the footage has been extremely good, the BBC commentary has accentuated the excitement from the water, and the analysis has been informative and emotionally engaging.

I've just finished watching the first three series of Dad's Army, featuring 29 episodes I haven't seen before. Many of them are cleverly scripted with jokes that are superbly delivered, but a couple (particularly The Day the Balloon Went Up) focused more on spectacle and slapstick internment to the detriment of the usual high-quality dialogue from the two writers and the fine ensemble cast.

I'll probably begin watching the fourth series after writing this and finish it in the next couple days.
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  #7550  
Old 4th August 2024, 09:03 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs View Post
Although I haven't seen many swimming races, those I have seen have been thoroughly engaging and, in several cases, extremely close. The men's 100 m breaststroke, for example, saw the three medallists separated by only 2/100s of a second, and I really felt for Adam Peaty, whose quest for three consecutive Olympic golds in that event was so tantalisingly close.

As you said, the footage has been extremely good, the BBC commentary has accentuated the excitement from the water, and the analysis has been informative and emotionally engaging.
I was a little bit 'meh' watching the men's 100 metres race. The biggest event in the athletics calendar yet it felt like a damp squib even though it was contested amazingly by all eight runners.

I think it was because i'd never heard of any of the athletes. Not one of them was a household name. Where's the Usain Bolt's, Carl Lewis, Linford Christie, Justin Gatlin's of the 100m world?

I've no doubt the runners are all well known among athletics fans but they haven't broken out of that circle to become household names.
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