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i guess in the end the alien thing kind of works. there's really only one other possible explanation for the existence of such a creature as sugar, not just his ability to block bullets but his kind of buddha nature, perfect level of tact, and unthinking love of humanity, and that's if he was an angel. i dunno if that would've been worse. in the end though i think it would've been improved if it was left ambiguous until the end whether he was in fact an alien or some kind of warrior monk, or… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:35 PM on May 18, 2024

i did kind of laugh at the serial killer cliche torture dungeon reveal. this show though is suffering from intense third act problems
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 5:26 PM on May 13, 2024

I'm not actually completely sure there will be a twist in the now traditional sixth sense. Granted I haven't watched this weeks episode. But Sugar might just be an ex-spy who takes on private work and has a dark past? The thing with the movie clips feels like post-modern metacommentary. The real twist would be if at the end they pull back and it's all been on movie sets all along.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:28 AM on May 3, 2024

ok apparently there was a twist in this weeks episode. nevermind
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:29 AM on May 3, 2024

i've been rewatching the Supermen a la Reeves lately and they're all so delightfully terrible. This one however is not that bad, compared to Superman 3, which is an absolutely bonkers romp (richard pryor, computer hacker!, robert vaughn, evil business tycoon!). This one however does bring up an important question, which is why superman doesn't just put a stop to all war and establish a kind of pax supermanica, making all others bow to his will in the name of an endless, eternal peace. Why stay… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 4:12 PM on April 23, 2024

> 3 got middling reviews and what I've seen does look not great, but I've gotta figure it's still quite a bit better than this film

3 is kind of like what if the Zucker brothers directed a superman movie, only cheaper and with worse special effects. It's the one where Superman becomes a jerk and grows a beard, and tears open an oil tanker cause he's horny. But Richard Pryor does rock a sick Louis Vuitton suitcase, and there's a joke about Kant's Critique of Pure… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:29 PM on April 23, 2024

i hated the cgi effects in this movie, which were uniformly terrible. especially in the final setpieces with the smoke effects and the pool of crude oil. just pure uncanny valley garbage. bring back practical effects in action films!

the critical reaction is spot on for me. you can have a dumb action movie if the action set pieces are good. they are not good in this movie, and the comedic bits are not enough to make up for it on the whole, even if i got a chuckle in here or there.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 10:30 AM on April 21, 2024

It's upsetting to me how much I'm enjoying this incredibly pretentious, implausible, and overwrought, confusing jumble of a show about a man who seems like he might be a fallen angel (except with a dark past?). Glad we're still making challenging television though. For some reason it's reminding me of The Leftovers (although only by vibrating at certain similar frequencies)
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 12:51 PM on April 10, 2024

> We're told that Toranaga is a savvy planner and manipulator, well-known for his trickery, but Blackthorne has to save him twice during during the escape attempt.

I think they're struggling with how to make it plausible that Toranaga would accept Anjin as an advisor and also a friend, given that it seems like the smartest thing would be to throw him to the Jesuits to forge an alliance and save his head, so they had to make our World's First English Weeaboo into a… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 6:43 AM on March 6, 2024

I've been meaning to ask, what is Japan trading with the Spanish? they're getting guns and ammunition but what are they offering in return that's so valuable? I thought it was silk at first but the silk was coming from China.

japanese silver was a major export, porcelain goods, and slaves.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:15 PM on March 9, 2024

I watched the first 3 over the weekend and while I really like Noomi Rapace's performance, found the drama of her escape from the ISS gripping and moving, Jonathan Banks is imo completely miscast, (sorry but I am not convinced that he was once an astronaut), it's hard for me to believe anyone would be that concerned for the experiment above the lives of the crew (you can get to space again to do a zero g experiment, we send stuff to space all the time), really that whole character is not… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 6:40 AM on February 27, 2024

what the hell happened to the other guy that got out of jail, was he also doing the short sell? did he just get away? what about the dubai subplot??? i have a bunch of other questions but man that was an jumbled mess of an ending, yeesh
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 3:39 PM on August 2, 2023

> Hit Apple TV+ series Hijack renewed for season two, Idris Elba returning

Really struggling to imagine how they're going to pull off a second season that has any hijacking in it. Perhaps our hero, after a stressful experience in the air, will decide to take a relaxing cruise to the carribbean with his son.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:23 AM on January 31, 2024

The absurd brutality of the last two episodes was too much for me. Torture, and indiscriminate murder, topped off at the end by murdering some guys who were effectively just civilians with a magic missile. By the end of this season I did not really think there was anything to distinguish Reacher from the "bad guys". The first season kept him as a hero. Here, he becomes the real villain.

Jack Reacher is a fascist power fantasy. I'm usually OK with action heros… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:52 AM on January 23, 2024

> I wouldn’t consider the two in the chopper as innocent civilians

I guess not. But the moral calculus in these types of media is usually that you kill people who are trying to kill you or others, but when they're unarmed and at your mercy you let the authorities deal with them. If you go too far in a Jack Bauer style torture to stop the ticking time bomb, that has be noted, and the audience is given some ambiguity where it's like, "he saved the day, but did he… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 12:19 PM on January 23, 2024

Also, that scene in the helicopter was trying to be mission impossible but it was pure marx brothers. Ok, I was a little stoned, but I was cracking the fuck up.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 12:20 PM on January 23, 2024

Final thought: why DID the guy who was buying the rockets kill everyone he came across if he was just a middleman? Get in, buy the guns, sell 'em, get out. I thought we were going to build up to some scenario where he was going to use the rockets to shoot down an airliner or air force one for Isis and reacher has to stop him. But I assure you with a good passport I could make it to an arms deal and then back to where I came from without killing anyone at all. Just steal a car dude. It's not that… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 12:25 PM on January 23, 2024

> That fog was quite convenient, and not particularly realistic looking.

the fog was sent by the gods, with our welsh nihilist a kind of demon, or maybe an avenging angel, but certainly a figure from a mythical realm, possessed of magic powers. this episode was absolutely incredible, some of the best television i’ve ever seen
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 3:17 PM on January 11, 2024

> How does Dot know Danish is dead?

she saw them dump him in that hole in the previous episode
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 3:18 PM on January 11, 2024

> I'm not feeling this season as much

This episode was definitely a boring retread that added very little to the story.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 6:19 PM on January 6, 2024

> apparently the streets of NYC are completely deserted in the evening to allow a gunfight car chase across the city without any kind of response.

yeah just incredible for them to show up at the last minute, run over the guy as he's about to fire, and then say, "call 911" like half of i dunno queens isn't streaming this live on instagram as it happens.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:23 PM on January 7, 2024

holy shit! that's my reaction to this episode. fuck!
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 3:25 PM on January 4, 2024

This was basically a perfect episode of television, capped off with the DLR plates at the end as another wry callback to the original film. This season in particular seems to be channeling the magic of that first Fargo experience in a very knowing way, and I'm again mad I can't just binge it all in a weekend.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:11 AM on December 15, 2023

man all that build up to a slightly underwhelming defense of the house. but the house burning down? pretty on the nose for a visual metaphor for dots new life blowing up.

“with all due respect, we’ve got our own reality”, just an amazing line.

i guess this is normal midseason slow down but a weaker episode than the first three imo. although i too want pancakes.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 5:13 PM on December 6, 2023

> I'm also wondering what has led to Nadine going so hard on the denialism

If she is still legally married to Roy, then her current marriage is invalid. Well it may also be invalid anyway because she's using a false identity. I think she's also in a kind of denial herself. Her penchant for violence also seems to indicate that her Nadine identity might not be exactly a clean one, and she doesn't want her husband (or his mother, god I love this Jennifer Jason-Leigh… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:50 AM on December 7, 2023

I miss when streaming services dumped the whole season because I feel so teased by the buildup to the attack on the house. Can't wait for Dot to Home Alone the shit out of these Dry Bandits.

Does anybody have any idea what is going on with the 500 years ago weird religious rituals and such? I have no idea what it's referencing except implying that our Nihilist has a kind of genetic memory of some terrible horror (also pretty sure people in the 16th century were able to wash their faces)
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:37 AM on December 1, 2023

incredible kevin mcalister energy from this episode. so far this is easily the best fargo since the first season
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 4:47 PM on November 28, 2023

> I'm assuming you typed "second" and some overzealous auto-correct fixed it, because the second season was the best season of any show made in the '10s and it's not even close.

I have to admit that having watched season 1 and 2 back to back 8 years ago I don't really remember the distinction between them but just that they were excellent. I think I am thinking of the Kirsten Dunst/Jesse Plemons one, yeah.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 10:43 AM on November 29, 2023

oh man this was a great opener. kept throwing me curveballs. dying to know everything about dot’s secret past as what, a badass assassin apparently? the juxtaposition of the minnesota accent and midwestern mom mannerisms with ruthless violence is always entertaining to me.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:38 PM on November 25, 2023

I don't really remember the 80s except little fragments of childhood so I can't say it's authentic, but like a lot of period films this one goes wrong because everyone in it is impeccably fashionable even if they're the nerd character. This movie is strangely charming although you should never try to explain time travel in a time travel movie because it always makes it make less sense than if they just rolled with it. Deeply appreciated the waterbed. There really were so many waterbeds back… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:36 PM on October 9, 2023

I was really hoping (in another sideways reference to the Producers), that larry david was going to walk in as the steve martin replacement. But Broderick was very funny!

Speaking of him, I've become convinced tha Steve Martin is the killer in this season. The "white room" fugue states? He did it! Mark my words.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 2:46 PM on September 14, 2023

so the albanians just have like zero security of any kind? you can just walk right in and kill the crime boss of detroit if you want to?

really looking forward to the return of kentucky raylan
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:55 PM on August 31, 2023

I am 100% rewatching Vertigo this weekend because of this delightful episode
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 11:47 AM on August 31, 2023

Also the step over the hedge was some of the best physical comedy I’ve seen since The Nice Guys

I lost it when they zoomed out and the hedge was just a few feet long, with plenty of room to walk around it. Incredible stuff folks!
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 11:49 AM on August 31, 2023

I discovered baobing from this episode and I now have a mission in life to find some
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:17 AM on August 25, 2023

Man they did sweetie wrong in this one. I was hoping he would make it out of this one alive. Kentucky Raylan wouldn't let that crazy white boy pull this shit for so long.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 6:54 AM on August 18, 2023

Glad Raylan could get his leg over, but uh, another time filler of an episode. Not that I don't enjoy a sudden David Cross appearance whenever I can get one.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 1:28 PM on August 11, 2023

ah, one of those episodes of TV where nothing really happens but everything is set up for some cliffhangers where something is promised to happen. Not a fan of these kinds of time fillers! But I guess they wanted to devote some time to saying goodbye to nepobaby Willa. I didn't think her performance was that bad but I'm wondering if she'll return in any way to make the character worthwhile, or if that's it for her and they could have contrived some other motivating reasons to explain why Raylan… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:29 AM on July 27, 2023

This was a lot of fun and well acted, loved the fake 70s film stock look. I love that they tricked me into thinking it was a Groundhog Day type scenario but switched it up into something much more nefarious. Far from feeling like it was plodding, I was so happy when it kept going instead of ending. There were some plot holes (like is this the first time a Fontaine has died in the Glen? If so why do they have so many at the ready, and really how did he never notice that he never saw his mother… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:47 AM on July 26, 2023

This summer is peak Timothy Olyphant and I'm here for it. It's interesting to see Justified get the Prestige treatment here. It was always a good but kind of dumb and cheap (read: USA network) tv show, that was good mainly because of the performances and some sometimes clever scripting. Now it looks like a million bucks and that seems somehow... wrong? Anyway here's hoping this does well and Boyd Crowder shows up in the second season (approx 3 years from now given strikes)
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 2:41 PM on July 20, 2023

I know British people have a reputation for being the least multilingual in Europe but do they really not know that any Hungarian working as an air traffic controller would of course be fluent in English for the sole reason that nobody speaks Hungarian and chances are good that most flights into Budapest would have pilots from other countries? Like I know it's high stress and the main guy is upset about his brother dying and that would make him less rational, but seriously who would fall for the… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 4:24 PM on July 19, 2023

It's funny that she's supposed to be dowdy and unattractive because the ONLY thing I remember about this movie from seeing it as a 13 year old was that I came out of it with an incredible crush on Garofalo (formative years). I didn't even remember it had Uma Thurman in it (or Jamie Foxx!!!). That's clearly a me thing, however. Shocked by that rotten tomatoes score especially because pre-2000s ratings above 80% are basically 98% ratings today, so I'm looking forward to revisiting it.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 6:30 AM on July 19, 2023

justin theroux was really a standout in this. the thing about g gordon liddy is you couldn't portray him in a straightfaced way, it has to be over the top farce, because he's just a completely insane person. like all that stuff about the nazis is straight from his mouth. this miniseries dragged at times but every time theroux got up to some hijinks, it was instantly better.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 4:58 PM on June 25, 2023

this episode was definitely expensive! i did not expect the familial twist, but otherwise it all turned out the way i expected more or less. also what’s a spyverse
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 10:15 PM on May 26, 2023

OK Kane is the mole confirmed. If Nadia's secret was the baby, then Mason's is that he worked for Manticore.

But, this show seems to be working under the assumption that in 2045 or whatever, a single, asskicking woman spy who lives under multiple identities is not using some form of birth control. The political situation in this is pretty opaque, perhaps the Hapsburgs have seized power again and this is a second holy roman empire, no birth control allowed worldwide.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:51 PM on May 20, 2023

what’s impossible so far for me to understand is just what exactly about this show cost 300 million dollars
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 5:36 AM on May 23, 2023

> I'm hoping that they don't make the female POC The Mole

The scene where they find the other former Citadel operative locked up and he goes "this is your fault" or whatever while staring at Robb Stark but it turns out he's really saying Nadia did it is more confirmation of my ongoing Robb Stark definitely did it theory. A little "subtle" foreshadowing. Also there will still be memories available for Kyle. I don't know why I'm still watching this… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:00 AM on May 17, 2023

The action set pieces in this show are pretty good, the one in intro to the first episode was good enough to get me to watch two more, but every plot twist or whatever has had me giggling with its ham fistedness. It's giving ChatGPT writes a sci-fi story vibes. And is all the torture necessary? When all along they had a futuristic memory extracting device? But why not just use it. How can you escape the memory-stealing device by telling someone a secret you remember. Makes no sense.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 6:56 AM on May 8, 2023

Also if your backup spy had already infiltrated the security forces at the facility you're doing a black bag job on, why not have *her* do the stealing, since she's already got access and such?
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 6:58 AM on May 8, 2023

Speaking of bad plot twists, I have a prediction about this that I want to record for posterity. Right now they're trying to potray Nadia as the one who betrayed Citadel to Manticore. But obviously the double agent has to be Robb Stark, the one who doesn't have his memory back. He will get his memory back, realize it's all his fault, but probably in the end turn back to the light side of the force. Anyway, with all the writers on strike I'm accepting offers to pen badly written high budget… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:17 AM on May 9, 2023