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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

Although I think we're getting real development on the Siobhan vs the Blowjob Brothers front, cousin Greg was just delightful in this episode. What a slimy little weasel! I don't know how that actor will ever escape this character type, he does it so well.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:14 PM on May 1, 2023

> Maybe a dumb question, but did they ever specify what the $192 price actually was?

I saw others saying $192 billion. That's insane. It's $192 a share. Public company acquisitions are always decided on a per-share basis.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:13 AM on April 25, 2023

I really have no idea how the rest of the season will go (which is a great sign actually) except that the Roy Kids have to fail somehow. Ken has yet to have his addiction rear its head again, Roman's vulnerability and inner trauma just popped and seems to have actually worked somehow, but not in a way that emotionally satisfies him, the Baby is still to Emerge as a public plot point, so much left! At that price they *have* to sell since they no longer control the board (and turning down the… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:49 AM on April 25, 2023

> Kieran Culkin is on another level.

Yeah, despite all of Jeremy Strong's (in)famous method acting, Kieran Culkin's performance really stands out for me throughout the series. He's so patently squirmy and insecure, so needy! you feel so sorry for him despite the platinum spoon.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 12:09 PM on April 26, 2023

i have not finished this yet but I'm absolutely loving it. I don't know why it's so engaging to watch two characters continually make the absolute worst decisions over and over again but Ali Wong and Steven Yeun are utterly mesmerizing in this.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 12:26 PM on April 8, 2023

ok now we’re back to classic oscars, an award for a performance in a movie specifically designed to get an oscar but that nobody has ever seen. all the awards for EEAAO and i was getting worried the academy had moved into the 21st century
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:25 PM on March 12, 2023

Moonlight is definitely the best movie to win best picture in a long time, and really unexpected (although less unexpected than Parasite, since I think it was the first foreign language film to win?). I do think something is happening to the academy voting patterns as the hollywood old timers get replaced by a younger generation. I'm curious if there are other transition points in the past that are similar (like when the boomers started to gain prominence in the 70s). Definitely I think the best… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:36 AM on March 13, 2023

IMO My Year of Dicks was robbed. I see someone at Slate agrees: "That Oscar Absolutely Should Have Gone to My Year of Dicks."

Similarly Fire of Love was robbed. Navalny is a pretty bog standard doc, bordering on the hagiographical, with a basically uncritical approach to Navalny (waving away his associations with right wing russian groups in particular, and letting heavily motivated Bellingcat spook… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 11:45 AM on March 14, 2023

Was Ellie's birth sourced from the game? It would have to be the second game, it's not in the first.

no this is completely new material. honestly doesn’t make sense to me as an explanation of her immunity (by the time a baby is born the brain is already pretty developed, maybe if the mother got bit right after conception or something idk). i think they were struggling to give marlene some of the depth that the environmental storytelling gives her in… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 5:19 AM on March 13, 2023

More about game two scroll away scroll away:

i’m excited about season 2 because i’m one of the apparently rare fans who thinks the second game has a much better and tighter narrative, and i loved all the changes they made for the first season so i’m excited to see what they do with the second one, but also because i can’t wait for the spoiler free crowd to react to what happens to pedro in what i’m predicting will be the cliffhanger of the 90 minute… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 5:52 AM on March 14, 2023

this was maybe the worst luther outing yet, with an absolutely absurd performance by andy serkis as an utterly implausible mass murderer with the strangest hairstyles i’ve ever seen outside of the fifth element. really he has an army of people who will cooperate in killing dozens of others because he caught them jerking off to fetish porn or whatever? not a single one he blackmailed who decided to call the cops? it makes sense on a small scale, but there were enough people involved in this… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:55 PM on March 12, 2023

also, no alice, sadly. the people demand more ruth wilson but they do not always get what they want
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:00 PM on March 12, 2023

Well the series serves up some more gameplay tactics, both Ellie and Joel engaging in stealth, and gives us a clearer glimpse of Joel's true capacity for violence with his tried and true "beat the shit out of one guy for info and make the other guy say the same thing" torture rondo. The beats in this one are basically identical to the game, sans a zombie attack setpiece, so we're back in classic last of us territory.

Except! Where's Ellie's bow? I suppose the… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:16 PM on March 5, 2023

Thoughts about this episode:

- The left behind DLC is really great, I thought it was a better experience than the full original ame, and this did it justice. Heartbreaking justice
- If you let a mall rot for 20 years will it just turn back on like that? No rats eating the wires?
- I love that they use the real brand names for things (like the GAP and Mortal Kombat instead of the fake-Mortal Kombat used in the game). Adds to the realism.… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:47 PM on February 26, 2023

yeah i found the idea that some hedge fund shark would get honeypotted like that a bit unconvincing (more likely that he would have private eyes dig into everything before marrying and even if it was clean have her sign an ironclad prenup) and found the part after madeline inherited the money even less convincing. she should have seen the con from a mile away. why didn't she just move as much cash as she could into offshore accounts and fly to bali? why stick around for the family drama? was fun… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 2:52 PM on February 26, 2023

This was oddly relaxing to watch, real 2am cable TV energy. I wish he would do this for the Bulworth character instead. Just a man getting older and older wearing the latest hip hop fashions. Trap house Bulworth. Lean-drinking Bulworth, etc.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 9:37 PM on February 24, 2023

I thought Joel's emotional breakdown asking for help was much more effective (and with really great acting by Pedro Pascal, it was completely unexpected and moving to me) than the game version where they get into a dustup before they're interrupted by raiders. Still, I think it would have been more effective to have Ellie run away and have to be rescued, having Joel show that he *can* protect her and also making him have a moment of realization that the reason he's so anxious and afraid is… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:27 AM on February 20, 2023

my first thought on seeing the 10 miles from boston with dramatic mountains was damn i guess the cordyceps were able to move the berkshires a few hundred miles, an underrated side effect of the apocalypse. with such a big budget it’s a shame they seem to be sticking to canada for their shooting
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:38 AM on January 30, 2023

> Cultivating them from seed is actually pretty hard.

it's true that most commercial plantings are going to use transplants to propagate strawberries but that's just because they're slow germinators. in the world of the last of us, however, they have nothing but time, and you can definitely grow them from seed, esp. if you start germinating indoors
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 5:38 PM on February 3, 2023

Absolutely love the way they reworked the Bill/Frank storyline, and the freedom they feel to really diverge from the game story, but I would have loved to see Bill meet Ellie. I think it's clear that the show is moving towards the theme of love (in the time of cordyceps) and violence, which is definitely the core of the game even if the game seems much more just about violence. Also: environmental storytelling through a note found in a house! Joel searches for supplies in an abandoned shop!… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:05 PM on January 29, 2023

Btw, and apropos of noooothing, is "books included" also including TLoU:Part 2?

sure why not. it looks to me like this season is going to encompass the whole story of part 1, and they’ve been renewed for another season, so i’m really wondering if that’s going to be the ellie/abby story or if they will go in a whole new direction with it. i hope they stick with it and kill joel off, with some flashbacks for out weekly dose of pedro pascal, but who knows
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 2:02 PM on January 31, 2023

> Did anybody catch Tess's explanation why there were so many infected on the ground blocking the long route?

I think the argument was that it had been safe before but people trying to move in and out of the QZ had opened up the buildings to take shelter letting out the infected that were trapped inside and also getting infected themselves, until a huge hoard of infected had gathered.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:49 AM on January 23, 2023

When Joel boosted Tess up to get past an obstacle I held my mental triangle button down. All they need now is to hold open a rusty metal garage door halfway while someone grabs a conveniently placed rolling cart to hold it up.

Clickers were really well done in this, very terrifying. Based on how hard they were to kill, we’re playing the game on Grounded.

Really i was annoyed when it ended, theyre doing an incredible job with this making me care… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 4:54 AM on January 23, 2023

> A lot of mentions of Die Hard in the general commentary for this (not just here) but the movie literally namechecks Home Alone and that's the strongest vibe that I got on the whole mix.

It also name checks Die Hard (he pulls a Die Hard bluray out of his magic bag). Santa is John McClane, the girl is Kevin McAllister, really it's a crowd pleaser, for all crowds that can handle a bloodbath. I also really enjoyed them making the Home Alone hijinks a little more… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:09 PM on January 21, 2023

One thing I thought was really well done was the slow buildup to Joel's first outburst of violence. While I'm sure we're going to see a lot more of him coldbloodedly murdering people in the future, by this point in the video game you've already stacked up more confirmed kills than prince harry. But for dramatic purposes, that delay was much more effective, and worked to connect Joel's penchant for unrestrained violence with the trauma of the losing his daughter on the first day of the apocalypse.… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:07 AM on January 16, 2023

I watched the first episode of this the other night and it seemed like it was not going to be very good, despite the cast which is full of people I really like. Glad to hear that it's probably not worth watching the rest of them.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:02 AM on January 16, 2023

Some background on the production of this film. For a lon time it had been the only Bertolucci I managed not to see and I think it will stay that way!
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 3:38 PM on November 26, 2022

The irishman's remarkable John Wick style murder skills in the bowling alley set high expectations for him which immediately fizzled out. Was he wearing future tech body armor too, by the way? Two close up shotgun blasts to normal body armor and you've got broken ribs if not bruised lungs and heart. Add getting rolled in an SUV without your seatbelt on and I'd say he needs the ICU stat. Despite that, I suppose we'll be seeing more from Bob The Butcher in the future, after a plot-magic… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 3:19 PM on November 15, 2022

sarah shermans weekend update bit was an instant classic, i’m so happy whenever she shows up on this show
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 5:47 PM on November 13, 2022

I think they should have kept Hanks under wraps until the ds pumpkins sketch because as soon as I saw him I thought: oh god they're doing another david s pumpkins, please spare me, and then it was basically identical to the first one, alas. maybe if I did not know in advance it would have hit differently.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 10:38 AM on October 31, 2022

Why on earth is everyone suddenly talking about that specific Negroni recipe? What did I miss?

Someone from the dragons show went tiktok famous for talking about it:

BuzzFeed has the skinny
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:14 AM on November 2, 2022

....and it ties into SNL how?

Did Cicely ask for that negroni in the tableside bartenders skit? That is what I though it was referring to, but I have no energy to go back and check.

yeah. It was referenced in one of the sketches. Most likely that one, but I can't really remember now
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 1:30 PM on November 2, 2022

there should be something that rescales rotten tomatoes scores for older movies because there’s no way contemporary reviewers (who are remarkably forgiving) wouldn’t have this one at 90%+. highly recommend for the spooky season
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:06 PM on October 26, 2022

the s'mores challenge on this is one of the most upsetting things i've seen on this show since.. since well they didn't understand what a tortilla was. this drove me insane. what the fuck is a digestive biscuit you make smores with GRAHAM CRACKERS. this is anti-american discrimination
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 5:30 PM on October 21, 2022

the british must be stopped
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 5:30 PM on October 21, 2022

apparently digestive biscuits are a standard sub for graham crackers in places where graham crackers are hard to find. But graham crackers are sweetened with honey, and spiced with cinnamon, which I don't remember either of them going into the digestive biscuit. But the thing is, you sub in something when you're not going to bother to make the thing itself, yourself. They could have BAKED graham crackers! It is a baking show, after all. That would have been an interesting technical, with lots of… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 7:26 AM on October 26, 2022

i'm enjoying this show a lot, although i wish i had waited to watch until it was finished. It's an interesting example in the ways television has replaced movies for a certain kind of small, intimate storytelling. Although, maybe not for the better! So far I think this story, with big ideas but a small cast, limited settings, and only so many things that can happen, would have been absolutely perfect as a 2 hour reflection on family and death, a showcase for cast's talents (the acting really is… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 9:03 AM on October 4, 2022

performances were great, but there were at least 3 or 4 episodes of pure filler in there, and i kept waiting for the auschwitz references to bear fruit. i struggled to see what the moral of the story was… men will literally do a holocaust instead of go to therapy? i expected a much different ending, one that suggested sometimes therapy isn’t enough, but instead we got self sacrifice as almost jesus like act of therapeutic breakthrough.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 9:38 AM on October 25, 2022

This movie is pretty incredible in a lot of ways, except for how weird it is about women (it's very weird about them!)
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 9:39 AM on October 18, 2022

the premise of contemporary television is what if you couldn't see shit and you didn't know who anyone was
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 12:24 PM on October 3, 2022

I'm sure it looks great on the 8K $10,000 monitor that the production team has running without any compression.

It's more likely a $32k (at least! they get pricier) 4K reference display. Ever since the GoT episode with all the zombies in complete fucking darkness I always wanted to know: do you ever take this shit home and watch it on a $500 TV? Because I bet it looks fantastic in a dark editing room on a display that costs more than the median yearly income.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:39 PM on October 4, 2022

i knew he wasn't going to die (yet) but the amazing thing about this show is how much i really really really want them to kill JP. This show is great!
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 5:32 PM on September 24, 2022

although this wasn't as incredible as the Robin episode, which is already in my list of all time great television shows, it was still amazing. The cascading levels of indirection in the actors hired to play actors playing other people, and Nathan playing one of those actors while an actor playing Nathan reenacts Nathan to Nathan?? A stroke of genius. The overdose had me dying with laughter, and the final scene, when the kid goes down the slide and the 6 year old comes out??? I can't say enough… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 6:24 PM on August 6, 2022

I can't remember the last time I was so mad I'd have to wait a year to see the next episode of a show. bravo (i guess). Also completely baffled by how they will continue this show for another season. Mark can't go back to work, right? I guess Dylan and Irving will still be stuck there since neither's outies know what happened, so maybe Mark will go on a rescue mission, and who knows what happens to Helly. A great season of televison tho.

> Ricken is likable, but… [more]
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:28 PM on April 8, 2022

> -Helly R. steps through her divided face to speak

Also the red rose behind her in the pitch black bathroom, echoing the training room. I think some folks are going to get some remedial training next year.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 8:30 PM on April 8, 2022

Current theory is that Mark's wife was braindead but they can revive her with severance (maybe she donated her body to science). When she's not severed she's in a coma
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 6:44 AM on April 1, 2022

are we supposed to recognize marks wife in the photo at the end? i guess i can see that she is maybe asiatic and has black hair but that’s not miss caseys nose, is it ? i was expecting helly, but now i don’t know what to think.

also the non severed lumen employees can’t all be permanent innies. milchick is clearly dylans cousin or brother or something, he is close to the outies family
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 9:39 PM on March 25, 2022

i see that the internet seems unified in the opinion that it’s a photo of the same woman as ms casey, even though i remain confused. this episode was fantastic though! the best show since station 11 ended
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 9:48 PM on March 25, 2022

I got really excited for Batista to arrive and try to take Dexter back to Miami. I also think there could have been a final arc to the story with Dexter on the run, "dark passenger" set free. Maybe Rudy (Brian) back as his guide, full murder Dexter, before he met his end. But this was not unsatisfying.
posted to FanFare by dis_integration at 11:50 AM on January 10, 2022