News about Netflix exclusive films and content

[rittchard]

I saw Ep 1 of Black Mirror and in spite of the video game theme, it kind of weirded me out. Given the themes and my recent interest in VR (see other thread), you'd think it would be a slam dunk, but something about it just seemed off.

Just watched the first ep and a half of the new season 3 of Designated Survivor. This is the first "regular network show saved by a streaming service" that I've seen so it was fun to note the differences. For the most part, the show felt very similar to when it was originally on. I thought the writing and pacing were a little sharper, but still similar. The funniest thing was the addition of f-bombs or "shit" or "tits" in every other scene. A little egregious and unnecessary, but kind of fun. Would love to see a season of 24 where Kiefer gets to use adult language lol.

[Drazzil]

I saw Ep 1 of Black Mirror and in spite of the video game theme, it kind of weirded me out. Given the themes and my recent interest in VR (see other thread), you'd think it would be a slam dunk, but something about it just seemed off.

Just watched the first ep and a half of the new season 3 of Designated Survivor. This is the first "regular network show saved by a streaming service" that I've seen so it was fun to note the differences. For the most part, the show felt very similar to when it was originally on. I thought the writing and pacing were a little sharper, but still similar. The funniest thing was the addition of f-bombs or "shit" or "tits" in every other scene. A little egregious and unnecessary, but kind of fun. Would love to see a season of 24 where Kiefer gets to use adult language lol.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why this show still is on the air. I picked it up a couple of times and dropped it in disgust. Now I'm on season 2 ep 10 and it just seems like a fox version of madam secretary.

The shitty scripts waste some damn fine actors too. I srill watch it on the background, as I watch resurection ertugul the same way. I can follow the plot of both if I just glance up at the screen occasionally.

[naednek]

Just finished up When They See Us. Man, talk about heart wrenching. And fuck you Trump.

[Isgrimnur]

Linda Fairstein has taken to WSJ to claim that it defames her.

[rittchard]

I saw Ep 1 of Black Mirror and in spite of the video game theme, it kind of weirded me out. Given the themes and my recent interest in VR (see other thread), you'd think it would be a slam dunk, but something about it just seemed off.

Just watched the first ep and a half of the new season 3 of Designated Survivor. This is the first "regular network show saved by a streaming service" that I've seen so it was fun to note the differences. For the most part, the show felt very similar to when it was originally on. I thought the writing and pacing were a little sharper, but still similar. The funniest thing was the addition of f-bombs or "shit" or "tits" in every other scene. A little egregious and unnecessary, but kind of fun. Would love to see a season of 24 where Kiefer gets to use adult language lol.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why this show still is on the air. I picked it up a couple of times and dropped it in disgust. Now I'm on season 2 ep 10 and it just seems like a fox version of madam secretary.

The shitty scripts waste some damn fine actors too. I srill watch it on the background, as I watch resurection ertugul the same way. I can follow the plot of both if I just glance up at the screen occasionally.

I think it's one of those shows that sounds really good on paper, especially with the cast, and for at least part of the first season I think it did a good job of keeping us entertained. It's like "24 meets West Wing meets Nikita!" Season 2 was a clusterf, especially when they tried to add Michael J Fox, and then teased fans of 24 with a fake Kim Raver reunion. Worst of all for me, after they resolved the initial attack, they just didn't know what to do with Maggie Q, They'd throw her back into action every now and then but the writers couldn't figure out sensible ways to have her interact with the main cast. So the show kept feeling like 2 disjointed shows, a West Wing-like drama mixed with a 24/Nikita combo but where Kiefer Sutherland is not allowed to participate lmao. The worst part for me is I constantly hope they'd let Kiefer go and join Maggie Q on a kill/torture rampage to stop terrorists.

Season 3 I'm just in the middle so I don't know where it's headed, but thus far it still seems like the 2 disjointed shows I described above. The primary focus though has almost gone entirely to the politics and a presidential campaign, and half the time I feel like Pete Buttigieg is going to appear and ask Kiefer to stop stealing material from his speeches. Almost comically they just added the transgender actress from Sense 8 who is conveniently Kiefer's sister-in-law, which allows them to conveniently add more LGBTQ politics and speeches into the show. In the mean time, Maggie is off on a completely different story chasing some bio-terrorist or something, and thus far it has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of it. Obviously it will converge later as they follow the pattern of season 1, but I just can't help feeling like it's going to be painful to watch.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I watched the Netflix movie I Am Mother the other night. If you're interested in sci-fi, you should definitely check it out. Interesting premise, good execution, and surprisingly high quality effects.

[stessier]

I watched the Netflix movie I Am Mother the other night. If you're interested in sci-fi, you should definitely check it out. Interesting premise, good execution, and surprisingly high quality effects.

Thanks! I almost watched it this weekend, but got busy. I'll add it to my list.

[Drazzil]

I saw Ep 1 of Black Mirror and in spite of the video game theme, it kind of weirded me out. Given the themes and my recent interest in VR (see other thread), you'd think it would be a slam dunk, but something about it just seemed off.

Just watched the first ep and a half of the new season 3 of Designated Survivor. This is the first "regular network show saved by a streaming service" that I've seen so it was fun to note the differences. For the most part, the show felt very similar to when it was originally on. I thought the writing and pacing were a little sharper, but still similar. The funniest thing was the addition of f-bombs or "shit" or "tits" in every other scene. A little egregious and unnecessary, but kind of fun. Would love to see a season of 24 where Kiefer gets to use adult language lol.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why this show still is on the air. I picked it up a couple of times and dropped it in disgust. Now I'm on season 2 ep 10 and it just seems like a fox version of madam secretary.

The shitty scripts waste some damn fine actors too. I srill watch it on the background, as I watch resurection ertugul the same way. I can follow the plot of both if I just glance up at the screen occasionally.

I think it's one of those shows that sounds really good on paper, especially with the cast, and for at least part of the first season I think it did a good job of keeping us entertained. It's like "24 meets West Wing meets Nikita!" Season 2 was a clusterf, especially when they tried to add Michael J Fox, and then teased fans of 24 with a fake Kim Raver reunion. Worst of all for me, after they resolved the initial attack, they just didn't know what to do with Maggie Q, They'd throw her back into action every now and then but the writers couldn't figure out sensible ways to have her interact with the main cast. So the show kept feeling like 2 disjointed shows, a West Wing-like drama mixed with a 24/Nikita combo but where Kiefer Sutherland is not allowed to participate lmao. The worst part for me is I constantly hope they'd let Kiefer go and join Maggie Q on a kill/torture rampage to stop terrorists.

Season 3 I'm just in the middle so I don't know where it's headed, but thus far it still seems like the 2 disjointed shows I described above. The primary focus though has almost gone entirely to the politics and a presidential campaign, and half the time I feel like Pete Buttigieg is going to appear and ask Kiefer to stop stealing material from his speeches. Almost comically they just added the transgender actress from Sense 8 who is conveniently Kiefer's sister-in-law, which allows them to conveniently add more LGBTQ politics and speeches into the show. In the mean time, Maggie is off on a completely different story chasing some bio-terrorist or something, and thus far it has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of it. Obviously it will converge later as they follow the pattern of season 1, but I just can't help feeling like it's going to be painful to watch.

How the hell does netflix cut loose so many good shows just to keep this stupid show going? I don't think I've ever been angry about a show being renewed before. I might come close if this show gets season 4.

[stessier]

How the hell does netflix cut loose so many good shows just to keep this stupid show going? I don't think I've ever been angry about a show being renewed before. I might come close if this show gets season 4.

Netflix knows everything about it's viewer's habits. It knows who watches what, how many times they watch it, if they watch to the end - everything. If they cancel a show, it's because it's not getting enough views to justify the cost. They've come out and said the sweet spot is 3 seasons - almost nothing is worth going beyond that.

So if something you like gets cancelled, blame your fellow streamers - they weren't interested enough to make it an ongoing concern.

[hepcat]

I watched the Netflix movie I Am Mother the other night. If you're interested in sci-fi, you should definitely check it out. Interesting premise, good execution, and surprisingly high quality effects.

Thanks! I almost watched it this weekend, but got busy. I'll add it to my list.

Ditto. I've been hesitant to dive in, but I'll give it a shot this weekend. Hopefully it's more Ex Machina than Robot Monster.

[rittchard]

I watched the Netflix movie I Am Mother the other night. If you're interested in sci-fi, you should definitely check it out. Interesting premise, good execution, and surprisingly high quality effects.

Thanks! I almost watched it this weekend, but got busy. I'll add it to my list.

Oh yeah, second recommendation for it, I really liked it. Kind of a "small" sci-fi movie in the way the story is self-contained, but that was kind of the appeal as well. Very well done all around.

- - -

I'm finally approaching the end of Designated Survivor. Well, in all honesty I slept through portions of it, but I WILL make it through lol. It's still pretty bad overall, and Nikita's storyline still hasn't crossed into the main story at episode 7. It appears the final 3 episodes will actually integrate the storyline, but it's hard to tell.

I'm not sure who thought that would make for a good show dynamic. The tone of the show for her portion is completely different than the rest of the show, so it's like this bizarre 3/4 politics and soap opera show, and then 1/4 Nikita-lite. Re-watching Nikita would likely have been a better use of my time, but oh well.

[McNutt]

Thanks for the recommendation. I just added I am Mother to my list.

[rittchard]

OK I slept thru most of the final episode of Designated Survivor season 3, and though I do plan to rewatch it, I can wholeheartedly give it a massive thumbs down. I don't know what the f these people were thinking but oh well. I guess in fairness there were some OK elements on the politics side, but the "action" plot was a 100% FAIL. I literally did not believe what I was watching, which is why I had to stick around for the final 3 episodes because I was certain they wouldn't have written such a horrible plotline. One of the stupidest things I've seen in any TV show in my lifetime, and I've seen a massive amount of crap. Anyway, stay far far away unless you hate yourself.

Spoiler:

At the end of episode 7, they kill off Maggie Q's character. Not in any sort of exciting or interesting way, she just chokes to death on some bio shit. And then they blow up the building she is in. I just assumed it was a fake death or she rolled under a trash bin or it was all a dream or any other fake death. But nope, that was it for her character. After 7 episodes of chasing a plotline that didn't integrate with the rest of the show until the following episode, they kill her off. She never interacted with a single member of the rest of the main cast. What a great way to spit on all her fans.
Hopefully she had something better to do and just quit before filming the end, because if this is what the writers actually wrote they should be forced to walk down a street naked so I can spit and throw dog shit on them.

[Rumpy]

Watched the first episode of What If. I thought it wasn't too bad. Then I watched the second episode and I couldn't even finish it. Yeah, big no here. It just feels so scattered, a bit of a mess. There's the main plot and all other side plots don't seem to be connected even tangentially. The pilot episode was quite promising, but by the second episode, I found it to be quite a bore.

[Pyperkub]

I watched Rim of the World, and, for what it was, it was okay. I see what they were trying to do with the 80's nostalgia thing, but there were just a few plot points that took me right past any logical suspension of disbelief. Add a few story holes, and some overly crass dialog from the kid actors, and I probably wouldn't recommend it, especially not for kids. As a point of reference, I've watched the Goonies and the Bad News Bears with my kids, and didn't have a problem, so it's not the language, really.

We watched it last night and had a lot of fun. kids, bikes, walkie talkies. Just the thing to tide us over until stranger things s3.

[naednek]

OK I slept thru most of the final episode of Designated Survivor season 3, and though I do plan to rewatch it, I can wholeheartedly give it a massive thumbs down. I don't know what the f these people were thinking but oh well. I guess in fairness there were some OK elements on the politics side, but the "action" plot was a 100% FAIL. I literally did not believe what I was watching, which is why I had to stick around for the final 3 episodes because I was certain they wouldn't have written such a horrible plotline. One of the stupidest things I've seen in any TV show in my lifetime, and I've seen a massive amount of crap. Anyway, stay far far away unless you hate yourself.

Spoiler:

At the end of episode 7, they kill off Maggie Q's character. Not in any sort of exciting or interesting way, she just chokes to death on some bio shit. And then they blow up the building she is in. I just assumed it was a fake death or she rolled under a trash bin or it was all a dream or any other fake death. But nope, that was it for her character. After 7 episodes of chasing a plotline that didn't integrate with the rest of the show until the following episode, they kill her off. She never interacted with a single member of the rest of the main cast. What a great way to spit on all her fans.
Hopefully she had something better to do and just quit before filming the end, because if this is what the writers actually wrote they should be forced to walk down a street naked so I can spit and throw dog shit on them.

I'm watching it now, and just finished 7. I don't think it's a bad season, it's definetely more edgy then it was on ABC And jeez how many issues are they going to cram in this episode. Feels a bit forced.

[$iljanus]

Yea, Neon Genesis Evangelion is on Netflix! Time to rewatch exciting mecha fights, a rather interesting batshit insane take on the Old Testament, and psychological trauma galore! The only well adjusted psychologically stable character is a penguin. But it was a pretty cool penguin.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I don’t know if it’s exclusive, but I watched The Endless the other day. Without going into too much detail, it’s a story about two brothers going back to visit a cult they escaped from years before. It’s a pretty well done, lower budget sci-fi flick. Definitely worth checking out.

[Anonymous Bosch]

I don’t know if it’s exclusive, but I watched The Endless the other day. Without going into too much detail, it’s a story about two brothers going back to visit a cult they escaped from years before. It’s a pretty well done, lower budget sci-fi flick. Definitely worth checking out.

FWIW, The Endless is actually a sequel of sorts to an earlier movie, called Resolution.

[Jaymann]

So I started watching The 100 for some mindless entertainment, and it is that. It's basically YA post apoc space/soap opera, though with some Lord of the Flies elements. As with most shows of this ilk it does get you hooked, but I'm not expecting any big payoff.

[Rumpy]

So I started watching The 100 for some mindless entertainment, and it is that. It's basically YA post apoc space/soap opera, though with some Lord of the Flies elements.

That pretty much seems to be a thing among teenage dystopian series. Same goes with The Society, and that too gets a lot of Lord of the Flies comparisons in the media. Thing is, they all seem so similar after awhile. And like I mentioned earlier, The Society seems almost too familiar with Between, almost to the point of using the same basic template for their show that I wonder if it wasn't a deliberate remake.


Between:
Between is the story of a small town called Pretty Lake and surrounding rural area under siege from a mysterious disease that has wiped out everybody aged 22 and older. The series also explores numerous themes: the power vacuum that results when the government quarantines a 10 square mile zone and leaves the inhabitants to fend for themselves; the desire of inhabitants to escape, ignoring that they will spread the deadly disease to the entire planet; and the effect of hormonal teenaged/young adult angst becoming the guiding force for an entire community.

The Society:
The Society follows the story of a group of teenagers who must learn to run their town after all the adults mysteriously disappear. It transpires in a place called West Ham, Connecticut.[1] The mystery begins when the students of the local high school return from a canceled field trip and find that everyone is gone.[2] A forest appears surrounding the town and communication no longer works, making any attempt to leave or contact the outside world futile. The teenagers must come up with their own rules to survive with limited resources.

[Zaxxon]

I'm finally watching Neon Genesis Evangelion now that it's on Netflix. Only 3 episodes in but it's promising. Yes, I know I'm 20+ years late to the party...

[Isgrimnur]

I'm finally watching Neon Genesis Evangelion now that it's on Netflix. Only 3 episodes in but it's promising. Yes, I know I'm 20+ years late to the party...

I still haven't finished Cowboy Bebop.

[hepcat]

I don’t know if it’s exclusive, but I watched The Endless the other day. Without going into too much detail, it’s a story about two brothers going back to visit a cult they escaped from years before. It’s a pretty well done, lower budget sci-fi flick. Definitely worth checking out.

FWIW, The Endless is actually a sequel of sorts to an earlier movie, called Resolution.

And they’re both fantastic low budget sci-fi that puts many big budget entries to shame. I raved about The Endless when it first showed up on Netflix last year. It’s not a Netflix exclusive, but still very much worth watching.

[rittchard]

So I started watching The 100 for some mindless entertainment, and it is that. It's basically YA post apoc space/soap opera, though with some Lord of the Flies elements. As with most shows of this ilk it does get you hooked, but I'm not expecting any big payoff.

The 100 is not really a Netflix Exclusive but I doubt there's enough interest to give it it's own thread. Season 1 had issues with finding its voice, you could see that some wanted the show to be sexy and young, but someone else wanted a much darker sci-fi show. At some point, the dark folk take over and the show starts to take off and stops holding back.

I've given it strong reviews over the years, and it just continues to surprise me in a way no other show has. It's now on Season 6 and keeps finding ways to re-invent itself using mostly the same core cast. This is the one show on network TV that has taken risks and was allowed to survive. Some of the themes have been downright gruesome, and it has not pulled punches in terms of making major plot shifts and "they did not just go there" moments. You may not always enjoy the direction the show is taking, but take heart in that it will shift to something quite different very rapidly.

[Jaymann]

The main thing I find irritating is I can't stand the mother; she keeps getting sentenced to death, but is always saved at the last moment.

[gilraen]

Yea, Neon Genesis Evangelion is on Netflix! Time to rewatch exciting mecha fights, a rather interesting batshit insane take on the Old Testament, and psychological trauma galore! The only well adjusted psychologically stable character is a penguin. But it was a pretty cool penguin.

Why Evangelion fans aren't happy with Netflix's changes

[Lordnine]

While I understand being upset when something you enjoy is changed, the new voice acting at least seems like a huge improvement over the original. I never watched the original but I did listen to a comparison video and I don’t think I could sit through a full episode with the original dub.

[gilraen]

It's been a number of years since I've seen Neon Genesis Evangelion, but I watched it twice (essentially back-to-back). First time - with English subtitles, so that I could listen to the original dialogue (no, I don't understand Japanese ) But then I felt like I had such a hard time reading the subtitles AND keeping up with all the nuances of what was happening on the screen (especially in the last 3 or so episodes), that I rewatched the whole thing with English dub, just so I could focus on the visuals.

[$iljanus]

So I didn't watch Neon Genesis Evangelion with either the original or new english dub so I can't comment about the quality. But I had forgotten about episodes 25-26 which I ended up fast forwarding most of it and without spoiling anything I would encourage any new viewers to watch End of Evangelion afterwards which takes place after episode 24. It's, ummm, a little different and Hideaki Anno may have been having a bit of a "Well fuck you!" moment after the criticism and death threats that he received for the original ending but I liked the final product.


In the end, just get in the damn robot Shinji.

[hepcat]

While I understand being upset when something you enjoy is changed, the new voice acting at least seems like a huge improvement over the original. I never watched the original but I did listen to a comparison video and I don’t think I could sit through a full episode with the original dub.

I can never watch dubbed shows. I don't care how true to the original language it is, it just feels wrong to me.

[$iljanus]

While I understand being upset when something you enjoy is changed, the new voice acting at least seems like a huge improvement over the original. I never watched the original but I did listen to a comparison video and I don’t think I could sit through a full episode with the original dub.

I can never watch dubbed shows. I don't care how true to the original language it is, it just feels wrong to me.

I think the only english dub I've liked was the one done for Cowboy Bebop. Otherwise I prefer watching my foreign movies and TV shows in their native language too.

[stessier]

While I understand being upset when something you enjoy is changed, the new voice acting at least seems like a huge improvement over the original. I never watched the original but I did listen to a comparison video and I don’t think I could sit through a full episode with the original dub.

I can never watch dubbed shows. I don't care how true to the original language it is, it just feels wrong to me.

Have you seen 3% (I would recommend the first season if you have not - I haven't seen the rest yet)? They did a really good job, imo. For a while in the beginning, I was wondering if my lip sync was off just a bit or if it was actually dubbed because it was so close.

[hepcat]

2 episodes into Neon Evangelista Guinness or whatever it's called. It's fun, but I forgot how often 80s/90's anime would put women/girls into short shorts and then film awkward shots with said behinds in full frame. It's definitely a teen boy driven market.

[Zaxxon]

2 episodes into Neon Evangelista Guinness or whatever it's called. It's fun, but I forgot how often 80s/90's anime would put women/girls into short shorts and then film awkward shots with said behinds in full frame. It's definitely a teen boy driven market.

Yeah, definitely undermines the 'this anime is serious, deep stuff' narrative. Oh, mid-90s...

I'm 5 eps in, and let's say it hasn't stopped.

[$iljanus]

2 episodes into Neon Evangelista Guinness or whatever it's called. It's fun, but I forgot how often 80s/90's anime would put women/girls into short shorts and then film awkward shots with said behinds in full frame. It's definitely a teen boy driven market.

Yeah, you have your mechas, panties and breast shots and the obligatory hot springs bath episode.

[hepcat]

Thanks for the recommendation. I just added I am Mother to my list.

Just watched it. It’s the kind of science fiction you’d see back in the 70s before action took the spotlight away from good storytelling. Movies like this, Ex Machina, Prospect, etc. really are throwbacks to those days. Very well done and highly recommend.

[Newcastle]

Netflix Stranger Things Season 3

-Not spoiling anything...

I am making my way through the series now, and one thing I've thought was super cool was how they transition from scene to scene. In some transitions the method of doing so is pretty damn cool. Its nothing revolutionary or anything, but say they exit a scene by focus on a lens, then they transition to the next scene by focusing on that lens and zooming out. (actual example).

Another cool shot kind of spoilerish but really not

Spoiler:

when hopper & winona are back in the lab, you have hopper reaching for his gun, and the camera shifts toward the door, you can see an awesome silhouette of the gun on the door.

The cinematography is pretty cool in some places. I usually dont pay attention to that stuff, but this time it caught my eye.

[Exodor]

Just finished Stranger Things Season 3.

Now the long wait begins for Season 4.

[Isgrimnur]

Go try The Ranch to cleanse the palate.