What are you watching now?
- Thread starter mattybfat
- Start date
1speed
Incredibly profound yet fantastically flawed
Watched the first two episodes of "The Terror" last night ... I've been waiting for this show ever since I saw a teaser ad while watching Better Call Saul last year. It's only a ten-part mini-series, and it starts out really slow, but I think that fits the theme. The true story of the Terror (which no one will ever really know since there were no survivors and the wreckage of the ships weren't even found until 2016) is terrifying just by imagination. The few things upon which most experts seem to agree is that the men on this expedition (1) suffered a lot, (2) slowly lost their minds (perhaps due to lead poisoning from the pipes used for their drinking water) and (3) took a very long time to die. There is also some speculation (widely accepted now) that they were reduced to cannibalism. I read a lot of historical non-fiction, particularly stories of disastrous expeditions, and there is (perhaps not surprisingly) a lot of those about polar expeditions. This is a pretty good show so far (with great performances by Jared Harris, Ciaran Hinds and Tobias Menzies so far) and from what I understand the last few episodes are supposed to be horrifying.
1speed
Incredibly profound yet fantastically flawed
So has anyone else been watching "The Terror" on AMC? This has to be one of the most chilling, well-acted anythings I've ever watched. It's based on the fictionalized account of the very real disappearance of the expedition crews of the British ships The Terror and The Erebus in the arctic circle while searching for the northwest passage in the 1840's. There is a "monster" stalking the men in the form of a mythological Inuit creature called "Tuunbaq", a kind of polar-bear-esque creature who protects the land from intruders. But I don't think that's even necessary to make this show the best horror television program I've ever seen - the real, genuine horror is among the men themselves as they slowly come to the realization that they are not going to survive this place is so much scarier than any monster. The acting is incredible - there are at least four or five Emmy-level performances here, and their collective ability to portray desperation - and how that manifests in different people - is amazing. Next week is the finale (it's a 10 episode limited series), but it is available online at amctv.com and I imagine it'll be on Netflix after it's done at some point. I can't recommend it enough.
Monkey Soup
Angry Wanker
Terror is definitely amazing, I've been recommending it as well. Its so bleak, but I can't stop watching. Most of the actors on that are all pretty accomplished BBC dudes. Been also watching Black Mirror on Netflix. Some of the episodes in the first season are pretty abstract (I'm into that though), but the series really finds its legs from season 2 on. Theres a common thread that connects all of the episodes, but you need to watch it to figure it out. Altered Carbon is also pretty good, I like the premise. They also must have spent a shit-ton of money on production, as the special effects are almost feature-film level.
I was literally just typing this speaking of weird.
Watched wild wild country on netflix. REALLY good. One of those stories I dont remember hearing about as a kid, even though it was national news pretty often. What a story.
Then I watched The looming tower on Hulu, also really good.
1speed
Incredibly profound yet fantastically flawed
Yeah, my brother got me hooked on Black Mirror a couple years ago. It seems like there is usually one episode per season that really stands out for me personally. And it seems like everyone I know who watches it has one episode overall that really stands out for them. For me, it's probably White Bear or Metalhead.
The same brother who got me hooked on Black Mirror watched this and recommended it. I haven't seen it, but the story about what they did with the homeless people was simultaneously awful and funny. There is a very funny SNL skit about this show, too.
Ya with that story...Its like the part where they rounded up thousands of homeless people from all over the country, drugged them, housed them with the intention of having them vote seemed just average on the weird scale.
thegock
Well-Known Member
Last finished: Goliath Season One (season 2 out in one month)
Billy Bob Thornton don't disappoint. 4/5 stars
On the recco list:
Billions
Black Mirror
In the last two years:
Rewatched "The Wire" -best ever
Rewatched "True Detective" Season One and Two; One is 5/5, Two is 3/5.
Rewatched first three seasons of the Sopranos and working on season 4 now.
Wife is up to season six or seven of GoT, but not my thing.
Billy Bob Thornton don't disappoint. 4/5 stars
On the recco list:
Billions
Black Mirror
In the last two years:
Rewatched "The Wire" -best ever
Rewatched "True Detective" Season One and Two; One is 5/5, Two is 3/5.
Rewatched first three seasons of the Sopranos and working on season 4 now.
Wife is up to season six or seven of GoT, but not my thing.
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watching it - think i'm on episode 5 -
the "reality" of the situation, is opposed by the "myth" of the creature - like life and death.
great use of color (or lack of) for different scenes.
i'm having trouble with the time shifting tho.
I need to watch this. Having grown up in OR, the Rajneeshees were right in the middle of our radar. We had neighbors who got sucked in to the Rajneesh thing and even through the late 90's we used to see people wearing all red around town. My friend's family bought a couple huge tents from the Rajneshparum auction which we used to use for camping. It was rumored that somebody in town bought one of the Bogwan's 85 Rolls Royces. Oh also, a family friend was one of the federal prosecutors in the case against Ma Anand Sheela and some of the other followers. I think he received death threats afterwards as a result of his involvement.
1speed
Incredibly profound yet fantastically flawed
Yeah, I've had discussions with my brother about the point of the creature in all of this (you really don't need it at all to make this show terrifying.) I think that debate could go on and on. Hell, you could even debate the idea that the creature isn't even real on the show. I mean, these guys were slowly going crazy and the only surviving account, as implied by the first scene in episode 1, is from that Inuit leader, so as the viewer, you may not be able to trust the story as we are seeing it. But if we keep it simple and assume the creature is real, there are any number of ways you could interpret it in the context of what is happening. Personally, I don't feel like it's necessary, but I can see how the author of the source material chose to add it. In the end, though, the horror it brings pales in comparison to the real horrors of being in a place where a very cruel climate is only going to slowly kill anything that is ill-suited biologically to be there.
terror is good so far, im only on episode 3 or 4, have to watch it alone since the (future) wife doesnt like that kind of stuff, kind of slowing my watching down :/
thinking better move would have been not to show it. ala blair witch project.
but totally agree - it doesn't need to be there. people could disappear into the fog just as easily.
in my mind the monster is the cost of making a mistake. like continuing on northward late season.
i liked the scene where they are playing football on the ice that is killing them.
really is well done.
Very good series. Short season though.
We just started Handmaids Tale a few nights ago. Free Hulu trial....