Tv-Series 2019

[Stuart Galbraith]

Oh, and there is this as well....

[Panzermann]

Did they recycle the sets and costume pool from Downton Abbey?

 

 

I have only ever read the Time Machine from Wells. So I cannot compare. Though War of the worlds never really caled out to me to read it. Time Machine seemed more interesting.

 

 

btw, wasn't there a new tripods series some time ago? Or was it planned? *scratchhead*

[Stuart Galbraith]

Wouldn't surprise me if its the same production company. Hilariously Eleanor Tomlinson has the same hair colour she had in Poldark. I guess it was difficult to fit this in around the filming.

 

The War of the Worlds is Science Fiction, but it also fits into a kind of fiction that was increasingly popular at the turn of the last century, and that was war fiction. There was a sensationalized story called 'The Battle of Dorking', about Britain being invaded by Germans, and the British Army being defeated on the approaches to London. There was also a wildly popular spy fiction novel around 1903 called 'The Riddle of the Sands', where 2 plucky British yachtists in the Frisian islands fall on a dastardly plot to invade England via barges.

 

To my mind, yes, its a science fiction novel. But to some degree its also part of its time, Britain being afraid of losing its place in the world to Germany, and there were fears of new technology makes it increasingly vulnerable. You can read that in the engagements by the cavalry, the Royal Artillery and latterly the death of HMS Thunderchild. This isnt really much of a surprise, Wells, for all his pacifism, was a bit of a wargamer, and seems judging by his fiction to be interested in weaponry.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Wars

Which may explain why the early battles feel as if they have a familiarity with terrain, and they feel fought out. Coupled with the science fiction with popular ideas like natural selection, a dose of imperialism thrown in for good measure, im not surprised it was so popular.

 

If you read the Time Machine, you might find this podcast on it interesting.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009bmf

 

As well as the series linked by Banshee (and I like Gabriel Byrne, so that probably is going to be worth watching), there was this on TV when I was a kid. I cant say I felt that engaged by it at the time though, but it gathered something of a cult following.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvLsByWh13o

[Ssnake]

I read the "Tripods" books (a trilogy, what else) as a kid, and found them very enjoyable. Later I recognized them for what they were, a War of the Worlds rip-off for an adolescent audience, and I suppose the TV series is the adaptation of those books.

[BansheeOne]

There was also a wildly popular spy fiction novel around 1903 called 'The Riddle of the Sands', where 2 plucky British yachtists in the Frisian islands fall on a dastardly plot to invade England via barges.

 

Also turned into a (German) TV series. Following the British 1979 movie in which Michael York and Jenny Agutter outsmarted the German sands after already outsmarting the Sandmen in "Logan's Run".

 

 

[Stuart Galbraith]

Yeah, the movie was a surprisingly good adaption. Ok, so they changed it so the Kaiser commits maritime homicide on a loyal retainer, but the original novel didn't have quite as tight an ending.

 

Thats interesting, I didnt know they made it into a series, Ill have to look into that. There was a guy who lived near me whom went so far as to actually write a follow up to the novel, which was quite good fun as far as it went.

[BansheeOne]

There is actually a long tradition of German TV series (and movies) based upon British books other than the usual international hits like "Sherlock Holmes", "Treasure Island" etc.; the somewhat corny black-and-white adaptions of Edgar Wallace mysteries from the 60s were hugely popular at the time, essentially launched the careers of actors like Klaus Kinski and Joachim Fuchsberger, and are considered cult today, to the distinction of being parodied in modern productions.

 

Later there were mini-series like "The Adventures of David Balfour" (1978), based upon Robert Louis Stevenson's "Kidnapped" and "Catriona". It's "David's Song" theme by Vladimir Cosma, best known for the scores of various French comedies from "The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe" to "La Boum", was later re-popularized by the inescapable Kelly Family.

 

 

Unfortunately the more recent expression of this infatuation with All Things British is an endless slew of TV films adapted from Rosamunde Pilcher's Cornish romances.

[Stuart Galbraith]

There is actually a long tradition of German TV series (and movies) based upon British books other than the usual international hits like "Sherlock Holmes", "Treasure Island" etc.; the somewhat corny black-and-white adaptions of Edgar Wallace mysteries from the 60s were hugely popular at the time, essentially launched the careers of actors like Klaus Kinski and Joachim Fuchsberger, and are considered cult today, to the distinction of being parodied in modern productions.

 

Later there were mini-series like "The Adventures of David Balfour" (1978), based upon Robert Louis Stevenson's "Kidnapped" and "Catriona". It's "David's Song" theme by Vladimir Cosma, best known for the scores of various French comedies from "The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe" to "La Boum", was later re-popularized by the inescapable Kelly Family.

 

 

Unfortunately the more recent expression of this infatuation with All Things British is an endless slew of TV films adapted from Rosamunde Pilcher's Cornish romances.

[Stargrunt6]

I knew ST Discovery would be trash:

 

https://youtu.be/rnlxugk3Qb0

[Ssnake]

That was a devastating cut.

[Harold Jones]

I'm losing track of underwhelming ST shows, which one is Discovery? Is that the one on CBS streaming subscription channel?

[Stefan Fredriksson]

The latest (that I know of). I liked it.

 

Mindhunter.

Brilliant.

 

Daybreak.

Nah. See first two seasons of Z Nation instead.

[Skywalkre]

I knew ST Discovery would be trash:

 

https://youtu.be/rnlxugk3Qb0

 

To be fair the above is from a a short (together they're all called Star Trek: Short Treks) called "The Trouble With Edward." Apparently it was intended to be a comedic short (you guys might recognize the voice of the guy... it's the same person that voices Archer and Bob from Bob's Burgers) but that just went over the heads of the die-hard ST fans obsessed over all the new content. This isn't Discovery and that series is nothing like this.

 

As for Discovery I heard S1 was forgettable but apparently some of the performances in S2 (from Pike, Spock, and Number One) were memorable enough there's talk of a spinoff series or shorts of the Enterprise before Kirk.

Edited October 31, 2019 by Skywalkre

[Skywalkre]

Now, here's a show that looks worth subbing for.

 

[Panzermann]

 

There is actually a long tradition of German TV series (and movies) based upon British books other than the usual international hits like "Sherlock Holmes", "Treasure Island" etc.; the somewhat corny black-and-white adaptions of Edgar Wallace mysteries from the 60s were hugely popular at the time, essentially launched the careers of actors like Klaus Kinski and Joachim Fuchsberger, and are considered cult today, to the distinction of being parodied in modern productions.

 

Later there were mini-series like "The Adventures of David Balfour" (1978), based upon Robert Louis Stevenson's "Kidnapped" and "Catriona". It's "David's Song" theme by Vladimir Cosma, best known for the scores of various French comedies from "The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe" to "La Boum", was later re-popularized by the inescapable Kelly Family.

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCHWeKpLkHs

 

Unfortunately the more recent expression of this infatuation with All Things British is an endless slew of TV films adapted from Rosamunde Pilcher's Cornish romances.

 

One must say, the photography of the beautiful cornish landscape is really good. Just turn off the sound and enjoy the view. The dialogue is meaningless anyway.

 

---

 

Now, here's a show that looks worth subbing for.

 

ah I would wait for reviews. The look they seem to have nailed down. But if the actual stories hold up remains to be seen.

Edited November 1, 2019 by Panzermann

[Stuart Galbraith]

We dont tend to get many German drama's here im sorry to say, not even in the weekend BBC4 slot which regularly shows Scandi crime drama. Only one we caught over here has been Deutchland 83, and even that was shunted into a meaningless time slot which meant everyone missed it.

[BansheeOne]

Probably on the grounds that German series have long and widely been dwelling in mediocrity, and you don't need the effort to dub or subtitle that when you have the whole English-language global market at your disposal, including the American. "Deutschland 83" was in fact a gamechanger which showed risk-averse domestic producers that internationally successfull series could be made, and lead to big-buck co-productions, like "Babylon Berlin" and the re-"Boot" with Sky. Some titles to watch out for:

 

I know I've mentioned "4 Blocks" before, essentially a hard-boiled take on "The Sopranos" set in Berlin with a Lebanese crime clan rather than the mafia, made by TNT's German division. Comes across rather authentic; third season starts next year. Also inspired the similar "Dogs of Berlin", one of the recent German productions for Netflix. Another being "Dark", a sci-fiish mystery in the vein of "Stranger Things" and "Twin Peaks". Amazon produced the cyber-thriller "You are wanted", which seems to be a little like the 1995 movie "The Net" with Sandra Bullock. Also "Hackerville", a TNT/HBO production, though it's set mostly in Romania.

 

Even the public broadcasters have become a little adventurous with projects like "Bad Banks", which is about just that; or "Hindafing", allegedly a hilarious comedy show about local politics impacted by contemporary global topics in a Bavarian village, touted as the German "Fargo" - though I'm not sure what all will get lost in translation from Bavarian. I see "Ku'damm 56" about a family running a dance school on the famous Berlin street in changing times was in fact aired in the UK; the second season was "Ku'damm 59".

 

Another history series is "Charité", about the development of the renowned Berlin hospital, for which Netflix bought the rights for the English-speaking market. "Generation War" about five friends experiencing WW II on different paths was a bit controversial, probably inevitably so.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Yeah I saw the first episode of generation war, but it didn't click with me, for reasons I think we already discussed. I DID like Heimat though. I really ought to sit down and watch that again.

[Ssnake]

Even the public broadcasters have become a little adventurous with projects like "Bad Banks", which is about just that;

 

Sole problem, there's not a single character in the entire show (save for extras in the janitor role) that are likable, once that you get to know them better. Dysfunctional and amoral in different ways, yes, but none that I'd like to have as a neighbor. Breaking Bad had a similar problem, with the sole exception of Hank from the DEA, and Walter White's son maybe. Some are tragically corrupt like Jesse and Mike Ehrmanntraut, or at least non-violent criminals like Saul Goodman, but seriously, I have no desire to endure another season of Bad Banks.

I'm a sucker for Better Call Saul, though.

[bojan]

...Breaking Bad had a similar problem, with the sole exception of Hank from the DEA...

Yeah, which is why showdown should have been WW vs Hank, not totally stereotyped redneck neo-nazi gang.

 

 

 

I'm a sucker for Better Call Saul, though.

It is a nice show of "Way to hell is paved with best intentions". Pretty good.

Edited November 2, 2019 by bojan

[Stargrunt6]

 

I knew ST Discovery would be trash:

 

https://youtu.be/rnlxugk3Qb0

 

To be fair the above is from a a short (together they're all called Star Trek: Short Treks) called "The Trouble With Edward." Apparently it was intended to be a comedic short (you guys might recognize the voice of the guy... it's the same person that voices Archer and Bob from Bob's Burgers) but that just went over the heads of the die-hard ST fans obsessed over all the new content. This isn't Discovery and that series is nothing like this.

 

As for Discovery I heard S1 was forgettable but apparently some of the performances in S2 (from Pike, Spock, and Number One) were memorable enough there's talk of a spinoff series or shorts of the Enterprise before Kirk.

 

 

Good explanation.

 

And yeah I recognized H John Benjamin. He'll always be Coach McGurk to me:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF4FGHflvHQ

[Panzermann]

 

...Breaking Bad had a similar problem, with the sole exception of Hank from the DEA...

Yeah, which is why showdown should have been WW vs Hank, not totally stereotyped redneck neo-nazi gang.

 

 

Need a villain? Take some nazis! Booooring.

 

An actual takento the end conflict between Heisenberg and Hank would have been really awesome. With all the cat & mouse that entails. There was a bit of that, but not to the final confrontation. Kinda cut short. The nazi drug dealers make an appearance in the closure movie El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, but they are mostly stupid idiots. And evil for evulz. lolz. Well okay one is such a sociopath he does not register what he is doing to other people. but, yeah, they are not really relatable characters.

 

 

 

I'm a sucker for Better Call Saul, though.

It is a nice show of "Way to hell is paved with best intentions". Pretty good.

 

 

Despite being much of a used horse salesman and an enabler of criminals, Saul Goodman is still kinda likeable.

[Stefan Fredriksson]

If you like horror, you should definately check out "The haunting of Hill House". A now-and-then story of a family and, well, a haunted house. I can not say that it does something revolutionary new, but what it does, it does extremely well.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Is that based on this movie? Which was pretty damn good as I recall.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haunting_%281963_film%29

[Soren Ras]

Is that based on this movie? Which was pretty damn good as I recall.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haunting_(1963_film)

Both are based on Shirley Jackson's novel The Haunting of Hill House, which is one of the relatively few successful ghost story novels out there (ghost stories being naturally a better fit for the short story format).

The 1963 film was pretty good. I have not seen the new Netflix series, but the 1999 version with LIam Neeson was a dud.

 

--

Soren