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I think that’s still too fast and he’s not tripping over… actually, I’m not exactly sure what they were tripping over but this guy is clearly walking better than a newborn animal, so… 
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Alright so the Inside Outtakes are really interesting! It’s almost like an alternate, rougher cut of the original special. Though obviously you see more of his mess-ups in recording.
The original thematic intent seems to have been looking towards the uncertain future, but he eventually tuned it back to being an introspective piece.
You get a great look at him messing with effects, alt takes of songs with different lyrics, lots of trying to catch a plane out of the window… Honestly, I think he was planning on putting the original on Youtube given how much content there is that makes fun of mid-roll ads. But I guess Netflix paid him big bucks.
Very excited for the Deluxe album. There’s a few whole cut songs here, and a few that feel unfinished, hopefully they can get a finished cut for the release.
There’s a chicken song at the end and it’s sad. Also brings an interesting angle to the “road” question.
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The outtakes were so incredibly good. I loved the parts where he put up multiple recordings of the same song and see them slowly fade out as he messes up. I think it also wonderfully showcases how lonely it mustve been recording inside and though its less introspective its still a fantastic piece.
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I don’t know how I missed this, but Netflix are making a prequel for The Witcher with the subtitle, Blood Origin. They finished filming in Novemebr 2021 and it’s due for release later this year.
Taken from Wikipedia:
Set 1200 years before the events of the television series, Blood Origin will depict the creation of the first Witcher, as well as the events leading to the “Conjunction of the Spheres”. It will also explore the ancient Elven civilization before its demise.
Apparently the teaser appeared after the credits of the season 2 finale.
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August 5. 
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I’ve passed the halfway point in Season 4 now of Stranger Things. Finished Episode 4. Can definitely give some impressions on it I think.
This season has been really great so far. The length of the episodes has been such a boon to the show, giving plots ample time to breathe and pacing to slow down. (Honestly I don’t remember all that much of Season 3, I’m going to chalk that up to the pacing? There are a few moments my brain remembers but a lot of it felt like a storytelling blur.)
The authenticity to the 80s culture, location, and themes is once again top-notch. Say what you will about the series itself, but Netflix has the budget to make this an accurate period-piece (at least to me, an outside observer).
The horror in general this season feels a lot more pronounced, it’s terrifying and I hate it, but that’s what makes it good I guess! Plus the added mystery surrounding new villain Vecna and what his whole deal is. What’s with the powers? Why randomly showing up?
I do hope they don’t reveal everything about The Upside Down by the end of the series – the eldritch, unexplainable horrors are what make the concept spooky in the first place – but I like how they’re really trying to pull back the curtain some more this time around, deepen the lore and world-building of this otherwise macguffin alternate universe.
And Sadie Sink. Man! She did a fantastic job in Episode 4. Really hope to see her name on awards lists this year. I think she could have a shot.
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Two episodes into The Orville and one into For All Mankind and I’m happy.
The Orville seems to have mostly dropped the humor, which I mostly don’t mind, though I hope they throw in at least one more comedic episode.
The first episode was weighty, personal and ambitious. (Frankly, I was shocked that it didn’t have a trigger warning at the beginning.) The second episode was, plot-wise, a fairly generic monster/alien trying to kill everyone episode, but it was well done and visually fantastic. (You can really tell they’ve upped the budget in both episodes.)
And For All Mankind moves out of the 80s and into the 90s with a Gary Hart presidency, Michael Jordan being drafted by the Trailblazers and the rise of space tourism, complete with a billionaire douchebag (so far, he’s just been seen in news clips, but I’m assuming… 
) and a space hotel. A couple of nice emotional moments, some NASA-style space problem-solving and the last fifteen minutes are super tense.
Definitely a promising start to both shows. 
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Started watching Stranger Things 4, and I love how, on top of all the other 80s references it’s always had, it’s now directly referencing A Nightmare On Elm Street, with its own version of Freddy Krueger in the form of the new villain; haunts dreams, feeds on emotions, deep gravely voice, fucked-up face, large claw on one hand. Yup, it’s all there.
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Minor actor spoiler: Robert Englund, famous for being Freddy Krueger has a starring role in this Season too you’ll see later, so the homage goes on multiple layers.
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Perfect.
2080scameos
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I got half way through the last season of Peaky Blinders. It’s still good. I’m excited to see how they wrap it all up. My only complaint in Season 6 is that they should have just called the Joe Kennedy fill in “Joe Kennedy,” but whatever.
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Vecna is Freddy but mixed with Voldemort. Two of my childhood fears combined lol.
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Great, one rapist misogynistic dream-haunting ghost, one racist dictatorial mind-reading sorcerer, both serial killing misanthropes who won’t stay dead and really can’t stand children. Hey, let’s combine ‘em! Who comes up with this stuff?
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I’m having a blast with Ms. Marvel so far and I got to say that the trailer did not do the show any favors. While it’s generally pretty lighthearted, and may skew a bit younger, it’s nowhere near as childish and juvenile as seemingly advertised. The way it’s shot and framed reminds me a lot of the comics, particularly its use of the background. I wasn’t sure about its explanation for the source of her powers (even though I understand why it needed to be changed) but the second episode alleviated some of that apprehension. Also, some scenes (like one involving a drastically scaled up Mjölnir and another depicting a possibly “too soon?” Endgame Black Widow homage) that were so unexpected and/or well executed that they were genuinely hilarious. Last but not least, Iman Vellani is fantastic in the title role; the whole cast is great and each brings something different to the table but Vellani has to play up quite a few over the top, farcical scenes while maintaining believability and she toes the line every time. I look forward to her future in the MCU.
All in all, this is a relatively easygoing and optimistic (not everything needs to be doom and gloom, especially these days) look at a young woman growing up Muslim* in America who also happens to have superpowers. I have absolutely no idea why the trailer came across as so immature but I think this meme my sister found perfectly sums up the show proper:
*NOTE: I, as a white male, do not feel qualified to comment on the accuracy or authenticity of the experiences of the female main character or the depictions of her minority culture. I’ll leave that to the experts on social media.
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Just finished what’s been released so far for Stranger Things 4, and I gotta say, I guessed the big twist a full episode ahead of the end. My wife listened, thought I was onto something, asked her sister who has seen it all if I was right, and she said no. Turns out she just didn’t want the surprise ruined for us and lied; I was directly on the money across the board. I guessed all about the identity of the orderly who helped Eleven; who he was then, who he had been, who he became, and all the reasons why. Didn’t take away from the shock, however, of seeing my exact prediction play out precisely as if I had written the episode. Can’t wait for the rest.
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Finished BARRY Season 3.
- Holy hell, this show has dived full-tilt into the drama zone. Some really unsettling and stomach-turning stuff for our characters in this season, and it looks like the comedy bits are brief moments of levity in this downward spiral. (The surrealist mockery of Hollywood and occasional focus on random human events is a very fun touch to this show.)
- It’s really well-made, with very nice pacing for 30-minutes each. It feels like you get your fill each episode, but always want more.
- Bill Hader has some really great directing chops, with great use of unsettlingly-close camera angles and cool long-shots used in this season.
As for what I’d say is a major con this season: returning characters given very little context.
I get this show was written and filmed in the middle of/tail-end of a serious pandemic. However it feels like a few integral plot points this time around needed specific knowledge of who previous characters were – problem is, for us Real Life People, it’s been over 3 years since the last season came out, even more than the first one, too.
Much of the tension this season comes from Fuches digging up Barry’s old hits and turning his victims against him. But a lot of those victims and victims’ names feel lost on me, which I only received context for afterwards in discussion threads or episode recaps.
Now, maybe each episode has a recap beforehand that clears things up, in that case it’s my fault, because the method I’m watching these with, doesn’t have one.
But I guess that’s a good case to rewatch Seasons 1&2 again, which is nice – I just hope they can maybe give a bit more context in the future to account for such a long time off the air.
And I Started Ms. Marvel today.
It’s a nice first episode. I’m not very familiar with the character, but I think Iman Vellani plays an Avengers super-fan Kamala Khan very well, probably because she literally is one.
A lot of scenes feel very natural and realistic in dialogue, I think partly because the actors aren’t articulating all the time? Maybe it’s my TV sound setup, but I found some words or sentences in conversations to be very quiet. Bit strange but I think it added a nice touch to a grounded story so far.
The show is fun and cute as a young-adult coming-of-age series. Something about the trailers made it feel a bit childish, but here it feels more teen-oriented, struggling with issues of future planning, expectations, rebellious teen nature, stuff like that.
There’s lots of style too in its artsy, paper-cut, presentation of Kamala’s creative, day-dreamy brain. The visual effects team are doing a great job. Feels very Scott-Pilgrim like, too, with the added unique cinematography and editing. This one shot following Kamala as she lies in bed, but the camera flips all the way around too was neat.
The nonchalance of untranslated Urdu language peppered in the script is a unique touch I feel. I don’t understand it, but I can sort of get it through context clues which is nice.
I really like the end-credits sequence too. Most of the other series has been “CGI Showcase Reel #25” for each character. But this one is a nice “Real New Jersey with CGI Avengers Graffiti”. Got some really good music too.
There’s also a mid-credits scene at the end of EP1. That’s new for a Marvel Series. They always hold those till the last episode.
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I think the trailer did the show dirty; it’s like it was advertising something completely different.
And I love the visual effects! They remind me of how the comics used the backgrounds of many panels (particularly in earlier issues).
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I’ve been meaning to start Barry; kudos on finishing season 3 (I was only vaguely aware there were 2… 
But! Speaking of finishing things: the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale was great. The show itself was good* but the last two episodes took it to another level. You’ve got some (minor) contrivances but from restoring canon to epic fights to satisfying
resolutions to fun cameos, Parts V and VI had a little of everything.
Random notes: Ian McDiarmid is low key the MVP of Star Wars, I was genuinely concerned Reva was going to lose to Owen and Beru, Liam Neeson is a such a troll , Vader and Obi-Wan’s last encounter was emotional and incredible, Ewan McGregor brings so much to the role, and the set up is there for a second season but assuming that’s the ending it’s pretty perfect (leaving the future (where Leia remembers Obi-Wan successfully helping her, Ewan McGregor becomes Alec Guinness, and Luke vaguely recalls that one time a crazy hermit gave him a toy) implied).
*It’s almost definitely better than the few hours of watching Ewan McGregor slowly aging as he just stands there watching Owen and Beru’s house that I only somewhat jokingly wanted to see when the movie turned show was first announced
So, as another step into ever evolving weeb spiral (don’t tell @MrOchoa) I’ve been watching Black Butler which uh, is A Lot To Unpack, thanks to the sheer number of grown men who really want this boy’s hole soul but it’s weirdly compelling too? Like, yeah there’s a lot going on with the grown ups but the servants are there as comedy relief and he has a super loyal Indian friend and his demon butler who geniuinely seem to care about him for reasons yet to be revealed. It’s cute and I’ve heard it makes puritans really upset so I’m in man
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Watched the first couple episodes of Gods Favourite Idiot with Melissa McCarthy and her husband (whatever his name is). The first episode was absolutely hysterical and the next one was funny and then they just fall off a cliff.
First two were funny enough that I would say watch it and quit it even though you’ll never know what happens in the end. We stopped after episode 4 and we’re totally fine not knowing what happens.
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