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Dracko
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 1:47 pm    Post subject: Free thrills and idiot boxes. Reply with quote

I've owned these two box sets for a relatively short time, but they've been seeing so much use, it's hard not to deem them worth the cash.

I've recently finished watching Dennis Potter's brilliant The Singing Detective for the third time since its purchase. I hadn't heard of Potter before buying this mini-series, my interest in British television leaning back to the good old days when Britannia ruled the airwaves with The Prisoner of The Avengers. It was brought up in conversation with a film student friend of mine, discussing Grant Morrison's Flex Mentallo, a great read in itself, alas difficult to find, having not been collected in TPB due to issues with the Charles Atlas Company. He also informed me, passionately of course, that it was the best script ever written. I intend to read the script eventually, but yes, considering the sheer amount of side-stories and details to be found, it's impressively written.

The story parallels Potter's own issues in many ways, as it chronicles the stay of a writer, Philip E. Marlow, in hospital, suffering from psoriatic arthropathy, crippling him in his bed and rendering unable to write, or worse still, light his own cigarettes. Through out, we are invited to share his feverish experience, plagued by paranoia, regret and bitterness. Though hostile and heart-broken, he seeks to find the source of his troubles the only way he can: Escapism, using the story behind his first pulp novel, the Singing Detective. The narrative then takes on multiple forms, ranging from Philip's own reality, the story of his pulp novel, and its abortive screenplay, a source of conflict between him and his lover, eventually reaching into his own, rural childhood and his love of 1940s jazz standards. Indeed, the series features surreal and ominous musical numbers.

As a series, the themes become increasingly obvious, the outcome less so. It's about many things, ranging from the old classics like love and betrayal, especially once the noir thriller Raymond Chandler story creeps deeply into Philip's own senses and mind, it's also about writing, or rather, the inability to do so, as well as fears of sex and mortality, issues close to Potter's own, tumultuous childhood.

So far, the only Dennis Potter series I've seen and astonishing at that.

The other boxset I speak of, collecting a series I absolutely love, even when I failed to first understand it during its showing in the 90s, young and clueless as I was, is the new Director's Cut edition of the animated series Ĉon Flux. It's cheap, collects all three series, in improved digital colour and with revised dialogue by Peter Chung. A beautifully bizarre series, rewatchable, slick and clever, it sees an authoritarian despot battle a self-sufficient anarchist. Also, they happen to be lovers. Needless to say, this leads to interesting and evocative philosophical paradoxes. Both characters, Ms. Flux and Chairman Trevor Goodchild are written in energetic manners, both high and determined on their own beliefs. The animation is fantastic and original, the dialogue witty and full of character (Not that faux frat-boy crap Joss Whedon passes off as characterisation) and the stories always creative and inspiring. No real sides are ever taken, no didactic rhetoric of any sort, which is ultimately refreshing.

Don't bother with the movie, incidentally. It's utter filth.

To those joining us late: This is a thread about TV series, anime, short movies and what have you.

P.S. Peter Chung on the state of visual narrative in film and comics.
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I could probably rant for a while about this category, but I'll keep it brief for once:

Someday, I really hope for a complete collection of every 'toon ever aired on MTV. I loved 'em all, and there still aren't many that go the places they went. I'm about halfway through a rewatching of the Maxx, and I had the comic (by Sam Kieth, if you don't know (in which case, go find and read it *now*)) in my hands for the first few eps: the animated version is a perfect, line-for-line adaptation, and I'm amazed they had the guts to do it at the time.

I finished watching the 12-episode Tsukihime miniseries Friday; my roomie found a torrent with very decent English dubbing. While I enjoyed myself very much, it mostly just put some tooth in my desire for the English translation of the original game (a dating sim-type of thing with 33 different endings), which is finishing up beta testing now, and made me want to play more Act Cadenza.
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Dracko
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I own one volume. There are 6 in all, right? Been meaning to give the rest of the series a look. Keith is an interesting sort. Americana with weirdness creeping around the edges, is the impression I get out of most of his work.
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Maxx show is good but the voice acting is ick.

I just downloaded every episode of Daria, along with the two movies. Whee!
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 7:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Incidentally I've just started watching The Prisoner on DVD. I've only really watched the first episode so far so so I don't feel compelled to comment other than to say that the opening is excellent.

Also, is the Singing Detective a series? I could have sword I saw it as a film release, but maybe I'm confused.
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lackey wrote:
Incidentally I've just started watching The Prisoner on DVD. I've only really watched the first episode so far so so I don't feel compelled to comment other than to say that the opening is excellent.


I just finished episode six a couple days ago, and I'll tell you it just keeps getting better and better and better. There are some really excellent scenarios in it.
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dark steve
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

oh man

you guys just wait
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dhex
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

what dark steve said.

the end had me on my knees on the living room floor screaming "mcgoohan!!!!"
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 10:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

what dhex said.
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sawtooth
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 10:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dhex wrote:
what dark steve said.

the end had me on my knees on the living room floor screaming "mcgoohan!!!!"


hm!

I should probably get some other people in on this.
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Dracko
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 4:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lackey wrote:
Incidentally I've just started watching The Prisoner on DVD. I've only really watched the first episode so far so so I don't feel compelled to comment other than to say that the opening is excellent.

The opening is classic. It's also referenced in Ĉon Flux:

Trevor Goodchild: The dream to awaken our world!
Ĉon Flux: You're out of control.
Trevor Goodchild: I take control. Whose side are you on?
Ĉon Flux: I take no side.
Trevor Goodchild: You're skating the edge.
Ĉon Flux: I am the edge.
Trevor Goodchild: What you truly want, only I can give.
Ĉon Flux: You can't give it, can't even buy it, and you just don't get it.

So, you know, score.

Lackey wrote:
Also, is the Singing Detective a series? I could have sword I saw it as a film release, but maybe I'm confused.

The movie is an Americanisation of the brilliant mini-series and is therefore redundant and actually pretty poor, even though using a Potter screenplay. I get the impression he did it for the cash, really.

P.S. What everyone else said. Although, dark steve and co., if you loved The Prisoner, you should see if you can give Danger Man (a.k.a. Secret Agent in the US) a look. It's long been held by fans as a prequel of sorts to The Prisoner, and stars McGoohan as a Cold War secret agent, albeit he hardly if ever resorts to firearms, doesn't get the girl and generally deals with controversial issues that gradually take their toll on him (Hence, potentially his resignation and The Prisoner). I always liked the starter premise itself behind The Prisoner (i.e. The resignation), which is strong enough a concept on its own considering the era the show was made.

Also, watch Ĉon Flux. And Danger Mouse.
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Harveyjames
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

double posted because I'm a 'tard

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PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dracko wrote:

Trevor Goodchild: The dream to awaken our world!
Ĉon Flux: You're out of control.
Trevor Goodchild: I take control. Whose side are you on?
Ĉon Flux: I take no side.
Trevor Goodchild: You're skating the edge.
Ĉon Flux: I am the edge.
Trevor Goodchild: What you truly want, only I can give.
Ĉon Flux: You can't give it, can't even buy it, and you just don't get it.


Aeon Flux has the worst dialogue ever. I read that very paragraph somewhere else and until now I thought it was a parody.

So how did Peter Chung revise the dialogue? Did he get the original voice actors back in to record new lines or just hack bits out?
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dark steve
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Aeon flux is just so much weirder and more wonderful than the sum of it's parts.
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Dracko
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Harveyjames wrote:
Aeon Flux has the worst dialogue ever. I read that very paragraph somewhere else and until now I thought it was a parody.

So how did Peter Chung revise the dialogue? Did he get the original voice actors back in to record new lines or just hack bits out?

First off, walk off a pier.

Second, he got the original voice actors back, especially for the star roles. Occasionally though, he brought in new talent for artistic purposes (For instance, in the first episode, Utopia or Deuteranopia?, he got a British voice actor for Clavius, as an American one was forced on him by the networks). He also rewrote most of the material to break down the good versus villain barrier between Ĉon and Trevor, as he never intended for either of them to be presented as moral or ethical ideals, leaving such concerns to the viewer, as well as making things a tad more relevant and such. He also shortened some out, as he didn't want things to be long-winded, or plot to be mainly dependent on dialogue.
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 10:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've seen a lot of Danger Mouse. We had episodes on Betamax when I was a kid! As for the Prisoner, I've only watched 2 episodes but I love it. I'm watching it with my dad.
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Dracko
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 10:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I watched some of The Singing Detective again, and another facet of the story I failed to mention but is of interest is that although the focus is on Marlow, for all his cleverness and bitter wit, he's avoidant of any form of salvation, preferring his escapist paranoia and regret. He's a pathetic man under it all. Pity isn't becoming of the series at all, but there's no illusion that he's going through his problems all wrong. His way out comes through in one of the most unlikely ways possible, and considering how it originates, in all of his guilt, fear, misanthropy and most all nostalgia of a childhood and parents that were denied to him, it's all the more powerful and ties the whole story together beautifully.

He is not a nice man, but then again, I can't say "nice" people do much for me. His story(ies?) is thrilling, winding and worth the listen.
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 10:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

oh hey, is this a television thread? we should talk about twin peaks and the prisoner.
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Dracko
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hold a somewhat academic and distant interest in David Lynch. Mainly, I don't think his films are that great, though I liked Lost Highway quite a lot for some reason.

Twin Peaks is still his best as far as I'm concerned.

You should watch Ĉon Flux, dess.
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dracko wrote:
You should watch Ĉon Flux, dess.


Yeah, dess, how did the pilot episode work out for you? Or did you just never watch it?
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Dracko
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

By pilot episode, do you mean the mostly silent 12 minute Liquid Television series, or the Utopia or Deuteranopia? episode?
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i watched the entire aeon flux a short while ago. the shorts are by far the best, though the long episode where aeon clones herself is crystalline in its symmetry.

"war" is probably the most compelling, where the narrative jumps between soldiers on either side to emphasize the senselessness of war, the tidal shift of battle, the transience of individual heroics and the ultimate meaninglessness of sides.

the first episode gets big ups for hallucinogenic foot fetish imagery though.

i find it cathartic in an almost liberatory way that aeon dies at the end of each episode.
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dracko wrote:
By pilot episode, do you mean the mostly silent 12 minute Liquid Television series, or the Utopia or Deuteranopia? episode?


Either one, I guess, as she never told me which she had downloaded.

dessgeega wrote:
i watched the entire aeon flux a short while ago. the shorts are by far the best, though the long episode where aeon clones herself is crystalline in its symmetry.


Ahem, *copies* herself. Not clone. It's very specific to the story that Trevor was making actual copies of people, complete with the exact same memories and emotional motivations as the originals at the time of their copying. That's why both Fluxes are on the same page from the beginning, and why the rest of the episode is so interesting to see how it all plays out.

/fanboy

All that said, yeah, the show was a great achievement not just for Chung himself, but for the art of storytelling in the animated medium as a whole.


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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

your semantics are quite accurate. i apologize.
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, to be honest I thought it was cloning too until I watched the DVD with the commentary on and Chung was very explicit about how he made it a point not to mention the word "clone" anywhere in the episode.
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, A Last Time for Everything is definitely one of my favourite long episodes, along with The Purge, which really reminded me of the last episodes of The Prisoner. A Last Time is a touching episode which really focused on the essential nature of the two protagonists' relationship and presents one of the best cop-outs they came up with to be able to kill her off later in Ether Drift Theory, which is pretty much in the exact same vein as the original shorts, just with dialogue and longer.

I really do think a lot of good of Peter Chung, and I'm hopeful he'll go ahead with a new series or animated feature in the Ĉon Flux universe. The Director's Cut is a great purchase if you're a fan, because you really understand how much of a work-in-progress series it was when first aired.

It's been too long since I've seen The Prisoner. I intend to make that the next DVD box set I get. You guys heard of the movie that might happen soon? Christopher Nolan to direct, script written by Janet and David peeples, who wrote 12 Monkeys and Blade Runner.
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A Prisoner film has been floating around development limbo for decades, at this point. It'd be nice if this one made it though!

It's terrible that the first pass at Dune never got off the ground. Jorodowsky, H.R. Giger, Moebius, Pink Floyd, and then Salvador Dali playing the emperor. You couldn't dream up something better than that.
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Or more insane! It would think it were totally made up if I hadn't already read about it.

So I watched the pilot of Aeon Flux. I got very little out of it, probably because the plot seemed so "oh." worthy. The animation was fairly exciting though, even if I find the way he animated bodies nauseating. I probably would have liked it a lot more if I'd watched it years ago and late at night.

As for television, I watch a lot of Star Trek (Original Series and Next Generation). Usually about once a day. This isn't the absorbant kind of watching, I just like to have it on. The sentimental idealism of both series is very warm, like comfort food.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 3:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have recently started to hate Anime, more and more. With every passing day I have to quell some sort of murderous rage because I just can't stand it anymore. I'm going to go and check out Speed Grapher, tell me the series is good. Tell me it's a great series, tell me something wonderful about it. If it's not, I'll be sad. Why? I'll tell you why.
Desert Punk- Oh how funny and neat! Wait, it's been done. I hate it.
Gungrave- Yeah, no.
Neon Genesis- O.k., it's not that it's bad. It's just ARGHHH.
Ghost in the Shell SAC: Hey wait, I like this. Never mind.

I want a series that rocks my socks. If Speed Grapher isn't as dark as I think it is, and stylish as I think it is, I will cry.

P.S. I already know about the whole Duran Duran issue for the opening.

That said, I've been watching a lot of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, with Space Gate World being my favorite episode. I watched the pilot episode of "Smith" just because of Ray Liota and I was quite happy with it. I don't watch a lot of TV otherwise.

P.S.S. Oh I've also never seen Twin Peaks, at least not all of it. This saddens me.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 4:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TheRumblefish wrote:
I want a series that rocks my socks. If Speed Grapher isn't as dark as I think it is, and stylish as I think it is, I will cry.


You should watch either FLCL or Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi.

-Wes
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 4:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Speed Grapher is pretty good, but not memorable. The first few episodes, with the first super-powered villain, who happens to be a professional dancer, brutal in his perfectionism and arrogance, by day, and a leather bondage clad elastic man by night, are particularly good. Later though, even though future super-villains are of an equally twisted and perverse variety, they're less inspired, save for the big boss of them all, and the story drops the surreal set-up which I found brilliant in the beginning for a pseudo-sci-fi crappy reasoning of why all these people had powers born out of their own inner desiers, including the main character, who can kill people with a camera.

Most anime, like anything else, is mindless drivel. I loathe the stereotypes that it breeds, because hey, even Western clichés are better, and I hate those too.

If I can suggest one awesome anime, it would have to be Serial Experiments Lain. It's by far the best cyberpunk anime I've seen, superior even to Ghost in the Shell. It follows young Lain as she discover the Internet (known as The Wired), in the midst of a series of mass suicides of an almost cultist nature. People left and right are offing themselves, in efforts it would seem to fuse with The Wired. The reality of the matter lends itself to this, but it goes far deeper, especially once Lain discovers an alternate version of herself both online and off, and finds her moods to influence the reality around her. Her shift in character as a result of all this is in impressive, as she moves from unassuming schoolgirl to urious, but distant social outcast to elitist hacker super-pro to abusive power-addict to burn-out junkie to whatever the Hell it is she ends up becoming (It's a pretty beautiful conclusion, actually). Through out the series, numerous conspiracy theories are tossed in the air as to why all of this is going on, adding to the antirealism of it all. It's an ode to solipisism, but honestly, it didn't feel melancholic to me. More transcendentant.

It's also one of those animes that doesn't feature large breasts, huge eyes or any of that crap.

Last Exile is pretty cool if you like air battles, though the ending is pretty trivial and ultimately unimportant and ineffective, which is a shame. Planetes is fun hard sci-fi about space's garbage collectors of the future. It plays out like a romcom/soap opera, but the way it develops these characters in a naive fashion is worth it just for the last few episodes, where a cataclismic events tests the mettle of all involved, though I didn't like the conclusions it drawed afterwards. Stay for the hard sci-fi, which does play around with interesting ideas (like what a person born and raised on the Moon would be like). The character development is horribly wonky until late in the series, is all.

FLCL is a pretty nifty mini-series about budding sexuality and puberty, yeah. It's also very hyper-active and cool in true hip po-mo fashion.

if I may suggest a director, though, look into the works of Satoshi Kon. He does weirdness in a playful, reverent way. Perfect Blue and Millenium Actress in particular are brilliant, and Paranoia Agent is a damn fun series which masterfully plays with expectations.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 12:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lain's probably my favorite anime too, but I hate anime. This one's weird for the sake of being weird, which I can excuse because it's an awesome kind of weird.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 3:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's weird for the sake of being weird with a purpose.

You could always watch Evangelion again.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dracko wrote:
Speed Grapher is pretty good, but not memorable. The first few episodes, with the first super-powered villain, who happens to be a professional dancer, brutal in his perfectionism and arrogance, by day, and a leather bondage clad elastic man by night, are particularly good. Later though, even though future super-villains are of an equally twisted and perverse variety, they're less inspired, save for the big boss of them all, and the story drops the surreal set-up which I found brilliant in the beginning for a pseudo-sci-fi crappy reasoning of why all these people had powers born out of their own inner desiers, including the main character, who can kill people with a camera.


A friend of mine gave me this on a DVD with some Bible Black on it as well. I have yet to watch both series, and I will refrain from mentioning Bible Black on this forum from now on.

Dracko wrote:
FLCL is a pretty nifty mini-series about budding sexuality and puberty, yeah. It's also very hyper-active and cool in true hip po-mo fashion.


I'm not a very big anime fan (contrary to my handle), but FLCL's one of those things that has always stuck with me. I watched it a few years ago, haven't touched it since, and yet scenes from that show are so ingrained in my mind that it's ridiculous.

Regular television-wise, I watch House every once-in-a-while (I usually work on Tuesday nights), and that's about it.
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Harveyjames
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 8:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mr. Mechanical wrote:
the show was a great achievement... for the art of storytelling in the animated medium as a whole.*






*this is balls




I will stop trolling your Aeon Flux thread now sry ;(
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helicopterp
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In terms of how to tell a story, Arrested Development is one of the best there is. The idea that the completely over-the-top, ridiculous-beyond-belief Bluth narrative is a documentary from start to finish (evidence of which surfaces ever-so-slightly now and then) makes the whole series wonderfully compelling. I suppose it helps that the show is brilliant on just about every other level, as well.
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 3:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya was a disappointment. Well-designed and animated, but it would benefit so much by not being anime and just being an.... animated cartoon instead. Too many cliches, too much fanservice.

But I thought the concept was fairly interesting. It kind of reminded me of the rain god in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books.
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Lackey
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 7:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I didn't mention how much I love Arrested Development. I have noticed recently that most of the humour in the series actually appreciates instead of depreciating in value.
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Dracko
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 2:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I prefer Nip/Tuck to House, especially in the later series, where things do go rather down-hill.

I'm supposed to watch Gunslinger Girl fairly soon. Yay or nay?
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sawtooth
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 8:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dracko wrote:

I'm supposed to watch Gunslinger Girl fairly soon. Yay or nay?


i have no idea what it's like but quick image search tells me... gun porn for pedophiles?

I just watched episode ten of the prisoner, hammer into anvil. I can't stop thinking how brilliant this show is. the martial arts sequence was uh..... weird, though.
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Dracko
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 9:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Almost, I guess. Yes, it's about little girl assassins. What makes it interesting, according to one of my friends, isn't just the gunfights and the melodrama as these girls go about getting trained in the fine art of elimination, but the alleged political accuracy and power play behind these Italian murder sprees.
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Dracko
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 7:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Build the Village!
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elvis.shrugged
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 11:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just finished Firefly and Serenity last night. Good stuff, especially the movie. Last week I finished season three of Buffy, as well. I'm starting to really like Whedon.

Right now I'm up to episode six of Heroes. It's sort of lame, but the serialization is pretty well done. ::addicted::
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Dracko
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 11:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What did you like about them?
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wankerwitson
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 1:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ok so guys just what is your favourite episode of The Prisoner?

That's sort of the ultimate question for a show that is all about scenario.

Also throwing out mad props to Life On Mars. I'd recommend it to all of you. If you don't know the pitch it is thus: Modern day cop finds himself working in the 1970's after a car crash. Has he travelled back in time? Is he in a coma? Or has he gone mad? It'd really quite clever in the range of things it chooses to do with the premise.
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Scratchmonkey
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 2:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Western. Forget the actual episode title off the top of my head.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 2:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"living in harmony".

what's this life on mars thingie? other than a kickin' bowie song?
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Dracko
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 3:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My favourite The Prisoner episode would have to be Once Upon a Time. It's utterly intense, and I appreciate how it strips away any of the benefic pretenses the Village attempts to present. This used to be done, well, with sinister touches like Rovers and aesthetics, not to mention the contrived ways to try and break Number 6, but here, all gloves are off. You've got to love McGoohan's own writing.

Speaking of, has anyone here read the "officialised" (McGoohan has been quoted as having said that he "didn't hate" it, which is about as much praise you're likely to get out of the man, and he allowed his likeness to appear in the comic) sequel to The Prisoner, the graphic novel Shattered Visage? It goes along with the theory that the events in Fall Out were yet another drug enhanced psychodrama designed to break Number 6, and succeeded. It takes place 20 years later, and within the ruins of the Village, a power struggle exists between Number 6 has become the new Number 2, and possibly insane and the last Number 2 (Leo McKern), who had been sent to prison for violating the Official Secrets Act after writing a book about the Village but escaped as a "free man". The roles have reversed, then, and a female secret agent by the name of Drake finds herself stranded on this destroyed Village, and is being toyed with with the new Number 2, who calls her Number 6.. If it sounds confusing, it's because it's supposedly as demented as the last few episodes, and I'm going to have to find a copy.
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elvis.shrugged
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 3:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dracko wrote:
What did you like about them?


Which?

At first Firefly was a tough sell for me (not a big western fan at all here), but the plots (my favorite being the one where they bust into an Alliance hospital or the episode where Mal is tortured) and humor (I was laughing my head during the episode when Mal got married) won me over entirely. Not a perfect show by any means, but it has its appeal.

I loved Serenity because it was basically a less-western, more taut/tighter version of the TV series. The direction was also rather sharp, as was the editing (the constant jumping in the opening sequence, for example). To me, Serenity seemed to carry the torch of the original Star Wars trilogy, something I've never said any film has done. And the space battle made me grin like a little kid.

The third season of Buffy was enjoyable, even though I'm somewhat weary of watching the fourth (heard it isn't as strong as the others). The interplay between the characters in Buffy is what keeps me watching. Also, I love the idea of having a "Big Bad" every season. The mayor was an amusing villain, and the graduation episode kicked ass.

Anyone here watch Veronica Mars? It's the best show currently on TV, IMO.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 5:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i got a lot of dvds as gifts recently. wonder showzen seasons 1 and 2. immensely annoying, enjoyable.
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