Zombie show in the mold of World War Z. Just finished it. 8 episodes with varied lengths. Easily digestible chapters within the episodes. I really enjoyed it.
If you want to make an action movie, you need a lot of fighting. This is usually very expensive to film. Take a WWII movie for instance. You need expensive period uniforms, expensive actors who speak with a German, or other foreign accent, and you need realistic weapons, guns, tanks, planes, etc. which are also expensive. Since it is war, you need an army of actors wearing those expensive uniforms holding those expensive period weapons.
It's the same for any war movie, whether WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, or Afghanistan. On top of that, it is no longer politically correct to slaughter "Japs," "Krauts" Russians, or Arabs, en masse. (And rightly so, IMHO) You're even reduced to calling them the "bad guys" the way they did in 1950s TV Westerns.
But the Zombie movie concept changes everything. You don't need expensive period costumes because Zombies all wear filthy rags.
You don't need a lot of expensive actors since Zombies don't speak. The producer's friends and neighbors can play these roles. They just have to learn how to stagger menacingly.
You don't need period weapons. Anything that is handy from a WWII M-1 rifle to a Louisville Slugger bat will do.
Political correctness is not a problem since Zombies have no specific nationality. They are already dead, so you're not really killing them and you're not limited to humane tactics. Chopping them in half with a big sword is perfectly fine. As Zombies have very little blood, special effects of all that "chopping" is a lot cheaper.
Best of all, many of the movie-goers are too young to have seen Ben Hur, The Lion in Winter, and A Man for All Seasons.
The Zombie movie concept is genius--I tell you--genius!
cost $8m per episode to make, more than most shows that air. I think the story was “meh” but it was solid overall and very entertaining. I love/d Homeland but it’s had some bad seasons.
As for the OP, I’ve been meaning to give Black Summer a shot, I’m just still jaded from Walking Dead.
I think its funny that Game of Thrones is a worldwide phenomenon and the media attention for the last season has been nothing like I've seen before, and very quietly Chernobyl has aired 2 episodes that have been better than anything Thrones has done for a few years.
cost $8m per episode to make, more than most shows that air. I think the story was “meh” but it was solid overall and very entertaining. I love/d Homeland but it’s had some bad seasons.
As for the OP, I’ve been meaning to give Black Summer a shot, I’m just still jaded from Walking Dead.
Difference between being low budget and looking low budget...wanted to like it since I'm a Krasonski fan but just thought it was brutal.
Also..I feel exactly same as you do wrt Black Summer and Walking Dead. Maybe let Black Summer ride for a bit and see how it holds on after a few seasons.
...to me, it has some of the vibe of LOST in that there's some supernatural bullshit fucking with everything. Don't get me wrong - it isn't LOST, nothing is, but Leftovers sucked me right in, intense show with absolutely bizarre storylines. Enjoying it thoroughly.
Also - already spoken of here, BARRY is excellent, Bill Hader is freaking great as a War Vet hit man who turns to acting.
The Leftovers affected me more than any show I've ever seen Â
cost $8m per episode to make, more than most shows that air. I think the story was “meh” but it was solid overall and very entertaining. I love/d Homeland but it’s had some bad seasons.
As for the OP, I’ve been meaning to give Black Summer a shot, I’m just still jaded from Walking Dead.
Uconn - screw Walking Dead. This show is a different beast entirely.
It was an excellent series and deeply affecting. I found it really helpful to read Alan Sepinwall’s recaps after each episode. This show was near perfect.
Barry has also been a recent favorite.
Cobra Kai had 2 seasons and they both kicked ass. I’m partial to the humor and character development of Season 1, but S2 was still a blast, but with a darker tone. . This is a great show to binge watch.
I haven’t seen Black Summer, but I started Kingdom, which is on Netflix. It’s subtitled (Korean) and takes a great angle on the zombie genre and medieval plotting. It looks great visually and I really liked the first 2 episodes.
The Last Kingdom, also on Netflix, was 3 seasons of greatness so far. It’s better than the show Vikings IMO. The show has characters you can really fall in love with, and even when they introduce new characters, most are very likeable.
I’m sure there are others I’ve seen recently that slipped my mind, but these are the ones that popped into my head.
cost $8m per episode to make, more than most shows that air. I think the story was “meh” but it was solid overall and very entertaining. I love/d Homeland but it’s had some bad seasons.
As for the OP, I’ve been meaning to give Black Summer a shot, I’m just still jaded from Walking Dead.
Uconn - screw Walking Dead. This show is a different beast entirely.
yeah I know, I need to give it a try. Its also just genre fatigue so its not all the walking dead's fault. I will get to it eventually.
The Leftovers is in my top 5 shows of all time. The fact that so few people have seen it is criminal.
is a must watch. Similar story telling style as Slumdog Millionaire. The villain in it is fantastic, really good acting all around. Can't wait for season 2.
Yea I watched the first 2 episodes last night with my wife. The show is very easy on the eyes so far, looks beautiful.
Maybe you can help clear up the one question we both had...what is the relationship between the Crown Prince and the young pregnant Queen? Are they half-siblings? And whose baby is she carrying? And why does he call her mother? We were both a little confused.
Episode #5 from this season was the best - and most bonkers - episode of TV I've seen in a long, long time.
Not trying to turn this into a GoT bash, but i actually look forward to Barry more now. I watch Thrones at a friends house, he told me to stay and give Barry a shot. Excellent show.
cost $8m per episode to make, more than most shows that air. I think the story was “meh” but it was solid overall and very entertaining. I love/d Homeland but it’s had some bad seasons.
As for the OP, I’ve been meaning to give Black Summer a shot, I’m just still jaded from Walking Dead.
I've gotten a lot wrong in life, but getting out of the Walking Dead earlier on was one of my better decisions. Had that gut feeling they didn't know where to take the show.
Yea I watched the first 2 episodes last night with my wife. The show is very easy on the eyes so far, looks beautiful.
Maybe you can help clear up the one question we both had...what is the relationship between the Crown Prince and the young pregnant Queen? Are they half-siblings? And whose baby is she carrying? And why does he call her mother? We were both a little confused.
I believe the Queen is his fathers wife, but no direct relation to the Prince. The Queens father is basically the Kings right hand man. She’s carrying the King’s baby.
It was an excellent series and deeply affecting. I found it really helpful to read Alan Sepinwall’s recaps after each episode. This show was near perfect.
Barry has also been a recent favorite.
Cobra Kai had 2 seasons and they both kicked ass. I’m partial to the humor and character development of Season 1, but S2 was still a blast, but with a darker tone. . This is a great show to binge watch.
I haven’t seen Black Summer, but I started Kingdom, which is on Netflix. It’s subtitled (Korean) and takes a great angle on the zombie genre and medieval plotting. It looks great visually and I really liked the first 2 episodes.
The Last Kingdom, also on Netflix, was 3 seasons of greatness so far. It’s better than the show Vikings IMO. The show has characters you can really fall in love with, and even when they introduce new characters, most are very likeable.
I’m sure there are others I’ve seen recently that slipped my mind, but these are the ones that popped into my head.
Last Kingdom is based on the Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell, if you read the books, it's not better than Vikings.
I love the story and Uhtred of Bebbanburg is one of my favorite protagonists of any story ever. but he's about as poorly cast as Jack Reacher is for book readers. if you haven't read the books no damage. Also, the first season (or 2?) of Last Kingdom were done by BBC I believe and they were not close to as good as the Netflix seasons which are much better.
Vikings is much better IMO overall than Last Kingdom, but to each his own.
on Netflix was interesting and different. A 18 (?) episode 3-season series starring the guy who played Aquaman as a 1700's northern America/Canada fur trader
Is pretty good on Netflix. Sort of Lost mixed with Lord of the Flies
Got bored w it around 3rd or 4th episode. Worth going back to? Started to get annoyed w the top many of the main characters. When I don’t care what happens to them it makes it really hard to slog through a sow patch.
Good concept but very iffy if I’ll go back
I knew the show was based on a series of books, but I never read them. I really like Uhtred on the show as well as many of the other characters. The supporting cast had a lot of characters that were easy to like (not Aethelwold). The first season was all BBC, the second was a joint venture, and the third was solely produced by Netflix.
I really like Vikings as well, but if I could only watch one of them again it would be The Last Kingdom.
I knew the show was based on a series of books, but I never read them. I really like Uhtred on the show as well as many of the other characters. The supporting cast had a lot of characters that were easy to like (not Aethelwold). The first season was all BBC, the second was a joint venture, and the third was solely produced by Netflix.
I really like Vikings as well, but if I could only watch one of them again it would be The Last Kingdom.
Maybe if Netflix did the whole thing for Last Kingdom I'd feel different, but that first season wasn't very good, the others much better.
I also like the Vikings side of the story a little more so I find Vikings more interesting, the sons of ragnar are closer to historical fiction - as are Ragnar, Rollo, many of the saxons vs the Last Kingdom where Uhtred, while an awesome character, is completely fictional (though many of the other characters are based on real historical figures)
Is pretty good on Netflix. Sort of Lost mixed with Lord of the Flies
Got bored w it around 3rd or 4th episode. Worth going back to? Started to get annoyed w the top many of the main characters. When I don’t care what happens to them it makes it really hard to slog through a sow patch.
Good concept but very iffy if I’ll go back
I thought the 1st 2 episodes were just ok, there are too many characters you gotta get to know. I thought the ending of episode 3 was when it picked up and they have some heavy decisions to make as high school seniors. But if you got to ep 4 and it didnt get you into it, it just might not be for you.
I think its funny that Game of Thrones is a worldwide phenomenon and the media attention for the last season has been nothing like I've seen before, and very quietly Chernobyl has aired 2 episodes that have been better than anything Thrones has done for a few years.
Chernobyl looks like an extremely difficult show to watch, but I'm curious.
RE: The Leftovers affected me more than any show I've ever seen Â
I saw the 3rd and 4th episodes of Kingdom, and damn it really started to heat up as you said. How about the Crown Prince helping to lift the wooden cart that got caught on the rock, lifting with all his might as he screams that he won’t abandon these people...guy is a gem and so is his “bodyguard.”
on Showtime is really good. Its about an inner city neighborhood in Chicago and how the individual characters are affected (and connected) by a shooting. Its more than that, though. The acting is tremendous and the main characters are compelling.
Three recommendations, but definitely not for everyone Â
Chernobyl is great. Super heavy, but has so far succeeded greatly in painting an incredible picture of a catastrophic event that has never quite resonated in a visceral way with me, largely due to my own ignorance. I know that there are liberties taken with characters and events, but-this being a drama based on actual historical facts-Chernobyl really brings it and it's really making me think about those events alot.
Happy! definitely not for everyone. They take it OUT. It's trippy, it's brutal, it's hilarious, it's raunchy, it's gross, Christopher Meloni is brilliant, sometimes it loses its footing a little (end of season 1, first half on season 2), but has really gotten its footing back over the last few weeks. It's definitely unique, but again, not for everyone.
What We Do In The Shadows is also great. Definitely best to watch the film before the TV series, especially considering where the show has gone lately. But not mandatory. That said, I love it and I love where it seems to be going.
It's the same for any war movie, whether WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, or Afghanistan. On top of that, it is no longer politically correct to slaughter "Japs," "Krauts" Russians, or Arabs, en masse. (And rightly so, IMHO) You're even reduced to calling them the "bad guys" the way they did in 1950s TV Westerns.
But the Zombie movie concept changes everything. You don't need expensive period costumes because Zombies all wear filthy rags.
You don't need a lot of expensive actors since Zombies don't speak. The producer's friends and neighbors can play these roles. They just have to learn how to stagger menacingly.
You don't need period weapons. Anything that is handy from a WWII M-1 rifle to a Louisville Slugger bat will do.
Political correctness is not a problem since Zombies have no specific nationality. They are already dead, so you're not really killing them and you're not limited to humane tactics. Chopping them in half with a big sword is perfectly fine. As Zombies have very little blood, special effects of all that "chopping" is a lot cheaper.
Best of all, many of the movie-goers are too young to have seen Ben Hur, The Lion in Winter, and A Man for All Seasons.
The Zombie movie concept is genius--I tell you--genius!
Really??
Have you seen Homeland??
Jack Ryan to me was a low budget, poorly acted, weakly written version of Homeland.
As for the OP, I’ve been meaning to give Black Summer a shot, I’m just still jaded from Walking Dead.
As for the OP, I’ve been meaning to give Black Summer a shot, I’m just still jaded from Walking Dead.
Difference between being low budget and looking low budget...wanted to like it since I'm a Krasonski fan but just thought it was brutal.
Also..I feel exactly same as you do wrt Black Summer and Walking Dead. Maybe let Black Summer ride for a bit and see how it holds on after a few seasons.
This show isn't going to win any awards but overall I enjoyed it.
Also - already spoken of here, BARRY is excellent, Bill Hader is freaking great as a War Vet hit man who turns to acting.
Paul hit it on the head - it affected me more than any show I have ever watched. I cried a few times watching that show.
As for the OP, I’ve been meaning to give Black Summer a shot, I’m just still jaded from Walking Dead.
Uconn - screw Walking Dead. This show is a different beast entirely.
Barry has also been a recent favorite.
Cobra Kai had 2 seasons and they both kicked ass. I’m partial to the humor and character development of Season 1, but S2 was still a blast, but with a darker tone. . This is a great show to binge watch.
I haven’t seen Black Summer, but I started Kingdom, which is on Netflix. It’s subtitled (Korean) and takes a great angle on the zombie genre and medieval plotting. It looks great visually and I really liked the first 2 episodes.
The Last Kingdom, also on Netflix, was 3 seasons of greatness so far. It’s better than the show Vikings IMO. The show has characters you can really fall in love with, and even when they introduce new characters, most are very likeable.
I’m sure there are others I’ve seen recently that slipped my mind, but these are the ones that popped into my head.
Low commitment, high reward.
German, subtitled.
Quote:
cost $8m per episode to make, more than most shows that air. I think the story was “meh” but it was solid overall and very entertaining. I love/d Homeland but it’s had some bad seasons.
As for the OP, I’ve been meaning to give Black Summer a shot, I’m just still jaded from Walking Dead.
Uconn - screw Walking Dead. This show is a different beast entirely.
yeah I know, I need to give it a try. Its also just genre fatigue so its not all the walking dead's fault. I will get to it eventually.
The Leftovers is in my top 5 shows of all time. The fact that so few people have seen it is criminal.
Maybe you can help clear up the one question we both had...what is the relationship between the Crown Prince and the young pregnant Queen? Are they half-siblings? And whose baby is she carrying? And why does he call her mother? We were both a little confused.
Not trying to turn this into a GoT bash, but i actually look forward to Barry more now. I watch Thrones at a friends house, he told me to stay and give Barry a shot. Excellent show.
As for the OP, I’ve been meaning to give Black Summer a shot, I’m just still jaded from Walking Dead.
I've gotten a lot wrong in life, but getting out of the Walking Dead earlier on was one of my better decisions. Had that gut feeling they didn't know where to take the show.
Maybe you can help clear up the one question we both had...what is the relationship between the Crown Prince and the young pregnant Queen? Are they half-siblings? And whose baby is she carrying? And why does he call her mother? We were both a little confused.
I believe the Queen is his fathers wife, but no direct relation to the Prince. The Queens father is basically the Kings right hand man. She’s carrying the King’s baby.
Barry has also been a recent favorite.
Cobra Kai had 2 seasons and they both kicked ass. I’m partial to the humor and character development of Season 1, but S2 was still a blast, but with a darker tone. . This is a great show to binge watch.
I haven’t seen Black Summer, but I started Kingdom, which is on Netflix. It’s subtitled (Korean) and takes a great angle on the zombie genre and medieval plotting. It looks great visually and I really liked the first 2 episodes.
The Last Kingdom, also on Netflix, was 3 seasons of greatness so far. It’s better than the show Vikings IMO. The show has characters you can really fall in love with, and even when they introduce new characters, most are very likeable.
I’m sure there are others I’ve seen recently that slipped my mind, but these are the ones that popped into my head.
Last Kingdom is based on the Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell, if you read the books, it's not better than Vikings.
I love the story and Uhtred of Bebbanburg is one of my favorite protagonists of any story ever. but he's about as poorly cast as Jack Reacher is for book readers. if you haven't read the books no damage. Also, the first season (or 2?) of Last Kingdom were done by BBC I believe and they were not close to as good as the Netflix seasons which are much better.
Vikings is much better IMO overall than Last Kingdom, but to each his own.
historical fiction, but some concepts hold true. Very interesting history.
Got bored w it around 3rd or 4th episode. Worth going back to? Started to get annoyed w the top many of the main characters. When I don’t care what happens to them it makes it really hard to slog through a sow patch.
Good concept but very iffy if I’ll go back
I really like Vikings as well, but if I could only watch one of them again it would be The Last Kingdom.
I really like Vikings as well, but if I could only watch one of them again it would be The Last Kingdom.
Maybe if Netflix did the whole thing for Last Kingdom I'd feel different, but that first season wasn't very good, the others much better.
I also like the Vikings side of the story a little more so I find Vikings more interesting, the sons of ragnar are closer to historical fiction - as are Ragnar, Rollo, many of the saxons vs the Last Kingdom where Uhtred, while an awesome character, is completely fictional (though many of the other characters are based on real historical figures)
Great show. I'm up to date. Don't know if it's got the staying power for a third season, tho. Might want to call it quits after 2.
Cherynobyl is the best show I've seen in a year probably. Maybe more.
Quote:
Is pretty good on Netflix. Sort of Lost mixed with Lord of the Flies
Got bored w it around 3rd or 4th episode. Worth going back to? Started to get annoyed w the top many of the main characters. When I don’t care what happens to them it makes it really hard to slog through a sow patch.
Good concept but very iffy if I’ll go back
I thought the 1st 2 episodes were just ok, there are too many characters you gotta get to know. I thought the ending of episode 3 was when it picked up and they have some heavy decisions to make as high school seniors. But if you got to ep 4 and it didnt get you into it, it just might not be for you.
Chernobyl looks like an extremely difficult show to watch, but I'm curious.
Acting is fabulous
Kinda took a dark tone but still hilarious.
Saying anything more could turn political.
Night Of is also a small gem
Night Of is also a small gem
The Night Of was really well done. That first episode really sucks you in.
Happy! definitely not for everyone. They take it OUT. It's trippy, it's brutal, it's hilarious, it's raunchy, it's gross, Christopher Meloni is brilliant, sometimes it loses its footing a little (end of season 1, first half on season 2), but has really gotten its footing back over the last few weeks. It's definitely unique, but again, not for everyone.
What We Do In The Shadows is also great. Definitely best to watch the film before the TV series, especially considering where the show has gone lately. But not mandatory. That said, I love it and I love where it seems to be going.