Black Mirror

  On 2/13/2013 at 9:19 PM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 2/13/2013 at 8:05 PM, Schlitze said:

Preferred this to Utopia because it had better flow. Compared to the first series of BM the concept wasn't exactly the most original and the ending was pretty predictable but still watchable and kinda thought provoking as the credits roll. It would struggle to maintain the high standards of the first couple of episode of series one. This was more like the 3rd episode of series 1. Also saw the trailer for the next Monday's episode which looks better.

As for Utopia, imo they could have used a script editor to condense it down to 3 episodes. It just seems to be hipsters arguing and swearing at each other in episodes 2 & 3, not much flow despite a decent concept and nice colourful visuals.

You lose points for doing that annoying thing where people randomly throw around the word 'hipster.'

You should check out my review of Sound Of My Voice in the films thread. I use words lke ''hipsteresque'', ''hipsterish'' and ''horribly hipster in the way that guy rides that fixed gear bike through the cityscapes'' :-D

With regards to Black Mirror, meant to mention that ginger (Brendan Gleesons son) poppin up a lot in films these days, he was in Shadow Dancer, The Hollow Crown... plus he got his eyeballs scooped out by Lena Headey in Dredd. fANX.

  On 2/13/2013 at 10:03 PM, keltoi said:

 

  On 2/13/2013 at 9:19 PM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 2/13/2013 at 8:05 PM, Schlitze said:

 

Preferred this to Utopia because it had better flow. Compared to the first series of BM the concept wasn't exactly the most original and the ending was pretty predictable but still watchable and kinda thought provoking as the credits roll. It would struggle to maintain the high standards of the first couple of episode of series one. This was more like the 3rd episode of series 1. Also saw the trailer for the next Monday's episode which looks better.

As for Utopia, imo they could have used a script editor to condense it down to 3 episodes. It just seems to be hipsters arguing and swearing at each other in episodes 2 & 3, not much flow despite a decent concept and nice colourful visuals.

You lose points for doing that annoying thing where people randomly throw around the word 'hipster.'

Seriously.

 

I see no hipster on utopia.

 

I thought it was hipstery too, not that the characters are hipsters. I was waiting for that one chick to start wearing skin tight vinyl and doing flying jump kicks. the cleverness of plot and dialog seems aimed at the highschool demographic. like heroes, the hood, arrow, alphas etc we still haven't had a smartly written and planned comic book'esqe series.

That was some very creepy sci-fi, very uncomfortable to watch. The ideas weren't groundbreaking but i thought they did an okay job at adapting those old ideas to the modern world.

 

I thought the actor did a good job at playing the lifeless robot version of the guy.

  On 2/16/2013 at 7:55 PM, Deer said:

I thought the actor did a good job at playing the lifeless robot version of the guy.

yes, he just acted like an hipster in real life...

JESUS BLOODY CHRIST

 

For anyone that was disappointed with the first episode, the second one will sure as hell make up for it. My god for me it has to be one of the most challenging bits of telly I've seen for a hell of a long time. Now this, this was uncomfortable.

i liked it, but for some reason i suspected she was on some sort of game show right from the start, or from the point where the dude starts chasing her with a shotgun, so by the end i was all "meh, i knew it". :(

 

great good episode though.

Edited February 19, 2013 by data

Watched episode 1, and decided not to waste more time on this show. It started out ok enough, then got sillier and sillier and in the end I realized it was just the good old Twilight Zone moral dilemma episode, "updated" and inelegantly dressed up in a kinky quasi modern technology veil.

  On 2/19/2013 at 8:19 AM, psn said:

Watched episode 1, and decided not to waste more time on this show. It started out ok enough, then got sillier and sillier and in the end I realized it was just the good old Twilight Zone moral dilemma episode, "updated" and inelegantly dressed up in a kinky quasi modern technology veil.

Umm no that's not what it is. It's not about the moral dilemma at all.

 

 

But anyway you should watch the rest of the episodes they're great.

  On 2/19/2013 at 8:28 AM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 2/19/2013 at 8:19 AM, psn said:

Watched episode 1, and decided not to waste more time on this show. It started out ok enough, then got sillier and sillier and in the end I realized it was just the good old Twilight Zone moral dilemma episode, "updated" and inelegantly dressed up in a kinky quasi modern technology veil.

Umm no that's not what it is. It's not about the moral dilemma at all.

 

But it was, though. The tacked on ending with the PM and his wife alone in their home underlined the dilemma and its fatalist "you can never win" implications.

  On 2/19/2013 at 8:33 AM, psn said:

 

  On 2/19/2013 at 8:28 AM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 2/19/2013 at 8:19 AM, psn said:

Watched episode 1, and decided not to waste more time on this show. It started out ok enough, then got sillier and sillier and in the end I realized it was just the good old Twilight Zone moral dilemma episode, "updated" and inelegantly dressed up in a kinky quasi modern technology veil.

Umm no that's not what it is. It's not about the moral dilemma at all.

 

But it was, though. The tacked on ending with the PM and his wife alone in their home underlined the dilemma and its fatalist "you can never win" implications.

 

But it wasn't, though. I

\

Edited February 19, 2013 by LimpyLoo

It wasn't very well done, whatever it was about.

 

For good works about society, moral dilemmas, and the human condition, try these instead:

http://www.amazon.com/Andorra-Modern-Plays-Max-Frisch/dp/0413305104/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1361260934&sr=8-6

http://www.amazon.com/The-Visit-Friedrich-Durrenmatt/dp/0802144268/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361260968&sr=8-1

Edited February 19, 2013 by psn

I thought it was spot on.

 

(p.s. why are you recommending books?)

Because the episode made me think of those books, and how much better they were.

anyone know a website where an american can watch this on the internet?

The first 40 minutes were pretty dire, but the payoff and ending were excellent.

  On 2/19/2013 at 11:14 AM, jhonny said:

The first 40 minutes were pretty dire, but the payoff and ending were excellent.

Agreed, I was actually very close to switching it off half way though part 3 but am kind of glad I persevered. It was mainly the last 5 minutes (and end credits) that redeemed itself - its just a shame that the pacing was so wonky

am i watching a different program?

 

"you know how these days people seem to be happy to watch mind numbing drivel and film incidents on their phones instead of intervening? well what if..."

 

"you know how these days there's an app or site for pretty much everything and people seem to live their lives online so dependent on technology? well what if..."

 

all i see is woeful acting (the girl last night!) and flimsy story lines... they're like conversations down the pub milked all the way to your screen...

 

funnily enough for the work of one of the most cynical fuckers on the planet i'm going to have to be a cynical fucker and say even though this might be exponentially better than all other uk tv drama available right now, it's still shit. they might have spent a fortune making it, but it still looks and feels cheap to me.

 

"now go away!"

Edited February 19, 2013 by keltoi

Well I liked it, but I had just had 3 hours of Zooey Deschanel so needed to cleanse the bile from the back of my throat.

 

Also Channel 4 has a public broadcasting remit and is part funded by the license fee, making me a stakeholder in Channel 4 and this programme. In line with the 'Exai' piracy policy can mods please ban all non-UK citizens who have seen this as I don't particularly like people stealing from me and then rubbing my face in it. Anything else would be gross hypocrisy.

  On 2/19/2013 at 12:03 PM, kakapo said:

Also Channel 4 has a public broadcasting remit and is part funded by the license fee

Yep to the first half, nope to the second. As a commercial PSB it's funded by sponsorship bumpers, product placement and adverts but not from the license fee - the latter is for BBCs channels.

Episode 1 was one of the best things I've ever seen.

  On 2/19/2013 at 12:16 PM, mcbpete said:

 

  On 2/19/2013 at 12:03 PM, kakapo said:

Also Channel 4 has a public broadcasting remit and is part funded by the license fee

Yep to the first half, nope to the second. As a commercial PSB it's funded by sponsorship bumpers, product placement and adverts but not from the license fee - the latter is for BBCs channels.

I know. But the yank's don't know that. You've just missed an apportunity to ban LimpyLoo.

Awwwww

 

Can somebody shoot me in the face for the apportunity typo?

It sucks that the episodes aren't re-watchable. The ending in last nights episode and how we condemn people in public and we're not even interested in the truth is a good one, but after having seen it once, I have no need to see it again. The way the episode was shot wasn't very interesting. It's like getting a lesson and that's it. I'm hoping the third one will be the best episode of the season. I feel the first season was quite a bit more interesting. I do hope they do more though, there is great potential in this I feel, needs to be explored.