TV Watching thread

[Spark Doll King]

Recently finished Ultraman Ace. 

While a fun show, it's pretty clear the series is suffering from an identity crisis. The Return of Ultraman was building on the groundwork layer by Ultraman and Ultraseven, Ace was when the creators really had to strike out on their own after the found of the franchise past away. As a first attempt Ace tries to start things with it's best foot forward. We have a new ultra with a unique design, two main characters who combine into our new hero and an overarching antagonist in the form the Yapool and their Terrible Monsters. While this really did give the series a lot to set it apart, it was messy.  The main duo never really feel like duo, the anti-kaiju team feel like arseholes at times and nothing feels quite as polished as it had done. By the halfway point, the duo is a single hero, Yapool is dead and I say it that way because it seems the creators aren't shore if Yapool is a group of invaders from another dimension or a single antagonist, and once it's all out of the way we are left with almost a full half of a 50 plus episode season were things just become like the prior three series but of poorer quality. 

That is not to say I hated Ace, I really had a lot of fun with it, but it just couldn't achieve it's full potential.

The over-the-top violence perpetrated by the hero in some of some episodes is always a treat though.

Some of My Favorite Monsters

Doragory - The Moth Terrible Monster - For Over-The-Top Unnecessary Violence.
 

Aribunta - The Ant Terrible-Monster - For Horrific Acid Deaths



Lunaticks - The Full Moon Terrible-Monster - For Explosive Eyeball Launching Attack


Vakishim - The Single-Horned Terrible Monster - For Being A Cooling Guy


 

[Deleted]

Watched England women beat USA 2-1. Was going to watch this match at Wembley but unfortunately one family member fell ill so we couldn't go.

[iank]

Knight Rider - Knight of the Phoenix. Bought the whole show on Blu about a year ago but only just got round to watching it, bouyed by me kicking off watching Magnum and Miami Vice lately. Michael Long is a cop who's shot in the face and left for dead, only to wake up with a new face and get enlisted into crime-fighting with a hi-tech AI car called KITT - with his first targets being those that tried to kill him. The feature length pilot was actually a lot more fun than I expected really, given I haven't seen this show since I was a kid and Hasselhoff is not exactly the greatest thespian known to man. Good natured fun with some pretty damn cool stunts. Lovin' my new retrogasm kick.

[Spark Doll King]

I will be watching the new episode Ultraman Decker tonight.

The only downside is, thanks to living in the UK, it broadcasts at 01:20 on the Tsuburaya YouTube channel.

Upside, they really got the extra mile for international fans these days, with episodes having good quality sub-titles even in the livestream.

[iank]

Part 1 of the late 80s Jack the Ripper mini-series with Michael Caine. Classic stuff, and the Blu ray looks gorgeous.

[iank]

Finished Jack the Ripper. Love it. Lewis Collins is very good in this too. The Blu ray also comes with a widescreen feature-length version. I watched the original version but took a look at the widescreen feature and it looks pretty damn good. May watch that version next time.

[rushy]

Been watching Rings of Power, the new Tolkien series. I've heard it's received a ton of hate, but I don't think it's bad. It's nowhere near as good as Lord of the Rings, but it's a perfectly fine fantasy series with the same vibe. The actors portraying Elrond and Galadriel in particular hold it together.

[Spark Doll King]

Thinking of giving the Kamen Rider series a go.

If Ultraman is Japanese equivalent to Superman, Kamen Rider is Batman and Spider-man. Unlike those heroes though, Kamen Rider, like Ultraman, has a different hero adopt their own version of mantle for each series. Some all take place in the same universe, while others are stand alone works.

The original Kamen Rider began airing in 1971, making him a contemporary of Pertwee also. The story involves the world being threatened by Shocker, a terrorist group whos upper members have ties to the Nazis and elements of pre and post communist Russia. Their primary activity to to kidnap people and turn them into super soldier agents, thanks to a combination of mind control, genetic manipulation and cybernetic implants. One of their newly selected agents, Takeshi Hongo, is able to escape before the final brainwashing. With his mind and morals intake he chooses to wage a one man war against Shocker, as the grasshopper themed, motorbike riding, cyborg vigilante, Kamen Rider.

From my understanding Kamen Rider really defies the odds. Despite having a lower budget then it’s contemporaries, which resulted is very dodgy monster suits, and not always the most original writing, it became amazingly popular and ran for three years. So popular that it’s the bigger budgeted, more effects heavy Ultraman series took notes.

Also the actor who played Kamen Rider sounds like an amazing guy. He not only plays Kamen Rider in and out of the suit, he also did all his own stunts and sang the shows theme song. Sadly he would shatter his leg during production, however rather then that being the end of the show, he was written out as a new character took up the mantle of Kamen Rider 2. He then put himself through intense physiotherapy in order to get back to acting as Kamen Rider. He described it as a hell he’d never put himself through again but states that it was childrens love for his character that gave him to determination he needed. He would eventually return to show and co-star alongside the new Kamen Rider.

[Spark Doll King]

Ultra Q

So my Blu Ray of Ultra Q finally arrived. This is the first entry in the Ultra series. There's no Ultraman, just strange tales of monsters, aliens and other strange phenomena. 



Episode 1: Defeat Gomess!



"While mining a train tunnel between Tokyo & Osaka, a construction crew unearths a strange object from within a huge underground cavern. Unable to identify the object, Jun and Yuriko venture into the tunnel to further investigate. In the meantime, Ippei and a reporter, with the help of a young boy named Liro, discover that the object is the egg of the giant bird called Litra. According to ancient legend, when Litra's egg is found, the giant monster Gomess will appear to destroy the Earth and consequently, Litra will rise up to defend against it. Unfortunately, Jun and Yuriko have already encountered Gomess while exploring in the caverns and are pursue, to the surface by the ferocious monster. Jiri and Ippei help to warm the egg, thereby accelerating the hatching process and soon Litra is born. Gomess emerges from the tunnel and the two monsters clash in battle After a vicious struggle, Litra uses its citronella acid ray to kill Gomess and then expires itself, having fulfilled its destiny."

For a first episode, Defeat Gomess! really impresses. The primary aim of Ultra Q was to see if the movie magic of Toho's monster movies could transfer to the small screen. In this the episodes succeeds with flying colours as the Gomess scenes are worthy rivals to his Godzilla counterpart. Litra, being a puppet, is not quite as well realised but still has a range of motion that many puppets in western films didn't have, let alone Japanese ones. As for the plot itself, it's something straight out of a pulp sci-fi magazine yet is done so well it's easy to forgive it's short comings. It's only real flaw is when it tries to scientifically explain it's monster, yet on reflection I can't fault it their either given that it's a holdover from the kaiju movies that inspired it. The series is also beautifully shot and the fact it's in Black & White helps blend it also together nicely. Our caste are a little one note, but then this is their first episode so that can be forgiven. There is also this wonderful atmosphere about the episode that is very unlike Ultraman. In fact if I had to compare, it reminds me of Hartnell's first season at times but with it's own flavour. 

A very fun story 
8/10


Episode 2: Goro and Goroh



"Amagi Mountain (also known as Saru-yama or Monkey Mountain due to its indigenous monkey population) is discovered to be the home of a 50 meter tall giant monkey, after the animal had ingested green leaf walnuts laced with Helipron G from a nearby research facility (Helipron G, a hormone nutrient developed during World War II for the purpose of strengthening soldiers in battle is found to trigger rapid growth in monkeys following excessive consumption). The research facility's custodian, a young deaf mute man named Goroh, who had previously befriended the monkey and also named him Goro, now helps to find food to satisfy that animal's monstrous appetite. When Goroh is caught stealing provisions, however, he is arrested by the police and jailed. Soon, the giant monkey begins looking for his little friend and winds up enrage in the city streets. Having first publicized the giant monkey story for the Daily News, Editor Seki devises a plan to have Goroh feed his enormous pet narcotic-laced milk, so that the drugged animal can be safely transported to Iliyan Island, where similar giant monkeys were recently discovered."

In case it's not blatantly obvious, this is King Kong inspired story but aside from the oversized primate and his bond with a human, Goro and Goroh dose it's best to try and tell a more unique tale than your average Kong rip-off. One thing that struck me is that our main caste actually have little to do with the main plot. Jun and Ippie help the new team fly out to find Goro, while Yuriko is part of the team that discovers the other giant monkeys by accident, yet none of them actually get involved in the plot proper besides saving Goroh from being lynched for stealing food. I can only guess that what the creators were trying to do was construct a more realistic narrative, as our caste cannot always be in the thick of center monster story and are going to be bystanders at times. While still well made, the Goro suit is a clear come down from Gomess and Litra. Despite how easy you'd think it should be, primates tend to be some of the hardest to realise in suit form. It really is a case of it works or it doesn't, and many don't. In my opinion only the 70s Kong films and Mighty Peking Man have ever made suits that looked good. I've seen several in Japanese movies and tv and none of them were good. Saying that though the look is only half the work, and thanks to the amount of work the suit actor puts in, Goro is brining with character. The weirdest part of episode is it's need for a King Kong style ending, as Goroh believes he has killed his friend rather than drugged him. This ends the story on a rather pointless scene of him screaming in sadness, which naturally has not emotional impact as we know that's not the case.

Good but not as not as well made as episode 1
7/10

[iank]

Magnum PI: Thank Heavens for Little Girls and Big Ones Too. Magnum is somewhat surprised when his new client turns out to be a bunch of little girls on a school trip whose teacher has apparently abandoned them and run off with a man - but nothing is quite what it seems. After two very serious episodes (incl the feature length pilot) this is a considerably lighter story that is a very funny episode and a Xmas one too. I must admit I'm enjoying rediscovering this show very much.

[Spark Doll King]

Watching Farscape season 1 with the wife.

How can a show 20 years old, that I’ve watched, feel more original then much of the stuff on today?

[burrunjor]

Relic Hunter. Great, cheesy, silly fun. I really like its leading lady Tia Carrere.

I think Henshin would like her a lot, and I know Maxil would because she is a woman LOL. 

[burrunjor]

LMAO at one scene where the annoying sidekick was angry that Tia Carrere wanted to get into the shower when he was in it. Never been more angry at guy in a tv show.

What a terrible situation to be in. I absolutely would not STAND for a naked Tia Carrere being in the shower beside me, getting all soapy and rubbing herself down. That would be my absolute idea of hell. (If I were clinically insane LOL.)

[iank]

Kolchak: The Ripper. Kolchak suspects a murderer stalking Chicago is the real Jack the Ripper. This episode is a fun start to the regular series and while the plot is a bit of a ripoff of elements from both the TV movies (deliberately?) this is actually a lot of fun just from the character interactions. And may I say, HOLY F**K at the massively improved PQ on the Blu rays. I mean, The A Team looks better than the DVDs, but the DVDs were still pretty good. But the Kolchak DVD PQ is rubbish, like viewing it through mud, but the Blu ray is GORGEOUS. Gorgeous, I tell thee!

[rushy]

Decided to start watching The Walking Dead. The writing isn't great, but the acting, twists and pulpyness carries it for me. It's a ton of fun.