The Movie and TV Discussion Thread

Welcome to The Giant Bomb Movie and TV Discussion Thread!

If ya’ll ever need a recommendation for a movie or TV show, want to chat about your favorite and least favorite movies and TV shows with others, need help in trying to find that movie or show you watched long ago, or share and mention anything else that pertains to movies and TV, then this is the place to do it!

If you want to know a few sites where you can watch movies and TV, then here are some for you to check out.

I didn't like Misfits that much after season 2.

I'm a huge Hobbit fan, and here's a trailer of the new movie! I am extremely excited.

I fully endorse this thread, we totally need a place to discuss TV and movies, great idea! @tireyo Just a suggestion, put that massive list of links inside a spoiler box because it makes scrolling the mouse wheel uncomfortable.

Currently I'm watching Community season 3 and I think it's both laugh-out-loud hysterical and.. sometimes oddly disappointing. Great show, very strange evolution from one season to the next.

@jouseldelka: Done!

I'll just drop this gif here

and for movies i'd like to endorse criterion.com

thank you

Any Highlander fans? Who wants a complete reboot? I do. The closest we got was the anime and as much as i like it Live Action is the only way to go.

It's hard to explain my love/hate relationship with True Blood. The first season, half of the second, and third, are fantastic. But somewhere along the way it became hokey CW-esque bullshit. This season was no exception, but then they have to sprinkle out awesome moments that remind you of those great early seasons and keep me watching this fucking show.

Newsroom's great. That last episode was the best hour of TV I've watched in a long time (excluding any Game of Thrones).

Low Winter Sun is alright. I really like Mark Strong and Lennie James. So that's cool. Will keep watching.

Breaking Bad is just diving right on in to the incoming fuck-storm aren't they? I really expected that scene where Walt looks under his car to be the end and then maybe an episode and a half later get a confrontation. Lovin it.

Top of the Lake was great. Not as omigosh amazing as folks made it out to be, but really good nonetheless.

I can't fucking get into Luther, yet I've watched both 'seasons' and started the third. It's just bad. The first episode was neat, and the direction I thought it was headed in was intriguing enough for me to keep watching just in case it got there, but it's just not very good. Luther's walk is great though. It's more of a waddle really.

Midnight in Paris is an absolutely pleasant flm. Not quite whimsical, and not quite heavily sarcastic (certainly not raunchy or satirical). It's just pleasant. I don't think I've seen any Woody Allen movies before.

I dunno what I was doing watching Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, but whatever problems I had with it were easily brushed aside when I realized kid me would've looooooooooved it. The whole Batman thing was touching though.

Chinatown was a real downer. But the fun kind that makes you say "fuck everyone". Oof. Good stuff.

I actually liked the new Gatsby movie. The music was a bit distracting at times, and all that social stuff seemed packed in at the end there, which I would've liked to see more of throughout. Apparently the book is all about that, so yay I'll just read that.

After Earth was OK. A neat idea surrounded by a whole movie. The neat idea being the whole FEAR IS A CHOICE thing. But then there's the small matter of the movie surrounding it, and that part's not so great.

Oblivion however I really, really liked. I saw the trailer for that after reading about After Earth and remember thinking "oh it's that weird Hollywood thing of two similar movies coming out close together and this one I heard about afterward so obviously it's the shittier one derpa durp" but fuck me I had a great time watching it! The twists are a bit predictable and executed well enough, but it all just comes together real nicely. FUCK YOU SALLY, WELCOME TO ERF.

I'm a big Sci-fi fan and there was a big hole in my library. I hadn't watched a single episode of a Star Trek tv series or any of the movies besides the first J.J. Abrams one. Earlier this year I started watching the original series and The Next Generation. I'm almost finished with the original series and I think it's ok. I can tell at the time it originally aired it was probably pretty amazing. Even though I'm not a huge fan I'm glad I decided to watch it.

I just started the sixth season of The next Generation and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. At first I wasn't really liking it all that much but at some point in the third season it finally clicked with me and I've been enjoyng it since. I think Data is my favorite character.

I look forward to starting Deep Space Nine since I heard it was a bit more serialized and that's more my cup of tea.

Anyone ever see Star Wars? I give it 3 star wars out of 10. 1962 was a long time ago.

@theht: hey man, Nikita is on CW.

Nikita is one of the better action shows in years D:

as for me, uh... I'm trying out supernatural because I have to stop rewatching buffy episodes and this seems like a decent fit? It's alright so far but eh.

I watched Searching for Sugar Man last night. It was good, kind of a bummer that the dude lives in a shit hole but he doesn't seem to mind so whatevz.

I also watched Tokyo Story today, this song is amazing.

Boardwalk Empire and Eastbound and Down start back up next month, hnnnnng.

The Bridge is an awesome show that deserves your attention. It's not a standard cop drama, it's not another "gifted problem solver who is also an asshole" show, it isn't like other murder mystery shows. It employs some of these things, which I will detail below, but it's really about the tension between the US and Mexico.

To sum up the premise, a body is found on the bridge between the US and Mexico. Both sides come to investigate, but the scene is handed over to the US, as the victim is (seemingly) from the US. Though they soon realize it's more complicated than that, since the "victim" is really 2 halves, the upper half being a US citizen (a Judge), and the lower half being a Mexican citizen (a prostitute). This turns the case into a joint operation between the 2 countries.

There's also a bunch of other subplots that aren't always related to the investigation aspect of the show (honestly, they don't get too technical with the investigation aspect. It's more about the interaction between the characters than it is swabbing for DNA or any of that stupid CSI shit)

That's all I'll say about the story. Just let it be known that the 2 detectives that have to jointly investigate the crime have a really weird, but awesome chemistry. One is a mexican detective who tries to remain honest in a, decidedly, unhonest place (Demian Birchir) and the other is a detective who has Aspergers Syndrome, and a very fucked up past that is slowly being revealed (diane kruger, who I think deserves an emmy)

Suffice to say he's an easy going, suave guy (as demian birchir is. God he's awesome to watch) and she's often cold due to her disorder (though she does try, and definitely isn't a negative stereotype of AS. They're definitely doing a great job of depicting AS in a realistic way).

Note: the show doesn't blatantly state that her character has aspergers. It's depicted in an honest, and respectable fashion. The discussion of her character having aspergers is detailed in interviews with cast and crew (since it's a fairly important part of her character and is 100% intentional). I think it's better to introduce the viewer that way, than having them awkwardly fit it into the story.

@animasta: You're not wrong, Nikita's pretty good. I was mostly thinking of Smallville and the goofy plot directions that thing went in.

@naru_joe93: I've heard good things about that but never looked into what it's actually about. That sounds super interesting.

@theht: to be fair I thought you were referring to the vampire diaries, which is ALSO super hokey, and is only worth watching because both of the main actors are really good.

I just finished Buffy (first timer), and I've started on Angel. Can't get enough of that wonderful Buffyverse. After that, I need to find other shows I've wrongly handwaved as teenage melodrama pap for years. I've heard Charmed is decent...

I think it's had one of the strongest first seasons a show has had in 5 or 6 years. Most adult oriented dramas are pretty throwaway nowadays, but this one is special. Honestly, it could explode into a million pieces along the way, but 6 episodes in and I'm still hooked.

The biggest issue I have is how long will this premise last? I'm fine with letting the series go with only this one case/killer, but I know a lot of people will want quick satisfaction. Many great shows have been ruined because the audience is rabidly searching for unneeded answers.

Maybe this could be a rare case where the viewer is watching for other reasons besides "solving the crime". Maybe that's just me though.

I just really hope they can keep up the awesome momentum.

I think you ought to try Dead Like Me instead. Charmed is ok, but it's something that everyone has seemed to have watched... just like the Ghost Whisperer. It's a shorter series, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

About the show: Dead like me is about modern day grim reapers who try to help people cross over, no matter where they are going. The show focuses around George (Georgia) Lass, who just got killed by a toilet seat from outer space. Instead of crossing over, she becomes a grim reaper and must learn the ways of how to reap souls. It's a really great series, so I hope you like it if you decide to try the series out.

I guess this would be the place to ask. Is all of television still fucking terrible, or have I missed any gems in the last 10 years?

@tobbrobb: There is bound to be something that has slipped through the gaps. It really depends on your taste in TV shows. Maybe if you were to name some of the shows that you did like, then perhaps it'll be easier for most to recommend you something.

@tireyo:

That's the problem, I'm not sure if it is an issue of budget or what. But I never really find any TV I want to stick around for. I usually quit either because of bad pacing, bad acting, bad direction, bad design/style or any combination of those.

Rather than mentioning shows I've watched I'll throw out a few themes I enjoy. A good mafia/gangster series could be cool, I enjoy westerns, psychological stuff whether it be related to crimes/drugs or just mental disorders are interesting. I stay the fuck away from sci-fi or fantasy on a low budget. People have told me it can be done, but I'm yet to have been convinced. Also no zombies.

More or less what I'm saying is, I want something that feels polished and well executed, because the B-tier feel of most tv-shows kill me from the inside. I don't mind long series, but I believe they are more likely to shoot themselves in the foot. So a shorter more complete package is probably preferred.

@tobbrobb: Ever give House MD a try? He deals with a lot of psychological stuff whether it be related to crimes/drugs, mental disorders, and other strange health problems.

If you like comedies, I can recommend you Whose Line Is It Anyway? You never know what they are going to pop up with. You can watch episodes on the CW website that I linked in that list in the beginning of this thread.

@tobbrobb: Breaking Bad would be right up your alley. Crime, drugs, psychological stuff, it's all there.

Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men, and The Sopranos are also some shows you'd probably like.

@turtlebird95: Breaking Bad was the one I was thinking about a few weeks back! I really should get around to that. I do really like Mad Men so thatnis a good guess. I'll look into the other two a bit more closely.

Good read off of little information dude. Can you think of anything a bit more lighthearted as well?

@tobbrobb: Certainly, though most of my recommendations are animated shows.

It's Always Sunny, Futurama, Adventure Time, Regular Show, Avatar/Korra, Gumball are just a few that come to mind.

I recently finished Season 3 of the Sopranos. I don't know why I waited so long to get into it, it's incredible for a variety of reasons. The way it parallels Tony's criminal life with his family life is especially clever.

It's unfortunate that I know the ending already though, but maybe it means I just won't be disappointed with it and will be able to interpret better.

@turtlebird95: I wanted to get away from the animated series since it's what I usually go for. Let's call it a foray deeper into live-action. Otherwise those are some good choices, Futurama is awesome.

It's always sunny didn't click with me sadly. I enjoyed some of the gags though. Thanks anyways! Looking forward to getting into Breaking Bad.

HBO has you covered bro.

@tobbrobb: Sherlock for sure....lock.

Flight of the Concords, Eastbound and Down, Party Down, Homeland, Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job, and I'd also recommend Mad Men. All of these are classics in my eyes.

I just got back from Kick-Ass 2....what a disappointment. It felt so fake. It didn't have that "fuck tha man" vibe that the first one did.

Big fan already, but good suggestion for others. In that vein, Reaper is also fantastic. (and related solely in the "Monster of the week" style comedy way, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil is 2 seasons of pure joy... why do so many of these shows die after two seasons?)

Has anyone here seen The Imposter? It's a brilliant little thriller-documentary film. Highly recommended.

@tobbrobb: There you go! You got the help you needed.

@animasta: I think Nikita is really underrated. Supernatural is pretty good with its world building and characters. I'd say to stick with it if you're on the fence.

@spraynardtatum: I thought KA2 was a good continuation of Kick Ass. I will admit that Mindy's storyline was something I could have done without, but I understand why it's there.

This year's seasons of Burn Notice and Covert Affairs have been surprisingly good. I've always enjoyed them in a turn-your-brain-off kind of way, but this year they seem to be stepping it up. It's a shame that it took BN to be in its final season for them to start actually mixing things up. The real problem I've had with the show is that there weren't any lasting consequences to things. Something significant would happen and they'd go back to business as usual. I understand that a lot of the appeal of the show was the formulaic nature, but too many seasons of that was killing my interest in the show. I really enjoyed it when it first started, so I'm glad to see it getting back to form.

I still think he would like that show though. I feel like shows die out because someone somewhere finds something wrong with them, even when there is nothing wrong with them.

"He"? I'm the guy you responded to. :P

@naru_joe93: Agree about The Bridge. Best new show in quite a while. The female detective character is especially mesmerizing. People need to check it out.

Watched Oblivion tonight. Pretty damn good. First off it's stunningly gorgeous visually, and the production values are amazing. Secondly, it tells it's story slowly so you are always left unsure as to what exactly transpired, but all is pulled together really well at the end. Good sci-fi story telling imo. There is a bit of corn; some dialogue that is unnecessary really especially toward the end, unless I guess you're a Hollywood type trying to sell it I spose(boo).

4/5 stars from me regardless. My fav. sci-fi movie in a few years.

@naru_joe93: Agree about The Bridge. Best new show in quite a while. The female detective character is especially mesmerizing. People need to check it out.

Watched Oblivion tonight. Pretty damn good. First off it's stunningly gorgeous visually, and the production values are amazing. Secondly, it tells it's story slowly so you are always left unsure as to what exactly transpired, but all is pulled together really well at the end. Good sci-fi story telling imo. There is a bit of corn; some dialogue that is unnecessary really especially toward the end, unless I guess you're a Hollywood type trying to sell it I spose(boo).

4/5 stars from me regardless. My fav. sci-fi movie in a few years.

I know! =-D Thought I would mess with you a little bit. LOL.

@tireyo: Haha, suuuuuuuuuure. :P

Anybody else enjoying this season of NTSF SD SVU? The past season was kinda hit and miss for me but this year has been great. I really am enjoying the addition of Karen Gillian to the lineup, she has proven that there is more to her then just playing Doctor Who's companion.

I started watching Broadchurch over the weekend, because David Tennant, then found out the American airings are edited to include more commercials. This doesn't surprise me, but it does bum me out a little.

It seems like a good show so far, and I hear the ending is very strong. It bothers me that I'm missing out on some of it.

If you have any interest in the slasher genre then go see You're Next. I said it in another thread and Ill say it again, it's this year's Cabin In The Woods. It's genuinely funny, has one of the best horror movie deaths in a long while, includes a great Carpenter-esque soundtrack, and an amazingly kick-ass heroine. It was the most fun I had seeing a movie this year, no doubt.

Well, I'm going to bump this with a worthwhile comment.

The Legend of Korra is coming September 13, and I cannot wait!

Rabbids Invasion has been here for several weeks, and it's a lot of fun to watch!

Been watching Mork and Mindy lately. Great series from the past!

I just started watching Breaking Bad after being torn between whether to watch that or Game of thrones for about a month after finishing LOST. It looks interesting, not expecting too much going in but looks like I'll enjoy the show

Thought I'd try to revive this.

I'm enjoying The Legend of Korra ever since it started. It gets more interesting with each progressing episode.

Recently watched the entire Samurai Champloo series, and that was an amazing series. I couldn't really expect anything less from the people who were involved with Cowboy Bebop.

Watched a little bit of Duck Dynasty, but it gets more boring by the second so I probably will stop watching them.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is AMAZING, and I recommend everyone to watch it if they are a fan of Studio Ghibli or Miyazaki.

I want to watch Ponyo, but I'm not sure if I'll like it or not.

Guess that's it!

I don't get to go to movie theaters very often, but an opportunity presented itself about a week and a half ago and I got to see a movie I've wanted to see for a while, Gravity. I caught a commercial for it a ways before it was to release and thought it was interesting, then I saw Alfonso Cuaron's name and saw he directed it. I usually don't get overly excited about who's in what movie and who directs, but when the guy who directed your favorite movie of all time (Children of Men) is directing a movie that you were already somewhat interested in based on a commercial, it's enough to warrant a little excitement from me.

And boy, it did not disappoint at all. Saw it in 3D and absolutely loved every tense moment of it. It was a rush, with barely any room to just relax as you wonder what terrible thing might happen next. I'm sure there were probably a few moments in that film where I was probably holding my breath in suspense, which I don't do very often. I highly recommend it, especially if you can see it in 3D.

I was disappointed a little. I think they could have probably been less schmaltzy at the end. I just never believed or felt like Sandra Bullock in her dead daughter story. I think for me where it broke down was her one second trying to kill herself and then one hallucination later wanting to live...but not just wanting to live but coming back a 'rocket scientist'.The whole 4/5 of the movie she is an incompetent astronaut, she seemingly remembers nothing and can do nothing except barely remember procedures and mostly barely remember to take orders from commanding officers. Then when all is lost just 90 seconds of low oxygen makes her becomes super women/super scientist to do the impossible. There is no lead-up to the pep talk by ghost in her brain Cloony. He shows up, ribs her slightly for wanting to give up to see her daughter in heaven...doesn't even give a good argument for not dying...but all the same she decides to become a type-A "The Right Stuff" personality and fly home.Fffffffffpppttttt....what hog wash! I don't want to be hit over the head with it, but it would have been nice to think maybe she had given up far before we think she has. The concept of dying to see her daughter being introduced 30 minute earlier would have helped. And, maybe just a few more minutes of consideration about not dying would have helped. It also would have been nice if at a few points they showed SHE KNEW what do do to save herself but refused to do it so that we coudlk believe she was smart enough to do the last 10 minutes of the film.

Watched the premiere of Pokemon XY last week, as well as the movie Genesect Awakened.

Genesect Awakened: I only watched this because I saw it had Mewtwo in it and his Mega Evolution. (Y) The movie itself was alright, animation quality was excellent and the battles were pretty sweet. The plot however was a steaming pile of nope. I know these movies aren't really canon to the main series (assuming that could even called canon anymore), but in the case of the Mewtwo movies they had a connection to each other. At the end of Mewtwo Returns, Ash and Mewtwo are like buddies, in this movie, they don't know each other at all. To make things worse, Mewtwo used to have this deep, badass voice and now they've turned him into a female... Sexist bullshit.

XY: Surprisingly not awful! I only saw the one hour premiere and nothing since, but so far my impressions are pretty good. Oh, and Pokemon noticed people are questioning his age, because for the first time pretty much ever, the narrator doesn't even mention that Ash is ten.

Walking Dead Season 4: The premiere was terrible, but the episode after that somewhat renewed my interest in the series. I'm betting they will drop the ball as usual, but the setup is there for something interesting. Will keep watching.