Locke and Key 2020 Netflix Series

Of the NETFLIX series that I have watched so far, Locke and Key is probably my favorite along side Season 1 of Stranger Things. Even though I saw what happens at end of the season coming from a mile away the show was still engaging throughout.  The story focusing on a family that has moved back to their dad’s ancestral home after his tragic death.  It seems like the typical setting at the start of a horror movie.  Instead of a haunted house this house has a series of magical keys each with their own strange magical functions.   The story feels like a cross between The Goonies and The Chronicles of Narnia.

The best part of the show is what the magical keys do.  One key allows the user to go through any door and end up anywhere that has a door.   Another key allows a person or persons to go inside someone’s mind.  A fun concept and a great first season.   If you are in magical elements in shows definitely check this one out.  Season 1 left itself open to second season –although I almost wish that it had been a one season story. 

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Dracula BBC 2020 (Netflix Series)

Brief thoughts on BBC's  Dracula

I was excited when I heard about this show hitting NETFLIX.  The reason for that excitement was that it was by the same people that did Sherlock on BBC.  Sherlock is one of my favorite mystery shows and I was eager to see what they would do with a short mini-series based on DRACULA.   Each episode is basically like a mini-movie in length. 

The first 2 episodes I found to be really enjoyable.  The pacing of the episodes was slow -but purposeful.  The first episode basically covered the Bram Stoker tale in a style that felt very much like Sherlock.  

 The second episode featured Dracula’s voyage to England that played out like a murder mystery cruise with a shocking ending that left me excited for the finale episode.

Unfortunately, the third episode felt like a terrible movie sequel that you almost wish you hadn’t seen.  I was left so disappointed with where they ended up taking the story that I probably wouldn’t watch another season if the show returned.  

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The Witcher 2019 (Netflix Series)

I’m not at all familiar with the material that the series is based on so it was all new to me.  Season 1 of The Witcher on Netflix had a lot of buzz when it came out.  I think people were hoping and wanting to be the next Game of Thrones.  For me, it was a bit of a mixed bag.   Unlike Game of Thrones, this show mixes around timelines and tells s a non-linear story.  It was unnecessarily confusing at times because of this and the fact that the show's creators want the audience to figure it out on their own like Westworld.

The show has some really cool and interesting stuff and some corny stuff.   The show at times felt like a big budget fantasy film and at other times it felt like an episode of XENA Warrior Princess.    I would say that if you are a genre fan it is a good binge-watch, but it definitely isn’t a must-see.

What I LIKED about the show:    The Witcher character himself was cool. I wish the show had just focused on this character alone.  His adventures are captured my attention despite Superman’s odd choice of talking for the character. 

What I DIDN” T LIKE about the show:   The humpbacked witch storyline was completely uninteresting to me.  I just wanted to get back to the main character.  Both this character and the young girl character's stories left me bored.  

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Altered Carbon Season 2 2020 (Netflix Series)

I was excited to find out that Anthony Mackie would be headlining season 2 of Altered Carbon.  It is odd when a show comes back for season 2 with a new lead actor – but in the case of this show where characters come back in different bodies or “Sleeves” it makes sense.  His performance in the show was great,  unfortunately the story in season 2 just felt uninspired. 

Season 1 dropped us into a Blade Runner type future with some people living for generations in new bodies and had some interesting themes.  The plot of season 2 just didn’t seem fresh or new in anyway.  There were some cool scenes –but as a whole the whole season just feel flat for me.   I  finished the season – but this was a perfect example of a show that if it was a weekly show I may not have stayed with it.  As a short binge watch dumped all at once I worked my way through it quickly.

One of the problems I’ve noticed about several Netflix shows is that you binge them and then generally forget about them.  The gap between season 1 of Altered Carbon and season 2 was so long that season 1 pretty much is wiped from your mind by the time season 2 comes out.  Even shows that you really like become disposable in a way- because the dump the season and binge watch it model.   I’m finding that I enjoy shows like the Mandalorian and Clone Wars much better than Netflix shows.  A part of the that is that they are Star Wars and a part of that is that you get to let the episodes sink in and get excited again for the next week.  That is badly missing from NETFLIX shows that dump all at once.  With shows like Altered Carbon it is binge it and completely forget about it.   I don’t think I would have made it through season 2 of LOST in Space if it was a weekly series, so maybe NETFLIX Is getting me to watch shows I wouldn’t normally watch with this dump the season model.

Nightflyers 2018 vs Another Life 2019

The two sci-fi TV Series share a surprising number of elements. Nightflyers aired on Syfy channel in 2018 and Another Life on Netflix in 2019.  Both shows have these things in common.

1. A mission to meet an alien race that is baffling scientists

2. A holographic character played by a black actor.  (That is a strange coincidence)

3. A computer intelligence that may be causing issues with the mission

4.  A character that has to face dangerous radiation to complete a task.   

Not knowing the back story of the series productions -- I would guess that Another Life is the one ripping off Nightflyers, since it pretty much ripped off every sci-fi story I've ever seen in its first season.  Below are some brief thoughts about both series.

Nightflyers 2018

Nightflyers originally aired on the Syfy Channel.  It was based on a George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) novella.   Unfortunately, it was canceled after a short 10 episode run.   It was basically a sci-fi horror series.   It felt at times like American Horror Story in space.

The spacecraft the Nightflyer is on a mission to track down a mysterious alien craft.  The 10 episode run features a mysterious presence on the ship that is sabotaging the mission.  A person with super psychic powers and the mystery of the alien craft itself.  It explores some interesting horror in space tropes --but in some interesting ways that keep it fresh enough to be interesting. 

The only problem with the show for me is that the premature ending since it didn't get a second season leaves too many interesting questions unanswered. The ending feels abrupt as a result.   Also, there was a weird storyline where one of the main characters basically goes insane and because they need him for something in the next episode it is almost treated as if he didn't do those things (which wasn't believable). 

Trailer

Another Life 2019

Here are the comments about this series that I posted on Facebook while watching it.  If it wasn't binge-able I wouldn't have finished the season.

Another Life 2019. A rip off of every sci-fi movie ever —- just less interesting. This show would have been canceled so quickly on network tv Warning SPOILERS in the comment section.       4 Episodes in. If this show was longer than 10 episodes and available to binge I would probably stop watching. I’ll give it about 2 more episodes.
6 episodes in this show officially sucks. It seems like the story on Earth which is a rip off of Arrival has been all but forgotten. The ship bound story has absolutely nothing new to offer and we are supposed to believe that one of the main crew was actually a kidnapper at one point that had kidnapped Starbuck’s character. Give me a break. This show has zero credibility with this random sidetrack storyline.     It doesn’t get any better. In fact, it only gets worse. What a pointless pile of crap.  I just saw that this crap show was renewed for a second season. No thanks

SUPER FANTASTIC TERRIFIC SHOW # 35 – THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY

Our latest Podcast is now online.  In this episode we discuss what we liked and didn’t like about The Umbrella Academy.  We talk about binge watching shows in general.  And the co-hosts disagree with me on whether Captain Ron is one of the worst movies of the year it came out. 

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Quick Thoughts on the first episode of Lost in Space: The 2018 Netflix show

Until very recently I didn’t even know this show was coming out.   Maybe I read a story about it awhile back and completely forgot –but it seemed like this Lost in Space Netflix reboot came out of nowhere.   The original show back in the 1960’s was basically the Swiss Family Robinson in Space.  It was like a mix us Star Trek, Batman and Gilligan’s Island.  It was totally cheesy –but a lot of fun.    Then they did a reboot movie in the 1990’s with William Hurt and Matt Leblanc and Gary Oldman as Dr. Smith.   Of course, Oldman was excellent in the role of Dr. Smith.  I enjoyed this big budget movie version and would have liked to have seen it become a franchise—but that didn’t happen.   

So, I was interested the second I saw the trailer for this latest version of Lost in Space.  The concept works better as a TV series anyway.  I watched the first episode and I’m trying to withhold judgement since I learned my lesson with Battlestar years ago.   I spent the first half of the premiere of Battlestar upset.  I wasn’t a happy about my favorite character from the original Battlestar being a woman and many other changes.   The first couple of hours left me frustrated about how it wasn’t my Battlestar.   I stuck it out and was able to see the show as its own thing.  The show ended up being better than the original show.    

After watching the premiere episode of Lost in Space "I’m not having a great feeling about this".   I think Parker Posey could make a good Dr. Smith.  The rest of the cast however I’m just not feeling.  The dark tone the first episode sets –tells us that this isn’t going to be the old fun TV show in anyway shape or form.  The parents are divorced?  Robbie the Robot has been replaced by some sinister looking robot that is connected to the baddies that caused the Robinson’s to crash in the first place?    So instead of fun adventures with weird alien creatures it looks like we are headed for a dark sci-fi story about a broken and fractured family.    The first episode was pretty much a ship in the bottle episode.   Something you expect from a sci-fi tv series since these episodes help to cut back on costs.   Usually however you start getting ship in the bottle episodes further into the series.  Quite frankly for a premiere episode of a TV show this was a pretty dull and boring episode.   I will definitely give it a few more episodes to see if can develop into something cool.    Like I said I learned my lesson with Battlestar.   But if this first episode is any indication –I’m not feeling hopeful.

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