FORUMS - COASTERFORCE
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The TV we watch...
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I’m rewatching Game of Thrones at the moment and it really is the bestest. It’s so damn ‘epic’ - the character development is exceptional, you really care for the heroes and you really, really hate the villains 
For anyone that wants a good bit of medieval-style conquests, ‘lords and ladies’ intrigue and doesn’t mind a light sprinkling of fantasy elements, this is absolutely critical viewing.
The only caveat to me recommending this is that it requires a strong stomach… it’s brutal and miserable. There is a lot of violence, cruelty and misogyny and plenty of scenes that may upset. This can stray a little too much towards ‘titillation’, especially during the earlier seasons which also have excessive nudity, but I think it wisely recalibrates away from this as the show goes on so that the misery is less titillating and just, err, really hard to watch…?
What a show \o/
Edit: I have some friends to refuse to watch this purely on the basis that “there are dragons”… which is silly because as a whole it’s not really about the dragons / fantasy and is instead much more about the human relationships and conquests. I will tell them that it’s much more like, perhaps, ‘Braveheart’, which they like. Yet they still refuse to watch because they cannot get on board with the idea of ‘dragons’… so frustrating!
For anyone on the fence, I’d say commit to the first 2 episodes and you’ll get a good idea of what’s to come.
For anyone that wants a good bit of medieval-style conquests, ‘lords and ladies’ intrigue and doesn’t mind a light sprinkling of fantasy elements, this is absolutely critical viewing.
The only caveat to me recommending this is that it requires a strong stomach… it’s brutal and miserable. There is a lot of violence, cruelty and misogyny and plenty of scenes that may upset. This can stray a little too much towards ‘titillation’, especially during the earlier seasons which also have excessive nudity, but I think it wisely recalibrates away from this as the show goes on so that the misery is less titillating and just, err, really hard to watch…?
What a show \o/
Edit: I have some friends to refuse to watch this purely on the basis that “there are dragons”… which is silly because as a whole it’s not really about the dragons / fantasy and is instead much more about the human relationships and conquests. I will tell them that it’s much more like, perhaps, ‘Braveheart’, which they like. Yet they still refuse to watch because they cannot get on board with the idea of ‘dragons’… so frustrating!
For anyone on the fence, I’d say commit to the first 2 episodes and you’ll get a good idea of what’s to come.
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Matt N
CF Legend
It’s been quite a year for Christmas TV on the BBC, and I’ve now managed to watch some of the main anticipated TV events on the channel!
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale
This had been quite hyped up, but I have to say that it did not disappoint for me! To keep it spoiler-free, there were plenty of laughs and running jokes from previous episodes continued, but there was also quite a lot of heart and emotion at times as well. I very much enjoyed it, and I thought it was an excellent ending!
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
I thought this was excellent! It’s been years since I’ve watched one of the Wallace & Gromit films, but this was very funny and definitely every bit as fun and charming as we’ve come to expect from the duo over the years! I enjoyed the somewhat modern twist with the AI/robot storyline, but also very much enjoyed the return of Feathers McGraw over 30 years on! Overall, I definitely thoroughly enjoyed Wallace & Gromit, and the new instalment fits in very nicely with the others as a thoroughly fun hour and a half! I do think a Norbot scene would be a nice addition to Thrill-O-Matic in Blackpool…
Tiddler
This was not exactly anticipated as such, but me and my mum decided to watch it out of nostalgia, as we always used to watch the animated Julia Donaldson specials when I was a child. I’m not really the target demographic, but I thought it was quite sweet!
Outnumbered
This was definitely funny enough and had some good laughs in places, but I do feel like it’s maybe lost something now the children are grown up. A lot of the charm of the original episodes came from the wild improvisation of the child actors, particularly Karen and Ben, and you don’t get that as much now they’re all adults. I also thought that the reasonable emphasis on cancer was maybe a tad depressing for a Christmas special. Nonetheless, it was still a fun watch with a few good chuckle-inducing lines, if not quite up there with the original episodes for me.
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale
This had been quite hyped up, but I have to say that it did not disappoint for me! To keep it spoiler-free, there were plenty of laughs and running jokes from previous episodes continued, but there was also quite a lot of heart and emotion at times as well. I very much enjoyed it, and I thought it was an excellent ending!
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
I thought this was excellent! It’s been years since I’ve watched one of the Wallace & Gromit films, but this was very funny and definitely every bit as fun and charming as we’ve come to expect from the duo over the years! I enjoyed the somewhat modern twist with the AI/robot storyline, but also very much enjoyed the return of Feathers McGraw over 30 years on! Overall, I definitely thoroughly enjoyed Wallace & Gromit, and the new instalment fits in very nicely with the others as a thoroughly fun hour and a half! I do think a Norbot scene would be a nice addition to Thrill-O-Matic in Blackpool…
Tiddler
This was not exactly anticipated as such, but me and my mum decided to watch it out of nostalgia, as we always used to watch the animated Julia Donaldson specials when I was a child. I’m not really the target demographic, but I thought it was quite sweet!
Outnumbered
This was definitely funny enough and had some good laughs in places, but I do feel like it’s maybe lost something now the children are grown up. A lot of the charm of the original episodes came from the wild improvisation of the child actors, particularly Karen and Ben, and you don’t get that as much now they’re all adults. I also thought that the reasonable emphasis on cancer was maybe a tad depressing for a Christmas special. Nonetheless, it was still a fun watch with a few good chuckle-inducing lines, if not quite up there with the original episodes for me.
Graeme
Mega Poster
My Christmas viewing this year:
BBC2 has been showing some quite-good quizzes in the evenings. Earlier on we have House of Games and Celebrity Mastermind. After that, we have Only Connect and University Challenge. Not essential, but it's nice to have as back-up.
On Christmas Eve I like Midnight Mass. It gives me a very peaceful feeling.
And of course the big one was Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Very good, but I feel like I was in a bad mood and need to watch it again. On the positive side, the gnomes were absolutely brilliant and the humour with them came across 100% as intended (I'm sure). The recharging was hilarious. On a slight negative, I didn't think the side story with the police worked all that well. There is not normally that much exposition in W&G, and the female police officer, in particular, was more flattering than they usually portray their characters (normally, Gromit is the only sane one). Bringing back Feathers McGraw, and having him acknowledged by so many as a feared criminal, sort of undid the subtle humour that he was really just a penguin. I think the story might have been better if it had focused more on the gnomes. However, let's stop there, because I can't further criticise something with so much love poured into it. I loved the Mayor; the slow speed of the canal boat chase was genius, and I'm pretty sure I saw a barge with "Flying Duck" on the side! Looking forward to watching this one again, and hope to see new additions to the series in the future.
BBC2 has been showing some quite-good quizzes in the evenings. Earlier on we have House of Games and Celebrity Mastermind. After that, we have Only Connect and University Challenge. Not essential, but it's nice to have as back-up.
On Christmas Eve I like Midnight Mass. It gives me a very peaceful feeling.
And of course the big one was Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Very good, but I feel like I was in a bad mood and need to watch it again. On the positive side, the gnomes were absolutely brilliant and the humour with them came across 100% as intended (I'm sure). The recharging was hilarious. On a slight negative, I didn't think the side story with the police worked all that well. There is not normally that much exposition in W&G, and the female police officer, in particular, was more flattering than they usually portray their characters (normally, Gromit is the only sane one). Bringing back Feathers McGraw, and having him acknowledged by so many as a feared criminal, sort of undid the subtle humour that he was really just a penguin. I think the story might have been better if it had focused more on the gnomes. However, let's stop there, because I can't further criticise something with so much love poured into it. I loved the Mayor; the slow speed of the canal boat chase was genius, and I'm pretty sure I saw a barge with "Flying Duck" on the side! Looking forward to watching this one again, and hope to see new additions to the series in the future.