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Do limited documentary series count? Like one's split into 4 to 6 episodes?
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Dec 24, 2021 03:39
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 18:53 |
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I always want to watch "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" but it isn't streaming in any services I have.
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Dec 29, 2021 02:23
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It’s pretty crazy how different each list is. It’s not like the GOTY thread where Endwalker is almost always number 1.
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Jan 4, 2022 09:10
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So I'm curious if my viewing experience of "Demon Slayer" would count for 2021. The Mugen Train film was released in 2021 in America and is literally a continuation of the TV series. But was released in 2020 in Japan. To make matters more confusing, the studio did release Mugen train as a TV adaptation in 2021 that is pretty much the same thing but I didn't watch it. The series finally got passed the Mugen Train stuff a few weeks ago to start a brand new arc. But the arc won't conclude to around the end of this month or so. So essentially I watched a move that is a continuation of the TV show that was released last year in my country, but in 2020 Japan...however said move was adapted to TV last year (with little to no changes) and I only saw five or six episodes outside of the film segment last year. It's kind of confusing, but would my experience of "Demon Slayer" qualify?
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Jan 7, 2022 08:41
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Honorable Mentions Odd Taxi (Crunchyroll) – An enjoyable anime that tries to be a series of “multiple stories that connect at once” crime drama. All the stories are interconnected and for the most part the show tries to be serious and adult (at least by anime standards). It’s an enjoyable watch, but at the end of the day the show just isn’t as smart as it thinks it is and while watching it, you are reminded that similar stories have been done far better before. Attack on Titan (Crunchyroll) – The final season is a huge shot in the arm the series needed. It shakes the show up in many ways and gives off a vibe and atmosphere that isn’t really like anything else. The issue is that some of the changes are just...dumb. I have no problem with Eren’s heel turn but doing a giant time skip and having him going from “I’m timid but I got to be the hero” to basically being a rebellious sociopath is a bit too much. It’s entertaining, if a bit hard to follow. But it makes me glad the series is ending before it gets too stupid. Hellbound (Netflix) – What if Judgement Day came true but instead of it being all at once, instead it was done little by little, person by person? That’s more or less the concept of “Hellbound”. Despite it’s terribly slow start and boring first episode, the show ramps up by the credits of the second and it gradually escalates from there. Not the best show, but worth watching. Can’t Get You Out of My Head (BBC) - “Hypernormalisation” is my favorite documentary of all-time. And as each day passes, the film becomes more and more relevant. So much so, that Adam Curtis’s follow up documentary is literally the exact same film, just focused on different events and players, with far less cohesion. Like with all Adam Curtis documentaries, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” is a fun and informative watch. But at the end of the day, it’s essentially a weak B-side piece of an already almost perfect album. Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO Max) – After the phenomenal tenth season, as was very excited for season eleven. Prior to the last season, I was firmly in the camp of “the show hasn’t been the same since they brought it back”. Season nine was absolutely horrible comedy wise and racist as poo poo. It was a delight to see the show get back on track with the tenth season, which I found to be one of the best. Unfortunately, season eleven goes back to being mediocre. There’s nothing “bad” about it, it’s just simply so-so as all the episodes are standard Curb episodes that don’t do anything new or aren’t witty enough to stand out from the hundreds of others. Plus, the ending was just so disappointing. Lupin (Netflix) – France’s answer to Sherlock Holmes, the gentleman thief is a hallmark of French literature. It is no surprise that these books have adapted several times and referenced heavily in countless media (hello “Persona 5”). Staring an anti-hero who is suave, intelligent, compassionate, and elegant, he is the ideal Frenchman despite being a criminal. Sure, he steals but only from those who deserve so, and those that don’t he always returns what he takes. Netflix gave the greenlight of a modern take on the old novels with the charismatic Omar Sy playing the aforementioned “Lupin”. The series was very good and had me hooked during the second half of it. Unfortunately, the first half is far too boring at times. Not to mention the whole premise of “it’s the real world, the person is just obsessed with the books but ironically takes the name of “Lupin” but isn’t really Lupin, but in a way technically is Lupin!” is something I found dumb. If the entire series was like the second half, this would easily have made the top ten. Unfortunately, the draggy nature of the first half puts it down enough for the series to JUST miss the top ten. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Top Ten 10. Reservation Dogs (Hulu)  I'll address the giant elephant in the room. Reservation Dogs is the first TV series to focus on Native American characters, with primarily a Native American cast, and produced by a Native American. It’s astounding fact that with several African American, Latino, and Asian American series over the years, there has yet to be even one Native American series. Now, while I admit this is a monumental step, this alone wouldn’t warrant a spot in the top ten. The show needs to be of quality. But the fact that it is the first, one has to take into account that there is no template for the show to follow. Considering this, the show achieves its objective of bringing Native American life and style to the small screen very well. The show has a bit of distinct feel that isn’t quite like other shows, such as some supernatural elements that are woven into the story. There’s also the picture of life in a Native town the show paints. The town the show takes place in is small and declining. It’s dozens of miles from a metro area, and has virtually no economy as the “downtown” portion is filled with abandoned buildings or tepid shops. The residents of said town do their best to make ends meet. You frequently see residents in several side hustles such as making jewelry or cutting hair. Since the town’s economy is in such a poor state, this is the best they can do in order to still make payments in their lovely one bed room apartment or 700 square foot house. Crime is also prevalent. With people frequently stealing copper and various items to get buy, or stealing being so common that shop owners ask local teenagers what they are going to steal so they can just write the items off. All this is done in a way that’s very show and not tell. Not one of these things have a single episode dedicated to them and are all just in the backdrop, leaving the audience to piece the puzzles together. And it’s fantastic. When it comes to main characters however, that’s a different story. The show bills itself as a show about teenagers who commit crimes and stop crimes in order to help the town, but that’s not really accurate. It’s often about the daily life of the main cast. It’s pretty enjoyable, especially with episodes that focus on a single character. But overall, it’s lacking. Outside of a select few the characters just aren’t that interesting. It’s not that they’re “bad”, they just don’t really stand out. And being honest, the main plot of them raising money to move to California just seems kind of...dumb. As someone who recently did the whole “move from the heartland the West Coast”, the concept of a group of teenagers saving money to move to Los Angeles of all places is laughable to me.Then again maybe that’s what the show was going for, being how Elora’s mom reacts. Overall, the show’s good, but it primarily stands out due to its excellent weaving of the Native Americab backdrop into the story. 9. Exterminate all the Brutes (HBO Max)  One of the most unflinching documentaries I’ve seen. The series takes the viewer by the hand and has them look at the history colonialism in the eye without blinking. The series doesn’t pull any punches showing the brutality during colonial times and how it affects the world today. It really puts into perspective to as of why there is so much turmoil and inequality in the modern world. What’s interesting is that no matter how educated you are on the subject, there is likely to be at least something you’ll learn that you didn’t know before. Such as scalping actually being a European thing that was introduced to the Native Americans, and not vice versa. Or how it was common practice in the Belgian Congo to punish their slaves by chopping off their hands and propping them around. There is always some interesting and morbid information every minute. Finally, a huge stand out area of this documentary compared to others are the dramatizations. Typically, in documentaries I roll my eyes as they tend not only take me out of the experience but also are very mediocre and cheap. Not in the case with “Exterminate all the Brutes” however. The dramatizations are extremely well done, with Hollwood quality writing, acting, cinematography, and directing. To the point I was actually sad when they ended. The documentary has tons of love and passion, as it acts an honest prosecution of colonialism and racial supremacy. Its goal was to be an unflinching look into the history of the world’s brutal past and on that note, it excels on every front. 8. You (Netflix)  Female “trash novels” are every bit as part of American culture as comic books and YA literature. As the name implies, they are every bit as nonsensical and embarrassing as the latter two genres listed. However, also like the other two genres, they can also be very fun. And that’s the best way to describe the third season of “You”. To describe the series as a whole it’s similar to “Jaws” in which it attempts to take a genre that is seen as lowbrow but make it more prestige and digestible for general audiences. Both season 1 and 2 received a lot of commercial and critical acclaim. For those not in the know to give a brief non-spoilery rundown of the show’s premise, it follows the story of a stalker with murderous tendencies who obsesses over random women as he woos them with his charms and becomes extremely paternal about their life. It sounds extremely creepy and par for course of the genre, but similar to Jaws, it’s how well “You” executes its story and fleshes out its characters. Season 3 stands out as it takes the trashiness of the series to a whole different level, focusing on a quiet town in suburbia becoming a murder town with duo stalker serial killers. It sounds stupid, and is stupid, but the execution is on point and it is so entertaining. If you didn't like the first two season, season three won’t win you over. However, if you enjoyed the first two seasons and were hesistant on continuing on as you were thinking “where does the series go from here?” you’ll be happy to know that it still chugs along without feeling redundant. 7. Awkwafina is Nora from Queens (Comedy Central/HBO Max)  There's nothing else to really say about Nora from Queens other than it’s a very funny show and that it paints a realistic portrait of being in your mid-twenties and still struggling to get on your feet in this modern capitalistic world. The show revolves around Nora a 25-year-old slacker who lives with her extended family and tries to find a stable job that pays enough for her to move out. Awkwafina is absolutely hilarious and it isn’t hard at all to see why she has so much success. She brings Nora to life as a woman who is lost in life and has good intentions but always George Constanza’s her way into creating schemes that blow up in her face. As someone who watches a lot of international TV, it really gives perspective in just how American the show is. The comedy is very “wet” as the jokes are very upfront, blatant, and at times crass. However, due to how funny the show is, this is obvious a huge positive. It isnt’ a show that’s likely going to be inducted into the TV Hall of Fame, but it is the perfect show to tune into for laughs and I’m surprised that it doesn’t have a stronger “cult following”. 6. Castlevania (Netflix)  Arguably one of the most important, if not the most important, TV series in adult animation. The show was: action focused and NOT a comedy, high production, rated TV-MA, with much if not most of the animating being done in-house in American soil. And on top of all these factors the show as a critical and commercial hit. Castlevania takes the lore and feel of the video games and brings them to the small screen in spectacular fashion. With great fights, memorable characters, and an engaging story. Unfortunately, while season 4 was ultimately as enjoyable as the other seasons, it just didn’t leave as much of an impact. I found it to be weaker than the previous two seasons at least, but a relatively weak season in Castlevania still makes for one of the best seasons of TV. 5. Love Life (HBO Max)  The first season of “Love Life” was good enough for me to finish the season, but not much else. Even Ana Kendrick’s charisma and skills couldn’t save the show’s flat characters and boring story. The second season improves on the first in every way imaginable. As it focuses on a man in his early thirties who is divorced by his wife, seeking for a new love in his life. The season has quality characters, pacing, and story as I was engaged each and every episode. Being in the same age group as the characters, I found myself relating heavily to them, as each episode introduced a new topic. The show isn’t a masterpiece but it’s an insightful and very relatable portrayal of finding love in your thirties. 4. Cobra Kai (Netflix)  “You” is the perfect execution of the female trash novel. Taking something that is low brow and making it very compelling and interesting. “You” has better than any right it has to be. But if there is show where the tagline “better than any right it has to be” that is even more appropriate, it is “Cobra Kai. For starters the show is a TV sequel to an original trilogy from the 1980s, to which even then only the first film was seen as “good”. The series genre is a mix of the teen trash drama and ‘80s karate exploitation films. All the while getting it’s start on Youtube Red of all places. The show just screams disaster on all fronts. Yet despite all of this, “Cobra Kai” is one of the best shows I’ve seen this year and possibly in all of television. Like “You” the magic is in its execution. The show manages to take itself seriously enough that you care about the characters and stakes, but not to the point that the show still isn’t fun. The characters are both relatable and likable, and it’s really cool to see the old Karate Kid cast back together. But what really makes the show is just how much love and respect there is for the material. Similar to the original “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy for films, “Spongebob Squarepants: The Broadway Musical” for theatre, or “Batman: Arkham Asylum” for videogames, “Cobra Kai” fully embraces its source material and expands on it in the most respectful fashion. Yes, having a plotlne focused on the school holding a board meeting on the dangers of karate riots is hilarious, but the show manages to make it work perfectly and at times suspend your disbelief enough for it to be believable. While the show is great, there are some nitpicks I have with it. To address the giant elephant in the room, as someone who trains in martial arts himself, there are several things the show portrays that just...aren’t true. Some snippets:
⁍ Karate in general isn’t that good of a martial art. It’s not “bad” but it’s “incomplete”. It’s amusing since the main bully of the show is a wrestler but drops it to learn karate, when wrestling is actually one of the most legit martial arts around. ⁍ When it comes to fighting, Cobra Kai is right about virtually everything. Even little things such as in the latest season when Robbie is losing to his mentee so he ends up actually having to try which results in him kicking his mentee in the face. The issue is that the dojo has some strange edgelord fetish, all of them have some strange “philosophy fetish”, but this is based on ‘80s cinema so it makes sense. There are others but it’s amusing to see. Yes, “Cobra Kai” can be dumb to a fault at times, but it’s all good fun. Highly recommended to anybody who is likes teen dramas, fighting, or ‘80s films. 3. Invincible (Amazon Prime)  I typically really dislike superhero stuff. I find it all so...boring. I find the concept of taking the modern world and having a bunch of rent a cops dressed up in tights running around beating up megalomaniacs to be very played out and not all that interesting. With few exceptions such as Spider-man, Batman, One Punchman, and Deadpool, superheroes just don’t interest me. And to be fair, looking at that list, only one of them is actually about being a superhero. Spider-man is essentially part teen drama, One Punchman is about a twenty something year old dealing with depression with cool fight scenes, and Deadpool is...Deadpool. So understandably I was a bit hesitant before watching “Invincible”, but after finishing it, it was easily one of the best shows I’ve watched this year. “Invincible” can best be summed up as Spider-man but the main character is the son of Superman with one major twist. And while that twist is something that people say “makes the show”, I have to disagree. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great twist, but the show easily can stand on its compelling characters, themes, and plotlines. I don’t want to delve too deep in order to not spoil the show, but what I can say is that it’s the best superhero related thing I’ve seen. If all comic books were similar to Invincible then I would be a diehard comic geek. Unfortunately, the series seems to be one of a kind, which is all the more reason to give it a watch. 2. Ted Lasso (AppleTV+)  In an era where so much media is so politically charged, it’s easy to forget just around a decade ago how TV was often used as an escape from such issues. This is what comes to mind when I think of “Ted Lasso”. It’s show that if you were to remove all of the various Apple products, I would think came out during the late 2000s. Strangely, I don’t mean this as jab toward “Ted Lasso”, but rather the opposite. It makes for a very digestible show where you can get lost in the story and characters. It also makes for a show that is easy to share with family and friends. In other words, it’s one of the few shows where “everyone” can still watch it. For those who aren’t aware of what the show is, inspired by real events, it revolves around the aforementioned Ted Lasso, an American college football coach who is hired to a coach an English football (soccer) league. The team is in a very poor state, with poor performance, low morale, and terrible culture. But Ted fixes all this with the power of niceness and charisma. Despite the silly premise and the introduction paragraph, the show is far better and deeper than one would think. The cast is phenomenal, the writing Is funny and witty, the American/English culture clash is entertaining, and just everything about the show is likable. I will say there are some parts where the show’s lack of politics is detriment. A good example is when Jamie Tart is blacklisted from all football leagues due to his unlikable behavior, despite being an all-star player. In a world with the likes of Connor McGregor and dozens worse than him roaming about, I don’t buy that for a second, even when suspending my disbelief. Still, it’s a minor complaint in an otherwise highly compelling show. I realize that unlike the rest of the top ten, AppleTV+ isn’t one of the major streaming services, but $5 is a major steal to watch one of the best current shows on television. 1. Squid Game (Netflix)  “Squid Game” is quite possible the most important television show of the decade. It’s the first post “Game of Thrones” show to get everyone talking again. It’s a streaming show released in binge format when many were questioning whether or not shows released in such fashion could even generate as much buzz as shows released weekly. It’s also show that is extremely political, as, admitted by the creator himself, focuses on the failures of modern Capitalism. “Squid Game” was not only the most watched show of the year for Netflix, but the most watched show Netflix has ever had. Everyone I have met has watched “Squid Game”, my family, friends, coworkers, class mates, hell even locals I met in countries like Uganda have watched “Squid Game”. It was a world-wide phenomenon that burned bright for months after its release. Despite all this, none of it is the most shocking about Squid Game. The most shocking thing about “Squid Game” is the country of origin. “Squid Game” is a Korean drama where almost all the characters are ethnically Korean and speak Korean. It is a Korean production through and through that is tailor made for Korea. Yet, despite this it was by far the biggest show of 2021 in virtually every country it was released in... including the United States of America. Something unheard of in country where “subtitles” are a four-letter word. It’s difficult to understate just how notable this is, but the series was the first big foreign language and cultured series to be popular in the America and arguably the rest of the West. Due to this, after the release of Squid Game, several other Korean shows began charting as it curated several new fans to K-dramas. Not only does this offer more opportunity for Korean media being marketable overseas, but media from all other nations as well. However, while the series is important, what about the quality? To sum up “Squid Game” it’s an instant classic. I can’t really explain what it is, but it has a certain x-factor or “je ne sais quoi” that makes one immediately connect with it. Maybe it’s due to its literal perfect casting. Maybe it's due to it being around a decade long project by a starving artist. Maybe it’s due to the themes being more relevant and relatable than ever before. But for some reason “Squid Game” simply “just works.” Having a series focus on a down in their luck individuals who gamble with their life through a series of deadly children games seems strange on the surface, but when woven with such well written characters and tense stakes makes for some of the most compelling television I’ve seen. And when things do go wrong, they really stick with you (episode 6  ) And all this without mentioning how the series just oozes with style due to the fantastic art direction, wardrobe, music, and cinematography. This doesn’t mean the show isn’t without flaws. There’s a subplot that is by and large completely pointless, especially if you aren’t familiar with Korean cinema. There’s also a scene with Americans who speak very...poor English. Though to be fair this is also common in American media when different languages are spoken, we just don’t realize it. But these are just minor hiccups in the massive sleeper hit. If you haven’t watched “Squid Game”, be sure to do so as soon as you can. Not only is it one of the best shows I’ve seen, but it’s landmark in world culture. punk rebel ecks fucked around with this message at 00:24 on Jan 21, 2022 |
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Jan 20, 2022 23:00
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Escobarbarian posted:The Adam Curtis thing is called Can’t Get You Out of My Head. I’m not sure where you got that other name from. It’s the working title of “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” I’ll update it.
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Jan 21, 2022 00:24
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Paper Lion posted:canada has been way ahead on these sorts of shows for nearly 20 years. many of them are very good and there are quite a few currently airing, and they have been continuously since the first one in 04, which imo still holds up really well and is worth watching to this day Yeah, that's why I specifically said "American". Canada has been way ahead on this front. To be fair though there are far more indigenous Canadians per capita than Americans, making it easier for them to break through their respective industries. Looten Plunder posted:OK, this looks cool (and depressing). Thanks for the recommendation. How many episodes? It's four episodes, an hour each episode. https://play.hbomax.com/page/urn:hbo:page:GYEo27wV1b5O1wwEAAAAC:type:series
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Jan 21, 2022 02:25
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I started watching "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and actually managed to finish the entire series. However, I don't think I'll put season 15 in my top ten since it's so difficult to rate as I can't really separate the season when binging so much of the series in such a short amount of time.
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Jan 27, 2022 22:39
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escape artist posted:Well poo poo, I am late. Looten Plunder posted:
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Feb 1, 2022 08:02
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I'm extending the deadline out to 11:59PM US EST Friday 11th of Feb with the idea of doing the reveal on the 14th.
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I'm genuinely surprised at how many last minute entries there have been. I thought the extra week/month was going to be pointless.
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Feb 19, 2022 06:14
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This list was better than I expected. Surprised that "It's Always Sunny" didn't make the cut. Happy to see "Squid Game" so high. Was worried after all of the "it's overrated" posts. Maybe I should watch Wandavision.
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Feb 22, 2022 07:37
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 18:53 |
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I'm happy I was quoted a lot for the list. Thanks for all the hardwork LP.
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Feb 22, 2022 09:17
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