What are you watching tonight?

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Haha, yeah. Overall one of the better series I've watched, though. I also found it sickly funny (I loved watching Tony Soprano when he gets mad in therapy haha..)

Yeah, I got attached to The Sopranos and I did not want it to end, at least not end in a very dark way (pun intended).

I know all shows end. But I want them to end in a way that makes it feel like all the characters live on forever with happy endings.

Well, at least there are so many good shows out there to watch.

 

[shadyJ]

I was glad when Supranos ended. The show didn't have as much momentum as other crime dramas out there. How many times are we going to see the same thing, Tony cheats on his wife, Chris beats up his girlfriend, Tony gets mad at his shrink, endless dream sequences, Tony can't get over childhood issues, trying to figure out who the rat is, etc. To its credit, it set a new standard for crime drama, but I think it was far surpassed by The Wire and Breaking Bad. I wonder how Boardwalk Empire compares, I haven't seen it, but looks like it could be very good. I am waiting for the series to finish before I dive into it.

 

[MidnightSensi2]

I was glad when Supranos ended. The show didn't have as much momentum as other crime dramas out there. How many times are we going to see the same thing, Tony cheats on his wife, Chris beats up his girlfriend, Tony gets mad at his shrink, endless dream sequences, Tony can't get over childhood issues, trying to figure out who the rat is, etc. To its credit, it set a new standard for crime drama, but I think it was far surpassed by The Wire and Breaking Bad. I wonder how Boardwalk Empire compares, I haven't seen it, but looks like it could be very good. I am waiting for the series to finish before I dive into it.

I think what made it stand out is that beyond the gangster job, the characters endured things we can relate to. First, most of us have what they call 'early maladaptive schemas' (er, 'Childhood issues') - and many never get over them or even realize they have them. Carmella (s/p?) and dealing with everything from the kids young to dealing with them growing up (and leaving the nest). Gambling and addiction were dealt with very realistically, panic and anxiety disorders, domestic abuse, temptation, love, and on and on.

I'd almost call Sopranos a 'Drama with Crime' rather than a 'Crime Drama' ..heh, if that makes sense.

 

[shadyJ]

I think what made it stand out is that beyond the gangster job, the characters endured things we can relate to. First, most of us have what they call 'early maladaptive schemas' (er, 'Childhood issues') - and many never get over them or even realize they have them. Carmella (s/p?) and dealing with everything from the kids young to dealing with them growing up (and leaving the nest). Gambling and addiction were dealt with very realistically, panic and anxiety disorders, domestic abuse, temptation, love, and on and on.

I'd almost call Sopranos a 'Drama with Crime' rather than a 'Crime Drama' ..heh, if that makes sense.

I one hundred percent agree, in fact I have to hesitate a bit before lumping it together with these other shows. The Wire, for example, puts a lot more emphasis on the cat and mouse game between the cops and crooks, but there wasn't much of that in The Supranos. The Supranos definitely put more emphasis on the personal drama within the Supranos family, which might have let me down somewhat, because I suppose I was expecting more crime and police tactics than what was shown. Anyway, I don't think it was bad, it had some good episodes and some great moments, but it just wasn't what I was expecting or hoping for.

 

[fuzz092888]

Watched Dallas Buyers Club and Noah the past two days. The former was good and I enjoyed it. The latter wasn't awesome and the only good part about it (the soundtrack) was neutered because I didn't get around to watching it until late.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I was glad when Supranos ended. The show didn't have as much momentum as other crime dramas out there. How many times are we going to see the same thing, Tony cheats on his wife, Chris beats up his girlfriend, Tony gets mad at his shrink, endless dream sequences, Tony can't get over childhood issues, trying to figure out who the rat is, etc. To its credit, it set a new standard for crime drama, but I think it was far surpassed by The Wire and Breaking Bad. I wonder how Boardwalk Empire compares, I haven't seen it, but looks like it could be very good. I am waiting for the series to finish before I dive into it.

I'm on s01e03 of The Wire. So far it has not grown on me like Sopranos did. I hope it will.

Breaking Bad was among the best I have seen, much better than Sopranos and most shows IMO.

I've seen s01-s03 of Boardwalk Empire. It is great show. Also better than Sopranos IMO.

But Sopranos grew on me and it is still sad to me to see how it ended.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I think what made it stand out is that beyond the gangster job, the characters endured things we can relate to. First, most of us have what they call 'early maladaptive schemas' (er, 'Childhood issues') - and many never get over them or even realize they have them. Carmella (s/p?) and dealing with everything from the kids young to dealing with them growing up (and leaving the nest). Gambling and addiction were dealt with very realistically, panic and anxiety disorders, domestic abuse, temptation, love, and on and on.

I'd almost call Sopranos a 'Drama with Crime' rather than a 'Crime Drama' ..heh, if that makes sense.

If I liked Sopranos, then it MUST be good, damn it!

What you gonna do?

I want HBO to make 10 seasons of "The Godfather" series.

Plus 10 seasons of "The Odyssey" series.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

...Noah the past two days. The latter wasn't awesome and the only good part about it (the soundtrack) was neutered because I didn't get around to watching it until late.

I was disappointed with Noah. I know it's suppose to stick to the Bible and all, but I was still hoping he would take along at least 50 different couples of humans from different nationalities. I think animals are great, but humans are just a little bit more important. Just a little bit.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I one hundred percent agree, in fact I have to hesitate a bit before lumping it together with these other shows. The Wire, for example, puts a lot more emphasis on the cat and mouse game between the cops and crooks, but there wasn't much of that in The Supranos. The Supranos definitely put more emphasis on the personal drama within the Supranos family, which might have let me down somewhat, because I suppose I was expecting more crime and police tactics than what was shown. Anyway, I don't think it was bad, it had some good episodes and some great moments, but it just wasn't what I was expecting or hoping for.

To me, character development is what makes any great show great. The technical cat-and-house strategies should be present, but the human drama element and characters are salient.

For example, in The Walking Dead, the setting is an apocalyptic zombie world. But really, the HUMANS are a lot more dangerous than the zombies. In the end, we don't really care that much about the zombies. We only care to see how Rick and the gang deals with other human antagonists, who seem to be a lot more detrimental to the protagonists than the zombies.

In Breaking Bad, the cat-and-mouse between Walter and Gus is fantastic. But ultimately, I wanted to see how Walter takes care of his own family. Can he protect them and care for his family financially, emotionally, and physically?

I haven't thought of this until now, but I think in The Sopranos, the real main character is Carmela. She is the true head of the family. She is the glue of the family. Even if Tony is gone, Carmela is still there to ultimately keep the family together.

 

[shadyJ]

To me, character development is what makes any great show great. The technical cat-and-house strategies should be present, but the human drama element and characters are salient.

Again, one hundred percent agree. Wthout decent characters, you might as well be watching corporate training videos. So you are just starting The Wire? I envy you. The show has so many great characters. My all time (non-comedy) fav shows are The Wire, Twin Peaks, Breaking Bad, and Rome. They are all filled to the brim with terrific characters.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Again, one hundred percent agree. Wthout decent characters, you might as well be watching corporate training videos. So you are just starting The Wire? I envy you. The show has so many great characters. My all time (non-comedy) fav shows are The Wire, Twin Peaks, Breaking Bad, and Rome. They are all filled to the brim with terrific characters.

So I should savor every episode of the Wire?

I watched about 15 minutes of Twin Peaks. Is it really as good as Breaking Bad or Rome?

 

[MidnightSensi2]

I'm debating watching The Wire... except I get preoccupied with the overblown use of ebonics..

Is this how white people think black people selling drugs in the hood talk? lol

 

[shadyJ]

I watched about 15 minutes of Twin Peaks. Is it really as good as Breaking Bad or Rome?

Not a flawless show, certainly, but its great moments were amazing. It has to be watched in context: for an early 90's network TV show, WOW. but compared to a modern, high-profile show produced by HBO or AMC, well,... OK, it might not be quite as riveting. I really enjoy it, but I must admit it isn't as consistently good as say Rome, which has outstanding writing through and through. However, at Twin Peak's best moments, it is as good as television gets, at least for me. Give it a chance, and if you do, try not to read anything about it before you watch it. It is best seen with surprises intact.

Another superb classic TV show I will mention is I, Claudius, if you haven't seen it. Fantastic writing and characterization, and amazing cast. If you can get past the stagy BBC production techniques of the late 70's, easily one of the best shows ever produced, and not matched until Twin Peaks, in my opinion.

 

[shadyJ]

I'm debating watching The Wire... except I get preoccupied with the overblown use of ebonics..

Is this how white people think black people selling drugs in the hood talk? lol

That IS how black people in Baltimore talk. The dialogue is authentic Baltimore ghetto. Much of the cast are from the very place the show is set in. In fact, some of the actors are former Baltimore police and also actual Baltimore criminals with extensive rap sheets. The two creators of the show are a former Baltimore crime reporter (David Simon) and former Baltimore homicide detective (Ed Burns). The show is created and written from their experiences. I seriously can not think of a show which makes a greater effort for authenticity.

Ed Burns and David Simon also made Treme, which I have not seen yet, but will do so now that series is complete.

 

[MidnightSensi2]

I'll give it a go, certainly popular!

...

I'm watching Cosmos tonight. Watched Citizen X earlier, nice recommendation.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Not a flawless show, certainly, but its great moments were amazing. It has to be watched in context: for an early 90's network TV show, WOW. but compared to a modern, high-profile show produced by HBO or AMC, well,... OK, it might not be quite as riveting. I really enjoy it, but I must admit it isn't as consistently good as say Rome, which has outstanding writing through and through. However, at Twin Peak's best moments, it is as good as television gets, at least for me. Give it a chance, and if you do, try not to read anything about it before you watch it. It is best seen with surprises intact.

Another superb classic TV show I will mention is I, Claudius, if you haven't seen it. Fantastic writing and characterization, and amazing cast. If you can get past the stagy BBC production techniques of the late 70's, easily one of the best shows ever produced, and not matched until Twin Peaks, in my opinion.

Well, I am on s01e05 of The Wire now. Definitely growing on me. Too bad it is in 480p, not HD.

But I will probably watch Twin Peaks s01 --> s02 --> "Twin Peaks Fire Walk with Me" sooner or later. Good thing Twin Peaks is in HD.

 

[shadyJ]

Twin Peaks just came out on blu ray plus Fire Walk With Me- if you want to watch it in 1080p. Remember to stay away from any discussion about Twin Peaks, that is definitely one series you do not want to have spoiled.

 

[j_garcia]

Twin Peaks is one of my favorite series of all time. After the "reveal" it sort of lost steam, but still a favorite. Fire Walk With Me was entertaining and you definitely need to see the whole series first or it won't make any sense at all...even if you have it still doesn't make a lot of sense lol. I'll almost certainly be picking up the BD set.

The audio for the series is also quite excellent - the DVDs were DTS and well mastered.

 

[afterlife2]

Joe's Palace A+

 

[shadyJ]

The audio for the series is also quite excellent - the DVDs were DTS and well mastered.

I love the soundtrack for Twin Peaks, it is one of the best scores ever conceived for a television series. Newer shows may have an edge in unrestrained storytelling, but Twin Peaks has not been topped in atmosphere or music scoring. The score for Fire Walk With Me is also very good.