Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on January 08, 2017, 06:06:56 AM

Quote from: irishmoxie on January 07, 2017, 05:21:22 PM

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on January 07, 2017, 01:01:26 AM
I've been binge-watching SCOOBY-DOO: MYSTERY INCORPORATED, trying to get through a single DVD disc (6-7 half-hour episodes) a day. It's been pretty addictive (this is the first time I've seen any of these) and amazing on so many levels: the writing, parody/satire, characterization, ongoing subplots. There are so many interesting things about this show, whether you admit to being a fan of Scooby-Doo or not. I always liked the general premise of the original cartoon, but the writing was pretty bad and it was repetitious, and it was hard to sit through viewing multiple episodes without getting quickly bored. This rebooted version of the show is obviously aimed at an older audience. It's smart writing, and not only that, there's an ongoing mystery that links all the episodes together. As the seasons progress, there are lots of new characters introduced. Some of them are ongoing, while some of them return unexpectedly in much later episodes. There's both comedy and drama in the series, with the levels of danger, action, tension, and scariness being slowly ratcheted up as the seasons progress, and the ongoing mystery being slowly revealed as more and more complex. They do a lot of plotting where it sets up an obvious suspect to be behind each episode's mystery, but the obvious suspect invariably turns out NOT to be the perpetrator. And the monsters actually get quite scary as the episodes progress (even though you know that there has to be a scene in the end where a rubber mask gets pulled off to reveal the villain). At least they're scary in the context of a cartoon, and what's happening at that moment in the episode's plot. The animators came up with some impressive monster designs, and lighting, camera angles, and animation timing are all used to good effect, as are vocal and sound FX. Sometimes the monsters or ghosts are so impressive that the inevitable explanation at the end of the episode seems a little implausible. Then there is the ongoing romantic tension between Daphne and Fred, Velma and Shaggy, and even Scooby and... that goes through many twists and turns over the course of the series. I could probably write a few thousand more words on several of the specific episodes - it's that good.

I might watch this even though I'm not that into Scooby Doo. I need some more comedy.

Trust me, I'm NOT that into Scooby-Doo... or wasn't, until I watched THIS show. You'll like this if you give it a chance. It builds up slowly at first. There's even a girly episode with a girl band called the Hex Girls:

(Click on pic for music clip.)

Here's another clip from that same episode, where Daphne goes undercover as bait for the monster, posing as the band's new lead singer:

(Click to go to the clip. I can't really explain the significance of the song title "Trap of Love", but that's something you'll only understand when you get to know Fred Jones.)

At first I thought that the Hex Girls was a one-off episode thing, but they make a return appearance (I won't say exactly where or how) in the 2nd Season*. There's a lot of that in this series, where you think you'll never see certain characters again after their initial episode, but they wind up returning again unexpectedly somewhere later on. Continuity is very strong in this series and episodes HAVE to be watched in order (they all even have Chapter #s at the beginning of each episode's title card). I just finished watching the 2nd (and last) Season ending yesterday, and it was absolutely awesome and unexpected. The ongoing plot really heats up in the last few episodes. Can't recommend this series highly enough. So many good things in here, with references to every horror movie trope imaginable, from Vincent Price movies to The Shining, to Twin Peaks(!) -- that last one caught me by surprise. Don't want to say too much more, because the surprises were a big part of the fun of watching the show, knowing very little in advance about it.

(*I also just discovered, while looking for those music clips, that the Hex Girls apparently appeared in one or more other Scooby-Doo DTV features, so maybe it's some kind of new ongoing house band for Mystery Inc.)

I really liked the Hex Girls one. I've watched about 10 episodes so far.

The United States Of Tara-Season #2

Quote from: irishmoxie on January 08, 2017, 12:09:18 PM
I really liked the Hex Girls one. I've watched about 10 episodes so far.

I didn't even think too much about the song "Trap of Love" Daphne was singing, while I was watching the episode the first time, but watching it again now just as I posted the link above, I suddenly understood the deeper meaning of all of the lyrics of the song. Daphne knows that as soon as she sings a song about a trap, Fred will be mesmerized by it, which may be the only way she can get him to pay attention to her and communicate with him. Daphne is trying to explain to him how frustrated she feels right now, but it's about more than just being used as bait to catch the Phantom. She feels trapped by her own feelings of love for Fred that aren't being returned, and the song is like a final wake-up call to him before it's too late. For her, that love is turning to pain, and she may have to cut off her own feelings to save herself. But it's clear when they cut to Fred's reaction (practically blank, yet confused) as Velma asks "What do you think of the new song?", that he's fascinated, yet dumbfounded. He still doesn't get it yet.

That's pretty amazing writing, because... things are changing between them. It turns out it only matters as far as the evolution of the relationship between Daphne and Fred over the course of the series, and even that doesn't make sense until you learn why it is that Fred is obsessed with traps and can't relate emotionally or express his feelings. Because, you just assume from the first episode that he's a big dumb handsome hunk, that's all -- like it's just a cartoon character cliche thing that doesn't require explaining or wondering about. But by the time everything about Fred's background becomes clear, all the pieces fit together perfectly.

I finished Westworld yesterday and am 6 episodes into Blunt Talk Season 1 with Patrick Stewart.  I think it's pretty funny.

Giants vs Packers wildcard game

Raising Hope

Dr. Phil

Lock Up - a reality show version of Orange Is The New Black. Helps me put things in perspective when I have a bad day

2 Broke Girls

Going back almost a week or so...

THE ROOTS OF JAPANESE ANIME Up To WWII - Interesting DVD with 8 short films from 1930-39 (all under 15 minutes, in B&W) and one longer one made in 1942. The latter is about 40 minutes long, and is an animated reenactment of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The film is titled Momotaro's Sea Eagle. Very bizarre from the perspective of a Westerner's eyes looking back from a vantage point 75 years in the future. This looks nothing like "anime" as people today would recognize it, but is more like a strange Japanese cousin to the Fleischer Bros. Studio cartoons of the 1930s. Momotaro was a popular boy hero character in Japan at the time, and in this film he's the commander of an aircraft carrier, with troops of cute cartoon puppies, kitties, bunnies, monkeys, foxes, and woodpeckers as the crew of his ship and planes. He assembles his troops and tells them of their mission - a surprise air raid to destroy the enemy base on Demon Island. We see the cute animal troops standing to attention in neat military ranks, and know they're ready for business because they're decked out in black boots and black gauntlets, wearing broad leather belts and either military caps or headbands with the Japanese flag (solid circle on a plain white background) or the Imperial Army flag of the Rising Sun (yellow sun radiating lines over a red background) on them. They climb into their fighters (relatively realistically-drawn Zeros), bombers, and torpedo planes and launch from the deck of the carrier. As they begin to approach Demon Island, we hear the musical strains of "Aloha Oe" growing louder (and realize that "Demon Island" is actually Hawaii). The total destruction of the animal air squadron's bombing attack is realistically portrayed as we see floating bits of debris in the harbor, with burning ships off in the distance, backlighting the nighttime devastation, as they slowly sink into the sea. During the actual attack we only see one representative of "the enemy", running around in panic, as he comically, and futilely, tries to flee to safety -- who just happens to look and sound exactly like Bluto from the Popeye cartoons. After some harrowing experiences being shot down, or having mechanical failures with their planes, the victorious air squadron all manage to return safely to the carrier (a few final stragglers, with the help of a giant sea eagle of the title) to report to Captain Momotaro of their glorious victory in the assigned mission, and all celebrate the end of the threat of Demon Island. Banzai!!

I was watching The New Archies on YouTube.

Hoarders

I watched 2 esposides of The McCarthys on my iPod Classic.

CRYING FREEMAN (OAV, 1988-1994) - 6 episodes (50 min. each)
SCOOBY-DOO: MASK OF THE BLUE FALCON (DTV movie, 2013) - 75 min. + 3 bonus episodes of Dynomutt (1976), 25 min. each
BEN 10, Season 1 (Cartoon Network, 2005) - 13 episodes (25 min. each)

Orphan Black Season 4