Tangential, but oh my God as far as prestige cable period piece shows are concerned, the one on Showtime "I'm Dying Up Here" based on The Comedy Store in the 70s is abysmal and embarrassing. Never seen Vinyl but it seems to embody all the things I've read about it.
― circa1916, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 02:00 (seven years ago) link
Which Maron has been pushed into saying not-totally-convincing nice-ish things about on his show because I think they're a sponsor.
― circa1916, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 02:04 (seven years ago) link
Yeah, a friend of mine who has terrible taste in movies and tv loves it, so I took it as a heads up to stay far away. xp
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Wednesday, 5 July 2017 02:04 (seven years ago) link
I had hopes bc the pilot was somewhat engaging but it's fatally flawed being as how it's a show about comedy that's not funny.
― Mordy, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 02:09 (seven years ago) link
this was consistently enjoyable, a few wrong notes here and there aside. the only remotely similar thing I can think of in terms of ensemble female-focused storytelling is OITNB, and this is definitely better than that, primarily because it's more focused. surprising amount of Mad Men people involved (and not just in the cast).
― Οὖτις, Friday, 7 July 2017 15:47 (seven years ago) link
the only remotely similar thing I can think of in terms of ensemble female-focused storytelling is OITNB
Jenji exec-produces GLOW.
― Leee Media Naranja (Leee), Friday, 7 July 2017 17:53 (seven years ago) link
idk who that is
― Οὖτις, Friday, 7 July 2017 18:08 (seven years ago) link
Jenji's the creator of Weeds/OITNB
― Unchanging Window (Ross), Friday, 7 July 2017 18:09 (seven years ago) link
well s/he's getting better I guess
Pauline's character bothered me a little bit, in that her (albeit infrequently) expressed opinions on film, feminism, punk etc. felt like they were flown in from the 90s more than the 80s. There were not a lot of feminist apologias for/reclamations of exploitation cinema in the early 80s for ex.
also this is miles better than Stranger Things, which is an empty pastiche about nothing with cardboard characters, whereas this is a show that touches on all kinds of themes and dynamics in unusual and unexplored ways.
― Οὖτις, Friday, 7 July 2017 18:16 (seven years ago) link
Pauline's character
???
― Mordy, Friday, 7 July 2017 18:18 (seven years ago) link
sorry I meant Justine
― Οὖτις, Friday, 7 July 2017 18:24 (seven years ago) link
Justine's apologia is unique bc of her full story arc & who she is as a character
i dont think it's meant to be a stand-in for a wider feminist view - she's Obsessed with a capital O for... reasons
― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 7 July 2017 20:35 (seven years ago) link
I admit that yeah it does seem to make more sense in retrospect than it does initially
― Οὖτις, Friday, 7 July 2017 20:39 (seven years ago) link
I enjoyed this show, although a few of the wrestling-related details bothered me. I don't think a bunch of complete novices, most with no prior interest in wrestling, could be trained to a level of even near-competence in a short period by another actress with no wrestling experience, even with the help of another neophyte from a family of wrestlers. That was the one element that I thought was weirdly disrespectful of wrestling. It's so much harder than that.
The one other aspect that rang a little false was Steel Horse being so candid with Debbie about the inner workings of wrestling, using insider terms and so on. I'm under the impression that wrestlers were more tight-lipped about that in the mid-80s. But I actually don't know for sure. And it's possible that they would have made exceptions for women they wanted to sleep with.
I also wonder if a guy working that small of a show would really have had his own dressing room, even if he was a regional star.
― JRN, Friday, 7 July 2017 21:06 (seven years ago) link
Maron recently did an episode of WTF interviewing Chavo Guerrero Jr (he was the trainer for the show) and Kia Stevens who plays Tammee/Welfare Queen
if you are a fan of GLOW it's an awesome listen - Chavo talks a lot about his work with the show and teaching the actors the literal ropes. Plus he was a great wrestler in his own right, grew up in a wrestling family, his father Chavo Sr was a captial L legend and his cousin Eddie was the BUSINESS
and Kia's story is uh-MAZING - she was a social worker and applied for Tough Enough as a joke! and ended up being a superstar in Japan...and she talks about TNA and WWE and the tragedy in her life as well. but god, she is so cool and bubbly and just a really great, chatty interview.
It made me want to go watch the show all over again <3
― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 7 July 2017 23:45 (seven years ago) link
oh and Kia was a fan Hollywood and Vine from the original GLOW as a kid <3
― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 7 July 2017 23:47 (seven years ago) link
OH and Chavo Guerro's uncle Mando trained the original GLOW wrestlers. full circle!!
― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 7 July 2017 23:49 (seven years ago) link
I'm done now I swear :)
It felt a bit weird how they had a quickly abandoned subplot where there was a flirtation with a storyline miscarriage that was crass and upsetting for a character that had really had one, and Kia Stevens was there in the ring having actually left WWE in real life after losing a baby
― Dadjokke (Sgt. Biscuits), Saturday, 8 July 2017 00:01 (seven years ago) link
chavo is another lucha underground guy. lu recently did a deal w/ netflix which is why [almost?] all their seasons are available now to stream. i wonder if they hooked the GLOW producers up w/ them.
― Mordy, Saturday, 8 July 2017 00:19 (seven years ago) link
― Οὖτις, Friday, July 7, 2017 1:16 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Yes yeah shakes we heard your terrible and obviously wrong hot takes on this show for far too long on the appropriate thread no need to relitigate your clueless ramblings here
― Listen to my homeboy Fantano (D-40), Saturday, 8 July 2017 05:25 (seven years ago) link
Ok I just opened this thread at the right time to see the last post and I'm sure I missed a lot but Shakey way OTM, Stranger Things is weak as fuck and I support it being trumpeted until the end of time.
― circa1916, Saturday, 8 July 2017 06:01 (seven years ago) link
can we please officially declare a moratorium on Stranger Things itt now? this is like third time we've been around this merrygoround here
the only thing the two have in common is the 80's. you may as well reference how GLOW holds up against The Goldbergs
― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 8 July 2017 06:08 (seven years ago) link
Yeah, my bad for continuing that briefly.
GLOW.
― circa1916, Saturday, 8 July 2017 06:09 (seven years ago) link
i rewatched the GLOW doc
i think I appreciate the netflix show, esp the writers & jenji, for taking the strengths of the doco (the women's camaraderie & backgrounds & characters) & pushing the aspirational & empowering aspect, instead of leaning into the gross sad shit like the legit creepy abusive director etc
like the netflix show celebrates GLOW in a way that it wasn't properly celebrated then, and explores things that 80's culture didnt reallt give much of a shit about, like female friendships & agency etc
― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 8 July 2017 06:16 (seven years ago) link
like it's a slippery slope to undermine what they did bc of exploitation, drugs, abuse, general 80's gross permissivenes
that still all stands irl
but the show keeps you locked in on YES BUT THESE FKN WOMEN THO
and I really love that
because it feels like a good way to get ppl to look at the real women with more/new respect imo
― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 8 July 2017 06:20 (seven years ago) link
Was it just me, or was this show relatively unusually keyed in to real women's bodies, too? Not just different shapes, sizes and colors, but mundane stuff like menstruation and old school science kit pregnancy tests? It's rare that tampons make an appearance in anything, save the opening of "Carrie."
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 8 July 2017 11:37 (seven years ago) link
that's what happens when you have a lot of women in the same place
― maura, Saturday, 8 July 2017 12:00 (seven years ago) link
Not on TV, apparently.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 8 July 2017 12:06 (seven years ago) link
most writers rooms are still heavily male.
― maura, Saturday, 8 July 2017 12:07 (seven years ago) link
and not to judge but a lot of tv writers seem like the types who would be grossed out at even those maxi pad ads that use blue liquid as a period blood stand in.
― maura, Saturday, 8 July 2017 12:08 (seven years ago) link
No doubt! Precisely why I mentioned it at all. It's very rare that tampons make it into tampon ads, let alone TV shows or movies. The Kotex red dot campaign was radical.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 8 July 2017 12:15 (seven years ago) link
the pregancy test scene was a trip, i had no idea they were so involved
― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 8 July 2017 17:38 (seven years ago) link
They used to be! I feel like I read about the whole rigamarole in a YA book once.
― maura, Saturday, 8 July 2017 18:12 (seven years ago) link
i liked this show, especially the generosity and affection the show has for all its characters, it seems to love them for their weaknesses
― ogmor, Saturday, 8 July 2017 18:27 (seven years ago) link
I like how the only functional relationship is cherry+keith
― Οὖτις, Saturday, 8 July 2017 19:32 (seven years ago) link
yeah otm
― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 8 July 2017 20:22 (seven years ago) link
She-Wolf is so awesome. I find the execution of authenticity of her character inspiring, totally resonate
― Unchanging Window (Ross), Sunday, 9 July 2017 03:27 (seven years ago) link
yeah she's great
― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 9 July 2017 04:13 (seven years ago) link
I laughed hard at Head Over Heels by TFF being synced with pizza delivery. It's a song that I find hard to divorce from Donnie Darko, but attaching it to slices transcends that
― Unchanging Window (Ross), Sunday, 9 July 2017 04:17 (seven years ago) link
pizza dude had A+ hair imo
― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 9 July 2017 04:25 (seven years ago) link
I enjoyed this. When's the 2nd season commissioning announcement?
― Bio-Digital Jezza (kingfish), Tuesday, 25 July 2017 07:40 (seven years ago) link
announced 8/11.
― tha frash prance (alomar lines), Tuesday, 5 September 2017 05:02 (seven years ago) link
just wrapped this up last night. the ultimate positive vibes show, with the right amount of bummer notes and none that were there for the sake of being a bummer. Alison Brie is pretty amazing but equally good is Betty Gilpin, if only for her astonishing reaction shots and facial expressions throughout. they should award them both Emmys right now.
and it felt like the right show to watch the past couple of weeks.
― nomar, Thursday, 19 October 2017 02:00 (six years ago) link
omg
― omar little, Wednesday, 15 November 2017 02:10 (six years ago) link
:D
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 15 November 2017 02:23 (six years ago) link
no wait
15 min ago i'm in line at a store and alison brie in full Zoya makeup is behind me. no story beyond that but it took me a minute to register and i'm still in a daze.
― omar little, Wednesday, 15 November 2017 02:29 (six years ago) link
and it's just an amazing show, truly.
― omar little, Wednesday, 15 November 2017 02:30 (six years ago) link
SERIOUS!? ok thats awesome
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 15 November 2017 03:16 (six years ago) link
I was wondering why this awesome looking woman was dressed up for an '80s party and then I heard her say something to the clerk and i recognized her voice and I think my eyes turned into literal saucers.
― omar little, Wednesday, 15 November 2017 03:25 (six years ago) link