nah it's brass knuckles for a balrog
― Jaime Pressly and America (f. hazel), Monday, 3 October 2022 23:52 (one year ago) link
The credit sequence already is bits of metal forming the nine rings
God DAMMIT I fucking KNEW it, argh.
How about a credit sequence that has people in it? Or a hammer smashing eggs How about an extreme closeup of a pimple getting squeezed, or a cute wolverine smiling?
Something, anything, other than the same ONE IDEA getting flogged to death by prestige streaming media companies.
If someone paid me to do credits for a Netflix/HBO/whatever show (which they won't), it would be a grainy video of me typing the credits, badly, on a circa-1977 manual typewriter, and the closing credits would be me correcting the inevitable mistakes using Wite-Out.
― the floor is guava (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 4 October 2022 01:37 (one year ago) link
Or one of those Warhol movies where it's a guy snoring or the Empire State Building or some shit
Can no one rid me of this 2020s visual cliche
― the floor is guava (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 4 October 2022 01:43 (one year ago) link
I mean...the end of the credit sequence is literally one big ass ring dissolving into the center space. Can't see how you missed it! :-D
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 4 October 2022 01:44 (one year ago) link
the one ring is a toilet seat?
― Jaime Pressly and America (f. hazel), Tuesday, 4 October 2022 02:53 (one year ago) link
Magmarillion― the floor is guava (Ye Mad Puffin), Monday, October 3, 2022 11:13 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink
― the floor is guava (Ye Mad Puffin), Monday, October 3, 2022 11:13 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink
Worst twin tribute band ever
― we're glistening (Matt #2), Tuesday, 4 October 2022 08:59 (one year ago) link
Enjoying this show, despite caveats. Dialogue and stupid decision-making by some of the characters being the primary ones. Last episode: was so appalled that Arondir would give low-key dark blade addict Theo responsibility for handing said blade to the elves, that I was ambushed + exponentially appalled by the fact that the blade turned out to be an axe. Truly astonished that no one unfolded that cloth. Someone else can blind hold an axe and a knife and see how much different they feel from one another, my guess is “very.”
The characters are solid enough*, as concepts.
I’m generally fine with the acting, the better acting ranging from really very good (Galadriel, Adar, Arondir, the dwarves, Elrond) to almost everyone else not on Numenor**.
*Biggest problem spots with characters for me have been the Harfoot caravan — decent acting but Ireland should probably sue the show.
**Numenor has broader soap opera-y acting (from the Gerald Butler clone picking fights and leading failed union movements, to the Failson of Pharazôn) but at least Numenor looks impressive. Speaking of failsons, Isildur does seem like the perfect mark for Sauron’s “one last heist” plan to stay afloat decades later at Mt Doom.
I’m not sold on it being a failure at all, but if I was more steeped in the lore I might feel that way. The manner in which the last episode played out for most of the runtime (violent, tense, bloody) gives me some hope.
― omar little, Thursday, 6 October 2022 23:48 (one year ago) link
This show is unbelievably boring. I’m out.― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), Saturday, September 24, 2022 3:00 PM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink
― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), Saturday, September 24, 2022 3:00 PM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink
It pulled me back in.
― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), Friday, 7 October 2022 01:36 (one year ago) link
I’m not sold on it being a failure at all, but if I was more steeped in the lore I might feel that way.
I'm right here, you know. (This assessment is accurate.)
At this point the three of us on the podcast are essentially watching with grim fascination -- or rather observing it rather than engagedly watching it. If I can draw distinction, it is driving me crazy that I have wait another six days for a new Andor episode, while the fact that the new episode of this show debuts in less than two hours from now is making me resent I have to spend time on it.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 October 2022 01:57 (one year ago) link
I think the major reason I’m actually excited to see new episodes is because the 11 year old is pretty thrilled by the show. Despite having read and apparently memorized the Silmarillion, he doesn’t seem too thrown by the deviations at this point. We’ll see how he feels when Galadriel sleeps with Sauron (joking of course….unless…?)
Andor episode 3 was sort of a masterclass in how to make a damn thrilling episode of a show with little in the way of FX, just some effective mapping out of a location and absurdly effective sound design. TROP has the spectacle but could take similar lessons in such use of other elements from that show (or from the Jackson trilogy in scenes such as the pre-battle sequence at Helm’s Deep.)
― omar little, Friday, 7 October 2022 02:23 (one year ago) link
Ironically I thought the best part of their Helm's Deep ripoff was the psych fakeout when they come to the gate and...nobody's there.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 October 2022 03:15 (one year ago) link
Okay you know how I said last week's episode was at once the best yet and also completely batshit? REPEAT THAT again. (Arguably better this time but I was telling my cohost Jared "I don't trust it, the ending will have something stupid" and it did...TWICE.)
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 October 2022 05:06 (one year ago) link
And speaking of my cohost
when you adapt something you don’t have to do it 1:1, but you should consider the meaning of events, because they’re a game of jenga and if you pull out the wrong symbolic brick, the meaning of the story comes cascading down— Bram Stoker's Jared Pechaček (@vandroidhelsing) October 7, 2022
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 October 2022 05:34 (one year ago) link
now trending on quora: COULD ELVES WITHSTAND A NUKE?
― mark s, Friday, 7 October 2022 17:13 (one year ago) link
Ned's cohost is spot on, but for Amazon, Inc what they bought was a 'property' not a story full of meaning. You probably already know that they dream of turning it into the kind of property exemplified by Marvel Productions or Disney's version of Star Wars. They'd love the hardcore Tolkien fans to come along for the ride, but they will jettison you in favor of new fans whose allegiance is to Amazon's version of Middle Earth.
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Friday, 7 October 2022 18:08 (one year ago) link
they will jettison ned at their peril
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 7 October 2022 18:12 (one year ago) link
what if they cast him into the cracks of doom
― mark s, Friday, 7 October 2022 18:12 (one year ago) link
ash nedg durbatulûk etc
― mark s, Friday, 7 October 2022 18:13 (one year ago) link
Middle Management Earth
― stank viola (Neanderthal), Friday, 7 October 2022 18:14 (one year ago) link
Ned will cast them in first!!
― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Friday, 7 October 2022 18:14 (one year ago) link
Not all those who wander are Ned
― the floor is guava (Ye Mad Puffin), Friday, 7 October 2022 18:18 (one year ago) link
bright blue his JACKET isand his BOOTS are YELLOW
― mark s, Friday, 7 October 2022 18:23 (one year ago) link
wait why are there three blue wizards (saurons)
and why so many elvis impersonators?
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Friday, 7 October 2022 18:25 (one year ago) link
cant have elvish w/o elvis (sauron)
― mark s, Friday, 7 October 2022 18:28 (one year ago) link
You have invoked quite a dream here
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 October 2022 18:35 (one year ago) link
What has it got in its Raggettses?
― the floor is guava (Ye Mad Puffin), Friday, 7 October 2022 18:43 (one year ago) link
im calling it: no one has ever used the word "yester-eve" outside poorly written fiction
― mark s, Friday, 7 October 2022 18:45 (one year ago) link
what shall we call it instead lord adar hobbiton
― mark s, Friday, 7 October 2022 18:53 (one year ago) link
My cohosts and I were, how you say, not taken with that name change business and how it was conveyed. I was hoping for neon letters underneath Mordor reading "Under New Management."
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 October 2022 21:25 (one year ago) link
Enjoy a last trailer?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D5w2TG8IqM
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 October 2022 22:27 (one year ago) link
That musical background is just so lazy and generic it could be something they pulled off a shelf that's already been used in dozens of other trailers.
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Friday, 7 October 2022 22:43 (one year ago) link
I’m several episodes behind but I’ve seen 75% of the shots in that final episode trailer already.
― Tsar Bombadil (James Morrison), Saturday, 8 October 2022 02:38 (one year ago) link
this is just so stunningly bad
― Jaime Pressly and America (f. hazel), Saturday, 8 October 2022 02:47 (one year ago) link
it's like lifeforce or battle beyond the stars
― Jaime Pressly and America (f. hazel), Saturday, 8 October 2022 02:52 (one year ago) link
it was so tonally wrong and unbelievably cheesy it stood out in what was the worst episode so far
― scanner darkly, Saturday, 8 October 2022 02:57 (one year ago) link
Still so, so, so lacking in actual rings of power.
― ian, Saturday, 8 October 2022 21:56 (one year ago) link
The worst thing about this episode was I completely missed Isildur being taken out of action, which was where the Queen regent lost her vision as well. I know what scene it was, it was the catastrophically directed bit with the house afire and then collapsing. I just didn’t follow the action somehow.
Thought for a minute that the big fella bringing the apple orchard back to life would lead to them deciding to settle down there. Missed opp for parallel title card change at the end.
― omar little, Sunday, 9 October 2022 00:14 (one year ago) link
I’m late to this and thus not reading the thread yet, but had to check in to vent my despair at the horrible, bland, awkward dialogue. Every time the story threatens to become interesting we get some cretin in costume leaning in saying “and your name is … ?”
― assert (matttkkkk), Sunday, 9 October 2022 09:32 (one year ago) link
the title card change was great“ok, it’s painfully obvious to everyone who has watched or read anything related to this what the implication is”“hmm, but what if our audience is really thick?”
― mh, Sunday, 9 October 2022 17:20 (one year ago) link
👉🏾 NOW A DEBATABLE AND DESERT LAND 👈🏽
― mark s, Sunday, 9 October 2022 17:27 (one year ago) link
“Yester-eve” really stood out to me as well. There’s a lot of straining for heightened language which doesn’t work, and I just don’t understand how no one noticed how stilted and awkward it can be.
I’m still not used to emotional elves.
― omar little, Sunday, 9 October 2022 17:52 (one year ago) link
but how did the land name change happen, was there a referendum or what
― scanner darkly, Sunday, 9 October 2022 17:52 (one year ago) link
It was a vibe shift
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Sunday, 9 October 2022 17:56 (one year ago) link
the land name change is like when you throw the one ring in the fire and letters appear, but with a volcano
― Jaime Pressly and America (f. hazel), Sunday, 9 October 2022 19:40 (one year ago) link
the land name reveal parties are getting a bit over the top, i blame the elves
― scanner darkly, Sunday, 9 October 2022 20:07 (one year ago) link
we very much need to see orcs in ordinary down-time, chatting, chilling, not pillaging, debating small local issues like borough signage, ash clearance, bin collections
― mark s, Sunday, 9 October 2022 20:11 (one year ago) link
Hear me out but as the orc tele-cinematic universe expands maybe we can get the occasional trade dispute between rivals. Or complaints about orcs “juking the stats” with regards to manflesh supply.
― omar little, Sunday, 9 October 2022 20:37 (one year ago) link
xp arguing over who the bins get delivered to..
― Andrew Farrell, Sunday, 9 October 2022 21:43 (one year ago) link
Is there only one episode left this season? Jesus
So, so bad
― groovypanda, Monday, 10 October 2022 07:00 (one year ago) link