Tag: netflix

GABBLER RECOMMENDS: The Case Against Black Mirror By Kathryn VanArendonk

Posted on by blablablaandgabbler

“The thing is, for all its conceptual complexity — for all of the surprise twists and third-act reversals, for all of the high-concept premises and alarming escalations, Black Mirror’s messages are usually pretty simple. Cell phones? Bad. Reality shows? Bad. Social media? Really bad. Politics as entertainment? Definitely bad, but not ultimately as disturbing as entertainment-style justice. Oh, sure, the setup and the execution of those ideas is impressive, but the show’s primary crutch is too often that it uses thought-provoking and fascinating foundations in order to reach the simplest, most alarmist possible conclusion about a variety of technological innovations.

…

In general, Black Mirror’s box of magic tricks is just that — a set of admittedly impressive narrative tricks that don’t result in much of substance.” [Via]

#TwilightZoneIsStillNumberOne

[“BLA and GB Gabbler” (really just a pen name – singular) are the Editor and Narrator behind THE AUTOMATION, vol. 1 of the Circo del Herrero series. They are on facebook, twitter, tumblr, goodreads, and Vulcan’s shit list.]

all yellowB&N | Amazon | Etc.

GABBLER RECOMMENDS: Maria Bamford’s Lady Dynamite

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Word cannot express my love of this show. So, I’ll let the GIFs do it for me:

On paper, Lady Dynamite fits the same mold as countless other self-referential shows about a comedian’s life, from Seinfeld to Curb Your Enthusiasm to Louie, blending autobiographical stories with heightened sitcom material and an impressive cavalcade of guests. But the show’s star Maria Bamford and its co-creators Mitch Hurwitz and Pam Brady have taken that well-worn formula and turned it into a uniquely bizarre comedy for Netflix—one that manages to tap into dark, emotional territory while remaining a cheerful, unconventional delight.

Many episodes deal with Bamford’s adventures in a modern Hollywood determined to monetize her eccentricity. She tries to “Trojan horse” some feminist commentary into a bad network sitcom; she foolishly gives up a role to a Sarah Silverman, who sends her on a scavenger hunt to win it back. She appears in a violent, surreal Japanese ad for a product called “Pussy Noodle” and attends a terrifying corporate “pitchapalooza” involving Wendie Malick and a sandwich.

Am I selling it yet?

Thank you to all the people who made these GIFs so that I can enjoy these parts of the show on repeat. You are a gift to the world.

 

 

Appreciation post:

Posted on by blablablaandgabbler

I, Gabbler, previously recommended season 2 of Daredevil, but forgot to mention my thoughts on Foggy and Karen (the two main mere mortals in this series).

Karen grows a lot more in this season, reflecting off of the Punisher in a way that shows she’s really a badass lawbreaking crime stopper. You only got a taste of that badassery in season 1; but here, the Punisher would be a poorer character without her. While it still sucks that she’s used to prop up male characters, it feels more like he propped up her despite the (likely) true intent of the writers. But I’ll stop assuming.

Foggy is still a barfy goody-goody who “cares too much” about his friends, to the point where when he finally gets enough of Matt’s crap you’re like Thank God! He has a backbone. He’s a much better character when he’s moping about and no longer happy-go-lucky. You want Matt to include him in on the secrets. You wonder why he doesn’t.

I’m still holding out for less Foggy face-time in season 3. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

[“BLA and GB Gabbler” (really just a pen name – singular) are the Editor and Narrator behind THE AUTOMATION, vol. 1 of the Circo del Herrero series. They are on facebook, twitter, tumblr, goodreads, and Vulcan’s shit list.]

all yellowB&N | Amazon | Etc.

 

GABBLER RECOMMENDS: Daredevil Season 2 (of course)

Posted on by blablablaandgabbler

While at times the characters got too chatty and analytical (making the pace dip), this season was still just as good as season one. At times I felt like I didn’t entirely know what was going on, maybe because I wasn’t paying close enough attention. I could barely remember Nobu from the first season, so that tells you I need to rewatch some parts…

Scott Glenn is still a jarring actor to watch as Stick, missing punchlines by a hair so that it takes you out of the story. But you still forgive him, as his role in the story arc starts to make more sense (cue Elektra–AKA dear little “Ellie” in this series).

Jon Bernthal as the Punisher was a good choice, though his lines were a bit too melodramatic and used to fluff up the time (“I miss my family sooooooooo much”–that kind of thing. We get it). Elektra’s lines, too, were a bit over the top. She comes off as as an intelligent, calculating woman until the writers have her open her mouth. She asks Matt with childlike panic “Do you still love me?” after killing someone he tells her not to and I cringed–perhaps the delivery was just a bit too off to make that line work as something she’d say aloud. It’s as if the writers couldn’t decide whether or not her childhood trauma would keep her childish.

When Matt Murdock is cleaning blood off of Stick’s lips with precision, you can see his eyes following his own finger. HOW DOES HE KNOW THERE IS BLOOD ON HIS FACE HE CAN’T HEAR IT. But I can make excuses for it; Maybe Stick told him where the blood was, whatever. 

The climax and wrap-up went too quickly–another problem with the pace. It was also, perhaps, too neat: the Punisher’s storyline twist was a bit too intricate and tidy for me–I had to resist rolling my eyes.

But all of these finger-waggings aside, I find myself still making excuses for the show. They’re little nit-pickings that I happily overlook. I just hope the writers and producers read this and are reminded not to get too sloppy, now.

[“BLA and GB Gabbler” (really just a pen name – singular) are the Editor and Narrator behind THE AUTOMATION, vol. 1 of the Circo del Herrero series. They are on facebook, twitter, tumblr, goodreads, and Vulcan’s shit list.]

all yellowB&N | Amazon | Etc.

 

GABBLER RECOMMENDS: Aziz Ansari’s Master of None

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master-of-none-posterI have never enjoyed a show about people just chatting and hanging out so much. Maybe not since, what, Seinfeld? Another show about nothing that seems to say everything.

While the use of Ansari’s real parents to play Dev’s (the lead character’s) parents led to some cringe-worthy moments (because of the acting), they were still really cute and the greater purpose of the Netflix episodes made it all very forgivable.

It’s refreshing to see “TV” tackle topics like diversity, feminism, and ageism with such fluency and ease.

We’re looking forward to season 2.

[“BLA and GB Gabbler” (really just a pen name – singular) are the Editor and Narrator behind THE AUTOMATION, vol. 1 of the Circo del Herrero series. They are on facebook, twitter, tumblr, goodreads, and Vulcan’s shit list.]

all yellowB&N | Amazon | Etc.