New Merlin on BBC

[Deckerd]

Talk about dark and edgy, did you watch Waking the Dead last night? If so, who sprang into your mind almost immediately?

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Talk about dark and edgy, did you watch Waking the Dead last night? If so, who sprang into your mind almost immediately?

Never got in to Waking the Dead, and every series I think "I'll record that" and then never do... Is it worth bothering trying to get hold of them from the start or is it a show you can just jump in at the latest 2 parter?

 

[Deckerd]

Well I hope I'm not spoiling anything but it's a female version of Hannibal Lecter. Not that it isn't well done but it's so derivative we actually started sniggering when we were supposed to be filled with foreboding.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Well I hope I'm not spoiling anything but it's a female version of Hannibal Lecter. Not that it isn't well done but it's so derivative we actually started sniggering when we were supposed to be filled with foreboding.

Spoilers!!! Argh!!!

When films/shows are like that it always makes it hard to take seriously. I saw The Thing for the first time in over a decade recently and it reminded me so much the episode Ice from The X-Files, as well as so many others it made it hard to take it seriously.

 

[KB24]

Pointless now, but this Sunday night I noticed Legends of The Seeker was on at 8 p.m. on WPSG or such-was this running up against Merlin all summer? Same target audience, don't you think?

Last night I just watched episode 11 of Season 1 again. Amazing that they have Arthur mature then and now, but not inbetween! I like that there's a spotlight episode and one or perhaps two storylines per episode, but the balance of characters seems uneven in some episodes. We've had plenty of Arthur and Gwen in Season 2 1 and 2, but hardly any Morgana. Now next week she gets the forefront. Wouldn't linear stories that weave over several episodes be better? Draw in viewers for some of that sophistication instead of one off shows?

Although anachronistic in speech sometimes, I also think the delivery and chemistry is very tight and witty. I like the way Merlin sounds, is that strange?

 

[KB24]

Who is Howard Overman, by the way? He seems to write the better episodes. I believe he did S2 ep 2 in addition to The Labyrinth of Gedref, The Beginning of the End , and Valiant.

I see all the creators have done several other short lived shows. I have Hex in my netflix queue. Does this team deliberately turn over new series every few years?

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Hex was cancelled by Sky after 2 years. There was some problems after the first year and they changed the star, and it became really quite repetitive and then Sky said they cancelled it because "It reached a natural conclusion" but I believe they did have a third series planned.
I remember enjoying it at the time and buying both series when they were released, but I've never watched again so I suppose I can't have liked it all that much.

 

[Starkers]

Well I hope I'm not spoiling anything but it's a female version of Hannibal Lecter. Not that it isn't well done but it's so derivative we actually started sniggering when we were supposed to be filled with foreboding.

Spoilers!!! Argh!!!

When films/shows are like that it always makes it hard to take seriously. I saw The Thing for the first time in over a decade recently and it reminded me so much the episode Ice from The X-Files, as well as so many others it made it hard to take it seriously.

Thats a shame seeing as Ice is basically a rip off of the Thing (although oddly Ice was always one of my favourite X-Files episodes preciesly because of that, sometimes its fun to watch a rip off)

Giggling, at Waking the Dead? I was on the edge of my seat till the last second, brilliant show!

 

[Starkers]

I don't think the show need be heavy and melancholy, but as skutter said, sophisticated.

Oh, I agree - I don't think the show needs to be 'dark' or 'edgy'. Although I like many shows that are quite dark in their approach, I don't think it is a prerequisite for a show to be good. This show can keep it's light hearted, fun approach to Arthurian legend, and still have sophisticated storytelling and character progression. As someone above said, Who manages this well.

Ah but as I also said, Who is pretty special. I think we should just enjoy Merlin for what it is.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Well I hope I'm not spoiling anything but it's a female version of Hannibal Lecter. Not that it isn't well done but it's so derivative we actually started sniggering when we were supposed to be filled with foreboding.

Spoilers!!! Argh!!!

When films/shows are like that it always makes it hard to take seriously. I saw The Thing for the first time in over a decade recently and it reminded me so much the episode Ice from The X-Files, as well as so many others it made it hard to take it seriously.

Thats a shame seeing as Ice is basically a rip off of the Thing (although oddly Ice was always one of my favourite X-Files episodes preciesly because of that, sometimes its fun to watch a rip off)

Giggling, at Waking the Dead? I was on the edge of my seat till the last second, brilliant show!

Ice is one of my favourites too, but I don't know, I guess because Ice was more prominent in my memory The Thing suffers because of it.

 

[Starkers]

Yeah that can happen. I only saw animal house for the first time a few years ago, and it seemed full of stuff I'd seen elsewhere. Of course I had to keep reminding myself that all those other films were probably ripping Animal House off!

I saw the Thing 2 weeks ago on the big screen and, despite how many times I've watched the DVD, it was still bloody impressive.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Yeah that can happen. I only saw animal house for the first time a few years ago, and it seemed full of stuff I'd seen elsewhere. Of course I had to keep reminding myself that all those other films were probably ripping Animal House off!

I saw the Thing 2 weeks ago on the big screen and, despite how many times I've watched the DVD, it was still bloody impressive.

Yeah, I saw it at the cinema too. It really struck me how much cinema has changed in the last 25 year, it was slow and deliberate, let things build and didn't just jump right to the horror.

 

[Deckerd]

There was a thread recently about the proliferation of splatter porn and how film makers aren't interesting in making proper horror movies like Alien where almost all the action takes place just off screen. It's much more frightening.

 

[Starkers]

Of course when things do happen in The Thing they're in full technicolour glory!

But yeah on the whole the scariest things are the things you have to imagine. This is what The Haunting (1963 version not the godawful remake) is my favourite horror film of all time.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

There was a thread recently about the proliferation of splatter porn and how film makers aren't interesting in making proper horror movies like Alien where almost all the action takes place just off screen. It's much more frightening.

That's not true, you do get the occasional one, and I think splatter porn and torture porn are used as insults too much. Some of those films have more to them than the gore, as with all things it's the bad ones that have an over-reliance on it.

 

[KB24]

I prefer old school slow horror not the same slasher splatter over and over. All these remakes are too much! But what do I know? I don't like the new Doctor Who, and I tried Robin Hood but it didn't impress me. The early episodes of Merlin were nothing spectacular, and I didn't try the series again until it came to NBC. What's wrong with deliberate character studies? Blake's 7 people!

 

[Deckerd]

There was a thread recently about the proliferation of splatter porn and how film makers aren't interested in making proper horror movies like Alien where almost all the action takes place just off screen. It's much more frightening.

That's not true, you do get the occasional one, and I think splatter porn and torture porn are used as insults too much. Some of those films have more to them than the gore, as with all things it's the bad ones that have an over-reliance on it.

What's not true Bob? There wasn't a thread, or that film makers aren't interested, or that implied nastiness is more frightening than explicit nastiniess?

 

[Bob The Skutter]

There was a thread recently about the proliferation of splatter porn and how film makers aren't interested in making proper horror movies like Alien where almost all the action takes place just off screen. It's much more frightening.

That's not true, you do get the occasional one, and I think splatter porn and torture porn are used as insults too much. Some of those films have more to them than the gore, as with all things it's the bad ones that have an over-reliance on it.

What's not true Bob? There wasn't a thread, or that film makers aren't interested, or that implied nastiness is more frightening than explicit nastiniess?

Oh that there's no interest in making the old style horror, it's just most tend to be cheaper or more independent movies. The Decent was great at building the atmosphere and leaving you wondering if she was just nuts or what, but they probably will spoil that with the sequel.
Drag me to Hell too, ok there was some gross stuff in both but they weren't just over the top gore all the time.
There's probably others I can't think of right now.

I do think letting you imagine is always scarier than explicit or gratuitous scares and gore.

 

[Starkers]

I loved Drag me to Hell, the scariest bits were the non gory ones--lots of creaking metal gates and wind, though I loved the jumpy bits as well. Sam Raimi is a great director (aside from spiderman 3)

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I loved Drag me to Hell, the scariest bits were the non gory ones--lots of creaking metal gates and wind, though I loved the jumpy bits as well. Sam Raimi is a great director (aside from spiderman 3)

Agreed, I saw it twice at cinema and I think it scared me more the second time, even though I knew what was coming...