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Post by DaveyJoe on Apr 7, 2017 6:12:45 GMT
I've got such mixed feelings about American Horror Story. It's funny that a horror fanatic like me would struggle to get into it. I think the show lacks in atmosphere, the best horror films make you uncomfortable through cinematography and soundtrack, admittedly, this is a lot harder to accomplish in a series which will have a different director from week to week. Instead, AHS tries to be horrific on a surface level of violence and disturbing content. I'm halfway through season 2, and I will admit that it has an excellent cast, so many great shows have at least one weak chain in the acting department, but AHS has a rare stride of consistency with its performances. What this show lacks in narrative strength, it makes up for with compelling metaphors about identity, religion, and sexuality. If they went one step further with character development it might be amazing, but sometimes it feels diluted with such a large cast of characters that get too few moments to shine.
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Post by stoneheartsrevenge on Apr 7, 2017 10:25:16 GMT
I like the first three seasons of AHS but never got through Freak Show.
I think you are correct about AHS being horrific only on a surface level, at least in the seasons I've watched. I never truly get that edge-of-your-seat rush that I get in a genuinely scary film or scene. Season 2 probably came closest for me at times. However there was way too much going on in that season. It could have benefitted from a few elements being cut so they could focus more on others.
Season 3 was my favourite but it felt very different in tone from the other two. But it focused on something that I particularly liked.
I mostly agree on the cast being excellent. I think Evan Peters has been a bit hit and miss though, as has Taissa Farmiga (in season 3 I mean. I liked her in S1). Which is unfortunate as they have had some big roles.
The effects, make-up and prosthetics and stuff are really impressive at times.
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Post by Basil on Apr 7, 2017 10:41:04 GMT
Freak Show has its moments, but it's not great. I could never go back and rewatch it.
The first two seasons of American Horror Story are among my favourite seasons in television though, and Season 3 was great as well.
I'm not sure I agree that it's only scary on a surface level. Maybe that's the case in regards to the monsters and supernatural elements, but Season 2 also had the whole Bloody Face / Lana storyline going on, which touched on some deeply disturbing topics and had some absolutely chilling scenes. And just the whole theme of that season, being trapped in a catholic mental asylum for no reason, where you're being treated like an animal, with no hope of ever getting out. To me, that is much more scary than jump scares, monsters or gore.
I miss Jessica Lange on this show, though. Constance is still my favourite AHS character.
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Post by kingeomer on Apr 7, 2017 12:28:39 GMT
I just finished 13 Reasons Why.   That was...uncomfortable viewing. (It was well done though. It's not supposed to make you feel comfortable. But damn. Not prepared for it emotionally.) I read the book and cried. I don't know that I can handle a show of it. |
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Post by stoneheartsrevenge on Apr 7, 2017 12:45:24 GMT
I just finished 13 Reasons Why. That was...uncomfortable viewing. (It was well done though. It's not supposed to make you feel comfortable. But damn. Not prepared for it emotionally.) I read the book and cried. I don't know that I can handle a show of it. It's sad but pretty light to begin with. Then the last 5 episodes are brutal, once she starts describing the events of Jessica's party and beyond. And it's pretty...graphic. I've not read the book but as far as I know the show doesn't massively depart from the book. There are warnings before some episodes that there are graphic depictions of rape and suicide. When Hannah is raped by Bryce the camera lingers on her face and just remains there as her eyes go dead. It's haunting.
And the suicide was horrible. You really see the despair and desperation in her face. Then it actually shows the razor blades slicing her wrists. I had to look away I was so uncomfortable. It was so,e brilliant acting by the young actress portraying Hannah though, she really did a brilliant job showing the trauma. But it made for difficult watching.
Actually the entire cast did a fantastic job with this. And I think the choice to be very graphic was the correct one. |
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Post by stoneheartsrevenge on Apr 7, 2017 12:56:27 GMT
Freak Show has its moments, but it's not great. I could never go back and rewatch it. The first two seasons of American Horror Story are among my favourite seasons in television though, and Season 3 was great as well. I'm not sure I agree that it's only scary on a surface level. Maybe that's the case in regards to the monsters and supernatural elements, but Season 2 also had the whole Bloody Face / Lana storyline going on, which touched on some deeply disturbing topics and had some absolutely chilling scenes. And just the whole theme of that season, being trapped in a catholic mental asylum for no reason, where you're being treated like an animal, with no hope of ever getting out. To me, that is much more scary than jump scares, monsters or gore. I miss Jessica Lange on this show, though. Constance is still my favourite AHS character. Yeah that's why I mentioned Season 2 as coming closest. There were some very chilling moments and the storylines with the social taboo of homosexual and interracial relationships were very uncomfortable. The alien parts of that season brought it down for me. So I agree with you with some parts of that season, but I think other than that it's only surface level horror (especially in season 3). But again I'm only speaking of seasons 1-3. I didn't know Lange had left the show. That disappointing Which season did leave? I might try and watch Hotel sometime. |
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Post by Basil on Apr 7, 2017 13:13:25 GMT
Freak Show has its moments, but it's not great. I could never go back and rewatch it. The first two seasons of American Horror Story are among my favourite seasons in television though, and Season 3 was great as well. I'm not sure I agree that it's only scary on a surface level. Maybe that's the case in regards to the monsters and supernatural elements, but Season 2 also had the whole Bloody Face / Lana storyline going on, which touched on some deeply disturbing topics and had some absolutely chilling scenes. And just the whole theme of that season, being trapped in a catholic mental asylum for no reason, where you're being treated like an animal, with no hope of ever getting out. To me, that is much more scary than jump scares, monsters or gore. I miss Jessica Lange on this show, though. Constance is still my favourite AHS character. Yeah that's why I mentioned Season 2 as coming closest. There were some very chilling moments and the storylines with the social taboo of homosexual and interracial relationships were very uncomfortable. The alien parts of that season brought it down for me. So I agree with you with some parts of that season, but I think other than that it's only surface level horror (especially in season 3). But again I'm only speaking of seasons 1-3. I didn't know Lange had left the show. That disappointing Which season did leave? I might try and watch Hotel sometime. Yeah, Freak Show was her final season. |
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Post by TheMadQueen on Apr 7, 2017 13:57:39 GMT
I thought season 3 was the best. Jessica Lange and Angela Basset made that season their bitch.
I couldn't even finish 4 or 5, soooo bad.
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Post by day dreamer on Apr 7, 2017 19:21:01 GMT
I don't think they're trying to copy Westworld either, they just had the misfortune of doing rogue robots. Ward to me was more interesting as a bad guy lol. I've never cared for him or Daisy. I like FitzSimmons, May, Coulson, and Mack. I don't really have a problem with anyone. They've all grown on me. Initially I wasn't a fan of Radcliffe but I think he's gotten better since he was given a larger role and stopped being too comedic. Though I wasn't a fan of the two who left last season to make their own show (which never got picked up). I really hope they don't come back. I'm really interested to see who they bring back inside the alternate reality. There's a surprising number of dead people on this show. Bobbi and Hunter. I'm still surprised they even tried to go the spin off route with them. Sure, Bobbi is popular in the comics but neither were with the GA. But I'd take them over Daisy Sue any day.  |
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Post by DaveyJoe on Apr 8, 2017 3:08:10 GMT
Freak Show has its moments, but it's not great. I could never go back and rewatch it. The first two seasons of American Horror Story are among my favourite seasons in television though, and Season 3 was great as well. I'm not sure I agree that it's only scary on a surface level. Maybe that's the case in regards to the monsters and supernatural elements, but Season 2 also had the whole Bloody Face / Lana storyline going on, which touched on some deeply disturbing topics and had some absolutely chilling scenes. And just the whole theme of that season, being trapped in a catholic mental asylum for no reason, where you're being treated like an animal, with no hope of ever getting out. To me, that is much more scary than jump scares, monsters or gore. I miss Jessica Lange on this show, though. Constance is still my favourite AHS character. Of course what is or isn't scary is subjective, but I think what I'm getting at is that while there's a lot of horrific stuff happening in the show, it's surprisingly lacking in suspense. That is probably because there's not a lot of character development that really connects you with the characters. Taking Sarah Paulson's character for example, what happens to her is certainly scary in concept, but I personally am not that invested in her. Compare her plight to the character Sal from Mad Men. Both are closeted gay characters in a period piece. I was devastated when Sal got fired, but Sarah Paulson(I don't even remember her name) is getting tortured and it doesn't really upset me that much. Maybe the show could be more atmospheric? I don't know, I think the opening credits is the scariest thing about the show, those were really well done, and the music helps a lot. But again, it's all subjective, and I still like the show, I just wish it got under my skin and scared me more. |
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Post by TheMadQueen on Apr 8, 2017 3:11:00 GMT
DaveyJoe i'd say power thru till season three. Coven has a great vibe and a pretty strong atmosphere, and (in my opinion) the strongest writing.
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Post by DaveyJoe on Apr 8, 2017 3:19:07 GMT
DaveyJoe i'd say power thru till season three. Coven has a great vibe and a pretty strong atmosphere, and (in my opinion) the strongest writing. I plan on sticking with it. That's why I love the serial structure of the show. If I don't like one story, it'll be something fresh next year. I'm admittedly really slow at getting through shows and I'm also working on Narcos atm. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 8:23:09 GMT
Going to start Narcos, heard it's really good. It is so far. Pedro Pascal  |
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Post by kingeomer on Apr 8, 2017 11:47:03 GMT
Going to start Narcos, heard it's really good. It is so far. Pedro Pascal I love Narcos!!! No spoilers from me, but both Pedro and Boyd Holbrook are very good in it. The actor who plays Pablo Escobar-Wagner Moura is also very good. |
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Post by stoneheartsrevenge on Apr 8, 2017 20:31:25 GMT
Watched episode 4 of Big Little Lies (the UK is behind the US). This show is really outstanding: The cast are doing an amazing job. Kidman' therapy sessions powerful and realistic. And she was awesome and confident in her lawyer mode.
Sharlene Woodley's doing a very convincing portrayal of someone with PTSD, as well as a highly compassionate single mother.
Alexander Skarsgaad is great as Perry. He genuinely makes me feel scared, especially this episode when he grabbed Celeste by the neck before her son walked in.
The way the show is handling these sensitive issues is very well done too. |
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Post by DaveyJoe on Apr 9, 2017 21:10:24 GMT
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Post by DaveyJoe on Apr 12, 2017 4:27:44 GMT
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Post by day dreamer on Apr 12, 2017 14:35:18 GMT
I finished 13 Reasons Why.
I liked it overall, but I'm a bit torn. While I was watching it I was like "man they are taking forever to get to the point." But then I read a bunch of book vs show comparisons and it seems they made some changes for the better in terms of making the story more meaningful.
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Post by stoneheartsrevenge on Apr 12, 2017 14:44:35 GMT
I finished 13 Reasons Why. I liked it overall, but I'm a bit torn. While I was watching it I was like "man they are taking forever to get to the point." But then I read a bunch of book vs show comparisons and it seems they made some changes for the better in terms of making the story more meaningful. They could have benefitted from cutting most if not all episodes by 10-15 minutes I think. Especially some of the middle episodes. The tape aspects of some episodes was just too thin to stretch an hour (like Zack and Marcus. I don't mean anything about the severity of what they did, just it's hard to fill an hour with their tape). I thought it was very good overall. It's problems were the pacing as you said, and some of the dialogue being a bit weak. Some dialogue was hilariously accurate though. "What's the male gaze?" "We don't know, but we think you have it." It's also really good how the tone of the show changes the closer the tapes come to Hannah's suicide. They start off as upsetting but in a kind of typical teen drama way and evolve into full blown desperation and trauma. |
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Post by day dreamer on Apr 12, 2017 16:04:06 GMT
I finished 13 Reasons Why. I liked it overall, but I'm a bit torn. While I was watching it I was like "man they are taking forever to get to the point." But then I read a bunch of book vs show comparisons and it seems they made some changes for the better in terms of making the story more meaningful. They could have benefitted from cutting most if not all episodes by 10-15 minutes I think. Especially some of the middle episodes. The tape aspects of some episodes was just too thin to stretch an hour (like Zack and Marcus. I don't mean anything about the severity of what they did, just it's hard to fill an hour with their tape). I thought it was very good overall. It's problems were the pacing as you said, and some of the dialogue being a bit weak. Some dialogue was hilariously accurate though. "What's the male gaze?" "We don't know, but we think you have it." It's also really good how the tone of the show changes the closer the tapes come to Hannah's suicide. They start off as upsetting but in a kind of typical teen drama way and evolve into full blown desperation and trauma. I agree with that. I think each episode could've been around 45 minutes instead of an hour. Black Mirror manages to do a ton with that amount of time. I liked that too, I can see why they show changed the order of the tapes for that affect. I guess Clay was earlier in the tapes in the book than he was on the show. I can't believe the girl playing Hannah is Australian. Her American accent is awesome. |
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