Zorral Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Spoiler At least so far, a schlocky mash-up of 1970's everything from comic book super heroes to Stranger Things (first season 2016) to Inglourious Basterds (2009), to you name it, set in 1977.1970’s comic book and movie meta – it’s all Batman and Star Wars, particularly Batman. Yes, our 19-year-ld protag, Jonah, and his friend Booty, work in a comic book store in the West Village. Jonah, even calls the Hunter team leader’s mansion, the MeyerWayne mansion. They spent a shyte-ton on music licenses from the era. The music is great. There’s a dance sequence right out of Saturday Night Fever (1977). 1977 is also the Summer of Sam, though Spike doesn’t put out that film until 1999. The World Trade Center Twin Towers seen in backgrounds – opened in 1972 – 1973. Much NYC. My favorite character so far, Booty gets shot in the 3rd ep, which subverts what Booty says doesn’t happens to hero’s side kicks. Robin is supposed to get all the good stuff by riding BM’s coat tails, not get killed, according to Booty, who calls himself Robin to Jonah’s Batman. The African American FBI agent, Millie Morris, is my second favorite character because she has things to do as a character. But, of course, she’s a lesbian, wouldn’t you just know. It feels just weird that she's there to investigate the execution of a NASA worker -- when recently Hidden Figures (2017) made much of the uncredited, forgotten major math contributions to the NASA projects by black women. But like most of the cast, Pacino as team leader Meyer, has nothing to do beyond quoting the Torah. Maybe ... along the way we’ll be informed as to why there's an African American blaxploitation female hunter, a Japanese American hunter, and a British Catholic nun hunter on the vengeance execution team hunting for nazis on behalf of Jews in the 1977 US when surely, at least, the African American might have enemies much closer up in her face in 1977 America? Also that record industry nazi they execute? Um, by 1977, the popular recording industry production and ownership was dominated by Jews, not Germans. Weirdly un-thought out, it seems. So far, none of these disparate elements, particularly the death camp footage connect, and clashing tones, connect to make a whole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawkcabi Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 I've watched the first 2 episodes... Just in case spoiler tags: Spoiler Started it only knowing what the show was supposed to be about not how they went about it. Meaning the genre type of show it was. I thought maybe a Scorcese-esque historical series or maybe a series version of something akin to Speilberg's Munich, maybe something like Chernobyl or even a show like The Americans. Then I watched the first five minutes of the first episode. I thought Ok this has to be a dream... Either a nightmare of woman's full of anxiety about Nazis living in America or it's the Nazi's nightmare caused by anxiety over how this idyllic life with his family he loves is all built upon him being a monster underneath it all. But holy shit it was not a dream. Then the scene after Jonah and his buddies see Star Wars, and the talk about Batman, then references about Peter Parker, more Batman references, comic book references comic book references comic book references! And I was like Oh! I get it! This is supposed to be a comic book reality! With that settled I've really enjoyed what I've seen so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martini Sigil Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Finishing it up as i type this... damn this show is wonderful... I laugh and cry in the same episodes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted February 24, 2020 Author Share Posted February 24, 2020 Poor NYC sure got beat up in 1977 -- nonstop. Spoiler So the ‘hidden’ nazis are responsible for the 1977 NYC Blackout, which, in contrast to the 1965 and 2003 blackouts, resulted in citywide looting and other acts of criminal activity, including arson. During the blackout, numerous looters stole DJ equipment from electronics stores. As a result, the hip hop genre, barely known outside the Bronx at the time, grew at an astounding rate from 1977 onward. The Blackout also caused complications for the Superman production, which was shooting in the area. David Berkowitz’s killing spree, 1976-1977, got called The Summer of Sam, though Spike doesn’t put out that film until 1999. And what about NYC’s financial crisis ongoing for certain in the summer of 1977? Earlier, President Ford told NYC and its financial crisis to, “Drop dead.” It didn't help Ford beat Carter though. Also Carter gave the City 11 million dollars to deal with repairing Blackout damage. We'll probably get to all that before the series concludes, including a Nazi is really the serial killer, David Berkowitz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share Posted February 25, 2020 Wash my hands of this -- and I do feel the need for cleansing. Ya: https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/hunters-chess-scene-auschwitz-historical-innacuracy-1203512474/ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51606389 Not to mention earlier: https://www.jta.org/2019/08/12/united-states/40-jews-arrested-in-new-york-city-protesting-amazons-ties-with-ice Also, I for one always protest the deformation of history, which there is a lot of here too, with NYC and other matters. Also -- it's a shaggy dog story. Spoiler Hitler and Eva aren't dead and the big bad that ushers in the 4th Reich is corn syrup, which will kill all the African Americans. Ya. That's how it ends. Feh>spit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ran Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Weil is pretty clearly inspired by Inglourious Basterds, using historical revisionism and over-the-top violence as an approach to commentary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share Posted February 25, 2020 Just because people get an idea doesn't necessarily mean it is a Good idea, particularly when it comes to the suffering and death of millions that enrich others. And then the contortions around Spoiler Wolf=Meyer Who and what is served by that? A hope for a rep for being edgy? Feh->spit. I have always despised Tarantino, and with DU and IB he really went beyond the pale deforming and lying about historical facts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ran Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 3 minutes ago, Zorral said: Who and what is served by that? A hope for a rep for being edgy? Feh->spit. I have always despised Tarantino, and with DU and IB he really went beyond the pale deforming and lying about historical facts. It's fiction. It's not purporting to tell "the" truth, and thus cannot be lying. It's providing an interpretation through a post-modern lens. Could be a bad one or a good one, but it's not lying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martini Sigil Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 As much as I liked this... they went too swerve-happy at the end... it was like watching Chris Russo era WCW... the shame is the show would have stood up without it... it's like it asked for crutches it didn;t need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 Saw the first episode. It was pretty good. Too long at the 1.30 mark, they should have just done what they could with the standard hour. And it was a little too silly throughout, I’d probably have preferred a more “realistic” idea of Nazi hunters in NY but then that wouldn’t have fit in with the superhero theme running through it. However, judging from the reviews, I was expecting there to be some kind of jarring contrast between the cartoonish scenes and the more serious ones. But I didn’t see that, it was a heightened reality all the way through. Spoiler The contrasts that did seem slightly out of place were more subtle. At the beginning the kids discuss how whether you’re a hero or not depends on your point of view and e.g. Batman is a bad guy to some people. Then LL has a lot of problems being violent, even when face to face with his revenge. This uneasiness with vigilantism seems weird in this very pulpy world. The constant swearing seemed wrong too, not that I generally mind swearing but it didn’t seem to fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red snow Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 2 hours ago, john said: Saw the first episode. It was pretty good. Too long at the 1.30 mark, they should have just done what they could with the standard hour. And it was a little too silly throughout, I’d probably have preferred a more “realistic” idea of Nazi hunters in NY but then that wouldn’t have fit in with the superhero theme running through it. However, judging from the reviews, I was expecting there to be some kind of jarring contrast between the cartoonish scenes and the more serious ones. But I didn’t see that, it was a heightened reality all the way through. Hide contents The contrasts that did seem slightly out of place were more subtle. At the beginning the kids discuss how whether you’re a hero or not depends on your point of view and e.g. Batman is a bad guy to some people. Then LL has a lot of problems being violent, even when face to face with his revenge. This uneasiness with vigilantism seems weird in this very pulpy world. The constant swearing seemed wrong too, not that I generally mind swearing but it didn’t seem to fit. It's that 1hr30 first episode barrier that's stalling me with starting to watch it. And now I'm watching altered Carbon who had a much friendlier 45 minute opener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarGalley Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 Watched the first episode. Initial thoughts are that it's not bad and I will continue through the season. However, it felt way too similar to The Boys (at least in this episode). Almost felt like the same skeleton hero/villain character arcs and motivations were given to both writing teams and each one wrapped a different genre around it (each centering around comic heroism). I'm curious how this progresses relative to The Boys and it will be my main barometer, fair or unfair. Maybe the 2nd episode will change my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red snow Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 I enjoyed the first two episodes although that took a while. The opening scene was excellent. There's a bit of flab in the story and they sre going to have to do a lot to not make the team outside pacino and the main character feel like caricatures. The Nazis are suitably evil though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarGalley Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Finished it. Really liked the evilness of the Nazis. As much as I hate to say it, the scenes with Biff crying in front of the camera or using his family's death to swing Carter's vote was so shamelessly hilarious and horrible that I could not stop laughing. I feel horrible.\ Some of those Nazi scenes... the band playing the Jewish song in the face of death. Aaron being killed in front of his parents. Oof. But I loved Greg Austin's role. The poison and the peanut monologue on the plane, the bowling alley scene, the maniacal laugh when dealing with the Germans like he's some version of a Nazi Joker, singing during the shootout with the transition to that song, and capped off with his prison stunt. He pulled off some good scenes. The Wolf thing was a weird plot line. I'm still not buying it in terms of story arc and think the story is lesser for it. I'll still watch Season 2 though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.