Finally some interesting cyberpunk popping up on Netflix.
From what I understand, it's based on a series of novels..?
don'tfuckitupdontfuckitupdontfuckitup
Yes it is. I've only read the first in the series, but it's really good.
More than halfway through the first book and it's good stuff. Pretty solid sci/fi, creative and a good read. Looking forward to the show.
So it seems this is going to be a whole series? Wonderful! Also rumored to be Netflix' most expensive to date. :bd:
I originally thought it was just going to be a single movie.
Very stoked about getting a whole neo-noir cyberpunk series. Especially one based on novels. :clap:
One month.. :coolsmiley:
Is it Trent Reznor I smell on that clip?
Quote from: Staggerwing on January 12, 2018, 11:36:54 PM
Is it Trent Reznor I smell on that clip?
Yes.
The song didn't catch my ear, but the voice was easily recognizable.
Just
really happy they didn't use those f#$&ing blaring Inception horns in the trailers. Starting to become outright hostile when I hear them now that they've been so overkilled.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/arts/television/altered-carbon-review-netflix-blade-runner.html
Quote"Altered Carbon" is a lesson in the importance of context.
If it were on the Syfy channel, where it belongs, it would look above average. You'd think, yeah, not bad. On Netflix, where its 10 episodes will be available Friday, it still looks like an above-average Syfy series, which just makes you think, what the heck is this doing here?
To give Netflix the benefit of the doubt, it's probably there for the cord cutters. If attracting them means recreating the entire ecosystem of television, then there's room for a low-rent "Blade Runner" knockoff with basic-cable production values and premium-cable nudity. Not everything can or needs to be "Black Mirror."
But if you're concerned with maintaining your reputation as a leading purveyor of prestige TV, you might want to think harder about what you slap the "Netflix Original" label on.
Based on a cyberpunk novel by Richard K. Morgan and created by the "Terminator Genisys" executive producer Laeta Kalogridis, "Altered Carbon" takes place in a future when technology has brought about a qualified form of immortality.
A person's essence — personality, intelligence, memories — can be loaded onto a metal disc called a stack and, in the event of death or boredom, inserted into a new body. The rich, called Meths (for Methuselahs), can repeatedly clone themselves and live out an unchanging prime of life. The poor make do with any body they can get their hands on, whose age, race and even gender may be different from theirs.
This scenario is the backdrop for a mystery in which, given the new realities, the murder victim is still alive and curious about who killed him. Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy), a powerful Meth, creates his own private eye by reviving the stack of a long dead Japanese-Slavic super-soldier, Takeshi Kovacs (Will Yun Lee), and putting it in the cybernetically enhanced, cryogenically preserved body of a recently dead Nordic policeman (Joel Kinnaman).
The show is yet another attempt to combine the beloved genres of noir and science fiction, and it demonstrates again — as "Blade Runner" did, even while inspiring a thousand imitators, including "Altered Carbon" — that they're not really a natural fit, no matter how much their fan bases might overlap. The cynical romanticism of noir and the cosmic mind games of speculative sci-fi are a tricky and not always successful blend. (The current Starz series "Counterpart" succeeds, in part, by staying relatively close to real 21st-century life.)
"Altered Carbon" tries to meld a dystopian class-warfare story and a hard-boiled detective story by simply piling on both the pseudo-philosophical blather (much of it delivered in voice-over by Renée Elise Goldsberry as a rebel leader and Kovacs's former lover) and the film-noir clichés. The entire twisted-rich-guy-with-beautiful-young-wife plot is a dangerously familiar setup, but the show is proud of its borrowings; when you have a noir rarity like "I Wake Up Screaming" playing in the background of a scene, you're trying to make a point (while showing off).
Mr. Kinnaman wears a bad attitude as easily as most actors wear a shirt, but playing a reluctant Philip Marlowe-style gumshoe with the soul of a freedom fighter (the embodiment of the show's dual nature) doesn't suit him, and he lacks his usual spark. Dichen Lachman, as his sister and fellow rebel soldier, has a better feel for the material and shines in the frequent and graphically bloody action scenes.
The violence in "Altered Carbon" is only marginally greater than what you'd find on basic cable. But there's one significant, in-your-face difference between it and the sci-fi shows it otherwise resembles: the copious nudity, mostly, though not exclusively, female.
"Altered Carbon" has some interesting ideas about the wages of immortality, such as the possibility of endless torture. But the resources and technology of the future it depicts appear to be devoted primarily to the pursuit of sexual gratification and exploitation, in milieus that recall 1970s Times Square and contemporary Las Vegas. As a narrative device, this provides a convenient rationale for routine (and numbing) nakedness, the way medieval fantasy provides the same cover for "Game of Thrones."
And that, of course, may be another answer for what this show is doing on Netflix. With "Marco Polo" canceled, the gratuitous-nudity niche needed filling.
Yeah I watched the first episode... I'm not convinced I'll keep going....
If it has Dichen Lachman in it then I'll at least give it a fair try.
(https://pmctvline2.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/s_s1_009.jpg?w=620&h=440&crop=1)
Quote from: Barthheart on February 04, 2018, 07:00:22 AM
Yeah I watched the first episode... I'm not convinced I'll keep going....
I might watch the first one this week and see
Weve torn through the first 8 episodes. Its gets pretty good ands its sure as hell a fully fleshed out world.
I've only had time for the first episode. The female cop is hard to understand at times but those are rare moments. Overall that first episode was very good.
I enjoyed it.
Not the highest production quality out there, but got past it. The amount of T&A was ridiculous at times.
wife started watching it w/o me today, so I need catch up on the first episode before we go on
Considering watching this as I have netflix (the neutered Australian version).
You guys seem pretty mixed about it though. I really enjoyed the new bladerunner. Is it like that?
Somebody said the production quality was low, for something like this it needs to be heavy on the detail and production quality.
I guess it could not hurt to waste an hour.
I thought they did a very good job on it. They stuck to the spirit of the book (which had fairly graphic sex scenes) and it did kind of do Blade Runner 2049 one better because they got the visuals right for the world as described in the book. 2049 had people working on it that couldn't resist the temptation to reproduce LA how they thought it was suppose to look instead of how it should have looked based on the original (understand that I thought 2049 was excellent EXCEPT for blowing it with the visual aesthetic of LA).
Favorite moment from Altered Carbon: The scene with Lizzy when you realize the music rising in the background is one of your favorites (The Kills - Future Starts Slow).
It had some repetitive parts and would drag down every now and again but over all I give it an 8/10 and RIYL if you like cyberpunk material in general.
Just my 1.3 cents (adjusted for inflation).
I'm surprised to hear that the production quality is "low". I've heard exactly the opposite from some of my colleagues at work, who claim the production values are extremely high. They rave about it, so I do plan on watching...once I get through the rest of Stranger Things and Black Mirror.
Production quality was fine for a series. Some of the CGI is noticeable but overall it was fine. Just wished they had hired the guy who choreographed the fight scenes in the first John Wick...that would have been awesome.
Quote from: Wes on February 08, 2018, 06:16:36 PM
Some of the CGI is noticeable but overall it was fine.
Pretty much this. I've only caught the first episode so far but there were some shots where it wasn't quite polished (such as the roof/air car view after it skidded across the rooftop lawn in that first episode). But that's easily overlooked because it's not bad looking and the story is pretty good.
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on February 08, 2018, 05:46:52 PM
I'm surprised to hear that the production quality is "low". I've heard exactly the opposite from some of my colleagues at work, who claim the production values are extremely high. They rave about it, so I do plan on watching...once I get through the rest of Stranger Things and Black Mirror.
The CGI, in parts, wasn't that great. That was the criticism I had.
Overall not bad. Not amazing, either. It works well enough.
Just watched the first episode, I thought it was great and will definitely watch the whole thing. I can't see how anyone would rate the production quality as 'low.'
Quote from: Gusington on February 10, 2018, 06:52:03 PM
Just watched the first episode, I thought it was great and will definitely watch the whole thing. I can't see how anyone would rate the production quality as 'low.'
It's a good series. I wholly recommend it. For adults anyway. :o
I'm about to wrap up binge watching Game of Thrones. I'll add this to my "consider watching next" list.
Yeah I would NOT watch Altered Carbon with the kids.
I've got one episode in and I can't decide whether I like it or not. I'm going to try another one and see what happens. I generally like Joel Kinnaman, but for some reason he seems outta place in this series.
Quote from: MIGMaster on February 26, 2018, 11:58:09 AM
I've got one episode in and I can't decide whether I like it or not. I'm going to try another one and see what happens. I generally like Joel Kinnaman, but for some reason he seems outta place in this series.
It's a grower with each episode - I'm at 5 and enjoying it
I'm at 4 and dig it.
Quote from: Gusington on February 26, 2018, 01:14:30 PM
I'm at 4
It's okay. There's still a chance you'll have a growth spurt.
I'm at 9 where it counts.
Shoe size?
Hairs
Downstairs?
I've always thought of gus sporting an impressive ball fro
Quote from: undercovergeek on February 26, 2018, 01:54:44 PM
I've always thought of gus sporting an impressive ball fro
I can honestly say I have never thought of that.
Me neither.
But my shoe size is a 10.
As was your mom.
Mom was an 11 and don't you ever again say otherwise.
She was a gem.
I hope she haunts you and drives you to an insane murder spree.
She'll have to wait in line like everyone else.
Mom was never long on patience.
She did enjoy - wait - this is getting too weird even for me.
Quote from: Gusington on February 26, 2018, 03:43:43 PM
She did enjoy - wait - this is getting too weird even for me.
It was bound to happen.
Gus is a man of...peculiar tastes
Quote from: mirth on February 26, 2018, 04:17:26 PM
Gus is a man of...peculiar tastes
Stop licking him then
Back in my safe zone now.
:notworthy:
New Thread Topic: Altered Gusington.
Not to derail all this Gus-tasting goodness by getting back on topic, but while Altered Carbon is entertaining, I just can't quite get into it fully and I'm not sure why.
Is it all the clone boobs?
Pretty sure boobs is boobs, so no, that can't be it.
It was a slow build for me but I'm really digging it now (plus it's got Dichen Lachman). What takes me out of it sometimes is that they filmed it here in Vancouver (the training camp/suspension bridge stuff is right where I work) so when I recognize a location, it ruins the immersion. I sometimes play board games with a group of film types here and a few of them got extra-work and seeing them in a scene can make things weird.
Quote from: BanzaiCat on February 27, 2018, 10:20:33 AM
Pretty sure boobs is boobs, so no, that can't be it.
The island full of lesbians?
Quote from: undercovergeek on February 27, 2018, 12:05:52 PM
Quote from: BanzaiCat on February 27, 2018, 10:20:33 AM
Pretty sure boobs is boobs, so no, that can't be it.
The island full of lesbians?
Huh. Guess I'll need to keep watching, then. ;)
I'm somewhere in episode 2 right now.
and Max Headroom
Aren't you Max Headroom? Or isn't that Minimal Crotchroom...I forget
Quote from: Gusington on February 28, 2018, 07:52:20 AM
Aren't you Max Headroom? Or isn't that Minimal Crotchroom...I forget
Wait, I'll go get my aloe vera
Do not let us know the results
Dichen...what an interesting person. She's Australian but her parents are German and Tibetan.
She was great in Dollhouse
Haven't seen Dollhouse yet.
Good show. Could be uneven at times, but the cast was outstanding.
That was another Whedon show, wasn't it?
Yeah. It was Fox trying to make up to him for Firefly.
Quote from: mirth on February 28, 2018, 06:13:38 PM
Yeah. It was Fox trying to make up to him for Firefly.
And now they need to make up for crapping out on that one, too...
Pretty much.
I'll always be down for a new Firefly series.
Me too Gor-rammit!
So, I came to this thread to get opinions on this show but I learned more about Gus's taste for older woman and his hairy nut sac and UCG's obession with Aloe vera on....Gus's sac?
:hide: :timeout:
I think "aloe vera" is UK slang for Aveeno.
Yes, aloe is for burns and aveeno is for..... making it so it don't burn?
Yellow card.
Gus mocked me cruelly - I applied aloe Vera to the burn
And I'll take Ortega over the horse faced oriental lady any day
daaaaamn :DD
Ortega was also hawt.
Watched the final episode last night. Weak. Felt like an 80s era TV show where everything was put to rights and neatly wrapped up and didn't fit with the tone of the rest of the series.
Quote from: undercovergeek on March 01, 2018, 02:23:51 PM
And I'll take Ortega over the horse faced oriental lady any day
This had to be said.
:clap:
I stopped watching. No particular gripe against it, I just lost interest.
Quote from: Gusington on March 05, 2018, 09:41:36 AM
I stopped watching. No particular gripe against it, I just lost interest.
That's how I was with the SyFy "Olympus" series.
It happens, eh
Yeah, you hoser.
Quite.
Quote from: undercovergeek on March 01, 2018, 02:23:51 PM
And I'll take Ortega over the horse faced oriental lady any day
A career in TV criticism beckons. Just finished the series and you pretty much summed it up in one sentence
I gave up on this in the second episode. It's not bad, it's just not grabbed me. Not the way Aveeno does.
What can really compare to Aveeno?
I stopped watching after about half the season, IIRC.
What is Aveeno? Just searched Netflix and Amazon, found nothing.
You're looking in the wrong places.
I prefer Unce, Tice, Fee Times a Mady.
Quote from: Gusington on April 27, 2018, 02:01:42 PM
You're looking in the wrong places.
In pain, now sleep.. and Gus just teases me :-[
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/altered-carbon-renewed-season-2-new-star-anthony-mackie-1130243