TOP TEN Lists - This Week: "Blank Check" Media Projects.

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

And now... The Best Monstrous Infantry unit in all of Warhammer

Hah, should've known you'd bring that up again... all in good time

The only show I've seen out of your top 10 list is a little bit of Merlin. If we extend it to your genre specific TV show lists, then I have seen Star Trek DS9/TNG/VOY/ENT, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis, Spartacus and GoT.

There hasn't been much discussion of BSG 2004, Stargate Atlantis and Spartacus on here... what were your opinions on those, out of interest?

I'm surprised you haven't seen Rome which is another HBO creation, but then it did come out before GoT really propelled HBO to fame, and as a historical drama it's mainly for those with an active interest in the period, which of course not everyone is.

And shame on you, you missed that I listed Mr. Bean as an honourable comedy mention

I must admit, I haven't heard of most of your shows.

To be honest I'm not surprised that most of my favourite shows have not yet made it to Canada, they are admittedly niche on the international scale (though a lot of them are well known here in Britain). The vast majority of my comedy choices ended their runs before the current millennium started (with the exception of the real Office and Still Open All Hours which were 2000s and 2010s comedies respectively, and Only Fools and Horses and One Foot in the Grave which came to an end in the early 2000s), and of course gameshows, when successful, spawn international equivalents which mean viewers in other countries won't be shown the original (so in your case you may have seen the - inferior - Chase USA, for example, if American and Canadian TV is interchangeable, but not the British original), and if they're not successful then they're often folded before other countries get to see them.

However, I still recommend all my choices to anyone who wants to try something a bit different.

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

Hah, should've known you'd bring that up again... all in good time

Hahaha. I know perfectly well that it is a lot more work than it appears to be.

There hasn't been much discussion of BSG 2004, Stargate Atlantis and Spartacus on here... what were your opinions on those, out of interest?

I enjoyed all three Stargate shows and the original movie. I haven't watched them in years though.

BSG was an awesome show. @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER and I watched the entire series together. She probably likes it even more than me. The funny thing is, we gave it a chance because it was mentioned on The Big Bang Theory.

Spartacus was another solid show. The recasting of the main character was quite jarring, not that the replacement did a bad job (he was very good actually), but simply, you don't often have a main character swapped out. Then I looked into why Andy Whitfield was replaced, and it was a very sad story. The show itself was very good though, although it did have too much male nudity.

I'm surprised you haven't seen Rome which is another HBO creation, but then it did come out before GoT really propelled HBO to fame, and as a historical drama it's mainly for those with an active interest in the period, which of course not everyone is.

My best friend really loved that show, but I never got around to watching it. I did hear that it was very good though.

To be honest I'm not surprised that most of my favourite shows have not yet made it to Canada, they are admittedly niche on the international scale (though a lot of them are well known here in Britain). The vast majority of my comedy choices ended their runs before the current millennium started (with the exception of the real Office and Still Open All Hours which were 2000s and 2010s comedies respectively, and Only Fools and Horses and One Foot in the Grave which came to an end in the early 2000s), and of course gameshows, when successful, spawn international equivalents which mean viewers in other countries won't be shown the original (so in your case you may have seen the - inferior - Chase USA, for example, if American and Canadian TV is interchangeable, but not the British original), and if they're not successful then they're often folded before other countries get to see them.

To be fair, I'm not the best person to use as a gauge for such a thing. I very seldom stray outside of my wheelhouse and usually prefer to re-watch something I love rather than give something new a chance. I can't so for certain how widespread your shows are in North America.

 

[Killer Angel]

Spartacus was another solid show. The recasting of the main character was quite jarring, not that the replacement did a bad job (he was very good actually), but simply, you don't often have a main character swapped out. Then I looked into why Andy Whitfield was replaced, and it was a very sad story. The show itself was very good though, although it did have too much male .

Not my cup of tea, i wouldn't place it in my top 10. Not even 20
But i cannot negate it has a certain attractiveness.

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

Not my cup of tea, i wouldn't place it in my top 10.

Doesn't crack my top 10 either.

 

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

I enjoyed all three Stargate shows and the original movie. I haven't watched them in years though.

I've just seen the original film and Atlantis at the moment, SG-1 is next on my list of things to watch (because I caught the first episode of Atlantis in a TV repeat at a time where SG-1 was halfway through its run).

Didn't the third series they attempt fail rather badly and was unfortunately cancelled after the first series?

Spartacus was another solid show. The recasting of the main character was quite jarring, not that the replacement did a bad job (he was very good actually), but simply, you don't often have a main character swapped out. Then I looked into why Andy Whitfield was replaced, and it was a very sad story.

It was certainly sad to hear about Andy Whitfield. Liam McIntyre was decent as the replacement for him without a doubt, though I agree it felt odd during the first few episodes to be seeing Spartacus but not Andy.


Who else, though, thought John Hannah stole the first series and its prequel as Batiatus?

Spoiler: Language, Batiatus!

The show itself was very good though, although it did have too much male nudity.

Not my cup of tea, i wouldn't place it in my top 10. Not even 20

Doesn't crack my top 10 either.

Yeeees, it certainly had rather too much nudity in general to be honest (as much as I like to see the occasional naked girl as much as the next straight man, even that starts to lose some of its novelty when taken to the level seen in Spartacus), plus I thought a fair amount of the gore was excessive. While sword combat was certainly no clean affair, do we really want to go so far as seeing a sword strike bisecting some poor sod's skull to reveal all the brain matter inside? That's the sort of violence level that's more reserved for slasher horror movies.

Also I thought the fourth series in particular was a significant step down from the precedent set by Blood and Sand and Gods of the Arena, mainly because they started to get lazy and reduce Roman Legionaries, one of the most successful military units in human history, to Stormtrooper status so that the slaves would always win by default with minimal casualties (except in the final battles of course), rather than think of new ways in which a largely unarmoured militia with limited training could defeat them through tactics and ploys. At the very least they could have had more slaves being killed as well to keep things in some sort of historical reality.

My best friend really loved that show, but I never got around to watching it. I did hear that it was very good though.

It certainly is, it essentially has all the good aspects of Spartacus (the intrigue, the grimy interpretation of the Roman world) without any of the bad bits (excessive nudity, excessive gore).

To be fair, I'm not the best person to use as a gauge for such a thing. I very seldom stray outside of my wheelhouse and usually prefer to re-watch something I love rather than give something new a chance. I can't so for certain how widespread your shows are in North America.

That's fair, I also in my way prefer rewatching existing stuff a lot of the time - anything new has to be something that is really in one of my preferred genres (fantasy, sci-fi, ancient or Medieval history) to really pique my interest.

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

SG-1 is next on my list of things to watch

It's a good one.

Didn't the third series they attempt fail rather badly and was unfortunately cancelled after the first series?

Unfortunately, Stargate Universe was cancelled after only two seasons and left unfinished. Shame, it had a very interesting premise.

 

[Killer Angel]

they started to get lazy and reduce Roman Legionaries, one of the most successful military units in human history, to Stormtrooper status so that the slaves would always win by default with minimal casualties (except in the final battles of course), rather than think of new ways in which a largely unarmoured militia with limited training could defeat them through tactics and ploys. At the very least they could have had more slaves being killed as well to keep things in some sort of historical reality.

That's probably my main issue with it, but since the beginning.

compare this:

to this:

If i'm watching a sort of historical drama, i don't like to break my suspension of disbelief because of action scenes that would only fit in Frank Miller's 300.

 

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

Right then @NIGHTBRINGER, when's the next category coming up? I recall you saying there would be more on the way after I had completed my answer to the TV Show one...

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

Right then @NIGHTBRINGER, when's the next category coming up? I recall you saying there would be more on the way after I had completed my answer to the TV Show one...

There was so little interest in the last topic (only 3 of us submitted a list), that I had sort of given up on the thread. The forum just isn't the same without @Lizards of Renown ! Plus @Imrahil is currently in limbo until he decides to cross the next Slann threshold.

I do have a whole slew of topics though, so if you guys (@Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl and @Just A Skink ) are interested, I could release the next one.

 

[Killer Angel]

There was so little interest in the last topic (only 3 of us submitted a list), that I had sort of given up on the thread.

Maybe the TV shows was a topic too wide?
I know i passed on it because of that.

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

Maybe the TV shows was a topic too wide?
I know i passed on it because of that.

Perhaps. Different strokes for different folks.

Personally, it was my favourite of all the lists. It's the one where I was most interested in hearing what others had to say.

 

[Just A Skink]

There was so little interest in the last topic (only 3 of us submitted a list), that I had sort of given up on the thread. The forum just isn't the same without @Lizards of Renown ! Plus @Imrahil is currently in limbo until he decides to cross the next Slann threshold.

I do have a whole slew of topics though, so if you guys (@Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl and @Just A Skink ) are interested, I could release the next one.

Sure. Release the Kraken! Or at least another topic where I can waffle on my answers while "overusing" quotes or parentheses comments (to maximum effect).

I also agree that it's more quiet without @Lizards of Renown.

 

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

I do have a whole slew of topics though, so if you guys (@Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl and @Just A Skink ) are interested, I could release the next one.

As long as we keep the thread going, then interest may resume when we start posting categories that are perhaps less broad than the last one and easier to write a list for.

Besides, anybody who misses out on one or more categories, like @Lizards of Renown and @Imrahil, can always still submit their lists later when they catch up.

 

[Killer Angel]

I agree it's worth another try.
@NIGHTBRINGER , what about a pm to discuss possible polls? (Not that you need any suggestion... )

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

Sure. Release the Kraken!

It will be done!

I also agree that it's more quiet without @Lizards of Renown.

His loss is greatly felt. Old reliable. You could always count on him to contribute to and sustain conversations.

My staunchest 8th edition WHFB ally, a Chaos Dwarf general and (*clears throat and holds back tears*) a brother. We raise our glasses and tip our hats to @Lizards of Renown !

then interest may resume when we start posting categories that are perhaps less broad than the last one and easier to write a list for.

What's life without a little challenge?

@NIGHTBRINGER , what about a pm to discuss possible polls? (Not that you need any suggestion... )

Oh... I've got a whole bunch of topics lined up. From straight forward to different.

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

Topic #10 - Top Ten Movie/TV Villains

Rules:
The title says it all. Your top ten favourite villains from Movies and/or TV shows. Simply write down the villain's name and what movie/tv show they are from. If a villain has multiple iterations (across multiple movies/shows) you can choose to identify your favourite iteration or simply state the character in general.


My list is ready, but I'll wait for a couple of responses before posting it. I'm curious to see if we have any in common.

 

[Killer Angel]

mmm.... villains eh? interesting.

on the top of my head, here's my list.
Changes may occour.


MOVIES:
Darth Vader - such an imposing presence, you cannot really talk about villains and forget him
Hannibal Lecter - Hopkins stole every single scene where he was present. And that character gave birth to movies and TV series
The Jocker (Heat Ledger) - there's a reason why this version was acclaimed as the best one
Amon Goth - ok, i'm cheating here since it was an historical SS commander, but FIennes just turned the character into excellence
Annie Wilkes - a Nurse can be a scary villain. i wanted to kill Louise (Cuckoo's nest), but the one in Misery is just terrifying.
Scar - i wanted some animated villain, and this one was truly great. Many children knew death thanks to him


TV SERIES:
Tywin Lannister - by far the most charismatic character in all GoT
Homelander - when the villain is not only immensely powerful, but he's a sociopath so it's completely unpredictable
Gus Fring - breaking Bad is a great show, and Gus is a fabulous mix of smartness, ruthlessness and impeccable elegance
JR - yep, Dallas. Never watched an episode and i still know him... that's something, right?


i'm leaving behind a ton of so great villains...

 

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

Topic #10 - Top Ten Movie/TV Villains

Rules:
The title says it all. Your top ten favourite villains from Movies and/or TV shows. Simply write down the villain's name and what movie/tv show they are from. If a villain has multiple iterations (across multiple movies/shows) you can choose to identify your favourite iteration or simply state the character in general.


My list is ready, but I'll wait for a couple of responses before posting it. I'm curious to see if we have any in common.

Gods I've been waiting a good while for a category like this!

It'll take a while because I will inevitably want to document a detailed analysis about my top 10 villains, but you can be sure I will drop my list soon.

 

[Killer Angel]

A list like this will be largely incomplete for a number of reasons.

For example, animated movies offer a vast selections of villains.
I've picked Scar, but i could have listed Claude Frollo (hunchback of notre dame), Tai Lung or Lord Shen from kung Fu Panda franchise, or Sindrome (the Incredibles).
And i'm not even counting anime.

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

mmm.... villains eh? interesting.

on the top of my head, here's my list.
Changes may occour.


MOVIES:
Darth Vader - such an imposing presence, you cannot really talk about villains and forget him
Hannibal Lecter - Hopkins stole every single scene where he was present. And that character gave birth to movies and TV series
The Jocker (Heat Ledger) - there's a reason why this version was acclaimed as the best one
Amon Goth - ok, i'm cheating here since it was an historical SS commander, but FIennes just turned the character into excellence
Annie Wilkes - a Nurse can be a scary villain. i wanted to kill Louise (Cuckoo's nest), but the one in Misery is just terrifying.
Scar - i wanted some animated villain, and this one was truly great. Many children knew death thanks to him


TV SERIES:
Tywin Lannister - by far the most charismatic character in all GoT
Homelander - when the villain is not only immensely powerful, but he's a sociopath so it's completely unpredictable
Gus Fring - breaking Bad is a great show, and Gus is a fabulous mix of smartness, ruthlessness and impeccable elegance
JR - yep, Dallas. Never watched an episode and i still know him... that's something, right?


i'm leaving behind a ton of so great villains...

Good list. We've got a few crossovers!