Should be good
Red Dwarf XI
Soon on Dave apparently
Iâve mentioned it a few times, but have caught up a bit with Preacher and reached episode 6. It comes from a mighty fine Stable of Sotonians Favourites - being aimed at being AMCâs replacement for Breaking Bad.
Maybe this should be in Capeshit, but then is âDark Fantasyâ or âGore Fest Humourâ Capeshit?
Anyway I am now being rewarded for having stuck with it. I mentioned the first episodes were completely fucked up but it always seemed to have a depth, a veneer that just hid humour and a something else - maybe a darkness maybe a light.
Ep 6 opens with the Preacher having things explained to him (donât worry that is not a spoiler because it fucks things up even more).
What follows is the opening sequence that borders on grossness, or is it comic genius? And I think that is the attraction of the show.
It is WAY more than a Supernatural âStoryâ I mean theyâve managed to go beyond the usual Higher Beings, and yet Seth Rogen manages to put his wacky humour just there beneath the surface. When you think you are seeing that humour it is revealed as a darkness of epic proportions, and when you are watching something you think is gross and dark you find you are laughing out loud.
A very clever show. Not perfect by any means as it will not retain many viewers due to the incomrpehensible lack of a plot in the early days, but I have a feeling that I am watching what will become a cult classic.
And yes, there IS way more depth to it than chicks getting off on Lucifer - that was fluffy bunny hug comfort TV. Preacher is a different Dimension let alone a different level.
It is a very very wrong story. Perhaps an out and out Horror story, even a Slasher Flick, yet at no point do you believe you are watching that type of Genre.
Think it is a new genre of its own. âA Wrong Showâ
User Reviews
A unique blend of pulp elements and dark fantasy for genre fans - peppered with a healthy dose of black humor.
23 May 2016 | by gogoschka-1(wherever good films play) â See all my reviews
Let me start this review by stating that Iâve never read the comic books, so I canât testify as to whether or not this crazy, grotesque, violent and hilarious new AMC fantasy series is a faithful adaptation of the source material. But what I can tell you as an avid fantasy and horror fan is that the pilot left me with an immediate urge to watch the next episode.
Just so you know, this review wonât contain anything story related, so if you want to learn what the show is about, read the IMDb synopsis or go to Wikipedia. I believe most films and TV-shows are enjoyed best without knowing anything other than maybe the genre, cast or filmmaker (plus, personally, I like to know about as many aspects as I can about the actual quality of the filmmaking itself). Oh, but maybe this: donât get frustrated if you donât immediately understand just what the heck is going on. The pilot introduces several key characters and important story elements by jumping around quite a bit and throwing you directly into the action, but weâre clearly not meant to know and understand everything right from the start. So relax, be patient and have a little faith in showrunner Sam Catlin; the dude co-produced (or co-executive produced) 55 episodes of âBreaking Badâ, 10 of which he wrote, so he should know a little something about storytelling.
What becomes immediately evident in âPreacherâ is that the casting of the title role was a stroke of genius: Dominic Cooper (âThe Devilâs Doubleâ, âCaptain America: The First Avengerâ) makes for a fantastic lead. His charismatic but nuanced performance as conflicted preacher Jesse Custer was enough to convince me after only one episode that he will be able to carry this series. Itâs always a balancing act to portray this kind of character with just enough vulnerability to make him appear relatable and human but still have him come across as larger than life, and judging by what Iâve seen so far, Cooper manages to pull it off perfectly.
Iâd say the cast in general is very solid, but the two actors that need to be mentioned most apart from Cooperâs preacher are Ruth Negga in the role of Tulip and Joseph Gilgun who plays Cassidy. Both are wicked fun to watch (and obviously theyâre relishing their parts) and both have completely bonkers introduction scenes for their respective characters that will give audiences a taste of just what kind of crazy, ultra-violent mayhem weâre in for with this new show.
Now just to get this straight: there are darkly comic moments abound in âPreacherâ but it is not a black comedy - nor is it as over the top as, say, âAsh vs the Evil Deadâ (despite being pretty over the top at times). Fans of the showâs creators, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, would be well-advised not to expect a similar tone in âPreacherâ as in some of the duoâs previous works like âThis Is the Endâ or âThe Interviewâ. What we have here is probably best described as âdark fantasyâ and while it IS peppered with a large dose of dark comedy, Iâm pretty sure there will also be some rather unfunny shĂźt down the road for this preacher to deal with.
As for the production values, the visuals (and the visual effects) in general look very nice and the sets convincing; the southern locations have a âlived-inâ and appropriately run-down look and the whole small-town, Texan atmosphere is tangible. The cinematography was expertly done (the pilotâs DoP was none other than The Matrixâ Bill Pope) and the soundtrack is even downright fantastic (if you can appreciate southern songs from the likes of Johnny Cash, that is). The one thing that didnât always work for me was the pacing/editing and the way certain scenes were established, but a slightly uneven rhythm is not uncommon for pilot episodes, so Iâm not worried yet.
My overall verdict: âPreacherâ is a show that doesnât try for a second to cater to a mainstream audience; it offers a unique blend of pulp elements and dark fantasy for genre fans who most likely wonât have the slightest problem digesting the hefty mix of drama, horror, gory violence and humor. Needless to say, Iâm totally on board (and I canât wait for the next sermon). My provisional rating: 8 stars out of 10.
Utterly Hooked and Mrs D_P hates it
Look I HATE Slasher Flicks. This scene is up there with the most grotesque realistic gore fest slasher movie scenes of all time.
And yet I am PMSL at the sheer impossible studipity of the whole thing.
Or ignore me and just go read the Comics
Just finished the last episode - highly highly recommend watching this show. Itâs a very well told story, no fat on it as itâs only 8 episodes long which is quite unusual for US TV. Great performances all-round and I hope to see more series emulate this kind of storytelling.
Iâm also watching the first part of S3 of The Strain , which is one of my guilty pleasures. Itâs a bit cheesy and thereâs some very suspect effects and acting from time to time, but anyone that enjoys vampire/zombie films or shows will probably enjoy this too. S2 was very hit-and-miss but S3 has started strongly so far with a fantastic opening epsiode which hopefully sets the tone going forward!
Iâll report back in a while once iâve watched S2 of Narcos as well, which popped up on Netflix on FridayâŠ
PS: I have no social life
Iâve finished Narcos season 2.
Very good. Somewhat limited by the scope of what Pablo Escobar got up to, but rather that than misrepresent the past and very much showing us how future seasons of the show are going to pan out.
I thought they covered quite a large timeframe in the first season so was wondering how they could then eek out another season let alone more. Obviously they will!
Spoiler. The drugs trade didnât end when Escobar was out of the picture
Wha??? the war on drugs didnât work? Goddamn!
FinallyâŠmust be the last person watching âThe Killingâ box set on SkyâŠ
I almost didnât stick with Vice Principals cos I thought the pilot was a bit dry, but itâs turned into something great. Last couple of episodes have been fkn brilliant. Just when you think you know where itâs going, it fkn twists and goes somewhere better!
Who reckons that was Russell in the fkn mask?
Hi Mikey, I binge watched âThe Night Ofâ last weekend and the first and second episodes were amazing. It loses a bit of momentum after that
The Strain is flat out awful
After watching both series of Narcos in the last few weeks, I was hoping to have learnt a bit of spanish through sheer exposure, which I did, just not as much as I was expecting. All I retained was âPabloâ and âputaâ. I hope it comes in useful.
Tomorrow night, looking forward to it
Nope, my missus and I just finished season one. Season two coming up and then The Night Of.
People Just Do Nothing. Iâve come late to this. Brilliant.
Westworld ⊠HBO, in 2 weeks should be good JJ abrams produced and a huge budget for tv.
Alan Partridge.
Finished Narcos. Interested to see where it goes next as it could run for years!
Now on Stranger Things which we are really enjoying.