|
Post by dark sister on Sept 30, 2016 10:11:24 GMT -5
Anyone else going to watch the premiere on HBO this Sunday? That network desperately needs another drama hit since Game of Thrones will be on it's way out within two years. I hope this is it for them.
|
|
|
Post by Ripley on Sept 30, 2016 10:25:45 GMT -5
I'm going to watch dark sister! I loved the original film, loved Blythe Danner and Peter Fonda a bit less in the sequel film, but I have been excited about the show since first announced. I will be catching FTWD season finale out of real time. Yule Brenner as the Gunslinger robot out of control was terrifying
|
|
|
Post by merelei on Sept 30, 2016 10:46:31 GMT -5
Why am I always reminded of that one episode of Voyager where it gets taken over by an alien race and they confine the crew to the holodeck and run a constant western simulation?
|
|
|
Post by Ripley on Oct 2, 2016 8:35:22 GMT -5
WESTWORLD 9 p.m. on HBO. Do you have room for another must-see drama in the era of Peak TV? This addition to the mix, based on the 1973 film, is an adventurous tale of a futuristic theme park in which people live out virtual fantasies. They are given happy-go-lucky options, but some attendees opt for violence. It sounds a lot like cable TV, James Poniewozik wrote in The New York Times: “Channels have supplied, and audiences have rewarded, gruesome serials like ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘The Walking Dead’ that share a worldview that life is horrific and people are terrible.” “Westworld,” he added, “is another animatronic body atop that bloody pile, but it’s also a self-aware one. It’s an ambitious, if not entirely coherent, sci-fi shoot-’em-up that questions nihilistic entertainment impulses while indulging them.” link
|
|
|
Post by Ripley on Oct 2, 2016 12:13:56 GMT -5
"In HBO’s “Westworld,” Dr. Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) runs a theme park where wealthy “guests” live out frontier fantasies among lifelike robot “hosts.” In the fourth episode, a colleague points out to him what viewers will have already noticed: Those fantasies almost uniformly involve murder, rape or torture... ...Things start going wrong, as they must, when some hosts go haywire after a software update. The head programmer, Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright), finds a cause: They’re beginning to remember fragments of their hellish past lives. The bug, however, is also a feature. Dr. Ford has programmed these “reveries” to make the robots more emotionally nuanced and convincing — more human. In this future, mankind has cured all disease and thus stopped evolution; only robots have a chance to improve. Theresa Cullen (Sidse Babett Knudsen), a quality-control executive for Westworld’s corporate owner, suggests that the company is interested in the A.I. technology for more than entertainment link
|
|
|
Post by MorganBGone on Oct 2, 2016 17:03:27 GMT -5
I'm likely going to watch though I was a little put off by the criticism regarding the show's use of rape. The production values look strong, and I am intrigued by the premise. Might as well give it a shot.
|
|
|
Post by Ripley on Oct 2, 2016 21:06:55 GMT -5
I look forward to getting your take in Westworld@1979. The clients' fantasies involve rape torture murder but that feels realistic sadly. I want to hear the bit about the 100 positive fantasies too.
|
|
|
Post by dark sister on Oct 2, 2016 21:41:16 GMT -5
That pilot was pretty fucked up. I'm definitely continuing to watch though. It was really fascinating, especially from the morale point of view. I share MorganBGone's concerns, and I'm glad rape was kept off screen, at least. Watching the real people react to what they do in that world was..curious to say the least.
|
|
|
Post by Ripley on Oct 3, 2016 12:04:08 GMT -5
www.vulture.com/2016/10/westworld-and-its-relationship-with-women.html?mid=facebook_vulture"Why Westworld’s Violence Doesn’t Feel Gratuitous Within the first 15 minutes of the pilot, Dolores, the dutiful android, or “host,” played by Evan Rachel Wood, is smacked around and dragged into a barn by the so-called Man in Black (Ed Harris), who clearly plans to rape her. That unfolds just a few minutes after one man (or is it a mandroid? The show deliberately makes it hard to tell) advises another that it’s totally okay to have sex with a fresh corpse because “she’s still warm enough. Nobody’s going to judge you for it.” (She’s probably also a robot, but still: Ew.) Going to Westworld is supposed to be a kick in the seat of the cowboy pants, a form of time travel without any consequences. But through 21st-century eyes, observing what happens there can feel jarring, a tad gratuitous, and often demeaning toward women. That’s entirely by design and in keeping with the very themes the show will explore in upcoming episodes. As Matt Zoller Seitz pointed out in his review and Laura Hudson noted in her recap of episode one, the creators of this series aren’t just being provocative for the sake of it. They’re provoking the audience to force us to consider why the guests of Westworld — and, by extension, those of us observing them through our televisions — respond to stories that skew toward aggressive, more traditionally “masculine” behavior. That’s one of the reasons why, as stereotypically male-oriented as this series may initially seem, it actually may have more of a female empowerment subtext than an initial glance suggests..." I have not yet watched the pilot, but am doing so with some concerns around the violence and rape. Curious if the article will be supported or debunked by my viewing. I appreciate your comments MorganBGone and dark sister because I am hesitant based on advance press.
|
|
|
Post by dark sister on Oct 3, 2016 13:53:32 GMT -5
Ripley I tend to agree with it. When it comes to sexual violence, they didn't show anything, just heavily implied it. It's used to make us question the guests more so than to just have rape for the sake of it. It also wasn't a huge point of the episode either.
|
|
|
Post by Ripley on Oct 3, 2016 14:12:00 GMT -5
Thanks dark sister, that makes me feel better about watching .
|
|
|
Post by MorganBGone on Oct 3, 2016 20:03:15 GMT -5
Frankly, my greatest criticism, having watched the ep, was that I started finding it a little boring in its repetitiveness. I would also, I think, have preferred to start at an earlier point, before the "glitch" from reprogramming, establishing an "as things were before" before delving into the evolution of the bots. I was also left wondering if I was supposed to find any of the humans compelling/sympathetic or whether greater empathy for the bots was the point. Overall, I didn't love the premiere, but it was good enough that I'm willing to give week 2 a whirl.
|
|
|
Post by Ripley on Oct 5, 2016 0:53:16 GMT -5
Hearing Paint It Black with an orchestra in the shootout in Main Street (just before Teddy is shot) in the pilot is cracking me up.
|
|
|
Post by Ripley on Oct 5, 2016 0:55:50 GMT -5
I hadn't realized there would be only the one setting.
|
|
|
Post by Sexual Chocolate on Oct 9, 2016 20:33:37 GMT -5
I watched the pilot today and I'm on the fence about this one. I'll give it a couple more episodes to help me decide if I want to continue or not.
|
|
|
Post by Ripley on Oct 10, 2016 5:22:41 GMT -5
The second episide raised more questions for me but athandiw Newton gave a terrific performance as Maeve, prisoner of past memories which shaped her current life. Only a tiny bit of Dolores bookending the episode 'Chestnut' but effective. Anthony Hopkins shooting down the elaborate stale tropes extravaganza attraction was fantastic.
|
|
|
Post by urdeadtome on Oct 10, 2016 13:19:20 GMT -5
Not sure about this one either? I also need to watch a couple more episodes before I can form a strong opinion on it. I have actually fallen asleep during both episodes so far. I don't know if it's the show not keeping my attention or if I've just been exhausted..maybe a little of both?!
|
|
|
Post by Ripley on Oct 10, 2016 13:22:47 GMT -5
I hate when that happens to me urdeadtome and it does, with shows I thought I really wanted to watch.
|
|
|
Post by MorganBGone on Oct 10, 2016 13:54:10 GMT -5
I feel asleep (late) last night, too, urdeadtome , but I watched it in full today and liked this ep better than the first. I felt this ep worked better because it gave more emphasis to the world outside "Westworld", making the ep feel less repetitive. With that, it was good to see the story expanded to other characters. I found TN's Maeve more compelling than last week's robots and preferred Ed Harris's character in smaller doses. I also felt more empathy for some of the actual humans this week, which was really lacking for me with the premiere. I'll watch next week again -- this time maybe even feeling a little pleasant anticipation, rather than uncertainty.
|
|
|
Post by dark sister on Oct 10, 2016 15:22:25 GMT -5
I too liked this episode better than the pilot (even though Evan wasn't in it as much)
I felt even worse for the hosts this week. Especially the way Elsie and the other techs were talking about them while giving Mauve her check up.
|
|
|
Post by poisonivy on Oct 12, 2016 13:42:24 GMT -5
violentdelights.freeforums.net/ Just started a new fanboard for the show because I love it so damn much already, everyone who watches the show is very welcome to join!
|
|
|
Post by dark sister on Oct 15, 2016 7:44:38 GMT -5
Looking forward to tomorrow night's episode.
|
|
|
Post by Sexual Chocolate on Oct 15, 2016 22:13:16 GMT -5
So I finally saw episode 2 and I did like it a lot better than the first. Okay, I think I'm on board now for the series.
|
|
|
Post by poisonivy on Oct 17, 2016 3:55:40 GMT -5
I never hated not being in US more than now that I have to wait longer than most people to watch this show >
|
|
|
Post by MorganBGone on Oct 17, 2016 6:43:02 GMT -5
So, how did those who saw the ep (sorry, poisonivy!) feel this week? I can't say I enjoyed it as much as last week's ep. Teddy, featured more heavily again, doesn't bring anywhere near the same pathos as Maeve, and I'm not sure whether it's the character/story, the acting, or a combination of the two. I was also again not "feeling" most of the humans, similar to week 1. The backstory was interesting, as are some of the interactions with Dolores. I'm still going to keep watching, but I'm hoping, at a minimum, there's not quite so much Teddy next week.
|
|
|
Post by Sexual Chocolate on Oct 17, 2016 11:39:40 GMT -5
So, how did those who saw the ep (sorry, poisonivy !) feel this week? I can't say I enjoyed it as much as last week's ep. Teddy, featured more heavily again, doesn't bring anywhere near the same pathos as Maeve, and I'm not sure whether it's the character/story, the acting, or a combination of the two. I was also again not "feeling" most of the humans, similar to week 1. The backstory was interesting, as are some of the interactions with Dolores. I'm still going to keep watching, but I'm hoping, at a minimum, there's not quite so much Teddy next week. Am I supposed to hate ALL the humans, because I kinda do. Last week's episode was definitely better than this one. The thing is the show is well acted, and has an interesting idea, but so far the only character I've connected with is Maeve.
|
|
|
Post by Ripley on Oct 17, 2016 12:45:17 GMT -5
I'm with both of you Sexual Chocolate and MorganBGone , I preferred Maeve's story and not just for Thandie Newton is is a superlative actor IMO. I am hoping to not get Delores torture-porn fatigue since she is the key and opens/closes the episodes plus has the most screentime of cast so far. I did find it very interesting in terms of what makes someone "human" and how in many cases the hosts are more human than the human guests who come to act out their most lurid and graphically violent fantasies or desires. That Delores was able to change some responses, yet the same basic storyline played out interests me- she was able to articulate with Teddy a desire to leave and impatience with his need to resolve things before they left. I liked seeing Anthony Hopkins youth'd down. I wonder if the partner was indicated falsely on the show and if it might be the Ed Harris character which might be why he is allowed more privileges than any other character. At this point we are supposed to be confused, questioning everything and wondering how much of what we are told by Ford and others is truth v fiction cleansed for history.
|
|
|
Post by dark sister on Oct 18, 2016 8:14:37 GMT -5
I prefer Dolores over Mauve (Evan Rachel Wood has been one of my favorite actresses since I saw her in Thirteen) and I found her responses in this episode fascinating.
Dr. Ford is really ending up quite shady.
And it was nice watching Ogg's character die again. lol
|
|
|
Post by poisonivy on Oct 19, 2016 3:47:27 GMT -5
I think I hate Ford now more than Logan. His behavior towards the hosts this episode was appalling, in ep. 1 and 2 I took him for a curious and kind man, but now it looks like he really wants to 'block' the hosts from evolving and treats them like props
|
|
|
Post by dark sister on Oct 19, 2016 10:21:31 GMT -5
I think I hate Ford now more than Logan. His behavior towards the hosts this episode was appalling, in ep. 1 and 2 I took him for a curious and kind man, but now it looks like he really wants to 'block' the hosts from evolving and treats them like props Same. he's right up there with MIB at this point.
|
|