My Spoiler Free Review of the pilot

[kidgloves]

Lets get this out of the way straight away THIS WILL BLOW PEOPLES SOCKS OFF.
Im not kidding.
I know people here are attracted to this genre for various different reasons but i'd like to think we all share some connection when zombies are involved. For me its the post acopalyptic scenario. I don't particularly need the gore element but it has its place when used well. In Darabonts take on the apocalypse, you are there. The world is dead and rotting. The military have lost the battle. You wake up with Rick in this new world and get to explore it with him. Its the exposition of the pilot that will probably put the gorehounds off and lead to some small criticism from others. Personally, i want to see that. I want to know how society responded to the phenomenon.
Those who have read the comic books here know that Kirkmans trick is to get you attatched to the characters, like you know them intimately, then kill them off. Here Darabont uses the same trick but not how you would expect nor with who you would expect. Im personally invested in this series already. God knows what it will do to the average tv viewer. Im also not a particularly emotional person but i don't mind admitting that i was close to tears on a couple of occasions. There you go. I've said it. Just don't tell anyone;)
I cant say enough about Frank darabont after watching this. He understands what this genre is all about and, more importantly, he understands Romero's zombie world. The zombies are Roamers and lurkers. They act how they should and you do feel sorry for them. This is explored really well. They are a small threat but in groups all riled up and hungry. Well, you know the rest.
The score is also outstanding. Very understated but poignant.
The cinematography is worthy of a movie and the camera moves a lot. I cant recall any shaky cam which some people here seem to despise.
Kirkman, Darabont and AMC have come up with the series we have been waiting years for.
Thank fuck for that.
Long may it continue, and you know what? I think it will. The balance is perfect between a horror film, tv show and intelligent drama.

Oh and btw. Keep getting people onboard with this. Co workers. Non zombie lover friends. Anyone. They wont think you're wierd. They'll thank you. The Lost crowd are going to lap this up.

[MoonSylver]

Sounds good Kid. I know you've been pretty hyped about this, so if it meet & exceded expectations as high as yours seem to have been then it must be good indeed. Great news. :)

[kidgloves]

Sounds good Kid. I know you've been pretty hyped about this, so if it meet & exceded expectations as high as yours seem to have been then it must be good indeed. Great news. :)

It certainly has my friend. I can't say enough good things about this. I guess its just pushed the right buttons. Even though I've watched all the videos and read the reviews nothing has been spoiled. The scenes do not play out as they have cut them in the videos. Very clever.

Good times.

[bassman]

I'm forcing myself to wait only 10 more days. But damn man....it's so tempting.

[ProfessorChaos]

jesus.....can't......hold......out...

hanging out and making connections with my new lady friend the hot redheaded girl next door, this afternoon, i didn't think this day could get much better.....but oh, man....

FUCK IT, I'M GOING FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MoonSylver]

I'm forcing myself to wait only 10 more days. But damn man....it's so tempting.


jesus.....can't......hold......out...

hanging out and making connections with my new lady friend the hot redheaded girl next door, this afternoon, i didn't think this day could get much better.....but oh, man....

FUCK IT, I'M GOING FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hitler will kill a kitten if you do. Think of the children!

http://www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/ActorsG/7140-15888.gif

"C'mon Frank, be brave! Fraaank, be a man, goddamnit!"

(j/k) Have fun. Just don't crow too much or I shall taunt you a second time for being weak willed sissies. :lol:

[ProfessorChaos]

done deal. never been a cat fan anyway.

and lemme just say this, 5 minutes in, and i'm a believer. the opening scene alone puts any shit romero's made in the last decade to shame.

[MoonSylver]

done deal. never been a cat fan anyway.

and lemme just say this, 5 minutes in, and i'm a believer. the opening scene alone puts any shit romero's made in the last decade to shame.

Baby Seal?

Puppy?

Insert random cute thing here?

NOOOOO TOO LATE!!!!!!

http://struckbyenlightning.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/crying-indian1.jpg

You just made this indian cry... :lol:

[Danny]

My only criticism is the pilot was very long in terms of pacing, when thats really only a few pages from issue one with lots of filler. Side from that i was honestly expecting land of the dead: the series. There was no 'zombie sneaks up behind them silently' in fact theres a parody of it. the zombies aint runners OR shamblers, there darabonts own sort of...its hard to say. they remember things and will use there fists, but not in a big daddy way or bub way. The way there do it is much more unnerving. Like romero added too much emphasis, like you HAD to be impressed by this revaluation. In this is just another part of the growing unease from the walkers which seems to be a much more fitting term than zombie. they are walking dead. they don't shamble and moan or run full pelt or scream for brains theres a few subtle nuances that make them just feel a little different to the 'lets copy romero' blueprint in a way its really hard to put your finger on.

Basically it was good. There were many times i expected the cliche bits to show up, oh he walks through a dark room guess whats in there! -nothing. i even know theres no big attack from reading the comic, hell, from the trailers for the show, but still it doesnt follow cliche conventions people who make shitty romero knock offs for the low budget do and at times it wasnt scary but it was pretty damn creepy and i havent been unnerved by a zombie movie in years.

[ProfessorChaos]

earlier i said that the opening scene was better than anything romero has done since day of the dead. after watching the pilot, i think i'm gonna change my tune: the walking dead just might end up being better than anything romero has ever done.

the pilot was brilliant. great set-up, character development, and reveal of just how fucked things would be if there ever was an outbreak of the living dead. i could go on and on, but since i don't want to give anything away and a picture is worth a thousand words, i'll just sum it up like this:

http://pujolshomeruntickets.com/Pujols_home_run_ticket_pic_for_counter_2.jpg

http://www.e-zrentacar.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/capitol-fireworks02.jpg

http://www.adamriff.com/images/randy_marsh.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pjGD0MWPkNY/S5BbEE7GUeI/AAAAAAAAEJQ/gMmSwDo8wfI/s320/MorePlease.jpg

oh, and kidgloves: i think i know what part had you on the verge of tears....glad i'm not the only one.

[MoonSylver]

http://www.adamriff.com/images/randy_marsh.jpg

:lol::lol::lol:

So...it was good for you then? :D

[ProfessorChaos]

^

that's what she said!

[MoonSylver]

^

that's what she said!

:lol: a wise man told me those never get old. :D

[Legion2213]

Like a few others, I have DL'd it but have so far held off watching it...it's like some bizarre form of self torture...don't know how long I'm gonna last before breaking. :D

[bassman]

Although I said I wouldn't....I couldn't help but give in under pressure. HO-LY-FUCK. This show is going to be epic. Incredible pilot.

And whoever was given screener copy 407 is in a lot of trouble when AMC finds out. :lol:

[JDFP]

Someone PM me a link where I can see this...

I beg of you fine people!!!

http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/55730263.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921F7C3FC3F69D929FD58C8AB8A701B1E93 59EFC561CDEC32AFACBC0EAC47AF3576F06BF04B24B4128C

j.p.

[ProfessorChaos]

i knew you'd crack bass. glad you enjoyed it as much as the rest of us.

and yeah, i kept thinking, poor 407, he's gonna hear about this one...but what a saint.

[Danny]

Someone PM me a link where I can see this...

I beg of you fine people!!!



j.p.

people dont google anymore. Why?

and by that i mean they dont search for the obvious like "watch the walking dead online", if it aint a websites name googles useless it seems. :lol:

[MoonSylver]

And whoever was given screener copy 407 is in a lot of trouble when AMC finds out. :lol:

Maybe he was attacked by zombies & the took his screener... :lol:

[Mike70]

i just finished watching the pilot and (hold on a second while i spin my wheel-of-opinions)...there, it is pure awesomeness.

easily one of the best zombie things i've seen in ages.

that is all. move along.

---------- Post added at 10:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:39 PM ----------



And whoever was given screener copy 407 is in a lot of trouble when AMC finds out. :lol:

to quote serenity: you can't stop the signal.

[thxleo]

It's amazing that someone would put it out. How much you want to bet that they claim it was stolen from them? The last thing I thought of when I received mine was to do something like that.

Well, at least everyone seems to love it so far. It just makes you want to move right on to the next episode. Frank Darabont is the man!

[Danny]

It's amazing that someone would put it out. How much you want to bet that they claim it was stolen from them? The last thing I thought of when I received mine was to do something like that.

Well, at least everyone seems to love it so far. It just makes you want to move right on to the next episode. Frank Darabont is the man!

I'll bet good money its an inhouse intentional "leak", more people will see this that dont have access to the channel and some will be sold to poney up the dough for it when it starts. it certainly would not be the first time its been done.

[ProfessorChaos]

now i just wish the dude would post the 2nd episode that came with the press kit...

[Mike70]

this about sums it up:

MwHWbsvgQUE

[JDFP]

**** MINOR SPOILER BELOW ****

**** MINOR SPOILER BELOW ****

**** MINOR SPOILER BELOW ****






Hey, guess what? **** MINOR SPOILER BELOW!!!! ****













Was it just me or was that not a great Uncle Reggie reference at the farm house? I was cracking up when I saw that! It looked like the same outfit (overalls) and everything from NOTLD '90!


j.p.

[Danny]

earlier i said that the opening scene was better than anything romero has done since day of the dead. after watching the pilot, i think i'm gonna change my tune: the walking dead just might end up being better than anything romero has ever done.

the pilot was brilliant. great set-up, character development, and reveal of just how fucked things would be if there ever was an outbreak of the living dead. i could go on and on, but since i don't want to give anything away and a picture is worth a thousand words, i'll just sum it up like this:

http://pujolshomeruntickets.com/Pujols_home_run_ticket_pic_for_counter_2.jpg

http://www.e-zrentacar.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/capitol-fireworks02.jpg

http://www.adamriff.com/images/randy_marsh.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pjGD0MWPkNY/S5BbEE7GUeI/AAAAAAAAEJQ/gMmSwDo8wfI/s320/MorePlease.jpg

oh, and kidgloves: i think i know what part had you on the verge of tears....glad i'm not the only one.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/khazrak/1287640951769.jpg

[ProfessorChaos]

i realize those pics were a bit extreme, but it's a pretty accurate representation of my thoughts on the glorious subject at hand.

and holy triple-chinned ginger.:eek:

[Ghost Of War]

I just can't help myself...I'm going to have to get it.

[DjfunkmasterG]

You know if you guys all download it and don't tune in on the night it airs, and the show gets crap ratings.... You can kiss it goodbye once they finish the episodes already budgeted. I have looked at the download file and I am sorry but a 300mb x264 is crap quality and I can hold out for 10 days to see it in glorious HD.

If you guys wanna see this series continue I highly suggest you make sure to tune in and watch it on halloween night.... remember, no ratings equals no advertising dollars equals AMC pulling the plug which finally equals... no more Zombie TV show.

I am glad you guys are excited and dig it, it makes me drool more and more, but as I said I wanna see the show succeed and if it is as good as Prof, and some others are claiming... I will be stoked and tuned in week after week.

Again, download if you want, just make sure to tune in premiere night so the show gets ratings and AMC dumps money into more and more episodes.

[bassman]

I'm definitely tuning in. Also got it set on my DVR. This was just wetting my beak, so to speak. I'm still totally excited to watch it on Halloween and will support the show the best I can. Watch each episode, buy the blu ray, etc etc. This little adventure has in no way stopped me from participating in the broadcasts. In fact, it may have made me more excited!

[DjfunkmasterG]

I'm definitely tuning in. Also got it set on my DVR. This was just wetting my beak, so to speak. I'm still totally excited to watch it on Halloween and will support the show the best I can. Watch each episode, buy the blu ray, etc etc. This little adventure has in no way stopped me from participating in the broadcasts. In fact, it may have made me more excited!

Thats good to know... lets hope everyone else in the US and UK follows suit.

[bassman]

They damn well should. Judging by the pilot episode alone, this looks like it's going to be "movie" we've been waiting for since Day. :hyper:

[Ghost Of War]

Oh I'll be tuning in alright. I'll be Sky +ing it and watching it as much as possible.

[bassman]

Spoiler tags to discuss a few things with those that have seen it...

Someone mentioned before that they didn't find it very scary...WTF? This is the first time i've actually been scared of Zombies since Day. When Rick and his horse gets taken down and he's being surrounded, I almost tore a hole in my couch armrest because I was squeezing it so hard. Even knowing that he can't die yet. And the "I'm sorry Lori and Carl" line only to look up and see a hole in the bottom of the tank? Hilarious.

As for the "tearing up" parts mentioned before....i'm not gonna lie, I straight up shed a few. About three times throughout the pilot, actually. The first is when rick comes home and his family is gone. I just couldn't help but put myself in that situation and it's scary as fook.

The second was of course when the mother comes up to the door at the house and the son starts crying. Moving stuff. And the way that mother zombie looked and moved was freaky. Unlike any zombies i've seen before.

Then the third was when the husband was trying to put down his wife. Totally cried for that one. And we still don't even know if he did! The whole time I was thinking "DUDE! You're attracting them all to your house!!" Hopefully we'll see these two again as they were a high mark for the pilot.

And the music at the end? Anyone know what that song was? I definitely wasn't expecting a song like that, but it definitely worked with the material. Great ending with the sort of CB "hope".

[AcesandEights]

Lets get this out of the way straight away THIS WILL BLOW PEOPLES SOCKS OFF.

Stopped reading there, just in case (I know you said spoiler free, but I have a quarantine 1st, ask questions after the pilot attitude at this point ;) ).

I'm psyched you still seemed psyched, sir! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I look forward to reading all the way through them the Monday after next :)

[ProfessorChaos]

@ the man of bass:

gotta agree with you about the bits that pulled at the heart strings....the first, when rick comes home, not so much, since i don't have a wife/kids, but i can imagine that for a guy such as yourself with a new family, it'd be an intense scene.

secondly, yeah, when duane broke down and started crying when he saw his mom, that was rough to watch. and goddamn, when morgan was upstairs trying to lure his wife into the street, i shed a couple of tears...

another part you didn't mention that put a lump in my throat was when they head to rick's house and morgan has to sit down when talking about his wife packing photo albums...

and then when rick went to the park and put down the most epic-looking zombie ever on film, bicycle girl, i was actually feeling really sorry for the poor thing...only bub has ever made me feel pity for a zombie prior to this, but that poor fucked up woman dragging herself was a sad sight. this scene was playing out the same time morgan was trying to convince himself to put his wife down, so i was already all choked up, but damn...those two scenes running together had me really messed up. probably the most powerful moments i've ever seen in any zombie film.

and the acting was so superb...from rick, shane, lori, morgan, duane, and especially the lady playing morgan's reanimated wife, i was blown away by how convincing all these characters were.

and there is more of morgan and duane down the road in the comics. if you've not read it, i'm not gonna ruin it for you....almost wanna add another spoiler here, but we'll just leave that for another time.

*that part above about a spoiler within a spoiler reminds me of last night's south park: "it's like a eating a taco within a taco that you order inside of a taco bell inside of a kfc inside a mall in your dream!" :lol::lol::lol:(making fun of inception)

[SuprJoinT]

I got this HOURS ago, and have held off long enough. I'm going to transfer it to my PS3 and watch...still won't stop me from watching the TV show, IF it's any good..

I am a HUGE fan of the comic, and have downloaded EVERY issue so far (#75 was kinda strange at the end), as well as bought the hardcover's...so I will support this!

[bassman]

I haven't went too far into the comics, prof. The most i've seen were the first couple of issues that a buddy had. Good to know that will happen, though. Their scenes really made the episode for me.

But fuck South Park. That show should've been taken off the air years ago. They only make fun of popular things in an attempt to get media coverage. They call themselves satirists, I call them a one trick pony that should accept they're has-beens.

[ProfessorChaos]

yeah, SP has been on a downhill slide in recent years, and last night's episode was rather lamesauce after blowing my entertainment load over TWD pilot, but even without having seen inception, i still got a few chuckles out of it.

i take it you're offended due to your love of nolan and inception? did you actually watch SP last night? again, nothing great, but still had it's moments. i will agree though that it's getting pretty stale. i actually have every season to this point on dvd, though, and still watch it weekly...but i can admit that it's not getting much better and probably peaked a few years back. they still have some good moments here and there, though.

[Mike70]

i must take a moment to chuckle at how the "spoiler free review thread" has turned in a mass of spoiler tags.:lol:

[bassman]

i take it you're offended due to your love of nolan and inception? did you actually watch SP last night? again, nothing great, but still had it's moments. i will agree though that it's getting pretty stale. i actually have every season to this point on dvd, though, and still watch it weekly...but i can admit that it's not getting much better and probably peaked a few years back. they still have some good moments here and there, though.

I do like Nolan and Inception, but that's got nothing to do with it. I'm all for a good laugh at things I like, but I caught onto these guys' trick long ago. It's the same shit every episode. Can't stand it. It's worse than Family Guy's "like that one time..", fighting chicken, etc.

[ProfessorChaos]

it's only 3 so far, mike. and jp's wasn't really a spoiler at all.

i've actually been wanting to reply to bassman's spoiler since i was rushing to brush my teeth and get out the door to class this morning, had to wait 3 freakin hours to do it.

there's just so much to say about TWD though. and holy fuck, the characters have such a rough time ahead of them if they are sticking to the basic outline of the comics. my anticipation levels are through the fucking roof for this show. i honestly wish that the 2nd episode would get leaked, too.

AMC is such a stellar network for original programming. mad men, breaking bad, and now TWD (not following rubicon yet) all have that same vibe...their shows are better than probably 95% of big-screen films out recently.

and bass, i'm not sure of the song used in the closing scene, but it was perfect. that's another mad men/breaking bad trick. they always get obscure songs that fit perfectly with what's going on on-screen. and all leave you with that GIMME MORE! feeling as the credits roll.

[bassman]

Couldn't agree more, prof. This show is better than more than 90 percent of movies out in recent years. Definitely better than any zombie movies. And it actually feels like a movie. As you can tell from the trailers and clips. The entire show plays out like a movie.

I'll put money on it now that TWD kills during the awards season. Even KNB will probably get an award. And to think.....people were afraid they would have to hold back on the gore. hehe...

Speaking of KNB....anyone else notice that Nicotero has a credit that doesn't involve special effects? Something about a consultant...

[Mike70]

it's only 3 so far, mike. and jp's wasn't really a spoiler at all.



huh. it is only 3. funny the damage looked worse from out here.

[MoonSylver]

i must take a moment to chuckle at how the "spoiler free review thread" has turned in a mass of spoiler tags.:lol:

Isn't it ironic...no wait...


Speaking of KNB....anyone else notice that Nicotero has a credit that doesn't involve special effects? Something about a consultant...

If I had to guess, maybe as "zombie coach, To direct the extras on how to move & act?


huh. it is only 3. funny the damage looked worse from out here.

Ah, now isn't THAT ironic? No, wait... :lol:

[ProfessorChaos]

bass, do you follow breaking bad or mad men? i get the impression based upon your preferences for detail-oriented, intellectual, and gripping dramas with great character development, you'd love both of them.

actually, i can't recommend those shows enough to anybody. if i was stuck with only one channel the rest of my days, it'd be AMC. hands-down.

[bassman]

Seen a few episodes of each, but never really been able to get sucked into them because I didn't start from the beginning. I may have to pick up the dvds and start that way...

[ProfessorChaos]

trust me, dude, you won't regret it. i was skeptical of both, having heard so much hype. but after catching a marathon of BB prior to the start of season 3, i was hooked within the first 2 episodes. same thing with MM. i own all seasons of both shows, and am anxiously awaiting each show's new seasons rolling out...which unfortunately won't be till next summer for either one.

and the critics agree: mad men has won best drama 3 years running, jon hamm has had academy award nominations for his role, but breaking bad's bryan cranston has beat him for 3 consecutive years for best actor, aaron paul from BB beat out MM's john slattery this year for best supporting actor, and BB has been nominated a couple of times for best drama. i think mad men got like 17 nominations last year alone.

and these awards are nothing like the bullshit popularity contest grammy's we were discussing in the "kanye is a dumbass" thread, these are well-deserved accolades. give them both a shot, i guarantee you'll thank me.

[kidgloves]

bass, do you follow breaking bad or mad men? i get the impression based upon your preferences for detail-oriented, intellectual, and gripping dramas with great character development, you'd love both of them.

actually, i can't recommend those shows enough to anybody. if i was stuck with only one channel the rest of my days, it'd be AMC. hands-down.

I think at one point is was just you and me keeping the Breaking Bad thread going mate. Superb show. Part of the reason I was pumped for TWD was that they are using BB crew inc directors.

[ProfessorChaos]

*fist-bump*

i knew you'd back me up, kg. it really is worth of all the praise it gets, same can be said for mad men. you follow that show as well?

and yeah, when i heard AMC was handling TWD, it had a huge nerdgasm. and they did not disappoint!

as for BB, man those last 2 episodes this past season were both fucking crazy....both walt and jesse crossing the line to defend each other like that....my god, those two characters and their relationship is probably the best dynamic i've ever seen on television.

[kidgloves]

Stopped reading there, just in case (I know you said spoiler free, but I have a quarantine 1st, ask questions after the pilot attitude at this point ;) ).

I'm psyched you still seemed psyched, sir! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I look forward to reading all the way through them the Monday after next :)

It's safe to read. Just impressions and loving praise. Go ahead and read it.

[MoonSylver]

actually, i can't recommend those shows enough to anybody. if i was stuck with only one channel the rest of my days, it'd be AMC. hands-down.

I love AMC's line up, but I wish they didn't show SO MANY DAMN COMMERCIALS. I've watched movies where the show 10 min of movie, 10 min of commercials, rinse & repeat. Tried to watch the New Yers Day "Stooge-a-thon" & turned out in frustration. They were taking 10-15 min SHORTS & stretching them to 1/2 hr+ By doing commercial, 5-10 min of short, commercial, 5 more min of short...

They're giving us TWD & I know you gotta pay the bills, but DAMN, it seems like a bit much...

[ProfessorChaos]

you watch BB or MM? cuz that's where the true gold lies at. yeah, they show good movies, but even without their film selection, i'd still chose them over any network out there. need to get into rubicon, it's gotta be worth checking out if it's as half as good as the rest of their original shows.

and really, TWD is going to blow the fucking doors off the zombie genre as we know it. as i said in another TWD thread, romero may have provided the spark for the living dead mythos, but AMC, darabont, and kirkman are about to burn this motherfucker to the ground.

another way i put it that equally fits is that romero put the ball in motion, and darabont and crew have taken off with the ball like forrest gump in his first college football game, not even bothering to stop at the goalline and taking it further than we thought imaginable.

[kidgloves]

You know if you guys all download it and don't tune in on the night it airs, and the show gets crap ratings.... You can kiss it goodbye once they finish the episodes already budgeted. I have looked at the download file and I am sorry but a 300mb x264 is crap quality and I can hold out for 10 days to see it in glorious HD.

If you guys wanna see this series continue I highly suggest you make sure to tune in and watch it on halloween night.... remember, no ratings equals no advertising dollars equals AMC pulling the plug which finally equals... no more Zombie TV show.

I am glad you guys are excited and dig it, it makes me drool more and more, but as I said I wanna see the show succeed and if it is as good as Prof, and some others are claiming... I will be stoked and tuned in week after week.

Again, download if you want, just make sure to tune in premiere night so the show gets ratings and AMC dumps money into more and more episodes.

Sorry dad:p;)

Gary you do realise that there are 5 other episodes in the series don't you. This leak will do the show more good than harm. The terrible quality means that some people, like yourself, won't watch it anyway whereas the people who have watched it will be busy telling other people how awesome it is and they will tune in on premiere night. This always happens with tv shows so don't fret too much.

---------- Post added at 07:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:59 PM ----------


*fist-bump*

i knew you'd back me up, kg. it really is worth of all the praise it gets, same can be said for mad men. you follow that show as well?

and yeah, when i heard AMC was handling TWD, it had a huge nerdgasm. and they did not disappoint!

as for BB, man those last 2 episodes this past season were both fucking crazy....both walt and jesse crossing the line to defend each other like that....my god, those two characters and their relationship is probably the best dynamic i've ever seen on television.

The episode where it starts with the Mexicans all crawling along the floor had me going WWWWWTTTTTTTTFFFFFFF. Some real surreal shit there. Jesse's trip on meth as ace as well. Can't wait for series 4.

[Ghost Of War]

Breaking Bad is probably the best show I've seen in the past few years, along with Sons Of Anarchy.

[ProfessorChaos]

well, wait till you see the walking dead, my friend.

[JDFP]

Breaking Bad is probably the best show I've seen in the past few years, along with Sons Of Anarchy.

I concur with this. BB is amazing, but "Sons of Anarchy" is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest shows ever made in the history of television. It is Shakespeare's "Hamlet" brought into the 21st century.

I'll have to admit, while I find some of the characters in "Mad Men" to be fascinating (Don Draper, of course, and my favorite Mr. Sterling) I have to admit I wasn't able to get beyond the first season. The show is interesting -- but it's just too damned SLOOOOOWWWWWW paced. It takes forever for any freaking thing to happen. It's like a soap in many ways except there's more language and everyone smokes cigarettes. Plus, I can't think of her name, but the girl who is Don's secretary in the first season who has the baby at the end of the first season -- my God I want to strangle her as she's one of the most annoying characters I've ever known in a television series .

j.p.

[ProfessorChaos]

that would be peggy olsen. she matures quite a bit as the series goes on...and you may wanna put some spoiler tags on that, it's kind of a big part of her character and a total surprise when it's revealed what's going on with her.

edit: and yes it is a slow pace at times. it is kinda like a soap opera, but i find the characters and their lives intriguing, so i can deal with that as it's part of the development of them and their situations. but you must recall, the show is about an advertising firm on madison avenue during the 60's, not a couple of meth manufacturers and violent drug cartels, or a gang of grungy bikers raising hell, so it's got a different vibe to it.

i find it a fascinating look at life and society back then, with great settings, actors, and cinematography. it reminds me at times of a painting by norman rockwell or some other artist who captured great stills of life...except it's not all perfect, it's pretty fucked up in reality. for example, the train ride don takes to new york on his way to work each day when he's having a conversation with his daughter's teacher (this is from season 3). if you pause the screen, the autumn leaves, their style of clothes, and the train setting combined make it a very visually stimulating shot, something you'd almost see in a postcard or painting...but to know what's going on between the two of them, it's really not as perfect as it seems...make sense?

[JDFP]

that would be peggy olsen. she matures quite a bit as the series goes on...and you may wanna put some spoiler tags on that, it's kind of a big part of her character and a total surprise when it's revealed what's going on with her.

You're right. My bad. It's corrected now.

j.p.

[ProfessorChaos]

thanks. i'm trying to get people to tune in who are unaware, so something like that is a real kicker if you don't know it's coming. i also added a bit to the previous post, so check that out for further thoughts on what makes it such a captivating series.

[Legion2213]

I've thrown it onto a flash drive and will watch it on my TV tonight.

As for watching it now and not bothering with the real deal in a few weeks...no way, I am going to be watching the official version in glorious HD on FXUK. :cool:

[kidgloves]

Hang on a sec. The version we all watched was 67mins long. Isn't it supposed to be 90mins that the reviewers are watching? Extended? Or is that 90mins of broadcast time inc ads.
Hmmmm.
The plot thickens

[Legion2213]

Well, an average 60 minute broadcast usually has around 15 minutes of adds, so 23 minutes of adds on a 90 minute broadcast (leaving 67 minutes of actual programe) sounds about right to me.

[MoonSylver]

Hang on a sec. The version we all watched was 67mins long. Isn't it supposed to be 90mins that the reviewers are watching? Extended? Or is that 90mins of broadcast time inc ads.
Hmmmm.
The plot thickens

67 min of content + 23 min of commercials? Sounds about like the right ratio.

*EDIT* Ghah, Legion beat me to it!

[kidgloves]

Not across the pond

http://walkingdead.fxuk.com/post/1358279589/the-walking-dead-premiere-advert-free-on-fx


We are very happy to be able to confirm the FX UK premiere of The The Walking Dead. This will take place on Friday 5th November at 10pm.

We are launching with Frank Darabont’s directors’ cut which comes in at almost 70 minutes, rather than a ‘normal’ length episode in a hour slot ( which runs for around 44 minutes).

To add to your enjoyment FX UK have decided to run this special premiere episode free of adverts. There will be no breaks, just seventy minutes of pure, uninterrupted The Walking Dead in glorious HD.

Episodes 2-6 will go out from 10-11pm every Friday.

[MoonSylver]

Not across the pond

That's because you guys are a bunch of bastards & you suck. :lol::nana::moon::fin:

[Legion2213]

Sold! - Simple as that really. :D

Need to gather my thoughts on what I have watched before I try and make any real specific comments on it, but I know that I LOVED it :cool:

[bassman]

So it appears the "directors cut" is the same as the screener that's currently making the rounds, which comes in at about 67 minutes. In UK it will air without commercials, in the US it will air WITH commercials, bringing it in at the 90 minute running time we've heard before. So the only real difference is that you guys won't have commercials? They'll slap "unrated" and "directors cut" on anything these days...

It sucks thinking that each episode after Darabonts will only be about 45 minutes long....

[SuprJoinT]

After watching this 67 minutes, I'll say if I had NOT read the comic, I would have thought it was pretty damned good...having said that, I'll just say that having read the comic (I don't know how to do the spoiler thing so I won't elaborate) that I did not care for how Rick and Shane's relationship was portrayed, at all, nor how Duane and his dad were either, and the way things ended in Atlanta were just dumb, IMO.

I will keep watching for sure, and hopefully not try and compare to much with the comic, which to me is PERFECT, and doesn't need to be tweaked this way, because what makes it so popular is that it works as is.

[clanglee]

Saw it last night. . . . .wow. . . .just wow.

[ProfessorChaos]

superjoint, you gotta keep in mind that you are not the target audience. they are making it for people who aren't big followers of the comics, people who aren't huge gore-hounds, people who might not be die-hard zombie fans, etc.

they aren't trying to cater to one particular group, but make it accessible to all audiences (except for little kids, obviously). And seriously, it's an interpretation, it'd be fucking lame if they stuck it out panel-by-panel, mirroring the comic exactly.

[Ghost Of War]

Well, I caved in and watched it. It's almost perfect. 9.5 out of 10. If it carries on as it's started, it will be immense.

[ProfessorChaos]

for bassman and the rest who were wondering:

the song that plays during the final scene is "space junk" by (get ready for it) wang chung. catchy tune. never really heard much from these guys with the exception of "everybody have fun tonight".

http://new.music.yahoo.com/wang-chung/tracks/space-junk-wang-chung-97--1274425

[BotOZombie]

Well I watched it as I don’t have SKY (“UK’er” here!) and I would have had to wait for the DVD release. After seeing it I guarantee I will have the DVDs on pre-order as soon as it is available. Pretty strange to think I only heard of The Walking Dead through this forum about two months ago which resulted in me buying all twelve paperback volumes of the comic. Needless to say I am now hooked!!

Obviously the no spoiler thing makes it hard to say just how off the scale brilliant this pilot was (in my opinion of course) but the acting is better than anything I think I have ever seen in a living dead movie and I got swept along with the story quite easily. The zombies themselves creeped me out so much my sleeping pattern was affected for the first time since I saw Day of The Dead. I’m not saying they gave me nightmares but when I woke up I found myself thinking about the program and certain parts of the plot. I found myself sitting at my computer with my mouth wide open at certain points and welling up with tears at others.

In short the whole thing blew my mind away, and if I was excited about the series before seeing the pilot I am now wetting myself with anticipation.

[shootemindehead]

Another weak one here.

Watched it and thought it was a load of bollocks.

















Nah, just kidding.

I was very impressed and I thought some scenes were handled with perfection, which I won't reveal here. If the rest of the episodes are as good as this was, then we really are in for a treat. Which I hope will have a long, long life and doesn't end up like 'Rome' or 'Deadwood' etc.

The makeup for the most part is top notch. Hats off to KNB.

[MikePizzoff]

Since I can't be going out partying tonight because I have to be up early tomorrow (for a screening of Back To The Future!!!), I'll be spending the night in with a few brewskis and episode 1. I can't wait.

[MoonSylver]

Another weak one here.

Watched it and thought it was a load of bollocks.

















Nah, just kidding..

:lol:

Ah! Ya got me! You yuckster you! :lol: :thumbsup:

[bassman]

Another weak one here.

Watched it and thought it was a load of bollocks.
.

:lol:

Before I saw the bottom of your post I was thinking "Big surprise....shootem doesn't like something. He doesn't like ANYTHING!" :p

[SuprJoinT]

superjoint, you gotta keep in mind that you are not the target audience. they are making it for people who aren't big followers of the comics, people who aren't huge gore-hounds, people who might not be die-hard zombie fans, etc.

they aren't trying to cater to one particular group, but make it accessible to all audiences (except for little kids, obviously). And seriously, it's an interpretation, it'd be fucking lame if they stuck it out panel-by-panel, mirroring the comic exactly.




Oh dude, I TOTALLY agree with you, about panel for panel and all..and about the target audience, BUT I was just giving my opinion on it, everyone has one. I will keep watching it, just glad they are doing this at all, and with such a highly respected guy like Darabont (sp)!!!

[bassman]

for bassman and the rest who were wondering:

the song that plays during the final scene is "space junk" by (get ready for it) wang chung. catchy tune. never really heard much from these guys with the exception of "everybody have fun tonight".

http://new.music.yahoo.com/wang-chung/tracks/space-junk-wang-chung-97--1274425

I don't believe it.:eek:

I too only know of them from that song, but this Space junk is pretty groovy. I supposed they picked it for the "Welcome to my world, my only world" line?

Strange choice, but works really well. I was shocked when it first played, but then clapped. My wife was looking at me like "WTF is wrong with you??" :lol:

BTW....If you haven't seen the pilot, I wouldn't recommned listening to this song. It may ruin some of the impact for you.

[ProfessorChaos]

should we put spoiler tags on it?:p

yeah, i don't recall ever heard anything other than "everbody have fun tonight" by them.

i think the guitar riff was pretty sweet and had a nice jive to it. the part where it really worked well for me was when the lyrics "sifting through the system" came up as the zombies were digging through the horse, and then the "welcome to my world" and "bringing me to you" parts really put a nice finish to the episode and rick's adventure so far.

like i said, mad men and breaking bad pull that trick a lot too....i've probably got about 20 songs on my ipod that i really enjoy that i was introduced to by those shows, and it looks like TWD is gonna help me discover some more great random tracks.

[Mr_Shadow]

For those of us that have already seen it, we still need to watch it again on tv so AMC will pick it up for another season.

[bassman]

For those of us that have already seen it, we still need to watch it again on tv so AMC will pick it up for another season.

I don't think that's a problem. Everyone that's already seen it will surely tune in for the broadcast. Myself included. We'll also buy the DVDs...

[ProfessorChaos]

after thinking about it, i've gotta agree that this "leak" probably was AMC's doing. according to lee and what i've read about the press kits, there were 2 episodes on one disc....so why wouldn't whoever did the uploading put both episodes out?

cuz believe me, i've been looking around to see if it's out there...:shifty:

[rongravy]

I'm torn between begging someone to point me towards the nearest link to watching it now and waiting until it comes out on AMC. Either way, I'm sure I'd become a diehard fan as I've seen nothing but totally kickass trailers and such for it. I don't know any of the history behind getting it from here to there, but dayumn, it looks good.
As much as I can appreciate the nostalgia of the old and trusted, I need regular infusions of what I like to call "the SHIT" to fuel my ravenous hunger for the genre. It is personally amazing to me that this subject hasn't been raped and pillaged like so many others. I guess I should be thankful, but still...
If this is as good as I think it's going to be, it might be nearly as big an event as V was the first time around. Not sure if there has ever been a TV show revolving around the dead, but I doubt it.
I want this to be the SHIT. The stuff I've read around here gives me the air of it being an intellectually thought out homage to the J.R.R. Tolkien of the undead, via Senor Romero.
That would be as supersweet to me as the Kansas City Chiefs sweeping the rest of the season.
The make up and schnizzle fizzle I've seen has been top notch.
Fuck it, someone hook me up to seeing this right now...
Kidding, but not, but yeah, but not, but yeah...

---------- Post added 23-Oct-2010 at 10:07 PM ---------- Previous post was 22-Oct-2010 at 10:39 PM ----------

Wow, I saw it and it was amazing. All the way to the end, and how he got out of that pickle in the end, just wow. I'm just sad I have to wait for more. Not much ever comes out that makes me content, but this is one of them. I think I just found my new favorite show.