Black Mirror

TurkeyGami said:
Actual Episode 1:
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Next episode is my favorite in the entire series.
 
2
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That was goddamn amazing. I was glued for a lot of that, but I never predicted how anything would end up. The presentation and visuals made a lot of that.
Bing is also the perfect person to be the protagonist. The way the girl was handled was absolutely chilling (exciting) and he reacted exactly the way you'd think. It was inspirational and actually a bit reminiscent of Kaiji 2 the way he got out. But I digress, I don't think I've been quite as glued to a performance as when he was talking onstage.

It was a perfect example story of someone making it to the top in a unique way, using what they're good at. This guy is so full of passion for what he does. He deserved that podcast, and to finally see the
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Brilliant stuff

Brilliant.
 
Oh, this fucking show. Yeah Netflix, I totally wanted to check out a show that starts with a dude humping a pig. And now it's getting a movie. What fun...
 
Just got through one or two routes in Bandersnatch. It's indeed gimmicky but honestly it's kind of cool.
It kind of reminded me of Bioshock Infinite in that a good number of choices don't seem to change the story too much, but unlike that game there are several different endings here. My personal favorite is the one where you (as in you the viewer) reveal that you are watching and controlling Stefan through Netflix, which is then followed not long afterwards by a fight scene between him and his psychologist who suddenly pulls out nightsticks. Specifically the "main" endings I got were one where Colin's daughter tries to remake the Bandersnatch game years after Stefan gets arrested for murdering his father and seemingly is about to go down the same path he did, and another one where Stefan dies after changing the past and ending up on the train his mother died on (I think that's what happened, or maybe his consciousness in the current timeline "switched off" after altering the past)
Not a masterpiece but an interesting way to spend an hour or two.
 
ZetsubouKaiji said:
A chose your own adventure movie? I gotta see this. Hopefully some other people watch it too because it could be fun to compare notes and see how much the story is effected by the decisions we get to make. @HissatsuShoujo @Taek @Schizm
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This is the most fart sniffingly pretentious thing I've seen this year.

Is that a good thing?

Meh, it's occasionally fun, but it's pretty obvious which options you're not supposed to take and there's pretty much only one option that matters. The rest leads to various dead ends, which is like choose your own adventure books, but those don't actually point this fact out to you. There's more for me to see, but I don't think I care anymore.
 
It was neat, my favorite thing was that it basically knows you'll want to see the other paths so it makes it easier and faster for you (kind of).
And Colin was pretty cool as a character. I think this concept has kind of been done better in video games though, which makes sense, but this movie did it fine for what it was, and the ending it pointed you towards was satisfying enough (in a way, not in the happy ending way). I'd say the Netflix thing was definitely the best part though.
 
Vega said:
I think we can all agree this is the best part of Bandersnatch:
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I can’t even check it out because the video’s not longer available, but I know what are you refering to, lol.
I meant... it just shows how good the scene was, lmao. I was so confused tho. I really had no idea how to react to that. And that was my first „ending”!

ZetsubouKaiji said:
This is the most fart sniffingly pretentious thing I've seen this year.

Is that a good thing?

Meh, it's occasionally fun, but it's pretty obvious which options you're not supposed to take and there's pretty much only one option that matters. The rest leads to various dead ends, which is like choose your own adventure books, but those don't actually point this fact out to you. There's more for me to see, but I don't think I care anymore.
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I agree, but from the other hand... that’s just a movie. That’s how I defended it at least.
 
So, finally got to what I guess is supposed to be the "right" end. Or at least the one that finally triggered the credits.
the mom and him going on the doom train.
Honestly, without all the gimicks, this ending makes for a solid show.
it was never his fault that his mom missed the 830 train. Him finding the bunny still led to his mom's ultimate death.
I like that this show took a huge fun risk. Honestly, this would have never worked if it was not for the great acting, especially the guy who was Colin.
I so wanted his pad. it was this bad-ass loft with a great set of records and the giant Akira mural on the wall. Notice he uses it right over his chair like a throne.

So, the fact they make a poignant story, with a nice twisty set of endings, yet leave you clues, probably makes this the most fascinating writing since Back to the Future. Hell, it felt almost like the Stein's Gate game. Now was it without flaws or oddities? nope
Not sure how the Toy opens a different set of reality compared to PAC. Not sure why he flies off the handle at one point, yet is calm about shit the other.

So there is a lot that is hidden in this series witch also leaves this as one of the most detailed crafty shows.

It goes all Being John Malkavich with the Meta
Netflix option. notice it leaves clues that he is becoming self aware as to someone taking over him, by him struggling with his hand.

...then it decided to leave the most appropriate Easter egg
a seemingly random set of options leeds you to choice where
He is back on the bus, but instead of listening to Thomson Twins, he plays a loud Bleepy sounding noise that when played on an emulator of the ancient Spectrum system, leeds to a QR code that unlocks a game and set of game covers (many of them funny and almost believable and homages to former Black Mirror episodes, that were on a rather (thought to be) bland website for Tuckersoft. Then that opens up a game of NoseDyve that you can download and you can play on the emulated Spectrum system.

https://www.thewrap.com/black-mirro...-scene-easter-egg-bus-zx-spectrum-tuckersoft/
I mean that in itself is fucking rad.

Also, they said there might be more to the 5 digit code that people have not unlocked yet.

I never did get to the 5/5
game where he chops up dad, but we'll see if I try again with that option

Anyhow, i'd roll with a 4/5 for this one.
 
So uhh....just watched Black Mirror season 5 episode 1....ummmm...uhhhh...

Im very torn on this episode. On one hand, I've never seen anything tackle something like this where two dudes fall in love but only in game. And just from that perspective, it was decent. Buuuuut like execution wise, it was kinda terrible.

First off, they started having sex during the first fight. Like, holy shit that just came out of nowhere and felt rushed as fuck. If I was playing an immersive VR game, my first thought would not be to immediately start making out with my friend. Like if I absolutely HAD to have VR sex, I'd try to keep that info away from friends, similar to how people tend to hide porn and porn games. Also what game company would even implement this? In order to do that they'd have to implement those sensations, like they'd have to figure that people are gonna do that. And then that leads to potential lawsuits when someone gets virtually raped or when a little kid starts having cyber sex. If anything they'd try to shut that shit down immediately, but to hear Karl say it, apparently plenty of people have sex with each other and the AI in this game.

Moving on, is it just me or did this kinda seem like San Junipeno? Like a gay couple in a simulation starting a relationship even though one person has issues with accepting it. Just adding more sex and framing it within a VR game isn't enough to mask how this just felt like a shittier version of that episode, which I didn't even like to begin with.

Finally, let's talk about the ending. Everything just works out and the wife gets a cheat night with random dudes while the husband gets to have sex with his friend in game? Kinda seemed like their marriage had some deeper issues with the husband peeping his neighbor's wife and now the cheating with his friend, and that this shouldn't habe worked out as well as it did. I don't mind happy endings but I want them to feel natural, not just tacked on so they have an ending. Like had it ended when it goes to black after he tells the wife that might not have been as conclusive, but it would have also meant a wide variety of what happens next scenarios could have happened instead of this forced ending.

Overall, if this episode is representative of rest of the season, this is gonna be terrible. Bleh, what a way to start a new season.

Sorry for the wall of text
 
SerialExperimentsTox said:
So uhh....just watched Black Mirror season 5 episode 1....ummmm...uhhhh...

Im very torn on this episode. On one hand, I've never seen anything tackle something like this where two dudes fall in love but only in game. And just from that perspective, it was decent. Buuuuut like execution wise, it was kinda terrible.

First off, they started having sex during the first fight. Like, holy shit that just came out of nowhere and felt rushed as fuck. If I was playing an immersive VR game, my first thought would not be to immediately start making out with my friend. Like if I absolutely HAD to have VR sex, I'd try to keep that info away from friends, similar to how people tend to hide porn and porn games. Also what game company would even implement this? In order to do that they'd have to implement those sensations, like they'd have to figure that people are gonna do that. And then that leads to potential lawsuits when someone gets virtually raped or when a little kid starts having cyber sex. If anything they'd try to shut that shit down immediately, but to hear Karl say it, apparently plenty of people have sex with each other and the AI in this game.

Moving on, is it just me or did this kinda seem like San Junipeno? Like a gay couple in a simulation starting a relationship even though one person has issues with accepting it. Just adding more sex and framing it within a VR game isn't enough to mask how this just felt like a shittier version of that episode, which I didn't even like to begin with.

Finally, let's talk about the ending. Everything just works out and the wife gets a cheat night with random dudes while the husband gets to have sex with his friend in game? Kinda seemed like their marriage had some deeper issues with the husband peeping his neighbor's wife and now the cheating with his friend, and that this shouldn't habe worked out as well as it did. I don't mind happy endings but I want them to feel natural, not just tacked on so they have an ending. Like had it ended when it goes to black after he tells the wife that might not have been as conclusive, but it would have also meant a wide variety of what happens next scenarios could have happened instead of this forced ending.

Overall, if this episode is representative of rest of the season, this is gonna be terrible. Bleh, what a way to start a new season.

Sorry for the wall of text
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Black Mirror really went downhill with season 4 to me and this just sounds like it continues that streak. Skip for me, it's such a damn shame cause the first 3 seasons were good but it looks like they've completely lost it with the writing and are out of fresh ideas.
 
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Gens said:
Black Mirror really went downhill with season 4 to me and this just sounds like it continues that streak. Skip for me, it's such a damn shame cause the first 3 seasons were good but it looks like they've completely lost it with the writing.
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Yea only reason I'm continuing is I hear episode 2 is really great and it's only 3 episodes anyways. But the show's kinda been going downhill. I loved some episodes in season 4 like black museum and arkangel but overall it kinda felt weaker than the last few seasons. But after how awesome bandersnatch was, I figured it was a fluke. This has convinced me otherwise ):
 
Black Mirror is overrated garbage. Always has been. Every episode can be summed up as "Ooooooooh, technology is spooky! Oooooooooooooh!"

Not to mention it starts with a dude humping a pig. That show is tripe. I'd sooner rewatch Masters Of Horror.
 
SerialExperimentsTox said:
Yea only reason I'm continuing is I hear episode 2 is really great and it's only 3 episodes anyways. But the show's kinda been going downhill. I loved some episodes in season 4 like black museum and arkangel but overall it kinda felt weaker than the last few seasons. But after how awesome bandersnatch was, I figured it was a fluke. This has convinced me otherwise ):
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I have to admit, I'm morbidly curious about the Miley Cyrus episode though with critics calling it the WORST episode of black mirror ever, yikes lol
 
Gens said:
I have to admit, I'm morbidly curious about the Miley Cyrus episode though with critics calling it the WORST episode of black mirror ever, yikes lol
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Yeah, and she's all over the advertising. I kind of want to skip to that episode to see how bad it could be. The other two don't look appealing to me, but I still imagine I'll be watching it this weekend.
 
ZetsubouKaiji said:
Yeah, and she's all over the advertising. I kind of want to skip to that episode to see how bad it could be. The other two don't look appealing to me, but I still imagine I'll be watching it this weekend.
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I mean the first episode is definitely skippable, but I just watched episode 2 and that so far seems to be the best one this season. It's the only episode this season that I have genuinely enjoyed for what it is instead of just for what it could have been
 
SerialExperimentsTox said:
So uhh....just watched Black Mirror season 5 episode 1....ummmm...uhhhh...

Im very torn on this episode. On one hand, I've never seen anything tackle something like this where two dudes fall in love but only in game. And just from that perspective, it was decent. Buuuuut like execution wise, it was kinda terrible.

First off, they started having sex during the first fight. Like, holy shit that just came out of nowhere and felt rushed as fuck. If I was playing an immersive VR game, my first thought would not be to immediately start making out with my friend. Like if I absolutely HAD to have VR sex, I'd try to keep that info away from friends, similar to how people tend to hide porn and porn games. Also what game company would even implement this? In order to do that they'd have to implement those sensations, like they'd have to figure that people are gonna do that. And then that leads to potential lawsuits when someone gets virtually raped or when a little kid starts having cyber sex. If anything they'd try to shut that shit down immediately, but to hear Karl say it, apparently plenty of people have sex with each other and the AI in this game.

Moving on, is it just me or did this kinda seem like San Junipeno? Like a gay couple in a simulation starting a relationship even though one person has issues with accepting it. Just adding more sex and framing it within a VR game isn't enough to mask how this just felt like a shittier version of that episode, which I didn't even like to begin with.

Finally, let's talk about the ending. Everything just works out and the wife gets a cheat night with random dudes while the husband gets to have sex with his friend in game? Kinda seemed like their marriage had some deeper issues with the husband peeping his neighbor's wife and now the cheating with his friend, and that this shouldn't habe worked out as well as it did. I don't mind happy endings but I want them to feel natural, not just tacked on so they have an ending. Like had it ended when it goes to black after he tells the wife that might not have been as conclusive, but it would have also meant a wide variety of what happens next scenarios could have happened instead of this forced ending.

Overall, if this episode is representative of rest of the season, this is gonna be terrible. Bleh, what a way to start a new season.

Sorry for the wall of text
Click to expand...

The game isn't realistic at all. No company would sell that kind of technology unregulated. The premise here is just a framing device to explore the real issues in the episode and that's about boredom and unrest in long term relationships. It's easy to compare this episode about San Junipero, but the two have very little in common. Even though most of the episode is about two dudes meeting up in VR to sex each other up, it's not an episode about homosexuality. The end of the episode pretty much confirms it when they kiss in real life and feel nothing. All the sexual encounters between the two involve them using generically pretty avatars of the opposites sex. The connection they feel is emotional and that's why Danny can't just go have AI sex with just anyone. He's with his best friend that he's completely comfortable with and he can just be himself.

All the characters in this are bored and they're worried about aging. That's where the real flaw of the episode comes in. All these people are damn good looking in real life. You can give him a bit of grey hair, but dude is still in damn good shape when he takes his shirt off. He's more fit and better looking than 90 percent of the population. Same goes for his wife. She's looking at herself in the mirror and sighing with a body that would make women much younger than her jealous and she's acting like she's a saggy hag because she had a baby. With the actors being attractive the episode loses a bit of its edge when it comes to portraying aging characters still wanting to escape into fantasy to feel more attractive. The two men want to jump into a virtual world where they can always fuck with perfect bodied avatars. The wife wants to get out to feel attractive to someone other than the safe choice she made for her husband.

Now the episode is more on point when it comes to the shifting nature of emotional infidelity in the internet age. What the guys were doing was definitely cheating as long as they were doing it behind the wife's back. It may not have been a physical thing, but they were sharing a deep connection that was causing him to shut his wife out. It's something that happens in real life albeit in a much less obvious way.

I'll agree that the end of the episode is idealized, but these kinds of arrangements do happen. Monogamy is tough in the long haul. However, everyone ending up this perfectly happy with the arrangement is unrealistic.
 
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