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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:00 pm 

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Agreed that the title sequence is great. If you look at the sequences with the rings, they actually use the house symbols to tell the history leading up to the events depicted in the show. Also, the four highlighted locations are the four main settings for the book with King's Landing having the Baratheon stag and Winterfell having the Stark direwolf indicating the lord families of each area (and a little foreshadowing to the end of this book). There's probably even more to the sequence, but I wasn't paying much attention to the detail. The music is fitting with the genre of the show. I personally like it, but I can see why others may not.


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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:23 pm 
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I think the title sequence looks a wee bit too steampunk, it just felt out of place, all the gears and clockwork stuff. I liked everything else, though, even the sort three dimensional gameboard feeling. It was the gears that bothered me. Not totally out of place, since there there is gears and pulleys and such in certain places in the books (the Eyrie features some mechanical lifts, as does the wall), but it was a bit more steampunk-y than medieval style. But aside from the abundance of gears I got no complaints.

The theme music was very good, though.

If you look close, the actors names are all marked by the sigil of the family they are in, so Sean Bean's credit included a Stark Direwolf, but they f'd up Emilia (Daenerys) Clarke's credit attaching the Lannister lion instead of the Targaryen dragon. I expect that'll get fixed quickly.

Edit: Also nudity.

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 11:23 pm 
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Jam8 wrote:
Edit: Also nudity.


Wouldn't know an HBO drama if there wasn't any.

It's not TV.

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 12:24 pm 

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Renewed after only one episode. Second season is going to be so, so awesome.


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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:09 pm 
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Bullio wrote:
Renewed after only one episode. Second season is going to be so, so awesome.


Not surprising, it nailed it in the ratings (looks like all that marketing paid off). HBO has a pretty solid ratings litmus test with renewing shows (The Wire being a pleasant exception). Boardwalk Empire's second season was ordered after only two episodes I think.

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 1:13 am 

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HBO's criteria for renewing something is a bit different than network and basic cable. It has more to do with show budgets and subscriptions, especially new subscriptions, than it does viewership. They rarely seem to make wrong or poor decisions when it comes to renewal, so whatever their formula is seems to work well. Rome was probably their biggest blunder, but one out of however many is a pretty damn good track record. Boardwalk Empire was kind of a no-brainer for renewal. It was the highest rated premiere in HBO's history and had Scorsese's name all over it. Comparing GoT, or anything else really, to it is a bit unfair considering fantasy's limited appeal. However, GoT did better than True Blood did at this point, and that really warms my heart. The sooner True Blood, Twilight, and this vampire bullshit goes away the better.

I will say I was pleasantly surprised by the numbers. Fantasy has a specific audience and rarely sees widespread success (LotR was the exception that proved the rule), and combined with HBO's limited availability compared to cable and network, those numbers really are quite impressive. I haven't seen the specific numbers, but it supposedly did even better in the UK. That's not entirely unexpected considering the amount of big UK talent in the show.


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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:30 am 
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Gears thing bothered me too. Too modernistic, too steampunk or whatever. It just doesn't seem to fit with the genre of the show it represents imo.


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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:51 pm 
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GodShifter wrote:
Gears thing bothered me too. Too modernistic, too steampunk or whatever. It just doesn't seem to fit with the genre of the show it represents imo.


I guess I saw the gears and the raising on the castles and whatnot as more of a board game...which kind of fits. But I see your point about the steampunk stuff not fitting, but I still dig it and I'm more impressed with the look of the animation.

You think they're going to make a new title sequence for each season?

Things I'm worried that they are going to fuck up with cheap CGI (I understand it's TV and it HAS to be reasonably cheap):
1. The Eyrie's dungeon
2. grown direwolves (especially how big they made that dead one look when they nabbed the pups)

Things I'm excited to see:
1. Littlefinger
2. Dany "waking" the dragon

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 4:34 pm 
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As others have said I have only minor quibbles, and less than I had expected, so overall I am very pleased.

Feels good and grim it sets up the natural biases toward certain characters that Martin likes to fuck with.

And Jam8 nailed it. Those who haven't read the books are going to have many WTF?!? moments as the series progresses. What a perfect cut for the end of the first episode.

Biggest complaint: No 2-hour premier?!? Fuckers.


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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 9:09 am 
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I've never read the books and can pretty much guarantee I never will.
But I really liked that first episode and I'm certainly going to keep watching.
I know theres a world of information I'll miss out on, but I'm ok with that, I'll take what HBO's givin me.

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 2:36 pm 
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I've never read the books but I probably will. Watched the first episode, liked it well enough (man, they sure like banging their wimins from behind, no?), will watch the rest of it as it rolls on out.

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 3:13 pm 
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Arzgarth wrote:
I've never read the books but I probably will. Watched the first episode, liked it well enough (man, they sure like banging their wimins from behind, no?), will watch the rest of it as it rolls on out.


Yeah. Lots of women as chattle.

I finally finished the book last week. I've got to say...I'm pretty nervous about this show working in the long run and I'm uncomfortable as to say why due to spoilers. Even after watching the second episode, there's lots of context that isn't really given in the show that, imo, is kind of important. But I've resided to withhold judgment as far as comparing the books to the show until at least this season is wrapped up.

John Hodgman called the books "The Wire of fantasy". Which I can kind of see in it's noir-ish qualities and lack of any "innocent" characters.

I am enjoying the fuck out of the books. Once you get a proper pace going, they don't seem as long.

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 12:15 am 

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Arzgarth wrote:
I've never read the books but I probably will. Watched the first episode, liked it well enough (man, they sure like banging their wimins from behind, no?), will watch the rest of it as it rolls on out.


If I could recommend only one fantasy series, it would be this one. Most fantasy, honestly, is poorly written and utter shit. These books are very much not. They're all lengthy reads, but are well worth the investment. It's admittedly easy to get lost in all the names and details, but I think those qualities make rereads rewarding. It's like repeatedly listening to a new album or rewatching a movie and picking up on more little things that you overlooked the first time.

Second episode was great. It's obviously going to start off a little slow because of all of the character introductions, but I think it's going to really start picking up starting next episode. Travel and introductions will draw to a close, thus giving more attention to the "game" itself.


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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 9:05 am 
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Yeah, the fantasy angle I'm always wary about (maybe because for a stretch all the wife read were those Dragon Riders of Pern novels, and they looked awful), but I've no problem committing to an epic slough of interconnected novels, provided they're well written. It's a matter of too many books, not enough time, I guess.

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 5:21 pm 
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I've read all the books twice and, like anything else a person revisits, you pick up a little bit more each time. Little nuances, things you kind of glossed over the first time.

I think what makes this series so good is (for the most part), is it's not all magic intensive with the long bearded druid/wizard guy shooting stars and lightning out of his wooden staff, etc. More along the lines of Deadwood meets Genghis Khan. Intriguing and grounded enough that it doesn't turn off the average fantasy hater (like myself, for instance).


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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 3:41 pm 
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GodShifter wrote:
I've read all the books twice and, like anything else a person revisits, you pick up a little bit more each time. Little nuances, things you kind of glossed over the first time.

I think what makes this series so good is (for the most part), is it's not all magic intensive with the long bearded druid/wizard guy shooting stars and lightning out of his wooden staff, etc. More along the lines of Deadwood meets Genghis Khan. Intriguing and grounded enough that it doesn't turn off the average fantasy hater (like myself, for instance).


That is exactly it.

It has grit and the fantasy elements have been easy for me to digest, as opposed to say some fluff about kids traveling to distant magical lands full of talking animals. And the story line is solid...the author's talent is not in flowery prose or dazzling wordplay, it's in his ability to strip the narrative down to a fast-paced and engaging story that has so many facets it would make you dizzy, if only you could stop reading long enough to notice. And there is plenty of clever foreshadowing and subtle implications woven throughout that rereading is quite rewarding.


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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 11:23 am 
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Second Ep: The king's son is a fucking pissy little bitch. Glad he got bit. Shame his betrothed's direwolf had to die as punishment, but she can't be all that happy to realized she's engaged to a poncy douche hammer who gets deservedly slapped around by his dwarf uncle.

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 3:40 pm 
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Arzgarth wrote:
Second Ep: The king's son is a fucking pissy little bitch. Glad he got bit. Shame his betrothed's direwolf had to die as punishment, but she can't be all that happy to realized she's engaged to a poncy douche hammer who gets deservedly slapped around by his dwarf uncle.


That's the spirit!

I almost feel this thread should be divided into a spoiler/non-spoiler version...for those who have read the books and those who haven't...

not that it's so vastly popular that it actually warrants such a thing,
but i had to do whatever the keyboarding version of tongue-biting is here (delete, i guess) as I began to reply to this.


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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:45 pm 
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I would say that since this is a discussion of the TV show, keep the spoilers to a minimum, dawg.

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 3:05 pm 
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After watching it again, I love Peter Dinklage. He's amazing as Tyrion. But he really sucks at a British accent. The way he says "bastard" like "bahstard."

It's a pet peeve of mine I suppose. Because it's NOT like it's necessary to have it.

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Mon May 02, 2011 11:58 am 
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Arzgarth wrote:
I would say that since this is a discussion of the TV show, keep the spoilers to a minimum, dawg.



Oh don't worry, I would never...especially not with this story.


And yeah, I was happy to see Dinklage cast early as Tyrion...seemed an obvious choice and I really think he was nailing it starting in last nights episode.


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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Mon May 02, 2011 5:23 pm 
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This was the best episode so far, some of the stuff you don't think will mean anything will mean a lot, there's at least one bit that seems like just a bit of character building, but it's a very big piece of the puzzle later on.

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2011 9:56 am 
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What the non-book knowing dude gleaned from ep 3:

Nordic Brother Lannister killed the previous king, who was mad and said "Burn them all" when he was stabbed in the back.

Mad King also killed Ned Stark's father (and brother, I think).

In addition to being extra loving of siblings and being of strong cheekbones, Clan Lannister also has all the cash in the kingdom

Full Monty is on his way to being a Mad King himself.

Stark suspects that and knows he's knee deep in it now.

Jon Snow got snowed.

Tyrion "The Imp" Lannister is the illest motherfucker from here to Gardenia.

Queens learning the art of sexin' = loving marriages, boy babies.

Disposed, would-be-kings are well advised to not be pissy amongst the noble horde of savage warriors.



There was a metric ton of exposition thrown about in that episode, almost to the point where nothing really happened, but it didn't matter. Really digging this series. Gonna try to get out and pick up the book today.

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2011 12:46 pm 
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Arzgarth wrote:
There was a metric ton of exposition thrown about in that episode, almost to the point where nothing really happened, but it didn't matter. Really digging this series. Gonna try to get out and pick up the book today.


You really won't regret it. I'm in the middle of the second book and I can't get enough of it.

This third episode was awesome on many different levels. For those who have not read the book, there was a lot revealed that you will see later on. That scene with Jaime Lannister and King Robert did a great job of bringing a kind of sympathetic light to the Kingslayer in a way that the book doesn't and that may have everything to do with the acting. Bravo.

Also, I'm super impressed with the Arya casting choice. That last scene with her and Syrio with Ned watching was to die for.

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 Post subject: Re: Song of Ice and Fire HBO series
PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2011 7:09 pm 
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