Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - What to Watch Instantly on Netflix? (and now all streaming services)

whomario · 12-18-2017, 03:40 PM

Not 100% sure if the first is really showing on Netflix in the US (it is here ...)

Manhunt:Unabomber

Developed by Discovery Channel (no, really) and the title kinda gives away what it is about

Much less sensationalistic than the title makes it sound and often will remind you of recent series Mindhunter (if you haven't watched that, you should). Pacing is very deliberate, aided by the decision to condense the show to a couple of snapshots rather than give an exhaustive overview of the whole case.

Don't want to give away too much in case you are blissfully unaware of the case or at least the details ...

In any case the series is doing a pretty good job of establishing the ambiguity of both lead characters, the acting from both (Sam Worthington and Paul Bettany) is really good. At times the show, as many others telling a "true story" falls into the trap of overexplaining stuff or creating friction and suspense instead of trusting themselves to simply tell the story and thrust the viewer into it. But most of the time it really sticks to fleshing it out and using visuals and metaphors to great effect.

Best thing here: If you like the first scene, you will like the show. So no excuses to try the first 3 minutes

Only 8 episodes, so easy to manage in terms of time commitment (as far as i understand it there will be more seasons concentrating on different crimes/investigations, making this part 1 of an Anthology)

Dark

Has been produced under the umbrella of Netflix in germany with german actors/crew etc, so you can for once just watch the original rather than wait for the botched or "still pretty good, but definitely not as good" american remake of a great european show

(like The Returned or the Killing)

Plays wonderfully with "german Angst" with it's setting of a small(ish) rural town surrounded by dark forrests and loomed over by a nuclear power plant. It also has different timelines, fantastic cinematography and brilliantly plays with concepts of crime, personal relationships and mystery (here there be time travel !). Really does a great job of establishing the various timelines, although this in combination with a rather large cast can be a tad confusing. There's a neat table to help navigate it on the wikipedia page : Dark (TV series - Wikipedia)

It is understandable to liken it to Stranger Things, as has been done a lot in reviews and even promotional material, due to the makeup of the Cast (although the kids are quite a bit older) and the general setting/mood. But i think something like Twin Peaks is a better comparison. Moves very slow, which might not be for everyone, and definitely is firmly rooted in suspense rather than action. Works for me, but might put off others.

Really worth your time. First season has 10 episodes of 45-55 Minutes.

12-18-2017, 03:40 PM	#1622
whomario Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2007	Not 100% sure if the first is really showing on Netflix in the US (it is here ...) Manhunt:Unabomber Developed by Discovery Channel (no, really) and the title kinda gives away what it is about Much less sensationalistic than the title makes it sound and often will remind you of recent series Mindhunter (if you haven't watched that, you should). Pacing is very deliberate, aided by the decision to condense the show to a couple of snapshots rather than give an exhaustive overview of the whole case. Don't want to give away too much in case you are blissfully unaware of the case or at least the details ... In any case the series is doing a pretty good job of establishing the ambiguity of both lead characters, the acting from both (Sam Worthington and Paul Bettany) is really good. At times the show, as many others telling a "true story" falls into the trap of overexplaining stuff or creating friction and suspense instead of trusting themselves to simply tell the story and thrust the viewer into it. But most of the time it really sticks to fleshing it out and using visuals and metaphors to great effect. Best thing here: If you like the first scene, you will like the show. So no excuses to try the first 3 minutes Only 8 episodes, so easy to manage in terms of time commitment (as far as i understand it there will be more seasons concentrating on different crimes/investigations, making this part 1 of an Anthology) Dark Has been produced under the umbrella of Netflix in germany with german actors/crew etc, so you can for once just watch the original rather than wait for the botched or "still pretty good, but definitely not as good" american remake of a great european show (like The Returned or the Killing) Plays wonderfully with "german Angst" with it's setting of a small(ish) rural town surrounded by dark forrests and loomed over by a nuclear power plant. It also has different timelines, fantastic cinematography and brilliantly plays with concepts of crime, personal relationships and mystery (here there be time travel !). Really does a great job of establishing the various timelines, although this in combination with a rather large cast can be a tad confusing. There's a neat table to help navigate it on the wikipedia page : Dark (TV series - Wikipedia) It is understandable to liken it to Stranger Things, as has been done a lot in reviews and even promotional material, due to the makeup of the Cast (although the kids are quite a bit older) and the general setting/mood. But i think something like Twin Peaks is a better comparison. Moves very slow, which might not be for everyone, and definitely is firmly rooted in suspense rather than action. Works for me, but might put off others. Really worth your time. First season has 10 episodes of 45-55 Minutes. __________________ “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!” Last edited by whomario : 12-18-2017 at 03:40 PM.