"The Walking Dead" Season 2 premiere breaks records

[Overmind One]

One bite ought to take care of that.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

With the melodramatic turn the show has taken, I'm guessing that's a wink/nudge to the anti-abortion crowd. After all, life begins during foreplay.

They borrowed that idea from the popular daytime soaps. Babies born last year are graduating high school this year after the children are given a 2 month hiatus so its viewers forget. Yet another sign soap-fi is becoming the new standard.

This show has really soaped it up. There is just no room for it in that world. Zombies and love triangles? . That scene where the farm girl pulls off her blouse in the abandoned store was just stupid. And the crotch grabbing random sex in the middle of the road after blowing away zombies scene. . Laurie is pregnant, eh? Anybody want to bet that the baby will be a key to the future of mankind and will need to be protected fiercely at all times? Perhaps a small bite from a zombie will kill Laurie, but give the baby special immunity? Still, the fact that they did what they did with the CDC was just lame. They blew it up? WHY? I could have gone with the "hey, lets find the CDC!" thing for a few episodes.

 

[Joelist]

Compare the schlock on The Walking Dead with the two kisses between Jim and Selene in 28 Day Later. TWD feels like soap tacked onto the show while the two kisses in 28 Days Later work. They flow naturally from the story and both fit perfectly into the atmosphere of the film and the mood of the scene in question.

 

[Overmind One]

Compare the schlock on The Walking Dead with the two kisses between Jim and Selene in 28 Day Later. TWD feels like soap tacked onto the show while the two kisses in 28 Days Later work. They flow naturally from the story and both fit perfectly into the atmosphere of the film and the mood of the scene in question.

Exactly. There were many bits like that in the movie. It was all tasteful and spontaneous feeling. Not contrived.

 

[Overmind One]

Compare the schlock on The Walking Dead with the two kisses between Jim and Selene in 28 Day Later. TWD feels like soap tacked onto the show while the two kisses in 28 Days Later work. They flow naturally from the story and both fit perfectly into the atmosphere of the film and the mood of the scene in question.

Is 28 Weeks Later any good? Related? Same actors?

 

[Joelist]

It's fair.

Different cast different writers and producers. Higher budget.

 

[shavedape]

Is 28 Days Later the one with "Dr. Rush" in it?

 

[Joelist]

Is 28 Days Later the one with "Dr. Rush" in it?

No. 28 Days Later is the Danny Boyle film that among other things gave Cillian Murphy his start. 28 Weeks Later has Robert Carlyle in a role - he's Rush.

 

[EvilSpaceAlien]

Is 28 Weeks Later any good? Related? Same actors?

Compared to 28 Days Later? Meh.

Compared to other films of the same genre? It's pretty damn good.

 

[mzzz]

haha from reading the comments, it's a good thing that I stopped watching after the second episode of season 2.

 

[Gate_Boarder]

Ahhh, come on guys don't you like it when they talk-talk-talk and go shoot a Walker, then they talk-talk-talk and go shoot two Walkers.

Wasn't there a scene when the Sheriff drops his box load of rifles inside the tank and then goes back to get them because they have no weapons. Then a couple weeks later they shoot off 20,000 rounds just for target practice.

 

[shavedape]

No. 28 Days Later is the Danny Boyle film that among other things gave Cillian Murphy his start. 28 Weeks Later has Robert Carlyle in a role - he's Rush.

Ah okay. Yeah, the first one is very good. The second one with Carlyle wasn't nearly as good I thought.

 

[shavedape]

Ahhh, come on guys don't you like it when they talk-talk-talk and go shoot a Walker, then they talk-talk-talk and go shoot two Walkers.

Wasn't there a scene when the Sheriff drops his box load of rifles inside the tank and then goes back to get them because they have no weapons. Then a couple weeks later they shoot off 20,000 rounds just for target practice.

Please stop making sense.

 

[Joelist]

Compared to 28 Days Later? Meh.

Compared to other films of the same genre? It's pretty damn good.

Pretty true. The problem is comparing other efforts to a groundbreaker like 28 Days Later does make them come up short. But it also is instructional because Boyle and Garland didn't have tens of millions of dollars or a "name" cast. And yet they basically put on a display of how these types of shows/movies SHOULD be made.

 

[shavedape]

Pretty true. The problem is comparing other efforts to a groundbreaker like 28 Days Later does make them come up short. But it also is instructional because Boyle and Garland didn't have tens of millions of dollars or a "name" cast. And yet they basically put on a display of how these types of shows/movies SHOULD be made.

We should remember that we're comparing a movie to an episodic TV show. Movies as such have to keep the action moving because they have such a limited amount of time. With a TV show all the action gets stretched out. That said, in terms of money spent and the artistry of the director I'd say that 28 Days is superior.

 

[Joelist]

We should remember that we're comparing a movie to an episodic TV show. Movies as such have to keep the action moving because they have such a limited amount of time. With a TV show all the action gets stretched out. That said, in terms of money spent and the artistry of the director I'd say that 28 Days is superior.

Partly true.

Yes a movie will be faster paced and yes a show has to stretch the action a bit - a weekly show at the pace of the superb 28 Days Later will eventually leave its audience numbed to the action. However, there are definitely lessons that scifi shows can learn from films like this:

1) Tight plotting. Know what the story you are telling is and tell it.

2) All relationships are kept in the context of the plot. This area is where shows like Walking Dead, SGU and Falling Skies have been big offenders. The interpersonal stuff there feels tacked on and in fact at times it seems the plot exists as a backdrop for the relationships. That is soap opera which has no place in Scifi.

3) Little things mean a lot. As Overmind noted, the care and skill shown in 28 Days Later in "little things" (like music properly matching the visuals, using quiet scenes to set mood and even HOW the action is portrayed) make the show. And they do not have to cost lots of money either. Done right they can give a show an "art" feeling - like in 28 Days Later.

 

[shavedape]

Partly true.

Yes a movie will be faster paced and yes a show has to stretch the action a bit - a weekly show at the pace of the superb 28 Days Later will eventually leave its audience numbed to the action. However, there are definitely lessons that scifi shows can learn from films like this:

1) Tight plotting. Know what the story you are telling is and tell it.

2) All relationships are kept in the context of the plot. This area is where shows like Walking Dead, SGU and Falling Skies have been big offenders. The interpersonal stuff there feels tacked on and in fact at times it seems the plot exists as a backdrop for the relationships. That is soap opera which has no place in Scifi.

3) Little things mean a lot. As Overmind noted, the care and skill shown in 28 Days Later in "little things" (like music properly matching the visuals, using quiet scenes to set mood and even HOW the action is portrayed) make the show. And they do not have to cost lots of money either. Done right they can give a show an "art" feeling - like in 28 Days Later.

I don't disagree really although I would point out that in regards to #2 on your list that with a TV show there will always be some interpersonal drama due to the fact that we, the viewers, are going to have much more time to get to know the characters. In a way it becomes more personal because we get to know them far better than we do the characters in a 120 minute movie.

Keeping the inter personal drama logical and plot related in a TV show is of course paramount. And it's important not to let the drama become melodrama, like with Lori and the pregnancy on TWD. Sure a pregnant woman in a zombie-filled world is going to have some serious fears and doubts to contend with, but the way they wrung that story line out was just too maudlin and melodramatic. It actually became a turn off, mostly because it was obvious the writers were trying way too hard.

Now I'm not a huge fan of Terra Nova but I think it is a good example of balancing the the drama with action. There are moments of cutesy cutesy garbage but overall the show keeps the pace tight and moving briskly, even with the inter personal drama elements. If they took that pacing and combined it with the artistry and attention to detail that is in 28 Days Later I think TWD would be much, much better.

 

[Joelist]

I don't disagree really although I would point out that in regards to #2 on your list that with a TV show there will always be some interpersonal drama due to the fact that we, the viewers, are going to have much more time to get to know the characters. In a way it becomes more personal because we get to know them far better than we do the characters in a 120 minute movie.

Keeping the inter personal drama logical and plot related in a TV show is of course paramount. And it's important not to let the drama become melodrama, like with Lori and the pregnancy on TWD. Sure a pregnant woman in a zombie-filled world is going to have some serious fears and doubts to contend with, but the way they wrung that story line out was just too maudlin and melodramatic. It actually became a turn off, mostly because it was obvious the writers were trying way too hard.

Now I'm not a huge fan of Terra Nova but I think it is a good example of balancing the the drama with action. There are moments of cutesy cutesy garbage but overall the show keeps the pace tight and moving briskly, even with the inter personal drama elements. If they took that pacing and combined it with the artistry and attention to detail that is in 28 Days Later I think TWD would be much, much better.

You can have interpersonal drama in these shows. But it needs to flow out of the story not the other way around. In the case of 28 Days Later there is interpersonal drama between Jim and Selena. However it flows out of the plot (their trying to avoid the Infected, Selena's attitude from all of the death she has seen and Jim's being sort of Rip Van Winkle) instead of going the other way around. Because of this, the attraction that develops (and the 2 kisses) feels natural and part of the narrative and not forced.

Alas, the Walking Dead and Falling Skies cannot lay the same claim. The interpersonal stuff in those shows doesn't flow at all from the plot, but rather feels like an addon. And even worse (like with Lori in Walking Dead) the interpersonal drama is driving the story.

 

[EvilSpaceAlien]

Just came across this article and thought I'd share.

http://blastr.com/2012/01/frank-darabonts-flashback.php

That actually sounds frakking awesome. If AMC hadn't started slicing budgets everywhere because of frakking Mad Men, then TWD might actually have been a great show with a lot of zombie action. Bastards.

 

[shavedape]

Just came across this article and thought I'd share.

http://blastr.com/2012/01/frank-darabonts-flashback.php

That actually sounds frakking awesome. If AMC hadn't started slicing budgets everywhere because of frakking Mad Men, then TWD might actually have been a great show with a lot of zombie action. Bastards.

OMG, what a waste! I can't believe how badly AMC has butchered this show. I'm sure being the idiots that they are they're still on a high from the ratings spectacular of the first show of the second season, failing to understand that people were excited because of the first season. The second season was such crap though and everyone knows it, all because of bone head moves like the budget thing with AMC.

 

[shavedape]

Okay, just watched the premiere of Season 2.5. Not much to say even spoiler-wise it was that blah. There were some good moments but the problem of the heavy melodrama is still hanging around. I swear everyone on that show is having their period, including the male characters.

On "The Talking Dead" the AMC show that talks about "The Walking Dead" Dave Navarro gave it to one of the producers he was sharing a couch with. Oddly enough Navarro (who normally strikes me as a D-bag) brought up all the complaints that fans have had about the first half of this season. He didn't let up and the producer could only make promises that the show gets better so please keep watching. Sounds familiar.