Tales From The Loop on Amazon Prime - fantastic!

[editor]

I know it's been mentioned in the general Amazon Prime thread but I enjoyed this so much I thought it was worth a thread of its own.

I loved the mixed up retro-futuristic 1970s and the slow and gentle nuanced pacing reminded me a bit of the mighty Detectorists. Interesting that the last episode was directed by Jodie Foster.

More of this please!

Tales from the Loop is an American science fiction drama television series based on the eponymous art book by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag.

Tales from the Loop - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Amazon is turning Simon Stålenhag’s haunting retro sci-fi paintings into a TV series

Amazon’s answer to Stranger Things, adapted by Legion writer Nathaniel Halpern

www.theverge.com

 

[8ball]

Reviews on the thread seemed a little mixed, but think I'll give it a bash.

 

[kropotkin]

I couldn't make it past episode one. I'll try again (once the much more excellent and amusing futureman releases me)

 

[Reno]

Same here, I bailed after the first episode. Atmospheric and beautiful to look at, but dramatically inert and banging away at one idea for one hour.

 

[editor]

Same here, I bailed after the first episode. Atmospheric and beautiful to look at, but dramatically inert and banging away at one idea for one hour.

It's low key, slow moving and atmospheric. I wasn't sure after the first one but liked the strange future/past being served up. Sci fi fans looking for big explosions and aliens should maybe jog on.

 

[8ball]

It's low key, slow moving and atmospheric.

This is selling it quite well to me. I have friends in the film industry who are very adamant about every second absolutely having to advance either the plot or character development, but sometimes I just like the journey.

 

[Reno]

It's low key, slow moving and atmospheric. I wasn't sure after the first one but liked the strange future/past being served up. Sci fi fans looking for big explosions and aliens should maybe jog on.

I’m not looking after explosions, check out Upstream Color, which is my favourite science fiction film of the last decade. It is slow and atmospheric but doesn’t bang away at just one idea for an hour, an idea which is easy to work out early on. Just because something is slow moving doesn’t automatically make it superior. It’s a fairly typical strawman arguement, that when someone criticises something which is slow and ponderous for other short comings, that all they want is explosions and action (aliens are never a bad thing though )

 

[Reno]

This is selling it quite well to me. I have friends in the film industry who are very adamant about every second absolutely having to advance either the plot or character development, but sometimes I just like the journey.

I prefer to watch something which puts effort in characterisation especially when I invest in it for several hours, but where did I say that something has to advance character development every second ? I love slow moving atmospheric films and tv but not when that’s all you get. Good science fiction needs to be based in intriguing ideas, good drama requires interesting characters and this had neither.

I’d watch more of this if it genuinely was a serialised drama, in which case I’d find the first episode an intriguing set up. But each episode is a stand alone story (sharing characters and location) and as such it was a Twilight Zone episode stretched way beyond its content. I might dip into this at a later point, it's nice eye candy but right now, being stuck at home with little to do for weeks, I don’t need a tv series which sucks the life out of me even further.

 

[ruffneck23]

Gonna have plenty of time on my hands from Friday , so il give it a look

 

[tommers]

I've watched the first three now and I love it. It's kind of sad and beautiful and otherworldly. Reminds me of Picnic at Hanging Rock, which is one of my favourite films.

 

[Buddy Bradley]

check out Upstream Color, which is my favourite science fiction film of the last decade

Hadn't thought about that movie for years, might have to seek it out again (although I preferred Primer, tbh).

 

[T & P]

I've watched the first three now and I love it. It's kind of sad and beautiful and otherworldly. Reminds me of Picnic at Hanging Rock, which is one of my favourite films.

Some of the middle episodes were a drag for me but Episode 7 is superb imo. In a way one of the cheerier ones as well, because there isn’t that much joy overall.

But to anyone who is enjoying this I would also recommend Devs (on BBC iplayer) Similar in more ways than one.

 

[sojourner]

Thanks Reno!

I absolutely LOVED this, so so much. 100% my cup of tea. Intelligent, intriguing, no spoon feeding whatsoever, and it did remind me very much of the Twilight Zone, which I was a huge fan of.

 

[DotCommunist]

I've d/l'd this for a watch tonight, sounds up my street.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Didn't really like the first one, but I did like how it touched on characters that appeared in the second which in turn had characters that appeared in the third. Sadly the third one bored me shitless and I couldn't be arsed to go any further before my prime free trial ran out. Hopefully I'll catch up again when they bring out the new series of the Boys and i'll stump up the fee for a month. After I finished parks and rec and a few other bits and bobs, I found I was only really watching Bobs Burgers. . . main problem I think was that during telly time the whole family is watching.

I like that there was not crashes and bangs, I hate that sci-fi thinks it needs explosions. . . however I think it was a little too slow in places. I'm having the same problem with 'Dark' on netflix, so maybe i've just got to slow myself down a bit.