I won’t pretend that it’s ground-breaking TV or unmissable or anything like that, but I just finished The Gryphon on Prime and really enjoyed it.
It’s kind of a mix of Stranger Things and Supernatural - kid has powers to enter a dark fantasy world and has to defeat the evil forces there kinda thing, mentor-like big brother etc - but it’s based on a book written in the mid-80s so predates both, interestingly.
Ironically, despite being written in the 80s and being reminscent of a show celebrating that decade, it’s actually set in the mid-90s and has a kick-ass soundtrack.
The effects are a bit ropey in places (you can tell the budget is modest) but I enjoyed the storyline, the nature of the fantasy world and most of the characters. Give it a watch if you’re stuck for viewing.
Would also recommend watching it in its original German with subtitles, rather than the dubbed version.
I notice this news story in the Graun. Apparently, They are scrapping a TV series remake of Fritz Lang’s classic Metropolis due to the writers strike:
This got me thinking. Which other film and TV series should they absolutely leave alone and never sully with their derivative, pale-imitation re-imaginings? I think I’d start with 2001: A Space Odyssey.
It was pointing the finger at Netflix’s grim obsession with true crime docs and the explotative nature of them. It was more of a Black Mirror episode than Demon 79.
It wasn’t a mystery that required a detective like Bergerac to solve, but a well told story set in a beautiful location. I enjoyed it.
Yeah, that’s a good point and I can buy that. There was seemingly an absence of technology in the point the episode was making and that made it feel out of place, but I guess I can buy that a comment on streaming services scratching for content and leaning heavily on exploitive content is a commentary about the role of tech.
Yes, it’s a great show. Not a fan of Clarkson the person, but it’s not only entertaining but you learn a lot about farming and the state of it in the UK right now.
