Author Topic: Game of Thrones  (Read 68114 times)

fuzzy

Game of Thrones
« on: 03 June, 2011, 01:59:27 pm »
I have been watching this occasionaly so haven't seen all the episodes.

It seems to be an OK programme so far.

I think I will invest in the box set of DVD's when they emerge.

One question though, how does Sean Bean manage to get cast as hailing from 'oop north' even in a fantasy world?

Mr Larrington

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #1 on: 03 June, 2011, 02:14:28 pm »
See also the Lord Of The Rings films.  Boromir quite clearly from Sheffield.
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clarion

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #2 on: 03 June, 2011, 02:15:46 pm »
Most planets have a North </Christopher Eccleston>
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Regulator

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #3 on: 03 June, 2011, 03:15:58 pm »
I have been watching this occasionaly so haven't seen all the episodes.

It seems to be an OK programme so far.

I think I will invest in the box set of DVD's when they emerge.

One question though, how does Sean Bean manage to get cast as hailing from 'oop north' even in a fantasy world?

We've downloaded all the episodes.  Excellent series.

Mr Bean is still as toothsome as ever, if not as young as his Sharpe days...
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Tourist Tony

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #4 on: 06 June, 2011, 12:46:27 am »
I started to read the books years ago, and stopped quite quickly. I rather like George R R R R R R Martin's style, but this didn;t work for me.

Of course, having no television, if I have completely the wrong story.....

andygates

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #5 on: 06 June, 2011, 07:34:34 am »
We've downloaded all the episodes.  Excellent series.

Mr Bean is still as toothsome as ever, if not as young as his Sharpe days...

I had a friend over who was bemoaning the lack of Bean on telly, so I had to point this out to her.  There was droolygrinding.   ;D
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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #6 on: 08 June, 2011, 11:33:01 am »
I started to read the books years ago, and stopped quite quickly. I rather like George R R R R R R Martin's style, but this didn;t work for me.

Of course, having no television, if I have completely the wrong story.....

I'm the same - I'm an avid reader of Fantasy stuff but I just couldn't read his books. I watched the first episode of the TV series and felt the same.

Bored bored bored.
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LindaG

Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #7 on: 08 June, 2011, 11:42:19 am »
Hm, my son loves the books, I borrowed them and thought they were pretty good, of their kind.  I forgot this series was coming on, I meant to watch it  ::-)

Wascally Weasel

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #8 on: 08 June, 2011, 12:11:34 pm »
I have read the books and although I reasonably enjoyed the first one I did so less and less as the series continued.  I did think it started well and I had high hopes for it.

What I originally liked was the setting, some of the ideas and the apparent lack of magic (which I have always mostly thought as the poor quality fantasy writing get out clause/deus ex machina rather than anything of real interest).

It just seemed more and more repetitive as it continued and less and less interesting as it went on (and on and on)*.  My personal feeling is that Martin won’t actually finish it and quite frankly I’m not bothered.  I felt that he had written himself in to a (quite dull) corner in the last book and I just don’t care about any of the characters anymore.  It’s an overly drawn out soap opera punctuated with battles.

I haven’t watched the series but if I did I reckon I would probably like it at first but depending on how faithful it is I would probably lose interest – I think this is the sort of project that has ‘Cancelled in series three’ written all over it anyway so I’m reluctant to invest time in it in case it is.

People I know are divided on their opinion on the novels, mostly on gender lines.  Most of my male friends (that would self select as fantasy readers) are either ambivalent or hate it, wheras a greater proportion of my female friends that are also fantasy readers are big fans.

I don’t know why this is as I didn’t get the impression that it was written to appeal more to female readers.  Perhaps male readers are put off by all of the ‘good’ male characters being so bloody stupidly trusting although I can’t understand why men would feel any differently about this than female readers.  I’ve never understood why some authors whose writings appear gender neutral in appeal seem to attract a larger male or female fanbase.


*I don’t know if this is because I’m older. When I was a teenager the prospect of reading book after book in a series was an exciting thing – never mind the quality, see the page count (I even read stuff like Terry Brooks and David Eddings).  Now I wish people could write decent, self contained individual novels.

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #9 on: 08 June, 2011, 12:18:15 pm »
I prefer a more highbrow game of thrones.

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LindaG

Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #10 on: 08 June, 2011, 12:18:21 pm »
One thing I noticed about the books -  there was an awful lot of rape going on.

Now, I know rape is a feature of war, but really.  Is there any need?

citoyen

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #11 on: 08 June, 2011, 12:28:59 pm »
Before I saw the first episode, I was really looking forward to it. Then I read several comments from separate sources saying that the first ten minutes of the first episode were brilliant, then it went steeply downhill from there. I thought that sounded a bit weird, but then I watched the first episode and it proved to be spot on. The first ten minutes of the first episode are amazing. If the rest of the series had been like that, it would have been essential viewing.

In fact, it's bog-standard teenage boy wank fantasy material. Borderline misogynistic. Probably not even borderline, actually. As Lindagordinho says, some of the material is in extremely dubious taste and gratuitously so.

I tried to give it a chance but I knew I'd had enough when a character was introduced as "The Lord of the King's Coin" or something like that. So he's an accountant? I'm quite tolerant of pompous fantasy nonsense, but that was a cringe too far for me.

Peter Dinklage is brilliant though - it's almost worth watching just for him. Almost.

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #12 on: 08 June, 2011, 01:01:28 pm »
I've heard this described as "Babylon 5 on horses".  I may therefore have to make an effort to watch it, as I'm not normally into this fantasy stuff.  Or horses.

Wascally Weasel

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #13 on: 08 June, 2011, 01:24:02 pm »
I've heard this described as "Babylon 5 on horses".  I may therefore have to make an effort to watch it, as I'm not normally into this fantasy stuff.  Or horses.

I didn’t get that from the books and I *liked* Babylon 5.  It is of course entirely possible that the series adaptation has made it more like that though.

Since as you know the main B5 story arc was basically Lord of the Rings in Space, I can see why people might make that B5 connection about GoT but it isn’t to me.  It’s the War of the Roses with added dragons (and a construct where even though the ‘good’ side is incredibly stupid and the ‘evil’ side so terribly clever it’s still going on and an and on forever).

Personally I think I may have oversold it  ;D

Regulator

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #14 on: 08 June, 2011, 11:28:40 pm »
GoT doesn't really 'take off' until the second and third episodes.  But I'm enjoying it.
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andygates

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #15 on: 09 July, 2011, 05:46:36 pm »
Megamap!

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fuzzy

Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #16 on: 09 July, 2011, 11:28:01 pm »
Is that some fucker harpooning a Narwhal top right of that map Andy?

Kim

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #17 on: 09 February, 2012, 10:21:11 pm »
Well I watched it.  It was rather good television (I was, admittedly, hooked by the opening sequence), but it's no Babylon 5.  I suspect it may have peaked at the end of S1, but will probably watch S2 to confirm.


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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #18 on: 26 February, 2012, 04:52:51 pm »
Just been notified by Amazon that the Blu Ray box set is on its way and should arrive tomorrow. Looking forward to it, its rated 9.4 on imdb.com, which is the barometer I use for films & tv.

Frere

citoyen

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #19 on: 29 February, 2012, 04:05:01 pm »
GoT doesn't really 'take off' until the second and third episodes.  But I'm enjoying it.

I've heard this from a few sources now so I may give it another go.

Also, I'm invited to the DVD launch party tonight and I've heard rumours that both Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage will be there, along with various other cast members. And probably copious quantities of flagons of mead and buxom wenches. Oh yes.  :thumbsup:

d.
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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #20 on: 29 February, 2012, 05:37:30 pm »
Devoured the box set in 2 sittings. Loved it. Roll on the second series !

Frere

Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #21 on: 29 February, 2012, 07:10:37 pm »
I thought the boxed set wasn't released 'til next month, or is that just the Blu-ray?

Anyway, I've not seen any of the tv series, but I've recently discovered the books. I'm finding them kinda absorbing. I like the fact that, for all it's set in a fantasy world with dragons and magic, one hardly ever sees these things and the focus of the plot is on the people and the power games. I also like the variety of perspectives - it means that someone who is *clearly* the Bad Guy can tell his version of events, and lead you to realise that everyone is a little bit black, but no-one is truly evil.

On the down-side, yes, it's a bit rapey. On the one hand, rape is and always has been prevalent in war, and whilst some of the rape scenes are a bit gratuitous, I didn't feel they came close to the levels of Wilbur Smith or Bernard Cornwall. On the other hand, notice how the Named Characters and "good" girls (and boys) don't get raped?
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On the whole, I am finding them a diverting read. Some bits are a bit slow and tedious (like the whole of book 2), but generally the variety of narrators helps keep the pace up.
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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #23 on: 11 February, 2013, 11:17:23 am »
MrsC and I are watching this atm.

I'm enjoying it; there are some truly brill characters (Peter Dinklage, the eunuch, and many more).

The 'prostitutes are all happy giggling women with boobs bouncing in front of the camera' meme is pissing me off mightily.  That plus the 'women love a strong man who takes them hard from behind'. Oh FFS.

Some of the fight scenes are very very good. Oddly I approve of fighting being shown as bloody, disfiguring and messy.
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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #24 on: 11 February, 2013, 11:48:12 am »
The sex scenes are fairly rapey, which is a shame because aside from that, there are some pretty strong female characters; Catelyn Stark, Daenerys Targaryen to name two. These are developed much more in S2.

S1 is visually stunning on Blu-Ray, and I'll be snaffling up S2 on 9th March.

Boab & I love it. I guess she has to put her feminist leanings to one side during the more challenging moments. That, or she seethes very quietly so I haven't noticed  ;).

Oh, and we can't wait for Joffrey to get what's coming to him, little f*cker...