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The River | OT | Season 1 | From the makers Paranormal Activity
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RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
This is very surprising. Oh well.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
For me, too. I thought it would do pretty well.
scar tissue
Banned
Loved the first episode, but then again I'm a sucker for both fake found footage and the rainforest. Wasn't THAT scary but showed tons of potential. I particularly like what they did with the cameras fixed to the boat (even tho they kinda overdid it, there's like 20 cameras per room) and the flying drone.
One thing bugged me: how did they retrieve the footage of
?
Makes no sense at all, the footage would have been lost.
And the CGI is terribad. Seriously, the worst I've seen since the infamous explosion in Predators. Fucking dragonflies add nothing besides looking like shit.
Still, kinda sad this won't make it to S2.
One thing bugged me: how did they retrieve the footage of
the guy who was killed & tossed into the water
Makes no sense at all, the footage would have been lost.
And the CGI is terribad. Seriously, the worst I've seen since the infamous explosion in Predators. Fucking dragonflies add nothing besides looking like shit.
Still, kinda sad this won't make it to S2.
BlueTsunami
there is joy in sucking dick
I really wish they didn't go with the whole reality TV bullshit. It drags all the other cool shit down with all the "hurr durr we're asshole reality TV people".
Sirpopopop
Member
I enjoyed the premise of the show. The mythology on this show was one of the more interesting ones I've seen in the past few years.
They do need to work a little bit on the characters. Other than the wife, everyone else has a relatively blank slate character wise, is a cliche, or has a relatively uneven character.
Too bad they won't get the chance to work on it. We all know this show is heading to the cancellation bin after this run is over.
They do need to work a little bit on the characters. Other than the wife, everyone else has a relatively blank slate character wise, is a cliche, or has a relatively uneven character.
Too bad they won't get the chance to work on it. We all know this show is heading to the cancellation bin after this run is over.
Adam Scott Aukerman
Member
I thought the initial premise set up by the pilot was mostly interesting (and refreshingly unusual), but the ghost-of-the-week format the second episode seems to establish, in which 'anything goes' (it appears), I'm sure will amount to a boring and incoherent mess for the rest of the series.
I liked the pilot and where it was going but the second plot kinda threw the magic out of the window. The first episode had a sense of mystery and you felt like Emmit had stumbled on something magical finally.....but then the second episode throws the supernatural and magic stuff in your face the minute they step into the jungle. If they're going to be coming across something new and magical every week in this jungle, it will make Emmit's discovery kinda worthless in the end.
a secret-boss
Banned
it was ok gonna watch it again just to see
jamesinclair
Banned
Just watched on Hulu. Ive been excited for this show since it was announced.I dont like scary movies, havent even watched the Paranormal Activity films, but taking the concept to TV seems interesting. As far as I know, nothing like this has ever been attempted as a TV show.
I was further intrigued when I learned it would "only" be 8 episodes. Seems perfect for the concept.
I enjoyed the episodes, however....
The girl (in her very mexico city accent) says "american education (lol)" when someone replies to her in bad French.
The amazing irony is that theyre in the Amazon. They dont speak mexican spanish in the amazon. They speak portuguese. Not a single word in portuguese was said during the show, even in the floating boat village (an accurate representation of people living on the amazon).
American education indeed.
The horror format is nice, but the commercials ruin in.
*nothing*
*suspense*
*suspense*
*suspense*
*BOOM SCARY!*
*Come to the home depot to buy paint!"
Really...? If every "scare" is going to be right before a commercial break, thats useless. At least the first episode started out with 20 or so minutes and no commercials. But then after that it was constant interruptions.
And then the second episode established that they managed to take an 8 episode mini-series and make it a monster of the week affair.
So the big scary blood-sucking monster from episode 1 gets resolved...in episode one? I would have thought the entire series would be based on them being stuck on the boat and getting attacked. But nope, fixed and move on.
And then in episode 2, they find a new "horror", solve the problem and move on.
MOTW. It's as deep as the thirteen ghosts of scooby doo.
Like djsandman said, it went from "holy shit theres something fucked up going on here!" to "oh, theyre just going to keep stumbling across conveniently located ghosts?"
I was further intrigued when I learned it would "only" be 8 episodes. Seems perfect for the concept.
I enjoyed the episodes, however....
The girl (in her very mexico city accent) says "american education (lol)" when someone replies to her in bad French.
The amazing irony is that theyre in the Amazon. They dont speak mexican spanish in the amazon. They speak portuguese. Not a single word in portuguese was said during the show, even in the floating boat village (an accurate representation of people living on the amazon).
American education indeed.
The horror format is nice, but the commercials ruin in.
*nothing*
*suspense*
*suspense*
*suspense*
*BOOM SCARY!*
*Come to the home depot to buy paint!"
Really...? If every "scare" is going to be right before a commercial break, thats useless. At least the first episode started out with 20 or so minutes and no commercials. But then after that it was constant interruptions.
And then the second episode established that they managed to take an 8 episode mini-series and make it a monster of the week affair.
So the big scary blood-sucking monster from episode 1 gets resolved...in episode one? I would have thought the entire series would be based on them being stuck on the boat and getting attacked. But nope, fixed and move on.
And then in episode 2, they find a new "horror", solve the problem and move on.
MOTW. It's as deep as the thirteen ghosts of scooby doo.
Like djsandman said, it went from "holy shit theres something fucked up going on here!" to "oh, theyre just going to keep stumbling across conveniently located ghosts?"
Interesting, I kind of love it when stuff like this is caught by the audience. Of course, for logistical and possibly union-related reasons, taping in Puerto Rico and then Hawaii was the smart choice. And when you cast extras from Puerto Rico, you're going to get Spanish speakers almost 10 times out of 10, according to the U.S. Census.
That character's surname is Valenzuela, a Spanish surname, so her (Jahel) speaking Spanish isn't that big of a deal. But for the scenes with the indigenous people. . . Oh well, I guess it was just one of those details ABC and the producers found to be "irrelevant."
Nailed it
a secret-boss
Banned
while everybody else were panicking the lone camera man films their reaction; not look at the source of their horror, but their reaction.
Balls of steel
Balls of steel
Even in the parts reaching into Peru/Bolivia? I have no deeper knowledge of languages in South America other than Brasil->Portugese, rest->Spanish. As far as I remember the show doesn't really specify a specific location.
AngmarsKing701
Member
I thought it was a pretty good show. There are some annoyances. The cameras catching everything going on is too convenient. It does take the viewer out of the story when you have to question how some of this stuff is being captured. It likely would have been better without commercials, but oh well. Network TV.
I do think the MOTW format will strain things. They had the big scary thing in ep 1, then they get off the boat and it's a different ghost. That was acceptable, seeing as how they'd left the boat. But I hope the big scary thing from ep 1 isn't gone for good.
As for characterization, it's a little tough to build characters up over 80 minutes, when you have so much other stuff going on and there are so many characters. But I thought there were moments that helped set the characters. I think Lincoln is supposed to start out as the annoying/dubious/my dad left me character, and over time I suspect he'll "grow" into being something very much like his dad. The mom is the impetus behind the expedition. She fuels things until the son takes control. I like Lena; I think there's more going on there with all of her background communications with Emmet.
And of course we have the private security guy who has his own agenda.
The camera crew ... well, one of them was a red shirt. We'll see what happens with them, but right now they feel superfluous. They're there only because the show format is the found camera footage thing. Meh.
I do think the MOTW format will strain things. They had the big scary thing in ep 1, then they get off the boat and it's a different ghost. That was acceptable, seeing as how they'd left the boat. But I hope the big scary thing from ep 1 isn't gone for good.
As for characterization, it's a little tough to build characters up over 80 minutes, when you have so much other stuff going on and there are so many characters. But I thought there were moments that helped set the characters. I think Lincoln is supposed to start out as the annoying/dubious/my dad left me character, and over time I suspect he'll "grow" into being something very much like his dad. The mom is the impetus behind the expedition. She fuels things until the son takes control. I like Lena; I think there's more going on there with all of her background communications with Emmet.
And of course we have the private security guy who has his own agenda.
The camera crew ... well, one of them was a red shirt. We'll see what happens with them, but right now they feel superfluous. They're there only because the show format is the found camera footage thing. Meh.
Friday Night Lights.
This and Supernatural
BoboBrazil
Member
Anyone else watch tonight? It was awesome. Waaaaaaaaaaay improved over the premiere.
Loved it. I think we're the only ones here who are going to follow this series.
backflip10019
Member
Last night's episode was alright up until the end. A couple of things were bothering me:
- The girl who can only speak Spanish but seems to understand English fairly well. It seems like she has a fairly comprehensive understanding of the individual dangers of the area, yet only mentions them after they find signs of them. I can understand why they'd do that from the writer's perspective but it annoyed me that she didn't warn them earlier.
- The resolution at the end of the episode. So they proved to this undead ancient Amazonian tribe that they were worthy of exploring the jungle by offering to sacrifice themselves. Seemed a little corny to me... I wish that someone would've faced off (no pun intended) with one before this resolution.
Harry Potter
Banned
I actually really liked last nights episode. Everything except how well everyone maneuvered when blind.
Haven't watched it yet, hopefully tomorrow. Enjoyed the first 2.
FUBAR McDangles
Member
I really enjoyed the third episode. Like someone said above, the blindness sickness really got to me. I liked some of the reveals in this episode, and the little scene between Lincoln and the producer guy. The bodyguard has to be working for some type of government somewhere. I'm really interested in what exactly this "source" is as well.
Side note: this show sucks at getting everyone's names out there. I know Lincoln and Emmitt or however it is spelled. Beyond that I have to go online and find the cast list.
And for future reference: We don't have to spoiler tag anything that's already been aired, right? I can come back and edit this post if I'm wrong.
Overall, good show. I hope it gets to tell its full story, even though the reviews and ratings aren't as strong as they should be.
Side note: this show sucks at getting everyone's names out there. I know Lincoln and Emmitt or however it is spelled. Beyond that I have to go online and find the cast list.
And for future reference: We don't have to spoiler tag anything that's already been aired, right? I can come back and edit this post if I'm wrong.
Overall, good show. I hope it gets to tell its full story, even though the reviews and ratings aren't as strong as they should be.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
Harry Potter
Banned
backflip10019
Member
Wow, not looking good for a second season.
BoboBrazil
Member
Ratings were bad all around due to Valentine's day, but with this and the rating dropping every quarter hour last week, it is pretty much guaranteed not to have a 2nd season, which is a shame as it is pretty entertaining. Only thing I would change is I would have the spanish girl speak english. Having her speak only spanish is dumb, especially when her dad speaks english.
BoboBrazil
Member
They are on different networks. This is ABC and that is FOX. Although this is definitely a better show than Terra Nova. Of Fox's new shows both Alcatraz and Touch are better than Terra Nova. Terra Nova was horrible.
Lol did my research after the premiere!Jahel is 20? Damn, I was going to call you a perv
Sho_Nuff82
Member
This show is really the kind of show that should be wrapped up in a miniseries. You can't extend the monster of a week formula out forever with such a small cast - knowing that the main characters won't die takes away the suspense.
One thing that really bothers me is the shots when we actually see the cameraman as we are traversing through the woods. So we're to believe that he's running ahead of the group, placing cameras down, and then running back to film them as they sludge through the jungle? This is the problem with the found footage premise. Why would he have the camera pointing at himself as he was digging for the flower underground? He wouldn't even be able to see. It makes sense on the boat or when they set up camp to have static cameras strategically placed around, but not as they're trying to do life and death escapes.
I'm just having a harder and harder time suspending disbelief as the show goes on. No one has any sense of danger or self-preservation ("hey, can you head up to the navigation room, blind and alone, to get me some string?" or "I know everyone's blind, but I'm going to walk around not saying anything so people can't tell when I sneak up behind them, oh no, I got stabbed") until it's convenient for the plot (when the cameraman says, "whelp, you two are blind and as good as dead, fuck you I'm out").
I'm going to stick with it, because from time to time it does have some genuine suspense and creepy moments, but I'm not going to hold my breath for a satisfying conclusion.
One thing that really bothers me is the shots when we actually see the cameraman as we are traversing through the woods. So we're to believe that he's running ahead of the group, placing cameras down, and then running back to film them as they sludge through the jungle? This is the problem with the found footage premise. Why would he have the camera pointing at himself as he was digging for the flower underground? He wouldn't even be able to see. It makes sense on the boat or when they set up camp to have static cameras strategically placed around, but not as they're trying to do life and death escapes.
I'm just having a harder and harder time suspending disbelief as the show goes on. No one has any sense of danger or self-preservation ("hey, can you head up to the navigation room, blind and alone, to get me some string?" or "I know everyone's blind, but I'm going to walk around not saying anything so people can't tell when I sneak up behind them, oh no, I got stabbed") until it's convenient for the plot (when the cameraman says, "whelp, you two are blind and as good as dead, fuck you I'm out").
I'm going to stick with it, because from time to time it does have some genuine suspense and creepy moments, but I'm not going to hold my breath for a satisfying conclusion.
a secret-boss
Banned
The bleeping at the tree scene. Lol
ur typical found footage shows, they need to make a story for the cameras. Sigh
Wat is the scooby doo crew going to do next week
ur typical found footage shows, they need to make a story for the cameras. Sigh
Wat is the scooby doo crew going to do next week
She's fucking hot.
I really hate that this show is bombing. It's not the best show I've ever seen, but it deserves more attention than it's getting. I think they should start advertising some more.
That cave in scene had me biting nails the whole time. I made me feel extremely claustrophobic and uncomfortable.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
Silent assassins>doll tree>smoke monster for sure. This was definitely an improvement over the first two episodes.
Yes. Once an episode has aired you don't have to spoiler content from that episode.
Me too. That scene was really claustrophobic and tense.
Yes. Once an episode has aired you don't have to spoiler content from that episode.
Me too. That scene was really claustrophobic and tense.
AngmarsKing701
Member
I really like the show. I wouldn't call it scary really, but it's creepy and tense and is doing a good job nailing the atmosphere.
I love the comment above about "what will the Scooby Doo crew do next week?" It definitely has that vibe.
Too bad the ratings are so low, but I'm hoping the 8 eps give us some kind of conclusion. More Scooby snacks?!?!
I love the comment above about "what will the Scooby Doo crew do next week?" It definitely has that vibe.
Too bad the ratings are so low, but I'm hoping the 8 eps give us some kind of conclusion. More Scooby snacks?!?!
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