PCF Shows (3 Viewers)

The difference in mediums.

Well it's relevant when discussing one's subjective appreciation for one compared to the other. If you have a bias in favor of one's strengths, it will be difficult for you to ever prefer the other. So for me, no matter how good television is, if it's working within the confines of the medium as currently understood, it will be extremely difficult for television to overtake film in the eyes of someone like me who goes to motion picture mediums for mood and atmosphere. Television is simply prevented from doing that given the current restrictions - commercial and otherwise - on the medium.

Probably doesn't sound like it, but I'm agreeing to disagree. If you prefer plot and story, television is clearly telling more compelling stories. If you're looking for something more focused on visuals and aesthetics, then film will win out.

The problem with TV IMO is a show will start off pretty good, then realize they have a hit and try and drag the series on for 10 seasons completely ruining the story line. (Heroes and Lost come to mind) a movie done right has a much better story as atleast they keep on track and end it.

This is one of the commercial limitations on television I was thinking of above. But I'm definitely able to get over this in the same way I'm able to get over a botched ending to an otherwise great movie. Sure, it might get docked points/stars/whatever in my mind, but a bad ending to a movie or few seasons that were clearly a money grab will not, for me, nullify the quality of the movie or show that came before.

Compare, for instance, Breaking Bad and The Shield. Breaking Bad was probably the more consistently great show throughout its run, but The Shield stuck the landing with one of the best finales of all time whereas Breaking Bad's was, in my opinion, a complete clusterfuck. I will still put BB over The Shield 90% of the time when ranking television shows.

Then again, I'm also one of the few who, after some time, has come to love the Lost finale (the whole season and the actual finale episode).
 
I'm simply saying that television is collectively better than movies at the present time.

Movies being the overall better medium in a vacuum is irrelevant to my point.
 
I think the best TV has been better than the best movies for me. I respond more to the writing than the visuals. It's how my brain works. But the best movies of the last 5 years are still better than 99% of TV.

I've been quasi homebound or the last 5 months, and I will attest most TV is crap. For every The Wire, deadwood, or Breaking Bad, there are a million reality shows, low brow sitcoms, and procedurals so filled with expository dialog as to not even make you look up at the screen to be able to follow them.

We are in the golden age of television for sure, but most TV does not reflect this.
 
I agree with Rob and jbutler on this one. TV has too much REALLY bad stuff that gets churned out every week to say it is COLLECTIVELY better. The percentages of crap shows are amazing if you have a large satellite or cable package. And while I love me some good TV, I prefer a good movie in the overall scheme of things. Again, agree to disagree...
 
I don't even think about bad television. I mean, why would you ever watch bad TV?

With Netflix, HBO GO, Showtime Anytime and DVRs you can watch great TV whenever you want. I barely have enough time to watch the good stuff as it is.

The odds of going to the theater and seeing a quality movie is extremely low.
 
Unfortunately, a huge amount of the content on Netflix is horrible. And my DVR is full of complete shit. Because of my wife's tastes, I have a better chance of randomly seeing a good movie than catching a good tv show off my DVR or subscription based providers.
 
I don't even think about bad television. I mean, why would you ever watch bad TV?

With Netflix, HBO GO, Showtime Anytime and DVRs you can watch great TV whenever you want. I barely have enough time to watch the good stuff as it is.

The odds of going to the theater and seeing a quality movie is extremely low.

You're not being consistent with your logic. You can't assert that television is "collectively" better, but then disavow "bad TV". It's part of the "collective" that you're arguing is better. And you then compare the best TV to the odds of randomly walking into a good movie at the theater.

You can judge one against the other in two ways: the best of television versus the best of film OR the whole of contemporary television versus the whole of contemporary film.
 
In response to the OP: totally psyched about this movie. My childhood memories demand it.
 
You're not being consistent with your logic. You can't assert that television is "collectively" better, but then disavow "bad TV". It's part of the "collective" that you're arguing is better. And you then compare the best TV to the odds of randomly walking into a good movie at the theater.

You can judge one against the other in two ways: the best of television versus the best of film OR the whole of contemporary television versus the whole of contemporary film.

I'm saying there are tons of good shows out there right now and very few good movies.

The amount of bad TV doesn't change that.
 
I think TV versus film is sort of like a Beatles versus Stones argument. Hard to win because they're both going for things that are completely different. I grew up a Beatles guy and am now pretty firmly Stones. I grew up a movie guy and I'm still a movie guy, but maybe that will change.
 
I think TV versus film is sort of like a Beatles versus Stones argument. Hard to win because they're both going for things that are completely different. I grew up a Beatles guy and am now pretty firmly Stones. I grew up a movie guy and I'm still a movie guy, but maybe that will change.

Pfft Beatles are the best.

If I didn't say that my dad would disown me.
 
I think TV versus film is sort of like a Beatles versus Stones argument. Hard to win because they're both going for things that are completely different. I grew up a Beatles guy and am now pretty firmly Stones. I grew up a movie guy and I'm still a movie guy, but maybe that will change.

I think a good movie is better than a good show. Movies just happen to be terrible right now and there are tons of great shows.
 
I think a good movie is better than a good show. Movies just happen to be terrible right now and there are tons of great shows.

There are also many great movies that come out every year. Last year I had 12 that I thought were truly great and another 13 that were very, very good. We could argue how to compare those to television (by the hour? by the title?), but to simply state that movies are terrible only shows that you're not looking very hard for good ones.

Out of curiosity, how many movies do you think you've watched in 2016?
 
I think a good movie is better than a good show. Movies just happen to be terrible right now and there are tons of great shows.
I watch a lot of TV, and I am hard pressed to name a lot of great shows currently running. Can you give us a list of currently running great shows?
 
There are also many great movies that come out every year. Last year I had 12 that I thought were truly great and another 13 that were very, very good. We could argue how to compare those to television (by the hour? by the title?), but to simply state that movies are terrible only shows that you're not looking very hard for good ones.

Out of curiosity, how many movies do you think you've watched in 2016?

3 maybe 4.

And the fact you have to look hard to find a quality movie only reinforces my point.
 
I watch a lot of TV, and I am hard pressed to name a lot of great shows currently running. Can you give us a list of currently running great shows?

House of Cards
The Americans
Peaky Blinders
Daredevil
GOT

Those are off the top of my head.

But I would conisder The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men all as contemporary shows.
 
House of Cards
The Americans
Peaky Blinders
Daredevil
GOT

Those are off the top of my head.

But I would conisder The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men all as contemporary shows.


I prefer TV over movies, and I'd argue we're in the golden age of TV, but of the 4 current shows I've seen in your list of 5, I wouldn't put any of them in the top 10 of the last decade. I think you're overestimating the number of great shows in current production.
 
I prefer TV over movies, and I'd argue we're in the golden age of TV, but of the 4 current shows I've seen in your list of 5, I wouldn't put any of them in the top 10 of the last decade. I think you're overestimating the number of great shows in current production.

So you agree with me; you simply have other shows you think are better.

Again, that only reinforces my point.

Better Call Saul
Fargo

(two more I just thought of)
 
I think better call Saul is pretty strong.

I agree that the best TV of the last 15 years is better than the best movies of the last 15 years, if you prefer strong writing and storytelling.

I think saying that there is a ton of great TV right now is stating things a little stronger than I would.

TV is also better in the last decade than ever before, but if you look at the worst stuff on TV, which is way more plentiful than the good stuff, it is also worse than it's ever been.

I tend to watch far fewer movies than TV, but I only see the best movies, and it seems there are plenty of good movies being made.

So, I agree that the best tv in the last 10-15 years is better than the best movies, but not that TV is generally speaking better than movies (even though I prefer the medium). If you can call that agreement, I'm fine with that.

I watch a lot of movies based on recommendations by jbutler and others. And will say he's pretty solid on his recommendations. Since I only see what these guys consider strong movies, it seems to me there are a lot of strong movies being made. They are not that hard to find.
 
Let me help you both out

What are the good movies that I should be seeing?
http://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/pcf-at-the-movies.3587/

Movie thread

I prefer TV over movies, and I'd argue we're in the golden age of TV, but of the 4 current shows I've seen in your list of 5, I wouldn't put any of them in the top 10 of the last decade. I think you're overestimating the number of great shows in current production.
http://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/pcf-shows.4519/

TV thread
 
I thought Birdman was brilliant. My wife hated it. She'd rather watch a reality show while playing Candy Crush.

Luckily, I didn't marry her for her entertainment tastes.
 
The Leftovers
Homeland
Ray Donovan

(a few more)

I'd also point out the number of excellent actors who are on television these days. It's pretty crazy.
 
3 maybe 4.

And the fact you have to look hard to find a quality movie only reinforces my point.

No, it doesn't. Your said we aren't talking about the bad movies or the bad tv shows, only the good ones. So it is irrelevant that you "have to look" for good movies. And you don't have to look hard. But you do have to see more than 3 or 4 movies in 3 months to have any authority to say that movies are "terrible now". You can say, "I've seen 3 or 4 movies and all have been bad." I wouldn't be surprised at all by that. But it would have no weight in determining whether movies are good now. Just as my statement that I turned on the television 4 times in the last 3 months and saw nothing but junk. Because, in your words, "the amount of bad tv doesn't change" that there is good tv. Likewise with movies. But you'll need to see some more before anyone should respect any opinion you might have.

As to what you should see, I have no idea. I don't know your taste. Some of the shows you list as great I would say are okay. GoT, Better Call Saul, and The Leftovers I would say are great. Otherwise, they're simply better than we previously expected television to be. And that's not a high bar.
 
No, it doesn't. Your said we aren't talking about the bad movies or the bad tv shows, only the good ones. So it is irrelevant that you "have to look" for good movies. And you don't have to look hard. But you do have to see more than 3 or 4 movies in 3 months to have any authority to say that movies are "terrible now". You can say, "I've seen 3 or 4 movies and all have been bad." I wouldn't be surprised at all by that. But it would have no weight in determining whether movies are good now. Just as my statement that I turned on the television 4 times in the last 3 months and saw nothing but junk. Because, in your words, "the amount of bad tv doesn't change" that there is good tv. Likewise with movies. But you'll need to see some more before anyone should respect any opinion you might have.

As to what you should see, I have no idea. I don't know your taste. Some of the shows you list as great I would say are okay. GoT, Better Call Saul, and The Leftovers I would say are great. Otherwise, they're simply better than we previously expected television to be. And that's not a high bar.

Agree to disagree...
 

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