- Joined
- Jan 6, 1999
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- Real Name
- Mark
Will do, Jason! (It will probably be a couple of weeks, since I still have to finish Mad Men and it is "clogging up" my Netflix queue at the moment.)
Speaking of finishing things, I spent a bit of time this weekend deleting things off of my DVR and in a few cases finally watching the programs. One three-part BBC series really impressed me: In the Flesh.
Let me start by saying zombie-themed stories are probably the last thing I ever want to watch. I have a decided absence of interest in zombie films, save for Shaun of the Dead, though I did rent Warm Bodies and found it enjoyable enough.
I DVR'd In The Flesh when it aired on BBC America a few months ago and now it is coming to DVD on October 8th. (Here is the Amazon link.) It features Luke Newberry as a sufferer of PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome) who is in a medically supervised treatment program and is returning to his family.
Based on the promos, I thought this would be a comedy akin to Warm Bodies.
What it turned out to be is a sweet, sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, often moving gay-friendly program.
Here is a synopsis:
After an event known as "The Rising," where everybody who died in the year 2015 has risen from the dead, an inevitable Zombie war breaks out as the human race battles to rid the planet of brain eating Zombies. When the war is eventually won by the living with heavy losses on both sides, the remaining undead are headed up and put in a holding center where Norfolk, now ravaged and destroyed by war, used to be. Scientists then discover a chemical compound which subdues the Zombie craving for brains and the government subsequently decides to release these Partially Deceased Syndrome (PDS) sufferers back into the community they had recently tried to destroy. here is where the story begins as we follow Keiren Walker, a young PDS sufferer, as he is returned back to his parents in a sleepy village.
I do *not* think the DVD cover represents the series well; the images below are more accurate to the tone and look of the show.
And this promo image
This program is a not-too-subtle allegory for reintegrating any group of discriminated-against folks back into their families and into the larger society.
While it does not seem like much of a spoiler to me, the reason this series is gay-friendly is because
.
Keiran's back-story is revealed while the events that originally led to his death start happening again; it makes for some incredible moments that I am still thinking about three days later.
Reviews were very positive, including this review from The New York Times:
If you’ve avoided vampire/zombie television until now because you think it’s either dumb sci-fi or drippy romance aimed at teenagers,“In the Flesh,”[color=rgb(0,0,0);font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:15px;] a three-part mini-series that begins Thursday on BBC America, gives you a chance to find out just how well written and layered some of these shows are...[/color]
...To watch “In the Flesh” is to be dismayed by how many real-world precedents the tale has. The list of people who have been reviled and labeled, explicitly or subtly, as something less than human is long: blacks, Jews, foreigners, people with AIDS, people with disabilities. Zombies notwithstanding, this appealing series, created and written by Dominic Mitchell, works this territory as credibly as any more conventional drama.
I had no idea a zombie-themed program would make me feel so much.
I guess it is time I give The Walking Dead a chance, eh?
BTW, a second series in the works.
The DVD does not have any specs listed other than an AR of 1.78:1.
I am hoping for a commentary track, as I think it has the potential to be incredible.
Speaking of finishing things, I spent a bit of time this weekend deleting things off of my DVR and in a few cases finally watching the programs. One three-part BBC series really impressed me: In the Flesh.
Let me start by saying zombie-themed stories are probably the last thing I ever want to watch. I have a decided absence of interest in zombie films, save for Shaun of the Dead, though I did rent Warm Bodies and found it enjoyable enough.
I DVR'd In The Flesh when it aired on BBC America a few months ago and now it is coming to DVD on October 8th. (Here is the Amazon link.) It features Luke Newberry as a sufferer of PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome) who is in a medically supervised treatment program and is returning to his family.
Based on the promos, I thought this would be a comedy akin to Warm Bodies.
What it turned out to be is a sweet, sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, often moving gay-friendly program.
Here is a synopsis:
After an event known as "The Rising," where everybody who died in the year 2015 has risen from the dead, an inevitable Zombie war breaks out as the human race battles to rid the planet of brain eating Zombies. When the war is eventually won by the living with heavy losses on both sides, the remaining undead are headed up and put in a holding center where Norfolk, now ravaged and destroyed by war, used to be. Scientists then discover a chemical compound which subdues the Zombie craving for brains and the government subsequently decides to release these Partially Deceased Syndrome (PDS) sufferers back into the community they had recently tried to destroy. here is where the story begins as we follow Keiren Walker, a young PDS sufferer, as he is returned back to his parents in a sleepy village.
I do *not* think the DVD cover represents the series well; the images below are more accurate to the tone and look of the show.
And this promo image
This program is a not-too-subtle allegory for reintegrating any group of discriminated-against folks back into their families and into the larger society.
While it does not seem like much of a spoiler to me, the reason this series is gay-friendly is because
the lead character is gay
Keiran's back-story is revealed while the events that originally led to his death start happening again; it makes for some incredible moments that I am still thinking about three days later.
Reviews were very positive, including this review from The New York Times:
If you’ve avoided vampire/zombie television until now because you think it’s either dumb sci-fi or drippy romance aimed at teenagers,“In the Flesh,”[color=rgb(0,0,0);font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:15px;] a three-part mini-series that begins Thursday on BBC America, gives you a chance to find out just how well written and layered some of these shows are...[/color]
...To watch “In the Flesh” is to be dismayed by how many real-world precedents the tale has. The list of people who have been reviled and labeled, explicitly or subtly, as something less than human is long: blacks, Jews, foreigners, people with AIDS, people with disabilities. Zombies notwithstanding, this appealing series, created and written by Dominic Mitchell, works this territory as credibly as any more conventional drama.
-NEIL GENZLINGER for The New York Times
I had no idea a zombie-themed program would make me feel so much.
I guess it is time I give The Walking Dead a chance, eh?
BTW, a second series in the works.
The DVD does not have any specs listed other than an AR of 1.78:1.
I am hoping for a commentary track, as I think it has the potential to be incredible.