Taboo

..and why not?
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Dr Markus
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Taboo

Postby Dr Markus » 11 Jan 2017, 12:40

Anyone watch it on BBC one? Hardy was on the Alan carr show and basically described penny dreadful but the sounds of it, but Hardy is always watchable so i'll give it a try.
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Spec
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Re: Taboo

Postby Spec » 11 Jan 2017, 15:37

Mumble mumble mumble.

Dark screen. Vaguely see someone moving.

Mumble mumble mumble.

Cut to shot of docks. Dreary.

Bit more mumbling.

Turn off TV

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Dr Markus
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Re: Taboo

Postby Dr Markus » 12 Jan 2017, 16:33

Spec wrote:Mumble mumble mumble.

Dark screen. Vaguely see someone moving.

Mumble mumble mumble.

Cut to shot of docks. Dreary.

Bit more mumbling.

Turn off TV


I thought it set in a time when TV's weren't invented yet. :?
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Re: Taboo

Postby Dr Markus » 12 Jan 2017, 16:33

Not a great first review for it...................anyone else?
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Re: Taboo

Postby yomptepi » 13 Jan 2017, 12:34

I just watched it, and I thought it was excellent. Nice deep dark story line. London looks amazing, and so far it is grisly and unpleasant. And there is trouble brewing. Cannot wait for episode two. I think the Penny Dreadful comparison is fairly spot on so far. And I loved Penny Dreadful.
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Re: Taboo

Postby Dr Markus » 07 Feb 2017, 12:12

Watchable but nothing really that grabs you. Hardy seems to be able to hold a conversation with different sounding grunts instead of words.
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Re: Taboo

Postby KeithPratt » 07 Feb 2017, 13:48

I like it. Tom Hollander and Jonathan Pryce elevate it just enough to make it more than just Hardy mumbling and the odd frisson of violence. The only thing I don't like is that the protagonist always seems to be one step ahead of everyone in that superhero-style manner which I think makes for laziness of plot. I know he's up against everyone, but, sheesh, sometimes it's just a bit corny.

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Re: Taboo

Postby Dr Markus » 07 Feb 2017, 14:57

The dude playing his sister's husband is the hammiest actor I've seen in ages. He's laughable when he gets angry.
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Re: Taboo

Postby Dr Markus » 16 Feb 2017, 12:54

They did this in penny dreadful as well, but did people back then really use words like "cunt" and "fuck"?
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Re: Taboo

Postby Dr Markus » 20 Feb 2017, 12:31

Wow
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Re: Taboo

Postby Dr Markus » 22 Feb 2017, 01:25

Forget minimalist or method acting, Hardy is taking grunt acting to the next level.
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Re: Taboo

Postby ... » 22 Feb 2017, 10:50

Spec wrote:Mumble mumble mumble.

Dark screen. Vaguely see someone moving.

Mumble mumble mumble.

Cut to shot of docks. Dreary.

Bit more mumbling.

Turn off TV


Read a lot of reviews and readers' responses that say pretty much the same thing.

A few people I know who have sat through it, have advised me you really need to turn on the sub-titles to make sense of what's going on. While am all for realism, think makers of TV shows are taking this dark lighting and inaudible dialogue a bit far.

While I will keep all 8 episodes on my recorder for the time being, am not going to put this at the top of my to view list as there is too much other stuff worth watching around right now.

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Re: Taboo

Postby yomptepi » 25 Feb 2017, 10:00

The sound thing is only a problem if you are not watching in High Def. The same thing applies to SSGB, on BBC one this week. We watched it on SD for a few minutes and the sound was appalling. But switching over to HD and the whole thing just opened up. We have watched all of Taboo on HD and really have not had a problem with the sound or the mumbling.

i think the worst offender was Tobacco Road. but that was so bad anyway, it wasn't worth hearing the dialogue...
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Re: Taboo

Postby borofan » 25 Feb 2017, 17:54

yomptepi wrote:The sound thing is only a problem if you are not watching in High Def. The same thing applies to SSGB, on BBC one this week. We watched it on SD for a few minutes and the sound was appalling. But switching over to HD and the whole thing just opened up. We have watched all of Taboo on HD and really have not had a problem with the sound or the mumbling.

i think the worst offender was Tobacco Road. but that was so bad anyway, it wasn't worth hearing the dialogue...

I watch it in HD and have to have the subtitles on. Same with SS-GB.
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Re: Taboo

Postby ChrisB » 26 Feb 2017, 23:54

Watched all 8 episodes. Not sure whether it was excellent or pretentious twaddle. Not a patch on Penny Dreadful, but I couldn't see the comparison, anyway. Tom mumble? Batman ...mumble (although he was wearing a face mask), Mad Max ....mumble, Revenant ....mumble. There seems to be a pattern emerging.

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Re: Taboo

Postby Tactful Cactus » 28 Feb 2017, 18:39

I'm halfway through and there's alot to like. The period is fascinating, set in that horrible era of decadent imperialism. The bubbling conflict with cheeky upstarts the United States is interesting, if its any way true then they had an underhanded CIA type mentality right from the get-go. Any book recommendations here? I'd love to read more about the US in Europe during the conflict. The visuals are amazing and 1800's London looks great (in that it looks really dark, muddy and terrifying!). They make best use of the Georgian parts of London so CGI is kept to a minimum. Expertly done.

Some of it doesn't quite work. Mark Gattis as the King is good but his comically gross League of Gentleman acting doesn't fit the tone. Jonathan Pryce's character just seems thick and outsmarted at every turn, its hard to believe he's the head of a world domineering company. Then there's Hardy -- he effortlessly outsmarts everyone, every woman (and some men) want to shag him, endless money to burn, heroic self-destruction and he can make his half-sister cum from a fireplace 10 miles away! I see from the credits he's all over this. Its a vanity project. He does his usual gruff realism and it all fits around him. Maybe it could have been better without him, maybe it wouldn't have got made without him.

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Re: Taboo

Postby Tactful Cactus » 03 Mar 2017, 19:34

Finished it last night, it got really weak at the end. You need much better writing to pull off a story where one man can convincingly play three major powers against each other. Too much was left to chance, it just left it far fetched. The clincher was escaping the British army by getting 100 yards out of the harbour! For an army with the greatest naval power in the world that was a stroke of luck for Mr Voodoo Mumbles.

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Re: Taboo

Postby yomptepi » 03 Mar 2017, 19:47

Tactful Cactus wrote:Finished it last night, it got really weak at the end. You need much better writing to pull off a story where one man can convincingly play three major powers against each other. Too much was left to chance, it just left it far fetched. The clincher was escaping the British army by getting 100 yards out of the harbour! For an army with the greatest naval power in the world that was a stroke of luck for Mr Voodoo Mumbles.


The last ten minutes were a big let down. But the trip was great fun. It looked fantastic, and it was wonderful being drawn into that world so convincingly. Shame they couldn't put together a better finale though. I was left confused and disappointed.
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Re: Taboo

Postby Tactful Cactus » 03 Mar 2017, 20:18

I was confused too, but if you're not invested in the story you stop caring. It is a pity though, the period setting was fantastic.

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Re: Taboo

Postby ChrisB » 04 Mar 2017, 00:08

Tactful Cactus wrote:Finished it last night, it got really weak at the end. You need much better writing to pull off a story where one man can convincingly play three major powers against each other. Too much was left to chance, it just left it far fetched. The clincher was escaping the British army by getting 100 yards out of the harbour! For an army with the greatest naval power in the world that was a stroke of luck for Mr Voodoo Mumbles.

How fast was that ship? On a calm day as well. Certainty for gold medal for sailing in the next Olympics


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