Sci-Fi/Fantasy - Game of Thrones (HBO) #1 - You win or you die! - Page 2

Nad · 03-20-2011, 04:24 AM

Thanks for all the updates

The more trailers I see, the more excited I am about the show.

I've just started reading A Game of Thrones, so I should hopefully be finished with at least the first book before the show starts

IslandBeachBum · 03-20-2011, 06:49 AM

That's awesome, I hope you enjoy the book!

I'm in the process of rereading so I'm refreshed for the show.

I've never watched a series be promoted so much by a channel (usually it's just the opposite). HBO is really putting effort into making the easier for people who haven't read the books (and aren't familiar with all the dozens of characters). I almost feel overwhelmed by all of it (in a good way).

Edit: Added episode title and airdate for 1x03.

Nad · 03-21-2011, 04:24 AM

Thanks, it starts off quite promising

Even though I might need a list with all the characters, what they are, how they are related etc

HBO has a history of putting quite some effort into promoting shows, which is quite refreshing

IslandBeachBum · 03-21-2011, 05:54 AM

I'm not sure if your copy of A Game of Thrones has it, but in the back of my book there's an appendix of characters, listed by house and family. Maybe that will help keep names and places straight. It does get confusing, with all the same-named characters, and ones with similar names. I think it will probably be a bit easier with the show, because we'll be able to put faces together with the names.

It's definitely refreshing to see a network want their shows to succeed. I've watched a few shows on CBS the last few years that didn't get any promotion (or barely any), and then they just moved the show around to different times and nights with just a post-episode notice (and no additional promotion of the new night/time). I just can't see putting the money into making the show if a network doesn't want to promote it and give it every chance to succeed. Maybe the new Netflix original show will help kick the networks in the pants a bit so they do more to help their shows.

Andie · 03-21-2011, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nad (View Post)

Thanks, it starts off quite promising

Even though I might need a list with all the characters, what they are, how they are related etc

HBO has a history of putting quite some effort into promoting shows, which is quite refreshing

All I am saying is True Blood.

When is HBO airing the pilot?

Nad · 03-22-2011, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IslandBeachBum

I'm not sure if your copy of A Game of Thrones has it, but in the back of my book there's an appendix of characters, listed by house and family. Maybe that will help keep names and places straight. It does get confusing, with all the same-named characters, and ones with similar names. I think it will probably be a bit easier with the show, because we'll be able to put faces together with the names.

Oh, I didn't think about checking the back of the book

I know that I'm now picturing Sean Bean as Ned, so that's a start.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andie (View Post)

All I am saying is True Blood.

Exactly

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andie (View Post)

When is HBO airing the pilot?

April 17th

IslandBeachBum · 03-27-2011, 09:23 AM

Updated the OP with the title for episode four!

Only three weeks to go!

Avatar · 03-27-2011, 09:45 PM

It's coming soon.

Looking forward to this.

DiamondDreaming · 03-28-2011, 03:26 PM

I'm really looking foward to this show! Never read the book but hopefully I will be able to keep up with what is going on

!

Plus, Sky Atlantic in the UK is airing the pilot on April 18th, only one day after the US so I will be able to watch it in HD on TV without being too spoiled for once

yay.

IslandBeachBum · 03-30-2011, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiamondDreaming (View Post)

I'm really looking foward to this show! Never read the book but hopefully I will be able to keep up with what is going on

!

From what I read on the twitter page for the Televisionary, the show uses some sort of graphical map at the shift between scenes/characters in different parts of the continent? That might help keep the locations simple. Have you had a chance to see the family (House) videos linked in the opening post? That might also help give you a better idea of the various main characters.

Speaking of the Televisionary (Jace Lacob, who has a screener of the first six episodes), here are some GoT highlights (no spoilers) from his twitter account:

Quote:

Rewatching the first two eps of #GameOfThrones with my wife, who has never read the books and only seen the original pilot...

Mrs. Televisionary on new 1st ep vs old: "It's a lot more exciting. The old one? I liked it. This one? I love it!"

(con't) She loved Emilia Clarke, thought this Dany was huge improvement. And Michelle Fairley too

I asked Mrs. Televisionary if she's now a fan after seeing the new pilot episode. "Absolutely!"

(about whether to read the books or not)

Depends whether you want to be spoiled or not as series is very faithful. I'm on Book 4 and hooked...

Signs point to this being a big hit for HBO

Moving on to Ep 5 of #GameOfThrones in a few minutes. Mrs. Televisionary now a full-fledged ASOIAF convert.

Also, to whet some NYC fans appetites (and to make the rest of us not in NYC or LA, which is the next stop for the food truck, drool with envy) Free tasty Westerosi food for the first 300 fans at each location. Note, the link is for Monday's truck, so the location listed in the recap was for Tuesday's truck. I'm not sure where today's truck will be.

Edit: info on Tuesday's food truck.

Nad · 03-30-2011, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiamondDreaming (View Post)

Plus, Sky Atlantic in the UK is airing the pilot on April 18th, only one day after the US so I will be able to watch it in HD on TV without being too spoiled for once

yay.

That's great news they'll air it in the UK so soon after it premieres in the US

Oh, thanks for all the updates

I can't wait for finally watch the show

IslandBeachBum · 03-31-2011, 08:59 AM

A few more positive tweets from The Televisionary......

Quote:

Fantastic sixth episode of #GameOfThrones. I want more right now.

(in response to a questin about how the younger actors in GoT are doing as the kids...)

Fantastic! They cast the Stark kids really, really well. All of them deliver strong performances

(in response to the following tweeted question: Does the show seem on par with some of the better tv shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men / in terms of overall quality (writing, directing, etc)?)

Very, very strong. The show is extremely well-written and beautiful to behold. Quality abounds.

EDIT: Updated the OP with the titles for episodes 5-8. Also...

TV Critic Alan Sepinwall on Twitter:

Quote:

2 very early Game of Thrones thoughts: 1)First 2 eps are terrific. 2)Spelling these names right week after week is gonna kill me.

Tim Goodman, Chief TV Critic for The Hollywood Reporter on Twitter:

Quote:

Game Of Thrones fans shouldn’t be worried it won’t translate to those who didn’t read the books. So far, so awesome. In love with it.

eOnline's Jennifer Arrow Invites GoT fans to Submit Questions, and to answer someone's question she said:

Quote:

(1) Susceptibility of general public: I can only tell you that *I* was very skeptical of the show. I was afraid of being bored by the political machinations or just the detail of it all, which I now realize is like being afraid of being bored by the story one platoon's experience in landing on D-Day during World War II. Just because you're not watching the 10,000-foot view of the war doesn't mean you're not in as much or more suspense about the outcome. Going into it, I thought the producers might be blowhards, I thought the fandom and hype were absurd and annoying, and I thought I might be burned out on swords-and-sandals epics in general. Having seen the show, all those fears are allayed. It's like looking at a diamond in sunshine. So many different facets flash, and it's mesmerizing. My feeling is that it might start off slow, as far public reception, but by season's end, the show will be prime watercooler/zeitgeist fodder.

.......

(3) Pace: It moves fast, but not fast enough. As you get into the story, you're definitely left panting for more information and more forward motion, because it's so plainly evident that everything that's going on is going to have CONSEQUENCES.

And finally, a GoT Ep 1 Spoiler-Free Review -

Quote:

The first episode introduces a dizzying array of plotlines, almost to the point where you wonder whether writer/creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss can keep all the fantastical plates spinning. There are all kinds of treasonous intrigues and clandestine affairs going on, and it's to both the credit of Game Of Throne's cast and director that the show remains a gripping watch, in spite of the amount of dialogue and backstory it has to impart.

........

Viewed on its own two feet, though, this opening episode provides a confident, gripping entry point to what could have been a bewilderingly expansive saga. Game Of Thrones' canvas is enormous and continent spanning, but the superb cast keep the human element of the story front and centre.

Best of all, this opener manages something that many series debuts fail to achieve. It starts with a gripping, even frightening opening sequence, and concludes with a similar dramatic flash that left me clamouring to see the next episode.

EDIT Again: And one last tweet, from JP Moore, the Editor-in-Chief of http://www.ology.com:

Quote:

I hate fantasy. Even the Lord of the Rings movies. But Game of Thrones is incredibly good. Shockingly good.

find something real · 04-02-2011, 01:32 AM

Absolutely cannot wait for this show. All the promo features and positive reviews have me excited.

Nad · 04-02-2011, 09:25 AM

Thanks for all the new reviews

The more I read about this, the more excited I get

IslandBeachBum · 04-02-2011, 11:49 AM

I'm pretty excited too, two weeks from tomorrow!

And tomorrow night is the fifteen-minute preview (first fifteen from ep. 1), though I'm going to try and resist and wait to watch it all in one go.

If anyone's at or near Wondercon, there's a replica iron throne and a Game of Thrones booth!

EDIT: Added episode playdates and repeat airtimes for the first two episodes to the OP.

April Annis MacIntyre (Managing Editor for TV, People/Celebrity, Lifestyle and Arts for http://www.MonstersandCritics.com, AOL features) tweeted…

Quote:

watched the 1st episode of #gameofthrones last night, whoa.not a fan of the genre but LOVED it, smokes Camelot

Surprised me, not a fan of middle earth fantasy kingdom stuff but #Gameofthrones HBO out of the gate was enthralling TV

EDIT AGAIN: Another Glowing Review, by Tim Goodman at The Hollywood Reporter:

Quote:

Barely a few minutes into HBO’s epic Game of Thrones series, it’s clear that the hype was right and the wait was worth it.

Based on the bestselling fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin – often referred to as “the American Tolkein” – HBO is betting that fans of The Lord of the Rings will come to this for a sprawling, interwoven tale of feuding families, swords, sex, carnage, beasts, frayed loyalties, deception, intrigue and the pursuit of power.

As well they should. Game of Thrones has all the elements (many described above) that lure viewers to shows like The Sopranos, et al. That it’s a fantasy series shouldn’t scare anyone away, because – like Lord of the Rings – there’s a real allure to costume-dramas that pair dense mythology with all of the crowd-pleasing elements of war, honor, pride, lust, power and, yes, even humor. Thrones has all of those in spades and supports them with exceptional storytelling, strong writing, superb acting and some stunning visual effects.

The rest of the review HERE

Forum Affiliates
Star Trek Ladies
Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page


Fan Forum > General Discussion > Sci-Fi/Fantasy > Game of Thrones (HBO) #1 - You win or you die!