Oscar: Hello Cerritos college students and faculty members, welcome back to Falcon entertainment, the only podcast here at Talon Marks where we talk about all things entertainment. As always, I’m your host, Oscar Torres, co-editor for arts and entertainment. Unfortunately, my co-host Rafael couldn’t make it today. So instead, I brought in two fellow writers from Talonmarks. Go ahead and introduce yourself.
Vincent: Hi, I’m Vincent Medina, I’m the Community editor for Talon Marks newspaper. Thanks for having me, Oscar.
Emily: Hi, I’m Emily Melgar. I am the Opinion editor for Talon Marks newspaper. Happy to be here with you guys. Thanks, Oscar.
Oscar: You’re welcome. Great to have you two joining me today, and for today’s topic, we are going to be taking a look at streaming services and looking at three of them to see which one ranks the better from pricing, quality, and content-wise. First off is Netflix, and why don’t you can take the room.
Vincent: Okay, so for Netflix, we’re going to be talking about the most recent content since August 2020. And we’re going to start with the biggest one, “The Queen’s Gambit,” which was released late last year. The show centers around a young orphan girl who becomes a chess prodigy, and Anya Taylor Joy, the actress who plays the main character, she described the show as “not so much about chess but about the price of genius,” and that’s definitely true as her character, Beth Harmon struggles with addiction, as she becomes the greatest chess player in the world. And so for this one, I really appreciate the attention to detail that Netflix incorporated into the show. Starting with the protagonist Harmon’s wardrobe. Everything that Beth wears reflects chess. From when she starts out in the series, her clothes as an orphan are very bland and plain like a pawn. But in the final scene, she dresses as a white queen, and her dresses throughout the show symbols are checkered to show a check to show a chessboard and black and white to reflect the black and white pieces. So the attention to detail that they put in here was very interesting, the flow of the show as well. Being a limited series in shows like that, you would expect more quality over quantity and the depth. And they had an equal balance of both, and the show flowed, and it felt natural, and it didn’t feel rushed at all, so this was a really good show to bring to the streaming service.
Emily: I agree it was really popular. I myself haven’t watched it, but I just know that Twitter or Facebook, I mean all the memes and all that everyone was talking about how well the show was. The show was done, so this is like another one in the books for Netflix as far as originals go.
Vincent: Yeah, I totally agree with you, and funnily enough, since the series, released the sales in chess boards have actually gone up like 20%, which was hilarious. And I believe Anya Taylor Joy just won a Golden Globe for her work as the lead actress in a limited series. So her work was great. And the casting was also incredible, each character, each cast member played their role believably, and I felt that it was, the show was believable. It was like, it was a female – the show is set in the late 60s, and to have a female rise to such heights, during those times, It would have been met with a lot of skepticism and sexism, and I felt they had that the series dealt with that issue in a very believable manner. In the beginning, as she became a chess prodigy and started proving herself in the real world, she’s met with a lot of sexism when a reporter, like, in there was in her first chess tournament. The people who let her in said “we don’t have a section for girls.” And when they did mention it in her first article, the reporter capitalized on her being a woman. As she grew, she proved herself to people and started taking her more seriously. I felt like that is accurate and how it would have been dealt then and definitely how it’s dealt now. Like there have to be some women have to prove themselves more and more. Unlike men who just walk in, and people take them seriously.
Emily: Yeah. And there other time period piece Bridgerton did well. Also, I also didn’t watch it, but I know it did very well also.
Vincent: They, I admit I haven’t watched it either but from what I can tell it’s a show set in the United Kingdom. Yeah, during a long time ago. But they, people have described it as “you think you can watch the show with your mother but it turns out you can’t.” So I guess there’s a lot of sexual activity in the show from as far as I can tell.
Emily: It was a bit racy. Yeah, like the scenes were very sexualized and people were, you know, shocked but like also, you know, it’s kind of like that, you can’t help but want didn’t want to, you know, teaching and stuff so did very well on the other side of that I mean Netflix just continues to dominate the streaming services in my opinion. I personally am a sucker for the true-crime, so I watched the “Nightstalker hunt for a killer” that came out earlier this year, and it was riveting. They have, it’s like, narrated by with audio clips of his name was Richard Ramirez, that he was, you know, killed, people have like all ages, all sexes, like had no type children. And here in LA, and it’s just kind of crazy to watch something that happened, so close to so many years ago you know before our time. But , I think Netflix did a really good job with that, and incorporating the interviews that they have with him because it’s kind of intense to, to hear you know a serial killer’s voice so that’s you know, obviously it’s everything that’s like risky that you know the audience loves. So that’s why crime documentaries do very well just like the vanishing at the seal hotel, the Cecil Hotel actually which brings a whole. I mean, people thought it was gonna be a street crime documentary, but I don’t know if you guys have watched it. It ended up being way more than that because it kind of got into Skid Row, the homelessness problem in LA, the drug problem in LA. Also mental health because Elise, who was the one who – the woman who went missing and eventually was found in the water tower. She just had gone off her meds and so like mental health is like a is a, is a big proponent in the documentary, they kind of circle back to like, oh, this was mysterious was it a crime? Like mental health is really important, so I mean I think Netflix does this some sometimes with, you know, the correct message in their, in their movies or originals but I think that this one, they did, they did a good job so I would say that Netflix has had really good quality content, so far this year and, and last year as well. So, I personally think Netflix wins, Oscar, do you have any, any opinions on that?
Oscar: Now, if your folks are wondering why I’m staying silent, it’s because I have no idea like what Netflix shows their heart, like, like if you I’m not a Netflix person, the only time I watched Netflix is to watch the Marvel’s shows, Transylvania, Witcher, and that’s about it. Any other show that they have, I’d rather just not – I’ll just get to the like anime or other action shows, comedies. Most, in turn what, from what I hear so far is really interesting. Will again, will I watch those shows? No. But yeah, shows I really get into me the same way that like comic book movies or action movies go. That’s just my thing.
Emily: Yeah, I agree. I mean, I think that Netflix is has, has its own like niche audience. I think that that’s one thing that you mentioned that because as soon as you know Disney plus came in, which I know you’ll talk about later in the podcast, is that that came in then Disney. I mean the Netflix kind of lost that audience in particular. So, before you start talking about Disney plus I do want to quickly, I think that who’s still a powerful streaming service, obviously not as, you know, much as Netflix in terms of originals, but I do want to honorably mentioned “Zoe’s extraordinary, extraordinary playlist.” It’s like, very unique because it’s like a TV show slash musical and those haven’t really been done before. You obviously have musicals that are movies but you don’t have them in TV shows very often I think maybe like Glee on the show crazy ex girlfriends are like some of the only ones that happen. And this one’s just a little bit more modern. I personally really like it. I’m really excited for the next season of Handmaid’s Tale also. I don’t know if either of you have watched Handmaid’s Tale, but that is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen and it’s a Hulu original and kind of how you were mentioning about women and all the challenges that women face, Vincent. On this show is all about that it’s kind of like a future in which women have no rights, like at all, which is kind of scary given the political climate that we have been headed with the previous administration that let’s dive into that because as long as entertainment but it’s just a very entertaining show it’s addicting. I’m waiting for the next season, and it did just release “Nomad lands,” which I have not watched yet but I really want to. It’s about this woman who like basically lived like a nomad and she traveled and it’s doing really well, it’s you know, critically acclaimed. I don’t know if it’s won awards or if it’s just been nominated but that’s definitely on my to-watch list within like the next couple of weeks because I’ve just heard nothing but good stuff about “Nomad lands,” and it’s kind of like, I don’t know, I would love to just travel the country and, you know, be able to just live like that I mean that would be like my dream life. So I think, you know, Hulu has, has some great stuff too.
Vincent: Yeah I agree, who has a lot of really good stuff “Handmaid’s Tale” it’s actually based on a book, so it really just shows you how powerful feminism has a book about feminism has gotten and addressing that issue. As I noticed, we are running out of time, but I want to keep talking about whose stuff Disney plus has been releasing a lot of really good content. Oscar have you been watching anything on Disney plus?
Oscar: Oh boy, you sure I have now to talk about Disney plus like how cheap it is for Disney plus six $6.99- $7 That’s pretty cheap for a certain services, which I got for us I think it was $70 or $90 a month, a year. Both are so far the shows and movies that have been in the streaming service has been fantastic with “Mandalorian,” season two being a phenomenal like piece of media that Disney has really brought Star Wars back from the brink of death, I want to say after “The Rise of Skywalker.” And then we have “Soul”, probably, in my opinion, well the perfect Pixar films that Disney has ever shown. Like I really loved how beautiful the movie. The film looks, the story, the characters and the music to. It pretty much a perfect film. And then we also got one of his you would just finished his series, like, a few weeks ago, as mobile critical acclaim. I enjoyed the premise of the show, I’m a big fan of sitcoms, growing up as a kid, and to see them take that, that style into Marvel was confusing at first but I really enjoyed it. And I’m also really excited for “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” in this spring, next week in the show. I really am a big fan of those two characters, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barns, make a good duo. I’m really interested to see what hijinks they have planned for the future of the series, but so far the – I’ve been enjoying Disney plus so far. To me, I consider it the perfect streaming service for all things Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars. And then to top it off how you’d already got like 100 million subscribers in just two to three years, shows how impactful this series is the streaming services gotten and no doubt it’ll go over Netflix in the next five years.
Emily: A lot love their Disney. Yeah, and the fact that they added “Hamilton” and “The Greatest Showmen,” I was just about to say that, yeah, binge watched for weeks.
Vincent: I’ve watched Hamilton, four times no thanks to Disney. I mean I don’t like sit down watch I just like having background noise I’m getting ready in the morning.
Emily: Maybe I’m gonna move Disney plus to the top, i don’t know. I really i honestly forgot about the musicals that they had.
Vincent: It’s actually projected that Disney plus is gonna out Subscribe Netflix by the end of the year at least. So we’re really, that’s gonna be really cool too.
Oscar: I couldn’t believe it. If they keep peeling out this much content, Cause we got Loki coming out this year also.
Emily: Oh yeah.
Oscar: No doubt that it’s gonna come down to Disney plus will be, will be really a huge success for Disney.
Emily: The only thing I can see is, so I guess my question is how they’re, you know, once I know a lot of the content got released on Disney plus because of the pandemic, but now that pandemic is, you know, knock on wood, ending and theaters are opening, and they’re going to want to save some other stuff for the actual movies and not for steaming so that’ll be interesting to see also.
Oscar: That’s true. It’ll be interesting to see what they come up with, but they also have a division. then they have people deciding which shows or movies, decide to go in theaters or streaming services. So it will be interesting to see what they’ll have planned on moving forward. But I feel like we’re, we’re out of time yes, so yeah that’s pretty much out of time. That’s all we want to say, I know there’s been another couple of streaming services we have mentioned but, so we couldn’t fit in all that in one podcast, so maybe a part two in the future. Yeah, well, who knows. But once again, thank you Vincent and Emily for joining me on this podcast, I really appreciate it.
Vincent: Yeah, thanks for having us, Oscar.
Emily: Thanks for having us.
Oscar: Don’t mention it. and thank you all for listening and watching us ramble over which string series is better. And do you know which streaming services do you prefer? Let us know on Twitter, or the comments here if you want to. But as always, thank you all for watching. Be sure to check out the Talon marks for more podcasts and others. We’ll check you all later.
Podcast edited by Oscar Torres
Podcast transcribed by Vincent Medina
