I didn't want to start a post for the film I want to talk about. It's no Goblet of Fire or anything. I might not even get a response. So I haven't seen a movie/film thread yet like the book thread above.
The film I rented last weekend? Layer Cake. Stars Daniel Craig (latest Bond). Has that modern british gangster stuff. A bit more refined than the Guy Ritchie stuff (which isn't necessarily a good thing). Though it did have the same feel a bit...not as funny. Producer of Lock/Stock and Snatch is the director methinks.
I liked it lots. Nice good plot. My only let down was Sienna Miller. As in why didn't we get MORE of her. She is high on my hot list right now. Those Serbs were scary man. If you are wondering how Craig will do as Bond...check this out. My choice was Jonny Lee Miller but Craig is less pretty boy more tough guy in a sophisticated kinda way. Though Craig wasn't a tough guy in this movie...he was still cool.
But I'd like to recommend another film for you - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
I saw it in the cinema about a fortnight ago - and laughed like a drain throughout.
It's about a thief who becomes an actor trying to be a private eye. It's got one foot in the pulp Private Eye novels / films, and the other in Lethal Weapon type buddy movies.
Not too surprisingly, since it's written and directed by Shane Black, the guy that wrote Lethal Weapon.
Starring Robert Downie Jnr and Val Kilmer, it's well worth a look.
Wolf Creek....sort of a "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in the outback...very visceral horror that stays with you. Amazing Cinamatogrophy...technically theres nothing I could nitpick about it...and "Mick", the Villian, is scary as hell..especially when he is only shown in Silohuete (which is a good 50% of the movie)...and very familiar to us Australians (infact the actor who plays him - John Jarret - was the host of "Better Homes and Gardens" for years...now he's on a crappy outback soapie called "Mcleouds daughters")
Saw 2 - not so good...saw (pun intended) the inevitable "plot twist" ten minutes in (think Stockholm syndrome)...yes it was very gorey, there were some lame jokes ("its the last house on the left"), and its plot was ripped off from "Cube" (fantastic movie - "Cube 2-Hypercube" not so good) ((and to a lesser extent "House of 9" - avoid at all costs)) ...that scene with the needles though...left me a little shaken.
Going to See Harry Potter tomorow night.
Bought "Sin City" and "Napoleon Dynamite" today
Cant wait to see "Haught Tension" (High Tension) which Ive been told is "French Horror" at its best...Also keen to see "Hostel" - the New movie form Eli Roth who directed "Cabin Fever"
And Finally, Brokeback Mountain opens here soon...Im excited!!! gay cowboys!!! (well that and its an Ang Lee film, and it has Jake Gyllenhall in, and Annie Proulxs' Novella is pretty damn good aswell (I read it years ago)) in any case Ive heard good things
I'm up for Rent on Sat., but might try to sneak in Good Night, Good Luck sometime soon.
Jorg, I saw Layer Cake and thoguht it was very good and entertaining. Like you said, not necessarily as good as Snatch or Guy Ritchie's films, but entertaining. Definately didn't have as strong humor. I really like Craig in this (never seen him in anything before) and am now confident he'd make a good Bond. Definately not a pretty boy, and has a rugged sense to him (while refined). And you're right--those Serbs were freakin' scary!
I've posted at lenght on Legion World about Sin City (see those threads). Needless to say, I thought it was genius.
I reccomend Cinderella Man, just out on DVD to everyone--a very good movie. I like Russel Crowe, despite how he's portrayed in the press.
Still waiting for the next Boondocks Saints/Donnie Darko/Kill Bill/Sin City to blow my mind...I feel like its been a good few months. Actually, I feel like I've just seen something excellent but for the life of me can't remember what it is.
Oh, and Goblet of Fire was a lot of fun. Tough when you've read all the books though and have to accept that lots of things must be left out, but very entertaining and true to the spirit of the books nonetheless (most importantly). Wish Ralph Fiennes could be scarier, but then again, that'd be *too* greedy of me given that its a kids film!
I bought some old skool horror today..."House on Haunted Hill" (Vincent Price not Geoffrey Rush) "Little Shop of Horrors" (Corman) and "Night of the Living Dead" (original)
hoooray!!!
So Ill be watching those and Pam Anderson in Stacked tonight.
I saw "Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic" and was disappointed. I've liked her before on many occassions, but the film didn't do it for me. Maybe she's just better in small doses or her standup loses steam after awhile (the film itself has her standup intermixed with mocumentary scenes and songs).
I saw Kingdom of Heaven! It rocked. Very different from actual history but bah who cares!
Ridley Scott and the writers did good. They explained lots of the complicated politics through action. Also made Saladin very honorable which I liked. Again for the record the characters were very off from real history. Saladin seems was the only good guy in the whole true story. The film was beautiful from beggining to end.
Ghost, i did see Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and loved it.
Any film with Michelle Monaghan and Shannyn Sossamon has got to rock. But Kilmer as a gay private eye! it was great. Downie was awesome as well.
Here are some of the films I've seen since 2005(!!!)
Lola rennt (Lola Run foreign film german) Festen (The Celebration foreign film german) Malena (Belluci) Irreversible (Belluci!) Stage Beauty The Libertine Vanity Fair 25th Hour Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Easy Rider (I'm curious about it) Proof Chinatown Lawrence of Arabia Taxi Driver The Sting Consant Gardener Equilibrium(Bale) Alfie
Man, that Irreversible was one of the roughest things I've ever watched. I had an idea it would be violent, but MAN I wasn't expecting that.
I watched SHERRYBABY the other night with Maggie Gyllenhaal. It's a "small" movie where she plays a recovering addict who's out on parole and trying to reconnect with her daughter. She doesn't play a very "likeable" character, but her performance was amazing.
Malena was amazing. Great scenes of Sicily. Great story of how everybody just continued to get at her to finally she became what the false mean spirited gossip of the townsfolk suggested.
Irrevresible. Very disturbing. It start with the most disturbing scene I've ever seen. Than in the middle it has a horrible rape scene with Monica. It ends with a beautiful Monica froliking in her apartment naked for 15 minutes. I love Monica but this movie wasn't worth it. Part of my soul is darker now.
Stage Beauty? pretty good.
The Libertine? I expected more.
Vanity Fair? Eh. Glad I never read the book. Good acting all the way around. But no likable characters really.
25th Hour. pretty damn good. Norton directed by Spike Lee.
Easy Rider? Another classic that I just didn't care for. I guess it's one of those "you had to be there". Kind of like in comics with GDS or Kree-Skrull War.
Lawrence of Arabia on the other hand I loved. That was a great epic.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind rocked!
What have you guys seen lately? What do you think of some of these movies?
Very cool movies I've seen somewhat recently that I reccomend:
Children of Men - sci-fi/commentary on humanity, excellent. Good Sheperd - for the acting alone Inside Man - Denzel and Clive Owen? Hell yes! Plus Jodi Foster being excellent (I'm iffy on her) 300 - Of course everyone knows I'd like this, but I have to at least say its probably my favorite movie since Kill Bill Part I Grindhouse - definitive movie going experience of 2007
300 and Kill Bill (as well as Sin City) have joined my favorite movies list. (Usual Suspects, Pulp Fiction, and the Professional)
Children of Men? I liked it but thought it was missing something. But it was good. Just another that maybe I was expecting more? Some more explanation would've been nice.
Dream Girl, Bon Jovi? I used to like him when I was your age (in a hetero kind of way). When he started cutting his hair like a girl, getting highlights and plastic surgery I started making fun of him. (again in europe I see bon jovi graffiti?! he's like hasselhoff over there!)
Every time I go to Blockbuster, I keep forgetting to look for the Russian horror movie Night Watch.
Grindhouse, or at least the Planet Terror half and the fake trailers, has inspired me to inventory my horror film collection.
The ones I have that I would definitely recommend are:
Tenebrae (aka Unsane), Suspiria, Deep Red, A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (aka Schizoid), The Beyond (aka Seven Doors of Death), City of the Living Dead (aka Gates of Hell), House by the Cemetery, Zombi 2 (aka Zombie), Black Sunday, Black Sabbath, Baron Blood, Lisa and the Devil, Kill Baby Kill...I'm probably forgetting some. And yes, those are all Italian horror movies. It's my favorite country for horror movies.
Diabolik (aka Danger: Diabolik) is not a horror film, but I think everyone should see it (and don't anybody mention that it was on Mystery Science Theater 3000 -- I loved that show, but I'm still angry that they lumped Diabolik in with the genuinely bad movies.) The Diabolik DVD is outstanding -- one of the people interviewed is Steve Bissette!
Jorg, we definately have the same taste in a lot of movies. The 25th Hour is something I remember wanting to see when it came out but forgot all about. Spike Lee has blown me away in the past but also let me down, while Norton is brillant 90% of the time.
Stealth, Suspiria is one of my favorite horror movies of all time (think I've mentioned it to JoeBoy in fact before). Highly, highly reccommend it to all. I actually have been thinking of watching a 'guilty pleasure' horror movie I own, Prom Night. Not the hardest mystery to crack, but those scenes with the kids are so damn creepy!
I've just recently started getting into Italian horror movies too!
'Saw Suspiria' a while ago and really enjoyed that. I just bought 'The Bird With The Crystal Plumage' DVD and loved that one as well. And a few years ago I rented 'Bay of Blood' (also known as 'Twitch of the Death Nerve' - GREAT title!) - what a warped movie! SO SO original. I've truly never seen another horror movie like it.
'Deep Red' and 'Zombi 2' have been on my "must-see" list for about 10 years now but the rest of your recommendations are new to me Stealth. Definitely going to look out for them though!
I just got my DVD's from my DVD club, I'll be watching them over the next few days (between bar-hopping ) They are: Dark City Saving Private Ryan Da Vinci Code Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning Shaun of the Dead Shawshank Redemption
I also ordered some more, Pan's Labyrinth, 5th element and the Bourne Conpiracy...should haev those in a week or two
I saw Curse of the Golden Flower. Big chinese epic with Chow Yun-Fat. It was pretty good. Big family imperial court drama. No Crouching Tiger but it was a beautiful film. They went all out with the visuals.
Omg, I love Curse of the Golden Flower. I had the good luck of seeing it at the movie theater. Astonishing spectacle! I almost never go to the movie theater anymore, but movies like Curse of the Golden Flower are a reminder that sometimes it's worth it.
With Tommy Lee Jones and Barry Pepper. Janurary Jones! hot.
I didn't dig all that much. My friends highly recommended it.
It takes place in a border town in Texas. It's a very small town and quite depressing. It was a bit out there. The ending sure didn't help. There wasn't much of one.
I saw Eragon this last weekend. It was good. I can tell it was meant for kids. It was very much a cross between Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.
Good actors! Lots of big actors. One not so "big" actor was Sienna Guillory who I may be in love with. She was Helen of Troy once after all. She is also part cuban. She is perfect.
Inspired by the discussion of Curse of the Golden Flower, I dusted off a couple of videos I haven't watched for years, both of sword-and-fantasy movies from Hong Kong -- Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (early 80s) and The Bride With White Hair (early 90s).
I watched Zu and it seemed a lot more like a kiddie movie than I remembered it; in fact, I'm not even sure if kids today would go for it, as the special effects could charitably be described as dated. But it does at the very least deserve respect for breaking new ground at the time of its original release.
Tonight, I'm going to watch Bride With White Hair, another one that broke new ground in its time. Hopefully this one stands the test of time better.
Something else else the Lord Made: a HBO movie with Mos Def (the guy can act). For those that like the underdog movies, this one might interest on a couple levels. Def plays a black (lol) maintenance worker that rigs a tool for a heart surgeon that solves a problem that had been preventing operation on blue babies. Well done, true, not preachy but the message gets across.
Revolt of the Zombies: similar to Something else else the Lord Made, heh, no not really. $2 used at the local Gamespot, three zombie movies on one DVD, including the one the only, Night of the Living Dead.
Better than the quarter bins are the used DVD bins.
Originally posted by Blockade Boy: Better than the quarter bins are the used DVD bins.
I'll say. A few months ago, I found a cheap copy of the B&W Mexican horror "classic" The Brainiac, the one about the guy who eats brains with a spoon and periodically turns into a demon whose head expands and contracts (possibly the cheapest monster mask in film history.)
It just occured to me...Robert Rodriguez should do a remake!
Jorge, my top recommendation would be the aforementioned Bride With White Hair. When I watched it last night, it was even better than I remembered. And unlike Zu, it quite gracefully gets around the limitations of the budget and of the technology at the time. And the characters and the deep themes and the symbolism that give the movie more substance than usual for this kind of spectacle. Just make sure you don't accidentally get the inessential sequel, Bride With White Hair 2.
Have you seen the one from a couple years ago, Hero? If not, I'd recommend that one, too.
Now I'm gonna have to rent Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I haven't seen it since it was in the theaters.
Oh, and the Killer and Hard Boiled are favorites of mine, too, especially Hard Boiled.
I saw Bobby. It was pretty darn good. Actually while it was entertaining I started to ask myself...all this better tie in or not this movie might suck. Oh it tied in. I won't ruin for you guys but it was pretty cool.
I was impressed with Emilio Estevez's directing and most of his writing. There were some very cliched writing in some scenes.
Some very good acting jobs as well. A ton of good actors were in it.
Harry Belafonte? I never thought of him as a good actor. He did pretty good here.
Nick Cannon? Isn't he like a Nickolodean kid actor? Guy did great.
Helen Hunt did an amazing job. I consider a real actor someone who acts completely different in every role. She pulls it off. I didn't think of her at all as 'Helen Hunt'. She also looked great.
Joshua Jackson? So I never liked this guy. Thought he was just some young punk actor. Heard he was dating someone hot that I love (but forgot who right now). Hated the guy. He won me over. He did a great job here and finally looks like a man vs. a teen actor. Good for him.
Shia Labeouf? Again I was just talking smack about this kid. I think I just got sick of him playing the same character. He did a great job. Sadly Transformers probably won't help his acting career. He needs to do more films like this.
William H. Macy? Actually he did just all right. He did have a few scenes towards the end I liked. When his life was getting complicated. btw, I've met Mr. Macy and he's the nicest human being in the world. No really.
Freddy Rogriguez did an amazing job. Lindsay Lohan? It's a shame cause while she isn't great...she isn't bad. She's got talent. I hope she gets her stuff together.
Pretty good movie and I'm not a bleeding liberal either. (ofcourse of you don't carry a gun, a bible, and drive a pickup you might get accussed of being a bleeding liberal)
The Painted Veil with Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, and Liev Schreiber. Three of my favorite actors. And the reason I wanted to see it is because of another film. Up at the Villa is a good movie taking place in preWWII Italy. I really liked that film and the same author wrote both novels.
Well? It was OK. Great acting but a bit boring for my tastes. In all those 1920s books it seems the anti-heroine is the same. I am not sure if the writers are trying to portray them as feminist or worse. They all have spunk, they all sleep around, and will it never ends good does it?
I've wondered in the past that men and women are the same. Women should be able to do everything a man does and be judged the same. Why do women want to bring themselves down to our levels? It's not pretty for man or woman.
Still this movie is a long road and the heroine certainly gains much respect. She cheats on him pretty early on and it's a long road to forgiveness. Also the fact that people would just marry whoever your parents approve of is a big factor. He knew she didn't love him when they married.
The other movie I saw (speaking of feminism) is Bound.
The Wachowski brothers doing a lesbian/mob movie? I was worried. But it was pretty good. Corky (Gina Gershon) is a butch ex-con handy woman. Violet (Jennifer Tilly) is the girlfriend of a mobster. Sparks fly. I liked it lots. Yes we have women acting like men doing bad things but they prove they are smarter than men.
I was rooting for Corky all the way in this one. At the end it was nice to see she never became a damsel in distress yet kept it realistic when she's flat out fighting mobsters. There was no kung-fu theatrics here where Corky is beating up all the mobsters with her high kicks. No this was gritty.
I saw some David Lynch in it as well and I always love that.
I saw Ocean's 13 this last weekend. It was all right.
My wife and best friend are pop culture junkies of sort. Ok, that isn't fair. They atleast pick the cooler stuff and to tell the trith are quite oblivious to pop culture for months at a time. In other words they love star studded fun films like this.
It wasn't as good as the first two. I liked the second one alot just cause it was in Europe.
The film was successful in my eyes but it wasn't that strong. It seemed rush. I paid extra for a premium theater and the sound quality was horrible. (this is why i watch films at home!)
Saw Casino Royale. It rocked! Now that's how James Bond is suppossed to be. Not too suave. Rugged yet refined.
Also saw Chelsea Wall's which was...ok. Actually I fell asleep on two different nights trying to finish it. I never finished it. It didn't suck but it really didn't hold my attention.
Saw "Stoned", a story about the death of Rolling Stnes founder Brian Jones, a couple of days ago. I thought it was awesome (Monet Mazur, who I've never heard of before, is stunning.) But then when I checked out what some film critics had to say after it's release, they didn't care for it. ehh, critics.
Just bought "300". We'll probably watch it tommorrow night. Looks beefy and I'm hoping it's not too violent (bloody beef = yuck.)
I hear you, Ultra Jorge. I hadn't heard of it either and it's been out for almost two years. The opening sequence when they find his body in a pool was incredible. And even though I'm gay, I love looking at a beautiful blonde as much as the next guy who likes looking at beautiful blondes. And Monet Mazur is one of those Julie Christie type beautiful blondes (my favorite variety.)
Speaking of beautiful blondes, my favorite movie of all time this month is Nicholas Nickleby. Another movie that I didn't know existed until a few months ago. The beautiful blonde is Charlie Hunnam and he's actually prettier than his costar Anne Hathaway (no really.)
It also has to be the gayest version of Nicholas Nickleby (or any Dickens story, for that matter) ever made. Though Charlie and Anne are the love interests, the movies main focus is on the relationship between Nicholas and Smike. Throw in Nathan Lane, a pink horse, and Dame Edna Everidge, and well, it's pretty gay.
But still you don't have to be gay to enjoy it. In fact if you're not gay most of the references will probably go right over your head (think Pee Wee's Playhouse). So don't let that stop you from seeing it if you haven't. Christopher Plummer's performance alone makes it worthwhile. Also, the cinematographer and art director didn't miss a beat so it's amazing to look at.
Entourage. I loved this show since it came out. I've always been a Jeremy Piven fan (met him in miami once...he had a yellow ferrari. must be nice).
Anyways, I will just comment on the Day &@%*ers episode. I thought when I saw Turtle in the bunny outfit the show had jumped the shark. But when I saw the ending with Drama in the outfit. I laughed for like 10 minutes straight. Literally cried and hit rewind about 3 times. My wife was not amused.
I love Entourage, one of my favorite shows. One of the funniest shows ever on TV. That being said, I watch it in DVD form since I don't have HBO, so I haven't watched most of season three or four. Still, I catch espisodes when I travel (which is a lot), and I saw the bunny outfit one--hysterical.
Great, great show. Also saw the documentary making of mediian episode--one of the funniest episodes EVER!
All right Cobie I know I could count on you! It's such escapism for guys really. It reminds me of those years between 24 to 27 when my friends and i finally got decent jobs after college and try to act "money" to pick up the chicks, etc.
Anyways, everything Drama or Ari says just makes me laugh. great show.
Actually pretty darn good, as you say. Its definately got my attention and I'm dying to see it play out.
Never was a fan of Glenn Close until the Shield season four (or was it five?), but consider me one now. She kills it here. Love Tate Donovon and Ted Dansen does a great job. Lots of other actors shining and Rose Byrne is the surprise star of each scene she's in.
Yet another example of why FX is where its at these days for this type of intense drama on television.
I've on;y seen the first three episodes so far but I am hooked.
The first couple of episodes were a bit slow but there seem to be a lot of plotlines they are setting up.
Hiro is my new God by the way.
His, absolute, joy in the use of his powers is infectious and the moment when he teleported to New York left me with a big, goofy grin all over my face.
walkwithcrowds, Heroes is a great show. My wife is not a comic book person at all and it became her favorite show. My daughter as well (11) not into comics and this is her favorite show. (she's a cheerleader)
I'm really liking "Burn Notice" on USA lately. It's a good summer show - good enough to rise above other summer fare, but might've gotten edged out against the regular season shows. I'm definitely interested to see where the main plotline goes and it's always fun to see all the little "spy tricks" he lets us in on every week.
This past weekend, I saw an excellent 2-part documentary on VH1. It was called NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell, and it focused on all the unpleasant things in New York City 30 years ago: urban decay, Son of Sam, the beginnings of my two least favorite music genres, hip-hop and punk rock, etcetera. I always like it when a movie or TV show or documentary refuses to sanitize the past, but instead illuminates how similar the past is to the present. I'm thankful that, as bad as Southeast Florida is right now, it's still not as bad as New York City in '77.
drake, i like burn notice. i've seen a couple of episodes. gotta catchup with it.
Stealth, i am watching The Bronx is Burning which is an ESPN series about the summer of 77 in NYC from the Yankees perspective. It's pretty good. Two of my favorite actors are in it John Turturro and Oliver Platt. (i saw Daniel Sunjata when i went to nyc a few weeks ago. he's pretty but his acting needs a bit of work)
Stealth, where in FL are you? Us Floridians have to stick together.
I watched The Prestige last night on DVD. I was completely blown away. My wife and I kept throwing out theories about what was going on--the movie kept a nearly perfect balance between confusing you and revealing just enough to keep you completely enthralled. Bale and Jackman (whew! How man-crush worthy can a guy be?) were brilliant. First movie in a while I've just adored.
armsfalloffboy, aye and aye again! One of the best films I've ever seen. I was blown away. My friend told me there was...a twist. I figured out the Bale part early on. (don't want to give this away!) But it just amazed me.
Which reminds me. I need to see that film.
Bale and Russell Crowe have a western coming out. Bale looks very...Eastwoodish in it.
Jorg, I've also been watching the Bronx is Burning (man, are tastes in TV are about as similar as can get ). Great show so far! Like the show Stealth is watching, it really does a good job of showing NYC in 1977. I'm a major Yankees fan too, so that is the most pleasing part for me (I love Nettles, Munson, Chambliss, Randolph and others, but generally dislike Reggie Jackson b/c he wasn't a life long Yankee).
John Turturo is one of my fave actors too. Sunjata (sp?) is the man on Rescue Me, so I like him here a lot too.
I love how the show NYC in the 70's and 80's as being as dirty, rugged and slimy as it was. Guiliano really cleaned it up. NYC is so much nicer now its like a whole nother city. Lots of cities are like that now (Chicago, even Baltimore to a degree...not so much Detroit ).
The Son of Sam scenes have been very intense, as was the riot.
Cobie, my godmother lived in NYC her whole life so I visited alot as a kid. I agree 100% about Guliani cleaning it up. It's like night & day. When I last visited my friend made a comment that Guliani "disneyfied nyc"...like that was a bad thing. I will take disneyfied any day before what it was. It's called a nice, clean, safe city.
Stealth, regarding Miami. I also have visited the southeast region since I was knee high. Have family in Hollywood, West Palm, Miami, etc. You know I saw Miami get a bit better in 90's. Sure it was too trendy but hey that was better than trashy. The last couple times I went though (last year and in 2004) it seemed a bit more trashy than it should be. It attracted quite a deviant crowd. And I'm all for some deviants...but it was a bit scary again. Lots of bums, etc.
Well, I'm just guessing here, but I'd say because she was productive and making money for her publishing house, she wasn't considered crazy. Had she just been some lady who talked to her drawings and DIDN'T make money for anybody, they might very well have locked her up.
From watching the movie I'd say that Peter Rabbit, was her most memorable character. But aside from that, her most notable accomlishment as far as I'm concerned, would be buying thousands of acres of land in England's Lake District, and then leaving it to the British people in a trust. Very cool.
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Stealth, regarding Miami. I also have visited the southeast region since I was knee high. Have family in Hollywood, West Palm, Miami, etc. You know I saw Miami get a bit better in 90's. Sure it was too trendy but hey that was better than trashy. The last couple times I went though (last year and in 2004) it seemed a bit more trashy than it should be. It attracted quite a deviant crowd. And I'm all for some deviants...but it was a bit scary again. Lots of bums, etc.
Yeah, I used to see a therapist on Lincoln Road, and there were always bums on the bottom floor of the building. As you said, scary.
The good news is that she's now semi-retired and living on the other coast of Florida, not far from Tampa as a matter of fact; her and I have the occassional phone session, for free.
And earlier tonight, I watched the first disc of the Best of Bravestarr DVD. (For those unfamiliar with it, Bravestarr was an 80s cartoon that cross-bred the western and space opera genres; the titular hero was a Native American sheriff with mystical powers.) Back in the day, it wasn't my favorite cartoon, but seeing the feature-film pilot for the first time was awe-inspiring. It must have been the only time that Filmation had a decent budget to work from (they also did She-Ra, He-Man, Flash Gordon, 60s Superman, etc.) The irony is that, for all the money they put into it, Bravestarr was a ratings/toy sales flop that pretty much destroyed Filmation.
Cobie, I've seen Rescue Me a couple of times and really like it I just don't have the time (even with the DVR).
Speaking of Burn Notice on USA...has the Dead Zone fizzled out? I used to love it but this season so far...sucks. I've only seen like the first 4 episodes.
4400 has got my interest again.
(I need to watch more movies and less tv darn it!)
Originally posted by walkwithcrowds: "Eyes of the eagle!! Strength of the bear!! Speed of the puma!!"
I think there may have been another power as well.
He had a cool, talking, robot horse.
"Bravestarr -- eye of the hawk, ear of the wolf. Bravestarr -- strength of the bear, speed of the puma."
The horse -- Thirty-Thirty was his name -- was my favorite character. An ornery ol' cuss with a heart of gold and a trusty shotgun he calls Sarah Jane. (for those who might be puzzled, Thirty-Thirty could shift from quadriped to biped, and in biped mode, he had humanoid hands instead of hooves.) He was more a cyborg than a robot, though.
Quote
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Another vague memory was the Jace guy in the plant trucks? He had a guy called Herc?! Jace had a rogue hairstyle.
Ha ha. Jayce all the other good guys on his show had girly hairstyles. But personally, I've always liked girly hair on men.
The problem I had with Jayce's show was that the title sequence always had more action than the actual episode.
Yeah, "Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors" was a cool show. It was a bit of a "Star Wars" ripoff, but still entertaining enough.
I'm also enjoying "4400" these days and finding myself losing interest in "Dead Zone". I was mostly just interested in the storyline with the evil politician anyway.
Did anyone else watch the Spike TV mini-series "Kill Point"? There's only 1 episode left, next Sunday night. It was 8 hours in all, about a bank robbery that goes wrong, so they take hostages and will only talk to this one police negotiator, who the chief hates because he makes up the rules as he goes along... I know the premise sounds "done to death" but there have been some pretty good turns along the way:
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">For example one of the hostages is the daughter of a wealthy guy, so he offers to try and get the criminals (ex-military unit who went to Iraq) an escape route. Also, the hostage takers try and get public sympathy by saying some of their demands are for every soldier in Iraq to have bulletproof vests, and for all Senators in Congress who have children of age to enlist in the military and get sent over to Iraq...
In another episode the hostages get the upper hand on the robbers briefly. Meanwhile there are also other members of the H.T.'s military unit on the outside who start trying to find their brothers another way out of the bank (even killing a hitman and taking out a few SWAT snipers along the way). And on the comical side of things there's a couple who has spent the entire time in a closet (they had snuck into the closet for a "quickie" moments before the bank got robbed...talk about poor timing!). They were finally discovered by the H.T.s this week. </span></span>
It will be interesting to see how it all plays out next week!
Pretty good film. I'm a huge Orson Welles fan and got hint of this by a tangent. Mostly the Welles/Hearst connection(Citizen Kane).
The Cat's Meow is about a real party on Hearst's yacht. It had a number of famous people and one of them died(or was killed). Writer/director Thomas Ince died under mysterious circumstances. The sad part is the party was for his birthday.
It was said he died of a heart attack but rumors suggested he was shot in the head by Hearst. The famous people on the boat never talked about it. Among the famous people the most famous was Charlie Chaplin and Marion Davies. It was said they were having an affair and Hearst was very jealous. He accidently killed Ince thinking he was Chaplain.
Personally I believe it. Hearst seemed to be an evil man in everything I've heard about him.
Kirsten Dunst played Marion Davies. This film made her seem not as bad as other reports of her. Joanna Lumley did an amazing job and played erotic fiction novelist Elinor Glyn. Jenniffer Tilly played much hated gossip columnist Louella Parsons. Eddie Izzard played Chaplain. I don't want to sound mean but Eddie is just a bit hard to look at. Atleast in this film. He's got a villain's face.
I enjoyed the film. It was directed by Peter Bogdanovich. It really captured that 1920s spirit.
"Dogfights" on the History Channel. I'm not much for the war documentaries these days, but they've got really cool computer reenactments of fighter v. fighter action. Fun to watch.
I also have been watching "Damages." I am quite enjoying this show. I also started watching "Flash Gordon" on SciFi, but am less than thrilled with it. I've seen only the first episode though, so I'll give it a bit longer. The only other thing I am watching now is "LA Law." I love syndication!
I'm going back and watching all of the Dr. Whos i've DVRed over the summer...Daleks again? Really? I'm starting to get the feeling that sometimes I get from the postboot Legion--haven't we been here before? Am I supposed to know who the floating head is? Who's the cat lady? I'm sure that if I'd been watching Who on the Beeb for the last forty years, all of this stuff would mean something, but I haven't been, which just makes it kind of irritating. I do love the new woman, whose name escapes me. Wicked hot.
Haven't watched a movie in a while. I knocked two out this weekend.
The Good Shepherd. Starring Matt Damon with a ton of famous people. GREAT MOVIE! Not sure why I liked it so much. It had a real boring CIA vibe...no action. I guess it was the retro stylized look of the CIA (or pre-CIA) of the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Cuba played a big part as well. Bay of Pigs/Bahia de los Cuchinos...my grandfather was detained in Cuba when that happened though he wasn't involved. Horrible story of how him and a few hundred men were detained in a theater for a week. I might tell it one day.
Anyways great film! I love history, i love the time period, i love the Yale Ivy League stuff, the Cambridge(Five spys...Crudup did a great job!), the english, russian, cuban connections.
The other film I saw was Lady in the Water. I heard bad things but it was better than I expected. My wife and I are big M.Night fans (writer/director) but this movie didn't draw us like his other ones. We were pleasantly suprised and won't doubt M. Night again. He rocks.
This was a big movie week for me, in and out of theaters: Bourne Ultimatum - really clever how they wove in pieces of the last movie into this one. All the spy/counterspy survellance stuff got kinda tired, but still a great spy flick Transformers - Had to see it just to see it. Got what I expected from a Michael bay film. And yes, the Transformers were almost impossible to look at - like walking scrap piles. The Prestige - very good film about obsession and illusions. The Illusionist - not so very good film about the same.
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Haven't watched a movie in a while. I knocked two out this weekend.
The Good Shepherd. Starring Matt Damon with a ton of famous people. GREAT MOVIE! Not sure why I liked it so much. It had a real boring CIA vibe...no action. I guess it was the retro stylized look of the CIA (or pre-CIA) of the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Cuba played a big part as well. Bay of Pigs/Bahia de los Cuchinos...my grandfather was detained in Cuba when that happened though he wasn't involved. Horrible story of how him and a few hundred men were detained in a theater for a week. I might tell it one day.
Anyways great film! I love history, i love the time period, i love the Yale Ivy League stuff, the Cambridge(Five spys...Crudup did a great job!), the english, russian, cuban connections.
The other film I saw was Lady in the Water. I heard bad things but it was better than I expected. My wife and I are big M.Night fans (writer/director) but this movie didn't draw us like his other ones. We were pleasantly suprised and won't doubt M. Night again. He rocks.
As usual I'm with you on both!
The Good Sheperd was a solid movie that I really enjoyed. I thought along the same lines: "wow, this *should* seem really boring to me, but I'm pretty into it!". I thought the acting was spot-on and CIA connection to the Yale secret societies (and Britain's spy community) was worth watching the movie for that alone.
I was more positive going into Lady in the Water, but I also enjoyed it immensely. It was definately more off-beat and a 'smaller' film for M. Night, but that almost made it more enjoyable for me, since it was so much for him and his diehard fans, which I consider myself. Paul Giamatti, one of the greatest actors, well, ever, knocked it out of the park. When he finally breaks down near the end...well, that was enough to wow me. An emotional tide hit me, similar to Mel Gibson's breakdown at the close of Signs, showing that M. Knight knows when to give these guys the room to flex their acting muscles and use both the musical score and montage to create an emotional release after a build of dramatic tension.
I wouldn't mind M.Night directing somebody else's scripts. For instance he is interested in doing a Potter film. That would rock!
Even though he is suppossed to write/direct a live action adaption of Avatar: The Last Airbender it's still not "his" property so it will be different. He did write the screenplay for the first Stuart Little film.
I've got to watch a movie soon. I haven't contributed to this thread for eons.
Lately, I've been enjoying one of my greatest guilty pleasures on DVD -- Mission: Impossible. I was really into the show during the mid-90s, when the FX channel was showing reruns of it. A lot of stuff stretches credibility too far (people being fooled by rubber masks, to name the most obvious example), and if I took the political subtexts seriously for a moment, I would be horrified with myself for watching it. On the other hand, the cinematography and production values of the first few seasons are of big-screen quality, the editing style was groundbreaking, and all this exquisite technique is showcased in some of the best remastering I've ever seen for a TV show DVD. M:I Season Three, my favorite season, is due in November, and I'm counting the days.
After catching only two consecutive episodes of Stargate Atlantis, I’m now a fan. The storyline so far, involves using bio weapons to turn their arch enemies, the Wraiths(?) into humans so as not to be eaten by them anymore. (how fun is THAT?)
On a less inspiring note, I caught Brian DePalma’s Blow Out on TV a couple nights ago. Yikes. I was actually rooting for John Lithgow to strangle Nancy Allen so she couldn’t talk in that squeaky Bronx accent anymore. There’s a horrible scene where her and Dennis Franz are attacking each other with bad accents………
It does make me want to watch Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blowup again. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen it and I don't have it on DVD yet.
My birthday present to myself this year was the 1990 Canadian TV series Dracula: The Series on DVD.
It's cheesy, campy and silly, but it's also a whole lot of fun.
Geordie Johnson as "Alexander Lucard" (aka Dracula) is just yummy. We also get to see Geraint Wyn Davies in a pre-Forever Knight vampire role, though one less tortured than Nick Knight.
The only problem with the show is those annoying kids and their uncle keep getting away!
Originally posted by kid chaos: I'll be watching the season premiere of "Its Always Sunny in Philedelphia" this Thurs on FX!
Its the funniest show since Arrested Development!
This show is beyond hysterical!
Jorg, check out ASAP! Its the kind of show that you feel filthy afterwards for finding so amusing. Adding Danny Devito in the second season was brillant. This is the funniest he's ever been in his career.
Half the fun tonight is watching those self-delusional girls who don't have a chance of making the competition... sorta like the AI try-outs, only instead of lousy singing, there's bad choreography and scaaaary jiggling...
Originally posted by armsfalloffboy: I'm going back and watching all of the Dr. Whos i've DVRed over the summer...Daleks again? Really? I'm starting to get the feeling that sometimes I get from the postboot Legion--haven't we been here before? Am I supposed to know who the floating head is? Who's the cat lady? I'm sure that if I'd been watching Who on the Beeb for the last forty years, all of this stuff would mean something, but I haven't been, which just makes it kind of irritating. I do love the new woman, whose name escapes me. Wicked hot.
Actually the floating head (the Face of Boe) was introduced in the first season (Eccelston) of the revived series. The cat lady was introduced in the second season (1st season of Tennant)
Dead Zone fans. The first few episodes really didn't do much for me but then it picked up. The pulpish episode on a train and then the episode at a train station got my interest. I do like when we get away from the main plot. Dead Zone is back.
I see some more Canadian actors and possible locales. Some budget cutting? Not that Maine is that expensive to film in.
Jorg, are you still watching Damages? I've missed more than half the episodes, but ever time I tune in (like this week) I'm totally hooked back in. The acting and plot are just too damn engrossing. I admit right out though that I'm definately a 'DVD Season' watcher of shows, and perhaps that's where I can get hooked here.
BTW, anyone see any new shows this year that look interesting? Just the one with my boy from Rome with time travel for me (which looks kick-ass BTW).
Cobalt, I am pissed off at my DVR. It hasn't recorded the last two Damages I think. The last I saw is when Glen Close rehired the guy from Space Camp. I love that show need to watch the ones I missed.
oh, Borders had a special of 40% off any (ONE) boxed DVD set. I mistook the promo for ALL DVD sets 40% off. I walked up there with Rome Season 1 & 2 ($100 each!) and Heroes season 1. The cashier let me know the 40% can only be used for one. I got Rome season 1.
And yes I plan to watch Lucius Vorenus aka the Son of Hades aka Kevin McKidd in Journey Man as well.
We just saw Across the Universe yesterday. It's sort of an anti-war/love story wrapped in a tribute to the Beatles. Very neat. Includes some of the most amazing renditions of Beatles songs you'll probably ever see or hear. "Let It Be" was mind blowing. Other awesome highlights were "Strawberry Fields" and "With a Little Help from My Friends"
I finally saw It's Always Funny in Philadelphia. LOL. That stuff is funny. I saw three episodes but my favorite was when they suckered the poor college guys to the "party mansion". The flier. oh man i cried.
The episode where they were held hostage cracked me up. Danny Devito doing a strait-up John McKlane impression from Die Hard 1 was fall down hysterical. I was almost crying I was laughing so hard.
I went to see the new movie The Kingdom, mainly because of Jennifer Garner (in last year's Alias thread, I did complain about her lazy performances during that show's final season, but she's still one of my favorite actresses).
It's pretty good. A popcorn actioner with a dollop of substance. It raises a lot of current political issues, but wisely refrains from attempting any easy answers.
Before the movie started, I saw the trailer for Elizabeth: the Golden Age, the sequel to 1998's refreshingly gutsy and fast-paced historical drama Elizabeth, my favorite film of that year; lead actress Cate Blanchett and director Shekar Kapur both return, as does Geoffrey Rush in the role of Elizabeth's confidant.
Saw Key Largo with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. eh. Atleast Lauren was looking beautiful.
Saw Mambo Kings as well this weekend. It was pretty good. Maybe the best acting job I've seen Antonio Banderas do. The movie is based on a pulitzer prize winning novel. I am guessing the book is better. It wasn't bad. I was hoping for more. It tells the story of two cuban brothers who move to NYC in the 1950s (golden age of big bands & mambo, etc). They have good times and bad times. Great soundtrack though.
Jorg, for the best of the Bogey/Becall movies, I reccomend "The Big Sleep". Bogey is my favorite actor of all time, and I love Becall too (absolutely stunning).
Cobalt, cool. I'm a fan of film noir especially the Maltest Falcon. Though I admit...I haven't seen many noir films. I've heard The Big Sleep is good and will check it out. thanks.
I'd agree with The Big Sleep as the best of Bogey/Bacall movies (despite the byzantine plot). I actually like Key Largo quite a bit, except for the whole boat scene at the end (which feels way too "Hollywood"). But Lionel Barrymore facing off with Edward G. Robinson is pretty awesome.
On a related note, I watched Murder, My Sweet the other day. It's an adaptation of Chandler's Farewell My Lovely, only with a much less convincing Phillip Marlowe than Bogey is in The Big Sleep.
I kind of like Key Largo too, though I have to agree that there are some parts that you have to take with a grain of salt. You're right on Eryk about Lionel Barrymore vs. Edward G. Robinson. Barrymore's performance ages like fine wine for me, as I've gotten older.
The Big Sleep is probably my favorite noir movie of all time besides the Maltese Falcon. Bogey's performance and the dialogue itself are worth watching and rewatching over and over again. Its not as tight or perfect as the Maltese Falcon but its one of those great Bogey films where you find yourself kind of acting like him during the rest of the night afterwards.
I first became obssessed with Bogey and film noir when I was about 12 years old after Casablanca changed everything about the way I watch movies and then my Mom rented me the Maltese Falcon. I've never seen Murder, My Sweet however...I may have to soon...
I became a fan of film noir when I saw the Maltese Falcon about 10 years ago. I saw Casablanca recently (3 years ago?) and was impressed. Always thought it was a chick flick.
Anybody read the detective stories with Sam Spade or Phillip Marlowe?
I also saw The Third Man recently. I thought it was pretty good. Is that considered noir? I do atleast.
I've heard really good things about The Third Man, but I've never actually watched it. Casablanca is pretty close to the top of my favorite movies ever.
I've come close several times to binge reading Chandler and Hammett's books, but haven't taken the plunge.
I guess it's one of those that at the time it was revolutionary? Atleast the style, nudity, and drugs were. But besides the style it had little substance. It certainy captures mod swinging London of the 1960's in a very cool way. Probably the first time it was captured (good and bad).
There is a great murder mystery subplot that needed to be the main plot.
I was thrown off my rocker btw. I didn't know this film was in London. I thought it was in Italy. Not that I didn't mind the english beauties such as a very young Vanessa Redgrave and Jane Birkin.
The best thing I watched this weekend was Hitchcock's Rope. Given that it was Hitch, I knew it would be good, but I was kind of surprised at just how good it was. It's moved up near the top of my favorite Hitchcock films now.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: The best thing I watched this weekend was Hitchcock's Rope. Given that it was Hitch, I knew it would be good, but I was kind of surprised at just how good it was. It's moved up near the top of my favorite Hitchcock films now.
I actually just saw this about two months ago for the first time ever.
I agree completely--totally engrossing and I was blown away by how good it was. Its a variety of things. First is the splendid acting by not only Jimmy Stewart but the entire cast. The two brothers are done very well, especially the sneakier of the two (the actors names esacape me at the moment).
The scene where they get into an arguement about murdering someone (the entire party) is so well done that I was almost cringing by the aura of uncomfortability. You can genuinely get the feeling that if you were in the room, you'd want to get up and leave at any moment.
And Jimmy Stewart is masterful. Its amazing how good he had gotten that late in his career where each and every look he gives speaks volumes about how clever he is--and the two brothers pick up on this at every step.
Its probably one of my fave Hithcock films too. It seems like it would make a masterful play to see live.
(1) American History X - I've seen this before, (even own it), but despite a Sunday packed with football games, I couldn't help but watch this instead. Its probably what I'd call the best film about racism ever made. Edward Norton's performance ranks up there with the absolute best in film history. Its an incredible film. I'd forgotten just how good it was and how heart-wrenching it is throughout.
Funny enough, Crash came on aftewards and I couldn't watch that one again. Its too much of a 'feel bad movie', whereas American History X gives me a completely different feel.
(2) The Zodiac - you know what? This was a great movie! I didn't expect much and was surprised at how much I liked it. I've become a quasi-expert on seriel killers ever since I was a teen because of a fascination wtih them and a minor in criminal justice (at one point not *that* long ago, I considered the 'FBI Profiler' career that I'm sure tons of comic fans have thought about). I know a good deal about the Zodiac, but was shocked at how well it was portrayed and surprised by some of the detail. Its an almost 100% accurate film and really gives you the facts and the questions surrounding them. But it was good because it wasn't the typical 'seriel killer thriller' but gave you the 'step by step' look at how the police and media responded to the Zodiac over three decades. Great film. What really made it though was the phenominal cast. Gyllenhal, Downey Jr. and Ruffalo are the stars, buts there's at least a dozen other recognizable actors that do a great job. A very creepy few scenes too.
(3) Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia - this show might be the funniest show on television. I'm th kind of person who hates the Simpsons, finds South Park has gotten way too preachy over the years and am probably a little unfair when I rate someone's comedy routine. But holy crap! This show is freakin' funny!
(4) Heroes Season One - I finally got around to watching this (I missed everything from the 'Save the Cheerleader' episode onwards in season one). I thought it was great. Some really great scenes and it was a great ride. Definately deserves the hype it gets and while I wouldn't say its one of the best shows on TV (there's just too many better ones), its a solid, great show that was a lot of fun. Definately Peter Petrelli is my favorite character (Ando is probably my second), but I couldn't help but root for Sylar a little because he steals every scene he's in.
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Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I watched the movie version of A Picture of Dorian Gray (with Donna Reed)yesterday!
Never seen this! How was it?
You know I share your crush on Donna Reed! Perhaps one of the prettiest women who have ever lived.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: This weekend, I watched:
(3) Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia - this show might be the funniest show on television. I'm th kind of person who hates the Simpsons, finds South Park has gotten way too preachy over the years and am probably a little unfair when I rate someone's comedy routine. But holy crap! This show is freakin' funny!
I could never get into the Simpsons, Family Guy or South Park. I don't know why I just think it's stupid. Sure they make really funny witty comments but I could never get into it.
Philadelphia on the other hand is the right kind of stupid! Love that show.
The funniest show currently? 30 Rock just makes me laugh out loud. "Johnny Carlos is ethnic." lol.
I've never really caught 30 Rock, but really love Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan and Alec Baldwin (especially when he's funny). You're tastes in TV are usually pretty damn close to mine Jorg, so if I ever can catch 30 Rock, I'll give it a try!
Guys, is there a topic about Smallville? I can't find one and the search function doesn't get any results. I've started watching the 4th season (haven't watched the first 3 yet, just the pilot) and would like to talk with others about it.
I'm watching Orson Welle's The Trial. Since my wife refuses most experimental films with me I watch this with a buddy of mine when we get a chance.
We've had 3 viewings and are probably an hour into it. My time is strapped! Can't even sit down for two hours to watch a film with a buddy. Conflicting schedules and all of that.
The Trial is strange. I've never read a Kafka book and I'm not sure if I want to. I heard Welles took many liberties though.
I've tried watching The Trial before, but I don't think I've ever made it all the way through. All I've read by Kafka is The Metamorphosis, which is pretty cool, but I've never been all that inspired to check out the rest of his work.
(Side note: I was at a party one time where we did the "Party Quirks" game from Whose Line is it Anyway? and I drew the guy from the Metamorphosis as what I had to act out.)
EDE, I've always wanted to see that story. I'm a big Stanley Tucci fan though I know he has a small part. That was a strip in 2000AD I just read on Wiki. Strange.
I watched the 1970 Italian murder mystery The Bird With the Crystal Plumage -- Dario Argento's directorial debut after paying his dues as both a screenwriter and a film critic -- for the first time in nine years. It was better than I remembered; in the past I had kinda dismissed it because it wasn't as flamboyant as his later films (Suspiria, Deep Red, Tenebrae) but it's a perfectly good straightforward thriller. Strange how film criticism in Europe produces talented directors, but generally not in America.
I've also been watching that DVD set of Mission: Impossible Season Three that I mentioned earlier in this thread. It really was the best season of that show, despite being the most turbulent season behind-the-scenes. Before Season Three was halfway through, M:I changed showrunners three times, until finally settling on producer Stan Kallis and head writer Paul Playdon (the latter was only in his twenties at the time.) Despite being produced under great stress, this team's episodes were stylish, sophisticated, and used a variety of approaches to avoiding the formulas that were getting stale. But it was too good to last. By the time Season Four started, Kallis had one foot out the door, Playdon was burned out, and cast members Martin Landau & Barbara Bain were gone. The show was never as good again.
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Stealth, you had me at 1970 Italian murder mystery! That film is on the list!
Cool. I look forward to your thoughts on it. And there's another good one from only a year later that I'd recommend: Lucio Fulci's A Lizard In a Woman's Skin.
I finished The Trial. Eh. I understand what he is trying to say about bureaucracy, red tape, the system. You can become a number, etc. I imagine a critique of communism was at work here as well. THe film? WTF? Actually I'm not all that suprised. I've seen many art house off the wall films that while I get "it" there isn't much more to get. It's a dream.
I also watched one of my all time favorite films Quiz Show. Directed by Redford and starring Ray Finnes and John Turtorro. Great film! Watch it if you get a chance.
More on Quiz Show. It's a true story but ofcourse they stray a bit from the truth to make it more exciting, etc.
Something else else else I've noticed is that I'm a big fan of this small time NY actors. John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Hank Azaria (all in the film), Stanly Tucci, Campbell Scott, Oliver Platt (not sure if he's from NY), and Andy Garcia (also not a NYer but plays a good one!).
Films like Big Night (Tucci/Campbell), The Spanish Prisoner (Campbell), and Quiz Show are among some of my faves I always forget.
And by "small time" I mean they are not these huge celebrities that make blockbuster films. Andy has been in a few blockbusters but has made many smaller films. Michael Keaton is also a guy I'd add to the list.
Anyways I don't go to the theater that much anymore. Too many movies out there. I usually wait till award season to see what gets nominated to narrow the field down.
Recent movies I am looking foward to seeing on DVD?
The Bourne Ultimatum, Michael Clayton, 3:10 to Yuma, No Country for Old Men, Atonement, Into the Wild, Eastern Promises, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, La Vie En Rose, American Gangster.
Charlie Wilson's War looks great! But how could I forget BALLS OF FURY!!!
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Something else else else I've noticed is that I'm a big fan of this small time NY actors. John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Hank Azaria (all in the film), Stanly Tucci, Campbell Scott, Oliver Platt (not sure if he's from NY), and Andy Garcia (also not a NYer but plays a good one!).
Also, Chaz Palminteri, usually cast as a mobster. He's always fun to see.
If you haven't seen Oscar (yes, Sylvester Stallone, in a comedy, as a 20's era mobster), then go, run, see it!
It's the season for me to watch the funnies. Clue, Soapdish, Oscar, A Fish Called Wanda. All my faves.
Thomas Crown Affair was the first one. That one is just plain fun.
Miller's Crossing! I HIGHLY SUGGEST this one. It's an Irish (some italian) mob film by the Coen bros. Stars Gabriel Byrnes with a host of good actors including John Turturro and Marcia Gay Harden.
It's not your typical gangster film. The visuals/cinematography was amazing. Imagine Sin City but not filmed with green screens or any CGI. The colors just pop even when they are dull.
The story was very good. It never got too complicated yet it was intricate.
This film is a gem and I am suprised it is not better known. Cobie rent this if you haven't seen it already!
Actually watched Thomas Crown Affair again! (my wife hadn't seen it) I love this movie. I should watch the original.
3:10 to Yuma. Pretty good. Not what I expected especially the end. Anyone see this? I don't want to talk about it cause I feel like I might give something away.
Little Miss Sunshine. LOL. That was good. I actually just accidently walked into a little girl beauty paegent. My family and I were disgusted how the parents pimp these girls. (i was at brunch at a nice hotel and we decided to walk around after and ran into the paegent...left quickly). Really good acting here. It's About a Boy meets Napolean Dynamite.
I also saw Superbad. Heh, I thought that was funny. The fat kid got annoying though. McLovin and Michael Cera were hilarious! And hot teenage girls. Can't go wrong.
I just finished watching Lost Season 1. I am starting Season 2 tonight. I've become an addict of that show.
I just saw "Sunshine" (Not "Little Miss..."), a sci-fi movie about a mission to revitalize a dying Sun. It's from Danny Boyle, the guy who gave us "28 days Later". I enjoyed "Sunshine" a lot, even though it's not exactly thrill-a-minute. it's kinda artsy like "2001" and has a bit of an "Alien" vibe to it as well at points. A very unusual sci-fi movie that's diiferent from a lot of the usual stuff out there.
I'd recommend it fairly enthusiastically. I think it got overlooked. Not saying it's a classic but definitely interesting stylistically. Some beautiful effects and sets.
"Superbad"...well, based on enthusiastic reviews and word of mouth, I thought it would be a lot funnier. It was certainly pretty funny at points, but maybe I'm just not its target audience at 37. The bit about the fat kid's peculiar drawing obsession wasthe biggest LOL moment for me, though--knew a guy who did the exact same thing!
Sunshine? I gotta check it out. Sounds like Solaris with Clooney. That was very slow.
Superbad was very juvenile. I felt old (32) and a bit embarrassed for my wife with some of the language. It got down right crude. I'm a Michael Cera fan though because of Arressted Development.
Don't feel bad guys. My brother (he's 25) wasn't really into Superbad either and he's not that old. My little bro (19) absolutely loved it however and so did all his friends. Its definately a movie aimed at high school and college kids. I thought it had some pretty funny parts. The cops were great but my experience with the police (and there have been many) make me realize its all wishful thinking.
I thought "Superbad" was meant as a description for the film in general, just from the commercials. And we all know the commercials are usually made from the best bits of the movie... :rolleyes:
I didn't even bother watching the $3.99 Video On Demand broadcast.
Saw another "juvenile" movie this last weekend Transformers. And I thought it rocked.
I was never a huge fan of the cartoon. Sure I watched it but I was a much bigger fan of G.I. Joe. I did watch some Beast Wars and while I thought changing into animals was silly I did like the overall story.
This movie was a bit long but I just loved the action, the funny lines, Megan Fox's body, etc. Good old action & fun...the robots looked great!
I highly reccomend 'No Country for Old Men'. Its not what you'd expect unless you know the Coen Bros. going into it. Amazing acting, beautiful cinamtography and some really intense seens that had my blood pumping.
All this you're hearing about Javier Bardeem (sp?)? Its not just media talk. The man does a phenominal job.
Bardeem has the best bad guy performance since the millenium began. To be honest, I can't remember the last bad guy to nail it so well (Longshanks in Braveheart?). Its one of those scary ones that only comes every so often.
Speaking of zombies (of sorts) I saw I Am Legend. I enjoyed it lots. Got into the story. The zombie-vampire things starting to get smart sure was scary.
I also saw FF: Rise of the Silver Surfer. It was fun. Some things were cheesy but I enjoyed it. I hate Doom though. The actor is all wrong. I mean Dr. Doom with bitch brows?! C'mon! I want a scary eastern-european type! Anyways, loved the special-effects.
I really liked it BUT I had to see it in two parts. I'm actually suprised it did as well as it did. There is lots of information to process and it isn't very clearn. It's not suppossed to be clear...they are pirates. My daughter passed out about an hour into. My wife and I tried to watch the rest but stopped it.
We decided we are missing to many elements of the film and will try to catch up. The next day I went on Wiki and started an outline of sorts. It wasn't easy. Came home...read it out loud to my wife...she then read it again and said "Got it". Watched the film again and loved it.
The entire series of film should be a miniseries of about 10 to 12 episodes. The last two especially have LOTS crammed into it. (I had to outline the first two films as well cause this film pulls so much from them)
If you are willing to do the homework it's a great film. I don't know if it was possible to streamline it without it being a completely different film.
Maybe film companies should do wht ABC does with Lost. They let you know there is homework. They make it an interactive experience. Just saying. Some of the promos can be an interactive toy/game to inform you of plotlines, subplots, etc.
Or maybe the film needed an intermission during the film. Have Capt. Jack Sparrow explain what the heck is going on in a comical way. Wait 10 minutes and start again?
I saw Pirates 3 on DVD (didn's see at cinema) without pausing or backtracking and didn't really find it confusing. What was considered most confusing about it?
To be honest, I didn't like Pirates 3. To the point where I've reccomended to my friends that they not bother wasting their time with it. Hard to pin down why. I'm even surprised I dislike it so much.
I was sick today too (hope you're feeling better BB!), so I watched a few movies I know Lady Cobalt has 0 interest in watching, including "The Horse Soldiers" with John Wayne. I borrowed it from my Dad and am glad I watched it. Its my favorite John Wayne western (the Quiet Man is my favorite of all of his films) and definately my favorite William Holden movie. It has everything a film needs, including some very genius cinematography, montage and mis en scene, all the while not losing its charm.
Have not been into television at all lately. I just stopped watching Nip/tuck a few episodes in...it just didn't capture my interest (neither did last season though). Other than NHL hockey and UCONN basketball, I hardly ever watch TV. I am trying to tune in for two MTV guilty pleasures: Road Rules/Real World challenge, even though its rotting my brain, and Making the Band, because daaaaaa-aaaamn I still have the hots for Aundrea and the other four girls are lookin' good too
Deal between Turner and Sao? Deal between Turner & Beckett? Deal between Jack & Bennet?
Davey Jones/Beckett deal was probably the only one I understood. On paper it's easy enough to understand but during the swashbuckling I got serious lost. (i was also at a theme park all day that day so I might've just been tired)
Cobie, I am going to the USF/Conn game a few Saturday's from now. And I thought you were too old for MTV already.
Another library DVD random pick winner, mainly chosen for Cheadle but with reservations about Sandler, me not being a big fan. Cheadle delivered as expected. I figured Sandler had to be getting recognition for his role, I thought it amazing. Most emotional guy scenes since Penn in Mystic River.
I looked at the Academy website to see if the movie got any nominations. Na Da. That really caught me by surprise, I thought the movie that emotional and that well played. Checked out Rotten Tomotoes to see what the buzz was. Best they had was "uneven" or awkward but without any real concrete examples of something wrong or missing. I could think of a couple scenes that didn't work great for me but not enough to call the entire movie awkward.
As a whole I thought it a really good movie with some great performances.
Makes me wonder if it's still not "too soon" for the public to be dealing with 9-11. After this Cloverfield eruption, it seems to me that many are still trying to take sole possesion of the pain of 9-11 as if it's theirs to not share.
There was a certain time at which Vietnam movies became acceptable, a time at which people were willing to outlay their feelings and grief.
Sometime in the future, I think there will be a movie referencing 9-11 that will be proclaimed "great," and it will in essence be this movie, just at a time when the public is willing to accept it.
Blockade, I admit I stay away from 9/11 related works. Just too emotional even though it's been nearly 7 years.
I'm also not a big Adam Sandler fan but it would be interesting seeing him in a dramatic role. I'm just not a big comedy guy. Jim Carey? Pet Detective and Dumber films are not for me. But I love him in dramatic films. (Ok, Cable Guy was a dark comedy and I loved that)
I haven't even heard of Reign Over Me. I will keep it in mind. Thanks.
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Blockade, I admit I stay away from 9/11 related works. Just too emotional even though it's been nearly 7 years.
I thought they did the right thing in this movie, purely post 9/11, a few years after the fact. Not exploitive at all but a look at the affect on one guy (mostly).
Saw a movie I loved this weekend. Four Last Songs! As I said I'm a Tucci fan and it takes places in Mallorca (the island I honeymooned in and am totally obsessed with). Nuff said. It take place in modern times and it's about music composers. (usually when you think music composers you think period piece)
Loved this movie. Just ordered it from Amazon along with Big Night (another fave).
I saw Eastern Promises with Vigo M. Really good. You know I figured out the suprise before hand...or atleast I suspected it. It made it funner cause I was looking for more clues to back up my assumption. Loved it.
I saw FF: Rise of the Silver Surfer. I didn't think it was all that bad. I enjoyed it.
This Valentine weekend the wife and I decided to go cheap. Movie night every night and pick up food.
We watched a somewhat disturbing film called Little Children. Great acting (Kate Winslet!), interesting story, etc. Jennifer Connolly is in it as well. The main guy is called Patrick Wilson. Did a really good job and I had to suck it up while he was walking around with a Men's Health body all the time. The funny thing is I looked him up at IMDB and I actually have met his brother twice! We have mutual friends (his brother and I). They are from the Tampa Bay area. I don't want to ruin the ending but it is not as horrific as I thought it was going to end. I thought it was surely going to give me that I want to throw up or cry feeling but it suprsingly didn't do that.
Saw the Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller. I haven't laughed out so loud so many times during a movie!
And finally I watched Chocolat with the mrs. Chocolate and Johnny Depp? How can I not indulge her. Depp wasn't in it much actually. Real good story taking place in the late 50s about a repressed small town in France. Juliette Binoche is the leading lady and she does fantastic. Alfred Molina is the "villain" and boy do you HATE HIM in this! He makes his Doc Ock seem tame! And it's funny even in this age I could relate with all the brimstone the conservative religious folks in my part of the world throw around.
Anybody see any of these movies? What you think? Or did you watch any Valentine specials? We usually watch Casablanca but after two years of doing that we thought we'd branch out.
Shrek 3. The classes were a bit ahead but many had missed several days due to bad weather and needed to catch up so we had movie days. It's something watching some pretty hard core kids oohing at the cute babies or laughing out loud at the jokes, many of which I know were aimed more at someone my age. Shrek does a great job at finding jokes that hit several generations.
There were so many "life lessons," that were played so well, without shoving them down the viewers' throats.
A favorite scene amongst the girls was when Cinderella I think it was, singing all disney, suddenly went commando.
My favorite scene was probably "assume the position girls" or the "charlie's angels" pose. The vignete at home at the end was also a favorite.
Character i'd most like to be with, Queen lillian. Love a women that can give a good headbutt.
Originally posted by Blockade Boy: Love a women that can give a good headbutt.
You know that almost sounds...well, um, anyways. Yes her knocking down a few walls with her forehead was impressive!
On Monday I saw the 1990s version of Lord of the Files. They changed quite a few things but the story was still the same. I don't care for the changes myself but I guess they wanted to make it different than the original film.
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN! Wow they really did well. Cobie called it didn't he?
I'm suprised Atonement didn't do better?
Best Actress: Marion Cotillard!!! That's the beautiful french girl from A Good Year. She is transformed into an old ugly singer!
Javier Bardem is a great actor as well. Overdue for him. Daniel Day Lewis won best actor. No suprise. He's amazing. It was him or Vigo. Tilda Swinton transformed into NORMAL! So many actors can't do normal. I gained respect for Depp when he a Nick of Time. He played a normal dad. Not a wierdo. Crazy and wierdo are overrated. Acting like a normal person is hard. Another good example is Kevin Spacey in American Beauty.
I also really want to see "There will be Blood" (the Oil movie). Daniel Day Lewis is just so extraordinary.
Kudos for "No Country". Truly was magnificent and Javier deserves it too.
I haven't seen Michael Clayton (and want to) but I really like Tilda Swinton. She's been in some really off-beat stuff, and I hear her performance is masterful and really makes the movie.
Blockade, that was Charlie Wilson's War. The clip by P.S. Hoffman does look great. Again he is acting like a normal joe learning Finnish for apparently no reason.
I haven't seen any of the films either except for the one Viggo was nominated for (Eastern Promises). I talked about that one a few posts ago. I highly recommend it. Viggo does a great job.
Lots of those films are coming out soon on DVD. Can't wait.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: I also really want to see "There will be Blood" (the Oil movie). Daniel Day Lewis is just so extraordinary.
I haven't seen Michael Clayton (and want to) but I really like Tilda Swinton. She's been in some really off-beat stuff, and I hear her performance is masterful and really makes the movie.
A few thoughts. Upton Sinclair wrote the book that There Will Be Blood is based on. He called Oil. (which I think you may know that)
Tilda Swinton is pretty cool. I want to see the film Orlando by her. It's based on the hero Rolando switching genders.
No Country...is based on a book by Cormac McCarthy. His other book Blood Meridian is on my to read list. I hear it's awesome. I also hear his the latest one The Road is pretty good. Viggo M is set to play the lead character in the movie adaption.
Blood Meridian is the only Cormac McCarthy book I ever read (in college for American Lit). It's...interesting.
I have to say at first I didn't like it at all. But about two-thirds of the way through (and I may never have read the whole thing if not for it being college-related), I really started to get into it. McCarthy has such a ruthless, gritty style to his writing. I swear, reading a few chapters by him leaves you feeling like you just went ten rounds in the boxing ring and got the shit kicked out of you. Both because of the harsh, ruthless view he has of the world and because of his style of writing itself. But I'm not saying that's a bad thing--because I think that's what finally hooked me by the 2/3 point of his book.
Also, its just filled front to back with symbolism, allegory and very deep themes. Not all of them you'll quite get, but there is an excellent website on Blood Meridian (somewhere online) that will help you. I admit I wouldn't have gotten half of what I understood without the help of my American Lit professor.
I recommend it--but be prepared for something unlike you've ever read.
I've never been able to get into McCarthy's stuff for some reason. He often gets compared to Faulkner, who is my absolute favorite writer, but while there's an obvious Southern Gothic influence on him, it just doesn't have the same appeal to me.
EDE, you saw any of the Oscar related films? btw, I saw the 1990 Lord of Flies movie which I commented on a page back. What you think of that if you've seen it?
Last night I saw something...different. You know when you want to see something no one has heard of? Sigourney Weaver and Michael Caine star in Half Moon Street (1986). I read about it somewhere and got interested because it's a political-erotic thriller set in London dealing with the Middle East.
It was...different. Despite the horrible dated soundtrack it wasn't that bad. Good plot, good acting, a very sexy Sigourney (well when she isn't wearing the biggest shoulder pads I've ever seen). It was very professor by day HOOKER by night.
She actually became a high priced hooker and has no qualms about it. It's a bit Basic Instinct with politics instead of psychos.
You know... I don't think I've seen any movies released in 2007, Oscar-nominated or not. I've been so busy catching up on "classic" films lately, that I really just haven't been paying much attention to newer stuff.
I actually just watched On the Waterfront last night, which was pretty cool.
I think I saw the 1990 Lord of the Flies back in high school (when I was obsessed with the book), but I don't really remember much about it.
My last visit to the libray brought home High Noon and Transporter II. I got Transporter one day, because I couldn't find anything else. Good stuff. A most underated action hero.
One the Water Front is one of my favorite movies of all time. Mainly because when I was a kid, it was so important to my Dad, who is a quintessential blue-collar guy. Its what I believe is Brando's finest performance on screen.
High Noon is also one of my favorites (I assume you mean the Gary Cooper western BB, b/c I don't know of any others). I watched it whe I was a kid, all by myself, at about 3:00 AM one night after sneaking back down to watch TV. I've watched it a dozen times since. The sense of being so alone in so strong in that movie, and so oddly liberating at the end.
I haven't seen anyone reference this one here, but yesterday I rented "Across the Universe", a recent musical which uses Beatles songs for all of its numbers (and to name all its characters). This movie has some absolutely gorgeous renditions of many of their classic songs (of course pretty much all their songs are classics!) sung by a very vocally-gifted cast!
Okay, the story won't blow anyone away...like the story in most musicals is really its selling point, but it gives a nice flavor of the '60s with an attractive, talented cast. And I really enjoyed the psychedelic imagery, particularly in the segments featuring "I want you/She's so heavy", "I am the walrus", "Dear Prudence", "Happiness is a warm gun" and "Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite".
At heart it's a fairly simple love story between two leads, Jude and Lucy, who have an involving entourage of friends they come to share their lives with. All of them are very interesting as well, particularly Lucy's brother Max.
My only caveat with the entourage is that one of the characters, Prudence, really seems to get the shortest shrift, and I've a feeling a lot of her story was left in the cutting room. If I read between the lines correctly, Prudence was struggling with her sexual identity, and that would've been a welcome storyline.
I absolutely love the Beatles and found this celebration of their work thoroughly entertaining! Not only are the voices of the main cast terrific, but we get a lot of terrific celebrity singing appearances by the likes of Bono, Joe Cocker and Eddie Izzard. I don't know if people who don't worship the Beatles will like it, but I feel confident that those who do will be in heaven while watching "Across the Universe"!
I saw the historical drama "The Other Boelyn Girl" at the theater. Natalie Portman (Anne Boelyn, doomed wife of King Henry VIII) and Scarlett Johanssen (Mary Boelyn, Anne's sister) both look lovely and give excellent performances. The movie is probably historically inaccurate and definitely a bit soap operatic, but I liked it.
I'm watching 'The Right Stuff' on the History channel right now. I saw it years ago when I was a kid and remember loving it, because my Dad loved it so much.
Its really a damn great movie. Sam Sheperd as Chuck Yeager is my favorite in the movie. The role he plays just speaks volumes to me about what a man is.
I saw There Will Be Blood the night before the Oscars. I have a thing for the director, Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia is one of my favorite films ever).
When I walked out of the theatre, I thought: "I'm not sure I liked that." The ending was incredibly odd, not what I was expecting in light of what had come before.
As the film has percolated in the back of my head for the past week or so, it has started to tower in my mind. I love it. I think it is a great work. If this "growing trend" keeps up, I might end up founding a religion based on it.
On another note, I highly recommend "Into the Wild." My mind wouldn't let go of that movie either.
Seven Samurai rules! Great movie Eryk! As I'm sure you're already well aware, "Magnificent Seven" is a take off on it, and I personally think once you've seen 7S, M7 actually is better because of it.
You know, I've never seen Jamaican Inn, but have wondered for *years* about it. You've got to let me know about it! IIRC, its one of his earliest films.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Seven Samurai rules! Great movie Eryk! As I'm sure you're already well aware, "Magnificent Seven" is a take off on it, and I personally think once you've seen 7S, M7 actually is better because of it.
Yeah, I really want to re-watch M7 now.
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You know, I've never seen Jamaican Inn, but have wondered for *years* about it. You've got to let me know about it! IIRC, its one of his earliest films.
It's not quite one of his earliest, but it's pre-Hollywood Hitchcock. Actually, I think it's his last British film. I'd put in a similar category to Rebecca (his first American film), not the least because both were based on Daphne du Maurier books (though it seems like JI is much less faithful to the original source, from what I can tell).
Anyway, it's a solid movie, but nothing to get too excited about. After seeing Rope, I keep thinking there's got to be at least on more fastastic Hitchcock movie out there I haven't seen, but this wasn't it. I've got Marnie recorded to watch sometime this weekend, so I'll see how that is.
Let me know what you think about Marnie. Marnie is good, I'd even say 'very good', but it's probably not in my top three Hitchcock movies (close to fantastic, but not quite deserving of that designation). Rope blew me away too by how much I enjoyed it, since I honestly never gave watching it a second thought until they started playing it on AMC last summer. What I do like about Marnie is that Tippi Hedron is in it, and I really like when Hitchcock uses her.
I'd probably rank Marnie much higher than the Birds in terms of Hitchcock films.
There are still many Hitchcock movies I have not seen. For example "Strangers on a Train", which sounds like it may have some of Rope's themes, intrigues me.
BTW, if you haven't seen "Notorious", watch it ASAP. Its not only fantastic, its worthy of being a contender for his 'best'.
I actually recorded Strangers on a Train last night (I just happened to notice it was on Chiller), so that may get watched this weekend in addition to Marnie.
Yeah, Notorious is pretty powerful. I'd be hard-pressed to come up with a top three favorite Hitch films. Besides Rope, Vertigo is probably my favorite, though I'm a huge fan of Lifeboat as well. And of course North by Northwest and To Catch a Thief are just cool. And I love both versions of The Man Who Knew Too Much, and am firmly convinced if you could combine the two of them in the right way, you might just have the perfect film (with Jimmy Stewart as the hero and Peter Lorre as the villain...)
I like Birds because I think it shows Hitch's dark humor in a really interesting way. About half the movie is a pretty conventional 60s love story, then it kind of gradually converts into this crazy movie about attacking Birds. There's something kind of perverse about it.
I tend to think Psycho is way overrated. I mean, it's good, but maybe I've just seen it so many times that it's lost its impact. Or maybe it's just that it spawned so many imitations that its hard for me to enjoy it as the original.
I agree with Psycho, and I probably feel that way for the reasons you list.
That's an interesting way to look at the Birds. I think that's exactly what the recent film 'Hostile' was trying to immitate: one-half of the film is this really funny 'college kids partying across Europe' sequence and then the next half this horrific and graphic torture craziness. In an odd way, that about sums up the change in culture from now to then from a really pessimistic point of view (instead of romance we get sex/drugs/let's party dude and instead of attacking birds we get graphic torture sequences).
North by Northwest if my favorite, but I also really don't think I could narrow it down to three or even five. I love Rear Window. I'd say the last 5-10 minutes of Rear Window are far more terrifying than any part of Psycho, and the combination of Hitch's suspense building, Jimmy Stewart's acting, and Grace Kelly being in peril (and then Jimmy Stewart) only heighten it.
I'm interested in what you think about Strangers on a Train!
Originally posted by Ram Boy: We just saw Across the Universe yesterday. It's sort of an anti-war/love story wrapped in a tribute to the Beatles. Very neat. Includes some of the most amazing renditions of Beatles songs you'll probably ever see or hear. "Let It Be" was mind blowing. Other awesome highlights were "Strawberry Fields" and "With a Little Help from My Friends"
"Let it Be" was one of my favorites also (and one of the most powerful scenes in the movie) along with "Come Together."
My latest DVD borrow from the library.
Rather than overtly "anti-war," I found it very non-judgemental, letting the times tell the story. At the very least, they were subtle I thought.
With all the great singers and arrangements, Cocker was just glory, a whole different level to me. Also impressing me was how well they integrated the catalogue, the songs never took me away from the story telling.
I particularly enjoyed catching Beatles homages, my favorite being the rooftop scene.
I can't imagine I'll make it though the weekend without watching this again.
BB, hope you caught my own review of "Across the Universe" last page. I've watched it twice in the last week. Excellent, excellent movie for Beatles fans!
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: I'm interested in what you think about Strangers on a Train!
Watched it tonight and it's pretty awesome! Definitely one of Hitch's most memorable villains! I can see some similarity with Rope, in that you've got the same kind of amoral sociopath who see murder kind of as part of experiencing life to the fullest.
I actually wasn't a huge fan of the action sequence at the end, but the movie as a whole was really good. I loved seeing Pat Hitchcock (his daughter) in it, as well. She's really underrated as a character actress, and I wish she was in more stuff.
Originally posted by Clive: BB, hope you caught my own review of "Across the Universe" last page. I've watched it twice in the last week. Excellent, excellent movie for Beatles fans!
Actually, the "search function" did miss it, nice review.
Nerdy Legion connection: the recruitor ("flat feet") played Dr. Morlo in the Legion cartoon. (saw that on imdb)
Prudence's story was very subtle but I didn't see it as her struggling with her identity as much as others struggling to recognize it. A telling thing but I thought, consistent with the times, her opening scene. I'm pretty sure it was designed to be easy to miss, as the cheerleader singing "I want to hold your hand." Her feelings were clear to her but easy for the audience to miss. These denials I thought well and intentionally mimicked by Max' character ("I think she's hung-up on me").
After reading your thoughts, her opening appearance in NY and her comment in the club about Max and Jude, I can see your point. They were showing the character struggle between trying to fit the mold or being herself. At least the character got closure.
I thought it well played myself, expressing the denial that was prevalent. No clubbing over the head, well in line with the movie's approach to the war, black America, the radicals, the open living lifestyle...
Another story that was easy to miss was Jo-Jo's. His comments about music being the only thing that made sense were easy to forget by the time the story got around to explaining the cause for the comments.
I think these are two examples of why I can easily see myself watching this movie again and again, to catch more details.
Now if Taymor were to follow-up with a story about the after-affects of the 60's, whose music would she choose?
Of the "discoveries," I think Joe Anderson has the best shot at making it in the business. His pre-NY Max particularly I think would have made him a lot of fans.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Let me know what you think about Marnie. Marnie is good, I'd even say 'very good', but it's probably not in my top three Hitchcock movies (close to fantastic, but not quite deserving of that designation). Rope blew me away too by how much I enjoyed it, since I honestly never gave watching it a second thought until they started playing it on AMC last summer. What I do like about Marnie is that Tippi Hedron is in it, and I really like when Hitchcock uses her.
I just watched it. Up until about the last fifteen minutes I didn't think it was all that great... but those last fifteen minutes... wow! Really powerful stuff! Much of the rest of the movie seemed kind of tedious and moving in a lot of different directions, but all that set-up really comes together at the end! And, yeah, Tippi Hedron's performance is pretty awesome!
Originally posted by Blockade Boy: Prudence's story was very subtle but I didn't see it as her struggling with her identity as much as others struggling to recognize it. A telling thing but I thought, consistent with the times, her opening scene. I'm pretty sure it was designed to be easy to miss, as the cheerleader singing "I want to hold your hand." Her feelings were clear to her but easy for the audience to miss. These denials I thought well and intentionally mimicked by Max' character ("I think she's hung-up on me").
After reading your thoughts, her opening appearance in NY and her comment in the club about Max and Jude, I can see your point. They were showing the character struggle between trying to fit the mold or being herself. At least the character got closure.
I thought it well played myself, expressing the denial that was prevalent. No clubbing over the head, well in line with the movie's approach to the war, black America, the radicals, the open living lifestyle...
Having viewed the movie a second time Friday night, I can see your point. If you watch the "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" sequence closely, it's a lot more obvious she's singing about the cheerleader, not the football player (or possibly both--summaries I've read of the film describe Prudence as 'bisexual').
I think in a way what I most lament about her is the relatively smaller amount of screen and vocal time she gets. T.V. Carpio is absolutely beautiful, and her voice is one of the best in the cast, much better than Sadie's (who gets lots and lots to sing) in my opinion.
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Another story that was easy to miss was Jo-Jo's. His comments about music being the only thing that made sense were easy to forget by the time the story got around to explaining the cause for the comments.
Loved JoJo as well, BB, and his awesome soulful voice. I'm not sure what you meant about not understanding his comment until later, though. Seemed pretty understandable from when we first meet him at his little brother's funeral.
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I think these are two examples of why I can easily see myself watching this movie again and again, to catch more details.
Having just watched it the second time, I can say I was no less enthralled than I was the first!
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Of the "discoveries," I think Joe Anderson has the best shot at making it in the business. His pre-NY Max particularly I think would have made him a lot of fans.
He struck me as looking like a young Denis Leary! And he is very charismatic and promising. I've heard tell he's being considered for the title role in a Kurt Cobain biopic. He could easily pull that off, I think--possibly win an Oscar for it.
Jim Sturgess (Jude) is already on the rise. This month he stars in 21 opposite Kevin Spacey! Now that's moving up to the big leagues!
Overall, I just feel that Across the Universe captured artfully just about everything I love about the Beatles! Rent it now, people!!!
Also, re: Prudence--I love the choreography in "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" as she walks thru the football practice! I love that stuff and how it emphasizes her singlemindedness and how she isn't minding her surroundings.
Loved Max's singing and the surrealness during "Happiness Is a Warm Gun"! That's always been one of my very favorites among the 'lesser' Beatles tracks, and I love how it and such other underdogs as "I Want You/She's So Heavy" and "Because" are included in the film, complete with some of the most inventive imagery!
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: [b]I'm interested in what you think about Strangers on a Train!
Watched it tonight and it's pretty awesome! Definitely one of Hitch's most memorable villains! I can see some similarity with Rope, in that you've got the same kind of amoral sociopath who see murder kind of as part of experiencing life to the fullest.
I actually wasn't a huge fan of the action sequence at the end, but the movie as a whole was really good. I loved seeing Pat Hitchcock (his daughter) in it, as well. She's really underrated as a character actress, and I wish she was in more stuff.[/b]
Cool! Now I have a movie to look for! I'm really looking forward to what you describe as one of Hitch's best villains. The entire premise for the movie just seems so cool!
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Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester:
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Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: [b]Let me know what you think about Marnie. Marnie is good, I'd even say 'very good', but it's probably not in my top three Hitchcock movies (close to fantastic, but not quite deserving of that designation). Rope blew me away too by how much I enjoyed it, since I honestly never gave watching it a second thought until they started playing it on AMC last summer. What I do like about Marnie is that Tippi Hedron is in it, and I really like when Hitchcock uses her.
I just watched it. Up until about the last fifteen minutes I didn't think it was all that great... but those last fifteen minutes... wow! Really powerful stuff! Much of the rest of the movie seemed kind of tedious and moving in a lot of different directions, but all that set-up really comes together at the end! And, yeah, Tippi Hedron's performance is pretty awesome![/b]
Yeah, the end is really one of those great endings we sometimes get in Hitch's movies. Its also neat to see a young Sean Connery *not* in the James Bond role, even if there are some similarities here.
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Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: I'm also a Hitchcok fan. My wife is a big fan as well. Isn't there a CD collection with some of his best work? I need to get that.
Cobie, when the Right Stuff come out? I remember seeing it but I was quite young methinks.
I believe the Right Stuff came out in the early 80's, so I might have even been a baby when it did. I remember my father liking it growing up, so when it was on the other day, I checked it out. Its actually quite good. There's some real good commentary on bravery and being in control of one's destiny. My favorite scenes are all the Chuck Yeager sequences, which Sam Sheperd really just nails. He provides this great image of the American hero of yesteryear.
Something else else inside of me is wired to hate musicals. I love theater, plays, classical music concerts, hell dinner theater is fun! Musicals?! It just hurts me in ways I can't explain. People singing lines? Ouch.
I got accussed by a woman once of not being a fan of "the Arts". I have a BA in Fine Arts! Musicals hurt me.
Most movie musicals seem to just throw the music in there and it doesn't have a place in the dialogue. Taymor did an amazing job in sculpting the plot and the song choice to make sure the lyrics were natural dialogue IMO.
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Originally posted by Clive:
[b]
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Another story that was easy to miss was Jo-Jo's. His comments about music being the only thing that made sense were easy to forget by the time the story got around to explaining the cause for the comments.
Loved JoJo as well, BB, and his awesome soulful voice. I'm not sure what you meant about not understanding his comment until later, though. Seemed pretty understandable from when we first meet him at his little brother's funeral. [/b]
I missed THAT completely!
I was wondering about that bus station. Seemed out of place to me. Now I see, it was in De'troit.
I thought his comment was referring to his time in Vietnam.
Originally posted by Blockade Boy: I missed THAT completely!
I was wondering about that bus station. Seemed out of place to me. Now I see, it was in De'troit.
I thought his comment was referring to his time in Vietnam.
Well, really, it could have referred to that as well, BB. But most immediately, it was what happened to his little brother during the riots. During the funeral ("Let It Be"), you see JoJo standing over the casket with their mother and also comforting her as they sit in the pew. Next thing you know, JoJo's on the bus to NYC.
Don't feel too bad...I missed the true point of Prudence's "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" sequence, after all.
Recently saw the latest Bourne film. Ultimatum is it? Anyways it was pretty good. You see some spots where the books may have gone deeper and the first two films seem to have ignored. Anyways loved it.
Elizabeth the Golden Age? It was pretty good. Ofcourse the visuals take the cake. BEAUTIFUL! Great acting. History? Eh, a bit off for me. The Spanish were portrayed like cartoon evil villains. Still pretty good stuff though.
I watched Three Strangers, with Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet, last night. It was fantastic! Another movie I was expecting to be good, but actually far exceeded my expectations!
I am going to the Sarasota Film Festival in a few weeks. Stanley Tucci is going to be there! I just bought tkts for it online! Charlize Theron is also there for a film called Battle of Seattle about the WTO Seattle thing in 99. I'm more excited about Tucci! I've mentioned here he's one of my fave actors! My goal is to talk with him for a couple of minutes. I bought tkts for the After Party which is usually kick ass! I also am going to watch 3 other films. Tucci's film is called Blind Date btw.
A DVD called The Jane Austen Book Club . It's cute if a little slow at times, but since I'm a devotee of Emily Blunt it was more than worthwhile. She of course is wonderful.
Emily Blunt News! The Young Victoria (she plays the lead) is in post production and she's currently filming The Wolf Man.
TV shows - as I said in the Lost thread, Lost is the only thing I'm watching right now. Everything else is just garbage (not including the Daily Show or Colbert Report).
However, I did watch the Riches season two opener. It was enjoyable. The show always seems to be...*lacking* something. But Eddie Izzard, the lead character, makes all of his scenes 100% worthwhile in tuning in. Like all the FX shows recently though, I wonder if I'll be able to maintain any sort of interest (I faded out midway through last seasons of Rescue Me and Nip/Tuck, and I used to watch those two shows religiously).
I slowed down on my movie watching. I saw Disturbia and suprisingly liked it.
I've also been watching shows like Lost, Survivor, Medium, and Dirt.
Cobie, what is the Riches like? British actors acting American? I always got the feeling it was making fun of the American stereotype. That seems to be a popular trend these days.
I've been on a Fritz Lang kick lately. I watched "M" a week or so ago, and started watching "Metropolis" the other night. I always forget how powerful silent films can be, until I see one that's really awesome.
I have a nice framed poster of Metropolis at home. It was one of the first films I saw in film school and it just struck a chord with me. Way before its time. Have to check out some of his other stuff.
Jorge, the Riches is actually pretty good. I'd say its not the greatest show in TV, but like most FX shows is very enjoyable with consistent quality and downright moments of brillance. I like it better than Dirt, but not as much as Damages.
There isn't really any making fun of the American stereotype, either. If anything its the opposite of that, really getting into the American stereotype (southern/Texas/Midwest) and exploring how false/true that can be. But that's only a minor aspect of the story, as its really an analysis of honesty and truths, and the sense of both freedom and creating barriers/limitations on your life.
And the cast is superb.
The first season was good, with moments of 'great'. The first two episodes so far in season two have been A+. Very good. We'll see if that remains so.
It's twins! Good shows but they obviously left the smarter aliens, the ones that designed the ships, behind.
30 Seconds Over Tokyo.
Now I'm a firm believer that it's okay for men to cry at movies....
... as long as it's either Brian's Song or The Green Mile, but I've been having my moments lately. When Crowe gives his breakfast to his littler daughter in Cinderella Man. The "Let it Be" boy in "Across the Universe." The little chinese man that brings the gifts to the american soldiers in "30 Seconds" ... I bent but did not break.
Cinderella Man gives me (2) moments: (1) the aforemented Crowe giving his breakfast to his daughter (2) Braddock to Jay Gould: "Thanks. For all of it". Something else else about that bit of dialogue gets me all misty.
Re: Fritz Lang. As I said I have a Metropolis poster and my daughter asked what is that(after it being in the house for 2 years). I explained it was a silent film b&w. She was shocked. She couldn't understand how films could be "silent". She also saw rotary phone the other day for the first time...same shock.
I've seen a few good ones this last weekend. No Reservations. A romantic comedy but it's about the NYC restuarant scene with Catherine Zeta-Jones (me heart her). It was pretty good.
Saw Big Night again. Stanley Tucci, Shaloub, and a bunch of other great actors. I'm going to a film fest with a Tucci film and he will be in the audience. So I'm watching some of his films.
Superman Returns. Eh. I've never been a huge Supes fan but I did enjoy the original movies back as a kid. The guy who played Superman was pretty good not great. Lois Lane was a horribly cast IMO. I think it tried a bit too hard to be like Donner's films. I enjoyed it but thought it was flawed on many levels. It can't compare to any Spider-Man film. I just don't see it appealing to kids.
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Superman Returns. Eh. I've never been a huge Supes fan but I did enjoy the original movies back as a kid. The guy who played Superman was pretty good not great. Lois Lane was a horribly cast IMO. I think it tried a bit too hard to be like Donner's films. I enjoyed it but thought it was flawed on many levels. It can't compare to any Spider-Man film. I just don't see it appealing to kids.
Agree. I didn't see it right away, so when I did I was left a little dissapointed. Upon a rewatch, only more so. Whereas, I liked the Spider-Man and X-Men films and have only grown to enjoy them more upon each watch (excluding X-Men 3, which overall I found very weak).
Didn't like Batman Begins at all the first time I saw it, at the theatre. It could have been one of those days, where not even bare Halle Berry boobs would have made me smile. Since have seen it on DVD and enjoyed it. Nothing to rave about for me but I enjoyed it. I get the feeling I will enjoy this a bit more everytime I watch it.
I could probably say the same for Superman Returns. The first time, the attempts at making Superman canon fell flat with me, leaving for five years, ditching the kid; we don't need a Superman, oops, guess we do.... The bullet to the eye thing I just found stupid.
Routh looks great and I enjoyed his Superman but Marston's character was great and he wouldn't have even been a character if not for the first two things occurring. So...
Speaking of Batman Bale.
I saw the remake of 3:10 to Yuma. A Brit and an Aussie doing the old west. Both actors were great. I can't think of a Russel Crowe movie I've not liked. Bale's choice of movies are a little more hit-or-miss with me but I generally enjoy his acting.
I haven't seen 3:10 to Yuma yet but its on my "must see" list right now. I love both actors and I agree 100% with you about Crowe. Just about everything he does is nothing short of spectacular.
I loved Batman Begins when it came out and each time I rewatch it, I love it more. At this point, its probably my favorite super-hero movie I've ever seen, or at least tied only with: X-Men 2, Spider-Man 2 and the Rocketeer. Its the definitive Batman performance (live action) for me.
Went to the Sarasota film fest this last weekend. Saw 5 films in three days. Actually all of them were pretty good. Usually I watch one clunker!
The first (and worst) was "I Can No Longer Hear the Guitar". It wasn't bad at all but it was very slow. Note to all...do not watch a french existialism flick as a late flick after dinner and drinks. I'm not a philistine so I did take something good from it. But much of the film had characters whispering in a dark room or them just staring at the wall.
Next was a Norwegian film called Gone With The Woman. It was great! A romantic comedy ala the Heartbreak Kid. Very funny! I may buy it. I knew very little about Norwegians and it's nice to see they are not that different. (no offense to the Norwegians )
Then saw a movie in Mongolian! In subtitles ofcourse. It was called Mongol and it was about Genghis Khan. It was his rise to power as a child to a young man. The guy suffered a ton but never gave up was basically the gist of it. I love history so I enjoyed it but my buddy fell asleep.
Blind Date by Stanley Tucci. Based on a film Theo van Gogh (dutch film maker killed by muslim extremist last year). The most depressing film I've ever seen. Parts of it got tedious but overall it was great. Great ending. Tucci did not attend though he was suppossed to. I was upset cause he's one of my favorite actors. But I soon forgot about Tucci when I was in the same room as Charline Theron!
Battle in Seattle was the last film I saw. Written and directed by Stuart Townsend. The guy is not just a pretty boy actor. One of the best written and directed film I've seen. He filmed it in 29 days for 7 million. Great acting also by a host of actors. Controversial subject matter...the WTO protests in Seattle in 1999. Certainly raised my awareness of the issue surrounding the WTO. I'm not going to join a protest but I will spread the word.
The highlight was Townsend, Theron, Michelle Rodriguez, and Martin Henderson were there. They hung out for about 30 minutes after the film to answer questions. I never get star struck and I admit I did.
Damagers is coming back from what I read. They are doing production now but no time table when it will air. I am guessing fall. There are two more "seasons" of 13 episodes each.
You know what I loved? Cloverfield. What a great, great movie.
If you're watching to see the monster then you'll be dissapointed even though its earliest appearances were cool. By far the really scary thing is the little spidery things in the sewers.
But more than anything it was definitely one of the best sets of characters I've seen in a long while. Great interaction, moments of pure courage, friendship and love and I was blown away by all of them. The love story was actually really great and the kid with the video camera ended up being one of the best parts of the movie after he initially seems annoying.
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Cobie, I get motion sick easily...will Cloverfield make me barf?
Hard to say, Jorge. Has any movie you've seen with a lot of handheld camera action ever made you sick in the past?
In any case I'd imagine that effect would be lessened on the small screen. Obviously, this effect was a reported complaint about it, so it still might be risky for you.
Hm, it didn't bother me much Jorg so you might be okay. Probably because its on the small screen you would be. Out of the entire movie probably only about 4 minutes or so have parts where the camera "bobbling" is intense.
I actually thought the hand-held camera was extremely useful here in building suspense. Its the most successful I've ever seen this format done in. It had the precision of Hitchcock and Tarrantino in regards to montage, but at a pace a thousand times faster.
Last week I watched Face in the Crowd, with Andy Griffith as the anti-Andy Griffith. Seriously, it's kind of disturbing watching him in a role where he's such an evil bastard. A pretty powerful film, however.
Blacula was pretty cool. I'm watching the sequel tonight!
Major Academy Nominees watched so far: American Gangster The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Atonement Eastern Promises Michael Clayton No Country for Old Men There Will Be Blood
Still to See: Away from Her Charlie Wilson’s War The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Elizabeth: The Golden Age Gone Baby Gone I’m Not There In the Valley of Elah Into the Wild Juno La Vie en Rose The Savages Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Looking Most Forward to: La Vie en Rose and a the Hoffman flicks: The Savages and Charlie Wilson's War.
However: Favorite films so far have been Kite Runner and Across the Universe.
Just watched the last three episodes of Battlestar Galactica season 3 last night. Dragging my sleepy butt to work now. The season didn't end as strongly as it started, but still the best show in recent memory, imho.
I watched Atonement last night. I have to say--I was a bit dissapointed. Very slow film with not too much actually happening. Neither Knightly nor MacAvoy get to flex their acting chops until the last half hour of the film either. Not sure what all the hullaboo was about. The premise is interesting but we've seen it before and seen it done better.
Also watched Casino Royale. I'm not the biggest Bond fan in the world, but I like the character and franchise. I thought this was very well done and liked it a lot. It definitely gave a sense of danger moreso than 'fun', which was refreshing for Bond. I especially liked Vesper, perhaps my new favorite Bond girl (as I said, I'm not a huge fan and have only watched 20% of the films). Is that supposed to be Money-Penny, or somewhat similar?
Before going online, I watched Lucio Fulci's Zombie, a great, ground-breaking 1979 B-movie.
Not only gorier and with scarier-looking zombies than earlier zombie films, it's also refreshing in its refusal to draw heroes-and-villains lines. In Fulci's (and writers/spouses Elisa Brigati and Dardano Sachetti's) misanthropic view, dead or undead/opressors or opressed alike, all humanity is equally revolting, and even seemingly decent people are forced into killing to survive.
Blockade Boy, I saw Eastern Promises. Loved it. Haven't had the alertness for Michael Clayton yet. Though I do have American Gangster sitting around the house (as Michael Clayton).
Cobie, I know Atonement was based on a book and I had the feeling it was going to be slow like a book.
Casino Royale was pretty good. I liked them getting grittier than before. There was one scene I didn't like. After he was poisoned and went through hell...he showed up at the card table all squeaky clean. I would've preferred him to let the villain know...yes you poisoned me and I'm back. Besides that I really liked it. Not sure which girl you speak but the spanish girl at the beggining...alavao que buena!
A movie I found suprisingly enjoyable was 'Deja Vu' with Denzil Washingston. Denzel is one of my favorite actors and he was as excellent as he usually is (and the supporting cast as well). The movie involved aspects of time travel, alternate universes, etc. As a longtime DC comics fan, I'm basically an expert on that stuff and saw some of the endings coming before hand, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the film. All of that science-fiction stuff never took away from the basic character drama of the film. More than anything, this reminded me of Preminger's Laura, which I consider to be a great film.
Just watched Elizabeth, parts I and II. Blanchett and Rush were enthralling but I couldn't really get into the screenplay or maybe it was the directing/editing. Liz's speech to the Lords and in part II to the troops were great but that montage in part I where she was practicing,
It took me two years, but I've finally gotten over the offensively bad final season of the TV show Alias, and I watched the first episode of Season Two (because that's the season with the most Irina in it) and the first few minutes of the second episode.
It holds up pretty well, and it was nice, as a comic book fan, to note how much Irina is like Natasha Romanova gone bad, down to having the long red hair of Natasha's "classic" look.
On the other hand, the scene I used to love where Sydney pretends to be a rich Italian socialite demanding a hotel room was cheezier than I remembered, with Sydney dropping grade-school Italian phrases into her English like...well, the way foreigners used to talk (and sometimes still do) in comic books.
I just watched Juno after fighting Lady Cobalt off for weeks.
Guess what? All that hype? Totally worth it. The movie was excellent, phenominal, even deserving of the word "Masterpiece".
The acting was so good that it almost ripped my throat out. Never has Jennifer Garner been this good. Never has Jason Bateman been so honest. Ellen Page? Consider me a fan for life. Plus at least another four or five actors that had lesser roles and just knocked it out of the park.
It had moments deadly serious and tense and yet it maintained a light-hearted feel continually. Humorous, off-beat, engrossing...I'm shocked at how much I liked it. I thought I wouldn't.
Checked out "Teeth" last night. Veeery unusual horror/satire/dark comedy.
It's about a teenage girl who preaches abstinence and knows very little about sex. Well, it turns out she has a mutation which invloves having teeth in...well, use your imagination! And those teeth bite off...certain things of males.
Got it?
Okay, well it's played pretty straight and the lead actress is really talented and really helps sell the outrageous-sounding premise. By the end we're really rooting for her, and she's kind of a dark avenger...with a twist!
It's a little like Carrie in a way but more tongue-in-cheek, I guess.
Anyhow, it's not a perfect film but very enjoyable and certainly with a novel premise. I definitely recommend it!
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: I just watched Juno after fighting Lady Cobalt off for weeks.
Another teacher and I combined classes to show Juno as the "end of the school year kid's are not going to study anymore math" film. It passed my watch six times without getting board criteria and actually had our usually bored with life students interested. One class, it was the first time I've heard "quiet" all year!
We just watched the first disc from season three of Dante's Cove. Three back-to-back episodes. I'm tired and I'm cranky but still thought it was pretty entertaining.
Arrested Development - I bought and watched Season One of this show after hearing about how funny it was for years. Lady Cobalt ended up not really enjoying it that much but for some reason I loved it. I thought it was the perfect blend of witty, tight dialogue and outright ridiculousness. Between this and Juno, I not only actually like Jason Bateman now, I like him a lot! Portia del Rossi was the best I've ever seen her and pretty much all the actors were fun. My favorite character was the oldest brother, Jobe, played by Will Forte. He sleazed it up so much that I couldn't help but love him.
Indiana Jones & the Crystal Skulls - I saw this and actually liked a lot. I'd say 95% of all of my friends were disappointed and many outright hated it. But I thought it was cool--Harrison Ford has aged quite a bit so they pretty much aged the series from the late 30's to the 50's, and in doing so changed many of the themes: whereas there are now Commies instead of Nazis, the other 1950's-centric themes apply too, including the Cold War, nuclear paranoia and aliens, which are all really connected in popular fiction of that era. So I thought it all fit pretty well. Evidently, many disagree . Plus, I for some reason kind of was digging Kate Blanchett with that weird haircut, but I always find her very pretty.
Dexter - this is the series that prompted me to revisit this thread. I'd heard about it a little, but never realized what I was missing. Probably the most intense TV show I've ever seen, it’s quality rivals some of the best offered these last few years, like Lost, the Shield and Rome. Getting into the mind of a serial killer who was led towards another path which included some morals he could hang onto is fascinating. The show is creepy and makes no apologies for it; the subject matter is not for the faint of heart. The supporting characters are interesting, complex and really flawed and I like pretty much all of them. This is really a great show (I’m halfway through season 1). The most interesting part is to really explore the notion of a serial killer as a cold sociopath person who really can’t feel any emotions, but knows how to fake it to blend it just right; and then how that is both a gift in dealing with horrific situations and a serious flaw in being unable to feel love, compassion or care for those that love him.
Saw The Happening last night. I thought it was pretty good. There were a few moments early on where I thought it was shaping up to be M. Knight's best movie ever, but it didn't quite deliver. Nonetheless, I thought it was pretty solid. I wasn't quite sold on Mark Wahlberg as a science teacher, but I thought the cast did a pretty good job overall. It probably reminded me of The Birds more than anything, though more like if the birds had started near the end and focused on the characters fleeing from the center of the attack.
Just saw the Hulk. Meh. Somewhere between this movie and Ang Lee's version, there's a good movie, waiting to get out. (Ang Lee's had better casting, better acting and better CGI. This one benefitted from not having Hulk-dogs and not having Kris Kristofferson chewing the scenery, as well as having a better storyline.)
Iron Man rocked like no super-hero movie since Spider-Man has rocked.
I liked the new Indy as well, so it's nice to see that someone else in the world liked it! (Then again, every review that I read before the movie said that it wasn't as good as Last Crusade, which I hated with a passion, but was way better than Temple of Doom, which was my favorite, so I'm obviously not the average Indy fan...)
As for TV, Galactica's done, so now I'm waiting for Eureka to start up again. Once Eureka is done, it should be about time for Supernatural to start up again. I watch about 45 minutes of TV a week.
Originally posted by Blockade Boy: Dexter: that sounds interesting. Is it on regular network?
Its on Showtime which is probably why both of us never heard of it before now. It actually doesn't have that much nudity, swearing or blood (okay, maybe a good amount of swearing), its just the gruesome subject matter that gets to be censor-free. I believe it already has 2 seasons out on DVD.
I didn't hate the new Indy, but the switch to '50s sensibilities was very jarring for me. Yes, I know it wouldn't have made sense to set this film in the '40 given Indy's age, but it often felt that Indy was simply irrelevant or outmoded in this setting. Even the UFO stuff seemed out of Indy's story bubble. The story was simultaneously too real (A-bomb) and too surreal (aliens) to be an Indiana Jones adventure. I'd just have to say this story needed a '50s-style hero, not a '30s/'40s-style hero.
I think Indy might've actually worked better if the focus had been on Shia Leboeuf's character rather than Indy himself. Somehow the Russians seemed far less interesting as villains than the Nazis did. The basic problem, conceptually, is that while the Nazis were pretty much obsessed with occult stuff, the communists very definitely weren't, so you can't have them going after something like the Ark of the Covenant.
I wasn't big on the alien component, either. Part of the success of the first movie was that the plots were very much rooted in the pulp literature of the 30s/40s. But crashed alien bodies from Roswell is so much more a 90s kind of plot than something from the 50s.
So, while I enjoyed the movie, I thought it could have been a lot better.
It almost seemed like Indy 4 was a potential re-invention / expansion of the pulp genre. Somewhere in the fuzzy area between Alan Quartermain and Flash Gordon and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
I watched Rabbit Proof Fence last night. It was interesting in that I knew almost nothing about the history of Aborigines in Australia going into it, and so it was nice being exposed to something different. As a movie, it was a little tedious. But as far as getting one pissed off at the arrogance of European civilization, it was quite effective.
"The Middleman" a new sci-fi series on abcfamily based on a comic book of the same name episode 2 is on tonight with a repeat of episode 1 an hour earlier watched it last week a lot of fun sort of like Men in Black meets Gilmore Girls.
Saw Get Smart over the weekend. While far from the worst movie ever based on a classic TV series, it was kind of disappointing, especially given the talent involved. I'd recommend waiting for when it is shown ad naseum on Cable TV.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Saw [b]The Happening last night. I thought it was pretty good. There were a few moments early on where I thought it was shaping up to be M. Knight's best movie ever, but it didn't quite deliver. Nonetheless, I thought it was pretty solid. I wasn't quite sold on Mark Wahlberg as a science teacher, but I thought the cast did a pretty good job overall. It probably reminded me of The Birds more than anything, though more like if the birds had started near the end and focused on the characters fleeing from the center of the attack.[/b]
Saw the Happening too and I agree with Eryk's assessment. I liked it though many will not. It wasn't his best movie but it was a good watch and I'd watch it again. There were some very suspenseful and creepy parts and I thought those moments were done very well. It was the actual people (you'll know who I mean when you see the movie) who were terrifying, not the 'event'.
Finally rented The Prestige on DVD after meaning to since, like, forever! Wow, was it ever worth the wait! Excellent performances from Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale--as well as all the supporting actors like Michael Caine, Scarlett Johannson and David Bowie. Bale is swiftly becoming one of my very favorite actors!
I feel pretty astute, though, as I figured out well before the end the twists for both characters that were later unveiled. I was left though with some questions about Bale's twist and how far and with whom his ruses were taken, if anyone who's seen it knows what I mean. That's part of the fun for me, I guess.
Anyhow, I highly, HIGHLY recommend this 2006 film to anyone who hasn't seen it yet or who's enjoyed any of director Chris Nolan's other films like Batman Begins or especially (one of my personal favorites of his) Memento. I'll definitely be seeking Nolan's other films out!
The second amazing piece of work (The Lookout) I've seen by the Third-Rock kid Joey Gordon-Levitt. He doesn't play it safe with his roles, for sure.
A great movie to see on a day where you need a kick in the emotions. NOT an easy movie to watch though. I'd recommend reading a good synopsis before taking this one on.
I've finally gotten around to playing back my entire Gerry Anderson videotape collection. I started with 10 random episodes of STINGRAY (recorded off the Sci-Fi Channel just before they yanked it off the air), and am now in the middle of a trio of THUNDERBIRDS compilation films (2 episodes each). After this it'll be the 2 TB feature films, and then the 10 episodes of CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS I taped off Sci-Fi before they stopped showing that, too.
A killer (Ben Kingsly) is forced into AA because his drinking is getting in the way of his work. The description alone was enough to pique my distorted sense of humor but add in Tea Leoni (yumm) and one of my favorite character actors, Bill Pullman...
I'm nearly through everything I can find from the League of Gentlemen. Why none of you British posters made note of this series--leaving me to discover it by accident--is beyond me. I suppose you just wanted to keep it local.
The Mole. Although this season has been a bit lackluster, it's still one of the more involving reality shows. (And I'm supplementing it with episodes of Season 1 on DVD.)
Friends of mine are big fans of Eureka, recently gave me the first two seasons to watch. I agree with you, they don't try to overdo it and the premises are fairly realistic. The character personalities, including the house, are some of the best on TV IMO.
I do wish they had more episodes with Lojack though.
Yeah, until Heroes and Supernatural start up, Eureka is all I watch. (And even then, Heroes has burned me two seasons in a row, so they better get their act in gear!)
I kinda want the focus to go back to characters like Jo and the kid with the glasses who's always messing up. Zane annoys me and I am sending negative energy his way, in hopes that something bad happens to him. Zoe's boyfriend can also suffer the same mysterious and tragic fate, for all I care.
Also, the actress who plays Jo should play Wonder Woman. Something else else about her demeanor makes me think 'Amazon princess.' Or maybe it's just her nose.
Jo does have a mediteranean look to me. Hank is probably my favorite character, easy for me to identify with but Jo would be a close second.
I've not seen Season 3, so Zane is still around? Not my favorite. Too out of character for Jo to put up with that without at least an armbar. There are enough wormholes floating around that place, both boyfriends could just disappear and it wouldn't even be necessary to wrap a show around it. Just asimple, hey, where'd those two go? Don't know, must have fallen into a wormhole.
Originally posted by Blockade Boy: Were there any other new characters for season 3?
A corporate exec type, sent to improve Global Dynamic's bottom-line. She immediately rubs almost everyone the wrong way (implementing all sorts of fees and prices for things that are generally free in Eureka, like meals in Cafe Diem and arguing to shut down any 'pure research' that doesn't have money-making applications). I'm not sure, but she looks kind of like the chain-smoking case-worker, Juno, from Beetlejuice.
There's some nice passive-aggressive resistance to her ideas. After stating that meals at the Cafe are no longer free, she stops in for a coffee and the guy in charge says, 'That'll be 25 dollars.' The next person in line orders the same thing and he's like, 'Oh, no charge for you.'
Battlestar Galactica seasons 1-3. After Eureka and Stargate, have to say the dialogue and character personalities in BG comes off severely lacking. It does have that well defined goal (reaching Earth) and leading mystery (13th Cylon) the others don't so I was somewhat interested. The space scenes/battles were awesome but they would do some really dumb stuff like, have faster than light spaceships but not be able to stick something into a coin size hole to keep a spacedock from leaking air. crazy.
Mysery Alaska: hockey meets spectacular scenery in a slapstick comedy. It's great because see, it's really a guy flick but you can pass it off as a chick flick and score double points with your girl.
Probably only hit home to me because this was my undergrad years and I had probably the only roommate in the entirety of rural/small town Indiana (Purdue) that was into new wave. The good old days, doing the sizzle on the cafeteria floor. We knew Devo before the world and all the Brians and Iggy before most of America did. Joy Division was a rumor.
The final season of "The Shield" just started and I'm totally psyched! This is an awesome show - it's the kind of show where everything builds on everything else and one of the most important resolutions has been coming since the end of the pilot episode - can't wait to see how this all pans out!
Drake, I'm also a huge SHIELD fan and am really psyched too! The quality has never faltered and even though I missed a bunch of eps last season, I'm still totally excited (and can always catch up on the DVD seasons).
Just watched the film, "How the West Was Won," this weekend for the very first time.
It is the prototypical example of the "All Star Epic" including turns by Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, and Henry Fonda. Admittedly, it's a bit dated (both in its historic approach and its filming technique - something called Cinerama that utilized three concurrent cameras and creates an effect that's a bit distracting on a flat screen) but for the sheer scope of what it attempts (a multi-generational tale that spans nearly the entire 19th century) it was quite impressive.
What new shows are people interested in checking out?
Fringe: The most highly anticipated new show for me - the pedigree has a lot to live up to.
Dollhouse: Same as above, but less so. I'm not convinced Eliza Dushku is actually a good actress, despite how much Joss Whedon loves her.
My Own Worst Enemy: Nice to see Christian Slater in the spotlight again after years of supporting work. Interesting premise (I can see the pitch: "It's like a cross between 'Fight Club' and 'Alias'!")
I checked out the first episode of Fringe. It was good. Didn't love it but I will stick around for a few more episodes. Does the actress look just like Kate Blanchett or what? My wife is a fan of the Dawson Creek kid so it looks like we will be around for a bit. (He did good in Bobby).
I will also try to catch My Own Worst Enemy. I saw Slater in person once in 2001. Nice guy.
P.S. I haven't posted here in a long while. I've read it the thread recently and got lots of comments on what you guys wrote but I need time! I also have watched lots of films since my last post I have to post about.
Latest film I saw was Ratatouille yesterday. Loved it. I never got over being grossed out about the rats making the food though. Really well written. Brad Bird rocks! (writer/director did Incredibles as well) I was amazed by the animation!!! All these new comic films should be animated IMO. Not the cheap animation either.
Just watched "The Grifters" tonight, for the first time since seeing it in the theatre close to 20 years ago. It has aged, but that final scene still disturbed me with just how vicious it was.
I find it odd how numb I am to most movie violence, but every once in a great while I'm still capable of being shocked. Even knowing it was coming, this is still one of those scenes.
"The Fall" - Though I liked the highly stylized look of this movie, the story of a suicidal stunt man manipulating a young girl through his storytelling was a little depressing.
Ram Boy's Review: "meh, you decide."
"I Heart Huckabees" - Amazingly enough, I understood everything about this existential comedy so either I'm getting smarter or they did a kick-ass job with the screenplay.
Ram Boy's Review: "See it and you'll feel smartr afterwards!"
"The Other Boleyn Girl" - We were really over DVDs by this point so we didn't actually watch this historical drama.
Ram Boy's Review: I'm pretty sure it would have been an OK movie! But then again, it might have sucked!
I recently saw The Other Boleyn Girl. It did a good job with the history of the subject. Showed all of those ugly politics that probably was the cause of all their ills. It got a bit bleak (as expected).
I'm trying to stick with Fringe but the gal is kind of generic and big conspiracies are getting kind of old (that's all X-Files seemed to be about after awhile). I'm giving Primeval a 'chance', too. I like the characters and love the special effects but hate the long lost wife and the possible conspiracy that might be surfacing.
I'm looking forward to Sanctuary, though! I love Amanda Tapping and the idea of a Sci-Fi/Fantasy mix!
No Reservations. As a huge Catherine Zeta-Jones fan and that NYC atmosphere I liked it. (Going to NYC in a month...it's been too long!)
Rush Hour 3 was horrible.
Sideways lived up to the hype. Really enjoyed it. Didn't know the main characters were such losers. Made the film more fun since I was suprised.
The Assassination of Jesse James. Ick. Probably a good book. It seemed to stick to the history pretty good. Didn't try to be glamorous. Brad Pitt did an OK job...not great. Didn't care for it. Way to long.
Goya's Ghost? About the artist Goya facing the strict catholic church and then the liberal yet oppressing French(Napolean). It was suprising. Had its moments. Natalie Portman did an amazing job acting. She was better here than in The Other Boleyn Girl. Javier Bardeem did very well also. Strange film though. The ending was pretty wacky.
Balls of Fury made me laugh. Watch it drunk though. Resident Evil: Extinction eh. Milla just does it for me so I watched it. It was fun/exciting.
Quills. Disturbing for the wrong reasons. I was expecting disturbing but I guess it still suprised me. Unless you are a real fan of the Marquis I suggest to skip it.
Knocked Up was pretty funny.
In Bruges with Colin Farrel, Ralph Fiennes, and Brendan Gleeson(love that guy) was really good. Two hitman from England just come off a kill and are sent to Bruges (Belgium) to hide out. Colin being the young hitman gets bored in this quiet but beautiful town. Gets into trouble. Highly recommend it!
Vantage Point. Pretty good. I expected better to tell the truth because it had so many good actors. Yet the nature of the film (fast, fast, fast) didn't give time for much great dialogue. I enjoyed it.
No Country for Old Men. Javier Bardeem freaked me out! Really good film though didn't care for the ending. Again based on a book I had to rewatch the two last scenes with Tommy Lee Jones a few times to "get it". Not sure if I did.
Jumper. Loved it. Just for the exciting escapism it provided and action!
Ladron Que Roba a Ladron. Spanish film based in Los Angeles. It's Ocean's 11 en el barrio. I really enjoyed it. My wife used the subtitles and she did as well so not much was lost in translation.
The Magus with Michael Cane. I'm a sucker for the european films that take place on a Mediterranean island BUT this film wasn't great. Had a young hot Candice Bergen(Murphy Brown). Cane had way too much make up. Still enjoyed some parts of it. Woody Allen I think said this was the worst film ever made. It wasn't that bad but it was bad.
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. Loved it! Alberty Finney I believe is one of the best actors ever! His Hercule Peroit was amazing! I'm a sucker for detective fiction stuff though.
Just the Ticket was an Andy Garcia/Andie MacDowell was a film I enjoyed 10 years ago on HBO. While my wife really enjoyed it I didn't care for it the 2nd time around. I'm a fan of both actors though so I wanted to check it out again.
Blah! Sorry guys I started this thread and haven't posted in months. Life has been really busy but as you see I've still been watching movies. Will post about what shows I'm watching later.
Anybody seen or have ideas about these films I just posted?
I checked out the first episode of Fringe. It was good. Didn't love it but I will stick around for a few more episodes. Does the actress look just like Kate Blanchett or what? My wife is a fan of the Dawson Creek kid so it looks like we will be around for a bit. (He did good in Bobby).
I was on the fence about this after the first episode, but I'm actually starting to dig it. There are a couple of that I find really distracting, though, like Anna Torv's accent which comes and goes. I'm not sure I like the Will Eisner-esque integration of the location info into the backgrounds. I mean, I like the concept, but I'm not sure it works in live action stuff.
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. Loved it! Alberty Finney I believe is one of the best actors ever! His Hercule Peroit was amazing! I'm a sucker for detective fiction stuff though.
For some reason I remember not really caring for this adaptation. Big fan of the book, though.
I liked Tuesday's Fringe pretty well, too. I guess I'm in for the long run.
Mystery Theater has a lot of Christie's work, both Peroit and Marple. Love them, but my favorite 'Orient Express' is Houstonof's. I just have a soft spot for him. (Yes, I know I probably spelled his name wrong!)
I'll buy the last Indiana movie as well, even though it was a bit of a letdown.
Shady, Ustinov is the one I think you are talking about. The Poirot with white hair? I actually own the dvd for Murder Under the Sun with him in it. Pretty good.
I just imagine David Suchet though when I think of Poirot.
Re: Fringe, I'm also kind of bugged by some of the goofy psuedo-science. It wouldn't bother me if it weren't such a central element of the show, but since it is, I'd prefer if it were a little more realistic.
With my latest library aquisition, I think I've watched every major 2008 Academy nominee except Môme, La.
Charlie Wilson's War was easily the most affecting for me. I can't say Hanks deserved a nomination and maybe that's what held it back. Amy Adams was excellent as was of course Hoffman who was nominated.
Hoffman might easily be the best male actor the US has going right now. Not many can pull off character leads with such diversity.
Still hoping the library gets Môme, La, the clips look great.
Re: Fringe - I wasn't really wowed by the first episode, but I'm liking it more after the second and third eps. It's still a little too "X-Files" but it's growing on me.
Some shows: The Fringe – caught the first episode, but that’s it. I liked it, and I understand that they’re trying to make it viewer friendly with weekly episodes, but I love complicated long term plots. Still, Veronica Mars was able to do both, so maybe Fringe will? Either way, I’ve missed all the episodes since it debuted. I’m a poor weekly viewer and prefer DVD seasons.
Dexter – Jorge, you’ve got to check this out! Incredibly unique and well done. I bought season 2 but haven’t watched it yet.
Deadwood – I just bought Season 3. This show is superb, simply one of the most poignant, original and best things on TV.
Grey’s Anatomy – wait, Grey’s Anatomy? I don’t really like this show, but Lady Cobalt loves it, so I usually read comics while she watches and catch a few minutes. But I did see my boy from Rome on there (he’s that army surgeon guy). I wonder if he’s a new recurring character? I really like the actor because of his role on Rome. I also can’t stand Kathryn Heigl, so her leaving the show helps guys like me.
Sons of Anarchy – I’ve really enjoyed the episodes I’ve caught of this show. Typical of FX, its another show with great actors, most of whom I recognize as character actors I absolutely love from all over the map, and it has strong, powerful plots that pull absolutely no punches. FX always has the best edgy shows and this is no different. With the SHIELD ending and Rescue Me kind of becoming more ‘lovable’ and ‘friendly’, I’m glad to see another very tense show. Anyone else checking this out?
Some movies… In Bruges – this looks good, glad you reminded me of it Jorge
Agathie Christie movies – never seen any of them, but I recently read “And then there were None” (finally!), and will post on the Reading thread about it. Her books are usually excellent and I can see how they’d make good films, they’d appear to be perfect for adaptation.
Charlie Wilson’s War – I also thought this was great. I agree Jorge, so many great and interesting people have lived throughout history, that there is fodder for tons of great movies.
American Gangster – so many people I talked to disliked this film, but I wasn’t convinced they were right (like all people who watch a lot of movies, I believe my opinion is usually more refined ). Anyway, Denzil and Russel Crowe in the same movie? Those are two of my favorite actors working today! And you know what? I pretty much loved it! I can see its not for everyone, and it’s a pretty brutal and honest look at the 1970’s New York drug/crime scene. The Viet Nam aspect of the drug ring (with the US Army), the corrupt cops, and the pretty horrible conditions of Harlem, NY then (which aren’t a main part but subtly always there) are brutal. The 1960’s and 1970’s were a damn bad time for cities in the USA. New York is so much more cleaned up now, and its amazing how Ridley Scott can reinvent those conditions back then. Thank God I didn’t live through the 1970’s.
I actually haven’t watched many new movies in awhile. Just been hella-busy.
In Bruges: had me laughing out loud, embarrassing but then... oh wait, you've not seen it. Get on that.
American Gangster: not a big Denzil fan since he always basically just plays, Denzil, but also loved just about everything in this movie. Everything (except the blatant street shooting) rang credibly to me.
Appaloosa: I don't normally spring for movies still at the theatre except big budget sci-fi, but this looks too good to wait.
Yes, Ustinov! And it was probably the Sun movie that I saw him in.
The british series actors are the ones I think of when I think of Christie's work, usually, but I can never remember their names. I do the same thing with the PBS's Sherlocke Holmes series and all of their Jane Austin work, too, and many others.
I've been enjoying 3 of BBC's series this past year or two, Dr. Who, Torchwood (waiting for new stories on these 2)and Primeval. These series both attract and repulse me for the same reasons, though. While they're really Sci-Fi in their concepts, they don't really care about the science part of the stories very much.
American Sci-Fi is almost obsessed with trying to make things grounded in 'reality'.
Speaking of reality, Project Runway is nearing this years end! I'm sure there's a thread here somewhere about that show but I just don't have time to find it! Love Tim Gunn.
Just got back from seeing "Religulous" the BIll Maher quasi-documentary.
It was pretty much what I figured. There were some funny bits. How can you not have funny bits when you put the kooks on camrera?
But I am not a big fan of Bill Maher. I remember watching Politically Incorrect and several times, the guests would be having a great dialog, Bill would interrupt with a question that completely ended the conversation. A couple of times in the movie, I could see him ask a question and basically ignore the answer, almost interrupting with his next question.
The film does a good job of juxtaposing contradictory statements and images. But at times it seems a little heavy handed. And at the end Maher gets downright preachy about how dangerous religion is. In "Religulous" Maher is a second rate MIchael Moore and it shows.
One thing I did see that got me excited was in the Coming Attractions. It was for Gus Van Sant's biopic of Harvey Milk, titled "Milk". For those that don't know Harvey Milk was one of the first openly gay people elected to public office. He, along with the mayor of San Francisco, was shot to death by former city supervisor Dan White. White's lawyer(s) were the first to raise the Twinkie Defense.
I just watched the first season of Gavin and Stacey on BBC America (thank you Comcast On-Demand.) I really enjoyed it. It was funny without the kind of mean-spiritedness that seems prevalent in sitcoms today. Plus I was really intrigued by the way it played up the difference between the Welsh and English characters. I guess I never thought about it. I read there's a notion of remaking it for the US, but I don't think you could transpose that culture clash here in the same way. The regions here are so spread out - I couldn't hop in my car in the US South and drive to see a girlfriend in the North. Well, besides the fact my wife would probably kill me. Anyways, I will have to catch the second season as it airs which means I'll probably have to wait a while to catch the right order, after being spoiled getting the first 6 in a few days.
I caught the Season premiere of Life on Mars last night. Actually pretty well done and entertaining. A good mesh of drama, angst, humor, tension and pretty well paced. Plus, lots of great actors. I might try to keep up on this one.
Quis - 'Milk' also has James Franco in it as Harvey Milk's boyfriend (openly), correct? It looks very good from what I've read about so far.
We went and saw The Duchess the night before last and it was thoroughly disappointing. I'd really enjoyed the book the movie based on, Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman, and thought, with all the incredible events that this woman had witnessed and was a part of, it couldn't possibly be dull. Wrong. Instead, the screenwriter(s) chose to take the material and turn it into an extremely bland melodrama about the sacrifices women will make for their children.
Another major gripe I had was that, in the biography, Georgiana's personality pretty much jumps of the page and you realize what a charismatic and appealing human being she was (despite her flaws). Here was a woman who, not only, led the upper ranks of English society but was also able to go out, kick back, and have a few beers with the common folk from time to time. However, in the move version, Kiera Knightley conveys all the charm and appeal of one of Jane Austen' most tightly wound spinsters.
And to top everything else off, it seemed like the cinematographer went out of his or her way to make the colorful and splashy world of late eighteenth century England look as dull and lifeless as possible.
Update: I think I've officially decided that Fringe is my favorite new show of the season. It's not anywhere near Pushing Daisies or Lost awesome, but it's pretty damn good. Life on Mars has quite a bit of potential as well.
One thing I did see that got me excited was in the Coming Attractions. It was for Gus Van Sant's biopic of Harvey Milk, titled "Milk". For those that don't know Harvey Milk was one of the first openly gay people elected to public office. He, along with the mayor of San Francisco, was shot to death by former city supervisor Dan White. White's lawyer(s) were the first to raise the Twinkie Defense.
If you haven't seen The Times of Harvey Milk -a documentary that came out in the mid-eighties. It's definitely worth a look and it'll make you cry guaranteed. Can't wait for the feature though.
As for what I'm currently watching, Heroes (natch), Terminator the Sarah Connor chronicles -if you haven't checked out this show yet, do yourself a favor, it's possibly one of the best things on TV right now, I kid you not. I'm pretty sure you can hulu most of the episodes. Still into Prison Break but I'm a couple weeks behind. I just got done watching all 14 episodes of Firelfy (again) and am sifting through past seasons of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Watched Pushing Daisies last night. Still not sure what I think about this one but it is most definitely one of the most original shows out there right now. I'm thinking of talking the Shield next as I hear good things but I kinda hate cops shows. I also want to ge to the last few years of Dr. Who. PBS is playing it on Monday nights but either I miss it or catch the same few episodes I've already seen.
Seriously, hulu has totally changed my "TV" watching habits in a major way and I don't have to pay for cable TV or a DVR! If you are unfamiliar, check it out, the extent of the content is surprising. Of course they don't have everything but certainly enough to keep you entertained for a long time.
Cobie, I have to watch Dexter and Deadwood! I saw a couple shows of Deadwood and was a bit lost but I liked what I saw. Must rent DVD for both.
Blockade Boy, I agree about Denzil. Most of the time he plays himself. Sure he's charasmatic and I enjoy lots of his films but he's not a big draw for me.
In Bruges was funny! Cobie, EDE, all of yous gotta check it out!
Bill Maher is the is the other extreme of someone like Bill Reilly. I guess I never watch Bill Reilly cause he just makes me angry but I gave Bill Maher more of a chance. I consider myself a moderate and can't stand the guy. Yes he's rude and full of himself. Best way I describe myself is "I love hippies but I hate commies". Bill Maher is a commie. Though I am glad he took a shot at religion personally. Sometimes I can't believe it's 2008. I read an article about how Europe is mostly agnostic and atheist now. We are always behind the curve aren't we when it comes to Europe?
I loathe Bill O'Reilly more than anything and it disgusts me that so many Americans, including well educated businessmen I know, actually listen to him.
At the same time, I absolutely can't stand Bill Maher. People like Bill Maher is the reason liberals get a bad name.
While Maher can be a totally smarmy asshole, at least he can back up his arguments and doesn't just start screaming "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" at people who disagree with him. Of course, it is kind of comparing apples and oranges.
When will people wake up and notice the silent majority are all us in people in between? Moderates, either dems or reps. I guess we should open a political forum.
Saw 28 Weeks later. Rose Byrne is just so perfect.
It was pretty good. I mean no way that would ever happen. They have like 18 soldiers watching all of London. I was never "scared" but my blood pressure did get pretty high. I felt like boarding up the windows.
Quick thoughts about the actors...
Robert Carlyle. Always like him. My favorite film of his is Plunkett & Macleane.
Catherine McCormack. She hasn't been in that many things but has that beautiful face you know you've seen somewhere. Braveheart, Spy Game, Sound of Thunder (ick!). She's also in Shadow of the Vampire and Tailor of Panama but I haven't seen those films yet.
The wife and I are going to try to watch some scary films this month. Next is Hannibal Rising.
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. Loved it! Alberty Finney I believe is one of the best actors ever! His Hercule Peroit was amazing! I'm a sucker for detective fiction stuff though.
This story- book or movie- has just about the most jawdropping murder solution ever!! Seriously, between this and TEN LITTLE INDIANS/AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, can there be any doubt that Ms. Christie is/was the queen of the mystery denouement!
Maybe this belongs in the reading thread, but there *was* an adaptation of my favorite less famous Christie work-- THE HOLLOW.
Unfortunately, the movie just didn't capture the charm and distinctiveness of the characters that came across in the book.
It, too, has an elegant solution to the murder mystery- but not one nearly as 'big' as those of her more famed mysteries.
EDE-- the first time I saw the film version of ORIENT EXPRESS, I wasn't that impressed either. It seemed really slllooowww. But I watched it again not too long ago and enjoyed it much more. Give it another chance one of these days.
Spike TV was airing Empire and Jedi back to back leading into the 2008 scream awards show. i had nothing better to do and since it Star Wars i'll watch it and then check out the 2008 Scream awards show @ 9pm.
Originally posted by l.e.g.i.o.n.JOHN: Spike TV was airing Empire and Jedi back to back leading into the 2008 scream awards show. i had nothing better to do and since it Star Wars i'll watch it and then check out the 2008 Scream awards show @ 9pm.
Yeah I know what you mean. Star Wars films (old ones) are just hard to change the channel to. So are the Indiana Jones. No matter how many times I see them I still can't change the channel.
Mystery Lad, I think I just found out why you call yourself that.
I'm a BIG fan of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. But from what everybody tells me I have to read Christie's work. Never have. I've seen a couple of the films.
A buddy of mine just saw Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and said it was really good. Starring Tyrone Power and directed by Billy Wilder.
You're too smart for your own good. Now I'll have to kill you. Something else else involving an airtight locked room, maybe?
Ha-ha-ha! Evil cackle...
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION is a good movie, based on a play, rather than a novel, I believe. Tyrone Power stars, but Marlene Dietrich walks away with the movie and slaps it in her back pocket on the way out.
Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester are entertaining in it, too.
I look forward to reading your thoughts about Agatha Christie's work when you get to it. Most of them are fairly quick reads.
The British series on Mystery! is so good reading Christie isn't enough ~ you have to watch them.
I still haven't seen her final Peroit or Marple books made into movies, though. I loved both of them, as books!
My favorite Holmes movie is the one not written by Doyle, the one about the teen Sherlock that sets up his lifelong fight with Moriority (sp?), the beginning of his friendship with Watson and why he never married. I can't remember the title, exactly, or the stars but it was on TV recently.
I've always enjoyed the old Charlie Chan movie/mysteries, too.
Fringe was interesting and pretty weird last night!
Young Sherlock Holmes? Came out in 85. If that is the one I liked it as well.
Speaking of Sherlock how about the amazing news of Guy Ritchie directing a Sherlock film with Robert Downey Jr as Sherlock, Jude Law as Watson and Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler(I love Rachel McAdams).
Ritchie promised who won't do it his usual style and would stick with a classical Holmes but the studio wants it to be more action/adventure. Sounds good to me!
The last Fringe was about the people that are living microwave ovens?
Robert Downy Jr. as Sherlock? WOW! Well, at least he has the drug problem part down! Sorry ~ he'd probably be great, it's just the accent might be a stretch. lol
Watched Hannibal Rising today. It wasn't bad. It possibly made Hannibal too sympathetic and not creepy enough. I am thinking they were trying to show it can happen to anyone?
Anyone been watching Crusoe? I'm not wowed by it, but it's pretty decent. It's a bit of Lost meets Pirates of the Carribean meets Swiss Family Robinson.
Originally posted by Candle: Robert Downy Jr. as Sherlock? WOW! Well, at least he has the drug problem part down! Sorry ~ he'd probably be great, it's just the accent might be a stretch. lol
He's already done the accent, in Chaplin, and he did it quite well IMO.
I watched legendary Italo-Horror director Dario Argento's most recent movie, Mother of Tears, hoping it might be a late-career return to form...it wasn't.
That said, it's not entirely without interest, either.
Anyone who's not watching "Life on Mars" is really missing out on a terrific show!
If you haven't heard the premise, it's about a New York City detective, Sam Tyler, who is struck by a car and wakes up in 1973. For some reason he finds exists in that era as himself and on that era's police force as a recent transfer. He has no idea why he's there and what his purpose is, though it's hinted often that he's in a coma in 2008.
The series is just plain lotsa fun! Seeing him experience the culture of the '70s and the brash tactics of the '70s police is a hoot. I've never been particularly fond of Harvey Keitel, but he's terrific as Lt. Gene Hunt. It's fun seeing Sam and Gene (often literally!) duke it out every episode. Jason O'Mara is a budding superstar as Sam.
Love the '70s hairdos and clothes, the hippies and even the social commentary about Now vs. Then. The show definitely has a serious side, but the more whimsical side is what's drawn me in.
If you're curious, you can easily catch up on it at ABC.com, unless I'm mistaken. This quirky show deserves a chance!
Originally posted by Candle: [b]Robert Downy Jr. as Sherlock? WOW! Well, at least he has the drug problem part down! Sorry ~ he'd probably be great, it's just the accent might be a stretch. lol
He's already done the accent, in Chaplin, and he did it quite well IMO. [/b]
I know he's a darn good little actor. I was just kidding.
And I thought Chaplin was from the silent era of movies ~ a 'silent' actor.
TCM was just showing "Forbidden Planet" one of the true Sci-fi greats. this is another one of those movies that i have to take time out to watch no matter what anytime it comes on.
Lard Lad, that sounds very interesting. Have to fit it into my schedule.
Just saw the French Connection. Now that was good! Old school tough guy cops in old school seedy NYC! Popeye Doyle is a loose cannon! It's hard to like the character after he killed one of his own men but darn it I'm watching part II tomorrow! Doyle will get his man! So this was Hackman's breakout film? I can easily see why.
I was so pumped up about FC I saw French Connection II. Popeye Doyle in Marseille! Oh boy was that BAD! Lots of long useless scenes. The first one had similar scenes but they were better. I fell asleep like 5 times. This was at 9:30pm which is early for me. Why didn't the bad guys just kill Doyle? They made him a junkie instead?! I want those 2 hours of my life back! Still in the mood for cool seventies cinema though!
Originally posted by LardLad: Anyone who's not watching "Life on Mars" is really missing out on a terrific show!
If you haven't heard the premise, it's about a New York City detective, Sam Tyler, who is struck by a car and wakes up in 1973. For some reason he finds exists in that era as himself and on that era's police force as a recent transfer. He has no idea why he's there and what his purpose is, though it's hinted often that he's in a coma in 2008.
The series is just plain lotsa fun! Seeing him experience the culture of the '70s and the brash tactics of the '70s police is a hoot. I've never been particularly fond of Harvey Keitel, but he's terrific as Lt. Gene Hunt. It's fun seeing Sam and Gene (often literally!) duke it out every episode. Jason O'Mara is a budding superstar as Sam.
Love the '70s hairdos and clothes, the hippies and even the social commentary about Now vs. Then. The show definitely has a serious side, but the more whimsical side is what's drawn me in.
If you're curious, you can easily catch up on it at ABC.com, unless I'm mistaken. This quirky show deserves a chance!
Has anyone ever told you you have good tastes sir?
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: I caught the Season premiere of Life on Mars last night. Actually pretty well done and entertaining. A good mesh of drama, angst, humor, tension and pretty well paced. Plus, lots of great actors. I might try to keep up on this one.
That was after the premiere and I've caught several episodes since. I think the show is really just excellent, and a ton of fun to boot. There are several reasons I like it but I'll give you my big ones:
(1) The main actor (Sam) - you know what, this guy is a *star*. He's likeable, he gives deep performances, yet he's funny as hell when he wants to be and usually its when he's being subtle about it.
(2) The general back and forth between funny moments (laughed out loud by the Vanilla Ice sequence last week) and the deadly serious and very poignant moments. So much of the show is about how things have changed for the better since 1973, or perhaps some things for the worse, and perhaps have not really changed much at all. And that works so well for humor and for the most serious and powerful of themes.
(3) The sense of style - man, its FUN. And I have no great love of the 1970's and in fact am generally pretty damn glad I missed 'em! But its very stylistically done but also done very...hm, 'gritty' is too strong a word, but...genuine? It feels very street level, very POV from the everyday guy (rather than some Hollywood startlet, soldier in Southeast Asia or March on Washington hippie, etc.).
(4) The part I like the most is they play up the part of the early 1970's that is usually very associated with the era--the sense of not knowing where the world is going or even who you are from an individual's point of view, and how this was a very real and despairing feeling then. And then they show Sam, who usually at first appears to not feel this way, to be confident and flexing his modern sense of knowing what it is right...and then he has his moments where those attitudes come right into play. And you're left wondering if perhaps some of those attitudes are still very much with us today? Those sequences are very groovy.
Its probably my favorite new show besides Sons of Anarchy (I'd say both equally tied for being very rare great shows right now).
Yeah, Des, and "Life on Mars" just keeps getting better! I just caught up on last week's episode, and it's just as enjoyable, if not moreso, than it has been from the start. Loved Sam wowwing his P.D. with the Michael Jackson moves!
One thing I was happy to see is that after that last episode, I think we're more likely to see Sam exploring the "sexual revolution" side of the '70s--something I'd wanted to see him do more in that era. If you've seen the episode, you'll understand why!
I hope he doesn't settle into a relationship with "No-Nuts" (though I do lover her!) too quickly and explores the wildside a little!
These may not be equal to 'Life on Mars' but I saw trailers for 2 new movies this week.
*One was for a new Will Smith movie ~ it looked interesting but I'm not really sure what it's about.
*The other was for a new Star Trek movie ~ I was just so shocked! I hadn't heard anything about it before this. I'm a Trekkie, a kind of layed back one. But, I HAVE dressed up like a Bajorian for Halloween before. blush
I didn't recognize any cast members but it seemed to be a prequel to the original series with Spock and Kirk like characters. I can't wait.
Originally posted by LardLad: Anyone who's not watching "Life on Mars" is really missing out on a terrific show!
If you haven't heard the premise, it's about a New York City detective, Sam Tyler, who is struck by a car and wakes up in 1973. For some reason he finds exists in that era as himself and on that era's police force as a recent transfer. He has no idea why he's there and what his purpose is, though it's hinted often that he's in a coma in 2008.
The series is just plain lotsa fun! Seeing him experience the culture of the '70s and the brash tactics of the '70s police is a hoot. I've never been particularly fond of Harvey Keitel, but he's terrific as Lt. Gene Hunt. It's fun seeing Sam and Gene (often literally!) duke it out every episode. Jason O'Mara is a budding superstar as Sam.
Love the '70s hairdos and clothes, the hippies and even the social commentary about Now vs. Then. The show definitely has a serious side, but the more whimsical side is what's drawn me in.
If you're curious, you can easily catch up on it at ABC.com, unless I'm mistaken. This quirky show deserves a chance!
I haven't seen the US version. I loved the British version. And that makes me wary of seeing this. I don't want to be comparing the two.
I have to put in a good word for Cartoon Network's Friday night lineup from 8:00 to 10:00. "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" has far surpassed my expectations and is lots of fun, "Secret Saturdays" is pretty interesting, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" is hit or miss but not bad and "Ben 10 Alien Force" is really good for those of you missing the DCAU house style (a lot of veterans from JLU seem to have taken up residency on the series.) What makes it great is that my 2 1/2 year old is into them too so it's good father and son time. He really likes Ben 10 and Clone Wars, and anything to get a break from his obsession with "Ratatouille" is most welcome. Frankly, those are about the only shows on CN these days outside of a few Adult Swim programs that I can even watch. I really wish they'd have taken the opportunity to pick up the Legion cartoon for this block, it would have fit right in.
I watched 88 Minutes with Pacino. Horrible. It was a psychological drama.
Tried too hard to be sexy. I've never been so disappointed to see beautiful women making out. It was just so out of left fied and forced. (there was a naked yoga scene for a split second I enjoyed).
The good? I love Alicia Witt! Some other good looking ladies besides here...Leelee Sobieski, Amy Brenneman, Deborah Kara Unger(The Game), Leah Cairns(Battlestar...naked yoga!).
The bad? Everything else. I admit Pacino did a good job but the story was weak. Everybody is a suspect was done good for a while then got old. The forced girl on girl stuff was horrible.
Basically failed at being smarty and sexy. Not smart enough and forced sexyness.
JLU cartoons on Netflix. The ep with Morgaine was awful, and there was one other clunker that I've blocked out all memory of-- mostly, however, it's fun.
Right now i am watching the Big Bang Theory, and am trying to see 3rd rock from the Sun online, but its kinda frustrating, the only sites i can find break up the eps, or dont finish them at all.
I did find the japanese version of youtube that has a lot of the big bang stuff on them.
I just watched Airplane last night for the 9,234,658th time since its premier. Yeah, yeah, I know. But I hate this time of year for more reasons than I could post, even if you all were interested. Desperate times, desperate measures, blah blah blah...
So, like in all years, while I was shopping for people for Christmas, I decided that it was me that is the person I buy the best presents for, and I went and bought myself like 8 or 9 movies on Amazon.com. They are all movies from the 40’s, 50’s or 60’s from a few genres: Hitchcock suspense thrillers, 50’s Westerns, Noir films or 50’s science-fiction thrillers. The only problem is now I have about an additional 30+ I want to add to my collection and I can’t justify spending more than $70 on myself for Christmas (I even feel guilty about that when I still haven’t bought most my presents )
Anyway, these films include mostly ones I’ve seen before and loved, though some I just bought on impulse. So far I’ve (re)watched 2:
Rope – EDE and I were discussing Rope about a year or so back and I ordered the movie and rewatched it. Even better the second time around. This is one of those gems that all movie fans love to find: the Hitchcock movie overlooked that ranks right up there with all of his best, and when you see it you’re blown away. There are so many good things already covered in this thread but for me the best part is two things that are pure Hitchcock: (1) the way he builds suspense by focusing the camera on his actors faces while events are occurring off-screen, so you’re becoming more and more anxious along with actor, almost seeing the wheels turn in their head, while at the same time assuming the worst, and (2) the way Hitch makes you feel incredibly nervous for the villains. Just like in Psycho, you aren’t really rooting for the bad guy, but you can’t help but feel nervous for them when they are on the verge of getting caught. It’s a complex and intriguing feeling when you watch his films. Rope remains the surprise Hitchcock film of the year for me.
Strangers on a Train – this is another one EDE mentioned to me that I had never seen though I of course knew of the plot and knew it was widely recognized as a great film. But WOW! It really is a great film. And so much of that has to do with the two actors and the way Hitchcock plays them against the rest of the movie (cast, setting, each other, really everything). Farley Granger, who I really only know from the aforementioned Rope is really a terrific and likeable actor, and he does a great job here of letting the viewer relate to him and suffer with him throughout. But the real show-stealer is Robert Walker who plays Bruno Anthony! He is superb! I would say he ranks up there for me as Hitch’s greatest on screen villain / menace EVER (better than Norman Bates definitely, though Raymond Burr’s menacing on screen persona in Rear Window is an honorable mention but just too brief to really compare). Walker is so many things: likeable but completely menacing and terrifying; totally believable; completely insane. Just thinking of this now as I type, Walker is really doing an incredible job bringing the Joker to life on the screen in terms of presence. Great, great movie.
BTW, isn’t it cool how you can always tell when a film is in Washington D.C. in these old films? Just like The Day the Earth Stood Still, Strangers on a Train’s setting is *so* D.C. even without all the monuments. I wonder if it’s a common set or location they use. You can always tell when a movie is in New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco or Los Angeles (blech on that last one!).
Some others I bought (both those I’ve seen before and some I haven’t), that I hope to maybe review: The Day the Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Planet (both I’ve seen many times but the remake made me recently long for the original and I figured I’d get what I consider the other great sci-fi movie of the 1950’s). The Big Sleep—my favorite noir film, at least tied with the Maltese Falcon as the two best detective and two best Bogart films outsides Casablanca. I’ve watched the Big Sleep so many times, and it’s a real pleasure knowing I’ll be watching again. The Searchers, which I *always* considered one of the best westerns ever before AFI ranked it that way, though I’m not sure I’d rank it as *the* best; certainly, its fantastic. The Third Man which I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never watched, which is an oversight I must fix. I generally do love Welles, either as director or actor, though I’m not one of those people that will grab you by the ear and explain to you his greatness (Although I have to say this recent notion in the last 20 years of A Touch of Evil being better than Citizen Kane doesn’t quite ring true with me). Hm, there are one or two more I ordered but haven’t gotten in the mail yet so I’ve forgotten what they are (yay for me for being surprised when they come in).
My wife is not really a movie buff like I am, and never watched ‘older’ movies when she was growing up (whereas I would watch endless amounts of them with my mom and dad). So my goal is that for each one I have to ‘push’ her into watching each one with me and then hopefully she will appreciate them, like she’s done with all of Hitch’s films so far.
Originally posted by Candle: I've enjoyed watching 'Leverage' for the last two nights. The show has a likeable cast and good bad-guys. I've always loved Robin Hood stories.
Shady, everyone I know whose watched this is raving about how good it is. I'm curious but have never watched it...hopefully I can rectify (TNT is usually good about showing reruns). Timothy Hutton is generally fantastic.
Originally posted by Blockade Boy: Note to self: pick up "88 minutes." Turn down volume.
LOL, good idea. Fast foward also.
Cobie, I've been meaning on going on a Hitchcock kick. Sounds like an awesome present. I did the same. I bought myself the Spanish Prisoner and the Maltese Falcon. Can't wait to rewatch these. It's been about 10 years since I've seen either.
Speaking of Hitchcock, I watched Stage Fright a week or so ago. Another movie which doesn't get much attention, but is actually pretty close to a top-tier Hitch film. The twist in it actually caught me completely by surprise, which hasn't happened in awhile.
Speaking of Stage Fright did anyone else catch Stage Beauty? Pretty good film about the theater world during the reign of Charles the II. Billy Crudup and Claire Danes. Rupert Everett as Charless II.
My wife got me a copy of "Prince Caspian" for Christmas and I have to say that though it was pretty to look at I was disappointed in it. They took far too many liberties with the adaptation for my tastes. A made up a rivalry between Caspian and Peter, and a lame stab at romance between Caspian and Susan left me cold. I could go on and on but suffice to say when you are tasked with adapting a very short book and manage to omit pieces of the original narrative in favor of "original" material you will lose my interest every time. Well, maybe with Disney bowing out of any potential version of "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" we can get something a little closer to the charm of the Lewis originals.
I never read any of Lewis' books. I am eager to see Caspian though.
Just watched the La Dolce Vita. I was very suprissed. I guess I was expecting a cooler version of Roman Holiday. Boy was I wrong. I have heard it's non-linear but that didn't bother me. I can see for others it can become frustrating but basically it was just 7 short stories about the same character that make a whole.
Things I got out of it? Fellini was condemning and praising modern culture a bit and vice versa with the old school ways. Commentary of has man becomed to civilized or are we supposed to be this civilized? It's a discussion I have with my friends often. I believe we are animals and thus can't ignore that side of us.
Certainly seemed to have some statements about excess. In fact each short story seemed to be about some excess or another and how it can really turn ugly. The main character's obsession with women and not wanting to settle down. That is a statement in man's animal nature and in excess as well.
Throw in having sex with a rich but insane putana at a prostitute's house (who made them cafe), a disturbing religious scene (the "miracle"), annoying paparazzi, some celebrity scenes with the famous dip in the Trevi fountain, and a quasi violent tame orgy...and, um, well...you have it, kind of.
I can see how this was popular back in the day (and now). Films about rich, famous, good looking people partying themselves to death are always attractive.
Not what I expected. It was good but not great. It's a bit out there.
My Christmas gift to myself this year was season two of The BeastMaster on DVD. It's silly fun and, in some places, fairly well-written fantasy TV, but I'd be lying if I said that the main reason I remember this (1999-2002) show so fondly was anything other than the gorgeous Daniel Goddard running around in a loincloth.
In addition to the scenery, it really is quite watchable. And it does make me nostalgic for the days about 10 years ago when fantasy/science fiction TV series were plentiful on weekend afternoons.
Having had a bit of free time in the last week or so, I've caught up on the first season of Burn Notice (I like), the first season of Life (also cool) and the first two seasons of Bones (pretty cool).
Currently halfway through the first season of Supernatural (awesomeness personified).
I still liked the movie, though. Just not as much as I could have.
I wish someone who knew how to make movies would get ahold of Terry Pratchett's stuff. The British cartoon of the witches was rather terrible. So much wasted potential!
I recently saw 'Vertigo'. Stewart is so completely strange, so obsessed and furious! I really think the story is more complex and horrorfying than it gets credit for.
But I still want a clear shower curtain. And when I see a bunch of crows in the trees I wonder.
I've been on and off again with the sci-fi show, 'Stargate Atlantis' but I'm fairly bummed about the series ending this week.
Somehow TPTB on that show seem to think that the only formula they can use for Stargate stories must involve HUGE incredibly powerful and numerous badguys. Then, they have to have some mega genious, like Sam or Rodney, sweep in with a short term solution but the war still goes on. The characters were finally really getting mature and complex and stories could less galaxy destroying possiblities!
Oh well. Sorry for the rant. I just don't know why everything has to be an epic.
I thought VERTIGO was slow and a bit boring when I first saw it in college. Boy, did my opinion change by the next time I saw it a decade or so later.
Hmmm- the fact that my first viewing was on a small set with mediocre color in a college dorm room couldn't have had anything to do with my initial judgment, could it?
It most definitely is complex and- I'd call it disturbing more than horrifying- but I thought it'd been pretty much recognized as such.
That scene where Kim Novak, freshly bleached and teased and tucked into the Jimmy Stewart character's fantasy, emerges into the ghostly green glow of reflected neon is one I'll never forget.
It's a small masterpiece of mood, music, character and obssession. That scene, I mean. VERTIGO as a whole is most definitely not 'small'.
I know his own favorite of his films was SHADOW OF A DOUBT, which I always love. My personal favorite is probably REAR WINDOW. I think a good argument could be made putting VERTIGO forward as his best film.
For Christmas (which my family just celebrated this past Saturday due to an injury to my mom), I received two DVD sets which I'm currently enjoying: A Frank Capra collection including IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN (definitely do *not* judge this one by the Adam Sandler remake), YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, MR. SMITH GOES TO TOWN and AMERICAN MADNESS (the only one I've never seen before) and the remastered I, CLAUDIUS PBS/BBC series.
So far, I've only watched the documentary stuff for the Capra collection (interesting and gladly, it didn't put me off him- the way bios sometimes do of artists/writers I admire). I'm about 5/6s through CLAUDIUS, which has gained few peers in the ranks of great TV drama since it was produced in the 1970's. I think one of the greatest villainess in history slithers her way across the screen, like the snake in the opening credits. Not historically accurate, I don't believe, as she died years before her onscreen death.
For myself, I bought the second season of ROUTE 66- if you've never watched this series, rent it sometime and watch a few episodes. There's never been another show quite like it. Hearing the light, jazzy theme song just makes me happy.
I agree, disturbing is a better word then horrifing. You're much better at words then me, ML.
There's so many Hitchcock stories I don't think I've seen as many as I'd like. I used to watch his TV series way back when.
I recently saw the original Deeds movie and it was wonderful. Was the main actor Cooper or Peck? I want to remember Coop in the part but the last old style movie I saw had Peck for sure, a reporter undercover as jewish. Gary Cooper was my mom's favorite and he's one of mine, too, right up there with Spencer Tracy.
Come to think of it, I saw Smith recently, too! That's Jimmy Stewart and the valley and Claude Rains as the mentor who's sold out?
Anyway ~ I loved I Claudius by PBS when I saw it in it's american showing. Was that really in the 70's? gads It has Derek Jacobie and James Hurt (Aliens) in it. They were so good in that mini-series! When I see them in anything else, I expect them to be lisping or cutting off someone's balls!
Jacobie was just on Dr. Who for a couple of episodes (rerun this year). He starred in the Brother Cadfiel(sp?) Mysteries, too. That's a fun series and I even found a gardening book on herbs and remedies from the middle ages named after the show!
Normally, I tend to be skeptical when people rave about "quirky indy" films. The quirkiness ends up being wayyyyyyyy overdone and/or pointless. But this movie did have an actual plot that I could follow and take interest in. Also the acting was top-notch, which kept things from dragging.
I appreciated that neither the villains nor the heroes, such as the set-up was, were playing with entirely full decks;That neither side was operating for entirely selfless or selfish reasons. It kept my sympathy up for grabs mostly, so I never got bored.
Originally posted by cleome: Any fans of I *Heart* Huckabees here ?
Normally, I tend to be skeptical when people rave about "quirky indy" films. The quirkiness ends up being wayyyyyyyy overdone and/or pointless. But this movie did have an actual plot that I could follow and take interest in. Also the acting was top-notch, which kept things from dragging.
I appreciated that neither the villains nor the heroes, such as the set-up was, were playing with entirely full decks;That neither side was operating for entirely selfless or selfish reasons. It kept my sympathy up for grabs mostly, so I never got bored.
Yes. I like that movie, too, for the same reasons you listed.
We watched the original Mr. Deeds in grad school (Gary Cooper is the lead Shady, you were right the first time). Its actually a really great film! Not Capra's best, but a pretty darn good movie.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is nothing short of extraordinary and it deserves all the praise it gets. Jimmy Stewart is one of the most likeable human beings in the history of man, and Claude Reins--now there was an actor that could ACT! One of the greatest of all time, though sometimes forgotten today.
PS - anyone ever watch the show "How I Met Your Mother"? I just started watching it. One of the funniest shows I've ever seen and complete with some real heart and commentary on friendship and relationships. I'd say this is the second funniest show on television behind "Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia" which is a completely different show in that its so off the wall.
Hey! Don't leave Jean Arthur out! She's my favorite old-timey actress (she was Capra's, too). Stewart and Rains are great, but a good deal of MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON's heart and intelligence come from her character.
I've seen It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, but I take it in controlled doses. As I do the U.S. Office. Given RL right now, I really need my head in a happy place most of the time. Neither of those shows exactly provides the minimum RDA of Happy Place.
'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' Or something like that.
And it's JOHN Hurt on I Claudius.
Yes, Jean Arthur was wonderful. It amazes me that so many of those older time stars were so individual in their beauty.
Just take Jean, Kate Hepburn, Donna Reed, Ingrid Bergman and Marlena Dietricht, for Stewart costars!
These were my mother's era, but they seem so ageless and forever. (Sorry for the edit ~ a teacher was here talking to me and I forgot what I was doing!) :rolleyes:
Watched Woody Allen's Celebrity the other night. I read it was a homage or remake of Dolce Vita.
Now this I got into much more than Dolce Vita. I admit Vita was more deep but Celebrity just worked better.
Since Vita was fresh in my mind I picked up all the similarities and how they diverged just a bit.
Kenneth Branagh did an amazing job acting like...Woody Allen. Judy Davis played Kenneth's wife and I thought it was a Mia Farrow imitation.
Lots of stars. Charlize Theron (i saw her in person last year!) was very hot in this! She was grinding on Anthony Mason (one of my fave Knicks ever!). Wynona Ryder did great as well. I love Gretchen Mol. She was in the Leo scene.
I suggest everyone check this out. And ofcourse it takes place in NYC.
Nothing as cool as you guys. I've been doing a bunch of downloading recently and today's MOVIE DAY!! This morning we've watched Caveman with Ringo Starr, Shelly Long and Dennis Quaid. If you've never seen it then shame on you, it's hilarious. Now it's Surf's Up and next is The Day the Earth Stood Still followed later on by Mama Mia!!
I'm downloading The Colour of Magic and hope like heck I get it burned to disk in time to add it to today's movie fun.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Swearagin is not only the meanest and most rugged character I've ever seen, he's possibly the most likeable!
reading up to your first comma I was thinking "that's not Swearagin you're describing, that's Anton Chigurh. But then you added "he's possibly the most likeable!" and that in totality describes him perfectly to me also.
Now, Bullock on the other hand. Two seasons and unless I missed something, they really haven't fleshed this character out as to why he is the way he is. Not even much of a hint, other than a few things he told his son and I didn't see any explanation that could be taken from that.
I'm really hoping that the library has season 3 in stock.
Originally posted by Yellow Kid: Nothing as cool as you guys. I've been doing a bunch of downloading recently and today's MOVIE DAY!! This morning we've watched Caveman with Ringo Starr, Shelly Long and Dennis Quaid. If you've never seen it then shame on you, it's hilarious. Now it's Surf's Up and next is The Day the Earth Stood Still followed later on by Mama Mia!!
I'm downloading The Colour of Magic and hope like heck I get it burned to disk in time to add it to today's movie fun.
I watched the Michael Caine version of The Quiet American this weekend. Interesting to compare with the original version, which I just saw a couple of weeks ago. I think the newer version is a better movie overall, but I prefer the original, more tragic ending.
Over the weekend, I finally gave in and watched Maxed Out with mr_cleome. Once my burning desire to punch my fist through the computer monitor subsided, I decided that it was actually pretty well done. Also it fueled my determination to sell everything I own (if necessary), up to and including my internal organs, in order to get the credit monkey off my back;At least for a little while.
Obviously all documentaries have their biases, and you have to approach them with that in mind, but I thought its points were well-made. Whether it would change the viewer's mind if s/he went into it with entirely opposing biases... I don't know. Also I don't necessarily recommend it for weekend viewing, if what you want on the weekend is escapism.
Originally posted by Yellow Kid: [b]....I'm downloading The Colour of Magic and hope like heck I get it burned to disk in time to add it to today's movie fun.
YK, so how did it go? Were they good, bad, ok? [/b]
If you liked "The Colour of Magic," you should look for "Hogfather," another excellent Pratchett Discworld movie. Death was hilarious taking over the duties of the missing Hogfather(Discworld's Santa Claus), while his granddaughter, Susan, investigates the Hogfather's disappearance.
Just saw a favorite childhood film of mine. Dead Poets Society. I think this is the 3rd time I watched it since it's debut in 1989. 2nd time was in 1993 I believe. So it's been 16 years.
It was very good. It was sweet and to the point. Not overly complex and well directed (Peter Weir a great director that has not done many films and that is a good thing)
I never knew Ethan Hawke was in it. I remember the other guys but not him. You'd think I would've recognized him atleast from Reality Bites.
Saw Dr. Who's 4 series ender this last week on BBC America. Fans on the net site said quite a bit was cut.
What seemed strange to me was that the whole 4th was played all over again this year with the season cliffhanger combined with what I would have thought was the part 2 BEGINNING of series 5. But it's not and I'm pretty confused. Does anyone here know why the reoeat season being hailed as 'new'?
i must admit my new guilty Pleasure is Degrassi TNG. i use to watch the original on Nickelodeon and PBS from back in the day and one day i noticed that Degrassi the next generation was airing in syndication so i watched it and got hooked all over again.
We have a local pizza joint/theater that's been showing movies about civil rights and social justice recently. (Appropriately enough, the pizza joint is on MLK Blvd.) Last week they had a documentary called A Time For Burning (1967). It was very no-frills in the style of that period's approach to a documentary. Somebody points a camera and just lets the subjects air their fears, frustrations and hopes (or lack of same) with little or no intervention. But bells and whistles aren't necessary when the subject matter is this good. Check it out, but be warned that it's not light entertainment.
I watched Heckler last night, a documentary about people who heckle stand-up comedians and movie/show critics - from the point of view of the performers. It was pretty interesting, particularly how some of the stand-ups deal with hecklers (ranging from clever to violent). There was a lot of focus on Jamie Kennedy, who I've never seen in a movie or show, but who I gather is not very well regarded, to put it mildly....
Is there a support group for viewers of the film Adaptation ? Seriously. I can't remember the last time I was so caught up in the first 3/4ths of a movie, only to be bitterly disappointed and practically hurling furniture at the screen during the last quarter.
Yeesh. I felt bad for Meryl Streep, and I don't even like Meryl Streep.
Still watching the Teen Titans cartoons on disc. Sometimes the anime shtick can wear on my nerves, but in general it's enjoyable and nostalgic. I really like how they handled the Gar/Tara thing-- giving it a fair amount of depth for a kid-friendly show.
I'm hooked on the current season of Survivor ... but then I'm hooked on all seasons of Survivor ... couple of real characters this season ... my favorite is a guy from NYC who seems totally out of place ...
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Update: I think I've officially decided that Fringe is my favorite new show of the season. It's not anywhere near Pushing Daisies or Lost awesome, but it's pretty damn good. Life on Mars has quite a bit of potential as well.
New update: Life on Mars has surpassed Fringe as my favorite new show.
It IS really good. Sucks that it's being cancelled, but good that it will have a definitive ending. Jason O'Mara has a bright, BRIGHT future ahead of him!
Originally posted by SharkLad: I'm hooked on the current season of Survivor ... but then I'm hooked on all seasons of Survivor ... couple of real characters this season ... my favorite is a guy from NYC who seems totally out of place ...
Courtesy of the local library, I'm working my way through the five seasons of Babylon 5.
One of the things Toledo and area does right is the library system. Also well stocked, maintained, staffed and updated. Best bang for the buck I think we have around here.
I've wanted to check out Life on Mars but BOTH are DVRs are getting full quickly. Not enough time. I haven't even watched sports because the DVR is close to full.
cleome, hmmm, I was looking foward to watching Adaptation.
Some films I've watched recently.
Still on a Woody Allen kick I checked out Vicky Christina Barcelona. Loved it. As I've mentioned before any film about spending a whole summer in europe (escaping) is up my alley. Didn't disappoint. Not sure if Penelope should've gotten an Oscar. Her performance was great but she wasn't in it much.
Girl with the Pearl Earring. Very good film. I was intimidated. Those films based on a book can get long and boring. This was sweet and to the point.
Hancock was decent. Certainly suprised me.
X-Files was a good 2 hour X-Files episode. Wasn't great just another episode to me. I liked it though.
Journey to the Center of the Earth. It was fun. My mom liked it much more than me.
Forgot one. Wanted. I personally loved it. Really good action flick. Angelina sometimes doesn't do much for me. This time she did.
Recently watching "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". I've gotten mixed reviews from my friends. Lady Cobalt was pretty 'meh' about it. Personally, I thought it was hysterical. I love Kristen Bell, and Jason Segel is hilarious. Anytime Paul Rudd shows up in a walk-on role usually ends up making me laugh, and I can barely look at Jonah Hill without laughing (fat kid from Superbad). Mila Kunis was great--this was the first time I've really found her attractive; I think its her personality/character in all the other things I've seen her in. Here, she was fantastic. It wasn't the greatest movie ever but it was 2 hours of funny escapism
Oh, and Russell Brand! I have no clue who he is or why all the hate, but I thought he was hysterical!
We bought Vicky Christina Barcelona too, and will be watching that shortly...
Originally posted by SharkLad: [b] I'm hooked on the current season of Survivor ... but then I'm hooked on all seasons of Survivor ... couple of real characters this season ... my favorite is a guy from NYC who seems totally out of place ...
All the guys on his tribe are SO cute!
I hate Coach. And what's with the hair? [/b]
Coach is a major tool ... as soon as the merge happens (if he makes it that far), I'm sure Erinn and Sierra will conspire to kick his arse out of there asap ...
The Jalapao tribe is mighty good-looking ... hated seeing Spencer voted off this week ... JT is totally pulling the strings ... I thought the whole issue of Spencer coming out to his tribe or not was surprising ... there's been so many openly gay castaways that who would think it was an issue ...
On Timbura, I like Brendan a lot ... but my favorite is Stephen ... bet he makes it pretty far ...
Do you watch any of the extra videos on the CBS Survivor website? There's always at least one or two videos from Coach's tribemates talking about what a tool he is or a video of Coach himself saying something really stupid ...
Tyson reminds me of Greg from the first season of Survivor ... a little crazy & doesn't really seem to care about anyone else ...
sucks that the show isn't on for another two weeks ...
I saw that on the "Survivor Talk" webcast on EW.com ... pretty bizarre ... quite a few Survivors from different seasons have hooked up ... pretty incestuous that Survivor family ...
I've been watching Legend of the Seeker on Hulu and it's not half bad. It's kinda surprising how slick it looks compared to the fantasy fare that Sci-Fi belches forth every now and then...
On the one hand, there's a fair bit of mythology that doesn't get explained as well as I'd like. On the other hand, the cast (and recurrings) includes a couple of serious hotties.
Watched the end of ER last night. I haven't followed the series in a few years now, since John left, but it was fun watching these last few weeks, seeing the old cast. sigh
You know... I'm actually pretty satisfied with the season we got. It was a pretty coherent storyline overall, and I don't think it would necessarily have been improved by multiple seasons.
I was actually pretty satisfied with the twist at the end, which could have come off as kind of cheesy, but I thought actually worked okay (except I thought the "President Obama" reference was kind of stupid).
Yeah, thats about how I feel too. It was pretty good, but nothing extraordinary. A few too many cliches with moments of trying too hard to be amusing and moments of trying too to be poignant. But still, the characters were all pretty likeable.
Big Bang Theory NCIS Numb3rs Castle Rules of Engagement Bones Better Off Ted shows possibility
Thats pretty much it...well, except for Eureka when it finally returns. And half the time, the shows i still watch i watch on the puter. Except for CBS. For some reason, I can never find the full eps there, just the clips.
I went to a film festival a couple of weeks ago and was lucky enough to hang out with Jeremy Renner from the Unusuals.
Ok, ok. He actually was at the table next to me at dinner but we did go to the same after party and he was next to me there most of the night. Maybe he was following me?!
He looks like a pretty cool guy. I finally got to see Stanley Tucci he was sitting close to me at brunch the next day with Steve Buscemi. Jon Voight was at the after party as well with a very young thing. Go jon!
I've been enjoying Castle for its frothy lightness. Most cop shows take themselves waaay too seriously for my taste, so Castle's senses of humor and the absurd have really entertained me. I enjoyed the first episode of the Unusuals for the same reason. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes (assuming ABC doesn't give it the heave ho).
It kinda reminds me of a cross between Remington Steele and Moonlighting. But without all the sexile tenshun between the leads. Sorry, but skinny chick needs to eat sump'in. Other than that, I really like the show.
NCIS!!! I LOVE THIS SHOW LIKE RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!! It's on USA, like, 3+ times a day, so I was able to catch up and start watching in earnest this season. And can I just say? Damn. DAMN! I love this show.
New obsession what? Noooo... >.> (But I did sort of cut my hair in an Abby-esque way. )
Cali, thats my Mom's favorite show . I do notice its on basically all day long.
I tried to watch a little of Castle and couldn't get into it. It was a little too cheeseball for me (obviously its done on purpose, I just don't find it all appealing). Both of the actors are pretty likeable though. I think she's gorgeous. But it takes a hell of a lot for a cop show to get me to watch it. Cop shows and medical dramas are the X-Men titles of TV shows.
I watched a bunch of movies over the last few weeks, some good, some not so good, though none that were really outstanding:
- Vicky Christina Barcelona - this was very fun, and it helped that all of the actors are extremely likeable. Javier Bardeem just seems like the coolest guy you'd ever want to meet. Penelope Cruz as a crazy artist is actually something I found extremely attractive despite knowing I shouldn't. It was the lead character that I really liked here, not Scarlet Johannson. This was definitely worth a watch.
- Rachel Getting Married - I watched this with Lady Cobalt. You know what? I pretty much hated it. Hard to say why...just something that wasn't for me. And I usually like Anne Hathaway. But it was very dark, depressing and yet felt so full of itself thinking it was all hip and trendy.
- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - this movie is one that won't appeal to many people but I liked it. Its very dark, and it has a definite slow burn feel to it (don't watch it if you're tired, you might fall asleep). But Casey Affleck is nothing short of fantastic, and Brad Pitt lends a degree of menace to the character he hasn't done since Fight Club. Even Sam Shepard as Frank James (who isn't in it that long in the film) is superb. I know the James Bros. legend very well already which enhanced my viewing (Lady Cobalt did not, and thus, wasn't into it). The train robbery scene is by far my favorite--its so dark and scary, its like strait out of a horror film. Its by far the most intense train robbery scene I've ever viewed. The traditional train robbery in movies has become a photocopy of the Butch & Sundance 'good ol' times' sequence; here, it returns to the real terror such a thing must have been.
I Love You, Man - I was hoping this would be hysterical, because I think Paul Rudd rocks, Jason Segel is funny as hell, and Rashida Jones is awesome. And you know what? It was utterly terrible. This is a classic case of "going to the well one too many times". A clear reminder of why so many comedy films get it wrong.
I thought Unusuals was better the second week than the first. There's still a little too much kind of cliched sentimentality in it, while I keep hoping to ratchet up the offbeat absurdism a little bit.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: I tried to watch a little of Castle and couldn't get into it. It was a little too cheeseball for me (obviously its done on purpose, I just don't find it all appealing). Both of the actors are pretty likeable though. I think she's gorgeous. But it takes a hell of a lot for a cop show to get me to watch it. Cop shows and medical dramas are the X-Men titles of TV shows.
I totes agree, Cobster! Which was actually kind of disappointing for me 'cause I really love Nathan Fillion. I watched the first episode, though, and was just kind of like "eh". Castle was cool-- smarmy and know-it-all and just kind of an ass but in an awesome way. The girl cop, though, was just a cold fish and didn't do much for me. And the other cops? They seemed to be totally inept, which was disappointing.
Truthfully cop dramas really aren't my thing unless there's an underlying theme that I really dig. (NCIS has the character driven stuff and my other show, Numb3rs, is cool with the math/family stuff.) That's why I don't usually watch any of the CSIs and will catch an episode of L&O or Cold Case here and there but am by no means an obsessive fangirl. (Shocking, I know.)
Also, Cobaltus, to the X-Men reference. Y'know, you could've as easily said AVENGERS these days. Or BATMAN for that matter!!
Originally posted by Caliente: [QUOTE]Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: [qb]Also, Cobaltus, to the X-Men reference. Y'know, you could've as easily said AVENGERS these days. Or BATMAN for that matter!!
..on the other hand, I was totally feeling the X-Men analogy, Des!
"The Unusuals" - I had high hopes for this one, but it's quickly losing me. I can see what's it's trying to do, but it doesn't quite work. (interesting coincidence that the newbie comes from privilege - the same device used in "Southland") Having the dispatch call in oddball crimes and numerous shots of downtown NYC (my neighborhood, actually) in an effort to "place" the series doesn't really convince me that the show's as oddball as it wants to be or that the show's filmed in NYC (the greenscreen stuff in the last ep was just distracting).
"Castle" is kinda fun. It reminds me of "Bones" in what it's trying to do. That show took awhile to really grow on me and the same might be true for "Castle". Right now, Fillion seems to be trying his darnedest to carry the show on his smirk. Hopefully it'll have time for the characters to gel. And for some reason, the female cop's wardrobe doesn't seem genuine to me. (the shot they use for the police station is several blocks from where I live so one can only hope they actually shoot something there sometime)
"Better Off Ted" - I'm really getting into this show. It reminds me of "Arrested Development" (not just because of Portia DeRossi) and "Scrubs." It's got a sharp sense of humor and has a good amount of absurdity without being over the top.
I caught part of "Idiocracy" on Comedy Central over the weekend. It's Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph as two "average people" who somehow end up 500 years in the future, into a time in which the "dumbing down" of society as advanced to a degree that they are by far the smartest people around.
While I didn't like the movie much at all, it got me started thinking that it was actually kind of a cool and original premise for a story.
I saw that too! It was utterly terrible! One of the worst movies I've ever seen actually.
But yeah, the premise for the whole thing is actually pretty good. It'd make a great Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode, or one issue story in Strange Adventures or something.
I agree -- "Idiocracy" has an interesting premise and it would be interesting to see what this "dumb" world would look like,(the tv show of neverending blows to the crotch is probably going to be on Spike next season) but it was a bad film and there wasn't really a story there.
It could have been a collection of short films, each helmed by a different director showing different visions of the "dumb future".
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I caught part of "Idiocracy" on Comedy Central over the weekend. It's Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph as two "average people" who somehow end up 500 years in the future, into a time in which the "dumbing down" of society as advanced to a degree that they are by far the smartest people around.
While I didn't like the movie much at all, it got me started thinking that it was actually kind of a cool and original premise for a story.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: . . . the "dumbing down" of society . . . it was actually kind of a cool and original premise for a story.
Outer Limits had a similar story when I was a teen.
These parents were shown trying to hide that their son, or maybe daughter, I can't remember for sure, was very smart. We don't know why until the end, when he's (she's) taken away by authorities to be euthanized so that the other kids, who weren't smart, wouldn't feel bad about themselves.
You're thinking of the Future is Wild, which is somewhat similar. It focuses on the future course of evolution in the absence of humans.
Life After People is more about what would happen to all of our stuff after we suddenly disappear, and how long it takes for all evidence of human life to be wiped out. There's something oddly groovy about watching the International Space Station crash into Earth, thus destroying our attempts to preserve human DNA, or finding out that it will take about 100 years for parrots to quit mimicking human language in our absence.
Idiocracy would have been okay as a half-hour short. Not so much as a full-length movie. The premise is somewhat disturbing, but not in the way Judge intended, I'm sure.
The DVD box had the original movie also, making the new one seem even worse in a side-by-side comparison.
Quantum of Solace.
WOW! Smartest written James Bond movie I can remember. I like that it continued on the story and some non agency characters from the last movie and I think I'm going to like this "real" Bond. Best foot chase sequences I recall seeing in a movie.
Still wouldn't mind a super villain on occasion but this direction has to be my favorite of all Bond takes(sorry Mr. Connery).
Life After People was pretty groovy! Is that an ongoing series?
I love watching the history channel specials. The one about Krakatoa is simply fascinating to me. I also watched the gloomy one about 2012...my friend said it best: "looks like shit is over in 2012." The special is a little over the top in being alarming and trying to scare you. Its like Fox News or something.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Life After People was pretty groovy! Is that an ongoing series?
I love watching the history channel specials. The one about Krakatoa is simply fascinating to me. I also watched the gloomy one about 2012...my friend said it best: "looks like shit is over in 2012." The special is a little over the top in being alarming and trying to scare you. Its like Fox News or something.
Yeah, they just started an ongoing series of it, on Tuesday nights! Tomorrow night pigs take over the world or something!
The History Channel is definitely a mixed bag. A lot of stuff is extremely good, but a lot of times it seems more like the National Enquirer than National Geographic.
Yeah. I really couldn't stop watching the 2012 thing, but I was half-smiling the whole time. I was like, "jeepers, these people are trying so hard to convince me we're done in 2012 that I almost feel bad not believing them!".
Over the past week or so, I caught up on the last 10-or-so episodes of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles". These episodes really brought out the potential in the show that had been evident in the first season and the first part of this season. It's a shame that this show is pretty much guaranteed to be cancelled because it was exploring some storytelling back alleys that the Terminator films never have time for. Really, the whole concept that Jim Cameron created has so much more potential than what got distilled into a hand full of white knuckle chase flicks, and this series was realizing it.
There are a lot of astute and demanding viwers of television on this site, and I think many of you would have been pleasantly surprised by this series. It was on the cusp of becoming another Lost or BSG, and it looks like it would have jumped that cusp based on where they were apparently taking the series based on how the last episode ended. I think that was quite admirable seeing as how it was obviously working with some effects budget constraints.
I'd encourage any of you to check it out on DVD or whatever. With a new movie coming out, it's a shame that a series with such potential may be all but forgotten.
Alright, so after I caught up on my DVR backlog of "Terminator: SCC" and "Pushing Daisies", I caught up on the last five episodes of "Life on Mars". I've mixed feelings about the finale...
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">It fell somewhere around "St. Elsewhere" and "Newhart" territory with the solution that was offered. On one hand the writers worked hard to show you that everything fit; on the other hand, I would have preferred something that didn't relegate the series to an 'imaginary tale'. (yeah, they're all imaginary tales, but you know what I mean... )
Yeah, there was always the chance it was the delusions of a guy in a coma from the beginning or he was crazy or something, but the story seemed to be leading to a greater significance behind everything Sam was experiencing. Like maybe he was there to change the future for the better and learn more about his past (particularly with his father) in the process. And God, Time or Whatever was behind it all--but that's the "Quantum Leap" fan within talking.
But we do get some resolution in 1973 and see that Tyler no longer wants to return to 2008 before the Big Reveal. Interestingly enough, the original UK series it was based on had a much different, possibly more satisfying ending. I Wikipedia-ed it!
But the series title sure got added meaning here, eh?</span></span>
In the end I really enjoyed the series a lot and hope to see Jason O'Mara, Gretchen Mol and Michael Imperioli doing more great stuff in the near future.
Am nostalgia tripping yet again by watching The Critic on disc. The whole fat-schlubby-guy-hooks-up-with-hot-chicks routine gets old fast, but the satirical bits like the Trek-Hee Haw show are just as funny as they were a decade ago.
Can't figure out why. I thought it one of the better super-hero flicks I've seen. Plucked all the right stings with me and for once in a movie, the ending was actually in doubt. Wasn't sure which way they were going to swing with it.
Maybe I'll track down some reviews to find out why I'm wrong for liking it.
Ehhh... I guess it was okay. No surprises. I guess it's supposed to be a When Harry Met Sally that guys can enjoy because it's got cursing and naughty bits to season the usual rom-com tropes.
Locally, on Sunday late nights they show two reruns of Desperate Housewives. I've been watching them for a little over a month. I'll be damned if it ain't one of the most clever, fun and entertaining series going! I'm obviously not its target demographic, but I ain't complaining.
I'm avoiding spoilers and am choosing to continue to watch it piecemeal with those two episodes a week. What I've seen so far takes place apparently during the third season. If this was DH in a creative lull as I've heard, I can't wait to see the "good" stuff!
My official guilty pleasure, I guess....(other than internet porn )
I LOVED 'Hancock', BB! (I don't know that the whale's tail would have held up for the throw, but his powers weren't totally defined so I could let it go, with just a murmur.)
'Bones' has probably, the best ensemble cast on TV, right now, I think.
I don't always watch it new, though, 'cause I try to keep up on 'Smallville'.
Originally posted by LardLad: Locally, on Sunday late nights they show two reruns of Desperate Housewives. I've been watching them for a little over a month. I'll be damned if it ain't one of the most clever, fun and entertaining series going! I'm obviously not its target demographic, but I ain't complaining.
I thought the first season was really good, but it kind of got bored and formulaic after that.
Love the NCIS (new show spinning out of the LA visit with chris odonnell and crew by the way).
Rules of Engagement was very good. That is a tight crew and consistently funny.
Big Bang was a little more quiet, but still very funny
Castle was good, glad to see it on the schedule for abc next fall. The networks have their fall lineups on their websites by the way.
Bones was good. Don't know how well it will work if they decide to take the "romance" to the next level, though.
Didn't watch house this year, basically because he didn't seem to be as much of an ass. No fun if he isn't.
CBS has four new shows lined up. Unfortunately, I think the Jenna Elfman vehicle will pretty much be dead on arrival. I always like her, but the lead guy is a douche.
ABC looks to have some good shows.
Fox looks like it might have some as well.
Quit watching NBC years ago, but they have a new show, MERLIN.
Given that the first film wore out its welcome with me with over half an hour left to go, I should've known better.
Dear Hollywood,
If you can't produce a script where the women in the story have at least as much personality/screen time as the title character's exploding bong, just leave out the women altogether. Or have them played by Real Dolls. Save yourself a few bucks, and score some points for honesty in the process.
Rick, one of your favorites, Julianna Marguiles has a new series from CBS next fall with Chris Noth. I don't know anything about it, but I know you like her.
Without Lost right now I have no shows that I like really (Real World/Road Rules Challenge, my guilty pleasure, doesn't count as a show ). I guess I have to wait for Mad Men to start back-up. And Sons of Anarchy.
From Here to Eternity – I saw this when I was a teenager but recently rewatched when I used some gift cards I got from a hotel on amazon.com and picked up several movies I felt I should own. Wow, I forgot how truly amazing this film is. Several actors all give the performances of their careers, while Montgomery Cliff gives a steady, despairing performance that keeps you grounded and worried throughout the film. Donna Reed—who I love—was as good as I remember, but I was surprised at how attractive I found Deborah Kerr this time around. Burt Lancaster is fun to watch on film, but I totally forgot how the entire last 20 minutes have an intense action sequence that adds an air of positivity to the film (which is ultimately shot down upon the ending of the movie). Ernest Bornign (who is from my hometown) was awesome as he always is, and plays one mean bastard. And Sinatra truly is wonderful in this film, its not all just hype.
The Other Boelyn Girl – After watching the Tudors seasons, I was more interested in seeing this movie than ever before, and I thought it was pretty good. Not great, but a good watch. Scarlet Johanson goes against the grain and plays a more innocent and sweeter role than normal, while Natalie Portman is brutally cunning and hurtful, taking one perception of Anne Boelyn to the extreme. I thought some of it was good but after watching the very excellent Tudors (which I realize isn’t 100% accurate in its history), I was a little bored with the movie. Eric Bana was a bit of a non-entity but the two girls, and surprisingly, their mother, were good.
Double Indemnity – I finally saw this after a long time. I actually had thought I’d watched it before and then realized I hadn’t—and I’m sure glad I did. Its one of the best movies I may have ever seen, if for nothing else than the fact that its so bleak and racy for 1944 (and written in 1936 I think). Lady Cobalt was also very impressed, and I’ve had to really give her the hard sell on watching older movies, but she’s finally coming around (don’t worry, I’d divorce her if she didn’t ). Everyone always talks about Barbara Stanwcyk as the ultimate femme fatale, and I see that here. But she gives a much more subtle performance than I would have guessed. And Edward G. Robinson’s role is much more minor than I thought but he is just so awesome you can’t help but want more of him whenever he leaves the scene. I love seeing him in his 1940’s roles when he stopped being the lead actor in movies, and found out this is the film where he made that transition. He said he’s rather “be a supporting actor in great movies than a lead actor in mediocre ones”. And he sure made the right move, IMO.
Juice - Anyone else ever see this excellent film from the 1980's/early 90's? It stars Omar Epps, who is beyond excellent, and Tupac Shakur in his early days when he was really showing off how talented and artistic he was. Its the ultimate 'urban gangster teenagers drama' from that era, and what I would say is the only really excellent one. Its one of my favorite movies, and I used to watch it all the time in college. Tupac's role is an obvious homage to James Cagney but 50 years later in a new setting, and he is masterful in showing that characters de-evolution into a brutal, ruthless killer. Meanwhile, Omar Epps is smart, insightful and a good kid, but he is able to get across the despair of not being able to get out of the hood and all of its trappings like no one else.
Up next I’ve several movies I’m watching with Lady Cobalt but I have to give in to one of hers, Bride Wars. Ugh. I like Anne Hathaway but the plot looks terrible and I can’t stand Kate Hudson. But then we’re watching To Catch a Thief, Notorious, Charade (all of them favorites of mine) and one I’ve never seen before from noir era, the Black Widow.
Little disappointed in the preview i saw for Jenna's show. It seems like they could have found a better kid with acting chops than the owe they did.
I predict that if they survive, they'll probably ditch the guy altogether and keep the baby. and Jenna is always worth watching. Its broad comedy, like Dharma and Greg was, but that cast was spot on.
I went through my Cagney phase last summer. My favorite actor all-time, easily. Also saw casablanca, Mockingbird, several others.
I'm kinda in a rock movie phase now. Seen most of the Beatles flicks including Lennons "Imagination." Scorcese has a series on the blues that is hit or miss.
Been trying futily to track down "She's Gotta Have it."
The creepy thing about Double Indemnity is the whole idea of Fred MacMurray as a murderer. It's so weird watching him in villainous roles (see also The Apartment), having grown up with him as the guy from the old Disney movies/Dad on My Three Sons.
It's almost like watching Betsy Palmer kill people in Friday the 13th.
"V" is the only thing that really strikes me as interesting thus far. I remember kind of liking the original series when I was a kid (I think I even had some of the comics). Elizabeth Mitchell certainly isn't going to hurt the show.
Cobie- Deborah Kerr is one of my favorites! She classes up just about everything in which she appeared. THE KING & I, NIGHT OF THE IGUANA, TEA AND SYMPATHY are a few others I recommend.
DOUBLE INDEMNITY-- def. in my top 10 to 15 beloved movies. That dialogue when Stanwyck and McMurray first meet is laugh-out-loud funny and sexy. Pretty much one of the models on which movie couple scenes/dynamics are based. Not many can approach. Barbara Stanwyck is possibly *the* most versatile actress who became a movie star.
EDE- McMurray's career before Disney and My Three Sons was a long one. He did lots of romantic comedies. One I like a lot is TOO MANY HUSBANDS, which is a variation on the spouse-coming-back-from-the-dead-on-the-eve-of-"widow/widowers-remarriage story. McMurray's the one coming back from the dead and Jean Arthur's his 'widow'. Melvyn Douglas is the 'third wheel'. It's a cute screwball comedy which ends in a rather unique scene.
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text"> The trio meet up at a night club and share a dance with all three- implying that a menage-a-trois has formed. Kind of racy, even for now. </span></span>
Originally posted by Blockade Boy: Re: Older movies. I'm kinda in a rock movie phase now. Seen most of the Beatles flicks including Lennons "Imagination." Scorcese has a series on the blues that is hit or miss.
I saw a TOMMY a few weeks ago at the University of Tennessee. It was a great production which makes me want to view the movie (Roger Daltry, Ann Margaret and Oliver Reed) again. The end of the stage production I saw was one of the most rousing, life affirming things I've seen. I don't remember that from the movie at all. I want to see if it was the stage director's interpretation, or something that went over my head when I saw the movie.
Cobi, I agree with you 100% Vicky Barcelona and Jesse James.
Saw a recent pulp film called The Man Who Wasn't There. It was interesting. A bit slow but I liked it. Coen Bros film where they used lots of pulp film noir shots. It's not cheerful.
Saw Ronin with Deniro & Luc Besson. I'm a big Mamet fan who wrote it. First 1 hour was really good. Lots of quality action and then the 25 minute car chase put me to sleep. While I like old school stuff...car chases died with the seventies. I never saw the end.
Speaking of action. TAKEN with Neeson had plenty. Like Ronin it just had sharp writing and quality non-stop action. It also has a connection. Luc Besson was a writer for it.
I recorded a marathon of Philo Vance movies off TCM the other day, and have been watching them since. They're pretty solid mysteries. One cool thing I noticed: the coroner has a habit of saying things like "I'm a doctor, not an X" or "I'm a coroner, not an X". I wonder if that was the inspiration for the famous Star Trek catch-phrase?
I saw Pixar's latest film "Up" Friday with my family. This movie had a lot going for it and had a great heart at its center, but I was ultimately let down by the plot as it turned out. The 'threat' or 'problem' was a little underwhelming to me and felt a little too manufactured compared to what I expect from Pixar. I mean, it was fun and all, and there were some really cool things--but it just felt more like what I would expect to see from the also-ran studios like Dreamworks.
Don't get me wrong..."Up" far from sucked! I mean, the first few minutes of it are genuinely heartbreaking in one of the most effective dialogueless sequences I've ever seen in an animated film. Hell, I almost cried! But after a point, it really felt more generic and formulaic like any other animated film you'd see from any other studio. With recent Pixar classics like "Wall*E", "Ratatouille", "Finding Nemo", "Monsters, Inc." and "The Incredibles" to use as comparisons, I couldn't help but feel "Up" should have reached muched higher.
Still, do check it out; it's definitely worth a look. I'd be curious how any other Pixar fans here might feel it measures up.
To Catch a Thief – I was surprised when I realized I never saw this movie but thought for many years that I had. I’m a huge Hitch fan, and I really like Cary Grant a real lot (particularly when he’s with Hitch). I also really enjoy Grace Kelly and think she was absolutely stunning as well as very charming. Well, now that I’ve watched it, after hearing praise for it for several years, I have to say I thought it was a solid, good movie, but its definitely not one of my favorite of Hitch’s films. Its hard to explain why, but I think overall I found it slightly bland. The scenery spectacular (I couldn’t think of any other movies filmed on the French Riveria), Cary Grant was charming and fun as ever, Grace Kelly was great, and the dialogue was very witty and snappy which I what I was expecting and hoping for. I also was pleasantly surprised to see Jesse Royce Landis in the movie (recognizing her from one of my favorites and a much better film, North by Northwest) and she was truly excellent here, even stealing the scenes from Grant & Kelly which is no small feat. I figured out the plot about half way through, and so did Lady Cobalt, so it wasn’t exactly a shocker, but still an enjoyable twist. All in all a very good effort and worth a solid watch, but not overly spectacular. Everyone does a fine job, of course, but I like North by Northwest better for Cary Grant/Hitch, and Rear Window better for Grace Kelly/Hitch. Someone said “To Catch a Thief has all the elements of the various Hitchcock films”, and that’s true (mother figure, icey blonde, false accusations, etc.) but I think all those things are done better in other movies.
Quote
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: While I like old school stuff...car chases died with the seventies. I never saw the end.
You said it! Man, I can’t stand watching yet another stupid car chase scene anymore. They should have just retired them all together when Steve McQueen stopped acting. Even Tarrantino’s “Death Proof”, which was a tribute to those old 70’s car chases, couldn’t get me all that interested. To Catch a Thief has not one but two of these and they add an element of blandness to the movie it could have done without.
Gettysburg – I saw this movie several times over the years because its one of my father’s all time favorite movies. But I hadn’t watched it all the way through in a long time (usually just catching several scenes). Gettysburg is truly for people who are (a) Civil War buffs, (b) want to see real heroism in action during war movies and (c) do not preach to you about right & wrong but simply present a story from all angles. My father is all of the three and he loves this movie. And I also love it too, and was delighted by the movie once more. There are so many great actors and so many great sequences that its truly moving. I was moved to tears about five separate occasions. The movie is hugely long—its over 4 hours, so pack a lunch. Its also essentially three movies in one, each day of Gettysburg getting a full hour plus story. And there is no real sense of beginning or end other than the fighting at Gettysburg, so the sense of the Civil War existing three years prior to the movie and going on another two years is apparent, and may leave some viewers with a lack of closure, but I thought it was a pretty realistic depressing sense that is conveyed. At the same time, the heroism of Col. Chamberlain, executing what students of history recognize to be the single most brilliant military move in the history of the United States is nothing short of extraordinary. And Sam Elliot gives a brief performance as Bufford in the beginning that is subtly full of every emotion in the spectrum, including one moment that moved me in a way I didn’t see coming. Tom Berenger as General Longstreet is the best role of his entire career; C. Thomas Howell as Chamberlain’s brother is likely his best performance too. It really is a moving epic, though its obvious its not the kind of movie Hollywood critics will ever like or even want to see succeed. Which is fine; let them keep the crap they usually like
Saw the latest Bond flick. Loved it. He was pretty dark in it...almost too dark for me. It seems he's reconciled at the end. Great action scenes (though the chase on the Sienna rooftops was a bit too much like the Bourne Morocco rooftop chase).
STATE OF GRACE. 1990. NYC irish mobster flick. Really good actors here. A young Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright, John Turtoro(sp), Ed Harris. Good movie. Takes place in Hell's Kitchen.
I saw the Brendon Fraser version of Journey to the Centre of the Earth a couple of weeks ago, and it was pretty entertaining. Nothing extraordinary, but overall a decent take on Verne's basic concept.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I saw the Brendon Fraser version of Journey to the Centre of the Earth a couple of weeks ago, and it was pretty entertaining. Nothing extraordinary, but overall a decent take on Verne's basic concept.
It was a bit corny and Fraser is getting old. But it was decent. And I am somewhat of a Fraser fan but the dye job on an aging guy...not good.
I think I've yet to see a version of JttCotE that isn't at least a little bit corny. I think the concept just lends itself to that. Especially with Fraser who does the slightly goofy but not over the top thing better than just about anybody.
Well, at least it was a lot better than the version with Pat Boone.
Getting old? Damn folks, he's younger than I am and I don't feel thaaat old. Nobody stays pretty forever, lol. Receeding hairlines, lines on the face, a little puffyness from age and food...thats life.
Brendon Fraser: He's like the anti-Keanu Reeves. One's in Encino Man and the other, Bill and Tedd. It's the same guy. After that, complete split, like in Star Trek. Good Kirk and Evil Kirk.
Fraser can be fun. I've yet to see God's and Monsters and I know he can do "real," just his real seems more real than Reeves' real. I just do not know anyone as stiff as Reeves' characters.
Still on my old movie search. Watched "Red River," with The Duke. Not his best and poorly edited movie. Just jumped around without making it's point until a forced dialogue near the end clears it up. That's how ya know a director knows the movie hoovers, when there's a long solilyquey (someone spell that word for me) near the end to try and make the pieces fit.
Hard to find John Wayne movies at the library.
Speaking of Barbara Stanwyck, I've got Crime of Passion ready to go into the player.
Yeah, he's in it, but I haven't seen it either. Everytime I think about watching it I get flashbacks of horrible James Spader movie with the same title.
*dragging a topic started in What Are You Reading*
Speaking of Appalachian area being one of the poorest areas in the US...has anyone seen SQUIDBILLIES??? It's in the Appalachian part of Georgia.
Adult Swim show that is hilarious! I just found out about and have been watching episodes on Adult Swim's website and You Tube. Never heard of it until recently. I'm not a big fan of cartoons (Simpsons, South Park) but this one really hooked me.
Eureka returns tonight. Definately gonna be watching that. Even get to see it on the TV since the braves are on peachtree tv, which apparantly isn't available inside the US except in the atlanta area, but available in canada and everywhere else. peachbastards.
Well, I'm NOT watching the Stanley Cup final as my poor 13 inch tv and convertor does not seem to be able to pick up a signal, sigh.
For $5.99 at the Rite-Aid I did pick up a DVD package of 20 old spaghetti and early tv westerns. Some fairly good stars in them, though the quality of the recordings is generally bad, some of the stories have been clever.
I highly recommend "Any Gun Can Play" with Ed "Kookie" Brynnes. Double and triple crosses all over as different factions try to track down hidden gold stolen from a military train.
I did watch the entire NBA Playoffs. I'm a basketball fanatic and a big Orlando Magic fan (i live an hour away). Never had so much excitement and heartbreak.
ANYWAYS, just watched the Red Violin last night. Great movie! Very well done! I may buy the DVD.
enjoying weekend #2 of a Degrassi TNG marathon on the "N" network,..was a huge fan of the original Degrassi back in the day and i got hooked on the new show. all month long the "N" has been running back to back episodes especially on the weekends from season 1 thru mid-season 8 gearing up for new episodes starting in July. it's my new gulity pleasure.
I recently bought the complete series DVD set of Drak Pack, a cartoon I absolutely loved when I was eleven.
The premise was that young descendants of Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and the werewolf become super-heroes.
The dialogue is some of the best in the Saturday morning genre of the time, full of alliteration, puns and cleverly-turned phrases.
My problem with the series is that the three protagonists (Drak, Frankie and Howler) sometimes appear as humans and sometimes as the more recognizable forms. In human form they have no powers, yet they frequently go into dangerous situations. Even in human form they refer to each other as Drak, Frankie and Howler, so there seems no point in them having "secret identities".
I really enjoy watching it again, but the plot hole is just huge.
My husband, Chuck, is watching the latest Steven Seagal movie now. I HATE the later Segal movies (however you spell his name.)
It's bad, because I won't watch it with him. It's good, because he'll have to stop crowing that his movie picks are better than mine, which he's done since he chose Gran Torino and I picked Benjamin Button.
The Happening by M. Night with Marky Mark. (i still can't remember his real name). I liked it. It wasn't great but it kept us entertained. I think I read he wanted to do a B movie justice and he did exacly that. It felt like the Birds mixed with a zombie flick.
Donnie Wahlberg (just remembered) did pretty good. I like when movie stars don't act like THE MAN and all of that. I've said on this thread before that actors impress me when they act like a surburban dad, or a school teacher instead of a hitman, etc.
Fools Gold. Never really enjoyed Matthew McNaughey (though ofcourse my wife does). He's a bit too animated for me. BUT I kind of liked this film. I know he played Dirk Pitt in Sahara and now I kind of want to watch it. You know a friend of mine always debate who should be the next Indiana Jones. Matthew made an argument. With the right direction (Spielberg!) who knows? Ofcourse Nathan Fillon is our top choice.
It's a fun action/adventure story in the Carribean. The star of the movie is the YACHT!!! Holy moley! Kate Hudson does nothing for me. I mean she does more than Dunst or Maggie Gyllenhall (a whole of a lot more actually) but not much. I think she reminds me a friend's mom.
I recommend the Happening. If you are in the mood for summer escapism then I also recommend Fools Gold. If anything it will inspire you to work out more. (just finished. d'oh!)
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Mark Wahlberg (just remembered) did pretty good. I like when movie stars don't act like THE MAN and all of that. I've said on this thread before that actors impress me when they act like a surburban dad, or a school teacher instead of a hitman, etc.
Best Mark Wahlberg film, IMO, is The Corrupter, with Chow Yun-Fat. Awesome, but not a happy funtime movie.
For Wahlberg fun, The Big Hit dishes it up.
The Italian Job is also pretty neat, although the death-spiral void of emotional prescence that is Ed Norton drags it down. (Even with Norton doing his best job of sucking the life out of every scene he appears in, it's a better film than the Ocean's Eleventy-Billion franchise, IMO. Note that I'm biased by finding Charlize Theron about a googleplex better to watch than Julia 'watch me smile so grotesquely that you can see my face peel back and show off my skull' Roberts.)
If you ever get roped into seeing Wahlberg in Shooter, just rupture your ear-drums with a pencil or fake a heart attack or something. It's really that bad. Preachy, moralizing, condescending, screamingly offensively political, etc, etc.
It's like pain. Pain that hurts.
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I know he played Dirk Pitt in Sahara and now I kind of want to watch it.
Very, very fun movie. Matt McWhoosywhatsis usually seems to be a little too 'intentionally charming' (and coming close to veering past charming into 'schmuck') for my taste, like he's hamming it up for the ladies (see also, Grant, Hugh), but Dirk Pitt *is* an over-the-top goofy James Bond pastiche, so it totally works in that movie.
Slum Dog: after watching the Academy Awards, which thankfully gave away nothing, I think I was expecting High School Musical: the India Years.
Totally blown away by this movie.
Nixon/Frost (I love our library): Was most impressed at how even handed it was and any movie that can keep the tension up when covering fairly recent events is okay by me. Maybe not so surprising, the other movie that comes to mind that did this was Apollo 13, same director.
Just saw Memento yesterday, and actually had an easier time following the plot than I expected to. Maybe I was just having a particularly lucid day. The DVD extras didn't really hold my interest, though. Guess I'm not enough of a cinema geek.
I resisted the urge to re-watch the scenes one-by-one in reverse-reverse order: just to see if I missed anything.
I guess the lack of shows right now has me watching tons of movies.
Raging Bull. Great movie! There was one or two parts that got a tad slow with long shots. Though when this film first came out that was revolutionary (in America atleast). Now I am used to it and want to fast foward. That is the only knock! DeNiro had an amazing performance! I believe he won the Oscar for it. Great movie. Maybe my favorite Scorsese film.
The Doors. Wow. Music is something I wish I was more into. I really enjoy the sixties and seventies music...always loved The Doors. Another great film. Stone did a great job of capturing the magic and then the disaster. Val Kilmer was pretty good. I don't give too much credit when an actor plays a drunk, druggie, crazy, or mentally challenged sometimes.
Meg Ryan was a horrible casting job. She was 29 or 30 years old and played a role of Pamela Courson between 18 to 24. The bangs were a tough sell as well.
Kyle MacLachlan did pretty good. (I'm a Twin Peaks fan ofcourse).
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Val Kilmer was pretty good.
I still have some fond nostalgia for Real Genius and his character in Willow, but Kilmer's a total hit or miss. When he's on, he's close to Johnny Depp levels of on. When he's just there to cash a check, it shows...
Saw The Corporation last night. My favorite segments were those talking directly with people doing street-level actions against corporate takeovers: such as the Bolivian citizens who rebelled when water privatization forbade them from even gathering rainwater when they were too poor to pay inflated prices. (!! Thank You, World Bank. !!) There was a lot of filler, but stuff like this made up for it.
I saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen yesterday with my family. I was really dreading it from the advance reviews, but I was pretty much trapped, having two little boys who are obsessed with them.
Really, though, I found it better than expected. The story was better than I've heard it described, and there were some genuinely touching moments in there. But the main purpose was to entertain, and I felt it succeeded in that pretty well despite it running too long. Some of the jokes were definitely a little too racy and the humor a little too broad, but all of those moments drew big laughs in my packed cinema. And the Twins really were nowhere near Jar-Jar levels of annoyance.
That said, it's really not a film I'm anxious to see again. It was fun for one viewing but would offer little to nothing in repeating. Just a good popcorn flick--nothing inherently wrong with that.
Of course I'm not really what anyone would call a hardcore Trans-fan.
Originally posted by cleome: Just saw Memento yesterday, and actually had an easier time following the plot than I expected to. Maybe I was just having a particularly lucid day. The DVD extras didn't really hold my interest, though. Guess I'm not enough of a cinema geek.
I resisted the urge to re-watch the scenes one-by-one in reverse-reverse order: just to see if I missed anything.
Yeah I think it's a testament to Nolan that he pulled this off and it wasn't hard to understand. Love that film.
I've kind of halfway watched the first two episodes of the Philanthropist (on NBC, I think?). Really just thought I'd check it out because of Neve Campbell. It seems like there's the potential for a halfway decent show there, but it doesn't really do anything for me.
What really sticks with me about Memento, other than the exciting storytelling method, is how utterly evil Carrie-Anne Moss's character is. I remember a shot of her smiling toward the end/beginning that just made me feel sick inside. Quite a brilliant turn on her part after having played the heroic Trinity in The Matrix trilogy!
I'm buying the complete 'Beauty and the Beast' series with Ron Pearlman. That was the most beautifully staged series that I can remember, truly lovely work. I can't make the final payment until August, though. sigh
Gawd, I'm still mourning "Daisies" so much that I haven't gotten up the will to watch the final three episodes I've got saved on DVR, let alone explore another Fuller series that got killed off too soon.
No comics spin-off will fill the void left by such a uniquely awesome show. Meanwhile, what do we have? Umpteen CSI and Law & Order shows and soon five hours of primetime Leno a week? With only one season of Lost left, I'm worried there will be nothing creative and original left on TV!!!
Originally posted by LardLad: What really sticks with me about Memento, other than the exciting storytelling method, is how utterly evil Carrie-Anne Moss's character is. I remember a shot of her smiling toward the end/beginning that just made me feel sick inside. Quite a brilliant turn on her part after having played the heroic Trinity in The Matrix trilogy!
On the one hand, I love watching a really good actress go to town on a meaty role. OTOH, I feel sad when I realize how few chances really good actresses get to do that. Yeah, she's evil, but in her own mind it goes with the job. I doubt she thinks of herself as evil, but rather as being cut from the same cloth as the hero was when he was still doing his job.
IMHO, those are the creepiest villains around. You could spend a hundred years showing them how evil they are, but they'd never believe you.
Another film I just saw was the adaptation of Katherine Anne Porter's novel Ship of Fools. I've loved her work for years. Despite the inevitable liberties between novel and film, I was thrilled to see it on screen at long last.
Speaking of incredible actresses: Simone Signoret as La Condessa, a would-be revolutionary on her way to jail. Vivian Leigh as a wealthy divorcee' afraid that her life is already over at the ripe old age of 45. Elizabeth Ashley as an aspiring painter who can't let go of her painter boyfriend, even though they are (not in the words of the pre-WWII setting) absolutely toxic to one another.
Just watched an interesting one called DiG!. It chronicles the early years of two rock bands, The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre and the relationship that they had with each other. I'd heard of The Dandy Warhols but the (now defunct) Brian Jonestown Massacre is new to me.
Also, earlier this week I'd watched a slightly disturbing documentary called Confessions of a Superhero about the various characters who dress up as superheros (as well as other popular icons) and panhandle outside of Graumen's Chinese Theater in L.A.
DiG! was a fun rockumentary. My favorite was that guy who didn't play anything - he was just up on stage for no reason other than he was their friend. You should check out "Driver 23" If you like rockumentaries about fifth-rate musicians with delusions of rock-godhood.
Oh, and "Some Kind of Monster" about actual rock gods Metallica was also pretty fun.
Woody Allen's Hollywood Ending. Didn't love it. It was fun and entertaining but I usually enjoy Allen movies more. Deborah Messing looked hot though.
Charade with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. It was pretty good. I quite liked it. Plot has a few holes but it was a light entertaining see. It's funny I was thinking "I've seen this before" and started thinking about a possible modern remake...then it hit me. Truth About Charlie with Mark Wahlberg.
Speaking of Wahlberg. BOOGIE NIGHTS. Great film! I thought this was a comedy (and it was) but it certainly got "real" towards the end. Nice to see we can have a message in this type of movie. I was always in love with Heather Graham but now even more so.
21. My wife loves blackjack and we recently went to the local casino for a b-day party and she tore it up. As a person who plays double nine dominoes with an obsession the counting card thing really interested me. Loved the movie and I might lose my house, car, and saving gambling! JK, I don't gamble but this movie sure makes you want to. (kind of like The Program makes you want to do roids)
Full Metal Jacket. Wow. Great movie. I was expecting more surreal but Kubrick just threw the "real" at us pretty hard. Maybe my favorite Kubrick film thus far. (I've seen Spartacus, Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut, and well um AI if you count that one)
As far as TV shows
Entourage started last night! Damn I love Sloan!
I've been addicted to Expedition Africa on History Channel. (2hour season finale last night I haven't watched yet)
Memento - Lardy, you're dead on with Carrie Ann Moss's role in this one. That sequence where she is basically laughing to his face telling him what she's about to do is frightening to behold. I remember being SHOCKED by it the first time and its better and better the several times I've rewatched. This is the earliest film I recall seeing her in. She's such a totally underrated actress, likely because of the bad wrap the latter two Matrix films deservingly get.
Charade - one of my all time favorite movies (as several LWers know, I'm a huge Audrey Hepburn fan, whom I've loved like no other woman since I was 11 years old). Its just plain fun in a way so many other movies try to be but fail. Best of all is the dialogue and chemistry between Grant and Hepburn and the obvious way Grant is poking fun at the idea of a girl like Audrey falling for someone his age—and the way she doesn’t care. Walter Matthau also plays his role so well and so off-beat that’s its really fun to watch. And James Coburn has a bunch of fun with his role too. I just reviewed “To Catch a Thief” recently and while that’s a completely different movie, its interesting to note how much the chemistry here surpasses the non-chemistry of Grace Kelly and Cary Grant there.
Boogie Nights – this is an excellent movie, and parts of it are really poignant. Everyone does a good job. I agree about Heather Graham. Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds and John C. Reilly are also fantastic, and this one of the creepiest performances ever by Phillip C. Hoffman which is really saying something.
Full Metal Jacket – What’s odd is that Kubrick really allows this to be seen as two almost separate but connecting movies. I’ve seen it like 20 times, so when I watch it now, I usually tune in for the first half but don’t bother with the second. When I mention it to my father, who was a teenager during the Viet Nam years, he says “that movie really pissed off a lot of people”. I like it, but its not one of my favorite Kubrick movies.
DiG! – Haven’t seen this but I’m interested because I just kind of discovered the Dandy Warhols a few years ago via Veronica Mars (Drake—is that how you know them?).
Forever Knight. Was that on cable? I always bunch it with my other early 90s favorite cable shows like Highlander. Anyways I used to enjoy it my early teens.
Sahara - after watching Fools Gold with Mcnaughey(sp?) I was in the mood to watch this. I liked his character much better here. He made a good Dirk Pitt. Also like the sppt cast better (Zahn and Macy rock!). Penelope Cruz's character fell flat to me. The overall story was actually pretty good. The last scene on the beach (Taragona spain...nice!)!
Munich - Wow! I thought it was going to be sadder and have more of a message. It was Spielberg who likes to hammer you with emotions. While it had emotion and a message...it had lots of action! The emotion basically dealt with guilt and Avner(Bana) missing his family. The message was definetly even sided with them explaining the average Palestinian side of it (the terrorists were scum ofcourse). The action and spy stuff was great! Bana, Daniel Craig, and Hinds (great actor!) were amazing. So were the sppt characters. Ayelet Zurer I just saw in Angels and Demons. She is beautiful and a really good actress.
Marie-Josée Croze was just plain hot! (the female assassin).
Finally. JUNO. Saw it last night. Corky, good script, and acting. Wish we saw Juno get a bit more counseling. That mistake could happen to anyone (i got my 17 year old gf pregnant way back when). But she was cracking jokes. Someone had to sit her down and explain to her to take it bit more seriously. But that's the 30 something in me speaking.
was bored one night and while channel surfing i came across Tru.tv which use to be Court.tv and two shows inparticular,..Operation Repo, and Man vs. Cartoon.
Okay, a few of these episodes are some of the worst Sci Fi I've ever seen and the only character I find consistently has a uniques or interesting voice to me is T'Pol but the "Carbon Creek" episode is already one of my favorite Star Trek episodes, ever as is the ship design my favorite.
Now I'm wondering, will we ever see "Chef" or find out what the squeak is in the Captain's quarters?
Enterprise: nearly done with season two and I have noticed the pattern to the writing. Make these people who are supposed to be the best of the best commit moronic act after moronic act and have everything work out hunky dory as a set=up to show that this human way of acting is superior.
Just watched Mad Men Season 2; I'd seen some eps previously but missed more than I saw. I expected it to be excellent after season 1 and boy my expectations were not only met--they were far exceeded. It remains simply one of the best shows I've ever seen combining real powerful commentary on the themes of the times, an intricate and intriguing look into a past era (which from what I gather is quite realistic) and just an amazing array of style and "cool". Each time they show advertising in its glory age, they show the glamorized version, the crude version and then the likely truth that falls somewhere in between.
I'm sitting here this morning, still completely blown away by Inglorious Basterds, which I saw last night. Melanie Laurent and Christoph Waltz were the standout performances...so much so that I'm blown away by them both. I *must* find other movies they've been in, even if they're in French and German (I understand a little French and no German).
It was so good I need to see it one more time before I go to Key West on Saturday.
Saw the documentary King Corn last week. I've been wanting to see it for ages, since I read a piece by one of the filmmakers in a local yuppie food rag.
It uses a lot of the modern tropes in documentaries (cute stop-motion toys, ironic re-imaginings of childhood educational films, etc.) to make its point. Overall, though, the smarm level is low. Basically, the two filmmakers move to Iowa (where they both have very distant family) and grow an acre of corn, exactly as its grown in modern America for industrial purposes. Hijinks (and the discovery that most commercial corn tastes like crap, and is primarily for use in corn syrup) ensue.
More Woody Allen... Melinda and Melinda - A recent Allen film. Not one but two good stories here!
Anything Else - Woody working his usual magic with young actors. Good stuff. Also recent.
Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Great! Woody's best acting performance by far! Helen Hunt and Charlize Theron make those 1940 dresses look nice also.
Love and Death - a film that if I was under 30 would've hated but I laughed very loudly...amazing how one changes while getting older.
Prince Caspian - Eh. My wife and daughter loved it. Didn't do much for me. I'm more of a Potter fan.
Killing Me Softly - Another attempt to recreate Basic Instinct fails. Nice scenes with Heather Graham though.
Underworld Rise of the Lycans - Liked it better than I thought I would. But damn I got tired of that castle.
Push - Loved it. Lots of potential here. Good acting by young (and old) actors. Good action film. One complaint is they made it as if there is a definite sequel coming...didn't like that.
Also watching True Blood, Entourage, Top Chef, Psych, Miami Social(more my wife's show but Katrina has me watching it).
Expedition Africa was great on History Channel. Rented Mysterious of the Nile which had Pasquale. Wish they would've made that a series instead of a 45 min documentary.
I'm sure I left out other things it's been a while since I've been here.
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Push - Loved it. Lots of potential here. Good acting by young (and old) actors. Good action film. One complaint is they made it as if there is a definite sequel coming...didn't like that.
That was a good one. Dakota Fanning had a scarily mature presence in that movie. It felt like her relationship with the main dude was sliding into and out of 'The Professional' territory, at some points. Yeah, dear, there's 'another woman' in my life, but she's like, 12.
The bit at the end where one of the mind controllers takes over four gunmen at the same time and has them as a personal death-squad, moving like automatons, was awesome. The telekinesis-fu wasn't bad either...
It's like watching cheeseball testosterony tv. The bikers are super clean, have all their teeth, always one step ahead of everyone....It's hifrickenlarious.
The lead guy dresses like he's a skateboarder and he's supposed to be in his thirties. Ron perlman has a buzz cut...funny stuff.
I don't watch as much tv as I used to, but I like Supernatural, Drop Dead Diva, Wolverine and the X-Men, the new Batman thingy, and...that's it...oh Ruby.
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices. Pretty much what you'd expect. My favorite bits took place in London, Quebec, and Germany. The matter-of-fact attitude of those interviewed there is in marked contrast to what I think of as the definitive timidness in the U.S. over confronting these hideous monoliths over their blatant abuses of power. The Quebecois, in particular, offered a stellar example of what Labor looks like when it doesn't suck eggs. (Cough. I'm ex-AFSCME, so I get to say that. Nyah.)
Beat the Devil. Humphrey Bogart, Gina Lolabrigitta, John Huston, smugglers, boats. C'mon, what more do you need?
Rabbit-Proof Fence. Australia's "Stolen Generation" in the early 20th Century. Three little girls sneak away from the Whites who want to "cure" them of being Aboriginal to return to their tribe. Just a great, great film. I should have seen it sooner. It's a rare case where the disc extras are every bit as good as the original film. Because the horrible "protection" program that separated Aboriginal children from their families didn't end officially until 1970, you see observers, the acting coach, and film crew (many of whom are Aboriginal themselves) literally weeping as a scene where the children are torn from their mother and grandmother is being filmed. Living history, paralleled in the U.S., of course.
I'm going to give FlashForward a try tonight. I figure I'll at least stick with it 'til Dominic Monaghan turns up. I watched Lost from the get-go in large part due to him being on it, so maybe lightning will strike twice.
Rabbit-Proof Fence. Australia's "Stolen Generation" in the early 20th Century. Living history, paralleled in the U.S., of course.
Pretty much paralleled by every civilization known to man, including the one that proceeded Europe's visit to this big continent.
I saw this one on the shelves at the library but I'd have to be in a certain mood to pick it up. Even though the topic interests me, I'd always find an excuse to get a more "fun" movie. Typically, after seeing it I chastized myself for waiting so long.
My latest:
Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog.
Dial-up isn't condusive to seeing this as it was released on the internet so I was particularly happy to see it in DVD form.
As fun as advertised. Some catchy toons that won't leave the head so that can be a problem. .
Flash Forward is okay, that's the one about everyone passing out and seeing the future? I prefer Bones, though.
Smallville is still pretty merky,but I love the Tower stainedglass windows. Beautiful visuals there, sigh.
The Diva show with the dead girl in the lawyer girl's body is okay but I missed the 1st one so I don't know what happened to the lawyer girl's soul ~ why the body's alive but the soul's gone, so I don't really watch it regularly.
LOVE Fringe and enjoyed the first House but have missed the others (keep forgeting Monday TV.)
Now, I'm just waiting for the first new Stargate and Sanctuary.
'House' was good this week! I'm glad to see him not so angry and hurtful. He was actually funny playing charades during the conference and wonderful when he helped the neighbor!
Catch 'The Forgotten' if you can, on Tuesday nights at 10. It has a great cast with Christian Slater and fantastic stories. Wow!
Glee is a delightful surprise, I was fearing a "hipper, edgier" Fame, but instead found it to be intelligent, funny, surreal, dark, and convoluted. Besides, I'm nuts for Jane Lynch.
Flashforward : I'm liking this series - the way it's building the mystery, the personal stuff interweaved with the worldwide emergency/conspiracy stuff, etc. They clearly have an idea in mind for what's behind all this. I imagine the series will reboot to a degree once we catch up to the flashforward, (another flashforward?) so I'll stick with it for now.
Community : I wasn't expecting much, but this show is really funny! It's a lot smarter than it seems from the commercials and the oddball cast meshes well. And despite Joel McHale's smarminess, it also has heart.
As always, I'm a year or two behind those with cable. This is one of those shows that manages to be both funny and touching at the same time, with hilarious end credits to boot.
Eastwick, ok my wife made me watched it...damn I like it. Have to suck up the macho stuff and admit it. Yes it's Charmed meets Desperate Housewives (2 shows I hate) but technically Eastwick is older than both(the books). I always heard the books were really good. And I'm a sucker for small towns in New England especially Rhode Island.
Still enjoying Flash Foward. Loving Fringe! My Smallville viewing always had lots of fast foward. Not a fan of the emotional drama soft music playing parts. It's been less of that lately which is good.
Haven't caught up with Amazing Race(my fave reality show) or Survivor(eh). I have been watching Top Chef: Las Vegas. (love top chef...i just can't afford to be a foodie anymore in this economy).
Darn, I'm watching LOTS of things. Clash of the Gods(History channel), The Community(2nd episode was to die for!), The Office, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Medium, Psych, Heroes, Three Sheets, and Sanctuary just taped this week! whew!
No wonder I don't post as much anymore. Don't worry I still have a life. I do exercise regularly.
I heard LIE TO ME is great but don't have the time. I'm also watching Wolverine and the X-Men(pretty good) and a DVD class on mythology.
Movies? I just watched Witness for the Prosecution(directed by Billy Wilder) and The Prophecy(the angel thing with Walken). I'm sure I forgot something. The bad economy has me staying home more.
My third time trying to get through it but this time I was determined.
Goblet was my favorite, I really enjoyed this one. The first three, I pat myself on the back for completing them but other than the Weasleys, Hagrid and Snape, didn't much care for story or character. The fifth one just struck me as bad; a disjointed telling of cliches.
My scary movies for Halloween experiment is going bad. I watched The Prophecy (Christopher Walken) I remember loving it when it first came out. Scariest part is Viggo Mortensen as the devil. But I didn't love it the 2nd time around. So much potential and they fail to deliver.
I decided to give the Prophecy 2 a chance...it was really bad. I will not give Prophecy 3 a chance.
I am going to watch Unknown tonight (James Caviezel, Greg Kinnear, Bridget Moynahan, Joe Pantoliano and Barry Pepper). Not a "scary" movie but suspenseful I believe.
btw, I DON'T do scary movies! Yes all 6'1" 270lbs of me can't take them. I basically get in a fight/flight response for 2 hours and don't enjoy it. (I did watch Vacancy recently and enjoyed it thought)
Just saw the Korean film Sympathy For Lady Vengeance (Park Chan-wook) at a buddy's place last week.
Recommended for you mystery/thriller fans who love striking visuals (along with a little violence and sex). A woman gets out of jail after doing time for murdering a kid. You get a series of interlocking flashbacks and other characters' parallel narratives as she sets in motion an elaborate plan (harking back somewhat to films like Lang's 'M'). Some of the turns and twists are preposterous as hell, but so what? It's normal enough in this kind of story.
Last week I was unsurprisingly on a horror kick (see "Zombie Flicks" thread for the rest) and rented a film I'd read a lot of buzz about Drag Me to Hell. It's Sam Raimi's return to the horror genre and offers what you'd expect from him: a mix of humor and thrills. It's a lot of fun and offers Raimi's B-movie sensibility in droves. Everything is played straight but the humorous intent is pretty obvious.
Basically, an old, creepy gypsy woman puts a curse on a loan officer who turns her down for an extended grace period on her mortgage. But before the curse is put on, the two have a hilarious no-holds-barred knock-down/drag-out in the parking garage! That and follo-up scenes between the two are the lure of the movie, IMO.
I could kick myself for not spotting the switcheroo that set up the ending, though. It was set up beautifully!
So if you're in the mood for a little light B-movie fare with some genuine thrills amid the comedy, I'd highly recommend Drag Me to Hell!
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Sounds pretty good cleome. Adding it to my Netflix list! thanks.
Let me know if you like it, Jorge. I always enjoy reading the reviews here. (There are two other parts to the "Vengeance Trilogy," but I haven't seen them yet. The stories have a common theme, but they aren't connected in any other way.)
Saw Whip It the other day. It's kind of like Rocky with an aspiring roller derby queen in the lead role. The performances were good, even if the plot didn't offer any big surprises. I did like the relationship between Bliss aka "Babe Ruthless" and her ex-beauty queen Mom. Also the fact that they didn't demonize the "older" (a whopping 31-year-old!) champion who resented that the heroine was a natural at something that she herself had spent years mastering.
My wife is out of town and a buddy of mine and I went on a movie watching spree.
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. I liked it. I like them adapting a really good storyline and hope they continue to do so. Batman should've been knocked out a few times though. Didn't love the art.
Green Lantern: First Flight. Didn't care for the changes in the story but overall I did like the story. I've always been a Corps fan so I loved that they got serious screen time. Also didn't love the art.
When it comes to animation I'm a snob. After seeing some of those Japanese studious create something beautiful I'm a bit picky. I just think it appears to be low quality.
G.I. Joe. Horrible. Acting was terrible except for Sienna Miller ofcourse. The guy playing Duke talks like he's from the hood in every film he's in. I didn't care for the story. Did like the bad guys but I always have when it comes to Cobra.
Probably going to check Wolverine in the next few days.
candle, i agree or they show all the action scenes or comedy scenes in the preview. Hate seeing a movie and all the best parts were in the preview.
I saw Wolverine. It was better than I thought (or heard). I did go in with low expectations. Some scenes were bad but for the most part I liked it. Schriber was an awesome Sabretooth.
I bought the complete series of FARSCAPE and have started from the beginning, instead of skipping around and watching the dozen or so episodes I never caught.
I've listened to a couple of commentaries, too.
Do those of you who pick up DVDs with audio commentaries listen to them? They're either really fascinating or great insomnia cures.
Maybe there ought to be a thread for DVDs people've bought but haven't watched yet. I've got a good stack of those!
Originally posted by Candle: I can't say enough good about the show! Ray Romano and Scott Bakula and one of my favorite black actors, who's name I can never remember, darn it!
Andre Braugher, who more than a decade ago starred in Homicide: Life On the Street.
I agree: It's a funny and warm comedy about genuine relationships, not over the top as Everbody Loves Raymond could be.
I watched Avatar over the weekend. I'm planning on posting a long and detailed review on my blog, but here's the short version:
The first three-quarters or so renewed my faith in the possibilities of cinema, but it comes undone at the end because a genre movie is only as good as its villains. I'd still recommend it, though.
Just finished watching the last episode of Misfits. It's a SciFi comedy drama that aired on the UK channel E4 that lasted 6 episodes. A 2nd "season" has already been greenlit. If you don't mind trying to understand the different accents, I recommend it.
Been watching tons of stuff lately which ofcourse I can't remember right now.
DEXTER! I bought the first 3 seasons and have watched the first 2. I love it.
Caught up with Sanctuary.
Recent films I've seen? The Spanish Prisoner, Wolf, Jennifer's Body(couldn't resist the Fox), Unforgiven, Alice in Wonderland (Disney), Jumanji, Patton(great movie), Dirty Dozen, The Informers. Good stuff.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Jorge, you'll love season three of Dexter. It feels a little slow at first but the build-up is really great. Some great acting performances.
Jennifer's Body - what did you think? Knowing we share similar "tastes" ( ), will I like it?
Patton - one of those great movies I rewatch every few years. You can't help but act like him (George C. Scott's portrayal of Patton) afterwards.
Hey Cobalt! Jennifer's Body? I mean drink a few beers and watch it. They never show too much but get close...you know how it is. If you don't feel like thinking and you feel like drinking I'd say do it.
LOL @ the Patton comment. My wife told me I was talking like him for a few days after I saw it.
Now that I'm all old and stuff (with a pregnant wife at home), I don't really go out on Saturday nights anymore, and on the rare occassion we do (to dinne or a movie or something) we're not out late. It's weird for me to even type that, trust me. I don't think I missed going out on a Saturday night from age 14-27.
Anyway, lately I've been in on Saturday nights and have started to watch Saturday Night Live again. And I have to tell you--this is the funniest the show has ever been in its entire history. Maybe its a generation thing, but the 70's, 80's, 90's and beginning of this decade all had their moments but none of them are even close to how funny the current SNL cast is. Its been this way for a few years, I know, because I've seen some clips online. But about 80% of the sketches are falldown on the floor funny. The recent Blake Lively and Taylor Swift appearances were hysterical (Charles Barkley sucked though but hey, that's tough to work with).
I would have never thought I'd be at home watching SNL again on Saturday Night like I did when I was 12 or 13, but here I am. And thankfully, its pretty damn funny.
PS - on the Jennifer's Body comment. I just might do that!
And yeah, that's hysterical you were acting like Patton afterwards. Its all in the way he says things and the sentences almost crack like a whip. "Disss--MISSED!!!" When he gets out and starts directing traffics of the tanks near the end its just hysterical. I think its one of the great acting portrayals in cinema history.
LOL@ Cobie. Accepting getting old is a good thing. Same here. I was a party animal up until about 27 also. 28-31 things slowed down a bit but not too much(still would hit restuarant bars and such). 32-34...i am falling asleep by 11pm and stay home much more. The economy didn't help the last 3 years either.
Sushi is now a luxury that we eat a few times a year...cause for me to get full on sushi i need to spend atleast $30 on myself.
Hence, I've been watching LOTS of movies.
Continuing the military theme I saw Kelly's Heroes last weekend. I got to see Australia (beautiful), The Big Sleep (Bogey and a bunch of hot chicks), and I'm currently watching Leatherheads. Not a big fan of plastic surgery Renee...and so far it's only had a few funny partys. eh.
I don't watch much TV, but I do make an effort to watch "Attack of the Show" on a regular basis...want a show that celebrates geekiness? well this is it.
For the first time since season 1, I am watching Lost as it happens.
Been watching lots of movies, mostly older stuff from my collection, most recently I rewatched 30 days of Night. Enjoyable movie, but I haven't rwad the graphic novel its based on (gotta check that out)
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: I would have never thought I'd be at home watching SNL again on Saturday Night like I did when I was 12 or 13, but here I am. And thankfully, its pretty damn funny.
I'm guessing you watched tonight's episode? Though it wasn't particularly strong, it had it's moments. Did you see that segment at the end of the news with Kristen Wiig and Fred Armison playing those singers who wing all their songs? I laughed so hard that I cried! The material itself is funny, but moreso Fred and Kristen playing off each other and struggling to keep a straight face! Loved that one and the (at least one) other time they did it!
I was laughing so hard when it aired on Saturday that I was actually crying a little. You're totally right that its not that the skit is funny by nature, its just that Wiig and Armison keep making each other laugh! And usually both of them are the ones that never break character. They couldn't even look at each other by the end of the skit. Then Seth Myers couldn't help cracking a smile the rest of his bit, which carried over into Keenan Thomas's bit as well. It was cool, like an electricity was going for the next few minutes after Wiig and Armison.
Kristen Wiig is hysterically funny. She might be the funniest SNL female cast member of all time. There's at least always 2-3 hysterically funny Kristen Wiig moments every Saturday.
I was also crying with laughter during the Andy Samburg / Rahm Emmanuel bit. It was awesome--he played it completely strait, just the way we (the public) pictures Emmanuel to be. Great stuff.
Lately I've been addicted to a group of documentaries collectively called the "Up Series".
In 1963, a group of English 7-year olds from different backgrounds were interviewed on topics ranging from the class system to race relations to gender issues. The conceit was that these children would be representatives of the generation who would be in power in the year 2000. The initial program was called "7 Up".
The same group was interviewed 7 years later at age 14, and thus started a series that could very easily be called the first "reality series," as subsequent entries visited the same group at ages 21, 28, 35, 42, and 49, with "56 Up" currently in preproduction.
I'm up to the 35 episode and am just astounded at what a beautiful experiment this series is. It's like a stone was skipped through time, allowing you just the briefest touch points as you watch these fourteen people grow in ways that for some you could have well predicted at age 7, but for others you never could have imagined.
I'm not doing it justice, but it's good, good stuff.
Originally posted by SharkLad: [b]Community on NBC ... it's getting better and better ... Danny Pudi is great ...
Community rules!
30 Rock, anyone?[/b]
Yeah, Community rules! 30 Rock is great too, but I don't watch it faithfully like Community or the Office or Parks and Recreation ... I tend to save up a bunch of 30 Rocks and watch them all at once ...
Originally posted by SharkLad: Where are you watching the "Up Series," Ex? It sounds amazing ... like a longitudinal psychological study ... I'd like to check it out ...
I've been renting them from Netflix (though if you have the service, they can actually be watched online on the Netflix site). You're right about the longitudinal study comparison... the director, Michael Apted, admits on the commentary that it probably wasn't until about 14 years in that he realized the series was no longer just a political statement about class divisions, but really about the human experience as a whole. I think you'd really like it, Sharky.
I mentioned the series to my friend today, and it turns out she's a big fan and has the first few series on dvd, so hopefully I'll be checking it out very soon ... thanks for posting about it!
Community is a great series! A lot of differen characters bring the funny. I love the roll credits sequences each episode.
30 Rock is one I dong follow but catch sometimes. My wife hates it because they always win awards. I watched the Jon Hamm episodes recently on a plane (love Mad Men) and thought they were great.
Originally posted by Exnihil: Lately I've been addicted to a group of documentaries collectively called the "Up Series".
In 1963, a group of English 7-year olds from different backgrounds were interviewed on topics ranging from the class system to race relations to gender issues. The conceit was that these children would be representatives of the generation who would be in power in the year 2000. The initial program was called "7 Up".
The same group was interviewed 7 years later at age 14, and thus started a series that could very easily be called the first "reality series," as subsequent entries visited the same group at ages 21, 28, 35, 42, and 49, with "56 Up" currently in preproduction.
I'm up to the 35 episode and am just astounded at what a beautiful experiment this series is. It's like a stone was skipped through time, allowing you just the briefest touch points as you watch these fourteen people grow in ways that for some you could have well predicted at age 7, but for others you never could have imagined.
I'm not doing it justice, but it's good, good stuff.
I love this series! I first saw 7, 14 & 21 Up when I was a teenager and have caught the rest (up to 42) as each one came out. It made me kinda feel like I was growing up with them.
It's a devastatingly powerful series. Just thinking about how all the grand hopes and dreams of those 7 and 14 year-olds are either slowly destroyed by the bitter disappointments and mundane realities of growing up and facing a harsh world, or are ultimately fulfilled and transcended through their acceptance and happiness in the lives they eventually find for themselves, makes me emotional even now.
There is a US version and I think a couple of other countries have versions too but the UK one is definitely the best (and by far the longest running) so I would recommend starting there if anyone is interested in checking them out.
I'm in the middle of 28Up ... truly an amazing examination of the paths one's life can take ... I've gotten so invested in some of the participants' lives, I have to keep myself from "spoiling" it by looking up on wikipedia what happened to everybody ...
I rewatched Clue with my wife the other day. You know, it holds up pretty well! Its funny, the actors & actresses all deliver in every scene and there is a great bit of mystery in it to make you think. The dialogue is snappy and it shows just how awesome Tim Curry might have been if he'd had the career Clue made it seem like he might have had. I used to love this movie as a kid and I like it even more as an adult.
I also watched The Wicker Man (the original); this is the second time I've seen it. But wow, I forgot how offbeat and weird it is! It's not scary really, and only eerie for like two minutes in total--but rather, just plain weird. But that isn't a bad thing, as I do like the movie quite a bit. You can see how it played on the fears of people during the early 70's and their inability to understand the hippie movement post-Charles Manson. Christopher Lee is incredible as always though here he is obviously just enjoying being Christopher Lee and playing parts in the Hammer horror films in whatever way he felt like playing just then. And of course the final few minutes are just fantastic and horrific--again, not scary, just horrific because it feels so realistic. I think in terms of horror movies, the Wicker Man stands apart in a class of its own; I wish more directors would go this route and just get completely offbeat.
As for TV, besides Lost I'm kind of just catching things here and there these days. One show I've started trying to watch when I can is House. Its on basically all the time but I of course am watching all the seasons out of order. That's okay because the show is really just fantastic. Hugh Laurie does a great job but so does his large supporting cast, and the writing is intelligent and thought-provoking. Great show--I'm considering buying the seasons.
And I find myself watching Castle more and more. It's one of those shows that's just plain fun and it thrives on the strengths of the actors. Both of the two leads are smart, funny, have great dialogue, have emotional and poignant moments when it calls for it and have incredible sexual tension. It's more light-hearted and in all the best ways.
^^^ I love Clue. I must have seen it at least a hundred times. It's weird that an actor as talented and charismatic as Tim Curry is didn't have a bigger career.
Something else else I'm watching - Fringe. A friend leant me the first season on DVD and I'm about 5-6 episodes in. He told me it was a bit like The X-Files but to that I want to say "I knew The X-Files and this sir is no X-Files." I'm finding it really boring. And I don't like any of the characters either. My love of JJ Abrams (thanks be to Lost) is the only thing keeping me going at this point.
So my question is - Have any of you Legion Worlders watched it? Does it get better? Should I stick with it?
I was on the fence about Fringe for the first few episodes but thought it got better as it went along. It never gets mindblowingly good or anything, but worth watching I'd say. I haven't watched the second season.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I was on the fence about Fringe for the first few episodes but thought it got better as it went along. It never gets mindblowingly good or anything, but worth watching I'd say. I haven't watched the second season.
Yeah, I have to say that Fringe really picks up in quality as the series goes on. I'd take a bit further than EDE in my praise and say the last few episodes really are pretty damn terrific. I'd say its the second best sci-fi television show in ages (after Lost).
For me it beats X-Files hands down, but while I liked X-Files I was never a major devotee (of course, when it was out was during my early formative teen years, so I was distracted to say the least).
We've been watching the "Bridge" these last few weeks. The pilot was fantastic, the second episode a little disturbing and the third one was a head scratcher. I really have no Idea where it's developing to, but it's sure been interesting.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Episode 3.1, "The Heir Apparent."
Quite blatantly sing "Anastasia" as a blueprint, the third season opener packs enough twists and turns to transcend its derivative origins. Barbara Bain has one of her best roles as the feeble, blind old "princess", Peter Graves has fun as an unctuous con man, and, unusually, Martin Landau's big scene actually involves him shedding his disguise. Greg Morris and Peter Lupus deliberatly let themselves be put in solitary confinement, the toolkit for their escape cleverly disguised as a pair of eyeglasses worn by Lupus. Alexander Singer, one of the show's best regular directors, brings a lot of style to this episode, and Lalo Schifrin, who composed the iconic theme music, does the whole score for this episode, one of his most memorable.
The next episode is a slow 2-parter involving boxers and the mob, not one of my favorites, so next I'll be skipping ahead to Episode 3.4, "The Mercenaries."
I just watched a pretty good documentary called, "The Botany of Desire".
Adapted from the book of the same name name by journalist Michael Pollan, it examined the phenomenon of how, throughout history, humans have engaged in nearly symbiotic relationships with certain plants. It suggests that because these plants satisfy certain base human desires, we have created environments where they would not only be guaranteed survival, but evolutionary triumph over other plants.
The four plants examined in this film (and the corresponding desire which they are said to satisfy) were the apple representing sweetness, the tulip - beauty, marijuana - intoxication, and the potato - control (that is to say, control over our own fate at the hands of the elements).
It was a very interesting film and although I didn't agree with all of Pollan's conclusions, it's worth a rent if just for the wealth of historical tidbits (ex: the role of the potato in bringing about the Industrial Revolution; how the tulip nearly destroyed the economy of the Netherlands; etc.).
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: [b]I was on the fence about Fringe for the first few episodes but thought it got better as it went along. It never gets mindblowingly good or anything, but worth watching I'd say. I haven't watched the second season.
Yeah, I have to say that Fringe really picks up in quality as the series goes on. I'd take a bit further than EDE in my praise and say the last few episodes really are pretty damn terrific. I'd say its the second best sci-fi television show in ages (after Lost).
For me it beats X-Files hands down, but while I liked X-Files I was never a major devotee (of course, when it was out was during my early formative teen years, so I was distracted to say the least).[/b]
I just watched a couple of second season episodes online, and they were pretty fanastic!
OK. It sounds like Fringe gets better so I will forge on with it. Might pop back in with a review when I finish the season.
Re: The X-Files - I think it really was pretty fantastic back in it's day. But by "back in it's day" I only mean the first 4 or 5 seasons - when the show started to get bogged down in all that alien-conspiracy crap and the at-first-cool-but-very-quickly-annoying "Cancer Man" became the unstoppable Big Bad of the show I soon lost interest. Never saw the last couple of seasons.
But those first few seasons really were excellent and the chemistry between Anderson and Duchovny was like few other things on TV. It WAS the show! Great characters played by great actors. Something else else I think Fringe is seriously lacking in so far. The female lead is OK if a bit bland, Pacey is just kinda there and the "funny" crazy antics of the old man (shades of Starman/boy) have annoyed me since the first episode. Whereas Scully and Mulder crackled in every scene they were in together.
Something else else else that I liked about The X-Files compared to Fringe (so far) is that the former mixed up it's monsters of the week a lot more. One episode could be something mythical like a werewolf or a vampire, another something sci-fi like an alien or a technological terror, another something creepy and scary like a serial killer or a haunted house, and so on.
Whereas in Fringe it's been the same villain and plot every episode - Mad scientist creates some sort of sci-fi weapon which he/she either accidentally or intentionally kills people with. Heroes find out how to counteract the weapon using some sort of knowledge from Pacey's Dad. Shadowy company lurks in the background. The end.
It hasn't been a very good start but you guys like it and it's been picked up for a third season so it must do something right down the line. I'm off to watch some more now.
Yeah the lack of variety plotwise in the early episodes kind of bugged me too, and a lot of the pseudo-science in those episodes seemed goofy beyond belief. You get some more variety as more bits of the overall mythology get introduced.
Yeah, I agree. I almost feel like they were holding back on the really great stuff in order to build tension towards the end of the season. Nothing wrong if that if they had better scenarios in the beginning.
It will really get awesome when one of the recurring antagonist of season one starts to show up (David Robert Jones played by the awesome Jared Harris, who is also on Mad Men). He does an excellent job at being an incredibly dynamic character creating all kinds of problems while not falling into too many cliches or villains / antagonists. By the end of the season, he's morphed into this incredibly awesome character.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Episode 3.4, "The Mercenaries"
Everybody involved in this episode seems to be having a ball, both in front of the camera and behind it. In a rare villainous role, Pernell Roberts plays the leader of a band of soldiers of fortune (among his goons are Vic Tayback and Bo Svenson) who is ultimately undone by his own greed. Loyalty or lack thereof is a big theme in this episode, with Peter Graves and Barbara Bain posing as sleazy gunrunners loyal to no one, including themselves. This episode marks the directing debut of Paul Krasny, who had been the series' lead film editor during the first two seasons, and he dives in with gusto, bathing the screen in atmospheric lighting and bizarre camera angles, and creating one of the series' most memorable visuals in the imagery of flowing melted gold. Unfortunately, due to his promotion to post-production supervisor, Krasny didn't have the time to direct any more Season Three episodes.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Episode 3.5, "The Execution"
One of the series' starkest and most disturbing episodes, in which the IMF kidnaps a hired killer (Luke Askew) working for a powerful mobster (Vincent Gardenia), and makes the killer believe he's going to the gas chamber unless he turns stool pigeon. Proving once and for all that she wasn't just a pretty face, Barbara Bain has one of her least glamorous and most memorable roles as the killer's hard-boiled lawyer. Director Alexander Singer shows his versatility by setting aside the warm, ornate visuals of "The Heir Apparent" for a chilly, no-frills look. This would also be writers' William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter's last IM script to be filmed and broadcast. After two seasons as the series' head writers, they were promoted to showrunners, which resulted in a few great episodes but a lot of hurt on the part of the show's hard-working crew, and the final spark that exploded these writers' already-volatile relationship with the series' creator and executive producer, Bruce Geller. But in my opinion at least, Woodfield and Balter's early exit during the third season was a blessing in disguise, which I'll elaborate on as the IM reviews continue in order of original broadcasting.
Just want to pop in and say that I'm just over half-way through the first season of Fringe now and enjoying it a lot more! So, thanks to all those who told me to stick with it!
I think I accidentally spoiled myself to something that happens in the last episode of this season though so that's a bit annoying.
Hope there are some other surprises coming up to um, surprise me.
Woodfield & Balter are credited as producers, but this episode actually passed through a total of THREE showrunner teams -- W&B, interim producer Robert Thompson, and eventual full-time producer Stanley Kallis. Amazingly, the behind-the-scenes strife doesn't show in the finished product at all! And much of the credit for that must go to Sutton Roley, one of the most inventive and dynamic prime time TV directors of his time. Theodore Bikel, in a rare TV appearance, plays the villain, and Paul Stevens excels in the double role of a beloved Cardinal and a goverment-puppet impostor.
The production problems do show on the following string of episodes which, for various reasons, I don't regard as worth discussing. But THEN comes the real prime cuts.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3.13, "The Mind of Stefan Miklos"
Writer Paul Playdon, still in his twenties at the time, came up with an astonishingly complex yet perfectly executed script that Robert Thompson hungrily snapped up. But it was Stanley Kallis who made Playdon the show's script consultant and head writer, which would result in what I consider the best era of MI ever. As for the episode itself, Robert Butler directs stylishsly but unobstrusively so as to not obscure the all-important details that dovetail perfectly as the IMF works hard to win a game of wills against Stefan Miklos (Steve Ihnat), an enemy agent with one of the world's sharpest minds. Trainspotters will also savor the appearances of a pre-stardom Ed Asner, Outer Limits Control Voice Vic Perrin, and "The Brain That Wouldn't Die"'s leading man, Jason Evers.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3.14, "The Test Case"
Sutton Roley strikes again, enlivening a rather formulaic and claustrophobic story -- in which Martin Landau takes the place of a human germ warfare guinea pig -- with dazzling camerawork, quick cuts, and monochromatic red filters. Accordingly to Roley, Bruce Geller found the end result fascinating but confusing, but decided it didn't matter as long as it was good.
I generally prefer the international intrigue episodes to the organized crime episodes, but this casino-themed episode is brisk enough to make the grade. Even the blackjack and roulette scenes are visually dynamic, thanks to the then-new "snorkel-cam." Greg Morris has an edge-of-your-seat long-distance safecracking sequence, Martin Landau's vocal mimicry skills get a workout, and Barbara Bain enjoys herself as a beautiful but heartless gambler.
Well, I did a complete 180 on this show and ended up really enjoying it! I even came to like all of the characters which is something I really was not expecting to happen after their blandy-mcblanderson starts.
It's funny I compared it to The X-Files earlier because I discovered that the things I like about the two shows are completely the opposite.
My favourite episodes of The X-Files were those that dispensed with whatever the stupid alien-goo-kidnapping-sisters-conspiracy-thing was that formed the spine of the plot for it's entire run and just concentrated on telling weird/creepy stories about the monster/alien/ghost/serial-killer/whatever of the week.
Whereas in Fringe I'm completely hooked on the underlying plot of the show about alternate realities and science gone bad and shadowy corporations and all the rest. I love having the feeling that we've barely scratched the surface of where these writers/producers are wanting to take us with this show too.
Obviously after Lost we know that JJ Abrams has long-range goals in mind when he creates a show and I really get that feeling with this one too.
I'm gonna see if any of my local shops have season 2 on DVD yet so I can catch up with the rest of you guys.
So thanks again to those who told me to stick with it. I was *this* close to quitting it after those dull first few episodes but I'm really glad I didn't now.
Right now? BalconyTV London (BalconyTV Dublin has some great new bands performing, as well)
In the DVD player is a movie called Little Ashes that we tried to watch a couple of nights ago but just couldn't finish. We'd made it about halfway through before we decided that either it was really boring, or we were just really tired.
I am looking forward to Happy Town later this month, although it seems like it might just be a retread of the awesome Harper's Island, which didn't get the attention it deserved.
The MI directing debut of the stylish John Moxey, whose previous experience included directing "Horror Hotel", a great little horror movie starring Christopher Lee. This time, the IMF has to convince the enemy that their prisoner is an imposter. Barbara Bain has yet another juicy role as a prison system head whose icy hauteur masks forbidden passions, and there's yet another future TV star among the guest players -- this time, it's Larry Linville.
Originally posted by Mattropolis: I am looking forward to Happy Town later this month, although it seems like it might just be a retread of the awesome Harper's Island, which didn't get the attention it deserved.
OMG! Another Harper's Island fan!?! I thought I was the only one. Loved that show. Haven't heard anything about this Happy Town though. Off to research it now.
Originally posted by Mattropolis: [b] I am looking forward to Happy Town later this month, although it seems like it might just be a retread of the awesome Harper's Island, which didn't get the attention it deserved.
OMG! Another Harper's Island fan!?! I thought I was the only one. Loved that show. Haven't heard anything about this Happy Town though. Off to research it now.[/b]
My wife was totally addicted to Harper's island last year. She was posting and interacting with people about it on CBS's mini-site and had a helluva time. Me, it just didn't grab.
Originally posted by Blacula: Just finished season one of Fringe.
Well, I did a complete 180 on this show and ended up really enjoying it! I even came to like all of the characters which is something I really was not expecting to happen after their blandy-mcblanderson starts.
It's funny I compared it to The X-Files earlier because I discovered that the things I like about the two shows are completely the opposite.
My favourite episodes of The X-Files were those that dispensed with whatever the stupid alien-goo-kidnapping-sisters-conspiracy-thing was that formed the spine of the plot for it's entire run and just concentrated on telling weird/creepy stories about the monster/alien/ghost/serial-killer/whatever of the week.
Whereas in Fringe I'm completely hooked on the underlying plot of the show about alternate realities and science gone bad and shadowy corporations and all the rest. I love having the feeling that we've barely scratched the surface of where these writers/producers are wanting to take us with this show too.
Obviously after Lost we know that JJ Abrams has long-range goals in mind when he creates a show and I really get that feeling with this one too.
I'm gonna see if any of my local shops have season 2 on DVD yet so I can catch up with the rest of you guys.
So thanks again to those who told me to stick with it. I was *this* close to quitting it after those dull first few episodes but I'm really glad I didn't now.
Ugh. I find I have a lot less patience with series than I used to. I started out watching Fringe myself last year and gave up on it pretty quickly. Maybe I'll check out the DVDs as well.
I'm going to have a huge void left when Lost goes off the air, so I need to find something to fill it. (Incidentally, I was a slow-starter on Lost and didn't start watching it regularly until Season Three!)
I didn't start Lost until Season 2, and I'm guessing the fact that I watched the first season on DVD helped.
Since V doesn't quite seem to be cutting it, and Flashforward seems to be terribly inconsistent (and unlikely to be renewed for next year), it looks Fringe is probably *the* series to go to for Lost fans!
Originally posted by Mattropolis: [b] I am looking forward to Happy Town later this month, although it seems like it might just be a retread of the awesome Harper's Island, which didn't get the attention it deserved.
OMG! Another Harper's Island fan!?! I thought I was the only one. Loved that show. Haven't heard anything about this Happy Town though. Off to research it now.[/b]
My wife was totally addicted to Harper's island last year. She was posting and interacting with people about it on CBS's mini-site and had a helluva time. Me, it just didn't grab. [/b]
I loved it right up until the predictable ending...
Originally posted by Mattropolis: I loved it right up until the predictable ending...
I think despite herself, my wife was hoping for something more unexpected or complicated than what it actually was. She had this great theory that the first victim faked his own death and was the killer all along. Alas, it was much more mundane.
Another show that I can't miss is Damages. All I can say is that if Glee is the best written "comedy" then Damages is the best written "drama".
Damages, with it's jumps back and forth in time, manages to keep me guessing every season. And Lily Tomlin and Martin Short and guest-starring this season, and playing the hell out of their characters. Glenn Close, as Patty Hewes, is perhaps the most complex character on tv right now. I could rave about the entire cast but I wouldn't do it justice.
Ditto on being disappointed in the ending to Harper's Island. Not only in who the killer turned out to be (though I hadn't predicted that as early as a lot of people seemed to) but more in the fact of who survived. Especially...
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">that annoying kid!</span></span>
Still, it was a lot of entertainingly campy and occasionally creepy fun while it was on.
As for Lost - I also only came to the show while Season 3 was on. I watched the entire first two seasons on DVD in about one week (DVD is definitely the best way to watch that show - or just about any show IMO) and then started watching the live airings. LOVED it from the very first second.
Fringe is nowhere near as good as Lost is but like I said, it does improve markedly from its first few episodes and with Lost and Battlestar Galactica both finished or finishing it probably is the best sci-fi show left on TV.
Are there any other contenders? I know there's the Stargate franchise but I'm not into that and Dr Who is OK but a bit kiddie for me. What else is there?
Originally posted by Blacula: As for Lost - I also only came to the show while Season 3 was on. I watched the entire first two seasons on DVD in about one week (DVD is definitely the best way to watch that show - or just about any show IMO) and then started watching the live airings. LOVED it from the very first second.
Yeah, it was interesting how I got into Lost. I watched the pilot episode, the season 1 finale, the season 2 finale and probably less than 5 other episodes. I'm not sure what happened; I think it conflicted with something else I liked in the same timeslot or something. And every damn time I tuned in hoping to catch a fresh episode, it seemed they were re-running the damned pilot episode again!
But finally, a combination of the Season 2 cliffhanger plus lots of enthusiastic buzz on this very board encouraged me to start tuning in on Season Three as the episodes aired. The summer after that season I acquired the DVD sets of the prior seasons and got all caught up in time for Season 4!
So there ya go--a rather circuitous route, but one I've found extremely rewarding! An outstanding show that will be dearly missed.
I missed the entire first season of Lost, except for snippits here and there...oddly enough they were usually Sayid focused scenes or flashbacks. I watched the last half hour of the S1 finally and was confused as hell.
I happened across the season 1 recap and first episode of S2 and have watched every episode since. Caught up the first season through the local videa store...and now have to watch the episodes on Hulu since I am in class when it airs.
Once it's done, I really have nothing but Big Bang to grab my attention on tv.
I came in on Lost some point during the first season. What helped was is my brother and I watched the entire Season 1 in like 2 days in preperation of Season 2 and I've been watching it all along ever since.
Before every single season, we rewatch the entire show (I now do it with my wife). So I've watched Season 1 5 times and some episodes 6 times.
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Originally posted by Blacula:
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Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: [b] Well, there's Heroes...
<span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span>
But no, seriously...
[/b]
I had planned to write a scathing criticism of Heroes Season 3 a few months ago (much like my over the top ones of some of DC's series) but just couldn't muster the energy. Needless to say, Blacula's said it all.
Matt, totally agree about Damages. I still haven't seen Season 2 though and none of 3 (I'll get around to it).
Glenn Close totally blew me away on the Shield Season 4 a few years back so this was a no-brainer. I was delighted to see her take her already A-game to the *next* level.
Both Flashforward and V started off strong for me, but I lost interest with the extended midyear break. Strangely, the long wait has only made me more excited for new epsiodes of Glee!
Damages and The Amazing Race are about it for me. Well, I do watch 2.5 Men with my wife, but I think we are getting tired of it. I was watching V, but the big break made me lose interest completely. Oh, I am also recording Spiderman and His Amazing Friends and watching the one ep that is aired each week. (I would love to see this on DVD - the editing is atrocious.)
Whoops - almost forgot, my wife and I do watch The Mentalist. What a fun show!
After having watched the first season of Misfits, I learned of another BBC show called Being Human.
The first tagline I read for it, "A vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost share a house in Bristol" made me check it out. I mean, it sounds like the beginning of a joke, right?
I just finished watching the first two seasons. Here's the Season 2 trailer.
I caught "Across the Universe" finally and I've got to say I enjoyed it quite a bit! I thought it was very moving in parts. Like Lardy told me ages ago, its a must see for Beatles fans.
I've been spending the last few nights away from the computer, enjoying my new G.I. Joe Season 2 DVD. Season 2 often gets dismissed just because those lame new villains, Dr. Mindbender and Serpentor, supplanted the awesome Destro and Cobra Commander. But even so, there's a lot to like about Season 2 IMO. The ratio of good to bad episodes is about the same as Season 1, and I liked several of the new Joes, especially Sci-Fi, Cross-Country, Beachhead, Mainframe, Leatherneck, Wetsuit, and Lift-Ticket. I also adored one of the new Cobras: Zarana. And best of all, my favorite female Joe, my role model Lady Jaye, appeared in a lot more episodes than Scarlett or Cover Girl.
I never realized it at the time, but do you think the purpose of Serpentor's introduction was to try to replicate the Megatron/Starscream relationship by shifting Cobra Commander into the Starscream role?
Good point. Even more ironic, the Season 1 relationship between Cobra Commander and Destro anticipated the Galvatron/Cyclonus relationship from Transformers Season 3.
And you just reminded me that the final episode of G.I. Joe Season 2 sets the stage for a Cobra civil war that would have been a much better plot for the G.I. Joe movie than the silly Cobra-La nonsense they ended up doing.
The Darkstorm/Lexor relationship in Visionaries is yet another variant of the Megatron/Starscream relationship (with Chris Latta once again playing the treacherous lieutennant).
And Cobra-La was horrible! As questionable as much of Transformers: The Movie was in my mind, it blew the G.I. Joe movie out of the water.
Well said. While both movies suffer from the same core problem -- great animation, weak story -- the Transformers movie is still much better, although I'm deeply ambivalent about it. I hope you're still considering doing an EDE Retro Review thread for Transformers.
I hope Visionaries is released on R1 DVD someday, because it's one of the few classic 80s cartoons that I never got the chance to see.
The big difference for me is the Transformers movie actually introduced a lot of elements that I'd like to see in a contemporary version of the Transformers (the Quintessons, for example), while I can't of anything offhand from the G.I. Joe movie that wouldn't be better being completely forgotten.
And Visionaires is fantastic! I recently rewatched it on Youtube, and I was surprised at how good it was.
Originally posted by Fanfic Lass: I've been spending the last few nights away from the computer, enjoying my new G.I. Joe Season 2 DVD. Season 2 often gets dismissed just because those lame new villains, Dr. Mindbender and Serpentor, supplanted the awesome Destro and Cobra Commander. But even so, there's a lot to like about Season 2 IMO. The ratio of good to bad episodes is about the same as Season 1, and I liked several of the new Joes, especially Sci-Fi, Cross-Country, Beachhead, Mainframe, Leatherneck, Wetsuit, and Lift-Ticket. I also adored one of the new Cobras: Zarana. And best of all, my favorite female Joe, my role model Lady Jaye, appeared in a lot more episodes than Scarlett or Cover Girl.
My brother and I used to *live* for Beachhead appearances. There was just something so damn awesome about him in his no nonsense way. Plus he was a commanding officer but one of the lowest on the totem pool before the rank & file, which is a position that always has great characters.
I totally have to rewatch the old GI Joe seasons since I haven't watched them since the 80's.
Beachhead is the kind of character that is harder to write than he seems. He's the ultimate hardassed military man, but unfortunately most writers don't know the difference between hardass and jackass. The writers of G.I. Joe got it right, though, maybe because the Season 2 story editor, Buzz Dixon, had Real Life military experience.
And this is a good time to get G.I. Joe DVDs -- based on Season 2, it would seem the Shout Factory DVDs have overall superior sound and picture quality to the old Rhino DVDs. Hopefully they'll stay in print for a long time, because when finances allow, I'd like to replace all my Rhino G.I. Joe DVDs.
You know... I'm starting to suspect that the Hawaii Five-O reboot starring Daniel Dae Kim may actually end up being the "Lost alumni project to watch".
Through the magic of Netflix, I've recently been revisiting a childhood favorite of mine, an English sci-fi show from the 70's called, "The Tomorrow People."
It's horribly written, badly acted, and has extremely cheesy special effects... but I'm enjoying the heck out of it.
The basic premise, if you've never heard of it, is that humanity is poised to take the next step in evolution, and the first group in which this step has manifested is a small group of teenagers.
I discovered this show a couple of years before I discovered the Legion but watching it again, it's clear that I have a "type". The Tomorrow People are a group of super-powered teenagers, with a code against killing, who travel through space and time protecting the earth from alien invasions. Hmmmm...
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Season finale of Fringe = pretty awesome.
It occurs to me that there's a lot of "Alias" in this show.
Not too surprising, given its Abrams-ness. Looking forward to someday catching up with it via DVD. May make that a summer project, so I can climb back aboard in the fall. Next season without Lost sure feels like a bitch!
I saw the first 3-5 eps of the first season and haven't tuned in since. Didn't suck or anything but felt a little formulaic. I trust LWers, though--they're what got me to check back into Lost, after all!
Well I'm not quite as enthusiastic about the show as FL but I'd say it's definitely worth watching for fans of other Abrams shows (e.g. Lost and Fringe).
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: I've never seen an ep of Alias however. Do you guys recommend?
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Originally posted by Fanfic Lass: Recommend Alias? YES, YES, YES!!!!!
But stop after Season 4. Season 5 is an abomination.
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Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Well I'm not quite as enthusiastic about the show as FL but I'd say it's definitely worth watching for fans of other Abrams shows (e.g. Lost and Fringe).
So, Cobie, have Eryk and I sold you on Alias? Have you watched any episodes yet? Have we sold anyone else on Alias?
I'm currently watching (via Netflix) the British version of Life on Mars. It is very well done. It is mainly a police show with bits of fantasy/sci-fi thrown in. THe basic premise is that Police Detective Sam Tyler gets hit by a car and wakes up in 1973. He has papers saying he is being transferred into his "old" department.
^ I think most critics agree that Ashes to Ashes gets a lot better after the first couple of episodes. The main actress tones down the over-the-topness of her acting and the rest of the 'sillier' elements begin to make more sense as the show goes along. It gets kinda clever toward the end I thought.
... Though I'm not actually sure how I got myself into this discussion since I'm not really the biggest fan of either show.
They're both pretty good but by no means my faves.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: [b]I've never seen an ep of Alias however. Do you guys recommend?
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Originally posted by Fanfic Lass: Recommend Alias? YES, YES, YES!!!!!
But stop after Season 4. Season 5 is an abomination.
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Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Well I'm not quite as enthusiastic about the show as FL but I'd say it's definitely worth watching for fans of other Abrams shows (e.g. Lost and Fringe).
So, Cobie, have Eryk and I sold you on Alias? Have you watched any episodes yet? Have we sold anyone else on Alias?[/b]
Yeah, I think so! But it will probably take awhile before I get to watching it. Lady Cobalt and I haven't been able to get through the season of House we started before the baby was born in the entire last month, which shows you how often we're able to watch a television show. Getting an entire hour (or jeepers, more than an hour) to ourselves is pretty rare these days!
There's been a lot less TV / movie watching and a lot more comic book reading.
That's okay--I will certainly get to Alias eventually!
Originally posted by Blacula: ^ If you enjoy Life on Mars Quis don't forget to watch the sequel Ashes to Ashes which is different but still good IMO.
You should probably avoid the US remake though which I've never seen but have heard was terrible.
Though I haven't seen the British version, I would have to say the American series was definitely NOT terrible! I loved all the actors, the retro/modern feel and the quirkiness of the stories.
The ending? Well...I can tell you it's different from the original and is kind of a cop-out in a way. On the other hand it also kinda fits!
In any case I don't think it dtracts from what I felt was a refreshingly atypical series with one of the best casts in an ultimately-doomed series since the late, lamented Firefly.
I think Cobalt and Edie would agree with me in my praise!
I also thought the American version was very good and worth watching as well. Excellent cast and even after I knew the series was doomed, it was still good enough for me to follow through to the end.
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Officer Taylor: <strong> See, Blacula? TOLDja!!! What do all those critics know anyway? If three of Legion World's leading luminaries liked it then it must have been good!
I haven't been to the cinema in a loooooonng time but I was dragged to see Prince of Persia with my brother and his friends the other night and guess what - I really enjoyed it!
Once I got past all the white actors in brown-face (it's like the 50s cowboys and indians movies all over again!) and the terribly miscast Jake Gyllenhaal sucking all of the charisma out of every scene he was in (and I normally like Jake!) I got into it as a rollicking good adventure with fantastic visuals that totally make me want to go back in time and swashbuckle my way around this Arabian Wonderland.
The climax totally had me thinking of the Legion too but I won't spoil what it was.
I've been watching Mad Men Season 3 lately and it's fantastic, continuing the level of excellence the show has always had. Each episode is very powerful--definitely a thinking person's show, yet the visuals are so stunning that it requires more watches just to take it all in.
Since the baby has been born I haven't been able to get to the movies. I'm traveling this week to South Dakota and Oklahoma so I'm wondering if when I'm on the road I might have time to zip in to see Iron Man somewhere, since that's the one I want to see above all others.
Hey guys haven't been here in a while. Hope you guys are doing good.
Some films I've seen recently?
Oxford Murders. It was entertaining. Nothing really that wows.
North by Northwest. My wife loves Hitchcock films and neither of us have seen this one. Eh. It took us 3 nighst to watch it. I fell asleep the first two nights after 40 minutes (it WAS a rough week at work).
The last Cary Grant film we saw Charade was much better.
Welcome back Ultra Jorge! It has been a long time. Hope all's well in your world.
I remember not enjoying North by Northwest quite as much as I expected to. I think it's held up as one of Hitchcock's best films and while I did think it was pretty good, I also remember thinking there was something unengaging and slow (if that's the right word - not wanting to make it sound like I needed modern fast-cuts and roller-coaster pacing to enjoy it) about the whole thing too.
And Cary Grant's weird voice disturbed me the whole time too. I think that was the first time I'd ever heard him speak and it made me suddenly realise that all these funny accents I'd heard various actors use over the years had all been copies of his!
Some of my favourite Hitchcocks (though I haven't seen them all) - The Birds, Rebecca, Shadow of a Doubt, Lifeboat.
Wow, I actually loved North by Northwest and its a contender for my very favorite Hitchcock film, and is probably my very favorite Cary Grant film. If you're not that familiar with Cary Grant, I think it's a good example of the kind of roles you'd often see him in. My other favorite Cary Grant movie is Gunga Din which has him in a type of role he didn't often get to play.
I love Charade because it has the other love of my life, Audrey Hepburn, in it and is charming and absolutely hilarious at times. But that is Cary Grant at the very end of his career and he's poking fun at himself (which makes him even more likable but isn't the best example of his work).
Getting back to North by Northwest, I think a lot of it is what Hitch was trying to shoot for: he was trying to get across the idea of moving gradually across the country from New York to South Dakota to increase the sense of things spiraling out of control for Cary Grant's character. But in doing so, it may make things feel like they are dragging out. Personally, I love to just take in the scenary and the dialogue, and I love the scenes between Eva Marie Saint (BTW, be still my beating heart) and Grant.
I think if any character in the movie is "over the top" it would have to be James Mason's villain. Whenever you see a parody of James Mason getting angry, it is always referencing this movie.
But don't worry Jorge and Blacula, I'll give you time to love movie.
PS - welcome back Jorge! LW needs more of you! Talk some movies, books, comics, football...
Cobie, I did notice the dialogue was very good. Some great lines. The scenery also was great. That house in the end...wow. And I'm sure like you Cobie I have had a drink at that bar in the Plaza.
(this year I am going to try and get involved with the football picks again!)
North by Northwest is kind of the culmination of "the Wrong Man" theme that Hitchcock visited over and over again in a variety of movies. I'm actually not sure it's the best of his forays into that genre, but it's certainly the biggest in scope.
Of the four Grant-Hitchcock collaborations, I'd rank it the second best, behind Notorious. To Catch a Thief would be third, and Suspicion a distant fourth.
Wow, I totally agree with your order of the Grant/Hitch collaborations! North by Northwest is my favorite, but Notorious is by far the best and a contender for Hitch's best film. It's one of the greatest movies ever made and Claude Rains, Ingird Bergman and Cary Grant all deliver performances that are stunning. The final sequence is one of the best, most memorable sequences in film history.
To Catch a Thief is a fun movie but a bit 'fluffy' at time where you start to feel it isn't all that serious and that is distracting. In fact, Cary Grant carries the whole movie and without him it would suffer. And it has an overly long annoying car chase scene (I'm sure I reviewed it in depth earlier in this thread).
Suspicion is kind of unmemorable and really only for Hitch completists. I watched it once and really only remember the plot details.
To get back to the beginning, Notorious is a must-see for movie buffs. Casablanca made me a fan of Claude Rains early on, but Notorious made me sit back and take notice of how damn talented he was.
BTW, I much prefer North by Northwest over The Man Who Knew Too Much. I love Jimmy Stewart but he and Doris Day don't work as well for me as Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint.
Unfortunately I haven't but its one I've always wanted to. This conversation tonight has reignited my interest in it. I'm a Peter Lorre fan too ever since I first saw Maltese Falcon.
When I was in High School watched The 39 Steps which was great. I wouldn't mind rewatching it again.
I like Hitch's earliest films because he had to work within certain confines and so really flexed his muscles (and made his actors do the same) with very little. I like his later stuff too, but you can see he got a little funky with cinema tricks and camera angles and the like. Early on, things were very clever and that enhances the viewing.
Another really sweet, fun Cary Grant movie with Myrna Loy is "Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House" which was playing on TCM a few months back.
An Affair to Remember is excellent as well. Incredibly romantic. It perhaps has been overly praised over the last few decades but don't let that jade you--it is quite good.
And when I was at UCONN and had a film class we watched Blonde Venus which was one of his earliest appearances and perhaps his first great one, co-starring Marlene Dietrich and directed by the incredible Josef Von Sternberg. I absolutely recommend everyone check that out. It certainly would never have gotten made in the post-War years becuase its so racy.
BTW, I was going to do a ranking of the Hitchcock-Stewart collaborations, but, while The Man Who Knew Too Much is almost certainly the weakest, the other three (Vertigo, Rear Window, and Rope) are all so awesome that I'm not sure I could order them!
I agree on the Stewart/Hitch pairings! I watched Rope a few years back I believe right after you starting talking about it and completely fell in love with that movie. It now is on the short list of dream productions for me to see live on the stage.
Rear Window has been a favorite Hitchcock movie since I was a kid. It's my Mom's favorite Hitchcock movie (my parents are big film buffs, which is why I am). I bought it and had my wife watch it for the first time about a year ago and once again even on the 10th or so viewing, I was blown away by how good it was.
Vertigo was a film I didn't like when I was a kid/teeneager because of the tricky camera angles but I've really grown to love it. What is so incredible is just how dark the film is in tone and how there is this underlying creepy feeling throughout. It makes me feel like Jimmy Stewart could have been this incredible horror star had he wanted to or had he made movies in a horror-centric era.
Rear Window has perhaps the single most excruciating sequence to watch ever in a Hitch film, with Grace Kelly in the apartment and Raymond Burr making his way back, then re-entering the apartment and *then* confronting her. And then when it finally calms down and you're heart is racing, Raymond Burr notices Grace Kelly's signal to Jimmy Stewart and you realize it isn't over yet. And then the next 5 minutes are terrifying. That entire end of the movie is one of the greatest endings ever in movie history.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I almost mentioned Mr Blandings, but I thought the list was getting too long, so I left it out!
I don't think I've watch An Affair to Remember.
An Affair to Remember is really great. It's highly romantic but absolutely in the mid to late 1950's mold that makes you just wish you lived in that time (or me at least).
It also romanticizes a cruise ship voyage more than any other piece of work.
Deborrah Kerr wasn't one of my favorites until From Here to Eternity (great film) but that really made me like her a lot. I always knew her role there was very outside the norm and so I wanted to catch up on some of her other films. Many of them are a little "fluffy" for me but some of them are really great. An Affair to Remember is the greatest.
Time for Blacula's shameful confession #2 - I was *REALLY* disappointed with Vertigo when I finally saw it.
It's been a couple of years now so I can't quite remember what it was about it that I hadn't warmed to but I remember complaining my poor rommate's ear off about how it was totally overrated by the critics and everything.
I remember some things I liked about it - that vertigo camera effect at the beginning (and later on maybe), the twist, the end... others I've forgotten right now. But unfortunately, I don't remember them being enough to make me actually enjoy the film.
It probably didn't help that I'd seen Mel Brooks' High Anxiety many years before it.
Also, I am not much of a James Stewart fan. He's another one with a weird voice IMO. Plus, it's hard for me to forgive him for It's a Wonderful Life - (shameful confession #3) one of my most disliked films *ever*.
I did like Rear Window a lot though. And I really want to see Rope. As well as all those Cary Grant films on EDE's list. I can't believe how few of his films I've seen. I guess when an actor's as famous as he is, I just assumed I'd seen him in lots of stuff. Only now do I realise it's just North by Northwest and Suspicion.
I especially really need to see Notorious. It sounds like a good 'un.
I agree that The Man Who Knew Too Much is not one of Hitch's best efforts and that Doris Day is probably one of his most miscast leading ladies ever - but I could listen to her sing Que Sera Sera forever so it wins based on that alone for me.
Confession time for me: I've never been much of a fan of Doris Day, the actress because of The Man Who Knew Too Much, and therefore have not seen all that many of her films. Doris Day, the person, however, seems pretty groovy!
My mother-in-law when she was younger was a dead ringer for Doris Day.
Come to think of it, one of the reasons I dislike Doris Day is that she was in several remakes of movies from the 30s/40s that I thought were better the first time around.
See High Society (a remake of The Philadelphia Story) and Move Over, Darling (a remake of My Favorite Wife), for example.
BTW, even though The Philadelphia Story is one of the greatest movies of all time, maybe it's not for Blacula. Between Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and Katherine Hepburn, it's pretty much a <strike>weird</strike> distinctive voice extravaganza!
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Come to think of it, one of the reasons I dislike Doris Day is that she was in several remakes of movies from the 30s/40s that I thought were better the first time around.
See High Society (a remake of The Philadelphia Story) and Move Over, Darling (a remake of My Favorite Wife), for example.
I'm with you on High Society! It doesn't even come close to the Philadelphia Story. Sinatra chews up the scenary (and I like Frank quite a bit but not always), Bing Crosby was at the end of his career when he was kind of competing with Sinatra in 'cool' and that wasn't something I enjoyed seeing, and even Louis Armstrong shows up in a role that really makes me go . Definately not for me.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Story is great! You're right Eryk--if the voices distracted Blacula and Jorge before, they'll really flip for this one. I love it for the witty banter and its the quintessential Katherine Hepburn film and the quintessential Cary Grant film all rolled into one.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was on TCM this morning (for 4th of July Weekend) and I couldn't help but watch it again. Terrific movie! And the quintessential Jimmy Stewart performance--if you don't like him here, you just don't like him. (Spoiler alert--I like him quite a bit).
Started rewatching the new Gattlestar Galactica this last week. I've gotten through the mini series and first 2 regular episodes so far.
It is an interesting watching it again knowing where the ride is heading. Knowing who the cylons are gives a whole new level to the show. It'll be interesting to see how it all works watchng it now that it's over.
I love the level of realism they used on this show. The guns firing bullets, the characters are all flawed in different ways, and there are the whole religious intonations with Baltar (onbe of the best characters in this reboot).
^ Man. I LOVED Battlestar Galactica... until the end and now I can barely bring myself to think about it. I have never been more disappointed in the ending to a fictional story ever. It was like it was written by competely different people to the ones who'd been giving us the smart, sophisticated show we'd been watching until then. That or the previous writers just had *no idea* how they were going to resolve all those cool mysteries and storylines they'd been setting up since the first episode.
I totally agree with you on Baltar though, Dev Em. Fantastic character and just amazing acting by James Callis. A revelatory performance I thought. Tricia Helfer too. For a sexy, sultry, model turned actor she showed that she has some serious acting chops. Grace Park as well, Lucy Lawless... gosh, I could list the whole cast (except Jamie Bamber - and even he wasn't too bad). Great acting in that show.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: BTW, even though The Philadelphia Story is one of the greatest movies of all time, maybe it's not for Blacula. Between Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and Katherine Hepburn, it's pretty much a <strike>weird</strike> distinctive voice extravaganza!
I have always wanted to see The Philadelphia Story. Maybe I can watch it with subtitles?
But seriously, the "weird" voices of Grant, Stewart, et al aren't enough to make me dislike a film. Just wonder where on earth they came from to get accents like that. lol
P.S. Does anyone think Tony Curtis was copying Cary Grant's voice when he was pretending to be the rich, yacht owner in Some Like It Hot? I always chuckled at the voice he used in that movie but now think it had a remarkable similarity to Grant's. Or is that accent just typical of a certain region of the USA? Like Hepburn's New England (I think) accent?
I'll second TALK OF THE TOWN and ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (both co-starring my favorite classic movie actress... Jean Arthur, also a possessor of one of the most distinctive voices ever).
Also entertaining- SYLVIA SCARLET... but it's a heap of weirdness and not for everyone.
Cary Grant was originally a member of an acrobatic troupe from England, Katherine Hepburn was from New England (New Hampshire, I believe).
I'm pretty sure it was Grace Kelly in HIGH SOCIETY, not Doris Day. I like the couple of movies she made with Rock Hudson- late '50's or early '60's sex farces.
Blacula- I disliked VERTIGO the first time I saw it as well. Decades later, I watched the restored version, with much better color and loved it. I'm sure the print made a difference, but I think I wasn't mature enough to 'get' it.
In particular, the scene where Kim Novak emerges from that foggy green light, her appearance and demeanor changed to meet Stewart's character's specifications is a haunting, beautiful piece of cinematic work.
A few years from now, watch it again and see if you don't find a new appreciation for it. I'll bet you do.
I also saw the last few minutes of The Women, the original, last night. I saw it at the nursing home once before and I've gotta say, it's pretty funny.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Deborrah Kerr wasn't one of my favorites until From Here to Eternity (great film) but that really made me like her a lot. I always knew her role there was very outside the norm and so I wanted to catch up on some of her other films. Many of them are a little "fluffy" for me but some of them are really great. An Affair to Remember is the greatest.
And the ending is terrific.
She's really good in TEA AND SYMPATHY, though the movie itself is maybe not so great. NIGHT OF THE IGUANA is a movie of hers I like alot, though it's a bit talky. It's by Tennessee Williams and it shows.
BLACK NARCISSUS is another good movie of hers. Very striking looking and would never have been made by an American studio.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was on TCM this morning (for 4th of July Weekend) and I couldn't help but watch it again. Terrific movie! And the quintessential Jimmy Stewart performance--if you don't like him here, you just don't like him. (Spoiler alert--I like him quite a bit).
Claude Rains, naturally, steals the entire movie.
Hmmm. Not to take anything away from Claude Rains, but I always thought Jean Arthur was the bandit in this case.
I just watched OKLAHOMA on a much better TV than I've seen it on and it was like seeing it for the first time. The colors were beautiful and the Arizona landscape (standing in for OK) were beautiful. As was the music, of course-- Gordon Macrae's about the top of singing movie actors, in this style of music, anyway.
I lived in Oklahoma years ago and saw an outdoor production of the musical that played every summer. Probably still does, for all I know. Anyway, you'd think it was a rock concert the way the audience cheered when the title song was performed.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: [b] Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was on TCM this morning (for 4th of July Weekend) and I couldn't help but watch it again. Terrific movie! And the quintessential Jimmy Stewart performance--if you don't like him here, you just don't like him. (Spoiler alert--I like him quite a bit).
Claude Rains, naturally, steals the entire movie.
Hmmm. Not to take anything away from Claude Rains, but I always thought Jean Arthur was the bandit in this case.[/b]
Yeah, Jean Arthur is just terrific in every scene she's in. The sequence where she gets drunk (with the actor whose name I forget but love, especially in 'It's a Wonderful Life') is really great.
Originally posted by Sarcasm Kid: Singing in the Rain. Just bought it on DVD.
One of my favorite movie ever. O'Conner is briliant in his "Make 'Em Laugh scene, and Gene Kelly is my favorite singer/dancer from that genre of actors.
Originally posted by Mystery Lad: Blacula- I disliked VERTIGO the first time I saw it as well. Decades later, I watched the restored version, with much better color and loved it. I'm sure the print made a difference, but I think I wasn't mature enough to 'get' it.
In particular, the scene where Kim Novak emerges from that foggy green light, her appearance and demeanor changed to meet Stewart's character's specifications is a haunting, beautiful piece of cinematic work.
A few years from now, watch it again and see if you don't find a new appreciation for it. I'll bet you do.
I will definitely do that Mystery Lad. There was enough in there that I could see what people liked about it but I think maybe I just wasn't in the mood or was expecting something more or something. I actually have it on DVD somewhere so I will give it another go sometime.
Originally posted by Sarcasm Kid: I also saw the last few minutes of The Women, the original, last night. I saw it at the nursing home once before and I've gotta say, it's pretty funny.
I have always wanted to see that movie (the original, not the apparently terrible remake). It looks like a hoot.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: [b] BTW, even though The Philadelphia Story is one of the greatest movies of all time, maybe it's not for Blacula. Between Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and Katherine Hepburn, it's pretty much a <strike>weird</strike> distinctive voice extravaganza!
I have always wanted to see The Philadelphia Story. Maybe I can watch it with subtitles?
But seriously, the "weird" voices of Grant, Stewart, et al aren't enough to make me dislike a film. Just wonder where on earth they came from to get accents like that. lol
P.S. Does anyone think Tony Curtis was copying Cary Grant's voice when he was pretending to be the rich, yacht owner in Some Like It Hot? I always chuckled at the voice he used in that movie but now think it had a remarkable similarity to Grant's. Or is that accent just typical of a certain region of the USA? Like Hepburn's New England (I think) accent?[/b]
Tony Curtis is a huge Cary Grant protegee, so I'd say "yes". Grant's accent is some sort of English accent mutated by living/working in America (it may be "English trying to sound Amerian").
Stewart's from Eastern Pennsylvania, as I recall, but I don't think that has much to do with his voice.
Same here Cobie. I watched it when I was 14 and couldn't sleep that night.
Watched Shutter Island a few nights ago. It was pretty good. While I'm not a big Leo fan I am a big Martin Scorcese (sp) fan. Beautiful film (shots, music, etc). The overall story? Pretty good.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Saw it last night and LOVED it. Nice to see Gilliam using modern special effects in such a glorius way. Good acting all the way around. My wife was pleased with the 4 good looking guys in it.
Saw Predators the other week. I really quite liked it. The last say 20 minutes, especially
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">the whole Topher Grace thing</span></span>
were a bit weaker than the very fun/exciting first two-thirds but not enough to dull my enjoyment of it. Definitely my favourite Predator movie since the first one.
I saw Inception. I liked it but wasn't in love with it. Although, I did see it at the midnight show and was extremely tired from the day before. I started explaining the movie to someone and realized how brilliant it really was. I saw the movie again and now I'm obsessed with it.
Tonight I watched "Before Night Falls," Julian Schnabel's adaptation of Cuban novelist Reinaldo Arenas's autobiography.
I have to say, although I pretty much detest Schnabel's paintings, I have to give him his props - between this film, "Basquiat," and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," - dude makes some really beautiful and affecting movies.
Exnhihil, I saw Before Night Falls when it came out at a film festival. Good story (my family is cuban).
Anti-Matter Eater Lad, I loved Inception. I have to see it again but I love a great movie that refuses to dumb down. This is what the Matrix should've been.
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Exnhihil, I saw Before Night Falls when it came out at a film festival. Good story (my family is cuban).
Anti-Matter Eater Lad, I loved Inception. I have to see it again but I love a great movie that refuses to dumb down. This is what the Matrix should've been.
I agree. Although Matrix was great (not 2 & 3). Both it and Inception really made me see I should be shooting for loftier goals in life.
Originally posted by Ultra Jorge: Anti-Matter Eater Lad, I loved Inception. I have to see it again but I love a great movie that refuses to dumb down. This is what the Matrix should've been.
I think it's how we would have remembered The Matrix had they not made the sequels.
So I saw Inception and though I really liked it and was super impressed with the direction/story/acting/everything of it (and would definitely recommend it to people)... I didn't really engage with it on an emotional level.
Unlike say, The Matrix which I was completely emotionally absorbed in and had me leaving the cinema feeling like I'd been hit full-on in the face by the future, after Inception I just thought 'OK, that was a really well-made movie. Now, what are people talking about at Legion World.'
I read a criticism somewhere that the stakes weren't high enough in this movie - and I completely agree with that. In The Matrix we worried whether our heroes would save all of humanity or die in the process. Our only worries in this film were
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">whether our heroes would influence this poor kid to lose his inheritance or get stuck in a limbo world for a few seconds (real-time).</span></span>
Those aren't the kind of stakes that have you on the edge of your seat rooting for a character.
Still a good movie though and that whole, hour-long 'wake-up' sequence was simply amazing and worth the price of admission alone.
Oh, and I also thought it was nowhere near as confusing as some people make it out to be. Unlike say, Mulholland Drive which practically demands you talk it over with someone afterward to see whether you've worked it all out properly or not, I thought Christopher Nolan spelled everything out in this film pretty clearly.
Originally posted by Blacula: Oh, and I also thought it was nowhere near as confusing as some people make it out to be. Unlike say, Mulholland Drive which practically demands you talk it over with someone afterward to see whether you've worked it all out properly or not, I thought Christopher Nolan spelled everything out in this film pretty clearly.
What the heck was that bum behind the dumpster? Death? What was up with the opera? and that box? lol. still like that movie...and yes it has a great sex scene.
Not sure where else to post this, but AICN is reporting that Will Forte will not be returning to Saturday Night Live this season. Will was IMO the funniest and most talented of the more recent SNL cast and will be sorely missed. Hopefully, as has happened so many times, more will rise to fill his void. Funny how that always seems to happen!
I saw Agora with Rachel Weisz & Max Minghella. Film came out in 2008 in Spain & Europe.
It's funny I always tell my friends there are hundreds of true stories in history that most people do not know about...yet they are amazing.
And I always use the story of Hypatia as an example. Well guess what? Someone finally made an excellent movie of Hypatia.
Couldn't ask for a better cast. Rachel is amazing and Max is up and coming.
Check out Hypatia on wiki and Agora. I suggest it for everyone.
Besides Hypatia it is concerned with that period of time when the Roman empire fell and the dark ages are creeping in. We see the fall of the library of Alexandria...truly sad.
Saw Full Frontal. I've semi-boycott of Steven Sodebergh films after his Che film. Probably my biggest pet peeve is people romanticizing a murderer like Che.
BUT, Full Frontal was pretty good. I remember when it came out many friends loved. I love me some Catherine Keener.
Tombstone - probably the best western since "the Outlaw Josey Wales", it was iconic the moment it was finished. I've watched this movie probably 50 times and after a few years of not doing so, just bought it and rewatched it. The definitive, best take on Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday (even if it clearly is pro-Earp, which some historians don't like).
Detour - I got this really cool film noir set of films, all of which are more obscure than the traditional fare and this was the first one I popped in. What a great film! It's about a down on his luck piano player hitch-hiking from NYC to LA and along the way gets picked up by a bookie; through an accident, the bookie dies and the piano player knows he's going to get pinned for murder, so he gets rid of the body and assumes his identity *just* to get to LA. But he makes a mistake of picking up another hitch-hiker...who just so happened to recognize the car and is about to blow the whole thing--that is, unless he plays by her rules and helps make her some money. This is as noirish as it gets! Really, really cool film.
Valentine's Day - watched this with the wife and let me tell you, this is a total chick-flick in every way, so if you like those, you'll like this, if you don't, you'll hate it. For the most part it wasn't my cup of tea, but several performances were really top notch which made it easier to watch. Eric Dane (from Grey's Anatomy) has a smaller part that really gives the movie some meaning; Bradley Cooper & Julia Roberts add a really solid layer of meaning to the film with their story twists; George Lopez proves he's just too damn likable not to want to have in every movie; Taylor Swift is so cute that I wish I was in high school and dating her. Even Jamie Foxx, who IMO plays too many roles where he acts like he's "the man" does a really solid job here, with Jessica Biel, who does an equally good job at having a sense of humor about herself.
The Hangover - rewatched it. Yup, definitely the funniest movie of the last 10+ years. Possible 20 years. Possibly EVER.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: [b]The Hangover - rewatched it. Yup, definitely the funniest movie of the last 10+ years. Possible 20 years. Possibly EVER.[/b]
I enjoyed that one but didn't feel it totally lived up to all the hype/buzz. For my money "40 Year-Old Virgin" is funnier.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I watched the first episode of The Event. It was okay, but I'm not thrilled by it.
It seemed to lack a good "point of view" character, as everyone seemed to know more about what's going on than the viewer does.
I skipped it. Will wait for huge amount of praise before I check it out. I found too many Lost-inspired shows in the past 2-3 years to be kind of lame.
I did end up watching "Lonestar" about the con man living 2 lives and deciding to try and make it work for real. I actually thought it was a solid beginning! Very well-written and full of tension--enough to make me very curious where it is going.
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Originally posted by Chief Taylor:
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Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: [b] [b]The Hangover - rewatched it. Yup, definitely the funniest movie of the last 10+ years. Possible 20 years. Possibly EVER.[/b]
I enjoyed that one but didn't feel it totally lived up to all the hype/buzz. For my money "40 Year-Old Virgin" is funnier.[/b]
40 year old version is very good and actually IMO much funnier upon further rewatches. But I think Hangover is a lot funnier--personal tastes and all that.
Watched "Lone Star" because of Cobie's recommendation above, and, yeah, it was actually pretty good, though I have my doubts about it maintaining my interest long-term. Unfortunately, that might not be a problem, as it seems like it's already in danger of cancellation due to low ratings for the premeire. A shame, really, because it's a pretty unique show.
I think the actual delivery of the premiere episode was way better than the previews made it out to be. A shame, like you say! Maybe it will pick up some, though it appears that is the most competitive slot for new shows.
I've got to say, nothing on Tuesday night seemed good at all and nothing tonight seems to be worthwhile.
Well, ever since it started a couple of weeks ago I've been watching the MAD animated series, even though I've never read the magazine.
The episode last night included, as I've mentioned before, a sketch called "Grey's In Anime", where a patient hallucinates that the doctors of Grey's Anatomy are anime characters.
"Oh no! The violet fragment of the Esper Crystal is lodged in his chest!"
"Of COURSE, that explains the poisoning of his soul!"
There's an earlier, shorter sketch of a housewife taking a tray of gingerbread men out of the oven, when two Gingerbread policemen burst through the front door and tell her that her "murderous crime spree is over!"
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I watched the first episode of The Event. It was okay, but I'm not thrilled by it.
It seemed to lack a good "point of view" character, as everyone seemed to know more about what's going on than the viewer does.
I just watched it on Hulu in order to determine if I should watch the second episode tonight. found it a pretty damn gripping 40-odd mintues of television. Lots of mystery and intrigue and a pretty cool ending.
It seems to be built to fill that "Lost" void in a way with some similar tropes (even an airplane involved). It also has a pretty sophisticated and demanding storytelling technique. But at the same time it's definitely its own thing. I'm definitely intrigued and will absolutely watch tonight's episode at the very least. Given the ending, how episode two goes will go a long way toward my deciding if this is going to be a show to watch.
^Not really super-crazy about where things appear to be going with "The Event" in its second episode either. I wasn't really expecting it to go there, ya know? Of course, we don't know exactly what there is just yet, but it would appear to be going over pretty well-trodden territory.
I'm gonna wait and see for the moment, especially because I'm still enjoying the show's storytelling technique and because some of the characters intrigue me. It's probably getting at least a couple more episodes from me.
As for Hawaii 5-0, I'll have to check it out on Hulu and let you know what I think. Still hope they have an actual Wo Fat show up, though....
Originally posted by Chief Taylor: And though I'm afraid it will suck, I'm planning on checking out No Ordinary Family tonight.
I don't think it sucked at all, actually! I was very pleasantly surprised to see Julie Benz (Darla from Buffy & Angel) playing the mom. Otherwise, it was funny and kind of resonant with real family problems even as it integrated super hero tropes fairly seamlessly. A big plus is that the rest of my family was into it as well!
Definitely on board for at least another coupla episodes!
I love those old-fashioned Agatha Christie-style murder mystery stories (and the comedies that make fun of them, like the wonderful Clue) so I really enjoyed the Family Guy premiere.
My favourite line was that guy's gasp jsut before he was killed "It's you! The man - or woman - behind it all!"
I just saw "No Ordinary Family" online and was underwhelmed. I'll stick with it awhile, but the pilot tried to do too much in the first episode. (which I can forgive given that it was the first ep) The writing came across as ham-handed and the metaphors for their powers were too on the nose. "Buffy" did a good job of using the supernatural to dramatize the traumas of high school, but so far "NoF" is nowhere near as clever or genuine in dealing with family issues. The show also reminded me of "Joan of Arcadia" (and of course "The Incredibles")in its melding of fantasy with family but the writing on that was also far superior. (in its first season anyway)
Originally posted by DrakeB3004: I just saw "No Ordinary Family" online and was underwhelmed. I'll stick with it awhile, but the pilot tried to do too much in the first episode. (which I can forgive given that it was the first ep) The writing came across as ham-handed and the metaphors for their powers were too on the nose. "Buffy" did a good job of using the supernatural to dramatize the traumas of high school, but so far "NoF" is nowhere near as clever or genuine in dealing with family issues. The show also reminded me of "Joan of Arcadia" (and of course "The Incredibles")in its melding of fantasy with family but the writing on that was also far superior. (in its first season anyway)
I can't really disagree with you on most of those points, Drake. There wasn't much in there that screamed "Originality!" as I watched it. In fact the telepathic scenes with the daughter reminded me a little too much of how Matt Parkman discovered his powers in "Heroes".
I was also disappointed to see a superpowered threat emerge so quickly--I'd certainly have preferred a more organic development of this sort of thing. Hopefully, powered characters won't be crawling out of the woodwork....that was one of "Heroes"'s many failings.
What I liked (and what will ensure I watch some more episodes) was the presence of Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz as the main characters. I've enjoyed them both in the past, so it was pleasant to see them again. I also liked the family-friendly feel and how I can apparently share the show with my kids.
I kinda like that the mom has a fairly aggressive super-power along with the dad. I also like how she's the breadwinner/genius and the dad is more the caregiver. It's a subtle distinction which makes NOF less a knockoff of the FF or the Incredibles.
Also, superheroes, and especially superhero families, haven't exactly been done to death on live-action TV at least, so it's a welcome sight. If they can keep it family-friendly and family-relevant without dumbing it down, it could be a worthy viewing experience longterm. I'm hopeful at least!
Yeah, there's a lot that can be criticized with NOF, but it kind of worked for me, somehow.
The whole plot with the girl and her boyfriend really kind of annoyed me, and I hope they don't get hung up on that kind of thing.
I'm assuming the powers connect to that magic plant thingie that the mother was interested in. It is a bit of a coincidence that the first bad guy Daddy decided to go after just happened to be powered as well.
I liked the touch that both parents revealed their powers to their friends before each other, which was kind of a nice bit of characterization (and really said more about the dysfunctionality of the family than a lot of the more blatant stuff on the show).
"Hawaii 5-0" looks like a fun show. Pretty straight forward, likable cast. I'll stick with it for now.
"Chase" was ok. I'm not ready to ditch it, but it's going to get stale for me soon if they don't give the main character a bit more personality.
"The Event" almost has me interested, but it reminds me of "Lost" (of course) mixed with "The 4400" so far. And I'm getting pretty annoyed at the time-jumping. Especially the overused device of showing something really dramatic happening then jumping to the past to show us how this situation came about. It was cool when "Alias" would do it, but it's been done to death by now.
Originally posted by MLLASH: Is "CHASE" at all based on the DCU blonde fed by the same name that had her own short-lived series?
I presume not. Other than having a lead blonde character (who's not even named Chase in this one), there's no similarity.
Watched the first two episodes of "Blue Bloods", which actually seemed like a fairly interesting take on the whole overdone "cop show" genre, centering around a family whose members are at different points in the police-hierarchy (the grandfather is a retired cop; the father Chief of Police; the elder son a detective; the middle son a dead cop; the younger son a rookie; the daughter a DA). It was going pretty well until they threw in this goofy subplot about the FBI recruiting the rookie son to investigate a secret society within the police department. That kind of threw me out of the whole thing.
Originally posted by DrakeB3004: "The Event" almost has me interested, but it reminds me of "Lost" (of course) mixed with "The 4400" so far. And I'm getting pretty annoyed at the time-jumping. Especially the overused device of showing something really dramatic happening then jumping to the past to show us how this situation came about. It was cool when "Alias" would do it, but it's been done to death by now.
So far, I'm enjoying that aspect of "The Event". I don't know that it's necessarily "overused" on TV. I see the method used a lot in comic books but not so much regularly in films or TV shows that I watch. If anything, it's used in change-of-pace episodes of certain series rather than an every episode thing. Then again, I haven't seen much of "Alias", so maybe it's fresher to me because of that?
In any case I think that storytelling device is pretty well executed on this show, and it's one of the main things that has me still watching after 2 episodes despite it apparently being another spin on the tired 'alien invaders' trope.
The device works to set up a small mystery, get you thinking about how that character got to this point and then pay it off withinin a few minutes. Told more chronologically, that element wouldn't exist. At the same time there are larger mysteries to contemplate that unfold more slowly.
IMO, "The Event" is more a mystery show than "Lost" was ever intended to be. It's certainly debatable, but so much of the minutia that comprised Lost's mysteries stemmed more from the fans wanting to know stuff like "what is the Dharma Initiative?" much more than it being absolutely essential to what story Carlton & Lindelof ultimately wanted to tell. Yes, those elements were intentional, but "The Event" seems to be more about the mystery element being more essential to what it is and in paying off how each episode is structured. (I have no idea whether I'm getting my point across here or if I'm coming off as rambling...:confused) Of course, it's early, so it's hard to say for sure. But I feel the narrative structure supports this.
We'll see how I feel after a handful of them are under my belt, though. Maybe the technique will begin to bore me after a while....
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: The Event still seems kind of blah to me.
No Ordinary Family is solid, if unspectacular.
Hawaii 5-0 is still really strong! Love getting to still see Daniel Dae Kim on a weekly basis!
Still enjoying the first two and haven't seen 5-0 yet.
"The Event" I noticed only used the flashback technique twice in the latest episode (if I'm remembering correctly). I don't know if they're backing off that technique slowly or if they're just trying not to shoehorn it in so many times. Hopefully, it's the latter because I'd hate to see it go away altogether. Interesting, unforeseen twist at the end of this one!
I'd have to agree with Edie's assessment of "No Ordinary Family". No new territory being broken, but it's well executed. I didn't get bored at any point. A lot of that has to do with some pretty likeable actors inhabiting the roles. This episode involved the characters exploring the limits and consequences of their powers. The development with the son's teacher I felt was particularly realistic under the circumstances. If I was the kid, I would've had the teacher give me a complex problem and solve it as he watched.
Hope to get around to "Hawaii 5-0" soon. Is it in more of a serial or episodic format? Most cop shows lean heavily to the latter with "case(s) of the week" and very little continuity from one to the next. I'm a nut for continuing stories and usually don't go for continuity-lite. But there are exceptions.
the event .... the first episode is free on itunes.
cute boys, good cast. a little annoyed with the jumping around in time gimmick. and 'the event' mystery.
seems like why i didnt like lost. instead of just telling a good story it relies on gimmicks to increase tension and keep viewers on a hook like a fish.
Originally posted by Chief Taylor: Hope to get around to "Hawaii 5-0" soon. Is it in more of a serial or episodic format? Most cop shows lean heavily to the latter with "case(s) of the week" and very little continuity from one to the next. I'm a nut for continuing stories and usually don't go for continuity-lite. But there are exceptions.
It's basically episodic, with ongoing subplots. So there's a case of the week, but there's also some mysteries that have been set up in the background.
Originally posted by Chief Taylor: [b] Hope to get around to "Hawaii 5-0" soon. Is it in more of a serial or episodic format? Most cop shows lean heavily to the latter with "case(s) of the week" and very little continuity from one to the next. I'm a nut for continuing stories and usually don't go for continuity-lite. But there are exceptions.
It's basically episodic, with ongoing subplots. So there's a case of the week, but there's also some mysteries that have been set up in the background.[/b]
Sounds good, actually! I wouldn't expect a show like this not to have cases of the week, but it's encouraging to hear that plot threads carry through. That's the kind of thing that helps me get into a show. I'll definitely have to sample it!
Just to be clear, while they do seem to be flirting with more ongoing storylines, the primary appeal of the show is still on the level of lots of explosions, machine guns, witty banner, and quite a bit of this:
I only saw the pilot of Raising Hope. It had Bijou Phillips being her awesome crazy self, which I find very appealing. You can just tell she's semi-crazy in real life and that makes her hotter.
I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to catch any of the new shows, but of them all, Hawaii 5-O seems like the one I want to check out the most (the EDE thumbs up helps). I can do a "story of the week" approach while the cast continues to grow and add depth each week. I need something to replace the awesome Life on Mars (American version).
Other than that, I'll I've watched now for months is Mad Men (awesome) and Jersey Shore (if you're not watching, shame on you ).
Rubicon also was awesome but I missed too many episodes where I'd be lost now. I'm going to pick up the season DVD when it's out.
I never have been able to follow-up Lone Star since the pilot. Hopefully I can catch back up as my travel schedule slows after this week.
I think you'd love MNiE, Lash. I only watched sporadic episodes, but it always struck me as extremely funny. It definitely covers the same social milieu as Raising Hope, and has the same main-character-trying-to-do-the-right-thing-despite-his-questionable-background-and-circumstances thing going on.
And, Cobie, Lone Star was actually cancelled after the second episode.
The other two canceled series (or all but canceled) thus far are My Generation, which I never watched because it didn't seem to be interesting at all, and Outlaw, which I tried to watch the pilot for but got bored halfway through. Lone Star was definitely too good to deserve this fate.
For the record, The Event has gotten a lot better the past couple of weeks, especially this week.
So do you guys think <span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">the "aliens" are really just time traveling future humans?</span></span>
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: For the record, The Event has gotten a lot better the past couple of weeks, especially this week.
So do you guys think <span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">the "aliens" are really just time traveling future humans?</span></span>
I'm still watching it as well, and it still has my interest. I think it has thus far avoided the well-travelled roads I feared it would venture down and improved on some of its faults along the way. It definitely has potential.
As to your question, that thought has occurred to me. However, would that explain the 1% DNA difference?
Though they're taking this week off, I'm still watching The Event and No Ordinary Family pretty avidly. Otherwise, it's TWD, Survivor and the odd episodes of Criminal Minds, House and the second hour of Biggest Loser.
Just saw the film, "Nowhere Boy," about John Lennon's younger days prior to the formation of The Beatles.
Apart from a few minor eyerollers (the complete lack of a Liverpudlian accent in any of the characters, and a couple of sly winking moments - ex: John walking past the Strawberry Field gardens; playing around with his food and putting chips in his mouth to resemble a walrus), I have to say it was a fine little film.
Most of the dramas I've seen about the Beatles err either in attempting to recast events through a lens of modern sensibility, or in trying to pack too much history into too small a running time. "Nowhere Boy" made neither mistake. It's a nice tight story, focusing on John's conflicted feelings about his estranged mother, and how that conflict fueled a lot of his passion toward his music.
Bonus points to Kristin Scott Thomas who turns in a wonderfully sympathetic performance as John's aunt Mimi.
Originally posted by Chief Tay-LSH: I'm still watching The Event and No Ordinary Family pretty avidly.
I'm still watching both of these as well, but I can't say I'm all that invested in either them. One moment The Event is looking pretty solid, then the next moment there's something incredibly cheesy that kind of takes me out of it.
TWD and H5-0 remain the top new shows of the season.
After what I thought was a weak start, Fringe has gotten pretty solid. They were kind of taking a chance with the "alternating Earths" format, but I think it's started to work.
$#&T My Dad says, Mike & Molly, and East bound & Down (even though it's season ended a few weeks ago) Boardwalk Empire, and the Walking Dead are the shows that i've made sure not to miss this season.
OK - I just watched what could potentially be my most favourite thing I've seen in all of 2010. And it was a TV movie.
BBC's Sherlock (episode 1 - 'A Study in Pink').
Has anyone else here seen it? Gosh, I was blown away by it. The writing, the acting, the filmmaking, the misdirection, the humour, the mystery, the callbacks to classic Sherlock Holmes elements, the beginning, the middle, the end... I loved it all.
What a winner of a series. For those who don't know, it's a modern re-imagining of the Sherlock/Watson tales. I'm not familiar enough with Conan-Doyle's tales to know if this episode, or any of the later ones, are direct adaptations of any of his stories but it was a fantastic adaptation if so, and an awesomely written mystery in it's own right if not.
Martin Freeman of The Office and Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the soon to be Hobbit plays Dr Watson. He's pretty good in the role. I'm kinda sick of him so I wasn't over the moon about him being in it but I really have no complaints about his performance. The real star though of course is the guy who plays Sherlock. Absolutely amazing. Perfect blend of arrogant anti-socialness and endearing likeability. And a real gusto of a performance. The constant energy he exudes and the pace at which he delivers his very smart and clever lines means you are forced to pay attention to him and keep up.
The mystery was great too. Very exciting and intriguing. My only issue with the conclusion was that I kept thinking to myself -
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">Hasn't Sherlock seen The Princess Bride? They're both poisoned! Though we never found out if my theory was right or not which was a bit annoying.</span></span>
What can I say? I really, really liked this. Hope the later episodes are as good. Did anyone else at Legion World see this?
My wife and I have started back up on watching House seasons (we're on season 3). What a damn good show this is. I personally think it works better to watch a bunch at a clip but of all the shows I watch, this is the easiest to catch an ep here or there.
We watch Human Target too. It's nowhere near as awesome as the Milligan Vertigo series, but as an action show with personable characters it's still a fun show.
Aside from HT, we're currently catching up on "Being Human", which had a great first season, though the second has been uneven so far (two episode's left).
We still watch "Chuck", which has been great fun and really over-the-top this year especially with the "Pop culture icon" guest star of the week format.
We don't have TMN so we're behind on Dexter, but may find other ways to see it.
"The Bridge" doesn't look like it's coming back and TWD is done for a while, so I think that's it for us right now.
Tonight, I watched SNL. While the sketches and host were about average, the musical guest was fan-friggin-TASTic! Paul-friggin-McCartney! When I saw he was scheduled, I figured he'd be supporting some new album and might be performing some songs I'd never heard--NOPE! He performed "Jet" and "Band on the Run" from his Wings days, and astonishingly, he performed most of "A Day in the Life" which melted into "Give Peace a Chance"! "Day" is primarily an iconic John Lennon song from their Beatles days (albeit one with a McCartney interlude) and "Peace" is all John post-Beatles. This was such a touching tribute to John on the week of the anniversary of John's murder! Frankly, I teared up. Just beautiful! To top it off, they ended the show with Paul performing "Get Back" as the credits ran! I was in Beatles fan heaven!
Look, the old boy's voice may obviously be on the wane, but he still doesn't phone it in. I'm so glad SNL let him have more than the customary two songs. And again, it was a rare treat to hear Paul singing some of John's parts, a lovely tribute to John and of how much he and John have meant to popular music for four decades!
Just watched the awesome mid-season finale of Hawaii 5-0! Seriously, you guys need to be watching this! Some advancement on the longterm subplots, and the return (for the very first time) of
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">WO FAT!!!!</span></span>
A few terse reviews of the movies I've watched over the past week of downtime:
"A Single Man" - beautiful and subtle film about 24 hours in a man's life after his lover is killed in a car crash. Colin Firth astounded me with his performance, leaving me wanting to see more of him, so next up was...
"Dorian Gray" - better than I had hoped (only just) given that it was made just last year. Again, Firth puts in a good performance... no-one else does.
"A Hard Day's Night" - Been on an intense Beatles kick for a couple months now, so I thought I'd loop back around and see their actual films. Surprisingly funny and well directed. I'd expected madcap, and while it was that, it also was a joy to look at (not to mention listen to).
"Jean de Florette" and "Manon des Source" - two film cycle of epic tragedy set in bucolic France. I had seen these a decade back and had nostalgically remembered them as the best foreign film(s) I've ever seen. My opinion has not changed.
"Goya's Ghosts" - how this many talented people (including the director and all the primary actors) could make such a dog of film is beyond me. Avoid at all costs.
I recently went on a Jennifer Elise Cox kick, she's the girl who played Jan Brady in the 90s Brady Bunch movies.
I bought the entire Lifetime comedy series LOVESPRING INTERNATIONAL on iTunes because I remembered she was in it, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Then I started with 10 ITEMS OR LESS on Netflix (available for instant viewing). Lo and behold-- she's a regular on it, too! I did not know at the time I decided to try it. Funny stuff!!
Originally posted by Chief Lardy: Tonight, I watched SNL. While the sketches and host were about average, the musical guest was fan-friggin-TASTic! Paul-friggin-McCartney! When I saw he was scheduled, I figured he'd be supporting some new album and might be performing some songs I'd never heard--NOPE! He performed "Jet" and "Band on the Run" from his Wings days, and astonishingly, he performed most of "A Day in the Life" which melted into "Give Peace a Chance"! "Day" is primarily an iconic John Lennon song from their Beatles days (albeit one with a McCartney interlude) and "Peace" is all John post-Beatles. This was such a touching tribute to John on the week of the anniversary of John's murder! Frankly, I teared up. Just beautiful! To top it off, they ended the show with Paul performing "Get Back" as the credits ran! I was in Beatles fan heaven!
Look, the old boy's voice may obviously be on the wane, but he still doesn't phone it in. I'm so glad SNL let him have more than the customary two songs. And again, it was a rare treat to hear Paul singing some of John's parts, a lovely tribute to John and of how much he and John have meant to popular music for four decades!
Thanks, Paul and SNL!
Didn't see this post the first time around, even though we facebooked about it when it was happening, Lardy. As you know, I totally enjoyed this as well! I was really shocked and beyond delighted when Paul did his John tribute (so much that I ran to facebook to post about it).
It was a really touching, cool as hell tribute that Paul did and I went to bed really happy that night.
Skits were only okay but that was the best musical performance I've seen in a long time.
Originally posted by SharkLad: "The Cape" was good... a little campy but not overboard... good visuals... best line - "Say hi to Dorothy, bitch"...
I just watched it, and was fairly impressed. There were things I didn't like about it, but overall it's got me a lot more interested than No Ordinary Family or The Event.
I actually liked The Cape, as well! And I was ready not to. Keith David is a treasure as the leader of the delightful Circus of Crime (which is a great name, but not exactly accurate. More appropriate would be Circus and Anti-Establishmentarianism, I think). The whole setting--the villains, the city, the plot, the hero's appearance and abilities--has a wonderful, Golden-Age feel to it. I keep flashing on pre-Kirby Sandman, or Kubert's Hawkman, or the covers to the original Green Lantern, and their later descendants, like the Question, or even Aztek. In the Cape's world, bright colors and darkest shadows mix freely, a city can be subverted by rich and corrupt criminals, the lives of the virtuous sundered, and the heroic journey is about recovering that life, which includes a little boy who reads comic books and idolizes his dad, even in the face of damning evidence that his dad is a criminal, which places it in a 1930s/40s context, not the saccharine world of the 1950s. People are killed, but not gratuitously, and we see the suffering that killing leaves in its wake. The shows weakest link seems to be the actor playing the lead character, but maybe I expect too much.
Yeah, I think the Golden Age or even pulp feel to The Cape is it's real strength. And visually it's brilliant. I thought the writing was kind of weak though. It seemed like they were trying to cram too much into the premiere episodes. But it was nice to see a tv super-hero with, you know, an actual costume and secret identity for once. I'm pretty much bored with the whole "ordinary people with secret super-powers" motif of Smallville/Heroes/No Ordinary Family. Anyway, it's definitely a show with a lot of potential. Though the odds on it's getting a chance to develop that potential don't look promising.
I'm totally with you, EDE, about seeing an actual costumed hero again! And I don't mean to give the impression this is classic television. "Lost," it's definitely not. Got it's got great bones, and I hope, unlike poor "Heroes," the creative team can improve, rather than tear down. The other thing I realize is that I've ALWAYS had a big thing for the true caped, hooded hero of the 1930s and 40s--Hourman, Spectre, Green Lama (!?!). It's such a simple but powerful and intimidating visual, it has an almost genetic memory kind of impact. So, it's a big thrill for me to see that done "live action" and done rather well. It's also great to have an articulate response to Edna Mode's classic declaration, "No capes!"
We've recently got into the BBC "Robin Hood" Series via Netflix.ca, and it's been really fun. The whole cast is great (particularly the villains), the writing's punchy and it's been a great series for "Done-in-one" television. For a Comics connection, Paul Cornell was one of the writers in the first season.
We're almost done Season #1 and Seasons #2 & #3 are available (I assume on the US Netflix as well).
So I actually thought the third episode of The Cape definitely showed signs of improvement. This is totes looking like a Fringe more than a Heroes in terms of quality-trajectory.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: So I actually thought the third episode of The Cape definitely showed signs of improvement. This is totes looking like a Fringe more than a Heroes in terms of quality-trajectory.
I caught most of it last night, my first chance to see it. There's obviously already a lot of backstory, and not knowing it confused me at various points.
I also thought that what I saw of what the cape itself can do looked pretty goofy and how the hero reclaimed it at the end seemed silly. Is that what the cape does? Grab things and hit/slice things?
Seemed like the Cape did his worst Christian Bale as Batman impression, too, with the voice. I understand the need to disguise, but it never comes off as anything but silly.
Some of the acting was good, but the lead himself seems a little too wooden.
I might check out the pilot and future episodes, but I wasn't nearly as impressed as I was by those early episodes of Heroes.
The Canadian/American remake of Being Human was... Interesting. The Effects were better but the acting was worse. The plot is moving in a different direction already and the cliffhanger was good. It was funny to see Canadian settings and hear Canadian music and then be told they were in Boston. Would American Audiences really turn on it if it was set in Montreal?
My wife and I completed the final seasons of Tudors last night--one of the best series to hit television ever. I highly recommend this to anyone at all who loves drama and intrigue. People with a passion for history will get an added bonus (but it's not necessary).
The acting is outstanding and the creators pulled no punches--yet didn't go out of their way to be needlessly controversial (and with King Henry VIII, the controversy is already firmly there).
The series ended perfectly.
I felt a familiar emotion from watching the finishes to Rome, Deadwood and especially Lost. I'm thrilled it ended on a high note, but I'm sad to see it go.
Just watched this week's Hawaii 5-0, and wow! What a great bit a television! First off, an exciting episode in and of itself, as the team has to solve the disappearance of the head of the Tsunami Warning Center against the tense backdrop of an oncoming Tsunami, but then it suddenly and unexpectedly tied into a plot from a previous episode, and then set up a new mystery at the end! This show just keeps getting better and better!
^I watched that episode Sunday, Edie, (as it aired after the football game) my first full ep of the season. Not bad, I'd say! Good cast, hints of ongoing subplot--if there were more sex, I'd be sure to watch more!
I was actually wondering how someone who hadn't been following the series would react to the episode, because it really shifted from something that seemed like a standalone episode to relying heavily upon the emotions evoked by previous episodes.
My enthusiasm for "The Cape" is steadily declining... it took me a while to get caught up with the third and fourth episodes, and when I did watch them, I was kind of bored... shame since it seemed pretty promising...
I'm still liking the Cape, but it does have problems. The flashbacks are really annoying me, for one thing. The inconsistencies in his abilities are kind of annoying as well. On the one hand, he seems to have unrealistically mastered too much of the stuff the circus folks taught him in the first episode, but then he makes a stupid mistake of not being able to use his cape against the wind on top of the moving train last episode.
I loved, however, the head of prisons or whatever as his groupie in the latest episode, as well as the tension between his career as a super-hero and the fact that his allies are, well, criminals.
Originally posted by Chief Lardy: Caught encore presentations of the first two eps of Being Human tonight. So far, me rikey! Will definitely check out episode 3 this Monday!
I'm undecided on this as well. The whiny-ness of the characters is getting on my nerves already. And vampires are *so* boring! It is kind of cool seeing Jacob as the head vampire or whatever however!
But I will start with a disappointment. The Bridge Over the River Kwai. Considered one of the best films ever. I don't see it. Sure it had that honor and principal thing but I just didn't see it as such a big deal. I did see it as head games between the japanese general and Alec Guinness' character.
This may be the first time I've seen William Holden acting. It was a decent portrayal of the disillusioned army man.
I have to admit the ending was fantastic. One of the best ever but the 2 hours and 40 minutes that it took to get there...painful.
^ I've never seen Bridge on the River Kwai. Or The Great Escape. All my brothers and Dad love their World War II movies so I'm not sure how I missed them.
Sorry to hear BotRK isn't that good because I think I'd still like to see that one one day - if only for William Holden. I really like that actor. Ultra Jorge - see Sunset Boulevard and The Wild Bunch if you want to see some really good William Holden movies.
I've seen loads of things recently. Trying to remember them all...
* The Shield Season 7 (final season) - LOVE THIS SHOW! Anyone else here watch it? VERY, VERY, VERY good show - one of the best cop shows ever. Acting, writing, directing, music... everything about this show was on point. Very sorry to see it go. That said, I was a teensy bit disappointed with the ending. I was fervently hoping something different would happen with one of the characters. Can't complain though - those writers gave me seven seasons of pleasure (even if that pleasure was a <strike>little</strike> lot confronting and hard to take at times).
* The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl who Played with Fire - (proviso - I haven't read the books). God, these movies sucked! The first one was SO completely blindingly obvious from the very first scene and the second was just a boring drudge. It didn't help that the main male character was completely lacking in any personality or charisma or that the main female character was such an artificially constructed, geeky-emo-male's wet dream fantasy come to life - she's 5ft, tattooed and pierced, amazing with computers, amazing at self-defence, amazing at sex (whether it be with a guy or a girl)... ugh. I'm sure the books have things going for them but based on what I've seen from these films, I never want to find out.
* Up in the Air - I really liked this one. George Clooney picks good films IMO and he's really good in this one. So is the whole support cast around him. Funny and sad. As someone who used to fly a lot for work I could relate to the story somewhat too. I'll see this one again one day.
* True Grit (the original) and Rooster Cogburn - other than bits and pieces of a few when I was about 5, I think these were the first John Wayne films I've ever seen. Really not seeing what the big deal was with the guy. Not a very good actor. That said, he's pretty good in True Grit and the movie is all-around excellent too. Great writing and directing and a fab supporting cast here too (including Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper). I think even someone who didn't like 'Westerns' would enjoy this movie. It's sequel Rooster Cogburn is pretty much just an inferior re-tread however, though it does have a pretty cool extended raft-escape scene and Katharine Hepburn is in it for those who are fans of hers (I'm not really one of them).
* Blue Velvet - Great movie. Weird and creepy and disturbing but also romantic and beautiful and haunting. I can definitely see why it's considered a classic. The scene where Dean Stockwell sings Roy Orbison's hit In Dreams is amazing. I was a big Twin Peaks fan back in the day so it's interesting seeing Lynch using some early versions of techniques he used in that show here too.
* Black Swan - I liked it. The story (and it's conclusion) were pretty plainly telegraphed almost right from the start but I don't think that really mattered. Even if the end was a little obvious it was still a pleasure to watch Aranofsky's impressive filmmaking and directing skills and Natalie Portman's incredible performance - she definitely deserves the Oscar IMO. What wasn't fun though was the annoying group of teenage girls who sat behind me and whispered and giggled all the way through the movie! I have murderous thoughts toward people like that!
Blue Velvet...wierd and great movie. It gets downright insane. But that's David Lynch for you. Lynch reminds me of the Joker. (Killing Joke version)
A classic actor I've come to really respect is Gregory Peck. I have to say he does not act the same in every film...and his films are pretty good.
Recently saw him Spellbound (didn't love that movie), The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and I have Mr. Deeds goes to Washington next.
I have not read The Snows of Kilimanjaro but I enjoyed the film. I hear the film and and book are quite different. Ava Gardener's character was completely made up for the film. Ava is a hot little number. Never seen any of her films. Have to catch a few. (The Sun Also Rises I have on my list to watch...she's in that...and I've read that book. It will be interesting).
* The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl who Played with Fire - (proviso - I haven't read the books). God, these movies sucked! The first one was SO completely blindingly obvious from the very first scene and the second was just a boring drudge. It didn't help that the main male character was completely lacking in any personality or charisma or that the main female character was such an artificially constructed, geeky-emo-male's wet dream fantasy come to life - she's 5ft, tattooed and pierced, amazing with computers, amazing at self-defence, amazing at sex (whether it be with a guy or a girl)... ugh. I'm sure the books have things going for them but based on what I've seen from these films, I never want to find out.
About every 30 minutes or so, my wife would pause the movie and take 5 minutes to explain all the stuff they skipped or changed. I agree the movie on its own wasn't great (and the mystery easy), but from the sounds of it the book was much better.
Quote
* True Grit (the original) and Rooster Cogburn - other than bits and pieces of a few when I was about 5, I think these were the first John Wayne films I've ever seen. Really not seeing what the big deal was with the guy. Not a very good actor. That said, he's pretty good in True Grit and the movie is all-around excellent too. Great writing and directing and a fab supporting cast here too (including Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper). I think even someone who didn't like 'Westerns' would enjoy this movie. It's sequel Rooster Cogburn is pretty much just an inferior re-tread however, though it does have a pretty cool extended raft-escape scene and Katharine Hepburn is in it for those who are fans of hers (I'm not really one of them).
I highly recommend the new version which I think trumps this one. Both are fairly faithful to the book so some scenes are almost verbatim, but the acting is superior and the ending is much, much better.
Quote
Originally posted by Blacula: * Blue Velvet - Great movie. Weird and creepy and disturbing but also romantic and beautiful and haunting. I can definitely see why it's considered a classic. The scene where Dean Stockwell sings Roy Orbison's hit In Dreams is amazing. I was a big Twin Peaks fan back in the day so it's interesting seeing Lynch using some early versions of techniques he used in that show here too.
I love Lynch but I don't love Blue Velvet. It is masterfully rendered and a decent enough parable, but the lengths of depravity and mysogny, no matter how effectively rendered, aren't justified (or prehaps redeemed is the better world) by the movie's message or theme. It's a little too proud of it's horrifying moments that it wallows in them rather than use them to an artistic and effective point. It's a very fine line, but moreso than other Lynch works, I think Blue Velvets falls victim to itself.
By the Way, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is the English title, whereas the actual translation of the English title is "Men Who Hate Women", which actually informs the story quite a bit better in my mind.
My Brother-in-Law just sent down the first three seasons of Breaking Bad. We've already plowed through Season One and are two episodes into Season 2. It's really, really good. My wife didn't care for it at first, but now she's more hooked than I am.
I recently watched one of Frank Capra’s films from 1937 called, “Lost Horizon”.
About 30 minutes into it I started getting déjà vu. The rest of the film just cinched it. This will only have meaning to fans of the show “Lost,” but take a gander at the plot (abridged just to highlight the parallels):
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">A group of Westerners are traveling home on a plane, when it crashes deep in an isolated land, completely hidden from the outside world. They all survive the crash (though the pilot is killed) and, after a short time taking shelter in caves, are met by the inhabitants of the land. These inhabitants, who are led by a mysterious figure, live in a seemingly impossible environment – both completely hidden from the outside world and, at the same time, built in a modern fashion with all conveniences of civilization. Meanwhile, in the outside world, a search ensures for the plane which just “disappeared”.
The crash survivors, including a scientist, a con-man, and a terminally ill passenger (who begins to miraculously recover in this place), are initially anxious to get back to civilization but, over time, they come to appreciate that this hidden land is a miraculous place where all of what they were before can be wiped clean. Most of them come to feel that they don't want to leave.
The hero is eventually granted an audience with the mysterious leader who tells him that his arrival was not an accident at all; that he was brought there intentionally. The leader has been watching the hero for years. It turns out that the leader is actually hundreds of years old (he was 108 when he realized he would no longer age), but is preserved by the magical properties of the place. He is finally prepared to die, however, and needs someone who will take his role in protecting this place.
Before this happens, though, through a heated discussion between two characters – one, a realist and one, a “man of faith,” the hero is convinced to escape the place with a small group of the survivors. After leaving, one of the escapees commits suicide and the hero, after a time, realizes that he never should have left and that he has to go back.
Forsaking everything in the real world where he is a highly respected person, the hero tries for a long time to find the place again (growing an almost comical beard in the process), but eventually makes it back to fulfill his destiny.</span></span>
Wow, right?
I’m not saying that this movie was the only source for “Lost,” as clearly there are a great many other elements to the show… but I would be highly suspect if the above movie were not the core source. I mean, my wife and I were literally watching “Lost Horizon” with mouths agape at points going, “That’s almost the exact conversation from Lost.”
I've long felt that DR. STRANGE was almost entirely the creation of Steve Ditko, with Stan Lee only writing the dialogue (and some of his best, in my opinion). However, the ONE DS plot I do feel Stan contributed was the ORIGIN... part of which seems to have been inspired by the film LOST HORIZON. It's notable that with the ORIGIN story, Doc, who originally resembled Vincent Price (see THE RAVEN) began to resemble Ronald Colman. And of course, there's The Ancient One (Sam Jaffe)...
Originally posted by Exnihil: I recently watched one of Frank Capra’s films from 1937 called, “Lost Horizon”.
About 30 minutes into it I started getting déjà vu. The rest of the film just cinched it. This will only have meaning to fans of the show “Lost,” but take a gander at the plot (abridged just to highlight the parallels):
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">A group of Westerners are traveling home on a plane, when it crashes deep in an isolated land, completely hidden from the outside world. They all survive the crash (though the pilot is killed) and, after a short time taking shelter in caves, are met by the inhabitants of the land. These inhabitants, who are led by a mysterious figure, live in a seemingly impossible environment – both completely hidden from the outside world and, at the same time, built in a modern fashion with all conveniences of civilization. Meanwhile, in the outside world, a search ensures for the plane which just “disappeared”.
The crash survivors, including a scientist, a con-man, and a terminally ill passenger (who begins to miraculously recover in this place), are initially anxious to get back to civilization but, over time, they come to appreciate that this hidden land is a miraculous place where all of what they were before can be wiped clean. Most of them come to feel that they don't want to leave.
The hero is eventually granted an audience with the mysterious leader who tells him that his arrival was not an accident at all; that he was brought there intentionally. The leader has been watching the hero for years. It turns out that the leader is actually hundreds of years old (he was 108 when he realized he would no longer age), but is preserved by the magical properties of the place. He is finally prepared to die, however, and needs someone who will take his role in protecting this place.
Before this happens, though, through a heated discussion between two characters – one, a realist and one, a “man of faith,” the hero is convinced to escape the place with a small group of the survivors. After leaving, one of the escapees commits suicide and the hero, after a time, realizes that he never should have left and that he has to go back.
Forsaking everything in the real world where he is a highly respected person, the hero tries for a long time to find the place again (growing an almost comical beard in the process), but eventually makes it back to fulfill his destiny.</span></span>
Wow, right?
I’m not saying that this movie was the only source for “Lost,” as clearly there are a great many other elements to the show… but I would be highly suspect if the above movie were not the core source. I mean, my wife and I were literally watching “Lost Horizon” with mouths agape at points going, “That’s almost the exact conversation from Lost.”
Wow! I never realized how close the parallels between Lost Horizons and Lost were! Now I want to watch again with that in mind!
It's funny that Lost Horizons seems to be a largely forgotten novel/movie these days, while the fabled land at the core of the movie, Shangri-La, has become a part of the collective pop culture consciousness. I suspect the vast majority of people think that the idea of Shangri-La is much older than it's actual 1930s origins.
I am watching (and reading) Tsubasa: Resevior Chronicles. I love CLAMP and Yuko is my favorite character they have created so far. Anime is a bit tiresome with the long pauses...but most animes do that. Almost done with Season 1 and then on to Season 2.
Currently watching the A&E Nero Wolfe series from about ten years ago, and wondering why I never knew of the existence of this particular piece of awesomeness until recently.
Originally posted by Exnihil: I recently watched one of Frank Capra’s films from 1937 called, “Lost Horizon”.
About 30 minutes into it I started getting déjà vu. The rest of the film just cinched it. This will only have meaning to fans of the show “Lost,” but take a gander at the plot (abridged just to highlight the parallels):
Just checked and one of the Libraries in this area has this...renting it this week.
Originally posted by Chief Lardy: [b]Caught encore presentations of the first two eps of Being Human tonight. So far, me rikey! Will definitely check out episode 3 this Monday!
I'm undecided on this as well. The whiny-ness of the characters is getting on my nerves already. And vampires are *so* boring! It is kind of cool seeing Jacob as the head vampire or whatever however![/b]
I'm officially hooked on this show, with seven episodes in now! It's really fun to watch. It does have some angsty stuff going on, but it also has a humorous side to it that is coming out more and more as each episode goes by. There's this scene in last week's episode in which Aidan (the vampire lead) has an allergic reaction to garlic that is handled quite hilariously!
Being Human just has a good mix of soap opera, its own internal mythology and a real sense of humor that's really clicking with me. Definitely recommended!
How I Met Your Mother is always cool for a solid watch, even if I don't watch it religiously. Like the Office (but much more so IMO), if I catch it and I've got a few minutes, I'll rawk it out.
I called in sick for a tummy bug today and watched two movies on DVD this afternoon. I had checked both out from the library some time ago and finally got around to seeing them.
First was 1964's The World of Henry Orient, with Peter Sellers and Angela Lansbury. Sellers plays a concert pianist that two teenage schoolgirls become obsessed with. It's hilariously funny and very poignant in some places. I saw it on the late, late show when I was a teenager and decided to see it again.
Second was 1969's They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Jane Fonda and Michael Sarrazin play two young people in a weeks-long dance marathon in the 1930s. Gig Young won an Oscar for his role as the emcee. I had never seen it before.
Both great films in their own ways. I never would have put them together, but seeing them together I noticed some casting coincidences. Al Lewis (Grandpa Munster) appeared in a supporting role in both movies. Phyllis Thaxter was in Henry Orient and Susannah York was in They Shoot Horses. Of course Thaxter played Martha Kent and York played Lara in Superman: The Movie
^Me, too, fk! I've extolled its virtues a couple of times in this thread. It really got better and better over the course of its 13 episodes with this week's being the last of the initial run. It was announced last month that there will be a second season. It's got a good mythology to it, an increasingly impressive cast, a nice humorous touch and it tied up a lot of loose ends while leaving room for future stories.
I watched most of the first episode of the British version. Just didn't grab me. I may look at it some more, but I don't see it impressing me like the American adaptation does.
Originally posted by Exo-Lardy: ^Me, too, fk! I've extolled its virtues a couple of times in this thread. It really got better and better over the course of its 13 episodes with this week's being the last of the initial run. It was announced last month that there will be a second season. It's got a good mythology to it, an increasingly impressive cast, a nice humorous touch and it tied up a lot of loose ends while leaving room for future stories.
I watched most of the first episode of the British version. Just didn't grab me. I may look at it some more, but I don't see it impressing me like the American adaptation does.
See I'm the exact opposite. We love the British version, but the American one really left us cold (full disclosure, we only watched the first few episodes). George and Annie are just so much more likable than their American counterparts. It may just be a matter of which you were exposed to first, but we were really turned off by the new one.
Also, Herrick was much creepier than Bishop, in that he was so disarming in his looks and mannerisms, that it's that much scarier when he goes full on vampy evil.
One difference that bothered me was that the UK version's ghost was all about making tea and was visible to everyone. Just didn't seem all that tragic and ghostly, I guess.
Though the American version hooked me almost immediately, it still got MUCH better as the season went on. Not sure if anyone with a preference either way would ever warm up to the other version, though.
Originally posted by Exo-Lardy: One difference that bothered me was that the UK version's ghost was all about making tea and was visible to everyone. Just didn't seem all that tragic and ghostly, I guess.
In Season 1, Annie is still only visible to other Supernatural creatures (Once she begins honing her powers she's able to appear). The Tea thing is kind of a coping mechanism as she tries to sort out what's going on (including her suppressed memory of how she died). It's kind of a running joke when she keeps making tea that she can't drink and the others don't really want. I found the relationship between Annie and George was what one of the things made the show.
I prefer the British version of Being Human, too. I don't much care for the ghost girl in the American show, but the series, as a whole has been growing on me.
Did anyone watch Off the Map, Wed. on ABC? Interns getting a second chance to do their residencies in a Central American country at a clinic. Wonderful stuff.
Did you know that coconut milk has the same nutrients as blood plasma and was used during WWII by medics if blood wasn't available? It's even sterile in the nut.
There's a new movie coming out called Cowboys and Aliens. Harrison Ford is in it, which can be a plus or minus, but it looks good in the trailer I saw!
Originally posted by Dave Hackett: In Season 1, Annie is still only visible to other Supernatural creatures (Once she begins honing her powers she's able to appear). The Tea thing is kind of a coping mechanism as she tries to sort out what's going on (including her suppressed memory of how she died). It's kind of a running joke when she keeps making tea that she can't drink and the others don't really want. I found the relationship between Annie and George was what one of the things made the show.
Hm. Well, what I saw was presumably the first episode and it opened with Annie opening the door for a pizza boy and talking to him. Then, the other two made a comment about her keeping out of sight since she's supposed to be dead, and that would complicate things. It's on my free DVR list and is listed as the first episode. It begins with a montage similar to how the American version begins, so I assume that's correct.
In the American version Sally (the ghost's name in this one) begins completely disconnected from anything except other supernatural beings. She can't touch anyone or anything. By the end of the season, she's just being able to hold things in her hands with a great deal of concentration. She's a long way from being able to make tea.
My nostalgia is harshed somewhat by the constant reminder of how much "romantic comedy" behavior is actually pretty stalker-ish and creepy. But what are you gonna' do...?
Robin Hood Season 3 was a bit of a disappointment. I recognize they lost half the cast at the end of Season 2, but the season just kept changing directions until the finale which came out of nowhere. We greatly enjoyed the first two seasons, and Season 3 had some great bits, but overall it failed to measure up to its predecessors. Shame it's all over now.
I've watched Stargate Universe for the run, and now it's been canceled. They had some writing at the end of the last episode, which I couldn't catch. Does anyone here know? I couldn't seem to actually find any information at the official site. sigh
Just saw Green Lantern: Emerald Knights today with the kids. Hannah loved it. I liked it well enough, and Jon liked the parts he watched in between playing with his Batman toys.
I just starting watching "Game of Thrones" and am thoroughly intrigued. Swords, sex, political machinations, beheading(s!), sex, kingdoms at stake, creepy mythical man-beasts, incestuous sex...!!
Originally posted by DrakeB3004: I just starting watching "Game of Thrones" and am thoroughly intrigued. Swords, sex, political machinations, beheading(s!), sex, kingdoms at stake, creepy mythical man-beasts, incestuous sex...!!
Me too! Really well done--I've only caught a few episodes here and there but its all been top notch.
My siblings (both brothers and sisters) are really into the books. They lent me the first book, which I've yet to start, but tell me I'll be totally invested in no time once I start reading, that the books are that good.
Criminal Minds. It's the only non-animated series that has totally gotten me hooked. For the record, the only animated series that did the same were Avatar: The Last Airbender and the Legion of Superheroes, natch.
Breaking Bad started Season 4 last night. Great stuff, but pretty intense. I'm glad they dealt with the cliffhanger quickly and got a status quo of sorts to work from, because i'm a lot more interested in where the characters go from here.
Dave, my wife and I are midway through Breaking Bad season 3--we just got into it a few weeks ago.
All I can say is WOW. What a mind-blowingly fantastic show! One of the best I've ever seen and worthy of all the accolades and ratings it gets. It's a show that pulls no punches and every character is totally realistic and fully realized.
Glad you like it Cobie. We were starting to get burned out on "Dexter" with all it's plot contrivances and stretches it made to maintain the Status Quo it wanted. When I mentioned this to someone, they suggested Breaking Bad and it's been great. I'm loving how every action has realistic consequences and Walt just keeps going deeper and deeper into that hole. It will be interesting to see him fully "Break Bad" as the show progresses.
My wife and i were looking for stuff to watch during the summer and decided to rent "Weeds" Now we bought all the seasons on the cheap from Amazon. Good show! It's a bit all over the place sometimes with their stories, but very entertaining!
Originally posted by DrakeB3004: My wife and i were looking for stuff to watch during the summer and decided to rent "Weeds" Now we bought all the seasons on the cheap from Amazon. Good show! It's a bit all over the place sometimes with their stories, but very entertaining!
We're watching Weeds on Netflix Canada right now. We're about midway through the second season. It's been really fun, and this season seems to be finding its groove a bit better than the first season which, as you said, didn't seem to know what kind of show it wanted to be at times.
Stumbled across an episode of "Little House on the Prairie"... the school teacher was in horse and buggy accident, so Mrs. Ingalls was asked to fill in... she was trying to help one of the older students learn to read when Mrs. Olsen came in and called the student dumb in front of everyone...
My Girlfriend has got me hooked on A-list NY, and after two seasons i have to call it one of my guilty new pleasures. But Riechen really needs to get over himself with his "ohh poor me i can't find love yadda,yadda,yadda." Ohhh and Austen!! jezzus man get over it and just do Riechen already. i'm getting tired of his drunken tirades and his attack on the Rodiney/Reichen relationship. Mike is my fave so far, the others Ryan, Derrick and TJ, kinda remind me of that female clique in HS that hung together gossiped about everything but kept smiling the whole time while talking much $#iT behind your back. gotta love the cattiness huh?
Just finished Season 2 of Weeds, but Season 3 isn't on Netflix Canada yet. May be a renter, just to resolve the cliffhanger.
Definitely a better Season than the first. Although I found Peter's turn at the end a little abrupt and extreme, it certainly amped up the tension. Zooey Deshanel (Sp?) alternated between funny and annoying over the last few episodes, I hope she's used sparingly in the future, if at all.
Fans of golden age or just after Hollywood will appreciate this... I just spent the past hour watching home movies on YouTube. Home movies featuring Paul Newman, Natalie Wood, Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Julie Andrews, Sal Mineo, Jane Fonda, Kirk Douglas... too many to remember.
Shot by Roddy McDowell at his beach house and just now released.
Can you imagine beach parties with these people? It's fun seeing them in this setting, with windblown hair, kids and dogs underfoot. There's no sound- so it's eye candy only.
Apparently a documentary is being assembled from the footage. Roddy McDowell is one celebrity whose 'tell-all' I would love to read- but the fact that he refused to write one makes me like him even more. He was friends with just about everybody back then, apparently... and knew and kept all his friends' secrets.
I decided to dig out my videoptape of BLACKSTAR for the first time since 1981 and watch it again. It's just as I remember-- every frame screams "Filmation!" (the same people who did JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, STAR TREK, FLASH GORDON), but it's been terribly watered-down for "the kiddies". Oh well.
Here's what baffles me. Both the IMDB and Wikipedia have the episodes listed in a certain order, with air dates. Now, as far as I know, I taped the first 11 episodes off CBS during their initial run. And the order is COMPLETELY different! How is this possible???
Unless, of course, the information on both websites is INCORRECT and is being perpetuated because nobody knows any better...
1 - SEARCH FOR THE STARSWORD 2 - KINGDOM OF NEPTUL 3 - LIGHTNING CITY OF THE CLOUDS 4 - THE QUEST 5 - THE CROWN OF THE SORCERESS 6 - THE AIR WHALES OF ANCHOR 7 - THE LORD OF TIME 8 - THE MERMAID OF SERPENT SEA 9 - TREE OF EVIL 10 - CITY OF THE ANCIENT ONES 11 - THE OVERLORD'S BIG SPELL
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Currently watching the season premiere of Hawaii Five-0, now with added awesomeness from new cast member Terry O'Quinn!
Okay, overall I thought the season premiere was a bit weak. The whole "getting the band back together" thing was a little too easy after last season's finale. But it sets up what looks to be a pretty groovy new status quo for the new season! And I'm pretty excited about getting to see Terry O'Quinn on tv regularly again!
HAve you guys ever seen Office Space? Hilarious movie, especially great if you've ever worked in that environment. I worked at a IT company, and with just about every character in that movie...even with how out there some of them were.
Originally posted by Blockade Boy: Trying to figure out "Primer."
I think I might try playing it in reverse.
I just discovered this movie but have now watched it three times over last night and this afternoon (It's only about an hour and a quarter).
In case anyone ever plans on catching this fantastic movie blind, I'll spoiler tag this comment... but Primer has to be the most engaging and "realistically" presented movie I've ever seen about
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">Time Travel</span></span>
I highly, highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys films about the above topic.
And my mind is blown to learn that the entire film was made for just $7000!
The entire Avengers cartoon. It's great! Best comic cartoon I've seen! And as a huge Avengers fan it really captures that Avengers spirit.
Still watching old Highlanders. I'm on season 2.
I watched the original season of Spartacus: Blood & Sand. Awesome! (sad about Andy Whitfield)
From Paris with Love, Centurion, Stone, Dial M for Muder, Last Night (good new film with Keira Knightly and Sam Worthington...young married couple in nyc), Persons Unknown the mini series (i hate it...still have 2 episodes to go), an old Antonio Banderas flick from spain...tie me up, time me down, Sucker Punch (kinda liked it, kinda hated it), Black Swan(great!), Tron and Tron Legacy. eh.
APOCALYPSE NOW. I haven't seen this in a few years. I didn't see the redux this time (i have before). Great movie! My wife has never seen it and she loved it. I recently read Heart of Darkness also so I wanted to rewatch it. Great book...better movie.
Just watched the premiere of Terra Nova. It was actually a bit better than I thought it would be (my expectations were pretty low), but I'm not completely convinced by it yet.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Just watched the premiere of Terra Nova. It was actually a bit better than I thought it would be (my expectations were pretty low), but I'm not completely convinced by it yet.
I caught it Monday and found it pretty decent as well. I can see some things possibly derailing the show (like if they get too teen-angsty and what-not), but if they can enhance the mystery and keep things kind of edgy, it has potential. I'd hate to see a terrific concept go south like "The Event" did very quickly last year.
Yeah, it's got the potential to improve or go massively downhill. I found the "writing on the rocks" the most interesting bit of the whole show, and though they actually revealed a little too much about it by the end.
The characters are a bit on the cliched side (notice how similar the family structure is to "No Ordinary Family"), but Jason O'Mara's shines through pretty much anything he's given.
I also found Terra Nova surprisingly exceeding me expectations. It didn't floor me, but it was still decent and has potential. Also, like you guys, I'm a big fan of Jason O'Mara.
What the series could use a little upping of the danger / suspense factor to kind of bring the series to the next level in terms of a sense of urgency and uneasiness. Otherwise it runs to risk of feeling a little 'lite' like so many other shows have done.
In other news I found Pan-Am to be boring beyond belief (though with a potential good spy plot that could save the series if it was an centerpiece) and the Playboy Club to be horrible and a compilation of cliches and half-developed stereotypes. Neither has any acting worth noting.
Jorge, my wife and I also enjoyed Spartacus: Blood and Sand. It didn't try to pretend it was Rome or Deadwood in terms of being highbrow and instead reveled in the violence and sex of the era. That made it refreshing and exciting!
It was really sad about Andy Whitfield. I actually think we might not continue watching beyond Season One since he's not in anything after.
Just watched the first two episodes of Pan Am. Pretty enjoyable, and the production looked amazing. I'm particularly keen on the actress who plays the French stewardess.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Jorge, my wife and I also enjoyed Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
Gods of the Arena is actually pretty decent. It's set in the year *before* Blood & Sand, and you get to see some awesome backstory of Oenomaus/Dottori, Crixus, Ashur, etc. and, since it's set before the events of Blood & Sand, some relationships are surprisingly different. We know that Batiatus and Solonius are hated rivals, and that Lucretia and Crixus have 'a thing' in Blood & Sand, but their relationships are 100% different in Gods of the Arena, which is kinda neat.
I'm not sure if the violance and sex is less gratuitious, or if I just was so jaded by the amount in Blood & Sand that I didn't notice it as much in Gods of the Arena...
Episode 3 of Pan Am was somewhat of a disappointment. New York was totally miscast as Berlin. Christina Ricci's performance bordered on the manic, and there was a looooong German folksong involved.
Still lovin' the steel and glass look of the airport sets, though. In fact, if I could get away with it, I'd redo our living room in Mid Century Pan Am Terminal.
Breaking Bad Season Finale was pretty crazy. Looks like a world of possibilities for Season 5 (the last one). Glad they're pulling no punches with Walt's walk to the dark side and that no solution is ever neat and tidy.
FX Canada just launched and they're playing something called "American Horror Stroy" that looks interesting. I PVRed the first two episodes and will check them out later this week.
I checked out the first episode and liked it a real lot. My wife actually thought it was too scary and wasn't in the right mindset to watch it--so that might be a good endorsement of how chilling it is. I plan to eventually watch the entire season.
Can't wait to check out Breaking Bad Season 4, but I'll have to wait until the season is out on DVD.
Also really looking forward to the new western AMC has that will follow Walking Dead. That channel can basically do no wrong these days. (And I'm also glad to see FX staying strong now that Rescue Me is over).
I don't know why it was in my mind recently, but the other day I started thinking about one of my all-time favorite shows, "Twin Peaks". Bored last night, I watched the pilot episode again on Netflix. Man, that show was so good.
Long story short - I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to wind up watching the whole series again. Damn you, David Lynch.
So Eryk and other Hawaii 5-O fans: is Terry Quinn on full-time? To say I'm a fan is understating it like saying I don't like being stabbed. Maybe it's time I really check this show out?
Lash, you'll enjoy Arrested Development I think. It's not for everyone and it might not be in my top 5 funniest but it had true moments of comedic brilliance throughout.
Also, 'Hell on Wheels' has been freaking fantastic! AMC can do no wrong, honestly. The three best shows on television and this one is looking good too.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: So Eryk and other Hawaii 5-O fans: is Terry Quinn on full-time? To say I'm a fan is understating it like saying I don't like being stabbed. Maybe it's time I really check this show out?
He's a recurring character this season. He's a key player in the ongoing storyline this season. I think he's been in about half the episodes so far (I'm about four episodes behind right now, though).
Cobie, yeah your ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT description is pretty spot-on for me... I am liking it well enough as a whole... no characters that I just fall in love with like on my TOP-FAVE shows, but each character is just interesting and amusing ENOUGH that I am into it.
Also, I learned today that in quite an intersting deal, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT is RETURNING with all new shows, as a NETFLIX EXCLUSIVE.
Have not seen it yet but my father-in-law (who has good taste in television shows IMO) says its really fantastic. The acting, as expected, is top-notch with the groovy Michael Emerson and the equally awesome Jim Caviezal.
I've been trying to watch farscape, but the main actor is such a ham, and... puppets? Sorry, it just doesn't work for me. Though, they've got some very attractive ladies on it.
Yah know, she has a distinctive face. Not a classically beautiful face, but a distinctive face. But, on her, it absolutely works. Very attractive lady. Didn't she do a guest spot on The Dresden Files?
Not sure. I remember Claudia Black (Aeryn) appeared on Stargate in its last seasons around the same time Ben Browder/Crichton moved over to that series. Never was a Stargate fan, but I watched some episodes because those two were on it.
Claudia also was in the excellent sci-fi movie "Pitch Black" with Vin Diesel. She was an unfortunate early casualty in that one.
Oh no, she's beautiful, don't get me wrong. She has a distinctive face, not some blandly pretty face like say... Gwennyth Paltrow. That's why it works, her face is not only beautiful, it has character. Plus, she's got that husky voice. Grrrrooowwwwwwlllll!
I loved FARSCAPE. It did take a half-dozen or so episodes to really 'gel', I think. But if you're turned off by the main guy's hamminess, which I found fun, really, and didn't stop thinking of the puppets as puppets, you might not ever tune in.
Claudia Black ought to turn up in projects much more often. She's a good actress, in addition to her distinctive looks and great voice.
I've been watching ONCE UPON A TIME and GRIMM, both of which I really like. The first is much more ambitious in scope, I think. I was a bit shocked to see Kate Burton kicking butt in GRIMM, though. In a good way.
I also really like, in a guilty pleasure sort of way, REVENGE. It keeps swerving in ways I didn't expect. Hard to see the girl from EVERWOOD as someone as hardcore as her character here, at least at first.
I just watched HOW TO TRAIN A DRAGON- which I missed in theaters (not hard to do- my movie-going's really dropped off in the last couple of years). I thoroughly enjoyed this cartoon. It was sort of fitting to watch it just after Anne McCaffrey died. It reminded me how much I wanted a dragon to ride as a teenager (and still do, to tell the truth).
EDE, Lardy, Cobie... are you still into TERRA NOVA? I've watched the first 2 eps on HULU and am interested enough to continue. I'm mesmerized by the combo of high-tech and dinosaurs!
I haven't been keeping up with it regularly, though I've caught an episode or two since the premiere. It still strikes me as good, though not anything that's a must watch. If it.gets renewed, I'll probably go through and watch the whhole season.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Also, 'Hell on Wheels' has been freaking fantastic! AMC can do no wrong, honestly. The three best shows on television and this one is looking good too.
I'm 2 episodes into it and absolutely love this show. It turned into something that I wasn't expecting...which is a good thing,
Anson Mount is a good lead, but Colm Meaney totally steals this show though in my opinion.
Originally posted by MLLASH classic: EDE, Lardy, Cobie... are you still into TERRA NOVA?
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Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I haven't been keeping up with it regularly, though I've caught an episode or two since the premiere. It still strikes me as good, though not anything that's a must watch.
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Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: I haven't watched an episode since #2. It was good and if I can watch it I will but it wasn't something I just *had* to watch.
I echo Edie and Cobie's opinions exactly. Nothing wrong with the show, but nothing "must watch" about it either. Maybe with Walking dead on hiatus, I'll catch back up with it. We'll see...
IMO, best new series to this point goes to "Once Upon a Time" of the ones I've checked out.
I saw a great documentary on the big screen a few months back called, "The Cave of Forgotten Dreams," and, since then, have been working my way through the works of director, Werner Herzog. The man himself seems batsh!t crazy, but he made some fantastic films.
I just watched his "Encounters at the End of The World" last night, and now I totally want to visit Antarctica.
Next up on the queue is his second of five films made with fellow insane person, Klaus Kinski, a film of particular note in Legion World circles: "Nosferatu the Vampyre".
Originally posted by MLLASH classic: EDE, Lardy, Cobie... are you still into TERRA NOVA? I've watched the first 2 eps on HULU and am interested enough to continue. I'm mesmerized by the combo of high-tech and dinosaurs!
I saw the first episode of Outcasts -- the british tv series Terra Nova is based/spun from. I liked it, it seemed for a bit older crowd than Terra Nova - it was kinda intense/darker. Apollo from BSG is on it and the guy from Ugly Betty too. (Betty's boss)
I'm loyally following Ringer, it's my favorite new show, there are so many twists and turns each episode.
I'm also watching Grim, it's pretty good, I like it because it's a bunch of done in ones so far, and the comical werewolf helps.
I was at my buddies' place yesterday evening, watching some of Nick Park's work: A Matter of Loaf and Death and Shaun the Sheep.
As usual, really nice looking work, but I admit it irritated me that of course the evildoer was an "old"/fat woman. Because of course a few extra pounds/years makes us all homicidal maniacs out to destroy men and/or their friendships with one another, doncha' know. Thanks, Nick.
:rolleyes:
"Shaun the Sheep" involved the flock "inventing" rugby, using a cabbage that fell off the back of a passing truck... to the consternation of the neighborhood pigs, who wanted the cabbage for themselves. It was really adorable.
My DVD of "Centurions: The Original Miniseries" arrived yesterday. For anyone who never watched or who doesn't remember that 1986 cartoon, the concept is basically Iron Man cubed, three armored guys with a variety of weapons, each guy specializing in either air, land, or sea. A cool twist which I've always liked is that the person in charge of teleporting their weapons from a super-satellite in space to whatever location they happen to be in is a woman with a pet orangutan named Lucy.
I wish I could say it holds up as well as Transformers, but unfortunately it doesn't. Despite some talented voice actors in the cast, the characters are bland and the performances flat. And the dialogue lacks the wit and snap of the better 80s action cartoons (like Transformers.)
It's also misleading to call this a mini-series, because these are actually five self-contained episodes. Thus, each one rises or falls depending on the quality of the animation, which varies. The best ones have a nice combination of smooth, clean "American-style" designs and punchy, dynamic "Japanese-style" action sequences. My favorite episode by far is the first, "The Sky Is On Fire." I'd recommend trying to find that one on the internet rather than spending money on this DVD.
Don't roll your eyes too hard, but I've totally gotten into THE VAMPIRE DIARIES on Netflix.
I'm halfway through Season 1. Where does it rank with past vampey things?
It's much less campy than Buffy could be... about 50 times more exciting than what I have seen of the Twilight films (the main girl is 10 zillion times better than the Bella)... of course it's PG-13 unlike True Blood, but I think overall I'm enjoying it as much as True Blood.
So... it's kinda a less-humorous themed, much more exciting, less booby/butty version of past vampirey things!
Originally posted by cleome45: "Shaun the Sheep" involved the flock "inventing" rugby, using a cabbage that fell off the back of a passing truck... to the consternation of the neighborhood pigs, who wanted the cabbage for themselves. It was really adorable.
Shaun the Sheep is hysterical to me for some reason. The kids watched it when it was on Disney as buffers between shows...great stuff.
American Horror Story was dealt a blow for me with the Rubber Man episode (we're a few weeks behind in Canada). Not to be too spoilery, but I didn't like the "pulling back the curtain" aspects of it. I want spooky, creepy and challenging fare, not a soap opera of ghosts. Hoping the last handful of episodes get it back on track.
An extremely fast-paced, action-packed thrill-ride that looked AMAZING! I swear I wanted to just teleport myself straight onto the screen and run around all those awesomely animated foggy French streets and dusty North African towns myself.
I was a big fan of Herge's books about this famous boy-reporter when I was growing up and have read all of them - so I went into this movie with some trepidation that they might screw it up. But I was seriously impressed.
Super-fun movie and I really hope we get a sequel now.
Originally posted by Dave Hackett: American Horror Story was dealt a blow for me with the Rubber Man episode (we're a few weeks behind in Canada). Not to be too spoilery, but I didn't like the "pulling back the curtain" aspects of it. I want spooky, creepy and challenging fare, not a soap opera of ghosts. Hoping the last handful of episodes get it back on track.
NO AHS SPOILERS HERE, just info that may be helpful...
In the 12 episodes of AHS, you get a complete story that meets the 3 criteria you list. HOWEVER... the soap-opera aspect is there too. Don't let that be a dealbreaker because...
The next-to-last episode is one of the most ....SEVERE hours of television I have ever watched. The finale: 100% NOT what I expected but left me very satisfied.
And Jessica Lange gives an awardsworthy performance throughout.
30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and The Office all resume tonight, hooray! But ...it will seem SO weird without my beloved Community! Up All Night (also resuming tonight) is cute and all but it's SO not as streets ahead as Community.
awesome. Love me some Myrna Loy. And that series, while a bit different from the books, was a great example of that kind of pop, zing and verve from that era.
I recently bought the Guiding Light classic DVD set and have seen a few of the episodes from the early '80s, only one of which I distinctly remember seeing when I was a teenager. It's interesting to see the standard of male beauty changing at that time. The young leading men were starting to become more buff. Before that, a handsome face was considered sufficient. Rugged young men such as John Wesley Shipp (Kelly Nelson [Shipp still looks awesome, BTW]) and Greg Beecroft (Tony Reardon) spent a lot of time shirtless. It's a lot of fun seeing this show again.
I'm glad "Justified" started up again. Not the best thing in the world, but better than most.
Speaking of cops in hats, I've been catching up with "Prime Suspect" in Demand and I like it a lot - it's too bad people were so turned off by Maria Bello's ladyballs. (I don't know what it is, but it seems they promoted it all wrong - who knows?)
Watched "A Serious Man" last night. Still thinking about it, mulling over the "difficult" ending. Not sure if the movie was successful or not, but there were some great individual scenes.
Somebody at work recommended the cartoon Archer: a parody of Sixties spy epics. I could only get clips (no cable or satellite), but it does look pretty amusing.
Also caught what I think is the last episode of Bob's Burgers. It reminds me of why I never followed my Mom into the restaurant biz.
I just finished watching the first episode of the new NBC show "Smash." It does have every making-of-a-musical cliche, but this kind of story has been neglected in TV and movies for so long, that it feels fresh, or at the very least like an old friend one hasn't seen for a while. And I thought it was well-written and well-cast -- my favorite is Katherine McPhee as the small-town girl with dreams of stardom.
I empathized with both actresses up for the role, and had to dab a tear for both of them last night. Also touched by the final scene at the adoption meeting and Anjelica's joy at not losing her director.
I love everything about SMASH, but I did spend some time in the theatre world in the 90s so that's not a big surprise to me.
I'm waiting until the weekend to watch the next episode of "Smash" so I can savor it and so I won't be tired from staying up late. After reading Lash's review, I'm even more excited about it.
Just watched episodes 3 and 4 of SMASH... yeah, there's a lot of "cliche" kinda stuff going on here... jealousies, diva-ness, cheating, etc. and I am *LOVING* every minute of it. Let's face it, this is what happens in theatre.
Much more realistic to me than GLEE ever could hope to be.
I highly recommend Archer--fall off the couch hilarious! The humor is abbrasive that it's engrossing.
Drake, I also like Justified quite a bit. We've always kind of liked the same shows.
For example, I've been rewatching all 7 seasons of the Shield, which is the best cop show ever IMO, and one of the best TV shows ever. Just finished the finale of season 5 this past weekend--whew, I forgot how tough the show is on it's viewers. I've got my wife totally hooked, and shes been a trooper handling the rough subject matter. The show amazingly contains what I consider the greatest performances ever by both Glen Close and Forrest Whitaker.
I just watched a British film that I really enjoyed, called, "Exam".
The premise is this:
There are eight final candidates competing for an extremely prestigious position within a corporation.
Having reached the final selection stage, they are brought into an exam room with a single piece of paper sitting on their desk and are told they have 80 minutes to answer a single question to determine who gets the job.
They are given a block of instruction containing a few key points which will result in their disqualification, namely - They may not spoil their paper in any way, they may not leave the room for any reason, and they may not attempt to communicate with the armed guard at the door.
The timer begins, they flip their papers over... and they are completely blank.
Thus begins a nice 80 minute suspenseful puzzler of a film that completely held my interest throughout. It is basically a character study piece of the candidates themselves, where each minute escalates the tension between this group, and the lengths that each will go to ensure that they are the only one to answer correctly.
I did find the ending a little less than what I had hoped, but the journey there was quite engaging.
I'm watching reruns of The Rockford Files, and also Portlandia on hulu.
The latter can be pretty uneven. It often suffers from "SNL" syndome. (Lorne Michaels is at the helm, after all.) Y'know, that thing where a sketch runs on five or ten minutes longer than it should, because nobody knows how to end it.
Some of the sequences are priceless, though. A local organic grocery service brings a Yuppie couple a Durian, and the resultant surreal happenings are almost worthy of Kids In The Hall at its best. A cat goes on tour with a two-person human band, only to attract a very creepily-devotional human fan.
And the recent half-hour ep about people who take brunch wayyyy to seriously was doubly rewarding, because I recognized most of the places in which it was set. (The local pizza parlor was disguised as the brunch place that everyone had to get into at the same time.)
The wife and I went to see "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" this evening - the espionage film with Gary Oldman and Colin Firth - and... I am just dumbfounded at how little I enjoyed this film.
I fancy myself a reasonably intelligent person, but I don't think I can remember a time when I have understood less of what was going on in a film than I did during this one.
I'm not even talking about the "wow... this has so many convoluted twists that I'm lost in the plot" type of confusion that can be, at times, sort of fun. No... I'm literally talking on the level of, "Wait... who is that guy? What are they doing now? Why are they doing that?"
Perhaps I was in the wrong mind set, perhaps the variety of dialects used added to the effect, perhaps it was a case of not being familiar with the source material, but... whatever it was, I'm amazed that I could sit though a film that garnered fairly wide acclaim and come away just so unsatisfied.
Originally posted by Blacula: ^ Archer is HIL-ARIOUS! I think it would definitely appeal to the Venture Bros./Community/etc.-appreciating crowd here at Legion World.
I've only seen the first season though. Definitely need to track down the others.
Having just seen the first eight eps, I'm now convinced that it's secretly written by certain Legion Worlders. I refuse to name names, however.
(Also, watching it before bed? Not good. I don't ever want to talk about my dreams ever again...)
I was worried about Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy being a bit too complex.
I like dense espionage tales but sometimes they get lost in translation (into a film).
I personally think that films and novels should be shorter and more focused. There is an art to the novella.
Anyways this has happened to me watching other movies...i tried watching them again a few years later. Usually the 2nd time around it's better. But I hear what you are saying.
Originally posted by Raging Bull: Mad Men, but I'm not really feeling it this season. The hiatus was so long that it sometimes feels like I'm watching a parody of Mad Men.
I'm a longtime fan and I'm also not getting into it yet this season. Something else else feels like it's missing--some kind of tension, or I don't know what. I'm hoping it picks up.
Having watched the penultimate episode of the current second season, I must continue to extol the virtues of SyFy's American version of Being Human. This has been an engaging and occasionally hilarious series since it debuted last year. I can't compare it much to its British progenitor (couldn't even get thru the pilot of that version), but in and of itself, this show is just flat-out good!
Again, if you've never heard of it, the premise revolves around a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost sharing an apartment in an attempt to "be" more "human". The vampire Aidan struggles (often unsuccessfully) to stop feeding on people and to be free from the mafia-esque vampire society he's been a part of for centuries. The werewolf Josh had his life shattered by the encounter that turned him and constantly finds his attempts to rebuild complicated by his curse in some unexpected ways. The ghost Sally was a murder victim and her dealing with her afterlife helps us see things from the ghost perspective in ways we've never seen.
I know it sounds all angst-ridden and melodramatic--and it IS all that and more! But the show finds the right balance to not always take itself so seriously, even while delivering a lot of shocking, emotional developments. It's not a "funny" show, but it's not all "Twilight-y" either. Plenty of down-and-dirty violence and sexiness without glitter and lipgloss.
Definitely recommended for sci-fi/horror TV genre fans and anybody who likes to be entertained.
I'm the opposite of Lardy, I can't stand the remake of Being Human. But even the current season of the UK original with 2/3 of the principle cast gone, is really compelling and fun.
I'd skip the pilot myself as a lot of the premise really changed going forward with the main series, but would highly recommend at least the first three series (which are only 8 episodes each I believe).
Been watching "The Voice" avidly. That said, tonight Christina Aguilera goes and eliminates THE BEST FRIGGIN' SINGER IN THE WHOLE DAMN COMPETITION!!! WTF?!?!
Note to all future male Voice competitors: If Christina presses her button, and you have ANY other coach turn around for you, CHOOSE THE OTHER COACH! Between this season and the first, Christina sticks with the divas, even if there's a clearly superior male on her team!
Jesse should have had a shot at winning it all, and Christina sabotaged it. #superpissed
Ps - Lardy, you are so right on the Voice. I'm quasi into it, but my wife really is. But c'mon--what the HELL is Christina thinking? She's my girl from waaaay back (the dirrrty video changed my life ) but she is definitely the worst coach.
It was also telling how when Blake and his four did a song together, he let each shine in a big way without taking any spotlight, while with Christina did the total opposite.
Yeah, I noticed that, too. Blake didn't have a single solo part while Christina hogged most of the spotlight. I mean...that outfit alone!
Usually, I'm not into singing competitions or even most reality shows in general, other than Survivor. There were two seasons of American Idol where I was into the final 10 or 12. But there's something about the Voice that has hooked me this season and its debut last summer.
Coming into this week, I thought Christina's and Ceelo's teams were the ones to beat. But Christina has all but insured her team won't win by eliminating Jesse.
BTW, did you hear the lady on Ceelo's team do "Roxanne" the previous week? That was AMAZING!
I watched the first four episodes or so, then stopped. There just wasn't enough to draw me in. Wouldn't be surprised if it's gotten better since then. I also jumped off shows like Fringe and Lost early on and ended up returning and becoming a big fan.
It's definitely turned out to be one of the big surprises of the season.
It's got the basic problem that the longer it goes on, the more improbable it seems that this secret culture of Wesen are living among us, since like half the population seem to belong to it, but once you get past that, the build up of mythology is actually getting pretty cool.
Originally posted by Lard Lad: Yeah, I noticed that, too. Blake didn't have a single solo part while Christina hogged most of the spotlight. I mean...that outfit alone!
Usually, I'm not into singing competitions or even most reality shows in general, other than Survivor. There were two seasons of American Idol where I was into the final 10 or 12. But there's something about the Voice that has hooked me this season and its debut last summer.
Coming into this week, I thought Christina's and Ceelo's teams were the ones to beat. But Christina has all but insured her team won't win by eliminating Jesse.
BTW, did you hear the lady on Ceelo's team do "Roxanne" the previous week? That was AMAZING!
Lardy, did you see last night's ep? My wife was ready to try to pull Christina through the television screen and slap her upside her head! She's officially joined the Christina haters, which seem to be a groundswell movement online. I can't blame 'em.
But all four had great performances. I really like Tony Lucca and if he won I'd be happy, but I have to say, Jermaine is probably my favorite.
Yeah, I watched it. Don't know why Christina's so snarky to her old Mickey Mouse mate Tony. But I have to applaud her for allowing Chris Mann to go through on her team without interference. Lindsey was cute, but Chris is clearly better than her on her team.
Speaking of Tony, I like him, but I was in love with singing of his blonde teammate Katrina (you know the cubicle lady). I thought she was just great and got better every week, while Tony, IMO, peaked with the Britney Spears cover. If Adam hadn't given Tony the 60/40 edge, Katrina would've been in the finale.
Jermaine has the edge I think. Either him or Chris should win.
I love Juliet, but she's a little inconsistent. She didn't do so well on "Free Bird" or with "Crying" a coupla weeks ago, imo, while she killed it on "Roxanne" and "Man's World".
All in all, it's a terrific final four, if not my ideal line-up. Jesse and Katrina were my choices for Teams Christina and Adam. But the four who are there are terrific.
Originally posted by Raging Bull: [b]Mad Men, but I'm not really feeling it this season. The hiatus was so long that it sometimes feels like I'm watching a parody of Mad Men.
I'm a longtime fan and I'm also not getting into it yet this season. Something else else feels like it's missing--some kind of tension, or I don't know what. I'm hoping it picks up.[/b]
It's picking up a little but I'm still not 100% feeling it. I think the blame lays on what's going on with Don. Which is really not all that much that is exciting. Subsequently, I now find Megan a bit irritating. I do get that their showing the generation gap in the 60's and how the culture was changing and find it fascinating.
Peggy is as awesome as ever, and she's basically carrying the show.
Meanwhile, Pete is back to being someone I dislike. And Roger, while reclaiming a certain charm that has been missing since the third season, needs to continue along his character arc this season so it can get exciting.
Ken has continued to emerge as a favorite. Joan is fantastic. Lane is a great character. Even Sally is great. I need a healthy dose of them each episode to balance out the boring Don stories.
Originally posted by Dave Hackett: Sherlock Series Two finally made it's North American debut and didn't disappoint. Can't wait for Baskervilles next week.
Definitely enjoyed it, though a bit annoyed that <span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">Irene Adler didn't quite beat Sherlock in the end.</span></span>
Underworld: Awakening. And wondering if the Danny Mcbride that was part of creating the characters is the same one from Land of the Lost and East bound and down.
Sherlock: Hounds of the Baskerville was a bit of a letdown. I had the mystery solved early and didn't find it the best episode (while still good, it just wasn't up to Sherlock's High standards). I wonder if the 8 minutes PBS lopped off made a difference?
Of all the new shows annoucned, "Vegas" by CBS looks to be the possible best. It also has what looks like the best cast, complete with Michael Chiklis who finally returns to television after his jaw-droppingly phenomenal run on the Shield.
mr_cleome has on a lot of Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart in the evening, but since I'm not a two-party believer and just want this joke of an election over ASAP, it doesn't really do much for me.
Though Colbert discussing fashion with Anna Wintour was good for a few chuckles.
Originally posted by Exnihil: Lately I've been addicted to a group of documentaries collectively called the "Up Series".
In 1963, a group of English 7-year olds from different backgrounds were interviewed on topics ranging from the class system to race relations to gender issues. The conceit was that these children would be representatives of the generation who would be in power in the year 2000. The initial program was called "7 Up".
The same group was interviewed 7 years later at age 14, and thus started a series that could very easily be called the first "reality series," as subsequent entries visited the same group at ages 21, 28, 35, 42, and 49, with "56 Up" currently in preproduction.
I'm up to the 35 episode and am just astounded at what a beautiful experiment this series is. It's like a stone was skipped through time, allowing you just the briefest touch points as you watch these fourteen people grow in ways that for some you could have well predicted at age 7, but for others you never could have imagined.
I'm not doing it justice, but it's good, good stuff.
And... two and a half years after I wrote that... I'm watching "56 Up"!
It was broadcast in the UK over the past few weeks, but probably won't be available in the States for a bit, but... you know... the magic of Youtube, and all that.
This is the largest number of returning participants since age 21, with 13 of the 14 taking part.
I would love to see this project continue to at least "70 Up" to provide a sort of symmetry to the whole thing, but the reality is that director Michael Apted is, himself, 71 at this point.
He's said in the past he would continue the project as long as he's able, though, so... fingers crossed, hopefully I'll be posting about "63 Up" seven years from now.
We watched "Melancholia" a couple nights ago. It was about what I expected. It was well made but the plot was less important than the overall tone and the acting was good but the characters were pretty unlikable. It may have been the first Lars Von Trier film I watched in it's entirety.
I caught "Badlands" on TCM earlier. Terence Malick's first film and loosley based on spree-killer Charles Starkweather. Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek were so young then and played the roles with such nonchalance that the crazy things they were doing seemed almost normal. The vast open landscape of the midwest looks pretty alien to the rolling, wooded hills of mid-Georgia where I sit.
The Bruce Springsteen song "Nebraska" was based on the same events so now it's stuck in my head.
I am not currently watching anything current, but I am picking up the "Big Bang Theory" dvds, and I just finished season 1 of "Game of Thrones." GoT was pretty good, but then, having read the books multiple times, it held no surprises. Still, it was fun to watch.
Watched some of our favorite Breaking Bad episodes in lead up to last night's season premiere, which, of course, meant the premiere suffered a little in comparison (though it was still really good). Been waiting for four seasons to see full-on Heisenberg, and it looks like it won't disappoint.
Also watched the first episode of Misfits. It was decent enough and we'll definitely watch the rest of season 1 at least.
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" made it to Netflix Canada, so I gave it a try last night and found I liked it more than I expected. For a heavily CGI dependent movie, they did some decent work giving us interesting characters and plot. John Lithgow steals all his scenes, but they do a great job with Serkis/Caesar.
^ I just watched that movie too and really enjoyed it! I didn't pay attention to its reviews so I'm not sure how well it was received but IMO it's definitely one of the better Hollywood-style action/thriller/drama movies I've seen in a while.
I've only ever seen the original Planet of the Apes (oh yeah - and its crappy Tm Burton remake) so I'm not super-into that whole mythos, but I'd definitely pay to see a sequel to this one; as long as they bring back James Franco for it - I found the whole relationship between Ceasar and he really touching/powerful.
The 1st season of Continuum, another sci/fi show from Canada's Showcase. Not to be confused with the web series of the same name.
"A detective from the Corporate Congress ruled year of 2077 finds herself trapped in present day Vancouver and searching for the members of Liber8, a terrorist group from her time who are fighting to free the future from the corporations. "
[b]"A detective from the Corporate Congress ruled year of 2077 finds herself trapped in present day Vancouver and searching for the members of Liber8, a terrorist group from her time who are fighting to free the future from the corporations. "
[/b]
From that description I think I'd be rooting for the "bad" guys.
Last week I watched a pretty affecting film from Hong Kong called, "In The Mood for Love" by the director Wong Kar-wai.
I think I've mentioned in the past that I'm pretty into world cinema, but this film was probably one of the more "foreign" of foreign films I've seen, in the sense that some of the more traditional elements of western cinema that I'd normally take for granted as being essential to an engaging film, were absent... yet - probably five days on - this movie is still lingering with me.
The plot in a nutshell: two neighbors in 1960's Hong Kong discover that their spouses are having an affair together, and - by way of helping each other deal with it - slowly form a platonic relationship more meaningful their respective marriages.
And that's it.
It is really much more a mood piece than a plot driven film, but I found it really beautiful in its melancholy. The cinematography is probably as large a character as either of the two leads (perhaps more so), beginning in almost claustrophobic narrowness and opening wider and wider as the film goes on and the bond between the characters becomes deeper.
I'm probably doing a horrible job trying to recommend this - in fact, I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone for whom plot is the most important element of a movie - but if you occasionally like something that's more evocative than narrative, I'd say definitely check this out.
"That Thing You Do!" It's one of those movies I will watch at the drop of a hat. I'm a sucker for movies about bands that almost make it. It's got a great cast from top to bottom. I love the period setting in the early sixties. I love the way the band gets better guitars when they make the big time. I love the fact that Tom Hanks gives Peter Scolari work when he can.
This movie makes me giddy. And the songs are pretty snappy, like they say in the movie.
Been watching some "Doctor Who" in preparation for the new season that's about to start. I only started getting into DW last year, but I think it's the story of River Song (played with gusto by ER's Alex Kingston) that has hooked me so deeply into it. I love her! It's nice to see someone pushing 50 getting such a pivotal, meaty and just plain FUN role!
Matt Smith is thoroughly engaging as the Doctor himself, and Karen Gillan's Amy Pond (bringing redheads back!) has got to be one of the prettiest, sexiest ladies I've ever seen in all of Sci-Fi!
Originally posted by Exnihil: Last week I watched a pretty affecting film from Hong Kong called, "In The Mood for Love" by the director Wong Kar-wai.
I think I've mentioned in the past that I'm pretty into world cinema, but this film was probably one of the more "foreign" of foreign films I've seen, in the sense that some of the more traditional elements of western cinema that I'd normally take for granted as being essential to an engaging film, were absent... yet - probably five days on - this movie is still lingering with me.
The plot in a nutshell: two neighbors in 1960's Hong Kong discover that their spouses are having an affair together, and - by way of helping each other deal with it - slowly form a platonic relationship more meaningful their respective marriages.
And that's it.
It is really much more a mood piece than a plot driven film, but I found it really beautiful in its melancholy. The cinematography is probably as large a character as either of the two leads (perhaps more so), beginning in almost claustrophobic narrowness and opening wider and wider as the film goes on and the bond between the characters becomes deeper.
I'm probably doing a horrible job trying to recommend this - in fact, I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone for whom plot is the most important element of a movie - but if you occasionally like something that's more evocative than narrative, I'd say definitely check this out.
I bought the Criterion DVD of this movie years ago but have never gotten around to watching it. I might have to pull it out one cold and lonely night when I'm in the mood for some melancholia.
Canadian Netflix just added a bunch of content, so we've been alternating between Season 2 of Community, Season 2 of Justified and Season 4 of Weeds. All have been pretty decent so far. Justified especially really picked up it's game in season 2.
I would say the first season of Justified gets continually better and around episode 7 or 8 (can't remember specifically when) it really takes off into full gear. Season 2 is even a whole level better than Season 1 from the get-go.
The Shield remains a contender for my all-time favorite TV show ever. I just rewatched all 7 seasons in the winter (my wife for the first time) and was blown away again by how good it was.
Sons of Anarchy is probably the closest thing on TV to the Shield these days. Which makes sense since the head writer of the Shield (Kurt Sutter) is the head writer / producer of Sons. Just be warned, the subject matter of Sons is as heavy--and gut-wrenching--as the Shield. But the quality is immense.
Blacula, when we first started watching Justified I remember thinking "Why is this so lauded?" It seemed like a decent procedural, but nothing more. Then the season slowly builds, and sucks you in (especially once they bring Walt Goggins back). By the end of the season it had transformed into a "pretty good" show. Noe, every episode of Season 2 has been of superior quality so far.
I tend to watch lots of mindcandy USA shows like Burn Notice, White Collar, etc., so I started watching Suits pretty much on cruise control, and I'm finding the witty banter is really engaging. Season one is a little drier, I think, as they are still finding their footing, but the lead attorneys executive assistant, Donna, is hilarious. She has rigged the intercom in his office to always be on, so that she is always listening in on his private meetings, which makes her invaluable, in that she always knows exactly what he needs, even before he calls for it.
The banter between the lawyers associate and his elderly grandmother, who gives classic lip and doesn't appear nearly enough (which is probably what keeps it so fresh when she does appear), is also very fun.
I never gave USA a chance until the aforementioned Suits sucked me right in. I don't follow it religiously as I do some other shows but I love watching it whenever its on, for all the reasons Set mentions. Fantastic cast, clever dialogue and just awesome chemistry on screen between a variety of cast members. I do plan to eventually get the seasons and do a full-on watch through.
Since I got hooked on Suit, I started trying to give some of the other shows a try. The one I've settled on, though I've only caught episodes here and there, is White Collar. It's got my all-time favorite television crush, Hillarie Burton, though she doesn't appear nearly enough (60 minutes an episode is my preferred amount ). But the series really shines with two of my favorite factors: clever / ingenous plots and fantastic camraderie / friendship between the leads.
Like Leverage on TNT, another clever and well-done show, what's nice about these shows is they are by no means 'light' but they aren't super-heavy either. Yet, they also are superior to the rather run of the mill fare the main networks produce. Very entertaining.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Since I got hooked on Suits, I started trying to give some of the other shows a try. The one I've settled on, though I've only caught episodes here and there, is White Collar. It's got my all-time favorite television crush, Hillarie Burton, though she doesn't appear nearly enough (60 minutes an episode is my preferred amount ).
She's very pretty, but I think Elizabeth Burke is a much more interesting character, and Diana is both beautiful and, at times, snarky, which is cool.
Quote
But the series really shines with two of my favorite factors: clever / ingenous plots and fantastic camraderie / friendship between the leads.
The trust issues get a little stale, after a while. It feels like whenever they get too chummy, there's a contrived situation that pits them against each other, again, and it's getting old.
It reminds me of a bad vampire romance show I used to watch called 'Kindred the Embraced,' in which an uncle and his niece start out pretty much every episode at odds, because she's all rebellious, and he's all over-protective, and then, by the end of the episode, they've worked it out, and then, next week, bang, character reset, and they're right back at it, as if last week didn't happen.
On the other hand, it kinda makes sense with White Collar, because both of the leads are extremely intelligent men who are utterly convinced that they are smarter than the other, and that their choices are going to be better / more effective / more 'right' than the others choices. They talk a good fight about respecting each others abilities, but neither one of them is willing to share control of a situation, or is comfortable letting the other pull his weight.
I get that it's useful for maintaining a certain type of 'trust issues' drama (and that, given the scary levels of competence of the two characters, any situation in which they are firing 100% in synch on might get handled too quickly!), but the character regression annoys me.
The banter is great, 'though.
Of the other USA shows, Covert Affairs is kinda fun, Burn Notice rocks (Bruce Campbell!), Fairly Legal is utterly infuriating (see a supposedly smart character naively screw up every single week, and somehow win anyway, usually by exploiting her friends!), Psych is very fun (although the kids watch it more than I do), Common Law is new, but looks like it's gonna be fun and Royal Pains is a guilty pleasure that I only watch for Divya.
SO I'm doing my usual "giving a try" to shows on Network TV that look interesting.
The main thing that sticks out to me is that even though the four networks have huge budgets, they can never seem to quite get it totally right. Almost all of the shows on CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox have a certain amount of cheesiness to them that should not really be there. This wasn't the case a few years ago: when House and Lost and a few others debuted, there wasn't anything cheesy about them. Even shows that never made it like Life on Mars didn't have that cheese-factor. But lately, these last two years or so, it's like every show has an element of not willing to go "all the way". It's hard to put into words what I mean.
The three shows that I'm checking out so far are:
The Mob Doctor which so far is one of the better new shows. The acting is very good, and it has a quiet intensity that I like. In a way it's a medical procedural drama meets pure crime. Which is basically the only way I'll like a medical procedural drama. The set-up is firmly planted for when things go tits-up, and that should be entertaining / nerve-wracking to watch.
Revolution is a pretty good sci-fi type show. But this is the one that really has the "cheesiness" problem that I reference above. There are some really good moments so far (the lead character Charlie killing the warden in the latest episode at the end) but every episode is jam-packed with cliches, weak over-acting, lame coincidences and unbelievable dialogue. This show is rife with potential...but it really needs to get over these problems for me to take it seriously. And the nerdy millionaire character with the glasses? C'mon. Dial down the cliche-ness PLEASE.
Vegas debuted last night and its jam-packed with actors that I love, first and foremost being Michael Chiklis whose run on the SHIELD ranks up there with the all-time great acting jobs in TV history. Dennis Quad, Carrie Ann Moss (from the Matrix) and Jason O'Mara (from the American Life on Mars and the cancelled Terranova) also round out the cast and all are very solid. Quaid does a bit too much over-acting in the first episode but O'Mara is awesome, and Moss was impressive. (As an aside, Moss looked simply stunning! I don't care how much older she is than me. ) The show has a great high concept that is based on a true story: 1960 Las Vegas with a cowboys versus gangsters larger theme and a mystery / cop procedural episode to episode theme. There's a lot there that could please a lot of people. The only problem is the aforementioned "cheesiness factor" which isn't quite as bad here as in Revolution, but its there is small doses and needs to be cut out immediately. And considering how many movies and television shows have dealt with mobsters and casinos, they have to be very careful not to tread into cliche terriroty. So far, though, this could be the best of the bunch.
Also, one of my favorite comedies, New Girl, started out great last night. Hilarious all the way through on both episodes. The other two series rounding out that two hour block, The Mindy Project and Ben and Kate are not really for me, but they actually were better than I expected--both being pretty good. All the other new comedy shows look like absolute shit to me, particularly Go On and The New Normal. I've also always found Modern Family to be atrocious.
As I always say though, the very best shows on television can be found on AMC, FX, HBO and Showtime. That's where the good stuff is. And as previously mentioned in this thread, USA is producing some pretty good stuff too (and Leverage on TNT is good as well).
We gave "Last Resort" a try last night. My wife is a big Scott Speedman fan since he was on "Felicity," and you can't go wrong with Andre Braugher. It was pretty decent, although it seemed in a big hurry to throw a lot of characters on screen in one hour. There's a whiff of "Lost" about it, maybe just it jumps right into the action (although there was about 15 minutes of preamble unlike Lost.)
I'm not sure it's something that's going to have legs though. So many shows these days just beg to have one good year and then stop, especially genre shows.
Yeah, "Last Resort" definitely has potential, but it felt like they were trying to cram too much into an hour premiere. Interested in seeing where it goes, however.
Though I'm a red blooded American male, I find Sofia Vergera to be the most annoying thing on planet Earth. The problem with a Latina Marylyn Monroe is, Marylyn Monroe in general is the most annoying thing on planet Earth.
My pal Josh Siegel and I will buy Modern Family and turn it into a sitcom about a Depression era Jewish family that has a young prodigy that creates the superhero genre!
Ps - it'll maintain a certain amount of adorable gay shenanigans as Josh seems to really like these.'
666 Park Avenue was better than I thought it would be. I was expecting it would be ABC trying to hard to have a 'sexy show' (and there was still some of that), but was delighted to see a very strong horror element present throughout.
It was good enough to watch a few more episodes for sure. To be fair though, it wasn't anything spectacular--nowhere near as good or scary as American Horror Story. I guess it's that intangible "network cheesiness factor" that is hard for me to get over that krept up in spots.
I watched Elementary, I think the "I have issues" so I'm a complex character may drop off as the series continues out of pilot territory and hopefully it will be a mystery series rather than so much ... "I'm a genius ... I'm crazy and Peculiar ... I've got a dark past so I'm interesting!!!"
Anyway, I already like it better than the British one, at least this one offers a new take on Sherlock Holmes ... if a bit too many new takes haha.
Besides that guy that plays Sherlock on the British Sherlock Holmes gives me the creeps.
so in conclusion:
Lucy Lu + views of Manhattan = Peebz will be watching this.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: 666 Park Avenue was better than I thought it would be. I was expecting it would be ABC trying to hard to have a 'sexy show' (and there was still some of that), but was delighted to see a very strong horror element present throughout.
It was good enough to watch a few more episodes for sure. To be fair though, it wasn't anything spectacular--nowhere near as good or scary as American Horror Story. I guess it's that intangible "network cheesiness factor" that is hard for me to get over that krept up in spots.
Great to see Terry O'Quinn though.
I am looking forward to this ... I am somewhat hoping it will be cheesy and run with it. for entertainment value.
Hmm... I didn't like Elementary at all. Honestly, it seemed to me they should've just made a completely new character with a few homages to Sherlock Holmes, because it really seemed to have almost nothing to do with Conan Doyle's stories.
Haven't watched 666 Park Avenue yet, but my expectations are pretty low.
I'm enjoying the second season of Grimm. It strikes me as the kind of show I would've absolutely loved when I was about twelve or so.
I watched Grimm for almost all of season one and then gave up, I think the first few episodes with the evil conspiracy plot were the best ... and then the rest of season became a "Buffy Light" where the main character solves done in one problems. I am curious about season two though, from the advertisements it looks like its going to have more action.
I love that nerdy Werewolf guy!!! Even the main character and his GF are likeable, However I think the majority of the rest of the cast suffers from ... bad acting.
This season's been pretty heavy on the "conspiracy stuff", so you might enjoy it more.
The biggest problem I have with the show, as I think I've said before on this thread, is that the whole "underground creature community" doesn't make a whole lot of sense when it seems like half the people around are part of this community.
... what are great deal! I wish someone would make my dreams come true for some measly bloodshed and amorality!!!!
Great huge New York apartment (furnished no less), cute socially responsible lawyer golfing boyfriend! I want to be this plucky handy woman blonde lady ... "I will get this job at the last minute by wowing them with my architectural knowledge!"
I have architectural knowledge too!
*sigh*
anyway, VANESSA WILLIAMS! Seems like she's EVIL!!! and that creepy guy from Lost!!!
also, I think that bellhop is the malucci guy from ER.
It's an all star cast!
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text"> wait ... as I type ... Vanessa Williams is taking that blonde chick on a shopping spree. McQueen She buys her a frickin MCQueen. Of course this down home girl is going to look fantastic in it ... 'cause she is the building repair woman by day and a super model by night.</span></span>
Its not a scary show ... its a wish fulfillment show ... like a Disney princess movie.
Yes, it is SUPER cheesy but I am in for a few more at least! It may be my new favorite show.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: ...the whole "underground creature community" doesn't make a whole lot of sense when it seems like half the people around are part of this community.
666 Park Avenue just fell kind of flat for me. Not bad or anything, but just not enough there really to hold my interest.
Meanwhile, Revolution added another Lost alumnus to its cast last night. I really like the setup of the show, but the characters just aren't really doing much for me, yet.
Revolution is a pretty good sci-fi type show. But this is the one that really has the "cheesiness" problem that I reference above. There are some really good moments so far (the lead character Charlie killing the warden in the latest episode at the end) but every episode is jam-packed with cliches, weak over-acting, lame coincidences and unbelievable dialogue. This show is rife with potential...but it really needs to get over these problems for me to take it seriously. And the nerdy millionaire character with the glasses? C'mon. Dial down the cliche-ness PLEASE.
I also thought that, and similarly that it was a copy and paste of a lot of other *big hits* in popular media right now. <says dryly> The Hunger games ... + A little Walking Dead and/or Falling Skies + Outcasts ... etc. etc. etc.
Also, they had that weird 30 minute long fight scene ... where the one guy basically kills and army with ninja moves. was a bit ludicrous.
I couldn't handle Mob Doctor myself ... she was too *sassy* and the premise was too *edgy* .... which apparently the networks think is really appealing. what do I know though, they're making the millions off these shows ...
anyway, the whole, I'm gonna do something radical while everyone is arguing with me, and I save this man's life on the operating table ... turned me off.
I did try (don't laugh) Call the Midwife ... its a BBC America show ... and it was actually really good, a tear jerker and up there with the cheese but ti really pulled me in, the finale of the episode had me really sucked into it emotionally. In fact, I think it portrays what it is like to be poor or live in slums in an accuracy that is rarely seen.
I haven't tried Last Resort yet, or Mindy ... i heard it was funny but the quality probably won't last ..
I haven't tried Vegas yet either, I have been just too cynical and imagine its a Boardwalk Empire/Deadwood/ Etc. knockoff.
In fact, I loved Deadwood BUT it's totally not like something I would like, the acting really took it out of its been done grim and gritty set up.
... and I'm not gonna name names but ... I think there are a lot of Carrie Ann Moss dopplegangers out there on tv .... some shows like V and Lost and others .... and they don't hold a candle to Trinity!
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Also, 'Hell on Wheels' has been freaking fantastic! AMC can do no wrong, honestly. The three best shows on television and this one is looking good too.
I just started watching this a few weeks ago and I like it a lot. It has such a variety of fascinating characters, engaging and realistic plot twists and turns, and attention to historical ambience in every regard. I especially like watching how this diverse group of folks is learning to make a life (or not) in community together. We see the toughness and creativity of everyone as each tries to make a life for himself or herself up against the raw edges of ethnic, racial, gender, social, and economic barriers...all while trying to figure out where justice lies. A fascinating show!
3 episodes in, and I'm still into REVOLUTION. Charlie remains my primary draw; I was worried the show would become way too depressing but the glimmers of hope (like episode 3's ending) are very nice. Yeah, I know a show like TWD is probably a LOT more depressing in theory, but the fantasy element (zombies) just makes it different for me. REVOLUTION could threaten to just turn into a "people being awful to each other just because they can now" show, but I think that worry has been addressed in episode 3 somewhat.
REVOLUTION is losing me quickly. Too many of the characters are just really annoying to me.
Really digging VEGAS, however, which actually seems to be getting better with successive episodes. And looking forward to NASHVILLE's premiere tomorrow night.
I am so addicted to the West Wing ... I feel like I'm part of the cast ... I love my new friends.
I dropped 666. the biggest disappointment. I dropped Last Resort and Revolution.
Gossip Girl is in its final season and its pretty sad that that is the only show besides Star Trek TNG that I have followed straight through in real time as it aired.
I'm hanging in there for Elementary.
Quote
Originally posted by SharkLad: The West Wing is completely addicting... one of my favorite all time shows!
If you like the West Wing, you'll also like the Newsroom...
Right now, I'm watching season 1 of Homeland... I wasn't into it at first, but I've been sucked in...
I've only seen episode 1 of the Newsroom, I really liked it, I don't have cable so I will have to wait until I can download it.
I'm sure the viewers want some Terry O'Quinn and Vanessa Williams evil badnassery! Did we get that with episode 2? no, we got a story about some random lady. I'm not in it to see random Tales from the Darkseid one offs! I want to see Vanessa Williams snap that blonde lady's spine! and then I want to see Vanessa and Terry turn on each other! From episode two it seems like its not gonna be what I want for at least 10 or 11 episodes ... so I'm out. PEES!
notice how I spelled "dark side" .... that was unintentional.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: REVOLUTION is losing me quickly. Too many of the characters are just really annoying to me.
Crap! Just when I was ready to give up on the show, I really like the latest episode!
Totally saw the twist at the end coming, but it worked well nonetheless! Neville's story was actually pretty interesting, and the Jeff Fahey appearance was pretty much awesome!
Originally posted by cleome46: <span style="font-size: 20px;"><font face="palatino">Squirrels!</font f></span> The little beasts are everywhere right now!
Originally posted by matlock: We watched "Melancholia" a couple nights ago. It was about what I expected. It was well made but the plot was less important than the overall tone and the acting was good but the characters were pretty unlikable. It may have been the first Lars Von Trier film I watched in it's entirety.
I actually had to watch this one over two nights, as I found the first part to be a tremendous slog. The second part improved a good bit... but I'm sort of torn on Von Trier as a director.
I feel like he's very "unsubtle" in the messages he tries to put in his films. There's an old phrase about how to present things in meetings and such - "Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em; Then tell 'em; Then tell 'em what you told 'em." That works great for a powerpoint, but for a film? Not so much.
AMERICAN HORROR STORY - ASYLUM premiere was off the hook crazy. It's still got some of the drawbacks of the original where it won't settle on a tone, but in this episode turns it to its advantage by throwing everything but the kitchen sink into the premiere. In a single hour we get Horror, suspense, melodrama, sci-fi, period piece, and probably four other genres all thrown in a blender for a messy but tasty cocktail. If they can keep this up, it will be a very entertaining series.
Originally posted by Power Boy: Is American Horror story Asylum different than American Horror Story or is it Season 2?
Did they pull a Spartacus?
I like Clea Duval and Adam Levine as well!
It's a new "series" with a lot of the same actors (playing different characters). It looks like each year they'll do a complete story and then move on.
It's great because people who like Adam Levine can tune in to see him, and people who don't can tune in to see horrible things happen to him.
Jessica Lange is just too good of an actress ... she creeps me the f out!
I'm not sure if I will stick with this though, I had a hard time getting through Season one.
The acting is way too good and believable ... I like my horror to be a bit camp ... If its too realistic I just feel transported into this horrible situation. Too intense.
Especially the murder scene of the gay couple, it was just too real for me.
^ I really enjoyed AHS season 1. I actually thought it was very camp. Especially the gay couple whom I loved. I do agree that their murder scene was particularly horrible though. It was all laugh, laugh, laugh and then... head smash. That was difficult to watch.
The rest of the show was a hoot though. I loved all of the genre/tone-shifts. Screwing up tone is usually something that throws me right out of a show but this one worked because it was intentionally so all-over-the-place. I just jumped on the ride and let the show take me where it took me.
I also really like that it was a finite story in season 1 and now the show has completely reinvented itself for season 2. That seems like a unique concept to me. Have any shows ever done that before?
For the past month or so (mainly on weekends) my wife and I have been rewatching Lost all the way through. We just finished up season 3 on Saturday. I'd forgotten what a powerhouse season #3 is! Fantastic all the way through and the final 5-6 episodes might be the best run of episodes throughout the series.
This is the 6th time I've seen seasons 1&2, and the 3rd for season 3. It's amazing how much you continue to pick up on that you've never seen before.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: For the past month or so (mainly on weekends) my wife and I have been rewatching Lost all the way through. We just finished up season 3 on Saturday. I'd forgotten what a powerhouse season #3 is! Fantastic all the way through and the final 5-6 episodes might be the best run of episodes throughout the series.
This is the 6th time I've seen seasons 1&2, and the 3rd for season 3. It's amazing how much you continue to pick up on that you've never seen before.
Arguably, this is also where the wheels start to come off though, as a lot of the mystery and intrigue masterfully set up in season three fails to pay of satisfactorily as you continue through the series.
AMERICAN HORROR STORY probably deserves its own thread. I had a difficult time with Season 1, in that each and every character was SO gosh-darn unlikeable ...except for Connie Britton. I mean really, I hated all of them, except Connie Britton. And then the season just kept getting more and more DEPRESSING every week. But I hung in there, mainly for Connie Britton.
But when all was said and done, the season ended with the most bizarre and twisted "feel good" episode I had ever seen... I was kinda floored and speechless and really loved it.
Season 2 really opened strong and was much more thrilling than depressing to me. I'm definitely onboard!
And speaking of Connie Britton-- and one always should-- I am totes loving NASHVILLE.
Alas, LOST eventually lost my attention... I became convinced there was no way it was going to wrap up in a satisfying way for me.
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: For the past month or so (mainly on weekends) my wife and I have been rewatching Lost all the way through. We just finished up season 3 on Saturday. I'd forgotten what a powerhouse season #3 is! Fantastic all the way through and the final 5-6 episodes might be the best run of episodes throughout the series.
This is the 6th time I've seen seasons 1&2, and the 3rd for season 3. It's amazing how much you continue to pick up on that you've never seen before.
I think the Season 4 finale is probably my favorite, but overall those last few episodes of Season 3 are definitely among the best.
Originally posted by cleome46: [b] <span style="font-size: 20px;"><font face="palatino">Squirrels!</font f></span> The little beasts are everywhere right now!
We got a sweet deal on our Cable/Internet/phone package as part of their "retention" program, so we've been ODing on some On Demand choices. Finished all of Game of Thrones (excellent), caught up on Dexter (disappointing), watched the end of Alphas (keeps getting better), and we still have American Horror Story and Walking Dead on the go. Slowly turning into a couch potato.
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: [b]REVOLUTION is losing me quickly. Too many of the characters are just really annoying to me.
Crap! Just when I was ready to give up on the show, I really like the latest episode!
Totally saw the twist at the end coming, but it worked well nonetheless! Neville's story was actually pretty interesting, and the Jeff Fahey appearance was pretty much awesome![/b]
Bah! Focus on annoying nerd stereotype guy and flashbacks to his boring, personalityless wife pretty blew all the enthusiasm I started to pick up with the last episode.
American Horror Story Asylum continues to be far more intense than last series. Although there isn't much light-hearted fare, I do find it funny that every episode opens with something horrible happening to Adam Levine.
It kept popping up as "recommended" in my Netflix queue, so I finally relented and started watching the early 2000's series "Freaks and Geeks".
Started... aaaaand finished. There were only 18 episodes, and - once I saw an episode or two - I had to just do a marathon of the whole thing.
I was so impressed. It was such a spot-on representation of the way I remember childhood in the late 70's/early 80's. Remarkable for a show of this type, I found the characters incredibly well written - falling into "types" but not crossing the line into cliches.
Originally posted by Exnihil: It kept popping up as "recommended" in my Netflix queue, so I finally relented and started watching the early 2000's series "Freaks and Geeks".
Started... aaaaand finished. There were only 18 episodes, and - once I saw an episode or two - I had to just do a marathon of the whole thing.
I was so impressed. It was such a spot-on representation of the way I remember childhood in the late 70's/early 80's. Remarkable for a show of this type, I found the characters incredibly well written - falling into "types" but not crossing the line into cliches.
Well worth a watch.
SO GOOD. So many of those actors were at their best ... and even though many of them went on to supersuccess ... their Freeks and Geeks performances were their best. (IMO)
Suuuuch a shame this was cancelled so early. I came to love it a few years after it fell off the air and was really confused as to why it didn't get great ratings.
Originally posted by Power Boy: Suuuuch a shame this was cancelled so early. I came to love it a few years after it fell off the air and was really confused as to why it didn't get great ratings.
As I recall the timeslot wasn't ideal. We watched the first run and liked it, but it wasn't heavily promoted.
Freaks and Geeks is insanely good. I think the only one we watched during it's original run was the last episode, but we were hooked. I wasn't quite as old as the characters but I was close enough to remember that era well. It deserved a longer run but that last episode stands as one of the best finales I've seen.
The show was also hampered by a hiatus that didn't help it build any momentum at all. It's not really the kind of thing you'd have expected a broadcast network to green-light anyway so I'm glad we got what we got.
I just watched and enjoyed the first 3 episodes of American Horror Story. Gosh - they're certainly putting the "horror" in it this season though aren't they? Other than the odd moment, I didn't find last season that scary or disturbing at all. It was mainly all just camp fun to me. But this season is really quite horrific and gory. And so many tropes of horror are being thrown at us too - asylums, mad scientists, torture, exorcisms, the Devil, serial killers, monsters, aliens... I wonder if they're going to leave themselves anything new to cover in season 3? Maybe a Jaws-type water-based horror?
The trick with this show though is not to take it too seriously and just go along for the ride. I'm doing that and really enjoying it.
My wife and I just went through ALL of "ARCHER" on Netflix and holy hot shit that's a funny-ass show!!! GENIUS!!!! A friend described it as "Arrested Development" meets "Burn Notice" and (aside from the fact that there are several cast members of "AD" involved) that is a pretty good description.
For those who haven't heard anything about it, it's basically a spy-show satire, but the best one that's ever existed since "Get Smart."
Oh, I've also been watching "Last Resort" ... it's a tense drama week in, week out where it always seems like the world is at stake, but they manage to keep it up each and every week, despite how utterly preposterous the premise might seem.
And if any of y'all have been waiting for Andre Baugher to command the screen the way he did in "Homicide", this is the place!
The one episode we tried to watch of Archer started with the same juvenile "adult" jokes in other of the lesser adult swim stuff and my wife turned it off (it was the one where his mother gets caught covering herself in whipped cream in front of a video screen). Maybe it was just a bad one to start with?
Originally posted by Blacula: I just watched and enjoyed the first 3 episodes of American Horror Story. Gosh - they're certainly putting the "horror" in it this season though aren't they? Other than the odd moment, I didn't find last season that scary or disturbing at all. It was mainly all just camp fun to me. But this season is really quite horrific and gory. And so many tropes of horror are being thrown at us too - asylums, mad scientists, torture, exorcisms, the Devil, serial killers, monsters, aliens...
THIS. AHS:A is absolutely horrific this season!! What happened to Shelly last episode was HORRIFYING!
The alien angle is what is cunfuzzling me the most. Everything else ties up so well together, I am not sure how they are going to fit the alien angle in... or if the alien angle is really even needed (personally I don't think it is, but I am keeping an open mind about it).
The Sister Mary possession has me on the edge of my seat!
SEASON ONE SPOILER STATEMENT FOLLOWS HERE!!!
. . . . I do hope they avoid another "nobody gets out alive" ending, even though Season 1's bizarre and feel-good twist on that ending was genius.
We are currently catching up on the Newsroom, and I must say it is EXCELLENT. Wow, Sorkin really got back into form after the West Wing sort of petered out there. I think a 10 episode season may really be a great format for him to stay on task and not dilute the progress.
I saw one episode of the Newsroom, it was excellent, I have heard that some episodes are really good and some are too contrived/preachy.
I am muddling through Season 7 of the West Wing, apparently Sorkin left after season 4. You can really tell .... the show is all over the place. with all these weird new characters ... the different camps running for president ... its not the same type of show, much less the same quality.
I've started watching episodes of Spider-Man, aka Spider-Man 1981, aka the old Spider-Man cartoon that has no amazing friends, on YouTube. I haven't seen these since about 1987 or 1988. I saw one of the six Spidey vs. Dr. Doom episodes, which wasn't very good. But then I saw "Under the Wizard's Spell," written by my heroine Christy Marx and guest starring Medusa, and that was very good indeed.
I saw a visually stunning film in the theater over the weekend - Ang Lee's "Life of Pi".
It's basically a parable about the nature of belief and god but - taken on a strictly literal level - it's also movie about a young boy lost at sea for 8 months, sharing a life boat for various amounts of time - until nature takes its course - with a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena, and a freaking Bengal tiger!
It was an incredibly engaging movie, if a little pat in it's overall message, but it truly had some of the most amazing CGI I think I've ever seen. The animals in the movie were so realistically rendered that I had to keep reminding myself that they were just digital creations.
A warning though, if you happen to see a preview and think its a heartwarming tale or something, this movie has some pretty brutal scenes and is probably not the best for younger kids.
Kim Possible Later to the party. Since my earliest Internet days, I couldn't have avoided exposure to its fandom if I tried. It's exactly what I expected. Glorious ridiculousness. Some plots do get tired fast, and the "calling an old friend for a ride" thing is never amusing. After growing used to anime, several things struck me about Western animation, though Kim Possible may be a pretty extreme example. Super-simplified backgrounds. Hectic pacing. Fluid movement. The anime martial arts I've seen look choppy in comparison, though I'm not sure that's a bad thing. One of KP's outstanding moments: the zero-G fight. The animators don't use this as an excuse to up the wire-fu quotient. Her moves look talented yet awkward in this environment. The "robot fighting underground" which looks like Robot Wars when the overall weirdness level leads you to expect Super Robot Wars. And then a boxy wheeled machine transforms into a humanoid mech. Comb fights. "I added another L." Lanyards. "I gave him a few pamphlets." Jack Hench. "The student has surpassed the master." I'll say it: This show was the 2000s' answer to The Tick. I find it weird if this ends up on a list of "girls' action cartoons". She's an Action Girl, but it feels like one of those shows aimed at boys and everyone else.
ANIME:
Heartcatch Precure Probably back in 2010, with inadequate information, I decided to be a Pretty Cure completist. I got the impression the metaseries was better than it was. I notice now that I decided this when apparent fan-favorite Heartcatch was the newest series. Anyway, I skipped Fresh to get to it, and this'll probably be my last. (One review I saw of Suite killed any chances of my watching it. That show has the attitude of a really annoying art teacher I had.) I really don't like the Doremi style. I can't understand reviews that say this has better animation but weaker characterization than the early series. The backgrounds look cheaper than anything I've seen since Doki Doki School Hours. Aside from that, this is a pretty good show. It does break some conventions, but not enough or often enough. (It does at least answer a standing question I had: if you interrupt an attack sequence, does what you've done carry over to your next use? Answer: Yes.)
Michiko and Hatchin I heard this described as a buddy series with an odd relationship. What I heard about it wasn't accurate - in a good way. The team of a sexy escaped convict and the abused 10-year-old girl she saves doesn't feel contrived. Interesting rendering of the Brazilian setting, but it would be better if it could escape the lingering anime conventions.
Space Brothers (Uchuu Kyoudai) The first time I've ever started an anime while it's still airing. A decent slice-of-life-ish show, but the starting situation (older brother makes a career change and goes back to the shared childhood dream the younger brother already followed: becoming an astronaut) doesn't feel real enough.
TOKUSATSU:
Samurai Sentai Shinkenger I've dipped into Japanese live-action, even tokusatsu, before, but this is my first entry into the best-known metaseries. My reason for choosing this one? The monsters looked better, though part of that is context. They're mythical creatures, not aliens or the weird golems I've grown too used to. Anyway, it's about what I expected. It does start off really quickly, though. I guess they know the audience is used to this by now.
Originally posted by Dave Hackett: The one episode we tried to watch of Archer started with the same juvenile "adult" jokes in other of the lesser adult swim stuff and my wife turned it off (it was the one where his mother gets caught covering herself in whipped cream in front of a video screen). Maybe it was just a bad one to start with?
I admit to watching it with one hand permanently over my eyes, much as I did when South Park first came down the plank.
I don't know exactly why it works better for me than, say, Family Guy and many of the AS shows. I think it has to do with the pacing. Or perhaps that it feeds my own deep-seated suspicions regarding the mindset most "super-spies" would have if they existed in real life.
I don't find South Park or Family Guy interesting ... or the Simpsons ... or pretty much anything that is too entrenched in pop culture.
just too hard to keep up with.
I DID see one episode of South Park ... it was the Brittney episode where she shoots off her own head and then everyone's like "oh Brittney I love your new look!" and she records an album ... with no mouth ... and everyone loves it! haha
btw I was listening to Brittney recently, my music was on shuffle, and she was talking about shaving her <span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text"> ass </span></span> in one song!
ha! did she even realize she said that ... or does she just mindlessly read what they put in front of her? or is she really crude and funny?
I saw a movie over the holiday that I previously didn't know existed and - if I had - never would have thought that I'd not only enjoy it, but also still be thinking about it three days later... and slowly coming to the opinion that I'd seen a work of art.
Trust me, no one is more surprised than I that I dug this so much - but I'm talking about movie from 1968 called, "Head," starring... The Monkees.
First off, although I'd seen The Monkees TV show before, I've never liked it. I don't enjoy the sort of dumbed-down slapstick and random jump cut thing that typified the show.
That being said, though... "Head," - made after the cancellation of the show, and during a drastic wane in the Monkees popularity - was a pop art deconstruction of the prefabricated nature of the band, from the same production team that would go on to make "Easy Rider," and "Five Easy Pieces." In addition, it's also a meta-fictional reflection on the nature of reality and free will.
Yes... really.
It's very difficult to describe the movie in terms of plot... there actually isn't much of one, apart from an overarching theme of the four band members attempting to break free of the various levels of fictional constructs in which they exist. Instead, it plays out in a series of vignettes, connected in a stream of consciousness fashion that follow a sort of dream logic.
Throughout these vignettes, the band members are continually confronted with the artificial nature - not only of the world in which they exist (breaking out of staged scenes only to find that the "behind the scenes" reality is staged as well) - but also of their selves (having their actions cut short to be informed that they are not in line with the archetypes that they are supposed to be filling; being torn apart as their very bodies are revealed to be mannequins).
The ultimate journey toward trying to assert free will involves them realizing the only way out of this illusionary world is by death, so, in the final scene (which connects to the first scene in a "Finnegan's Wake" type loop) they attempt to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge... only to find even these actions are nothing more than part of a pre-scripted world.
I'll know that "meta-fiction" is not everyone's cup of tea... but when combined the "psychedelic" sheen of the era in which it was made, as well as some of the most bizarre cameos to ever be in a single movie - Frank Zappa, Annette Funicello, Jack Nicholson, and Sonny Liston, as well as others - it all just really clicked for me.
To sum up my feelings on it, I'd say it was like "A Hard Day's Night" as imagined by Grant Morrison.
If that sounds like something you'd like... check out "Head".
Originally posted by Exnihil: Trust me, no one is more surprised than I that I dug this so much - but I'm talking about movie from 1968 called, "Head," starring... The Monkees.
Oddly enough, I saw a PBS documentary on The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" on New Year's Eve. "Head" was essentially The Monkees' "MMT"--and, like the latter, was panned by critics and left fans scratching their heads.
And, like "Head," MMT is now regarded as an artistic masterpiece that influenced subsequent filmmakers (including Martin Scorsese, who was interviewed in the documentary).
If you want to get even more crazy, you should do a little searching around about what some conspiracy-theorists think of "Head" and how it connects to CIA brain-washing / the CIA control of the counter-culture (particularly in Laurel Canyon where the Monkees, Zappa, etc all lived) and how it was a "clue" to the true nature of who controls the world. Trippy stuff indeed.
Oddly enough, I've never actually seen Head, though I will say that I think the Monkees tv show is actually a lot more meta-fictional than is perhaps initially apparent.
I watched the full "Head" movie on YouTube the other day, and I agree with everything Ex said.
What struck me was that these were four young men who, through luck, perseverance, and talent, had achieved what most people want to become at one point or another: they were famous, and could make any sort of movie they wanted to make. (They include a tank, cowboys and Indians, and every conceivable film "wish" they could have wanted), yet they tried to make a meaningful statement about being caught up in the artificial construct of fame.
That the Monkees were also caught up in the '60s ethos is equally apparent. They were four actors (two actors and two musicians, really) who were hired to pretend to be a rock a band and, then, because they were young and naive and believed in something, they became an actual rock band. And then they tried to deconstruct the very mythology upon which they were based.
But, unlike The Beatles (and, to a lesser extent, The Beach Boys), The Monkees never did manage the transition from being fabricated celebrities to being "artists" who transcended their genre and pushed its boundaries. In retrospect, there are probably many reasons for that (The Monkees mostly relied on outside songwriters, the members themselves fell apart into individual pursuits and vices, they couldn't control media forces which seemed allied against them). Yet "Head" shows they had tapped into the zeitgeist of the times and were willing to ride that wave wherever it crested.
American Horror Story: Asylum continues on with all the threads coming together. For such an intense season it was a surprise to see the upbeat musical number plopped in, but it fit and it was a lot of fun. The Thredson/Kit/Lana plot is stretching it a little bit for me I think, but they can certainly get it back on track quickly enough if the rest of the plots are any indication. i find it fascinating that every week you don't know who to root for. Sister Jude started the season as the main "villain" and by the mid-way point you were rooting for her to take control back, and now she's another victim to be pitied. Same with Arden and the Monsignor. All the role reversals and subverted expectations are a real gas.
Wowee Wow did American Horror Story ever deliver this season. Easily tops last season. It was solid every single episode and scary, moving, creepy and pointed all around. Just great.
Maybe I ought to give that another try. I had the first season of AHS from the library, made it about five minutes after the annoying neighbor lady (Lange) showed up and said "nope."
I'm really liking the new UK Channel 4 miniseries Utopia.
The Utopia Experiments is a legendary graphic novel shrouded in mystery that appears to have predicted some of the worst disasters of the last century. But when a small group of previously unconnected people find themselves in possession of an original manuscript, their lives suddenly and brutally implode. Targeted swiftly and relentlessly by a murderous organization known as The Network, the terrified group are left with only one option if they want to survive: they have to run.
Rewatching one of my favorite shows, Life. Cancelled well before it's time.
Checked out the 2011 unaired pilot to WB's Wonder Woman. It was OK, nothing to write home about.
House of Cards: Episode 1 was free on Netflix. It's an American remake of a superb British series from the 80s. Kevin Spacey plays the House Majority Whip and he's a devious, smooth-talking manipulator. When he's passed over for the position of Secretary of State, he goes into overdrive for behind-the-scenes political power.
I really enjoyed it. Spacey did a great job as a soft-spoken Southerner wielding a big stick. One of the charms of the original series was when the Whip (played by Ian Richardson) would turn and address the audience, explaining what he was doing or commenting on another character. Spacey handles that well. He seems so likeable and he's such a corrupt, devious rat.
The whole series is on Netflix, which I'll likely watch, although we currently have a household dispute over the merits of the production.
I have just found the British Channel Four and am loving it.
I watched the first season of Black Mirror ... which was very well done ... I found it a bit annoying at first as it is a social commentary and seeks to disturb it's audience out of it's banal and complacent lifestyle. (One i don't feel I have to boot)
It is a futuristic sort of tales from the darkside / twilight zone type series about where society could go ... if current trends of media and technology continue.
However, episodes 2 and 3 were so well done that I gave over ... (and was able to ignore the arrogant writer of the series trying to educate me ... the poor pleb ....)
episode 3 especially was fantastic and could be in any context (sans sci fi) and would have been brilliant.
I can't wait for Season 2.
---------------------------------------------
I watched the Secret State with Gabriel Byrne which is inspired by A very British Coup ... which I have to watch now.
FC you might like these ones as they are in the same style as House of Cards. but much less wacky.
Anyway, the Secret State about a Deputy Prime Minister who comes to power when the PM goes down in an airplane, and everyone is vying for the position of Prime Minister, yet there is also a conspiracy ... is excellent. The later part of the miniseries is balls out! but they set something up at the end which I would be interesting to explore but ... they ended the series instead.
I also started watching this show called Dead Set ... which is about a Big Brother type show ... during a zombie apocalypse. They get the Big Brother type people and the producers dead on ... but beyond the initial lunacy of the context ... it gets kind of boring. I will keep at it though.
House of Cards: Episode 1 was free on Netflix. It's an American remake of a superb British series from the 80s. Kevin Spacey plays the House Majority Whip and he's a devious, smooth-talking manipulator. When he's passed over for the position of Secretary of State, he goes into overdrive for behind-the-scenes political power.
I really enjoyed it. Spacey did a great job as a soft-spoken Southerner wielding a big stick. One of the charms of the original series was when the Whip (played by Ian Richardson) would turn and address the audience, explaining what he was doing or commenting on another character. Spacey handles that well. He seems so likeable and he's such a corrupt, devious rat.
The whole series is on Netflix, which I'll likely watch, although we currently have a household dispute over the merits of the production.
FC thanks for your review! I was especially curious about this one ... because I liked House of Cards but thought it would be challenging to a) cross the Atlantic to a different audience and governmental system and b) it was done a while ago so trends and habits in tv have changed so much.
The original House of Cards was very very dry ... which I liked ... but not sure how it could be adapted ... I have only heard good things about the American one though. I will try it!
Originally Posted by kenaustin
I'm really liking the new UK Channel 4 miniseries Utopia.
The Utopia Experiments is a legendary graphic novel shrouded in mystery that appears to have predicted some of the worst disasters of the last century. But when a small group of previously unconnected people find themselves in possession of an original manuscript, their lives suddenly and brutally implode. Targeted swiftly and relentlessly by a murderous organization known as The Network, the terrified group are left with only one option if they want to survive: they have to run.
I noticed this one as well and was curious! thanks. I'll try it out!
I saw Secret State and enjoyed it - realistic, to the degree that things didn't work out for the idealist Gabriel Byrne character, although I thought he was too good to really have survived in politics. Also, the "good guys" seemed pretty slow on the uptake regarding surveillance of their own activities.
Black Mirror sounds good, hadn't heard of that one - or Utopia - and thanks for the warning on the preachiness - I'll reserve judgment until Ep. 3!
Rewatching one of my favorite shows, Life. Cancelled well before it's time.
So true. I almost never rewatch a series, even one that I love ridiculously. But Life is one of those exceptions.
I tried following Sarah Shahi to some law show (Perfectly Legal?) and the dude to Homeland, but neither show really did it for me.
My latest temporary obsession is The Following. I'm not a huge fan of Kevin Bacon, or have any idea what makes James Purefoy so popular (although he was a great Marc Antony in Rome), but, by episode 4, the sub-plots and second tier characters are really starting to develop.
Most of my TV comes from the CW (Supernatural, Nikita, Arrow, Vampire Diaries) or USA (Burn Notice, Suits, White Collar), so it's cool to see something interesting from Fox.
Being Fox, they'll probably cancel it immediately. I'm still feeling the burn from Firefly.
I'm enjoying the following too ... I liked episode 3 a lot and then end of episode four kept the ball rolling.
I am surprised I am following following. But its a pleasant surprise.
(I expected it to be a soft hitting derivative version of some more mature show ... that are everywhere now)
... Episode 1 and 2 were all right IMO.
I don't think Bacon or Purefoy have the acting chops to make it a Prime Suspect, or Whitechapel but ... I am really enjoying how it is not all shouty and jarring (like a lot else right now ... Homeland ... Newsroom ) It dosn't seem to have a huge budget either unfortunately.
Those two boys are damn cute though. Their subplot is stealing the show!
I haven't seen last night's episode yet, so I might be totally off base with this, but...
From the last scene with Bacon & Purefoy talking in 2003, I'm wondering if he had an affair with both the husband and the wife. There seemed to be an attraction between the two of them over that bottle of scotch.
Not sure if that needed to be spoilered or not. Better safe than sorry.
I bet 200 quatloo that Shawn Ashmore's character is one of the followers. It's too suspicious that he's the only person at the FBI that cozied right up to Hardy, instead of shunning him.
The bloom is starting to come off of the Following a bit for me. The plot holes and stretching are starting to add up a bit. I know it's a TV thriller and you give it some leeway, but it's presenting itself as a smart show, so I hold it to that standard, and the convenient ineptitude of the task force in key areas is a bit grating. That said Kevin Bacon is still great as the tortured Ryan, and the triangle is interesting, I just want to invest more in it but it won't let me.
Cross-posting from the "What are you READING" thread:
I'm currently almost finished with Clash of Kings, the second volume in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, being serialized on HBO as Game of Thrones. I'm interested in getting the HBO series on DVD but am leery of spoilers. Can anyone tell me how the first two seasons synch up with the actual book series? I saw [i]Bleeding Cool" has a preview for the third season. Any non-SPOILERy info is greatly appreciated.
Okay, that jives with what my librarian said about the first season and the first volume. Thanks Dave! Guess I'll skip the season 3 preview Rich J's got up on BleedingCool.
Robot and Frank. I really enjoyed this. I could watch this again, alone, on a date, with family. Just can't think of anything I didn't like about it yet I'd never heard of it. Just saw it on the library listing.
Glee (Season one). Hadn't seen any of these. Some of the story threads are kind of boring but I liked the one where the kid became the kicker on the football team. Usually they drag that "reveal" out for seasons. It was good to get it one and done in a good story that made me really root for the underdog and I'm not even a Beyonce fan.
We just started watching Dollhouse a few days ago. We've only managed to watch the first 3 episodes so far but I am loving the premise and what they are doing with it so far. Disappointed to learn it only ran two seasons
Dollhouse was a great show, but difficult to process as a weekly drama.
A lot of the first season was necessary to establish Echo and the dolls and play out a specific subplot over the long term, but it was torturously slow having to take it week to week, and that ultimately killed it on network TV.
By comparison, the second season was very fast-paced (perhaps too much so, but they knew they were on borrowed time).
In many ways it was a show before it's time and would have benefited greatly from a Netflix-style model like House of Cards or Arrested Development, where they just dump a season at a time.
I saw a fun movie last night from a couple years back called, "Real Steel".
Trust me, it's by no means high art, but sometimes you've got to just shut off your brain and go with it. It was a little bit corny, a little bit sappy, but a "lotta bit" just cool fun.
In a nutshell... it's Hugh Jackman fending off Keamy from "LOST" - and smooching up Kate from the same - while building and training an underdog machine for a robot boxing championship.
Homeland Season One: since I don't have cable this is my first look. Not really grabbing my interest. Kind of over the top and I don't really like any of the characters.
I think they're thinning out way to much, trying to give everyone down to the eunuch, a major story.
My favorite of the new stories I think would be Arya's by far.
Personal tastes I suppose, but Snow's story seems to have died on the vine, there wasn't near enough of Daenerys', she should be a player by now and I don't even recall the name of the guy that attacked the castle. The whole iron prince story? I think you could wipe that out entirely and nothing would change.
I'm still not up to date on GoT....one of my coworkers has the first two seasons on DVD and will be lending them to us when he is finished watching them.
In the meanwhile we PVRed the first episode of a new series "Orphan Black" last night. I'm not working on Tuesday, so we are going to watch it on Monday night....Also Dr.Who has started up again
I think they're thinning out way to much, trying to give everyone down to the eunuch, a major story.
I think that's a big part of the show's appeal, actually. So many characters to follow on their own fascinating personal journies.
And, MAN--Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister absolutely STEALS every scene he's in! Tyrion is such a unique and multi-faceted character, possibly the best character on television!
The siege--the only episode to date where the series has focused on one storyline. I noticed it was written by the whole saga's author George R.R. Martin. It was brilliant with Tyrion front and center. Tyrion has to fight for every bit of respect that he gets. It was sad to see everything taken away from him by his trampy sister and his sickening nephew after all Tyrion had done. I've no doubt that Tyrion will rise again, though.
And what can you say about Sean Bean? Is he the best at playing doomed characters or what? Maybe he'll fare better in his next fantasy series?!?!
Tyrion is my favorite character in the books, which are jam packed with incredible characters (many not yet on the show). The crisp writing and simply amazing job by Dinklage are able to easily translate the greatness of Tyrion without missing a beat.
I agree with Lardy that the far-reaching range of characters and complex plots make the show so appealing. I can't imagine how they'll get to it all!
The Siege ep worked so well because of the tight focus. The awesome Bronn / Hound scene was something Martin added in just for the show. Bronn plays a smaller role in the books but the actor brought him to life so much that Martin purposely wanted to expand his part. I thought it was one of the best moments in the season. The real star though was Tyrion, as Lardy says. This was my favorite chapter in book 2 and they captured his bravery so well in the show too. And then his utter disappointment and sense of betrayal as he's pushed aside after saving them all.
Tyrion's romance with Shae is also very touching, in my mind the most well-developed romance so far on the show. Seeing them together in the siege's aftermath was a big moment.
The stories of Ned Stark's younger children, Arya and Bran, are just awesome to behold. Arya particularly is so resourceful and determined not to live the typical female role in a noble family. I think it's hers and Tyrion's stories that I most look forward to seeing every episode.
I think they're thinning out way to much, trying to give everyone down to the eunuch, a major story.
I think that's a big part of the show's appeal, actually. So many characters to follow on their own fascinating personal journies.
Yeah, I suppose. I don't read any fan boards for it to know.
I imagine they'll adapt the writing to whichever consensus works best for the ratings. Having young people in power and being willing to kill off characters bodes well for longevity I imagine, kind of like a soap opera is never meant to "end."
That's probably the main reason I'm not enjoying the pace. I see it as a story that should end but I don't think any family is meant to ever "win." It's meant to go on with the Lanisters in power as long as people buy the books and watch the show.
The season premiere for Game of Thrones was pretty good. More of a catch-up episode to show where most of the players are at, and set things in motion for the stories to come. I want more with the Stark wolves, but my wife says that subplot still hasn't played out yet in the books.
Yeah, I got to see the premiere of GoT S3 myself. Not bad, but kinda slow. I especially missed seeing Arya, Bran or Brienne and their respective threads. One thing I know very well, however, is that each episode is one-tenth of the story they want to tell for the season, so it's all in service to the larger plot.
We've been having trouble keeping up with GoT (keep forgetting to set the PVR to record all new episodes), so today I picked up the first two seasons on DVD
I just subscribed to HBO, just so I can catch the rest of GoT season 3. I figure $10/month ain't too steep, and I can watch other stuff too. And when the season's over, I'll drop it like a ton o' bricks!
Watched the first episodes of Orphan Black and Ripper Street on BBC America. Both were brilliant! Orphan Black is just starting, while RS has been out for awhile. Anyone else watch these?
My wife and I are currently getting caught up on Spartacus as well. It's amazing how historically accurate it is--and how nothing is sugar-coated. Really well done, though the brutality is not for the faint of heart.
Watched the first episodes of Orphan Black and Ripper Street on BBC America. Both were brilliant! Orphan Black is just starting, while RS has been out for awhile. Anyone else watch these?
Watched the first coupla eps of Orphan Black yesterday. Purty good! A resourceful lead female character tackling dual storylines: taking over someone else's life and figuring out why there are so many ladies running around identical to her. Good supporting characters in Beth's partner, Sarah's gay best friend and all the dupes we've seen so far.
Originally Posted by kenaustin
Liking Orphan Black a lot! Hat is off to Tatiana Maslany for the different roles (5 so far!) she's playing!
Plus, we get to see her (mostly) naked! Hot sex scene in episode one!
Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid
My wife and I are currently getting caught up on Spartacus as well. It's amazing how historically accurate it is--and how nothing is sugar-coated. Really well done, though the brutality is not for the faint of heart.
I saw the first episode of, I believe, the current season a coupla months ago when that episode only was offered free on my provider. Gotta say, the violence/blood spatter was a little over the top for my tastes. The dialogue style also grated somewhat. (Basically, they mostly drop prepositions.) Still, if given the chance to see more in the future, I'd probably be up for it.
I believe what they are trying I accomplish with the speech patterns is make it a direct translation from ancient Latin. This way the directness and forcefulness of the Roman world gets across better. It works better when you're watching several at a clip.
I believe what they are trying I accomplish with the speech patterns is make it a direct translation from ancient Latin. This way the directness and forcefulness of the Roman world gets across better. It works better when you're watching several at a clip.
I'm actually a big fan of the odd speech patterns. It really sets the show apart, IMO.
I was also a huge fan of a similar convention in the short-lived TV series Kings, which can be found occasionally on Netflix or Hulu. The 'king' of the shows fictional monarchy affects an unusual way of speaking (apparently developed by his wife) to help set him apart, and it's kind of cool.
"We have met the enemy and he is us." Wow...Russian(?), blonde, and homicidal, "Angry Angel" is the newest clone!
I liked they way Sarah was clueless about police procedures, and how to wear a gun. Also the way Art assumes she's gun shy from the shooting when he notices the clips in her back pocket.
Favorite Felix "Fee" quote of the show, "My work here is done...Adios, Dragsters!" When leaving after having cross-dressed up Alison's kids.
My wife and I are currently getting caught up on Spartacus as well. It's amazing how historically accurate it is--and how nothing is sugar-coated. Really well done, though the brutality is not for the faint of heart.
I saw the first episode of, I believe, the current season a coupla months ago when that episode only was offered free on my provider. Gotta say, the violence/blood spatter was a little over the top for my tastes. The dialogue style also grated somewhat. (Basically, they mostly drop prepositions.) Still, if given the chance to see more in the future, I'd probably be up for it.
There is not nearly as much sex as the first series either!
I've been watching Vikings on the History channel, most of their programmes are only remotely related to history but ... Vikings is ok, except it reminds me a lot of Spartacus without all the great sex and/or action scenes.
I caught Defiance last night. While it seems like a familiar mish-mash of elements of other sci-fi shows/movies (plus some "Romeo and Jul;iet") we've seen before, the characters and conflicts are definitely interesting enough to bring me back for more. Hopefully, they didn't blow their load in the first episode and follow up with weaksauce like many other recent and failed sci-fi-tinged launches.
I'm also into Bates Motel. Theit five eps into a ten-ep season, and I think its a nice blend of soap opera, suspense and weirdness. It's odd seeing Norman Bates and his living mother (plus a half-brother!) in a modern setting, but it's working for me. I think if any of you catch the first ep, you'll have a good idea of whether you'd like it or not.
It's funny how many current first-run genre shows I'm enjoying right now that are helping me not miss Walking Dead so much....
Saturdays: Doctor Who and Orphan Black
Sundays: Once Upon a Time and Game of Thrones
Mondays: Defiance and Bates Motel
Wednesdays: Arrow
Add in Survivor and this is the most new television I've consumed on a weekly basis in quite some time! That's not even counting the recently-concluded seasons of TWD, Dallas and Being Human. Plus, Under the Dome and some other interesting-looking things are coming up for the summer!
The splashy bloody gore on Spartacus dosn't bother me so much because it is so obviously digital .. I like my violence non realistic ... if it's too realistic or the acting is too realistic like American Horror Story ... then I just get freaked out.
I believe what they are trying I accomplish with the speech patterns is make it a direct translation from ancient Latin. This way the directness and forcefulness of the Roman world gets across better. It works better when you're watching several at a clip.
The first season was like a music video ... and the all of a sudden towards the last few episodes ... S.G.R. real real.
Then the poor guy died, and there was some juggling but I think the prequel was pretty good, the only thing i wish was that new Spartacus and Gannicus had a season to go at before they became pals. There was some friction but not all out battle.
Could've been a season worth of action IMO.
I think it suffered from some case juggling of Crixus' love interest too.
I'm also into Bates Motel. Theit five eps into a ten-ep season, and I think its a nice blend of soap opera, suspense and weirdness. It's odd seeing Norman Bates and his living mother (plus a half-brother!) in a modern setting, but it's working for me. I think if any of you catch the first ep, you'll have a good idea of whether you'd like it or not.
I've been meaning to post about Bates Motel, which I'm also enjoying quite a bit! It's definitely weird watching a teenage Norman Bates texting, but it's working for me! Love the "corrupt small town" setting!
Yeah, basically, the Bates' are just another piece to a town that has all kinds of crime and weirdness going on. They fit right in!
Also, I'm not sure what to think about the acting of the guy who plays Norman. He often has kind of a half-smile going on even in the middle of tense situations. I don't know if it's a deliberate acting style or a quirk of the actor. In any case it seems to fit the character so far.
Norman also isn't quite the social outcast I would have thought him to be. He recently hooked up with a cheerleader-type and has a really cool nerdy girl who's totally into him!
Lardy, my wife and I got into Once Upon a Time big time two months ago, watching season 1 on DVD. As loved it! Smart writing as really great acting! I haven't seen any of season 2 yet.
Peebz, I agree on the Spartacus / Gannicus tension, though it is pretty freaking awesome when Gannicus joins them! The issues they had that led to the prequel ended up allowing for the series to develop in a much better way: additional layers to Lucretia, Onomeious, Asher and Criscux, and the inclusion of Gannicus. Seasons 2 and 3 have just built on it all so well.
And I love when a great show has a set ending with in 4-5 season timeframe; it makes it all more rewarding.
It seems to me the actor is trying to channel Tony Perkins quite a bit. He definitely brings a kind of quirky creepiness to the character.
Yeah, like I said...it's working. I wonder if it was originally his choice or if the producers encourage him to go that way. As I watch an episode, I often find myself watching his expressions a lot. I can see where this could be compared to Perkins, but the performance has also got some other stuff in there that's pretty fascinating.
The actress playing Norma has an uncanny resemblance to the Desperate Housewives actress whose character had so many kids. I was sure it was her, but it's not!
The half-brother Dylan is an interesting addition to the dynamic. I like how his relationship with Norman has already changed.
Lardy, my wife and I got into Once Upon a Time big time two months ago, watching season 1 on DVD. As loved it! Smart writing as really great acting! I haven't seen any of season 2 yet.
I keep wanting to hate this show for all the Disneyfied elements, but it keeps being so good despite those that I'm still really enjoying it!
Rumor has it that there may be a spinoff focused on the Mad Hatter!
Lardy, my wife and I got into Once Upon a Time big time two months ago, watching season 1 on DVD. As loved it! Smart writing as really great acting! I haven't seen any of season 2 yet.
Yeah, I've watched OUaT since the beginning. I particularly love the twists on the classic fairy tales, such as the much more complex story of Snow and Charming/David among many other examples. I also kinda dig how they both skew towards the Disney versions of the stories that are the best-known versions while at the same time using them to set us up for major alterations to them that make their universe more cohesive.
The son of Peter Pan, grandson of Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White, and Prince Charming, adopted son of the Wicked Queen, adopted grandson of the Queen of Hearts...
The son of Peter Pan, grandson of Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White, and Prince Charming, adopted son of the Wicked Queen, adopted grandson of the Queen of Hearts...
Huh?
What makes you think Baelfire/Neal is Peter Pan? I seem to recall a Neverland reference somewhere in Neal's story but nothing saying he's Peter. I even checked his Wikipedia entry just now to see if I forgot something. No mention.
It's certainly strongly implied that he was in Neverland, thus explaining his lack of aging, but I don't think there was anything to suggest he was Peter versus one of the Lost Boys.
I just heard about Bates Motel a few days ago from a coworker. He made it sound pretty good and you guys are into it too so I'll be looking for a torrent to catch up and PVR the rest.
Season 2 of "Veep" just started and it is Hi-LAR-i-ous! My wife and I rewatched S1 to get prepared and I swear we laughed harder the second time around for some reason. Really smart writing, characters who tear each other new ones almost any chance they get, and even good political satire thrown in for good measure.
One show we've started on is the Netflix original "Hemlock Grove". It looked like it was about to veer into standard genre fare at first, then it swerved. Then it swerved back. Now I'm not sure where it's going, but we're definitely intrigued and along for the ride.
Just saw the new Star Trek film. Parts of it were great but the plot/script was a real let down. Mostly pandering and/or playing with known cues. If you're going to do something new, do something new. If you're going to remake *redacted* do that. Trying to do it all with no strong cohesive vision was just narratively lazy.
One show we've started on is the Netflix original "Hemlock Grove". It looked like it was about to veer into standard genre fare at first, then it swerved. Then it swerved back. Now I'm not sure where it's going, but we're definitely intrigued and along for the ride.
I did enjoy how they mixed things up. Some freaky details and gruesome bits, but also some surprising stuff, like Shelley Godfrey (who was played by three people...), who quickly became one of my favorite characters.
Famke Jannsen really hammed up her role, and I loved it, and Kandyse McClure remains one of the most beautiful women of this generation (IMO).
With various shows like The Following and Grimm done, I guess it's time to wait for the summer shows.
Until then, catching up with Archer on Netflix is keeping me laughing out loud.
For stuff that's still out, Defiance is passable, if not great, Revolution remains watchable, and Hannibal has proven to be interesting (with the actor playing Hannibal thankfully not even trying to match Anthony Hopkin's performance).
Orphan Black just keeps getting better and better after 8 episodes!
It's this intense thriller, but it's peppered with really hilarious moments. And every single week, you get so much bang for your buck with each episode being an integral piece of the puzzle and plots being advanced and taking so many twists and turns! Plus, it's also pretty damn sexy on top of every thing else. Something else else for everybody.
And episode 8...wow. This one had a truly gut-wrenching ending.
I wholeheartedly endorse this series to anyone seeking smart and thoroughly entertaining viewing.
I also continued to enjoy Bates Motel, which just concluded its first season. This one's not as stellar as OB, but it is very good. Good cliffhanger for the already-announced second season.
My favorite line in Bates Motel so far has been Norman telling his mother she's scaring him and she responds:
"I scare YOU ?!?!?!"
Nobody else seems to appreciate that but it just floors me. And I think the actress really enjoyed saying it. Are people just not putting it in the context of the movie? Why else would they be watching this?
Anyone with HBO needs to check out "Behind the Candelabra." Bizarre and fascinating story. Excellent performances by the entire cast. Matt Damon's beefy bare buns. Worth subscribing to HBO for if you don't already have it.
Haven't watched any of Season 3 but I've read all the books of course, so I have a suspicion as to what you're referring to since I figure it has to be the MAJOR devastating thing to happen in Season 3. (I'll only say: "Red Wedding?").
If yes...yeah. Man, that was brutal to read. Devastating is the right word.
My wife (who's recently read all the books) tells me that what happen in the show is somewhat different/slightly worse than what happened in the book. Seems there was one party present for the scene in the show who wasn't in the book. But I guess this character met a similar fate in the book but at another location. (Make sense?)
Hm. Not really but I don't want to overthink it, as I wouldn't mind the surprise!
The Red Wedding is major turning point in the books and as you'll see, oft-referenced / invoked hereafter. When I discuss it with my siblings, it usually leads to one of us saying "I want ___'s fucking head on a pike, and I want ___ to die a thousand deaths".
I've only seen two episodes or so, didn't notice him. But then I might very well not without the long stringy hair and the stooped walk. Filch was stooped, right? Sure picturing him that way.
Hope the poor guy wasn't hired to look the same in GoT.
Re-watched one of my all time favorite movies last night, the 1945/46 version of "The Big Sleep" starring Bogey and Becall. Man, I love that film.
I love the "insanely complex for no reason" aspect of the plotline. It definitely makes multiple rewatches more rewarding. And it's co-written by William Faulkner and Leigh Brackett! Legend has it that they wrote separate scenes without any knowledge of what the other was doing...which in a sense created such complexity.
This is one of Bogey's best roles when he was at the height of his popularity, and it definitely showcases him by featuring him in every single scene. My favorite parts are the small bit scenes with various walk-on characters like the female taxi cab driver and the bookstore owner.
Other versions of the Big Sleep are more true to the novel (which is great) and more clear in plot but they just don't compare for me. They don't have the atmosphere, the wit and the sense of fun / charm that this film has. Sometimes those things are far more important than the plot.
You just suckered me into watching an episode there. Odd that there's a mandatory retirement age for Starfleet in the 23rd century. Especially given the medical advances and the much greater lifespan of several races. Though the age may be race-adjusted.
Re-watched one of my all time favorite movies last night, the 1945/46 version of "The Big Sleep" starring Bogey and Becall. Man, I love that film.
I love the "insanely complex for no reason" aspect of the plotline. It definitely makes multiple rewatches more rewarding. And it's co-written by William Faulkner and Leigh Brackett! Legend has it that they wrote separate scenes without any knowledge of what the other was doing...which in a sense created such complexity.
It's kind of famous for the fact that they rewrote it in order to feature more Bogey/Bacall steaminess, pretty much ditching stuff that was necessary for the plot to make sense in favor of the chemistry!
I believe I've got both versions (pre and post rewrites) on DVD somewhere. I'll have to look for them sometime.
Hmm, by the end, more than just that point makes you question the logic of that animated Star Trek episode. ("The Counter-Clock Incident")
No reason to go back to being 75 years old if by some reason you've reverted to 35. You don't have to live your life over again, you're getting more life.
And there's the idea that the transporter can reverse any problem that happens to a human body because it holds old records of your molecules from the last transport. While I think it should be able to do that, McCoy should have used it to solve any number of infections and other problems if that were all there was to it.
Re-watched one of my all time favorite movies last night, the 1945/46 version of "The Big Sleep" starring Bogey and Becall. Man, I love that film.
I love the "insanely complex for no reason" aspect of the plotline. It definitely makes multiple rewatches more rewarding. And it's co-written by William Faulkner and Leigh Brackett! Legend has it that they wrote separate scenes without any knowledge of what the other was doing...which in a sense created such complexity.
It's kind of famous for the fact that they rewrote it in order to feature more Bogey/Bacall steaminess, pretty much ditching stuff that was necessary for the plot to make sense in favor of the chemistry!
I believe I've got both versions (pre and post rewrites) on DVD somewhere. I'll have to look for them sometime.
Yeah, I just watched that special too! We must both own the same DVD. Try added / changed a bunch of Becall scenes because her most recent film bombed and she was panned by critics. It was in everyone's best interest to recapture the magic of her scenes with Bogey in To Have and Have Not. And no one can dispute the Bogey and Becall chemistry, especially as directed by Hawks.
I love the anecdote that the plot became so complex no one could figure out who actually killed the chauffeur. They even called Chandler himself--who upon viewing the screenplay, still wasn't sure!
All of these decisions--more complex plot and more emphasis on steamy chemistry--make the film work much better. It's what's made it such a classic.
I've been watching "Hannibal" and it's actually pretty good! I was tired of how it became a franchise and just how superhuman Hannibal had become, but if you forget everything that came before, you can enjoy it.
This new Dr Lector is creepy and detached, a mastermind and manipulator, but he doesn't revel in it. The actor doesn't play him as being so pleased with himself about his superiority. The cat & mouse game between Hannibal and Will is fun to watch (especially since Will doesn't even realize the game) and really builds on their relationship, as dysfunctional as it is. Assuming things play out the way they did in the book and Will manages to catch Hannibal, it's a much better telling of how that happened than in the Ed Norton "Red Dragon" movie.
After watching Gene Roddenbery's son's doc "Trek Nation" I've been rewatching a lot of "ST:DS9" - particularly during the whole Dominion War. I had lost interest in the show at the time - mostly because it had the misfortune of paling by comparison to "Babylon 5." Rewatching them now outside of B5's shadow, I'm appreciating it more for what it was.
Part of what I came to realize about my disinterest in DS9, which I still believe, (though I mind it less now) is that unlike other Trek shows, it seemed to hinge less on the Captain. As much as I love Avery Brooks, the one thing this show didn't have as opposed to other Trek shows, were regular scenes of the Captain convening with his staff to discuss whatever dire cirucmstances they had gotten themselves into. It helped once the war started and Sisko became more of a traditional commander, but otherwise, it seemed the cast had broken off into their own cliques. Julian and O'Brien (then Garak), Odo, Quark and Kira etc. It also didn't help that more and more characters were introduced that were not under his command - from his son, the Quark, then Rom and Garak etc. It was a different kind of Trek than I was used to - especially TNG which had raised the bar so high and was very much centered on Picard's leadership. Still, I'm glad to give DS9 another shot.
Coincidentally also watching DS9 re-runs. Not much on regular TV for me so looking for a distraction (my Ma passed end of April) I started picking up the Next Gen DVDs. Didn't much care for it so changed to the DS9, which I recalled enjoying, even though I also remembered it fighting for my attention with B5. (Andreas Katsulas plays all the aliens in all three shows).
ANYHOW: decided to try Next Gen season 3 and boy does it pick up. Three or four of the episodes have to go into the best ever contest. High speed cable went on sale so I got that. Net-Flex is free for a month so I got that. Now I'm half-way though Season 4, the first appearance of the Cardassians.
Watching Next Gen and DS9 at the same time has elevated several of the characters like O'Brien and Worf.
I just watched "The Master," Paul Thomas Anderson's film from late last year.
I won't go into any sort of detailed plot synopsis (in short, it's a character study of a couple of personalities in the formative days of Scientology), but I will say this:
With this film, Anderson continues an unbroken stretch of turning out some of the absolute best pictures of the past 15 years.
I'm not afraid to say it... that even includes "Punch Drunk Love".
Anderson is just such an amazing director - taking stylistic influence from such greats as Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, and Robert Altman... and then using them as a launching point for his own unique vision.
I know it's still very early in his career to say this, but - with only 6 features under his belt - in my opinion, he's on the road to becoming one of the best directors of all time.
Saw Silver Linings Playbook last night. It was a good flick, but not the great movie everyone raved about. The cast was solid, especially DeNiro, who I thought has been more or less sleepwalking through the later years of his career. In this flick he had some great emotional and comic scenes. Jenifer Lawrence was good, but certainly not "Best Actress" good and I liked the story and direction, I just didn't think it lived up to the hype.
"Under the Dome" is really starting to find its voice! Last night's episode was the best so far and the closest to capturing the feel of the Stephen King book. It's a separate entity from its source, much as The Walking Dead TV shows is from the comic. But like TWD, I think that's a good thing for this series.
"Dome" addresses something I felt was flawed about the book. In the book, the whole story takes place in under a week. In that time I felt things went completely to hell a little TOO quickly. A continuing series would obviously take a more decompressed storytelling model, and I think that this actually serves the story better than the short timeline of the book.
Last night, during one commercial break, my wife (who's also read the book) praised the show for not having its bad guys be pretty much hardcore evil from the get-go unlike the book. I concurred. Here, there's a progression, and that feels more realistic.
That said, last night, at episode 5, was the episode that really started to make you feel that this situation was something MUCH more than just slightly abnormal. the level of tension was just perfect, and you could finally start to see the awesome potential of the series being realized.
USA's Graceland started out kinda/sorta the average USA show, vaguely hinting at the formula that seems to be working for them with Burn Notice and Suits and White Collar, etc. but, as of episode 7, it's off and running.
Some apparent 'gotchas' and 'shocking reveals' turned out to be explainable or justifiable or whatever, but the applecart has been overturned well and good this time, and the apples are flying everywhere. I'm kind of impressed by the potential here, because it could *still* just be a 'oh, it's all part of a plan' deal, and turn out okay, or it could be not just a shocking reveal, but the tip of a Machiavellian Xanatos Roulette mindjob of epic proportions, with implications going back to the 1st episode, as every scene suddenly can be seen in an entirely different (and totally sinister!) light.
USA shows can be mindless formulaic fun, but this one seems to be trying for a level of intrigue and characterization that you'd normally only see on much better funded pay cable channel series.
I'm so tempted to watch Breaking Bad, but I'm sticking to my guns and watching them only when I can do it all in a row without waiting weekly. It remains the single best show in terms of pure quality out there these days.
My wife and I just got around watching the final season of House, which ended on a strong note. Always a very interesting show with great performances, the final season did not disappoint by going in directions I hadn't considered.
Up next for my wife and I: the last season of Mad Men, which we'll finally get around to watching.
I watched the pilot and first two episodes of Breaking Bad without seeing the attraction. So I set it aside until some others convinced me to try it again. The next episode or two, I liked it but then it started to d r a g.
I get a show where I just want to shoot everyone in it for being stupid, I don't enjoy it. This trend to try and make all the characters of a show "grey" because that is supposed to be more lifelike, rarely works for me. I don't know people that act this obsessively stupid and the obvious attempts at "outrageous" like the hopping lowrider scene are just opportunities to fast forward. The brother in law is starting to show some depth but his wife, her sister, the son annoy me. It's taken me two days to get part way through the next episode.
Tuko's dad. Even though he would be considered an over the top character, him I like.
Good evening. My name is Rockhopper Lad and I'm a Gleek.
The fact that there is a successful TV series in which the characters break into song for no apparent reason is quite possibly one of the things that most makes me happy.
Good evening. My name is Rockhopper Lad and I'm a Gleek.
The fact that there is a successful TV series in which the characters break into song for no apparent reason is quite possibly one of the things that most makes me happy.
Being a musical fan, I was just wondering if you had ever watched the BBC show Blackpool? It was remade in the US as Viva Laughlin... but let's never mention that name again.
I've just re-watched Blackpool this weekend with my parents (who had never seen it before) and we all loved it. I'd actually forgotten just how amazingly wonderful it was - originality, writing, acting, choice of songs... I have no qualms about giving this show 10/10.
I thought you might like it RL since it seems like a more grown up version of Glee to me (proviso though: I'm not a big Glee fan) but I recommend it to everyone else in this thread too.
For those who don't know anything about it - it's a musical murder mystery love triangle comedy drama starring actors from two of the biggest genre shows on TV - David Tennant (Doctor Who) and David Morrissey (The Walking Dead).
I watched the pilot and first two episodes of Breaking Bad without seeing the attraction. So I set it aside until some others convinced me to try it again. The next episode or two, I liked it but then it started to d r a g.
I get a show where I just want to shoot everyone in it for being stupid, I don't enjoy it. This trend to try and make all the characters of a show "grey" because that is supposed to be more lifelike, rarely works for me. I don't know people that act this obsessively stupid and the obvious attempts at "outrageous" like the hopping lowrider scene are just opportunities to fast forward. The brother in law is starting to show some depth but his wife, her sister, the son annoy me. It's taken me two days to get part way through the next episode.
Tuko's dad. Even though he would be considered an over the top character, him I like.
I'll see where it heads.
It' s a show that took my wife a bit to get into before it really grabbed her (than it REALLY did). Skylar gets a lot more development (though whether that makes you like or loathe her more is a dividing point among fans). I love the writing as compared to a show like Dexter where the writers find a way to put everything implausibly back in the box at the end of each episode or season, in Breaking bad, when the characters make bad decisions (and they make a lot of them), there are consequences and the messier things get, the deeper they go.
I've started watching the first season of Drop Dead Diva on Netflix. Yeah, yeah... it's brimming over with "Lifetime"-isms and the usual goofball courtroom drama, but it has good performances and Margaret Cho being fabulous so shut up.
I watched the pilot and first two episodes of Breaking Bad without seeing the attraction. So I set it aside until some others convinced me to try it again. The next episode or two, I liked it but then it started to d r a g.
I get a show where I just want to shoot everyone in it for being stupid, I don't enjoy it. This trend to try and make all the characters of a show "grey" because that is supposed to be more lifelike, rarely works for me. I don't know people that act this obsessively stupid and the obvious attempts at "outrageous" like the hopping lowrider scene are just opportunities to fast forward. The brother in law is starting to show some depth but his wife, her sister, the son annoy me. It's taken me two days to get part way through the next episode.
Tuko's dad. Even though he would be considered an over the top character, him I like.
I'll see where it heads.
It' s a show that took my wife a bit to get into before it really grabbed her (than it REALLY did). Skylar gets a lot more development (though whether that makes you like or loathe her more is a dividing point among fans). I love the writing as compared to a show like Dexter where the writers find a way to put everything implausibly back in the box at the end of each episode or season, in Breaking bad, when the characters make bad decisions (and they make a lot of them), there are consequences and the messier things get, the deeper they go.
Skyler is probably the character I like the least so that's probably not too promising. That's an interesting comparison you make with Dexter. I hadn't thought about it that way but it is pretty much dead on.
I'll probably watch a couple more Breaking Bad episodes once I get caught up on other things. Beginning of the school year is always a not enough time no matter how much I seem to prepare over summer.
This is the kind of movie I'm a sucker for. Underdog with a little self-righteous indignation, no-nonsense personalities against full of nonsense personalities. Even better, a period "biopic" based upon...
And has a final scene that makes me say, "didn't see THAT coming."
Also gives a nice where are they now about the real people.
I watched it on the laptop while working on lessons but it'd be a good cuddle up movie.
The Justice League cartoon. I particularly love the second season, which was when we got to know a lot more about some of the characters (Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, Flash in particular).
The Awesomes, on Hulu, is pretty funny. It deals with a 'Subs' like team of superhero rejects, attempting to fill in for a recently departed 'A-list' team that was essentially their world's Justice League. It's certainly not standard superhero fare, although it's got a *ton* of Silver Age silliness, and, thankfully, lack the rougher edges of Hulu's last foray into super-teen stuff, with Misfits.
Almost Human which seems to be retreading some of the character beats from I, Robot, although with some interesting actors.
Intelligence has a few episodes to draw me in. It's not interesting enough a concept, to me, at the start.
Tomorrow People, WB's latest crop of hot young special people. Yay!
I'm usually psychologically incapable of *not* watching anything to do with vampires, but neither Dracula nor The Originals is blowing my skirt up. (True story, I couldn't even watch the *trailer* for The Originals. The suckage is strong with this one.)
And there'll be the shows returning. I'm on board for Arrow and Grimm, and will probably catch episodes of Elementary, Supernatural and the Vampire Diaries (shut up, it's a sickness!) as the mood takes me.
Intelligence actually sounds like the premise was taken from our "Miscasting Classics" game (Chuck starring Josh Holloway?), but it does have some potential, if only because "Sawyer" is just full of charm, whatever he's in. I don't think it actually starts until spring, though?
Is it true that they're going to ret-con one of the greatest deaths in comicbook-movie history?
Seriously, that movie would never be the same to me.
I've heard a rumor (a rumor on the internet, so take that with a block of salt big enough to sink the Titanic) that there's a secret that has to be kept from Agent Coulson at all costs, and follow-up speculation that the secret is tied to Stark mentioning at the beginning of the Avengers movie the words 'Life Model Decoy.'
Is it true that they're going to ret-con one of the greatest deaths in comicbook-movie history?
Seriously, that movie would never be the same to me.
I've heard a rumor (a rumor on the internet, so take that with a block of salt big enough to sink the Titanic) that there's a secret that has to be kept from Agent Coulson at all costs, and follow-up speculation that the secret is tied to Stark mentioning at the beginning of the Avengers movie the words 'Life Model Decoy.'
So Coulson might indeed be dead.
And not know it.
If the mean, "robot," it's creepy but about the only thing that would even remotely not change the movie for me. That was THE scene. I'm sure the actor is happy to have the series work but I think the better way would have been to set the series BEFORE the movie with the inevitable death in the future.
I don't know what an LMD is but if the tv series is set after the movie then I don't see how I could see that scene as anything but fake.
I mean, what causes one to "miss" and mourn?
Absence. If he's not absent, everything else is semantics. I think I would feel they were being less insulting if they inserted a scene into the "director's cut" where Coulson says, "I'm not dead yet," while Thor and Hulk gallop along clapping coconuts together.
Life Model Decoy is a robot duplicate used by SHIELD in the comics to infiltrate and pull 'in two places at once' stunts (so that Director Fury can appear at a UN conference and that ends up being his alibi for why he couldn't have been leading that operation in Brussels). Other than the brief mention by Stark of being an LMD (to Coulson, no less) at the beginning of Avengers, there's been no mention of them in the Marvel cinematic universe, that I know of.
I never liked Coulson, and felt nothing when he died, so my only quibble with him 'coming back' is that I didn't like him anyway, and it feels cheap to stunt-cast him (or his robot double, whatever) to tie the new show to the movies, just because they couldn't afford Sam Jackson or Cobie Smulders or Stellan Skarsgaard or Gwyneth Paltrow or Powers Boothe or SHIELD Agent #27 Who Likes Galaga or whomever as their 'bridge' character between the properties.
Like Miles O'Brian on Deep Space 9, he is tossed into the new uncertain spin-off show to provide a link to the very successful other property. (And, like O'Brian, who was only there because Michelle Forbes turned down the 'bridge character' job and they had to scramble for a Next Generation secondary character to toss into their new series (thank Zeus it wasn't Barclay!), I feel like Coulson is only there for the same reason, because he was the last one to say 'not it!' and got the job every other secondary character's actor in the cinematic Marvel universe turned down.)
Did a bit of reading. Saw one article that thought they were going to say it was the LMD that got killed. I think that would be even worse.
Jackson faking the bloody cards to "motivate" the Avengers I thought already the weakest part of the movie. Haven't seen any positive response to the means of un-doing Coulson's death.
I suppose it's one of those things that will get forgotten if the character continues to be popular in the series but I still can't imagine that scene in the movie meaning much. They'll have to come up with something pretty creative and sympathetic to overcome that I think.
^ If you're ever bored and have a lot of time on your hands, every season of Lost has EXTENSIVE threads where we went nuts week to week reacting to what we'd seen and speculating about what came next!
It remains among my favorite shows of all time, probably in the top 3.
I got the craving about a week ago to rent the music film that blew the mind of little middle-school me back in the day... "Krush Groove".
I hadn't seen it since that time, so - watching it again last night - I had the combined experience of being a 40 year old thinking back to how cheesy it all was, while - simultaneously - the 12 year old inside of me pushed his way to the surface to say how freaking awesome it was!
Feel a need to rave about Orange is the New Black.
Not at all a show I thought I'd like, particularly since it's the same person who does Weeds, a show I almost don't like at all. All the characters are interesting and most are nice, though I'm waiting for that sheet to hit the fan. I've got my suspicions about the Warden. He's got hints of not nice and he's Ukranian and one of the main characters is Russian so I wonder if that card is going to be played.
Oh, he's not a "warden." He's a counselor. And he's not nice or at the best, he's conflicted.
The counselor would be a good character to see through. It's a character I hope to see grow as opposed to become the nemesis. They already have a good nemesis but I can't see how they can let that character last long.
So...aside from waiting for The Walking Dead to come back on the air, I have started watching three shows. If I keep with them, this will be the most television I have purposefully watched in many a year.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Looks to be a fun show I can watch with the kids.
The Blacklist - Spader at his creepiest best. First episode was interesting enough to get me back for more.
Sleepy Hollow - I like it. I have seen a lot of people ranting about it, bu I think it is a fun way to waste some time and not think about life.
The Walking Dead - CAnnot wait for the new season.
4 shows. I do not think I have watched this many television shows at one time since I was a teen...maybe early twenties.
Arrow's back this Wednesday. Looking forward to it. This season will introduce the Flash, who will spin off into his own show, however dubious that sounds...
Arrow's back this Wednesday. Looking forward to it. This season will introduce the Flash, who will spin off into his own show, however dubious that sounds...
Forgot about this one. Did not watch the first season, but will catch up at some point. Want to see the Flash stuff, and check out whatever else happens.
Arrow's back this Wednesday. Looking forward to it. This season will introduce the Flash, who will spin off into his own show, however dubious that sounds...
With this new invention called wireless and it being on sale, I'm trying to join whatever century this is, but haven't like any of these new shows I'm supposed to like. This one I really like.
The characters actually have depth and are likable. The plots keep me guessing and the action looks real. I only Netflixed it on a whim because I basically had tried all the others I've heard of. Breaking Dead Weed Smoking Walkers. Blah. Burn Notice hit the bricks when they killed off my favorite non-lead. Anarchy went off the deep end and I ran out of Star Trek stuff.
The "7 up" series of documentaries/episodes just became available on Canadian Netflix. Someone here (Ex?) spoke highly of them, but search isn't working for me so I can't quote the post.
Anyway, we've only seen the first two, but they are enthralling. We're already waiting for tonight to see "21 up" and figure out what happened to these charming kids (although hopefully a few of them took a good ass-kicking along the way .
The "7 up" series of documentaries/episodes just became available on Canadian Netflix. Someone here (Ex?) spoke highly of them, but search isn't working for me so I can't quote the post.
Anyway, we've only seen the first two, but they are enthralling. We're already waiting for tonight to see "21 up" and figure out what happened to these charming kids (although hopefully a few of them took a good ass-kicking along the way .
Finished Arrow Season One and now am working my way through a lot of movies that seem to involve our astronauts landing on planets inhabited by scantily clad women. It's not me, I'm not choosing them. It's Netflix.
Saw the Great Gatsby. It was just OK. DiCaprio was great and the party scenes were suitably over-the-top, but Luhrmann's story lacked in any sort of subtlety. He just keeps hitting you over the head with the theme and ideas without letting the story take care of it (which is a shame because some individual scenes translate perfectly from the book).
Case in point. The opening lines of the books are:
Quote
In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.
“Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”
And in the movie they're:
Quote
In my younger and more vulnerable years, my father gave me some advice. "Always try to see the best in people," he would say. As a consequence, I'm inclined to reserve all judgements. But even I have a limit.
Which is a little too on the nose for the story to come.
Been catching up with American Horror Story: Coven on demand the last couple of nights. Never caught the first two series of AHS, but hearing a lot of buzz over Coven convinced me to check this one out.
Glad I did--it's pretty damn cool! I probably would have done so sooner if I'd realized all the talent behind the cameras involved such as Tim Minear & Doug Petrie (both from Buffy & Angel), Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck) and Glen Wong (X-Files).
It's a pleasing mix of melodrama, gross-outs and humor wrapped around an interesting and engaging story. Highly addictive!
I had my doubts about the season at first, but it's been really excellent. The interplay between Kathy Bates and Jessica Lange has been amazing. Also, they really outdid the Walking Dead in the last episode by going for broke with:
I've been going through a "Swinging London" phase lately, watching a bunch of movies from the "Mod" period of 60's English cinema.
I've always sort of avoided these because I considered them sort of silly and inconsequential. I think my opinion was colored by the fact that a long time ago I had seen the supremely horrible 1967 James Bond parody, "Casino Royale," and had decided it was the "worst movie I'd ever seen". That - combined with that style being further parodied in the later Austin Powers movies just left me with a real aversion to the whole thing.
But...
It turns out I've been doing myself a real disservice. When I actually sat down and started watching some of the more "legitimate" films from the era, I realized that behind the all stylistic parodies, this era actually has some great gems that really capture a world on the verge of a cultural shift - one ready to start addressing issues that had never been portrayed in the movies.
I've recently watched the Richard Lester film, "The Knack... and How to Get It" - on the surface a madcap romp in the vein of his earlier "A Hard Day's Night" - but with disturbing overtones of sexual coercion and rape; the Michael Caine vehicle, "Alfie" - a subversive film that initially introduces the title character as a simple rogue, and then gradually
- culminating in a hastily arranged illegal abortion for the wife of his friend that he impregnated -
shows you just how abhorrent a person he really is; and "Georgy Girl," with the amazingly charming Lynn Redgrave playing what I am convinced is a gay-coded role.
Seriously, not a bad flick in the bunch, and really quite a progressive run.
Up next in the queue, "Blow-Up," with David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, and Jane Birkin. Looks like another good'un!
Another round of "Swinging London" cinema this past week.
First up was "Blow-Up" with David Hemmings as a mod photographer who - while idly taking some shots in the park - accidentally captures evidence of a murder. Or does he? Yeah... actually, it seems that he does. Or does he??? Whatever the case, that whole bit - while interesting - is really just a maguffin to show the alienation of our hero, whose modern lifestyle has made him so dead inside that only an event of this magnitude can make him feel alive. I imagine that - for its time - it was really a revolutionary theme, but it's really become such a standard trope that - even if this was the first film to show it in this way - I still came away from it feeling like I'd seen it 100 times. There is a nice bit at the end as Hemmings watches a group of mimes play an imaginary tennis match... throwing them their imaginary ball back as it imaginarily goes over the fence. I felt like that scene captured the entire point of the movie in microcosm, but I wish I hadn't had to spend so much time to get there. P.S. ... cameo appearance by The Yardbirds!
Next was "To Sir With Love," a more mainstream type film about a rowdy group of urban schoolkids who are shown their potential by a caring teacher who treats them with respect. I know, I know... again a theme that has been done over and over in modern times, but (shrug) it's Sidney Poitier, who - in my experience - elevates just about any role, and this was no exception. Not an earth-shattering film, but really enjoyable. Plus... this:
Guh-roo-vy!
Speaking of groovy... although the next film I watched - the spy-genre spoof "Modesty Blaise" - had a super-groovy op-art look about it, just about everything else about was decidedly dull! I'm calling it a "spoof" because it seems that's what they were attempting to do but - I don't know - there didn't seem to be anything actually... you know... funny about it. It's not simply a matter of me not understanding the references the film was making (I'm fairly versed in the Bond films) it's just that the movie seemed to have zero interest in being coherent. No sense of plot, pacing, dialog... anything. It really seems nothing more than the impression of a movie. Terence Stamp, who I usually enjoy, was completely wasted in this flick. The single nice thing I can say about it is that it introduced me to the actor Dirk Bogarde, who I'd always heard good things about and was a bit amusing here as a fey "Ozymandias" type villain.
The final thing I watched is a bit off theme - being not at all "mod" or, for that matter, even a cinematic release - but, since it was from the same period, and the story is one of my personal favorites - I thought I'd group it in. This was the 1966 BBC presentation of "Alice in Wonderland".
Ho...ly... crap!
Hyperbole time (but trust me... not too much), but this is one of the best adaptations of any work... ever!
Featuring an impressive cast of classical English actors (Michael Redgrave, John Gielgud), as well as contemporary, for the time, comedic actors (Peter Sellers, Peter Cook), director Jonathan Miller dispensed with the sense of "whimsy" that usually accompanies any "Alice" work (including any animal costumes) and, in doing so, created - to my tastes, at least - a pitch perfect adaptation that captures both the sense of somber melancholy and the dreamlike surreality that Lewis Carroll intended.
I'll be frank... this might not be everyone's cup of tea (heh). Although it only runs just a hair over an hour, it can be very slow (intensified by the fact that it is scored in an other-worldly fashion by Ravi Shankar). But... if you accept that the pace is entirely intentional and give yourself over to the dreamlike rhythm, I think you'll find that the sensation created by this film mirrors (again... heh) that of the book.
So, all that being said... although I personally loved it... I know it's a bit of a hard sell...
...except, that is, to Dave Hackett.
Dave, knowing some of your taste through our shared fondness for Grant Morrison... and for David Lynch (particularly "Mulholland Drive")... I would - without hesitation - say that you should stop what you are doing and watch this immediately:
I greatly enjoyed the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special today. I only came onboard halfway thru Matt Smith, but I've really come to enjoy what I've seen of the mythos. A very well-done, humorous, emotional and enjoyable telecast.
Gonna miss Matt Smith, though. I both anticipate and dread the upcoming Christmas special.....
Finished Hemlock Grove. Very satisfying. I like how it maintained tone but kept subverting expectations (and steadfastly refused to spoonfeed anything). A lot of setup for next season that seems to denote a more "generic" supernatural show, but given how well this one was handled, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
Thanks for posting about Hemlock Grove. It wasn't showing up on my "recommendations."
I like how so far they haven't just told the watcher everything about everybody but they don't drag it our either. Gives just enough reward in each ep to make me want to keep watching.
Avatar: The Legend of Korra Season 2. I heard that its focus becomes very different from that of the first season, and certainly very far from the first series.
A few more flicks in my ongoing foray into "mod" cinema of the mid 60's - this time a trio of psychological thrillers from 1965:
- "Bunny Lake is Missing" is a late-career Otto Preminger film that seemed to be attempting to tap into the progressive themes of English New Wave cinema, but - in my opinion - falls a bit short, definitely feeling like it belongs to an older film-making style. "Bunny Lake" tells the story of an American woman, newly arrived in the UK, who goes to pick up her daughter from day-care, only to find that she's not there... and that no one in the school has any knowledge of her. Has the girl been kidnapped, or is she just an invention of the woman? Enter methodical investigator Laurence Olivier, creepy landlord Noel Coward, and uber-creepy brother Keir Dullea (of "2001" fame), each providing clues in a shifting narrative which - despite keeping the viewer engaged for a bit, coming up with different theories as to what the truth is - eventually just ends in a very disappointing way, with one of the weakest portrayals of mental illness I've ever seen.
- "The Collector" - So good. Just so good. Terence Stamp (who I'm liking more and more with each film I see him in), in this William Wyler film, portrays a quiet reserved collector of butterflies... and other things. Things, for instance, like... Samantha Eggar, the beautiful woman that he's long admired from afar and - now that he's purchased an isolated house complete with a soundproof, lockable basement - he's decided he must have. Very much a precursor to the "Silence of the Lambs" type thriller, Stamp is just amazingly intense in this role. A nice twist to the whole set up is that, as the film progresses, you realize that he doesn't want to kill the girl he's kidnapped... he doesn't want to rape her... all he wants is to have her. And that makes it so much worse.
- "Repulsion" - I... I... don't know how to feel about this one. It doesn't quite feel right to say I enjoyed this film... but I was absolutely riveted by it. The first English language film by Roman Polanski, he directs Catherine Deneuve in a very disturbing portrait of a young woman descending into a schizophrenia-induced psychotic episode. Although there are the requisite "big events" that occur within this week long fugue (it is a movie, after all), the more fascinating bits are the "in-between" scenes, when she is just quietly performing acts that - to her mind - seem absolutely reasonable, but are clearly the result of her skewed perceptions. "Repulsion" is - in my opinion - an amazing film, but not an easy one. Great direction, great acting, and absolutely gripping tension but... would I recommend it? As a "sit back and chill with good movie" flick... absolutely not - but, if you are interested in the art and development of cinema, "Repulsion" seems almost required viewing.
- "Repulsion" - I... I... don't know how to feel about this one. It doesn't quite feel right to say I enjoyed this film... but I was absolutely riveted by it. The first English language film by Roman Polanski, he directs Catherine Deneuve in a very disturbing portrait of a young woman descending into a schizophrenia-induced psychotic episode. Although there are the requisite "big events" that occur within this week long fugue (it is a movie, after all), the more fascinating bits are the "in-between" scenes, when she is just quietly performing acts that - to her mind - seem absolutely reasonable, but are clearly the result of her skewed perceptions. "Repulsion" is - in my opinion - an amazing film, but not an easy one. Great direction, great acting, and absolutely gripping tension but... would I recommend it? As a "sit back and chill with good movie" flick... absolutely not - but, if you are interested in the art and development of cinema, "Repulsion" seems almost required viewing.
One of my favorite movies. I've never sunk into madness to the extent that Catherine Denueve's character does, thank God, but I've been to the edge and back for sure.
My DVR is full of old TV shows like Lost in Space, F Troop, Smallville, Sanford and Son, Wagon Train, Green Hornet, Rifleman ,The 1960's Batman and College Basketball.
I have heard that DC is really backing this show this year. Barry Allen is yet another hero they're introducing this season. I have heard that there are plenty more on the way .... including Batman, very soon!
We're on Season 3 of Justified, and it's definitely picking up so far. While Season Two was defined by the Bennets, and they were great villains, I'm glad we're putting a bit more focus back on Raylan and Boyd. I like how they've brought back the idea that Raylan's a really angry guy and this season seems to be pushing his buttons. I also like how they've stopped glossing over Boyd's skinhead past and are making that a complication for him. We're about 5 episodes in and I'm digging that it's a complex plot (Quarle vs. Dickie vs. Limehouse vs. Crowders with the Marshalls caught up in it).
Yeah season 3 was great. That's where my wife and I left off and I can't wait for season 4.
Quarle and related Dixie Maffia are enjoyably multi-faceted, and Limehouse has a rich history and deep personality.
I also love that Raylan's father always maintains a presence as well. The Boyd / Raylan dynamic makes the show for me, and the relationship both have with Ava is equally great, but the father-son dynamic (and how the Crowders are played off of that) is powerful.
I definitely recommend Arrow! Not a perfect series, but very, very good.
Great season... the Black Canary episodes were epic... the melodrama between Oliver and Laurel gets a bit thick at times... and I actually miss Tommy, who I loathed at the start of season 1... lots of good stuff in the works for the rest of the season...
Continuing on with my recent fascination with British cinema of the 60's, I've taken a short foray into a few of the better known comedies from that period.
Whew... rough, rough road.
As I said a few posts back, one of the reasons I had always avoided this period in cinema was because of the extremely bad taste that the Bond parody film, "Casino Royale" had left me with. Most of the English movies that I've watched over the past few months have washed that away, but the comedies of the time? Just... ugh.
It's hard to pin down exactly what I dislike about them but, overall, I guess I'd simply say that they're just not funny.
It was a pre-Monty Python time, where "madcap" seemed to be the rule of the day. Sped-up film... quick jump cuts... set pieces strung together with just the barest hint of narrative connection... to me it all just seems like chaos masquerading as comedy. Perhaps this style is drawn from some earlier British comedic tradition (like farce or something) but I don't connect with it, at all.
The worst part about it is that the actors in these movies are people who - in other works - I really do enjoy.
Peter Sellers is completely off his game in both the aforementioned "Casino Royale" and a hideously extended one-joke film called "The Magic Christian"; Lynn Redgrave and Rita Tushingham (who I previously enjoyed in "Georgy Girl" and "The Knack", respectively) mug their way through the torturous slapstick of "Smashing Time"; the always awesome David Warner's performance is, at least, the one saving grace of the very uneven "Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment".
The one bright light for me in this otherwise dark comedic period is... Peter Cook.
Holy cow, was that dude awesome! It wasn't until the last couple months that I even knew who he was (apart from being the "Mawwiage" guy from "The Princess Bride") but now I'm sad that it took so long for me to discover him.
Part of the "Beyond The Fringe" comedy team, he was often paired with the - in my opinion - much less funny, Dudley Moore. This go-round, he really caught my attention as "The Mad Hatter" from the "Alice in Wonderland" film I linked a few posts back, and then blew me away with a pair of incredibly clever performances - the first with Moore and Michael Caine in the period comedy, "The Wrong Box" and secondly (and far more impressively) as the Devil in a comedic take on Faust called, "Bedazzled".
"Bedazzled" - from 1967... not the modern remake - is a fantastically clever comedy that I would rank up there with anything from Monty Python. Filled with nuanced wordplay, subtle sight gags, and more snicker-worthy moments than all of the other movies I've listed above combined - this is Cook firing on all cylinders. He's again paired here with Dudley Moore, but the two find the perfect balance here.
So, in short, if ever you're up for a British comedy from the '60s... I would only recommend "Bedazzled"... and not a single... other... film.
British Movies: I've been watching British WWII movies as I can find them. The closer to late 30s early 40s the better. I've interest in the movies produced as the war was imminent. Of course, a completely different slant from the ones we see, not so whitewashed. The war was on their doorstep and it shows in their movies. David Niven, never really considered him seriously until I saw some of his WWII movies.
Lilihammer: Italian gangster in Norway. How could it not be good?
First season had to find it's way for me. Some really hilarious moments and some WTFs. Second season the characters are more consistent but they grow. And you don't have to wait a whole season for a pay-off. Plotlines resolve every few episodes.
And with Steven Van Zandt running ship, the music is always good.
Series 3 of Sherlock was probably the best yet. In the past two series I've always found one of the three episodes a clunker, but this year all three were marvelous. This was definitely Martin (Watson) Freeman's year with so many brilliant reaction shots and great acting (and Cumberbatch was his usual unnatural self). Shame we're now a year and a bit out from any more.
Part of the "Beyond The Fringe" comedy team, he was often paired with the - in my opinion - much less funny, Dudley Moore. This go-round, he really caught my attention as "The Mad Hatter" from the "Alice in Wonderland" film I linked a few posts back, and then blew me away with a pair of incredibly clever performances - the first with Moore and Michael Caine in the period comedy, "The Wrong Box" and secondly (and far more impressively) as the Devil in a comedic take on Faust called, "Bedazzled".
You should jump on Youtube and search out Cook/Moore comedy sketches, they are brilliant. "One-legged Tarzan" and "The Frog and Peach" are favourites.
You should jump on Youtube and search out Cook/Moore comedy sketches, they are brilliant.
I checked out some skits and - agreed - these are great.
If the poster Legion Tracker is reading this thread, he should definitely check out this one voluntarily:
as I'd hate to have to make it obbligato.
Originally Posted by thothkins
The bed sitting room also has Cook and Moore in a quite unsettling dark comedy.
I just watched this movie on veoh (I mean literally just... I love my job. Well... not really, but... you know. )
Not too shabby. Not a traditional "ha-ha" comedy, but more an absurdist piece (closer to the plays of Samuel Beckett or Eugene Ionesco and such who - given the time period - I'd say writer Spike Milligan was very much influenced by). In any case, it's a nice addition to the oddly specific "men in bowler hats performing symbolic actions in a ruined wasteland" genre that I actually enjoy quite a bit.
And, yes - although they only play bit parts - Cook and Moore are a hoot as the police, floating overhead in a balloon-borne car, demanding that people "keep moving". Since their characters aren't named, I'm going to choose to believe they are just playing post-apocalyptic versions of themselves.
Continuing on with my exploration of British cinema of the sixties, I paused for a few weeks with the "swinging" years of '65 and onward to, instead, go back and watch a passel of films from the movement just preceding this - the "Kitchen Sink" dramas of the late 50's through about '63.
This was an era of British filmmakers taking inspiration from the French New Wave movement, casting their lenses toward the social issues that had rarely ever been addressed in film. Things like racism, homosexuality, unwanted pregnancies, and the overall struggle of the working class.
As with any any cinematic movement, some of these hit the mark... others less so. In retrospect, I probably should have spaced these out a bit more to avoid the fatigue that set in watching film after film about people dealing with overwhelming problems (in fact, I have to admit feeling that - near the end - they got rather repetitious). I'll be a bit more terse this time out, just giving the overall vibe.
Spoilers ahead (for 50 year old movies ):
(1959) Room at the Top - Laurence Harvey (best known to me prior to this as the "Manchurian Candidate") is a working class social climber simultaneously courting the boss's daughter, while also having an affair with an older married woman. Caught between being true to his heart or his ambition, he (after getting the boss's daughter pregnant) chooses the latter... and everyone suffers. Whew... getting off on the right foot here.
(1959) Look Back in Anger - Richard Burton is a working class (there's that word again) guy who is basically an @sshole. Frustrated by his lot in life, he takes it out on everyone around him in some of the most abusive tirades ever put down in film. His long abused (and now pregnant) wife leaves him, but returns after losing the baby (and the cycle of abuse continues).
(1959) Sapphire - Director Basil Dearden tells a racially-charged story about the murder of a young (pregnant) girl who - once the investigation is underway - is revealed to have been a black girl who had been passing as white. Quite a good (and very progressive) film for its time. I'd recommend this one.
(1960) Saturday Night and Sunday Morning - Albert Finney as a frustrated working class (yup) young man who is having an affair with his older co-worker's wife (wait... didn't I already see this?) who he gets pregnant (yeah... I really think I saw this already) and is forced to choose between his heart (oh come on) and... on and on... spoiler: everyone suffers. I'm probably being a bit tongue-in-cheek-edly harsh here. Although the story is kitchen sink boilerplate, the performance of the young Albert Finney does elevate the material.
(1961) Victim - Basil Dearden (really liking this guy) directs Dirk Bogarde (of whom I'm definitely becoming a fan) in a story of London barrister caught in the center of a blackmail racket to shake down a group of homosexual men who (because of the illegality at the time) are forced to live closeted lives. Great direction by Dearden and a great performance by Bogarde. Recommended without reservation.
(1961) A Taste of Honey - Rita Tushingham (who I'd previously seen in "The Knack") is a young girl who has a brief love affair with a black sailor in port and - after he sets sail - discovers she's pregnant (good lord... there are a ton of unwanted pregnancies in these). Leaving her broken home (where her trashy mother has taken up with a loser of a guy), she moves into a cheap little squat with a newly-made friend (who happens to be gay). For a time, the two of them dream that, together, they will be a happy non-traditional family forever. Spoilers: They don't... everyone suffers.
(1962) A Kind of Loving - Alan Bates plays a... you know what? Let's just cut to the chase: Working class guy... gets a girl pregnant... frustrated with his lot... miscarriage... everyone suffers. By this point, I sort of felt there must be some sort of "Kitchen Sink Mad Libs" book out there or something.
(1962) The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner - OK, this one mixes it up a bit. Tom Courtenay (sort of a 1960's Ewan McGregor type - quite charming) is a working class (stick with it) kid who winds up in reform school and - while there - discovers both his talent, and his passion, for long distance running. The administration wants to exploit Courtenay's talents for their own ends... but will he play ball with "The Man"? As a runner myself, I really dug this film... the cross-country shots (albeit in black and white) are beautiful and quite accurately capture the tranquility of being all alone in a run. Eryk Davis Ester should watch this one.
(1963) This Sporting Life - Richard Harris channels Marlon Brando in this story of a rugby player who, similar to the runner above, has to walk a line between his true self and the will of "The Man". Almost all the requisite kitchen sink elements are present... working class, anger, tortured relationship with a woman... but no pregnancy! Then why is the woman in the hospital? Spoiler: because she dies. Double spoiler: everyone who is still alive suffers.
(1963) Billy Liar - All at once, the best of the lot... and the most gut kicking-est. Tom Courtenay again as a charming and absolutely compulsive dreamer. Think "working class" Walter Mitty. Billy spins his wheels around and around, dreaming of glories and adulation, all the while accomplishing nothing in the real world. All of that might change, however, with the introduction of his real-life dream girl, Julie Christie, who may be just what he needs to inspire him enough to finally follow his dreams. Ugh... I don't even want to put a spoiler here... let's just say that for me, personally, the ending just hurt so much. I wanted to actually hit a fictional character. Kudos, movie.
So... in short... English Kitchen Sink dramas:
- Very significant for a historic perspective of cinema - Incredibly progressive subject matter - seriously, this stuff casts such a strong light on how immature American films of the same era were. - Very, very repetitive... I get it... life is miserable! I don't recommend ever watching three or more of these back to back.
The best of the bunch:
"Billy Liar" - a fun, engaging film... that waits until the end to kick you in the gut.
"Victim" and "Sapphire" - two Basil Dearden films, dealing respectively with homosexuality and racism, very progressively for the time
"The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" - might just be my personal affinity for running, but quite good.
"This Sporting Life" - the best of the more traditional "angry young men" films.
The thing about kitchen sink is that having just done the dishes, I don't want to spend the next two hours looking at one from the sofa.
But I agree they captured the frustrations, the everyday miseries, anger and lack of control really well. Despite the occasional hopes of an anti hero, you pretty much nailed it with "everyone suffers."
Although I never raced out to watch any of them, I don't think I've seen one that was poorly directed or cast. There's a certain feeling of liberation in there too at actually being able to use film and later TV (with the likes of Play for Today) to make political and social statements about characters outside of a Noel Coward drawing room.
Oh yeah, Billy Liar. My memory cell tells me that it was working on an extra couple of levels of satire, due to the main character's flights of fancy. It also tells me that a toned down Norman Wisdom would have been a good stand in for Tom Courtenay.
As for the ending...
Sometimes it's better to live with dreams than face uncertain realities that won't live up to those dreams. So the comfort of the familiar (if by that stage not terribly friendly) offsets slightly what he gave up. At least that's what the fear is telling him anyway.
The thing about calling the movies "progressive" is that they surprisingly, were not. The same can be found in 20s-30s American cinema with the addition of power hungry cooperate climbing females. Who knew females could even be considered to be cooperate climbers in the 1930s? I find their existence in cinema even more surprising then the out of wedlock/homosexuality/mixed race themes.
Then the "code" hit.
I wonder if similar occurred in England, pre WWII?
I stumbled upon "Pysch" at Comic-con. I came early for another panel and had to sit through a bunch of other stuff. Most of it was highly forgettable, but those guys were insanely awesome. The show still never aired in Canada for a long time after that, but I've sought it out here and there. It's finally landed on Canadian Netflix, so I'm looking forward to watching a bunch.
I stumbled upon "Pysch" at Comic-con. I came early for another panel and had to sit through a bunch of other stuff. Most of it was highly forgettable, but those guys were insanely awesome. The show still never aired in Canada for a long time after that, but I've sought it out here and there. It's finally landed on Canadian Netflix, so I'm looking forward to watching a bunch.
There are a lot of in jokes for movie quote fans and they go a little 4th wall and take jibes at other shows (particularly The Mentalist), which I find fun. All leads up to the end of season 3, best show of them all but I have to admit, season 4 the lead's schtick is growing and getting on my nerves. They are relying on it much more than in earlier shows and worse, other characters are picking it up. Lassiter is becoming a bit one note. Dule's character is growing though. I'm expecting a better season 5 since it has gone on at least three more after that.
Be interested in your thoughts as you make your way through.
The whacky gets a little whacky sometimes, and I find myself liking Gus and Shawn's dad more than Shawn himself. Still, I like a lot of the 'meta' humor, and it seems like the actors are having a good time (making it sort of like watching the Oceans 11/12/13 movies, which aren't particularly awesome movies, but the fun the actors are having can be contagious).
The way they use guest-stars often feels a little 'fourth-wallish,' in that the characters seem to be reacting to the popularity / notoriety of the actor, more than reacting to the character that actor is playing. (Which seems particularly over the top when someone like Cary Elwes is on.) I don't mind that so much, but it does mean that whenever I'm watching Psych, I'm very much aware that I'm watching a show, and that every character on the show is more or less aware that they are on a show (except for the deliberately straight-man Lassiter, who takes everything so seriously and treats whatever is going on as real-world life-and-death, making him hilarious, in context, as everyone around him rolls with whatever whacky farce is going on and he ends up looking all flustered and uptight).
It's a fun show, and, for me at least, much of the appeal is how it doesn't take itself too seriously.
In the last few weeks I've gone through Magnum P.I., Chuck and Blue Mountain State, in that order. Chuck was great as a sweet show, even with the comedy and action. Blue Mountain State was just eff'in awesome as a bawdy, raucous send up of college life and college athletics.
Alan Ritchson was perfect as Thad. He was the actor that played Aquaman on Smallville. The Alex Moran character was probably the best on the show, considering that he was part of a triangle of actors that were the focus.
Blue Mountain State: found it free on Crackle. I think I'll give that a look.
Originally Posted by Set
The whacky gets a little whacky sometimes, and I find myself liking Gus and Shawn's dad more than Shawn himself. Still, I like a lot of the 'meta' humor, and it seems like the actors are having a good time (making it sort of like watching the Oceans 11/12/13 movies, which aren't particularly awesome movies, but the fun the actors are having can be contagious).
The way they use guest-stars often feels a little 'fourth-wallish,' in that the characters seem to be reacting to the popularity / notoriety of the actor, more than reacting to the character that actor is playing. (Which seems particularly over the top when someone like Cary Elwes is on.) I don't mind that so much, but it does mean that whenever I'm watching Psych, I'm very much aware that I'm watching a show, and that every character on the show is more or less aware that they are on a show (except for the deliberately straight-man Lassiter, who takes everything so seriously and treats whatever is going on as real-world life-and-death, making him hilarious, in context, as everyone around him rolls with whatever whacky farce is going on and he ends up looking all flustered and uptight).
It's a fun show, and, for me at least, much of the appeal is how it doesn't take itself too seriously.
I hadn't really caught on to that, except as far as I had mentioned, that EVERYONE except Lassie was in on it but it does make sense now that you mention it.
"Top of the Lake." Jane Campion's series starring Elizabeth Moss (Peggy from "Mad Men") as a cop investigating the rape and disappearance of a 13-yr old girl in New Zealand. I've been running through them on Netflix, but got distracted by...
"Veronica Mars" loved it when it came out, I've been refreshing my memory since the film is coming out. I had totally forgotten people like Adam Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Krysten Ritter and others dropped by that show. (Aaron Paul makes a brief appearance as - what else - a really creepy guy and Paris Hilton plays a -- what else -- bitchy rich girl)
"Luthor" I burned through these awhile ago, but for those who haven't seen Idris Elba at his finest, what are you waiting for - see it!!
Sometimes it's better to live with dreams than face uncertain realities that won't live up to those dreams. So the comfort of the familiar (if by that stage not terribly friendly) offsets slightly what he gave up. At least that's what the fear is telling him anyway.
Oh, sure... I get why he did it. But...
I just personally find it an incredibly sad way to live one's life. Over the past few years, I've been realizing that fear of the unknown is probably the single greatest enemy to achieving one's potential. Every day I'm surrounded by people telling me why they can't do this thing or that. I feel like I just want to shake them out of their sleepwalk. Of course they can - and their lives would likely be more fulfilling if they did so. The only reason they haven't yet is that they won't let themselves... out of fear of what might happen.
Arrrrrgggh!
Ahem... sorry about that. Who put that soapbox there?
In any case: Billy Liar
If nothing else, this:
should have been enough for him to face whatever it took to get his sh!t together.
And on that note...
Following my enjoyment of Billy Liar, I decided to go on a mini-marathon, and watch a quartet of Julie Christie's 60's films:
(1965) Darling - "Billy Liar" director John Schlesinger again pairs up with his muse Julie Christie to explore what happens when the small town girl does make it to London. Less a plot-driven movie than a full scale character study, "Darling" shows what happens to a person who wants it all... and then finds it's not enough. Acting as the sort of personifications of two directions in which she's being pulled are love interests Dirk Bogarde and Laurence Harvey. One of the really neat things about watching this era's films so close together is that you see the same actors paired up again and again in different combinations. It's like, "...and featuring... The Swinging London Players!"
(1966) Fahrenheit 451 - Francois Truffaut's take on the classic Ray Bradbury tale of intellectual oppression. It's... well... eh... it's OK. On the one hand, Christie herself is quite good in a dual role as both the protagonist's repressed wife, and also as his free-spirited new friend, but the protagonist himself (Oskar Werner) is so unengaged that he just saps the life out his scenes. I read that Terence Stamp was originally supposed to be the lead. I feel like that would have been such a better pairing.
(1967) Far From the Madding Crowd - And here is where the Christie/Stamp pairing does occur. Stamp is one of three of Christie's suitors (along with Alan Bates and Peter "mad as hell and not going to take this anymore" Finch) in this period action/romance. Equal parts "Wuthering Heights" and "Days of Heaven", the plot, admittedly, takes a back seat at times to the cinematography but - as a whole - I really enjoyed this film. A nice way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon with a significant other. And all four of the primary actors turn in great performances.
(1968) Petulia - Yeah... no. Give this one a miss. Richard Lester (whose other 60s films I actually have quite enjoyed, as evidence by my sig line) directs this inconsequential mess. Ostensibly an early example of non-linear narrative, it actually reminds me more of like the "cut up" technique of writers like William Burroughs. Bleh. I mean how can a movie actually make George C. Scott seem boring? One nice thing I can say is that it does open with a pretty great cameo by Janis Joplin!
There was one other Julie Christie movie I was trying to watch... Doctor... Iago or something... Doctor... Chicago, maybe? But the freaking disc was scratched... stupid Netflix. I'll pick that up later on.
Gosh, this warms some memory cells. I've not seen Fahrenheit 451, Far From the Madding Crowd or Carry on Russian Revolution in ages.
But...
Now I've given up watching films passively in my quest to achieve my potential, when will I get the time again
Some people are promoted beyond their capabilities. For every success there are a hundred failures There are people who say that you'll never find out if you don't try, but actually some of the non triers know themselves well enough to know better than some stranger on a soapbox.
On my other point... slightly tongue in cheek on my part. Mind you... no perhaps we should have an Achieve Your Potential! thread Keep Moving...Keep Moving...
thothkins looked from an opening of the squinty ziggurat across a world where national boundaries had been rendered obsolete. thothkins was sure this had many social implications, but was mainly concerned that the opening had no glazing. Besides, there was a good film coming on...
OK, another round of 60's Brit-cinema (I know it seems like all I do is watch movies. That's really not the case, but... when I do anything, I really do it full bore, and it just happens that this is my latest idée fixe ).
Anyway... I dug the actor-centric run I did with Julie Christie (still waiting on a playable copy of Doctor Zhivago... I'm on my fourth attempt!) so I followed suit with another... Albert Finney.
I've long enjoyed Albert Finney (he's actually in my all-time favorite film, "Miller's Crossing") so I thought I'd take a stab at some of his earlier work. Having already seen his star-making "kitchen sink" performance in "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" I first took a step back to:
(1960) The Entertainer - really just a bit part for Finney (he only appears in the first five minutes) but it is his debut. This is really more a Laurence Olivier vehicle, with Sir Larry portraying a hammy music-hall performer in the dying days of that genre. A nice enough film... I suppose it accomplished its goal - making me feel pity toward Olivier as he makes bad decision after bad decision - but... eh... overall it didn't make much of an impression. I continued on the Finney track with...
(1963) Tom Jones - Academy Award winning period-comedy (and the last film JFK ever saw), this film unfortunately hasn't aged very well. I mean I understand why it was ground-breaking back in the day. It plays with the conventions of cinema, paying homage to multiple film styles, and is a very early example of "breaking the fourth wall"... but those things have been done so often in the years since that they no longer pack the same sort of punch. David Warner is great in it though, as always... I always thought that guy should have been a bigger name. I did sort of amuse myself by imagining the entire movie narrated by Jon Lovitz's "Tales of Ribaldry" character:
(1964) Night Must Fall - English-noir film with Finney as a psychopathic axe-murderer. What is not to like? Although some of the performances border on hammy, it never goes too far over that line. Kudos to Finney for his "mental regression" scenes with the elder woman that he sort of adopts as a mother figure.
(1967) Two for the Road - Just wow. Framed by a road trip that Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn are making to the south of France in the latter stages of their marriage's collapse, this film's story is then interspersed with non-linear scenes from different stages in the pair's life from other road trips. How they met, how they got engaged, their honeymoon, finding success, growing apart... all of these key moments are blended into the framing story, creating this wonderful tapestry-like picture of a relationship. Fantastic film that hits so many emotional beats that I imagine any married couple would recognize as ringing true. It wasn't, however, until after I read an online review that I realized just how brilliant the film is. I knew that the flashbacks weren't being presented chronologically, but what I hadn't picked up on was the fact that they were being presented geographically... each relating to where they were in their present trip! Just... just... just... wow! So... it turns out that Albert Finney is now in two of my favorite films.
(1964) Night Must Fall - English-noir film with Finney as a psychopathic axe-murderer. What is not to like? Although some of the performances border on hammy, it never goes too far over that line. Kudos to Finney for his "mental regression" scenes with the elder woman that he sort of adopts as a mother figure.
Night fell on the city. It fell every night. But tonight it made the sound of a watermelon being hit with a hammer. Turns out it was a body hitting the side walk. No débutantes to be entertained in this neighbourhood. A shadow brushed past. A man with an axe to grind. Or at least an axe. It looked like Finney was back in town.
Don't forget to get one of the more recent prints of Russian Winter Olympic highlights. The quality is much better, and the two disc set puts all the Kenneth Williams bits back in.
Okey-doke, yet another round of 60's UK cinema (what... you were expecting something else?)
It's hard to talk about British movies in the 60's without, at some point, looping around to a parallel track discussion about the music of same period. Some of the earlier films I've talked about have featured cameos from 60's bands - like the Yardbirds (Blow Up), the Zombies (Bunny Lake is Missing), and the Mindbenders (To Sir with Love) - or been intrinsically linked to their arguably more famous theme songs (Georgy Girl, To Sir with Love). This go round, I've focused mostly on films where music is key.
First up was a 1963 Cliff Richard vehicle called "Summer Holiday". Wait... who's Cliff Richard? Well... if you're from the UK, he's one of the most widely known singers of all time, with 130 (!) Top 20 hits over six decades. If you're from the US, he's a nearly unknown guy who had a couple minor disco hits in the 70's. Seriously, reading up on Richard, I'd imagine there is no better case study for the, at times, vast gulf between UK and US musical tastes. The movie? Oh... yeah... it was OK. A completely inoffensive road trip movie with a light bubblegum soundtrack... sort of an English "Elvis" movie.
More familiar to those of us from "across the pond" are, of course, the Beatles. I think there's nothing I can add to the discussion of 1964's "A Hard Day's Night" and 1965's "Help!" that hasn't already been talked about a thousand times over. Both films are the work of the talented Richard Lester. They are both enjoyable to watch, and incredibly important from a historical perspective - the former for capturing the energy and spirit of the Fab Four and being the template off of which all modern music films were spawned... and the latter for coining the phrase, "fiendish thingy."
On the topic of Richard Lester and the Beatles - while not actually a musical film - I think I should note here that I also watched Lester's 1967 absurdist anti-war film, "How I Won the War" featuring John Lennon in a supporting role. This film might not be everyone's cup of tea, but - as a former soldier - I loved it (it's where my current sig line is pulled from). All at once completely zany, but incredibly poignant, it reminded me a bit of the Joseph Heller novel, "Catch 22" in the way it points out the vast absurdity inherent in both the military life and the concept of war. By way of trivia, it was - during the filming of this movie in Spain - that John Lennon, homesick for Liverpool, began penning "Strawberry Fields Forever".
Also from 1967, I watched a social commentary film called "Privilege" starring Paul Jones (the lead singer of Manfred Mann) as a corporately manufactured and controlled pop singer who is used as a mouthpiece to sell both products and ideals. Wow... prescient, or what? Not a bad flick, but - unfortunately - Jones makes a better singer than he does an actor, plodding his way through the film with exactly one facial expression to express every emotion.
By contrast, a better actor than he is singer... Terence Stamp features in the Ken Loach film, "Poor Cow," a sort of semi-kitchen sink drama that heavily features the music of Donovan, with one song, "Colours," notably sung by Stamp himself:
Too cool.
From 1968, I watched "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush", a sort of mild sex romp set to the music of two different Steve Winwood bands, "The Spencer Davis Group" and "Traffic". Presaging similar films like "Porkys" and "American Pie", it wasn't too bad... just eminently forgettable.
Also from 1968, was the oft-mentioned but seldom seen, "Wonderwall," a strange little film about an odd milquetoast-y scientist (Jack MacGowran) who falls in love with the beauty and free spirit of his young next door neighbor (Jane Birkin) by watching her through holes in their shared wall. I know that sounds very creepy but - somehow - it comes off more sweet than the description would suggest. Beautifully trippy late 60's visuals and phenomenal George Harrison soundtrack.
And, finally, from 1970 (filmed years earlier, but held in censorship limbo by the studio) was "Performance". Half a brutal crime drama about London mobsters, half a drug-induced exploration of the concept of identity, this film... wait... what? Seriously... given the contrasts in tone, there is no good reason this movie should work as well as it does (it reminds me slightly of a Guy Ritchie film from a few years back called "Revolver)... but it just drew me in, continually defying my expectations for the better. And the real surprise... Mick Jagger - when he wants to - has mad acting chops. Recommended.
As previously with Julie Christie and Albert Finney, the next run of 60's English movies I watched were again artist-specific. This time out, it was an actor whose name I'd heard from time to time but, somehow, I had never actually seen in a movie - Oliver Reed.
Reed was part of a loose knit group of actors sometimes referred to as the "Hellraisers" (including Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Peter O'Toole) whose off-screen drinking exploits were so notorious throughout the 60's that, at times, they threatened to outshine their actual careers:
After now having watched a few of Reed's films, I've come to the sad opinion that - of that group - he was, at once, the most talented among them ...and the one who wasted that talent to the greatest degree.
I honestly don't think I've ever seen an actor give so many amazingly nuanced performances (completely naturalistic... while at the same time conveying this underlying intensity that's just mesmerizing) in so many absolutely mediocre movies!
From 1964 there was "The System" (alternately called "The Girl-Getters", so - right away - you know we're talking class) with Reed as the ringleader of a gang of seaside resort "players" out to score summer flings. Turn about is fair play when his own "system" is later turned back on him when he winds up falling for one of the girls.
Next was 1965's "The Party's Over," a lurid exploitation film which tells the story (Rashomon-style) of a girl who - while ostensibly passed out at a party - is stripped down, raped (or so it's heavily implied), and then disappears. Well... it turns out
she wasn't passed out through all that at all... she was dead
. Just lovely.
1967 brought the light comedy, "The Jokers," pairing Reed with Michael Crawford (from "The Knack" and "How I Won the War") in the story of two brothers and their scheme to steal the crown jewels (and return them) just to make a point.
And finally - also from '67 - I watched "I'll Never Forget What's'isname", with Reed as an advertising exec who's had enough of the rat race and corporate hypocrisy.
In any case, in my opinion, all of the above are completely forgettable movies. Literally minutes after finishing them, I was already freeing up that memory space. That being said, while I was watching them, I was completely transfixed. I had no illusions that any of them were good movies, mind you, it's just that Reed himself was so good in them. His movements... his subtle facial expressions... his vocal inflection and delivery... all of it... just wow.
He really just embodies everything that I enjoy in an actor but it seems that his modern legacy owes more to his boozing than his films. What a bummer.
(Images from the graphic novel "Hellraisers" by Robert Sellers and JAKe)
Netflix just got Season 1 of Young Justice, one of my favorite ever super-hero cartoons, so I just re-watched them all. Great stuff. It's amazing how everything ties together so well, compared to a comic run, which might have interruptions for various events, and different teams of creators with different favorite characters, or tonal shifts in mind.
In the top image of my previous post above, the four main "Hellraisers" (O'Toole, Reed, Burton, and Harris) are shown keeping company with a couple other hard-chargers (Michael Caine and Sean Connery) who I thought I'd group together as I tackled:
Exnihil's Increasingly Protracted Examination of 1960's English Cinema:
EuroSpy Edition
While the biggest thing to come out of England beginning with the letter "B" in the 1960's was the "Beatles," hot on their tail - by any estimation - had to be "Bond".
The impact that the Harry Saltzman/Albert Broccoli productions of Ian Fleming's spy novels had on 1960's cinema (and, indeed, probably the entire concept of "film franchise") can't possibly be overestimated. For the purpose of this post, I'm not going to retread the same ground that has already been well trod by the poster, profh0011, in his excellent reviews of the Bond films here:
... rather I'll just give a couple terse blurbs and my personal hierarchy of the films of the 60's:
(1962) "Dr. No" - Classic character introduction; Sean Connery at the baccarat table; "Bond, James Bond"; "A medium dry martini, lemon peel. Shaken, not stirred."; Enjoyable enough, but a bit of a low budget sci-fi feel to the final act. My rank - #5 of 6
(1963) "From Russia with Love" - Perhaps an odd assessment, but - to me - one of the more "serious" Bond films; the fantastic downplayed in favor of intrigue; Robert Shaw is intense; Intro of "Q" (not so-called in this film) but, again, his "gadgets" are more practical than fantastic. My rank - #2 of 6
(1964) "Goldfinger" - Fuhgeddaboudit... this is the one to have if you've only got time for one; Everything clicks: looney single-minded villain, tough yet absurdly named Bond Girl, gimmicky comic-book henchman, and - for me - probably the most iconic Bond image of all... peeling off a wetsuit to reveal an immaculately pressed tuxedo beneath. My rank - #1 of 6
(1965) "Thunderball" - Meh. Overly long underwater sequences in service of an overly complex plot. My rank - #6 of 6
(1967) "You Only Live Twice" - Hmm... divided here. One the one hand, my 2014 sensibilities have to work hard to overcome the very dated stereotypes... on the other, it has the best villain portrayal this side of Darth Vader (Donald Pleasence as "Ernst Stavro Blofeld") and helicopter fights up the wazoo. The 14 year-old in me wants to love it, the 40 year-old winces slightly. My rank - #4 of 6
(1969) "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" - Overall, the most "complete" feeling Bond movie for me plot-wise, and yet (as it stars new actors George Lazenby and Telly Savalas, respectively, as Bond and Blofeld) a little difficult for me to fully enjoy without the visual continuity of previous films. My rank - #3 of 6
Now... meanwhile... while all that above was going on, producer Harry Saltzman was also hedging his bets as the producer behind another series of spy movies that acted as a more gritty counterpoint to the fantastic world of Bond - those adapting several of novels of Len Deighton's, "Harry Palmer" series, starring Michael Caine in the lead.
(1965) "The IPCRESS File" - As I say, a more "realistic" approach to the spy genre, filled with bureaucratic red tape and internal politics. Suspension of disbelief required in the second half with the "mind control" plot, but - overall - a very good movie. Extra bonus points for jaunty Dutch camera angles.
(1966) "Funeral in Berlin" - Caine is back as Palmer, this time on the international stage, for what is at once both a slightly drier but - in my opinion - even more engaging installment than "IPCRESS". My favorite of the three.
(1967) "Billion Dollar Brain" - I found it very hard to follow this film. Too many characters of dubious loyalty and motivation. I'm still not 100 percent certain the movie makes any sense, but - eh - not worth another watch to find out. Ridiculously silly portrayal of computers.
A few other "spy-ish" films in the mix were:
(1963) "The Mind-Benders" - One of my favored English directors (Basil Dearden) directs one of my favored English actors (Dirk Bogarde) in a movie about a subject I find particularly interesting (the effects of sensory deprivation). Bogarde plays a scientist who willingly subjects himself to long-term sensory deprivation in the service of the government to determine whether it may be used as a means to brainwash international agents. While I don't believe, for a second, the conclusions of the movie, it was actually quite sad.
(1965) "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" - Superb movie. Seriously... if you are fan of cold war intrigue and espionage, you should search this out. An incredibly engaging film, it had me guessing (often incorrectly) throughout. Lead actor Richard Burton's performance knocks this adaptation of one of the peripheral John le Carré "George Smiley" series of novels right out of the park. Recommended.
(1968) "Sebastian" - Dirk Bogarde, again, as the head of code-breaking division staffed entirely by beautiful twenty-something women. Hmmm. An odd movie that can't quite decide whether it wants to be a light romantic comedy or a dramatic character study, this is definitely a film whose parts are, paradoxically, greater than their sum.
I remember the thrill of tripping across Billion Dollar Brain. Ipcress and Funeral are excellent. I even watched them yet again before settling down for the third one. What a disappointment it was. It was trying to be James Bond with super computers and globe trotting.
There were a couple of other later Harry Palmer movies. I recall one with Sean Connery's son in it. Like so many movies trying to pass over a torch to a younger actor , it falls flat on it's face. I don;t think I managed to last to the end of one of them.
If you like the sound of any of that lot, and if you haven't already got them, you owe it to yourself, your loved ones and their future offspring to get the TV version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Smiley's People and the Sandbaggers.
I read some Bond books as a kid, and was surprised when Bond seemingly died at the end of From Russia With Love. Apparently, Ian Fleming (the Ian I was named after, coincidentally) was growing tired of the Bond character, and being considered unable to write anything else, that he considered killing him off!
Same sort of thing happened to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who killed off Sherlock Holmes in "The Final Problem" so that he could focus on other work (historical novels, in this case) and resisted badgering for eight years before finally giving in and writing more Sherlock Holmes tales.
I've been meaning to scratch an itch for film noir, and seeing if I can find Touch of Evil, Out of the Past, The Big Sleep or The Maltese Falcon, which I've heard are good examples of the genre.
(1965) "The IPCRESS File" - As I say, a more "realistic" approach to the spy genre, filled with bureaucratic red tape and internal politics. Suspension of disbelief required in the second half with the "mind control" plot, but - overall - a very good movie. Extra bonus points for jaunty Dutch camera angles.
This movie was very influential, visually at least, on one of my favorite TV shows, the original (accept no substitutes) "Mission: Impossible."
I didn't see Touch of Evil until much later than Maltese Falcon and the Big Sleep, but I'm very glad I did. A great cast and story.
Double Indemnity (read it again last week), The Third Man and Strangers on a Train are also favourites, and there are plenty of other good noir movies.
The new cast includes: John Boyega (24: Live Another Day), Daisy Ridley (Blue Season), Adam Driver (HBO’s Girls), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Domhnall Gleeson (the Harry Potter movies) and Max von Sydow (Minority Report).
They will join some of the original cast from episodes IV, V and VI: Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Kenny Baker (R2-D2).
I haven't watched The Simpsons in ages, but last nights LEGOSimpsons episode was a hoot. And I'd put off watching the Star Wars-themed Big Bang Theory until the appropriate night... enjoyed it immensely. Sheldon slays me. ^_^ And it's always great to see Bob Newhart...
I'll admit the trailer looks better than I expected, but I'm still highly skeptical about Constantine.
(It also has me ready to dig up my back-issues of Swamp Thing where I'm 98% sure in the letter column they stated clearly it's pronounced "Tyne" like the times of a fork and not "Teen").
Edit to Add; Just watched a Warren Ellis interview where he calls him "ConstanTYNE" too. Still looking for one where Alan Moore calls him by name.
Orphan Black, still fun. Grimm, still awesome. Hannibal, still a head trip / train wreck from which I cannot avert my eyes.
The first episode of Penny Dreadful was pretty intense. Eva Green has great crazyface. Timothy Dalton got old! Three out of four *of the protagonists* are wildly crazy. I can't wait to see the bad guys...
Warehouse 13. Oh, so, so terrible. And yet I still watch it. For this I have much shame. Eureka died with dignity, as did Alphas. Warehouse 13, not so much.
Thanks to the miracles of DVR and the excellent programming choices of the "Pivot" channel, I'm finally getting to binge-watch Veronica Mars, a series I've long wanted to see. I'm about 8 eps in, and--DAMN--it's soooo good! Can't wait to see how all of the great long game mysteries turn out. Each ep's contained mysteries are really fun and clever as well. Veronica's unstoppable!
So glad you're finally watching this! I was a fan from day 1, randomly catching the pilot (with my Mom) and loving it! I've watched the first and second season probably about 5 times total--the most I've ever rewatched a show besides Lost. I LOVE IT. It's a contender for my favorite show of all time.
It's funny too, because I just watched the V-Mars movie for the first time on Sunday! My wife and I couldn't wait to On-Demand it, and it was...as expected...nothing short of spectacular.
You, my friend, are in for some great television! And the Finale!!! Oh man, what a finale!
You, my friend, are in for some great television! And the Finale!!! Oh man, what a finale!
Season or series finale?
I noticed you didn't mention season 3. I've heard that season criticized for its subject matter (rape, from what I hear). Given that rape is part of the story from the very first episode, I don't see why it would be off-limits.
In any case I'm very fortunate to have a new cable provider that carries Pivot and has DVR. I've had watching VM on my mind for a loooong time but could never quite find the right way to do it. Couldn't remember if you were one of her fans, but I figured I'd find someone on LW to share it with!
I mean the finale to season 1, though the finale to season 2 is equally mind blowing. I don't want to risk even revealing one thing so I'll be quiet in terms of why.
I've seen season 3 twice, when it debuted and once after, and I liked it quite a lot. It is slightly weaker to me than the others but still in the "very good" category. It suffers from having 3 distinct arcs rather than one overarching mega arc like the first two seasons. That and a few characters are kind of left by the wayside I think, with less time in the spotlight (again I won't say who).
I disagree with the criticism of subject matter though. As you say, rape is a part of the series from the first ep. I thought they handled it quite well in season 3. The crime is treated as barbaric as it should be with no glorification. And the writers give many different points of view into rape, including having many peoples perspectives change along the way (without the obvious "rape is bad"). What really makes it work is how Veronica reacts to it given her past. I don't want to ruin anything so I'll remain vague but the finale to the seriel rapist arc is, once again, brilliant, and one of the most moving sequences ever in the show. Veronica is the perfect character to experience the entire thing, and when you get there you'll see why.
It's probably the best show ever in terms of every finale having a huge payoff.
I think I read somewhere that the third season had smaller arcs because the network demanded it in order to make the show "more accessible". So of course it gets cancelled afterward. TV history is littered with great shows that were altered by the network somehow in order to "improve" it. Sounds like they did the best with what they had, though your comparative lack of re-watch of that season speaks volumes.
I think the most captivating element so far, aside from the great ongoing mysteries, is the relationship between Veronica and her dad. It's beyond awesome! Though I felt bad for him, I loved how he broke off his relationship with her school guidance counselor when he saw how hard it was for Veronica to accept it as the scars from her mother leaving them were still too raw. He's a great character, and their scenes together are among my favorite.
I know it wouldn't change their love for each other, but I sure hope he's her biological father! Though I applauded Veronica shredding the DNA test unreviewed, I also wanted to know!!!
It's also interesting how they've pulled the rug out on Logan being a full-on creep. He was love-to-hate from the get-go, but seeing his family situation changed things a bit.
(My latest ep was episode 10, "An Echolls Family Christmas", btw.)
Ooh! Also, I forgot to mention my one real criticism of the show's basic set-up: as rich as the rich kids are shown to be in the school, I find it hard to believe that they would be enrolled in a public school. So the inherent class division dynamics takes a bit more suspension of disbelief than I would like the show to ask of me. Maybe if the kids weren't quite so rich, it would have worked better. I'm positive that in RL, they would be in an exclusive private school.
It doesn't kill the show for me by any stretch, but it's a valid criticism.
I watched David Lynches "Inland Empire" on Friday night, a surreal dream-like film where show business is used as a metaphor while the main character becomes dislodged in time and identity.
On Saturday I switched gears to watch Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche NY", a surreal dream-like film where show business is used as a metaphor while the main character becomes dislodged in time and identity.
Of course the reality is the two films could not be more different but they were both extremely excellent.
I watched David Lynches "Inland Empire" on Friday night, a surreal dream-like film where show business is used as a metaphor while the main character becomes dislodged in time and identity.
On Saturday I switched gears to watch Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche NY", a surreal dream-like film where show business is used as a metaphor while the main character becomes dislodged in time and identity.
Of course the reality is the two films could not be more different but they were both extremely excellent.
My mileage varied with "Inland Empire", I found it almost too Lynchian, if that's a thing (though, if I recall correctly, there was a DVD special feature with Lynch showing the proper way to cook quinoa that I quite enjoyed) but - yes, absolutely - "Synecdoche NY" was a phenomenal film. Even months later, I was still parsing through the emotions that movie stirred in me.
The usual Game of Thrones, always teasing with not giving you what you want. So frustrating! So awesome!
Penny Dreadful is just overwrought, and beautifully so. I've kind of been half paying attention to it, as much for the period setting and costumes, as for the characters and story.
Sherlock season 3 is finally on Netflix, so I've caught up with that as well.
Someone here had echoed my love of the "Young Ones" earlier, but I sadly can't remember who. Cast member Rik Mayall just passed away. He was awesome in YO, and equally great as Lord Flashheart in Black Adder. Fond memories of my youth watching British comedy.
"There were times when Rik and I were writing together when we almost died laughing," Edmondson said.
"They were some of the most carefree, stupid days I ever had, and I feel privileged to have shared them with him. And now he's died for real. Without me. Selfish bastard."
Another good show for Mayall was the New Statesman a political comedy. His utterly sleazy, self absorbed character still hits home when you look at today's crop.
It's pretty cool. Eva Green gives awesome scaryface! Those eyes!
I had no idea that James Bond IV had gotten so old...
What's his name (the one who wasn't Ben Affleck, in Pearl Harbor) can act? Who knew?
Dr. Von Ressurection-Man has crazy, crazy intensity. He's just constantly dialed up to 11. Possibly 12. Again, might be the eyes. Him and Eva need to have a stare-off, although the sheer intensity backwash might kill everyone around them!
'Dorian' isn't quite winning me over yet. I think it's a bit of an uphill struggle for a young actor to portray someone as world-wearied and jaded as he's attempting. (Dakota Fanning, in Push, somehow managed it, as well as the kid who played Godric, in True Blood, but this guy's not quite at that level, IMO.)
^ Totally agree with all your points. Dorian is definitely the weak link but not so much that I'm not invested in his scenes. And how was that ending to episode 4!?
Speaking of which, I cannot believe how hot Timothy Dalton has gotten in his later years! He did nothing for me when he was younger but now... swoon. And he's apparently 70?! Wow - the years have been kind to him.
This show reminds me a little of American Horror Story (another fave of mine) except that it's a lot more coherent, is genuinely scary at times, and doesn't have all that crazy 'just for the sake of it' OTT campiness that AHS does. Not that it doesn't have any of it - that seance scene! One of the best scenes I've seen on TV in ages! Eva Green is bringing it!
^ Totally agree with all your points. Dorian is definitely the weak link but not so much that I'm not invested in his scenes. And how was that ending to episode 4!?
I rarely react out loud to stuff I see on TV, and, occasionally, see stuff coming, just based on narrative needs. (The 'shocking' ending to a recent Game of Thrones episode, for instance, I kind of expected, if only because Martin *never* gives the reader a sense of satisfaction or resolution or justice. He'd already defied expectations earlier in the season by giving us a 'happy ending' with Joffrey.)
But that last bit, I blurted out "Holy 5H1+!" out loud, before clapping my hand over my mouth. At that moment, it felt completely out of nowhwere, and yet, thinking back on the scene, it was both inevitable and scripted (not just scripted by the show's writers, but 'scripted' by Dorian himself, pushing cowboy-whose-name-I-never-remember into such a raw needy place that he's pretty much doing all the work of getting himself to the place where Dorian wants him).
In retrospect, yes, it was obvious. That's exactly the sort of game Dorian plays, disregarding all the shiny common toys everyone else is admiring to play with / poke at the most broken thing he can find. (Just as he ignored the dozens of beautiful women at the Séance-party to zero in like a laser on Vanessa Ives, a wolf circling the most vulnerable / wounded animal in the pack.)
Ep 5 of Penny Dreadful was probably necessary backstory, but dragged a bit, IMO. Ep 3 got a little talky, too, but the new character was intriguing enough (and the shock ending of Ep 2 still raw enough) to carry it.
.
As for AHS, it's pretty fun, but on a different level. I haven't seen Coven yet, waiting for it on Netflix, but I'm a ginormous Angela Basset fan, thanks to her role in Strange Days, so I'm looking forward to it.
^ Totally agree with all your points. Dorian is definitely the weak link but not so much that I'm not invested in his scenes. And how was that ending to episode 4!?
But that last bit, I blurted out "Holy 5H1+!" out loud, before clapping my hand over my mouth. At that moment, it felt completely out of nowhwere, and yet, thinking back on the scene, it was both inevitable and scripted (not just scripted by the show's writers, but 'scripted' by Dorian himself, pushing cowboy-whose-name-I-never-remember into such a raw needy place that he's pretty much doing all the work of getting himself to the place where Dorian wants him).
In retrospect, yes, it was obvious. That's exactly the sort of game Dorian plays, disregarding all the shiny common toys everyone else is admiring to play with / poke at the most broken thing he can find. (Just as he ignored the dozens of beautiful women at the Séance-party to zero in like a laser on Vanessa Ives, a wolf circling the most vulnerable / wounded animal in the pack.)
Yes! Agree.
The other great thing about that scene was the way it totally set us up to think that it was Ethan (the cowboy) who was about to make a (probably deadly, based on the preceding flashbacks and all the anvils being dropped about his true nature) move, only to suddenly flip it at the last moment and show us that it was actually Dorian who was in control (as he really had been all along).
It was actually quite ballsy writing too. To think that a scene like that couldn't even have been shown on TV ten years ago.
---
This show is reminding me that I really need to get around to reading 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' one day. And 'Dracula' and 'Frankenstein' now that I think about it. Man, I have a big hole in my gothic literature library.
[quote=Blacula] As for AHS, it's pretty fun, but on a different level. I haven't seen Coven yet, waiting for it on Netflix, but I'm a ginormous Angela Basset fan, thanks to her role in Strange Days, so I'm looking forward to it.
Coven is a bit of a let down. There are great individual episodes, and there are great individual scenes and performances, but it doesn't hold together narratively or thematically very well, and the ending is rather weak.
This show is reminding me that I really need to get around to reading 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' one day. And 'Dracula' and 'Frankenstein' now that I think about it. Man, I have a big hole in my gothic literature library.
IMO, the *only* thing worth watching in that horrible League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie was whoever they had playing Dorian Gray. He really lived it up.
"Silicon Valley" on HBO - watch them NOW!! Funniest show in the last several years.
"Killer Women" (with Tricia Helfer)- it got a bit of a raw deal, but it's better than its cheese-cake marketing would have you believe, especially once the larger personal stories had time to develop. It was only 8 episodes, but it used them well. (and if you watch them, make sure to watch EP 7 *before* EP 6 - abc skipped over an episode when they cut it short so that it would end after ep6 (which was actually 7)) It misses being a great show, but it's pretty good to burn through if there's not much else going on.
Just finished watching the leaked pilots for Constantine and the Flash. Both were pretty good, although I liked the Flash better.
The Flash seems to have more of a DC scope with it's many Easter eggs for the fans (especially the ending), but Constantine had a good one, too. I'm not well versed in the mythology of John Constantine, so I can't speak to the other characters, but he seemed close to the smart-assed John that I've seen in the DCU.
but it is still what it is. meaning an american horror story buffy true blood mash up. while not quite as good as any of those three when they were at their best there are some excellent episodes (maybe two) towards the end (it just ended the series) and it's one of my top shows right now. i think the last three episodes were pretty good with one that was very superb. it is better than true blood is now. and more compelling than american horror stories fizzing out.
Eva Green is the stand out with good performances by dalton (who is a bit soap operaey) and hartnett (who tries hard ...).
They played some things close to the vest with the cowboy, but at the end of the last two episodes there are a pair of rapid fire reveals about him that promise to shake things up for a second season.
So, Orphan Black Season 2 was pretty damn brilliant. Just about everything about it was fantastic: plot, acting, writing, pacing, etc. Tatiana is just mesmerizing.
Just finished watching the leaked pilots for Constantine and the Flash. Both were pretty good, although I liked the Flash better.
The Flash seems to have more of a DC scope with it's many Easter eggs for the fans (especially the ending), but Constantine had a good one, too. I'm not well versed in the mythology of John Constantine, so I can't speak to the other characters, but he seemed close to the smart-assed John that I've seen in the DCU.
Thumbs up to both!
I'm hit or miss with Arrow. Really like the plots. Really hate the "acting." The Flash was a positive in the acting though a lot more bubbly, childlike than I think will go over well for anything but an episode or two. I think he needs to play that about 5-10 years older and a bit more mature. I really liked the trailer.
but it is still what it is. meaning an american horror story buffy true blood mash up. while not quite as good as any of those three when they were at their best there are some excellent episodes (maybe two) towards the end (it just ended the series) and it's one of my top shows right now. i think the last three episodes were pretty good with one that was very superb. it is better than true blood is now. and more compelling than american horror stories fizzing out.
Eva Green is the stand out with good performances by dalton (who is a bit soap operaey) and hartnett (who tries hard ...).
piper is also great but limited.
... one plot line is so so dull.
I'll try and stick with it then. The pilot started out interesting, and then it kind of lost steam after the first act. I know it's being true to the sources, but everything just seemed a little over wrought and melodramatic, which can be fine, but there wasn't much there yet to support it.
i'd stick with it for the first season. There's only 8 episodes.
i remember being annoyed at the beginning because they kept introducing characters i didn't care about yet and i just wanted the action part because the first episodes it seemed like it was going to be an "actor's show" where everyone's screaming and their lips are quivering and everything is delivered at the utmost drama but ... only eva green of this cast can really pull that off. it's not got the same caliber of people as american horror story or even walking dead.
but i'm in it for what it is and the plots really do multiply in a good way and there are loads of cliff hangers. it's entertaining and really fun once it gets rolling.
I just watched the first couple of seasons of "Longmire" pm Netflix and before that all of "Luther." The two title characters are kind of similar: lots of inner turmoil, anger issues and dedication to their jobs. I also really like the supporting casts on both shows; I would pay double for Alice Morgan to make a visit to Absaroka county. Their settings (Wyoming and London) are so different from where I'm from that I also get bonus "tourism" content.
I saw a movie over the holiday that I previously didn't know existed and - if I had - never would have thought that I'd not only enjoy it, but also still be thinking about it three days later... and slowly coming to the opinion that I'd seen a work of art.
Trust me, no one is more surprised than I that I dug this so much - but I'm talking about movie from 1968 called, "Head," starring... The Monkees.
First off, although I'd seen The Monkees TV show before, I've never liked it. I don't enjoy the sort of dumbed-down slapstick and random jump cut thing that typified the show.
That being said, though... "Head," - made after the cancellation of the show, and during a drastic wane in the Monkees popularity - was a pop art deconstruction of the prefabricated nature of the band, from the same production team that would go on to make "Easy Rider," and "Five Easy Pieces." In addition, it's also a meta-fictional reflection on the nature of reality and free will.
Yes... really.
It's very difficult to describe the movie in terms of plot... there actually isn't much of one, apart from an overarching theme of the four band members attempting to break free of the various levels of fictional constructs in which they exist. Instead, it plays out in a series of vignettes, connected in a stream of consciousness fashion that follow a sort of dream logic.
Throughout these vignettes, the band members are continually confronted with the artificial nature - not only of the world in which they exist (breaking out of staged scenes only to find that the "behind the scenes" reality is staged as well) - but also of their selves (having their actions cut short to be informed that they are not in line with the archetypes that they are supposed to be filling; being torn apart as their very bodies are revealed to be mannequins).
The ultimate journey toward trying to assert free will involves them realizing the only way out of this illusionary world is by death, so, in the final scene (which connects to the first scene in a "Finnegan's Wake" type loop) they attempt to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge... only to find even these actions are nothing more than part of a pre-scripted world.
I'll know that "meta-fiction" is not everyone's cup of tea... but when combined the "psychedelic" sheen of the era in which it was made, as well as some of the most bizarre cameos to ever be in a single movie - Frank Zappa, Annette Funicello, Jack Nicholson, and Sonny Liston, as well as others - it all just really clicked for me.
To sum up my feelings on it, I'd say it was like "A Hard Day's Night" as imagined by Grant Morrison.
If that sounds like something you'd like... check out "Head".
A year and a half after writing the above I was able to catch "Head" on the big screen yesterday, as this month my local movie theatre is playing a triple play of 60's music films including that, "A Hard Day's Night" and the Who's "Quadrophenia".
I'm finding the new "Leftovers" intriguing, but I'm still bitter over Lindelof's botching of the last 2 seasons of Lost so I'm still a little wary as to where it will go.
I'm finding the new "Leftovers" intriguing, but I'm still bitter over Lindelof's botching of the last 2 seasons of Lost so I'm still a little wary as to where it will go.
I'm on the fence on this one. It's got some interesting bits, but I think the writing is deliberately portraying the characters as sort of disconnected, as if the entire world has been holding it's breath for the last three years, waiting for something else (a return, another wave of disappearances, signs of the end of the world, etc.).
As a result, most of the characters just feel like they are going through the motions, or sleepwalking. I'm not loving that, since it may be totally appropriate for the theme and tone being sought after, but it's kind of deadly dull. Almost everyone feels reactive, pent up, distant, in various ways.
As you mention Lost, I'm also reminded of the Battlestar Galactica relaunch, shows in which a long, slow burn to revelation ended with colossal disappointment. I think I've been burned too many times by the 'slow burn' storytelling approach, and have no patience for this any more.
'And they've got a Plan. Which is apparently to drag this sucker out as long as we can, without actually coming up with an ending...'
As you mention Lost, I'm also reminded of the Battlestar Galactica relaunch, shows in which a long, slow burn to revelation ended with colossal disappointment. I think I've been burned too many times by the 'slow burn' storytelling approach, and have no patience for this any more.
Colossal disappointment. I've never been more let-down by an ending (and pretty much a whole final season to be honest) than I was by that show's. It was so bad it made me retroactively go back and think less of the earlier seasons, which I'd previously loved.
Though I'm someone who found lots to like (and love!) in Lost's (imperfect, admittedly) final season so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
I'm with you on BSG. Up until the last half season, my wife and I were so hooked, and then to have them deliver such a half-baked resolution really soured us, to the point we haven't gone back to re-watch any of it and have skipped any spin-off material. It was such a letdown.
So, Orphan Black Season 2 was pretty damn brilliant. Just about everything about it was fantastic: plot, acting, writing, pacing, etc. Tatiana is just mesmerizing.
Finally finished Season 2 the other night. I thought the first half of the season was kind of slow, but the second half was just AWESOME! I particularly loved what happened in Allison's story and how Donnie became a character to watch and enjoy. And that dance scene with no less than four clones in the same shot--I had to watch that one several times! Just an amazing achievement!
Yeah, lots of great bits with the supporting cast, even if some of them leave you wanting a whole helluva lot more (I'm looking at you, Art!).
Loved how Donnie morphed into something unexpected (and loved how he and Allison dealt with the big "shock twist" to him, haha!). Love the aforementioned Art's new role. Felix is always awesome. Ms. S...HOLY FECAL MATTER! Dalphine is a wonderfully complex love interest like Sarah's two, and even Scott is an awesome addition. Even Vic's return was unexpected but hilarious as it would have to be.
All of the clones are just awesome, and enough can't be said about how Tatiana pulls it off. Helena's "entrance" into the season was horrifying and awesome--one of my favorite moments (you'll know which one I mean). And then she can go on to be so funny in some scenes.
Helena's "entrance" into the season was horrifying and awesome--one of my favorite moments (you'll know which one I mean). And then she can go on to be so funny in some scenes.
I'm drawing a blank on Helena's--unless she was involved with that diner thing? (I took a long break between the two halves of the season for various reasons.) However, you're absolutely right that she's often really funny and has become pretty endearing--all this way from being pretty much the "bogeyman" last season.
I was sooooo afraid one of the clones--you know which one--wouldn't make it to next season, but we were instead left with some hope.
And while we're at it....how about little Kira this season!
I thought Kasima might not make it to the end. I was so glad they didn't go there. I'd hate to lose any of the main three, and even Helena too.
The Helena sequence I meant is the one where Sarah was tied up in the bad clone's apartment (her name escapes me at the moment) and suddenly her tormentor walks off screen, we hear a fight, then stumbles back in a bloody mess and collapses...and then Helena enters the screen covered in blood at her most menacing. It was an awesome entrance!
Kira was great! I was especially glad we got a good few eps of Sarah with Kira as well. I think they did a good job at showing Sarah be a responsible parent given the situation she's in.
Oh, yeah! That sequence was pretty tense! ("Bad clone" is Rachel, btw! ) Looked like Sarah was going from a bad situation to worse--and then the episode ended! I like where they've taken Helena, though.
Love me some Cosima! I was starting to tear up thinking she had passed when Kira couldn't wake her up! In a way Cosima is the most lovable of them all, so I could definitely see the writers pulling the rug out from under us. Glad they didn't go there (yet).
And Season 3 was given the go-ahead a week or so ago!!!
I finally finished Season 2 of Veronica Mars last night, and God Bless freakin' AMERICA, was that ever a great finale! As outstanding as Season 1's ending was, I'd say Season 2 kicked it up a few notches! The reveal of who was behind the bus crash (and was also responsible for something else unexpected) was both mindblowing and heartbreaking! There was a point where the confrontation between Veronica and the perp brought me to tears, even when I wasn't completely buying the fakeout that occurred during the confrontation (to say any more would be giving too much away). It was just television at its best, and just as in Season 1, I didn't see the reveal coming--even though in hindsight, both were always right in front of me.
My only criticism of both finales is that in both cases
Veronica needed a knight in shining armor to rescue her.
I hope this isn't the case with all the remaining mysteries and the movie.
I can't recommend the first two seasons of Veronica Mars highly enough! I'm one episode into the contentious*** Season 3. We'll see how it shakes out, but if it's even half as good as either of the prior two, I'll be satisfied!
***One clearly inferior thing about Season 3 from the first ep is the new beginning credits with a sucky down-tempo version of the formerly great and peppy "We Used to Be Friends" theme song!
Oh yeah, I LOVE me some Veronica Mars!!!! I even have the Kickstarter backer t-shirt to prove it!
I agree with all the veiled references you made to the season 2 finale - they never lost sight of the fact that the main relationship in that show is V and her dad - I totally get choked up during that rooftop scene (even though it was a fake-out) The second big reveal seemed a bit tacked on since it seemed as though they had already settled it (even though I thought the way they initially settled it was a bit of a cop-out) The movie was great to see, but it really felt like a reunion special more than a real movie, which was a bit disappointing.
I watched the entire show again before seeing the movie, and one awesome part of rewatching the show was the cavalcade of folks who popped up - Adam Scott, Paul Rudd, Alyson Hannigan, whatsisname Schmidt (from "New Girl"), Krysten Ritter, and her "Breaking Bad" co-star Adrian Paul, Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat being in the same episode (though no scenes together unfortunately), etc... I'm sure there are more I've forgotten...
BUT, I just finished watching the extended (or original) "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy on Netflix. GREAT stuff! Instead of three movies, it's six episodes, each an hour and a half long.
The second big reveal seemed a bit tacked on since it seemed as though they had already settled it (even though I thought the way they initially settled it was a bit of a cop-out)
I know, right? It was almost like they realized that
revealing that Veronica's rape was consensual after all really undermined the power of that first episode and the underlying themes (which it did), so they fixed that, albeit with something that made sense from the pre-established timeline. Only problem is: does this mean that Veronica was both raped AND had consensual sex the same night?!?! (Pardon me if this was cleared up in Season 3.... )
I finally watched "Gravity." It gave me a headache, but in a good way. If I'd known it was the Moon Landing anniversary I might have waited a day. It doesn't seem right.
First things first, it was awesome, wasn't it?! Just when you think the season one finale can't be topped, they really upped things to the max to give it a run for its money.
The fake out you mention was one I didn't believe either but it certainly made those few minutes as intense as possible, and reiterated what a real rival the big bad was for Veronica in terms of pure smarts and cleverness.
So getting into the reveals:
I think Cassidy was an awesome, fantastic nemesis for Veronica this season. Whereas Logan's dad was pure villainy in a creepy, sinister way, Cassidy was excellent as someone Veronica's age who is intelligent and clever, and like Veronica, someone easily under-estimated. But beyond all that, his story is tragic and very similar to Veronica's, except of course, he went in a different direction. This is exemplified by his inability to get intimate with Mac earlier that ep. His story is not an easy one. The actor really nails it at the end too: when Logan calls him Beaver, he replies "my name is Cassidy!!!"
And while nothing compared to other things going on, it was tough to see him use Veronica's taser on her.
The other revelation is one that totally caught me by surprise as well, but one I've really liked upon multiple rewatches of the whole show. The conclusion to her rape in season 1 always felt like a little bit of a cop out and this rectifies that. Even more, the way it's done is as if all of Veronica's most inner secret fears are realized--like everything she's suspected but not spoken aloud is coming true. They do a great job laying the ground work for that sequence in the ep(s) leading up to it.
It also makes the horror of what Woody did all the more terrible, given the awful ripple effect sent through the whole town. Steve Guttenberg is great all season as Woody too.
All in all, I was very satisfied.
Your one criticism is one I can't refute, and shared for a time as well. I think over time I've realized that perhaps the single most important theme in the show is that Veronica is not alone. She is not the loner she thinks she has, and somehow someway she's found people she can rely on. Keith, above all, serves that role, but this season did a good job playing that up with Logan, who again emerges as her true love, Wallace, whose return after a way-too long absence is desperately needed, and Mac, who emerges as an awesome major supporting character (which continues even more so in season 3). Season 3 carries this theme to a natural evolution but I won't say anything about that yet.
Btw, so many awesome parts of this season:
- how about the fake out pulled by Duncan and Veronica? That episode is really brilliant from start to finish!
- how about the twist(s) with Meg? Especially after she was so great to Veronica in season 1.
- how pissed were you about Weevil's story ending the way it did? Especially since his arc season-long was really great, and felt like he was growing and changing once he moved on for the PCHers. To me, this is the single thing I disliked the most. In fact, this convo really needs you to finish season 3 and the movie in order for us to continue as I have strong thoughts on how Weevil's story had evolved from season 2 onwards.
- and how about the general awesome recurring performances by Cliff, Don Lamb, the PI she competes against, Wallace's bitchy girlfriend who you just want to strangle at a few points, the principal, etc? For a cast of true supporting players, they are fantastic from start to finish. I even loved the Irish gang of brothers at that bar, who were funny / intense enough that they show back up in season 3.
First things first, it was awesome, wasn't it?! Just when you think the season one finale can't be topped, they really upped things to the max to give it a run for its money.
Even more, it felt like it was really an uber-finale because the major things that happened in Season One also dove-tailed there in such an awesome way!
So getting into the reveals:
Quote
I think Cassidy was an awesome, fantastic nemesis for Veronica this season. Whereas Logan's dad was pure villainy in a creepy, sinister way, Cassidy was excellent as someone Veronica's age who is intelligent and clever, and like Veronica, someone easily under-estimated. But beyond all that, his story is tragic and very similar to Veronica's, except of course, he went in a different direction. This is exemplified by his inability to get intimate with Mac earlier that ep. His story is not an easy one. The actor really nails it at the end too: when Logan calls him Beaver, he replies "my name is Cassidy!!!"
Part of the tearing up I experienced in this finale was because I felt just as betrayed by Cassidy/Beaver as Veronica did. He was a character that I had admired as it had seemed he had stepped up for Veronica when she was helpless at that party. Plus, his cleverness with what he did after his father's downfall and having to deal with his brother's relentless abuse.
This finale was brilliant in how it turned everything we thought we knew about him on its head while not contradicting anything we'd seen--just pulling the veil off what we'd perceived. In a way I wish we'd learned even more about him before his death, but life doesn't usually work that way. It really makes me want to re-watch every one of Cassidy's scenes throughout the series.
I can see from the first episode of S3 that Dick's still around, and we see him act human for the first time at the end of it. So I'm interested to see what they do with him.
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And while nothing compared to other things going on, it was tough to see him use Veronica's taser on her.
Definitely. It was kind of subliminal for me, but I can see now that Cassidy was really designed as Veronica's opposite number/dark reflection.
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The other revelation is one that totally caught me by surprise as well, but one I've really liked upon multiple rewatches of the whole show. The conclusion to her rape in season 1 always felt like a little bit of a cop out and this rectifies that. Even more, the way it's done is as if all of Veronica's most inner secret fears are realized--like everything she's suspected but not spoken aloud is coming true. They do a great job laying the ground work for that sequence in the ep(s) leading up to it.
I was definitely disappointed when the rape was "revealed" not to be one for a while. It's not that I wanted her to have suffered like that, but it had been such a woven element of the show and one that was very brave. The chlamydia thing leading up to it confused me. I thought that this meant Duncan slept with Kendall that time after all. I'd NO IDEA this was going where it went!
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It also makes the horror of what Woody did all the more terrible, given the awful ripple effect sent through the whole town. Steve Guttenberg is great all season as Woody too.
I had Woody as the bus culprit from the moment he appeared, I'm not ashamed to admit. I also subcribed wholly into Duncan being Lilly's killer because of a psychotic break, too!
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All in all, I was very satisfied.
Me, too! Fuck, YEAH!
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Your one criticism is one I can't refute, and shared for a time as well. I think over time I've realized that perhaps the single most important theme in the show is that Veronica is not alone. She is not the loner she thinks she has, and somehow someway she's found people she can rely on. Keith, above all, serves that role, but this season did a good job playing that up with Logan, who again emerges as her true love, Wallace, whose return after a way-too long absence is desperately needed, and Mac, who emerges as an awesome major supporting character (which continues even more so in season 3). Season 3 carries this theme to a natural evolution but I won't say anything about that yet.
You are right, of course. But I still would have really liked to have seen her outwit one of them herself.
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- how about the fake out pulled by Duncan and Veronica? That episode is really brilliant from start to finish!
Very much so. Just a brilliantly-written episode!
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- how about the twist(s) with Meg? Especially after she was so great to Veronica in season 1.
I saw the surprise she had coming, but I was surprised by how things ended for her.
When she was sole survivor of the bus crash, I fully expected her to pull through, so it was really sad when she didn't. It kinda sucks that her parents apparently didn't get prosecuted for child abuse. I was expecting to see a little more of that.
Quote
- how pissed were you about Weevil's story ending the way it did? Especially since his arc season-long was really great, and felt like he was growing and changing once he moved on for the PCHers. To me, this is the single thing I disliked the most. In fact, this convo really needs you to finish season 3 and the movie in order for us to continue as I have strong thoughts on how Weevil's story had evolved from season 2 onwards.
Weevil's a character I enjoy, and it was heartbreaking to see what happened to him in front of his grandma in that finale.
But you could see it coming. Weevil crosses the line a lot, and he's as responsible as the Fitzpatricks for Felix's death, as much as we sympathize with him.
Quote
- and how about the general awesome recurring performances by Cliff, Don Lamb, the PI she competes against, Wallace's bitchy girlfriend who you just want to strangle at a few points, the principal, etc? For a cast of true supporting players, they are fantastic from start to finish. I even loved the Irish gang of brothers at that bar, who were funny / intense enough that they show back up in season 3.
Veronica Mars has such a rich supporting cast, which is even better because none of them seem to be forgotten and reappear. I loved how, for example, the girl whose dog Veronica found in Season 1 pops up in a scene or two in Season 2. There's just too many great characters to name! I WILL say, though, that I LOVE me some Mac!!!
Another thing I like is when other characters, like Wallace, Weevil, Logan, etc. do some detecting of their own, showing that Veronica's influence has been so extensive in their lives!
On the advice of a certain Mr. Thothkins... I've been recently dipping my toe into some Hammer Horror.
I've watched the Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee, "Curse of Frankenstein" and the Cushing, but Lee-less, sequel, "Revenge of Frankenstein".
So, um.. thothy... when do these start getting good? I think I should just move on to the Dracula series, because - to each their own - but I've actually found these Frankenstein ones interminable.
Catching up after a week camping. Just saw the Leftover episode that focused solely on Christopher Eccleston's character and it was great, probably the best episode yet. The tension as you realise he's probably going to lose everything at any moment, and then the irony of that last scene were just great.
Also saw the premiere of The Strain, and was a little underwhelmed. I started the book last week, and it's much better, which is a little bizarre, because I'm sure Del Torro wrote it with a series in mind. I'm not sure why they dumped a lot of what really worked in the book (so far).
Braindead is awesome, as is Heavenly Creatures. Even Meet the Feebles is a lot of juvenille fun. It's only after that that Jackson went downhill (I know I'm a heritc, but I don't like the LoTR stuff).
We are nearing the end of binge watching "Prime Suspect", which I would recommend is NOT the way to go about it. The passage of time between series I think would have added to the effectiveness of the presentation (not to mention the characters aging wouldn't be as jarring). It's an excellent show, but it gets to lose your attention if you're piling one on after another (especially if you're trying to keep one complex plot straight after just dumping the previous one).
Braindead is awesome, as is Heavenly Creatures. Even Meet the Feebles is a lot of juvenile fun. It's only after that that Jackson went downhill (I know I'm a heritc, but I don't like the LoTR stuff).
I like to think that he'll go back to his roots for a film with no advance screenings. The LotR fans will sit there, in costume, jaws hitting the floor as the horror begins...
I did see at least a couple of the LotR films, but I've really no lasting memory of them. Not something that I can say about Braindead
Haven't posted here in a LOOOONG time. I've been watching lots of stuff. Netflix and Amazon Prime have changed my life
House of Cards, Hemlock Grove currently. Just finished Arrow season 1 on Netflix. I never was a Green Arrow fan. I liked some of the Mike Grell stuff...but the character himself? Eh. I did like Connor Hawke quite a bit.
Anyways, great freakin show! My wife and I both love it.
The Killing on Netflix is also excellent. I have been watching too many things...my waistline shows it.
House of Cards, Hemlock Grove currently. Just finished Arrow season 1 on Netflix. I never was a Green Arrow fan. I liked some of the Mike Grell stuff...but the character himself? Eh. I did like Connor Hawke quite a bit.
Hemlock Grove is strange, and yet cool.
I like how they play around with the mythology. A fair number of shows (Teen Wolf, Vampire Diaries, Bitten, True Blood) make some of the supernatural types seem like super-powers, more than anything, and these characters seem quite different, in that respect.
My wife and I continue to try to be gurus on all the greatest television shows. We've recently watched a few new shows and are about to start House of Cards season 1.
True Detective really did live up to the hype and was fucking excellent from start to finish. The subject matter was right up my alley, and encompasses topics I've read about obsessively for years: satanic cults, serial murder, human trafficking rings, snuff porn and how it all ties together via ongoing cover ups by the elite. It's certainly not for the faint of heart and there are a few moments that will have your heart pounding. The cast is stellar with a lot of supporting players being outstanding but it all comes down to unforgettable, career high performances by Woody Harrelson and most of all, Matthew McConaughy. I've always thought McConaughy was "ok" but not a favorite; flash forward to the last year and you have Dallas Buyers Club, which to me was the best film of 2013--in large part because of his performance--and TD, which hit levels of excellence I honestly didn't know he had in him. The series will continue with a new cast & story (like American Horror Story and Fargo) but I think this was one of those "moments in time" series that hit something few shows hit.
Ray Donovan is another phenomenal series that hits on another topic I've researched obsessively, which is the underbelly of Hollywood, and how certain "fixers" control what goes on, what the public perception is of celebrities whose persona makes millions for people no one has ever heard of. I should say, though, that this element is largely background / setting material because what sets this show apart is the superb character drama of the title character and his family. Between great actors, writers and directors (and hell, everyone involved), we get intense drama between Ray and his wife, his kids, his father and his brothers, as secrets buried for 20 years--involving murder, the father going to jail for 20 years for said murder which he didn't commit, the abuse of a brother by a catholic priests and several other quieter but not less important secrets. All in all, a fantastic series that is highly recommended.
I also can't remember if I ever talked about Fargo before, but wow, what another great show! Killer, killer performances by a variety of actors, complimented by a really quirky tone and directorial style that at times had you holding your breath in suspense and at other times laughing your ass off.
This golden age of television we're in continues to produce incredible shows. My wife and I are trying out a lot of the new ones before we spend some time finishing up / catching up on several shows that are ending such as Mad Men, Justified, Sons of Anarchy and True Blood.
I've gotta check out True detective while I still have free HBO!
Meanwhile, Cobie, did you miss my last VMars response?
Originally Posted by Paladin
Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid
So glad you got to the season 2 finale!
First things first, it was awesome, wasn't it?! Just when you think the season one finale can't be topped, they really upped things to the max to give it a run for its money.
Even more, it felt like it was really an uber-finale because the major things that happened in Season One also dove-tailed there in such an awesome way!
So getting into the reveals:
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I think Cassidy was an awesome, fantastic nemesis for Veronica this season. Whereas Logan's dad was pure villainy in a creepy, sinister way, Cassidy was excellent as someone Veronica's age who is intelligent and clever, and like Veronica, someone easily under-estimated. But beyond all that, his story is tragic and very similar to Veronica's, except of course, he went in a different direction. This is exemplified by his inability to get intimate with Mac earlier that ep. His story is not an easy one. The actor really nails it at the end too: when Logan calls him Beaver, he replies "my name is Cassidy!!!"
Part of the tearing up I experienced in this finale was because I felt just as betrayed by Cassidy/Beaver as Veronica did. He was a character that I had admired as it had seemed he had stepped up for Veronica when she was helpless at that party. Plus, his cleverness with what he did after his father's downfall and having to deal with his brother's relentless abuse.
This finale was brilliant in how it turned everything we thought we knew about him on its head while not contradicting anything we'd seen--just pulling the veil off what we'd perceived. In a way I wish we'd learned even more about him before his death, but life doesn't usually work that way. It really makes me want to re-watch every one of Cassidy's scenes throughout the series.
I can see from the first episode of S3 that Dick's still around, and we see him act human for the first time at the end of it. So I'm interested to see what they do with him.
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And while nothing compared to other things going on, it was tough to see him use Veronica's taser on her.
Definitely. It was kind of subliminal for me, but I can see now that Cassidy was really designed as Veronica's opposite number/dark reflection.
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The other revelation is one that totally caught me by surprise as well, but one I've really liked upon multiple rewatches of the whole show. The conclusion to her rape in season 1 always felt like a little bit of a cop out and this rectifies that. Even more, the way it's done is as if all of Veronica's most inner secret fears are realized--like everything she's suspected but not spoken aloud is coming true. They do a great job laying the ground work for that sequence in the ep(s) leading up to it.
I was definitely disappointed when the rape was "revealed" not to be one for a while. It's not that I wanted her to have suffered like that, but it had been such a woven element of the show and one that was very brave. The chlamydia thing leading up to it confused me. I thought that this meant Duncan slept with Kendall that time after all. I'd NO IDEA this was going where it went!
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It also makes the horror of what Woody did all the more terrible, given the awful ripple effect sent through the whole town. Steve Guttenberg is great all season as Woody too.
I had Woody as the bus culprit from the moment he appeared, I'm not ashamed to admit. I also subcribed wholly into Duncan being Lilly's killer because of a psychotic break, too!
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All in all, I was very satisfied.
Me, too! Fuck, YEAH!
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Your one criticism is one I can't refute, and shared for a time as well. I think over time I've realized that perhaps the single most important theme in the show is that Veronica is not alone. She is not the loner she thinks she has, and somehow someway she's found people she can rely on. Keith, above all, serves that role, but this season did a good job playing that up with Logan, who again emerges as her true love, Wallace, whose return after a way-too long absence is desperately needed, and Mac, who emerges as an awesome major supporting character (which continues even more so in season 3). Season 3 carries this theme to a natural evolution but I won't say anything about that yet.
You are right, of course. But I still would have really liked to have seen her outwit one of them herself.
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- how about the fake out pulled by Duncan and Veronica? That episode is really brilliant from start to finish!
Very much so. Just a brilliantly-written episode!
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- how about the twist(s) with Meg? Especially after she was so great to Veronica in season 1.
I saw the surprise she had coming, but I was surprised by how things ended for her.
When she was sole survivor of the bus crash, I fully expected her to pull through, so it was really sad when she didn't. It kinda sucks that her parents apparently didn't get prosecuted for child abuse. I was expecting to see a little more of that.
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- how pissed were you about Weevil's story ending the way it did? Especially since his arc season-long was really great, and felt like he was growing and changing once he moved on for the PCHers. To me, this is the single thing I disliked the most. In fact, this convo really needs you to finish season 3 and the movie in order for us to continue as I have strong thoughts on how Weevil's story had evolved from season 2 onwards.
Weevil's a character I enjoy, and it was heartbreaking to see what happened to him in front of his grandma in that finale.
But you could see it coming. Weevil crosses the line a lot, and he's as responsible as the Fitzpatricks for Felix's death, as much as we sympathize with him.
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- and how about the general awesome recurring performances by Cliff, Don Lamb, the PI she competes against, Wallace's bitchy girlfriend who you just want to strangle at a few points, the principal, etc? For a cast of true supporting players, they are fantastic from start to finish. I even loved the Irish gang of brothers at that bar, who were funny / intense enough that they show back up in season 3.
Veronica Mars has such a rich supporting cast, which is even better because none of them seem to be forgotten and reappear. I loved how, for example, the girl whose dog Veronica found in Season 1 pops up in a scene or two in Season 2. There's just too many great characters to name! I WILL say, though, that I LOVE me some Mac!!!
Another thing I like is when other characters, like Wallace, Weevil, Logan, etc. do some detecting of their own, showing that Veronica's influence has been so extensive in their lives!
its cheesy but then the 80s were cheesy ... im hooked ... i almost gave it up after about episode four ... but then i had a marathon catch up and now im so into it.
its really 80s, even the direction of the series and how people act. also it reminds me of mad men because of all that place setting but also because episodes often end with a metaphor which matches the name of the episode and the theme of said episode.
I've been watching a lot of the PBS specials on netflix. I like learning about some of the history of the world, stuff you wouldn't/never get/got in high school.
Kinda ticked that netflix only lets me see a few certain sets of movies and shows lately. They will cycle the same hundred and fifty items through about ten different lists of "Because youwatched....".
Will be finishing up House of Cards Season 1 tonight and then moving on to Season 2 tomorrow. Man, the show is fantastic! Solid writing, acting and directing every episode--to the degree that this is probably my favorite series to do with politics ever.
Also, I checked out the Strain on FX. Kinda meh. Either the writing or the directing is off, because its making everything seem corny and cliche. And the acting looks pretty terrible too, which is odd since the lead, Corey Stoll is nothing short of phenomenal in House of Cards but totally unbelievable here. Since all the other actors are handing in B- performances, I suspect it's not them that's the problem.
Also on FX, which I've only seen a few times, is Tyrant, which from what I saw, looks excellent. I plan to catch up on that eventually.
Also, I checked out the Strain on FX. Kinda meh. Either the writing or the directing is off, because its making everything seem corny and cliche. And the acting looks pretty terrible too, which is odd since the lead, Corey Stoll is nothing short of phenomenal in House of Cards but totally unbelievable here. Since all the other actors are handing in B- performances, I suspect it's not them that's the problem.
I'm still puzzled. Both Del Toro and Hogan are actively involved in the show, yet it's so far below the standard of the book it's bizarre. Not that the book is a masterpiece, but it's a nice solid genre piece with some interesting ideas. Plus, it's laid out almost like a storyboard moving from scene to scene. I'm curious as to why they felt the need to deviate.
So...I had nothing going today in the afternoon at work so I walked over to the movie theater across the way and checked out Guardians of the Galaxy, the first superhero movie I've seen in the theaters since Avengers.
And...IT WAS FANTASTIC! Awesome! Incredible! I've really got nothing bad to say about it at all: every actor nailed it, every special effect was great, the directing was phenomenal, the pacing was cool, the story was awesome, the easter eggs were generous and subtle, and all around, it was one of the best things any studio--Marvel or otherwise--has done in years.
It may just be the first thing since Star Wars to really nail the space opera / sci-fi genre.
Probably my favorite adventure / action movie since Avengers. I haven't rewatched that one yet so I can't really compare, but I know it was 1,000 times better than most stuff Superman or movies that any other studio puts out these days.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Once again, Marvel Studios shows everyone how its done, even though no one else seems to understand it.
- I definitely did not like how Meg’s parents never got any kind of comeuppance. I did think that for the first time that sequence gave Sheriff Don Lamb some much needed depth and was thankful for that.
- You make a good point about Weevil’s ending to season 2 and how he often crossed the line. It underscores the theme that when someone like Weevil crosses the line he has to pay the price but when someone like Dick does, he often can find a way out of it.
- I also love when the girl whose dog Veronica saved pops up again, and so many others. A few of them end up in the movie as well and you’ll recognize them. The best episode for this was of course in season 1 when Veronica tries to uncover the truth about her rape, which brings back a ton of characters who either hate her or a few who have now changed their perspective (like the popular kid she saved from the cult).
- I don’t think I’m ruining anything by telling you that Gia doesn’t appear in Season 3 as she moved on as an actress but one pleasant surprise is she does show back up in the movie. I didn’t expect since following the end of Season 2, and what happened with Woody, she was easily a candidate for a character to move on and not be seen again. That being said, they did bring back Troy (Iceman from the X-Men movies) for an ep which was cool, so that shows you never know who might pop back up.
You mention you had Woody as the bus culprit. I don’t think I ever suspected him, but knew something was fishy from the start. I honestly can’t remember if I had a single top suspect but I definitely didn’t have Cassidy singled out.
The writers really played it smart but giving him a whole subplot and storyline about his abuse, relationship with Mac, etc so while he was plagued with secrets he seemed to be “taken care of” from a writing perspective as he had his own large arc that appeared to be unconnected to the larger storyline. This is exactly what they did in season 1 but making Aaron Echols storyline seem so separate to the Lily Kane murder when in hindsight you can see two very large storylines are actually two sides of the same mega-storyline. It’s just great writing and it’s something I would try to duplicate from a plot-structure perspective if I was ever writing a longform television season or comic book series run.
Also, I'm not sure who else here likes Wes Anderson films, but I saw The Grand Budepest Hotel last night and I absolutely loved it. It already ranks as one of my favorites, though 'The Darjeeling Limited' holds the title #1 favorite firmly.
Cobie, I appreciate your responding to me, even when I cajoled you into it. It's hard to discover such an awesome show and then have NOone to talk to about it! So when I discover there IS someone, who also happens to be someone whom I consider a good friend at that, it's hard not to try to take advantage of that!
As for Don Lamb, I was disappointed to see him not take it to Meg's parents all the way. But it was good to see him act human and not be a self-serving egotist for a change. His admission that he'd been abused as well was a rare moment for the character.
As for Woody, I figured that was why they had a big name for the role, just as they had had Harry Hamlin for Aaron Echolls for season one, it turned out. I've a feeling that a lot of then-current VMars fans may have thought the same thing.
As for Cassidy, did you feel as betrayed by what he had done as I had? I mean, in some ways he was one of the most sympathetic characters on the whole show up until we saw what he really was. I doubt anyone felt that way about Aaron Echolls! (Except when he beat the hell out of Logan's half-sister's abusive boyfriend! Kind of ironic when we later discovered the depths of his depravity! )
And what about poor Logan?!? Kid loses both his parents in the course of two seasons! However, I'm still holding out the tiniest bit of hope that his mom faked her death, after all. We'll see....or not.
I'm only three-deep on Season 3 because Pivot changed up their VMars programming suddenly. My next episodes won't start DVRing until next Monday as a result. But I like what I've seen so far, and Weevil finally shows back up and has one of his better episodes!
Do you like the enhanced theme song in season 3? (I don't!) And is it my imagination, or did the show use darker lighting/subdued color palettes in the filming that season?
Kinda ticked that netflix only lets me see a few certain sets of movies and shows lately. They will cycle the same hundred and fifty items through about ten different lists of "Because youwatched....".
I'm not a fan of those "recommendation" lists, they just get in the way for me but you can watch anything in their catalogue at any time. I'm not quite understanding what you mean by "certain sets...."
Cobie, I appreciate your responding to me, even when I cajoled you into it. It's hard to discover such an awesome show and then have NOone to talk to about it! So when I discover there IS someone, who also happens to be someone whom I consider a good friend at that, it's hard not to try to take advantage of that!
As for Don Lamb, I was disappointed to see him not take it to Meg's parents all the way. But it was good to see him act human and not be a self-serving egotist for a change. His admission that he'd been abused as well was a rare moment for the character.
As for Woody, I figured that was why they had a big name for the role, just as they had had Harry Hamlin for Aaron Echolls for season one, it turned out. I've a feeling that a lot of then-current VMars fans may have thought the same thing.
As for Cassidy, did you feel as betrayed by what he had done as I had? I mean, in some ways he was one of the most sympathetic characters on the whole show up until we saw what he really was. I doubt anyone felt that way about Aaron Echolls! (Except when he beat the hell out of Logan's half-sister's abusive boyfriend! Kind of ironic when we later discovered the depths of his depravity! )
And what about poor Logan?!? Kid loses both his parents in the course of two seasons! However, I'm still holding out the tiniest bit of hope that his mom faked her death, after all. We'll see....or not.
I'm only three-deep on Season 3 because Pivot changed up their VMars programming suddenly. My next episodes won't start DVRing until next Monday as a result. But I like what I've seen so far, and Weevil finally shows back up and has one of his better episodes!
Do you like the enhanced theme song in season 3? (I don't!) And is it my imagination, or did the show use darker lighting/subdued color palettes in the filming that season?
Yeah, Woody was definitely there to throw fans off, which is obviously in hindsight when you already know the ending.
I agree 100% on Cassidy—there was a true sense of betrayal, since the viewer had grown to like him and route for him. And it was done very gradually too: first he outsmarts his father, as you mentioned earlier; he slowly starts to stand up to Dick more; and eventually he starts to hook up with Mac, even becoming an outlier member of Veronica’s crew. You really route for him throughout the show and that makes the betrayal all the greater. And it’s a full-blown betrayal too: he doesn’t just turn on Veronica, he’s been lying the entire time, which makes it all the more sinister. Yet…despite that, he never loses that sympathetic element, which I felt right up until the end when he screams at Logan “MY NAME IS CASSIDY!”.
Logan’s parents both biting it is a pretty major part of his evolution too, and one of the few times the show really stretches its believability. The actor, who never really shows up in many other things, I guess?, does a great job conveying his obvious sense of despair while trying to hide it every way he can. They do address this somewhat in Season 3 which is good.
As for Season 3 there is still a lot to really like but as I said, a few choices I’m not a fan of. One of those is the uber-serious theme song, which I felt was entirely unneeded. The original “We Used to Be Friends” by the Dandy Warhols is so awesome that I’ve had it on my ipod for almost a decade at this point. It’s so catchy and conveys the sense of fun the show has to counter-balance the seriousness of the plots. That minor change in making the opening all serious does have a big effect.
I also think you might be right about the darker lightning / subdued color palettes, which my wife noticed too when we watched it. It all goes back to them “upping” the serious level which really didn’t need to be done.
BB, when I log on using the wii, you only get 75 possibilities in any set, many of which overlap other sets, so your choice is severaly limmited to what they think you want to see on the streaming.
And a lot of it is curtailed because they lose the license or something. Dreden files used to be on it, now I can't stream it.
Last night, I watched the pilot episode of Breaking Bad. I think I'll finish out the first season at the very least!
(Funny though....I'd always been under the impression that Aaron Paul's character was Bryan Cranston's character's son--my impression from commercials and what-not. Not so!)
Okay....I'm all in on Breaking Bad!!! I'm halfway thru season 2, and I can hardly wait for more when AMC airs another batch this Sunday! It's like the train wreck that you just can't look away from. And I mean that in the best way possible!
Been on an early '80s Sword and Sorcery kick lately, revisiting some of the films that I used to watch ad nauseum on HBO in my wayward youth.
Thus far I've seen:
- (1980) Hawk the Slayer - probably the first of the genre to really take hold, it's sort of a cheesy Star Wars meets Lord of the Rings quest movie starring... John Terry (Christian Shepard from LOST)!
- (1981) Excalibur - absolute classic from John Boorman. It's a bit high on the "shiny futuristic armor" scale, but nevertheless an awesome take on the Arthurian cycle. Interesting bit of Exnihil trivia: My dad actually took me to see this in the theater at age 7.... and promptly gave me a life long fear of birds pecking my eyes out.
- (1981) Dragonslayer - One of the first of Disney's more mature films, it's a fairly engaging film for most of the way, but sort of collapses during the actual... you know... dragon slaying. I'm guessing this flick must have been a fave of the young George R. R. Martin, as my ears perked up at characters named Vermithrax, Valerian, and Tyrion!
- (1982) Conan the Barbarian - The "Citizen Kane" of barbarian movies. Against all odds, the direction, cinematography, and score of this film elevate what is - at it's core - some pretty cheesy material into quite a beautiful and engaging film. This is the one to watch if you've only got time for one. I'm, by no means, an Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, but Conan is the role he was born to play.
- (1982) Beastmaster - Hey... Beastmaster's on! The flick that launched the "ferrets as viable pets" craze, Beastmaster is actually a pretty good flick. 80's everyman Marc Singer (later the star of V) bulks up nicely, befriends an eagle, a tiger, and a pair of ferrets, and wins the hand of the occasionally topless Tanya Roberts (who turn out to be his cousin??? I didn't remember that bit... eww.)
- (1984) Conan the Destroyer - all the good will engendered by the first Conan film is subsequently squandered in a dumbed-down and more kid friendly sequel. Damn, though... I never realized how huge Wilt Chamberlain was. He towers over Schwarzenegger. Grace Jones? The less said the better.
Up next in the queue: Krull, the animated feature Fire and Ice, Red Sonja, Ladyhawke, and Legend.
(1981) Excalibur - absolute classic from John Boorman. It's a bit high on the "shiny futuristic armor" scale, but nevertheless an awesome take on the Arthurian cycle. Interesting bit of Exnihil trivia: My dad actually took me to see this in the theater at age 7.... and promptly gave me a life long fear of birds pecking my eyes out.
Love that movie, love most John Boorman movies I've seen (I even loved Exorcist II: The Heretic.)
My post was just going to be "Watch Krull", but I see it's on its way.
Originally Posted by Exnihil
(1981) Excalibur - absolute classic from John Boorman. It's a bit high on the "shiny futuristic armor" scale, but nevertheless an awesome take on the Arthurian cycle. Interesting bit of Exnihil trivia: My dad actually took me to see this in the theater at age 7.... and promptly gave me a life long fear of birds pecking my eyes out.
My life long fear of getting my eyes pecked out (no really) comes from the second Omen film...or was it the third. Hang on, I'll just check....gaaah my eyes! my eyes!.
I also saw this when I was pretty young. I just came away with a life long interest in Helen Mirren for some reason. Oh and an insistence that Merlin was from Yorkshire.
Originally Posted by Exnihil
1982) Conan the Barbarian ... I'm, by no means, an Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, but Conan is the role he was born to play.
In the same way that Groo is the role that Gerard Depardieu was born to play...but hasn't. Groo vs Conan is now out incidentally from Dark Horse. An large axe would have brightened up parts of Citizen Kane no end.
I can't say I've seen many of these. Not because they're not kitchen sink or anything...
"Eeee Conan. How are we going to pay for all those racing pigeons you eat to keep your biceps big? Especially with your sister pregnant. You'll just have to get a paper round and that's the end of it."
I guess I just watched the movies that were in front of me at the time, rather than being able to search things out. Ah, the early days of video...
The West Wing: finished all seven seasons. Amazing how predictive. Even had an episode on a cop killing a kid that was trying to surrender. That was creepy. Hit a lot of the popular media issues today, across the board, with fair game to many opinions I thought. Sad to watch the episodes after the guy who played Leo McGary had died, going on as if he hadn't.
The Amazing Spiderman II: I like this Peter Parker/Spiderman. Didn't much care for the story-telling, the plot was okay but seemed to short-shrift the main one but liked nearly all the actors and action scenes.
Orphan Black: Heard it was popular. Didn't find any of the characters to be likable but that's kind of the norm these days, the popular culture writers wishing the dystopian future is now and everyone is grey with a lean towards dark. When I found it easy to predict the next scene or reaction, I pretty much started flipping through the fast forward, then the wiki, then took it back to the library.
Okay....I'm all in on Breaking Bad!!! I'm halfway thru season 2, and I can hardly wait for more when AMC airs another batch this Sunday! It's like the train wreck that you just can't look away from. And I mean that in the best way possible!
Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid
Buckle in, Lardy! It gets better and better!
And by "better and better", you, of course, mean "worse and Worse"!
Seriously, I'm to the first episode of Season 3, and things just keep degrading for Walt and Jesse. That thing with Jesse's girlfriend Jane (same girl from Season 2 of VMars, right?) was pretty brutal, and it was painful to see Walt's lies to his wife finally blow up in his face.
I find that the humorous moments are fewer and further between, and I kind of miss them for the breaks in tension they provide. But I literally am glued to the set for every minute of every episode. BB pretty much shows you every step in the story's progression with few if any shortcuts, and it's absolutely riveting.
The only caveat is the thing that happened with
the planes crashing. In a way it seemed pointless, especially as it was teased at the beginning of several episodes throughout Season 2 until the reveal. I guess the big thing was to show the far-reaching and extended consequences of what Walt and Jesse were doing, but I feel very much misdirected and like it's kind of extraneous to the rest of the story. I suppose it was also there to symbolize the downward spiral in their lives. If so, kind of hitting us over the head, eh?
Maybe further plot developments will prove me wrong, but it didn't feel necessary. Not even close to a deal breaker, but kind of....unnecessary?
Very, VERY good show, though, and unlike anything else I've ever seen on TV.
I'd agree somewhat, that in the entirety on BB, that event is probably the most contrived one, and not really germain to the rest of the plot (other than a great scene it leads to in the school gym). But as with everything in BB, every little thing leads to something else and unlike shows like say "Dexter" where the genie is somehow put back in the bottle after every season/episode, everything Walt does has consequences and impact, so this was a nice nod to that.
Also, if you're riveted now, Season 3 will melt your brain completely. There's some real "Holy Sh*T!" moments, including some of the show's best cliffhangers. Imagine waiting a whole week between the last several episodes of the season.
- (1981) Excalibur - - (1982) Conan the Barbarian -
Excalibur has me addicted to O Fortuna. I love all the awesome things Merlin says. "A dream, to some. A nightmare, to others!" "Remember, there's always something cleverer than yourself!" "Look into the eyes of the dragon and despair!"
Merlin: Looking at the cake is like looking at the future, until you've tasted it what do you really know? And then, of course, it's too late. [Arthur takes a bite] Merlin: Too late.
Conan also had the great James Earl Jones as a villain. It's always great when they get an actor with some gravitas for a role like that.
Percival: What the hell is that sound? Bors: Arthur's thinking of using it as we go into battle. Percival: What? To scare the enemy? Bors: Nah, It's O Fortuna, y'know about fate. He reckons it's inspiring. Percival: Sure. Because nothing says "strive" like knowing everything is fated for you anyway and it's all utterly pointless. Bors: I wanted Ride of the Valkyries myself. Lohengrin brought that back from Germany. "Overused" said Arthur. Oops, here he comes. Percival: Uh, they won't know how few we are in the fog. Arthur: We'll use the old ways: Speed of Horse! Percival: And loud bloody music giving away our position. Arthur: Aaarrr--what? Percival: Nothing. Arthur: Aaaaaaaaarrrrghhh! >gallops on..< Percival: Idiot.
I got sucked into the Simpsons marathon that was on recently and I've been watching a few episodes now that it's in regular rotation on FXX. I've almost forgotten how really funny it was. I let the kids watch it some on a episode-by-episode basis. We rode the Simpson ride at Universal Studios over the summer and the kids loved it.
Psych. Just found that show and its done, but we've been having a gas watching it. Hey, have you heard about Pluto? That's messed up.
Love Psych. A funny and criminally underrated show that gets better and better. I'm really glad it's getting attention on Netflix, so more people get to see it.
I just watched The Thin Man. I've not seen it since I was a kid, and I'm stunned at how drunk everyone is for the entire movie.
The Gin Soaked Detective or the Martini Manhunter were probably contenders for the title. He's only the thin man because he's spent everything on booze.
Oh, I agree (although I thought there would be more of a plot actually too. A dinner party? really? Dashiell Hammett? really?) They are great together, and it's all those lovely off the cuff moments that are best.
I could not agree more about The Thin Man. William Powell and Myrna Loy were seperately great, combined they were just perfect. I have the original book somewhere and I had the Lux Radio Theater version on my mp3 player for ages.
A show I've always enjoyed but never watched religiously is Suits on USA. Well, my wife and I started to binge-watch, as we're apt to do, and I just can't get over how utterly fantastic it is! The writing is super-crisp and the acting is superb. The show does an excellent job balancing overarching stories with the problems of the individual episode, and should be a blueprint for other shows that attempt that format.
We've talked about it in the past--I think just Set and I--but I have to highly recommend it again to people.
I watch practically no TV, but I did catch part of an episode of suits, and I can see why people watch it. It looked to be pretty good working away on a number of levels, which helps keep the tempo up.
Well, I burned through Psych, and started looking around on netflix. I found something called Roswell. The crazy chick from that medical show was on it, but I honestly can't get into it. guess I'm just getting way to old for high school angst.
I hadn't read much of him outside the JLA, so it had never really clicked with me until I saw that in an article. Possibly around the time of Identity Crisis.
Tony would be the film's guest star, and it was remiss of me not mention Sue in my post as Ralph's obvious partner. I shall have to drink to forget my typing blunder. Fortunately, I now have a Thin Man drinking game, where you have to keep up with... oh, my liver has packed in.
I watched Creature From the Black Lagoon last night. It still stands up as one of my favorite Universal monster movies. Great creature design and cinematography.
Only got through about 15 minutes of Gotham and realised it wasn`t worth my time. The script was under-cooked, Jada Pinkett was over-wrought and Bullock was flat. The only good parts were Carol Kane, Lilly Taylor and Frank Whaley (two of which were guest stars).
I just watched the premiere of the new Flash TV show.
I went in with an open mind, but I didn't like it. I found it boring, cheesy, creepy, and mean-spirited. I shouldn't really have been surprised, given that Geoff Johns' name is on it.
It just reaffirms my belief that modern TV shows and I just don't mix.
I thought it was okay. It wasn't spectacular, but it wasn't bad either. I still hate the retcon of Professor Zoom killing Nora Allen, but I've gotten over it at this point. The teaser at the end has me intrigued though.
I thought it was okay. It wasn't spectacular, but it wasn't bad either. I still hate the retcon of Professor Zoom killing Nora Allen, but I've gotten over it at this point. The teaser at the end has me intrigued though.
That's my least favorite aspect of it. I thought it started out pretty underwhelming, but got better as it went along. I'm hoping it doesn't turn into a particle-accelerater powered rogue of the week thing, however.
That's my least favorite aspect of it. I thought it started out pretty underwhelming, but got better as it went along. I'm hoping it doesn't turn into a particle-accelerater powered rogue of the week thing, however.
That's something I'm worried about too. Hell, they didn't even bother to give Weather Wizard his classic costume and wand:
From the previews I've seen, Captain Cold won't be getting his classic parka either.
I liked it. Is that Professor Zoom killing his mom bit from current DC continuity? I just figured it was something they threw in for the show.
Seeing Jesse L. Martin playing a cop is comforting like an old blanket; Law & Order: Central City. Too bad Jerry Orbach isn't with us any longer, I'd have watched him in a superhero show all day.
I've been watching a lot of the 2nd season of "The Office" (U.S.) "Our" version found it's own voice pretty quick that year. The secondary characters started taking shape and they found the right tone for Michael Scott. I wanted to see him win despite himself, I wanted to see David Brent get what was coming to him.
Early Jim and Pam resonated for me personally; when I was a bored young office worker I hung around with the cute receptionist a lot too even though we never quite dated. It still felt very authentic: stopping by to chat with no real reason, commiserating about our useless bosses.
Missed Flash but am disappointed in the reviews. Was hoping it would come out gangbusters.
I really liked the actor and relationships already set up in Arrow. I don't really care for much of the acting in Arrow but I know Jesse L Martin can nail a role, has great chemistry in anything of his I've seen and figured Flash would be better in that regard.
I actually thought Flash was a good start, I just hope Johns stays hands off after this. The death of Barry's mom was one of the dumber additions he made to the mythos, so I was disappointed to see it front and centre. But other than that, I liked the direction it's going, and it looks like something I can watch with my tweens (unlike Arrow, which was a little too violent). There's promise here, even with a villain of the week hook to start with, as long as they don't go too GrimDark, there's promise.
I think part of my hesitancy about it as that it felt like there was a lot of Johns-influence on it. It's hard to put a finger on what it was, exactly, but I got a bit of the vibe (no pun intended) of being overly calculated that I tend to get from Johns's work.
One thing that I really missed and that I wish they would've used is the idea that the Flash identity was inspired by a comic book. How awesome would a "Flash of Two Worlds" ep. be down the line?
It's funny because early on I liked a lot of what Johns did on his Flash run. He gave the Rogues a much-needed refresh, had Wally move through a number of good developmental arcs, really delved into the supporting cast and the twin cities, and introduced some interesting new villains. Then around issue 200 it started falling apart with the new Zoom followed by the memory wiping stuff. It all got too dark and fell into lock-step with the Identity Crisis fiasco and never really recovered. If we could get that creative, passionate guy from before working on a Flash TV show, that would be great.
Is that Professor Zoom killing his mom bit from current DC continuity? I just figured it was something they threw in for the show.
It's from pre-Nu52 continuity. I forget whether it was established in Flash: Rebirth or in Flashpoint, because all of Johns' work from the past few years tends to blur together for me.
Originally Posted by Eryk Davis Ester
I think part of my hesitancy about it as that it felt like there was a lot of Johns-influence on it. It's hard to put a finger on what it was, exactly, but I got a bit of the vibe (no pun intended) of being overly calculated that I tend to get from Johns's work.
Agreed 100%, EDE.
Re: Johns' Flash run, I returned to comics around the time of his last arc, Rogue War, which I thought was a bit of mess but not bad. Then I read a couple of the earlier arcs, and I hated them. Johns's icky paternalism was in full display, and I found the character of Blacksmith to be portrayed in a misogynous way.
Originally Posted by Dave Hackett
If we could get that creative, passionate guy from before working on a Flash TV show, that would be great.
That creative, passionate guy disappeared into a mountain-sized pile of cocaine, and I think he's well past the point of no return.
Is that Professor Zoom killing his mom bit from current DC continuity? I just figured it was something they threw in for the show.
It's from pre-Nu52 continuity. I forget whether it was established in Flash: Rebirth or in Flashpoint, because all of Johns' work from the past few years tends to blur together for me.
Yeah, it's from Flash: Rebirth. I wasn't too crazy about it, either. Barry was never a hero because of tragedy.
It makes me wonder, though: were Barry's parents ever in the picture from the Silver Age thru the end in Crisis? I know I haven't read as many Barry stories as I would have liked, but I don't remember ever seeing them. If they were, was it a cameo here and there or significantly more as semi-regular supporting cast? If it was the latter, I can understand the outrage better.
I can see how the television producers would want to use that aspect, though. It explains his drive to discover the truth as a police scientist (if that's what he is in the show--haven't seen it yet and don't remember it being made explicit in his Arrow appearances) and gives an over-arching mystery for him to pursue. In fact it would work a lot better for a TV show than it did as a senseless ret-con-via-time-travel in the comics.
I'm not that familiar with Barry's original comics run (no pun intended), so I don't know whether or not his parents got much panel time. Maybe Cobie knows?
Personally, I don't hate the retcon because of any strong feelings for Barry's mother, I hate it because it's all too typical of the mean-spirited, kill-happy Johns of recent years.
The only other good thing--and this isn't an endorsement, mind you--I can say about Johns' idea is that it was a story in mainstream comics in which time travel actually causes permanent damages. There have been many stories where it's threatened and prevented but very few where it actually messes up a hero's life permanently. But I certainly hate Johns' tendency for snuff porn, to the point that there's nothing of his, short of his Legion stuff for the sake of completion and most of his JSA run, that I'm unwilling to part with as I slowly whittle down my collection to a manageable size.
A little research reveals that both Flash parents did indeed appear in the Silver and Bronze Age.
I just really like the idea of Barry Allen as just an average kid who grew up reading comics and suddenly gets the opportunity to become a super-hero like his favorite comic character. No need for the added tragedy, imo.
Certainly, I agree in principle. But having some tragedy and angst in Ollie Queen's background has certainly benefited the Arrow TV show--which I LOVE--so you can't blame the same guys who produce both shows for taking a similar stance with the newer one. From what I've read, though, I think Flash will otherwise be different enough from it's brother show, going by the more fantastic superheroics alone.
Barry's parents were actually around for Barry's trial for Zoom's murder just prior to COIE. Barry's lawer actually spied on Barry at his parent's house to discover his secret identity!
Way behind, I finally checked out Gotham. I expected to hate it, so I was surprised to find myself actually enjoying it! Certainly flawed and with some hammy acting in parts, but overall, I thought it was a well done first ep with the right time and more good parts than bad.
I'll check out ep 2 and first Flash eventually. I've never watched an ep of Arrow before.
FYI, Barry's parents appeared twice in the Silver Age and 1-2 more times in the Bronze Age before being more consistently in the series in the "Trial" era. They were always cameo appearances, basically loving parents who were proud of their son and glad to see him. In both Silver Age stories they are not essential to the plot other than Barry's reason for bumping into his old flame--now a movie star--is to visit his parents.
So yeah, the whole Retcon reeks of snuff porn and is another exhibit of how DC is rife with weirdos and child molesters.
Interesting quote found on Wikipedia: "Barry is the kind of man that I would've hoped to become if my parents hadn't been murdered." --Batman, Justice #8
Anyway, apparently they've cast Victor Garber as Martin Stein, so it looks like they may actually be doing a classic Firestorm...
They can screw up a lot of things, even Barry's hair color and his love life but if they screw up Snart, it's over and won't last. Snart is the foible a fan can most easily identify with IMO. If there's not a good human foible, there's nothing to bring out the Barry. It'd be an x-man with a gorilla.
and with this, everyone got powers from the same event sillyness, how does someone identify with a baddy that just had it handed to him/her, didn't have any motivation to earn it.
The Rogues, the pre-star-labs explosion versions, invented themselves. They were great villains.
American Horror Story: Freakshow is off to an uneven start. Aside from the creepy sequences with Twisty the Clown (which were good), there wasn't a lot of "Horror" on the go. Sarah Paulson is great as the co-joined twins, but I'm tired of aging Jessica Lange characters trying to re-capture their youth. They really need to give her something better to do.
I'm watching the first episode of Battlestar Galactica (1978). The aesthetic is very reminiscent of Star Wars and Starbuck is very much modeled after Han Solo.
I'm watching the first episode of Battlestar Galactica (1978). The aesthetic is very reminiscent of Star Wars and Starbuck is very much modeled after Han Solo.
As long as we're running with the 70s sci-fi theme, I recently tried to watch the first few episodes of The Bionic Woman for the first time in decades, and I literally almost fell asleep! Sometimes nostalgia isn't enough to get one through a TV show.
It did occur to me, though, that if a JLA movie had been made in the 70s, Lindsay Wagner would have made a great Black Canary.
Sunset Strip. I may have mentioned this documentary before, I don't remember, but it's on Netflix. It takes you on a tour of life from an empty field to a dirt road to the speakeasies and the nightclubs of Sammy Davis Jr. through the upheaval of the sixties, the balls to the walls of the seventies, the glam period of rock and the sad period of grunge into the 2000's.
It is probably the only place in Cali that I would actually LIKE to go to, but just from this documentary you can tell that the place is in a dead spot of time now.
Tonight's Flash episode can be summed up in one word: meh. It was pretty boring and cliched for the most part, though the last minute reveal has me still interested.
I think Metamorpho is next expisode. If not it's the alchemist or Mr. Element.
That said, lordy lordy lordy. Somebody stop writing that over earnest, cheeseball 1950's dialog.
"I don't ride out to save the city in my red tidy's, we all do..." or something to that effect. Seriously? If I was in the room at that point I'd be clubbing baby seals just to get the saccarin out of my nostrils.
That's the problem I have with the tv shows in a nutshell. They write pablum and think that a brightly colored unitard makes up for it.
No. You can be bright and hopeful and not sound like one of the Hardy Boys chums from the 1930's. Sanitized and purified for mass consumption.
Only two eps in, and they are already going for the "Long, soulful stare" shit. It's why I couldn't watch smallville. There was more yaking and staring than there was adventure and fun.
GA is the same way. I watched the first two seasons...well, first one and a half, and it was angst ridden pablum. When they got away from that, and did story and action, it was pretty good, nice production values, the fights weren't telegraphed like they used to be in the seventies where the bad guy du jour stood there waiting to be hit.
Here's a hint, DCtv, you audiences are far more sophisticated than you are. Write for them and it's much better. Write for you and you sound like a fucking pablum log from 1936.
They seem to be missing the fact that the Rogue's Gallery is a really important part of Flash's cast. So if you kill off the villain at the end of every episode, it doesn't exactly work.
Originally Posted by rickshaw1
I think Metamorpho is next expisode. If not it's the alchemist or Mr. Element.
Dr. Alchemy would make sense as he's one of the Flash rogues, but I really hope that they don't keep using the particle accelerator as the origin of all the villain's powers.
EDE's, I agree on killing Simon Stagg. Maybe he will survive through advanced genetic cloning or some shit. This episode annoyed the hell outta me because of all the bs.
If they want it to succeed, they need to think deeper. Certain characters are made for different things. Stagg is a drive character. It's a character that will act independently of the hero for its own reasons, and then will intersect with the hero because of those reasons. It isn't a one and done character with little backstory. So just grabbing the name and then killing cuts off many different avenues that can be explored.
The thought going into this series...not much more advanced than the previous apparantly. And look how well it turned out.
I really want to like it, but it's just plowing the same rows that Smallville and GA have. Ham acting, bad dialog, over emoting in places because it's a "comic book" show rather than an adventure show based on a comic book.
Yeah, I just don't get that at all. Is it really supposed to appeal to comic geeks that they used the names "Stagg" and "Java" for characters who have, at best, a tenuous connection to their comic counterparts and then killed them off?
Paladin still owes us his impressions on the back half of Breaking Bad.
I honestly don't know what to say without going into massive spoiler territory. I'm thinking, though, that Breaking bad may, in fact, be the best television series I've ever seen! The pure craft of it and the greatness of the beginning, middle and end without a real lull and everything being fully realized just has to distinguish it from any other series I've ever seen and many of the great ones I've heard of but haven't viewed. It's one of very few series I've watched with no sci-fi aspect to it, and it may be the very best I've ever seen. I can't recommend it highly enough! It's often tough to watch, and I can see how not everyone would really like this sort of thing. But it is so, SO great!!!
That said, I have two small caveats with how two major developments in the final season:
1) How Hank found out felt like a bit of a cheat. I would rather he had found out somehow during the course of his investigation. I know it jibed with connections he'd made in his investigation, but I'd rather it were less....random?
2) How Jessie came to his realization about what Walt did seemed a little out of nowhere and unearned.
But that's just about it. Love me some Breaking Bad and am SO glad I took the opportunity to watch it thru AMC's re-running of it for the past few months!
I've been bombing around netflix online, pickin' some classics and some crazy stuff, like Troma, just to get some different items come up on my "because you watched" lists.
Everything from "the Longest Day" to "Zeta one" and "Women on the moon".
Yeah, I just don't get that at all. Is it really supposed to appeal to comic geeks that they used the names "Stagg" and "Java" for characters who have, at best, a tenuous connection to their comic counterparts and then killed them off?
I don't watch Arrow or the Flash and stopped watching Smallville after about season 2, but I've been interested in this topic ever since I heard that Felicity Smoak ( http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Felicity_Smoak_%28New_Earth%29 ) of all the random characters had become a fan-favourite on Arrow.
I wonder if the reason these characters are "in name only" DC characters is an IP backlash to "the Chloe Sullivan effect". When Chloe became popular and they wanted to introduce her into the DCU, who knows what rights issues came into play and prevented it from happening for so long (and then, not particularly successfully)? But this way, when a character blows up and becomes popular (see: Felicity) DC already owns them. So no murky IP problems with the TV show writers.
Against my better judgement I watched the last half of the 2nd Hobbit (it was on TV), and was about as frustrated as I expected I'd be. I used to love Peter Jackson (Heavenly Creatures is still a favourite of mine), and I love Lord of the Rings, but strangely enough, I really, really dislike Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies.
I guess I'm too much of a purist that I can't stand watching him change wholesale parts of the books that I think are important, or worse yet, adding his own clunky stuff.
Beyond that, Jackson has been obsessed (both here and in Kong), with Spielberg-esque chase/action scenes that are not only interminably long, but are so ridiculously over-the-top and in defiance of physics and logic, that it's impossible to become invested in them at any level.
Two examples: the dwarves are on the run from the dragon inside the mountain (WTF?) and when he unleashes his fire, they all hide behind a pillar as the flames shoot right by them, filling up the room and starting the dwarf forges, but no one is even singed, when they should all be incinerated. A few minutes later, Thorin surfs (again WTF?) down a river of molten metal on a wheelbarrow, and not only doesn't the wheelbarrow melt, he doesn't burst into flames despite being in such close proximity to such a high degree of heat.
I wonder if the reason these characters are "in name only" DC characters is an IP backlash to "the Chloe Sullivan effect". When Chloe became popular and they wanted to introduce her into the DCU, who knows what rights issues came into play and prevented it from happening for so long (and then, not particularly successfully)? But this way, when a character blows up and becomes popular (see: Felicity) DC already owns them. So no murky IP problems with the TV show writers.
That would be my assumption for someone like Felicity, who was intended as a recurring character, but I just don't see the same logic holding for characters that are basically brought in as one-shots to be killed off (though I suppose they did leave the door open for the characters to possibly be brought back...). It just seems like a wink to the fans, followed by spitting on them.
I've never watched an episode, either, for the reasons I stated in an earlier post in this thread: if it's not middle-aged, bearded, cantankerous Ollie in the Robin Hood hat, it's just not Ollie to me.
Finally caught up on "Constantine". While it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, it wasn't particularly great either. It felt too forced, like they were running through a check list: Early appearance quote #1 (Check), Newcastle (Check), call someone "SQUIRE" (check), Chas the Cab driver (check), etc. but it just didn't seem to happen naturally or with anywhere near the right tone. There's some potential there, but I'm not sure how it will fair as the back end of a Friday night line-up.
Also, how is it that Harold Perrineau gets *worse* as he gets older. The man was electrifying earlier in his career, and now he's nearly unwatchable.
So far I’m loving the Flash. I like the corny dialog. I’m happy it’s not grim ‘n gritty. The only thing I thought was a mistake was killing Stag. If they were going to kill him, it should have been some no-name company and guy rather than something they could use at some point. I liked how Snart got his freeze gun by stealing it rather than being a scientist that created it. I always thought it was stupid that a scientist creates a great invention to use as a villain rather than making tons of money selling his product. Can you imagine firemen with that freeze gun?
Loving Agents of Shield. I don’t think of it as a super hero show so much as a super spy show. That makes it good for me. To me it’s getting better and better.
My favorite show that I don’t get to see much because now it’s only online is Legend of Korra. I currently don’t have a computer at home and I can’t see it at work lol. It’s a fantastic show. It’s very mature and the animation is fantastic.
If I didn’t have basic cable I’d be watching Doctor Who. I love the new Doctor so far.
There's a Marvel retrospective special on ABC right now, and I'm surprised to see Jim Shooter included among the interviewees. I didn't know he'd been rehabilitated at Marvel. There's actually quite a lot of people I wouldn't have expected to see on a special aimed at a general audience, like Steve Englehart. Neat.
The Flash show is pretty boring to me honestly. It seems to be following the Smallville pattern of each episode having a new villain of the week. Maybe if they change things up I'll check back into it.
See, that was part of my concern about the first couple of episodes, but I thought the last ep. in particular changed up the formula enough to make it interesting, with allowing the villain to effectively win and get away (plus actually making the villain an interesting character).
I feel the same. I really don’t mind the villain of the week though because I like to see all these characters get on TV before it’s gone.
I think they it’s so cool they got Shipp to be Barry’s dad. Now Amanda Pays, Iris West from the first show, is going to be on it as Dr. Tina McGee! I’m hoping that Mark Hamill shows up somehow!
Thanks for the correction. I forgot because they didn't have Iris at all and made her the love interest instead. Wow! she's playing the same character!
Did anyone else watch the season finale for Doctor Who the other night? I still haven't decided if I liked it or not and I'm curious to get some other perspectives.
So a few weeks ago, my Dad told me he can't get over how much he loves his new favorite TV series: the Flash. I was surprised because I had thought the Flash looked a little, well, cheesy. But he loved it. So much so that he's kept telling me every time I've seen him and talked to him.
So much so, even, that he might start reading comics again--after like a 15 year hiatus where he just hasn't had the inspiration.
So I decided I would check it out.
And you know what? I loved it! I love everything about it! The actors, the colorfulness, and most importantly the sense of fun! I just watched Ep 4, the Captain Cold episode, last night and thought it was the best yet. Captain Cold was the best villain and it featured the Arrow character Felicity Smoke, who was fantastic.
It's definitely not the Barry Allen I know, but its close enough. And its a different medium so I'm not too beholden to what I see the Flash as, so long as the spirit of the series is there. Which it definitely is.
So I'm in.
And, to follow-up on something Lardy said to me a few weeks ago (which I purposely waited to respond to ;)): my Dad has now told me "if you think the Flash is good, wait until you see Arrow!"
Say what? So I've got my Dad, my buddies on Legion World, and Lardy, whose opinion on comic books is one I consider to be one of the best in all of fandom, telling me I need to watch Arrow? Perhaps its time. I definitely loved the Arrow cameo in Flash and then the Felicity guest-star. The latter is amazing because I've never even heard of the character before!
Just when I thought DC was a disaster film wise, it turns out their television people may actually be the best part of the company that I never knew about.
I think the Flash is my favorite TV show currently running. It feels a lot like a modern Silver Age style of storytelling. I am blown away by the special effects every episode and I think Gustin is a perfect Barry. What a great time to be a nerd!
And, to follow-up on something Lardy said to me a few weeks ago (which I purposely waited to respond to ;)):
Whatever could you be referring to...?!?!?
Originally Posted by Paladin
Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid
I've never watched an ep of Arrow before.
Just so you know: I kind of hate you for this.
Oh, thaaaaaaaaat!
Well, at LEAST you listened to your dad, you bastard!
Quote
Say what? So I've got my Dad, my buddies on Legion World, and Lardy, whose opinion on comic books is one I consider to be one of the best in all of fandom, telling me I need to watch Arrow? Perhaps its time. I definitely loved the Arrow cameo in Flash and then the Felicity guest-star. The latter is amazing because I've never even heard of the character before!
All I can say is that I liked Arrow from the get-go, and it gets exponentially better as it goes! It may not exactly be the Oliver Queen we all know and love and grew up reading about--but if you can reconcile TV Barry with comics Barry, you can definitely do same with TV Ollie!
And I fucking LOOOOOOOOVE Felicity Smoak!!!!
Quote
Just when I thought DC was a disaster film wise, it turns out their television people may actually be the best part of the company that I never knew about.
I absolutely love Better Off Ted. You're right on the money with that one. I can't think of any other workplace comedies with that sense of humor. It didn't try to give the craziness a veneer of "realism" like The Office, it just put it all out there.
I've been watching "Agents of SHIELD" at a rapid clip. I gave it another shot when the 2nd season started and I've really been enjoying it, partly because the show had to recalibrate after the second Captain America movie. TAoS always seemed hampered by what they could do on a TV budget but the lack of crazy Steranko style high adventure fits better with SHIELD's new circumstances. I won't spoil anything but it feels like the show is adding to the MCU now instead of just drawing from it.
The 1st season is up on Netflix now so I've gone back to it and have enjoyed it a lot more too. Maybe because I know where the character arcs are going, it makes it easier to watch the early episodes when it was just a slog through a lot of "crazy misfits learning to be a team" business.
Also, I've been winding down my major rewatching of "The Office;" I finished the Michael Scott era last week. The show had already kind of tailed off by that point but the last sequence of episodes leading to his departure were pretty satisfying.
Saw the film version of Filth, an Irvine Welsh book I read last year (see reading thread). The story's about a corrupt, racist, drug addict Scottish cop who's playing the "games" of putting everybody against one another for his own gratification, when things start to unravel for him.
It was an interesting take, and they navigated some of the more unfilmable parts of the book in inventive ways (the book's partly narrated by a tape worm, and one character isn't who they say they are, which would be much more obvious on film). But it still left me a little flat. They do a good job with some of the evil and vile stuff that Robertson does, but he's too sympathetic (or pathetic would be a better descriptor) too early in the film. They also made a few significant changes to the end that dull some of the impact.
It wasn't a horrible adaptation, but it wouldn't be how I'd envision a film of the book.
Just watched Lars Von Trier's "Melancholia" and thought it was pretty amazing. It's a great mediation on depression with a semi Sci-Fi wrapper. It's the story of two sisters and their struggle with depression and mortality that's heightened by the appearance of a rogue planet that is heading towards Earth.
Kirsten Dunst really impressed me. She continues to take challenging roles and is certainly up to the task in this one.
It's not for everyone, but it sure was beautiful and spoke to me.
Ditched cable and only have internet. Been watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Sexy lady that doesnt' reveal a lot of skin and yet still has allure. Something else else the rest of hollywood might think about.
Fun show, set in the age of the "modern woman" flapper era.
Psych- I just like the show.
Honeybadger- Documentary on honey badgers. My son loves it. He likes that a twenty five pound creature grabbed a rhino by the nads and made it scream like a girl, to put it in his words.
Been trying to keep up with Agent Carter and big bang on internet as well as Castle, but ABC is fucking annoying wanting you to sign in to use their website.
Cable doesn't have much for me. Occasionally, I'll miss ESPN because they have such a monopoly on college sports programming but my ISP does give me access to ESPN3, which lets me see the occasional away game for the local college team and I can watch many of the bigger games in replay.
I was happy that ESPN relented on the college championship and let that be seen using ESPN3. Bonus actually since you had a choice of announcers and views.
Netflix is limited as far as interesting movies but I find old series like Psych that I never saw on their first go-round. Sites like Couch-tuner let me keep up on things that I miss on over-the-air or that are on cable, even if the video quality isn't so great. It's good enough until the DVD set comes out.
Right now I'm on season three of Blue Bloods, which has insanely stupid plot holes but I like the actors and characters so, what the heck.
I tried couchtuner but it keeps wanting me to install stuff and I don't do that. Bummer, lots of shows there I'd like to watch.
I normally use my IE browser for Legion World and Netflix but for couch tuner or sites using google ads or lots of pop-ups and auto videos (like ESPN.go) , I'm using firefox with ad block and adobe flash installed and am not getting any pop-ups or requests for installation.
Some truly badass characters on this show, with very memorable personalities, and some out-of-left-field characters that you would never expect to work, but just flat out do (such as an Amish crimelord!).
Totally addicted to the Big Cat Rescue videos on YouTube these days. Hardly an evening goes by where I don't watch one (or two, or ten) before retiring.
I've started watching the series Nikita that aired on the CW a few years ago. It's pretty good so far and Maggie Q is pretty good looking in the show.
The bad-guys on that show are memorable and fun, which is half the battle, I think. It's easy enough to have some compelling good-guys, but without challenging and fleshed-out bad-guys, it's all for naught. Percy, Amanda and the lesser-seen Roan are all great villains. Birkhoff is also cool, as the only person allowed to be funny, among all the ultra-serious badasses.
Watched the first 6 Agent Carter episodes and even though they occasionally drive the story with some serious plot holes, I like the characters, the acting and the plots.
They certainly aren't afraid to kill people though: getting a bit over the top early. Could get tiresome.
In the past few months, my wife and I have been big on rewatching great TV shows from start to finish. We watched The Sopranos and then Rescue Me before the holidays, both of which held up great.
We took a quick detour to catch season 3 of Once Upon a Time, which was phenomenal, the last season of How I Met Your Mother, whose ending was perfect (and I can't understand anyone who thinks otherwise), and then the three seasons of Showtime's The Borgias, which was fantastic but ended far too abruptly with season 3 as they obviously did not know they would be cancelled.
We're not undergoing a full rewatch of Sons of Anarchy. I've loved the show since it premiered and we've seen seasons 1-4 already, but we haven't ever seen 5-7. We're already midway through season 2.
And on the off days, we stumbled upon what has to be the most seriously underestimated show ever on TV: MTV's Finding Carter. Somehow, someway, MTV broke through their ceiling of mediocrity and have produced an incredibly awesome show that is full of intense drama and tension. IMO, most shows about teenagers usually are terrible, but this one rises above that, and is a contender with One Tree Hill for best teen drama (both of the being far better than the OC).
The wife was out last night so I took the opportunity to watch a film she won't: Event Horizon.
Yes, it's over the top, and a lot of the scares and gross outs are cribbed from better sources, but somehow it all manages to work as a creepy little horror flick. Sam Neill chews the scenery a little, but Laurence Fishburne provides a counter anchor to it.
Netflix has it. Only started watching bored, because it has Jamie Bell and I generally like things he's in.
So far, really fun. No stupid people, smarter people winning. Egos of course cause mistakes and downfalls. Cheap thrills kept to a minimum, relationships to a max.
Comes to mind how few series and movies we actually have on the Revolution.
Very good, very disturbing contemporary take on the Twilight Zone focusing on the darker sides of modern life such as reality television, social media, bio enhancements, etc.
Watched the first episode of Daredevil, and man it was dark. Not in tone, but literally there were scenes we didn't know WTF was going on. Eventually we had to crank the brightness.
My wife commented that she'd rather watch a show about the Murdock/Nelson fledgling legal practice, than the by-the-numbers super-hero stuff.
I saw the first episode of Daredevil and thought it was pretty average. The setup is good, though I thought the final scenes of cramming in as many series subplots as they could was kind of eyerolling.
I do hope that they DON'T go the Frank Miller route and make Karen a drug addict. I hope she becomes a female character who is fun and upbeat in their otherwise dark world.
Watched the first episode of Daredevil, and man it was dark. Not in tone, but literally there were scenes we didn't know WTF was going on. Eventually we had to crank the brightness.
My wife commented that she'd rather watch a show about the Murdock/Nelson fledgling legal practice, than the by-the-numbers super-hero stuff.
Just got through it myself and pretty much agree. The characters are fun, but when it comes to the "Superheroing," really? There a 50 punch minimum rule?
Unfortunately, the way it's been set up they're going to have to go the flashback way, ala Arrow, to tell the tail of how he became Daredevil. BORING. But I agree, almost any scene with Murdock and Nelson is gold.
I started watching the first episode of the failed Birds of Prey show from a few years back. Yes, I know it was terrible, but I'm genuinely curious to see what comic book shows were like in pre-superhero boom we see today. There's a certain endearing cheesiness to shows like this and Smallville and I like to see how they worked the comic book easter eggs into the show.
The second episode of Daredevil was a little better than the first (I dig Rosario Dawson anyway). Despite the setup being a little silly (why didn`t he kill the lights to get an advantage?) that one take final fight sequence was really crazy.
Daredevil: sometimes I thought the dialogues went on a bit long and they did go about moving plot along in some head scratching ways, when it seemed more plausible means were available to get to the same spot but regardless, I binged the whole thing. It was REALLY easy to click "next," I think I missed a terrific day of weather on Sat.
I think they ended in a terrific spot, the whole of the season planned pretty well. I REALLY liked the acting and characters, Karen maybe not as much as the others and the "suit," not so much at all.
And I agree, can't have too much Rosario Dawson but that's a good reason not to have too much Rosario Dawson.
Would I be the only one up for a season of Murdoch and Froggy: the College Days?
I started watching the first episode of the failed Birds of Prey show from a few years back. Yes, I know it was terrible, but I'm genuinely curious to see what comic book shows were like in pre-superhero boom we see today. There's a certain endearing cheesiness to shows like this and Smallville and I like to see how they worked the comic book easter eggs into the show.
There's also a single episode of Mercy Reef out there (an attempted Aquaman spin-off, starring the guy who played Green Arrow on Smallville as Aquaman).
It's not as terrible as I would have expected, all things considered.
George Miller returns, Mel Gibson thankfully doesn't (Tom Hardy plays Max this go round.)
Miller's cinematic vision has not diminished with age. Rather, it has become clearer and richer. And with advanced technology plus a budget to do his vision full justice for the first time, he actually surpasses The Road Warrior!
Now let's just hope Hardy doesn't turn into a drooling reactionary bastard when he gets older, so with can watch this again and again without any guilt.
I've been hearing really good things about the new Mad Max movie, Fanfie. I haven't seen any of the original films though. Would I still be able to understand everything that's happening?
I just got back from Mad Max: Road Fury and I was delighted to find that Fanfie's assessment held up pretty well!
I've never been a Charlize Theron fan, but she does remarkably well in her role here, playing a strong female character AND there's no forced subplot about her and Max developing a relationship. Plus, the kickass biker gang grannies were a ton of fun!
The best way I can think to describe this movie is Fast and Furious on crack. The one thing that always held me back from enjoying the F&F movies on any level, either genuine or ironic, is how dumb the plots are in every movie. However, Miller has created a universe that is as much fun to explore as the action itself. Small additions make the film a visual treat and it's clear Miller is relishing in this opportunity to take his vision from his old films into the modern era without compromising it.
Glad you liked the movie, Stalgie. I concur with all the points in your review. I've never been a Charlize Theron fan, either, but she really rocked this role.
IZombie: previous ep took a turn I didn't care for and thought they didn't do a great job following that up. Disappointing but the characters and actors remain my favorites of the comic book shows.
In Canada iZombie is exclusively on demand on the Shomi network (I think they appear the day after broadcast in the states). We typically wait a few weeks and watch 2 or 3 at once, but it's been very good.
I'm all caught up on the current season of Orphan Black. With 2 eps to go this season, it continues to be a wildly entertaining series. While some of the conspiracy stuff confuses me, what is never confusing is the great talent of star Tatiana Maslany for convincingly portraying numerous distinctive clones.
This most recent episode I thought was a great showcase for her as pretty much all of her known, living clones got a great share of the spotlight in one normal-sized episode. If any of them could be said to have gotten short shrift this episode it was the unbalanced Russian Helena, but even her couple of brief scenes were memorable and one particularly hilarious. In addition to all the regular clones, we got to meet a new one who was barely glimpsed previously. Tatiana is utterly convincing in each role to the point where suspending disbelief is a non-issue. The lady deserves to be nominated for and win an Emmy, and this episode should be Exhibit A.
Otherwise, my favorite character to watch this season has been that of Donnie, the husband of soccer mom clone Alison (who herself may be my favorite clone). Almost every scene he's been in has been comic gold, and he has become much more prominent as the couple embarks on their own "Breaking Bad"-style plotline.
In my opinion the actor portraying the various male clones has a long way to go to prove he's anywhere near as talented as Tatiana. Hopefully, he'll get a chance to show what he's got sooner than later.
Otherwise, the overall series arc has been advanced nicely this season, and a few eps back, we got the first death of a longtime character. I'm so glad it's been renewed for a fourth season! I certainly can't recommend Orphan Black highly enough!
As someone who already was a huge Charlize Theron fan (she's like this generations Michelle Pfieffer!), Fury Road was a real treat for me, since she was a badder badass than ever before!
I want to see her in an action movie role now, perhaps as a superhero?
As for what I'm watching now (ish), I just finished Sense8, and it was... odd.
It was more 'cable channel' sexy than I've seen in other Netflix series, of all different flavors (don't watch this at work!), and had an interesting premise, and several really interesting characters.
As someone who already was a huge Charlize Theron fan (she's like this generations Michelle Pfieffer!), Fury Road was a real treat for me, since she was a badder badass than ever before!
I want to see her in an action movie role now, perhaps as a superhero?
I'm hoping to see Mad Max next week, looking forward to that.
Time flies. She might better be described as LAST generation's Michelle Pfieffer. Theron is headed to 40 yrs.
Not sure who would be this generation's Theron? Probably Jennifer Lawrence?
I just got back from a midnight showing of Jurassic World. I haven't been this angry in a movie theater since I saw Transformers 4. Like that terrible showing, at one point I considered leaving the theater. The only difference? When I was watching Transformers, I didn't have a ride to leave even if I wanted to. I actually sat through the entirety of Jurassic World, clenching my fists to keep myself from yelling like Mark Waid when he saw Man of Steel.
I will post more in depth analysis later, but I'm too pissed off right now to form intelligent thoughts.
The big reason this movie failed for me was that it used the hackneyed "it's a stupid premise so why try at all?" excuse so the filmmakers could bloat out their two hour running time with CGI out the ass and paper thin characters and plotting, both of which are common to the generic summer blockbuster fare we've been getting for the past decade. However, here's the thing: the original Jurassic Park was NOT a stupid Michael Bay piece of junk. Obviously, it had dinosaurs tearing the island a new one and chasing people, but there was meaning to it. It raised interesting questions about the nature of science and our own ignorance of the consequences of progress. Jurassic World, on the other hand, uses the EXACT same theme from the first movie and since it's a sequel there's no fucking reason why anyone would try to build a park a second time! They even have a meta moment where one of the characters brings this same problem up themselves and it's just brushed off as winking fourth wall fan service.
Another big reason this movie doesn't work is how dull and generic the characters are. Chris Pratt's character, Owen Grady, is basically doing his best Han Solo/Indiana Jones impression, but about 10X douchier and with a slight sense of misogyny. The filmmakers paint him as this heroic "man's-man", perfect in every way cliche action hero, so you think that he's going to have some major flaw that screws him over...AND THEN HE DOESN'T! He's literally right about everything that happens in this movie and never undergoes a character arc of his own. He's the exact same douche he was at the beginning of the movie, except now he's got a hot girlfriend and no job. Speaking of his girlfriend, Bryce Dallas Howard's Claire Dearing character is as underwritten as anything else happening in this film. The character is supposed to be this apathetic, career devoted businesswoman who cares little for family or ever settling down and it's obvious that the filmmakers are going to set her up for an arc where she learns to care for other people. However, there's no pivotal point in the story where she suddenly starts caring about her nephews or Owen. She's just cold and removed one minute and the next she's as overprotective as a mother grizzly bear. The romance between her Owen is shoehorned in for the sake of it's own existence and I never for one minute bought that these two people would ever fall in love with each other nor would the sequence of events in the film cause them to like each other since there's never a slow moment where the two share an intimate moment that would show the slightest shred of chemistry. She just shoots a pterodactyl in the head and that somehow gives the two the hots for each other? True love, I guess?
The movie also suffers from the modern genre cinema trope of the overuse of Easter eggs and references that are cute the first time, but quickly become painfully trite when you realize this crap is actually driving the plot along! The two boys discover the remains of the visitor center from the original Jurassic Park and somehow hotwire a jeep that hasn't been used in twenty years to escape from the jungle, even though the motor is probably rusted by then due to constant rain. The worst instance of this, however, is the climax when the Indominus Rex is attacking the protagonists near the front of the park. Claire releases the T-Rex from it's paddock to fight the monster and it basically turns into the shitty Rex vs Spino fight from JP III all over again. Even worse, suddenly velociraptors are working WITH the T-Rex as if they're somehow buddies now, complete with the raptor running into the battle in a slow motion zoom straight out of a bad early 2000's action flick. They even share a glance of approval after the fight like they were rivals in a Fast and the Furious movie or something! It's obvious the movie is trying to buy my love off my nostalgia for the ending to the first movie where the T-Rex saves the people by attacking the raptors, but this ending is nothing more than a brainless dinosaur brawl with no tension or weight. In the original movie, you never knew what character might survive to the end of the movie since the movie was never sold on the popularity of the actors as the main attraction to come see the movie. In Jurassic World's case, all the advertising has advertised the hell out of Pratt and Howard's presences so we know they would never die in the movie so there's no reason to care what happens in the plot since any scene where they are in danger is meaningless. The filmmakers don't have the balls to kill off a rising star like Pratt so there's no sense of dread when the dinosaurs attack since we know he'll never die. It's tedious and boring.
I realize that a lot of my complaints sound over-nitpicky and silly, but I was coming from a really personal place with this movie.
I saw the first Jurassic Park movie when I was 3 years old (circa 1999ish) and I instantly fell in love with it. It's pretty much the reason I'm such a devoted science fiction fan today. It proved to me that you can have both spectacle AND substance in a blockbuster, that the audience can have an intriguing idea to chew on while a T-Rex as a lawyer to chew on. Unlike most of the crap I loved as a kid, it's actually gotten better over time and I can appreciate it even more now, noticing the nuances that Spielberg brought to the table with his direction and the ethical debate that Chrichton proposed in his original novel. Now, Hollywood has mangled this dead franchise for the THIRD time, dumbing the concept down and removing all artistry from it to sell it to the explosion loving blockbuster crowd.
As for what I'm watching now (ish), I just finished Sense8, and it was... odd.
It was more 'cable channel' sexy than I've seen in other Netflix series, of all different flavors (don't watch this at work!), and had an interesting premise, and several really interesting characters.
I binged it up and loved it ... although it did take time for me to figure it out ... i thought it was sci fi ... then a drama ... than an action series ....
the shows got a sense of humor about itself but also has some great characters. Its my new favourite show.
I noticed The Strain is now available on Hulu. I Saw the first episode a while ago but was confused. Is it worth sticking with?
Last season they turned it into a porn show and went the big baddy of the season route that's so popular. It wasn't bad but for me, it wasn't as great.
First few eps into this season they were still in porn mode but have gotten back to what I liked most about Season 1, human stories where the "bad guy" is the situation. Everyone has mommy issues but other than that, lots of good characterization and they're letting some of the lesser used characters shine.
The actors really seem to get to strut their stuff on this show.
WAtching buffy again and some of the stuff is just damn stupid and has nothing to do with the storyline.
Buffy's dead and they have a robot running around to keep dawn around, and to get the bad guys to think Buffy's still there protecting them. And yet...they have a freakin' headstone with her name and death date on it at the cemetary, and they put a body in a coffin, and talked about her funeral service.
WTF?
Last season, the new principal goes down to the basement of a BRAND NEW HIGHSCHOOL and yet the doors look like they've been rusted and rotting for years. People asleep at the wheel.
WAtching buffy again and some of the stuff is just damn stupid and has nothing to do with the storyline.
Buffy's dead and they have a robot running around to keep dawn around, and to get the bad guys to think Buffy's still there protecting them. And yet...they have a freakin' headstone with her name and death date on it at the cemetary, and they put a body in a coffin, and talked about her funeral service.
WTF?
Last season, the new principal goes down to the basement of a BRAND NEW HIGHSCHOOL and yet the doors look like they've been rusted and rotting for years. People asleep at the wheel.
Everything after Season 5 was a mess to me. There were undoubtedly some high points, but you could tell the creativity and the drive wasn't there anymore. While Angel kept ramping up, Buffy fell apart.
Watched HBO's The Jinx about Robert Durst and found it to be a brilliant documentary that I was totally engrossed in. I've watched every type of horror committed on television from zombies to torture but this scared me more than all of that.
Did a full rewatch of all 7 seasons of Sons of Anarchy so I could appreciate the brilliance of one of television's greatest crime drama's ever. An epic tragedy that is as gritty as it gets, I highly recommend.
Recently watched the first 3 seasons of Hell on Wheels which is another phenomenal show. Layered with complex performances and relationships, it's an incredible western that says so much about not only the Reconstruction / westward expansion era, but more importantly about today.
Also caught up with season 5 of Pretty Little Liars which remains just damn good television. Every single one of you should be watching this show because from what I've seen you all post all these years, it fits the criteria to be loved by you all. Brilliant drama with incredible mystery, it can be both light-hearted and then deadly serious. I never expected to sit through the entire first episode let alone become a huge fan of the subsequent 120 episodes to follow. Actually this series feels like it would be the perfect series for Lash, Ester and Teeds. And I wonder if Mr. Dave Hackett's daughter has become aware of PLL mania?
Up next is Suits season 4, which should be awesome as usual, and then from there a full rewatch of all six seasons of Justified now that the final season is out. Then catching up on The Americans.
Meanwhile, I'm considering halting my Game of Thrones watching on the off-chance Martin can finish the books because the show has finally caught up to the books. And while the show is great, the books are always so much better, so I don't want to have the show spoil things for me.
Been waiting until it gets right up until the end of the season and then plan to binge watch with the wife. We *LOVE* that show and tend to watch 3-4 eps at a clip. Can't wait too, because it sounds like its been an awesome season with our girl just knocking it out of the park as usual.
Yeah, I reviewed it a page or so ago (not too spoilery) on this thread. It's still awesome! And there's 1000% more Donnie (Alison's husband) this season! Love it!
My son and I watched the second season opener of Star Wars Rebels tonight. It feels like it might break open like Clone Wars did when it found it's feet. Darth Vader made an appearance and I realized how little we ever saw of him in action in the original movies. Vader in a dogfight felt like watching Anakin in a dogfight. Kind of cool.
My son and I watched the second season opener of Star Wars Rebels tonight. It feels like it might break open like Clone Wars did when it found it's feet. Darth Vader made an appearance and I realized how little we ever saw of him in action in the original movies. Vader in a dogfight felt like watching Anakin in a dogfight. Kind of cool.
The youngest tells me that Rebels has really gotten pretty good, which surprises me, since that first episode, particularly coming on the heels of the brilliance that was Clone Wars, was six kinds of terrible.
I'm going to have to watch it, eventually.
It is neat that they apparently got James Earl Jones to voice Vader!
Watched Gone Girl last night and it was excellent. Well-written with killer acting performances, it was twisty and twisted enough to really stand out. One of the better modern films I've seen in awhile.
I'm 10 episodes deep in the first season of Mad Men and am addicted! I love the swinging 60's setting. I love the morally grey characters! I love it all!
I started in on Mad Men but seemed to have gotten off-track. Guess it didn't grab my attention quickly enough. I recall thinking the characters a bit lacking personality, then the cliche of the guy cheating on his wife... I think that's the one that led to the drop. It has too much good vibe though, I have to imagine I'll give it another try.
Ascension: Really cool premise (no spoilers version) but the acting, pacing, just not working for me.
Dark Matter: what happens when a 14 year old gets to write a script after watching one episode of Firefly and any number of angsty teen club shows in order to get down their stereotypes and tropes.
Stalgie, I've been a huge fan of Mad Men since it first debuted. It's an excellent show with some really powerful commentary on a variety of topics. The characters are just great--well written and with great performances. Several episodes, including a few more down the road from where you are, stand out as some of the best television ever.
I haven't watched the final two seasons yet, and once they're all out on DVD, my wife and I are going to give the show a full blown rewatch.
In the "maybe I'm missing something" role, I watched the next ep, the 3rd of season one.
Still not getting it. The characters all seem kind of droll and stereotypical to me. Granted, 3 episodes isn't a lot but I can't see what attracted people to see a 4th. For those in their 60s I suppose I could see it, kind of like what if tv shows then were made like they are now: Dick Van Dyke with more...
My son and I watched the second season opener of Star Wars Rebels tonight. It feels like it might break open like Clone Wars did when it found it's feet. Darth Vader made an appearance and I realized how little we ever saw of him in action in the original movies. Vader in a dogfight felt like watching Anakin in a dogfight. Kind of cool.
The youngest tells me that Rebels has really gotten pretty good, which surprises me, since that first episode, particularly coming on the heels of the brilliance that was Clone Wars, was six kinds of terrible.
I'm going to have to watch it, eventually.
It is neat that they apparently got James Earl Jones to voice Vader!
This has been more my speed. I didn't know it existed. Thanks.
Clones Wars was amazing, really hard to live up to its episode to episode quality and storylines.
About halfway through Rebels Season One. The animation, character expressions and use of familiar Star Wars themes continue to be amazing. The stories don't have that human quality I found in so many of the Clone Wars stories and the characters are unfamiliar and use heavy stereotype but they're for the most part interesting and fun (OK, a few are a bit annoying) to be around. Plot points could rely a bit less on chance.
I'm still interested to see where they're heading with this. Hopefully they'll have some backstory to the first (fourth) Star Wars.
I just saw Jurassic World with my older son. Overall, I liked it. That said, many of Nostalgia Lad's criticisms were very valid. I agree that the characters were pretty paper-thin, for example. However, I would argue that none of the previous JP films featured very deep characters. Some, like, Alan Grant and Ian Malcolm were entertaining, but compared to, say, the characters in Jaws, even they were pretty much straw men by comparison and in terms of nuance. And, yeah, all four movies feature children pivotal in the plot, and none have exactly mesmerized us with their acting skills, to put it kindly.
The Jurassic Park movies have always been all about the dinosaurs, the chases, the scares and even the body count, above all else. This new one is more of the same and delivers many things we've seen before combined with ones that we haven't. In short, it's above all a thrilling spectacle, and that's probably what 99% of its audience really wants out of it.
That said, I do think the new movie does actually have something new to say thematically from the other films. In actually having established a working theme park that never came to fruition in the first film, we see the reality that even the existence of something so wonderful would simply not be enough to sustain it. If there were a real theme park like it, the exact problem it presents would actually happen: eventually, the public would get bored, and the park would have to find new ways to attract visitors to keep it running. Bigger, scarier dinosaurs would be demanded to keep people coming because the public can never be satisfied.
It totally works thematically and is different from what the others present, even while being consistent with the 'science gone too far' elements of the originals. And, yeah, weaponising dinosaurs would totally happen as well, even if you'd hope for a less hammy and obvious moustache-twirling performance from Vincent D'Onofrio. But again, the villains of the JP movies haven't exactly been anything more than one-dimensional, themselves. So that's something else consistent.
So really, Jurassic World is mostly what you'd expect to see in the series, and that's not altogether a bad thing. It's entertaining, thrilling and keeps you watching. Add in the spectacle of it being an actual working theme park for the first time and the addition of some new themes, and I think you get enough of the new to go along with what you expect.
Clone Wars I watched with the feeling they were covering new ground. Not just Star War ground, but human concepts.
Rebels is pretty standard fair. Its interests lies in the personalities and some old friends. I think I would have enjoyed an approach parallel to Clone Wars, where seasons and half seasons followed different people and groups and their unique situations. Still, I'm enjoying it for what's been given.
I've not seen the trailers but I'm hooked enough to want to keep with it. I'll give them a peek. Thanks!
Sense8: Got halfway through the first episode and wasn't sure what to make of it. Didn't have me sold. Went back and finished. It was mostly just taking more than a token amount of attention to appreciate. It's REALLY going to be good I think.
Through the second episode and already at least two scenes I would call "iconic." The actors are real, the mystery is intriguing. Looking forward but not going for the full out binge. I think I'll go rewatch Ep 1 to get all the characters down then move on.
I saw Terminator: Genisys last night. That movie had some of the most bizarre, confusing continuity driven plots I've seen. It would DC's Crisis events to shame with the amount of convoluted fan service and retcons!
I'm digging Humans ... two episodes so far ... reminds me of In the Flesh ... a British zombie show. Also good but about a ten on a scale of one to five on the drama scale!
I just finished the Netflix Daredevil series. It's as gritty (sometimes grittier, really) as anything Miller, Bendis, et. al ever wrote. Surprisingly, so. There was some R-rated level violence.
It's also a 13-episode novel. There's a beginning and middle that leads to a big finish. Big time character arcs for familiar DD characters like Matt, Foggy, Karen, Ben, Wilson, Vanessa and many others, familiar and unfamiliar. There are some really well-choreographed fights and some moments that will absolutely break your heart.
Netflix Daredevil was great! I almost stopped watching after episode 1, just because it was so dark. But episode 2, for various reasons including the epic fight scene, drew me into the rest of the series.
Netflix Daredevil was great! I almost stopped watching after episode 1, just because it was so dark. But episode 2, for various reasons including the epic fight scene, drew me into the rest of the series.
I was in from the start. Even though he's not how I had envisioned him, I LOVE FOGGY! Even though you can argue that the actor under-acts in his style, it really works and makes him the most endearing character on the show, imo.
I'm not sure, though, that the final costume worked all that well for me. It certainly doesn't help that we had only part of the very last episode to have a look. At first blush, it seems that's the one thing the Affleck movie has over the show--the costume is better.
Otherwise, no contest. Such a rich story where nothing is forgotten or throwaway. It's no accident that it was so good as it featured three of the biggest talents from Joss whedon's stable of writers/producers: Drew Goddard, Steven S. DeKnight and Doug Petrie. Hopefully, season 2 will hold up to these high standards without DeKnight.
I was in from the start. Even though he's not how I had envisioned him, I LOVE FOGGY! Even though you can argue that the actor under-acts in his style, it really works and makes him the most endearing character on the show, imo.
Oh yeah, I agree! My other fave character was Fisk. I thought the actor did a tremendous job of of showing refinement, discipline, and occasional vulnerability that overlaid power and rage.
Karen was fine but, to be honest, she got on my nerves a lot.
I came in pretty much from scratch, didn't know any of his supporting characters and remembering only he was blind, reading when I was a kid.
The weaker points for me were making him credible and the fights. IMO, it was taking him way too long to dispatch even minor henchmen and they pulled the old, it's your turn attack. It was pretty long into the season before they showed he might be more than just a really hard training blind guy, which made some of the earlier stuff make some sense.
But they more than made up for it with the non-fighting story points and I'm not a fan of D'onofrio, see him as a one trick pony, but I liked him here. Could use a Foggy mini-series to tide me over until the new season. I think he'd make a good lego too.
Been waiting until it gets right up until the end of the season and then plan to binge watch with the wife. We *LOVE* that show and tend to watch 3-4 eps at a clip. Can't wait too, because it sounds like its been an awesome season with our girl just knocking it out of the park as usual.
So about a week or two ago, my wife and I caught up on Orphan Black season 3 and binge watched it over 3 days--and just like seasons 1 and 2, flat out loved every single second of it!
It remains one of the best television shows around with an excellent blend of great acting, VERY strong characters and a great sci-fi / conspiracy / mystery tone. I highly recommend it to everyone on this board.
I don't want to repeat a lot of the same stuff I've said again and again during the first two seasons, but I can't help but start by how fucking amazing Tatiana Maslany is as an actress. She is just on a whole other level that most actors never hit. She is in almost every scene, and provides a highly nuanced and personalized performance for four major characters, plus two others that are highly entertaining. She should win every acting aware there is, and when she doesn't, someone should automatically be lynched from the rafters by their testicles.
Specific to this season, I'll jump right into what Lardy teased and whetted my appetite for: Donnie & Allison. Holy shit, they were magnificent this season, and Allison's subplots came to fruition at the perfect time, just as Sara & Helena, and also Kasima, were having some very serious moments. It provided awesome levity and kept the show grounded, something OB is really good at.
And then just when you think Donnie & Allison can't be outdone...enter the best pair-up ever in show history: Donnie and Helena! Bwahahahahahaha! Their moments were so awesome and felt so brief that I wish they would do a webseries of 5 minute adventures or something. And of course, that plotline ended in the awesomely violent way it had to!
I loved the ending of this season with most of the cast finally all sitting down together for the first time ever. I missed having Cal & Kira there, as well as a few others (almost wondering if Gracie and the good clone would ever able to join them), but it still felt like a really great moment. I think Art is a fantastic character and I like when he's utilized, and I love Scott as Kasima's sidekick.
Of course, the best supporting cast member is the amazing Felix and I loved when he tried to pick up the nail salon clone. Ms. S's best moment had to be when she took the stage and blew Sara and Felix's mind, as well my own! Delphine's role this season was different and at first almost unbelievable (that she could rise so fast) but she nailed it and looked damn good doing it, so I quickly was on board.
The big death this season was surprising but a good move, as a bold choice like that needed to be made to show the series is continuing to move forward.
I love a good conspiracy and I think the plot is wonderfully complex. Yet they never let it get in the way of the "moment", and that's also a good choice. Sure, it gets confusing and you probably need an excel spreadsheet and guide to walk you through all the little details, but when it provides moments like Gracie in Sara's goth chick clothes, its worth it.
Now, though, I have to wait a whole year for the next one!!!
PS - given your recent dip into various television shows Lardy, I may have to start recommending a few for you that I think you'll love. I have a bunch I can do that with, since I think after 15 years, I know your tastes pretty well (and how they be similar yet different than mine).
One show I think you'd love, and just trust on me this because you're initial reaction might be to laugh, is Pretty Little Liars. This show is phenomenal! Well acted, well written and tons of fun. But at its heart are several very strong characters wtih a lot of depth that are surrounded by mysteries and things they can't control. I think you'd love it. It's one of my favorite shows, and my wife's too. It actually can be downright scary at times, but its something young teenagers can watch (and in fact I think a lot of their fanbase are in fact teenagers since its on ABC Family).
My wife and I are splitting time between season 1 of iZombie and Season 6 of Justified.
iZombie is a different fish than the book, but once you get past that, the show's pretty solid, with a likable cast. It's in a sort of Buffy zone, though sometimes veers darker.
Justified has been amped up, though in many ways it's been like a victory lap with every still living character from the last 5 seasons popping up to make a cameo (The Crowes, the Bennets, Limehouse, etc). Sam Elliot can't not be cool, and Raylan/Boyd has got to be one of TV's best pairings.
I've also been liking the new True Detective. It's not level with the first one yet (though that's a tall order), but some of the individual parts have been great, just waiting for it coalesce (though the last 20 minutes of the latest episode were super intense).
As always, Last Week Tonight has been great, though I'm starting to find Oliver re-using some comedic bits on different topics. I'm hoping he manages to keep it fresh.
Dave, my wife & I have watched seasons 1-3 of Justified, and loved them, and we've now got the final three seasons as well. So our immediate next watch (after season 2 of the Americans, which we're watching now) will be a full-on 6 season watch / rewatch of Justified. I can't wait. Like you said, the Raylan / Boyd dynamic is as good as it gets.
I finished up Sense8. For me, the overall story arc never took but I still enjoyed it immensely because of the sub-plots and the characters. The characters were so likable, like IZombie, I thought they'd all be people I'd like to hang around (if I were 30 years younger, lol).
Sense8 has some amazingly well done relationships, rivals Orange. I was tense just waiting to see if I was being set up to fall in love with a character just to have them....
If you don't know the premise: 8 people from all around the world all born the same day (they hit that in flashback ep that will eat your emotions) are connected "psychically." The story shows how they discover each other and are able to remotely help each other through various sub-plots. A smart thing they did, so the viewer doesn't have to wait a whole season for relationships to develop, each main character has their own supporting cast of lovers and friends. It's a very positive show and IMO, avoids cliches and tropes rather well.
PS - given your recent dip into various television shows Lardy, I may have to start recommending a few for you that I think you'll love. I have a bunch I can do that with, since I think after 15 years, I know your tastes pretty well (and how they be similar yet different than mine).
One show I think you'd love, and just trust on me this because you're initial reaction might be to laugh, is Pretty Little Liars. This show is phenomenal! Well acted, well written and tons of fun. But at its heart are several very strong characters wtih a lot of depth that are surrounded by mysteries and things they can't control. I think you'd love it. It's one of my favorite shows, and my wife's too. It actually can be downright scary at times, but its something young teenagers can watch (and in fact I think a lot of their fanbase are in fact teenagers since its on ABC Family).
You are one person whose recommendations of any kind I will always take seriously. So PLL is now on my radar, and I will check it out if and when I can. (I think it's on Netflix?)
Meanwhile, Sons of Anarchy is definitely on Netflix, and I hope to begin binge-watching that next. My mom and brother have been on me to check that one out since forever. I think you've watched that one, too?
I love that your wife binge-watches shows with you! Mine mostly seems to want to watch reruns of Castle and Bones day-in and day-out, though she loves to watch new TWD with me when it's on. I was impressed with her, though, when she recently watched my Firefly DVDs after randomly catching Serenity on cable and seeing how awesome it was. maybe there's hope for her, yet?
BTW, I take it you don't have Netflix, Cobie? I recently got it because the temptation of the Daredevil series was just too much! I'm dying to know what you would think about that show! You should get the free one-month trial of it just so I can find out what you think!
Daredevil pulled me into Netflix too. Now that my free month is past and I'm paying, I decided I'm getting my money's worth. (Unlike my cable subscription)
Yep, it's hard to compare the value of $8.99/month with Netflix vs. ____ for cable. I must say though that the movie selection isn't as great as I thought it would be in terms of stuff I might be dying to see. But they have the rights to TONS of good TV series worthy of binge-watching, so it's certainly worth much more than the modest cost. I'd have trouble parting with cable, though, because there are enough great/can't miss shows I couldn't stand to wait for.
You are one person whose recommendations of any kind I will always take seriously. So PLL is now on my radar, and I will check it out if and when I can. (I think it's on Netflix?)
Meanwhile, Sons of Anarchy is definitely on Netflix, and I hope to begin binge-watching that next. My mom and brother have been on me to check that one out since forever. I think you've watched that one, too?
Yeah, PLL I think is going to wow you by how much you enjoy it. The way the writers utilize the four lead girls with their own subplots and stories, plus how they interact (almost as a “team”) and the overall huge mystery to the series is just brilliant. Comic book writers should take cues from this show.
Meanwhile, Sons of Anarchy is one of the best shows I’ve ever watched. My wife and I just did a full on 7 season watch / rewatch about three months ago and I literally think about it every single day (and so does my wife). I had seen seasons 1-4 before, and got to see 5-7 for the first time; I had been following the show since it debuted. It is brilliant beyond words really and hard to describe. The writing is genius, the acting is incredible, and just about everything from music to the sets / wardrobes and every other detail is great.
Be ready for some heart-wrenching and intense moments and experiences. I know you’ll handle this well because what Sons does that other shows don’t is they truly follow up on the consequences of terrible things happening to a degree that is so realistic that it makes them all the more heart breaking (and in cases when they are overcome, uplifting). Knowing you as I do, I know you’ll appreciate this.
The show was created by Kurt Sutter who is one of my favorite creators in any medium ever. Sutter was also head writer on the Shield, which was the single best “cop” show / novel / movie / whatever that I’ve ever seen and was equally brilliant. The Shield was so good that any other cop-related story just falls incredibly short.
Lastly, avoid the internet like crazy. I had one major death mid-show spoiled for me and my wife had another even bigger one in the final episodes. Just like with TWD, the internet basically sucks.
Originally Posted by Paladin
BTW, I take it you don't have Netflix, Cobie? I recently got it because the temptation of the Daredevil series was just too much! I'm dying to know what you would think about that show! You should get the free one-month trial of it just so I can find out what you think!
Originally Posted by Legion Tracker
Daredevil pulled me into Netflix too. Now that my free month is past and I'm paying, I decided I'm getting my money's worth. (Unlike my cable subscription)
Originally Posted by Paladin
Yep, it's hard to compare the value of $8.99/month with Netflix vs. ____ for cable. I must say though that the movie selection isn't as great as I thought it would be in terms of stuff I might be dying to see. But they have the rights to TONS of good TV series worthy of binge-watching, so it's certainly worth much more than the modest cost. I'd have trouble parting with cable, though, because there are enough great/can't miss shows I couldn't stand to wait for.
I don’t have Netflix and to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure I even understand it. It’s a service with a monthly fee? How does it hook up? How do I get it on my TV?
What I do know about Netflix is the original show they made House of Cards is the best political television show I’ve ever seen and has allowed Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright to remind everyone they are two of the greatest living actors in the world. Neither has ever been better than they are here, as they are given room to show their stuff in a way that a 2 hour movie just can’t do. The show is nothing short of mesmerizing and is as high quality as other truly great shows like Breaking Bad, Sopranos, etc.
Meanwhile, I can’t wait to finally get around to seeing Daredevil. But probably the only way I’ll do that is by buying the DVD season—which is actually how my wife and I binge watch 75% of our shows. We have almost a little collection at this point that we keep. (And yeah we know DVDs will eventually go away completely, but its fun). The other 25% we do “on demand” through our cable hook-up, and that is usually how we watch shows on BBC or Starz.
I love that your wife binge-watches shows with you! Mine mostly seems to want to watch reruns of Castle and Bones day-in and day-out, though she loves to watch new TWD with me when it's on. I was impressed with her, though, when she recently watched my Firefly DVDs after randomly catching Serenity on cable and seeing how awesome it was. maybe there's hope for her, yet?
Serenity is a step in the right direction! If she likes TWD, then there’s probably a ton of other shows you would both like that you might not have considered before. She probably will like Sons of Anarchy a lot too, because its very similar in having a huge cast that is constantly interacting and at odds over high tense situations.
Binge-watching shows has been a hobby of my wife and I going back almost like 7 years at this point and it’s really turned into a major way we can hang out together. It really kicked up another gear 5 years ago when my son was born, and since the kids are still so young, we don’t get out much (as opposed to before we had kids we were social butterflies at the bars and clubs up and down Connecticut). So we make a big deal of having “a Night” (with a capital ‘N’) where we cook a special dinner, have a snack planned, get her a good bottle of pinot noir and get me what I need for a special drink (usually Tanqueray and tonic with both lemon and lime).
Some shows we don’t watch together and so we watch during the week. For example, my wife isn’t a fan of superhero stuff, crazy sci-fi and crazy fantasy, so I watch Flash on my own. On the other hand, she watches Grey’s Anatomy religiously, but I never liked that show much. Some sci-fi or fantasy shows, though, she will watch if they’re super high quality, as we’ve watched Game of Thrones, Fringe, Orphan Black, etc.
It all started back before we lived together as she got me hooked on Nip/Tuck which was a new show, and then also the OC, which was then out. When we moved in together we watched those and she wanted to know more about the other shows I watched (as I was already binge-watching shows with my brother who I lived with for a few years), so I introduced her to three shows in this order: Rome (HBO) which I loved, Veronica Mars and Lost. Flash forward a few weeks and she was hooked on all three! From there, I even got her to start liking period piece shows, which she never thought she would, and I would explain to her some of historical background (since I love history). So we are big fans of the Tudors, Deadwood, Hell on Wheels, The White Queen, Spartacus, etc. It helps that my wife has a healthy love of sex and violence and swearing in her shows like me.
On the other hand she’s introduced me to various shows, including the aforementioned Pretty Little Liars. We also watched One Tree Hill for a few years which was actually quite excellent. I generally hate teen high school shows and have over the years grown to feel that the OC was pretty crappy. But those two are stand outs (PLL & OTH).
We have also learned a few things about our tastes: we simply cannot do half hour comedies. I have always hated sitcoms since I was a boy and I also hated the Simpsons when my friends went nuts over it. So I’m not big on TV comedies either. I find other things funny like Clint Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter or Indiana Jones or something a little more edgy or aggressive. If we do watch a half hour comedy, it’s usually when we catch something in syndication, which is how we watched the Office or 30 Rock. That way we’re non-committal about it. We both hated Weeds and thought it was garbage; she hated Arrested Development (which I did like because the plots were clever). The one exception to the rule, all these years, has been How I Met Your Mother, which was a fantastic show that had a ton of heart. It always was incredibly well written with excellent, complex narrative twists each episode that were tons of fun. I also thought the ending was perfect, while many fans disagree—(most people are stupid ;)).
Our go to channels for shows are AMC, FX, HBO, Showtime, Starz, sometimes the BBC (really Orphan Black and Ripper Street). Then random shows like USA’s “Suits” or TNT’s “Leverage”. 99% of the time, the big four networks are total garbage and a disgrace to television; they just over-cheese everything and try to mimic the style of other shows but never actually get the substance. There was a brief moment in like 2006-2008 where the networks showed some real gumption and had Lost, House, Grey’s Anatomy and a few others, but that’s all gone away now.
I realize I kind of rambled. But it’s become a cool little way for my wife and I to have a date night by binge-watching shows, so I can go on at length as I’m prone to do.
I don’t have Netflix and to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure I even understand it. It’s a service with a monthly fee? How does it hook up? How do I get it on my TV?
I got it thru my Blu-Ray player. It came with a Netflix app, and once you press it, it's pretty easy to go from there. Like I said, the first month's free, and after that, it's $8.99/mo. In terms of shows, it's heavy on programs from many of the networks you mention. (The past seasons of Arrow are on there as well.)
I know you can also get it thru modern game consoles. (I never see you mention being a gamer, so you might not have one.) Obviously, an internet connection is required.
I'm sure others here can tell you still other ways to get it, as well. I'm sure it could save you from having a massive, out-of-control DVD pile and allow you to try some other series you may not otherwise have. If you can get it, try the free month, if for no other reason than to watch Daredevil!
Netflix: just sign up on the internet at their website. I watch on the laptop but I guess those that what to watch on the TV use some gadget that connects anything on the laptop to the tv.
My first Netflix production recommendation for the 30 days would be Lillihammer. It doesn't get all the attention of things like Orange but it's a lot less serious. A gangster played by a rock star, hiding amongst uber non-confrontational Norwegians, having difficulty leaving old ways behind. If nothing else, you'd know by one episode if you were going to like it. It is what it is.
Netflix carries quite a few wonderful films that don't make the general theater circuit. If you're in the mood for something more art than pop, you'll find something good.
Netflix carries quite a few wonderful films that don't make the general theater circuit. If you're in the mood for something more art than pop, you'll find something good.
I remember they had that classic Japanese art film, "Zombie Ass: The Toilet of the Dead."
I need to watch the rest of that series! I watched the first three or four seasons or something (whatever was available on Amazon Prime at the time), but haven't gone back and watched the rest!
Opie is a favorite, and his relationship with Jax was such a rich part of the show. He was also my wife's favorite but in a way that you and I don't feel.
How about that death? Talk about a noirish, brutal moment that rocks your world. And then, in typical Kurt Sutter fashion, it's the subsequent scenes with the characters reacting to it that sets this show on a whole different level.
Opie is a favorite, and his relationship with Jax was such a rich part of the show. He was also my wife's favorite but in a way that you and I don't feel.
...or DO we?
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How about that death? Talk about a noirish, brutal moment that rocks your world. And then, in typical Kurt Sutter fashion, it's the subsequent scenes with the characters reacting to it that sets this show on a whole different level.
Yep, I mean I knew it was coming the moment there was a last-moment change of driving arrangements. That morbid inevitability is very noir.
But then, seeing the fallout from the cover-up to keep the secret is another thing entirely. I've seen 16 eps so far, and every one is packed with what seems like a season's worth of plot for other shows.
Man, that thing with Gemma at the beginning of season 2...brutal. And how she chose to deal with it was entirely unexpected. Katey Sagal is an absolute revelation in the role. I honestly forget all about Peg Bundy when I watch her here.
It's clear that secrets and their consequences is a big theme of SoA.
I watched the season 2 opener live when it came out, and honestly, I was pretty devastated. That really threw me for a loop, more than a lot of other similar sequences in shows / books / comics. Sutter, ever the master, and his phenomenal cast, will follow-up on that throughout Season 2 (which I suspect you've probably already watched) and the way they do it is nothing short of spectacular. It's the best "what happens after" run of episodes, and its all very fitting to the nature of SOA.
Katey Sagal definitely proves herself on this show as one of the alltime TV greats. Her acting is so superb that you just start to expect excellence from her every episode--which she delivers right on through until her last minute on the screen. More than anyone else, she is the actor who really stepped up and shined, though that isn't to say other performances aren't equally phenomenal (Ron Perelman being also a stand out).
You're dead on that secrets and their consequences is a major theme. And how whenever there is a chance to shine the light on the secrets and "be free" of them, characters will often do things that result in other tragedies and secrets.
I'm def curious to know where you're at by this point!
I'm def curious to know where you're at by this point!
I'm on approx episode 7 of Season 3. Some really good stuff going on, even though I'm not overly enamored of the kidnapping plotline. It looks like it's going to consume the third season, and it doesn't altogether make sense to me. Yes, there's eventually some reasoning for it explained, but ultimately it's an excuse to explore the IRA connection and backstory in-depth. Exploring that connection is itself both inevitable and welcome as it's been a part of the show's mythology from the start. I'm just not in love with how it decided to get there.
Meanwhile, we've suffered the deaths of two more major characters. Both were pretty shocking and leave quite a void. The first was arguably the most likable character on the show, and the second brought a certain conflict and honor to the table.
And I swear to Baby Jesus that Agent Stahl is possibly one of the most despicable characters ever to be on TV! She's directly or indirectly responsible for ALL THREE major deaths thus far on the show! I wish I could say I love to hate her, but I swear I wanna shoot her every time she walks on-screen!!!
LOVED the Stephen King cameo, btw...as "Bachman", no less!
In addition to Gemma, another nice character to watch is Chief Unsen. I like how he's much more than a cop on the take. He lends a lot of heart to the show. He especially seems to have a soft spot for Gemma. I enjoy watching him, for however long that will last.
Teeg (Tig?) has emerged as a big-time fave. His various eccentricities and complexities constantly entertain. (I loved how he turned all the porcelain dolls, so that they faced the other way! )
Honestly, there's so much to talk about, I don't know what all to say! If there's some particular character or plot point you want to ask my opinion about, ask away! (To be more exact about where I am, they're just about to go to Belfast.)
Meanwhile, the only show I'm watching "live" this summer is the new Scream series on MTV. It's surprisingly good! To be clear, it's not an adaptation of the films at all. It uses a similar setting to the first film and a killer with a similar mask, but there's an all-new cast and mythology. Plus, there's the sense of self-aware humor that made the movies so unique.
Make no mistake, there are two characters who are clearly riffs on Sidney and Randy, and other characters echo some of the archetypes we saw in the films. I've never watched an MTV drama before, but my expectations were low. It's not high art, but it's very entertaining and suspenseful. The acting is pretty good and many of the characters likable. You start to care as characters start to die, and that's a good thing. And it's pretty impressive how the killer's method of terror is modernized to incorporate social media, texting and internet bullying.
Overall, a very watchable weekly series so far through 4 episodes. Not willing to dub it a modern classic, but it's perfect for the summer doldrums when such shows as "The Last Ship" and "Under the Dome" have become unwatchable and have been dropped by me in favor of binge-watching on Netflix.
I'm def curious to know where you're at by this point!
I'm on approx episode 7 of Season 3. Some really good stuff going on, even though I'm not overly enamored of the kidnapping plotline. It looks like it's going to consume the third season, and it doesn't altogether make sense to me. Yes, there's eventually some reasoning for it explained, but ultimately it's an excuse to explore the IRA connection and backstory in-depth. Exploring that connection is itself both inevitable and welcome as it's been a part of the show's mythology from the start. I'm just not in love with how it decided to get there.
Meanwhile, we've suffered the deaths of two more major characters. Both were pretty shocking and leave quite a void. The first was arguably the most likable character on the show, and the second brought a certain conflict and honor to the table.
And I swear to Baby Jesus that Agent Stahl is possibly one of the most despicable characters ever to be on TV! She's directly or indirectly responsible for ALL THREE major deaths thus far on the show! I wish I could say I love to hate her, but I swear I wanna shoot her every time she walks on-screen!!!
LOVED the Stephen King cameo, btw...as "Bachman", no less!
In addition to Gemma, another nice character to watch is Chief Unsen. I like how he's much more than a cop on the take. He lends a lot of heart to the show. He especially seems to have a soft spot for Gemma. I enjoy watching him, for however long that will last.
Teeg (Tig?) has emerged as a big-time fave. His various eccentricities and complexities constantly entertain. (I loved how he turned all the porcelain dolls, so that they faced the other way! )
Honestly, there's so much to talk about, I don't know what all to say! If there's some particular character or plot point you want to ask my opinion about, ask away! (To be more exact about where I am, they're just about to go to Belfast.)
Hitting a few of the points:
- yeah, those were two other big deaths, with the first one really hitting hard because as you said, he was so damn likeable. "One nut, shit load of balls". The other was a total shock which felt like it came out of left field, and therefore was very effective.
- the actress who plays Agent Stahl is terrific. She nails that part so well and is so true to the part. She truly believes what she is doing is good even when its totally self-centered with no real positive. You can't help but hate her.
- Unser was one of my wife's favorites, possibly her very favorite character. He lends a lot to the show, and he's a good example of how the show thrives by not having every single major character be part of the club. The actor originally won us over by his perfromance at Charlie Utter on Deadwood, where he was my wife's favorite character there. (And *that* is a show you would love).
- The Stephen King cameo is so awesome and so weird, that its got to be my favorite cameo in the entire series! When he walks out with the statue of the foot, it's like Whaaaaaaat?!!!
- I also didn't love the kidnapped baby plotline for reasons you say (and, well, because any parent would feel a lot of discomfort with it). I never really understood the motivations of the original kidnapper, even though he son was just killed. But eventually you do get full explanations for the motivations of Father Kellen Ashby and Jimmy O (both of whom deliver awesome performances).
- Tig really emerges as an awesome part of the cast, doesn't he? You want to hate him for what he did in Season 1, yet they show again and again his good sides, even when he's totally misguided by his loyalty to Clay or his indulgences. Like Unser, he has a real soft spot for Gemma and that makes him even more endearing. He's probably got the best one-liners in the show to on a regular basis.
- BTW, IMO, the Season finale to Season 3 is the single best one of the show, and one of the best season finales ever. You're in for a treat!
Random topics to discuss:
- How scary is Happy? That is a real MC member who was an advisor on the show, and then they decided he was too badass looking not to have in it.
- The actor who plays Bobby has been around forever, usually in Christopher Nolan's films, and here he finally gets a chance to shine. He does a great job too, and I like how his character tries to be the moral center of the club and therefore often is knee-deep in its problems.
- I didn't pay much attention the first time around but since I've watched most of the seasons more than once, I started to realize how amazing the music is. There are some truly beautiful montage sequences where excellent music choices are made.
- I also love the vocabulary the show uses--it has its own language. It's a combination of real MC talk and just the way Kurt Sutter talks (as seen on the Shield). My wife and I still like to bust each other's balls by saying "you better get right with that", "we'll have to handle the blowback", "I did it because I care about this Club!" and other lines you hear a lot.
Meanwhile, the only show I'm watching "live" this summer is the new Scream series on MTV. It's surprisingly good! To be clear, it's not an adaptation of the films at all. It uses a similar setting to the first film and a killer with a similar mask, but there's an all-new cast and mythology. Plus, there's the sense of self-aware humor that made the movies so unique.
Make no mistake, there are two characters who are clearly riffs on Sidney and Randy, and other characters echo some of the archetypes we saw in the films. I've never watched an MTV drama before, but my expectations were low. It's not high art, but it's very entertaining and suspenseful. The acting is pretty good and many of the characters likable. You start to care as characters start to die, and that's a good thing. And it's pretty impressive how the killer's method of terror is modernized to incorporate social media, texting and internet bullying.
Overall, a very watchable weekly series so far through 4 episodes. Not willing to dub it a modern classic, but it's perfect for the summer doldrums when such shows as "The Last Ship" and "Under the Dome" have become unwatchable and have been dropped by me in favor of binge-watching on Netflix.
This is actually on my radar too, and I plan to watch it eventually. I caught the first episode and thought it was pretty solid.
I have a low expectation of MTV original shows too, but that being said, my wife started to watch "Finding Carter" last year, about a teenage girl who discovers her "mother" is actually her kidnapper, and I was surprised at how damn good it was.
- yeah, those were two other big deaths, with the first one really hitting hard because as you said, he was so damn likeable. "One nut, shit load of balls". The other was a total shock which felt like it came out of left field, and therefore was very effective.
Yeah, I was looking forward to him not being "the prospect" anymore. And the other one seemed like he had so much plot to go that it felt really realistic. I mean, how many of us die with all of our plots resolved, right?
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- the actress who plays Agent Stahl is terrific. She nails that part so well and is so true to the part. She truly believes what she is doing is good even when its totally self-centered with no real positive. You can't help but hate her.
I dunno, I think she KNOWS exactly what she is and cares only about her ambition. What she did to Gemma only confirms it.
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- Unser was one of my wife's favorites, possibly her very favorite character. He lends a lot to the show, and he's a good example of how the show thrives by not having every single major character be part of the club. The actor originally won us over by his perfromance at Charlie Utter on Deadwood, where he was my wife's favorite character there. (And *that* is a show you would love).
Not sure if Deadwood's on Netflix. I'll check soon....
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- The Stephen King cameo is so awesome and so weird, that its got to be my favorite cameo in the entire series! When he walks out with the statue of the foot, it's like Whaaaaaaat?!!!
Yeah, it was! I kinda wish he'd show up again, but I doubt it.
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- I also didn't love the kidnapped baby plotline for reasons you say (and, well, because any parent would feel a lot of discomfort with it). I never really understood the motivations of the original kidnapper, even though he son was just killed. But eventually you do get full explanations for the motivations of Father Kellen Ashby and Jimmy O (both of whom deliver awesome performances).
Yeah, we see the father explain it to the shopkeeper (good actress) who had ties to Jax's dad. Still not crazy about it.
I like Titus Welliver who plays Jimmy (obviously from Lost), but his accent is jarring here and unconvincing, imo.
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- Tig really emerges as an awesome part of the cast, doesn't he? You want to hate him for what he did in Season 1, yet they show again and again his good sides, even when he's totally misguided by his loyalty to Clay or his indulgences. Like Unser, he has a real soft spot for Gemma and that makes him even more endearing. He's probably got the best one-liners in the show to on a regular basis.
Absolutely! He gets to where he commands every scene he's in. I never thought I'd like him after the Season 1 thing, but I really do. I'd be curious to see him do other things.
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- BTW, IMO, the Season finale to Season 3 is the single best one of the show, and one of the best season finales ever. You're in for a treat!
Good! Should be 2 or 3 nights from now!
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- How scary is Happy? That is a real MC member who was an advisor on the show, and then they decided he was too badass looking not to have in it.
He just transferred into the Charming crew on my latest watch. Had no idea he was furreal! I hope this means they develop his character some more.
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- The actor who plays Bobby has been around forever, usually in Christopher Nolan's films, and here he finally gets a chance to shine. He does a great job too, and I like how his character tries to be the moral center of the club and therefore often is knee-deep in its problems.
I recognized him particularly as Flass from Batman Begins. I love that his character is an (admittedly bad ) Elvis impersonator on the side! I wonder if he did his own singing? I like his developing sway towards Jax as hings go on.
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- I didn't pay much attention the first time around but since I've watched most of the seasons more than once, I started to realize how amazing the music is. There are some truly beautiful montage sequences where excellent music choices are made.
Absolutely, and it starts with the great theme song! Lots of shows these days don't bother with theme songs and extended title sequences. I'm glad that doesn't include SoA. I've noticed our Ms. Sagal contributes several numbers as well.
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- I also love the vocabulary the show uses--it has its own language. It's a combination of real MC talk and just the way Kurt Sutter talks (as seen on the Shield). My wife and I still like to bust each other's balls by saying "you better get right with that", "we'll have to handle the blowback", "I did it because I care about this Club!" and other lines you hear a lot.
Meanwhile, the only show I'm watching "live" this summer is the new Scream series on MTV.
This is actually on my radar too, and I plan to watch it eventually. I caught the first episode and thought it was pretty solid.
Oddly, the first ep didn't blow me away, but I felt it got lots better with subsequent eps. I knew I would check this out because I loved the Scream films (though I've oddly never seen the fourth one). Even though it's a different story, the spirit of it is there with likable characters and ironic self-reference. And plenty of suspense.
There's definitely something more going on her with the killings than the pretty thin motives of the killers in the films. I'm def intrigued.
A fan has been posting episodes of the classic soap The Edge of Night on YouTube. It ended its run in 1984 and reruns haven't been shown on TV since 1989. Edge always placed a greater emphasis on crime and suspense than conventional soaps and less on romance and domestic drama. The show holds up remarkably well.
I'm watching a Different Evil Dead movie each night all weekend, starting with the original.
When I was a kid, I didn't dig the parts that didn't "look" like a regular horror movie. I wanted them to hurry up and get to the gore. Now that I'm older, the far out cinematography is the best part of the movie.
I'm watching a Different Evil Dead movie each night all weekend, starting with the original.
When I was a kid, I didn't dig the parts that didn't "look" like a regular horror movie. I wanted them to hurry up and get to the gore. Now that I'm older, the far out cinematography is the best part of the movie.
I'm of the rare opinion that Evil Dead and Army of Darkness are better than Evil Dead 2. For some reason, I just can never get into teh second movie.
I'm watching a Different Evil Dead movie each night all weekend, starting with the original.
When I was a kid, I didn't dig the parts that didn't "look" like a regular horror movie. I wanted them to hurry up and get to the gore. Now that I'm older, the far out cinematography is the best part of the movie.
I'm of the rare opinion that Evil Dead and Army of Darkness are better than Evil Dead 2. For some reason, I just can never get into teh second movie.
I'll be watching part 2 tonight for the first time in over 20 years. I hated it the first time i saw it, so it should be interesting.
Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn is held up as either the best or the worst of the series depending on your point of view. I'll have to say I'm in the later. Yes, Raimi was innovating a lot of horror comedy with his slapstick, Three Stooges and Looney Tunes callbacks, but the movie's biggest sin is it doesn't fully commit one way or the other. It wants to be either a schlocky b-movie or madcap comedy, but it doesn't balance properly and the middle drags a bit.
Wow, your thoughts are pretty much the exact same as mine, Dave!
The main thing that bothers me about the movie is that the middle of the film is such a slog to get through. Slapstick comedy is fun, but there has to be a story or characters built around it. Watching Ashe get tormented by the undead is funny for about 10 minutes, but after that, I just found myself wanting the movie to get moving again. The end of the movie kicks ass, but it's a lot of work getting there.
Raimi was with a new studio and didn't have rights to the first film anymore, so that's why the first 7 minutes are a quickie "redo" of the first film. It hurts the overall film as it's too rushed, feels nothing like the first film and fails to give Ash proper grounding. In the first Film Ash is the most level-headed of the group, but slowly goes unhinged after all the shit that goes down with the people he cares about. By the time he leaves the basement the second time, he's completely lost it (and there's some great camera work). In ED II, there's none of that build-up and he's inconsistently either batshit crazy or heroic.
Personally I would have been fine with Ash going crazy by himself in the cabin more, if Raimi had just cut loose and went for broke. I also found the entire subplot with the 4 other humans (cannon fodder) to be a drag on the film, not funny, scary or entertaining.
Compare it to Peter Jackson's Brain Dead (AKA Dead/Alive) which is also a gross out horror comedy. That one went completely bananas and is a full feature length film of depraved, hilarious, over-the-top delight.
- BTW, IMO, the Season finale to Season 3 is the single best one of the show, and one of the best season finales ever. You're in for a treat!
Wow! Yeah, I caught the final four eps of Season 3 of SoA Saturday night, and that finale was quite the barn-burner! The way it looked like things were going one way and suddenly revealed to be going another way was pretty damn breathtaking! I guess Jax
must've let the club in on his plan from the very beginning, eh?
It just brings to my attention that the show very cleverly makes the audience think they know everything while actually holding back on some important details. I like that!
That major death in the finale--wow! While at the same time very satisfying and well-earned, I couldn't help feeling a little sad at the loss. I mean,
Agent Stahl was such a huge foil and thorn in the side of SAMCRO, it's hard to imagine the show without her presence. I'm sure in some ways her ghost will still haunt the show in expected and unexpected ways, but I must take my hat off to the job the actress did and how a female character had such gravitas as an antagonist on a show like this. Even though I hated her, I felt some pity in her last moments as she knew what was coming.
Easily the biggest death of the series to this point!
I loved how the theme song changed for the duration of the Irish excursion and how events played out with all those storylines. Though I'm still not in love with the kidnapping plot, there's a lot to admire in how it played out. that moment involving the collateral damage with the prospective parents was pretty affecting.
Anyway, I'm two eps deep into Season 4. Some interesting turns already, both expected and unexpected. And Danny frickin' Trejo to boot! Hells to the yeahs!
How about that ending? I loved it for all the things you've said (and others of course). It's definitely a major turning point, which leads to Season 4 where things really start to change at a faster rate.
Yeah, I loved the opening song change too when they were in Ireland. I loved the Ireland episodes and thought they were terrific. The entire cast there--most of them from the show Deadwood also, BTW (including Maureen and Jimmy O) were great.
Season 4 brings in a whole new set of problems and starts to bring to a head long simmering tensions. I can't wait for your reactions!
Season 4 brings in a whole new set of problems and starts to bring to a head long simmering tensions. I can't wait for your reactions!
Yeah, tell me about it! I've just seen the mid-Season 4 episode where Clay does a very bad thing to a character that I'm pretty sure every fan of the show really cares about. In a way it's the biggest death yet because it's the first death (well, technically the second from an ep or two before, but that character was pretty new and undeveloped) of someone who wears the SAMCRO cut.
It's funny. I half-expected the Sons to be harmonious for a while after how they came together in Season 3, but Clay really ruined that singlehandedly and swiftly by changing a key principle of how they do business. Add in the thing with the letters that loomed in the S3 finale quickly surfacing and things went to shit very quickly. SoA doesn't fuck around!
After this game-changing episode, it's going to be interesting to see the build-up and spiral. I know (because the internet went crazy at the time) that
Clay dies
at some point in S6, I believe. That's the only one I knew about beforehand, though I don't know the circumstances at all. If nothing else, there's still a lot of storyline left for that character, so I'm curious to see the twists and turns from here until then!
I think I made it up to Season 5. The problem, and I'm putting it on binging whether by Netflix or by library DVDs and their limited check out, is that I remember so little. I recall really liking the first few seasons, then feeling, like often happens with me, that I was watching the same thing over and over, then dropped it.
Now if I go to a wiki or imdb to try and review to see where I was and pick it up again from there, ultimately I end up spoiling some of the plot when I get too far in the reading. I don't want to restart, thereby "giving up" all the effort I put in to watch the first few seasons and I don't want to spoil the ones I've never seen. So I just go find something else to watch and sit by the side while everyone else has a great time talking about the latest episode.
Life can be complicated when you're me and binging.
I think I made it up to Season 5. The problem, and I'm putting it on binging whether by Netflix or by library DVDs and their limited check out, is that I remember so little. I recall really liking the first few seasons, then feeling, like often happens with me, that I was watching the same thing over and over, then dropped it. .
I get that there are some repetitive happenings in SoA, but I've never once gotten bored with it or thought about stopping. In addition to all the surprises and twists, it's really the great characters and the actors portraying them that make me crave more and care about what happens to them.
So, I normally don't care much for Scy-fy programming, but this year the new shows Killjoys and Dark Matter have been decent mind-candy, and I've gone from watching them in the background while surfing the net, to having to stop what I'm reading and pay attention to the shows, because they seem to be really picking up their game (particularly Dark Matter).
I think I made it up to Season 5. The problem, and I'm putting it on binging whether by Netflix or by library DVDs and their limited check out, is that I remember so little. I recall really liking the first few seasons, then feeling, like often happens with me, that I was watching the same thing over and over, then dropped it. .
I get that there are some repetitive happenings in SoA, but I've never once gotten bored with it or thought about stopping...
The binging has positives and negatives. Positives, it's easy to remember where the story was when watching several different shows. Any show is repetitious to a point but the binging makes it more obvious. These are just for me. No idea how binging affects others.
SOA: I probably made it however far episodes were available at the time I binged out of boredom or obstinacy and just never picked it up (as opposed to what I said, "dropping") when more became available.
Couldn't say for positive why I never picked up SOA again but I don't recall much of it so probably none of the characters stuck with me. I don't recall finding any of them particularly likeable, someone I'd want to hang around with. I don't think they were meant to be likeable but for me to want to watch a show, that's usually important.
I've finally finished the first season of Mad Men and I think the show has finally found it's footing. Those last two episodes were insane!
Pete Campbell continues to be a pompous jerk, but he's easily my favorite character. In many ways, he reminds me of 5YL Sun Boy, a rich kid who's trying to prove himself, but continually is reminded of his privilege in spite of his accomplishments. I'm hoping he doesn't meet a tragic end by the end of the show like his comic book analog! When he
calls out Don on actually being Dick Whitman
, I got chills!
I'm liking the use of flashbacks to give us more of Don's past, especially the stuff involving his time in the Korean War, which the inner history buff in my couldn't get enough of!
I'm hoping the show keeps this momentum as I head into season 2.
As we talked about on FB, this was just devastating. I don't want to repeat myself too much, but it was definitely one of the most "awful gut-punch" type deaths ever in television history.
Amazingly, Kurt Sutter did a death like that on the Shield--similar only in that it was an awful gut-punch--which left me devastated, but even that doesn't compare to SOA.
I also assume you're a few more eps into the season, but in case you aren't, I won't say anything other than it doesn't let up for a second.
SOA is not an easy show for its fans but Season 5 takes things to another level.
Also, Season 4 was a great season wasn't it? I especially like how Jacob Hale gets some comeuppance when the agent dumps all those disgusting sex toys onto his desk in the middle of a town hall meeting. That agent (and for the life of me, I can't remember what agency he worked for) was also on the show Deadwood.
The Clay / Jax / Terra / Gemma happenings in Season 4 were crazy. The show doesn't rest on its laurels and constantly is moving forward towards its conclusion, and you really see that in Season 4.
Lastly, this is my favorite opening to a television show Season ever (Season 4 of SOA).
I love this song, "Coal War" by Joshua James. I probably have listened to it every single day since the rewatch I did of Sons back in the early Spring.
I've finally finished the first season of Mad Men and I think the show has finally found it's footing. Those last two episodes were insane!
Pete Campbell continues to be a pompous jerk, but he's easily my favorite character. In many ways, he reminds me of 5YL Sun Boy, a rich kid who's trying to prove himself, but continually is reminded of his privilege in spite of his accomplishments. I'm hoping he doesn't meet a tragic end by the end of the show like his comic book analog! When he
calls out Don on actually being Dick Whitman
, I got chills!
I'm liking the use of flashbacks to give us more of Don's past, especially the stuff involving his time in the Korean War, which the inner history buff in my couldn't get enough of!
I'm hoping the show keeps this momentum as I head into season 2.
Yeah, the last episodes of Season 1 of Mad Men really show what the show can do. Don's sales pitch of the Carousal slide projector is probably his most famous one besides the series premiere tobacco one. I especially like when Harry runs out of the door crying.
The show only gets better from here.
My wife and I will be doing a complete rewatch of this in the near future. I've been following the show since its premiere, but have only watched up to season 5 thus far.
EDIT - to tie this all together, Tara, one of the major characters of Sons of Anarchy, is played by Maggie Siff, who delivered her truly first great performance in Mad Men Season 1 as Rachel Menken.
EDIT - to tie this all together, Tara, one of the major characters of Sons of Anarchy, is played by Maggie Siff, who delivered her truly first great performance in Mad Men Season 1 as Rachel Menken.
I like Rachel Menken a lot, but if the last few episodes were any indication, it doesn't look like her and Don will be seeing each other much anymore.
I can't stand January Jones as Betty Draper though. Her acting is so wooden! Don needs to leave her ASAP!
By around Season 2 I began to notice a certain style of acting by several characters that I found mildly irritating at first, then decided it was a stylistic choice for the show. It became part of the ambience in an effective way, IMO.
Japan's answer to Superman... STARMAN! A sci-fi superhero flick, the climactic fight scene has to be seen to be believed! it's a combination of Captain America, James Bond and Bruce Lee all at once!!!
Japan's answer to Superman... STARMAN! A sci-fi superhero flick, the climactic fight scene has to be seen to be believed! it's a combination of Captain America, James Bond and Bruce Lee all at once!!!
Please tell me you can find a remastered version. I already tried. This looks great but so blurry on my laptop. Looks like some links on that page to more fun stuff.
Finished Sons of Anarchy Season Six last night. That finale was just gut-wrenching. I was kind of all over the place throughout the season with the major character who died in the finale. And then to have it go down by the hands of one of my favorite characters under the circumstances it did....just gut-wrenching. And then those moments at the end of the episode....heartbreaking.
We lost another pretty important character in the same incident. He was a very appealing actor in the role and will be missed, as well.
Two episodes before that finale came arguably the biggest death of the series to date. It was the only death in SoA that I knew of in advance because of the internet furor that was raised when the episode originally aired. Even if I hadn't known, the character's death had felt inevitable for quite some time. To actually see it finally go down, I was both surprised and unsurprised by how much I pitied the character at the end. In many ways this was the most pivotal character on the show, pretty much responsible for all of the conflict therein. A job very well done on that actor's part.
And so, I'll soon be marching on to the seventh and final season. I've little doubt that it will be the bloodiest one yet with where things appear to be going at the end of Season Six. Honestly, Game of Thrones has nothing on SoA in terms of shocking and gut-wrenching deaths.
Still enjoying Killjoys, Dark Matter and Defiance, although none of them are exactly high cinema (or as fun as Eureka was).
USA programming on deck includes Suits (Gina Torres! Like a boss!) and Graceland.
And that's about it for now.
I re-watched the Daredevil series. It remained cool.
I want to watch Mr. Robot, at some point, I just haven't been able to get past the first five minutes of the first episode. I get bored easy.
Waitin' for all my superhero stuff to come back this fall. (Arrow, Flash, Agents of SHIELD, plus new shows Legends of Tommorrow and Jessica Jones. Supergirl scares me.)
Dark Matter keeps getting better. Characters that just annoyed me at the beginning are getting deeper.
Defiance : I picked up the DVD from the library, forgot about it until the day before it was due, got a few episodes in, now kicking myself because I couldn't renew. Someone else had already reserved it.
Bloodline: it was okay. Kept my interest to watch it but probably won't stay in my consciousness long enough to pick up the second season when it comes around.
The Last Ship: great premise. TERRIFIC bad guy, Joffrey level of hate. Story execution is up and down though. But, I've an interest in naval strategy so it holds my attention.
Originally Posted by Myg - Andy S
I am stuck on Sense8 The characters, the narrative movements, the locations! Wow
Netflix has put up a "Making of." Adds more fun. They're like management savants. They had to coordinate 8 cities across six continents, along with major festivals and other real events that no way could have been recreated... They even used the flying everybody from one place to another in the show.
Got me excited to re-watch it already, which for me almost NEVER happens so soon. Not since Across the Universe. I keep thinking it would be a great show to watch with groups of friends, like we did in college but I just don't have the group of friends that would be in tune with a show like Sense8. So, watch it again by myself.
KILLJOYS - Good, fun summer show. "space bounty hunters" pretty much explains it. The characters have good chemistry, there's banter and interesting world-building and it follows the (at this point) standard one mission per episode, but also advancing the larger season arc, which in this case involves the f**d up backstory of two of the characters. (they're like damaged and murder-y, but have hearts of gold) Ex-Jimmy Olsen carries it with his charm, though Hannah John-Kamen is very easy on the eyes.
So I know Lardy has finished SOA! I haven't had much a chance to discuss with him season 6 let alone the final season, though we did talk about the finale a bit on Facebook.
Some thoughts:
- the brutal turn of events and double homicide on the season 6 finale is one of the most shocking and awful moments in television history (though from a storytelling perspective it's fantastic). It's excruciating to watch--if the show wasn't already at a point of no return, there was no going back now.
- and then the subsequent process of Jax learning about the truth in season 7 is as noirish as it gets. The fact that he learns it from a certain character in particular is heartbreaking and really hit me hard.
- lastly, the penultimate episode, with its own double homicide caps it all off. It's the most tragic in the sense that it's the death the show was always heading towards though when you finally realize that it both punches you in the gut and makes you feel a certain sense of closure. It's noir and Greek tragedy to the extreme.
The death of the other character, who is one of the great performances in the series, is equally tragic. "This is all I've got left"--his final lines showing that if he could just have let go some time earlier, or found something in his life to hold on to, he could have prevented his own demise, which was surely going to happen the longer he stayed connected to the Sons.
- I loved the character of Nero. Though a late entrant to the series, he lasted three whole seasons and became in a weird way not only a positive father figure for Jax but also the conscience of the series. His learning of the tragic events of season 6 was heartbreaking and his attempts to prevent Jax from taking the tragedy to the next extreme were noble.
- what's left of the Sons at the end of the series is quite different from where it started. But the loss of a lot of characters throughout the show allowed a lot of lesser characters to really step up and get a ton of screen time, with Chibs being the most obvious.
I personally can't believe Tigg lived through the show though I think that's clearly on purpose, as the man who killed Donna and other innocents never gets any real comeuppance. The storyline with Venus Van Damme, which started out funny ended up being very moving and powerful.
The addition of the final new member of the Sons in the finale was fitting and I liked that.
And lastly, Juice's story ended up being one of the more tragic and brutal stories I've seen on television. His story is a smaller version of Jax's in the sense that his continued attempts to resolve his problems and make "quick fixes" kept making larger and more horrifying problems that eventually led him into a world of shit that he could only escape from by dying.
Lastly, the finale itself, as Lardy and I spoke about briefly, was perfect. Kurt Sutter presents a pretty clear narrative that is straightforward but also loaded with symbolism and metaphor. There is certainly deeper meaning to all the Shakespeare and religious implications, and I have my own ideas I've discussed with my wife at length. I keep hoping there will be some great reviews / "essays" on the series in the same mold you see in a college literature class. This is clearly a series that you can analyze for a long time.
Lardy hasn't posted about it yet on LW, and I suspect it's partially due to the "series finale blues" that I always get when a great series is completed and gone. I'm about to finish Justified myself (starting the final season tonight) so I'm starting to feel that familiar trepidation of losing something you love but also loving the fact that you'll get the ending the series deserves. That's something television has always struggled to do--give a show a great ending--but in recent years has seemed to master. One more reason to prove this is truly a golden age of TV.
DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU WISH TO REMAIN UNSPOILED!!! # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # So....some thoughts on a selected character-by character basis for the last couple of seasons:
Gemma. My absolute favorite character in the whole series. A character with major flaws and huge sins but just mesmerizing in every scene she was in. As far as I'm concerned Katey Sagal totally buried Peg Bundy by breathing life into this role.
After Gemma did what she did at the conclusion of Season 6, I was still in her corner while also feeling scared to death for her. Yes, she did something unforgivable, but let's not forget what her victim put her through leading up to it. Honestly, it looked like Jax might have beaten Gemma to it for a while there before he went in another direction. Given the circumstances, the moment and what Gemma believed the person had done, could see why she did it. Even then, it was in the heat of the moment, and I don't think it was premeditated. certainly, we saw Gemma struggling with what she did in the aftermath.
I just love her, flaws and all, and I know SoA owes much of its success to Ms. Sagal.
Tig. He and Opie are my two absolute favorites of the Sons themselves.I'm really super-glad he survived the show and that we got to see so many facets of him after that initial enmity he earned for carrying out Clay's orders in Season 1. He was like something out of a Tarantino film with all of his quirks and sheer oddities. I'd really like to see the actor do more roles. I especially liked how Tig's storyline developed with....
Venus! What a terrific character and how great was it to see her revisited after that initial seemingly one-off comical scenario in which she debuted! When she returned, needing a favor for an endangered teen, I was struck by her dialogue and how she kind of danced around phrasing awful things with a more civilized southern belle style. I was so happy that she and Tig found their way to each other!
Juice. Kind of a polarizing character for me, as he well should be, I suppose. The actor's performance as Juice was kind of...odd?...for me at times. While he was a very good crier, I sometimes felt he was repressing a lot in the performance. In a way that really works for the character. But often I wonder if he's the best--or the worst--actor on the show. I'm still not sure. His was certainly undeniably a tragic story unfolding, especially as the key to the unraveling was something as simple as insecurity about his race.
Unser. Another absolute favorite, along (ironically) with Gemma. As I was assessing the characters early on, I figured (incorrectly) that Unser wouldn't survive very long. I'm glad I was wrong and that he stuck around (almost) as long as possible. The actor lent the show a much-needed air of humanity that grounded it in almost every scene he was in. It was a real pleasure to see this actor do his thing and a tragedy to see how it played out.
Nero. Cobie's right that Nero added some more humanity to the show and gave Gemma an interesting love interest in the wake of her and Clay going down in flames. A welcome addition over those last three seasons.
Bobby and Chibbs. Two really solid Sons behind my favorites. Both with some terrific moments down the stretch. One ending in tragedy and the other elevated to the top of the heap by the end. Both essential in the roles they played. I'm kind of surprised that neither tried to ground Jax at all in that last season spiral. I guess even they were swayed by the blood vendetta driving it all.
Tara. I was always on the fence with her and even more on the opposite side as her role wound down. She definitely had her good moments, but she ultimately chose to go down that path. She made her bed; she should have lain on it.
Chucky! Who in the world couldn't love Chucky?!?! Loved him--and those final scenes with Gemma were heartbreaking....
Clay. Such a powerful presence on the show and one I couldn't blame the producers for keeping around longer than maybe they should have. I liked that the man who caused pretty much all the conflict that built the scenario for the show displayed some humility in his end. Ron Perlman really did a great job in a role with so much more ugliness in it than redemption. That you could actually love Clay at times says a lot about Perlman.
Rat. Easily the best Son that didn't have much meat to his role. The actor shined in every opportunity he was given and really endeared himself to us.
Wendy. Sorry, not a bad actress per se, but I hated Wendy from the get-go and never really warmed up to her. Kinda hated that she survived, really.
And then there's...
Jax. The central character in the show and one who was never anywhere near the top of my personal list of favorite SoA characters. In a very real way, I think this is by design. Jax was very much Hamlet from Shakespeare, and Hamlet is not a particularly likable character. He's all over the place. Indecisive. Wishy-washy. Destructive. And just like hamlet's story, Jax's is fascinating to see unfold, even as you know it's gonna be a trainwreck.
Honestly, I would have been beyond pissed if Jax had survived the series. For a hot minute in the finale, it certainly looked like he might. But instead, Kurt Sutter chose to end the series (and Jax) in a totally perfect manner. I mean, you just can't do the extremely awful things that Jax Teller does in the series and not pay for them, however justified or unjustified they may have been. I like both the noir-ish sensibility to the overall story and the Shakespearean gravitas to it all.
Honestly, if it had ended any other way for Jax, I would have been extremely disappointed. It doesn't make me love the character, but it redeems him by finally having him do the right thing--for once!
More general thoughts later, Cobie, as well as any others you might have being welcome!
Wow, some great commentary, Lardy! Love the thoughts on each character one by one.
We're in total agreement on Katey Segal. She was hands down the critical component of the show, and delivered one of the single best performance in television history. My wife and I have been saying for awhile that if we had to pick single best performances for an actor and actress on television, it would be Katey as Gemma and Brian Cranston as Walter White. She proved on Lost that she was more than Peg Bundy, but from episode 1 onwards on SOA she was a revelation.
So much of the how centers on fathers and sons (and figuratively too with SAMCRO) but it's the mother-son relationship of Jax and Gemma that is the real meat of the show, and Sutter never lets you forget that.
I also agree Tig's nuanced role was a real highlight. I also hope to see that actor, Kim Coates, in more roles.
Venus is played by Walter Goggins, one of the critical actors on the Shield, so his showing up was a real treat (and almost all of the Shield's actors are eventually on the show). He's also one of the main characters on Justified, and plays an "antagonist but also protagonist" role there and he's simply brilliant. One of my favorite actors working today.
I also hear you on Tara. It's easy to get angry at her in retrospect yet it's also easy to see how she became totally overwhelmed and surprised by how her life with Jax turned out, especially after Clay tried to have her killed. But I keep coming back to the idea that the entire reason she came back to Charming was that Jax could take care of the ATF agent harassing her--which I think is absolutely true even though she later denies it. In a sense this sets Stall down the path of targeting SAMCRO and sets off the events of the whole show (though the real origin of the underlying problems starts with Clay and Gemma).
Ron Perelman was just genius. Like you say, even at the end after all the terrible shit he's done and all the little, evil betrayals, you can't help to not only empathize him but like him too. Once it's clear he's lost Jax early in the show, it's amazing to watch him manipulate Opey, Tig,and others--especially Juice--by taking on a fatherly role.
Regarding Rat, I agree 100%. Love the character and love how he was given a ton of subtle characterization for the scenes he was in. The scene where he's inducted into SAMCRO officially was great.
I also agree about Wendy. I never warmed to her and never truly trusted or believed her. I don't love that she is one of the two people keeping watch over the boys at the end, but that's a pretty realistic way for the show to end and a reminder that all this shit that's gone down leaves consequences that aren't all that pleasing.
Also, on Jax: I think you summed it up well. As mentioned, I agree on the ending 100%. For me, Jax was never a favorite personally but as I love the character in the sense of how he perfectly drives the show with his internal struggle, which results in so much devastation. His inability to truly change is tragic on Shakespearean levels and mirrors the tragedy of a lot of everyday, real people (though to less extremes). He's written and played brilliantly. You want him to succeed at first but as the series progresses, I couldn't help but grow increasingly angry at him. By the time he reconciled with Tara to take he fall for her, I actually said to my wife "it's about time he started acting like a man" even though I clearly knew it wouldn't happen.
There's a moment where the extended Sons family have their huge meeting and Jax gives his big speech about changing where Jax almost succeeds in being the man we wish he would be. But later that episode, titled "Eden", he falls victim to temptation and goes along with the Sons robbing the police depo so Juice can get revenge for losing his bike. This is clearly the critical moment where he fails, and where tragedy is now inevitable. He could have changed if he truly wanted to but he doesn't. And he only has himself to blame.
In that way, he was Gemma's and Clay's son after all.
On a funny note, I just found out last night that Kurt Sutter played Otto, who in many ways was such a crucial character in SoA. I was looking at Kurt's wiki aticle, glanced at his picture and was, like, "he sure looks like..." D'Oh!
Finished off Justified this week. It was a strong finale, though not pitch perfect. I think the last season tried to do a little too much callback, and the main story meandered slightly. I didn't fully buy how Raylan turned a corner and put his anger to rest, but that last scene with Boyd and Raylan was awful good.
In the two weeks since I finished Sons, I haven't really committed to something new full-on yet. But I have had a couple of mini-binges:
iZombie. I had the last nine episodes of this past initial season stored on my DVR since their initial airing. Though it wasn't a bad show, per se, I guess there was something lacking in those first few episodes that made it easy to put on the back-burner--or even to possibly delete without watching. But I noticed my wife had watched all of them, so I figured I'd give them a shot.
I'm actually glad I did! While the series kept to its basic murder-mystery-of-the-week format, the subplots involving the man who made Liv a zombie and the complications for all the characters in her life really became absorbing and kept me watching the next episode.
The showrunner for this one is the same as Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas. And he really brings that show's sensibilities to this one. Both share the ability to give you satisfying mysteries solved each episode while developing an over-arching plot as the season goes on. They also share some quirky humor, a plucky female lead and a large cast of characters. So anyone who enjoys one show can easily enjoy the other, I'd say, even though this one has some supernatural elements.
I was very pleasantly surprised by the balance of season one and am looking forward to the upcoming second season. I suspect these won't be languishing in the DVR.
Quantum Leap. This classic cult show happens to be easily one of my all-time top ten favorite shows. Some years ago, I bought the DVD releases for the first three seasons and watched them all over a period of time--some episodes viewed by me for the first time. For some reason, probably financial at the time, I never bought the two final seasons to complete the collection.
Enter Netflix and its inclusion of Quantum Leap in its catalog. I've watched the first half dozen or so eps of season four, and I still love it. Yes, the special effects are dated, and there's a certain innocence and hokiness to it all--but I'm still a big fan. I've always loved time travel, and there's just a great appeal to a traveler whose mission is to "set right what once went wrong" on a weekly basis. Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell carry the show with an undeniable chemistry and charm. And over the series, there's a mythology that is built up. It never gets fully explained, but I like how it leaves something to the imagination.
One thing bad about this show on Netflix is that a number of episodes are inexplicably missing, many memorable ones among them...including the series finale. A good thing, though, is that the episodes that are present don't have the period music either edited out or replaced because of copyright/residual profit issues like they are on the DVDs.
I'd recommend Quantum Leap to anyone who loves time travel and doesn't mind a generally more upbeat drama. The show found ways to be entertaining week-in/week-out while often delivering some stories that were innovative for the time and some messages/lessons that are in fact timeless and always relevant. Plus, it was often so damned much fun!
Saw Zero Theorem the other night. It's amazing to me that a Terry Gilliam film starring Christoph Waltz and Matt Damon would come and go without much attention. It was a challenging film, no doubt, and owes a lot to Gilliam's "Brazil". Waltz does a pretty remarkable job with his character, and the futuristic world was well-imagined.
Waltz plays Qohen, a savant number cruncher at ManCom, who reformats statistics all day and feeds them to the company. All he wants to do is work from home so he can wait for a phone call that he's convinced will give his life purpose (Is he delusional about this, or is there something to it?). Damon, playing the seemingly omnipotent "Management", grants his wish on the condition that Qohen instead works on his "Zero Theorem" project that will prove the meaninglessness of life (that he will then exploit to sell product). As Qohen closes in on the Theorem, he both gains and loses human connections on the way, and his life becomes the theorem in a way. Is the sum total of his life zero gain, or is there something more?
Saw Zero Theorem the other night. It's amazing to me that a Terry Gilliam film starring Christoph Waltz and Matt Damon would come and go without much attention. It was a challenging film, no doubt, and owes a lot to Gilliam's "Brazil".
So does "Suckerpunch" imo, but Snyder seemed to think that film was so original.
"Zero Theorem" sounds interesting. Thanks for the recommend!
Gilliam's style not my taste and his movies, like Tarantino are so much him. They are brilliant and generally thought provoking but I guess the carnival for want of an adjective doesn't work for me. Not sure why since I really liked Python and Across the Universe, which has some of that flavor.
I'll probably try again off the recommendation. I made it part way through before.
Most have heard of "Pi." Another movie you two might like along the same "mathy" line is "Traveling Salesman." Though that one might be more specific to me since Computer Algorithms (computability) was an interest in my college studies.
Most don't know but there's an area of Math where they prove something cannot be proven or computed so don't even try. Most have heard of folded space, a short-cut to other parts of space. This movie talks about what if someone found a way to take any computation no matter how complex or how long it would take to do, even forever and fold it into one of simpler (polynomial) form. It would change everything we know. Eh, the movie's better than the explanation. lol
Thanks. I've seen and like (and own) "Pi", and it does have similarity to Zero Theorum, so I'll keep a look out for Traveling Salesman. Sounds a lot like Morrison's "magic math" concept, where the New Gods solve the 16 step puzzle in 15 and change everything.
Saw a few more films, "Ex Machina" and "maps to the Stars".
"Ex Machina" was a nice, tight sci-fi film about A.I. and the people who create it. It had the ending I thought "Her" should have had. well done.
I am a huge Cronenberg devotee, and he's been trying to make "Maps" for so long that it was painful to find it wasn't that good. Some of the initial humour was biting and wonderfully uncomfortable, but it descended into melodrama and the last quarter didn't fly for me. The acting was decent (expect for Pattinson), and the direction wasn't bad, but the story itself was lacking. I'd file it with "Spyder", under the 'Cronenberg adaptations of other's work that didn't work for me' banner.
Burned through a few series lately: -- "Frankie and Grace" : just a good, family dramedy that isn't just a two older women version of "The Odd Couple" (though there is some of that) I like that their families are just as much a part of the show. (kinda like "TransParent" but I found those characters really unlikable) -- "Doll & Em" : Not particularly engaging. A lot of Hollywood actor tropes, mixed with a lot of best girlfriends tropes. -- "Sense8" : I had started it, then became bored. Then picked it up again and found it to be pretty good once I connected to some of the main8. I could have actually done without the evil scientists plot. I guess they need the action, but they should have relied on the strength of the main characters' own stories, imo. But maybe it will get better in season 2.
Also just saw "Mad Max: Fury Road." This is really "Furious Furiosa: Furious Road" but that might have gotten confused with the VinD franchise. Really good action flick - very engaging and Charlize Theron owns this movie! I want to be her for Holloween!
Finished off Justified this week. It was a strong finale, though not pitch perfect. I think the last season tried to do a little too much callback, and the main story meandered slightly. I didn't fully buy how Raylan turned a corner and put his anger to rest, but that last scene with Boyd and Raylan was awful good.
My wife and I finished about two weeks ago. That final scene you reference with Raylan and Boyd...wow. What a dynamic and what a series. Loved that ending.
And the shootout in the finale was intense. A small part of me kept thinking he was going to die.
There was definitely a lot of callback in the final season, but having watched all the seasons right in a row, it didn't stick out as badly as watching them a season at a time may have. Loretta had emerged as a favorite of mine in Season 2 and I was glad to see her play such a big part in the final episodes. Beyond Raylan's relationships with Boyd, Ava and Winona, I also loved his relationships with Tim & Rachel, and especially Art. A lot of shows provide some great commentary about Fathers & Sons, and this one was one of the best.
PS - Stalgie will appreciate this. My wife and I are now doing a full blown rewatch of Mad Men. We already finished seasons 1 & 2 and are on to Season 3.
Having watched the first three seasons at least twice already, I have to say the one major new takeaway I have: you really empathize with Betty a lot more. The performance is much more nuanced than I remember. Whereas Betty used to annoy the hell out of me, I don't quite feel that way anymore.
Starting going into the Dr. Who revival shows. Really liking Chris Eccleston (who's also great in the Leftovers), and I'll be bummed when he's gone. He's the perfect "mid-life crisis" Doctor, seemingly fun and quirky, but with a very dark undercurrent moving through him. The Dalek episode was especially good. He's quickly becoming my 2nd favourite Doctor after the iconic Tom Baker.
PS - Stalgie will appreciate this. My wife and I are now doing a full blown rewatch of Mad Men. We already finished seasons 1 & 2 and are on to Season 3.
Having watched the first three seasons at least twice already, I have to say the one major new takeaway I have: you really empathize with Betty a lot more. The performance is much more nuanced than I remember. Whereas Betty used to annoy the hell out of me, I don't quite feel that way anymore.
I'm still stuck at the begining of Season 3. (Damn college classes and their homework )
I still don't really like Betty that much as a character. I don't feel that January Jones is a very good actress and she's very wooden. I can't tell if that's part of the character's personality or if Jones is just playing it that way. Either way, I wonder if I will feel the same way as Cobie if I ever rewatch the series.
Saw the "Martian" and it was a pretty good crowd pleaser that was enjoyable (and I run hot and cold on Ridley Scott). It's exactly what you see in the trailers, and in fact the trailer pretty much sums up the whole movie, but is the kind of movie where the audience would watch it anyway.
It continued the annoying thrend seen in small markets like mine however, where they ONLY show it in 3D, when the 3D is unnecessary and annoying, a big reason I don't go to the theatres more often.
Then I watched the animated Suicide Squad movie "Batman: Assault on Arkham". It was beyond terrible. As a Bat-Fan or a Squad-fan it just doesn't work either way. Definitely more influenced by the Didio era than anything else.
The Flash, Arrow, and Agents of SHIELD are the only things I'm following currently, but I've heard good things about Scream and Scream Queens, so I may pick them up as well!
I'll give Scream Queens a shot, thanks! And Gotham...I haven't caught a single episode yet, cause I'm really put off by the premise, but Ben McKenzie's cuteness may overcome my reservations...
Yeah, the fact that SQ is primarily a dark comedy was a (welcome) surprise. I was expecting something like "Scream", but it's really more like "Scary Movie", only about 100 times funnier.
SCREAM QUEENS is exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. It IS me, there I said it. I'm obsessed with every over the top nanosecond of it.
AHSHOTEL will be worth it in the long run. I'm so into not really knowing Gaga/Bomer's true natures yet but thinking I do know.
EMPIRE is great for the OTP drama-starved as well. One brother's mental, one has Daddy issues from being tossed into the trash as a kid for being too nelly, and the third, well we'll call that Mommy issues to the max. The show is utterly fearless and runs a mile a minute.
My wife loves, loves, loves Scream Queens, so I kind of watch it by proxy as I'm reading comics. What I watch, I enjoy immensely: hilarious jokes, great one-liners, the incredible hottness of Emma Roberts, and Chad Rad (who is not too far away from early days Cobalt Kid).
I enjoyed Flash's return big time, though I had to remind myself to give it some time to get back into full gear and start building momentum again.
Other than that, not too many new shows I'm going out of my way to watch. Bastard Executioner had a great premiere but I'm letting that one build up for a full season before I watch anymore. I'll definitely be watching Fargo when it comes back.
I'm not a huge fan of westerns, but this movie was pretty awesome. Robert Redford and Paul Newman have great chemistry, which is helped by the fact that they were friends in real life too. The soundtrack is great, especially "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" and "South American Getaway". The use of montages and photos is well done and give the story a feeling of historical significance.
I tried Scream Queens and I don't think it's for me. I've become more appreciative of camp over the years, but it's still an acquired taste for me, and this was a bit of overload. More power to the folks that like it (ironically, I'm looking looking forward to Ash vs. Evil Dead, which will likely be even MORE over the top).
One thing I've noticed (and commented on FB about), is that Murphy and Falchuk seem to have effectively cut American Horror Story in half, and put all the silliness into SQ while saving the purely creepy for Hotel, which I'm digging more.
I'm not a huge fan of westerns, but this movie was pretty awesome. Robert Redford and Paul Newman have great chemistry, which is helped by the fact that they were friends in real life too. The soundtrack is great, especially "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" and "South American Getaway". The use of montages and photos is well done and give the story a feeling of historical significance.
My Ma took us to see that at the drive-in when we were kids. I definitely need to see this again. I wonder how Westworld holds up, we saw that and I remember hiding in the back seat when Jerry Lewis transformed in Nutty Professor.
I'm not a huge fan of westerns, but this movie was pretty awesome. Robert Redford and Paul Newman have great chemistry, which is helped by the fact that they were friends in real life too. The soundtrack is great, especially "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" and "South American Getaway". The use of montages and photos is well done and give the story a feeling of historical significance.
My Ma took us to see that at the drive-in when we were kids. I definitely need to see this again. I wonder how Westworld holds up, we saw that and I remember hiding in the back seat when Jerry Lewis transformed in Nutty Professor.
Westworld is still a pretty awesome movie even after all these years. I would recommend giving it a rewatch when you get the chance.
I wonder how Westworld holds up, we saw that and I remember hiding in the back seat when Jerry Lewis transformed in Nutty Professor.
Still works well, imho
Oh, and I checked out Scream Queens partially on some of y'all's recommendations and really dig the hell outta it! Definitely putting it into the rotation.
Leftovers is now IMHO the best show on TV by a country mile. Every episode is just so well crafted around these characters, that even my least favourite characters of the bunch still have fantastic episodes. Tonight's episode focused on Lori, and while I thought Amy B. did a great job with the character last year, I didn't think she had much narrative left to her. Boy was I wrong. Her anger and hubris made for some compelling TV.
I'm still anxious to get back to Jarden and figure out what's happening there, but this was a great detour.
I quit "The Leftovers" a few eps in - it just seemed like a prolonged memorial service with little progress. Depressing as shit. Now that there's a second season, and with your ringing endorsement, (Wildfire to Wildfire ;)) I might give it a second chance.
I've been burning through "Person of Interest" since it popped up on Netflix. I had initially taken it as a CSI type network show with a different premise, but little more than that, but it's MUCH better than I had thought. Really clever stories, a surprising sense of humor when it needs it, season-long arcs that really pay off emotionally, new twists to the status quo as soon as you feel comfortable with one that builds the mythology of the show, etc. Just a fun show, top to bottom.
Oh, and Cookie Lyon with a big-ass sniper rifle, and grenade launcher??? Oh, yeah....
Found I was three eps behind on IZombie (where has Fall gone?) and in a bit of a funk, just wasn't going to do it, but then clicked. So glad I did. Still characters I'd enjoy handing with. Good balance to avoid over the top. Second Ep had me rolling.
^^This confirms my longheld theory that older women regularly try to seduce Nostalgia Lad!
Mrs. Robinson: Do you find me undesirable? Benjamin: Oh no, Mrs. Robinson. I think, I think you're the most attractive of all my parents' friends. I mean that.
I'm not a huge fan of westerns, but this movie was pretty awesome. Robert Redford and Paul Newman have great chemistry, which is helped by the fact that they were friends in real life too. The soundtrack is great, especially "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" and "South American Getaway". The use of montages and photos is well done and give the story a feeling of historical significance.
Great, classic western that still holds up well. I own it and watch it every so often. My wife was instantly converted into a love-stricken devotee of Paul Newman when she first saw it (and then especially when she saw Cool Hand Luke).
And for people who loved the chemistry of Redford and Newman, it's even more enjoyable in the The Sting!
Ebert, surprisingly, gave Butch and Sundance a mixed review. He enjoyed the beginning immensely but found the last hour drug out too long, and wasn't as fresh as the rest of the film. He also thought the ending aped too much from Bonnie & Clyde, which is something I never thought of before, but I can totally see now that he brings it up. I still thought it was great, but it's interesting to see an alternate point of view.
Ebert, surprisingly, gave Butch and Sundance a mixed review. He enjoyed the beginning immensely but found the last hour drug out too long, and wasn't as fresh as the rest of the film. He also thought the ending aped too much from Bonnie & Clyde, which is something I never thought of before, but I can totally see now that he brings it up. I still thought it was great, but it's interesting to see an alternate point of view.
I thought it dragged in the middle. And honestly, this movie is a *bromance* - the girl's not needed. That was all a waste of time.
Get rid of the girl, get rid of the bicycle. The movie's nothing without the bicycle.
True ignorance: I went to Bolivia because I really wanted to see where B$S (supposedly) got it (Tupiza) but ended up getting 3 days in hospital (e-coli/salmanella) which took me off my path and I ended up settling for a hike along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Sometimes bad things work out okay. I did miss out on the Solar Uyuni and lots of people time and hope to get back there someday.
I've been a big fan of American Horror Story since it began despite some much less than stellar seasons (*cough* Coven *cough*) but I find this latest series, Hotel, so over-the-top disgusting and beyond-the-pale nihilistic that I am struggling to stay with it.
And I'm not talking about the gore (which I don't think would be appropriate to children but since I'm not a child, have no problem with), I'm talking about the tone-deaf glorification of hideously cruel and disgusting people who just keep committing one barbaric act after another and we the viewers are expected to... what?... sympathise with? support? be intrigued by? ... them?
There's not a single likable character in the cast (except maybe the main policeman character, but Wes Bentley is such a cold, emotionless actor that it's hard to generate much investment in him, and it seems fairly predictable that he's going to turn psycho by the end anyway) that I am purely just watching in the hope that every one of them die some gruesome death by the end of it.
And this latest episode, which just absolutely reveled in the activities of some fairly recent serial killers, was just completely tasteless. People have long accused AHS of being all about shocking its viewers but when the shocks get this boring and predictable, while still remaining unpleasant, it might be time that this show realises its run out of ideas.
Yeah, I'm not digging this season of AHS either. There's a severe lack of hook with either characters or plot, and so it does just come off as one over the top self-indulgent gruesome scene after another. Maybe they'll manage to tie it together into something interesting, but I'm skeptical at this point.
I was actually digging this season a lot, almost as much as Asylum (the best one so far), because it had shed it's campy trappings (giving them to Scream Queens) and I was actually down for some straight-up horror. The last episode soured me somewhat, as I thought it disrespectful to the surviving family members of their victims to use the real serial killers (and not even have them get any sort of comeuppance).
That said, the rest of the season has grabbed my attention. Lady Gaga is actually captivating as is Bohmer (Though I think they are turning far too many of the cast into vampires too early).
* Lady Gaga has been really impressive so far and has the perfect look for her role; and * Matt Bomer has certainly been captivating (visually). I've never noticed him in anything he's done before but he looked so amazingly beautiful in his opening scene that I had to rewind it and watch it twice! I think it must have been the eyeliner. And I want his hair.
I don't mind horror without camp but there needs to be a point to it. So far we've had four episodes of sick people doing horrible things and...? I get that March is a psychotic murderer who likes to torture his victims. I got that the first 5 times they showed it. They need to start progressing some story otherwise it just becomes glorification of murder like in a Hostel movie IMO.
It's nice to see Evan Peters have something to do after a few seasons of being wasted though. And the rest of the actors are also giving it their all as usual.
Evan Peters put-on accent reminds me too much of a Dave Foley character from Kids in the Hall and takes me right out of it every time
I agree they need to move on the plot soon. I think it's far too telegraphed that John's the killer he's hunting for, so hopefully they have a satisfying twist waiting there.
I'm a big Dustin Hoffman fan, but this movie was a disappointment for me. The first hour or so is fantastic, setting up a great dual story of Hoffman trying to get his PhD and win the girl while Roy Scheider is engrossed in an international espionage conspiracy. However, once Scheider and Hoffman meet up, the story begins to fall apart and the third act becomes quite tedious. The infamous tooth scene is well shot and suspenseful, but the action is rather uninspired and the ending is rather anti-climatic.
IZombie continues to get stronger. It's not just the quippy dialogue but the characters and the story are gaining depth without losing credibility or becoming too hard to follow. The lead characters are still people you'd like to hang out with and come off genuine friends.
If there's a reason this one is not on your watching list, read a couple reviews because it's well worth it. The one criticism I've read and I can see its validity, there's some stereotyping. Since a brain eating zombie takes on elements of personality, to show this they occasionally stereotype. Not racial, religious.... but occupational, cultural...
Generally family friendly too, at least by today's standards.
Shoot, JJONES takes a hit at episode 4 with the intro of the annoying to me Simpson cop character who won't GET THE FUCK OFf THE SCREEN FOR 5 MINUTES ALREADY). Plus this whole ep felt like filler.
I'll get back to it at some point but the great trajectory was certainly derailed for me.
Sometimes I think there's actors in show just because they're screwing the right person. So evident that the character sucks or gets way too much screen time. It's my paranoia and I'm keeping it.
Finished Hemlock Grove. The whole series was certainly up and down and the final season certainly bore that out. Some plots developed and played out nicely, others just ground to abrupt halts. In a show where a lot hinged on Roman, he was so inconsistent in his portrayal (which is different from "conflicted" which is what they were trying for), that the final, rushed showdown didn't hold water for me.
Strangely, Olivia (Famke Janssen)'s story arc, which I couldn't care less about for most of the season, had the best sense of closure in the finale.
The show gets high marks for it's ambition alone, but it was a bit too messy.
Finished Jessica Jones. It was surprisingly good, and had an uphill slog to impress me, since I was not a fan of the character, or of Patsy 'Hellcat' Walker, who turned out to be the best supporting characters in the show, a 'Foggy' to Jessica's 'Matt' (along with Luke Cage, whose actor kind of knocked it out of the park, while avoiding the Blaxploitation angle and playing him more serious).
That said, if they ever have Misty Knight appear, I kind of want her to play *up* that same angle, in the vein of Angela Basset's current character in American Horror Story: Hotel, whose flashbacks to her film career in such hits as 'Bride of Blackenstein' are just hilariously over the top.
Originally Posted by Dave Hackett
Finished Hemlock Grove. The whole series was certainly up and down and the final season certainly bore that out. Some plots developed and played out nicely, others just ground to abrupt halts. In a show where a lot hinged on Roman, he was so inconsistent in his portrayal (which is different from "conflicted" which is what they were trying for), that the final, rushed showdown didn't hold water for me.
Strangely, Olivia (Famke Janssen)'s story arc, which I couldn't care less about for most of the season, had the best sense of closure in the finale.
The show gets high marks for it's ambition alone, but it was a bit too messy.
Agreed. Roman's character-turn didn't really feel that organic (although I did like when people would point out to his face that he was acting just like his mother...). Olivia's elegant narcissism, even if she was utterly toxic to everyone around her, was kind of enthralling to watch, and really made me take a second look at Famke Janssen as an actress.
Gosh, I had no idea this was a 'last season' until important people started dropping like flies!
Minor nitpick. Shelly's height was inconsistent, it seemed. Despite *saying* that she was 'seven feet tall' at one point, there were far too many scenes where she's standing around other people and they are her height *or taller.* Viewers know from Lord of the Rings that the camera can do all sorts of tricks with perspective to make the tallest dude in the cast appear to be a dwarf, or whatever, so I don't see any excuse for why they kept messing that detail up.
Minor nitpick. Shelly's height was inconsistent, it seemed. Despite *saying* that she was 'seven feet tall' at one point, there were far too many scenes where she's standing around other people and they are her height *or taller.* Viewers know from Lord of the Rings that the camera can do all sorts of tricks with perspective to make the tallest dude in the cast appear to be a dwarf, or whatever, so I don't see any excuse for why they kept messing that detail up.
My wife and I had the same reaction. Not only is she supposed to be freakishly tall, but freakishly strong (She's the Frankenstein, to their Wolfman and Dracula), but this is only brought up when convenient to the plot. While her story had the most upbeat conclusion, her depiction was the least consistent one.
My wife and I had the same reaction. Not only is she supposed to be freakishly tall, but freakishly strong (She's the Frankenstein, to their Wolfman and Dracula), but this is only brought up when convenient to the plot. While her story had the most upbeat conclusion, her depiction was the least consistent one.
Huh, I never noticed her being the Frankenstein, despite it being pretty much shouted from the rooftops, with her name 'Shelly' (after Mary Shelly) and her being such a big R Romantic.
She was a great character, not just in and of herself, but in how she brought out the best (and worst) in those around her. Roman was never more likable than when he was her protective big brother, Peter when he was play-flirting with her at their introduction, and Dr. Price when he was so clearly his best self around her, while Olivia's amazing selfishness really stood out in her treatment of her daughter.
Beautiful birds. We got one shows up on occasions, nests in the next yard over. Used to have some saw-whet babies, they'd just sit two or three in a row right next to me on the porch railing or on the mailbox during the summer nights. Had absolutely no fear, would just look around, sometimes rock back and forth. Neighborhood kids got too interested so the owls moved their nest off deeper into the woods, I still hear them. My porch makes for good tv sometimes.
This past weekend was all about "Jessica Jones." I thought it dragged a bit with what they wanted to do with Kilgrave, but Ritter was great, Colton as Cage was *awesome,* and Tennant was SO sleazy, yet compelling at the same time. Those performance saved a show that maybe needed a bit more work with the script.
This past weekend was all about "Jessica Jones." I thought it dragged a bit with what they wanted to do with Kilgrave, but Ritter was great, Colton as Cage was *awesome,* and Tennant was SO sleazy, yet compelling at the same time. Those performance saved a show that maybe needed a bit more work with the script.
Very true. All three of those actors (and Rachael as Trish) sealed the deal for me. I feel like some of it, like the bit with the cop and the pills (being oblique to avoid spoilers), wandered around a bit, although it does seem like it all ties together with the IGH plot (and is therefore important to Jessica, Luke *and* 'Kevin'), but since that plot was left for later shows to develop (Cage? Defenders? JJones season 2?), it felt like filler in *this* story.
Kilgrave was interesting and had some shades of complexity, even if they were overshadowed by his own tendency to rationalize what a sociopathic unrestrained ID he was and blame his own actions on his powers, or his parents, or past events (anything to avoid taking responsibility for what a creep he was...).
Finished up Man in the High Castle. All said and done, didn't really feel they resolved anything or revealed anything they'd set up. Seems more like half a season than a season.
Decently crafted and worth watching but that I never really found any redeeming value to the main character, I couldn't see how she could drive the story. I didn't see that she ever displayed any of the characteristics that would cause people to be as loyal to her as they were depicted. Oddly, the "bad guys" were IMO displayed brilliantly.
Jessica Jones: well they certainly weren't too loose with background, motivation or anything else in the first ep, lol.
Probably won't be moving on too soon with this one. Seems that type of show popular now where none of the characters are particularly likable (except the rascally thief) and everyone has dark motivations. Not my thing.
I finally watched the first episode of Jessica Jones, though I'm not sure how I feel about it. Admittedly, I was going into the show with a general disinterest in the titular character and the MCU as a whole. I'm not too big on crime/cop shows as they generally too formulaic for my tastes. However, I did think the show has a couple of standout moments, namely the brief appearance of Luke Cage. The actor knocks it out of the park and I was hoping he would play a larger part in the episode. I also liked the brief mentions of the Purple Man as David Tennant is an actor I really like.
On the other hand, the one thing dragging the whole thing is the crucial one: Jessica. I don't think Krysten Ritter pulls off the "jaded tough girl" persona very well, but that's just me. I might give the show a few more episodes to win me over, but I'm pretty ambivalent about how long I'll stick with it.
MY ranking: IZombie just above because the snappy dialogue and the character actors are treasures. Good storylines for the main character. Ravi is one of the funniest characters on tv IMO. The boyfriend and the boyfriend's storyline is a bit weak but the head-wench is HOT! The actress does vamp really well.
Supergirl from the visuals and the superb acting and the much more difficult intertwining of storylines has almost everything IZombie has but the humor, which would be misplaced but it's my difference maker. James is a good character but he's not "Jimmy." I'm warming up to him as a new character. Doing a great job of bringing in different elements of the book. Benoit IMO has the most difficult character to portray of all of them and she does it with ease. I've felt compassion for and rooted on both Kara and Supergirl.
. . The Flash stiffer acting from a few of the actors and the lead still isn't "Barry" but he pulls off the physical stuff really well. He's a great Flash. . Dare-Devil and Agent Carter both well done and enjoyed for different reasons. The lead in Dare-Devil doesn't do much for me but the supporting actors all appealed. Pretty much like all the characters in AC and the less dramatic, film noir approach. . . . . Agents of Shield. I liked the story of Simmons on the other world and hope they can bring that character back because I thought he was a good actor. I like the Fitch character. Actors are for the most part stiff and few of the inter-relationships convincingly portrayed. Arrow, can't really say I'm attached to any of the characters or storylines or actors but they're not terrible either, except almost every non-Felicity female role before Hawk Girl. Hawk Girl is a plus but mini-me with a bronzer as Hawk Man had to be someone doing someone a favor. THIS role should have rivaled Thor in stature and looks.
Jessica Jones: most of the way through ep2 but it's painful. They seem to have taken the approach those watching know the characters and the back-stories so there's not much to hook on to. The characters may have been original when first created, I don't know but now they've been done to death and none are endearing or sympathetic in any way I can connect with.
I'll probably wait for opinions on those who've made it further along before spending more time hoping to see the big picture on this one.
On the other hand, the one thing dragging the whole thing is the crucial one: Jessica. I don't think Krysten Ritter pulls off the "jaded tough girl" persona very well, but that's just me.
I kind of agree with a that, but I'm not sure how much she's meant to come off as being as world-wearied and jaded as the character is *trying* to appear. It's all a defense mechanism with Jessica, because of her past trauma.
She spends the entire season resisting the approach of stuffing some cotton in years and walking up and punching the dude in the throat, or chucking a cinderblock or manhole cover at his head from half a block away. She talks the tough-girl talk, but she's pretty much oozing desperation and vulnerability, and a strong desire to stay the hell away from this nightmare from her past, rather than face it head on, and that's something I think the actress got very right. She's not Thundra-played-by-Rhonda-Rousey, all swagger with a heart of stone. At least, IMO. Granted, she's a brand-new character by the standards of most of her MCU peers, who've been established and developed and characterized since before I was born (in the sixties), so there's a lot less familiarity with how she *should* be presented...
Supergirl Moved up one or IZombie moved down one or a bit of both. Every character seems to get powerful moments and of course, there was the big reveal.
IZombie Delving into the difficulties of dealing with two brains. Certainly necessary territory to cover if it becomes pervasive to the story-line, it will suck the fun out of this. They need to pick a direction and stick with it IMO. There are topics they'd be remiss not to cover while keeping the charm, ala Buffy. A tough road. Ravi continues to be a terrific character and Babineaux gets better every week.
The Flash Doing a good job of building up the villain cast. Captain Cold started poorly but continues to become how he's depicted in the books with a fun interpretation by the actor. The guy does, "not afraid of super powered beings" believably for a guy with a gun. Exactly as it should be.
Arrow, Out of ideas
Agents of Shield. Moved to the bottom. Too much predictable and a cheap trick.
Star Trek trailer looks promising. Less enthusiastic about the Independence Day trailer but it's one of my favorite re-watch movies so it probably won't matter.
Star Trek trailer looks promising. Less enthusiastic about the Independence Day trailer but it's one of my favorite re-watch movies so it probably won't matter.
I felt the exact opposite way! The Independence Day trailer was exactly what I expected: quotes from the original, awesome starship dogfights, and the magnificence of Jeff Goldblum.
The Star Trek trailer, on the other hand, made me embarrassed to be a Beastie Boys fan...
Star Trek trailer looks promising. Less enthusiastic about the Independence Day trailer but it's one of my favorite re-watch movies so it probably won't matter.
I felt the exact opposite way! The Independence Day trailer was exactly what I expected: quotes from the original, awesome starship dogfights, and the magnificence of Jeff Goldblum.
The Star Trek trailer, on the other hand, made me embarrassed to be a Beastie Boys fan...
If ID2 matches anywhere close to early reviews of Awakens then I'm in for some good watching in a couple years when the DVDs come out.
I just got it back from seeing The Force Awakens. It was pretty average, almost painfully at times. It wasn't groundbreaking or innovative like the original trilogy, but it won't leave you angry and confused like the prequels. It's just something to scratch that nostalgia itch you get this time of the year. Nothing more, nothing less. It's flashy and fun, but a little empty as is to be expected of J.J. Abrams.
Into the Badlands is wuxia goodness, in the fighting style of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, only if it was mashed up with the TV series Revolution. Strange but very watchable (if somewhat bloody, although nothing like Spartacus).
My only regret is that it's only a six episode season! What the heck!
I just got it back from seeing The Force Awakens. It was pretty average, almost painfully at times. It wasn't groundbreaking or innovative like the original trilogy, but it won't leave you angry and confused like the prequels. It's just something to scratch that nostalgia itch you get this time of the year. Nothing more, nothing less. It's flashy and fun, but a little empty as is to be expected of J.J. Abrams.
Not to be too spoilery, but the first half was better than the second. The second half went to the nostalgia well way too often for my liking. I also found some of the big reveals really clunky.
A lot of new AMC series are six episodes to see if they warrant a pickup. Both Walking Dead's had a six episode opener.
This appears to be the AMC standard: 1st season 6 eps; then 12 ep seasons; and then if it really starts to be a ratings hit, it is bumped to a 16 episode season with a break in the middle.
Into the Badlands is wuxia goodness, in the fighting style of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, only if it was mashed up with the TV series Revolution. Strange but very watchable (if somewhat bloody, although nothing like Spartacus).
My only regret is that it's only a six episode season! What the heck!
Oh, and I should add I'm digging it too. Some of the plotting and dialogue is clunky but overall its highly enjoyable to watch. The sets / costumes / action / visuals alone are just really pleasing on the eyes.
(Also, Sarah Bolger is a great love of my life but that is either here nor there).
I just got it back from seeing The Force Awakens. It was pretty average, almost painfully at times. It wasn't groundbreaking or innovative like the original trilogy, but it won't leave you angry and confused like the prequels. It's just something to scratch that nostalgia itch you get this time of the year. Nothing more, nothing less. It's flashy and fun, but a little empty as is to be expected of J.J. Abrams.
Not to be too spoilery, but the first half was better than the second. The second half went to the nostalgia well way too often for my liking. I also found some of the big reveals really clunky.
I felt the same way, Dave. The first half of the movie really felt like it was carving its own path and trying something new, but as soon as Han shows up, it becomes a total original trilogy wankfest.
I just got it back from seeing The Force Awakens. It was pretty average, almost painfully at times. It wasn't groundbreaking or innovative like the original trilogy, but it won't leave you angry and confused like the prequels.
I saw it this morning, and that pretty much sums it up. It felt average, with a few interesting moments (mostly at the start as Dave says), before some poor writing results in a few clunky moments later on. Having clunky moments throws me out of the movie for a moment. That really shouldn't be happening for any film.
There were too many cutesy, wink-at-the-audience moments in the middle of it, and the plot was, overall, fairly predictable, but generally speaking it was solid. Definitely a massive step up from the prequels.
The more i reflect on the movie, the less and less I like it. The kids are desperate to see it, so it will get another viewing from me. Maybe it will come out better through their eys.
Someone recommended SyFy's Expanse. I hadn't read the book, which apparently are very popular. Kind of slow going through the first two eps but seems to be picking up.
While at the website I saw the solicit for Childhood's End. Watched that and enjoyed that a lot. It gets right to the story and every ep leaves you with questions answered and new questions. A lot of fun.
My mom and I binged watched the first season of Twin Peaks on Netflix these past few days. I've only had the barest of exposure to David Lynch's work, but this show is awesome! I love Kyle Maclachlan as Agent Dale Cooper. He's that right level of quirky straight-laced honesty that you want in a character like that, especially when everyone else is morally ambiguous. The first season finale blew us away and we can't wait to see where the series goes next!
My mom and I binged watched the first season of Twin Peaks on Netflix these past few days. I've only had the barest of exposure to David Lynch's work, but this show is awesome! I love Kyle Maclachlan as Agent Dale Cooper. He's that right level of quirky straight-laced honesty that you want in a character like that, especially when everyone else is morally ambiguous. The first season finale blew us away and we can't wait to see where the series goes next!
I'm generally not a David Lynch fan, but I loved "Mulholland Drive," and I give it the highest possible recommendation.
I'm watching an old 1960s/70s spy/thriller series called Callan. It stars Edward Woodward as our protagonist. He's a government killer with a conscience. Well, a bit of a conscience. I've actually been given a later series of this. It's along the same lines as the early Harry Palmer films and the Sandbaggers. Three episodes in, and it's not bad.
I just finished the series finale to Twin Peaks and I only have one thought on my mind: What the hell was that series finale?! I can't tell if it's the most genius TV show ending I've ever seen or the biggest "fuck you" ever. I'm so conflicted.
Came across this in a desperate attempt to find something to do. The characters are pretty good so far. Clive Owen plays head doc at an early 19 hundreds NYC migrant district hospital. It really appeals to my nerdy side as the doctors try to bridge that gap between barbershop hackery and creating science and technology and of course they throw some human foible into the mix for a little soap opera.
8 Eps in and we've had guest appearances by a Vanderbilt, Edison, probably a bunch I'm forgetting. Been fun watching characters you're not meant to like, take multiple images of themselves with an early x-ray machine, heh, heh.
Ant-Man: one of the few Marvel universe movies I will probably watch many times and probably the ONLY Michael Douglas role I've ever liked, at least didn't hate.
So I've been traveling like a son of a bitch for work (and as is well known, son of a bitches travel like crazy). Part of that gives me some downtime when I'm stuck on a plane or in a hotel room and can catch some random movies.
Mad Max: Fury Road, which I had zero interest in prior, ended up being really terrific! I absolutely loved the high-octane action plot, which was chalk full of tension which at times verged on nervous-breakdown inducing. But the best part was not only the face-meltingly good performance by Charlize Theron, but the unspoken, amazing chemistry that Theron and Tom Hardy had with one another. Hardy, playing the “so silent, its deafening” role, gets the difficult job of playing his character in a way that makes the audience relate to him. Meanwhile, Theron is a badass of epic proportions, which also leads her into dangerous territory audience-empathy wise. But because both actors are terrific and because the director keeps their growing relationship a steady, quiet one of respect and “earned” devotion, both characters come across magnificently and the entire movie works in a huge way. This is in addition to all the supporting characters that are with them for the ride, who all do a great job too.
I also caught The Judge which also was a nice little film. This one had a plot that was totally predictable and some moments that felt a little “seen it before”-ish, but because of the acting by Robert Downey Jr. it all felt totally appealing and delicious. He was helped by terrific jobs all around from Vera Famiga, Vincent D’Onofrio and of course Robert Duvall. But it’s just come down to Downey being so charismatic and so good at dropping the “too cool” act in order to let emotion hit the viewers like a punch in the gut that I can’t help but want him to star in every film ever made henceforth.
I also caught some parts of other movies that I didn’t feel like finishing. And I watched most of the Martian with no sound because meh, I was feeling sorry for myself for traveling.
Tried to watch Mad Max last night but my wife disliked it so intensely we had to turn it off about 10 minutes in. I'll wait until she falls asleep some night this week to return to it.
I don't blame her since the beginning was a little bit of a "what the eff is this all about?" moment for me too. It wasn't until later--and I don't think this is giving too much away--when the group of them are "on the run" that the movie actually starts to get really good. That's probably about 30 minutes into (rought estimate)?
So if at first you're like "uh yeah, not for me", try to hang in there a little longer.
Finally watched "The Man in the High Castle", which I had mixed feelings about. A lot of interesting world-building and some hints at some pretty cool stuff, especially in the last episode, but a lot of it was watching kind of blah characters doing things for inexplicable reasons. The villains/secondary characters were definitely much more interesting than the main protagonists. At ten episodes it was definitely worth watching, and I'll definitely check out the second season, but it felt like it could've been a lot better than it was.
Binge watching Orphan Black with the wife. The first season is amazing, and Tatiana Maslany is brilliant. It's a tightly scripted puzzle with amazing performances (Seriously, she's in a league all her own, running with all the different characters so subtly and seemlessly).
We're mid-way through season two now and it's a bit of a mess. Still fun, but definitely more ridiculous than season one, with plot holes big enough to drive a camper van through and lots more filler than I'd like. I'm hoping the last few episodes pick up and season 3 returns it to the high watermark of season 1.
We're mid-way through season two now and it's a bit of a mess. Still fun, but definitely more ridiculous than season one, with plot holes big enough to drive a camper van through and lots more filler than I'd like. I'm hoping the last few episodes pick up and season 3 returns it to the high watermark of season 1.
As I recall, the first half of season 2 didn't do a lot for me, but the second half more than made up for it! Can't recall all of the details, but that's how I remember the overall trend. I felt that season 3 was overall much more consistent and better.
I can't really recall the specifics of Season 2 of Orphan Black other than I enjoyed it immensely--mostly because of the wonderful performances and main characters. But the overall "big story" does kind of meander in Season 2 and then re-find its purpose at the end of the season and all season 3. It's all a bit "out there" but I don't mind all that much.
Currently my wife and I are watching Black Sails which has been really terrific. Season 1 is good but its actually not until the final episode or two that it really takes off and then Season 2 takes it to the next level. And then once again, the finale in Season 2 increases things to an even higher level, and Season 3 thus far has been terrific. So its a rare show that steadily gets better as it goes (and it starts out pretty good to begin with).
Before that we finished the third and final season of Da Vinci's Demons and honestly I was a little let down. It was such a terrific show but by season 3 I think they were so caught up in wrapping up the bigger plots that they lost a bit of the show's identity and allowed many of its characters to become a little unrecognizable. This is a complaint I have about a lot of shows and their final seasons.
Vikings Season 3 was mind-blowingly awesome, and I continue to find this one of the best shows on TV. The characters are enjoyably complex and I love the way they blend the real history of the vikings into the character's lives. There was a death (more than one really) that I found really surprising and heartbreaking. And a character I ended up loving was King Ecbert, who is played perfectly by Linus Roache. And Lagertha is probably the hottest woman ever on television.
Before that we did a full multi-season rewatch of True Blood, including the final two seasons which we hadn't seen before. The show was actually better than I remember: I always liked the first two seasons but felt later seasons were not as good; on this rewatch, I changed my opinion big time. Primarily, it was a few characters that were better than I remember like Jason Stackhouse. In the final season, the plot was stretched to the very max of believability and I had a few complaints but I actually really liked the final resolution to Sookie's story.
- Trumbo was amazing and another reason to proclaim Bryan Cranston as the actor most enjoyable to watch on television.
- Sleeping with Other People starring Allison Brie and Jason Sudekis was a great comedy-drama that surprised me by being actually really romantic on top of being hilarious.
- Digging for Fire was another awesome indie film by Joe Swanberg starring Jake Johnson. Much like the prior Drinking Buddies with Olivia Wilde and Anna Kendrick (and Johnson), it is a really small scale film chalk full of emotion. We're in a crazy era of movies where some of the best stuff is made with no budget and then released directly to On Demand and Netflix; meanwhile most of the stuff in movie theaters is absolute shit. These indie films are really more similar to a lot of the great noir and drama films of the 30's and 40's that tells great stories about characters and situations that don't need explosions or high end sets.
- True Story with Jonah Hill and James Franco was simply riveting and the best thing I've ever seen either of them do. I knew Hill could act, but here he takes it to another level, and Franco matches him. It's a really great, scary little story that happens to be true and I recommend people take a look at.
Last week, inspired by some wags on another board, I treated myself to watching one of the world's crappiest films on YouTube.
It was from the 1970s and it was called--- [drumroll]
DEATH BED: The Bed That Eats!
Uh... if you like slamming back lots of tequila while staring in disbelief and wondering how/why certain films ever saw the light of day, well... this may be the film for you.
I can't really review it in any way which would do it justice, but you all know how search engines work anyway.
Looking For Mister Goodbar. One of those movies which I've long meant to watch, but just plain never got around to.
The original version is almost two hours long, so I watched the first half yesterday evening while dinner was cooking. I will probably save the second half for next Friday evening.
Last week, inspired by some wags on another board, I treated myself to watching one of the world's crappiest films on YouTube.
It was from the 1970s and it was called--- [drumroll]
DEATH BED: The Bed That Eats!
Uh... if you like slamming back lots of tequila while staring in disbelief and wondering how/why certain films ever saw the light of day, well... this may be the film for you.
I can't really review it in any way which would do it justice, but you all know how search engines work anyway.
I really liked MoS when I first saw it at the theater. I think, though, that it's less some of the controversial plot choices made but more the lack of any real soul that has struck me since then.
I really liked MoS when I first saw it at the theater. I think, though, that it's less some of the controversial plot choices made but more the lack of any real soul that has struck me since then.
I've moved on to A Knight's Tale, my favorite Heath movie. The dance scene set to Bowie's Golden Years nearly brought me to tears thinking of all the loss this movie now represents.
There were so many deliberate choices that Goyer and Snyder made that tell me they just don't "get" Superman. Snyder's fooled me enough times now that I won't bother to see any of his future films, which is sad, as I've been waiting a long time for a DC cinematic universe, and I'll be getting... this.
I haven't SEEN BvS, but a friend tgold me everything and I'm not that surprised. Trailers amde it seem like it'd be more of Snyder trying to be "deep" and again not "getting" his source material. Oh, and more of his cinematography that makes for good wallpapers... and that's it. I might catch it soon with a friend to pass time between classes, but I'd, rather watch anything else and not support the DCEU.
I only recently watched Whiplash. Amazing performance by JK Simmons, great sound mixing, great story as a general plot (the actual progression feels weird pacing-wise).
Finished season 2 of Daredevil about three days after it released (stupid assessments) and it was really good. Had some issues and not as well directed as the first season, but still pretty good. Still better than Jessica Jones.
I've got The Theory of Everything sitting here, but don't wanna watch a depressing movie (I THINK it's suppose to be depressing?). But I really like Felicity Jones, so... I'll get around to it.
Feel like rewatching BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad, because that was something I watched when I was finishing high school, and it really spoke to me when I was going through some stuff. But don't wanna ruin my nostalgic image of it xD
Also wanna rewatch FLCL since it's getting a second season. Love this show, I watched it at an important time in my life and it's very rewatchable, with great music and voice acting (dub). Great to watch and just chill -- or rock -- out to.
So this past year of movies has for one reason or another been one of the best in a long time! I know this because my wife and I recently watched most of the highly praised movies and were delighted to find that most of them deserved all that praise.
I mentioned the awesome Trumbo in the thread earlier and I have to reiterate how incredible it was. Bryan Cranston is simply one of the most watchable actors on television, and it helps that the script was befitting a movie about such an iconic screenwriter. The rest of the cast was awesome as well, and the topic—the Blacklist—remains relevant.
Brooklyn, which I only watched after my wife convinced me, was equally terrific. A somewhat small scale romantic drama in 1950’s Brooklyn, I was mesmerized by the movie from start to finish. Tightly scripted, wonderfully acted and beautiful to look at. This is a movie that absolutely deserved all the praise it received. And while it is romantic, it is about so much more, and is wonderfully complex.
Bridge of Spies is everything you hope a Stephen Spielberg / Tom Hanks movie would be. One of the tightest Spielberg movies in recent years, it does what he does best by showing realistic heroism that is masculine yet not macho. Loaded with great performances and super-high tension, I loved it.
I also loved The Big Short. I’ve long been a fan of books by Michael Lewis (including the incredible Flash Boys, who should be made into a film and the awesome Money Ball) and director Adam McKay is one to watch: great at what he does but with a comedy background that lends itself well to intense moments followed by great comedy relief. Of course, the marquee draw is the awesome cast and they do not let you down. All of these things contribute to an excellent story that does a great job explaining the economic crisis, yet does so in an entertaining way. At my job I had to face the problems of mortgage backed securities and credit default swaps day in and day out for several years and I’m amazed at how succinctly and enjoyably the film is able to explain these hugely complex financial instruments. While entertaining, it definitely isn’t a feel good movie considering the true ending, but that certainly is the point.
While all of these were incredible, the best of the year though simply has to go to Spotlight, which was amazing. Dealing with the uncomfortable subject matter of the group of reporters who first started to bring the pedophilia in the Catholic Church in Boston, it never flinches from revealing the incredible story how this was done, yet makes you care about every one of the characters all the way through. Terrific cast—highlighted by Mark Ruffalo’s best performance thus far in his career—it is a movie that will restore your faith in journalism.
The first season of The Six Million Dollar Man. If you haven't heard the original intro by Dusty Springfield, you just gotta. I cannot accurately describe it... It's either awfully good, or horribly awful.
The Dresden Files. Guy that is on Arrow played dresden. Not a great fit, and they changed a LOT for the show, but not bad either.
Watching gems like "Back In Style," in which Hanna-Barbera and Filmation get completely savaged, is one of those things that makes life totally worthwhile.
Still plugging IZombie. Set up and pulled off a great final. Worried a bit they may have messed up a great baddie but he's too popular the way he was, they'll find a way.
The Dresden Files. Guy that is on Arrow played dresden. Not a great fit, and they changed a LOT for the show, but not bad either.
I think I actually like the shows version of 'Bob' than the one from the books! Heresy, I know.
For new stuff, been watching the new series Wynona Earp, which is kind of like Supernatural, with a lady protagonist (who acts a lot like Jessica Jones).
Because DC really just can't get out of their own way. The marketing for B v S was so relentless about how dark it was ("Hey everyone, this is a "dark" film, It's cool because of that, right?"), that even something that's a light hearted take on it, is still tome-deaf. It's not fun or funny to just see Funko figs re-enact the same grim scene from BvS, they should have done something funny or silly to subvert the scene more, but I suspect no one from DC would sign off on that. I'm sure they shake their heads every time a light-hearted LEGO Batman trailer airs, but it's tolerated because it will make them scads of cash.
I borrowed the DVD of The Returned Season 1 from the Library. It is a French show (although I think A&E did an American version) It is in French with English Subtitles. It is about a small city in the French Alps. About 5 people have returned from the dead after being dead for a number of years. They don't remember dying. One of the returned is a serial killer. Other strange things are happening in the city also.
Vikings. Just started Monday and am halfway through the first ten episodes of season four. Now I'll have to wait until the second half airs sometime later this year. It loses steam in season three but the first two were some of the best tv I've seen in a while.
The actors and characters I like, really fun with great chemistry and the camera work, the fight scenes all great but the writing, UGGHHH! Shame this will die on a vine with so much potential.
I decided to watch season one of "Mr Robot." It's good, though a bit derivative of something I won't mention because that would spoil a big part of it ...
I do but I usually save up a few episodes. Just not as keen on it or TWD any more.
I only watch it a full season at a time.
That being said, I'm really on the fence about continuing. I read the books first, and part of me wants to wait to read the last books before watching the show (even though spoilers are unavoidable on the damned interwebs).
Of course, I might be 75 years old when the ghost of Martin finishes writing book 7 through a medium so there's a high probability I'll watch the show first.
Vikings. Just started Monday and am halfway through the first ten episodes of season four. Now I'll have to wait until the second half airs sometime later this year. It loses steam in season three but the first two were some of the best tv I've seen in a while.
Absolutely love it.
Have only watched seasons 1-3 so far, but my wife and I are huge fans of it. It really surprised me by having such a high level of quality. The writing and acting are superb, and the historian in me loves all the little pieces of history they get right, while also admiring their willingness to play a little loose with things to tell a great story.
Ack! Get AWAY FROM THE INTERNET!!!! Even on-line newspapers are spoiling.
Originally Posted by Quislet, Esq
Originally Posted by Blockade Boy
No Game of Thrones watchers?
I borrow the DVDs from the library. I am number 132 for 29 copies for Season 5
LOVE our library and well know that #132 for 29 copies thing and that's a GOOD number. I learned to look for when the DVDs will be released and start searching the library site about a month ahead of that. They post them in the catalogue when they order them, not when they get them so sometimes you can really jump the line.
Watching Library Deadpool right now. No kidding, paused it at the 1 hr mark to do some message boarding.
I decided to watch season one of "Mr Robot." It's good, though a bit derivative of something I won't mention because that would spoil a big part of it ...
Just grabbed season one myself. Probably won't watch it until I catch up on Silicon Valley first (got halfway through season 2 during work today). I've heard it's good and it'll be something to have playing while I work.
Vikings. Just started Monday and am halfway through the first ten episodes of season four. Now I'll have to wait until the second half airs sometime later this year. It loses steam in season three but the first two were some of the best tv I've seen in a while.
Absolutely love it.
Have only watched seasons 1-3 so far, but my wife and I are huge fans of it. It really surprised me by having such a high level of quality. The writing and acting are superb, and the historian in me loves all the little pieces of history they get right, while also admiring their willingness to play a little loose with things to tell a great story.
Season four has been great so far! And I've been researching the history as we watch (love doing that with historically based shows). I even found a trilogy by Harry Harrison based on the Ragnar myth (since Ragnar himself may not be real even though his sons are) that I've added to my TBR list.
Caught up on GoT. This has been an interesting Season. I recognise that we're in the back half, so some resolutions are due, but this, more than any other season, has been about giving the fans some of what they want AND about moving the story forward at a faster pace than the book-tethered episodes. I'll leave it to the individual to determine whether either of those improve or detract from the show. That said, just when things are looking up, we get a reversal in the last of latest episode, losing a fan favorite in a heart-wrneching manner:
Hodor! Whose origin is also, quite cleverly, his doom.
It will be interesting to see how quickly the strands come together.
I also liked seeing the Bravos take on the Game of Thrones, and Arya's reaction to it.
Dead Pool was everything I'd heard it would be. I'll watch that a couple more times before returning the DVD. I have a week. Or I'll feel guilty for holding on to it, knowing someone else it waiting. Maybe I'll watch it one more time tomorrow, then return it.
3rd Rock From the Sun: Netflixing just because I was too tired to do anything. Lucky stroke, because it picked up my spirits, been giggling for three days. Yes, I know it's juvenile.
GoT: The writers are building themselves quite a thing to live up to by season's end. 5 years to attach to characters and now their destinies are playing out. Can't wait for Ramsey to get his. Keeping a potato peeler and a potato nearby in hopes of the event.
IN GoT what I want to see played out is the larger mythology coming into conflict. While religion was an interesting background component throughout the show, it's playing a real active role now between the Many-faced God, the Lord of Light, The Seven, the Drowned God and the Old Gods. Each have now been shown to grant real power (or at least their followers wield real magic), so does the Game of Thrones become a larger Game of Gods?
A few years ago, I started watching the first Thor movie but gave up on it quickly. Earlier this week, I finally watched it all the way through, and I have no idea what I could have been thinking before. I *loved* it! Rivals Captain America Winter Soldier as the best Marvel movie, IMO. Chris Hemsworth had already made a good impression on me in the first Avengers movie, so the real surprise was how tolerable both Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins were! And Kat Dennings, as Portman's assistant, was an adorable scene-stealer, performing above and beyond her remit as comic relief! Everything about the movie worked for me -- tone, design, pace, action sequences.
Which is why I was shocked that the consensus on the movie at IMdb is so meh! 7 out of 10??
Mark my words, it will one day be regarded as a classic!
Now I have to see Thor: The Dark World, if only because I heard that Kat has a bigger role in it.
Mood on the day. Many times watched a movie and said I hated it but friends or people of generally like tastes say they loved it so I rewatch on a different day and wonder what my mood was when I watched it the first time.
Kind of like chocolate cake. One day you eat it and it's the most wondrous thing and another it tastes like salmon. Ok, that never happens but my fingers are typing faster than my analogy making abilities.
Certainly true. I think Ant-Man has just gotten better and better for me. It's all over my limited-time free premium channels, and I swear I can watch it every time. Not a terribly complex film but funny, well-done and with lots of heart. (I've always liked Thor, too.)
Took out an odd DVD pairing from our library guy this morning: BIRDMAN, starring Michael Keaton, and HOT PURSUIT with Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara.
I liked Birdman, but not to the same extent those who pile accolades upon it do. Still an interesting piece. I also like Raymond Carver (whose stories the play in the movie is based on).
Certainly true. I think Ant-Man has just gotten better and better for me. It's all over my limited-time free premium channels, and I swear I can watch it every time. Not a terribly complex film but funny, well-done and with lots of heart. (I've always liked Thor, too.)
Same here, and I've enjoyed it too with each time.
Beyond the major leads in the film, the supporting cast really made the most with every little scene they had. I noticed it the first time around but each subsequent time those sequences with Scott's 'crew' are just more and more enjoyable.
Certainly true. I think Ant-Man has just gotten better and better for me. It's all over my limited-time free premium channels, and I swear I can watch it every time. Not a terribly complex film but funny, well-done and with lots of heart. (I've always liked Thor, too.)
Same here, and I've enjoyed it too with each time.
Beyond the major leads in the film, the supporting cast really made the most with every little scene they had. I noticed it the first time around but each subsequent time those sequences with Scott's 'crew' are just more and more enjoyable.
Casting is definitely a major ingredient in this film's success. Scott's crew is terrific, certainly. But I honestly can't find a weak link in the bunch. I really love Michael Douglas as Hank Pym and our old friend from Lost, Evangeline Lilly, as Hope. Little Cassie is simply awesome, and the movie avoids stereotyping the ex-wife and stepdad as ogres (far from it). And Cross/Yellowjacket makes for one of the better villains in the MCU, though he joins the unfortunately long list of comic book movie villains who are
killed off. I was disappointed, btw, that Crossbones, one of the few villain returnees from any MCU movie was done away with in Cap: Civil War. He had a lot of potential, I think.
And, of course, Paul Rudd is perfect casting for the take on Scott that they went with. Paul is almost universally known for being in super-silly movies, so it's nice to see him be in one that's semi-serious and as a reluctant hero. As I said in my Cap: Civil War review, Scott's presence in that movie, even beyond his 'big' moment, was one of my favorite things about it.
Beyond the great casting, Ant-Man sticks out for its tonal dissidence from most of the others and daring to be a 'smaller' movie. Though there are potentially high stakes involved, the immediate action is smaller and much more personal than any of the other MCU films. I also love the history they work into the story with all of Hank's backstory...including Jan!
And that extended training sequence is at once lots of fun and extremely engaging. I just don't see how anyone couldn't enjoy the hell out of it!
It's moved up in my personal accounting so much that it's probably right behind Avengers, Guardians and Winter soldier (those three in no set order) as my fourth-favorite among the MCU. Such a fun, terrific movie!
I finally was able to finish the second season of iZombie over the last few days. First, let's reminisce about my feelings for the first season:
Originally Posted by Paladin
iZombie. I had the last nine episodes of this past initial season stored on my DVR since their initial airing. Though it wasn't a bad show, per se, I guess there was something lacking in those first few episodes that made it easy to put on the back-burner--or even to possibly delete without watching. But I noticed my wife had watched all of them, so I figured I'd give them a shot.
I'm actually glad I did! While the series kept to its basic murder-mystery-of-the-week format, the subplots involving the man who made Liv a zombie and the complications for all the characters in her life really became absorbing and kept me watching the next episode.
The showrunner for this one is the same as Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas. And he really brings that show's sensibilities to this one. Both share the ability to give you satisfying mysteries solved each episode while developing an over-arching plot as the season goes on. They also share some quirky humor, a plucky female lead and a large cast of characters. So anyone who enjoys one show can easily enjoy the other, I'd say, even though this one has some supernatural elements.
I was very pleasantly surprised by the balance of season one and am looking forward to the upcoming second season. I suspect these won't be languishing in the DVR.
The basic formula continued in season 2 and was even improved upon. Yes, we still had corpse-of-the-week with Liv's brain consumption visions continuing to help solve murders. But the mythology and continuing subplots really stepped up, leading to a rollicking and action-packed season finale that recalled those great Veronica Mars finales. It may nort have been as emotionally charged as those VMars finales, but the spectacle was larger and the plot pay-off was about as good. Plus, it looks like it will be harder and harder to keep the zombie culture a secret moving forward.
This is an excellent show that more people should definitely be paying attention to.
IZombie: I was on-board first ep in. I only watched because I had the comic book series from issue #1. The show went a different way, which I'm fine with. It wasn't around long enough to have "canon."
I agree, they do a good job at keeping the over-all arc going with a good weekly mystery for the Scoobies. The Scoobs are really enjoyable and intelligent characters, good actors throughout. I can't recall an ep I did not particularly like but the Frat episode is by far my favorite.
It a good binge show for those that have not been through it weekly.
Last night, I watched about two-thirds of "Thor: The Dark World." And while Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis continued to delight and the rest of the cast were just fine, the movie as a whole wasn't a patch on the magnificent first one. "TTDW" reminded me of those Italo-cheese sword & sorcery movies from the 80s that they'd make fun of on MST3K.
Dark World seemed very much an exercise in let's get the status quo from Point A to Point B, setting up future developments, but didn't hold a lot of memorable moments on its own, though Hiddleston and Elba stole every scene they were in.
Being honest, I thought I was picking up a documentary that was going to help me sort out that crazy English history. It still may but it's no documentary. REALLY enjoyable through the first three episodes.
Checked out Conjuring 2 with my sister last night. I liked parts of it, but there as an over reliance on jump scares and the film felt really bloated at 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Orange is the New Black is back. Two eps in, seems like it will be a good season.
Staying to formula of flashback to build empathy for how inmates got into their situations, giving all the old characters some screen time and I still can't stand the lead character. A problem I see is they keep adding to the cast, without thinning the herd. A think the inmates are all minimum security lifers.
If you've finished up "Orange..." you'll see there was a bit of ... "herd thinning...."
I think this was a much better season than the previous one. I know Piper is annoying, but it seems intentional - she just doesn't fit in with these ladies. She did provide one of the funniest moments of the season when her little "caring" group veers from her original intentions...
Talk about sudden left turns. Or is that a right turn? lol, I agree it was much better than last year's though I prefer last year's delightful ending (this year's beginning).
However for a show that tries to show people are people, they really
kind of laid out military vets and I guess got blasted for it. Based on the history of the show, I have to believe they had positive intents that didn't quite work out in the editing or writing.
something sad but wonderfully done
what I thought was a flashback for Poussey I now see has many interesting interpretationa and was based on their movie choice of The Wiz. Great writing.
It's taken me almost three months, but I have made it through the entire run of Animaniacs on Netflix.
Some thoughts:
The Warners are nothing short of sheer genius. The writing is brilliant. The music is amazing. The voice acting is phenomenal (Rob Paulsen, the voice of Yakko [as well as Pinky and Scratchansniff], is my latest celebrity crush). It's fitting that they are meant to represent unknown characters from the golden age of animation, because they are the only characters created for TV who truly could stand head to head with Bugs, Daffy, and their friends.
Pinky and the Brain is likewise amazing. Not much more I can add than what is found all over the internet.
Slappy Squirrel, like Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, traces her origins to the characters of the golden age, and she is similarly brilliant.
Rita and Runt is cute. Bernadette Peters' talents are well-used. The songs here are also very well done.
Buttons and Mindy is adorable. It's repetitive, but funny. It's kind of like Keeping Up Appearances. It's the same thing over and over, but it's always good.
Minerva Mink deserved more than two cartoons of her own. She also has roots in screwball animation of the '40s, though with a different sensibility. The adult nature of her cartoons really should have been explored elsewhere.
Also underused and underappreciated are the Hip Hippos. They are a biting satire of consumer culture. They also deserved better.
Chicken Boo and Katie Ka-Boom work very well because they are in short cartoons. They're one-joke characters, but the shorter format keeps them from getting stale.
The interstitial segments, Randy Beaman, Mime Time, and Good Idea/Bad Idea, are all fun for what they are.
Then there's Goodfeathers. I never got this one. It's the weakest offering, in my opinion. They might have worked better in a shorter format.
I finally saw the new *Ghostbusters* movie and while it wasn't as unfathomably awful as the trailers seemed to suggest, it's a colossal bore of a movie. The humor is very juvennile so your younger kids might like it, but most adults will probably roll their eyes. It's telling that the only joke that made me laugh was in the first two minutes of the film.
I just saw it. I laughed a lot! Very different from the originals but with a lot of nice nods. Basically, a fun popcorn movie just like the original was.
I just bingewatched Stranger Things. It took me two episodes to realize what it was. They took a bunch of b horror movies along with a couple of a movies, mashed them up, and made a mini-series out of it.
Honestly, i kept intending to stop up until the fifth ep. Then it got better. But I was on the cusp of dropping it several times.
Rick, I watched that as well. A buddy of mine loved it and recommended it to me. I thought it was ok, but if it had been longer than 8 episodes, I would have dropped it too.
I liked it it ok. Didn't love it.
There's a series on Netflix - originally on MTV - based on Terry Brooks Sword of Shannara. Has anyone seen it? I'm considering watching it.
The new Jason Bourne was OK, but not special and just felt unnecessary. I get they were throwing the spotlight on the security/privacy issues in the world today, but that was a minor part sandwiched between what were standard, almost cliched Bourne chase and fight scenes. The cast were great, and there wasn't anything bad about the movie, but we've seen most of it before.
I'm watching old wrestling shows for the most part, and some new stuff as well. I kind of want to review all the Kayfabe Commentaries I am buying, so at least I get further use from them. I have no idea if anyone else likes wrestling here though.
I just bingewatched Stranger Things. It took me two episodes to realize what it was. They took a bunch of b horror movies along with a couple of a movies, mashed them up, and made a mini-series out of it.
Honestly, i kept intending to stop up until the fifth ep. Then it got better. But I was on the cusp of dropping it several times.
I am a few eps in and I am still on the fence. I never liked movies like "Goonies" where kids are the heroes. I just can never buy it.
I've been watching (and rewatching) "Bojack Horseman" though - great show!!
Also, if you're into musical tv shows with heart and a lot of humor, Netflix just added "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." SO GOOOOD!
Lardy, I liked Jessica Jones. I caught a lot of references that I know other (non-comic-book) people missed, such as the fact that he likes purple is because he's really the Purple Man.
Watched the first two seasons of Outlander. Wow, what a surprisingly excellent show! Chalk full of great characters and uber-dramatic moments. Like most Starz shows, it's incredibly unique and a welcome addition.
My wife and I also watched the entirety of Newsroom and were blown away but how phenomenal it was. I had seen most of season 1 already but I was delighted that the high quality keeps up all series. This is a pretty compelling piece of evidence to support the idea that Aaron Sorkin is the greatest TV writer of all time, or at least best dialogue scripter.
Interested to know what you think! The first episode is a bit different than the rest by reasons made very apparent during the course of the episode (and the nature of the series) but its quite good!
The stream was jittery so I found a place to uh... borrow it. It's on the watch list for today.
DRAT, I knew there was a reason I was supposed to stop and get some cookies. Passed right on by thinking I'd best do with out. Cookies are my go to for laptop show watching. Well, I'm not driving clear back across town to the bakery.... need a plan B.
I caught the first episode of Stranger Things last night, and I was pretty damn impressed! It captures the feel of an 80's Spielberg or Joe Dante flick pretty well and I can't wait to see where this series goes.
I just binge-watched season 5 of Veep. I'm not really a "laugh out loud" sort of person. I'm more a "wry smile" type. But this season had me LOLing in every episode. The (large) regular cast is phenomenal but I also love all the recurring smaller characters, like the Prime Minister of Finland and Selina's annoying friend, Karen.
This is a show I will definitely rewatch over the years.
I caught the first episode of Stranger Things last night, and I was pretty damn impressed! It captures the feel of an 80's Spielberg or Joe Dante flick pretty well and I can't wait to see where this series goes.
AANNDD I just binged watched the entire first season.
It's a pretty solid first season, barring a few sluggish episodes. I can't wait to see what happens in season 2.
Watched (along with the rest of the country), the Hip's final concert, live on the CBC. Truly inspiring, emotional and bittersweet. They really are the soudtrack to Canadians lives who are my age.
Amanda Hallay's fashion youtube videos. Entertaining and educational. Oh, if I had the time I would go back to school and teach at a fashion college too.
"Bojack Horseman" - have I mentioned it before? If you have Netflix, watch it!! It's packed with silly jokes, but then gut-punches you with something touching/utterly depressing.
"Halt and Catch Fire" - New season just started, but catch up with this if you can. It's like a dramatic version of "Silicon Valley" (which you should also be watching!) and chock full of 80's goodness!
Preseason NFL Football - it doesn't really count, but yeah, I'm watching!
Just finished Season One of "Mr. Robot". I'm conflicted, because I really liked it most of the the way through, but the very derivative aspects of it undermine the ending for me. Spoilers:
It's basically a revamp of Fight Club (While Tyrell's story borrows heavily from American Psycho).
Despite some fantastic acting and writing, the lack of originality hurts it for me.
Just watched Rosewater for the first time and loved it. What a strong directorial debut for Jon Stewart. I hope now that he's "retired" he starts making more films.
Finally got the first season of Supergirl to watch (I didn't bother when it started, and the first episodes were gone from Hulu by the time I got around to checking it out).
It's pretty fun, so far. Like the Flash, it's unapologetically cheesy and campy and fun. And I love it.
I've tried to watch Stranger Things on Netflix, but I can't seem to get into it.
My wife and I did a complete rewatch of Boardwalk Empire which I enjoyed immensely. Originally my wife didn't like it as much as I did, but she started to really enjoy it in the second half of season 2, and then seasons 3-5 were excellent. She says, and I think I agree, that the series gets progressively better as it goes along (though again, I liked it a lot from the get-go). Like its predecessor show on HBO, the Sopranos, the show is huge on subtext, metaphor and allegory and part of the fun is spending some time understanding all of that each episode. Steve Buscemi's performance is often really understated which makes him a difficult lead to get to love (as my wife tells me) but again, I really liked him from start to finish. I also love the very human performances--with humor, deep flaws (both oafish and sympathetic) and affability--for all the varoius 'gangsters' like Capone, Luciano, etc.
Up next, we are rewatching season 1 of Ray Donovan which will spill into watching seasons 2 & 3 for the first time. I loved season 1 and think Liev Schreiber is phenomenal, so I'm really looking forward to it.
My wife and I also loved "Boardwalk Empire" but we thought the last season was terrible - just throwing characters aside rather than giving them a proper (or interesting) ending. I personally thought it was never as good once Jimmy left the show.
^ I kept thinking of how the Sopranos ended without giving characters proper endings. Boardwalk borrowed heavily the Sopranos in a lot of its storytelling sensibilities, so I wonder if that was a continuation.
Meanwhile, I'm definitely interested in hearing about any one who checks out a new show and if its any good. I tend to write off most network stuff as utter shit, but there's occasionally something worthwhile.
Meanwhile, my wife and I checked out the show Power on Starz to see if it might eventually be worthy of our "weekend Nights" (which involves a lot of wine, gin, good food, etc.). The first episode was pretty good, so I think we will eventually do that.
I don't expect it to be all that good, but I'm probably going to try Lethal Weapon to see if they can achieve the entertainment factor that the movies had. Not an easy task but if they keep it fun, it might be worthwhile.
Hoping for Lethal Weapon. Rush Hour I had hopes for. I really enjoy the characters and casting, some of the most enjoyable I've seen but the stories and overall arc just aren't consistently doing them justice.
Just finished Luke Cage on Netflix. Pretty good, if not entirely for me. (Then again, to paraphrase Tilda Swanton's Ancient One, "Not everything is. Not everything has to be.")
They really cut loose with the use of his super-strength and bulletproof-ness, instead of keeping it as low-key as in Jessica Jones (with her own abilities), so it was fun to see him sort of walk through dudes with guns, more concerned with protecting other not-bulletproof people than himself.
The acting from Alfre Woodard, Mahershala Ali (I had to look that name up. I was only one letter off!), Simone Missick and Rosario Dawson, in particular, was top notch. They just ate up the scenes there were in, and Mike Colter and Theo Rossi did well as well. I'd have loved to see more of some of the side-characters, like Misty Knights two superiors, or 'Genghis Connie,' Cage's landlady and owner of a Chinese Restaurant below his apartment.
The whole show was a love-letter to Harlem, in general, and had a surprising amount of connections to the other Netflix shows (we heard an episode of 'Trish Talk,' from the Jessica Jones show, and Claire Temple, from Daredevil, was a major presence), as well as references to other Marvel cinematic properties, such as street vendors selling tapes of 'the Incident' (the alien invasion in Avengers), lots of references to Hammer Industries (from Iron Man 2), etc.
Watched the first half of the first episode but it was a chore. Enjoyed the barbershop and his life on the street scenes/ Some interesting characters there. They got in the obligatory booty call, which seemed to dull my intelligence but I liked the awkwardness of their pick-up attempts. I'm presumming it wasn't poor acting and was just actually what most would expect when two people are attracted. Just wish it hadnt ended in the booty call.
Liked most of the acting but the story was blah. My biggest disappointment was Ali. Liked him in several things but just couldn't get into his portrayal here.
They could make a show about the barbershop and I'd probably watch that. The rest has been a bit dull. Good enough to check out another episode though.
After, but Jessica's not in it. (Although Claire Temple shows up quite a bit, and there's an interview about powered-people that mentions a super-strong chick and some dude who can control minds.)
Watched the HBO Westworld last night. Turns out it's a sequel to the original (or at least implied sequel - they keep referencing a critical event 30 years ago). It was interesting, but not very original, as the central conceit about the robots glitching/rebelling and the morality of how we treat advanced AI is well trodden ground by now (the New Battlestar, TNG & Voyager, Ex Machina, Her, the original WestWorld. etc). I was more interested in the secondary hints at a larger story, where Ed Harris' character is trying to find some "higher" level in the game, and the idea that "management" has much bigger plans than the theme park.
It was well acted, and the bait & switch at the beginning was fun (until it got disturbing). I'll stick with it, but I want it to go in unexpected directions as the story unfolds.
Watched the HBO Westworld last night. Turns out it's a sequel to the original (or at least implied sequel - they keep referencing a critical event 30 years ago). It was interesting, but not very original, as the central conceit about the robots glitching/rebelling and the morality of how we treat advanced AI is well trodden ground by now (the New Battlestar, TNG & Voyager, Ex Machina, Her, the original WestWorld. etc). I was more interested in the secondary hints at a larger story, where Ed Harris' character is trying to find some "higher" level in the game, and the idea that "management" has much bigger plans than the theme park.
It was well acted, and the bait & switch at the beginning was fun (until it got disturbing). I'll stick with it, but I want it to go in unexpected directions as the story unfolds.
I love the original film so I was on the fence as to whether or not I would watch this. I'll give it a chance but I have low expectations.
Supergirl seems to have benefit from the change, IMO. The dialogue is snappier, more drama in the stories. It's always had better acting than most of the DC series', now the writing is starting to do it justice.
Don't know if YouTube counts, but I've been binging on The Spoony Experiment's Ultima and Final Fantasy reviews and his Counter Monkey series: Noah can be a little callous sometimes, but he seems like a really upright, fun, and passionate dude.
I like to watch this youtube series where a woman named Mina travels around the world. She visits places like Thailand, Singapore, etc and does video blogs.
I've been on a "flawed female protagonist" trend apparently:
-- "Fleabag" - caught it on Amazon. Only six eps in the first "series" (it's a Brit show) and it's kinda funny, fairly depressing, and has a gut-punch moment near the end. (I saw it coming, but it didn't diminish the execution)
-- "Good Behavior": Kinda funny, fairly depressing ... former thief, former meth addict, lost custody of her child who tries to do a good thing when she finds out someone's about to be the victim of a murder for hire, but ends up being forced to work for the hitman... whom she alternately has hot sex with and tries to run away from. Pretty good so far - definitely want to see where this crazy train ends up.
My "flawed female protagonist" jaunt continues with Alia Shawkat on "Search Party." It's kinda funny, but it's mostly a great character study of a young woman having an existential crisis while dragging her boyfriend and friends into a mystery surrounding someone they barely knew in college who goes missing ... And it has a great payoff.
I just saw it. I laughed a lot! Very different from the originals but with a lot of nice nods. Basically, a fun popcorn movie just like the original was.
Yep. I gave it a solid "B+." Would totally watch again. Though I'm glad it was only a modest success, because I don't really want a million remakes of properties associated with guys redone with women.
I DO want more woman-centered original stuff, though. But you probably knew that.
mr_cleome's really enjoying Jessica Jones, but it just leaves me feeling "Blah." The gratuitous "LOL!Fattie" bit at the start sure didn't help. But I also don't think the woman who plays the lead is all that good, or interesting. She's an ass-kicking porcelain doll who seems to be out-acted by a lot of the supporting cast.
Speaking of fat folks onscreen, I saw an early episode of This Is Us and considered continuing with it. Even though it's basically a new-generation thirtysomething with all the groan-inducing cliches that implies. Then I found out the fat sister character will have a weight-loss arc, and was glad that I opted not to get too attached.
I finally got around to watching "Batman v Superman." I would have been better off watching whatever cheesy Christmas movie was on the Hallmark Channel. At least watching those I get a brief moment of happiness when I see that Willie Aames is getting work. I can't imagine sitting through BvS a second time.
That reminds me, I never did catch "Merry Grumpy Xmas" or whatever the Lifetime Grumpy Cat Special was called. I really should look around for it.
Speaking of yesteryear's stars: I watched the 1930s version of Little Lord Fauntleroy last week. Pretty fun, though I'll own up and say the TV version from the Eighties with Ricky Schroeder and Connie Booth is much more to my taste. There's also a Trek cameo for you true believers, but I won't give it away if you've never seen it.
Hardcore fans might spot at least two other familiar faces from Fawlty Towers, besides Connie Booth. (Who does really well with what's kind of a 2-D role of Saintly Mom.) And of course, Alec Guinness is always great to see.
I am watching The Gaming Historian's Youtube channel often this week. The creator, Norman, does a great job explaining topics from consoles (e.g. the Sega Dreamcast) to major events (the fall of Atari). The production quality is extremely high.
Sense8 Christmas: replaced one of the actors, the one with the most fun personality and storyline, with someone has NO charisma but still liking it. The show will do some things I might not like and a lot of things I love but it always does something. That's great. I look forward to the release of Season 2.
Another old-time Xmas special I dug up last week was Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas. I suppose it never became a first-stringer because it had no traditional seasonal trappings, like Santa or an inspirational message a la' Peanuts. Also, Henson & Friends were about three decades too early for the Coen Brothers helping to make Bluegrass cool (briefly). I enjoyed seeing it again anyway.
It's seriously one of the most beautiful movies I've seen in years and I generally hate musicals. It's a charming throwback to 50's Old Hollywood, but still manages to feel fresh and modern, partly due to the natural charisma of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as the leads. The musical numbers are all good, especially if you're a jazz fan (looking at you cleome! ). It's defintely something that needs to be seen in theaters on a big screen to truly appreciate!
Will do, Kappa. I'd been about 95% certain I'd see "La La Land", but your review has just tipped it all the way to 100%. Thanks.
And, FTR, even before "La La Land" gained buzz, I *already* J'ADORE-d Emma Stone (who, BTW, plays the bespectacled-intellectual-turned-fire-maned-beauty sorority sister in "The House Bunny," a movie I've been relentlessly promoting for over the past month in the Kat Dennings Thread right here in Anywhere Machine...that is, even though I actually have extremely mixed feelings about that movie. OTOH, and from a different perspective, it might be even more of an incentive to watch it. Oh, just stream it or borrow the DVD from the library and tell me what you all think!!)
I'm hesitant to see "La La Land," but I do like stage musicals and I did REALLY like Across the Universe but most of those I like have big cast with intertwining stories, like "Rent."
Reviews seem to focus on just two characters and basically a romance movie?
Never got the Gosling love either, so am a bit worried about his portrayal of Armstrong, a childhood hero both from my state and my college (and almost my Prof). I might have too high expectations to even hope to enjoy what he does there.
Maybe he'll be the Tom Hanks type that can pull it off. He didn't annoy me in The Big Short though I refuse to punish myself ever again with Half Nelson.
2017 has me trying a couple of new series that I'm fairly into after a handful of episodes each:
Emerald City is kind of a dark re-mix of the Oz stories. It's been billed as "Wizard of Oz meets Game of Thrones". While I don't think it's that dark, it certainly has an adult spin on the mythos but without going too, too far into the dark side. The cast is pretty good with one highlight being the smoldering chemistry/blooming romance between Dorothy and the scarecrow stand-in. It's kind of understated but draws you in. The only character I'm not feeling at all is Vincent D'Onofrio as Oz. He really seems bored in the role and not at all captivating as he was recently as Wilson Fisk on Netflix's Daredevil series.
I'm not sure Emerald City is for everyone, and reviews seem to bear that statement out. But I'm entertained thus far and am likely to stick with it thru its ten-episode (I think) run.
Another much more definitely mature series on FX is Taboo. It's hard to describe, but it's set in London near the end of the American Revolution. James Delaney, a man who'd long been presumed dead, returns home after his father dies and inherits a valuable bit of land that puts him in the crosshairs of the East India Company. There's a lot of mystery about what happened to James in Africa and what he wants to accomplish with his inheritance. Tom Hardy as James is captivating, and he is surrounded by a first-rate cast that includes many familiar faces. It's set for 8 episodes, and I'm definitely in for the rest.
Have any of you seen either of these two? What did you think?
Powerless was truly, truly awful. The main character is extremely unlikable and the whole thing is horribly unfunny. The one fun part was the Starro cameo. Don't waste your time.
Lardy, I very much plan on watching Taboo, which looks awesome, but am waiting for it to finish so I can binge watch it all at once over a weekend. Your description of it only whets my appetite more.
I don't think I had even heard of Emerald City. We only got Netflix in Nov or Dec, so I'm still sorting through it all (and very gradually getting through the amazing Daredevil season 1). My wife and I absolutely loved The Queen and Versailles.
We've just rewatched House of Cards season 1&2 and are now watching 3&4 for the first time. By far one of the best series ever made, it's hard to praise it any more than has already been done. It's powerful: incredibly well written and directed, with an incredible cast and two seminal performances by Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.
How to Get Away with Murder. Best show on TV right now for my money. I was shocked recently by an interview that revealed how much the writers are flying by the seat of their pants. They manage to consistently pull off climaxes that feel meticulously planned. And unlike some other shows, *Lost* *Battlestar Galactica* they never actually claimed to have been plotted out far in advance, I just always assumed it because of how tight the writing is. The most recent death truly turned the show upside down. It was truly the most important character they could possibly kill, since there would be no show without Viola Davis.
The only superhero show I'm watching right now is Supergirl. It's nicely self-contained, and has an old-school feel that recalls Christopher Reeve and Dean Cain that tickles my nostalgia button. And it also has great, thoughtful messages for young girls that go far beyond the usual platitudes. I'm especially glad they didn't have her fall for the nerdy guy who was pining for her from afar. I'm really tired of the cliche of the guy who "deserves" the girl because of his secret feelings.
I came back to Grimm, but honestly would probably leave again if it weren't the last series. It's not good enough to make me fall in love again, but it is still good enough to want to know how it ends. Although I'm not pleased with the direction the love triangle seems to be headed.
And - one of my guiltiest secrets - I am an avid General Hospital watcher and have been for 7 or 8 years. It's hypnotic. Some of the tragedy is truly Shakespearean in scope. When it's good, it's predictable in good ways that make you think "Ha! I knew it!" but also surprises you once in a while. The current producer is one who is willing to embrace the absurd and include psychic visions, multiple personalities and other over the top things.
And how could a Legion fan not like a show that has something like 30 full time cast members at any given time, as many again as recurring, and decades of complicated history to dive into?
Man, this sucks. I had absolutely no interest in Powerless. Then today I read about how it's going to feature Crimson Fox and Fire, and I want to check it out. Then I immediately read a terrible review. Why couldn't I have read the terrible review first, so I didn't have that brief minute and a half of hope?
Newish shows last couple of years top 25 Game of Thrones (binged on quickly rose to the top of my list) Walking Dead (this show when good can affect me physically) Flash (fun enjoyable show made me love the Flash even more) Supergirl (excited about Mon-el hopefully get more Legionnaires) Legends of Tomorrow (more heroes more fun) Gotham (Bruce Wayne is getting taller this season) Westworld (the twists and turns kept me on my toes) Outlander (started out slow and picked up steam in more ways than 1) Vikings (at first felt like a documentary then into must watch TV) Super Mansion cartoon (messed up Super-Heroes in a good way) Justice League Action cartoon (Space Cabbie was awesome fun) Awesomes cartoon (Super-Heroes in the vein of inferior 5) Taboo (intense with great acting and intrigue) Black Sails (just started watching, beware of Blackbeard) Saturday Night Live (Alec Baldwin is my President) Penny Dreadful (monsters a league of extraordinary gentleman feel) Stranger Things (great child acting and story) Luke Cage (half way through season 1 so far so good) Daredevil (just started watching 1st episode was promising) Avengers cartoon (would like to see more old school Avengers) Guardians of the Galaxy cartoon (enjoyable as the movie) Broad City (these girls are ate up funny) I Zombie (good show need to catch up on past season) Batman Brave and the Bold (missed show when it first aired fun) Kentucky Wildcat Basketball (Go Big Blue)
I have been watching reviews and let's plays of Stellaris, which is a sci-fi game from Paradox. I am so indecisive as to whether or not I should buy it.
I love Paradox games in theory, but they overwhelm me so much that I hardly ever play them. But I keep buying the DLC because I want to believe I will play them!
On paper, the show isn't really my cup of tea at all. Hell, I just started liking Archie Comics in general like a year and a half ago. Yet, I absolutely loved the first two episodes.
It's that same odd, yet immensely enjoyable thrill that I get when I watch the Flash. They've tapped into a subconscious part of me and I guess I'm just going to go along for the ride!
PS - it helps that rather than going the route of the much-hated Dawson's Creek and 90210 (both of which I despised as a kid), the show goes the route of Veronica Mars, and instead brings a heavy dose of mystery, tension and intrigue.
That, combined with characters I've recently started to love, is pretty damn effective!
So this is the first time in what feels like about 20 years that I've seen more than one or two of the main Oscar-contender films prior to the ceremony.
I've seen four of the Best Picture nominees and while that's still pathetic, I'm feeling swept up in awards fever so want to rank them. From worst (for rhyming purposes; none of these movies were objectively 'bad') to first:
4. Hidden Figures: A perfectly fine movie - fine acting, fine plot, fine filmmaking - but nothing special. Hits every story and emotional beat you expect it to while remaining engaging enough. Absolutely does not deserve to win Best Picture though.
3. La La Land: Started off disliking this one (there was something really annoying and 'affected' about the opening song/dance number IMO) but it really grew on me as the film progressed. I'm a big musical fan but I think this one would almost have been better without the songs and dances actually. I was more engaged by the characters and the story (as unfresh as it was) than by any of the songs and dance numbers (as visually arresting as some of them were). I really loved the ending too. I was not expecting to be as emotionally moved by it as I was.
2. Arrival: Close call between this one and La La Land. I read the short story this was based upon just before seeing the film and this is one of the rare instances where I think I should have seen the film first. I think the twist would have been more powerful that way. Really moving and original story and it would be great to see a sci-fi movie get recognition at an awards ceremony for once.
1. Moonlight: Beautiful. Devastating. Heart-breaking. Hopeful. For multiple reasons, this film spoke to me more than any other film I've seen in a long time. Everything about it was flawless IMO - acting, music, cinematography, dialogue, plot structure, editing... I really, really hope it wins some big awards.
I definitely plan on seeing Hell or High Water within the next few days and hope to see Hacksaw Ridge and Manchester by the Sea before the ceremony too so will update this thread if those movies upset my rankings at all.
Re-watched John Huston's Beat The Devil a week or so back. A fun, if frothy, movie about modern-day colonial profiteering, skullduggery, bed-hopping among the married set. Y'know, all the finer things.
1. Moonlight: Beautiful. Devastating. Heart-breaking. Hopeful. For multiple reasons, this film spoke to me more than any other film I've seen in a long time. Everything about it was flawless IMO - acting, music, cinematography, dialogue, plot structure, editing... I really, really hope it wins some big awards.
Agreed. This was a surprisingly moving film. The narrative flow, the depth of the characters, the quality of the silences...
If it wins ANY awards (even best 3rd scene), they will hear my cheers as far away as Khund
Late to the party, but we`re going through the Wire now. All I can say is... Wow.
Great, great series. I rewatched season 1 a few years ago and it definitely feels dated, but that is a very minor complaint in relation to how great the rest of the show is.
The entire show is great so don't believe anything negative you read about season 2 or 4. That being said, there's just somethign magical about season 1.
Late to the party, but we`re going through the Wire now. All I can say is... Wow.
Great, great series. I rewatched season 1 a few years ago and it definitely feels dated, but that is a very minor complaint in relation to how great the rest of the show is.
The entire show is great so don't believe anything negative you read about season 2 or 4. That being said, there's just somethign magical about season 1.
Interesting, because we liked season 2 quite a bit (The union stuff was great, and it certainly subverted expectations on what the show was about). We're midway through season 3 and it's taking a bit of time to warm to it, mostly because it seemed directionless at first, but threads are starting to come together on the back half. I've actually heard season 4 is one of the best seasons (in a soul crushing way).
For whatever reason, all the seasons have detractors online but ultimately they are all pretty great. Season 3 is probably the one I liked least. Season 2 gets the worst wrap of all and I disagree (as you guys clearly do too). I loved the union stuff myself and think it was a very smart approach to the show. I do have to admit that I haven't watched seasons 2-4 since 2006 or 2007.
So many of these actors are on shows currently. Of course, Idris Elba went on to become a mega star too. All of them really get a chacne to show their stuff in this series because of how meaty the characters are and how well written the dialogue is.
Wire viewing has slowed down somewhat for season 4. It's still excellent, but being a public school teacher, my wife is finding this season extremely stressful, so we're not binging it as quickly.
Leftovers continues to be the best thing on TV, and probably one of the best shows of all time. This week's episode was sublime, from the "Perfect Strangers" theme song opening to the Wu-Tang Clan trampoline scene. Carrie Coon is just awesome as the "cursed" Nora Durst.
In recent weeks I watched the last two seasons of Deep Space Nine, a show I loved back in the day but did not see much of late in the run because life got in the way. I had seen a couple of eps from season 6 back at the time, the retaking of the station and the magnificent 'Far Beyond the Stars'. But everything else was new to me.
seems odd to say SPOILER ALERT for a show that ended 18 years ago, but if anyone who has never seen it is tempted to, i highly recommend it.
the multi-part stories were always awesome, well-done epic space warfare. The individual episodes were usually very good as well, but some seemed incongruous to life during wartime.
I had been warned about the pah-wraiths, and their introductory episode late in season 6 was probably the worst of the entire series. It made me fear the show was about to jump the shark, but later stories involving them were a lot better. The number of Ferengi-centered stories got onerous as well, and both mirror-universe follow-ups seemed like going back to the well one too many times; they should have just left it to that first one. Section 31 seemed to be destined for over-use, but the three stories were just enough without going overboard.
Other than that, a lot of good stories, great character development. I loved the addition of Vic Fontaine as a reoccurring holographic character, and the caper episode, while one of those that doesn't really fit the wartime feel, is just brilliant. It shouldn't work on so many fronts, yet it does; the crafting and acting is so good that the whole silliness of the premise doesn't matter. The baseball episode runs into similar risks, but like the Doctor Who episode 'Father's Day,' I got a lot more out of it on multiple viewings.
the eps where Nog is injured, and then his return and recovery in the holosuite were really touching, the former for its intensity and grittiness and the latter for its poignancy. It is a good reminder as well that DS9 generally used holosuites as an augment to a story rather than the TNG trope of 'the holodeck goes berserk!' and the closest DS9 comes to the latter (the caper, and the much earlier Bashir spy story) are still about something other than an out-of-control holodeck. The ep where Vic is coaching Odo about Kira is a nice example; while taking place mostly inside the holosuite, the conflict is really about Odo overcoming his own obstacles.
I agree with a lot of what you say about DS9. The last episode was great and the Cardassian resistance stuff in the last season was also great, with the ironic reversal of roles and the unlikely rise and redemption of Dumar (and Garrak was always a favourite anyway).
It was unfortunate that Terry Farrell left the show, as I never warmed the Ezri Dax and the cast dynamic never fully recovered from that. Still, while I loved the show the first time out, on a re-watch a few years ago, it's obvious the addition of Worf was the turning point where things really picked up. I was disappointed his status at the end of DS9 was never addressed in any ST Nemesis, he's just suddenly back with the old crew.
I had heard of Farrell leaving the show at the time, so I had many a year to get used to her not being there for season 7. Obviously any change can be awkward, even when that character is a Trill with a built-in reason for a new face. I didn't mind Ezri, but with only one season and a lot of storylines being wrapped up, there really wasn't time to develop fully her. That said, I generally liked what they did do with her; it didn't always gel, but it did enough.
agree re: Worf's joining, but it wasn't just him - it was also the show setting down roots and the intensification of conflict with the Gamma Quadrant, if I recall correctly. I would place Worf as a second turning point, the first being more than a season earlier, with the grand slam of really good stories in a row with Dax and Kirk's old Klingon nemeses, the Maquis, the first DS9 Mirror Universe story, and the introduction of the Jem'Hadar. To me, the late second season shows a lot of important development and coalescence even before Worf. But yes, his addition was a good development that finished the solidification process.
Is anyone else checking out Glow (aka "Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling") on Netflix?
I have to say that so far the performances are very good, and the show really does capture the bleakness and horrifically bad aesthetics of the 1980s very well.
Is anyone else checking out Glow (aka "Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling") on Netflix?
I have to say that so far the performances are very good, and the show really does capture the bleakness and horrifically bad aesthetics of the 1980s very well.
My wife and I are watching it slowly (usually at the end of the night on weekends), and so far I love it. I'm 3 eps in, and the performances have been fantastic, the tone is the perfect mixture of humor and seriousness, and there's just a lot to like. Both Allison Brie and Betty Gilpin are terrific here, and show some serious acting chops in addition to the humor and physicality of the roles. I can't wait to watch the whole thing but its so good, and so visually awesome, that I want to take my time!
Turn seasons #1-3, which has been fantastic. The series starts off kind of slow, and with good reason as its building up everything, but by midway through season 2 the stakes are super-high and the plot deliciously complex.
The Borgias (the Netflix / Cannal series, not the Showtime one), seasons #1-3, which was also really great. A more nuanced and historically accurate depiction of the Borgias which included all the various rumors about them. While the other Borgias show was good, this one felt a bit more visceral, and that might be because most of the actors were new to me. I like it quite a bit.
Better Call Saul Season #3 - phenomenal. By now its clear BCS is a continuation / prequel of Breaking Bad and just as good. This season even better than the first and second.
Fargo Season #3 - I loved it. While the ending was not as great as the other seasons IMO, I thought Gloria Burgle, played by Carrie Coon, as the lead was incredible, and the villain V.M. Varga was the scariest villain they've ever had. Such a quirky, strange show that I love watching.
Frontier Season #1, a 6 issue episode show on Netflix starring Jason Mamoa in early Colonial US / Canada during the era the Hudson's Bay Company monopolized the fur trade in the late 1600's. For those who like realistic, historical fiction, this is highly recommended.
House of Cards seasons 3-5. I have to say...once Frank attains the Presidency, the series starts to really falter and loses a lot of its charm. Season 3 wore me down, season 4 was tough to get through but ended on a high note and then season 5 did the opposite. I don't love it as much as I used to.
Ripper Street Seasons #1 and #2, an old favorite of mine that I wanted my wife to watch. More in the episodic vein, its not really a 'binge' type show so I wanted to break up the seasons in between other shows. It's a brillaint detective / CSI series set during the post Ripper years in London's East End, and the cast is just brillaint.
Up next, now that I finagled free Showtime out of my cable company for 6 months (the rotten bastards that they are): Ray Donovan Season 4 (love this show), Masters of Sex seasons 3-4 (love it), Homeland seasons 5-6 (curious to see if they can keep it good) and Billions (trying out).
Oh, also, The Keepers Documentary on Netflix, which was truly brilliant. We seem to have hit a golden age of crime documentaries right now with Making a Murderer (incredible) and Jinx (fantastic) and this one is the very best so far. Totally heart-breaking, it was also inspiring about how survivors can overcome their trauma and how regular people can work together to start righting incredible wrongs that seem insurmountable.
It's also confirmed for me that despite being raised Catholic, I simply can't ever go back to the Catholic Church.
Is anyone else checking out Glow (aka "Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling") on Netflix?
I have to say that so far the performances are very good, and the show really does capture the bleakness and horrifically bad aesthetics of the 1980s very well.
My wife and I are watching it slowly (usually at the end of the night on weekends), and so far I love it. I'm 3 eps in, and the performances have been fantastic, the tone is the perfect mixture of humor and seriousness, and there's just a lot to like. Both Allison Brie and Betty Gilpin are terrific here, and show some serious acting chops in addition to the humor and physicality of the roles. I can't wait to watch the whole thing but its so good, and so visually awesome, that I want to take my time!
Yeah, I'm not much for binge-watching. As with devouring a whole novel in a couple of days, I end up forgetting super-fast what I just experienced. I prefer doling out shows 1 or 2 episodes at a time. 3 at the maximum (and that not very often).
Reaching the end, I was struck by how often I'd predicted a certain twist, and it hadn't happened. At least not so far. So that's always good. When you get to the end, let me know what you think of the developments.
Found a live version of a Cinematic Titanic production on YouTube. (For those playing at home, CT was one of the offshoot projects from parts of the Mystery Science Theater crew. They made several episodes between 2007 and 2013, marketing them solely via disc sales and live shows.)
The movie is a truly bleak spectacle called The Astral Factor, "starring" a bunch of made-for-TV rejects, though it appears to have been intended for the theater, since I'm only halfway through and have already counted like three butt-shots. The riffers are doing their best with it, though my sound could be better. I don't know if it would convert someone who wasn't already a fan of this comedy genre. On the other hand, if you love Seventies trainwrecks, it may be worth muddling through anyway.
Aside from Stephanie Powers, who is as thoroughly unlikable (and frequently pants-less) as everyone else involved, the actor with the most, uh... star power in this dog is Frank Ashmore: of original V fame. He was also one of the unlucky co-pilots in Airplane. He does what he can here, given he's basically a bargain basement Norman Bates-Carrie White fusion with Dorothy Hamill's hair. (Oh, and you MSTies might remember him as the ill-fated buddy of that bewildered clone dude in Parts: The Clonus Horror.)
UPDATE: Slogged through the rest of this turkey last night. It never improved, except in the sense that more unlikable and/or uninteresting people died, though not nearly enough of them.
(Elke Sommer tried her hand at a verse of "In The Pines." The riffers were off their game as they missed the opportunity there for a few Kurt Cobain/MTV Unplugged jokes. D'oh!)
However, as the delightful cherry atop the manure sundae, I could swear that in the closing scene, someone was holding an actual Legion comic! But between the terrible print and my terrible eyesight, I can't guarantee that.
My older son has gotten me addicted to the History Channel show Forged in Fire. It's a competition show where four blacksmiths forge knives and other cutting objects and then re-create various historical edged weapons. The creations are then judged and put to the test to see how they would perform. I'm not any kind of weapon nut or really all that much a fan of reality competitions (other than Survivor), but something about this show entertains me and holds my interest. I guess it's just less subjective than talent competitions and easier to see the results on television than cooking competitions and their ilk. In any case it's a surprisingly nice show to help fill the summer doldrums.
I just saw Dunkirk (in IMAX 70 mm). I really, really enjoyed it. IMO it was pretty much flawless, although my viewing partner said he thought Saving Private Ryan (a film I found OK but a bit too sentimentally sappy and generic) was better, so take that for what you will.
Saw Lucio Fulci's unconventional giallo Don't Torture a Duckling. While the culprit is pretty obvious, I loved the exploration of scapegoats, religious devotion, and small town paranoia. It's a damn solid thriller with a hell of an ending.
Got to talking with our own Kent on another thread about Columbo. I've found a site with good-quality copies of all the episodes. I've been trying to watch one a day every day for a couple of weeks. I'm already up to Season Two. They've just introduced his basset hound, who apparently never had any name but "Dog" through the whole series. Wikipedia claims that the producers added the dog as a way of obliquely flipping off their superiors who, in the spirit of fixing what was never broken, wanted the title character to have a sidekick.
I did cheat and skip ahead first to the episode where Martin Landau's plays the homicidal twins, though. It seemed only right.
Tonight... Orphan Black's last episode. Thanks Tatiana & everybody, it's been a great 5 years! Let Helena live!
I had a lot of issues with this season, but the finale was really, really good. A lot of closure and stayed true to all the characters. I was glad they handled Rachael's appearance the way they did. If they had contrived to have her join the other four, that would have rung hollow.
I didn't get around to watching the last season of Orphan Black. I really should.
Right now, it's Game of Thrones, Killjoys and Dark Matter.
Wynona Earp failed to entice me into a second season (although I liked the first season fine enough, it's just not quite enough to motivate me to keep up with it).
Looking forward to Netflix's Defenders.
Between the upcoming Gifted, Runaways and Cloak and Dagger series, and new seasons of Agents of SHIELD, Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and, eventually, Legion, TV's as crawling with super-hero offerings as the movies are! What a time to be a fan of comic-book superheroes!
I grew up in an era where Wonder Woman and the Hulk were pretty much it, for superheroes on TV, so this is like an amazing smorgasboard.
Is anyone else checking out Glow (aka "Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling") on Netflix?
I have to say that so far the performances are very good, and the show really does capture the bleakness and horrifically bad aesthetics of the 1980s very well.
I finally hopped on the Glow hype train and ended up binge watching it in two days! All the characters are distinct and multi-dimensional, even the supporting characters. I was apprehensive at first because the trailers sold it as a "chick flick" sort of TV series, but it's all kinds of awesome, especially any time Marc Maron is on screen. Super stoked for season 2!
Just binge-watched Defenders last night. Pretty decent.
They managed to tie K'un Lun and the Hand together in an interesting way, that may or may not have anything to do with the comic book canon, but was certainly cool to see, creating some cool connective thread.
I had a lot of issues with this season, but the finale was really, really good. A lot of closure and stayed true to all the characters. I was glad they handled Rachael's appearance the way they did. If they had contrived to have her join the other four, that would have rung hollow.
Yeah, I had a few issues, also. With only 10 episodes to wrap up as much as possible, there seemed to be a couple of filler episodes that could've been better utilized.
Rachel's ending was good. There was no way I would've accepted her being embraced by the other clones. The thing is...I'm not sure exactly why I feel that way. I mean, I liked Helena by her second appearance, even though, as far as we know, she's killed more clones than Rachel did. Rachel killed what...2 clones? Helena was upwards of about 10 or so, not to mention the other people she killed. It's like they made them them both coins with one side of empathy & vulnerabilities and the other strength of purpose, but Helena's flips up more of the former, and Rachel's more of the latter. But I feel for Rachel, too, I just don't particularly like her. Both of them were raised under deplorably manipulative conditions, and neither received much in the loving/nurturing department. Is it that they gave Helena her amusing little "quirks" and a cute likable accent? I'll be trying to figure out my feelings toward them whenever I do a re-watch.
Originally Posted by Set
Just binge-watched Defenders last night. Pretty decent. They managed to tie K'un Lun and the Hand together in an interesting way, that may or may not have anything to do with the comic book canon, but was certainly cool to see, creating some cool connective thread.
It was pretty good. My biggest problem with it was Luke Cage's two "Deus ex machina" appearances. The first to save Danny in the Midland Circle boardroom, and the second showing up at the dojo with Sowande. At least they showed him getting the clue to Midland Circle, but to arrive at the boardroom from a parking ticket clue? And how he captured Sowande when the last we seen he was getting his ass kicked by him before being run over by a dump truck is beyond me. Other than those things, I enjoyed the ride.
Finished the Twin Peaks revival. Mixed feelings, which I suppose is inevitable. Back in the day I was the biggest Twin Peaks fan I knew, which means I remember all the good and the bad, and not just coffee and cherry pie. So I had much lower prescription nostalgia goggles than most. It actually had a lot more classic Peaks than I expected. I thought Lynch would pretty much make some new thing with the same actors and call it Twin Peaks. And they actually brought things together in a relatively coherent way before blowing them apart in a final hour of incoherence. And anyone who didn't expect THAT clearly didn't know Lynch or Twin Peaks.
My biggest gripe, and it's a biggie, is the criminal misuse of Sherilyn Fenn as Audrey. Beware the TL;DR rant that follows. They clearly recognized that people were eager about her, because they waited 2/3 of the show to bring her in, constantly teasing us with things that made us speculate. Then they gave us several unpalatable scenes of a character we couldn't even recognize, that didn't tie into anything else or tell us anything about her intervening years. Then after one admittedly awesome but pure nostalgia moment, it explodes into a WTF totally unrelated to anything else on the show, and then she's gone. Her weird moment was the cliffhanger leading into the finale, and it was never even addressed. Never shared a scene with a single other character from the old or new show, except for extras and one character created just for her scenes. And lots of conversation about characters we've never even heard of.
We learn from references to her in other people scenes that she was in a coma after the original series, and that while she was in a coma she was raped by one of the villains and had a son. None of her seems even acknowledges that, let alone addresses it in a significant way or gives her scenes with those characters. It's just... ugh.
My biggest gripe, and it's a biggie, is the criminal misuse of Sherilyn Fenn as Audrey. Beware the TL;DR rant that follows. They clearly recognized that people were eager about her, because they waited 2/3 of the show to bring her in, constantly teasing us with things that made us speculate. Then they gave us several unpalatable scenes of a character we couldn't even recognize, that didn't tie into anything else or tell us anything about her intervening years. Then after one admittedly awesome but pure nostalgia moment, it explodes into a WTF totally unrelated to anything else on the show, and then she's gone. Her weird moment was the cliffhanger leading into the finale, and it was never even addressed. Never shared a scene with a single other character from the old or new show, except for extras and one character created just for her scenes. And lots of conversation about characters we've never even heard of.
We learn from references to her in other people scenes that she was in a coma after the original series, and that while she was in a coma she was raped by one of the villains and had a son. None of her seems even acknowledges that, let alone addresses it in a significant way or gives her scenes with those characters. It's just... ugh.
The flash at the end of her episode with the blinding white room,just after she flips out at the roadhouse, seem to indicate she's still in a coma and it's all in her head. I expected Coop to address that along with Diane and Laura, but obviously once the Laura stuff went seriously sideways, it didn't really matter as EVERTHING was re-written.
Finished the Twin Peaks revival. Mixed feelings, which I suppose is inevitable. Back in the day I was the biggest Twin Peaks fan I knew, which means I remember all the good and the bad, and not just coffee and cherry pie. So I had much lower prescription nostalgia goggles than most. It actually had a lot more classic Peaks than I expected. I thought Lynch would pretty much make some new thing with the same actors and call it Twin Peaks. And they actually brought things together in a relatively coherent way before blowing them apart in a final hour of incoherence. And anyone who didn't expect THAT clearly didn't know Lynch or Twin Peaks.
My biggest gripe, and it's a biggie, is the criminal misuse of Sherilyn Fenn as Audrey. Beware the TL;DR rant that follows. They clearly recognized that people were eager about her, because they waited 2/3 of the show to bring her in, constantly teasing us with things that made us speculate. Then they gave us several unpalatable scenes of a character we couldn't even recognize, that didn't tie into anything else or tell us anything about her intervening years. Then after one admittedly awesome but pure nostalgia moment, it explodes into a WTF totally unrelated to anything else on the show, and then she's gone. Her weird moment was the cliffhanger leading into the finale, and it was never even addressed. Never shared a scene with a single other character from the old or new show, except for extras and one character created just for her scenes. And lots of conversation about characters we've never even heard of.
We learn from references to her in other people scenes that she was in a coma after the original series, and that while she was in a coma she was raped by one of the villains and had a son. None of her seems even acknowledges that, let alone addresses it in a significant way or gives her scenes with those characters. It's just... ugh.
Nice to see this thread is still kicking! Brian, I was also a huge fan of the original of the show (as was my wife). It was actually a point of conversation early on when we were dating. Anyhow, I agree about Audrey. I have to review the whole thing but wasn't much point to her except being raped by a demon and birthing an evil son.
I liked the first 3 episodes, then they lost me a bit with the Dougie stuff. I thought it was painful...I didn't feel like watching it because of Dougie. But after episode 7 or so I got into it. Last 10 episodes were fantastic but the last episode threw me for a loop. I knew it would...episode 17 tied too many loose ends. I had a feeling ep 18 was going to give us more loose ends.
I've wavered between loving and loathing this "season". I get Lynch's predilection for extended scenes and non-sequitur, but it was in overdrive through these 18 hours. An entire scene watching Jacobi paint shovels? The revolving cast of Roadhouse regulars whose stories ultimately led nowhere? The escaped creature from the glass box in New York (though you could argue it was Judy)? Michael Cera?
Although it hit me last night that Cera's abysmal, interminable scene may actually play into Lynch's narrative, or more correctly, Frank's reaction might. His nearly inscrutable exasperation during Wally's speech perfectly mirrored his reaction in his office as the Double Coop story climaxed. He just sat there the whole time watching this increasingly absurd circus happen and subtly shook his head and thought "what is this B.S.?"
I've mentioned before (maybe not here, I forget), that Lynch doesn't seem to like a lot of his characters very much, especially the original Peaks characters, and this seemed to play into the idea that he doesn't even like most of the trappings of Twin Peaks very much. Aside from Lucy's surprising turn as the hero, EVERYONE just stood around and watched as the new kid with a magic hand punched Pinata Bob into oblivion. I half-expected Lynch to break character and extend the middle finger toward the camera and say "Happy now?". It's also possibly a comment on the passivity of the movie/TV watching experience which may be why Lynch soured on the form (until a boatload of money brought him back for this).
The second hour of the finale instead let Lynch focus on something he does seem to have passion towards, the eternal victimhood of Laura Palmer and Cooper's inability to save her. Here I thought is was a well done, if bleak examination of the downfall of both characters. Sherryl Lee is always impressive (I actually thing she deserved far more credit for the harrowing FWWM), and Laura/Karrie is pitch perfect as the eternal lost girl who just keeps falling deeper into darkness no matter what she tries culminating in the horrifying scream at the end when she realises it's all happening again. It paired well with Cooper's ineptitude, from his cognitive dissonance about the dead guy in her apartment, to his taking her to the worst possible place for her (the house where it happened), to his lost and confused demeanor at the end "What YEAR is this?". She's truly his Kryptonite, reducing him from the cartoonish, effective "Coop", to the overwhelmed and defeated Cooper. A dark note to go out on, but it is Lynch after all.
I just saw Dunkirk (in IMAX 70 mm). I really, really enjoyed it. IMO it was pretty much flawless, although my viewing partner said he thought Saving Private Ryan (a film I found OK but a bit too sentimentally sappy and generic) was better, so take that for what you will.
I liked Saving Private Ryan but agree it was sentimental, sappy, and generic. Which I can say for most Spielberg films...yet I like them as well. I am really excited about Dunkirk. I don't go to the theater often. Waiting for it come out so I can watch at home. I'm a Nolan fan so I was expecting something great.
Beginning on the new season of Bojack Horseman now. I was trying to do some artwork, so more listening than watching really. I still got my share of chuckles out of it, though.
Just starting binge-watching iZombie, and it's hilarious. I've only finished the first season, but the writing is super-snappy and the characters are fun, like early Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I just saw Dunkirk (in IMAX 70 mm). I really, really enjoyed it. IMO it was pretty much flawless, although my viewing partner said he thought Saving Private Ryan (a film I found OK but a bit too sentimentally sappy and generic) was better, so take that for what you will.
I liked Saving Private Ryan but agree it was sentimental, sappy, and generic. Which I can say for most Spielberg films...yet I like them as well. I am really excited about Dunkirk. I don't go to the theater often. Waiting for it come out so I can watch at home. I'm a Nolan fan so I was expecting something great.
Welcome back Jorge! Long time!
It's a shame you missed Dunkirk on the big screen because it's one of the few movies that takes full advantage of the large format I think (there are some breath-taking shots of a small plane or boat against the vastness of the ocean for example), but at least you won't have to put up with annoying patrons! I rarely go to the movies these days either because of all the talkers and texters.
Almost caught up on Gotham, which I lost track of earlier this season. I know a lot of folks don't like it, but I've always loved the combo of the over the top 60s Batman style performances with dark violence, black humor and broken personalities.
I know there's a queerbaiting debate about last season's Penguin/Riddler story, but I am on the creators side of this one. Penguin was unambiguously in love with Ed and that dynamic was central to their storyline.
I'm now done watching all the Columbo episodes. Starting on Murder, She Wrote: another old favorite that I've really only ever seen bits and pieces of.
(I only just realized today that both series have the same two co-creators. I really need to pay better attention.)
I am watching lots of documentaries lately. I am currently watching ones about the Minoans, an ancient civilization on Crete. I also highly recommend PBS's Eons channel on Youtube, which talks about paleontology.
Finished binge-watching the first three seasons of iZombie, and it rocked. The characters and dialogue are very fun. I can't wait for season 4.
Also saw the first three episodes of The Orville, Seth McFarlane's Star Trek spoof and it's not for me. I've never found him terribly funny, and the show can't seem to decide whether it's going to be a comedy or quasi-serious, and it's kind of failing at both, at the moment. I've given it enough chances, I think, and I'm gonna skip the rest, unless I hear that it's radically changed in quality.
Dark Matter, over at Syfy, seems to have died, which is a shame. Killjoys looks on-track to being picked up for another season, at least. Neither of them have been game-changers, IMO, but both are decent popcorn sci-fi, and on par with Syfy shows like Eureka (and a cut above Warehouse 13, IMO).
I've been captivated by "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath," a documentary series by the former scientologist exposing their practices.
There are a few shockers in there, but by and large it's material I've read in other CoS pieces. What really captivates me is the chemistry and different viewpoints of Remini and her cohost Mike Rinder. Leah Remini was a rank-and-file Scientologist until her celebrity status raised her high enough to see the insanity at the upper levels, at which point she left. Mike Rinder was a high-ranking Scientologist who was instrumental in many of the church's abuses until he left. Sometimes their guests are people he terrorized in the name of "fair game" before his departure. It's interesting to watch her shock and outrage at each new story contrasted with his quieter sadness, as he alreadty knew about all of these practices, even if he didn't know all of the specific cases.
The episode regularly cites excerpts of the church's attack letter against Remini, and directs viewers to a website where they can read all of the church's responses to the stories and people on the show. When a guest has an individual attack letter against them, Remini will read parts of it to the viewers. Apparently this is part of some "balance" policy meant to protect them from the litigious church, but it has the added benefit of showing how awful the church is in its own words.
I just watched the second season premiere, which focused on former scientologists who were abused as children. It was a had episode to get to. And apparently it sparked a backlash from the church, as well as a cascade of other people contacting them with their stories. So there's going to be more rough going on that front in future episodes.
I actually had no idea who Leah Remini was before I went down this rabbit hole, but I liked her enough that I am also checking out her new sitcom "Kevin Can Wait." It's a fun if forgettable and pedestrian sitcom. I mostly enjoy it for watching Remini basically be herself. I don't think this latest fad of mine is going to be big enough to wade through 9 seasons of King of Queens, though.
^^I know almost nothing about her, but for some reason started getting the CoS attack ads against her showing up on my Facebook feed. They definitely have the opposite effect of what they intend on me.
I've sort of half-watched Stranger Things a few times since last year. mr_cleome loves it, so he'll watch it at his computer in our shared workspace, on his laptop. I'll be working on collages across the room with my back to the screen, so I end up listening more than watching.
The performances are good. However, I agree with one online critic who feels like the constant product references and homages to pop culture of the past sometimes get in the way of characterization and story. Granted, there are long expanses where you're relying on visuals rather than dialogue. (Unlike, say, Bojack Horseman: a show that's very dialogue-dense. Even with my back turned to the screen I can be mesmerized by the goings-on. B.H. also seems to take a more jaundiced (sometimes even savage) view of the 1990s than S.T. does of the 1980s.)
Also hoping to check out the adaptation of Alias, Grace on Netflix. I've mentioned before that as revered as it is, Atwood's Handmaid's Tale has always left me pretty cold. A.G., on the other hand, was a dynamite read. Some of her best work. I'm very anxious to see if the TV version lives up to it, or just focuses on the more gory, sensationalistic aspects. This one, I'll have to give my full attention to.
We are once again postponing the final two episodes of orphan black because I got an invitation to watch the extended cut of Batman versus Superman tomorrow night. In my friend circles, my analysis that "I enjoyed it and found it very interesting, but acknowledge that it is deeply flawed" has turned me into "the big Batman versus superman fan."
I just saw Thor: Ragnarok and it was the best movie I have seen this year. It is full of fights and lots of obscure references (and costumes!) for the comic book fans. I know there a lot of fans of 70s/80s Marvel Sci-Fi here who would be pleased.
I watched the first couple of episodes of this season of Once Upon a Time, the "soft reboot." It was pretty entertaining, and fulfilled the promise of not having to know anything about the seasons I've missed. Only three cast members carried over, plus the teenage Henry has been recast as an adult, becoming the series lead many years after last season. None of the traditional romantic pairings made it through, and those tiresome, endlessly circling lovers were one of the main reasons I quit. With a new concept that harkens back to the pilot while feeling like there's lots of fresh opportunity, I can't say I'm raving about it, but if you liked the early seasons of the show, it might be worth a gander.
Those Serbs were scary man. If you are wondering how Craig will do as Bond...check this out. My choice was Jonny Lee Miller but Craig is less pretty boy more tough guy in a sophisticated kinda way. Though Craig wasn't a tough guy in this movie...he was still cool.
It didn't suck but it really didn't hold my attention.
![[Linked Image]](http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l56/Goldenbow/wha.gif)
as "Alexander Lucard" (aka Dracula) is just yummy. We also get to see Geraint Wyn Davies in a pre-
)
Oh, and there were some men in the movie, too. ![[Linked Image]](http://i48.tinypic.com/2hx21hw.gif)
. Definately not for me.![[Linked Image]](http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/xx273/dptaylor3/grace-park-bikini-hawaii-five-o-2.jpg)
and that creepy guy from Lost!!! 
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![[Linked Image]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f7/Marathon_man.jpg)
Good night, everybody!
