Bosch as a reader of the books since 1989, they did a great job on the series, this new season might be the best
Give true detective a shot HBO, 1st season was amazing, 2nd not as bad as troll will have you believe, 3rd was great, not as good as first, but sets up future
just made plans for orientation and homecoming weekends. empty nest, wife and i planning holiday sans son in feb lol
Just finished the second Killing Eve book - maybe should have put it off until after this season...
Still laid up from stomach surgeries but the ability to binge shows has been great - some of the stuff I have been through since February;
The Wire
Twin Peaks (90's & reboot)
Sopranos
Game of Thrones
Bosch
Dexter
30 Rock
Letterkenny
Might need to revisit True Detective season 1 again. Dexter and 30 Rock were 2 I had never seen - Dex I found tough to get through by the end but liked the first 2 seasons. Letterkenny might be too Canadian for the US crowd, but season 1 & 2 can still leave me in tears.
Cripes I have spent a ton of time doing not much lately. Thankfully my diet hasn't worked against my sloth-like existence.
Ramy on Netflix. Well done series about a young Muslim guy in NJ trying to balance being a young American and a practicing Muslim. Funny, sad, poignant.
Recently, over the course of a few months I went through the entire 7 seasons of West Wing and was reminded what a good show that was. A little precious, but all in all a very good show.
Fired up "24" again recently. Just finished Season 1 last night. I think it's the 6th time going through! (It's my "Rocky Horror Picture Show" in a similar way. Also do this with Gunsmoke radio episodes -- which are all on archive.org BTW).
Started Hanna ... not bad, but so far hasn't held up to the 24 as being the "gold standard" for this genre IMO.
Have otherwise plowed through a ton of Ken Burns and other documentaries on PBS Documentary Channel. In particular:
I don't stream. Can't imagine watching a movie on my phone. And I like to be able to use my computer while watching TV on my TV. I guess that makes me Really Old School.
I highly recommend that everyone watch a show on Vice called "While The Rest Of Us Die". If you want to know why everything in this country is fucked up, you will get answers here. Set the Series to record all shows, so you get what has already debuted. Really interesting stuff. Monsanto, Enron, PG&E, the military industrial complex, Big pharma etc. Very informative and a take you will never see on mainstream news.
I stream with a $40 Roku device... just plug it into the TV's USB or HDMI port and it talks to the internet. It's great to be able to add/delete streaming apps at will. Right now I have Netflix and Prime Video for movies/TV series, and Youtube TV (for pretty much all the games I want to watch). It's also very convenient for watching concert footage or listening to music on the regular Youtube app. I'll probably add Disney+ soon to watch the Beatles doc (then unsubscribe).
Mark, there's also an app called "Old Time Radio Player" that has a lot of old shows including Gunsmoke, but prefer to download mp3s to my computer / phone from archive.org.
Fort Laramie is also very good ... with Raymond Burr as the main character Captain Quince.
I also like Frontier Gentleman ... with John Dehner who's in a lot of Gunsmoke episodes and other radio programs. For that matter, a lot of the supporting voice actors you might recognize in Gunsmoke also appear in many of these radio shows.
I tried to get into Johnny $ but it didn't quite work out. Most of them are kind of hokey, and some are better than others, but I suppose it's par for the course for that era ... and just a matter of one's interests. I actually like Gunsmoke radio more than the TV show (even though the first years of tv were based on the radio scripts).
I have a google chromecast thingy-do for streaming. It's great for Netflix, hulu, youtube, and watching live concert streams. Before I had the chromecast, I was paying $80 a month for cable. Now I pay $12 a month (for ad-free hulu). You don't have to wait for a network schedule with hulu, and can watch full concerts and old movies/tv shows on your TV streamed from youtube for free. I love it.
I never watch anything on my phone. I just stream to the TV from my laptop, but I did just sign up for nugs.net so I can stream audio to my headphones and TV. No stereo system currently, but the TV's speakers have adjustable levels so it's fine for now
Big fan of Frontier Gentleman also. Dehner was all over the radio back then. He did Have Gun Will Travel also.
Broadway is my Beat, The sixshooter staring Jimmy Stewart, Sam Spade, Hoppy, quite a few worth listening to.<<<
Yeah, Dehner was pretty big in that era / space. I think he does a good job in Gunsmoke of not being typecast, and being able to play a wide range of character voices/dispositions. Sometimes he's a good guy, sometimes he's a bad guy. Frontier Gentleman reminds me a little bit of Kung Fu but a different spin ... and is funny at times. I like Six Shooter too. I've tried a lot of other old-time radio, but find most too melodramatic. Not that Gunsmoke and the others I've mentioned aren't, but not as bad.
I finally stopped at Doc Holliday's "grave" in Glenwood Springs, CO (after passing it literally > 100x) on the way back from D&C at Fiddler's Green in Oct.. It's a cool cemetery.
The one that we started watching sorta as a joke turned out fun to watch and good. Sweet Tooth ! I mention this one because we laughed at it initially and really never had any intention of ever watching it ever.
Anyone have any recommendations on Netflix-produced fare?|||| The Last Kingdom !
I really liked "The Great," on Hulu. Both seasons were really good.
A few weeks ago I saw that HBO Max had a show called, "The Sex Lives of College Girls." I IMDBed that shit, and believe it or not, it has decent reviews. It's definitely worth watching if you want something fun, a little drama, with good writing and acting.
It's weird, I have less and less time in my life for heavy dramas and all the murder mystery stuff. I want stuff that makes me smile. Sometimes the totally inane crap works well, like "The Ranch," and on Netflix. "The Great" has it all, from the inane to the intense, really a stellar show.
Most everything, lean towards sci-fi. All we have now is netflix which is fine. One thing i figured out, sometimes it takes getting past the first few episodes to start liking it.
Foundation - Adaption of Isaac Asimov's novels. Mostly quite good sci-fi (and cgi), with occasional lags.
Raised By Wolves - Produced and sometimes directed by Ridley Scott. Sentient androids raise kids on an outpost refugee colony.
Money Heist - Spanish bank robbery series. Somewhat intense and engaging, with moments of lucidity, but also suffers from lapses in logic and believability.
FOM, another great radio show to checkout is Pete Kelly's Blues. Pre Dragnet Jack Web. Usually has a lot of great Jazz thrown in.
"Set in Kansas City, Missouri, in the early 1920s, the series was a crime drama with a strong musical atmosphere (Webb was a noted Dixieland jazz enthusiast). Kansas City in this era was a hotbed of jazz, as well as of organized crime and political corruption, all of which influenced the series."
There's a fourth season of The Bridge (Swedish version) I'd like to check out if I can find it on a platform we already pay for/free. Features one of the best "no filter" characters ever written, IMO.
Just finished Around the World in 80 Days (David Tennant) and Reacher. Love Wellington Paranormal but it's probably too silly for a lot of folks, it takes awhile to get used to kiwi humour and the accents. What We Do In The Shadows is awesome and probably the funniest show I've watched during the era of covid. If you geek out on vintage horror genre and like absurd humor it's great.
I'm trying to like 1883 but the lead actress in the show looks just like Ivanka Trump to me and I can't suspend disbelief that a hot bleached blonde teen is a tough cow punching pioneer, like AT ALL. The whole heart eating bit that mimicked GOT was dumb as hell, so was the npc lady getting bit on the butt by a snake while taking a pee, just eye roll city. I think I'm done watching except for unintentional comedic value and scenery. Sam Eliott is great, but he isn't enough to carry the bad writing.
Lollo, ACGAS is great, same script and scenery as the one we grew up with, just different actors. The main difference is Siegfried is WAY hotter, so is Tristan.
Netflix, 6 - 40ish minute episodes. The different forms of "play" ( rituals, endurance tests, etc.) from cultures all around the world. I've only finished episode one. Truly fascinating.
6 - 40 min episodes narrated by Morgan Freeman. Each episode does a better job of explaining all aspects of evolution, life and nonlife and tying all together as one than anything else I've seen.
I recently watched PBS American Masters about Buffy Ste-Marie. It was so good, as is/was she.
I also watched Independent Lens on PBS about the creation, history, and present day TikTok. I knew very little about it and now know some. It was very interesting and well done.
I binged the first two seasons of His Dark Materials on HBO this weekend, in preparation for the third season, which drops on December 5th. The series is based on a trilogy of young adult novels by Philip Pullman, which were recommended to me near the beginning of the pandemic, and right after I read my way through the Harry Potter books in the first month of lockdown. HDM is fantasy, for sure; for example, there's witches and talking armored bears. But it's also quite sophisticated in its depictions of parallel universes and its discussion of dark matter.
Had HBO for free this last weekend, and was able to catch up on this season of Avenue 5. Watched eps 1-7. Went to turn off and delete several times early on, but ended up watching every ep. Free weekend is over, and ep 8 runs tonight. I am a little curious as to what happens with the missile. I'm sure they won't kill off half the cast but it is a very strange show. So would somebody post here after tonight's show and clue me in? Thanks in advance.
Stringtwang, thanks for the news about a second season. I'm sorry about the delay. "The actor is currently set to be discharged on March 19, 2024" - Wikipedia
I binged the first season of White Lotus yesterday on HBOMax. It's a darkly funny satire on the excesses of the privileged class with a great cast, exotic locations, and a very stylized look that's all its own. Season 2 wraps up today.
Hacks on HBO is a really smart funny series that stars Jean Smart as a legendary comedienne at a turning point in her life, and Hannah Einbinder (who is SNL alum Lorraine Newman's daughter) as a young comedy writer.
I watched the first episode of The Last of Us and thought it was just horrible. If I watch the second episode, it'll be because of Bella Ramsey, who has an amazing screen presence.
I was not at all impressed by the first episode of The Last of Us, but then a buddy told me I should check out episodes 2 and especially 3. It was 3 that hooked me, and I'm really looking forward to the season finale this Sunday.
Season 20 of Top Chef started last night. To celebrate the milestone, they've gone international. The contestants are winners / finalists from the different "Top Chef" shows around the world (Thailand, Poland, Italy, NW Africa, France, etc). It's in London this time (will finish in Paris), and they'll be having international judges, and sounds like some of the challenges will be adopted from several of the international franchises.
For those watching Last Of Us this is from today's WP, and on a personal note my sister in law has been in and out of the hospital for two months after back surgery, and they finally narrowed the problem down to a fungal infection.
Candida can cause fatal infections in the bloodstream, heart and brain. The CDC does not track how many people died, and it can be difficult to discern cause of death when the patients at highest risk are often already fighting for their lives.
The emergence of the fungus, detected more than a decade ago in India, South Africa and South America, has perplexed researchers.
Fungi often cannot withstand the temperature of the human body, but one leading theory posits that Candida is now capable of doing so because it has evolved to survive in a warming world.
Yeah I'm not used to reading news articles that quote the dystopian sci fi show I'm watching word for word, although in this case I don't buy the global warming reason. I think it is more likely that with 8 billion of us on the planet now as opposed to 3 billion when I was born - it just gives everything that can attack us so much more opportunity to attack us and to mutate into a successful strain.
Back to TV did anyone watch Yellow Stone? I just got Peacock to watch Poker Face and decided to check out Yellow Stone. So far what I have learned is that owning a ranch in Montana is a lot like running a Mexican drug cartel only more violent.
In a complex system like the web of life on Earth, it's unlikely there's a single cause for Candida to have adapted to a new host environment. An uptick in global temperature could be part of it, and the human population explosion (i.e. more potential hosts) could be a factor too. Who knows? Candida might find increased CO2 in the atmosphere more favorable too.
So did you get to the end of Season 1 on TLOU yet?
well done and didn't know the backstory. Ray Kroc was a piece of shit, and I'm thankful the only money i ever gave his family was for some of their coffee.
Just finished the 1st and 2nd seasons of Picard, about a third of the way thru season 3. Didn't care for season one much, loved how season 2 started, 3 definitely the best (so far)
Hockey playoff!. Best time of the year. Favorites were eliminated early this year. Wide open playoffs. No tellin' who'll win. No dog in this race. I just root against any team from Texas or Florida.
Succession last night was so well done, and also horrible to watch.
Such a great depiction of how the oligarchs think they will be able to work with fascists like it's all just another business deal to negotiate. These 30+ Russian oligarchs who have died since the invasion thought the same thing.
Night Sky (prime video) - J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek. 8 episodes, no future seasons.(Damn!!!!!) Loved it .....Sci-fi fantasy about quantum entanglement portals that were buried at various locations around earth long ago by humans from other universes to visit Earth, which is known by all outside of Earth as "the fallen planet".
Pistol on Hulu because it's based on the new Steve Jones autobiography.
The series kept my attention better than I figured since I rarely watch biopics.
Supposedly some stuff in Pistol, like why Glen Matlock left the band and much of the Chrissie Hynde/Jones narrative, is made up, though I'm not sure if the supposedly made up stuff reflects the autobio, or if the series departs from the book in places.
Just finished The White House Plumbers and really enjoyed it. Covers the break-ins of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office and the DNC, and the following coverup, from the perspective of E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, who were some larger than life characters, especially Liddy. In recent years we've seen shows focusing on Dean and Mitchell, but this added some very interesting details.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents & Alfred Hitchcock Hour - i prefer the half hour Presents, but when i can't sleep, MeTv is where its at. It's interesting to see so many young future stars. More so than The Twighlight Zone.
I'm just getting around to The Righteous Gemstones, and I'm liking it a lot. It's a comedic take-down of evangelical Christianity with great ensemble cast that reminds me, in some ways (like the ineptness of some characters), of Raising Arizona (plus, there's a John Goodman overlap).
I also just binged the first two (six episode) seasons of Somebody Somewhere, and really enjoyed it. It's central focus is a what I'd call a community of misfits in Manhattan, Kansas, whose central character, Sam, is played by the very talented Bridget Everett.
Bear is awesome. Got two more episodes left. The double episode was rough.
I just finished: Greatest Events of WWII in Colour on Netflix. Guess they found a bunch of new footage and mixed it with what they had. These are 50 minute episodes that are well put together. They shape up each event with mistakes and successes on each side. All sorts of stuff I didn't realize on D-Day using fake tanks and paratroopers to throw off the Germans. Might be common knowledge but it's pretty cool to watch them move up a blow up tank with ease.
Watching the Shaun White - Last Run Doc on Max. I usually like these kind of things but not so much this one. The early stuff was good with his family. He had amazing parents, but the rest of it is just endless half pipe tricks that I can't tell one from the other with the occasional - horrific - close to life ending crashes thrown in. It just confirmed for me that half pipe competition is a stupid sport.
That said Shaun is a GOAT when it comes to competitiveness, but probably not someone you would want to hang with, and none of the other boarders do, but maybe the burden of carrying his family financially since he was 15 had something to do with that.
I kind of burned out on Schitt's Creek after a few seasons, and now I'm watching Veep, and sensing a similar burn-out coming late in the first season. After watching Righteous Gemstones, I have a couple more Danny McBride shows in the queue: Eastbound and Down and Vice Principals.
I really liked Moira, and Stevie too, but the rest of the cast just grated on me. And for the record, I just checked, and I only made it a couple of episodes into Season 2.
Psychedelica - 2 seasons on Gaia (used the free trial) This is a worthwhile series. 18 - 30 minute forays into different aspects of psychedelic therapy, much about indigenous cultures, histotrical use, the dark side of psychedelics, integration, the need for these compounds more than ever, and much info involving dmt, ketamine, psilly, ayahuasca and peyote. God bless Dr. Hofmann, the Dead, etc, but there's not much info about lsd, and it's refreshing to not see the same 60's scenes shown whenever the word "psychedelic" is involved.
The Art of Life - youtube........an excellent 40 min documentary about a brilliant abstract mathematician buddhist ( invited to MIT math department at 16) living in his own paradise on Maui. Produced by SAND
The Song That Calls You Home - very good documentary concerning all aspects of ayahuasca as told through ceremonial participants, family, Shipibo healers and scientists.
Born in Gaza - (2014) Filmed shorlty after the 2014 Gaza war, this documentary examines how violence has transformed the lives of 10 Palestinian children
Netflix. 1hr 9 minutes Some of the kids in the doc may be fighting in the current war.
1. Mark's Amazing Video......Thank you. I can watch that on tv from my phone. Great video!!!
2. Killers Of The Flower Moon.......just experienced it at a nearby theater. Scorsese. Exceptional. Very tragic and sickening what happened not very long ago to the Osage, due to pure greed and deception over oil rights on Osage tribal lands. Filmed in Fairfax, Ok. on Osage Nation tribal territory. Jason Isbell, Jack White and Sturgill Simpson all have roles. The wedding ritual, the burial rituals, and the tribal council gatherings are 100% authentic Osage and so beautiful I'm at a loss to describe. One scene especially, in complete silence, when the Grandmother "wakes up" and is accompanied into the next realm, is so beautifully done in full Osage traditional beliefs, the 3.5hr ,movie is worth it just for that scene alone. But truly despicable collaboration on many peoples parts. A scene that caught everyone's attention in which DeNiro's evil character screams, "We're Masons!!! Take care of this!!!!"
>> A scene that caught everyone's attention in which DeNiro's evil character screams, "We're Masons!!! Take care of this!!!!"
When did he say this? Not during the sequence in the Lodge. I think you are conflating two scenes: the paddling scene, and Ernest frantically seeking out Hale at the town dance.
I was sure it was right after the paddling scene when he sat Ernest down and was drilling into hin how important it was that he go through with the plan even though he professed his love for her.
There were 7 of us who attended. All of us under our breath commented. I'm just about positive it was that scene. It was noteworthy because of the direct imposition. 5 of the 7 of us were unbuzzed. I was in the minority, but i remember asking everyone as we we're walking out if they heard that line too, and everyone said yes.
Glad you went. I had no idea of any of that history and it was unimaginably sinister.
Well, I've seen it twice. What I recall is the paddling, as Hale is saying to Burkhart "I am a 32 degree mason," and something about how he is imbued with duties and responsibilities. Then, as you said, he sits him down and basically commands him to "take back control of [his] household," implying (or outright saying) that Mollie is too much of a strong-willed woman. Then the feds show up, and Burkhart frantically seeks out Hale, which leads to Hale again dressing Burkhart down through corporal punishment and by accosting him verbally.
I mean, the context is clearly that there is a set of orders and principles. The only way Burkhart would even have been admitted into the lodge is if he were a Freemason (and he was). Lots of use of "brother" between characters, too, and not just between Byron and Ernest. I just don't recall him saying "We're Masons, take care of this." I do recall him clearly implying that his own authority, and therefore the authority he is seating in Burkhart, is drawn directly from the order.
It was definitely a well-done, sensitively-made film. The book was exceptional, too; two really different approaches to telling the same harrowing story. Scorsese has already picked up the rights to Grann's most recent work, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.
Been watching the first season of Batman. That was a funny ass show. Great guest villains. Everybody tongue in cheek. Pretty entertaining for a half hour at a time.
Other than nugs.net, we don't watch much TV, but went and saw Napoleon yesterday in the theater and it was pretty good. Joaquin Phoenix did an excellent job bringing Napoleon to life as a quirky mix of insecurity and ambition. Couldn't cover everything of course, but they did manage to stuff a lot of history into two and half hours.
Man, Napoleon really rubbed me the wrong way. Two weeks later and I am still thinking of ways that film disappointed me. What a cold, emotionless, unfun movie. There were perhaps three interesting characters in all, and Bonaparte was not one of them.
Anyway, last couple of weeks have been great for cinema for me.
The Holdovers. One of the best movies I saw this year. Absolutely beautiful film.
The Marvels. Popcorn flick, big-budget action CGI spectacle, but still great fun. A spectacle with good characters.
Saltburn. Truly mesmerizing, interestingly shot (in 4:3, no less).
Godland. Incredible. An epic, sort of in the same vein as There Will Be Blood. Including this one because it was so damn good, even if I didn't see it in a theater (Criterion Channel).
Roarshack, what are you finding of interest on the Channel? I can't recommend the latter enough. I've got a few things on queue up there...
On the topic of "education," I've been enjoying this incredible series that can be found on the Kanopy streaming platform (available through your local library) that broadcast a few years ago on BBC, called The Story of Film: An Odyssey. 15 parts, one-hour episodes. It's like a semester-long university film course condensed into one series. Highly recommended.
This weekend probably going to check out Silent Night and/or Godzilla (will get to that one by next week, hopefully). James Cameron is also re-releasing The Abyss (35th anniversary?) into IMAX theaters, which I'm really looking forward to.
We watched the last two nights of JRAD and will be tuning in tonight for the last show of the year. Have come to the conclusion that Scott Metzger is the best faux Bob around. He has the voice down - inflections, timing, delivery, and timbre. . Better than Eaton.
Just ran through "Obliterated," on Netflix, and it was fucking awesome.
The premise is that a crack CIA/covert ops team thwarted a Russian terrorist nuking of Vegas. They go out to party and celebrate that night, and in the midst of being all spun on booze, acid, shrooms, and Molly they find out the threat isn't over and they have to go back into action.
It's campy, fun, funny, violent, and has lovely nudity. We were thoroughly entertained.
Napoleon - went to an IMAX theater. First time in an IMAX. It did not help things one bit. Agree, Yes, Disappointing. I am looking forward to seeing Killers of the Flower Moon a second time.
(the IMAX screen is cartoonishly large, like something from a Salvia endeavor, kind of intimidating at first...lol).
Interestingly, the visual language of Napoleon was one of the few redeeming features, for me. Ridley has an acute eye for big, splashy shots and elaborate set design. The Battle of Austerlitz was probably the most interesting sequence in the film for me, personally. The IMAX experience was useful for that.
Last week has been fun for cinema...
Frybread Face and Me. Appreciate the heads-up on this. Touching little coming-of-age film. The relationship between the two child characters was endearing.
The Elephant Man. This one really shows the depth and range and genius of David Lynch. Beautiful movie.
Cure. Eerie, unsettling. There was something about this film that reminded me of Bong Joon-Ho's Memories of Murder; I read later that this is one of his favorite films. One of the more effective psychological horror films that I've watched. If you like Seven, True Detective, Memories of Murder, etc., this is worth checking out.
Dream Scenario. Nic Cage was great in this. Funny and introspective. A hilarious commentary on social media, cancel culture and the age of influence.
Silent Night. I am an unabashed John Woo fan and while this doesn't display every cinematic flair that he's known for, it was a solid action movie that was heavy on the flashy action sequences, doused with syrupy melodrama and light on logic. It's being unfairly maligned, but if you didn't know what you're getting in for (with an American John Woo flick), that's kind of on you.
The Abyss. Maybe watching the director's cut with 30+ minutes of additional footage was not the way to watch this for the first time, but it vibed with me. Somewhat shows its age but also somewhat timeless. This one is super heavy on the practical effects, not so much on the CGI, and I was constantly wondering how the hell they pulled this off. Watched it in an X Plus theater and the sound and particularly the visuals were awesome.
I'm usually a season or two behind we these series as i use the public library ( SF system is awesome!) to get them.
I did see that The Expanse season 5/6 is coming out via the library so I'll have to get a recap from the previous years. Same with Billions season 6 (last)
and I got a new Samsung 50" 'smart "tv ( from the never ending black friday sales ) so i've entered into the realm of most American households Ha
WALSTIB, what platform are you accessing through your library? We get Kanopy and Hoopla here. Both are great but there is an incredible collection on Kanopy in particular.
The Boy and the Heron. Titled How Do You Live? in Japan, this is Miyazaki's most recent "coming out of retirement" film, and we are all lucky for it. As is the standard for Studio Ghibli, some of the most beautiful magical realistic animation you will ever see, dealing with themes of coming-of-age, death, responsibility, and finding your place in the world. We saw this in the original Japanese with subtitles, but I am hoping to catch it in the IMAX with dubs soon (the voice cast is amazing); this was way too complex, dense and beautiful for a single viewing.
Collateral. One of my favorites, a classic neo-noir. A tight cast full of young talent (Marc Ruffalo; Jason Statham; Javier Bardem) and great leads (Cruise; Foxx) descending into the lonely world of Los Angeles. "I read about this guy, gets on the MTA here, dies. Six hours he's riding the subway before anybody notices his corpse doing laps around L.A., people on and off sitting next to him. Nobody notices." Michael Mann is coming out with Ferrari in a couple weeks, so it's nice to dig back into his work.
Oppenheimer. This was a revelation. Three-hour biopic exploring the political, social and psychological dimensions of an American giant. Nolan mentions Oppenheimer in 2020's Tenet ("Are you familiar with the Manhattan Project? As they approached the first atomic test, Oppenheimer became concerned that the detonation might produce a chain reaction, engulfing the world.") and this is a fantastic project to unpack that life and put it under the scope. I was captivated for 180 minutes, and this was not an "action" movie, or a "thriller" - this was an examination of a complex, nuanced figure.
Currently checking out some of the storyboards and background of Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro and "The World of Ghibli."
>> March 1st can't wait for part 2. Who will play Alia or is she being cut like some have speculated.
Looks amazing. I am a huge Villeneuve fanboy; guy can do no wrong by me. It's unclear to me how far into the Frank Herbert series Part 2 goes, and I figured it would just end with the first book, but some people are saying Dune Messiah... ?
I'm pretty sure it won't go past the first book. There is plenty there and a ton of action. Where they stopped the movie is where all the good stuff is about to begin. That said I think they are talking about taking past the first book.
Both Part One and Part Two Filmed on IMAX cameras. Can't wait.
>> The Hudsucker Proxy
It has been a long time since I saw that! Gotta revisit it. Ethan Coen is coming out with a new one in February, Drive-Away Dolls. Looking forward to seeing it.
Past Lives. A fascinating story of two Korean-born individuals connected by geography and history, and the way their lives weave in and out of one another. The story follows Nora (Na Young) and Hae Sung across two continents, several decades, and an infinite number of lives. This one is on a lot of critics' "best of" lists, and it's worthy of the spot. The characters are so real and the screenplay is sensitively written and very touching, leaving you pondering the nature of fate and relationships.
Trying to round out the year with movies from 2023 (and there are least five in theaters or about to released into theaters that I somehow want to squeeze in, but probably will not get to all of them), but spent the last week revisiting a couple of old favorites like Arrival (2016) and Batman Begins (2005). These two were new to me, though:
Wake in Fright. It's one of the more disturbing films I've watched. The kangaroo hunting scene is unbelievable, sad, and quite illustrative of the protagonist's descent into moral degradation. Some have classified this as a "horror" film, and that might be the best description for it. No matter how far you travel or where you go, your darkest aspects are right there with you.
Eileen. This one's gotten a pretty lukewarm reception but I thought it was a taut psychological thriller. I'm fond of a period New England setting, especially Boston in the 60s/70s (see: The Holdovers), and this serves that up with some pretty bad accents (love it). When it's Anne Hathaway, all is forgiven. Frayed relationships and dark secrets abound, and while the plot lurches forward, teasing a morbid ending, I didn't see the twist coming at all. I loved the the gritty feel, the desperate and dangerous atmosphere, the classic R&B / soul soundtrack. And, you know, Anne Hathaway.
Watched Trevor Noah's new Netflix stand up special last night. Not a huge fan and the first part was just OK. But his last 10 minutes just crushed it. Funniest thing I've seen in a while.
Godzilla Minus One. This film has gotten a lot of word-of-mouth traction, and it shows from a box office standpoint ($70 million gross on a $15 million budget; almost unheard of for a foreign film with no dubbing, minimal international marketing, etc). This was an exceptionally-made film, and although I was never a kaiju fan and don't really go in for this kind of spectacle, I found it immensely entertaining, well-written, and actually quite effective in its approach to some themes we've seen in these films before (family; anti-war; patriotism).
Migration. We saw it on Christmas Eve and it was just incredibly fun. The voice cast is spectacular, the characters are hilarious and well-rounded, the animation is quite good, the plot doesn't plod and the runtime clocks in at under 90 minutes. What's not to like? As a bonus, there was a great little Minions-adjacent short preceding the movie.
Out of theaters (home viewing): Samurai Wolf (1966). Smoking samurai fun that, like Yojimbo a few years before it, toys with the Western crossover appeal. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). I don't think I'd ever seen this from beginning to end before. Disney's first feature film, and it is every bit as iconic and beautiful as its place in the canon suggests. The Dark Knight (2008). Rewatch (we rewatched Batman Begins the last week and will probably get to DKR before year's end). Heath Ledger's performance is just unspeakably good. No Country for Old Men (2007). Rewatch. My favorite Coen Brothers movie. "What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss?" Bringing Up Baby (1938). Hilarious, perfectly timed, smartly-written and wryly-acted screwball comedy. We actually started it right back up afterwards, it is just too fun to watch.
This week: Poor Things, The Iron Claw, and Ferrari (probably).
That's awesome. I tried to find some Quatermass films after watching John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness (1987) and reading about how Nigel Kneale's (pre-Doctor Who) scientist hero had a profound impact on the development of Carpenter's film (though apparently Kneale hated it). Those movies are hard to find! I got Quatermass II from the local library and have Quatermass IV queued up for viewing (someday), but those British serials are truly difficult to get hold of. Incidentally, Kino Lorber just released a remastered version of the Hammer adaptation of The Quatermass Xperiment, and it looks great.
Last nite I saw:
The Iron Claw. Probably the most moving film I've watched since Killers of the Flower Moon. Seems like this is a year of films about dynastic power and the corruption of the soul that comes with achieving that level of success. I'm still digesting what I saw on screen - which is funny, because I don't think I've ever felt as out-of-shape as I did watching these dudes pumping iron and throwing other dudes around the ring. Something that probably isn't going to get a lot of discussion: the music for this film as well as Eileen was composed by Richard Reed Perry (Arcade Fire), and while I'm not sure about the former, the house band for the latter includes saxophonist Stuart Bogie (who has performed as a member of Phil Lesh and Friends). These are two absolutely great film scores, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else Perry has in his future.
Ferrari. Twists and turns about; this biopic features a really solid cast and just when you are about to write off both the plot and the character as one-dimensional, conniving, greedy and unlikeable, yet another layer unfurls and gets you invested. Penepole Cruz as Laura Ferrari oscillates between fairly muted and subdued to tenacious and dangerous; Shailene Woodley plays it cool but powerfully as Lina Lardi who demands something more than the sidelined role as a mistress. As good as the performances (and the script) are, there is a problem in that there just isn't enough time to fully explore these characters in two hours and still have it play as an exciting racing film. The film culminates at the 1957 Mille Miglia and there is some pretty shocking stuff before we reach the finish line - which is what we can expect from a Michael Mann film.
Looking forward to checking out Poor Things tomorrow.
Poor Things is not in the cards tonite; its run at the local cinema has been extended a week, spouse would like to see a matinee over the weekend, and there is a really interesting contemporary classical program going on in the galleries of the design school museum this evening.
So I'll drop my top ten of the year (so far):
Killers of the Flower Moon
The Iron Claw
Oppenheimer
Godland
The Holdovers
The Boy and the Heron
Beau is Afraid
Anatomy of a Fall
Past Lives
Barbie
Shoutouts:
Dream Scenario; Saltburn; The Creator; Divinity
Have not seen, but will have to catch up on:
Poor Things
Priscilla
Society of the Snow
The Boys in the Boat
Fallen Leaves
American Fiction
All of Us Strangers
The Taste of Things
Four Daughters
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret
You Hurt My Feelings
Fingernails
Limbo
Hands That Bind
La Chimera
Plan 75
Lakota Nation vs. The United States
Blue Caftan
Amanda
Fremont
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Return to Seoul
Trenque Lauquen
Close Your Eyes (Cerrar los ojos)
The re-release of Jean Luc Godard's 1968 avant-garde film 1+1, now released as Sympathy for the Devil, the recording of which by the Rolling Stones in London's Olympic Studios functions as the through-line for the film. 1968 was a revolutionary year, and revolution is very much in the air here, both the political kind and the story-telling kind as well. This film is as much about the moment it documents and the filmmaker's vision of that time as it is about anything that made the final cut.
There are scenes of Black Panthers reading from revolutionary texts in a junkyard, and these scenes seem at times to be in dialogue with the scenes from the recording studio, or do they? In a composite film such as this, it's hard to tell, just as its hard to deny the Stones made their bones playing the Blues. But what is clear in the studio scenes is that Mick has entered the studio with a clear vision of what the song SFTD needs to become as he leads his band mates through their early rehearsals of the song that would soon become central to the identity of the middle era Stones.
Poor Things. In a way I thought of this as maybe Yorgos Lanthimos' most accessible film, in the same way that The Favourite was pretty accessible. The narrative resolves all of its plot points very tidily. The cast was just sensational. The design, costuming, "world-building" - all of it breathtaking. I'll be thinking about this one for awhile. Yorgos and Emma Stone are out to smash the patriarchy; or, if not to smash it, then to demonstrate how to live sensibly, sensitively, and fully within it.
At home:
No One Will Save You (2023). Millennial Twilight Zone ("The Invaders"); for a film with no dialogue, this had some of the best sound design I've experienced. Let the Corpses Tan (2017). Trashy brilliant twisted European crime thriller that makes you feel like you've spent two hours staring at the sun and maybe are going a little mad. Nocturnal Animals (2016). Came for Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams; stayed for Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Michael Shannon (who is genuinely terrifying as a Texas lawman). Videodrome (1983). Is this Cronenberg's greatest? Hard to say, but it is probably one of the most disturbing meditations on media that I've ever seen. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023). This one did not receive nearly the attention that it deserved, which says something about the present-day state of theater-going, but I thought this was about as faithful an adaptation as this story could've gotten and it is really wonderfully executed.
In its first scene, Wes Anderson's Asteroid City establishes that this is a film about a play, and having revealed its own theatricality, it then revels in its staginess for the next hour and a half. Asteroid City will never be confused with a slice of real life. The colors of this place pop in ways that usually require the ingestion of psychedelics (and remind me of Van Gogh's toxic yellows). The performances constantly remind you that the people on screen are actors performing roles. The cameras move in ways that draw attention to themselves. And it's all utterly charming if you thirst for quirkiness. Featuring a large ensemble cast of Hollywood veterans both old and new, Asteroid City is a bit mind-bending, funny when it should be, and probably no deeper than what appears on the surface, and sometimes that's exactly what the doctor ordered. Not art for art's sake, but well-wrought entertainment for entertainment's sake.
Memoria. Just got back from watching this at the local arthoust/independent cinema. This was a really intriguing, challenging film. The story revolves entirely around sound - a sound that haunts the protagonist of the film (played by Tilda Swinton), mysteriously following her through her travels, indescribable and unheard seemingly by anyone else. The people that she meets either attempt to dissect the sound, growing closer to her through analysis of her understanding of the world vis a vis her experience, or else begin to close off from her because of their inability to grasp what she is experiencing. The compositions for the film by César López are beautiful and sparse, mostly in a minimalist / contemporary classical vein but there is a great scene where we see Tilda Swinton's character wandering through the halls of a conservatory / studio and - again, experiencing the world and the plot through sound - watches this small jazz combo perform a composition. The composer, López, performs as the guitarist in this ensemble. A truly mysterious and haunting film that draws influences from, among others, Tarkovsky's Solaris and Stalker.
Sidenote: Godland just popped up on the Kanopy streaming app, available through your local library with a library card. I watched it a couple months ago on the Criterion Channel. Can't recommend it enough: it's a beautiful period piece that puts a lens over the question of who gets to write history, largely using the language of a colonized people (Icelandic) as understood by a (Danish) Christian missionary.
Memoria looks interesting but then again I will watch just about anything with Tilda Swinton in it.
For something completely different The Brothers Sun on Netflix is fun. If you liked Obliterated and who wouldn't like Obliterated you will like the Brothers Sun. In the end only about 10% of the show is in Chinese in case you started it and didn't want to deal with subtitles.
Will always love Batman. From Adam West through Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson and "beyond"... the 60s series is some of my earliest memories of entertainment.
BlackBerry. Saw this around the corner at the local and it was a riothouse. Great snapshot of a moment in time with some wild laughs and nostalgic sighs. Cast did a great job playing up the ridiculous nature of the characters in their moment in time while also capturing the drama of their place in history; what we perceive as Silicon Valley bros is never taken for granted in their mise en place as chess pieces on the game board of history. So grateful to see this play out on the big screen. A hilarious and moving picture.
Also rewatched The Boy and the Heron with its dubbed track. Even better the second time 'round (especially with its incredible voice casting).
Home viewing: The Dark Knight Rises. I forgot how satifying the conclusion to Christopher Nolan's trilogy of the Batman is. So satisfying and beautiful and cativating to see Alfred and Bruce's journey come to its conclusion. L.A. Takedown. Michael Mann's "rough draft" for 1995's Heat. Did not know that this existed until I saw it; very well done, but it's hard to evaluate when comparing to the heist masterpiece that is Mann's feature film. Some of this "pilot" (it was supposed to be a series?) is a shot-for-shot conceptual pre-make of Heat. A weird and awesome watch. Kiki's Delivery Service. These are some of the most incredible and beautiful setpieces that Miyazaki created. Go ahead; fight me. Afire. Atmospheric and killer international (2023) production that deserves more attention than it got. Excellent character development, killer low-heat plot; fascinating and excellent resolution. Streaming on Criterion.
American Fiction. I’m seeing a lot of films about writers lately. This one is a fascinating take; Jeffrey Wright plays Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, an intellectual and somewhat edgy writer of lofty pieces with titles like “Satyricon,” “The Frogs,” and “The Haas Conundrum.” When another African-American writer lands a huge hit with what is essentially a Blaxploitation genre novel ("We's Lives in Da Ghetto”), Monk decides to lean in with his own take on the genre, under a pseudonym and ostensibly as “performance art.” When his title becomes an unexpected hit, Monk has to grapple with the challenges and questions that come with the territory. A subversive and hilarious take on expectations and public perception, pop culture, and the publishing industry.
Video at home:
Nettles. Short film by the director of All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt. A story told in six miniatures; beautifully shot, quiet, mysterious. You Hurt My Feelings. Great little New York movie that explores the nature of communication and what it takes to maintain a successful long-term relationship. Tobias Menzies (one of my favorites, a standout in the AMC series The Terror) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus are excellent in this. The Equalizer 2. Guilty pleasure popcorn fodder. Denzel Washington is the good guy, and Pablo Pascal plays his old colleague that has to help him solve the murder of one of their oldest and most beloved friends. I love seeing Boston in films, so as objectively dumb as these movies are, they always get my attention.
On the subject of popcorn, it’s National Popcorn Day, so get out and see a movie. The titles I want to watch most locally (The Book of Clarence and I.S.S.) almost seem not worth leaving the house for, plus their showtimes are pretty inconvenient. Maybe I’ll just turn my brain off completely and watch Jason Statham dole out some punishment to the Silicon Valley grifters in The Beekeeper.
"From Stress to Happiness" Prime - 2020 - 58 minutes.
A stressed out documentary filmmaker goes on a journey of inner discovery with Mattieu Ricard whom is known as "the happiest man in the world."
Excellent! Required watching regarding the misery brought in to our minds and bodies by believing we can control our daily external experiences.
Lokah Samastah Mantra meaning:
"MAY ALL BEINGS BE HAPPY AND FREE, AND MAY THE THOUGHTS, WORDS AND ACTIONS OF MY OWN LIFE CONTRIBUTE IN SOME WAY TO THAT HAPPINESS AND FREEDOM FOR ALL."
The Green Planet on PBS. 5 part series I believe and all episodes blew my mind. An hour each. Basically focuses on plants and their foundational role for all of life on this planet. I guess it has been out for at least a year, but I just discovered it. Couldn't be a higher recommendation.
^^^^The Green Planet on PBS. 5 part series I believe and all episodes blew my mind. An hour each. Basically focuses on plants and their foundational role for all of life on this planet. I guess it has been out for at least a year, but I just discovered it. Couldn't be a higher recommendation^^^
Thank you gunkman for pointing this out. I watched 4 of the episodes and was highly moved and inspired! This should be required viewing in schools for children (and Adults)
of all ages. I found it more enjoyable and informative than even Planet Earth III. Can't recommend this more than gunkman did! Go Watch!!
I.S.S. This seemed to promising. Interesting concept, small cast, nice practical effects. And the firstf ifteen or twenty minutes of the movie were great, strong start. And then... nothing happened. Seriously, two-thirds of this film just plod along, we learn next to nothing about these characters, and then it just kind of... ends. The set design, sound and score (or lack of) and visual effects were all competently done, but the story mostly falls out from under the film, floating away into the void.
Blue Jean. Excellent, character-driven drama from the 80s about a teacher in Margaret Thatcher's England who is living a (publicly) closeted life, and who has to come to grips with how she is going to present herself when her personal life and professional life begin to dangerously merge. This is the greasy, grimy 80s of underground London - not the squeaky American 80s of John Hughes, and it is awesome. Really moving picture
Tonite we're going to watch The Iron Claw. Second viewing for me. Kleenex at the ready.
Just got home from seeing "Poor Things", probably the most twisted film i've seen in a very long time, lol... the acting, visuals, simply spectacular! The plot, unexpected, and hard to predict... sort of akin to Monty Python on the brown acid meets Young Frankenstein with the rest I won't describe as to not give anything away... I'll be looking up more films from this director now, cheers!
Outstanding film about a couple that buys a dead farm and brings it back.
One of the farmers is a wildlife photographer / cinematographer. So this makes the film.
40 minute doc........ Facing an inevitable outcome, terminally ill patients meet extraordinary medical practitioners seeking to change our approach to life and death.
excellent short doc regarding palliative and hospice care.
The past 4 years, I have had the privilege of working on occasion with a local retired nurse who is a neighbor and who decided that she didn't want to "retire" fully, so she joined with a local hospice chapter here in NE Oklahoma. Shortly after I moved here, she asked if i would be interested in helping and i jumped at the chance. I had spent two years working as an aid in a local nursing home when i was a late teen, and was familiar with the devastating effects of dementia and strokes and end of life care and suffering. In my capacity, i help rearrange living quarters in a person's home so that they can be as comfortable as possible in their final days.
The reward is being in the presence of wisdom and brutal honesty of thought and speech from the patients and family members, but mostly of pure acceptance and forgiveness of one's own life decisions, both good and bad. And Gratefulness? it doesn't get more pure than from helping those of us in need when we need it the most.
Gather - Netflix (2020) 74 minutes..... An intimate portrait of a growing movement amongst Indigenous Americans to reclaim their spiritual and cultural identities through food sovereignty.
Also, an educational reminder of the genocide of Native Americans that happened here.
Saw "American Fiction" at the local indie theatre, really enjoyed it! Still going for "Poor Things" as best picture.
The new season of "Top Chef", my fave cooking competition show, starts on March 20th, so just finished streaming season one, now half way through season 2... interested seeing all these network foodie stars from over 20 years ago! (Tiffani Faison comes across like a real lyin' beotch)
Just watched the Oscar nominated short films; Documentaries (next week action, then cartoons). All were excellent!!! Here's the listing from our local indy theatre Darkside Cinema;
* Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó – Sean Wang and Sam Davis, 17 min., USA (in Mandarin)
Nǎi Nai is my grandma. Wài Pó is also my grandma. Together, they are a grandma super team that dances, stretches, and farts their sorrows away.
* The Barber of Little Rock – John Hoffman and Christine Turner, 35 min., USA (in English)
The Barber of Little Rock explores America's widening racial wealth gap through the story of Arlo Washington, a local barber whose visionary approach to a just economy can be found in the mission of People Trust, the nonprofit community bank he founded.
* Island In Between – S. Leo Chiang and Jean Tsien, 20 min., Taiwan (in English/Mandarin)
From Taiwan’s frontline amid rising tensions with China, filmmaker S. Leo Chiang weaves lyrical glimpses of local life with his own struggle negotiating ambivalent bonds to Taiwan, China, and the US. ISLAND IN BETWEEN explores the uneasy peace in Taiwan, and contemplates its uncertain future.
* The ABC’s of Book Banning – Sheila Nevins and Trish Adlesic, 27 min., USA (in English)
Over 2000 books have been removed from school districts in the U.S. THE ABCS OF BOOK BANNING follows the human toll the future will pay for depriving children of their right to read and learn about a complex world. Interviews with children and authors shed light on this ongoing dangerous precedent.
* The Last Repair Shop – Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers, 39 min., USA (in English)
Tells the story of four unassuming heroes who ensure no student is deprived of the joy of music. It is also a reminder of how music can be the best medicine, stress reliever and even an escape from poverty.
Have to say very disappointed in the changes Dune 2 made to the book but, movie adaptation, what are you going to do. If you don't care about the story in the book it was another spectacular cinematic ride.
I just caught the first episode of a new series, The Regime, on MAX, and I'm really liking it. Kate Winslet stars as the leader of a fictional authoritarian nation somewhere in Europe, and I'd describe it as darkly zany satire that's chockful of commentary on politics and the human condition.
I'm not a gamer so I passed but then saw it got like a 90% plus rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Is it good? Would you understand it if you didn't play the game?
I just finished binging Twin Peaks: The Return in about a week (plus the David Lynch bio-doc The Art Life), and I think Northern Exposure is exactly what I need after overdosing on garmonbozia.
Went to see Dune 2 last night, Denis Villeneuve's excellent adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel. A talented ensemble cast, intriguing storyline, spectacular settings and action sequences, with a mildly psychedelic vibe made for a grand concoction. Looking forward to Villenueve's continuation of the saga in Dune 3, which will be based on Herbert's sequel, Dune Messiah.
Anybody else watch these folks? No music, no words (that I can understand), no notes or anything else. Just high quality video of outdoor food preparation. From harvest to consumption using no electricity or gas. Everything is cooked over open flame or in self made clay ovens etc. I wish they would note what they are adding at times, but I am mesmerized by them. I can only watch for about a half hour at a time but I always go back. Have watched probably close to 10 hours from them. I think they are in Azerbaijan but not sure. I know many would consider these boring but not me. I am a foody.
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Just got up to date on OITNB.
Just got up to date on OITNB.
Anyone have any recommendations on Netflix-produced fare?
Two weeks remaining on a free month. Up to date on Stranger Things.
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Chernobyl/Showtime.
Chernobyl/HBO
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Dead to Me
Dead to Me
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Watching my friends play
Watching my friends play music.
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Killing Eve
Killing Eve
Brockmire
Bosch- an Amazon show
Longmire- a Netflix show, older one
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SIHead
SIHead
Killing Eve 2nd season? IMO first was better
Bosch as a reader of the books since 1989, they did a great job on the series, this new season might be the best
Give true detective a shot HBO, 1st season was amazing, 2nd not as bad as troll will have you believe, 3rd was great, not as good as first, but sets up future
just made plans for orientation and homecoming weekends. empty nest, wife and i planning holiday sans son in feb lol
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Just finished the second
Just finished the second Killing Eve book - maybe should have put it off until after this season...
Still laid up from stomach surgeries but the ability to binge shows has been great - some of the stuff I have been through since February;
The Wire
Twin Peaks (90's & reboot)
Sopranos
Game of Thrones
Bosch
Dexter
30 Rock
Letterkenny
Might need to revisit True Detective season 1 again. Dexter and 30 Rock were 2 I had never seen - Dex I found tough to get through by the end but liked the first 2 seasons. Letterkenny might be too Canadian for the US crowd, but season 1 & 2 can still leave me in tears.
Cripes I have spent a ton of time doing not much lately. Thankfully my diet hasn't worked against my sloth-like existence.
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Ramy on Netflix. Well done
Ramy on Netflix. Well done series about a young Muslim guy in NJ trying to balance being a young American and a practicing Muslim. Funny, sad, poignant.
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Love is my favorite netflix
Love is my favorite netflix show.
that, and Big Mouth.
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Robotech: The Macross Saga
Robotech: The Macross Saga
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Tried to watch Chernobyl but
Tried to watch Chernobyl but fell asleep. The Shop with LeBron James is kinda cool.
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Recently, over the course of
Recently, over the course of a few months I went through the entire 7 seasons of West Wing and was reminded what a good show that was. A little precious, but all in all a very good show.
Right now I'm watching the Giants losing, again.
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For almost everyone (netflix)
For almost everyone (netflix):
- The Alpinist
- 14 Peaks
Both are documentaries based on truly amazing ( almost super-human) mountain climbers.
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Re-watching The Wire.
Re-watching The Wire.
David Simon makes good TV.
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Fired up "24" again recently.
Fired up "24" again recently. Just finished Season 1 last night. I think it's the 6th time going through! (It's my "Rocky Horror Picture Show" in a similar way. Also do this with Gunsmoke radio episodes -- which are all on archive.org BTW).
Started Hanna ... not bad, but so far hasn't held up to the 24 as being the "gold standard" for this genre IMO.
Have otherwise plowed through a ton of Ken Burns and other documentaries on PBS Documentary Channel. In particular:
Henry Ford - American Experience
The Great War
The War
Huey Long
In Search of Doc Holliday
The Congress
Brooklyn Bridge
Ali
Jack Johnson
Penn Station
... to name some
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started the 3rd season of Mr
started the 3rd season of Mr Robot
this show makes me want to change all my passwords daily and start burying gold in the backyard :\
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Planning on episode 2 of the
Planning on episode 2 of the Beatles documentary this evening. Though things may change.
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^^^Don't touch that dial
^^^Don't touch that dial
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Narcos Mexico ZeroZeroZero
Narcos Mexico
ZeroZeroZero
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
I don't stream. Can't imagine
I don't stream. Can't imagine watching a movie on my phone. And I like to be able to use my computer while watching TV on my TV. I guess that makes me Really Old School.
I highly recommend that everyone watch a show on Vice called "While The Rest Of Us Die". If you want to know why everything in this country is fucked up, you will get answers here. Set the Series to record all shows, so you get what has already debuted. Really interesting stuff. Monsanto, Enron, PG&E, the military industrial complex, Big pharma etc. Very informative and a take you will never see on mainstream news.
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I stream with a $40 Roku
I stream with a $40 Roku device... just plug it into the TV's USB or HDMI port and it talks to the internet. It's great to be able to add/delete streaming apps at will. Right now I have Netflix and Prime Video for movies/TV series, and Youtube TV (for pretty much all the games I want to watch). It's also very convenient for watching concert footage or listening to music on the regular Youtube app. I'll probably add Disney+ soon to watch the Beatles doc (then unsubscribe).
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FOM, I listen to Radio
FOM, I listen to Radio Classics on XM and Gunsmoke is the best of all the shows they play. Yours' Truly, Johnny Dollar is pretty good too.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
Mark, there's also an app
Mark, there's also an app called "Old Time Radio Player" that has a lot of old shows including Gunsmoke, but prefer to download mp3s to my computer / phone from archive.org.
Fort Laramie is also very good ... with Raymond Burr as the main character Captain Quince.
I also like Frontier Gentleman ... with John Dehner who's in a lot of Gunsmoke episodes and other radio programs. For that matter, a lot of the supporting voice actors you might recognize in Gunsmoke also appear in many of these radio shows.
I tried to get into Johnny $ but it didn't quite work out. Most of them are kind of hokey, and some are better than others, but I suppose it's par for the course for that era ... and just a matter of one's interests. I actually like Gunsmoke radio more than the TV show (even though the first years of tv were based on the radio scripts).
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Right now? This https://www
Right now? This https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gnDyhN5ilM
Just finished season 2 of The Great, and will probably start re-watching season 3 of What We Do In The Shadows on hulu fx later.
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Big fan of Frontier Gentleman
Big fan of Frontier Gentleman also. Dehner was all over the radio back then. He did Have Gun Will Travel also.
Broadway is my Beat, The sixshooter staring Jimmy Stewart, Sam Spade, Hoppy, quite a few worth listening to.
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I have a google chromecast
I have a google chromecast thingy-do for streaming. It's great for Netflix, hulu, youtube, and watching live concert streams. Before I had the chromecast, I was paying $80 a month for cable. Now I pay $12 a month (for ad-free hulu). You don't have to wait for a network schedule with hulu, and can watch full concerts and old movies/tv shows on your TV streamed from youtube for free. I love it.
I never watch anything on my phone. I just stream to the TV from my laptop, but I did just sign up for nugs.net so I can stream audio to my headphones and TV. No stereo system currently, but the TV's speakers have adjustable levels so it's fine for now
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Fickle Comet Leonard, visible in Bay Area morning sky, makes closest approach to Earth
https://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Fickle-Comet-Leonard-visible-in-B...
EarthSky | Comet Leonard to be closest to Earth December 12
https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/comet-leonard-might-become-202...
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Joe Buck Jeopardy week
Joe Buck Jeopardy week
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
Big fan of Frontier Gentleman
Big fan of Frontier Gentleman also. Dehner was all over the radio back then. He did Have Gun Will Travel also.
Broadway is my Beat, The sixshooter staring Jimmy Stewart, Sam Spade, Hoppy, quite a few worth listening to.<<<
Yeah, Dehner was pretty big in that era / space. I think he does a good job in Gunsmoke of not being typecast, and being able to play a wide range of character voices/dispositions. Sometimes he's a good guy, sometimes he's a bad guy. Frontier Gentleman reminds me a little bit of Kung Fu but a different spin ... and is funny at times. I like Six Shooter too. I've tried a lot of other old-time radio, but find most too melodramatic. Not that Gunsmoke and the others I've mentioned aren't, but not as bad.
I finally stopped at Doc Holliday's "grave" in Glenwood Springs, CO (after passing it literally > 100x) on the way back from D&C at Fiddler's Green in Oct.. It's a cool cemetery.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: GDTRFB
Primo late-era Brent GD!
Primo late-era Brent GD!
https://youtu.be/0zcunwheIsA
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
>>>>start re-watching season
>>>>start re-watching season 3 of What We Do In The Shadows
Bat!
Will be interesting to see what they do next. Heard somewhere that the next season will involve a whole new house of vampires.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: O'Toole
Just finished Wu Assassin.
Just finished Wu Assassin. Pretty good.
The one that we started watching sorta as a joke turned out fun to watch and good. Sweet Tooth ! I mention this one because we laughed at it initially and really never had any intention of ever watching it ever.
Anyone have any recommendations on Netflix-produced fare?|||| The Last Kingdom !
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
I really liked "The Great,"
I really liked "The Great," on Hulu. Both seasons were really good.
A few weeks ago I saw that HBO Max had a show called, "The Sex Lives of College Girls." I IMDBed that shit, and believe it or not, it has decent reviews. It's definitely worth watching if you want something fun, a little drama, with good writing and acting.
It's weird, I have less and less time in my life for heavy dramas and all the murder mystery stuff. I want stuff that makes me smile. Sometimes the totally inane crap works well, like "The Ranch," and on Netflix. "The Great" has it all, from the inane to the intense, really a stellar show.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
What kind of shows do you
What kind of shows do you watch, Fog?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: O'Toole
Most everything, lean towards
Most everything, lean towards sci-fi. All we have now is netflix which is fine. One thing i figured out, sometimes it takes getting past the first few episodes to start liking it.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
Wentworth is the best overall
Wentworth is the best overall show I've seen in years.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Where Does The Time Go?
Richard Linklatter talking
Richard Linklatter talking about Gus Van Sant's "Drugstore Cowboy"
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 2 Room Shack
Brand New Cherry Flavor -
Brand New Cherry Flavor - netflix
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: O'Toole
I see a pattern setting up
I see a pattern setting up here Brian.
Over the last few years i have to go with The Expanse but i'm a sci-fi nerd!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
West Side Story on TCM
West Side Story on TCM
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
What's the pattern? My
What's the pattern? My viewing habits are that of a teenage girl?
I wear it proudly.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: DaBreeze
Foundation - Adaption of
Foundation - Adaption of Isaac Asimov's novels. Mostly quite good sci-fi (and cgi), with occasional lags.
Raised By Wolves - Produced and sometimes directed by Ridley Scott. Sentient androids raise kids on an outpost refugee colony.
Money Heist - Spanish bank robbery series. Somewhat intense and engaging, with moments of lucidity, but also suffers from lapses in logic and believability.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
Oh yeah, have you checked out
Oh yeah, have you checked out Bebop Cowboy yet?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: O'Toole
Yep, never got to second
Yep, never got to second episode in favor of Locke and key. Not going back to it. The Crown was ok, pretty juicy scandals.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
FOM, another great radio show
FOM, another great radio show to checkout is Pete Kelly's Blues. Pre Dragnet Jack Web. Usually has a lot of great Jazz thrown in.
"Set in Kansas City, Missouri, in the early 1920s, the series was a crime drama with a strong musical atmosphere (Webb was a noted Dixieland jazz enthusiast). Kansas City in this era was a hotbed of jazz, as well as of organized crime and political corruption, all of which influenced the series."
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
F. Jr. Like you care.
F. Jr. Like you care.
D. Yeah, i don't, you're right. I shot off your dick. For that, I apologize. Even went to the drugstore to look for a card. No such card exists.
love the cast and writing for Ozark.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
Righteous Gemstones, a
Righteous Gemstones, a version of East Bound and Down religious style
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Just started Season 2. Great
Just started Season 2. Great casting.
Caught up on Disenchantment and FTWD.
There's a fourth season of The Bridge (Swedish version) I'd like to check out if I can find it on a platform we already pay for/free. Features one of the best "no filter" characters ever written, IMO.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: DNB - Best band & fans in the land!
1883 (streaming on Paramount+
1883 (streaming on Paramount+)
Reacher (streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
Top Chef - Houston, starts
Top Chef - Houston, starts the beginning of next month, and saw there was a second season of Picard about to start (never finished the first one).
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MikePA
Euphoria, Ozarks, Righteous
Euphoria, Ozarks, Righteous Gemstones, Yellow Jackets, to name a few
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ParadiseWaits
Just finished Around the
Just finished Around the World in 80 Days (David Tennant) and Reacher. Love Wellington Paranormal but it's probably too silly for a lot of folks, it takes awhile to get used to kiwi humour and the accents. What We Do In The Shadows is awesome and probably the funniest show I've watched during the era of covid. If you geek out on vintage horror genre and like absurd humor it's great.
I'm trying to like 1883 but the lead actress in the show looks just like Ivanka Trump to me and I can't suspend disbelief that a hot bleached blonde teen is a tough cow punching pioneer, like AT ALL. The whole heart eating bit that mimicked GOT was dumb as hell, so was the npc lady getting bit on the butt by a snake while taking a pee, just eye roll city. I think I'm done watching except for unintentional comedic value and scenery. Sam Eliott is great, but he isn't enough to carry the bad writing.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Where Does The Time Go?
Adult Swim runs 24/7
Adult Swim runs 24/7 marathons of some of it's shows on their Roku channel, so i'm trying to catch up on the last few seasons of Venture Brothers.
also started Squid Game (1st episode, so far) and so far i like it.
wasn't impressed by the 1st episode of the newest season of Cobra Kai. I'll give the 2nd ep a shot to determine if i'll watch any more
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
Cobra Kai was great. It's so
Cobra Kai was great. It's so campy and absurd that it's fun.
Anyone else watching Pam and Tommy? It's about Pam Anderson, Tommy Lee, and their stolen sex tape.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MeditateontheQ
On season 2 of Ozark -- but
On season 2 of Ozark -- but it stresses me out to watch some of those episodes -- so it's going slowly for me.
I'm not a daily TV watcher in the first place.
Really admiring the script and directing / editing work.
For PBS fans, I know there's a new revival of my childhood fav, All Creatures Great and Small, but I haven't been able to settle down to watch it yet.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ParadiseWaits
Lollo, ACGAS is great, same
Lollo, ACGAS is great, same script and scenery as the one we grew up with, just different actors. The main difference is Siegfried is WAY hotter, so is Tristan.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
>>>On season 2 of Ozark --
>>>On season 2 of Ozark -- but it stresses me out to watch some of those episodes -- so it's going slowly for me.
just finished s4, completely understandable; it gets darker and bloodier as the show progresses....just a heads-up.
The Wire is next.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Faye Dunaway
Fucking adore Spies Like Us
Fucking adore Spies Like Us (:
Excited John Oliver is almost back
Most of my watching is in the form of next day late night shows Myers>Colbert>Kimmel
Roseanne anytime I catch it
On a Reno911! kick this day being domestic with hilarity ensuing in the background.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
PBS - American Experience
PBS - American Experience
Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/singers/#part01
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
Book of Boba Fett. I know
Book of Boba Fett. I know some people hate it, but lots of cameos and Easter eggs and it gets better towards the end of the series.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MikePA
Just watched a NOVA show '
Just watched a NOVA show ' Secrets of the Scat ' - very interesting
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MeditateontheQ
Dise, thanks for the scoping
Dise, thanks for the scoping on ACGS -- a hotter Siegfried and Tristan?!
Must-watch TV, LOL.
It's not hard too look hot when one wears tweed hunting jackets 24/7.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ParadiseWaits
Oh yeah, get yourself a spot
Oh yeah, get yourself a spot of tea and que up ACGS
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
All I can say is that my life
All I can say is that my life is pretty plain
I like watching the puddles gather rain
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: KeseyB
Don't watch much, but happy
Don't watch much, but happy to have discovered Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't on you tube. It has been great.
Santore is self-taught. Very educated, sometimes "rude", funny dude.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
>Just watched a NOVA show '
>Just watched a NOVA show ' Secrets of the Scat '
sounds like a shit show
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: bluehare
Has anyone suggested
Has anyone suggested ‘Painting with John’, onHBO max. New season starts feb 18. Really wonderful
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: bluehare
Has anyone suggested
Has anyone suggested ‘Painting with John’, onHBO max. New season starts feb 18. Really wonderful
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
Human Playground
Human Playground
Netflix, 6 - 40ish minute episodes. The different forms of "play" ( rituals, endurance tests, etc.) from cultures all around the world. I've only finished episode one. Truly fascinating.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Highnote
The Extraordinary Attorney
The Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix. Excellent.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
> The Extraordinary Attorney
> The Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix. Excellent <
I really enjoyed it, too.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Faye Dunaway
I love seeing old threads get
I love seeing old threads get resurrected!
Still doing my news via late night comedy
Jeopardy is the only other regular thing we watch
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
Painting with John has a 3rd
Painting with John has a 3rd season in 2023 (and Top Chef is in Europe)
Meanwhile, watching / waiting for the NASA launch;
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/#public
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K--POHTLGY0
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
The Peripheral is the best
The Peripheral is the best Sci Fi I've seen in a long time. It's on Amazon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRdkRQzcrrc
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: aiq
Bloodthirsty Viking killer
Bloodthirsty Viking killer Scandi noir.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
Our Universe - Netflix
Our Universe - Netflix
6 - 40 min episodes narrated by Morgan Freeman. Each episode does a better job of explaining all aspects of evolution, life and nonlife and tying all together as one than anything else I've seen.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
I recently watched PBS
I recently watched PBS American Masters about Buffy Ste-Marie. It was so good, as is/was she.
I also watched Independent Lens on PBS about the creation, history, and present day TikTok. I knew very little about it and now know some. It was very interesting and well done.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Highnote
Extraordinary Attorney Woo on
Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
I wish there were a second
I wish there were a second season of Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
I binged the first two
I binged the first two seasons of His Dark Materials on HBO this weekend, in preparation for the third season, which drops on December 5th. The series is based on a trilogy of young adult novels by Philip Pullman, which were recommended to me near the beginning of the pandemic, and right after I read my way through the Harry Potter books in the first month of lockdown. HDM is fantasy, for sure; for example, there's witches and talking armored bears. But it's also quite sophisticated in its depictions of parallel universes and its discussion of dark matter.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
I went out to our local
I went out to our local independent theater twice this last week,
https://www.darksidecinema.com/
Saw a horror / comedy (The Menu), the other a twisted / dark / comedy (Triangle of Sadness).
I saw the new David Bowie documentary there a month or so ago (Moonage Daydream)
Long live independent theaters!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Had HBO for free this last
Had HBO for free this last weekend, and was able to catch up on this season of Avenue 5. Watched eps 1-7. Went to turn off and delete several times early on, but ended up watching every ep. Free weekend is over, and ep 8 runs tonight. I am a little curious as to what happens with the missile. I'm sure they won't kill off half the cast but it is a very strange show. So would somebody post here after tonight's show and clue me in? Thanks in advance.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Highnote
Judit-I read that they are
Judit-I read that they are making a second season but it won't be out for a while because Kang Tae oh is signed up for military service.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jazfish
I'm also watching The
I'm also watching The Universe, Joe. The last episode I watched was,Time.
Fascinating!
I watched the The Platform the other night. Weird, different and not for the squeamish.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jazfish
I'm also watching The
..
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jazfish
Channel 1005 on Samsung TV
Channel 1005 on Samsung TV extra is a fire place.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
Stringtwang, thanks for the
Stringtwang, thanks for the news about a second season. I'm sorry about the delay. "The actor is currently set to be discharged on March 19, 2024" - Wikipedia
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Highnote
Just watched the Buffy St
Just watched the Buffy St Marie bio on PBS. What an amazing person. Great story of human potential.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Nobody watches Avenue 5?
Nobody watches Avenue 5?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sun so hot, clouds so low
Cabinet of Curiosities.
Cabinet of Curiosities. Guillermo Del Toro. Netflix
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
I binged the first season of
I binged the first season of White Lotus yesterday on HBOMax. It's a darkly funny satire on the excesses of the privileged class with a great cast, exotic locations, and a very stylized look that's all its own. Season 2 wraps up today.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
White Lotus is great. It's no
White Lotus is great. It's no a whodunnit, but rather a who dies. I have many theories about tonight's episode.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Dead To Me S3 The Outlaws S2
Dead To Me S3
The Outlaws S2
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: r n
Retrograde on Hulu
Retrograde on Hulu
Doc. on final days of U.S. in Afgan. and after the U.S. has left
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Tim
Blew my back out, BAD.
Blew my back out, BAD. Watched sports and my wife watched The Adams Family Wednesday.
Ill never get that couple of hours back to my life.
NOT Recommended
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Faye Dunaway
no streaming tv series is
no streaming tv series is worth the effort to me
lizzo on howard will be lovely to watch, tho
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
Hacks on HBO is a really
Hacks on HBO is a really smart funny series that stars Jean Smart as a legendary comedienne at a turning point in her life, and Hannah Einbinder (who is SNL alum Lorraine Newman's daughter) as a young comedy writer.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Where Does The Time Go?
Primal on Adult Swim, from
Primal on Adult Swim, from the creator of Samurai Jack.
Follows a primitive man and his dinosaur companion as they try to find their place in a strange world.
Shockingly violent, beautiful and heart-wrenching in equal measure.
Can't recommend it enough.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sun so hot, clouds so low
Sweet Tooth is good
Sweet Tooth is good
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
The UK version of Shameless,
The UK version of Shameless, which aired from 2004 to 2013. The US version is pretty tame compared to the original.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Localcountyline
rain.
rain.
Nice to watch now but we're going to get too much too fast.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
The Outlaws S2 (one to go)
The Outlaws S2 (one to go)
FTWD S7
Dark Horses S2
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
I watched the first episode
I watched the first episode of The Last of Us and thought it was just horrible. If I watch the second episode, it'll be because of Bella Ramsey, who has an amazing screen presence.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
The Australian Open; Nadal vs
The Australian Open; Nadal vs Mackie McDonald
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
>>I watched the first episode
>>I watched the first episode of The Last of Us and thought it was just horrible.
It's weird. The show gets all these great reviews, but I felt the same way.
I really enjoyed this season of The Hunters.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Zzzzzz
Currently watching
Currently watching
Peaky Blinders (wrapped up season 2)
Man in the high Castle (wrapped up season 1)
Wednesday (might be in season 1)
Just wrapped up White Lotus.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: |-|/-\|_|_
re-watching Six Feet Under
re-watching Six Feet Under after finishing White Lotus. oh, and pretty much every Warrior and Niner game.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Highnote
Borgen on Netflix. It's like
Borgen on Netflix. It's like a Danish West Wing.
Borgen https://g.co/kgs/t7zwQZ
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
Just caught the Sprinsteen
Just caught the Springsteen Broadway show on Netflix. Really good.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Faye Dunaway
our "free tv" thru samsung
our "free tv" thru samsung has MST3K marathons every moonday !
otherwise: 76ers!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
I was not at all impressed by
I was not at all impressed by the first episode of The Last of Us, but then a buddy told me I should check out episodes 2 and especially 3. It was 3 that hooked me, and I'm really looking forward to the season finale this Sunday.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
Season 20 of Top Chef started
Season 20 of Top Chef started last night. To celebrate the milestone, they've gone international. The contestants are winners / finalists from the different "Top Chef" shows around the world (Thailand, Poland, Italy, NW Africa, France, etc). It's in London this time (will finish in Paris), and they'll be having international judges, and sounds like some of the challenges will be adopted from several of the international franchises.
https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/top-chef-season-20-cast-premiere-...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
The Consultant - Amazon
The Consultant - Amazon
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
For those watching Last Of Us
For those watching Last Of Us this is from today's WP, and on a personal note my sister in law has been in and out of the hospital for two months after back surgery, and they finally narrowed the problem down to a fungal infection.
Candida can cause fatal infections in the bloodstream, heart and brain. The CDC does not track how many people died, and it can be difficult to discern cause of death when the patients at highest risk are often already fighting for their lives.
The emergence of the fungus, detected more than a decade ago in India, South Africa and South America, has perplexed researchers.
Fungi often cannot withstand the temperature of the human body, but one leading theory posits that Candida is now capable of doing so because it has evolved to survive in a warming world.
https://wapo.st/3TzJaIK
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
I'm sorry to hear about your
I'm sorry to hear about your SIL's situation, Nino.
> one leading theory posits that Candida is now capable of doing so because it has evolved to survive in a warming world
That's exactly the premise of The Last of Us, only with cordyceps instead of candida. Scary shit.
I just started watching Rain Dogs on HBO. It's a dark comedy about a single mom struggling to stay of the streets that shows lots of promise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOHpZ5_OcoE
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
Yeah I'm not used to reading
Yeah I'm not used to reading news articles that quote the dystopian sci fi show I'm watching word for word, although in this case I don't buy the global warming reason. I think it is more likely that with 8 billion of us on the planet now as opposed to 3 billion when I was born - it just gives everything that can attack us so much more opportunity to attack us and to mutate into a successful strain.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
Back to TV did anyone watch
Back to TV did anyone watch Yellow Stone? I just got Peacock to watch Poker Face and decided to check out Yellow Stone. So far what I have learned is that owning a ranch in Montana is a lot like running a Mexican drug cartel only more violent.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
In a complex system like the
In a complex system like the web of life on Earth, it's unlikely there's a single cause for Candida to have adapted to a new host environment. An uptick in global temperature could be part of it, and the human population explosion (i.e. more potential hosts) could be a factor too. Who knows? Candida might find increased CO2 in the atmosphere more favorable too.
So did you get to the end of Season 1 on TLOU yet?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
>>>So did you get to the end
>>>So did you get to the end of Season 1 on TLOU yet?
No only on Ep 2 not a big fan of zombies and my wife even less so, but it's been good so far I'll get there eventually.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
>>>So did you get to the end
>>>So did you get to the end of Season 1 on TLOU yet?
No only on Ep 2 not a big fan of zombies and my wife even less so, but it's been good so far I'll get there eventually.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
The Founder
The Founder
well done and didn't know the backstory. Ray Kroc was a piece of shit, and I'm thankful the only money i ever gave his family was for some of their coffee.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Just finished The Diplomat
Just finished The Diplomat and Rabbit Hole.
Caught up on Ted Lasso and Yellowstone after missing the hype for [x] years, respectively.
About to resume Sweet Tooth and waiting on Justified: City Primaval.
Fox Sunday night 'toons still good, rude stuff.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Zzzzzz
Still watching the:
Still watching the:
Man in the High Castle
Succession but lost HBO for the moment.
Top Chef - Restaurant Wars may be my favorite thing that reoccurs on TV.
Peaky Blinders - getting tired of it but close ot the end.
Also watched the following documentaries on some recent flights
Biggest little Farm - highly recommended
Pez Outlaw - highly recommended
Jurassic Punk - Interesting
Some Grizzlies Basketball doc - meh
And adapted film Dark Waters - Highly Recommended.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
24 (for like the 7th or 8th
24 (for like the 7th or 8th time all the way through)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
I also loved resteraunt wars
I also loved restaurant wars on Top Chef
Just finished the 1st and 2nd seasons of Picard, about a third of the way thru season 3. Didn't care for season one much, loved how season 2 started, 3 definitely the best (so far)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Just watched 1883 and 1923.
Just watched 1883 and 1923. Both very good. Waiting on 1923 season 2 before I watch Yellowstone.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ParadiseWaits
Waiting for season 5 of What
Waiting for season 5 of What We Do in The Shadows. Really liked The Good Lord Bird when it came out, haven't seen anything recently that's memorable
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: joy
The White House Plumbers
The White House Plumbers
Woody Harrelson is a national treasure
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
I'm streaming The Beatles'
I'm streaming The Beatles' movie Help!, which I haven't seen in many, many years. It's up on achive.org, not in HD, but then neither are my memories.
https://archive.org/details/help_20201109
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Strangha
Hockey playoff!. Best time of
Hockey playoff!. Best time of the year. Favorites were eliminated early this year. Wide open playoffs. No tellin' who'll win. No dog in this race. I just root against any team from Texas or Florida.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
Tennis
Tennis
Ted Lasso (on AppleTV+)
Recently finished Annika, and also Astrid, (both streaming on PBS (Passport))
Brokenwood Mysteries (on Acorn)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
I started watching WH
I started watching WH Plumbers last night. Funny stuff in a disturbing kind of way.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Zzzzzz
I forgot on my extended list
I forgot on my extended list Alice in Borderland. Like that show quite a bit although it takes some time getting used to the dubs.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
Succession last night was so
Succession last night was so well done, and also horrible to watch.
Such a great depiction of how the oligarchs think they will be able to work with fascists like it's all just another business deal to negotiate. These 30+ Russian oligarchs who have died since the invasion thought the same thing.
https://tinyurl.com/4wxv23cu
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
Dark Waters was excellent!
Dark Waters was excellent! Thanks, Zang. I worked at an environmental lab for 4 years. Mother Earth will rejoice when modern civilization is gone.
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams - 10 - 50 min. episodes. Not bad. In e4, Buscemi's character actually lives at the end (spoiler).
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
https://www.youtube.com/watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmy1AsWgOXY&t=49
lolololololololol.....love to all.......lol
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Zzzzzz
>>>>Dark Waters was excellent
>>>>Dark Waters was excellent! Thanks, Zang. I worked at an environmental lab for 4 years....
My Grand Father worked at DuPont. But in the 60s. oof. My opinion is they didn' tmpay nearly enough but at least something came out of it.
Now I'm caught up in Money Heist if you can handle more dubs and like fun stories set in Madrid. .
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
just finished Night Sky - J
Night Sky (prime video) - J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek. 8 episodes, no future seasons.(Damn!!!!!) Loved it .....Sci-fi fantasy about quantum entanglement portals that were buried at various locations around earth long ago by humans from other universes to visit Earth, which is known by all outside of Earth as "the fallen planet".
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Joe Buck is Back
Bupkis. Great cast. Really
Bupkis. Great cast. Really enjoying it so far!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: (~)};)StealYourFace
NHL
NHL
Game 6 Dallas vs Las Vegas Monday 5pm PST
Great series now
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: le hammer
Pistol on Hulu because it's
Pistol on Hulu because it's based on the new Steve Jones autobiography.
The series kept my attention better than I figured since I rarely watch biopics.
Supposedly some stuff in Pistol, like why Glen Matlock left the band and much of the Chrissie Hynde/Jones narrative, is made up, though I'm not sure if the supposedly made up stuff reflects the autobio, or if the series departs from the book in places.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: DaBreeze
New BBC doc 'Brian Jones and
New BBC doc 'Brian Jones and The Stones' doesn't pull punches, but isn't tabloid fodder, either. Includes new interview with Bill Wyman.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: It's me Dave open up!
Just finished The White House
Just finished The White House Plumbers and really enjoyed it. Covers the break-ins of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office and the DNC, and the following coverup, from the perspective of E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, who were some larger than life characters, especially Liddy. In recent years we've seen shows focusing on Dean and Mitchell, but this added some very interesting details.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: It's me Dave open up!
PS - The story of Dorothy
PS - The story of Dorothy Hunt was a revelation.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
Alfred Hitchcock Presents &
Alfred Hitchcock Presents & Alfred Hitchcock Hour - i prefer the half hour Presents, but when i can't sleep, MeTv is where its at. It's interesting to see so many young future stars. More so than The Twighlight Zone.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Highnote
Rewatching Breaking Bad. Two
Rewatching Breaking Bad. Two episodes to go.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Last One Standing has been
Last One Standing has been pretty good.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
On my Facebook feed:
On my Facebook feed:
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jazfish
Night Sky, thanks for
Night Sky, thanks for the recommendation, Joe.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jazfish
I looking forward to this
I looking forward to this remake of Logan's Run.
https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/hugh-jackman-logans-run-remake.html
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
Hi , jaz! Thanks for the
Hi , jaz! Thanks for the update.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Sweet Tooth S2
Sweet Tooth S2
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
I'm just getting around to
I'm just getting around to The Righteous Gemstones, and I'm liking it a lot. It's a comedic take-down of evangelical Christianity with great ensemble cast that reminds me, in some ways (like the ineptness of some characters), of Raising Arizona (plus, there's a John Goodman overlap).
I also just binged the first two (six episode) seasons of Somebody Somewhere, and really enjoyed it. It's central focus is a what I'd call a community of misfits in Manhattan, Kansas, whose central character, Sam, is played by the very talented Bridget Everett.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
Season 3 of Painting with
Season 3 of Painting with John
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
S2 of The Bear on hulu. E5
S2 of The Bear on hulu. Just outstanding.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Zzzzzz
Bear is awesome. Got two
Bear is awesome. Got two more episodes left. The double episode was rough.
I just finished: Greatest Events of WWII in Colour on Netflix. Guess they found a bunch of new footage and mixed it with what they had. These are 50 minute episodes that are well put together. They shape up each event with mistakes and successes on each side. All sorts of stuff I didn't realize on D-Day using fake tanks and paratroopers to throw off the Germans. Might be common knowledge but it's pretty cool to watch them move up a blow up tank with ease.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: joy
100 foot wave
100 foot wave
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
May your Christmas dinners
May your Christmas dinners always be better than the Bear.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
^lol...JLC was over the top
^lol...JLC was over the top as the "Mom". And e5 where Uncle Jimmy stops by to check on progress is fn hilarious!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Zzzzzz
She was so good. Some of
She was so good. Some of her finest acting in my opinion
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
Watching the Shaun White -
Watching the Shaun White - Last Run Doc on Max. I usually like these kind of things but not so much this one. The early stuff was good with his family. He had amazing parents, but the rest of it is just endless half pipe tricks that I can't tell one from the other with the occasional - horrific - close to life ending crashes thrown in. It just confirmed for me that half pipe competition is a stupid sport.
That said Shaun is a GOAT when it comes to competitiveness, but probably not someone you would want to hang with, and none of the other boarders do, but maybe the burden of carrying his family financially since he was 15 had something to do with that.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Justified: City Primeval
Justified: City Primeval
High Desert
What We Do in the Shadows
A shit-ton of WSP on da yootoobses.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
A lot of old movies on TCM.
A lot of old movies on TCM.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
Schitt's Creek finally.
Schitt's Creek finally.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
Just binged "Painkiller" on
Just binged "Painkiller" on netflix. If you don't think the sacklers need to be sued endlessly into permanent poverty, you will after this.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: That’s Nancy with the laughin’ face
Started watching it and had
Started watching it and had to pause..it was too painful. I was easily triggered by some of the scenes ^
I got my first taste of OXY 3 weeks ago. A measly 5 mg dosage.
Totally understand how people can become addicted tho. it relieved the pain without making me feel dopey.
I only used it for 5 days, and well my doc was being super stingy with it.
My manta after my accident was 'oxy and ice are my friend' ...
but I can certainly understand how quickly it could become the enemy.
I'm ready for a good comedy
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
I wish you the best in your
I wish you the best in your recovery Nancy. After the Painkiller series, some comedy sounds good.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Strange Planet
Strange Planet
Kinda meh; then it makes me laugh. Adequate guitar-noodling TV.
Billions is back.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
I kind of burned out on
I kind of burned out on Schitt's Creek after a few seasons, and now I'm watching Veep, and sensing a similar burn-out coming late in the first season. After watching Righteous Gemstones, I have a couple more Danny McBride shows in the queue: Eastbound and Down and Vice Principals.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
I gave Schitt's Creek 4-5
I gave Schitt's Creek 4-5 episodes. Ditto Ozark.
Sometimes, stuff just doesn't land/there's no one to root for.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
I really liked Moira, and
I really liked Moira, and Stevie too, but the rest of the cast just grated on me. And for the record, I just checked, and I only made it a couple of episodes into Season 2.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: That’s Nancy with the laughin’ face
Reservation Dogs
Reservation Dogs
Feels like a Native American shameless. I'm hooked..
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: (~)};)StealYourFace
Tulsa King
Tulsa King
another Taylor Sheridan gem...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jazfish
Blinded Side
Blinded Side
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
Psychedelica - 2 seasons
Psychedelica - 2 seasons on Gaia (used the free trial) This is a worthwhile series. 18 - 30 minute forays into different aspects of psychedelic therapy, much about indigenous cultures, histotrical use, the dark side of psychedelics, integration, the need for these compounds more than ever, and much info involving dmt, ketamine, psilly, ayahuasca and peyote. God bless Dr. Hofmann, the Dead, etc, but there's not much info about lsd, and it's refreshing to not see the same 60's scenes shown whenever the word "psychedelic" is involved.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nebulous nelly
Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake.
I'm a Rebecca Sugar fan.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
Only Murders in the Building.
Only Murders in the Building.
Fun for the whole family.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
Special Opps: Lioness is
Special Opps: Lioness is actually pretty good with Morgan Freeman, and Nicole Kidman in supporting roles. On Paramount+
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
The Art of Life -
The Art of Life - youtube........an excellent 40 min documentary about a brilliant abstract mathematician buddhist ( invited to MIT math department at 16) living in his own paradise on Maui. Produced by SAND
The Song That Calls You Home - very good documentary concerning all aspects of ayahuasca as told through ceremonial participants, family, Shipibo healers and scientists.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
Sex Education on Netflix
Sex Education on Netflix
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lasher Von Zekenstein
Rewatching OFMD S1 with the
Rewatching OFMD S1 with the wife so that we can watch Season 2 together.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
Hijack on Apple has been much
Hijack on Apple has been much better than expected, but only half way through episode 3
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Zzzzzz
I watched first episode of
I watched first episode of Special Opps and probably will return.
Now onto 3rd season of Money Heist - Really Season 2 - Part 1
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
I just finished watching
I just finished watching Eastbound and Down. Might be the stupidest series ever, and yes, I watched every episode.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
Born in Gaza - (2014) Filmed
Born in Gaza - (2014) Filmed shorlty after the 2014 Gaza war, this documentary examines how violence has transformed the lives of 10 Palestinian children
Netflix. 1hr 9 minutes Some of the kids in the doc may be fighting in the current war.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
I'm enjoying The Fall of the
I'm enjoying The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix much more than I expected I would.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Faye Dunaway
currently obsessed with
currently obsessed with Taylor Swift interviews/clips lol
gotta also watch the latest Catfish
oh, and Battlebots!
me and Oscar the Grouch
We Love Trash
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
1. Mark's Amazing Video.....
1. Mark's Amazing Video......Thank you. I can watch that on tv from my phone. Great video!!!
2. Killers Of The Flower Moon.......just experienced it at a nearby theater. Scorsese. Exceptional. Very tragic and sickening what happened not very long ago to the Osage, due to pure greed and deception over oil rights on Osage tribal lands. Filmed in Fairfax, Ok. on Osage Nation tribal territory. Jason Isbell, Jack White and Sturgill Simpson all have roles. The wedding ritual, the burial rituals, and the tribal council gatherings are 100% authentic Osage and so beautiful I'm at a loss to describe. One scene especially, in complete silence, when the Grandmother "wakes up" and is accompanied into the next realm, is so beautifully done in full Osage traditional beliefs, the 3.5hr ,movie is worth it just for that scene alone. But truly despicable collaboration on many peoples parts. A scene that caught everyone's attention in which DeNiro's evil character screams, "We're Masons!!! Take care of this!!!!"
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Dr. Benway
currently obsessed with
oh no! someone get this woman a 74 dark star!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
>> A scene that caught
>> A scene that caught everyone's attention in which DeNiro's evil character screams, "We're Masons!!! Take care of this!!!!"
When did he say this? Not during the sequence in the Lodge. I think you are conflating two scenes: the paddling scene, and Ernest frantically seeking out Hale at the town dance.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
I was sure it was right after
I was sure it was right after the paddling scene when he sat Ernest down and was drilling into hin how important it was that he go through with the plan even though he professed his love for her.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
There were 7 of us who
There were 7 of us who attended. All of us under our breath commented. I'm just about positive it was that scene. It was noteworthy because of the direct imposition. 5 of the 7 of us were unbuzzed. I was in the minority, but i remember asking everyone as we we're walking out if they heard that line too, and everyone said yes.
Glad you went. I had no idea of any of that history and it was unimaginably sinister.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
Well, I've seen it twice.
Well, I've seen it twice. What I recall is the paddling, as Hale is saying to Burkhart "I am a 32 degree mason," and something about how he is imbued with duties and responsibilities. Then, as you said, he sits him down and basically commands him to "take back control of [his] household," implying (or outright saying) that Mollie is too much of a strong-willed woman. Then the feds show up, and Burkhart frantically seeks out Hale, which leads to Hale again dressing Burkhart down through corporal punishment and by accosting him verbally.
I mean, the context is clearly that there is a set of orders and principles. The only way Burkhart would even have been admitted into the lodge is if he were a Freemason (and he was). Lots of use of "brother" between characters, too, and not just between Byron and Ernest. I just don't recall him saying "We're Masons, take care of this." I do recall him clearly implying that his own authority, and therefore the authority he is seating in Burkhart, is drawn directly from the order.
It was definitely a well-done, sensitively-made film. The book was exceptional, too; two really different approaches to telling the same harrowing story. Scorsese has already picked up the rights to Grann's most recent work, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
Oh, we're going to see Next
Oh, we're going to see Next Goal Wins tonite. Taika Waititi. Love that guy.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
>>>I'm a 32nd degree Mason.
>>>I'm a 32nd degree Mason.
Thank you. That's what it was. Doing god's work. I'm glad Scorsese left that line in.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Been watching the first
Been watching the first season of Batman. That was a funny ass show. Great guest villains. Everybody tongue in cheek. Pretty entertaining for a half hour at a time.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
Nyad on Netflix. Amazing
Nyad on Netflix. Amazing movie about Diana Nyad's swim(s) from Cuba to Key West.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: surjade
Still watching Deadwood.
Still watching Deadwood.
Always love a good western.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: r n
Made it thru about five
Made it thru about five minutes of Mother God Love or whatever it's called .
What a lame ass cult.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
Next Goal Wins was a ton of
Next Goal Wins was a ton of fun.
Next up: Napoleon. Wish they'd let Ridley release his four-plus hour cut into theaters, but I'll take whatever he's dishing up.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
I really enjoyed these short,
I really enjoyed these short, but very intense, films by Pedro Almodóvar... I believe they're his first movies in English.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Roarshock
I am streaming The Criterion
I am streaming The Criterion Channel and greatly increasing my cinema education.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
Other than nugs.net, we don't
Other than nugs.net, we don't watch much TV, but went and saw Napoleon yesterday in the theater and it was pretty good. Joaquin Phoenix did an excellent job bringing Napoleon to life as a quirky mix of insecurity and ambition. Couldn't cover everything of course, but they did manage to stuff a lot of history into two and half hours.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
Man, Napoleon really rubbed
Man, Napoleon really rubbed me the wrong way. Two weeks later and I am still thinking of ways that film disappointed me. What a cold, emotionless, unfun movie. There were perhaps three interesting characters in all, and Bonaparte was not one of them.
Anyway, last couple of weeks have been great for cinema for me.
The Holdovers. One of the best movies I saw this year. Absolutely beautiful film.
The Marvels. Popcorn flick, big-budget action CGI spectacle, but still great fun. A spectacle with good characters.
Saltburn. Truly mesmerizing, interestingly shot (in 4:3, no less).
Godland. Incredible. An epic, sort of in the same vein as There Will Be Blood. Including this one because it was so damn good, even if I didn't see it in a theater (Criterion Channel).
Roarshack, what are you finding of interest on the Channel? I can't recommend the latter enough. I've got a few things on queue up there...
On the topic of "education," I've been enjoying this incredible series that can be found on the Kanopy streaming platform (available through your local library) that broadcast a few years ago on BBC, called The Story of Film: An Odyssey. 15 parts, one-hour episodes. It's like a semester-long university film course condensed into one series. Highly recommended.
This weekend probably going to check out Silent Night and/or Godzilla (will get to that one by next week, hopefully). James Cameron is also re-releasing The Abyss (35th anniversary?) into IMAX theaters, which I'm really looking forward to.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Fargo is back.
Fargo is back.
Catching up on Archer.
Looking forward to the Do Not Destroy flick.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
Love Has Won. Creepy cult
Love Has Won. Creepy cult documentary on Max.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
>>>Man, Napoleon really
- Frybread Face and Me (based on a true story from the Navajo reservation.......the Grandmother in this is excellent ) - Netflix
- If Anything Happens, I Love You - ( Oscar-winning 12 minute animated short concerning gun violence in schools ). - Netflix
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
>> Frybread Face and Me
>> Frybread Face and Me
Thanks for the tip on this one.
We watched In the Mood for Love last nite. Somehow it's the first thing I've seen by Wong Kar-Wai. Masterpiece.
Got me thinking about which movies I wish I could go back and watch for the first time.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Jay Sunshine
Gotta second ateix!
Gotta second ateix!
I also watched the Holdovers this past week, and it was the best movie I've seen all year.
In fact I'm still thinking about it. The trailer makes it seem like a lighthearted comedy but it's WAY more than that
A brilliant movie with incredible music that really echoes the human condition of PAIN and LOSS with laughs along the way.
I would LOVE this to win Best Picture and I'm sure it will get nominated as such, but Oppenhemier will win that category, in my prediction.
thanks all, peace, Jay.
ps - i was born in 1970, the year The Holdovers takes place.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
We watched the last two
We watched the last two nights of JRAD and will be tuning in tonight for the last show of the year. Have come to the conclusion that Scott Metzger is the best faux Bob around. He has the voice down - inflections, timing, delivery, and timbre. . Better than Eaton.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
Just ran through "Obliterated
Just ran through "Obliterated," on Netflix, and it was fucking awesome.
The premise is that a crack CIA/covert ops team thwarted a Russian terrorist nuking of Vegas. They go out to party and celebrate that night, and in the midst of being all spun on booze, acid, shrooms, and Molly they find out the threat isn't over and they have to go back into action.
It's campy, fun, funny, violent, and has lovely nudity. We were thoroughly entertained.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
Eaton tries too hard. Metzger
Eaton tries too hard. Metzger's just chill about it.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
i went and watched Napoleon
Napoleon - went to an IMAX theater. First time in an IMAX. It did not help things one bit. Agree, Yes, Disappointing. I am looking forward to seeing Killers of the Flower Moon a second time.
(the IMAX screen is cartoonishly large, like something from a Salvia endeavor, kind of intimidating at first...lol).
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Slow Horses has also returned
Slow Horses has also returned. I'd have watched the whole season last night if AppleTV didn't do the slow roll-out.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
Interestingly, the visual
Interestingly, the visual language of Napoleon was one of the few redeeming features, for me. Ridley has an acute eye for big, splashy shots and elaborate set design. The Battle of Austerlitz was probably the most interesting sequence in the film for me, personally. The IMAX experience was useful for that.
Last week has been fun for cinema...
Frybread Face and Me. Appreciate the heads-up on this. Touching little coming-of-age film. The relationship between the two child characters was endearing.
The Elephant Man. This one really shows the depth and range and genius of David Lynch. Beautiful movie.
Cure. Eerie, unsettling. There was something about this film that reminded me of Bong Joon-Ho's Memories of Murder; I read later that this is one of his favorite films. One of the more effective psychological horror films that I've watched. If you like Seven, True Detective, Memories of Murder, etc., this is worth checking out.
Dream Scenario. Nic Cage was great in this. Funny and introspective. A hilarious commentary on social media, cancel culture and the age of influence.
Silent Night. I am an unabashed John Woo fan and while this doesn't display every cinematic flair that he's known for, it was a solid action movie that was heavy on the flashy action sequences, doused with syrupy melodrama and light on logic. It's being unfairly maligned, but if you didn't know what you're getting in for (with an American John Woo flick), that's kind of on you.
The Abyss. Maybe watching the director's cut with 30+ minutes of additional footage was not the way to watch this for the first time, but it vibed with me. Somewhat shows its age but also somewhat timeless. This one is super heavy on the practical effects, not so much on the CGI, and I was constantly wondering how the hell they pulled this off. Watched it in an X Plus theater and the sound and particularly the visuals were awesome.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: (~)};)StealYourFace
The White Lotus season2
The White Lotus season2
a little binge watching... thumbs up
I'm usually a season or two behind we these series as i use the public library ( SF system is awesome!) to get them.
I did see that The Expanse season 5/6 is coming out via the library so I'll have to get a recap from the previous years. Same with Billions season 6 (last)
and I got a new Samsung 50" 'smart "tv ( from the never ending black friday sales ) so i've entered into the realm of most American households Ha
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
WALSTIB, what platform are
WALSTIB, what platform are you accessing through your library? We get Kanopy and Hoopla here. Both are great but there is an incredible collection on Kanopy in particular.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ParadiseWaits
re-watching the first season
re-watching the first season of Our Flag Means Death
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: (~)};)StealYourFace
I usually just get the bluray
I usually just get the bluray/dvd hard copies. Kanopy and Hoopla are also available but lack the selection for the more popular shows.
I don't mind the wait as in addition to binge watching there also music to listen to, books to read !
I have the smart function now and will resist the netflix/ on demand streaming options ha
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ismelltoadsmoke
A 3 Minute Hug - Netflix
A 3 Minute Hug - Netflix (2018) - a short documentary regarding the separation of Latino families from US/Mex. Keep the Kleenex nearby.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
March 1st can't wait for part
March 1st can't wait for part 2. Who will play Alia or is she being cut like some have speculated.
https://youtu.be/U2Qp5pL3ovA?si=Z-kj1Nviuevy0OXg
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
Lessons in Chemistry - Apple
Lessons in Chemistry - Apple TV
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ParadiseWaits
Just started The Winter King.
Just started The Winter King. It was a bit dull to begin with but picked up pace a bit. Retelling of the King Arthur mythology in a series.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
Last week...
Last week...
The Boy and the Heron. Titled How Do You Live? in Japan, this is Miyazaki's most recent "coming out of retirement" film, and we are all lucky for it. As is the standard for Studio Ghibli, some of the most beautiful magical realistic animation you will ever see, dealing with themes of coming-of-age, death, responsibility, and finding your place in the world. We saw this in the original Japanese with subtitles, but I am hoping to catch it in the IMAX with dubs soon (the voice cast is amazing); this was way too complex, dense and beautiful for a single viewing.
Collateral. One of my favorites, a classic neo-noir. A tight cast full of young talent (Marc Ruffalo; Jason Statham; Javier Bardem) and great leads (Cruise; Foxx) descending into the lonely world of Los Angeles. "I read about this guy, gets on the MTA here, dies. Six hours he's riding the subway before anybody notices his corpse doing laps around L.A., people on and off sitting next to him. Nobody notices." Michael Mann is coming out with Ferrari in a couple weeks, so it's nice to dig back into his work.
Oppenheimer. This was a revelation. Three-hour biopic exploring the political, social and psychological dimensions of an American giant. Nolan mentions Oppenheimer in 2020's Tenet ("Are you familiar with the Manhattan Project? As they approached the first atomic test, Oppenheimer became concerned that the detonation might produce a chain reaction, engulfing the world.") and this is a fantastic project to unpack that life and put it under the scope. I was captivated for 180 minutes, and this was not an "action" movie, or a "thriller" - this was an examination of a complex, nuanced figure.
Currently checking out some of the storyboards and background of Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro and "The World of Ghibli."
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
>>>Lessons in Chemistry -
>>>Lessons in Chemistry - Apple TV
If you liked it you should check out Julia on Max. Season 2 just ended.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
>> March 1st can't wait for
>> March 1st can't wait for part 2. Who will play Alia or is she being cut like some have speculated.
Looks amazing. I am a huge Villeneuve fanboy; guy can do no wrong by me. It's unclear to me how far into the Frank Herbert series Part 2 goes, and I figured it would just end with the first book, but some people are saying Dune Messiah... ?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
I'm pretty sure it won't go
I'm pretty sure it won't go past the first book. There is plenty there and a ton of action. Where they stopped the movie is where all the good stuff is about to begin. That said I think they are talking about taking past the first book.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
Enjoyed this lesser known
Enjoyed this lesser known Coen brothers cult classic the other night. It bombed in the theaters, but i still love watching it around the holidays!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
Agreed.
Agreed, Klexa.
Both Part One and Part Two Filmed on IMAX cameras. Can't wait.
>> The Hudsucker Proxy
It has been a long time since I saw that! Gotta revisit it. Ethan Coen is coming out with a new one in February, Drive-Away Dolls. Looking forward to seeing it.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
Past Lives. A fascinating
Past Lives. A fascinating story of two Korean-born individuals connected by geography and history, and the way their lives weave in and out of one another. The story follows Nora (Na Young) and Hae Sung across two continents, several decades, and an infinite number of lives. This one is on a lot of critics' "best of" lists, and it's worthy of the spot. The characters are so real and the screenplay is sensitively written and very touching, leaving you pondering the nature of fate and relationships.
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Trying to round out the year
Trying to round out the year with movies from 2023 (and there are least five in theaters or about to released into theaters that I somehow want to squeeze in, but probably will not get to all of them), but spent the last week revisiting a couple of old favorites like Arrival (2016) and Batman Begins (2005). These two were new to me, though:
Wake in Fright. It's one of the more disturbing films I've watched. The kangaroo hunting scene is unbelievable, sad, and quite illustrative of the protagonist's descent into moral degradation. Some have classified this as a "horror" film, and that might be the best description for it. No matter how far you travel or where you go, your darkest aspects are right there with you.
Eileen. This one's gotten a pretty lukewarm reception but I thought it was a taut psychological thriller. I'm fond of a period New England setting, especially Boston in the 60s/70s (see: The Holdovers), and this serves that up with some pretty bad accents (love it). When it's Anne Hathaway, all is forgiven. Frayed relationships and dark secrets abound, and while the plot lurches forward, teasing a morbid ending, I didn't see the twist coming at all. I loved the the gritty feel, the desperate and dangerous atmosphere, the classic R&B / soul soundtrack. And, you know, Anne Hathaway.
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Watched Trevor Noah's new
Watched Trevor Noah's new Netflix stand up special last night. Not a huge fan and the first part was just OK. But his last 10 minutes just crushed it. Funniest thing I've seen in a while.
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Godzilla Minus One. This film
Godzilla Minus One. This film has gotten a lot of word-of-mouth traction, and it shows from a box office standpoint ($70 million gross on a $15 million budget; almost unheard of for a foreign film with no dubbing, minimal international marketing, etc). This was an exceptionally-made film, and although I was never a kaiju fan and don't really go in for this kind of spectacle, I found it immensely entertaining, well-written, and actually quite effective in its approach to some themes we've seen in these films before (family; anti-war; patriotism).
Migration. We saw it on Christmas Eve and it was just incredibly fun. The voice cast is spectacular, the characters are hilarious and well-rounded, the animation is quite good, the plot doesn't plod and the runtime clocks in at under 90 minutes. What's not to like? As a bonus, there was a great little Minions-adjacent short preceding the movie.
Out of theaters (home viewing):
Samurai Wolf (1966). Smoking samurai fun that, like Yojimbo a few years before it, toys with the Western crossover appeal.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). I don't think I'd ever seen this from beginning to end before. Disney's first feature film, and it is every bit as iconic and beautiful as its place in the canon suggests.
The Dark Knight (2008). Rewatch (we rewatched Batman Begins the last week and will probably get to DKR before year's end). Heath Ledger's performance is just unspeakably good.
No Country for Old Men (2007). Rewatch. My favorite Coen Brothers movie. "What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss?"
Bringing Up Baby (1938). Hilarious, perfectly timed, smartly-written and wryly-acted screwball comedy. We actually started it right back up afterwards, it is just too fun to watch.
This week: Poor Things, The Iron Claw, and Ferrari (probably).
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https://youtu.be/O93omtrnFy0
https://youtu.be/O93omtrnFy0?si=uuGtl2bbJ-90UqtF
The Indictmare Before Christmas
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Thanks, Zooey. I actually
Thanks, Zooey. I actually laughed out loud at the Mitchmas tree.
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Just watched an old and
Just watched an old and forgotten horror film that scared me as a kid, lol... still great after all these decades!!!
"Quartermass and the Pit" (Britain), or "5 Million Years to Earth" (USA)
https://archive.org/details/quatermassandthepit_202002
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>> Quatermass
>> Quatermass
That's awesome. I tried to find some Quatermass films after watching John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness (1987) and reading about how Nigel Kneale's (pre-Doctor Who) scientist hero had a profound impact on the development of Carpenter's film (though apparently Kneale hated it). Those movies are hard to find! I got Quatermass II from the local library and have Quatermass IV queued up for viewing (someday), but those British serials are truly difficult to get hold of. Incidentally, Kino Lorber just released a remastered version of the Hammer adaptation of The Quatermass Xperiment, and it looks great.
Last nite I saw:
The Iron Claw. Probably the most moving film I've watched since Killers of the Flower Moon. Seems like this is a year of films about dynastic power and the corruption of the soul that comes with achieving that level of success. I'm still digesting what I saw on screen - which is funny, because I don't think I've ever felt as out-of-shape as I did watching these dudes pumping iron and throwing other dudes around the ring. Something that probably isn't going to get a lot of discussion: the music for this film as well as Eileen was composed by Richard Reed Perry (Arcade Fire), and while I'm not sure about the former, the house band for the latter includes saxophonist Stuart Bogie (who has performed as a member of Phil Lesh and Friends). These are two absolutely great film scores, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else Perry has in his future.
Ferrari. Twists and turns about; this biopic features a really solid cast and just when you are about to write off both the plot and the character as one-dimensional, conniving, greedy and unlikeable, yet another layer unfurls and gets you invested. Penepole Cruz as Laura Ferrari oscillates between fairly muted and subdued to tenacious and dangerous; Shailene Woodley plays it cool but powerfully as Lina Lardi who demands something more than the sidelined role as a mistress. As good as the performances (and the script) are, there is a problem in that there just isn't enough time to fully explore these characters in two hours and still have it play as an exciting racing film. The film culminates at the 1957 Mille Miglia and there is some pretty shocking stuff before we reach the finish line - which is what we can expect from a Michael Mann film.
Looking forward to checking out Poor Things tomorrow.
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Poor Things is not in the
Poor Things is not in the cards tonite; its run at the local cinema has been extended a week, spouse would like to see a matinee over the weekend, and there is a really interesting contemporary classical program going on in the galleries of the design school museum this evening.
So I'll drop my top ten of the year (so far):
Killers of the Flower Moon
The Iron Claw
Oppenheimer
Godland
The Holdovers
The Boy and the Heron
Beau is Afraid
Anatomy of a Fall
Past Lives
Barbie
Shoutouts:
Dream Scenario; Saltburn; The Creator; Divinity
Have not seen, but will have to catch up on:
Poor Things
Priscilla
Society of the Snow
The Boys in the Boat
Fallen Leaves
American Fiction
All of Us Strangers
The Taste of Things
Four Daughters
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret
You Hurt My Feelings
Fingernails
Limbo
Hands That Bind
La Chimera
Plan 75
Lakota Nation vs. The United States
Blue Caftan
Amanda
Fremont
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Return to Seoul
Trenque Lauquen
Close Your Eyes (Cerrar los ojos)
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Nature, a series on PBS. So
Nature, a series on PBS. So beautiful and full of interesting info. Like, the first penguin species lived in the forest in New Zealand (and still do).
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Sunderland Til I Die on
Sunderland Til I Die on netflix - suffer along with the fans
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Fargo
Fargo
Daisy Jobes and The Six
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The re-release of Jean Luc
The re-release of Jean Luc Godard's 1968 avant-garde film 1+1, now released as Sympathy for the Devil, the recording of which by the Rolling Stones in London's Olympic Studios functions as the through-line for the film. 1968 was a revolutionary year, and revolution is very much in the air here, both the political kind and the story-telling kind as well. This film is as much about the moment it documents and the filmmaker's vision of that time as it is about anything that made the final cut.
There are scenes of Black Panthers reading from revolutionary texts in a junkyard, and these scenes seem at times to be in dialogue with the scenes from the recording studio, or do they? In a composite film such as this, it's hard to tell, just as its hard to deny the Stones made their bones playing the Blues. But what is clear in the studio scenes is that Mick has entered the studio with a clear vision of what the song SFTD needs to become as he leads his band mates through their early rehearsals of the song that would soon become central to the identity of the middle era Stones.
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Poor Things. In a way I
Poor Things. In a way I thought of this as maybe Yorgos Lanthimos' most accessible film, in the same way that The Favourite was pretty accessible. The narrative resolves all of its plot points very tidily. The cast was just sensational. The design, costuming, "world-building" - all of it breathtaking. I'll be thinking about this one for awhile. Yorgos and Emma Stone are out to smash the patriarchy; or, if not to smash it, then to demonstrate how to live sensibly, sensitively, and fully within it.
At home:
No One Will Save You (2023). Millennial Twilight Zone ("The Invaders"); for a film with no dialogue, this had some of the best sound design I've experienced.
Let the Corpses Tan (2017). Trashy brilliant twisted European crime thriller that makes you feel like you've spent two hours staring at the sun and maybe are going a little mad.
Nocturnal Animals (2016). Came for Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams; stayed for Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Michael Shannon (who is genuinely terrifying as a Texas lawman).
Videodrome (1983). Is this Cronenberg's greatest? Hard to say, but it is probably one of the most disturbing meditations on media that I've ever seen.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023). This one did not receive nearly the attention that it deserved, which says something about the present-day state of theater-going, but I thought this was about as faithful an adaptation as this story could've gotten and it is really wonderfully executed.
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In its first scene, Wes
In its first scene, Wes Anderson's Asteroid City establishes that this is a film about a play, and having revealed its own theatricality, it then revels in its staginess for the next hour and a half. Asteroid City will never be confused with a slice of real life. The colors of this place pop in ways that usually require the ingestion of psychedelics (and remind me of Van Gogh's toxic yellows). The performances constantly remind you that the people on screen are actors performing roles. The cameras move in ways that draw attention to themselves. And it's all utterly charming if you thirst for quirkiness. Featuring a large ensemble cast of Hollywood veterans both old and new, Asteroid City is a bit mind-bending, funny when it should be, and probably no deeper than what appears on the surface, and sometimes that's exactly what the doctor ordered. Not art for art's sake, but well-wrought entertainment for entertainment's sake.
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Memoria. Just got back from
Memoria. Just got back from watching this at the local arthoust/independent cinema. This was a really intriguing, challenging film. The story revolves entirely around sound - a sound that haunts the protagonist of the film (played by Tilda Swinton), mysteriously following her through her travels, indescribable and unheard seemingly by anyone else. The people that she meets either attempt to dissect the sound, growing closer to her through analysis of her understanding of the world vis a vis her experience, or else begin to close off from her because of their inability to grasp what she is experiencing. The compositions for the film by César López are beautiful and sparse, mostly in a minimalist / contemporary classical vein but there is a great scene where we see Tilda Swinton's character wandering through the halls of a conservatory / studio and - again, experiencing the world and the plot through sound - watches this small jazz combo perform a composition. The composer, López, performs as the guitarist in this ensemble. A truly mysterious and haunting film that draws influences from, among others, Tarkovsky's Solaris and Stalker.
Sidenote: Godland just popped up on the Kanopy streaming app, available through your local library with a library card. I watched it a couple months ago on the Criterion Channel. Can't recommend it enough: it's a beautiful period piece that puts a lens over the question of who gets to write history, largely using the language of a colonized people (Icelandic) as understood by a (Danish) Christian missionary.
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Memoria looks interesting but
Memoria looks interesting but then again I will watch just about anything with Tilda Swinton in it.
For something completely different The Brothers Sun on Netflix is fun. If you liked Obliterated and who wouldn't like Obliterated you will like the Brothers Sun. In the end only about 10% of the show is in Chinese in case you started it and didn't want to deal with subtitles.
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The first season of Batman.
The first season of Batman. Still damn funny.
(Thought the thread lacked an intellectual slant)
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Will always love Batman. From
Will always love Batman. From Adam West through Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson and "beyond"... the 60s series is some of my earliest memories of entertainment.
BlackBerry. Saw this around the corner at the local and it was a riothouse. Great snapshot of a moment in time with some wild laughs and nostalgic sighs. Cast did a great job playing up the ridiculous nature of the characters in their moment in time while also capturing the drama of their place in history; what we perceive as Silicon Valley bros is never taken for granted in their mise en place as chess pieces on the game board of history. So grateful to see this play out on the big screen. A hilarious and moving picture.
Also rewatched The Boy and the Heron with its dubbed track. Even better the second time 'round (especially with its incredible voice casting).
Home viewing:
The Dark Knight Rises. I forgot how satifying the conclusion to Christopher Nolan's trilogy of the Batman is. So satisfying and beautiful and cativating to see Alfred and Bruce's journey come to its conclusion.
L.A. Takedown. Michael Mann's "rough draft" for 1995's Heat. Did not know that this existed until I saw it; very well done, but it's hard to evaluate when comparing to the heist masterpiece that is Mann's feature film. Some of this "pilot" (it was supposed to be a series?) is a shot-for-shot conceptual pre-make of Heat. A weird and awesome watch.
Kiki's Delivery Service. These are some of the most incredible and beautiful setpieces that Miyazaki created. Go ahead; fight me.
Afire. Atmospheric and killer international (2023) production that deserves more attention than it got. Excellent character development, killer low-heat plot; fascinating and excellent resolution. Streaming on Criterion.
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I'm not going to watch this
I'm not going to watch this Succession spin off
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American Fiction. I’m seeing
American Fiction. I’m seeing a lot of films about writers lately. This one is a fascinating take; Jeffrey Wright plays Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, an intellectual and somewhat edgy writer of lofty pieces with titles like “Satyricon,” “The Frogs,” and “The Haas Conundrum.” When another African-American writer lands a huge hit with what is essentially a Blaxploitation genre novel ("We's Lives in Da Ghetto”), Monk decides to lean in with his own take on the genre, under a pseudonym and ostensibly as “performance art.” When his title becomes an unexpected hit, Monk has to grapple with the challenges and questions that come with the territory. A subversive and hilarious take on expectations and public perception, pop culture, and the publishing industry.
Video at home:
Nettles. Short film by the director of All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt. A story told in six miniatures; beautifully shot, quiet, mysterious.
You Hurt My Feelings. Great little New York movie that explores the nature of communication and what it takes to maintain a successful long-term relationship. Tobias Menzies (one of my favorites, a standout in the AMC series The Terror) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus are excellent in this.
The Equalizer 2. Guilty pleasure popcorn fodder. Denzel Washington is the good guy, and Pablo Pascal plays his old colleague that has to help him solve the murder of one of their oldest and most beloved friends. I love seeing Boston in films, so as objectively dumb as these movies are, they always get my attention.
On the subject of popcorn, it’s National Popcorn Day, so get out and see a movie. The titles I want to watch most locally (The Book of Clarence and I.S.S.) almost seem not worth leaving the house for, plus their showtimes are pretty inconvenient. Maybe I’ll just turn my brain off completely and watch Jason Statham dole out some punishment to the Silicon Valley grifters in The Beekeeper.
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"From Stress to Happiness"
"From Stress to Happiness" Prime - 2020 - 58 minutes.
A stressed out documentary filmmaker goes on a journey of inner discovery with Mattieu Ricard whom is known as "the happiest man in the world."
Excellent! Required watching regarding the misery brought in to our minds and bodies by believing we can control our daily external experiences.
Lokah Samastah Mantra meaning:
"MAY ALL BEINGS BE HAPPY AND FREE, AND MAY THE THOUGHTS, WORDS AND ACTIONS OF MY OWN LIFE CONTRIBUTE IN SOME WAY TO THAT HAPPINESS AND FREEDOM FOR ALL."
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We're going to our local fave
We're going to our local fave theater to watch "Poor Things" on Monday... looks very weird in a weird way (comedy / fantasy)
https://www.darksidecinema.com/
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The Green Planet on PBS. 5
The Green Planet on PBS. 5 part series I believe and all episodes blew my mind. An hour each. Basically focuses on plants and their foundational role for all of life on this planet. I guess it has been out for at least a year, but I just discovered it. Couldn't be a higher recommendation.
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^^^^The Green Planet on PBS.
^^^^The Green Planet on PBS. 5 part series I believe and all episodes blew my mind. An hour each. Basically focuses on plants and their foundational role for all of life on this planet. I guess it has been out for at least a year, but I just discovered it. Couldn't be a higher recommendation^^^
Thank you gunkman for pointing this out. I watched 4 of the episodes and was highly moved and inspired! This should be required viewing in schools for children (and Adults)
of all ages. I found it more enjoyable and informative than even Planet Earth III. Can't recommend this more than gunkman did! Go Watch!!
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I.S.S. This seemed to
I.S.S. This seemed to promising. Interesting concept, small cast, nice practical effects. And the firstf ifteen or twenty minutes of the movie were great, strong start. And then... nothing happened. Seriously, two-thirds of this film just plod along, we learn next to nothing about these characters, and then it just kind of... ends. The set design, sound and score (or lack of) and visual effects were all competently done, but the story mostly falls out from under the film, floating away into the void.
Blue Jean. Excellent, character-driven drama from the 80s about a teacher in Margaret Thatcher's England who is living a (publicly) closeted life, and who has to come to grips with how she is going to present herself when her personal life and professional life begin to dangerously merge. This is the greasy, grimy 80s of underground London - not the squeaky American 80s of John Hughes, and it is awesome. Really moving picture
Tonite we're going to watch The Iron Claw. Second viewing for me. Kleenex at the ready.
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The Autobiography of Miss
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
Cicely Tyson , what can you say? Superb.
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Just got home from seeing
Just got home from seeing "Poor Things", probably the most twisted film i've seen in a very long time, lol... the acting, visuals, simply spectacular! The plot, unexpected, and hard to predict... sort of akin to Monty Python on the brown acid meets Young Frankenstein with the rest I won't describe as to not give anything away... I'll be looking up more films from this director now, cheers!
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Colombo. Frank is the Man.
Cannon. Frank is the Man.
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Aerial America
Aerial America
1hr long show flyover of a state.
Triva and visuals
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The Greatest Night in Pop, on
The Greatest Night in Pop, on Netflix. Very moving, very cool.
The making of We Are the World. So good. Watch all the way through the credits.
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Biggest Little Farm
Biggest Little Farm
Outstanding film about a couple that buys a dead farm and brings it back.
One of the farmers is a wildlife photographer / cinematographer. So this makes the film.
https://youtu.be/fcQKWkpPB3U?si=ks-ArySJ65QPGxIx
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^^^^ Agree
^^^^ Agree
And glad you doubled down on it. I've shared it with family and friends. A great movie.
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End Game - netflix (2018)
End Game - netflix (2018)
40 minute doc........ Facing an inevitable outcome, terminally ill patients meet extraordinary medical practitioners seeking to change our approach to life and death.
excellent short doc regarding palliative and hospice care.
The past 4 years, I have had the privilege of working on occasion with a local retired nurse who is a neighbor and who decided that she didn't want to "retire" fully, so she joined with a local hospice chapter here in NE Oklahoma. Shortly after I moved here, she asked if i would be interested in helping and i jumped at the chance. I had spent two years working as an aid in a local nursing home when i was a late teen, and was familiar with the devastating effects of dementia and strokes and end of life care and suffering. In my capacity, i help rearrange living quarters in a person's home so that they can be as comfortable as possible in their final days.
The reward is being in the presence of wisdom and brutal honesty of thought and speech from the patients and family members, but mostly of pure acceptance and forgiveness of one's own life decisions, both good and bad. And Gratefulness? it doesn't get more pure than from helping those of us in need when we need it the most.
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Gather - Netflix (2020)
Gather - Netflix (2020) 74 minutes..... An intimate portrait of a growing movement amongst Indigenous Americans to reclaim their spiritual and cultural identities through food sovereignty.
Also, an educational reminder of the genocide of Native Americans that happened here.
https://www.nativefoodsystems.org/home/about/synopsis/
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What the Health - I've
What the Health - I've changed my diet. I'm sure it's partially flawed but there was enough there for me to reconsider how I'm eating.
A Compassionate Spy. Interesting take from the guy you gave Russia our A-Bomb secrets.
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New PBS 4 hour series of
New PBS 4 hour series of/about Gospel music. I really enjoyed the first 3 hours, which had great music. Good connections to the civil rights movement.
The religious aspect didn't bother me til the last hour and I think that was because the music was thinner and I could hear more of the lyrics.
Well done.
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Saw "American Fiction" at the
Saw "American Fiction" at the local indie theatre, really enjoyed it! Still going for "Poor Things" as best picture.
The new season of "Top Chef", my fave cooking competition show, starts on March 20th, so just finished streaming season one, now half way through season 2... interested seeing all these network foodie stars from over 20 years ago! (Tiffani Faison comes across like a real lyin' beotch)
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Tournament of Champions is my
Tournament of Champions is my favorite cooking competition show. Blind judging insures the meal is judged and not the chef.
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Breaking Away. Nostalgia and
Breaking Away. Nostalgia and just a damn good feel good film.
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Now The Paper Chace. Back to
Now The Paper Chace. Back to back on broadcast the Movies channel.
Diggit
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" You come here with a brain
" You come here with a brain full of mush and you leave here a lawyer. " -- Kingsfield.
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Werewolves on Wheels 1971
Werewolves on Wheels 1971
The first horror movie on motorcycles.
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poldark
poldark
just finished the series last night
fuck george
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Just watched the Oscar
Just watched the Oscar nominated short films; Documentaries (next week action, then cartoons). All were excellent!!! Here's the listing from our local indy theatre Darkside Cinema;
* Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó – Sean Wang and Sam Davis, 17 min., USA (in Mandarin)
Nǎi Nai is my grandma. Wài Pó is also my grandma. Together, they are a grandma super team that dances, stretches, and farts their sorrows away.
* The Barber of Little Rock – John Hoffman and Christine Turner, 35 min., USA (in English)
The Barber of Little Rock explores America's widening racial wealth gap through the story of Arlo Washington, a local barber whose visionary approach to a just economy can be found in the mission of People Trust, the nonprofit community bank he founded.
* Island In Between – S. Leo Chiang and Jean Tsien, 20 min., Taiwan (in English/Mandarin)
From Taiwan’s frontline amid rising tensions with China, filmmaker S. Leo Chiang weaves lyrical glimpses of local life with his own struggle negotiating ambivalent bonds to Taiwan, China, and the US. ISLAND IN BETWEEN explores the uneasy peace in Taiwan, and contemplates its uncertain future.
* The ABC’s of Book Banning – Sheila Nevins and Trish Adlesic, 27 min., USA (in English)
Over 2000 books have been removed from school districts in the U.S. THE ABCS OF BOOK BANNING follows the human toll the future will pay for depriving children of their right to read and learn about a complex world. Interviews with children and authors shed light on this ongoing dangerous precedent.
* The Last Repair Shop – Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers, 39 min., USA (in English)
Tells the story of four unassuming heroes who ensure no student is deprived of the joy of music. It is also a reminder of how music can be the best medicine, stress reliever and even an escape from poverty.
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The Last Vacation
The Last Vacation
felt like watching a Hallmark channel movie but Queen Latifah is a national treasure and proves it once again in this feelgood film
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The Streets of San Francisco.
The Streets of San Francisco. Show holds up very well after 50yrs.
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I believe I have posted in
I believe I have posted in this thread the same thing..but I have beer rediscovering a few 1970's
shows. I'm on Cannon w/William Conrad. He is a is a hoot.
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I'm currently binging on
I'm currently binging on HighTown
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Northern Exposure - s1 - 6.
Northern Exposure - s1 - 6. Prime.
Finally! 29 yrs since signing off w/ ongoing syndication legalities blah, blah, blah. I Love this show!
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Have to say very disappointed
Have to say very disappointed in the changes Dune 2 made to the book but, movie adaptation, what are you going to do. If you don't care about the story in the book it was another spectacular cinematic ride.
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One more for Poor Things best
One more for Poor Things best movie I have seen in many years.
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I just caught the first
I just caught the first episode of a new series, The Regime, on MAX, and I'm really liking it. Kate Winslet stars as the leader of a fictional authoritarian nation somewhere in Europe, and I'd describe it as darkly zany satire that's chockful of commentary on politics and the human condition.
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Anybody watch Halo?
Anybody watch Halo?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
>>>Anybody watch Halo?
>>>Anybody watch Halo?
I'm not a gamer so I passed but then saw it got like a 90% plus rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Is it good? Would you understand it if you didn't play the game?
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Constellation on Apple is a
Constellation on Apple is a pretty good astronaut show.
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> Northern Exposure
> Northern Exposure
I just finished binging Twin Peaks: The Return in about a week (plus the David Lynch bio-doc The Art Life), and I think Northern Exposure is exactly what I need after overdosing on garmonbozia.
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I'm still streaming "Top Chef
I'm still streaming "Top Chef", on season 13 now, have to get ready for season 21 which starts on Weds, March 20 (Bravo TV)
Saw Dune 2 for the second time last night, loved it! (Need to read the book again, it seems quite different, been decades though)
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**********Pretty Things******
Pretty Things
Just came out on Hulu
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>Pretty Things
>Pretty Things
Poor Things
Just came out...accuracy helps...lol
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Just watched The Godfather
Just watched The Godfather for the umpteenth time. Best god damn movie ever made.
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Going to see "Hundreds of
Going to see "Hundreds of Beavers" at our local indy theater on Monday, looks hilarious!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Went to see Dune 2 last night
Went to see Dune 2 last night, Denis Villeneuve's excellent adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel. A talented ensemble cast, intriguing storyline, spectacular settings and action sequences, with a mildly psychedelic vibe made for a grand concoction. Looking forward to Villenueve's continuation of the saga in Dune 3, which will be based on Herbert's sequel, Dune Messiah.
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Freak and Geeks. Great show.
Freak and Geeks. Great show. Somehow I missed it the first time around.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Zzzzzz
Freaks and Geeks is great.
Freaks and Geeks is great. See it through to the end.
For some reason I've started to many shows again.
Narcos
Suits
Gentleman - First episode is 'killer'
and....new fave. House of Ninjas.
plus a little of the reality TV trio that just started.
Probably should have finished one of these instead of starting them all at the same time.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
"Hundreds of Beavers" was
"Hundreds of Beavers" was great, never seen a film quite like it, slapstick, lots of laughs!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
Anybody else watch these
Anybody else watch these folks? No music, no words (that I can understand), no notes or anything else. Just high quality video of outdoor food preparation. From harvest to consumption using no electricity or gas. Everything is cooked over open flame or in self made clay ovens etc. I wish they would note what they are adding at times, but I am mesmerized by them. I can only watch for about a half hour at a time but I always go back. Have watched probably close to 10 hours from them. I think they are in Azerbaijan but not sure. I know many would consider these boring but not me. I am a foody.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PMM68aLQkI
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
Saw "Wicked Little Letters"
Saw "Wicked Little Letters" tonight at our local indy theatre, funny flick, really enjoyed it!!!