Whatcha Watchin'?

[Sudy]

Rubber band and a pair of sharp shears I reckon.

[hepcat]

So not "make dry"?

...and now I want chilaquiles again. Damn it.

[Daehawk]

I watch things like that occasionally, but only if the person watching brings a unique perspective to it. A professional singing coach listening to singers, or people from another country and culture watching a film. Hearing the analysis/thoughts actually gives a lot of insight sometimes, like when people from a small village in India see a scene and have a completely and totally different interpretation than what the original audience would have had. It gives an understanding not only of their culture, but of ways in which our own culture views things.

I watch a bunch of those also. Vocal coaches and opera singers react. Its fun to see how they break down other singers and songs.;

[Jaymann]

I've been watching Loudermilk on Netflix. Never seen this before and it is awesome.

[Isgrimnur]

Ron Livingston? In.

[Sudy]

I watched a few episodes and it was just so... mean-spirited, but not in a way that I expect would grow on me (like Veep, Archer, etc). The coffee rant seems about twenty years too late. Now it just feels like server abuse.

[Punisher]

I do have to ask: how does one "fix water"?

Water filter?

[Punisher]

Finished his dark materials recently. Was hard to follow but i enjoyed although I was not a fan of the ending. Just felt mean.
Also finished Tacoma FD.
Started the new Heman by kevin smith. The first one though, not the brand new one.
Never was a fan of heman but giviit a chance.
Also started orange is the new black. Think im still on E1
I think i haveva few others on carioys services but those are the ones i remember.

[disarm]

Started the new Heman by kevin smith. The first one though, not the brand new one.
Never was a fan of heman but giviit a chance.

I watched HeMan as a kid and really enjoyed both seasons of the Kevin Smith version. It's a fun throwback with a number of references to the original show, and actually tells a pretty good story of its own.

[hepcat]

Ditto. I was entertained enough to finish it. I started watching Revolutions last night and it looks to be equally as entertaining.

[Smoove_B]

Just finished the entire series of Shameless on Netflix. I had a difficult time getting started, but once I was clear on the premise and started getting to know the characters, I was hooked. Because the series ran from 2011 to 2021, there were quite a few cultural nuggets and rather important social / political elements interwoven with the bigger plot lines. From that perspective, it was interesting to see how they handled contemporary events.

And with that, the last season was filmed in 2020, probably in Spring and possibly the summer based on how they incorporated COVID-19 into the story (and filming). To say it was surreal to watch is an understatement, but more so than any other show I think I've watched in the last ~5 years, they legitimately captured so much of what things were like early on. Having the series end with the pandemic as a backdrop really added to the whole experience, imho.

Anyway, it was a great show. I don't know how many of the actors won awards for it, but William H. Macy was a really incredible character. You wanted to hate him so much (and I did) but he had moments that were absolutely brilliant (that were then immediately ruined by his awful nature).

Its a dark and potentially depressing show, but I never got bored; would recommend.

[hepcat]

I watched the first 6 or 7 seasons of the the original British version of Shameless years ago. I remember liking it quite a bit. Not sure if I want to watch an Americanized version after that as I'm sure I'd do nothing but compare and contrast. But it sounds like they were respectful to the original incarnation's spirit.

[Smoove_B]

I think when I was reading up on it at some point early on in my viewings, I wasn't surprised to learn it was a British show first - it felt like it had solid "bones" the characters especially were well developed. I was a bit nervous at first as the cast is rather large (and there are plenty of secondary characters and guests), but it all works quite well. Joan Cusack in particular during the first few seasons is really, really good.

I haven't seen a single fancy-lad episode of the British version, but I am a bit curious now. I can also understand how Jeremy Allen White was cast for the Bear; it all fits.

[hepcat]

David Threlfall's Frank was just amazing (when you could understand him, that is). It's funny to me that he's primarily doing stage work in England these days. Frank Gallagher doing Hamlet would be amazing.

Spoiler:

Does the American version make their world seem almost like a completely different one from ours? In the British version, Chatsworth Estate felt like a lawless, Mad Max type zone that was separate from the real England.

[Smoove_B]

No, not at all. It takes place in in Chicago so I can't speak to the true accuracy, but it feels like a show taking place in a contemporary (2011-2020) America. The story responds/reacts/integrates with bigger picture issues in the nation and maybe Chicago (?) on a local level.

EDIT: Just watched that Youtube video and that's surreal. I recognized moments from the U.S. version and Macy is absolutely channeling the British version of Frank. Wow.

[hepcat]

Chicago you say? Now I need to check it out.

[Smoove_B]

It takes place on the south side of Chicago which at times did seem like a

like a lawless, Mad Max type zone

[hepcat]

I remember when I first moved to Chicago over 20 years ago. I was scouting out areas to live in and my friend, who I was coming there to work with, was helping me find some place. I would toss out ideas and he'd give me feedback. I once mentioned Garfield Park and there was a pause. When I asked him about it again, he starts off by saying "You know on the show ER when someone is being brought in for a gunshot wound?"

...I didn't bring it up again as an option.

[Kraken]

We've been watching True Detective on Max because the new season has been getting good buzz. Decided to watch the first season, with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, which came out in 2014. We'll finish that off tonight. It's...OK. Detective stories/police dramas really aren't my cuppa, and I'm missing a fair amount of dialog because they have thick Southern accents and McC mumbles. But it's interesting in that the story is more about the relationship between the two detectives than about the actual crime.

Word is that the subsequent two seasons aren't as good, so I think we'll skip those and go right to the new one. The series is like White Lotus or Fargo in that the seasons stand alone. But that will be Wife's call since this is "her" show. (We take turns deciding what we're going to watch next.)

[hepcat]

Seasons 2 and 3 are...not good. However, season 2 does have an extended plot featuring a miscast Vince Vaughn walking through a desert for 75 hours (feels like real time too).

Side note: Skip season 2 and 3 and watch Brawl in Cell Block 99 from 2017 with Vince Vaughn. It just showed up on Netflix and it shows that Vince Vaughn CAN act when he's motivated enough.

[Smoove_B]

But it's interesting in that the story is more about the relationship between the two detectives than about the actual crime.

Well, and maybe the Cthulhu mythos. I've said too much.

[YellowKing]

Watched The Enfield Poltergeist documentary on AppleTV.

This case is one of the most famous (infamous?) in supernatural lore, as it was the most documented poltergeist case in history with over 200 hours of audio recordings still surviving. It was also the basis for The Conjuring 2 film.

Because of the abundance of original audio recordings, the documentary takes the highly unusual tack of having the re-enactment actors lip sync the actual audio. Sometimes it's very effective, sometimes not so much, but I still thought the cast did a remarkable job with it.

The case has always been highly controversial, with believers pointing to it as some of the best proof yet of life after death. Others see it as a prank perpetrated by the two young girls in the family (who still maintain their innocence to this day). The poltergeist, a supposed spirit named Bill, was quite the talker so you can judge for yourself with the actual audio.

Whichever side you fall on, it's a fascinating case and the show is extremely well done. I wasn't fully on board after the first episode, but as it goes on it takes some quite lovely cinematic liberties. I also thought they did a pretty good job straddling the line between the evidence for and against.

Having listened to multiple podcast episodes and having read numerous articles about the case I fall firmly in the skeptic camp, but it's a fun case regardless.

[hepcat]

Thanks for the heads up! I've still got a few days left on my Apple TV sub (I just got it to watch Monarch) and will catch this.

[Sudy]

I really enjoyed True Detective season three. Mahershala Ali is amazing. Though it doesn't feel fresh compared to the first season, which I regard as one of my favourite seasons of television ever. But it returns to the tone of the original season after season two got such a bad rap for being so different. But I accept that as a feature of an anthology series (which I usually have trouble getting into). I don't remember season two incredibly well, but I didn't hate it. The characters, tone, and theme make the show interesting. It definitely isn't a police procedural and can't be enjoyed as one IMO. (That's the reason I enjoyed it so much; procedurals tend to bore me even when they have great characters.) But I'd have to go back and watch it again to see what my ten-years-older mind thinks.

Season four is fantastic so far, but again it's because of the tone, mood, characters/acting, and their relationships. It's just in a class of its own. I won't be able to render judgment on the plot until the end of the season. I do have concerns it's venturing too far into the realm of mythology and horror (this was more on the perimeter in season one, and it was spookier for it). But that doesn't mean it's not fantastic for what it is.

[Daehawk]

I wish Monarch was on Paramount+

[hepcat]

I’m probably being too hard on season 3 of TD. Mahershala Ali Is indeed amazing in just about anything he does, and he elevated the show with his work. Season 2 just left such a bad taste in my mouth after season 1 (who the fuck thought we’d buy Rachel McAdams as a grizzled and jaded detective?) that I was probably still disgruntled.

Actually, everyone was miscast in that season. It just felt like something the big name actors wanted to be a part of after season 1’s success, and the makers just couldn’t say no.

Season 4 feels more like season 1. But it’s set in an ice station in the arctic, so that’s already 70 percent of my score. It’s also written by Issa Lopez, the writer and director of the amazing Tigers Are Not Afraid.

Interesting thing is that the writer of season 1 through 3 and the guy who basically created the show, has been bashing season 4. He’s apparently not a fan.

I wish Monarch was on Paramount+

It’s about 480 minutes of family drama and 19 minutes of big monsters. It’s not horrible, but it was definitely disappointing for me.

[Isgrimnur]

Have you seen what scale is for giant monsters these days? We should all have that kind of representation for our work.

[Exodor]

I'm missing a fair amount of dialog because they have thick Southern accents and McC mumbles.

I finally converted my wife to leaving subtitles on and I don't know how I watched TV without it. I'd miss so much dialogue.

We're currently finishing up The Nevers which was the Joss Whedon series on MAX that debuted just as he got cancelled. They broadcast the first 6 episodes then dumped the second half of the season on some other streaming service. I was able to track down the full run but there's a pretty noticable drop-off in quality after those first six episodes (when Joss stops gets writing and directing credits). We have three more episodes so we'll see if it actually has an ending.

[hepcat]

Have you seen what scale is for giant monsters these days? We should all have that kind of representation for our work.

You and I had worked up a script earlier with Tony Danza that would have been a LITTLE cheaper…

[Kraken]

I'm missing a fair amount of dialog because they have thick Southern accents and McC mumbles.

I finally converted my wife to leaving subtitles on and I don't know how I watched TV without it. I'd miss so much dialogue.

We did use them for a couple of scenes but I can't leave them on because whenever there's text, I can't not-read it. It distracts me from the visuals.

I thought the show was OK as an odd couple buddy film/bromance, but neither one of us could follow the plot except in broad strokes.

[Daehawk]

I wish Monarch was on Paramount+

It’s about 480 minutes of family drama and 19 minutes of big monsters. It’s not horrible, but it was definitely disappointing for me.

Really?

[Exodor]

American Fiction is a fabulous film with multiple hilarious, touching, and poignant moments. Jeffrey Wright is amazing and makes me wish he had more leading roles.

We saw this tonight and loved it.

[hepcat]

I wish Monarch was on Paramount+

It’s about 480 minutes of family drama and 19 minutes of big monsters. It’s not horrible, but it was definitely disappointing for me.

Really?

There’s not a lot of big monster action in it.

[YellowKing]

I totally forgot there was a True Detective Season 3. Yet another series to throw on the backlog.

[hepcat]

Monsieur Spade just gets better and better. The dialogue in episode 3 is non stop noir gum shoe.

Friar Angelo: I’ve been sent here to root out fanatics. It hasn’t been easy for me.

Sam Spade: Like finding a needle in a needle stack, eh?

.

I particularly like the “friendship” between Spade and the local constable. I can’t tell if they’re besties or mortal enemies at times.

If you’re even remotely a fan of this type of show, do yourself a favor and catch it.

[Sudy]

Argylle is some convoluted, preposterous bullshit. I should have trusted the reviews, but I was bored. Mind you, I don't like Vaughan's Kingsman at all (I only saw the first one). If you dig those films maybe this would appeal to you tone-wise. The CGI is distracting. Very little location shooting. Though I did appreciate Bryce Dallas Howard's beautiful, very human full figure which wasn't once played for laughs.

[Kraken]

Argylle is some convoluted, preposterous bullshit. I should have trusted the reviews, but I was bored. Mind you, I don't like Vaughan's Kingsman at all (I only saw the first one). If you dig those films maybe this would appeal to you tone-wise. The CGI is distracting. Very little location shooting. Though I did appreciate Bryce Dallas Howard's beautiful, very human full figure which wasn't once played for laughs.

Coincidentally, the Globe gave this movie their first 0-star review today.

To quote Roger Ebert’s famous pan of “North” (1994), “I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it.”
...
I’m sure cat lovers will walk in expecting the cat who plays Alfie to have a major role in the film. Let me disabuse you of that notion right now. Alfie is useless for the first two hours of the movie. When he’s not trapped in that carrying case, he’s dropped on the floor, thrown off a roof, and flung off tables; he even has his little plastic backpack window shot out by gunfire.

Alfie’s big moment involves scratching out the eyes of a villain played by a respected Oscar-nominated actor. That guy deserved it, too. And, no, Agent Argylle isn’t Alfie the cat. That’s not “letting the cat out of the bag,” either; the actual secret is far, far more unbelievable, stupid, and unsatisfying. My lips are sealed, though. If I had to sit through 139 minutes of dreck to find out what it is, so do you.

Cat lovers, save your money. Fans of Bryce Dallas Howard, on the other hand, might want to pony up the 22 bucks. She’s Elly Conway, author of a series of spy novels featuring Argylle the spy. The film opens with a re-creation of a passage from her newest novel that she’s reading to an audience of adoring fans. Henry Cavill plays Argylle, and John Cena is his partner in these reenactments. Dua Lipa plays a doomed assassin who boogies with Argylle on the dance floor. This scene is a convincing, fun parody of spy-movie absurdities, something “Argylle” aspires to be but miserably fails to achieve at every other turn.
...
“Argylle” is a cynical cash grab that has the audacity to use that “new” Beatles song, “Now and Then” (itself a cynical cash grab pieced together with far more skill than this movie) as the basis for its score and the “love theme” for Aidan and Elly. Considering this movie was shot in 2021, Rockwell and Howard are clearly reacting to something else, and it shows.

Apple paid $200 million for this entry in the “Kingsman” universe, which explains the overhype. They obviously want their money back. Don’t give it to them. You want a CGI-kitty action movie? Watch 2016′s “Keanu.”

"Keanu" is pretty good.

[hepcat]

Once I saw Cavill’s haircut in the trailer, for some reason I thought it was going to be bad. Sorry to hear that was right.

However, seeing Cavill in the new Guy Richie movie trailer for The Ministry of Ungentlemenly Warfare has me wanting to see that.

[gilraen]

The Globe can suck it. I thought Argylle was fun. Sure, some scenes were pretty absurd but we enjoyed it.

[Jaymann]

Snake Eyes on Prime Video, the 1998 movie with Nick Cage (not especially over the top), Gary Sinise, Carla Gugino and directed by Brian De Palma. Held up surprisingly well. You could tell it was De Palma with the multiple POV's of the same scenes. The ending was a bit cornball, but overall I enjoyed it.