LBRod wrote:

whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:
he'll always be Steven Toast to me

That's Douglas Reynholm to me.

IT Crowd rules!!!

If you type Google into Google, you can break the Internet!

Tons of GBV/Pollard posters/fliers/etc in the office on IT Crowd

I am very much enjoying Amy Schumer Learns To Cook.

Been watching a lot of series lately. Here are some:

Fauda (seasons 1 & 2 only) - I get the hype and love for this series and understand the ways in which it is groundbreaking as well as "merely" excellent TV. I have enjoyed it very much so far but I am not over the top rabid about it, I think mostly because Doron bears way too many similarities to Carrie Mathison of Homeland and that's not a compliment. Like hers, his flaws are sometimes open up such a big hole under the plot that they swallow everything else, but when that's not happening, yeah, I dig it.

Captain Marleu - French w/ subtitles. On the obscure (to me anywa) MHZ network which i access through Prime. This is all about the great, idiosyncratic main character who is wonderfully played by an actress I've never heard of whose name I can't remember at the moment. It openly acknowledges its debt to Columbo and the similarities in character are there but the Captain is very much her own piece of work and a delight to watch. I laugh out loud way more than one expects to in a crime drama and even then I know I'm missing a bunch of "inside" French references. As is true of Detective Lucas (see below), there appears to be a strain of Euro crime show where the plot/mystery is clearly secondary/tertiary to the characters and that sometimes gets frustrating for those of us who like tight, satisfying plots, but the characters (especially the main character) make it well worthwhile. I really enjoy this in a lighthearted way. Also, the way they handle the sexuality of a not so good looking middle aged woman is a revelation by US standards.

Detective Lucas (about 2/3 through the available episodes) - German w/ subtitles, also on MHZ. Very much character driven and Detective Lucas is in many ways the polar opposite of Captain Marleau. This is no lighthearted romp and if Lucas is quirky it's in her seriousness, not her eccentricity. She's another fascinating character, the supporting cast is excellent and interesting and overall it's a fairly intense experience even if the plots don't always hold up (see above) and even if the comic relief provided by one of the characters gets a bit silly and annoying sometimes. Among the interesting aspects of this one is that while it's a series, each show is about movie length (90 minutes +) and they apparently only make about 3 per year so it extends over a long period of time which makes for some interesting evolution. The early ones include another, but very different, look at middle aged female sexuality, this time featuring a hot cougar so quite a contrast to Marleau but no less interesting and complex. One of the interesting subtleties is watching how her younger male colleagues handle her sexual charisma. Very well handled. This seems to be fading as the series moves along leading to inevitable speculation that it's because even the makers feel she's now too old to be interesting in that way. If that's true it's really unfortunate on multiple levels.

Marcella - (season 1 only) - a British crime drama on Netflix. VERY intense, especially the early episodes. An annoying habit of introducing too many characters and waiting way too long to explain who they are and how they fit. Otherwise very well made and for the most part a tighter plot structure than the ones above. Marcella herself is one of the more complex, interesting characters I've come across in recent years.

Giri/Haji



I'm recommending this show to pretty much everyone I know so I may as well tell you guys too!

A Tokyo detective travels to London to try and track down his Yakuza brother.

"Giri/Haji" translates as "Shame/Duty". BBC/Japanese co production, I understand it's available on netflix in the states.

On the one hand a stylish crime thriller, but with wonderfully drawn, relatable, down on their luck characters. Surprising. Beautifully made. Really one of the best things I've seen lately. And like a lot of people, I've seen a lot of tv lately.

i have been re-watching The Wire, and as luck has it, The Ringer has a great podcast about every episode (unfolding now, they are about where I am) with Jamele Hill and Van Lathan. I really like their back and forth and they have been laying down some really good insights too. reminds me what's best about media criticism, the ability to pull together meaning and patterns etc where you first didn't see it.

tinnitus photography wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 18, 2020 2:34 pm

i have been re-watching The Wire, and as luck has it, The Ringer has a great podcast about every episode (unfolding now, they are about where I am) with Jamele Hill and Van Lathan. I really like their back and forth and they have been laying down some really good insights too. reminds me what's best about media criticism, the ability to pull together meaning and patterns etc where you first didn't see it.

Greatest show ever made.

It'd be nice if it had become less relevant over the years, but that doesnt seem likely any time soon.

Finally got around to watching this. Currently in season 3 and really enjoying it.

tinnitus photography wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 18, 2020 2:34 pm

i have been re-watching The Wire, and as luck has it, The Ringer has a great podcast about every episode (unfolding now, they are about where I am) with Jamele Hill and Van Lathan. I really like their back and forth and they have been laying down some really good insights too. reminds me what's best about media criticism, the ability to pull together meaning and patterns etc where you first didn't see it.

I love that podcast, I usually try to save the new episodes each week and then listen when I'm mowing the lawn. I agree that it's very insightful and they have a good chemistry.

What a fucking piece of shit of a human.

Did anyone catch the premiere of Perry Mason on HBO? Definitely has potential. Oddly it’s a gritty 1930’s noir with nothing to do with the original series at all but does harken back to the source material.

Any fans of Steve Conrad’s Perpetual Grace or Patriot?
2 of the best series ever!

I started Mrs. Fletcher at the beginning of quarantine and then was distracted. I finished the series last night.

Although I think that only one season was made, I found the show very enjoyable!

Beaverdam wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 30, 2020 2:31 pm

I started Mrs. Fletcher at the beginning of quarantine and then was distracted. I finished the series last night.

Although I think that only one season was made, I found the show very enjoyable!

Kathryn Hahn wants to do The Horizontal Bop with me, she just doesn't realize it yet.

Just watched the first season of the new High Fidelity on Hulu and loved it. Zoe Kravitz is great and I like how they flipped the genders from the book and movie and brought the story into the digital era. There were probably 10 different parts where they were arguing over musical stuff or making lists where I said "oh yeah we discussed that on 3dd". Lol.

Flea wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:39 pm

Beaverdam wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 30, 2020 2:31 pm

I started Mrs. Fletcher at the beginning of quarantine and then was distracted. I finished the series last night.

Although I think that only one season was made, I found the show very enjoyable!

Kathryn Hahn wants to do The Horizontal Bop with me, she just doesn't realize it yet.

We are gonna do the Unskinny Bop

Flea wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:39 pm

Beaverdam wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 30, 2020 2:31 pm

I started Mrs. Fletcher at the beginning of quarantine and then was distracted. I finished the series last night.

Although I think that only one season was made, I found the show very enjoyable!

Kathryn Hahn wants to do The Horizontal Bop with me, she just doesn't realize it yet.

Tequila Cowboy wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:42 am

Did anyone catch the premiere of Perry Mason on HBO? Definitely has potential. Oddly it’s a gritty 1930’s noir with nothing to do with the original series at all but does harken back to the source material.

We've been really enjoying this and I'm looking forward to tonight's episode. I will say that I've become totally spoiled by bingeing and have real problems waiting for weekly episodes in real time, lol. Paradoxically (or maybe not), I will probably miss this more than a binge show when it's done because there will be nothing to anticipate. Strange world we live in.

Anyway, the show is as you say: Very good, very noir, and only tangentially related to the Perry Mason we know. As to the latter, it took a little bit of getting used to but now I think it's great. Is there an equivalent character in the classic series to the current one's Mexican pilot/airfield owner? It's been quite a while since I've seen the original but I can't recall any similar character, much less one that colorful and strong.

I thought the season finale of Perry Mason was awfully disappointing. Very undramatic or anticlimactic and a bit too cutesy at least as far as the Perry-Della relationship goes. But still, I do hope there's more to come. There was plenty to like in the series.

I started bingeing Breaking Bad. Ran through S2:E3 in two days

Letterkenny.

Oh man

Clams wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 11, 2020 3:19 pm

Letterkenny.

Oh man

Zip City wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 11, 2020 1:58 pm

I started bingeing Breaking Bad. Ran through S2:E3 in two days

Insanely good television.

I liked the first couple of episodes of Space Force when I watched it a while back (I think I may have posted about it here) but hadn't followed up until last nite. Episode 3 is all kinds of funny. I haven't laughed that much at an alleged comedy in a looong time.

I just saw that 60 Minutes tonight is supposed to include a report on the use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes. I’m looking forward to watching!

Beaverdam wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 16, 2020 1:18 pm

I just saw that 60 Minutes tonight is supposed to include a report on the use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes. I’m looking forward to watching!

Should Brian & I come over to babysit you?

Flea wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 16, 2020 7:24 pm

Beaverdam wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 16, 2020 1:18 pm

I just saw that 60 Minutes tonight is supposed to include a report on the use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes. I’m looking forward to watching!

Should Brian & I come over to babysit you?

I get by with a little help from my friends!!!

This is a fantastic documentary. I saw her with no prior knowledge of her, open for DBT in LA 2016. I was front row in front of her. Streamed her a bit after that, but kinda forgot. Her music is as good as anything current, if not way better. Doc is on Amazon Prime.

I just watched a show called “Workaholics” at my wife’s recommendation. One of the main characters looked so familiar. After a few minutes I realized that Cole (from DBT) has a doppelgänger on this show!

It's time:

The Bureau is a French spy series that I hadn't heard of and kind of stumbled into. The first season was very good - very intense and totally absorbing. We didn't quite binge it (too intense for more than a couple of episodes at a time) but on the other hand we finished all 10 episodes in just over a week. The plot is hard to follow at times, but one gets enough of it to ride w/ it and the confusion is overcome by the characters and the individual scenes. Be forewarned, however, that some major plot points are not resolved by the end of the season.

If I understand it correctly, the series is showing on Sundance and season 1 is free until the end of the month. We accessed it thru Amazon Prime and will probably pay for at least the next season.