Current Watching

[WOM]

I fear that Ken Burns' Country documentary is going to spend so much time setting up internal immigration in the US, changing historical racial dynamics in the south, and other foundational historical changes that the 1960s and 1970s honky tonk stuff is just going to get no attention. Either way, I've mostly enjoyed the first two episodes. I have no idea if this is or will be available outside the US, although folks familiar with that infamous Swedish pirate ship who are interested in country music might know how to find the series.

The most interesting thread for me has been Burns' returning to the two sides of the country music coin: church going music and rambling/honky tonkin' music from the very beginning.

This has been excellent so far. Hell, just for the archival 'b-roll' footage alone, I could watch with the sound off. But the actual business of country and western is fascinating.

[danielmak]

This has been excellent so far. Hell, just for the archival 'b-roll' footage alone, I could watch with the sound off. But the actual business of country and western is fascinating.

Yeah, I've been enjoying this. It helps that I'm really into Country music but I think Burns does a good job pitching the doc to country fans and the average person who either (A) watches all of his documentaries or (B) might know the bigger country stars and wants to learn a little more.

I'm through Episode 4 since I'm relying on DVR recordings from my local PBS station. Episode 3 was my favorite so far but that's mostly because the music was in my wheelhouse (honky tonk and old school bluegrass) more than the other episodes so far.

[Femme Folle]

AHS 1984 had a very good first episode. It's AHS meets Halloween and Friday the 13th. Some of the regular staples of the AHS franchise are not in this one, most notably Sarah Paulson, but the cast seems fairly strong and I'm here for the duration.

[WOM]

We'll try it, but fuck me do they water down and drag out a tale. AHS should be 6-episodes a season.

[Hot Pepsi]

I'm about to see Ad Astra. I'm the only one in the theater.

[San Bernardhinault]

I finished watching Yellowstone S2. It hasn't really improved - it went even sillier Sons of Anarchy.

As a counterweight to the overwroughtness, I've started watching Lodge 49. I'm only three episodes in, but so far I very much like it. There's a little Lebowski-ishness to it, but not so much that it's full plagiarism. It's very low stakes, low drama, so far, but in a very enjoyable way.

[Sits]

I'm about to see Ad Astra. I'm the only one in the theater.

Five star review in the Graun, so interested to hear your thoughts. But I've always felt that launching a sci fi movie or TV series is foolish^ as you've already alienated about a third of your potential audience, before you even get to whether the thing is actually good or not. A lot of people just don't like sci fi.

^exception being established franchises.

[San Bernardhinault]

I think there's a reverse, though. There are built in audiences for sci-fi, often no matter how indescribably shit it is. This seems to have been extended to include shows-with-science, or even shows-with-scientists. So dreadful sit-coms like the Big Bang Theory get heaps of adulation from many of my nerd-adjacent acquaintances just because they make a couple of lame science jokes. Equally, they'd watch any old Red-Dwarfy, Dr Who-y, Star-Trek-Spinoffy, Battlestar-Galacticay dross regardless of quality, just because it was set in space, or had robots.

And I say this as someone who really, really likes good SF.

Anyway, make a film set in space with a fairly famous actor, and you're almost guaranteed decent viewership.

[Hot Pepsi]

Yeah, I think that's it.

I like this kind of sci-fi. Simples stories about real characters dealing with things people will have to deal with in the future.*

A lot of people might be disappointed with Ad Astra if they're hoping for lots of action and adventure or Brad Pitt just being a movie star. It has some of that. Some great set pieces and fantastic production design, but it's mostly just Brad PItt being calm under pressure and sad about his lost family.

I really liked it. Definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

A few more latecomers were in the theater. I don't think that's indicative of how it will do. It was the 4 pm. I took today off to recover from the long day yesterday.

*The sadly cancelled The First was like this. First Man was like that too, but that was about the 1969 moon landing which still feels like the future 50 years on. I've read a number of short stories like that.

[Sits]

Glad it's good, I like the look of it. It wasn't on Singapore Airways this week. In fact their recent releases were a bit thin so I re-watched Burn After Reading coincidentally. Like any good Coen, it improves with every viewing. I was probably annoying fellow travellers by laughing at loud at times. "You're a Mormon! Compared to you everyone has a drinking problem!"

I then watched the utterly brilliant Apollo 11 movie. It's always great when a doco is well enough done not to need narration. The archive footage is just stunning.

Finally Bogart/Bacall in The Big Sleep as I don't watch enough "proper" old classics. The leads are both great and quite magnetic, even if the rest was a little shaky. But it is 73 years old. What a uniquely beautiful woman Lauren Bacall was.

[Amor de Cosmos]

The thing about The Big Sleep is that it works best if you don't think about it too much, or try and figure out what's going on. You just go with the groove, and enjoy it line-by-line, scene-by-scene. The book's the same. Chandler is all about wonderful characters, spectacular dialogue, and plots that wander about all over the place.

[Sits]

Ahhh, now it all makes sense.

[Femme Folle]

We'll try it, but fuck me do they water down and drag out a tale. AHS should be 6-episodes a season.

TBH, I wondered about that while I was watching this one. I'm struggling to see how they'll pull off ten episodes of this story. I imagine it could be like watching the first hour of Friday the 13th ten times. I hope not, but what else can they do with this story/plot line that hasn't been done already in the framework of a 90 minute feature film? I'll watch it until I get bored with it.

[Femme Folle]

I finished watching Yellowstone S2. It hasn't really improved - it went even sillier Sons of Anarchy.

As a counterweight to the overwroughtness, I've started watching Lodge 49. I'm only three episodes in, but so far I very much like it. There's a little Lebowski-ishness to it, but not so much that it's full plagiarism. It's very low stakes, low drama, so far, but in a very enjoyable way.

I've seen the first minute or two of that after The Terror: Infamy and was curious about it, but not curious enough to go back and start it from the beginning. I don't think I do low stakes, low drama unless it has ridiculously OTT violence in it too.

[Hot Pepsi]

I'm watching The Great Escape.

I recall that it's one of the first films my parents rented when we first got a VCR and a video store membership in the 80s. I haven't seen it since then.

[Sporting]

I'm watching The Great Escape.

I recall that it's one of the first films my parents rented when we first got a VCR and a video store membership in the 80s. I haven't seen it since then.

I saw it every Christmas for what seemed a thousand years. I suspect I'm not alone among those of us who grew up in the UK.

[Hot Pepsi]

Yeah, it's fairly well-known here, but I don't think it was ever a TV classic.

Part of that was because it's fairly long. With commercials, as US TV insists on, it's at least four hours. Eventually, cable networks were willing to do four-hour presentations of The Godfather or Shawshank Redemption, but I don't think that was common in the 70s or 80s.

I'd forgotten that it's kind of a downer. Most them don't escape.

[Hot Pepsi]

Yeah, it's fairly well-known here, but I don't think it was ever a TV classic.

Part of that was because it's fairly long. With commercials, as US TV insists on, it's at least four hours. Eventually, cable networks were willing to do four-hour presentations of The Godfather or Shawshank Redemption, but I don't think that was common in the 70s or 80s.

I'd forgotten that it's kind of a downer. Most them don't escape.

[WOM]

I dunno. It's defo a TV classic for me. Along with Bridge On The River Kwai.

[Hot Pepsi]

I dunno. It's defo a TV classic for me. Along with Bridge On The River Kwai.

It might be a classic in the sense that it stands the test of time. I just meant that it wasn't on TV much in the days when the only way to see old movies is hope they'd be on TV - usually late at night or on a weekend afternoon.

At least, as far as I recall.

I've never seen BOTRK.

[Sits]

I saw it every Christmas for what seemed a thousand years. I suspect I'm not alone among those of us who grew up in the UK.

Yep. See also The Magnificent Seven, Ben Hur...

[Hot Pepsi]

Over here, the films shown on TV every Christmas are Christmas movies - It's a Wonderful Life, etc.

[hobbes]

Five star review in the Graun, so interested to hear your thoughts. But I've always felt that launching a sci fi movie or TV series is foolish^ as you've already alienated about a third of your potential audience, before you even get to whether the thing is actually good or not. A lot of people just don't like sci fi.

^exception being established franchises.

What a weird thing to say. That's true of literally any genre - you'd have to drag me by the hair to watch a western, for example. There isn't a film made that will appeal to everyone.

[Balderdasha]

We've started watching "The Boys". It's very good, but I'm having weird nightmares and I don't think it's a coincidence.

[San Bernardhinault]

I rewatched Juno yesterday. It's held up really well and remains very charming with an incredible cast. It has the plinky fey acoustic soundtrack that has become both ubiquitous and deeply irritating over the last decade, but that seems to be the only thing that's aged badly. And I've finally realised why my Jason Bateman/Jason Reitman confusion is as bad as it is.