Current Watching

[HORN]

That's going to be on Netflix this month, IIRC. Is it mostly in English?

Yes, mostly in English. However the opening episode will not give you that impression.

[G-Man]

I agree with your points.
There are a few who are not happy with the portrayal of Adam Clayton Powell as a slimy corrupt womaniser who was only after personal gain. He was probably the last of the Garvey-era politicians by the 1960's and did alot for the Harlem community. Something the show does not really touch upon.

The NOI as you would expect are not impressed with the show for the following reasons:

Depicting their detoxing program included chaining people to their beds, they claim it was through counselling and religious teaching.
Malcolm X using the NOI to assist Bumpy Johnson's agenda
Malcolm X relationship with Elijah Muhammed and depicting Elijah Muhammed as jealous and envious.
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It's the the perennial hazard of making shows "inspired by real events" using historical figures. I'd have been equally happy to have the show as a work of fiction inspired by true events about a gangster named Flathead Jackson, militant activist Michael Z, mafioso Walter "The Nose" Piccolo, and politician Larry Mullen Sr.

[Tactical Genius]

Has anyone seen Messiah yet, if so, what do you make of it.

[Levin]

Is that the one that has it's twist revealed thanks to its promotional material and the fact that there are arabic speakers in the world?

[Lang Spoon]

You Season 2 is absolute trash. Camp delicious hyper-addictive trash. Loving it.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

If there's ever been a series as good as Giri / Haji I'd love to hear about it.

Another vote for this, it's worth persisting with.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Meanwhile with plenty of time on my hands over Christmas I've got round to watching some long-owned but hitherto unwatched DVDs.

Currently working my way through the first four series of Grange Hill, and nearing the end of the second series (which is also the end of the first year). As with much revisited 70s/80s telly at times it feels painfully slow compared to how it probably felt then, and certainly in comparison to modern TV. But there's only 20 minutes of actual content per episode so you can rattle through them quickly enough. The actor who later played Arthur Fowler has just turned up as someone's dad (not Tucker's, that would have been freaky).

I remember being almost traumatised by some of the episodes at the time, such as Justin Bennett falling off the roof and Cathy Hargreaves getting caught shoplifting. Luckily though I would have watched them alone and without a running commentary from my dad - unlike 'proper' programmes with similar themes like Juliet Bravo, which were met with constant rumblings of "see if you ever steal things, I'll bloody kill you", "see if you ever do that glue sniffing, I'll bloody kill you", "see if you ever commit suicide, I'll bloody kill you", "see if you ever just walk down the street minding your own business, I'll bloody kill you", etc. But I digress.

[Sits]

We just discovered Defending the Guilty which is great. Imagine a half hour comedy version of Silk. Stars the always excellent Katherine Parkinson.

[Levin]

Well I'm going to have to see something pretty amazing for Long Day's Journey Into Night not to be my best film of 2020. I wish the 3D version was on somewhere in London rather than just the Curzon and the ICA. I can't believe that the final shot didn't have cuts, 1 hour and seamless.

Also, good trailers Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Parasite, A Hidden Life and Weathering With You. I'd see all of them (weathering with you based on how good Your Name was).

[Arturo]

If there's ever been a series as good as Giri / Haji I'd love to hear about it.

We've been binge watching this on the iPlayer and literally just finished watching the last episode. It's fantastic and I'm surprised the series hasn't had more publicity or acclaim (unless I missed any of it).

[Lang Spoon]

Halfway through Downsizing on Netflix. Enjoying it more than any recent Black Mirror.

[hobbes]

I watched The Witcher on Netflix yesterday. There are only 8 episodes, so it's easily do-able in a day. I mostly enjoyed it, but I have one complaint that I can't talk about because it might be a spoiler. I will watch season 2 when it comes out, because season one really failed to wrap up any of the arcs. Clever or annoying? I guess that depends on your point of view.

I thought it was better than Carnival Row (Amazon Prime).

The books are a bit like that. They're sort of short stories and allegories with only Geralt's wandering to tie them together. Sort of a bloody Canterbury Tales.

[Satchmo Distel]

Finally got round to the first season of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. I am enjoying it but feel it is uneven. For example, the episode with Wallace Shawn as the shit consultant who sends her the cue cards just annoyed me; why would such a sassy character fall for such a con and allow it to ruin her act?

I also enjoyed the first season of Italian series Gomorrah but felt it had jumped the shark by the middle of series 2. It seemed to just be finding more convoluted ways to kill off everybody except the two male leads, who miraculously survive even the most extreme scrapes with danger and death. I Googled the remainder of the plot (which has now gone to 48 episodes and beyond) and it just confirmed my feeling that I'd just be watching gangster porn if I continued.

[WOM]

As mentioned on the GLOW thread, GLOW. A lot of fun. Uneven but charming. 3 seasons currently, with a final one to come this year.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Occupied is back. Underlining what a long shadow Quisling left. Great stuff for the politicos among us,

[Moonlight Shadow]

Watched 'Messiah', ok I thought, nothing stellar. 'The Irishman', 10 seconds in and you know you are watching a Scorsese movie but time flew by. Also caught up with 'American Gods' S1, what an odd series but I am hooked...

[Snake Plissken]

Finished Season 2 of Jack Ryan. While entertaining, well made, excellently shot and directed and recommended as a watch, it isn't a patch on the first series. And the ending is stupid.

[Femme Folle]

I recently started watching Parks and Recreation after a recommendation from my nephew. It's been around for years, but I didn't think it was something that I would like. I was wrong. It's very funny.

[Wouter D]

Just burned through Season One of The Mandalorian. Not bad.

Worst things:
1. Chapter 6 was basically the standard "gather bunch of mercenaries who all hate each other" plot. Also, the Twi'leks' personalities were far too Harley Quinn and understated Joker for my tastes.
2. Some plotholes you could drive an X-wing through. How do the stormtroopers in Chapter 7 know in which direction Kuiil took Baby Yoda?

Best things:
1. The opening scene of Chapter 8, with the two bantering stormtroopers. "Why is this communication taking so long?" "Well, Moff Gideon just killed someone for interrupting him, so it might take a while". Good stuff.
2. Giancarlo Esposito survives to shine in Season 2. That man can do no wrong.
3. The whole thing is not so damn messianic as your average Star Wars story.
4. Richard Ayoade and Taika Waititi do some nice droid voice acting.

[Hot Pepsi]

“Some plotholes you could drive an X-wing through. How do the stormtroopers in Chapter 7 know in which direction Kuiil took Baby Yoda?”

He was going toward Mando’s ship. They knew he would. They knew where the ship was. They have technology to find such things sitting on a mostly barren planet. Plus, he was riding a big animal, so there’d be obvious tracks.

[hobbes]

Why are there stormtroopers and baby Yoda? 800 years old Yoda is. The empire surely isn’t.

[Hot Pepsi]

It’s not Yoda. It’s another of his species.

They’re leftover stormtroopers working for imperial remnants. The Empire was defeated at Endor and the New Republic is getting momentum, but there are a lot of bits of its military still controlling cities and regions in the outer rim planets.

[Wouter D]

“Some plotholes you could drive an X-wing through. How do the stormtroopers in Chapter 7 know in which direction Kuiil took Baby Yoda?”

He was going toward Mando’s ship. They knew he would. They knew where the ship was. They have technology to find such things sitting on a mostly barren planet. Plus, he was riding a big animal, so there’d be obvious tracks.

They just have to happen upon the tracks anywhere, having no idea where the track starts. And if they knew where the ship was, then why did we go through all that hassle of landing in such a remote location? I'm pretty sure that the goal of that was to go undetected.

[hobbes]

It’s not Yoda. It’s another of his species.

They’re leftover stormtroopers working for imperial remnants. The Empire was defeated at Endor and the New Republic is getting momentum, but there are a lot of bits of its military still controlling cities and regions in the outer rim planets.

Thanks HP.

[Ginger Yellow]

I thought Dracula kind of fell apart in episode 3. It went from silly to dumb and the characters stopped being believable or interesting.