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    Current Watching

    Rewatching Season 1 of House of Cards (US). Others I don't miss at the moment are Vikings, Fargo and GoT.

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      Current Watching

      Slightly Brown wrote: It was shown on PBS Classic.*

      *as such, I'm assuming this is all obvious to most people who have seen or heard of television.
      Que?

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        Current Watching

        Harry & Paul's Story of the Twos is very good. 1 day left on iplayer.

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search?q=Harry%20and%20Paul%27s%20Story%20of%20the %20Twos

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          Current Watching

          I watched a new NBC series last night with John Malkovich and Richard Coyle (you know, him out of Coupling?). I had such high hopes for it, but it was awful. 45 minutes in, I felt that I needed to finish it, but I was struggling to stay awake (and it wasn't even 11pm yet). The writing is just abysmal and the acting was stiff. Not even being John Malkovich could overcome that dialogue (DYSWIDD?).

          As for Coyle, I kept expecting him to say something funny, which he never did, of course, but I'm sorry to say that his character in this series felt too much like Jeff Murdock--maybe they just needed to change up his look a little, maybe give him a beard or change his hair?

          So, I am recommending that if you get the opportunity to watch NBC's Crossbones, don't do it unless you absolutely have nothing else to do. And even then, don't expect too much.

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            Current Watching

            It wasn't great was it.

            The camera loves JM, it's impossible not to watch him. He's a bit like Jack Nicholson or the young Brando. They're not the most versatile actors, but sure spell charisma with a capital 'K.'

            Otherwise, you're right, there's nothing much going on. It also suffers by the inevitable comparison with Black Sails. They even share the same plot device — a map/cipher a key character memorises to ensure his survival. Crossbones loses the sea-battle by a broadside.

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              Current Watching

              Just watched the first episode of 'Halt And Catch Fire', one of AMC's new offerings. It took about half an hour to hook me, but I will definitely watch it again next week.

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                Current Watching

                The second series of The Americans finished on Saturday with a very tense double-bill.

                I think it's brilliant, very subtly horrifying, and with some laugh out loud black humour.

                Highly recommended, but it's confusing if you come in mid-way.

                Two friends have started watching on my recommendations but I've had to explain Matthew Rhys' baffling array of wigs and moustaches. Sometimes they're in disguise, occasionally they're shown in flashbacks (none over the past few episodes, though).

                It's refreshing to see real Russians speaking real Russian (with subtitles) in a US series. The woman who plays the Russian double agent is excellent.

                John Boy Walton plays the FBI Chief, btw.

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                  Current Watching

                  The Americans has its own thread:

                  http://www.wsc.co.uk/forum-index/30-film-tv/758080-those-dirty-reds

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                    Current Watching

                    The new Robocop.

                    I could go into great detail in comparing both the old and new versions, but I'll leave the most accurate summation up to my sister, who also saw it. She put it best when comparing the new, ultra-futuristic, sleeker, polished, so-smooth-it's-Nescafe eye-candy up against the old, a-bit-rough-round-the-edges, super-gory, lively, noisy, funny Verhoeven satire fest, when noting that with the latter 'you gave a shit'.

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                      Current Watching

                      The World Cup.

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                        Current Watching

                        Femme Folle wrote: Just watched the first episode of 'Halt And Catch Fire', one of AMC's new offerings. It took about half an hour to hook me, but I will definitely watch it again next week.
                        Reading internet reviews on this, and apparently I'm one of the few people who really likes this show.

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                          Current Watching

                          Gangster Octopus wrote: The World Cup.
                          Nowt.

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                            Current Watching

                            Mat João wrote:
                            Originally posted by Femme Folle
                            Just watched the first episode of 'Halt And Catch Fire', one of AMC's new offerings. It took about half an hour to hook me, but I will definitely watch it again next week.
                            Reading internet reviews on this, and apparently I'm one of the few people who really likes this show.
                            It's not awful, and the idea is excellent. Sadly the acting drags it down, especially the lead character. I've been counting, he has a total of three facial expressions, judicious lighting gives the illusion of, maybe, two more. Unfortunately he's pivotal and I don't think the show will survive him.

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                              Current Watching

                              Children's hospital on adultswim

                              Some goofy funny shit right here that tajes the piss out of worthy medical dramas like Grey's anatomy and E.R.
                              Ensemble cast including Rob Corddry - who writes and directs - Erinn Hayes, Rob Huebel, Ken Marino, Megan Mullally and Henry Winkler.

                              I was just watching the Arsenal - Besiktas CL game, but gave up as I wanted to watch more of this!

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                                Current Watching

                                Yeah, it's a great show. Annoyingly not on any of the streaming services or on DVD in the UK, though, and very expensive on iTunes.

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                                  Current Watching

                                  I'm really liking Welcome to Sweden, which, apparently, started out as a show for Swedish TV with an eye toward the US. So at least half of it is in Swedish with subtitles. I think that's unprecedented for US TV.

                                  It's the semi-autobiographical story of Amy Pohlher's brother Greg. In real life, he was a lawyer who married a Swedish woman, moved to Sweden and got another degree before becoming a stand-up. As far as I can see, this is his first acting job. He does pretty well.

                                  On the show, he plays an accountant-to-the-stars who wants to stop being an accountant once he moves to Sweden.

                                  The most unrealistic part is that his girlfriend/fiance is a stunning tall blond who, I think, would probably be out of his league in most real life scenarios.

                                  Several celebrities including Amy Pohler and Will Farrell have cameos playing versions of themself.

                                  I'll see if I can find the buzzfeed Q&A he did on it. He makes some interesting observations about how Sweden is different than the US, etc.

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                                    Current Watching

                                    Amor de Cosmos wrote:
                                    Originally posted by Mat João
                                    Originally posted by Femme Folle
                                    Just watched the first episode of 'Halt And Catch Fire', one of AMC's new offerings. It took about half an hour to hook me, but I will definitely watch it again next week.
                                    Reading internet reviews on this, and apparently I'm one of the few people who really likes this show.
                                    It's not awful, and the idea is excellent. Sadly the acting drags it down, especially the lead character. I've been counting, he has a total of three facial expressions, judicious lighting gives the illusion of, maybe, two more. Unfortunately he's pivotal and I don't think the show will survive him.
                                    I really liked it, mostly because of the subject matter.

                                    Yeah, this seems like an odd role for Lee Pace. He's suddenly doing all kinds of hard dramatic stuff like playing the villain in Guardians of the Galaxy and playing the elf-king guy in The Hobbit. He was way better in stuff like Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies.

                                    I think the engineer guy and his wife are interesting, especially because he might be bi-polar or schizophrenic and the Cameron character is somebody I want to follow.

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                                      Current Watching

                                      Ginger Yellow wrote: Yeah, it's a great show. Annoyingly not on any of the streaming services or on DVD in the UK, though, and very expensive on iTunes.
                                      Try that link GY, it initially said it couldn't be played in the UK, but blow me if it didn't go on and start playing. There's five episodes on there.

                                      EDIT: Oh and PM for you.

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                                        Current Watching

                                        Reed John wrote: I'm really liking Welcome to Sweden, which, apparently, started out as a show for Swedish TV with an eye toward the US. So at least half of it is in Swedish with subtitles. I think that's unprecedented for US TV.

                                        It's the semi-autobiographical story of Amy Pohlher's brother Greg. In real life, he was a lawyer who married a Swedish woman, moved to Sweden and got another degree before becoming a stand-up. As far as I can see, this is his first acting job. He does pretty well.

                                        On the show, he plays an accountant-to-the-stars who wants to stop being an accountant once he moves to Sweden.

                                        The most unrealistic part is that his girlfriend/fiance is a stunning tall blond who, I think, would probably be out of his league in most real life scenarios.

                                        Several celebrities including Amy Pohler and Will Farrell have cameos playing versions of themself.

                                        I'll see if I can find the buzzfeed Q&A he did on it. He makes some interesting observations about how Sweden is different than the US, etc.
                                        I'll give that a go, sounds right up my alley. And I think that Amy Pohler is lovely. I love her in that way you wub someone when yer a kiddlywink. Women can't be funny? She disproves that.

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                                          Current Watching

                                          Qualified recommendation here for The Bridge (US) season 2. First series was a straightish remake of the Nordic one but this time they've decided nods to The Wire and Breaking Bad and a background of the Lost Girls of Juarez are the way to go. Franka Potente from Run Lola Run and the Bourne films is a memorable Cartel killer on the loose.

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                                            Current Watching

                                            Since it has been winter, we've been catching up with TV shows, binge style. So, from this year:

                                            Murder In The First: Steve Bochco show about two murders, with Draco Malfoy as the main suspect. Kathleen Robertson and Tate Diggs investigate. A bit far-fetched in parts, and the virtual reality stuff of Malfoy's making are a bit silly. But strong performances and enough dramatic tension made me persevere.

                                            Ray Donovan: It really is very watchable. Not a classic series, but thoroughly entertaining.

                                            Fargo: I did the right thing by watching only two episodes at a time. It's brilliant. There's a thread about it.

                                            True Detective: It was very good, but it didn't live up to the hype. I'm still feeling a but ambivalent. The build-up to the big reveal was so monumental, and the climax itself was contrived. The ending was taking the piss, I felt.

                                            Orange Is The New Black: The second season was a bit of a soap opera. Stupid ending. I was entertained by it, and I like the characters. Not going to buy the DVD set.

                                            Mad Men: It hasn't jumped the shark yet, but it's losing its sparkle. Still a superior show, but bowing out just in time.

                                            Shameless (US): Always entertaining, never really memorable. If I had to explain the plot of the latest season, I'd be unable to.

                                            Scandal: I quite liked it so far in a soap opera mind of way. Plus, Kerry Washington is not a penance to look at. But the latest series was even more contrived than what went before, so at some point G-Woman and I put a lid on this nonsense.

                                            The Americans: It really stretches credulity, but it's pretty well acted and held my attention. Philip's disguises are the real star of the show.

                                            It seems we've given up on The Walking Dead, and I don't know whether I really want to watch the final season of True Blood.

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                                              Current Watching

                                              Just popped in to BBC4 on the iPlayer to see what was shakin' in the world of culture. Some guy who's a Cambridge Dr of Culture and That is on there, picking cities in key years and telling us why they invented everything since in those key years. Except the years are mental to anyone who takes an interest in this sort of thing, and the programmes undo their own argument as they go.

                                              Vienna in . . . 1908, when the 21-year-old Kokoschka put out a little seen art book - which this guy says is "no fairytale" because it's violent (news to the Grimms, no doubt) - and when the 17-year-old Schiele was at art school and hadn't yet had a picture exhibited.

                                              Paris in . . . 1928, just four years after the surrealists issued their first manifesto, seven years after Hemingway moved there, and three years after Josephine Baker exploded onto the scene (they're the focal points).

                                              NY in '51: the year Kerouac's On The Road wasn't published, cause that was '57 - you get the idea.

                                              How do people get away with this? I'll tell you: be posh and presentable, and intern for Waldemar Januszczak and no one will ask any questions, cause culture's that weird stuff that happens over there and no one really understands it.

                                              I popped in to YouTube when I read on this guy's wiki page that he'd said something about Wyndham Lewis on TV. That's an interesting prospect, but what's the opening line? "He was a misogynist, a fascist and antisemite who had the dubious honour of writing the very first biography of Adolf Hitler."

                                              He was a misanthrope who championed women writers and artists, an anti-fascist and a pro-semite who in 1939 published the polemics Are The Jews Human? (an ironic title, in case that's not obvious) and The Hitler Cult and How It Will End ("in which he foretells its catastrophic end" screams the cover text). But you'd have to investigate as far as his wikipedia page to find that out, so I don't think we should should be too harsh on this chap.

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                                                Current Watching

                                                Lucia Lanigan wrote:
                                                How do people get away with this? I'll tell you: be posh and presentable, and intern for Waldemar Januszczak and no one will ask any questions, cause culture's that weird stuff that happens over there and no one really understands it.
                                                Yes, and it doesn't really matter, anyway. Don't get me started.

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                                                  Current Watching

                                                  Oh gawd, I bit and checked out the surrealism part. It's as inspiring and trustworthy as a David Cameron speech. He actually does the same hand gestures.

                                                  Andre Breton, we're told, was a doctor during the First World War. He wasn't – he was only 18 when it began, and being drafted cut short the medical studies he'd just started. He actually worked in a psychiatric ward – more obviously relevant to his future as a surrealist, you'd think, but no, he has to have been a doctor because we can't handle long words or something.

                                                  Magritte moved to Paris in 1928 and did his first surrealist painting, we hear. Magritte had already been through Dada and formed the Belgian surrealists with ELT Mesens by 1925, around which time he was already painting now well-known surrealist stuff like this.

                                                  I'm never watching TV again in case this guy is on it. Lets see if he quotes that on his wikipedia page alongside all the praise he's clutched together.

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                                                    Current Watching

                                                    Having said that, here's a great primer on abstract art from Matthew Collings. Made just five years but cultural aeons ago, by someone who knows, loves and can communicate his subject matter via the medium of the television: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04gv5kl/the-rules-of-abstraction-with-matthew-collings

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