Current Watching

[WOM]

Yup. The first episode is a bit of a dud, but Amor counseled patience, and it was well rewarded from Ep 2 onward. Can't wait for the new season.

[MsD]

Has anyone been watching Sex Education? Starts off with the feel of an absurdist comedy - and with a US-style multi-racial High School plonked into a rural British setting – but is also rather warm and poignant as it progresses. Enjoyed it aI lot, anyhows.

I haven't, yet, but apparently the Mighty Lemon Drops are on the soundtrack.

[Hot Pepsi]

I found Sex Education disorienting. It's set in Wales, apparently, and all the actors have British accents, but the school looks like an American school and none of the kids have uniforms. I guess because its' an homage to John Hughes movies. It just confused me. Maybe one is supposed to look past that.

[Felicity, I guess so]

I’m now onto season 2 of Counterpart- anyone else been into it..?

[hobbes]

Holy shit! Just binge-watched Russian Doll on Netflix.
On the surface it's like a goth version of Groundhog Day. But by crikey it's brilliantly put together and Natasha Lyonne is spectacular in it. In one episode I had to pause it because I was.laughing so hard I couldn't concentrate and the next episode I nearly cried. Fantastic just under 4 hours of TV.

[WOM]

Seconded.

[HORN]

Has anyone been watching Sex Education? Starts off with the feel of an absurdist comedy - and with a US-style multi-racial High School plonked into a rural British setting – but is also rather warm and poignant as it progresses. Enjoyed it a lot, anyhows.

It certainly passed muster in the HORN household.

One character reminded me so much of a (gay and joyously camp) friend that I felt compelled to tell him. He was a little bit taken aback saying “Wow, I really must be very gay then”.

[Femme Folle]

Getting caught up on Deadly Class on SyFy. I recorded the last three episodes and just got around to watching tonight.

Happy! season 2 is going to start next month and I am happy about that.

[danielmak]

I haven't, yet, but apparently the Mighty Lemon Drops are on the soundtrack.

It has a really good soundtrack with a range of mid- to late-80s bands. I posted earlier in the thread that it had a bit of a Sixteen Candles feel to it, which was soundtracked similarly (just not retro obviously).

[Moonlight Shadow]

I enjoyed Sex Education, quite poignant at times. It's a bit disconcerting to see a very British rural setting so americanised but it works up to a point.

Anyhow, S2 of The Break is on, Belgian series, it's rather good....

[Crusoe]

Holy shit! Just binge-watched Russian Doll on Netflix.
On the surface it's like a goth version of Groundhog Day. But by crikey it's brilliantly put together and Natasha Lyonne is spectacular in it. In one episode I had to pause it because I was.laughing so hard I couldn't concentrate and the next episode I nearly cried. Fantastic just under 4 hours of TV.

Binge-watched this on Monday and concur. It's really good. I can't see how they can make a second series; I hope they don't.

[hobbes]

Saw Alita Battle Angel today.
alita shit angel more like.

[The Red Max]

Watched episode 1 of the new Das Boot on Sky Atlantic catch-up last night.
It might not reach the heights (or should that be depths) of the original, but I think I'm going to enjoy it.

[danielmak]

Holy shit! Just binge-watched Russian Doll on Netflix.
On the surface it's like a goth version of Groundhog Day. But by crikey it's brilliantly put together and Natasha Lyonne is spectacular in it. In one episode I had to pause it because I was.laughing so hard I couldn't concentrate and the next episode I nearly cried. Fantastic just under 4 hours of TV.

Thanks for this tip. Watched 1-5 tonight. Will finish tomorrow. The general plotline, as you highlight with Groundhog Day, isn't necessarily new but I'm really digging how the story is playing out. Her over-done voice was bugging me at first but the story distracted me. And, to phrase in a way that will avoid spoilers, I really liked the kind of detective angle that played out in the first two episodes.

[slackster]

I liked the first episode of Russian Doll but my better half wasn’t so keen, so that’s one for me to finish off alone.

We’ve just spent the last 2 evenings watching series 4 of Catastrophe (All4 streaming). Still darkly funny, and a great ambiguous ending to what they say is the final show. The first three series are also on Amazon Prime for those who can’t be doing with the same repetitive ads on All4.

[WOM]

Umbrella Academy. Two thumbs up so far. One for GY, I'll bet.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Speaking of which, I've got a bit bored by Sopranos. In the middle of S3.

I persevered. Towards the end of s4 now.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Umbrella Academy. Two thumbs up so far. One for GY, I'll bet.

Yeah, I s'pose. It's intriguing but 1) It's yet another superhero series. 2) I'm really, really getting tired of blood guts 'n' gore and things in m'teeth, especially torture scenes. I don't really care if they're clever, camp, arch or ironic. I just don't need or want them anymore.

ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke

I watched this the other night and was sadly disappointed. It's just basic hagiography which is a pity. There's not even a vague attempt at objectivity. The usual suspects were wheeled out to tell us Sam Cooke was a vitally important figure in Afro-American post-war culture and an all round nice guy to boot. Which is of course a given, but I was hoping to go further, deeper to see a proper portrait rather than a caricature by numbers. Some of the old dudes who actually knew SC were good, Jim Brown, Quincy Jones and others, but nothing new emerges about his murder. He was shot by they owner of rooms-by-the-hour motel after being ripped off by a hooker. "Of course, Sam was a womaniser." says one of the talking heads. Oh really? What a surprise. No one mentioned that at all in the previous hour and a quarter.

A few nuggets do emerge. I didn't know Allan Klein was his manager, and just hours before his death Cooke discovered he was being ripped off. Are there any clients Klein didn't steal from? I doubt it, but he kept getting hired by bigger and bigger acts anyway.

Anyway, shame I really liked a lot of Sam Cooke's music — especially Live at Harlem Square — and his was the first major Rock 'n' Roll death I have a clear memory of, but this film doesn't do him justice it all.

[Lang Spoon]

Russian Doll was great.

[Amor de Cosmos]

It was very good. And thanks for reviews on here otherwise we'd probably have missed it. The promo description made it sound like Goundhog Day Revisited. Having said that I sure hope there's no attempt to do a second season, it would be a seriously bad idea.

[Lang Spoon]

Apparently it was pitched for 3 seasons.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Oh dear.

[Crusoe]

Watched the first couple of Umbrella Academy this weekend. Not bad, if not ground-breaking. I'm slightly disturbed by the way they've made-up Ellen Page to look a bit like Burn Gorman.

[Gerontophile]

Anyone seen a movie called "Blitz"? Jason Statham thing with Paddy Considine and Aiden Gillen (among others). Surprisingly good for a British violent Sweeney-a-like. Oh and the absolutely wonderful Zawe Ashton.

(Hubby has this evening discovered the joys of "Cracker". With Cantonese subtitles. Not even joking. I'll soon have to carry a calligraphy set around with me.)

[Gerontophile]

That was convoluted bollocks, but highly enjoyable. First thing I've sat down to watch in months. Aiden Gillen is still fucking rotten, but in this, it fits.

And I think I am finally beginning to see what Paddy Considine is for. I thought he was just shit in the "Bourne" thing, but now I understand that he was 'method' Because he was everything I suspect a Guardian journalist would be.

Oscars all round. (Also, nice to have a night off.).