Current Watching

[pebblethefish]

Over the past week I've watched the first series of Dawson's Creek. Still haven't made up my mind about it. At times it's engaging, at times it's mawkish and predictable. And at all times I want to poke "Dawson" in the eye for being a pretentious prick.

[Balderdasha]

I made the mistake of watching the first few episodes of season 3 of Stranger Things last night before I needed to go out to the garage in the dark and rummage around looking for the home-made fabric advent calendar. I spent as little time there as possible. I hate any depiction of basements in US films, from Home Alone to proper horror films. Very glad we don't have one.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

That is both the greatest and worst thing I've ever seen.

I think I could name 90% of them, the only ones I'm really struggling on are the guy in the cheap suit with red shirt, singing with the woman in the orange who I also can't work out.

The white suit / red shirt combo is reminiscent of Brotherhood of Man but the woman in orange appears to be an 80s character so presumably they have just been thrown together and aren't part of the same act. The best guess I have for her is Barbara Dickson but would she have been recognisable enough for someone to imitate well into the 1990s?

[Ray de Galles]

I consulted an expert in work who has previously confessed that SITE was a major formative influence on her and actually remembered the original broadcast of this episode.

Her list was as follows, in order of appearance :

Shirley Bassey
Nat King Cole
Neil Sedaka
Bonnie Tyler
Cliff Richard
George Michael
Bryan Ferry
Lennon & McCartney
Chris de Burgh
Rod Stewart & Elkie Brooks
Mick Jagger
Janet Jackson
Elton John & Tina Turner
Tom Jones
Mick Hucknall
Debbie Harry

She was wrong about the final one though, that's meant to be Madonna.

[Mr Cogito]

I watched The Queen’s Gambit three times all the way through. Brilliant.

Now enjoying Eric Cantona in Inhuman Resources. I know EC is appreciated around here, but you may not all appreciate how sexy he is. Oh mon Dieu.

Not sure how this plot will work out but I’m ok for a few episodes.

I enjoyed it too, and he does broody quite well.

[danielmak]

I spent as little time there as possible. I hate any depiction of basements in US films, from Home Alone to proper horror films. Very glad we don't have one.

Haha. I can't say I was a fan either until I saw my first punk show in a basement and then everything changed.

[Felicity, I guess so]

It looked fantastic. Made me so nostalgic for late Soviet Russia, too.

We came to The Queen's Gambit eventually and have often paused it to look at props and locations. As WOM said ( however many pages ago) it's part Canada, part Berlin and I did some rabbit hole browsing after one great hotel appeared to discover that the Snyder department store is actually the brilliant Humana charity shop near Alexanderplatz.
Moscow is often Karl Marx Allee, the main DDR drag through East Berlin, including the magnificent Kino International.

[MsD]

If it’s mocked up, it’s done very well, as the view of the Kremlin from that bridge is exactly how it looks.

[WOM]

Yeah, that place that subbed in for the mid-century modern casino had me googling locations like a madman. Also Berlin.

In other shows, Halt and Catch Fire. How has this never been mentioned around here? It's a period drama set in the early '80s, set around the early days of the Texas - and then California - personal computing industry. Between the topic, the music and the cars, there's not much not to like. Just four seasons, but I suspect that's going to be enough to tell a good story without watering it down.

[San Bernardhinault]

I started watching H&CF a few weeks ago - I'm only four episodes in because I'm watching without the missus, when she's out which isn't often right now. It's very good. When I mentioned it I think a couple of other people (HP? Maybe Amor?) commented on it.

[WOM]

Did you missus not want to be bothered with it? L was a reluctant watcher for the first two eps, but she's all-in now.

[matt j]

I think it's been mentioned several times (I know I have). I think it gets stronger in the later seasons, tbh. Great cast.

[San Bernardhinault]

She expressed zero interest, and we like having a few things that we watch independently of each other.

[Hot Pepsi]

I was into that when it was originally on AMC. I thought I was the only one.

[matt j]

I would even have sworn we had a dedicated thread (back when we did such things). Heck if I can find it now though.

[WOM]

Yeah, I can't find a word about it. I haven't done the ursus hack, though.

[WOM]

Yeah, using Google Advanced Search turns up about 6 results but no dedicated thread that I can see.

[Balderdasha]

The four episode mini series Unorthodox on Netflix is very good. Fascinating insight into the Hasidic community in Williamsburg, and tries to be sympathetic to most of its main characters. Though Berlin is portrayed as a sort of hedonistic utopia.

[ursus arctos]

Well, compared to Haredi Williamsburg . . .

[Amor de Cosmos]

Yeah, using Google Advanced Search turns up about 6 results but no dedicated thread that I can see.

We discussed it early on when it was on AMC. Good show, it's been interesting to see the principals pop up in other shows since.

[WOM]

Oh, quite. My heart jumped a little when I saw her from the San Junipero ep of Black Mirror. But nearly everyone else is a face I've seen somewhere over the past year or so.

[Sits]

The four episode mini series Unorthodox on Netflix is very good. Fascinating insight into the Hasidic community in Williamsburg, and tries to be sympathetic to most of its main characters. Though Berlin is portrayed as a sort of hedonistic utopia.

Seconded.

[Tony C]

We enjoyed Unorthodox.

Currently well into a Dutch crime procedural 'Undercover' which is doing enough to keep us interrsted at least.

[Hot Pepsi]

As somebody who actually likes movies about making movies, I strongly recommend Mank on Netflix.

I also watched Mulan on Disney+. I have no sentimental attachment to the animated original so I wasn’t put off by the people who were mad that this live action one is different.

Different is fine, but this version is completely devoid of anything resembling human emotion at all. I know that English is not the first language for most of the actors, but that’s not why the performances are so wooden. The script is just inert. The one big character turn at the denouement feels completely unearned.

It’s basically just a PG-13 version of a Hong Kong kung fu film, and not a particularly good one.

[Cal Alamein]

As somebody who actually likes movies about making movies, I strongly recommend [i]Mank[/] on Netflix.

Seconded. watched it last night and loved it.