Current Watching

[Snake Plissken]

Commando is on Film 4. I defer to someone else's review - "If the purpose of a film is solely to entertain, then the greatest film of all time is Commando."

[Lang Spoon]

I'm currently having to endure another fecking remake of The Generation Game. Basically, another bloody show where members of the public make an arse of themselves, with "hilarious" results. It's hosted by the annoying Mel and Sue which isn't helping.

In a foul mood though, so that's clouding things further. Still, it's not as fucking shit as that 'Altogether Now' bollocks was.

I caught the last 2 minutes of that. It’s like we’re living in a post-modern version of 1973 when it comes to light entertainment.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

There's an awful lot of Parochial hall talent shows on the Telly lately. My old pair were watching one of them when I was out last, and I was laughing at them, saying they'd "no more go down the local parish hall to watch than go to mars, but stick it on RTE on a sunday and ye can't get enough"

[Femme Folle]

Last night my friend be texting me like " Are you watching Jesus Christ Superstar? It is SO good!" and I be texting them back like, "No, I'm on episode 7 of Babylon Berlin".

I dunno, JCS was never my thing.

[Various Artist]

There was a good 2-hour documentary on it on Radio 2 last night presented by Melanie C (who has played Mary Magdalene in touring production of JCS), covering its entire genesis and stumbling rise to eventual success. Considering I have no interest in musicals I found it an interesting listen.

[Femme Folle]

I would go to see a live stage production in person before I would watch one on TV.

[ursus arctos]

It reminds me of the likes of Playhouse 90 during the first “Golden Age of Television” and the broadcasts of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals that CBS did episodically when I was a kid.

But I don’t really get it now.

Then again, I’ve enjoyed broadcasts of live opera, but only if the production is particularly interesting.

I also prefer Godspell.

[ursus arctos]

Speaking of which

https://twitter.com/liamstack/status/980828497424904192?s=21

[Femme Folle]

Haha!

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

"And I'd like to introduce our new secretary of the treasury."

[Arturo]

A bit underwhelmed with the Dave Allen biopic on BBC2 last night. It lacked punch and felt rather lightweight, while the plot was littered with flashback sequences which were messy and didn't flow. A missed opportunity. Shame.

[Squarewheelbike]

A bit underwhelmed with the Dave Allen biopic on BBC2 last night. It lacked punch and felt rather lightweight, while the plot was littered with flashback sequences which were messy and didn't flow. A missed opportunity. Shame.

Must agree there, guy playing Dave lacked the necessary punch so to say.

[ad hoc]

Mrs hoc and I have started watching Trapped which is an Icelandic Nordic Noir thingy. Three episodes in and I'm liking it. Gripping, snowbound, and almost entirely lacking in dialogue. Saga Noren would stand out for being too chatty.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Yeah we enjoyed Trapped too, though the conclusion's a bit meh.

[ad hoc]

Is there a word for something which is not exactly a spoiler but to an extent sucks the life out of watching something by telling you that the ending's rubbish?

[Amor de Cosmos]

I'm sorry. The ending isn't rubbish, just a bit predictable. But it doesn't detract too much anyway. The series is more about atmosphere, claustrophobia, and people who live too close together for too long, than it is about plot. Anyway apologies again, I'll be sure bite my tongue in the future.

[ad hoc]

Nah you're alright. I was just trying to be funny

[Pérou Flaquettes]

Great ITV documentaries, cracking footage.

Football's Foreign Legion

https://www.itv.com/hub/footballs-fo...on/2a5528a0001

When English Football Ruled Europe

Series 1 - Episode 1: https://www.itv.com/hub/when-english...pe/2a5405a0001

Series 1 - Episode 2: https://www.itv.com/hub/when-english...pe/2a5405a0002

[Satchmo Distel]

I've just bought Volker Kutscher's follow-up novel to Babylon Berlin, Silent Death. Definitely very good so far (6 chapters in). No Lotte yet (I will desist from spoilers obviously). I don't really see it as affecting my enjoyment of any future series because I think they are different art forms and the plot wasn't really the strongest feature of the TV series anyway.

The other novels are not easy to get cheap or in English. Goldstein (vol 3) is out in English but way expensive. Hopefully better priced translations are coming.

[steveeeeeeeee]

I've been giving sra. stev9e mornings off baby duties during the Easter holidays and I go into the lounge and watch amusic documentary on Prime or Netflix. So far I've watched:
Big Star film: superb, never really knew the whole story.
Tribe Called Quest film: again, good, never knew how TCQ was just Q-Tip dragging others along, always thought he was just a rapper, like phife dog.
Johnny Thunders film on Prime: Really good, some footage Id never seen and told the pre and post dolls story very well. Sympathetic too.
Film about HR from Bad Brains: Probably my favourite so far, really highlights how mental illnesses can be confused for "he's just being rock n roll". Highly recommend even if you're not a fan.
Straight outta Compton: Rubbish
Mudhoney documentary on Prime: liked it, bit too long, but they come across as really good guys.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

A bit underwhelmed with the Dave Allen biopic on BBC2 last night. It lacked punch and felt rather lightweight, while the plot was littered with flashback sequences which were messy and didn't flow. A missed opportunity. Shame.

Oooh I missed that. I watched a documentary about him a couple of years ago, and I didn't realise that the thing he should ultimately most famous for is essentially inventing the Genre of TV where you go out and interview ordinary extraordinary people at length. A type of television that Channel 4 have turned into a 21st century freak show.

[Eggchaser]

Watched And Then There Were None... on iPlayer, the one from about two years back with Charles Dance at al. Excellent.

[Pérou Flaquettes]

Looking forward to watching An Art Lovers' Guide: Lisbon later today: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...ies-2-1-lisbon

[Moonlight Shadow]

Finished with "13 commandments", I really enjoyed it. The plot twist in episode 10 was a genuine surprise and I liked the bleak, at times nihilistic tone of the whole series. The Flemish language is strange, at times it feels like listening to someone speaking English yet you don't quite understand what they are saying.....

I know need to crack on with "Babylon Berlin"...

[Jon]

Looking forward to watching An Art Lovers' Guide: Lisbon later today: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...ies-2-1-lisbon

Saw some of it last night. Is it part of a series? Did you manage to catch the art of Spain, kev? I only caught about one and a half episodes but it was really excellent. I especially liked the focus on the various smaller castillan towns; Madrid was only mentioned near the end of that episode.