Current Watching

[wiblflibl]

[The Staircase]

Finally finished watching this yesterday. It's difficult to know how much to say without running into spoiler trouble, but I'll try. It concerns a writer named Michael Peterson, who discovers his wife dead and bloodied at the foot of the staircase of their home in Durham NC in 2002. Peterson is immediately arrested and charged with her murder. What follows is a saga that doesn't end for fifteen years. Broadly it's the story of police manipulation, legal corruption and family loyalty. The doc, by a French production team, has been called "The Citizen Kane of TV documentaries," which is a bit excessive, but its thirteen hour running time definitely worth every minute.

Thanks for this recommendation. Hugely intriguing, we're currently on episode eight and are both fascinated by the tale.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Patrick Melrose. It's on a Sky channel. It is uniformly superb and Bendict Cumberbatch has never been better.

[WOM]

Now someone post about Cabin Pressure....

[MsD]

Just finished The Americans.

Was so tense all through this last series, what a great and worthy ending.

Particular feeling for me as I spent time in, and loved, Gorbachev's Russia but of course the world that Philip and Elizabeth lived in was so hard, and so terrifying, I'm not even going to start to over-identify.

Fantastic.

[Femme Folle]

I still have questions.

[Pérou Flaquettes]

Two excellent BBC programmes on Congo that I'd like to flag up here (second link prog shown before but repeated this week):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...-this-is-congo

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...story-of-congo

Any idea how the French crew got wind of the case? Did they query Peterson or did Peterson query them?

The answer to your Q is in this interview of the director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade:

https://www.lexpress.fr/culture/tele...t_2012496.html

Pourquoi vous êtes vous intéressé à l'histoire de cet homme ?

Il faut remonter au documentaire que j'avais tourné juste avant, qui s'intitulait Un coupable idéal [sorti en 2001, Oscar du documentaire en 2002]. Pendant deux heures, on parlait d'un adolescent noir accusé du meurtre d'une touriste blanche. Un ado qui venait d'un milieu extrêmement modeste, et qui a été défendu par un avocat commis d'office. La chaîne HBO, pour qui j'avais filmé cette affaire, avait été satisfaite du film et voulait que j'en fasse un autre sur le même modèle.

J'ai accepté, mais à condition de prendre la situation inverse : un homme blanc respecté dans sa communauté, défendu par un avocat pénaliste... Comment l'institution le traiterait ?
On a mis cinq mois pour trouver ce cas parmi 400. Il fallait que le personnage soit fascinant, qu'il ait un avocat brillant et que l'on obtienne les autorisations pour filmer les coulisses de l'affaire, les discussions de l'avocat et de son client et que ce dernier nous donne aussi accès à sa famille.

In summary, Lestrade explains that he’d worked with HBO before – done the docu-film Murder on a Sunday Morning, on the Brenton Butler case – HBO was happy with the result and wanted him to do another one along the same lines, namely a poor and young black man accused of murdering a white female/person and who had to rely on a legal aid/court-appointed lawyer to defend him.

Lestrade was keen to repeat the experience but only on the condition that he be allowed to turn HBO’s request on its head: what about looking for a case involving a white, well-respected man defended by a criminal lawyer of his choice. He was interested in examining how the whole judicial institution would treat a defendant with that profile. Lestrade then sifted through 400 cases for 5 months before he stumbled upon Michael Peterson’s story. Lestrade adds that for the film to be made, the accused had to be a fascinating individual and his lawyer very talented, and also that Lestrade’s team should be authorised to film behind the scenes and be given an "all area" pass (authorisations to access lawyer-client conversations and to contact the defendant’s family).

I’ve just noticed looking at Lestrade’s filmography that he’s also directed La Disparition on the famous Suzanne/Jacques Viguier case in France. (Jacques Viguier was a renowned Toulouse law university professor, and a fan of Hitchcock films, who was accused of killing his wife Suzanne in 2000, her body was never recovered; cocky bastard got away with it IMO.)

Murder case of cheating wife and missing mattress grips France

I saw La Disparition 2-3 yrs ago on French TV, pretty gripping. Thierry Godard, of Spiral/Engrenages fame, and Alix Poisson were in it (she was in French supernatural thriller Les Revenants, broadcast on the BBC a few yrs ago – became The Returned in the US).

There’s always been a strong fascination in France for criminal stories, both French and international cases alike (particularly English-Speaking countries), cinema, press, literature, TV/radio etc. One of the earlier real crime-related cinema hits was the Dominici case in 1952, big box-office hit, then books, TV programmes etc. on the case followed.

Guardian, 2004:

Fifty years ago, an English scientist and his wife and daughter were murdered in a remote corner of Provence. A 75-year-old peasant farmer was convicted of the killings. A battle to clear his name has been fought ever since. Now, at last, it may succeed.

[…]

The apparently random murder in August 1952 of the eminent British scientist Sir Jack Drummond, his wife Anne and their 10-year-old daughter Elizabeth during a holiday in Provence remains one of the most intractable crimes of the 20th century. In France, many consider the outcome of the case was a major miscarriage of justice. For five decades, L'Affaire Dominici - named after the alleged killer - has inspired articles, books, films, documentaries and websites.

The accused was the father Dominici, Gaston Dominici, an illiterate 75-old peasant, masterfully played by legendary French actor Jean Gabin in the first film on this case (murder of 3 Britons, Drummond family, in the south of France, the murdered father, Jack Drummond, was a renowned scientist/food chemist who helped devise UK rationing in WWII, investigators thought for a while that he may have been killed by a Soviet spy or was caught up in industrial espionage but the case remains unsolved to this day).

There are film/documentary makers who specialise in this area (mostly for TV consumption), particularly in relations to Anglo countries. It’s much easier language-wise than, say, German or Greek cases, much easier for them to investigate, interview people, read case-related material, get authorisations etc., and it’s more marketable too of course.

[Femme Folle]

I'm revisiting The Expanse. I tried to watch it when it was new, but couldn't really get into it. Everyone assures me that it will be good, if I can just make it through the first three or four episodes. I know season two had to be good, because my friend was the executive producer, and she doesn't produce crap.

[San Bernardhinault]

Watched Adrift at the cinema earlier. I thought it was very good for a "lost at sea" movie. Better than that dreadful Robert Redford one which seemed only to exist to stoke his ego. I may be biased because I now have only two degrees of separation from the main character, which is in fact the only reason I went to see it.

[hobbes]

I'm revisiting The Expanse. I tried to watch it when it was new, but couldn't really get into it. Everyone assures me that it will be good, if I can just make it through the first three or four episodes. I know season two had to be good, because my friend was the executive producer, and she doesn't produce crap.

Ah it's superb. I actually watched season 1 about 4 times, which never happens.
Just finished season 3 which started slow but exploded around ep5.
I can't decide if it helps that I've read the books. (which I did after watching season 1.)
The story diverges quite a lot, but oddly not in an annoying way. I guess it helps that the authors write for the show too.

[ad hoc]

If you have Netflix I really, really, really recommend Hannah Gadsby's stand up show Nanette, which I just watched. It starts off like a regular comedy stand up performance, fairly funny, not exactly ground breaking...and then just goes for the jugular. I can't really do it justice, so you can watch the trailer here http://junkee.com/hannah-gadsby-nanette-trailer/159881

Seriously, watch it.

[Hot Pepsi]

Watched Adrift at the cinema earlier. I thought it was very good for a "lost at sea" movie. Better than that dreadful Robert Redford one which seemed only to exist to stoke his ego. I may be biased because I now have only two degrees of separation from the main character, which is in fact the only reason I went to see it.

I loved that "dreadful Robert Redford one."

[Hot Pepsi]

Ah it's superb. I actually watched season 1 about 4 times, which never happens.
Just finished season 3 which started slow but exploded around ep5.
I can't decide if it helps that I've read the books. (which I did after watching season 1.)
The story diverges quite a lot, but oddly not in an annoying way. I guess it helps that the authors write for the show too.

I've read all the books in the main series - but not the one-off side stories.

The first season is a bit hard to follow at first, but then once you understand a few details about the world, it's not hard to follow.

By far the best sci-fi space thing on TV in a long time. Sadly, SyFy cancelled it after this season, but then, perhaps just because Jeff Bezos loves it, Amazon will pick it up.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

If you have Netflix I really, really, really recommend Hannah Gadsby's stand up show Nanette, which I just watched. It starts off like a regular comedy stand up performance, fairly funny, not exactly ground breaking...and then just goes for the jugular. I can't really do it justice, so you can watch the trailer here http://junkee.com/hannah-gadsby-nanette-trailer/159881

Seriously, watch it.

Yes, was actually recommended this yesterday and watched it. Very good. She's spot on with so many things.

[hobbes]

Sadly, SyFy cancelled it after this season, but then, perhaps just because Jeff Bezos loves it, Amazon will pick it up.

You can see why SyFy binned it. Must have been hugely expensive to make. I'm extremely glad Amazon picked it up.
I'm guessing that's why SyFy also binned Dark Matter but kept Killjoys. Killjoys while great fun looks like it was made for £300/episode. (Rather like the show runner's previous show, Lost Girl, which I also loved.)
Dark Matter looked like it cost at least £500/episode.
Compare that to the top notch production quality of The Expanse and SyFy must have been shitting it over the viewing figures.

[Ginger Yellow]

It's a shame, because SyFy is now responsible for two of the best genre shows of the 2000s, along with a vast number of terrible ones. I wish they'd just spend all the budget of the crappy ones on a handful of good ones and run repeats instead to fill in the gap.

[Hot Pepsi]

It's a shame, because SyFy is now responsible for two of the best genre shows of the 2000s, along with a vast number of terrible ones. I wish they'd just spend all the budget of the crappy ones on a handful of good ones and run repeats instead to fill in the gap.

That's an inherent problem with the way television works.

The other SyFy show I watch, The Magicians, is also excellent - even better than the source material - but probably much cheaper to make than The Expanse and I'm sure has a bigger audience. It's easy to pitch as "Harry Potter for Adults."

[Femme Folle]

I found a show on the AMC network called 'Dietland' that is very good. It may not appeal to everyone, but if you had a weight problem growing up, or if you currently have a weight problem, and have been treated badly or discriminated against because of it, you will probably relate to the main character, at least on some level. It also deals with more general issues like sexual harassment. Apart from the serious issues, it's funny and dark and violent, and you really should watch at least one episode to see if it speaks to you.

There is also a companion live show that airs immediately afterward called 'Unapologetic'. It's a panel show with different people every week (except for the host, Aisha Tyler), and they cover a lot of issues that are relevant to women.

[Femme Folle]

Can someone answer a question about Amos on The Expanse, please? I'll spoilerize it so I don't ruin it for someone else.

[spoiler]Did he get himself lobomotized in season 2?[/spoiler]

[nmrfox]

Appreciate that watching documentaries about tragedies may not be everyone's idea of entertainment, but on Saturday night BBC2 showed Fire in the Night as it was 30 years since the Piper Alpha disaster. Grim but compelling viewing.

[Hot Pepsi]

Can someone answer a question about Amos on The Expanse, please? I'll spoilerize it so I don't ruin it for someone else.

[spoiler]Did he get himself lobomotized in season 2?[/spoiler]

Not that I recall.

He's really going for a classic Clint Eastwood/David Curuso quiet-but-wise-and-sometimes-violent thing, which is fairly consistent with the books.

He does have that great "I AM 'that guy'" bit in the most recent season. If you haven't seen it, it's not a spoiler, because you'll see it coming a mile away.

[Hot Pepsi]

This is just the trailer, but from what I can gather, it couldn't possibly be more up my street. Well-trodden history, Costumes, England, Scotland, Oscar-Bait, Monologues, Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan. All it needs is a superfluous use of Gimme Shelter or Voodoo Chile and it would probably rocket to my top five favorite movies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1GcEagzTDg

Here's another one upcoming that also ticks a lot of those boxes.
Robert The Bruce
It appears to be almost like a sequel to Braveheart, given that Angus McFadden is in the title role, but hopefully a lot more historically accurate.* But I can't seem to see who's writing it, I've never seen anything by this director and while there are some great actors lined up for it, none of them are movie stars so it might be low-budget.


Speaking of Braveheart. I can't think of another movie I liked in the theater that has aged worse. It was pre-internet, so I had no idea how historically inaccurate it was. I mean, I'm not one of those people that insists on veracity to the point of bogging-down a story, but there are so many things that are factually wrong about Braveheart that would have been better if they'd done them closer to history.

It was also pre-widespread-knowledge that Mel Gibson is a prize cunt.

[San Bernardhinault]

I've been watching Killing Eve on BBC America's On Demand service. I'm 5 episodes in, and absolutely loving it. I did a quick search and haven't seen it mentioned on these pages. Has it not been broadcast in Britain yet? It has the air of a cliched "international thriller" type of show, with spycraft stuff and killers, but it's so much better than that (and none of the usual tiresome filler chase/fight scenes).

[Ginger Yellow]

No, it's not coming to the UK until an as yet unspecified date later this year. For those who don't know, it's from Phoebe Waller-Bridge off of Fleabag.

[San Bernardhinault]

That would explain why nobody's commenting on it. How odd for us to get a BBC show before Britain, eh? The "name" star is Sandra Oh, who you'll know from Grays Anatomy, and from Sideways, among other things. But the real star is the fabulous Jodie Comer who I'd never encountered before.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Heard Sandra Oh talking about it a few weeks back — she's CanCon of course — sounds interesting though there's no sign of it on the schedule here yet.