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BBC2 to compete for Saturday night audience with season of culture

Well, you've got to commend them for going out on a limb in these ratings obsessed times.

Though the programmes highlighted all look a bit "Mwa! Mwa! Darrrrling.' 

Think I might be sticking with my Swedish serial killers.  

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4 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

BBC2 to compete for Saturday night audience with season of culture

Well, you've got to commend them for going out on a limb in these ratings obsessed times.

Though the programmes highlighted all look a bit "Mwa! Mwa! Darrrrling.' 

Think I might be sticking with my Swedish serial killers.  

BBC4 effectively replaced BBC2 as home of art and culture some time ago so this is welcome news. My worry is that when ratings hit the floor, as they may well do, this will be seen as justification to revert to the lacklustre, repeat-heavy version of BBC2.

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8 hours ago, Jazzjet said:

BBC4 effectively replaced BBC2 as home of art and culture some time ago so this is welcome news. My worry is that when ratings hit the floor, as they may well do, this will be seen as justification to revert to the lacklustre, repeat-heavy version of BBC2.

Hopefully there will be some music amongst the pomes and dance. And hopefully they'll realise that running it like one of those Newsnight 'Arts' discussions is a sure way to kill it for the broader public ('critics' falling over one another to be the most unimpressed). 

In the BBC 'review' earlier in the year there was a lot of fuss by the government about making more 'distinctive' programmes and not trying to compete with ITV on popular TV. I suspect this is a BBC way of finessing that - so it might be given a long leash. 

Edited by A Lark Ascending
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Caught up with the final series over the last week. Utterly harrowing. The way some of the characters get triggered into hostility seemingly out of nowhere brought back memories of my teaching career. The final scenes balancing Lol's wedding and reconciliation with her sister against Milky's angst over what he'd had done to Combo were brilliantly pulled off. 

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Didn't much care for this. Action/shoot-out film (with weak romantic sub-plot) overlain on an historical event. To be fair, checking up afterwards (sorry, I get worried about these things) most of the details were actually based on reality (though there's an irritating oversimplification in the first line of the background information that starts the film) - I'd assumed it was movie bunkum.

Cillian Murphy plays his character much like Tommy Shelby at his moodiest in Peaky Blinders - thereby, to my mind, demonstrating the originality and unpredictability of the Peaky Blinders scripts.  

Not a bad film - just a bit routine especially when you consider the potential of the events it is based on. 

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Keeping up with Mr. Robot and some of the after-shows...the show fascinates me, particularly as it applies to the nuts and bolts of money, currency, finance. Also, the after-shows have helped me to better understand the tech/code/hacker element. Happy to get some insight into that, because it's not my world at all, that stuff.

This season reminds me of a David Lynch type story, only based almost entirely in facts, things that are all either happening now or could happen any second now. Overlay that with the surrealistic personality fugues and mysterious "project" that appears to be about some kind of either time travel or dimension shifting, and...whoa. It's a lot to handle, but I love it when a TV show goes there. All you need for greatness is an ending that justifies all of it, really ties it all together, not something too easy or something that is obviously left open-ended so the writers can buy time to figure out what to do next.

We know that there will be a Season 3, what I don't know is if that will be a good thing or not. Next Wednesday will tell, hopefully.

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Really enjoyed this. Heart-warming, sentimental fairy tale of an alternative family forced to confront the real world. Though they're not as 'alternative' as dad likes to think - his cultural choices for the kids would be standard things to be seen reading or listening to at any of The Man's expensive private schools. 

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I've only ever had a peripheral interest in Joplin's music but can't resist a film about music in the 60s/70s. Thought this was excellently done - told the tale in a plain and simple manner via the people who knew her. What a sad, sad life. The pressure to conform with teenage social norms (reinforced by commerce) can be crushing.   

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More a series of historical tableaux than a developing drama. Beautiful photography. Enjoyed it. 

Earlier in the week:

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National Treasure (Channel 4)

Robbie Coltrane in a drama based around Operation Yewtree and the other such cases running at present. Haven't seen Coltrane in a drama for a while but the opening episode was very powerful. 

As one of the reviews said, why is Channel 4 paying excessive amounts poaching off the BBC when it can produce original drama like this?

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Enjoyed a special premier of Falling Water. It's a bit lightweight but also interesting in the LOST category, I think I'll follow it when it starts in a few weeks.

Finished watching Arrow, Season 4 on Blu-ray and am now watching Flash, Season 2. I love escaping into these shows, they work for me, brining out the adolescent in me that is always just below the surface, and feeding him so that he can survive til the next time.

I've also enjoyed the first two weeks of Project Runway because my wife loves it so. It's great to share her joy that a new season is unfolding. I learn a lot sharing what fascinates and energizes her. 

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20 hours ago, jazzbo said:

Enjoyed a special premier of Falling Water. It's a bit lightweight but also interesting in the LOST category, I think I'll follow it when it starts in a few weeks.

Finished watching Arrow, Season 4 on Blu-ray and am now watching Flash, Season 2. I love escaping into these shows, they work for me, brining out the adolescent in me that is always just below the surface, and feeding him so that he can survive til the next time.

I've also enjoyed the first two weeks of Project Runway because my wife loves it so. It's great to share her joy that a new season is unfolding. I learn a lot sharing what fascinates and energizes her. 

I enjoyed Falling Water too. They've, as yet, sensibly limited it to three intertwining characters, so it was straightforward enough to follow without head scratching and nodding off.

The test will be how they develop the story. I'll continue watching.

1 hour ago, A Lark Ascending said:

Image result for the railway man

Very moving - an unlikely ending but apparently based on reality. As a kid in the 60s living on the Changi RAF base I used to regularly visit a small museum about the Japanese occupation. One of those things that sticks in your memory. 

Finally someone else has commented on this one. A powerful story with considerable emotional impact.

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5 hours ago, kinuta said:

I thought season one got very silly indeed towards the end, so I was in two minds about watching season two.

Would you say it's worth my time?

I will admit that I have to read recaps / reviews after each episode to figure it all out. Nonetheless, I do find it compelling. To be fair my wife hates it. Hope that helps. :P:ph34r:

Edited by jlhoots
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Looks like they might be pivoting away from the fintech angle for Season 3, which would disappoint me, but, really who knows?

Then again, we're left hanging with "Phase Two" still going forward, so...it's a ride, that's for sure. So far, they've made it worth my while. Everything pays off, even if as soon as it does, it pivots into something else. Whew!

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Gaga for Dada (BBC 4)

I don't know much about Dada but this was a nice little survey carried out in a suitably absurd style by comedian Vic Reeves. Never realised how influential it was on the world of commercial advertising - when it's pointed out to you it stares you in the face. And punk was actually a form of neo-classicism. 

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On ‎26‎/‎09‎/‎2016 at 9:26 PM, jlhoots said:

I like it too.

Currently on Season 4, Episode 4.

If you've read the books you'll find the casting to be quite wrong.  The only appropriate actor/role is the lead Robert Taylor (an Aussie!) as Walt Longmire.  The stories, writing, settings, etc are all fine, but the casting...?!?

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