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3 hours ago, Ted O'Reilly said:

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...?!?

I've read all of the books. Initially Lou Diamond Phillips struck me as wrong for Henry Standing Bear. After talking to him a few times I've gotten used to his portrayal.

Also spoke several times to Craig Johnson (the author) who seems O.K. with how the series is being handled. Season 4 is the best yet. Hopefully Season 5 will be good too.

I have no problem with the rest of the cast, although I guess Vic is supposed to be a brunette.

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19 hours ago, jlhoots said:

I've read all of the books. Initially Lou Diamond Phillips struck me as wrong for Henry Standing Bear. After talking to him a few times I've gotten used to his portrayal.

Also spoke several times to Craig Johnson (the author) who seems O.K. with how the series is being handled. Season 4 is the best yet. Hopefully Season 5 will be good too.

I have no problem with the rest of the cast, although I guess Vic is supposed to be a brunette.

Phillips is physically wrong...Henry is supposed to be HUGE.  Vic is indeed meant to be a brunette, and Italian...both of which Ms. Sackhoff is not.

Casting really matters to me.  And on that topic, Bosch (as played by Welliver is exactly what I envisioned as Harry.  Even "Crate and Barrell" are bang on...  And Harry likes jazz, of course...

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Image result for free state of jones

Enjoyed this though I did find myself checking my watch quite a lot towards the end. Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves set in a Mississippi swamp (though the Confederate baddie, who seemed to always appear as the enemy at points of high tension, was no match for Alan Rickman).  Suffered, like so many history based films from being a series of vignettes of key historical parts of the story. Fiction seems to allow for a more integrated film. 

I suspect British audiences would get totally confused by the post 1865 parts. Reconstruction and the abandonment of Reconstruction always confused me - doesn't quite fit with the 'Lincoln freed the slaves' narrative of the Civil War that is mainly known over here. 

Edited by A Lark Ascending
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I have been watching this 7 DVD set of performances from

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It's a show I rarely saw back in the day, but this is the music of my youth and it's been great fun to watch all these various performers doing their things.  The show really did present a pretty wide spectrum of popular music of the 1970's, everything from Alice Cooper to Marvin Gaye, from ELO to EW & F, from Sly & The Family Stone to KC & The Sunshine Band.  They even included crossover country and jazz stars (Crystal Gayle, Mac Davis, Chuck Mangione, George Benson) who had big hits then.  It was really fun to see some of the one-hit wonders like Redbone, Stories, Billy Paul (note to pop star wannabes:  if you are trying to have a hit single, make sure it is a song that will not wear out your voice from having to sing it night after night for months on end.), Dobie Gray.  There are some interview features included on the discs and the show's producer, Burt Sugarman, made a big deal about how all of the acts had to perform live on the show, but by the time they got to the disco era, it's clear some of the performers were lip-synching.  For the most part though, these are great, genuinely "live" performances that brought back a lot of memories.

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I watched the pilot episode of "Timeless", a time-travel idea.  It focussed on the 1937 Hindenburg explosion (with good special effects), but the thing that jumped out at me was the inclusion on the sound track as source music Billie Holiday's Eeeny Meeny Miney Mo.  Not anachronic, either -- it's a 1935 recording...

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Picked up a DVD collection of the Dana Carvey Show.  I'd never heard of it before as it was on during one of my "no television" stretches.  Unfortunately, so far it's a total disappointment.  The first show was tasteless, but funny in spots.  The second one I pulled out when Carvey started a 'hilariious' bit making fun of Korean accents.  It basically reminded me of my racist uncle.  I'll pass.  If anyone wants this, let me know.  $2 postage and it's yours.

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Just a few of the series running at present on UK TV.

'Victoria' - standard romantic royal history (with the occasional walk-on part for things of some significance) but I've enjoyed it despite setting out to sneer down my pinze-nez. 

'Cold Feet' - Only saw the original episodes in the summer which I loved; wondered at first if this was going to work but I've been won round. Daft, unlikely scenarios but funny and warm with the characters facing issues of middle age (even Adam!). Last night's episode was very moving.

'Paranoid' - Over-the-top but watchable 'killer on the loose' police thing in rural England.

'National Treasure' - This one has been excellent - Robbie Coltrane as an ageing entertainer accused of historic child abuse. Powerful playing from Coltrane and Julie Walters though the compelling performance is by Andrea Riseborough as his damaged daughter. Last episode tonight with lots of questions hanging. 

All ITV/Channel 4 which is unusual for me - the endless repetition of the same adverts drives me nuts (I will never go compare, visit a cinema with a meercat or stir coconut in my stir-fry). I try to record so I can skip them but sometimes I can't resist watching when the programmes are screened.   

Nothing yet this season to match 'The Night Manager', 'London Spy', 'Peaky Blinders' or 'Happy Valley'.  

Edited by A Lark Ascending
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A jolly afternoon at the local cinema:

Image result for antony sher

Very good. I had intended to go to Stratford to see this but the tickets were eye-wateringly expensive (way more than I paid last year for Henry V...must be the superstar Lear). I enjoy the cinema experience just as much - but could do with subtitles with language this dense.

Image result for House of cards 4

A 21stC Edmund (now at war with Lady Macbeth). First four episodes - absolutely first rate television. Best not to watch it too close to a news bulletin. At the moment it's hard to know where fiction ends and reality starts.  

 

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Fun stuff!

But what were they thinking when it came to the third
(and, thankfully, last) season? They must've been playing
off the "secret agent" craze.

As an aside...
I read that the reason that Honey West didn't last more than one season
was because it was cheaper to import The Avengers than to pay to produce
another season.

Edited by rostasi
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I've been watching some episodes of the old Thriller series.  It was an anthology series hosted by Boris Karloff.  It started out presenting stories more in the intrigue/mystery/suspense field -- kind of like what you might have seen on Alfred Hitchcock's series at that time.  The ratings were not so hot, so midway through the first season, they brought in some new producers and shifted the focus to stories of a more supernatural bent.

The episode, Pigeons From Hell, is regarded as one of the best of the series.  It was directed by John Newland, the creative force behind the series One Step Beyond.  It has some very creepy/scary scenes (especially for primetime TV in 1961), but also some absolutely gorgeous b&w cinematography and masterful lighting techniques.  These were skilled craftsmen to be able to create a high quality product like this in just 3 or 4 days of filming.  The acting is pretty good too.  If you do watch this, please do so late at night with all the lights turned off to get the best effect.

 

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16 hours ago, catesta said:

Count me as a fan of Westworld. Ed Harris is great.

Add me to the list as well. I subscribed to HBO specially BECAUSE of Westworld. 

Picked up a new show, and I'm bailing on another. Sunday's episode of The Walking Dead was it for me. They are out of ideas and will now rely on shock and gore. No thanks. 

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