A Lark Ascending Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 (edited) 'Happy Valley' Series II got off to a good start last night - my, Catherine is hard! Surprised to see Prince Andrei in prison...he only died on Sunday. Michael Wood - The Story of China: Episode I (BBC 2) Michael Wood first appeared as a new type of presenter for TV history the year I started teaching ('In Search of the Dark Ages', I think). He might be responsible for the presenter wandering around in every shot approach to TV documentary (or was that Alan Whicker?). Anyway, his series are always interesting and informative (and there's a motorway service station named after him on the M5 near Bristol). Enjoyed this one - suffered from that first-episode-of-a-series-covering-thousands-of-years-where-we-have-virtually-no-evidence problem of whizzing through a lot of change very quickly. I suspect it will slow down as we get into better documented times. Amazed to see how much of China's tradition has returned after the disruptions of the Mao/Cultural Revolution years. A bit like the return of prog rock after punk supposedly blow-torched the landscape. Beautifully photographed. And, mercifully, we got Wood rather than Michael Portillo. Edited February 10, 2016 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Right up my street - enjoyed this very much. Although I knew about the Hollywood 10 and HUAC I'd never heard of Trumbo before seeing the trailer last week, nor of the background to 'Roman Holiday', 'Spartacus' and 'Exodus'. Very prescient given the current antics of Dalton Trumbo's near namesake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 3 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said: Right up my street - enjoyed this very much. Although I knew about the Hollywood 10 and HUAC I'd never heard of Trumbo before seeing the trailer last week, nor of the background to 'Roman Holiday', 'Spartacus' and 'Exodus'. Very prescient given the current antics of Dalton Trumbo's near namesake. I first heard his name because of this film: Metallica used footage from the movie for their music video "One" in 1989 which is how I first became aware of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 I read that book when I was a teenager. (Movie doesn't look anything like the book I read). A sort of avant grade novel, and scary as hell--it totally brought out the horror of war with unvarnished clarity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 24 minutes ago, jazzbo said: I read that book when I was a teenager. (Movie doesn't look anything like the book I read). A sort of avant grade novel, and scary as hell--it totally brought out the horror of war with unvarnished clarity. Trumbo directed the movie. The book is written in first person, the movie jumps back and forth between narration, flashbacks, fantasy sequences and the conversations of the doctors and nursing staff to tell the story. The meat of the story remains the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Thanks. I always like books more than movies made from them. . . this book moved me so much I'll stick with my memories of it. And may be brave enough to re-read it one of these days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 It's always a challenge to adapt a first-person narrative to a visual medium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 10 hours ago, Shawn said: I first heard his name because of this film: Metallica used footage from the movie for their music video "One" in 1989 which is how I first became aware of it. I noticed yesterday that he wrote that as a novel. The book got some very good reviews on Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzjet Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 On 2/10/2016 at 7:23 AM, A Lark Ascending said: 'Happy Valley' Series II got off to a good start last night - my, Catherine is hard! Surprised to see Prince Andrei in prison...he only died on Sunday. This is nothing to compared with all the Scandinavian TV series so popular nowadays. Nearly every reputable Danish or Swedish actor seems to appear in all of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
page Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 4 hours ago, Jazzjet said: This is nothing to compared with all the Scandinavian TV series so popular nowadays. Nearly every reputable Danish or Swedish actor seems to appear in all of them. They are quite good indeed. More violent than most British series, although "Happy Valley" has shown a lot in the first series. I've enjoyed "Wallander" to name a nice Skandinavian series f.e. I have enjoyed the first episode of "Happy Valley II" too thanks to you guys. I think we are in for a real scare again these series. Brr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 2 hours ago, page said: They are quite good indeed. More violent than most British series, although "Happy Valley" has shown a lot in the first series. I've enjoyed "Wallander" to name a nice Skandinavian series f.e. I have enjoyed the first episode of "Happy Valley II" too thanks to you guys. I think we are in for a real scare again these series. Brr. I've enjoyed most of those Scandinavian series. There was one about some people stuck on an island where people kept getting bumped off that I gave up on after an hour. And I never got beyond episode 1 of 1864 - why does every film about coming war start with two lads falling out over a girl!? There's a new one this Saturday - will catch later on. On the Brit front there's a new Le Carre coming in Two weeks; and one with a theme around the China one child policy on Wednesday looks interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinuta Posted February 12, 2016 Report Share Posted February 12, 2016 4 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said: I've enjoyed most of those Scandinavian series. There was one about some people stuck on an island where people kept getting bumped off that I gave up on after an hour. And I never got beyond episode 1 of 1864 - why does every film about coming war start with two lads falling out over a girl!? There's a new one this Saturday - will catch later on. On the Brit front there's a new Le Carre coming in Two weeks; and one with a theme around the China one child policy on Wednesday looks interesting. I thought 1864 was good and well worth watching, although I do understand the 'who does she love and which one is coming home in a coffin ? ' cliche. As mentioned Happy Valley started with a great first episode . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 14, 2016 Report Share Posted February 14, 2016 Four part series, now showing on Netflix, about, yes, the history of mathematics. Very entertaining, actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinuta Posted February 14, 2016 Report Share Posted February 14, 2016 Wolf Hall - Peter Kosminsky (2015) BBC Mini Series Excellent, I binged the whole thing in one day. Terrific cast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted February 15, 2016 Report Share Posted February 15, 2016 tonight's episode of The Good Wife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 (edited) More bloody culture: "Doctor Faustus" at the Swan Theatre, the smaller room at the RSC in Stratford (with the most extraordinary 'high' seats that have you sitting a mile off the ground). Last had contact with this in June 1973 when I finished my English A Level - it was a set text. Enjoyed it then (eventually, you know how it is with school set texts). Although I'd remembered the broad story line and some of the scenes, hardly any of the text had stuck in my mind apart from the final scene when Faustus is watching the clock. Completely enthralling performance - quite minimalist apart from the costumes and cabaret of the seven deadly sins and the demons. The play struck me as being rather different to Shakespeare - a fairly straight linear plot where Shakespeare has all those sub-plots and comic aside scenes (not sure if I thought that or if I'm just recycling something that I read 40 years ago from the depths of my brain). Can't work out if the resemblance between Faustus and Vladimir Putin was deliberate or accidental...but it added an extra layer of unease. Never really been one for live theatre but I'm starting to understand why people are so hooked on it. Hope to get to "The Tempest" and "King Lear" in the autumn. Edited February 16, 2016 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 (edited) Strangely enough, I've got the feeling that that 'Faustus' was one of my set texts at English O Level (or maybe we just covered it in passing). Along with the Scottish Play.. Edited February 16, 2016 by sidewinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 You mean Macbeth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 (edited) Popped down to the local cinema to see this yesterday evening (20 minutes walk away). Don't know much about Renoir but I remember going to the Jeu de Paume in Paris around 1980 with my sister (who knew a lot more more about paintings than I did) and being struck by the dappled light effects of some of the famous ones. This film is based around his later paintings, with the major focus on the Barnes collection in Philadelphia. Mainly concerns the differences of opinion on that period. Interesting and a very different way of looking at paintings on a huge screen. Can't say I'll be buying a late-Renoir in the near future but I'll go to one of these film of the exhibition things again. Worksop isn't exactly a town of luvvies but there were 30 of us there. *********************** Then back to reality with episode 2 of Happy Valley. Gets grimmer by the minute! Edited February 17, 2016 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Better Call Saul - episode 1, season 2 - Vinyl - 2 hour pilot, over the top, but I'll stick with it for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Personally I loved it. And the hour "talk show" afterwards was fun. Today I'm getting caught up on X-Files and Flash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 I loved Better Call Saul too - it's Vinyl I'm not sure about yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 I know, I was replying sloppily. So excited to have another season of Better Call Saul ahead of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Almost finished with The Shield (currently on season 7) and quite a wild ride it has been! One of the most consistent series I've run across, with only season 5 being a slight notch below the rest (Forest Whitaker's character drove me so nuts I wanted to reach inside the TV and strangle him to death). Aside from that I've been watching The X-Files reboot (clunky yet endearing). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted February 18, 2016 Report Share Posted February 18, 2016 (edited) Rather cartoony but fun. I spent the three hours thinking I was watching Brad Pitt - only the credits revealed the truth. Long film but I didn't get bored. The main character's speeches reminded me of a certain real life American presidential candidate. Edited February 18, 2016 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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