What Are You Watching

[TedR]

I will soon be watching Breaking Bad. Less than 24 hours now. Soon...

Same here. And the final two episodes from last season (which I missed) will be shown right before the season premier tonight.

Whoa! You also missed being spoiled about the ending of episode eight on the internet for a year?

Well if you mean what Hank finds out, I guess I did hear about that. :-)

[erwbol]

I will soon be watching Breaking Bad. Less than 24 hours now. Soon...

Same here. And the final two episodes from last season (which I missed) will be shown right before the season premier tonight. Whoa! You also missed being spoiled about the ending of episode eight on the internet for a year?

Well if you mean what Hank finds out, I guess I did hear about that. :-)

Yes, Marie shoplifting again. What a blow.

[BruceH]

I will soon be watching Breaking Bad. Less than 24 hours now. Soon...

Same here. And the final two episodes from last season (which I missed) will be shown right before the season premier tonight. Whoa! You also missed being spoiled about the ending of episode eight on the internet for a year?

Well if you mean what Hank finds out, I guess I did hear about that. :-)

Yes, Marie shoplifting again. What a blow.

What do you mean? He stepped in some dog poop, that's all.

[BruceH]

Just watched episode 9. It was good.

[patricia]

Watched the finale of "Luther" the other night and it was really good. It tied up all the loose ends.

What's interesting to me is the relationship between the "Alice" character and Luther. He knows that she killed her parents AND their dog in Season 1, but they have developed a kind of partnership of sorts, which has benefitted Luther. I don't think he's totally easy with that, but there's no denying that [spoiler for those who haven't seen the finale] he would have come out the other side without her.

I think that there is a Season 4 in the offing, but it's hard to say what direction it will take. Luther has indicated that he's "no longer a policeman" and I must have missed the reason he would say that. So, where does he go from here?

Edited August 12, 2013 by patricia

[JohnJ]

3rd episode of The Bridge.

I still like it.

I'm enjoying it more as it goes along.

Me too. Five episodes now, really excellent television.

[patricia]

Seasons 2 and 3 of a Canadian series, "The Newsroom" and the follow-up series, "Escape From The Newsroom."

This series ran in the U.S. some years ago as well, I think on PBS and it is excellent.

Ken Finkleman, who wrote and starred in the ongoing story of the most dysfunctional news organization imaginable chose to have no laughtrack and have the whole cast play their roles totally straight. It's hilarious, once you get into the rhythm of the utter madness.

I sent a copy of the first year of the series to a friend in New York and he was intrigued as well as amused by it's originality.

Highly recommended.

Edited August 13, 2013 by patricia

[Chuck Nessa]

Going through the Godfather saga again on AMC. Seems to never get old for Americans.

[patricia]

Going through the Godfather saga again on AMC. Seems to never get old for Americans.

Me too, Chuck. Here's the weird part for me. I have all three films and yet, I watch it when it's on AMC because it's been re-cut and includes much of the film edited from the original three.

What can I tell you? It's a classic.

[Chuck Nessa]

Actually just saw a scene I had not seen before - bodies after the shots into Michael's bedroom.

[patricia]

Actually just saw a scene I had not seen before - bodies after the shots into Michael's bedroom.

There you go.

[A Lark Ascending]

Finally got round to:

[patricia]

Finally got round to:

And what did you think of it?

[A Lark Ascending]

Enjoyed it but found it a bit hagiographic/sentimental.

If I'd been in charge I'd have skipped the assassination (which felt a bit bolted on) and maybe panned forward to a Reconstruction scene of how the 13th A and it's successors worked out in practice. Not the feel good intention of the film, I realise.

We do similar things here with our national myths - big fuss about how wonderful we were ending the slave trade, rather less on how we sustained and got rich on it over a couple of centuries.

[patricia]

Enjoyed it but found it a bit hagiographic/sentimental.

We do similar things here with our national myths - big fuss about how wonderful we were ending the slave trade, rather less on how we sustained and got rich on it over a couple of centuries.

Exactly. There does seem to be a lot of unseemly self-congratulations when talking about Lincoln freeing the slaves in America. Africans wouldn't have been slaves if they hadn't been taken from their homes and shipped off to the West to build the wealth that resulted.

Similarly, I find myself being amazed at BP's ads, patting themselves on the back, touting the millions of dollars they are investing in the Gulf. They created the circumstances in which the obscene destruction happened and they only did something having been pressured to make restitution.

Unbelievable chutzpah, IMO.

Edited August 15, 2013 by patricia

[A Lark Ascending]

I suppose what did surprise me was how similar it was to the traditional Hollywood historical bio-pic - feeling the need to make a grand moral statement. The bit at the start where the two black soldiers recite parts of the Gettysburg address seemed very much of that tradition.

I wouldn't be too hard on it - it was mainstream popular entertainment, not a historical thesis and things always get telescoped, famous phrases cherry-picked etc in that sort of film. But I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

How did it do in the cinemas? Its drama was very debate based rather than action focused. Could imagine a lot of UK audiences getting restless.

[patricia]

I suppose what did surprise me was how similar it was to the traditional Hollywood historical bio-pic - feeling the need to make a grand moral statement. The bit at the start where the two black soldiers recite parts of the Gettysburg address seemed very much of that tradition.

I wouldn't be too hard on it - it was mainstream popular entertainment, not a historical thesis and things always get telescoped, famous phrases cherry-picked etc in that sort of film. But I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

How did it do in the cinemas? Its drama was very debate based rather than action focused. Could imagine a lot of UK audiences getting restless.

I'm not sure how it did at the box office, but there was certainly a lot of publicity about it both before, and after it's release. Having Daniel Day Lewis play the title role couldn't have hurt it's chances. Usually, when he's on the screen, you can't take your eyes off him.

I still remember his role as "Bill the Butcher" in Gangs of New York. Scorcese cast him in a role tailor-made for broad gestures in a film that was meant to elevate Leonardo di Caprio to adult roles. With Day Lewis chewing up the scenery, good luck with that.

Edited August 15, 2013 by patricia

[A Lark Ascending]

I liked Gangs of New York. Prior to that film I had only a dim idea of the Draft Riots or the depth of anti-Irish resentment.

The Civil War era film scene that sticks on my mind is the opening of Cold Mountain when the mine is exploded and then the guns turned on the Union soldiers in the crater. I'd assumed it was fictional until reading about Petersburg last week.

[Shawn]

Finished watching season 2 of Continuum on Syfy. Very enjoyable series, it may be a low-budget Canadian series but it manages to make more of an impact than most other sci-fi shows on TV right now.

Now getting ready to start watching season 2 of Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom.

[erwbol]

So I finished my Sopranos marathon in time for Breaking Bad's final eight episodes. Currently watching House Of Cards season one.

In the end, House Of Cards was not for me. I think I'll skip any subsequent seasons.

I just began watching Sons Of Anarchy season one. Looks promising.

[jazzbo]

Sons of Anarchy is a show I didn't want to watch and reluctantly started a few years ago and I confess I love it. I'm very disappointed that there is so little about motorcycling and motorcycles in the show. But I've been fascinated with the way the writers and creator craft the season, building up plot and misdirecting my expectations, etc. Very clever writing and directing and decent acting.

[A Lark Ascending]

Intriguing thriller set in rural New Zealand with Elisabeth Moss from Mad Men in the main role, Very strange.

[jlhoots]

Intriguing thriller set in rural New Zealand with Elisabeth Moss from Mad Men in the main role, Very strange.

Want to see this. Waiting for a US DVD release. Has been listed as forthcoming at Amazon US for months.

I like "strange".

[A Lark Ascending]

One of those series where no-one is normal. Everyone seems to have disturbing pasts (and presents!). Reminds me of those films set in inaccessible communities in the Appalachians. Or Wales.

Edited August 20, 2013 by A Lark Ascending

[erwbol]

OK, Sons of Anarchy wasn't meant to be.

After dinner, I watched Breaking Bad season one episode one. I'm going to have a Breaking Bad marathon alongside the final eight episodes of season 5.

There are enough allusions to just season 1 episode 1 in season 5 so far to make this exciting. Brilliant.