What are you watching now?
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@george-k said in What are you watching now?:
but the storyline seems pretty recycled.
Exactly my feeling about it.
wrote on 22 Mar 2021, 22:03 last edited by George K@aqua-letifer said in What are you watching now?:
@george-k said in What are you watching now?:
but the storyline seems pretty recycled.
Exactly my feeling about it.
I gave up. The first
seriesseason was 6 episodes long, and it was entertaining, though predictable in parts. Basically, it did everything that The Sopranos did, which Sons of Anarchy recycled. Same setting, different era.Did 3 episodes of the 2nd season and walked away, thinking "I've seen this before. Different people, different city, but, I've seen it."
Great production values and sets. Acting is pretty good too. Too much stuff that's just too predictable or hackneyed. This show struck me as hitting its peak in the third episode, and then wondering where it's going to go after that.
Meh.
ETA: Oh and another thing. The directors seem to be obsessed with the "we're going to shoot this scene from behind something so it looks like you're eavesdropping" idea. It's a catchy technique the first half-dozen times you see it. Then it just becomes hackneyed and a gimmick.
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wrote on 22 Mar 2021, 22:09 last edited by Mik
Just started Zerozerozero, that follows 5k kilos of cocaine purchased by Italian mafioso from the fields to the processors to the shippers.
Amazon original. Pretty good so far, intelligently written.
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wrote on 22 Mar 2021, 22:26 last edited by
Still watching The Expanse for the second time. I'm in the middle of Season 3.
It's actually better the second time, but that could be the VR goggles.
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topic:timeago-later,22 days
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wrote on 14 Apr 2021, 01:28 last edited by
Finished another Korean drama - "It's Okay to Not Be Okay"
Link to videoSounded like an interesting story. A young man has been taking care of his autistic older brother since their mother was killed with they were quite young, Due to the older brothers emotional problems and fears, they end up moving almost every year to a new place.
At the latest new place, they meet a children's book author, who has her own emotional problems from childhood.
The problems I had with this show
- Many of the characters are not really likable. They have many emotional problems so that they lash out and do things which are not really nice. It is not until about the last 30 minutes of a 25 hour series that you start to like them. (and yes, I watched the whole thing!! 555)
- they have these weird comedy moments that dont really seem to have much to do with the plot, and seem kind of forced. I guess they were trying to "lighten up" a pretty dark, depressing subject.
For a summary, I would not recommend it. The other two recent K-dramas I watched I would recommend above this one.
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topic:timeago-later,10 days
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wrote on 23 Apr 2021, 23:02 last edited by George K
I started a new Amazon Prime series this afternoon. I believe it's a limited mini-series: "Informer."
A very interesting premise and after one episode, I'm hooked.
The premise is this:
Reza, son of a Pakistani immigrant family (Dad, Mom, younger brother) is arrested for possession of MDMA (Ecstasy) at a nightclub. He is marked as a possible informant to help track the steps of a terrorist (now deceased) who was in London before being killed by a drone strike.
He is approached by the fictional counter-terrorism unit, and has zero interest in cooperating, even after charges are dropped. But then, the man who will become his handler (presumably) discovers that his mother is not really his mother, and is in the UK illegally. He uses that to pressure Reza into cooperating.
I have no idea how it'll play out, but it's a complex and interesting series.
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I started a new Amazon Prime series this afternoon. I believe it's a limited mini-series: "Informer."
A very interesting premise and after one episode, I'm hooked.
The premise is this:
Reza, son of a Pakistani immigrant family (Dad, Mom, younger brother) is arrested for possession of MDMA (Ecstasy) at a nightclub. He is marked as a possible informant to help track the steps of a terrorist (now deceased) who was in London before being killed by a drone strike.
He is approached by the fictional counter-terrorism unit, and has zero interest in cooperating, even after charges are dropped. But then, the man who will become his handler (presumably) discovers that his mother is not really his mother, and is in the UK illegally. He uses that to pressure Reza into cooperating.
I have no idea how it'll play out, but it's a complex and interesting series.
wrote on 24 Apr 2021, 23:12 last edited by@george-k said in What are you watching now?:
I started a new Amazon Prime series this afternoon. I believe it's a limited mini-series: "Informer."
A very interesting premise and after one episode, I'm hooked.It was a lazy Saturday, so I binged.
Complex and interesting indeed. A somewhat contrived twist at the end, IMO, but it really doesn't detract from the overall arc of the story. Some irrelevant side stories that I think were added as filler to expand it to 6 episodes, but they add to the complexity of the "recruiter" of the story.
Acting is very good (particularly "Gabe" and "Reza"). Directing is good as well, though a bit overdone in the "we're watching through a doorway that's just open" style that seems to be prevalent these days.
Worth a watch.
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wrote on 24 Apr 2021, 23:26 last edited by
Still watching Expanse. Just into 9th episode of season 1. Now it starts getting deeper.
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wrote on 24 Apr 2021, 23:31 last edited by
@mik said in What are you watching now?:
Still watching Expanse. Just into 9th episode of season 1. Now it starts getting deeper.
The problem with The Expanse is that it's difficult to get in to. So much is laid out early on that makes you think, "What's the point?"
Martian stealth tech? Who cares - wait until season 5 when it becomes supremely important - the storyline rocks.
Jules Pierre Mao? Who cares - just another billionaire with money to burn for his kids (yes, kids). Who cares...wait until season 3.
I can see the authors with a huge storyboard, showing all these plots, and drawing lines, connecting them all.
Miller? Yeah. He becomes important, in a way, in season 4.
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wrote on 25 Apr 2021, 00:56 last edited by
I've just finished watching The Expanse for the second time all the way through.
It's become easily my favourite sci-fi series, surpassing Babylon 5. I'm so glad GK nagged me to watch it so much - it took quite a while, but I'm going to be lost when it's over.
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I've just finished watching The Expanse for the second time all the way through.
It's become easily my favourite sci-fi series, surpassing Babylon 5. I'm so glad GK nagged me to watch it so much - it took quite a while, but I'm going to be lost when it's over.
wrote on 25 Apr 2021, 01:11 last edited by@doctor-phibes as much as I loved B5, I always found the "non-arc" episodes to be distracting. B5 was the first, as far as I know, show to take the "I'm going to tell you a story and it's going to take 5 years to do it" approach. However, in the days of a 26 episode season, B5 had to rely on a lot of "filler."
Every episode of The Expanse moves the story forward. It's lean, with no filler, and so well done.
The fact that the authors of the books are so heavily invested in the TV show certainly helps.
Like you, when the Amazon production of season 6 ends, I'll be lost as well. There are rumors of a movie which summarizes books 7-9, or another series on another platform. I won't hold my breath, however.
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wrote on 25 Apr 2021, 01:24 last edited by
Another thing...
One of the things I enjoy, on the TV series at least, is the fun/creative names of the spaceships that are in the series. Many of them require a bit of research.
Guy Mollinari
Jefferson Mays
The Weeping SomnambulistAnd of course
Rocinante
I have to think that the authors of the books were the inspiration for many of the ideas that SpaceX has taken (Of Course I Still Love You).
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topic:timeago-later,8 days
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wrote on 2 May 2021, 18:51 last edited by
I'm enjoying Loudermilk, available on Amazon Prime. It was created by one of the Farrelly brothers and stars Ron Livingston, one of my favorite actors since his first big role in Swingers. I think this show is hilarious.
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wrote on 2 May 2021, 19:48 last edited by
Invincible, on Amazon Prime.
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wrote on 2 May 2021, 20:33 last edited by
"Tehran"
It's on AppleTV.
Well-crafted spy thriller. The premise is that a Mossad agent, a hacker, sneaks into Iran with the goal of disabling Iranian radar from detecting a planned Israeli Air Force strike on their nuclear facilities.
Lots of twists and turns, particularly in the last two episodes.
Some of the stuff was a bit far-fetched, but overall I enjoyed it - enough to have binged it this weekend.
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"Tehran"
It's on AppleTV.
Well-crafted spy thriller. The premise is that a Mossad agent, a hacker, sneaks into Iran with the goal of disabling Iranian radar from detecting a planned Israeli Air Force strike on their nuclear facilities.
Lots of twists and turns, particularly in the last two episodes.
Some of the stuff was a bit far-fetched, but overall I enjoyed it - enough to have binged it this weekend.
wrote on 3 May 2021, 00:02 last edited by@george-k said in What are you watching now?:
"Tehran"
It's on AppleTV.
Well-crafted spy thriller. The premise is that a Mossad agent, a hacker, sneaks into Iran with the goal of disabling Iranian radar from detecting a planned Israeli Air Force strike on their nuclear facilities.
Lots of twists and turns, particularly in the last two episodes.
Some of the stuff was a bit far-fetched, but overall I enjoyed it - enough to have binged it this weekend.
Episode 1 grabbed me.
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@george-k said in What are you watching now?:
"Tehran"
It's on AppleTV.
Well-crafted spy thriller. The premise is that a Mossad agent, a hacker, sneaks into Iran with the goal of disabling Iranian radar from detecting a planned Israeli Air Force strike on their nuclear facilities.
Lots of twists and turns, particularly in the last two episodes.
Some of the stuff was a bit far-fetched, but overall I enjoyed it - enough to have binged it this weekend.
Episode 1 grabbed me.
wrote on 3 May 2021, 00:09 last edited by@loki said in What are you watching now?:
Episode 1 grabbed me.
Indeed. It gets a little silly at times, but I have a feeling that it's because they wanted to stretch the series out to 8 episodes. The ending, though not really finishing the story, is satisfying enough to give a sense of completeness, while opening the door to a second season.
Also, it gives a good sense, perhaps even better than "The Americans" of the gritty, dirty work of international espionage. The fact that all of these events occur within a couple hundred miles of each other (Israel, Iran, Turkey) makes it faster-paced.
The guy who plays the Iranian intelligence officer (whose wife flies to Paris) is particularly interesting.
It gets a lot better after episode 1, and I hope it gets renewed for a second season.
I love understated spy shows without all the glitter and BS of Bond.
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wrote on 3 May 2021, 00:17 last edited by
Luke and I have finally been able to start digging into The Expanse Season 5. I love Avri
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wrote on 6 May 2021, 01:31 last edited by
"For All Mankind"
Binging through this show on Apple TV.
The premise is that, in 1967, the Soviet Union has beaten the USA to landing a man on the moon - by two weeks. NASA scrambles to put a man on the moon, and it succeeds, barely, with Armstrong and Aldrin. The USSR outdoes the USA again, by putting a woman on the moon, and the USA has yet to put an XX chromosome into space. Of course, NASA changes its mission to add women to the program.
Finally, the USA is able to find water on the moon, and establishes a base on the moon for permanent occupation.
Lots of soapy stuff that's distracting. The interposition of historical footage (Nixon) and speculative fiction (Ted Kennedy as president? Really?) is somewhat of a distraction. The drama of the families is another distraction. Psychological issues, marriage issues etc take up a lot of screen time.
However, despite the distractions, it's watchable, even if it's overdone at times. It's a fancy soap opera, but worth a couple of episodes a day.
Not a waste of time, but not great either.
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"For All Mankind"
Binging through this show on Apple TV.
The premise is that, in 1967, the Soviet Union has beaten the USA to landing a man on the moon - by two weeks. NASA scrambles to put a man on the moon, and it succeeds, barely, with Armstrong and Aldrin. The USSR outdoes the USA again, by putting a woman on the moon, and the USA has yet to put an XX chromosome into space. Of course, NASA changes its mission to add women to the program.
Finally, the USA is able to find water on the moon, and establishes a base on the moon for permanent occupation.
Lots of soapy stuff that's distracting. The interposition of historical footage (Nixon) and speculative fiction (Ted Kennedy as president? Really?) is somewhat of a distraction. The drama of the families is another distraction. Psychological issues, marriage issues etc take up a lot of screen time.
However, despite the distractions, it's watchable, even if it's overdone at times. It's a fancy soap opera, but worth a couple of episodes a day.
Not a waste of time, but not great either.
wrote on 8 May 2021, 23:56 last edited by@george-k said in What are you watching now?:
Not a waste of time, but not great either.
Yeah...
Not sure if it's trying to push the "wokeness" buttons or the "soap opera" buttons while retaining some of the alleged "sci-fi" aspects of the show.
Second season is disappointing because it feels like the show is trying to find where it wants to go. For example, the encounter between the Soviet and American teams on the moon base is punctuated by "I Fought the Law and the Law Won."
Really? C'mon man.
New director of NASA struggles with gay-ness while trying to keep job.
Stop it. Just stop.
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topic:timeago-later,13 days
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wrote on 22 May 2021, 03:44 last edited by taiwan_girl
Just finished another K Drama called "Itaewon Class". Really liked this one.
It is kind of a David and Goliath story. A kid gets "framed" and sent to jail. The person who did the frame is the son of a big businessman. The kid vows to get revenge by building a business bigger and better than the framer.
I thought good story, good acting, and you liked and fell for the characters. I would rate this one a "watch"
Link to video