What are you watching now?
-
@George-K said in What are you watching now?:
The story of Kim Philby. Kind of interesting seeing Damien Lewis not faking an American accent.
I loved Ben MacIntyre's book upon which this is based.
I get it. The dramatization is supposed to make the story a bit more accessible, particularly with a complicated story like Philby and the "Oxford Four." I understand the need to introduce a fictional character to move the narrative along.
But...
This was a bore. The book was MUCH more engaging, and didn't have the currently-stylish time-jumps that the dramatization had.
Don't waste your time, despite Damien Lewis.
-
-
@Mik said in What are you watching now?:
Time jumping is an annoying device to help a story poorly told.
Yeah, it's 2023. It's no longer a novel device. There's got to be a storytelling element that can't be achieved with chronological time, or else they shouldn't do it.
-
@Mik said in What are you watching now?:
Time jumping is an annoying device to help a story poorly told.
And it was really contrived in many cases...
Closesup of Philby in Beirut, drunk, lying on a deck chair poolside in 1963 (?) fades to close-up of Philby, drunk, lying on snowy steps in Moscow two years later. It's a hackneyed device that gets old quickly. Now, do it with conversations, with the same words being told at different times.
And the sad thing is that it's really a gripping story of how Philby rose from journalist (that part is never really fleshed out in the miniseries) to his conversion to Communism in WWII to his ascent in SIS (MI6) and a high leadership position in DC. All that stuff is totally engrossing, and it's not told in the miniseries, other than tangentially. Instead, we get a 6 hour cat and mouse game that could have been told in 90 minutes.
-
@Doctor-Phibes said in What are you watching now?:
We finished watching The Last of Us last night.
Snowflake alert: There is some gayness in it. The guy from Parks and Rec. gets it on with another guy before they both die. The main character might be a bit gay. They don't show any of that as she's just a kid.
All in all, a pretty good adaptation of possibly the best story-driven computer game ever made. They didn't muck about with the story too much.
The girl who played the main character Ellie was exceptional. The guy who played the Mandalorian played the father figure Joel, so it's a bit like Baby Yoda but with flesh-eating zombies.
I'm tempted, but I wonder if it's just "The Walking Dead 2023." Rather than having zombies walking around with no cause for the "zombie=ism" in this case it's TOTALLY different - we know it's a fungus.
I presume it's like TWD in the sense that there's all kinds of hostile societies that try to kill the protagonists. Right?
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
-
@George-K said in What are you watching now?:
@Doctor-Phibes said in What are you watching now?:
We finished watching The Last of Us last night.
Snowflake alert: There is some gayness in it. The guy from Parks and Rec. gets it on with another guy before they both die. The main character might be a bit gay. They don't show any of that as she's just a kid.
All in all, a pretty good adaptation of possibly the best story-driven computer game ever made. They didn't muck about with the story too much.
The girl who played the main character Ellie was exceptional. The guy who played the Mandalorian played the father figure Joel, so it's a bit like Baby Yoda but with flesh-eating zombies.
I'm tempted, but I wonder if it's just "The Walking Dead 2023." Rather than having zombies walking around with no cause for the "zombie=ism" in this case it's TOTALLY different - we know it's a fungus.
I presume it's like TWD in the sense that there's all kinds of hostile societies that try to kill the protagonists. Right?
The Last of Us really isn't about the zombies, it's about the two main characters. There are psychos and horrendous people, but it's really about the people and how their relationship develops. I don't normally watch this kind of show, but I'd played the game so I wanted to see how they'd adapt it. It still wasn't as good as the game, which had a lot more zombies in it, incidentally, but that's because the game involved me in the story much more.
Proud supporter of Plan 2525. Everything you think, do and say will be in the pill you took today.
-
@Doctor-Phibes said in What are you watching now?:
but I'd played the game so I wanted to see how they'd adapt it. It still wasn't as good as the game, which had a lot more zombies in it, incidentally, but that's because the game involved me in the story much more.
Played the game also, (but have not watched the show). Enjoyed the game very much, but it was kind of depressing overall.
-
Rewatched Seven Samurai over the weekend.
I've seen it a few times and I remember how awesome it was, but every time I watch it, it still somehow gets better.
-
"My pronouns are FA/FO." - Mik, 2024
-
I'm a sucker for musicals. Schmigadoon (on Apple TV+) is a take-off on the classic Hollywood musicals. Lots of nods to the musical hits of before, Great dancing, and just tongue-in-cheek enough.
Premise is two people, who're deeply in love, they think, find themselves in Schmigadoon. The songs sound like Oklahoma, the characters look like Carousel, Oklahoma and others.
Not everyone's cup of tea, of course, but I'm enjoying it. I'm 3 thirty-minute episodes in.
Link to videoSeason two is "Schmicago," with much of the cast returning.
Link to videoThe opening credits sound just like....
Link to video"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
-
Schmigadoon was fun - a bit preachy and politically correct toward the end. It got a bit ghey.
That notwithstanding, high production values. Fun songs and choreography. If you enjoy musicals, and I've said, I do, check it out.
You got
Link to videotroubletribulation:Done in one take.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
-
-
Just finished a Taiwanese rom-com series called "The Prince Who Turned Into A Frog". VERY Taiwanese in style, so I am not sure you will like it. It is a couple of years old. About a arrogant hotel chain chairman who gets bumped on the head and (temporarily) loses his memory and end up in a small fishing village.
It is in Mandarin language, but dont worry, they do have English subititle.
Link to video -
I had a weekend to waste, so I binged through a thriller on Apple TV+.
Link to videoShort version: Two Syrian hackers have proof that an international organization wants to terrorize Britain and/or France and take control of the EU.
Interesting premise.
What. A. Mess.
Irrelevant extraneous storylines (probably added to pad the 6 episode runtime), confusing main plot with terrible exposition.
DOn't waste your time.
-
The series centers on Kate Wyler, the new United States ambassador to the United Kingdom, as she has to defuse international crises, forge strategic alliances in London and adjust to her new place in the spotlight while also trying to survive her marriage to fellow career diplomat Hal Wyler.
I love Keri Russel ("The Americans"). She plays a foul-mouthed former Middle-Eastern diplomat suddenly becoming the US ambassador to Great Britain. Her husband is played by Rufus Sewell (another favorite).
Watched a couple of episodes today - pretty good, even though it tries to be "diverse" just a bit too hard. It deals with a potential Middle-Eastern crisis, and it's a bit too light-hearted for my taste. The dialog is just a bit too "snappy."* Nevertheless worth at least a look. Gets good reviews.
Link to video- By "snappy," I mean, think of John Scalzi's prose. Yeah, like that.
-
Binged through it.
First of all, DON'T YOU DARE end a series like this without a guarantee that a second season is coming.
Secondly, although I really enjoyed it, I found it waffling too much between being a "cute insider view of international diplomacy" and a thriller.
As I said, the Scalzi-like dialog, though fun, was a bit of a distraction. The obviously-talented writers seem to be trying to outdo themselves in telling the story. Let the (good) story stand on its own. It doesn't need the writers' cleverness.
Apparently, people who worked on "The West Wing" and "House of Cards" were involved in this. It shows. It has little (though some) of the moralizing of "The West Wing" and very little of the cynicism of "House of Cards."
It's a nice diversion, and I enjoyed. I'll certainly watch a second season, not only because I love Kari Russel and Rufus Sewell, but also because I think there's a place where a smart political/diplomatic thriller can go and keep me engaged.
