Watch, Watched, Watching: Hunting Minds

[ljkeane]

I recently started watching The Marvelous Mrs Maisel which is great. I burned through the first season in a couple of days and now I'm on to season two. The one downside is that for a show at least nominally about stand up comedy the actual stand up comedy isn't great.

[Cas Stark]

22 hours ago, Astromech said:

I finished Ken Burns's Country Music. Enjoyed it but prefer his documentaries on specific events. I would've loved some further elaboration on certain artists, but understand why he focused on the major artists. Such great music, and loved learning more about the roots and evolution of the umbrella genre.

I liked it.  But it felt kind of all over the place, like it was missing a through line or a POV somehow, despite 16 hours.  I get why he spent a lot of time on someone like Hank Williams, but some of the other choices/weights/omissions, seemed a little random.

Let me also go on record to say that "I'm so lonesome I could cry" is the saddest song ever written.

[Astromech]

3 hours ago, Cas Stark said:

I liked it.  But it felt kind of all over the place, like it was missing a through line or a POV somehow, despite 16 hours.  I get why he spent a lot of time on someone like Hank Williams, but some of the other choices/weights/omissions, seemed a little random.

Let me also go on record to say that "I'm so lonesome I could cry" is the saddest song ever written.

It did meander a bit. It felt at times they were trying to make Johnny Cash the centerpiece of the documentary.  

I thought the final episode was a bit weak, rushing through the 90s. I'm curious as to why they chose to end it where they did.

Even sadder than He Stopped Loving Her Today?

[Cas Stark]

36 minutes ago, Astromech said:

It did meander a bit. It felt at times they were trying to make Johnny Cash the centerpiece of the documentary.  

I thought the final episode was a bit weak, rushing through the 90s. I'm curious as to why they chose to end it where they did.

Even sadder than He Stopped Loving Her Today?

Probably because "country music" has kinda sucked since the '90s.  At least ending it there, you can go out on a high note, with the new neotraditionalists, but I agree, it was still a little strange to end the definitive history of country music 20 years ago.  Or, maybe he thinks what is called 'country' today in the final analysis will be seen as a pop hybrid and he doesn't think it's really country?

Yes, even sadder, I was actually choked up at the end of the Hank Williams ep, what a sad and stupid fucking way to die, and man, he is the oldest 29 year old I think I have ever seen, from any decade. 

[Iskaral Pust]

I watched the rest of Sex Education S1 during flights this week.  It’s good but definitely drifts more and more toward a conventional coming-of-age high school drama.

I also watched Polar, which felt like a weak facsimile of John Wick.

My wife and I have been watching Inspector Lewis together. 

[briantw]

22 hours ago, RedEyedGhost said:

The premiere episode of Always Sunny was pretty good, but also not really anything we haven't seen before.

"I can't read it cause it's in Austrian or something."

"No, it's English."

[red snow]

I finished "unbelievable" and it was excellent. I really liked the focus on victims over perpetrators beyond trying to catch them. Brilliant acting especially from Kaitlyn Dever where she was so convincing in looking beaten down and isolated. A far cry from her role un "justified" showing how capable she is.

The chemistry between the two cops was great almost to the point where I'd tolerate a fictional case for a second series featuring them. Although that may lessen the impact of the true story dealt with here.

[BigFatCoward]

12 hours ago, ljkeane said:

I recently started watching The Marvelous Mrs Maisel which is great. I burned through the first season in a couple of days and now I'm on to season two. The one downside is that for a show at least nominally about stand up comedy the actual stand up comedy isn't great.

That was my biggest criticism as well. I assume its deliberate as the comedy of the time hasn't aged well. 

[BigFatCoward]

1 hour ago, briantw said:

"I can't read it cause it's in Austrian or something."

"No, it's English."

I fucking hate the wait for netflix UK to have sunny. But being able to binge it in a day is pretty sweet. 

[Ramsay B.]

I watched Enemy today and kinda loved it. Unfortunately I put it on before bed and fell asleep, so I forgot some important scenes early on after resuming. I highly regret that as you have to pay close attention to this one. The acting, score, cinematography were all great also.

So I went down a slight rabbit hole and:

Spoiler

I agree with some who say that Adam and Anthony were physically the same person, and Mary was completely made up. Adam was created by Anthony’s subconsciousness because he’s had a rough time dealing with his new life situation and feels trapped... in a spider web. His mom and wife are the spiders(I completely forgot about the mom scene). So the last scene when he decides he’s going to go out to that sex show, his wife being the scared tarantula in the room makes a lot more sense. 

Mary completely not existing didn’t even cross my mind. I figured she was the one Anthony cheated with before.

ETA: Also, early reviews for The Irishman have been stellar from what I’ve seen.

[Astromech]

9 hours ago, Triskele said:

Do they get into Sturgill on this show?  He's been better lately at the not sucking.  

No, the series shows one photo of him and other great current artists like Chris Stapleton. But a photo is also shown of Taylor Swift, so there's that.

[Zorral]

I have been anticipating The Irishman for many months now.  This NY Times has intensified the anticipation.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/27/movies/the-irishman-review.html?

Quote

To watch this movie, especially in its long, graceful final movement, is to feel a circle closing. This isn’t the last film Scorsese will make, or the last film anyone will make about the Mafia in its heyday, but it does arrive at a kind of resting place. Not an easy one, by any means, since what “The Irishman” looks back on is a legacy of violence and waste, of men too hard and mean to be mourned. A monument is a complicated thing. This one is big and solid — and also surprisingly, surpassingly delicate.

It's also, as with so many of Scorsese's film, the history of NYC, which he was recording even while it was the present, as with Mean Streets and Taxi Driver --both of which I just re-watched again -- not history.  I particularly love, as films about NYC, Mean Streets and Good Fellas. And as history for sure, Age of Innocence and Gangs of New York.

New York Magazine also has a long review; as with the NYT, it agrees that Joe Pesci is the greatest:

https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/the-irishman-movie-review-martin-scorsese-on-netflix.html#_ga=2.258933006.528469757.1569686687-1415228294.1569686687

Still quite a few weeks to go before I will see it.  At least I'll be able to watch it on netflix since at 3 1/2 hours, there is no way I could sit that long in a theater.

 

[dbunting]

So another don't waste your time Netflix movie. The Outsider.  I had some time to kill and limited resources so I picked this one. Looked ok at first, then the movie started and it was all down hill. There was nothing about this that makes it watchable other than it was less than 90 minutes!.

[Martell Spy]

About to watch the Godfather of Harlem. I do not want to buy Epix, but I will, as holy shit it is Forest Whitaker, the guy that made the Shield's best season. It drops tomorrow and it appears to cost 5.99 to get a stand-alone epix plan, with 7 days free.

[Conflicting Thought]

Im watching LOVE on netflix, like 6 episodes in, and, i dont know how i feel about it, it has some funny moments but i cant help thinking is just all some wish fulfillmet shit from the writers, specialy since the lead actor is also writer and i think creator?. Like every girl just falls for him out of no where. 

[dbunting]

On 9/26/2019 at 6:31 PM, red snow said:

I just watched all of the UK segment in one go. Really good. Mainly due to the performances of Tennant and Atwell (who i barely recognised at first). The last one is interesting as it's possibly open to interpretation as to what just went down. There's also some nice continuity between episodes with little details. 

A lot of reviews suggest the Spanish and German versions are even better. While they are all stand alone one suggestion is to watch UK, France, Spain and finally Germany. I'll try that order and see.

I just finished the UK version, was a little confused after one episode, then understood what the format was. I liked the show, definitely a different format. 

[dbunting]

Watched a netflix movie called Time trap recently. It's not a great show but I enjoyed it just the same. Nice little twist on the fountain of youth. Worth watching if you like sci fi or time travel shows.

[Joey Crows]

On 9/27/2019 at 11:04 AM, ljkeane said:

I recently started watching The Marvelous Mrs Maisel which is great. I burned through the first season in a couple of days and now I'm on to season two. The one downside is that for a show at least nominally about stand up comedy the actual stand up comedy isn't great.

Great show! With regards to the standup, it has to be said that it is standup from the early 60s so much different from what we’re accustomed to these days...

[Joey Crows]

Just finished a rewatch of Peep Show. 

It’s so good! It has the awkward comedy typical of many great British shows and the borderline psychopathy of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Aaaand it launched the career of Olivia Colman...

[matt b]

On 9/27/2019 at 9:38 PM, Triskele said:

Do they get into Sturgill on this show?  He's been better lately at the not sucking.  

Speaking of Sturgill, his new anime visual album on Netflix is pretty good, if super weird. The album itself is fantastic. He's pretty much left country behind at this point. Not sure what I'd call what he's doing now, but the word "electro" should feature in the description.