Watch, Watched, Watching: My Queen's Gambit brings all the boys to the yard

[aceluby]

My wife and I binged both the US and UK versions of Utopia lately and really enjoyed both of them.  There was pretty much zero marketing for the US version and I just happened upon it on Amazon, so I wasn't surprised to find out it didn't get greenlit for a 2nd season.  Then we watched the UK version and enjoyed those much more.  Wish they could have finished their story, but as it stands I think it was still worth it to watch it despite the cliff hanger at the end of both versions.

Currently watching the first season of Snowpiercer and am enjoying it far more than the movie, which I thought was over the top and only watched it a single time.  The show fleshes things out much more naturally.  

[Astromech]

I started watching the Netflix documentary series Night Stalker about the eponymous serial killer that terrified LA in the mid-80s. Having heard stories from friends growing up in LA at the time, I find Richard Ramirez one of the most terrifying of serial killers. The documentary is a bit disjointed narratively, but still gripping. 

[Veltigar]

The Man Who Would Be King (1975) is a wonderfully old-fashioned adventure film by the late great John Huston. I saw it just now and it made me remember that I really should watch more John Huston films. He's an underappreciated director in my opinion.

The Man Who Would Be King is a great example of that. It shows a part of the world you don't often see on film and it does so with gusto. The actors are phenomenal and they really bring across this larger than life type of scoundrel that you hate to love very well. I like the humor in the piece as well and there is some very inspired action sequences in it.

On top of being a good film, it's also a very interesting ideological statement to dissect. I'm not saying it is a hella racist film like D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation mind you, but it is a film that is soaked from top to bottom in adulation for the Empire and its ideological underpinnings. If I were a history teacher and I had free reign to show whatever I wanted in my class, I'd show this film as to illustrate the kind of ethical thinking, business reasoning and casual disregard for natives lives, property and customs that are typical of colonial thinking.

In fact, I feel like the movie shines in when it depicts that kind of jingoistic and exploitative reasoning. The weaker parts are when they lean in on the Orientalism 

Spoiler

e.g. the nonsensical sacrifice of the Ghurka soldier near the end or the fact that the warriors of Kafiristan are total chumps. Good luck surviving the various waves of Islamic conquest that went through the region if the Kafiri weren't at least half-decent in battle.

I feel like there could be a very good updated version of this film made where they keep the colonial exploitation but strip away the sillier orientalist tendencies of the film. I would love to see that!

EDIT: I just googled John Huston and it is really random that the guy who directed this and Treasure of the Sierra Madre also directed Annie!  

[Nictarion]

1 hour ago, Astromech said:

I started watching the Netflix documentary series Night Stalker about the eponymous serial killer that terrified LA in the mid-80s. Having heard stories from friends growing up in LA at the time, I find Richard Ramirez one of the most terrifying of serial killers. The documentary is a bit disjointed narratively, but still gripping. 

I thought it was refreshing to see them focus on a couple of the detectives who were actually really good at their jobs. That’s usually not the case with these types of crime docs. 

[williamjm]

I watched Conan the Barbarian, partly inspired by Arnie incorporating Conan's sword in his video about the assault on the Capitol. It is one of those cases where an actor does seem like they were born to play a role. It's also good to return to the era before fantasy films were full of CGI and with maybe occasional exceptions the effects work holds up well. The soundtrack is good as well.

20 hours ago, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

"Kids these days", indeed. Master and Commander is a fantastic movie.

It is. It's a real shame they didn't make more of them.

15 hours ago, RedEyedGhost said:

Finally finished Legion.  Watched season 1 when it aired, but never got around to season 2.  Started 2 probably 2-4 months ago.  The weirdness never grabbed me, but I was able to power through season 3 over the past two days.  So, so weird, but it did end alright.  The best part about the entire show was the rap battle between Jermaine Clement and Jason Mantzoukas.

I think that was one of the episodes where the weirdness really worked. I did like Harry Lloyd as Charles Xavier in the last portion of season 3 as well.

2 hours ago, Veltigar said:

The Man Who Would Be King (1975) is a wonderfully old-fashioned adventure film by the late great John Huston. I saw it just now and it made me remember that I really should watch more John Huston films. He's an underappreciated director in my opinion.

The Man Who Would Be King is a great example of that. It shows a part of the world you don't often see on film and it does so with gusto. The actors are phenomenal and they really bring across this larger than life type of scoundrel that you hate to love very well. I like the humor in the piece as well and there is some very inspired action sequences in it.

On top of being a good film, it's also a very interesting ideological statement to dissect. I'm not saying it is a hella racist film like D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation mind you, but it is a film that is soaked from top to bottom in adulation for the Empire and its ideological underpinnings. If I were a history teacher and I had free reign to show whatever I wanted in my class, I'd show this film as to illustrate the kind of ethical thinking, business reasoning and casual disregard for natives lives, property and customs that are typical of colonial thinking.

In fact, I feel like the movie shines in when it depicts that kind of jingoistic and exploitative reasoning. The weaker parts are when they lean in on the Orientalism 

  Reveal hidden contents

e.g. the nonsensical sacrifice of the Ghurka soldier near the end or the fact that the warriors of Kafiristan are total chumps. Good luck surviving the various waves of Islamic conquest that went through the region if the Kafiri weren't at least half-decent in battle.

I feel like there could be a very good updated version of this film made where they keep the colonial exploitation but strip away the sillier orientalist tendencies of the film. I would love to see that!

I think I saw this film back when I was still at school and enjoyed it as an adventure film but probably at the time didn't think too deeply about the implications of it. I've not read the original story but Rudyard Kipling's writing has always been very strongly associated with celebrating the British Empire.

[Heartofice]

Finally finished season 2 of Narcos: Mexico.

Took me a long time to get into it, season one was a step down from the Pablo years and wasn't really as compelling, but really ramped up the tension towards the end. I had to build up the energy to motivate myself to start again, and even if season 2 drags in places it's still enjoyable to watch the rivalries and total shittiness of the cartels. Diego Luna was great as Felix and there are a number of strong performances in there, Scoot McNairy I could watch in anything.

Also finished Lupin.
Ok it's only 5 episodes so wasn't difficult to get through, but I did consider dropping out halfway through episode 3. If my other half wasn't loving it I would have stopped there. Having said that, the last episode was by far the strongest, for the simple reason that it managed to give the main character humanity and depth, where the previous 4 episodes he was nothing more than a plot device with a number of predictable drivers and pick and mix character traits. Episode 5 shows him interacting with his family, shows that he actually has flaws and isn't some Jason Bourne superhuman. It was a refreshing change. 
I would hope that the second season learns from that episode and allows some space and time for the characters to breathe, and doesn't just use them as cardboard cut outs to hang plot lines on.

[Ghostlydragon]

I'm half way through the first season of Cobra Kai and am loving it. I've always been in the group that doesn't view Daniel as a victim so seeing how CK is going with the suggestion that is the case is very interesting.

And I've just started Agent Carter. I always liked the relationship between Peggy and Steve and am looking forward to more of that time too.

[Isis]

13 hours ago, Astromech said:

I started watching the Netflix documentary series Night Stalker about the eponymous serial killer that terrified LA in the mid-80s. Having heard stories from friends growing up in LA at the time, I find Richard Ramirez one of the most terrifying of serial killers. The documentary is a bit disjointed narratively, but still gripping. 

Also watching this. It's bloody terrifying. See also, poor policing abounds. Maddening stuff.

Is anyone in the UK watching Junior Bake Off? Apart from the H&S issues making me really cross I think it is fantastic, brave television. It's a great demonstration in the importance of giving quality feedback for anyone who is into that type of thing for professional reasons.

[Nictarion]

12 hours ago, Nictarion said:

I thought it was refreshing to see them focus on a couple of the detectives who were actually really good at their jobs. That’s usually not the case with these types of crime docs. 

 

35 minutes ago, Isis said:

Also watching this. It's bloody terrifying. See also, poor policing abounds. Maddening stuff.

We seem to have completely opposite takes here...

There was certainly plenty of issues with bureaucracy, but the one detective (Carrillo) was as sharp as they come. I was extremely impressed with some of the stuff he got implemented with that case (forcing all the different precincts to share information for one, which just wasn’t done in those days). And that the top cop famous detective from the Hillside Strangler case handpicked him to be his partner when everyone else thought he was just some young punk trying to make a name for himself.

Those two (Salerno and Carrillo) actually reminded me of detectives right out of The Wire. Both in how they talked, and the details they went into about the toll working murder cases takes on these people’s personal lives and whatnot. 

[3CityApache]

After many years I finally managed to finish sixth season of Justified. Really liked the ending, except for the fate of poor Dewey Crowe. Completely understand how Timothy Olyphant's cult status after Deadwood was solidified after this.

[Isis]

2 hours ago, Nictarion said:

 

We seem to have completely opposite takes here...

There was certainly plenty of issues with bureaucracy, but the one detective (Carrillo) was as sharp as they come. I was extremely impressed with some of the stuff he got implemented with that case (forcing all the different precincts to share information for one, which just wasn’t done in those days). And that the top cop famous detective from the Hillside Strangler case handpicked him to be his partner when everyone else thought he was just some young punk trying to make a name for himself.

Those two (Salerno and Carrillo) actually reminded me of detectives right out of The Wire. Both in how they talked, and the details they went into about the toll working murder cases takes on these people’s personal lives and whatnot. 

I was referring to the car that they asked to have prints taken from and they people they asked to do it were like nah. The car where they got the dentist card from. That's bad policing - where a request was made and someone/s just chose not to do it and the investiagtors *could* have gotten information that helped with the case and prevented more people getting hurt.

I don't think we have 'completely opposite takes'. Unless you think that people not bothering to do their job is a good thing.

[Nictarion]

31 minutes ago, Isis said:

I was referring to the car that they asked to have prints taken from and they people they asked to do it were like nah. The car where they got the dentist card from. That's bad policing - where a request was made and someone/s just chose not to do it and the investiagtors *could* have gotten information that helped with the case and prevented more people getting hurt.

I don't think we have 'completely opposite takes'. Unless you think that people not bothering to do their job is a good thing.

Of course not. I just wanted to give a shout out to the two detectives the series focused on. They were good police. 

[ljkeane]

20 minutes ago, Nictarion said:

Of course not. I just wanted to give a shout out to the two detectives the series focused on. They were good police. 

Hmm, I don't know. Maybe.

The narrative of them being the heroes of the story was pretty heavily pushed. That might be true but it didn't strike me as a particularly unbiased documentary and there was obviously a lot of bad policing going on in general so I'd have some questions.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

3 hours ago, Ghostlydragon said:

I'm half way through the first season of Cobra Kai and am loving it. I've always been in the group that doesn't view Daniel as a victim so seeing how CK is going with the suggestion that is the case is very interesting.

I just started this last night and through two episodes, I'm in. It's a great twist and I like how the two leads are down for the role reversals given Karate Kid is all either is really known for.

[Nictarion]

34 minutes ago, ljkeane said:

Hmm, I don't know. Maybe.

The narrative of them being the heroes of the story was pretty heavily pushed. That might be true but it didn't strike me as a particularly unbiased documentary and there was obviously a lot of bad policing going on in general so I'd have some questions.

Eh, I don’t think Carrillo’s family stuff was exaggerated at all. The interviews with his wife made it pretty clear the guy was practically killing himself working that case. 

[ljkeane]

1 minute ago, Nictarion said:

Eh, I don’t think Carrillo’s family stuff was exaggerated at all. The interviews with his wife made it pretty clear the guy was practically killing himself working that case. 

I've got no doubt he cared. That doesn't actually mean he was doing a good job.

Look I'm not saying they definitely weren't doing a good job. It's just that the documentary pretty clearly had a narrative it wanted to tell which makes me question it a bit.

[Nictarion]

10 minutes ago, ljkeane said:

I've got no doubt he cared. That doesn't actually mean he was doing a good job.

Look I'm not saying they definitely weren't doing a good job. It's just that the documentary pretty clearly had a narrative it wanted to tell which makes me question it a bit.

I hear you. Here’s what I could find as to why they chose to make him the main focus:

"My team and I decided to tell this story from Gil's perspective because he had this amazing story, and he's not typically who you think of as an ordinary hero," Tiller explained. "He's a guy from the streets who had a dream to be the first person in his family to go to college. He never imagined he'd one day work for the sheriff's department, much less that he'd join the legendary homicide department known as the Bulldogs. He was the youngest guy to make it that far and then he got assigned the case of a lifetime. And he did it all for his dad, his family, and the neighborhood." 

Tiller added, "That's the hero's arc that fascinated me, and I really loved him as a character."

 

[RumHam]

I decided to re-watch Mad Men. Good show but some of those early "look it's the past!" things are pretty cringeworthy. "it's not as if there's a magic machine that makes copies of documents" 

It's interesting how Pete starts off as the worst and Harry Crane seems like maybe the most decent of the younger Sterling Cooper guys. But then as the show goes on Pete gets a lot better and Harry becomes unbearable. 

[Ran]

@RumHam

May be the show I've rewatched the most in recent history. More than the big HBO shows. The writing, the setting, the acting -- just hits perfectly for me.

And yeah, the arcs of Pete and Harry are pretty interesting. That said, Ken > Pete > Harry.

 

 

 

[HexMachina]

5 hours ago, Isis said:

Also watching this. It's bloody terrifying. See also, poor policing abounds. Maddening stuff.

Is anyone in the UK watching Junior Bake Off? Apart from the H&S issues making me really cross I think it is fantastic, brave television. It's a great demonstration in the importance of giving quality feedback for anyone who is into that type of thing for professional reasons.

I caught what must have been reruns of some old seasons of Junior Bake Off over Christmas and I was enjoying it. I was really happy to see young kids taking such joy in baking because that's exactly how  I grew up, standing on a step stool to reach the bench and help my nanna bake scones, bread, biscuits, cakes, pies etc. And when I got a bit older also being taught to cook so I was able to care for myself as I grew older.