WWWatching

[Spockydog]

Watched Better Call John Wick tonight. Fucking great stuff. Odenkirk is surprisingly good at the action hero badass.

 

[Raja]

Started watching The Diplomat on Netflix - only 3 episodes in

1. On the spectrum of political shows, I'd say this is closer to a poppy political show that doesn't take itself *too* seriously; something like The Honorable Woman would probably be on the other side of the spectrum

2. Keri Russel is pretty great but imo it's the rest of the cast that around her that really brings it to life, specifically David Gyasi, Ali Ahn & Ato Essandoh

3. The show does tend to go into absurd territory sometimes which can put one off it

4. The UK PM being an idiot tracks

5.  I think the relationship stuff is...interesting, but I'm not sure where it's going.

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

Super Mario Bros.

We initially planned on seeing D&D, but one of our group had already seen it and wanted to see this. I demanded we sit up front to get away from a theater full of insane children; rattling from high doses of caffeine and sugar, flicking their boogers and whatnot. This was the right call.

it was a Sunday matinee at 12:00 and the theater was fucking packed.

I thought the film was pretty meh, but then I’m not a hardcore Mario fan. 

[Zorral]

Conan the Barbarian (2011) with Jason Momoa, on HBO.  The sets are fabulous!  It looks far better than almost any fantasy tv/film made, including those made for HBO and Amazon.  As I've always liked these two actors I liked them in this too. Ron Perlman's in it too, but unlike Momoa, he isn't at all pretty.  I'd  never thought of Momoa as pretty before, but he sure was in this, whereas one would never have said Arnold was a pretty Conan (but then who knew Arnold would grow up with a civic consciousness -- go Arnold!).  Again, Nonso Anozie was the best pirate captain ever.

This is the second time I've watched this Conan the Barbarian, and I liked it even more this time around.

[dbunting]

Watched To Catch a Killer  this weekend. New movie with a pretty good cast. Nothing groundbreaking happens in the movie but it's a pretty good movie just the same. It has a current issue at it's core and at times feels a little preachy. The lead, Shailine Woodley's character feels like a cross between Clarice from Silence of the Lambs and Amelia from The Bone Collector.

[DMC]

Been binging The Americans the past week.  Finally got around to it, quite enjoying it.  Just finished Season 4, Episode 3.  "I guess we're not going to Epcot" is my new favorite reference.

[Ran]

Speaking of Matthew Rhys, good ending to this season of Perry Mason. Beautiful use of Louis Armstrong's "On the Sunny Side of the Street" in the final montage. It remains a well-directed, well-acted show with great production values that evokes early 30s Los Angeles pretty well. 

[RhaenysBee]

Last Kingdom

I’m not saying the execution isn’t powerful, because it is, the actors are pulling the weight, the shots are beautiful. But the story is really struggling to generate itself. 

costume design is a disgrace. You cannot have a baby-faced actress who isn’t even 30 play the grieve stricken dowager Queen and expect the scene to be taken seriously. Eliza Butterworth acts the stars down from the sky as Aelswith, but it just doesn’t work because her character should be at least 50 years old, and Eliza is and looks twenty-something. She stands out in every group shot, she looks younger than her daughter and could barely even pass as Aelfwynn’s mother. How do you not use cgi or prosthetics or even simple drugstore makeup to make her face drier, older, more worn out, more sunken. I understand that she’s a naturally beautiful actress with amazing skin, but this is not the time or place for flashing her good genetics and skin care. It just takes so much away from the scene and the moment.
 

Spoiler

Aethelflaed‘s death scene was beautiful and I cried to hard. The Pyrling and Brida sequence was also beautiful. Uhtred’s having to execute Siggtrygr was beautifully acted too. 

the death of Brida’s daughter and the retaking of York was terribly written, as if it was a high schooler’s first creative writing project. The whole delayed information trope is well played throughout the season and really the only tool they have left to stir drama and generate plot, as the characters have mostly developed out of their human flaws and completed their arch 1 to 3 times over. There’s very little focus on the younger characters, so there isn’t even freshness in their fuckups (and it’s not like any character is allowed to fuck up anymore, their trouble and demise is either sheer bad luck or being too perfect). 

overall I’m as tired of the story as Uhtred is of life. And then when you thought the story was finally finally ready to conclude, some random ass king of scotia and lord of babbenburg are introduced in a high school roll call fashion and my mind is freaking blown. And if it wasn’t for Alexander Dreymon and Mark Rowley’s gorgeousness, I would be ready to quit this show. 

Also, Brida had 4 perfect opportunities to be written out of this story and much like Cersei in Got, she’s still there, doing absolutely nothing. It’s painful to watch, as I’m sure it was painful to act. At least I feel no vibe or sync with her story and character from Emily Cox’s part. 

 

[Zorral]

4 Things I Never Want to See on TV Again, Courtesy of The Diplomat -- or -- why I stopped watching it about half through the first episode, and won't return.

https://www.vulture.com/article/the-diplomat-netflix-tropes-analysis.html#_ga=2.39614883.1072537351.1682443098-992301637.1682443098

[Raja]

Donnie fucking Yen & Hiroyuki Sanada?

I've come late to the John Wick franchise, but john wick 4 was fun.

[VigoTheCarpathian]

Binged “Jury Duty” on FreeVee - partner and I are not reality show people, but the conceit of this one is pretty good, and legitimately funny.  Recommended for silly short fun.

[Nictarion]

Really late to the party but I finally started Barry on HBO. Mostly due to all the praise I see for it on this board. I’m currently four episodes in and I like it well enough to continue at this point. 

[dbunting]

2 hours ago, Nictarion said:

Really late to the party but I finally started Barry on HBO. Mostly due to all the praise I see for it on this board. I’m currently four episodes in and I like it well enough to continue at this point. 

I watched S1 and ehh. Think I started S2 and just quit it.

[Heartofice]

I’m watching season 4 of Barry as it’s still excellent so I don’t know what you guys are watching!

[Ramsay B.]

I finished s2 like a month ago and have to start s3. It’s good but I think it’s perhaps a little too hyped. 

[Teng Ai Hui]

I tried to watch Barry several months ago.  For me, it jumped the shark in season 2 when they had to battle the tween-age martial arts girl.  Too much absurdity for me to tolerate.

[Heartofice]

50 minutes ago, Teng Ai Hui said:

I tried to watch Barry several months ago.  For me, it jumped the shark in season 2 when they had to battle the tween-age martial arts girl.  Too much absurdity for me to tolerate.

That was my favourite episode. I don't think it jumped the shark at all. That would only be the case if the show had never been a bit absurd and wasn't a dark comedy. Really absurd things happen all the time on the show, that is part of it's charm.

[TheLastWolf]

Halfway through BCS S3

Fookin great and all but

Where is Lalo already heh

[A Horse Named Stranger]

Started watching Black Earth Rising it's been enjoyable thus far.

[RhaenysBee]

The Last Kingdom 

for all the shortcomings of season 5, the series finale delivered. Battle choreography was glorious, characterization was strong, there’s nothing like a fine after battle celebration as we know since Star Wars, and overall I was left happy for the protagonist. It was a worthy end to Uhtred’s journey and a believably positive ending to the web of plot they have woven over 5 seasons. 

a few minor complaints 

Spoiler

King Constantine was an intriguing character full of contradictions that didn’t have time to blossom. Was he simply inconsistently written because the show wanted him to have two different personalities simultaneously, or perhaps the show realized one episode in that they wanted to change his personality? What bothered me most particularly was his relationship with women. The guy had three… well prostitutes, I assume on him as he received guests. Then he delivered this sob story about loving a married woman and not wanting to dishonor her by bedding another noblewoman? Because it’s not okay to marry and bed your wife but it’s okay to have extramarital prostitute sex? Also what an absolutely ridiculous and contrived reason. I was expecting something like, well you are so young and I am so morally ahead of my time that I just cannot consummate this marriage. Or like, well my mother/sister/daughter from a former marriage/first wife/favorite auntie was sold into an unwanted marriage and suffered and killed herself, I cannot do this to another woman myself…. Or you know… anything that makes more sense than, I have this platonic love for a married person I cannot dishonor by sleeping with the person I marry. I just… I can’t wrap my head around it, it’s so contrived. 

loads and loads of plot armor for the main cast but I guess they weren’t going to make any fans angry in the last episode especially because they knew they were going to have a movie. 

Some filter or lighting gave people’s hair/crown/head a blue hue. Aelswith literally had blue hair.