Big Blue Huddle

Quote from: jimv on September 02, 2020, 06:15:25 PM
I really don't go for Hulu, Amazon, etc. even though I have them.  I've been relying on my movie collection & have been happy to pull some that I haven't watched in a while.

Quote from: philo43 on September 02, 2020, 10:14:54 PM
My wife and I  have gone in the opposite direction since the beginning of COVID19. 

We have started to re watch some of the classic TV series.  Using Prime video and CBS all access - we are watching Perry Mason ( don't know why - just absolutely love it) Murder She Wrote and the original Hawaii 50.  We watch 1 episode each night of each of these series

Quote from: LennG on September 02, 2020, 09:20:28 PM
Don't apologize for anything, that is exactly what I want and, I'm sure, others also. A quick review just to see if it even sounds interesting enough to tune in. I might like both those movies, but my DW won't.

As for Dexter, it is one terrific series. When I watched it, many years ago, I was hooked, I found it above great and has remained a classic series ever since, Hall was great in the lead and, as the series went on, they had some unbeleivably great villians and great actors playing them. I think it was season 4, they had John Lithgow, as the the Trinity Killer. If you like it now, you will keep liking it more and more as the seasons go on. Some friends say they got bored with the same thing, over and over, and it got too dark, but I never thought that at all. . But not to derail the train, Dexter has one of the worst endings ever for a TV series. But forget that, and enjoy the ride until then. dexter is great.

Quote from: philo43 on September 02, 2020, 10:14:54 PM
My wife and I  have gone in the opposite direction since the beginning of COVID19. 

We have started to re watch some of the classic TV series.  Using Prime video and CBS all access - we are watching Perry Mason ( don't know why - just absolutely love it) Murder She Wrote and the original Hawaii 50.  We watch 1 episode each night of each of these series

Quote from: jimv on September 03, 2020, 12:34:20 AM

philo, did you know that "Murder She Wrote" wasn't filmed anywhere near Maine?  It was filmed in California!  Even so, my wife & I did enjoy it.

Quote from: ozzie on September 03, 2020, 03:03:47 PM
If the Peppermint you're talking about is the movie with Jennifer Garner, then I agree, if you like that kind of thing, it was good.
I saw nothing but bad reviews of it, but I watched it and the only thing I can figure is that it was because it was a female in a role normally portrayed by a male lead. I watched it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jim, I also agree with you on Person of Interest. Great show with a great storyline. I thought this series ended well too. The last episode was a good one.

Quote from: ozzie on September 03, 2020, 03:03:47 PM

Jim, I also agree with you on Person of Interest. Great show with a great storyline. I thought this series ended well too. The last episode was a good one.

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on September 03, 2020, 03:40:30 PM
Yeah, it's Jennifer Garner with the lead. It actually gets 4.5 out of 5 stars from regular people. I disregard movie critics and professional reviews as every I choose to watch the ones they consider great, I can't even get through them (Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born, Bird Box, The English Patient, Big Fat Greek Wedding, Moulin Rouge, etc)

I've pointed this out before and I'm embarrassed to admit how thoroughly I enjoyed the series, but it is a great, great show to watch with the wife or girlfriend. Every woman I advise to watch it say it's their favorite show ever and the husbands who winced at the title alone ends up liking it and can't wait for the next episode. It's on Netflix and it's called, "Jane the Virgin". The title alone makes one say, "why on earth would I watch a show called that?". Check it out with your wife and she'll like it and I suspect so will you. It's got sex, lots of murders, whole lot of lesbianism, bad cops, good cops, twists and turns in every episode. The person you hate the most in the first couple of seasons is the person you end up liking the most in the end. It's a novella (Mexican Soap) that differs from American Soaps that have no end and lack wacky crimes and a lot of humor.

Quote from: LennG on September 02, 2020, 04:50:47 PM

In the last thread, I remember mentioning that I am watching Schitt's Creek (my darling wife didn't want to watch, thinking it was stupid). It IS stupid, in a weird way but it is also laugh out loud funny--really. I believe it is 5 seasons and I am deep into season 3.

Quote from: ozzie on September 02, 2020, 08:10:43 PM
Lenn, my wife and I started watching Schitt's Creek when it first came on tv. You're exactly right, it's both stupid and laugh out loud funny.
It is so quirky with a lot of understated, subtle humor. After the first couple of episodes we were trying to decide weather to stick with it or not. We're glad we did. We love that show and were sorry to see it end it's run after 5 seasons.

Quote from: GordonGekko80 on September 04, 2020, 10:06:29 AM
I watched Jumanji - The next level the other day and thought it was fun. Just switch the brain off and have a couple of laughs.

Most of you probably won't believe me but I've never watched Game of Thrones. Wife and I are thinking about going through it now that we have some more alone time in the evening.

Quote from: ozzie on September 04, 2020, 01:08:49 PM
I really liked both of the Jumanji movies. Action, adventure and laughs. So much better than the Robin Williams movie that came before it.
GOT was on HBO and we don't have it. I have always wanted to read the book series, but just never got around to it. I definitely have GOT on my watch list.
Plus, GOT author George R.R. Martin is a huge Giants fan! GOT should be required reading & watching on this forum!!

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on September 04, 2020, 04:27:57 PM
I looked into GOT as well and found you must get HBO Max (I get an HBO add on, but not Max). 14.99 a month. If I could watch the entire series in a month, it might be worth it.

Earlier, someone was talking about Bruce Willis films. I am a huge fan, although some of his last stuff it's almost as if his part is cameo for the sole purpose of selling a flick (ex. "Hard Kill" where his name is emblazoned on the front of the flyer, yet has almost no serious role).

The best Willis film ever (IMHO) is "Red" and I've watched it so many times that I've committed it to memory. "Red 2" is really good, but doesn't top the first. Both are free on Amazon Prime and well worth watching. I'd give it 5 stars by my own rating system and 4 1/2 stars for Red 2.

Another great Willis film is "Bandits" which is free on Netflix.

I'm taking you guys word for it that GOT is worth it  :yes:  :ok:

QuoteThe first season, set in Minnesota and North Dakota in 2006 and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, and Martin Freeman, received wide acclaim from critics.[5] It won the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Miniseries, Outstanding Directing, and Outstanding Casting, and received 15 additional nominations including Outstanding Writing, another Outstanding Directing nomination, and acting nominations for all four leads. It also won the Golden Globe Awards for Best Miniseries or Television Film and Best Actor

Quote from: ozzie on September 04, 2020, 01:08:49 PM
I really liked both of the Jumanji movies. Action, adventure and laughs.

Quote from: GIANTS1 on September 10, 2020, 09:25:48 AM
i watched Once upon a time in hollywood. a way better movie than i expected especially if you know about the Sharon Tate murders.

Quote from: LennG on September 21, 2020, 05:00:53 PM
If it wasn't for the fact that Laura Dern was naked about every 10 or 15 minutes,

Quote from: ozzie on September 21, 2020, 05:14:52 PM
Well, that's reason enough for me to give it a try! HAHA!

Quote from: LennG on September 21, 2020, 05:00:53 PM
Maybe this should go in the movie thread, but I am really not trying to review this movie. The other day I DVRed a movie, Wild At Heart. The synopsis sounded interesting, great actors in it,  and when I saw David Lynch was the director, I thought, why not take a chance. Overall, I am NOT a fan of David Lynch and his sense of anything. I know some people simply loved Twin Peaks and consider it classic TV, but not me. I did a search of Lynch's other works and looking at the list, I can say there were a couple of things I enjoyed, so I'll give this movie a shot. I was wrong. It was so typical David Lynch, I almost couldn't make it thru to the end. If it wasn't for the fact that Laura Dern was naked about every 10 or 15 minutes, I would have turned it off. Nick Cage was the star and it was so typical of him. He played the brooding guy tricked into some crime he didn't want to do and the rest is just Lynch with weird plot lines, to me, just silly story, direction. I should have turned it off earlier but I enjoyed watching Miss Dern parading around in her birthday suit much of the time. I would think anyone who enjoyed Twin Peaks would love this movie.

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on September 23, 2020, 11:10:14 AM
Well, after watching the trailer for Wild At Heart, I think I am going to pass. It might be a David Lynch film, but it just doesn't seem interesting to me. As far as catching some nude shots, mehh. My girlfriend is half my age, in incredible shape and walks around without clothes all the time. I don't need a blurry half second shot of a nudey from 30 years ago to get my mojo going...LOL

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on September 23, 2020, 11:10:14 AM
Well, after watching the trailer for Wild At Heart, I think I am going to pass. It might be a David Lynch film, but it just doesn't seem interesting to me. As far as catching some nude shots, mehh. My girlfriend is half my age, in incredible shape and walks around without clothes all the time. I don't need a blurry half second shot of a nudey from 30 years ago to get my mojo going...LOL

Quote from: LennG on September 23, 2020, 04:13:03 PM
At 74, I don't watch movies to get my 'mojo' woking either, but when a gorgeous looking lady wants to 'show us what she's got', I won't turn it off.   :no: :no: :no: :no:

Quote from: LennG on September 23, 2020, 04:13:03 PM
At 74, I don't watch movies to get my 'mojo' woking either, but when a gorgeous looking lady wants to 'show us what she's got', I won't turn it off.   :no: :no: :no: :no:

Quote from: LennG on September 24, 2020, 02:42:54 PM
I have to throw this in, I also just rewatched Basic Instinct (not for the reasons that may be going on in your head  :laugh: :laugh:) but I have been meaning to rewatch it for a while and there it was. Now Ms Stone is another I won't look away when she decides to show us EVERYTHING.

Michael Douglas, at this time in his career, really had some great movie roles, here he was screwing Sharon Stone, in Fatal Attraction he was screwing Glenn Close and both left nothing to the imagination. I guess his Dad trained him right.    :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:

Quote from: GordonGekko80 on September 25, 2020, 07:08:42 AM
:yes: :yes: :laugh: :laugh:

Another good one from that period, also from M Douglas, was "Disclosure" with Demi Moore.

Re Demi Moore... Striptease... And I'll leave it at that.  ;) :D

Quote from: Sem on September 25, 2020, 08:28:38 AM
Demi Moore was the main reason for watching it, but Striptease wasn't a very good movie. Burt Reynolds was also in it if I remember. It was based on the book of the same name, (though two words - Strip Tease), written by one of my favorite authors Carl Hiaasen.
I know this is a "watching on TV" thread but if you're ever in the mood for a light, funny, enjoyable book look at any of his, all highly recommended. All his novels take place in Florida, and in one way or another involve mystery, environmentalism, a large dose of humor, and some of the most bizarre characters and plots you'll ever read. Clinton "Skink" Tyree is one such character. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_Tyree#:~:text=Clinton%20Tyree%2C%20a.k.a.%20Skink%2C%20is,and%20partakes%20of%20roadkill%20cuisine.

Quote from: ozzie on October 15, 2020, 08:49:14 AM
I am currently in the middle of Season 5 of Dexter on Netflix and I know a few other folks on here enjoyed the series.
I just heard that Showtime is bringing it back for a 10 episode season sometime in 2021.
I don't know how the series ended originally (haven't gotten there yet), but I know some didn't like the ending, maybe this will tie up some loose ends?
Too bad it's Showtime and not Netflix. Hopefully Netflix will get the rights to it soon after Showtime premieres it.
https://deadline.com/2020/10/dexter-showtime-reboot-limited-michael-c-hall-clyde-phillips-1234597514/ (https://deadline.com/2020/10/dexter-showtime-reboot-limited-michael-c-hall-clyde-phillips-1234597514/)

p.s. - I didn't read the entire article due to spoilers. I don't want to know how it ends until I actually get there!

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on October 15, 2020, 10:37:28 AM
I likewise watched it (long time ago) for the simple reason of seeing Demi Moore 98% naked. By the end, it was Burt Reynolds who stole the show as a corrupt and stupid politician - LMAO. I'm not a big Reynolds fan as he's usually an over-the-top actor with too much goofy laughing. Although, he played a serious role in "Deliverance" (which I'll never watch again and can never see Ned Beatty in anything that I don't think of his squealing like a pig clawing his way up a hill with his dirty "Whitey-Tighties" coming down... :o).

Funny you brought up Carl Hiaasen as I just bought two of his books off Amazon last week ("Razor Girl" and "Bad Monkey"). I used to be a prolific reader, but haven't been so much since my girlfriend moved in with me four years ago. I wanted to start a thread on novels at some point, but haven't gotten around to it. I also intend to move to Florida at some point in the future so I like to read stuff that uses Florida as a background. My mother was born and raised in Florida so made many a trip there to visit relatives while growing up. I moved there (Pinellas Park) in '73 for a year or so before moving back to New York. After visiting the area twice in the last 3 years, I decided that when I finally make the move it will probably be in the Jacksonville area, but I digress. Getting back to novels with Florida as a background, I've read a lot of Randy White's "Doc Ford's" books that are all set in the Sunshine State.

Quote from: LennG on November 22, 2020, 12:29:36 PM
Time to resurrect this thread

My next watch, which I am watching alone (though my wife should watch this also) was recommended by my daughter. It is "The Travelers" also on Netflix.
This last series is 3 seasons long and I am almost done with season 1. It is science fiction, about people from the future, coming back to take over the bodies and minds of people who have died (they don't kill them to take over their body). BUT, this is NOT a bad thing, as they are on a mission to try and prevent things from happening to Earth in the future, to try and save Earth and probably mankind.  I find this a most interesting premise and, as much as I have seen, I like it. It did get a bit confusing as to who are travelers and parts of the mission they are on, but it sort of explains itself as it goes. I also recommend this show.

Quote from: Sem on November 22, 2020, 01:04:05 PM
Len, finally!!  ;) I recommended Travelers multiple times in the past, I'm glad you're checking it out. I enjoyed it quite a bit and felt 3 seasons was just right.

I've heard a lot about Queen's Gambit, and will probably check it out over the winter months.

Fargo is one of those series I know I'd like, (loved the movie), but just haven't seen it yet. You say it's on FX. I'll have to see if I can stream FX shows on-demand with YouTube TV (my current tv provider), and if so I'll start watching it.

Quote from: LennG on October 15, 2020, 05:04:09 PM
As I believe we have meantioned, yes Dexter had one of the disappointing (and stupidest) endings especially for fans who stuck with it for all those years. There were no lose ends to tie up, it ended very conclusively, just very unsatisfying and if I say more, it might spoil your enjoyment of it.

Since you are onto season 5, I truly felt Season 4 was the best. I never saw it coming in the way they ended Season 4 and that was one of the biggest shocks I got from watching TV dramas. I just never saw that coming. Again, I won't reveal what happened as I don't want to spoil anything for others who might be watching, or who might watch at some future time.

Overall, still a great series, but you will see a sort of decline as you get to the last year or so.

Quote from: Sem on November 22, 2020, 01:04:05 PM
Len, finally!!  ;) I recommended Travelers multiple times in the past, I'm glad you're checking it out. I enjoyed it quite a bit and felt 3 seasons was just right.

I've heard a lot about Queen's Gambit, and will probably check it out over the winter months.

Fargo is one of those series I know I'd like, (loved the movie), but just haven't seen it yet. You say it's on FX. I'll have to see if I can stream FX shows on-demand with YouTube TV (my current tv provider), and if so I'll start watching it.

Quote from: ozzie on December 10, 2020, 09:03:46 AM
Ok, I finished watching Dexter. I saw the final episode last night. Overall I will say I liked the series, but yes, the way it ended left me disappointed on a few levels. I enjoyed each season, and some were better than others, but to have it end the way it did was just kind of a let down...
Oh well...onto something new. What will I choose next???

Quote from: ozzie on December 10, 2020, 09:03:46 AM
Ok, I finished watching Dexter. I saw the final episode last night. Overall I will say I liked the series, but yes, the way it ended left me disappointed on a few levels. I enjoyed each season, and some were better than others, but to have it end the way it did was just kind of a let down...
Oh well...onto something new. What will I choose next???

Quote from: katkavage on December 17, 2020, 12:44:45 PM
Feed Phil on Netflix. A nice reminder of days past when you could travel the world and eat with strangers.

Quote from: ozzie on December 19, 2020, 09:21:51 AM
Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" has been made and remade too many times to keep track of, but when this time of year rolls around I like to sit and watch it. It doesn't really matter what version, I like to check them all out and just kind of compare them to one another and see the differences.
Last night I watched a version on the FX channel. It was originally aired as a 3 part mini series but now they string it together and list it as a movie.
It stars Guy Pierce as Scrooge and it is quite a different take on the story.
Scrooge is younger than in previous versions and aside from just being a miser, he is a genuinly mean, selfish person. This movie was actually very dark and depressing, going into some of Scrooge's childhood. Plus for some reason, there were probably 10 times they dropped the "F" Bomb! Really?? In A Christmas Carol??
It wasn't a bad movie per se, and the acting was first rate, but such a different spin on the traditional story and not one I will be looking forward to each year.
Have any of you seen this? If you have, I'd be interested to know what you thought of it.

Quote from: ozzie on December 19, 2020, 02:38:29 PM
When I say "mini series" I think it was three 60-90 minute "chapters", I think as a movie was 2 1\2 hours.
As far as other versions, they're all pretty good but I do like "Scrooge" starring Albert Finney.
They added some music and it was a fun version, a little lighter in mood than some others.

Quote from: GordonGekko80 on December 21, 2020, 02:54:50 AM
Finished watching the Mandalorian Season 2. Didn't see that ending coming..

Am also watching Peaky Blinders now - midway through season 1 now. Worth watching.

Quote from: LennG on December 21, 2020, 01:10:13 PM
I tried that but the accents for me is so hard to understand. I usually watch with the captions on, but use them to pick up some of the words I miss. On this series which several people have recommended, I just really had a hard time following along and was missing the context of the show trying to do that.

Quote from: Sem on January 01, 2021, 11:03:22 AM
I've been on a Pluto TV kick lately - Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Carol Burnett Show, The Rifleman, Mork and Mindy, Mission Impossible, Family Ties, My Favorite Martian, The Real McCoys, Three's Company, MST3K, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Love Boat, The Addams Family, and many more.....all for free.

Quote from: ozzie on January 01, 2021, 10:13:19 AM
Gillian Anderson!?!?
Ahhhh....Agent Dana Scully. She was my 90's crush - Big Time!!
I may just have to check that out! HAHA

Quote from: GordonGekko80 on January 08, 2021, 08:14:22 AM
Finished watching Star Trek Discovery Season 3 today.

The last couple of episodes are really good.

Quote from: LennG on January 08, 2021, 12:01:22 PM
I have just started watching this and I am about 3/4 of the way thru season 1. As of now, I like it very much.

I am NOT a huge Trekkie and really only watched the original Star Trek and then about half of Star Trek  The Next Generation. After that, except for the movies, I have not followed all the future series that came out.
I attend (now with Zoom) a group from a library that we discuss things we are watching on TV and try to find a show that we all might like, watch and discuss (like a book discussion group). So Discovery was mentioned as several have also followed along and just finished season 3. Most of us are still in its infancy but since I do like it, I'll continue with it.

Quote from: GordonGekko80 on January 08, 2021, 12:06:43 PM
Actually, it's the exact same for me Lenny - not a huge Trekkie fan either, but liked the new movies (the ones with Chris Pine) and a friend of mine told me about Discovery on Netflix.

I watched the first 2 season in like 2 weeks, like a maniac and they were pretty cool... Season 3 I went along with the releases until today.  ;)

Have you seen Star Trek: Picard? Wonder if it's worth watching.

Quote from: Bob In PA on January 08, 2021, 07:52:54 PM
I've got one... it's from 2005, so maybe some of you have seen it....  the jokes are numerous and IMO none of them fall flat.....     

"The Engagement Ring" starring Patricia Heaton (of Everybody Loves Raymond fame).   https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461660/fullcredits

I liked it particularly because I "know" every one of the people in this cast from my own life.  I grew up with them, and most were members of my family.

In this case, the characters are Italian, but I suspect you don't have to be "too Italian" to have or have known people like this in your own family. 

It's available for free if you're an Amazon Prime customer/subscriber, but it's probably generally available elsewhere since it's over 15 years old.

Bob

Quote from: LennG on January 08, 2021, 07:55:50 PM
Is this a movie or a series?

Quote from: LennG on January 08, 2021, 12:17:50 PM
I have not seen it. I have heard really mixed reviews of it. Like if you LOVED Picard from Next Generation you will probably love this movie, and then visa versa. Again, just from hearsay, I have heard it is a bit slow and Picard, love him or hate him will determine how you feel about the movie.

Myself, I liked his character, but if the movie is slow, no liking a character will make it better. I'll see it sometime down the line.

Quote from: LennG on January 24, 2021, 11:18:41 AM
Last night we were able to watch the latest new movie from PIXAR, "SOUL".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP5C1OSSEOo&ab_channel=MovieclipsTrailers

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2948372/

First things first. I LOVE anything that comes out of the PIXAR studios. Their animation and movies are just so far above anyone else's. Just classic movies, as Toy Story, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Cars, WALL-E and so, so many more. Seems each was better than the last, so I went into this movie with great anticipation.PLUS it got rave reviews, so where am I with it. I just didn't love it. Don't get me wrong, the animation is way beyond anything PIXAR has ever done. There were scenes in NY where you might have thought it was film and not animated. Just so far ahead of its time. Story-wise, if anyone has watched the trailer, it about a supposedly middle-aged guy who loves Jazz. he is a temp music teacher for kids and gets a promotion to full-time. BUT, at the same time he lands a spot with a jazz band, his entire life what he has waited for--so where does he go. NO where, he falls down a manhole and dies and that really starts the essence of the story. And here is where it mostly became confused. I can see kids liking the characters and animation, but the story, about death, reborn life, and your soul is just not what kids would enjoy. Maybe I'm so old I don't know what kids would really enjoy, but I think parts of the movie might be way over their heads. It was to me. When the movie was back on Earth, it was great, trying to follow Joe Gardiner in his quest to return to Earth and play in this jazz band. It was funny, cute and so well done. I just felt they spent way too much time in what might be the afterlife, trying to decide where Joe would go and with whom.
Again this movie got excellent reviews, even better than that. I think it was the first animated movie made about African Americans--totally and it was great. The dude who played the barber was so great and his story, also great.

I would recommend this movie to one and all, and you decide for yourself. Great movie to watch with your kids as there could be so much to discuss with them during and after.

Quote from: LennG on February 10, 2021, 10:59:01 AM
I don't know if I had mentioned this previously, but I have started to watch the latest Star Trek saga, Star Trek Discovery. I think it was on Prime or something else, up to season 3 I think, but they released Season 1 on CBS broadcast TV. I believe it is 16 episodes long and I just finished episode 11 and like it very much.

To be clear, I was never, and still am not. a trekkie. I enjoyed the original Star Trek with Bill Shatner and also enjoyed a lot of The Next Generation. After that, I never watched any of the series and there were quite a few. I belong to a sort of TV Geek thing from a library where we met every week to discuss assorted TV shows and urge others to watch some of them. (It started with GOT, proceeded onto TWD and now we discuss whatever). Since there is no in library thing, we do this on Zoom every week (if anyone would like to join, they are more than welcome). So we are into SciFi now with most watching being the Expanse and also Discovery. I sort of dropped out of the Expanse thing as I wanted to binge-watch but they are releasing the series one week at a time so I forget from week to week. I'll catch up after the season. But I am really into Discovery. Yes, it is another Star Trek thing but it seems to rise above many of the cliques and is very entertaining. If you're a Trekkie or just like good Sci-Fi, I would recommend it along with The Expanse.

Quote from: GordonGekko80 on February 10, 2021, 11:38:56 AM
Hey Lenny

I think we touched on it and we discussed about watching Picard or not.

I liked Discovery - but won't give away anything until you're through with it.  ;)

Quote from: Bob In PA on February 12, 2021, 02:32:45 PM
I'm not going to read the whole thread to determine if this has ever been mentioned or not, but in any event.......

Regardless whether you know/like chess, if you subscribe to Netflix don't miss the mini-series "The Queen's Gambit."

It is outstanding, and the performances are great.  A Golden Globe favorite, too (not that such things ever mattered to me).

I happen to know a little bit about the "chess world" and the presentation is spot-on.  Acting, lighting, music, direction, set-design, cinematography....  the works.  All are top-notch stuff. 

It's about nine hours long including a feature-ette "the making of Queen's Gambit" which to my knowledge can only be accessed by first watching the whole show (it comes on automatically during/after the end credits).

Bob

PS. If anyone knows/finds a way to access the "making of" feature separately please let me know. That, in itself, is worth re-watching just for the background info (and you get to see what the star really looks like).

Quote from: ozzie on February 18, 2021, 11:32:05 AM
I watched a movie this week called "Identity".
It's a film from 2003 that is a combination of mystery, crime drama & physcological thriller that is well acted with a good cast.
There is some blood, but it's not what I would call "gory" and keeps you guessing until the end.
If this sounds interesting to you I would highly recommend it.
Here is the trailer for it:
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi848363801?playlistId=tt0309698&ref_=tt_ov_vi (https://www.imdb.com/video/vi848363801?playlistId=tt0309698&ref_=tt_ov_vi)

Quote from: ozzie on March 08, 2021, 05:28:28 PM
I just posted about this in the photography thread after seeing Lenn's beautiful shots of Italy.
There is a show on Sunday nights on CNN called "Stanley Tucci - Searching for Italy". Tucci, of Italian descent on both sides, will be covering every region of the country and discussing the food and how it reflects the people and the history there. We have found it quite interesting. Nice scenery and great looking food too.
Being of Italian descent myself, we  find it quite interesting.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/stanley-tucci-searching-for-italy-restaurants/index.html (https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/stanley-tucci-searching-for-italy-restaurants/index.html)

Quote from: philo43 on March 08, 2021, 06:47:46 PM
Ozzie,

I feel sorry for you living in Garland being from Italian descent, from 1st hand knowledge( 20 years ago) there isn't much decent Italian food in the area.

I grew up in the Triple cities of NY - great Italian everywhere - all 3 of the distinct sauces present. Very heavy Italian presence (not me).

Appalachian ( 1950's) ring a bell? 20 miles from my house

Quote from: ps11yat14 on March 10, 2021, 05:48:08 PM
Hey Lenn

If you haven't seen a show on Netflix  called "Virgin River" you might want to give it a try. Louise and I both enjoy it. Good story line and I tell Louise that it is very Hallmarky. Hope you and Doris are well

Bill

Quote from: MightyGiants on April 13, 2021, 12:21:11 PM
There is a terrific 6 season sitcom called Schitt's Creek that is on Netflix.  It's funny and warm-hearted and well worth the watch

Quote from: NapoleonBlownapart on May 13, 2021, 02:05:10 PM
Fawlty Towers. all 13 glorious episodes.  its been a few decades since Basil Fawlty was on my radar.

Quote from: LennG on June 30, 2021, 08:14:17 PM

My wife and I just started watching 'Manifest' on Netflix and liked it very much. I believe it was an NBC series that got canceled and is getting a re-life on Netflix.

Briefly, a plane takes off with 191 people on board. They have a scare in the air and when it comes time for them to land they find out that 5 1/2 years have passed since they took off and now here they are. Very interesting premiss as to how they and the world adopts to them. Families who thought their loved ones dead have moved on only to have those loved ones return. Twins are now 5 1/2 years apart. Additionally, some of the passengers are having visions of things to come, hearing voices warning them of things to come.
Add to this a few other mysteries and I feel it makes for some decent enough entertainment.

I believe it is 2 seasons for now.

Quote from: ozzie on July 06, 2021, 01:42:08 PM
OK, I watched Solo on Amazon. Lenn gave a review on it and though he didn't care much for it, I thought it sounded interesting enough to give it a try.
The "series" is only 7 episodes long, each one 30 minutes or less. I watched the first two episodes and was about to put an end to it, but then I read where the last episode ties everything together that happened in the previous six. With that knowledge, I forged ahead and watched the others, finally getting to the finale.
I have to say, I didn't like it. None of it. I found each episode was more depressing than the last. It was a total downer for me. Episode 7 did tie it together somewhat, but it still left me with questions and nothing to feel good about.
The acting in each episode was great, but the story lines were just too dreary and dismal.
Some folks will like the sci/fi, future science stuff, but I would give this two thumbs down.

Quote from: MightyGiants on July 06, 2021, 01:56:03 PM
I watched episode one this weekend.  With little out there to watch, I will watch some more

Quote from: philo43 on July 10, 2021, 06:48:58 PM
I only sleep 2-3 hours a night so I up no later than 2AM.  I have Direct TV and with a million channels, you would think there is something to watch.  Not so much. So I have reverted to old classic TV shows.  Perry Mason and Murder She Wrote.

The stories are what they are, but the cast of characters amaze me. This week I have seen Leonard Nimoy and Robert Redford on Perry Mason.  Murder She Wrote has had numerous big name actors from the 60's and 70 on it.

Quote from: LennG on June 30, 2021, 08:14:17 PM

My wife and I just started watching 'Manifest' on Netflix and liked it very much. I believe it was an NBC series that got canceled and is getting a re-life on Netflix.

Briefly, a plane takes off with 191 people on board. They have a scare in the air and when it comes time for them to land they find out that 5 1/2 years have passed since they took off and now here they are. Very interesting premiss as to how they and the world adopts to them. Families who thought their loved ones dead have moved on only to have those loved ones return. Twins are now 5 1/2 years apart. Additionally, some of the passengers are having visions of things to come, hearing voices warning them of things to come.
Add to this a few other mysteries and I feel it makes for some decent enough entertainment.

I believe it is 2 seasons for now.

Quote from: Sem on July 16, 2021, 08:02:52 AM
I watched and enjoyed the first episode of this last night. Interesting premise.

Quote from: LennG on July 16, 2021, 05:25:44 PM
We are now about 1/2 way thru season 2. I won't give anything away in any comments. But they premiss, as we have said, is terrific, the problem is they just don't know where to take it. They have so many subplots as we go on, several linking to the original premiss, but others so far off, it reminds me a lot of Lost as they never really ran with the original premiss and started to veer off in other areas, well, if you were a Lost fan, you know what I mean.

Let me know when you get deeper into the show, as I would love to discuss several matters that I can't now, without giving too much away.

Quote from: Sem on July 16, 2021, 08:42:22 PM
Will do Len. I had to stay with my brother in NY this week. I mentioned to him I watched it last night on the bedroom tv. I thought it might be something he

Quote from: MightyGiants on July 17, 2021, 08:10:01 AM
I have been binge-watching Apple's Ted Lasso (Apple TV is dirt cheap).  It's a feel-good comedy that is really enjoyable.  I highly recommend it.

Quote from: MightyGiants on August 25, 2021, 12:50:01 PM
There were a few major series I missed out on and I am binge-watching them


1 Breaking Bad-  Great series, really enjoying it

2 Game of Thrones-  A bit slow but not bad


I have Sopranos if I run out of these two

Quote from: squibber on September 11, 2021, 04:14:44 PM
Lenn,

I think this youtube video with Liam Neeson, Jimmy Kimmel and Guillermo is hillarious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMg-hUNKPKs

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on September 21, 2021, 08:28:56 PM
I recommend "Impeachment: An American Crime Story."

Excellent re-enactment of the Monica Lewinsky/Bill Clinton scandal. It is told mainly from Lewinsky's perspective. Seems very well done so far. Has very good actors like Sarah Paulson and Clive Owen, among others. It is on the FX channel here in NY. Episode three is tonight at 10pm.

Quote from: Sem on October 02, 2021, 02:22:52 PM
Generally don't watch much TV during the summer months. However we did watch the first few episodes of The Kominsky Method (Netflix), while visiting some friends recently. My wife and I both enjoyed it, so we'll likely pick it back up once the days get shorter.

Quote from: LennG on October 02, 2021, 08:02:21 PM

Steve

Different strokes for different folks. We also watched a few episodes a while back, intrigued by the two great stars in the lead. Unfortunately, we just never got into it, and to be honest, left very disappointed. AND, no desire to retry it.

Glad you enjoy it though. Got great reviews, just not for us.

Quote from: LennG on September 22, 2021, 11:56:57 AM

Is anyone watching the new mini-series by Ken burns on Mohammed Ali on PBS? It is a 4 parter and got decent reviews.  I always like Burn's shows but I messed the first 3 episodes. I'll try and DVR it when they repeat it.
[/quote

Olympics and onto his  I was finally able to get all 4 episodes of this series on my DVR and started watching yesterday. I finished chapter 1 which takes us from Cassius Clay's boyhood, they the pro career, ending with his victory over Sonny Liston. Besides being a great series (so far), it also brought back so many memories of boxing at it's peak when a heavyweight boxing match was all the talk of the country, never more so when Clay and then alter Ali was fighting.

Any Ken Burns work is amazing and thru the first chapter, this is also in at category.

Quote from: LennG on October 07, 2021, 12:14:14 PM

Quote from: LennG on September 22, 2021, 11:56:57 AM

Is anyone watching the new mini-series by Ken burns on Mohammed Ali on PBS? It is a 4 parter and got decent reviews.  I always like Burn's shows but I messed the first 3 episodes. I'll try and DVR it when they repeat it.
[/quote

Olympics and onto his  I was finally able to get all 4 episodes of this series on my DVR and started watching yesterday. I finished chapter 1 which takes us from Cassius Clay's boyhood, they the pro career, ending with his victory over Sonny Liston. Besides being a great series (so far), it also brought back so many memories of boxing at it's peak when a heavyweight boxing match was all the talk of the country, never more so when Clay and then alter Ali was fighting.

Any Ken Burns work is amazing and thru the first chapter, this is also in at category.

I just finished the 4 episode series on Muhammed Ali by Ken Burns and like all his previous works, this one was excellent.

They spent a lot of time on his fights, mostly the main ones, his battles with Joe Frazier, his relationship with Malcolm X, and his joining and remaining a Black Muslim.
I thoroughly enjoyed reliving many of the memories I had lived thru, from his gold medal in the Olympics, thru his first championship against Sonny Liston, his exile from boxing, his return and win over George Foreman, his loss, and then regaining the championship against Leon Spinks.
Most things I knew, but they had many of his children as interviewees, his wives, and his family. What I did not know was how much of a womanizer he was, cheating regularly on his wives and at one time, having two wives. They ended, of course with his Parkinson's, his Olympic moment, and sadly his death,

Myself, I was never a fan of his, personally, but in the ring, it would be hard to find one better. His obsession with belittling his opponents and his not willing to serve his country, well, never had him on my 'must' see list. Just my thought he could have served in the Army as a CO and not have to fight. he could easily have been a public relations guy and given light duty, but he turned his back on his country, at least that's how I see it.

anyway, whatever your opinions of Ali, I would highly recommend this series.

Quote from: ozzie on October 15, 2021, 01:24:10 PM
I have been hearing about this for the past couple of weeks, but haven't had the time to sit and watch any of it yet. I think the sub-titles are what is putting me off, but I think I will give it a go. It seems to be a kind of Adult Hunger Games type of thing.

Quote from: ozzie on October 31, 2021, 09:17:32 AM
Two more movies that I just watched, one a "horror" movie and the other a Halloween Classic of sorts.
The first is called "Vacancy" from 2007. It stars Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale as a couple that have car trouble, check into a low budget motel and then realize bad things have been going on in that motel and it's about to happen to them.
I don't want to give away too much more. I will say it it violent and bloody and moves along at a good pace.

The second is the Disney film "Hocus Pocus". This is a Family Friendly Halloween tale about 3 witches who are hanged in 1693 and are accidently brought back to present day 300 years later. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimi and Sarah Jessica Parker are the witches. Good action, some laughs and a fun movie overall. What I'm trying to figure out is having two daughters, how is it this is the first time I have ever seen this?

Quoteased on Caroline Kepnes' best-selling novel of the same name, YOU is a 21st-century love story that asks, "What would you do for love?" When a brilliant bookstore manager crosses paths with an aspiring writer, his answer becomes clear: anything. Using the internet and social media as his tools to gather the most intimate of details and get close to her, a charming and awkward crush quickly becomes an obsession as he quietly and strategically removes every obstacle - and person - in his way.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on October 31, 2021, 05:12:54 PM
I watched "You" and thought it was decent but not great. It definitely wasn't bad, but it just felt like a wannabe Dexter and was coming up way, way short of that. I couldn't stay with it personally.

Quote from: LennG on October 31, 2021, 07:47:50 PM
Funny, I was also thinking Dexter also, in love.

You seem to feel a lot like I did. Not great, but interesting to a point. I will start season 2 as soon as I can,

Have you tried Squid Games?

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on November 01, 2021, 06:54:27 AM
I literally just started Squid Games and will definitely continue. I have heard nothing but good things. The only knock I have heard is that it gets worse over the course of the show and does not end strong. I have heard that from a few people actually. I'll still watch it though.

Quote from: LennG on November 15, 2021, 02:01:19 PM
I watched a highly touted movie on Netflix, 'The Harder They Fall', a new western. This movie got 5 stars from our local paper and the juices were flowing for me to watch it.

I am going to have a hard time with this review, so bear with me.

First, I am a sucker for westerns. I LOVE them. Over the past decade or more, westerns have really become truer to reality, than the old shoot 'em ups, where the good guys never lost their hats no matter what happened to them. Movies like 'The Outlaw Josie Wales, The Unforgiven, and several others have tried to make people really feel what the old west was like, not the TV and older Hollywood types that we grew up with.

So now I sat down to watch this movie. I really don't know how to say this, but I felt this entire movie was racist, towards Whites. I understand most of the movie was done sort of 'tongue in cheek', and maybe it's just my age showing, but I couldn't even finish this movie. Even forgetting how I felt about the characters, when they start having a real shoot 'em up and all the regular guys are killing all the other guys with nary a flesh wound on themselves and they NEVER miss when they shoot, maybe I was missing the entire point, but it just wasn't for me. I can watch an old western movie and live with the way Hollywood did it back then, but for a new movie to make this happen, it was just too over the top for me.

Then we get to, what I felt was so many racist comments. Oh, just so you all know, all the main characters are Black and I just cannot imagine the West is the way it was portrayed here. Every town was Black, and when they did go to a 'White' town, the entire town was White, buildings, streets, sand, and people, and they were all portrayed as either idiots or racists.

I'm sorry, I sit down to watch a movie and when things like these happen, it really rubs me the wrong way. Again, I fully understand most was done 'tongue in cheek' but it just wasn't funny to me, wasn't even amusing to me.

If anyone else has seen this movie or will watch it, please explain to me what I am missing. I don't know who posts here as to race. I know Tim is of African American heritage and if you Tim, see this movie, I would love to have a discussion with you about it, with any other people who might be Black and see how they view this movie.

Let's just say I hated it and be done with it.

Quote from: Sem on November 26, 2021, 01:59:23 PM
I'm a few episodes in to The Chestnut Man (Danish: Kastanjemanden), on Netflix. It's from the book by the same name, written by S

Quote from: T200 on November 26, 2021, 01:00:15 PM
Len,

Sorry you didn't like it. I liked the way it was done, the setup, the lingering question, and the answer at the end.

Aside from the language, what part(s) did you feel were racist? To me, especially the white town, was all tongue-in-cheek. I'm not a big western movie fan but I enjoyed this from a purely entertainment standpoint.  If I recall correctly, some of the characters were based on real black cowboys. The events were obviously written for the movie.

BTW, Blazing Saddles is probably the best western of all time.



Just kidding, Len! I know that would turn you three shades of red!   =)) =)) =))

Quote from: LennG on December 04, 2021, 07:07:57 PM
So a week or so ago, I sort of killed a new Western on Netflix. Today I read another new Western type movie that was just out, again on Netflix, "Power of the Dog"

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_power_of_the_dog  Rotten Tomatoes review

so it was something that really looked different, a gritty type western set in the early 1920s. I love realism and was hoping that this would fit the bill.
Well, I was right on the realism part, the imagery, the sets and just about everything else was very good, For me, the problem was this story was so quirky and utterly impossible to believe, when it ended I sat there realizing I wasted another few hours. I was so disappointed in this movie from the mid-way point and beyond it just elaft me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Briefly, 2 brothers, one a hard-driving cowboy, the other a more reserved and business-like. The reserved on marries a lady he meets with a son who, let's say is a bit awkward when it comes to being a cowboy and seems to have again, what one might say are feminine quirks, a sissy to put it bluntly. The cowboy brother is relentless in not wanting to conform to more modern-day things including the new wife. This goes on thru about 1/2 the movie then all of a sudden he takes a liking to the boy and decides to help make him more of a cowboy. I won't even go into it anymore.

For me, another very promising movie, ends up in the crapper, to put it honestly.

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on December 05, 2021, 12:28:25 PM
I watched a trailer a couple days ago and decided against it. I love watching Benedict Cumberbatch act - a strange man with strange looks who is a great actor, but is so stereotyped as Sherlock Holmes with his traditional British accent and style straight out of early London that its difficult to see him in such a different role. Seeing him as a cowboy in American West just didn't seem right to me...sorta like watching Jason Alexander (better known as George Costanza of Seinfeld series) playing a rough and tough mob boss...or perhaps Ren

Quote from: LennG on December 05, 2021, 12:48:11 PM
Funny, I didn't recognize the name but when you, mentioned Sherlock Holmes, Ding, Ding, Ding, the bell went off. He was just terrific as Sherlock. He was pretty good here also, it was more the quirkiness of the entire story and his way of playing the role that sort of letting me down on it. he WAs the main character. I was so surprised by all the glowing reviews though I believe it was more about the woman director than anything else.

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on December 18, 2021, 11:12:47 AM
I just watched Disney's Doctor Strange last night who is played by Benedict Cumberbatch and he is excellent. Has sort of a Dr. House attitude as a one-of-a-kind super surgeon with sarcastic responses to lesser medical staff. Goes into some pretty weird stuff and time is spent in Katmandu (which to me is interesting because I haven't seen a movie with Nepal as a back drop). Anyway, worth a watch if you like Marvel movies with strange phenomena

Quote from: ozzie on December 20, 2021, 09:49:11 AM
Credit where it's due Lenn....that was Jolly's post on the Marvel movies. ;)

Quote from: LennG on December 20, 2021, 11:51:40 AM

Ozzie=Lou 


(Hope you don't mind me sharing this valuable info   :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:)


And since you decided not to take credit for it Lou, I will still give it a shot, even if it was Rick who sold us the goods on it.  =)) =)) =)) =)) =))

Quote from: T200 on January 13, 2022, 08:02:24 PM
My wife and I are waiting for Ozark as well. Too bad this is the final season.

We just finished watching the new final season of Dexter. It was like seeing an old friend. The first few episodes were good but it became very predictable knowing they only did these 10 episodes to make up for the crappy way they ended the series previously. It was a better ending to the series the second time around but I wasn't happy with it.

If anyone who has already seen and finished it wants to start a separate thread for discussion so as not to reveal any spoilers here, feel free and I'll elaborate on what I liked and didn't.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on January 14, 2022, 09:54:14 AM
Watched the new James Bond film the other night (No Time to Die) and wasn't disappointed.

I won't spoil it for anyone, but it's definitely turning the page on any upcoming Bond films. The ending was....well, not going to spoil it. Once everyone gets to see it, I'd love some banter about the changes going on for 007

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on January 14, 2022, 08:46:51 AM
Just wrapped up "Dexter: New Blood." I was a fan of the original series, but I thought the final season was pretty weak, which left a bad taste in my mouth. So I went into this with only limited expectations, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

I can report that it was EXCELLENT. I'd give at no worse than an A-. Really tense and gripping plot, very good villain, good side characters, elite acting from Michael C Hall and solid acting from everyone else, very good dialogue (particularly when Dexter is talking to himself), and just good overall flow to the plot from episode to episode. I liked the wintry, small town setting too. I can firmly recommend this series. My wife and I took it down in basically four nights.

Quote from: T200 on January 14, 2022, 10:20:11 AM
I'll start a thread so folks who have seen it can discuss it openly  :ok:

Quote from: ozzie on January 14, 2022, 01:52:22 PM
This thread was getting a bit stagnant, I'm glad you revved it up again Lenn.
To be honest, I really haven't been watching much tv lately. Not sure why, I think it's just a combination of little time and less interest in what's being shown.
I did watch the Lucy & Desi movie though and my wife and I both thought about the same as you. I'd agree with your 2 1/2 rating and also agree that Nicole Kidman was just fantastic in it. She really did look, sound and act like Lucille Ball. Great job!

The one new (to me) show I have been watching is CARNIVAL ROW on Prime. I'm only 4 episodes in, but I find it interesting. It's a fantasy/sci fi/mystery thing.
Here's the synopsis from Prime:
Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne star in "Carnival Row," a Victorian fantasy world filled with mythological immigrant creatures whose rich homelands were invaded by the empires of man. This growing immigrant population struggles to coexist with humans in the grimiest section of the city -- forbidden to live, love, or fly with freedom. But even in darkness, hope lives, as a human detective, Rycroft Philostrate, and a refugee faerie named Vignette Stonemoss rekindle a dangerous affair despite an increasingly intolerant society. Vignette harbors a secret that endangers Philo's standing during his most important case yet: a string of gruesome murders threatening the uneasy peace of the Row. As Philo investigates, he reveals a monster no one could imagine

Haven't seen any of the new Dexter yet as I am not a subscriber to Showtime.

Quote from: LennG on January 13, 2022, 06:52:16 PM
I forgot to mention, we also watched the new movie on prime about Lucy and Desi, Being the Ricardo's, I believe on Prime.

Quote from: ps11yat14 on February 05, 2022, 02:40:47 PM
Just finished watching the new series on Amazon "Reacher"  I really enjoyed it. I have read all 21 Reacher books and have seen both movies with Tom Cruise. Love the books and enjoyed the movies but always felt Cruise was a poor choice for playing Reacher. This new series hits the mark with Alan Ritchson as Reacher because he is the real deal. If you know about Jack Reacher then I think you will like this show.

Bill

Quote from: Ed Vette on February 05, 2022, 03:30:42 PM
What

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on February 07, 2022, 09:17:23 AM
I have a young girlfriend who does not share my tastes in television so I am forced to compromise a lot.

We are rewatching a really good series that we watched 4 years ago and it's still good the second time around. It's called "Imposters" and is a "major con" story

Imposters is about a pretty woman who cons people into marriage then disappears after she cleans out their bank accounts including taking out second mortgages on her new home she inherits through marriage. She works for an evil character only known as "The Doctor" who is actually a surgeon somewhere in the U.S. Everyone who works for him is terrified of him as is she. He is deadly and she is forced to do these bad things or risk certain death.

To make a long story short and without giving away too many details, three past victims of her scheme find each other and decide to search for her and get answers.

It's worth watching if you haven't seen it. It's on Netflix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPpJ-_DpaUI

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on February 07, 2022, 09:17:23 AM
I have a young girlfriend who does not share my tastes in television so I am forced to compromise a lot.

We are rewatching a really good series that we watched 4 years ago and it's still good the second time around. It's called "Imposters" and is a "major con" story

Imposters is about a pretty woman who cons people into marriage then disappears after she cleans out their bank accounts including taking out second mortgages on her new home she inherits through marriage. She works for an evil character only known as "The Doctor" who is actually a surgeon somewhere in the U.S. Everyone who works for him is terrified of him as is she. He is deadly and she is forced to do these bad things or risk certain death.

To make a long story short and without giving away too many details, three past victims of her scheme find each other and decide to search for her and get answers.

It's worth watching if you haven't seen it. It's on Netflix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPpJ-_DpaUI

Quote from: Slugs Narrows on February 07, 2022, 01:42:52 PM
A young girlfriend!

Lucky man!  Hope she doesn

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on February 07, 2022, 03:42:40 PM
I wasn't in the market for a girlfriend and somehow things just came about in such a way that she fell out of the sky into my lap. I still haven't figured out if I'm "lucky" or not. Though our age difference is pretty stark (32 years), we work pretty well together. She's younger than my daughters who have told me they will never call here "Mom"...lol.

Biggest differences: tastes in music and movies

Quote from: T200 on February 07, 2022, 01:50:24 PM
Since we're already done with Ozark S4 Part I, we decided to watch Breaking Bad. We're in S4 right now. It's definitely worth the watch. I've heard people talking about it and it doesn't disappoint!

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on February 08, 2022, 09:29:45 AM
I watched all 8 episodes of "Reacher" last night and it was really good IMO. I've read every one of Lee Child's "Reacher" books and this series is about as close to the written stories of any production I've seen. The star is far more realistic than the "Reacher" movies in which Tom Cruise plays the lead. In fact, Child did an interview about this series and suggested a mammoth man for the part because so many fans (of his books) were annoyed, unhappy, pissed, whatever when in the movie they plugged in a 5'7" yappy movie star to play a 6'5" man-of-few-words, bruiser... so that was taken into consideration before casting for this series. Anyway, great series. It appears that each season is a complete story from one of his books - about the only way to do a book right IMO. Hopefully there's another season and more coming.

It's on Prime and I highly suggest it to anyone who likes mysteries combined with some serious ass-kicking, blood, murder, betrayal, intrigue, etc.

Just a tease:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-YNd31tSZg

Official trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDekbN4EtaE

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on February 08, 2022, 09:29:45 AM
I watched all 8 episodes of "Reacher" last night and it was really good IMO. I've read every one of Lee Child's "Reacher" books and this series is about as close to the written stories of any production I've seen. The star is far more realistic than the "Reacher" movies in which Tom Cruise plays the lead. In fact, Child did an interview about this series and suggested a mammoth man for the part because so many fans (of his books) were annoyed, unhappy, pissed, whatever when in the movie they plugged in a 5'7" yappy movie star to play a 6'5" man-of-few-words, bruiser... so that was taken into consideration before casting for this series. Anyway, great series. It appears that each season is a complete story from one of his books - about the only way to do a book right IMO. Hopefully there's another season and more coming.

It's on Prime and I highly suggest it to anyone who likes mysteries combined with some serious ass-kicking, blood, murder, betrayal, intrigue, etc.

Just a tease:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-YNd31tSZg

Official trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDekbN4EtaE

Quote from: LennG on February 08, 2022, 06:25:17 PM
Is this with the girlfriend or without her?

Quote from: ozzie on February 14, 2022, 08:51:41 AM
I saw a few ads for Nightmare Alley and thought it looked interesting. I didn't realize it was a remake until I happened to see it coming up on TCM.
I recorded the original, (1947) with Tyrone Power & Joan Blondell, but haven't had a chance to watch it yet. I would like to see it and then watch the remake and compare the two.

QuoteKristen Bell plays an agoraphobic, alcoholic woman who believes she witnessed a murder in this parody of the popular subgenre of thrillers that gave us The Girl on the Train and The Woman in the Window in recent years. A self-aware spoof that never takes itself too seriously, the series is carried by Bell

Quote from: LennG on February 20, 2022, 12:22:55 PM
A good friend told me about another newer series on Netflix, "The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window" and I am almost finished with it.


Each episode is only 1/2 an hour so watching this, it really flies by, but overall, I have found it interesting. On reading the synopsis, I thought more of a Rear Window type of thing, but it is much more light-hearted and still compelling. It is quite worthy of a binge-watch.
(I thought it would be something I could watch with my wife, but she didn't want to, but overall, after watching what I already have, she would have liked it--no blood, no scares, but alas, she missed out on this charming show).

Quote from: Sem on February 20, 2022, 12:28:13 PM
This one keeps popping up as "recommended" whenever I turn on Netflix. I may give it a try.

Quote from: T200 on February 20, 2022, 06:52:44 PM
We may go back and watch some of the earlier seasons. Each season stands on its own and aside from pure entertainment, they don't have any bearing on the subsequent seasons.

I really enjoyed Breaking Bad and Sharon liked it better than Ozark and she REALLY LOVED Ozark. It was a cleaner ending than Dexter but there are some aspects I didn't agree with, specifically with Hank's death.

El Camino is a good finale encore.

We're starting Inventing Anna tonight.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on February 08, 2022, 09:29:45 AM
I watched all 8 episodes of "Reacher" last night and it was really good IMO. I've read every one of Lee Child's "Reacher" books and this series is about as close to the written stories of any production I've seen. The star is far more realistic than the "Reacher" movies in which Tom Cruise plays the lead. In fact, Child did an interview about this series and suggested a mammoth man for the part because so many fans (of his books) were annoyed, unhappy, pissed, whatever when in the movie they plugged in a 5'7" yappy movie star to play a 6'5" man-of-few-words, bruiser... so that was taken into consideration before casting for this series. Anyway, great series. It appears that each season is a complete story from one of his books - about the only way to do a book right IMO. Hopefully there's another season and more coming.

It's on Prime and I highly suggest it to anyone who likes mysteries combined with some serious ass-kicking, blood, murder, betrayal, intrigue, etc.

Just a tease:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-YNd31tSZg

Official trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDekbN4EtaE

Quote from: LennG on February 20, 2022, 12:22:55 PM
A good friend told me about another newer series on Netflix, "The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window"  and I am almost finished with it.


Each episode is only 1/2 an hour so watching this, it really flies by, but overall, I have found it interesting. On reading the synopsis, I thought more of a Rear Window type of thing, but it is much more light-hearted and still compelling. It is quite worthy of a binge-watch.
(I thought it would be something I could watch with my wife, but she didn't want to, but overall, after watching what I already have, she would have liked it--no blood, no scares, but alas, she missed out on this charming show).

Quote from: LennG on February 28, 2022, 08:45:58 PM

We just finished watching the latest mini-series on the History Channel about Abraham Lincoln  (https://www.history.com/shows/abraham-lincoln).
It was 3 parts and each part of 2 1/2 hours long. If you DVR it, as I did, that 2 1/2 hours gets taken down to 2 hours. for each chapter.

I am a HUGE fan and devotee of the Civil War, and try to gobble up anything shown about it. I am far from an expert but I am a bit knowledgeable about certain aspects of the war, about Lincoln etc. If there is something new about the Civil War shown anywhere, I'll be first online to view it. I don't read much anymore and there are some fascinating books I should read, but, well, I just don't. I have had the honor to visit and tour quite a few battlefields of the Civil War, from Manassas to Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania to name a few.

Anyway, I looked, with great anticipation, to this mini-series. My darling wife, who knows nothing of the Civil War even though she toured with me all those battlefields, does enjoy a series about history also watched.

So, overall, it was good but not as good as I had hoped it would be. Maybe I expected more as this series veered off on tangents sometimes spending a lot of time talking and showing Frederick Douglas. It did hit several key points in Lincoln's life but also, as someone who does know something about the Civil War, had some glaring mistakes, but, hey, it's TV.

Maybe what took some of the enjoyment of this away was the gentleman who portrayed Lincoln (Graham Sibley). I don't know, maybe I was spoiled by Daniel Day-Lewis when he portrayed Lincoln as he WAS Lincoln. This gentleman really never even looked anything like Lincoln and maybe my biggest grip was his voice. Lincoln was a big man and since we have no idea what his voice was, I always imagined it to be a husky, deep sort of voice. Mr. Sibley's voice was sort of high pitched and I never, for even an instant, thought he was Lincoln. Every time he talked I sort of cringed, but he did a very good job as far as acting is concerned.

Overall, I would recommend it especially if you like or what to learn things about the Civil War.

Quote from: kartanoman on March 02, 2022, 09:57:07 PM
Hi Lenn.

I'm with you all the way other History Channel's Lincoln documentary. It was very moving, very powerful and the acting was superb.

History has done an outstanding job with its presidential documentaries. Washington and Grant were phenomenal productions and I am very excited that Teddy Roosevelt will be their next documentary in May.

History is my favorite channel, hands down. More than anything, I am beyond obsessed with The Curse of Oak Island. This series is a childhood dream come true for me. I first learned about Oak Island through the old Leonard Nimoy series, In Search Of. I was so mesmerized at the idea of the treasure at the bottom of the pit. So glad the Lagina brothers and History gave us that show, drama and all.

Peace!

Quote from: ozzie on March 02, 2022, 08:21:21 PM
I just started this today and yes, the episodes fly by. I watched 4 in one sitting without even realizing it. As Lenn said "light hearted and compelling" is a good way to describe it. Very enjoyable so far.

Quote from: LennG on December 04, 2021, 07:07:57 PM
So a week or so ago, I sort of killed a new Western on Netflix. Today I read another new Western type movie that was just out, again on Netflix, "Power of the Dog"

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_power_of_the_dog  Rotten Tomatoes review

so it was something that really looked different, a gritty type western set in the early 1920s. I love realism and was hoping that this would fit the bill.
Well, I was right on the realism part, the imagery, the sets and just about everything else was very good, For me, the problem was this story was so quirky and utterly impossible to believe, when it ended I sat there realizing I wasted another few hours. I was so disappointed in this movie from the mid-way point and beyond it just elaft me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Briefly, 2 brothers, one a hard-driving cowboy, the other a more reserved and business-like. The reserved on marries a lady he meets with a son who, let's say is a bit awkward when it comes to being a cowboy and seems to have again, what one might say are feminine quirks, a sissy to put it bluntly. The cowboy brother is relentless in not wanting to conform to more modern-day things including the new wife. This goes on thru about 1/2 the movie then all of a sudden he takes a liking to the boy and decides to help make him more of a cowboy. I won't even go into it anymore.

For me, another very promising movie, ends up in the crapper, to put it honestly.

Quote from: LennG on February 20, 2022, 12:22:55 PM
A good friend told me about another newer series on Netflix, "The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window"  and I am almost finished with it.


Each episode is only 1/2 an hour so watching this, it really flies by, but overall, I have found it interesting. On reading the synopsis, I thought more of a Rear Window type of thing, but it is much more light-hearted and still compelling. It is quite worthy of a binge-watch.
(I thought it would be something I could watch with my wife, but she didn't want to, but overall, after watching what I already have, she would have liked it--no blood, no scares, but alas, she missed out on this charming show).

Quote from: Sem on February 20, 2022, 12:28:13 PM
This one keeps popping up as "recommended" whenever I turn on Netflix. I may give it a try.

Quote from: LennG on February 20, 2022, 01:03:08 PM
It's just an 'easy' watch, Steve. Ms. Bell is quite enjoyable to watch, anytime.   :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Quote from: Sem on March 06, 2022, 11:21:13 PM
Finally started watching this tonight. Two episodes in and enjoying it.

Quote from: LennG on March 07, 2022, 09:59:41 PM
Steve

A very easy watch with each episode only 1/2 hour.  You can finish it in no time. Let me know what you think?

Quote from: GordonGekko80 on March 15, 2022, 03:24:16 AM
Not sure we have guys who are into Formula 1... But I have just finished DRIVE TO SURVIVE Season 4 on Netflix.

A documentary about one of the best and tightest Formula 1 seasons ever.

Quote from: LennG on March 08, 2022, 01:32:12 PM
An update on some of the things I am watching

My wife and I are heavily involved with the new Lost In Space on Netflix. We have now finished season 2 and as of now, it is pretty good. I don't know the history of this show but I would guess it started on TV with commercials as there are definite spots where you can see where they would be. Plus, each episode is 45 minutes long, leaving 15 minutes for commercials. That said, because of where it was made or shown, the lead characters are always in trouble, life-threatening trouble, space trouble but you know nothing is going to happen to them. For me, that is a bummer. Not that I wish evil on any character, but knowing they will always come out on top sort of takes the suspense out of many of these so-called problems. But again, overall, a decent enough watch.

Reacher--I have finished the 1st season run and enjoyed it very much. The dude that plays Reacher is pretty good and knows his character very well. My one problem with this is that in the first couple of episodes, Reacher is in fights with 3,4, and 5 guys and barely works up a sweat, but later on he fights a couple of the main baddies, and at one point, gets his ass whupped for a while. Just didn't seem pausable to me considering how he fought early on. But that is a minor point and I will definitely watch any future seasons.

Vikings  Valhalla--- My favorite show so far. As I wrote in my first post on this, I was a HUGE fan of the Vikings series on History and then on Prime, I think. This type of show is really in my wheelhouse. As I said before, you do not have had to see the original Vikings to watch this, as nothing, except references to the old people, are ever mentioned. This series stands on its own. I thoroughly enjoyed this series--good writing, lots of action, and much-underhanded trickery. Great battle scene in the final episode. If you are into this sort of stuff, you will enjoy this series, I did very much.

Quote from: gregf on March 15, 2022, 06:13:17 PM
Hey Lenn. I can read front porch now on taptalk.   I loved Reacher. You mentioned Valhalla. Have you watched Lost Kingdom?  I just finished last season, real good stuff for Vikiings fans. 

Sent from my SM-A516U using Tapatalk

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on March 31, 2022, 11:37:40 AM
I watched "Moon Knight" last night - released yesterday on Disney. Kinda creepy - not sure I like it. It's a series and only the first episode has been released. Perhaps it kicks in once the main character is better defined. Right now he just seems really confused and things don't make a lot of sense. Maybe to other people they do, but not me. I will continue to watch it as new episodes come out. There was a lot of hype over this show in the last month.

Quote from: LennG on March 31, 2022, 01:19:25 PM
Funny, but since I really started getting into series, I can't watch one episode a week anymore. Even shows that I like that are on once a week, I DVR them and watch when I get maybe 4 shows so I can really get into a series and see if I really want to continue. If I watch a series that drops once a week and it doesn't pique my interest right away, I may watch some other episodes, but eventually, I'll quit.
I am doing that with TWD right now and I also watch Survivor which I have about 4 episodes in so I might start to watch it.

Quote from: gregf on April 07, 2022, 10:49:49 PM
Hey Lenn, have you tried the series Poldark?   The movie is aweful, but there is a 2 season series that is excellent. Follows a British soldier after the revolution War going home finding his family fortune in ruins.  He rebuilds and eventually  marries his serving wench he brings in to the upper society. The time piece, copper mine work, ocean shots, love triangle, protagonist antagonist plot are all outstanding. 

Sent from my SM-A516U using Tapatalk

Quote from: ozzie on May 16, 2022, 01:23:21 PM
Saw The Lost City a few weeks ago and I agree, it was a fun movie.
Uncharted looks like another fun one, but I haven't seen it yet.

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on May 19, 2022, 01:05:24 PM
I started watching "Lincoln Lawyer" (the new Netflix series, not the moviewith Matthew McConaughey and Marisa Tomei....although any movie with Tomei is worth it...LOL) because I like legal thrillers. It's a Netflix produced series that just premiered a couple of days ago. I've watched 4 episodes so far and I like it. If you liked HBO's remake of Perry Mason, you might like this although set in today's time era unlike that Mason series

I've read all of Michael Connelly's books so I'm quite familiar with the character (plays Mickey Haller) and the type of dramas he gets into. So far, pretty accurate to the book's characterization of Haller

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au06yHMuMGc

Quote from: EDjohnst1981 on May 19, 2022, 05:14:45 PM
I

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on May 19, 2022, 05:28:11 PM
No kidding...I did not know we had an author on this site. I've been trying to write a book, but struggle with many things...mostly a young girlfriend that gives me no peace and quiet so I can work, but I digress. What is your genre and have I read anything you've published?

Quote from: EDjohnst1981 on May 19, 2022, 08:32:59 PM
My stuff is academic rather than anything else, all about criminal law.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on May 19, 2022, 01:05:24 PM
I started watching "Lincoln Lawyer" (the new Netflix series, not the moviewith Matthew McConaughey and Marisa Tomei....although any movie with Tomei is worth it...LOL) because I like legal thrillers. It's a Netflix produced series that just premiered a couple of days ago. I've watched 4 episodes so far and I like it. If you liked HBO's remake of Perry Mason, you might like this although set in today's time era unlike that Mason series

I've read all of Michael Connelly's books so I'm quite familiar with the character (plays Mickey Haller) and the type of dramas he gets into. So far, pretty accurate to the book's characterization of Haller

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au06yHMuMGc

Quote from: LennG on May 21, 2022, 07:14:38 PM
On YOUR recommendation, (and a lot of advertising on Netflix) we started watching this series. I am also a sucker for lawyer-based shows though I still never liked Perry Mason (perhaps the fact that he never could lose enters into that).

Anyway, after one episode, it looks promising BUT there are several things that sort of rub me the wrong way. Why the Black girl's case was completely dismissed. She DID steal the necklace even if it weren't as valuable as they thought. How can they just dismiss it?

QuoteAnd this high-profile case will probably be the heart of the entire series. This dude will be on trial for his life and all of a sudden his hand-picked lawyer is dead and this new guy has it. AND he tells him that come hell or high water he wants to go to trial in a week. REALLY. Who in their right mind would even want to do that. I understand his reasoning for wanting it over but come on, you will be on trial for murder and you want your NEW lawyer to be ready to go in a week. Just preposterous.
We will stay with it as the main character is likable enough.

Quote from: LennG on May 22, 2022, 12:41:01 PM
I sure hope so. We are 3 episodes in now and I do find it interesting. It boggles my mind how much this star looks like Bobby from The Practice. Another older TV show about all these lawyers who only want to 'do the right thing'. We enjoyed that show very much.

OK, I fully know there are more things that aren't being shown yet and why this rich dude wants this over with ASAP, but it still makes no sense, and NO good lawyer would agree. Maybe I'll eat my words, later on, but if Haller is basing his new reprieve of career on this case, it would benefit him tremendously not to lose it, rather than backing off. I know it's TV and we just have to accept it as it is, as with so many other shows, but I still find it absurd.

As for the Black girl who they let off. I realize the circumstances of what happened, but it isn't up to the guy who it was stolen from, it is up to the DA and she still stole something and she needs some sort of punishment for that. SHE didn't know it was fake and she was committing grand larceny in her attempt. To just shrug your shoulders and make light of it, well maybe I'm getting too old but there needs to be some form of punishment for a crime as she admitted to the theft. They make this seem like a joke.

Quote from: Rosehill Jimmy on May 22, 2022, 06:07:41 PM

Quote from: Rosehill Jimmy on May 22, 2022, 06:07:41 PM

Quote from: LennG on May 22, 2022, 08:09:45 PM
That IS something that piques my interest. I'll check it out. Where is it on?

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on May 22, 2022, 07:00:41 PM
You sound like you have read Connelly. Bosch is actually the main character in most of Connelly's series and Haller is just an old friend of his who ended up getting a few novels written just for him. Both are good characters and I had thought about Bosch showing up in Lincoln Lawyer, but he didn't. They are planning a second series, but there hasn't been a release date yet so who knows when it will hit the screen again. I'm hoping they work Bosch into the future Lincoln Lawyer series and it would be interesting to see who they cast for the role. The Bosch series seemed to miss the mark to me in the casting

Quote from: kartanoman on May 27, 2022, 03:43:39 PM
Getting primed for this weekend's History Channel documentary "Theodore Roosevelt" starting May 30. Preview here:

https://play.history.com/shows/theodore-roosevelt/videos/preview-theodore-roosevelt (https://play.history.com/shows/theodore-roosevelt/videos/preview-theodore-roosevelt)

History Channel's documentaries on the presidents (e.g. Washington, Grant, Lincoln) have been both masterful and insightful to the presidential era as well as the human being in office. Can't wait!

Peace!

Quote from: MightyGiants on May 30, 2022, 04:42:34 PM
I am watching the Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix.   Very compelling


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on June 03, 2022, 10:37:29 AM
I have HBO Max through Hulu so I got to watch the new Batman movie: my review is that it's a little too long, very dark and dreary, less cartoonic than earlier versions. It's okay, but I'm glad I didn't pay to watch it at a theater

Quote from: MightyGiants on June 03, 2022, 10:40:27 AM
Most Superhero movies make one want to be a superhero.  The new Batman movie made one thing, "what a dreary and depressing job, I would never want to be a superhero"

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on June 13, 2022, 05:34:18 PMStarted watching "Banshee" on Hulu. I'm about 5 episodes in the 4 season show. Pretty friggin wild. A professional thief spends 15 years in prison and after getting out, ends up in a small town in Pennsylvania (Banshee) to avoid being killed by the mob in NYC and due to a mix up, becomes the Sheriff of Banshee. Cop by day, crook by night, lover of many women. He has the NYC mob after him and there is a pair of competing ultra-crooked mob-types in the town. One run by the son of an Amish man who basically runs the town and has every important person on his payroll, the other a group of wild rednecks

Warning: lots and lots of sex in this show and they show far more than a typical R-rated movie so keep in mind if you have children in the house...leaves very little to the imagination and the Sheriff beds an awful lot of women - usually at least 2 an episode including a hot Amish girl Rebekah (played by Lili Simmons who played the older Selena (Cat Woman) in the series "Gotham")

Lots of blood and violence, lots of sex, lots of killin, some pretty dang gory stuff, and a wild ride. Right up my alley after having withdrawal symptoms from ending of Ozark  :what:

Quote from: LennG on June 13, 2022, 08:48:36 PMNow that sounds like something that I would like. As yiu said, Ozark hangover.

Quote from: LennG on June 15, 2022, 08:12:49 PMRic

I tried to start to watch Banchee on Hulu. I have basic Hulu and when I tried to watch it told me it was on Cinemax and, not Hulu.


Where are you watching it?

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on June 17, 2022, 02:02:05 PMLooks very interesting. I'm learning a lot about tribal reservations, laws and such, by watching Banshee right now. Between the Amish, the Red-Neck bad guys, a NYC Ukranian mobster and his gan, and a bunch of rowdy Indians - I am being schooled. Hence, the native American side of this intrigues me. Looks like the only way to get it is to sign up for it on AMC+

Curious, how many episodes and seasons is this show? If it's like 8 episodes and 1 season, I'll just go the 10 day free trial and binge it...  =))

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on June 19, 2022, 10:25:38 AMMy wife and I just got done with the final episode (episode 10) of "The Offer." I could not recommend this mini-series more highly. It's an absolute must-watch. Superb acting, superb script, great characters, great job of capturing the time period, just an all-around top notch show. You don't even have to like the movie "The Godfather" to enjoy this series. Just outstanding.

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on June 19, 2022, 11:00:02 AMI checked out the trailer and it looks good. I'm going to put it in my "to watch" list. I always liked movies about movies being made and the real stories going on behind the scenes on the screen. I also like Collin Hanks. My favorite movie of this genre is probably "Get Shorty" which isn't nearly as serious as this one looks because there was a lot of subtle humor. I also enjoyed "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". Thanks for the suggestion

Quote from: y_so_blu on June 25, 2022, 02:53:56 PMForged in Fire, the manliest reality/game show ever created. Just watching it adds hair to my chest and makes me want to burn down my house attempting to forge a blade.

Quote from: Sem on June 26, 2022, 11:23:50 AMOne of my friends, a teacher at a middle school I work at, was on this show.

Quote from: y_so_blu on June 27, 2022, 01:35:21 AMThat's awesome! Did he win?

Quote from: y_so_blu on June 27, 2022, 01:35:21 AMThat's awesome! Did he win?

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on July 04, 2022, 05:51:09 PM"The Terminal List" looks like something I would like. I'll check it out. Been watching "The Old Man". A little slow with spurts of extreme action. It's a good show. Not as good as "Banshee", but good

Quote from: LennG on July 18, 2022, 11:18:22 AMCome on guys, I'm sure we are all watching something, let's hear about it.

We finally finished watching "Lost In Space' after a lengthy break from the last season. I liked the first two seasons, but the last one, well, they just ran out of ideas. Special Effects were very good, and if you were any fan of the original TV series, you might like this a bit more. When I was reviewing it, when we watched, my main theme was that no matter what peril our fearless clan got into and there were many, you always knew nothing bad was going to happen and that alone, takes a lot of the energy out of this series for me.

So moving on, we have found a new series to watch, 'Inventing Anna' stsarring all us Ozark fans, Julia Garner (Ruth) in a completely different type of role and she is just great in this. As most series these days it is only 8-9 episodes and this is year one (I doubt if there will be a year 2).
Just a brief synopsis, Anna has basically fooled all of high Society and NY financial people into thinking she is rich and wants to buy a building on Park Ave and make it into a foundation for herself. We watched episode one and thought it was silly and boring, but once it really gets going, it really piqued our interest. We are now 6 episodes in and we watch one a night and can't wait for the next one. This series has no action, and a lot of cursing, but it is fascinating how one woman with 'balls' can hoodwink entire financial institutions into going along with her and her plans. Whenever she gets in trouble, she always finds ways to manipulate people into believing her and just her brashness goes a long way.
Not giving anything away because it starts with her getting caught and a reporter is a sort of delving into the story and thru flashbacks, we see how she accomplished all this.
Very entertaining, and Ms. Garner is just a joy to watch in a great role for her.

https://www.netflix.com/Title/81008305

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on July 18, 2022, 12:28:44 PMI watched "Inventing Anna" a few weeks ago and enjoyed it. It's very close to the real Anna for whom the movie was made. And Garner absolutely nails the role and looks somewhat similar to the real Anna. Garner is an up 'n comer IMO after her role on Ozark. And she's going to be a female star who didn't make it to the big screen because of a pretty face and oversexed body. She simply has real talent. Highly recommend the series. The real Anna has been in the news lately concerning legal issues and even the building in the movie, which is the real building the real Anna tried to buy is in the news lately

I've basically been keeping up with "Only Murders in the Building" and "The Old Man" - both on Hulu. I like Only Murders.. more than the Old Man, but that's just my personal taste. I hate having to wait a week for each episode. At least for anyone wanting to check out "Only Murders in the Building", the first season is available to binge and the first 4 or 5 episodes of the second season

I watched the first season of "Quantico" that I found interesting and I liked it okay. Unfortunately, my girlfriend did not so I'm not on to season two. She has done some serious complaining about my taste in movies lately so I've let her choose most of the shows the last few days. I won't recommend them unless you are into teen movies and romances  :sick:

I did get to binge watch all three movies of "The Expendables"...lotta action, lotta killin, massive explosions, interesting military machinery and guns, etc. Most interesting is the long, long list of incredible Hollywood stars who are in this movie who almost always play lead rolds. Here's just some of them:

Sylvester Stallone
Arnold Schwarzenneger
Jason Stratham
Harrison Ford
Bruce Willis
Wesley Snipes
Dolph Lundgren
Jean Claude Van Damme
Antonio Banderas
Mickey Rourke
Mel Gibson
Chuck Norris
Steve "Stone Cold" Austin
Eric Roberts (Julia's brother)
And dozens of others you'd recognize, but maybe not their names. How they got all these typical lead-action actors to work together is amazing. Don't know how they didn't have Tom Cruise in them LOL

"Expendables 4" is supposed to be released sometime this year

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on July 18, 2022, 08:30:16 PMMy girlfriend and I tried "Sex Education" and she didn't like it. She can't stand British accents or something silly like that. She's a hard girl to please when it comes to television shows and movies

Speaking of watching a movie that the wifey will love is "Jane the Virgin" (I believe it's on Netflix). It was the most watched show on Netflix for several months and set records until Ozark blew everything out of the water. Every woman I've ever told to give it a try comes back and tells me it's their favorite show. There's enough murder and mystery to even keep men interested. It's really a fun show to watch

Did you ever get a chance to watch Banshee? You do need an HBO add-on for that and you can probably get 10 days free on the Hulu site. You might be able to binge it in 10 days, but will be a little tough

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on July 21, 2022, 09:40:34 AMTwo shows I've never watched will make many of you gasp. I haven't seen "Better Call Saul" or "Breaking Bad". I started watching Breaking Bad a couple times and just couldn't get into it. I also tried Better Call Saul about five years ago and just dropped out for reasons that I can't remember (pre-Covid I had an active social life)

Regardless, last night I finally gave "Better Call Saul" another chance and after four episodes, I love it. So happy to find something to fill my evenings with and to top it off, my girlfriend likes it too so there's no power struggle over the remote  :ok:

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on July 21, 2022, 10:21:25 AMIt's pretty challenging to watch and fully appreciate Better Call Saul if you have never seen Breaking Bad, isn't it?

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on July 21, 2022, 10:21:25 AMIt's pretty challenging to watch and fully appreciate Better Call Saul if you have never seen Breaking Bad, isn't it?

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on July 21, 2022, 09:40:34 AMTwo shows I've never watched will make many of you gasp. I haven't seen "Better Call Saul" or "Breaking Bad". I started watching Breaking Bad a couple times and just couldn't get into it. I also tried Better Call Saul about five years ago and just dropped out for reasons that I can't remember (pre-Covid I had an active social life)

Regardless, last night I finally gave "Better Call Saul" another chance and after four episodes, I love it. So happy to find something to fill my evenings with and to top it off, my girlfriend likes it too so there's no power struggle over the remote  :ok:

Quote from: LennG on July 21, 2022, 12:28:11 PMBetter Call Saul could be, literally, the best show on TV right now. It is so well written, so well acted, so well photographed and filmed, it is just great.

You could definitely watch BCS without ever having watched BB--ask Ed, who didn't watch BB but is a fan of BCS. Many of the characters in BCS are from BB and in certain situations, you know that certain characters aren't going to die as they are in BB, but, a gain, I simply cannot stress it enough times, Better Call Saul will go down as one of the greatest TV series ever. Just the3 way it is filmed and presented is something special.
If you do decide to watch it, you have to stick with it as it does go at a very quick pace at times. It is funny, serious, and brutal many times, as with BB don't get attached to too many characters.

Don't know how much you know about the character-Saul Goodman, who becomes an instant classic character on Breaking Bad. BCS tells of how he morphed from a mild-mannered, weak, just passing the bar, lawyer Jimmy McGill into the antihero Saul Goodman.

Just in a few words MUST WATCH.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on July 21, 2022, 12:38:39 PMI have watched BB, but it was a while ago, so I may need a refresher. Unlike with the Sopranos and a few other shows, I have never re-watched any of Breaking Bad, so it has been a long time.

I have heard nothing but unanimous high praise for BCS, so I will definitely watch it. I'm in the middle of two other series right now though, and there is a limit to how much I want to be in the middle of at the same time, as this tends to result in me forgetting about a series and just losing touch with it. I watch a fair amount of sports, so I only have so much time for other stuff. I'll strongly consider delving into BCS once I am done with what I am currently watching.

Quote from: LennG on July 21, 2022, 12:39:38 PMI'm not sure who posted about the new AMC series, Dark Winds. I said I would start it once I've finished my other watch and I have. I am now 4 episodes in and I do like it. I thought, from some of the previews, it would be more active, but it really isn't that, but I have always been a sucker for westerns, even though this isn't in the genre, but I love the way they show the Indians and their lives compared to what we think of as decent living.
Maybe the biggest plus, at least for me, is the film location, Monument Valley. I have spoken about this place several times, have posted many of my pics from here and I consider it one of the top 5 places one must see if traveling around the USA. It is truly spectacular. Even the shots from the show do not do it justice.

Quote from: MightyGiants on July 21, 2022, 03:10:43 PMBCS is the prequel to Breaking Bad.  While I guess you could enjoy BCS on it's own, I think you do lose many references if you don't watch Breaking Bad first

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on July 21, 2022, 03:12:40 PMthanks, but if BCS is a prequel, how can you lose references in BB which would come later  :-??

Quote from: MightyGiants on July 21, 2022, 03:15:13 PMGood question, I guess having watched BB first, I find that many answers are given and situations expanded upon in the prequel.  Now that you asked it that way, I guess in theory, you could watch them in order.

It's sort of like the Star Wars movies, which were also told out of order

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on July 21, 2022, 03:12:40 PMthanks, but if BCS is a prequel, how can you lose references in BB which would come later:-??

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on July 21, 2022, 03:38:26 PMThanks for your insight Lenn. I have a lot of respect for you opinion since we seem to like all the same things  :ok:

Well, except that you hate my Yanks  :(  LOL

Quote from: LennG on July 21, 2022, 04:11:31 PMHate is putting it mildly.    =))  =))  =))  =))

Quote from: T200 on July 21, 2022, 04:54:51 PMI really did laugh out loud!!!

You crack me up, Lenny!!!  :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on July 21, 2022, 03:38:26 PMThanks for your insight Lenn. I have a lot of respect for you opinion since we seem to like all the same things  :ok:

Well, except that you hate my Yanks  :(  LOL

Quote from: ozzie on August 07, 2022, 08:50:43 AMI have just gotten into a show on Amazon Prime called Eureka. Not sure what station originally carried it, but it was on for 5 seasons starting in 2006.
It's about the fictional town Eureka, Oregon which was created by the government to be a "think tank" sort of place for geniuses to live and work on projects that could benefit mankind.
The new Sheriff is a former FBI investigator who is NOT a genius and is still getting used to the place while having to solve the many problems that arise in a town of brainiacs who's "experiments" often go very wrong.
There is also a "Top Secret" Military angle to all of this and some resistance from one or two folks towards the Sheriff.
I like the cast, the show has some laughs and does not take itself seriously while holding my interest. Episodes are about 45 minutes or so without the commercials. So, if you enjoy some light sci-fi, check it out.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796264/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796264/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)

Quote from: MightyGiants on August 07, 2022, 08:55:04 AMI watched that series years ago on Netflix.  enjoyable light fair

Quote from: jimv on August 11, 2022, 03:07:05 PMI really don't watch series.  I watch movies instead.  I just watched "Lost City" with Sandra Bullock.  But I was very disappointed in it.  The makers just didn't seem to decide if it was to be a comedy/adventure or a straight adventure.  To me, it made it all screwed up.

Quote from: ozzie on August 14, 2022, 09:36:12 AMThanks for the tip on "Night Sky", sounds interesting. I'll put it in my queue.

Quote from: LennG on August 13, 2022, 07:59:48 PMLast night me and the missus decided to try a new series (for us) "Night Sky" on Prime. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13361448/
Several people told me they have enjoyed it, so we decided to give it a shot. We are thru episode 3 and we like it a lot. Quickly, an elderly couple, Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons ( truly one of my favorite actors now, really getting a chance to star), have a deep secret in their old house, a sort of portal to another world.
Suddenly a visitor appears in their secret place and it does get more interesting. Maybe it is the relationship between Spacek and Rollins playing a very old married couple, that we associate with very much, but we love the interaction between the two of them. Can't wait to continue it.

 Now for the bad. My wife went up to take a nap so I thought I would try another fairly new series on Netflix, "Keep Breathing"       https://www.netflix.com/title/81276119
A brand new series (6 episodes and each is about 30-35 minutes long) so I watched the entire series this afternoon.
It is the story of a lady who hitches a ride in a small plane and it crashes in an out-of-the-way place in Alaska. She survives and has to survive and try and make her way to get rescued. Sounds simple enough, except they decide to also show her life story, from little girl to adult, and her relationship with her mother, father, and boyfriend. To me, they spent way too much time in her prior life, trying to show what made her, her in the present. I LOVE these make your way to freedom tales and thought I would like this, and if they would have concentrated on her and how she managed to survive and get out, then IMVHO it would have been a much better story. Instead, they opted for this psychoanalysis of her entire life, her troubled relationship with her father, mother, and boyfriend/co-worker to the point I had to fast forward it thru the final two episodes.
Now others may well like this interjection in a survival story, but I didn't. Thumbs down for me. Lucky I only wasted a couple of good hours on it.

Quote from: LennG on August 15, 2022, 11:32:47 AMDave

 it WAS a great premise, but too bad, they really screwed with it too much and yes, trash is a good word for it.

As I said I would, I have started watching 'The Old Man'. I have only seen the first episode, but that is enough to make me want to see a lot more. I'm sure I will enjoy the series.

Quote from: ozzie on August 15, 2022, 01:26:27 PMI started watching "The Old Man" and enjoyed the first 2 or 3 episodes, but then it kind of lost me with too many flashbacks and things started to get confusing and somewhat boring for me, so I just let it go.
Great cast with Bridges and Lithgow, but just not the show for me.

Quote from: LennG on August 17, 2022, 11:35:26 AMWe just finished Night Sky last night and, you know, we were a bit disappointed. I've raved about the show and thru the first 6 (of 8) episodes we were enthralled with it, but then, what happens to so many series, it starts with more and more subplots and loses some of the attraction (at least for us) that we saw in it.

Now I'm not saying it wasn't good, it was, but the last two episodes, for us, just were plain silly in what they presented. I'm not going to give anything away, so anyone who wants to watch it, should, but it does set up another season (if there is to be one) and we were very unhappy with the way this one ended.

We compared it to Manifest in a way, where it had such a great premiss to start, and little by little it started into more and more ridiculous subplots that completely turned me off on this show. I hope, if Night Sky gets a second season, they will concentrate on what was really good about the show (the 2 wonderful lead actors) and less about al the silly subplots.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on September 24, 2022, 06:00:18 AMMy wife and I started the new Netflix Series about Jeffrey Dahmer. I believe the actual title is "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story."

We have now watched 4 episodes. I would give it a B+ or so so far. First off, I would not say it's scary. It's more that it's gross. There are a number of scenes so far that made me squeamish, not just involving humans but also involving gutting animal carcasses and what not. Having said that, the guy who plays Dahmer does a good job, and it's interesting to see how this person developed from childhood.

I wouldn't recommend it if you get squeamish easily, as that would make it hard to enjoy, but if you can handle a few gross scenes, then I think it's worth a try. Again I'm only four episodes in, but I wanted to flag it here since I know most of you have Netflix.

Quote from: LennG on September 24, 2022, 11:52:23 AMI would certainly be interested in A Dalmer story, but what was/is the real purpose of all the som called squeamish scenes? Is that just for grossing people out? To attract a certain type of crowd? Could the story have been told the same way with those particular scenes?

I don't want to get on a soap box, but movies today have to try and make it as real as possible, when, in fact, a good story, acting, a script are every bit as enticing as cursing, nudity, and gore, at least I think so. (Down off my soap box).

Quote from: squibber on September 29, 2022, 11:42:36 AMI watched a low budget movie on Tubi called The Oak Room.  If you like story telling, you might like this one.

An alcoholic drifter returns to a bar after being away for months. He owes the bartender for a big tab. The drifter said he has a story to tell him that is so good that if the bartender likes it will he tear up his bar tab? The bartender plays along. At first the bartender is not impressed and tells the drifter a story that will impress him. The drifter implores the bartender to let him finish his story. it is worth it.

I agree. The drifter's story is worth it.  Good movie but a warning. There is a gory scene.

Quote from: Sem on September 29, 2022, 11:53:33 AMOK, you have my attention. I might check it out.

Quote from: LennG on September 29, 2022, 01:56:02 PMDid the mention of the 'gory scene' do it for you Steve?   :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on October 07, 2022, 09:11:12 AMSPOILER ALERT

Released on Disney+ yesterday

Watched "Hocus Pocus 2" last night...well, the first half of it. Started out strong while going back to the 1600s in Salem with a great cast of young girls playing the Sanders' Sisters. Then when it comes back to 2022, it became a real sleeper for us. New supporting cast is super boring. Nothing like the last cast with a cocky kid from California, his sidekick girl and his adorable younger sister. No cat with a kid's soul in it and basically - very boring storyline. I'll probably try to get through the second half tonight, but I can't guarantee it. Both my girlfriend and I were excited about a sequel to the original great movie and are very disappointed. Maybe it will heat up for us, or maybe we'll never bother to finish it if it doesn't kick in pretty soon

Conclusion: :boooo:

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on October 07, 2022, 06:21:08 AMMy wife and I watched the new movie "Blonde" on Netflix last night, which is a biopic about Marilyn Monroe's life. We both thought it was terrible. Run time two hours and 46 minutes too. Nearly 3 hours of our lives we'll never get back. Just incredibly boring, slow, disjointed, seemingly no point, lots of wannabe artsy-fartsy filming techniques that got old very quickly, constant screaming and crying, just truly unwatchable. Easily the worst full length movie I have seen in 2022 and probably one of the 2-3 worst of the past 5 years. I absolutely hated it.

Quote from: LennG on October 07, 2022, 01:57:46 PMTell us how you really think of it Dave   =))  =))  =))  =))


Anyway, I had read terrible things about it also and was going to try and watch it anyway, now I'll find something else.

Quote from: ps11yat14 on October 07, 2022, 09:42:47 AMThis is on the watch list. Wife and daughter and grandson want to watch it. I wasn't that crazy about the first one but I'm not a Bette Midler fan.

Bill

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on October 07, 2022, 03:01:22 PMI suspect they will be disappointed. The first Hocus Pocus was a must watch kids' classic right up there with The Wizard of Oz, The Goonies, Sandlot, and in my opinion (FWIW), Second Hand Lions and We Bought a Zoo

Quote from: ps11yat14 on October 07, 2022, 05:25:22 PMWizard is a classic, the goonies was very good as was the sandlot. Second hand lions was really good but I could be bias because I like Robert Duvall.

Bill

Quote from: LennG on October 09, 2022, 12:59:22 PMSo last night, me and the missus tried to find a movie that we both might enjoy (getting tougher these days). On looking at Netflix, I read about a new movie, a bit of a supernatural thing, by Steven King that might appeal to us. 'Mr. Harrington's Phone' was our choice.   

https://www.netflix.com/title/81288353

It starred a great Donald Southerland, as a very rich old man who wanted someone to read books to him. To me, a perfect part for Mr. Southerland is a miserly old man, who was ruthless in business, and had no family or friends but had this young man come in, reading books to him 3 times a week.
The story is basically about their relationship over the course of years until the older man passes away. Then, maybe, strange things start to happen with the use of a cell phone.
We both enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to anyone. It is typical of Steven King, as it takes place in a very rural town in Maine and the characters are typical of that setting. Where it veers a bit, is it isn't scary, no horror, just some pretty good suspense and story.
Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.

Quote from: LennG on October 09, 2022, 12:59:22 PMSo last night, me and the missus tried to find a movie that we both might enjoy (getting tougher these days). On looking at Netflix, I read about a new movie, a bit of a supernatural thing, by Steven King that might appeal to us. 'Mr. Harrington's Phone' was our choice.   

https://www.netflix.com/title/81288353

It starred a great Donald Southerland, as a very rich old man who wanted someone to read books to him. To me, a perfect part for Mr. Southerland is a miserly old man, who was ruthless in business, and had no family or friends but had this young man come in, reading books to him 3 times a week.
The story is basically about their relationship over the course of years until the older man passes away. Then, maybe, strange things start to happen with the use of a cell phone.
We both enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to anyone. It is typical of Steven King, as it takes place in a very rural town in Maine and the characters are typical of that setting. Where it veers a bit, is it isn't scary, no horror, just some pretty good suspense and story.
Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.

Quote from: LennG on October 12, 2022, 12:32:53 PMThis week, if you have an AMEX card there is a deal where you can get a year of HBO Max for $104 and get a $50 statement credit, so it basically costs $55 for the year, and no commercials.

I have signed up and for the first time in a long time, I now have HBO and can't wait to start in on the prequel to Game Of Thrones, House of the Dragon. I was more than a huge fan of GOT, even if it did end poorly, but this has been on the radar for well over a year now, once they announced it was in production.

https://thestreamable.com/news/deal-alert-select-amex-cardholders-can-get-entire-year-of-hbo-max-ad-free-for-just-54-99-65-percent-off


So now that I do have this 'new toy' what should I be watching that I have been missing for a few years?
After the House of the Dragon, and Elvis (the movie) I want to watch The Wire. I have seen the first season and about 1/2 of the second but never was able to finish it.

Any other suggestions would be helpful.

Quote from: Sem on October 12, 2022, 12:57:15 PMCurb Your Enthusiasm would top my list. It's equal parts hysterical and cringe-worthy.

Quote from: LennG on October 12, 2022, 04:11:29 PMThanks, Dave, some of your suggestions sound like things I would definitely be interested in. I LOVE those mysteries.

As for Curb Your Enthusiasm, we have seen all except for the last season. Like the Sopranos, I originally watched it when it was on regular TV, but they cut so much out that it wasn't even worth viewing. We ended up taking out the DVDs from the library and watched both series the way they were broadcast. As said, Curb was so funny and Larry David makes the entire thing go.

Quote from: LennG on October 15, 2022, 11:54:02 AMAs I said we would, we watched the new (maybe not so new anymore) 'Elvis' on HBO last nite.

Some background, we were, and still are, HUGE fans of Elvis. We have basically seen anything and everything that has ever been written, filmed and recorded about Elvis. We have done the Graceland trip and we just couldn't wait to see this new movie about him, his life, and his relationship with Col Parker. We read the reviews which weren't kind, but so many people we know have seen this movie and most said good things about it. So we settled in for a 2 1/2 hour trip to see Elvis in all his glory once again.

So, our opinion, and this goes for myself and my wife, the reviews were correct, it just wasn't good. How they can make a bad movie about Elvis is beyond me, but this movie never seemed to settle into any sort of groove. It was like watching a jumble on top of another jumble on top of still another jumble of scenes that were supposed to help us understand him and his relationships. It had so many facts wrong (maybe they thought people wouldn't notice), basically skipped over so many important details of his life, and though Tom Hanks was great as Col Parker, he was made out to be a fool most of the time. (I never knew he had such a huge foreign accent).

The movie also made me feel it has racial overtones. It showed a very young Elvis in a revival meeting, joining it, they made it seem he was a good friend of Martin Luther King, when he was assassinated, I fully understand that a lot of Elvis's music was based on Gospel but this movie took it into a different realm. Like when he was starting out and they thought he was Black because his early songs sounded that way and when they heard he was White, they emphasized that so much, 'He is White', just simply silly.

Still, the man who played Elvis was very good and the music, well it IS Elvis, so all was not lost, but 2 stars is about what this movie is worth.
 If you are a huge fan as we are, maybe add a star if you can overlook all the negative stuff.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on October 15, 2022, 12:03:57 PMThanks for this review, as I was wondering about this movie and had heard from a friend it wasn't worth it.

I have to say, generally speaking (not always), I have found that the biopic genre is not a great one for movies. Way too often these types of movies are way too long, slow, and just not that good. You often get a major actor playing the lead role, and if he/she is playing a major historical figure, then obviously the movie is going to get some buzz. But too often these types of movies are just not that good at the end of the day. They're usually around three hours long and are just a snooze-fest. Obviously the Monroe movie is a very recent example but there have been others like Ray, the DiCaprio movie about J Edgar Hoover, and the Josh Brolin movie about W Bush that all fit my criticism. Plenty of others too. It's a disappointing genre overall.

Quote from: LennG on October 17, 2022, 07:02:24 PMOn browsing thru some of the things on our new HBO, my wife noticed a new addition to an old show. Maybe one of her favorite shows EVER, Sex In The City, has been sort of redone, with new episodes. What more is there to say, she had to watch, and myself, also. At the beginning of Sex In The City, I really wasn't a fan--a woman's show, anti-men, but after a while, I really did come to enjoy this show and the 4 main characters, each having their own quirkiness. Carrie was the hero, and Charlette, Miranda, and Samantha were all great in their own way. The show really conquered many, many taboo subjects along the way and when it finally ended, my darling wife was in tears. They did make a couple of movies to follow up, but they really weren't that good. But now, here is another NEW season of SITC, with older Carrie, Miranda, and Charlette (Samantha didn't want to participate so they wrote her out). OK, we sat down to watch episode 1, and right from the get-go, we saw it was forced. Yes, all the regular characters were there, but here are now 3 upper middle-aged ladies, trying to recapture what they were 20+ years ago. The show had no, well let's just say, no nothing. In every prior show, it had a subject, something Carrie wrote about or pondered about. Here we had nothing.
Yes, it is only episode 1, but the way this one ended, I don't know if there will be an episode 2, 3, or whatever. What a downer. If I know my wife, we will stay with it a bit longer, but if this is the way it is going to go, I know I'll never make it to the finale.

Some things are better off left alone, like Sex In The City

Quote from: LennG on October 17, 2022, 09:00:12 PMSpoiler alert for anyone who plans on watching this show.

Dave

SITC was a good show. Seems we both got into it from our wives and you and I both enjoyed it a lot. It was usually light and the problems they had in the original, we usually could relate to
Why in the hell did they go the drama route and kill off Big? WTF was that? For a show that is supposed to be a comedy, again WTF was in the minds of the writers. As I said, we only watched episode 1 and this upset my wife to no end, so who knows if we go back to it.
Do these actors and actresses need the money that badly to put this crap out?

Quote from: Slugsy-Narrows on October 18, 2022, 09:03:32 AMLenn

I'm terrible with names too!!

IMBD is an app that has every movie and tv show every and who the actors are for each show and the characters they play etc.

I use it to help keep track 

Also when you know you have seen an actor somewhere but can't remember - when you are in the actors "profile" it lists all their movies/shows they have appeared in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on October 18, 2022, 10:03:12 AMOne thing that just got released today that I wanted to flag here is "Unsolved Mysteries" on Netflix. As many of you will know, there used to be a show on TV back in the 80s and 90s called "Unsolved Mysteries", where Robert Stack was the narrator. I always enjoyed it. This is a remake of that, and the newly released series is the third season of it. The past two I thought were really well done, so I am looking forward to checking this one out. If you have not seen it yet, I recommend the first two seasons, which you can get on Netflix. Some of them are very creepy and interesting.

My understanding is they will be doing three episodes per week for three weeks in order to stretch it out a little. I'll definitely be watching all of them.

Quote from: LennG on October 18, 2022, 11:21:33 AMI'm not sure if I ever watched it when it was on originally. Is each episode independent of the others?

Quote from: Slugsy-Narrows on October 18, 2022, 09:03:32 AMLenn

I'm terrible with names too!!

IMBD is an app that has every movie and tv show every and who the actors are for each show and the characters they play etc.

I use it to help keep track 

Also when you know you have seen an actor somewhere but can't remember - when you are in the actors "profile" it lists all their movies/shows they have appeared in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on October 17, 2022, 09:04:37 PMI'm not sure if you're aware but the actor who played big was accused of rape by multiple women shortly after the show was released. So I'm sure they're happy they killed him off, whatever the reason was.

I can't explain why it was so bad. I have to believe it was all new writers and some new producer that decided to take it in a different direction. Horrible decision. It's brutal.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on October 28, 2022, 06:37:15 AMI enthusiastically recommend the movie "The Good Nurse" on Netflix.

Starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain, this is a very well acted and directed film based on a true story about a male nurse who was accused of murdering hospital patients. I particularly liked the way this story was told. No gimmicks like constant flashbacks or other common, filler type techniques used. Just straight-up rock solid storytelling carried by the talent of the actors. Redmayne and Chastain are stars at the top of their games, but the supporting acting is also strong in this. I can firmly recommend it. Very creepy story that is well executed by all involved.

Quote from: ozzie on October 28, 2022, 06:25:34 PMIs this based on true events or just a pure work of fiction?

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on October 28, 2022, 06:28:36 PMTrue events. It's all about this person. Supposedly the most prolific serial killer in American history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Cullen

Quote from: ozzie on October 29, 2022, 02:36:35 PMThanks Dave, I wasn't sure. I'll put it on my list and check it out.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on October 28, 2022, 06:37:15 AMI enthusiastically recommend the movie "The Good Nurse" on Netflix.

Starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain, this is a very well acted and directed film based on a true story about a male nurse who was accused of murdering hospital patients. I particularly liked the way this story was told. No gimmicks like constant flashbacks or other common, filler type techniques used. Just straight-up rock solid storytelling carried by the talent of the actors. Redmayne and Chastain are stars at the top of their games, but the supporting acting is also strong in this. I can firmly recommend it. Very creepy story that is well executed by all involved.

Quote from: LennG on October 31, 2022, 09:32:58 PMOn your review, I watched The Good Nurse last night. I did like it, maybe not as enthusiastically as you, but again, I did like it.
 Just some background, I ALWAYS stay away from doctor-type shows and movies of people getting sick and dying. I have never seen movies like Brian's song or any other movie in that genre. I do NOT watch any sort of medical or doctor-related TV shows or series as they always have stories of someone getting sick and watching them die. For my own reasons, it is just not MO and I avoid them at all costs.

I was about 1/2 hour into The Good Nurse and it was dark, and a bit dreary, and when the elderly lady passed, I thought, Oh NO, why am I watching this? But I did stay with it and once the police got involved it was more a murder mystery than a medical thing so I stayed and enjoyed the rest.

I knew about this guy, but the words at the end where they feel he was responsible for over 400 deaths, I said WOW.

It is Dark, and many times depressing, so anyone wanting to watch, bear that in mind, but it is riveting as they try to get the guy and it is really hard to believe the way the hospitals keep these things so under wraps. THAT alone is scary.

Quote from: LennG on October 31, 2022, 09:32:58 PMOn your review, I watched The Good Nurse last night. I did like it, maybe not as enthusiastically as you, but again, I did like it.
 Just some background, I ALWAYS stay away from doctor-type shows and movies of people getting sick and dying. I have never seen movies like Brian's song or any other movie in that genre. I do NOT watch any sort of medical or doctor-related TV shows or series as they always have stories of someone getting sick and watching them die. For my own reasons, it is just not MO and I avoid them at all costs.

I was about 1/2 hour into The Good Nurse and it was dark, and a bit dreary, and when the elderly lady passed, I thought, Oh NO, why am I watching this? But I did stay with it and once the police got involved it was more a murder mystery than a medical thing so I stayed and enjoyed the rest.

I knew about this guy, but the words at the end where they feel he was responsible for over 400 deaths, I said WOW.

It is Dark, and many times depressing, so anyone wanting to watch, bear that in mind, but it is riveting as they try to get the guy and it is really hard to believe the way the hospitals keep these things so under wraps. THAT alone is scary.

Quote from: LennG on November 03, 2022, 07:20:21 PMA page or so back, we were talking about Curb Your Enthusiasm. While we were traveling, I always take my Fire Stick so we can watch what we like. I remembered that we haven't seen some of the last few seasons, so we picked up this wonderful series on Season 9 which we finished the other day. We still have 2 more seasons to go and look forward to some hilarity.

Just me, but I am starting to find Leon a bit over the top. He can be a funny guy in the show, but he needs to cut down on all the cursing etc.

Quote from: rexhandler on November 09, 2022, 01:18:53 PMwasnt going to watch andor because of all the hate for SW now but heard its pretty good.

Quote from: LennG on November 10, 2022, 03:35:54 PMDon't mean to sound naive but what is SW?

Quote from: rexhandler on November 09, 2022, 01:18:53 PMwasnt going to watch andor because of all the hate for SW now but heard its pretty good.

Quote from: LennG on November 09, 2022, 11:11:53 AMMe, myself, and I, have just finished the next chapter in the Game Of Thrones series, House of the Dragon--the prequel to GOT. (My darling wife wouldn't go anywhere near this show)I know there aren't many Game Of Thrones fans here and I really don't understand that. It was, and still is, one of the best shows ever to be on a TV screen. Anyway, this new series has been long awaited and I have finally gotten around to watching it--entirely. It wasn't dropped as a streaming show, but week by week as was GOT, so I waited until it was all here and then really got into it.

My own take, it started out VERY slow, and I mean very slow. Maybe thru the first 5 shows (10 in all), it was talk, upon more talk, and then still more talk. There was some minor action, but I believe it was more to set up this new cast of characters. In episodes maybe 6-8, it started picking up some steam and really started to pique my interest, and then episodes 9 and 10, I would compare them to anything the original GOT had to offer. It really got going storywise. There still isn't a whole lot of action, but the original GOT wasn't about the action either, it was the story and the quest for the Iron Throne, which now has House of the Dragon in full bloom in that quest.

I don't think you have had to watch GOT to enjoy this series, but it just helps the layout. (Similar to Better call Saul and Breaking Bad). All the characters are different just the names are relevant. AND, just in case anyone doesn't know, the original GOT was all about the power struggle as to whom will sit on the Iron Throne and control whatever lands, power, and riches that go with it. There were 7 families (or sects of families) that all felt they had the right to sit on the Iron Throne and thru 8 seasons of GOT we followed all their quests, struggles, and deaths to see who finally would rightfully end up on the Iron Throne. Again, it isn't about the action it is about the dealings, the backstabbings, and the power and force of these families. Now, HOTD, especially in the final two episodes, has decided to continue this struggle and no one is safe.

Quote from: Jclayton92 on November 10, 2022, 06:18:07 PMEpisode 8 was my favorite, the acting from viserys was top notch.

Quote from: LennG on November 10, 2022, 08:17:10 PMHow did you feel about my synopsis? I've spoken to several others and most felt the same way, started out ultra slow, but picked up steam as the season wore and had just a terrific ending. Any word on when the next season will drop.?

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on November 11, 2022, 10:20:11 AMWe started the most recent season of The Crown the other night. It has never been my absolute favorite show, but it's definitely solid and my wife is a big fan.

The new Yellowstone comes out very soon. I'm definitely getting fired up about that.

Quote from: Jclayton92 on November 11, 2022, 12:10:31 PMThe crown has always been good enough that you can put it on and enjoy it without having to be all in. Have you seen the terminal list and Reacher? I watched them a while back.

While there hasn't been a ton of new streaming stuff the past couple of weeks I've actually consumed a lot of traditional TV shows that are phenomenal right now.

S.w.a.t
East New York
Alaska Daily
Seal team
So help me Todd
The Equalizer
Fire country

While they won't win Emma's Still enjoyable TV shows.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on November 11, 2022, 01:13:12 PMHaven't seen Terminal List or Reacher. Have heard good things about Reacher though.

Quote from: ozzie on November 14, 2022, 01:27:08 PMHearing (reading) this makes me wish I had HBO.
Opposite of you, Lenn, my dad was a huge NY Giants (baseball) fan and even though I was born after the move to SF, I grew up a Giants fan and Willie is my favorite player of all time. My dad would take me to Shea Stadium whenever the Giants came to town just so I could watch my idol play.
I'm sure I'm a bit prejudice here, but I too think Mays is the best all around player ever. I also think he would have beaten Ruth's HR record if he played somewhere other than the Polo Ground with their crazy deep centerfield fence and Candlestick Park with their non stop swirling winds keeping the ball in the park.
Hopefully, that documentary will be able to be streamed on another platform in the future. Maybe MLB network will show it.

Quote from: ozzie on November 14, 2022, 03:49:53 PMIf I'm not mistaken, Willie Mays is Barry Bonds Godfather. Willie played with his dad, Bobby Bonds and was very giving in helping young Barry develop.

Quote from: LennG on November 11, 2022, 05:08:49 PMI enjoyed Reacher very much. The Terminal List was OK, but, to me, it really got a bit silly about 3/4 of the way thru.

Quote from: LennG on November 19, 2022, 02:16:36 PMSo it's almost the holiday season and my wife and I always watch the regular crop holiday movies sometime before the New Year, Miracle on 34th St (the original), It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, and a couple of others. Yes, I know most are corny, but it has become a tradition to watch all of these and you know about 'Tradition' in a Jewish household.

Which brings me to my point, the other movie we always watch is A Christmas Story, probably my favorite of them all. I was, and still am, a HUGE fan of Jene Shepard, who wrote the story and narrates the movie. I related to so many of his stories and his humor. So, when I heard they were making another Christmas Story, I was annoyed. Thinking another remake of a classic movie will never be any good. But then, I learned that this was not a remake, but a sort of continuation, following Ralphie into adulthood with a family of his own. I was filled with anticipation that maybe they could really pull this off.

WRONG, WRONG  WRONG

This is the way I saw it, my darling wife liked it more than I did, but nowhere near what we were expecting. I will not go into specifics because each thing might ruin the movie for any who might want to see it. If you were also a fan of the original Christmas Story, you will have to see this one and form your own opinion.
Peter Billingsly who was Ralphie in the original, never acted again after that movie until now. He was OK but way too much narration as he surely is no Jean Shepard. The cast tries hard, but the cuteness, originality, and just plain good family humor that we all could relate to, is dearly missing here. PLUS, no leg lamp returns.

See it and let me know what you liked or dislike.

A Christmas Story Christmas on HBO.
 

Quote from: LennG on November 19, 2022, 06:45:07 PMSaturday afternoon is MY time to watch with my darling wife usually taking her much-needed nap, so I scroll thru u the listings, trying to find something I would like and she wouldn't.

I saw a bleep in the paper the other day about a new series on Prime called 'The English'. Why it is dubbed that, I really don't know except one of the main characters is English. Anyway, I saw it as a sort of revenge western, and, to me, it shouldn't get any better than that. I LOVE westerns and I also LOVE those revenge-type movies where our heroes get the worst of the bargain, only to exact their revenge later on, so this seemed like a no-brainer for me.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11771270/

So, story, the English lady meets an Indian scout and they team up to go somewhere together and each has their own reasons for it. Maybe it should have been called Pawnie as that is what the Indian is.

So I am 4 episodes in and I have mixed feelings. There is some really good action, but also so many subplots I get confused along the way. What should be a simple story, now has evolved into much more, and all of it isn't that good. Why do shows always feel the need to doctor up things when a good simple story will do? You need everyone's 'inner' feelings now to ex[plain everything else.

I probably won't finish it until next week, but I will stay with it.

Quote from: Jclayton92 on November 19, 2022, 10:07:31 PMThey don't make episodic westerns like Lonesome Dove anymore.

Quote from: LennG on November 20, 2022, 12:08:01 PMOne of the best, but look who starred in it--would you expect anything else from them?

Quote from: Jclayton92 on November 29, 2022, 01:39:46 PMNot sure if anyone has heard if it but Echo 3 just came out on Amazon and seems to be a blend of Jack Ryan tv show and the Reacher TV show. It's about to special operators who work together and don't really like each other as one marries the other ones sister. The sister then gets kidnapped in Columbia as a scientist and these special operators go to work.

It's a great show, they've only dropped the first 3 episodes and the rest will be weekly releases.

Also just saw the trailer for 1923 the Yellowstone prequel with Harrison Ford and it looks phenomenal.

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on November 29, 2022, 02:57:06 PMThanks for the tip on Echo 3. Right up my alley. Loved the Reacher series with Alan Ritchson (a drifter and former military policeman) that much more closely resembles character and plot of Lee Child's Reacher book series...compared to the Tom Cruise Reacher movies...which are okay, but nothing like the books. In the books, of course, Reacher is 6'6", tough as nails, and doesn't talk a lot. Hard to watch 5'5" Cruise (who talks a lot) as the Reacher I've read about for the last couple of decades. And none of the movies follow a particular story in the books. The Reacher TV series though, follows the book "The Killing Fields" very well

Curious, is there an Echo 1 and Echo 2?

I already plan on watching 1923. Loved Yellowstone, but not going to watch the last season that just came out until I can binge it. 1923 should be very interesting. For me, Yellowstone is about the story and the wild ass daughter who knows no bounds. Interestingly, there is a huge fan base that loves the show for the horses. They have brought in some of the world's best trained horses for the show that showcase their talents. Nice side show. Even I...who don't really love horses (have had three growing up) am in awe of the horses on this show. But really, it's all about John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and his nasty daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly). She had me at walking across the yard butt naked to take a bath in the horse water tank in front of all the hired hands...LOL

Been watching Stitchers on HULU. Thought it would be dumb, but I've binged the first season and half the second already after getting hooked. Unlike most shows, the girls aren't hotter than fire and the guys are nerds. Basically it's thus: a CIA unknown top secret department that has a sophisticated underground lab about an eighth mile under the surface. It's a super lab with a quantum computer and loads of high-tech machinery. The gist of the show is that when a person dies, their memory remains active for 48 hours, but the closer to the time of death, the better the memory and the longer one waits, the memory gets fuzzy then unavailable - so quickness is a given. What the secret organization does in that lab, is to take the dead body (typically a victim of murder), put it in a special glass cabinet-like vessel, then a woman (the main character Kristen - played by Emma Ishta) wears a skin like suit and lays in a tub of water and is mic'd up so she can talk to everyone while being "stitched" (living in the dead person's memory). Once the stitching begins, she takes over the dead person's memory and walks through areas that he remembers. The guy who controls the part of the memory then moves her around to different times in his or her life. She can only survive being stitched for 5 minutes, so they gather as much information as they can about what happened so they can solve a crime. Actually quite interesting

I also binged Warrior Nun, which I liked much more than I thought I would. Doesn't hurt that the main character is played by Portuguese actress, Alba Baptista. Now she is the definition of eye candy. She is not a nun and doesn't like religion or Catholicism, but got stuck in a role after she was murdered. A ring brought her back to life with super powers. I looked her up and was surprised that she is the girlfriend of Captain America and 2022 Peoples magazine, "Sexiest Man Alive" Chris Evans. All I can say is "he has good taste" LOL

This is Baptista:

(https://i.postimg.cc/65ZW4wbb/Alba-Baptista-hot-yoga-pants.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/HVpDfGgb)

Quote from: Sem on November 29, 2022, 09:36:41 PMFree HBO Max preview the last few days, so I'm finally all caught up with Curb Your Enthusiasm. Funny show, even though it's both cringe-worthy and predictable.