Big Blue Huddle

Quote from: LennG on June 03, 2025, 02:18:43 PMI usually binge-watch certain shows on Saturday, so since you said what you did, I will wait until then to finish off this show.

I did watch Mobland when it started, but like Ric, I simply cannot watch shows that need to recall characters, events, et al, once a week. I need more than a 30-second synopsis, so I wait until the entire series has played and then watch. I think I watched 2 or 3 episodes, but now I will have to start all over and watch. I did enjoy what I had seen so I know I will enjoy the entire series.

It was great, Tom Hardy is excellent in the role! It finished up this past weekend!

We were talking about Friends and Neighbors, well it seems like they love John Hamm and there will be a season 2.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/jon-hamm-will-steal-again-in-your-friends-and-neighbors-season-2/ar-AA1FKjZ6?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=3d0bd1f53ede4c268270986d7968f687&ei=45

I finished Mr. Inbetween and I've found another old show to watch, Las Vegas.  I'm almost halfway through season 1 and I think it will be a keeper.  It is a very different kind of role for James Caan.  I only like to watch shows that are done & dusted.

Another good watch that I have watched twice is a mini-series based on a John LeCarre book, The Night Manager.  It streams for "free" on Amazon Prime and has a good cast including Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, and Tom Hollander.  Supposedly there will be a second season and even a third season coming.


There is a different version, which I haven't seen, on Hulu but it's a foreign language adaptation, I think Indian, with subtitles.  I may watch it, I haven't decided.

I finished "The Residence" (Netflix) last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't think I'd like it. An Agatha Christie type murder mystery, with the setting at the White House. You are introduced to all the potential murderers as well as all the potential weapons used for the murder...just like in the game of Clue. I learned more about how the White House operates (outside of politics) than I could ever have imagined. The props were amazing, and better than an actual tour of the White House. Synopsis: 132 rooms, dozens of suspects (each with a sordid little secret they don't want known (sexual infidelity, alcoholism, kleptomania, mental issues/insanity, egomania, etc.), so virtually everyone lies to cover their own issues...1 dead body, 1 wildly eccentric detective, and 1 disastrous State Dinner

The master detective, Cordelia Cupp (an amazing performance by Uzo Aduba), did not know who the killer was herself, and it wasn't revealed to her until she got the script, just before the last episode...although, the killer was informed from the get-go

Highly entertaining, and even educational considering I was able to gain considerable knowledge of the workings within the White House, it's rooms, secret doors and stairways, etc. I would have to say that this show was amazing from start to finish, with a dash of humor, without it being a comedy...and the bombshell at the end was edge-of-the-seat great

A model doll house used in the show:

As I said before, I finished up The Last of Us yesterday.

So, I want to make a few points, so consider this a [b]SPOILER ALERT[/b], if you plan on watching this series.

I fully agree that this series can equal The Walking Dead on it's best days. Season 2 was terrific and the ending, a real cliffhanger. It was said that the last 3 episodes, 5. 6. and 7 were non stop, but I didn't see them that way. Yes there was action, but nothing that even remotely close to episode 2.
Don't get me wrong, the show is good, very good, if this is your genre, which it is mine. The characters are good and like several other shows that have been on, don't get too attached to any of the characters as you just don't know who is still alive at the end, including the cliffhanger.

So, since we have announced a Spoiler alert, there is simply no way they killed off Ellie, even if that's the way it seems. I was very sorry to see Jesse go down, but I have to believe Tommy and Ellie survive. AND, the way the entire episode ended, with Abby in Seattle, Day 1, means that she has to live Days 2 and 3, which is where we are at present. It may be a while until we finally find out if Ellie was really shot, as we have to get back to Day 3.

From what I've been reading about Season 3, Abby will take a much larger part and we will see things thru her eyes and not Ellie's. There will also be more clashes between the W.L.F. and the Seraphites.

As for the 'game' which this show is based. I have no idea about it at all, but from shows like TWD, which followed the comics of that name, there was never even the character of Daryl in the comics, and he was one of the main guys. several characters that were killed off, never were in the comics, and visa versa, so all is in play and 'the rules' mean nothing.

Quote from: Jclayton92 on June 02, 2025, 04:32:59 PMI also just finished Mobland season 1 with Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, and others. It is the London version of Yellowstone without the horses, and is a must watch if you have time.

The Last of Us
Mobland
And Better Sister

Are my top 3 shows of the year so far easily. I am only 3 episodes into "Better Sister" with Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel with an amazing supporting cast. It has been phenomenal so far.

My top 3 would differ, but such is the variety of tastes among us on here. I put "Mobland" up in my top 5. Thought it was pretty dark to say the least...and not dark-comedy like a Fargo series. I thought it ended by leaving me hanging. It wasn't an ending IMO. Hope there's a season 2 so I can see how it ends.

I tried to watch "Better Sister", and after 40 minutes it just didn't hook me. I'm of the fast food, instant gratification, group, when it comes to entertainment. Same with books. If I'm not hooked in the first 100 pages, I close it and donate it to the local library. I took a class (how to organize your first novel and get published) a couple years ago at the local community college in Binghamton, from a woman who authored over 10 books that made the NY Times Best Sellers list over the past 15 years. She talked about getting published and said, "you have to set the hook early and hard, if you want to get published". Publishers will read the first 10 pages and then they scan...if they continue to scan 100 pages...you might have a winner. I asked her if books like "The Grapes of Wrath", or "Great Expectations", etc., would get published in today's "quick hook" mentality of readers. She said "no way". Dittos with TV shows. Gotta hook the audience quickly as there are just too many options to drudge through a story to get the purpose of the book/show

I don't know anything about "The Rest of Us" other than a few tidbits I pick up on this particular thread. I get the idea it's a show about zombies, and that is just an area that I have zero interest. The only zombie movie I ever watched was "Night of the Living Dead", and that was years ago and I thought the whole concept was creepy and uninteresting. I never figured out why my kids and a lot of friends went all out on zombie movies/shows

My top 3 for this year would have to be:

1923 (season 2)
The Residence was a great series
Reacher (season 3)
Yellowstone (last half of season 5 released in January)

I also really liked the rom-com series, "Nobody Wants This", which was a huge hit earlier this year. I like rom-coms, not sure why. I also liked the movie, "Irish Wish", but "Nobody Wants This" (Netflix) hooked me and I couldn't stop from binging it. There is a season 2 in the works

Synopsis: two sisters have a podcast about bad sex and bad relationships, and one sister (Kristen Bell) has a history of bad relationships with pretty rough characters. but on a dare, she took a chance to meet someone and it turned out to be a Rabbi. She gets introduced to Jewish culture and Jewish mothers. I found it interesting because my sister married into a Jewish family and lives in Israel, so the culture mixture was all new to my family. Everyone I know who watched it loved it.

In case you're stuck and can't find anything worth watching, here's some oldies that were dropped this last month that I give 5 stars to:

- "Double Jeopardy" (movie) dropped this week on Paramount+ (the best Tommy Lee Jones movie ever, and one of my favorite of all time)
- "Nikita" (five season series on Netflix, dropped last month) a vengeful professional assassin gone rogue - she's also hot (Maggie Q as Nikita), and her hotter side kick Alex (friggin doll - Lyndsy Fonseca) try to take down a viscious top notch black ops organization. Lots of action, killing, dangerous situations, etc

Quote from: LennG on June 08, 2025, 08:16:26 PMAs I said before, I finished up The Last of Us yesterday.

So, I want to make a few points, so consider this a [b]SPOILER ALERT[/b], if you plan on watching this series.

I fully agree that this series can equal The Walking Dead on it's best days. Season 2 was terrific and the ending, a real cliffhanger. It was said that the last 3 episodes, 5. 6. and 7 were non stop, but I didn't see them that way. Yes there was action, but nothing that even remotely close to episode 2.
Don't get me wrong, the show is good, very good, if this is your genre, which it is mine. The characters are good and like several other shows that have been on, don't get too attached to any of the characters as you just don't know who is still alive at the end, including the cliffhanger.

So, since we have announced a Spoiler alert, there is simply no way they killed off Ellie, even if that's the way it seems. I was very sorry to see Jesse go down, but I have to believe Tommy and Ellie survive. AND, the way the entire episode ended, with Abby in Seattle, Day 1, means that she has to live Days 2 and 3, which is where we are at present. It may be a while until we finally find out if Ellie was really shot, as we have to get back to Day 3.

From what I've been reading about Season 3, Abby will take a much larger part and we will see things thru her eyes and not Ellie's. There will also be more clashes between the W.L.F. and the Seraphites.

As for the 'game' which this show is based. I have no idea about it at all, but from shows like TWD, which followed the comics of that name, there was never even the character of Daryl in the comics, and he was one of the main guys. several characters that were killed off, never were in the comics, and visa versa, so all is in play and 'the rules' mean nothing.

More Spoilers

I should have clarified nonstop, I meant it felt like one blow after another whether it was action, emotional moments, and so on. That episode 6 flashback was great, especially the confrontation at the end.

Season 3 will start with Abby getting back to Seattle and she will be the lead of the show for the entire season with us getting some Ellie and Tommy flashbacks similar to how they put stuff about WLF in this season.

The series creator who I believe also made the game said that he needed two more seasons to finish the show, not just season 3.

Also everything is pretty much step for step with the game outside a few changes.

For instance if you rewatch season 1 episode 1 the part where they are trying to leave the city they get hit by another car not by an airplane part, it's why they do the near miss with the car during the chase to throw off those who played the game.

In season 1 episode 3 you meet Bill and Frank, in the game Bill and frank are mentioned, but just barely while they get a whole episode with in the show.

Ellie and Dina don't go to Seattle 1st in the Game, Tommy does. Tommy is there not Dina to see his brother's death and loses it racing off to Seattle with Ellie, Dina, and Jesse following to bring him home.

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on June 08, 2025, 09:49:28 PMMy top 3 would differ, but such is the variety of tastes among us on here. I put "Mobland" up in my top 5. Thought it was pretty dark to say the least...and not dark-comedy like a Fargo series. I thought it ended by leaving me hanging. It wasn't an ending IMO. Hope there's a season 2 so I can see how it ends.

I tried to watch "Better Sister", and after 40 minutes it just didn't hook me. I'm of the fast food, instant gratification, group, when it comes to entertainment. Same with books. If I'm not hooked in the first 100 pages, I close it and donate it to the local library. I took a class (how to organize your first novel and get published) a couple years ago at the local community college in Binghamton, from a woman who authored over 10 books that made the NY Times Best Sellers list over the past 15 years. She talked about getting published and said, "you have to set the hook early and hard, if you want to get published". Publishers will read the first 10 pages and then they scan...if they continue to scan 100 pages...you might have a winner. I asked her if books like "The Grapes of Wrath", or "Great Expectations", etc., would get published in today's "quick hook" mentality of readers. She said "no way". Dittos with TV shows. Gotta hook the audience quickly as there are just too many options to drudge through a story to get the purpose of the book/show

I don't know anything about "The Rest of Us" other than a few tidbits I pick up on this particular thread. I get the idea it's a show about zombies, and that is just an area that I have zero interest. The only zombie movie I ever watched was "Night of the Living Dead", and that was years ago and I thought the whole concept was creepy and uninteresting. I never figured out why my kids and a lot of friends went all out on zombie movies/shows

My top 3 for this year would have to be:

1923 (season 2)
The Residence was a great series
Reacher (season 3)
Yellowstone (last half of season 5 released in January)

I also really liked the rom-com series, "Nobody Wants This", which was a huge hit earlier this year. I like rom-coms, not sure why. I also liked the movie, "Irish Wish", but "Nobody Wants This" (Netflix) hooked me and I couldn't stop from binging it. There is a season 2 in the works

Synopsis: two sisters have a podcast about bad sex and bad relationships, and one sister (Kristen Bell) has a history of bad relationships with pretty rough characters. but on a dare, she took a chance to meet someone and it turned out to be a Rabbi. She gets introduced to Jewish culture and Jewish mothers. I found it interesting because my sister married into a Jewish family and lives in Israel, so the culture mixture was all new to my family. Everyone I know who watched it loved it.

In case you're stuck and can't find anything worth watching, here's some oldies that were dropped this last month that I give 5 stars to:

- "Double Jeopardy" (movie) dropped this week on Paramount+ (the best Tommy Lee Jones movie ever, and one of my favorite of all time)
- "Nikita" (five season series on Netflix, dropped last month) a vengeful professional assassin gone rogue - she's also hot (Maggie Q as Nikita), and her hotter side kick Alex (friggin doll - Lyndsy Fonseca) try to take down a viscious top notch black ops organization. Lots of action, killing, dangerous situations, etc

I watched all of your top 4 and I now need to alter my top 3 to include a top 10 now lol. Reacher might be my favorite series on tv period. I love whodunits so the Residence was amazing to me as well. 1923 and Yellowstone were both absolutely amazing, I was just disappointed that they both ended.

I have seen double jeopardy but haven't seen Nikita. Nikita sounds like Alias a TV show that put Jennifer Garner on the map. I'll check it out this week.

Currently I found an old show that I must have missed when it aired, but The Good Wife has been absolutely amazing so far and I am only 11 episodes in. I am watching it while I wait for Fubar to come out this week.

Ok so revised top 10ish in no particular order

1 Reacher S3
2 The last of us S2
3 pulse
4 the night agent S2
5 Mobland
6 the better sister
7 Daredevil Born Again
8 black Doves
9 1923
10 yellowstone S5
11 The Residence
12 The recruit S2
13 White Lotus S3

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on June 08, 2025, 09:49:28 PM"Nikita" (five season series on Netflix, dropped last month) a vengeful professional assassin gone rogue - she's also hot (Maggie Q as Nikita), and her hotter side kick Alex (friggin doll - Lyndsy Fonseca) try to take down a viscious top notch black ops organization. Lots of action, killing, dangerous situations, etc

Curious, is that a remake of "Nikita" of 25 years or so ago? Sounds like it is. I remember watching that way back when....

My AcornTV viewing is still ongoing. I've finished two series, and am currently half way through a third one, since I last updated here.

Darby and Joan was another light viewing tv series in the mold of 1980's American mystery-solving shows such as Hart to Hart and Murder She Wrote. Joan is a nurse and the wife of an English businessman who is away to Spain on business, when he turns up dead...........in Australia. So Joan travels to Australia to find answers when she quite literally runs into Darby, an ex-cop. Together they solve crimes while looking for the answers surrounding her husband. A little funny, a little serious, a little 80's.

After that I watched "The Night Caller", a four episode, *dark* story about a teacher who was dismissed from teaching for reasons that become clear as the story unfolds. To make ends meet he now drives a taxi on the night shift while listening to all night talk radio. He calls into the show and takes advice received a little too far. A dark but engrossing tale.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVxppk0i3s8

Currently about half way through the series "800 Words." A Sydney Australia newspaper columnist, whose columns are all exactly 800 words long, loses his wife in an accident. To pick up the pieces he decides to work remote - and takes his two teen ages kids and moves to a small New Zealand beach town where his family once vacationed when he was a young child. Equal parts comedy and drama, with a few pretty women thrown in. Nothing great, but not a bad way to spend an evening of low stress tv viewing.

Funar season 2 dropped today.

Watched Ballerina yesterday the new John Wick movie with Anna De Armas as the lead and it was phenomenal. For all you walking dead fans, Daryl plays a big role in the movie as does Keanu Reeves.

I just finished Mobland today and enjoyed it very much. I know someone compared this to Yellowstone, I really wouldn't go there--maybe more like the Sopranos.

If others have seen this and would care to discuss anything about it, I do have a few points and observations.

 Many people who know me, know I am a HUGE movie buff. I like most genre's of movies, some a lot more than others and if I don't know anything about a movie or if I definitely won't like it, I'll sit and watch almost anything.

My favorite type of movie is sort of 'Film Noir', black and while movies that are made very well, drama, mysteries, et al.
I know this type of movie may not appeal to some here, but if you are interested there are several 'older' movies I would recommend that are so much better than 1/2 the garbage they produce today, I can rewatch them and enjoy them over and over.

Besides the classics like Casablanca, Citizen Kane, On The Waterfront, Psycho, and several of the Hitchcock movies, let me mention a few

The Third Man--Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles
The Stranger--Edward G Robinson and Orson Welles
The Best Years Of Our Lives--Many assorted stars
To Have and Have Not--Bogart and Bacall
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre--Bogart
Sunset Blvd--William Holden and Gloria Swanson
Manchurian Candidate (the Original) Frank Sinatra
Anatomy of a Murder--Jimmy Stewart
Captain Blood--Errol Flynn
Night of the Hunter--Robert Mitchum
12 Angry Men--Henry Fonda

These are just a few of the underrated great movies, again, if this is your thing, then sit back and enjoy all or any to them.

Quote from: LennG on June 14, 2025, 07:29:52 PMI just finished Mobland today and enjoyed it very much. I know someone compared this to Yellowstone, I really wouldn't go there--maybe more like the Sopranos.

If others have seen this and would care to discuss anything about it, I do have a few points and observations.

The structure is similar to yellowstone in that the show is revolved around a patriarch and his offspring. The show was phenomenal, even if in my opinion the finale was a little anticlimactic. They kept pushing the grandmother/grandson plot that I didn't care for really or understand.