Just Some Guy Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 On 7/22/2024 at 12:21 PM, Merzbow said: I caught The Turkish Detective on iPlayer and it's pretty decent, not on the level of many of their other cop dramas but also not as grim or depressing. Remember that thing you liked with the quirky detective in Paris/Amsterdam/Stockholm or wherever? It's like that but in Istanbul. Very cut & paste but enjoyable. Mind blowing to discover that the guy playing Ikman was Ali Osman's bro in Eastenders back in the 80s. Thought I'd pick up the first of the novels that this is based on. There's 26 of the bloody things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members gmoney Posted July 23 Paid Members Share Posted July 23 (edited) These days I can easily fritter away whole days doing nothing but scanning the same few forums, twitter and news sites, so watching movies, TV and reading books feels productive and enriching, rather than another form of wasting my time. That I can feel like I have Done Good by watching Tammy and the T-Rex or reading some by the numbers fantasy doorstop trash is pretty amazing really. In any case, I'm making a concerted effort to watch more scripted TV, because I'm an intellectual now. House of the Dragon Series 2 - I don't know that there's a more humourless show on TV in the last 10 years. There's absolutely no light to the shade here, which means it's feels like a chore. It's also written in a faintly stiff, faux-historical style, which I don't think Game of Thrones ever was. It doesn't work very well, and more the half the actors can't cope with it. Having said that, I am still hooked in. The dragons look better this series and there's usually something each week to tide you over. Not a strong recommendation. Winning Time - The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty - I'll watch John C Reilly in anything. I also have had a growing interest in basketball over the last few years, so I was looking forward to getting stuck into this. Reilly is great (apparently Will Ferrell fell out with Adam McKay because he didn't cast him in this. I can't compute how much of a downgrade he would have been). All of the casting is really good, the guy playing Magic Johnson is spot on. It breezes by, but it does have a few annoying gimmicks that it really doesn't need. Fourth Wall breaking at random times, cutting to videotape style shots every few minutes (fairly certain they're downscaled, because they don't seem authentic). I'm about halfway through the first series, and I'm hoping that shit is dropped for the next one. Edited July 23 by gmoney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Danger Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 I’m enjoying House Of The Dragon but a big part of that comes from knowing/hoping there won’t be 10 series of the bloody thing. What it would do for a drunken dwarf and a Jerome Flynn knocking about somewhere. I think it’s better than the first one just because there’s not the 12 stages of decaying Paddy Considine so it’s a bit more focused and as said something usually happens, even if it is usually a bit more grimness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted July 23 Paid Members Share Posted July 23 I'm enjoying House of the Dragon even if it is heavily flawed. The acting, dialogue and visuals are tremendous and Westeros is just a great world to hang out in and explore. Yeah it's completely lacking in levity and fun but I actually appreciate how very different the overall vibe and structure of the show is to Game of Thrones. The incest rape and abortion monologue leading to a lesbian makeout session in the last episode was a bit fucking weird though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members FLips Posted July 25 Paid Members Share Posted July 25 I have an £18 CEX credit note and found The Wire and The West Wing boxsets for £10 each. I’ve obviously heard The Wire is good but how is The West Wing? It’s a name I’ve heard but I know little about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organizedkaos Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 It's kinda prestige television of another era, much more episodic with a general maintenance of status quo. Also probably liberal ideas of another era, I haven't watched in a while but I feel the "the system is great, we just have to try hard and work together to use it correctly" might not play as well as it used to. However it's very entertaining with an excellent cast. Sorkin's style doesn't appeal to all but The West Wing is the best example of it (the self importance doesn't feel so glaring when you're literally talking about running America, the wackyness adds welcome levity to the serious situation and the rapid "everyone a bit sounds the same" dialogue fits within a team of likeminded people who're all multitasking dealing with the main issues of the world). As with any TV show running 22 episodes a year for more than say 4 years it drops off a cliff around end of season 4. The network ran out of the volume of cocaine required to fuel Aaron Sorkin's work on multiple TV shows so he fucks off and thus it becomes a pale immitation of better years. Half way through season 6 it basically becomes a spin off of itself and there's some decent stuff to be mined within the new version but yeah, there's a rough 30 episode stretch that is a forgivable time to tap out. It's make a good viewing companion to the Wire, there's probably some very clever academic essay someone could write about the West Wing being the end of one era of high end TV and the Wire beginning a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members FLips Posted July 25 Paid Members Share Posted July 25 That's really helpful thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merzbow Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 I finally started Gangs of London and it's pretty much the most generic gangster show out there but with Gareth Edwards amazing fight choreography thrown in to make it just worth carrying on with. I didn't realize it was based on and continuing the story of The Getaway games, a weird choice as no fucker remembers them outside of them having a realistic London for the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Lorne Malvo Posted July 27 Paid Members Share Posted July 27 1 minute ago, Merzbow said:  I didn't realize it was based on and continuing the story of The Getaway games, a weird choice as no fucker remembers them outside of them having a realistic London for the time. I watched and really enjoyed Gangs Of London and still didn't know this! What an odd choice of source material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Hannibal Scorch Posted July 28 Paid Members Share Posted July 28 6 hours ago, Lorne Malvo said: I watched and really enjoyed Gangs Of London and still didn't know this! What an odd choice of source material. It makes sense as the sequel was called Gangs of London, but assumed it was coincidental Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thefatduck Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 On 7/25/2024 at 4:32 PM, FLips said: I have an £18 CEX credit note and found The Wire and The West Wing boxsets for £10 each. I’ve obviously heard The Wire is good but how is The West Wing? It’s a name I’ve heard but I know little about. The Wire is my favourite series. Full stop. So much depth. A real reflection of US society at the turn of the century. So many well written characters and stories interlinked. It does seem a little dated in 2024 but  you will enjoy it. ignore the naysayers - it is a piece of art from the title music to you wiping your eyes of tears multiple times per series. Phenomenal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SuperBacon Posted July 28 Members Share Posted July 28 1 minute ago, Thefatduck said: ignore the naysayers Eh? I dont think I've ever seen anyone say anything negative about The Wire, which is widely considered to be one of the best shows of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Danger Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 Yeah it’s only ever discussed as being one of the greatest shows of all time. I think only the last series is ever mentioned as a being not as good as the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsfromlee Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 I know quite a few people who gave up on it because they found it too slow and boring for them, but no one who hated it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members I Bent My Wookie Posted July 29 Paid Members Share Posted July 29 Started watching Hazbin Hotel on Amazon Prime. Animated musical comedy set in a hotel in hell, the animation style is really strong for an independent work, and having a broadway, Disney feel to the music juxtaposing the content is fantastic. From what I've read up it seems it's got a few seasons of backing already ahead by Prime as well. Just a really easy watch that you should absolutely not have the volume up for if you are around children. Highly recommend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.