What Have You Watched Recently?

[Matt the Bruins]

I saw the first episode of Locke & Key on Netflix last night. Loved the production values, interesting buildup to the story, but all three of the kids annoy me enough that I'm just not investing in their wellbeing much.

 

Also, the guy who wants to date the new girl in town and knows that her father was recently murdered invites her over to watch a slasher movie with his friends. I realize there actually are people this stupid, but the character's ability to speak coherently did not indicate he was one of them.

[Pariah]

The Cosmos episode "Blues for a Red Planet".

[Ternaugh]

Men in Black: International: Ultimately unsatisfying attempt to soft reboot the MIB series, with a very predictable plot. (Netflix Blu-ray)

 

Police Academy 3: Back in Training: What it says on the tin. I liked it a little better than the second movie. (Netflix)

 

The Velocipastor: A priest who turns into a dinosaur attempts to fight off the actions of a gang of ninjas hunting him with the help of his prostitute girlfriend. Makes most Roger Corman films look big-budget, but fun in a bad movie way. (Amazon Prime)

 

The Court Jester: Danny Kaye classic, and one I watch fairly frequently. The streaming version is (I believe) HD quality, as it looks better than my DVD copy. (Amazon Prime)

 

Altered Carbon, Season 2: While the first season was a detective story, this one's more of a romance in the era of stacks and AI. There's a lot less padding in the episode count, as well. (Netflix)

 

Chess in Concert: Originally recorded for PBS, this was adapted by Tim Rice, and is very good. A little hard to find, though. (DVD)

[Greywind]

Currently working my way through Castle. Up to s3.

[Starlord]

38 minutes ago, Ternaugh said:

The Court Jester: Danny Kaye classic, and one I watch fairly frequently. The streaming version is (I believe) HD quality, as it looks better than my DVD copy. (Amazon Prime)

 

Altered Carbon, Season 2: While the first season was a detective story, this one's more of a romance in the era of stacks and AI. There's a lot less padding in the episode count, as well. (Netflix)

 

I highly recommend both of these

[slikmar]

4 hours ago, Greywind said:

Currently working my way through Castle. Up to s3.

Watch for the change in the actors interactions. It was somewhere around this and the next season that the 2 leads dated and broke up and Filion became kind of a jerk about making sure Katic couldn't earn as much as he did. I was/am a big fan of his for all that he is done, especially in geekdom, but I really felt he took an esteem hit with his actions pertaining to this.

[Greywind]

Never saw where she and Fillion dated. She's been with her now-husband since the early 2000's. They separated for a time, but reconciled in 2007, which would have been during s2.

[death tribble]

Three seasons of TV ended within days of each other

 

Special Branch Season 2. This was the first full colour season as the previous one was part black and white. There are various different stories showing that it is not East vs West espionage. One story thread went right back to the first episode of season 1 as a woman arrested as an accessory to a spy ring turned out to be much more and this had an effect on the Chief Inspector. There was persistent meddling from security section. It was mostly studio bound. And an interesting shot of life in Britain pre the IRA becoming the prime focus of Special Branch in 1972.

 

Dr Who Jodie Whitaker's second full season  This brought back a new Master and had several run ins with major historical figures like Tesla, Edison and Ada Lovelace. It also through a real spanner in the works with another woman playing the Doctor who was being pursued by Timelords from Gallifrey. This conflicted with The Master claiming to have killed all life on Galifrey. Also this version of The Doctor doing things that went against type.

However the series ended strongly with a really good Cyberman story. The last three stories can be linked and feature Cybermen but there are still loopholes. the Judoon were also back and conclude the season imprisoning the Doctor. It was good overall but could have been better. There was a 'Woke' story and an anti-plastic one that felt a real cop out.

 

Good Omens This was the TV adaptation of Pratchett and Gaiman's book. It stood or fell on the performances of the Angel and the Demon played by Michael Sheen and David Tennant respectively. And that was the good bit. I have not read the book in a long time. but a lot of it was faithful. The Hell Hound being renamed Dog. Agnes Nutter's prophecies and the surprise when she got burned as a witch. Crowley's car. On fire. There were a lot of well known British actors but also some star turns from John Hamm for example. I liked it overall.

 

Conquest of Everest  This is a documentary about how Mount Everest was climbed successfully for the first time in 1953 with the news reaching London as the Queen was going through the Coronation ceremony. I( do wish I had seen this as a child growing up.

 

Run All Night Liam Neeson is an ex-enforcer whose son witnesses the son of Neeson's boss committing murder. Said son tries to kill neeson's son and in turn is killed by Neeson. This sets Neeson's old boss played by Ed Harris against him and his family and Neeson's family have to survive the night. This was good and worth a look.

 

The Limehouse Golem An inspector is brought in to take charge of murder investigations while the Yard spares its Blue Eyed Boy. Bill Nighy is the policeman who his colleagues suspect of an improper personal life as he is not married and this is Victorian London. The inspector believes that a woman on trial for the murder of her husband might have actually killed the murderer instead and he seeks to prove this before she is hanged. Gory but interesting.

 

 

[death tribble]

Where There's a Will An East End of London family inherit a farm but while the one of them wants to run it as a farm his sisters want to sell it. Has a truncated ending.

 

The Hand The Japanese cut the hands off prisoners who will not talk in WW2. Years afterwards someone is killing people missing a hand. Interesting little curio.

 

The Man in the Attic During the Ripper murders a pathologist rents a room and his landlady suspects he might be the killer. Jack Palance is the doctor. An odd little film but still worth a look.

 

The House Across the Lake A  writer becomes involved with a rich family who live across the lake with the wife looking to get rid of her husband. worth one look.

 

Orders are Orders A film unit arrives on an army base trying to film a space invasion picture and trying to persuade the army to let them do it.

 

Passport to Pimlico One of the Ealing comedies which follows the unearthing of documents that show Pimlico belongs to Burgundy. Charming and considered the best of the Ealing comedies.

[death tribble]

Blood in the Sun This is a Jimmy Cagney picture with him playing a US newsman in Japan in the late 20s. Made during WW2 it purports to show that the Japanese planned to conquer the world. Again an interesting picture.

 

An Inspector Calls This is the film version of J B Priestley's play with Alistair Sim as the Inspector. Following dinner a police inspector arrives to ask a family questions as a woman has just died and they all seen to have had a hand in her downfall. This is simply brilliant.

 

The Sicilian An American ambassador gets involved when the son of a mafia chieftain on trial in the States is kidnapped. Not very good but an interesting story.

 

Blitz on Britain a documentary released in 1960 using archive sources from Germany and Britain about the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. I liked it.

 

The Foreman Went to France A war film based on a true story. A foreman goes into France to recover three machines that have been lent to the French before the Germans get their hands on them. A patriotic little bit but it still had a strong story with tragic undertones.

 

What a Crazy World A musical set in the early 60s. Probably best for a British audience rather than an American one. 

[Ternaugh]

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: A bunch of strangers find out about a treasure from a dying man and go on a madcap race to be the first to dig it up. (Amazon Prime)

 

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part: Sequel to the fantastic original, this one's not quite as good, but is still enjoyable. (Netflix Blu-Ray)

 

Footloose: A high school senior moves to a conservative small town where dancing is outlawed and shakes up the status quo. Great soundtrack.(Netflix Blu-Ray)

 

That Darn Cat: Remake of the 1965 DIsney classic, which tries to be a comedy. Watch the original instead. (Disney+)

[mattingly]

I haven't watched It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in a few years. Great call!

 

Darby O'Gill and the Little People.  Besides cool folklore and mythology, tricksters and bargains, magic and wishes, monsters and mortals, it also features Sean Connery. Singing. When he was, like, 8 years old. Okay, maybe not that young, but I've always had a soft spot for this film. (Disney+)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Scott Ruggels]

The Kingdom on Netflix. This is a Korean Period Drama of two seasons, based on a book "Kingdom of Blood". It takes place 3 years after the  unsuccessful Japanese Invasion of Korea. It has a twist, but no spoilers, other than thematically its pretty close to current year.

[Spence]

23 minutes ago, Scott Ruggels said:

The Kingdom on Netflix. This is a Korean Period Drama of two seasons, based on a book "Kingdom of Blood". It takes place 3 years after the  unsuccessful Japanese Invasion of Korea. It has a twist, but no spoilers, other than thematically its pretty close to current year.

 

I watched season one when it came out and really enjoyed it.  If I had realized the threat going in I would have skipped it because I have become really really really really jaded on that particular subject which I won't actually name in case there are people that want to watch it without knowing beforehand. 

 

I'll have to watch season two now that it is out. 

[Michael Hopcroft]

There is an account on Youtube that carries complete past major league baseball games. The legality is questionable, but they haven't been stopped yet. Anyway, I got to watch Game 7 of last year's World Series, sort of as a consolation prize for the lack of baseball in the immediate future.

 

It was a good game, especially the outcome...

[Ternaugh]

The Hobbit (An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug, The Battle of the Five Armies): A really great 3 hour movie, hidden in a bloated 7+ hour mess. (Blu-ray)

 

King Kong: The original 1933 classic back in theaters for one day. Excellent on the big screen. (Fathom Events/TCM)

 

Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol: Another film in the comedy series, it's pretty much what you'd expect. (Netflix)

[tkdguy]

Currently watching a stream of a previous Met production of La Boheme. I watched a livestream of a DRL tryout race earlier today..

[Michael Hopcroft]

Cinemark has closed all its theaters in Portland, and guess what I went in to see a couple of weeks ago?

 

Yep, the controversial, much-maligned Sonic the Hedgehog.

 

I was stressed. I wanted to immerse myself in another world for two hours or so. Which I did, and it served quite nicely.

 

Jim Carrey was the one everyone remembered. His Dr. Robotnik was deceptively wacky, surprisingly clever,, and much more threatening than his Riddler. Poor Agent Stone...

 

They actually got the look of Sonic right this time, in the sense that he doesn't rum smack into the Uncanny Valley. He's a living cartoon, much like Roger Rabbit -- indeed, his attitude is very like Bugs Bunny's. He's also naive enough that he doesn't see why people annoyed when HIS wacky gets in the way of their lives..(In a weird coincidence, it looks like the beer brand that got product placement in the movie is Corona...)

 

Not the sort of movie I'm likely to buy, but it delivered an escape -- which is not usually what I want in a movie, but it fit. And now the theaters have been closed and I can't get even that little pleasure.

[Matt the Bruins]

The first two episodes of Netflix's Dracula. Claes Bang is pretty good in the title role, if occasionally venturing into the realm of overdone camp. Dolly Wells' Sister Agatha is stealing the show, to the point that I'm probably going to be catching up on her back catalog and keeping an eye out for future projects. I don't think I've ever done such a sharp turn from feeling dubious about a character to sheer delight in the space of 90 minutes.

[Starlord]

I'm really enjoying the new series Lego Masters, though it could use a little less reality tv and more focus on the Lego builds.  Will Arnett is great as usual.

[tkdguy]

Scream of the Shalka, an animated miniseries starring Richard E. Grant as the Doctor and Derek Jacobi as the Master.

[death tribble]

Legion The Arch-Angel Michael comes to earth after God decides to dispense with his creation. Mankind's saviour will be born to a waitress at an isolated cantina and that is where the action is centred. Worth one look.

 

Call Girl Based on a true story. A young girl (14) is put into a kids home in Sweden. At night she regularly absconds into the city with her friend. She is befriended by a brothel keeper who starts getting her into the business. The brothel keeper is under investigation by the security services and then the police. Because the brothel keeper's clients include a large number of public figures any scandal will be a disaster. All this is set against the background of the 1976 election. One of the police officers is a young idealist and his point of view is one of those followed. Interesting but you need to be able to read subtitles.

 

Mutant X Season 3. This season does not really have an overarching villain as the previous two seasons had. (technically only season 1 did but still). With the 'deaths' of Adam and Emma Mutant X now works for The Dominion (not Star Trek) and has a new recruit played by Karen Cliche. There are call backs to the two main antagonists but this is the weakest of the seasons. John Shea as Adam did not appear until ove half way through. And the whole thing ends on an unresolved cliff hanger.

 

The Belko Experiment The employees at an American non-profit in Colombia are told that two of them must be killed in half an hour or there will be repercussions. When the time elapses and no-one has died 4 people are killed by bombs in their bodies. These were supposedly trackers because of the kidnap[ping problem in Columbia. A voice then says that 30 people must be killed or 60 will die. An interesting take on the Battle Royal format. Has several familiar faces with Michael Rooker and John C McGinley being the most well known.

 

Bladerunner 2049 Ryan Gosling plays a Replicant Bladerunner  who is assigned to a case which is more complicated than it originally appears. Harrison Ford, Edward James Olmos and Sean Young all appear in this sequel. It does not have the magic and atmosphere of the original. Still worth a look.

 

And Then There Were None Based on Ten Little Indians, this is the colour film version of Agatha Christie's work. The location is Persia in the early 70s and the cast includes Oliver Reed, Sir Richard Attenborough, Herbert Lom, Elke Somer, Gert (Goldfinger) Frobe, Charles Aznavour, Adolfo Celi and Stephane Audran. The people have been assembled because they got away with murder and someone intends that they pay for it. The motives are updated but as with the previous black and white film two of the accused are actually innocent. And someone starts killing them off one by one. Once you know who the villain is you may say the whole thing is spoiled. I would not agree. You have still a good cast acting against each other. Nowadays Stephane Audran might be the only one who people might not know.

[mattingly]

45 minutes ago, death tribble said:

Legion The Arch-Angel Michael comes to earth after God decides to dispense with his creation. Mankind's saviour will be born to a waitress at an isolated cantina and that is where the action is centered. Worth one look.

 

Parts of it were quite good, and disturbing.

 

[Sundog]

Clone Wars, Season 7 episodes 1-4.

[mattingly]

Almost done rewatching all four seasons of The Librarians.