What Have You Watched Recently?

[Joe Walsh]

 

[Pariah]

Watched a handful of Star Trek: Voyager episodes while folding laundry and packing. Mother of Hades, but Neelix is annoying.

[Lord Liaden]

On 6/22/2022 at 3:25 PM, Pariah said:

I've been seeing a lot of clips for it on the Book of Face, so I pulled up the pilot for Blue Bloods on Paramount+. Very interesting take on the police procedural. There's a strong family undercurrent to the show, which I think is pretty cool. Tom Selleck does a great job as commissioner of the NYPD. Plus, I got to see Donnie Wahlberg's character straight up waterboard a suspect to find a little girl who'd been kidnapped. That was pretty surprising. The show definitely has potential

 

 

On 6/22/2022 at 6:56 PM, Starlord said:

 

Good show.  Watched every season and they do a good job of talking about the social issues between the citizenry and police.

 

The potential is largely realized throughout the series. The writing is smart and thought-provoking, and the cast are all solid with flashes of brilliance. The series does have procedural story arcs every episode, but the political and social issues that come with policing a megacity are more crucial to the show. Yet the character interactions, particularly among the Reagan law-enforcement dynasty, are the soul of the series.

 

Sadly, the premise of a body of police and prosecutors in a major American city who conduct themselves with honor, integrity, respect and compassion, and demand the same from those they work with, would probably be considered fantasy by most of today's Americans. I think the show ended at the right time, as it would probably be difficult to swallow in the present day.

 

[Lord Liaden]

2 hours ago, Pariah said:

Watched a handful of Star Trek: Voyager episodes while folding laundry and packing. Mother of Hades, but Neelix is annoying.

 

What did Rhea ever do to you that you have to blame her for Neelix?

 

Now, Echidna, she spawned Cerberus, Scylla, the Hydra, the Chimera, the Nemean Lion... much more appropriate peers for Neelix. 

[Ternaugh]

Paddington: Another movie that I watch every once in a while, when my spirits need a lift. And yes, I'll probably watch Paddington 2 again this weekend, as it's also a great watch. (Netflix)

 

Obi-Wan-Kenobi: GM Joe's review above is on the nose. I enjoyed it, but I don't really need to see more of either the Skywalkers or Tatooine. (Disney+)

 

Watching The Orville season 3 episode 4, an episode entitled "Gently Falling Rain", which builds on events in past episodes for an exciting and emotional story. (Hulu)

[Scott Ruggels]

Watched RRR on NEtflix,by the same director as Bahubali. A Tamil, Hindu and English language film about two revolutionaries in India in 1920. It's very entertaining, if typically over the top as most Subcontinental films are.  But the cast was attractive, the Performances were good, and the cinematography was as refreshing  as a glass of Iced tea on a hot day. For a 3 hour film, it felt speedy, but not rushed or packed.  I noticed they didn't get the cars right for 1920 (most of them being  30's and 40's vehicles, but I did not expect India to have a large car collector culture. Very entertaining, though.

 

Been watching the current season of "The Boys". A lot better than the previous season. I'm enjoying it.

[Lord Liaden]

22 minutes ago, Scott Ruggels said:

Been watching the current season of "The Boys". A lot better than the previous season. I'm enjoying it.

 

If you aren't up to the latest episode (#6) yet, brace yourself. I'm not gonna spoil it, but honestly, I don't think I could find the words even if I wanted to. 😵

[Scott Ruggels]

11 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

If you aren't up to the latest episode (#6) yet, brace yourself. I'm not gonna spoil it, but honestly, I don't think I could find the words even if I wanted to. 😵

 Watching it tomorrow with the new one, after I get back from my Brother's dinner.

[Pariah]

If you look up the definition of "bittersweet ending", I think you'll find the description of yesterday's episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

 

Meanwhile, I've seen the rise of two controversies surrounding the said show on social media, namely:

 

1) The 'wokeness' of SNW (which I personally find hilarious, because if you didn't know that the entire premise of Star Trek is 'woke', you simply haven't been paying attention for the past half century), and 

 

2) Is Captain Pike sexy in spite of his ridiculous hair, or because of it?

[Joe Walsh]

Finished Hacks S2 (HBOMax). This is a rare one where I'd say the second season was as good as the first. Each season had its story problems, but ultimately the laughs and characters made them both worth watching. At the end of S2 the story seems complete, but it looks like we'll be getting a third season anyway. Hope they do a good job on it.

 

[tombrown803]

Blue Bloods is still on, it hasn't been canceled

 

[Lord Liaden]

19 hours ago, tombrown803 said:

Blue Bloods is still on, it hasn't been canceled

 

 

Ah, I just checked that. I missed the April renewal announcement, but then I don't follow much television. I guess there's more of an appetite for idealism in the American zeitgeist than I thought, if only in fiction. In this case I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. 

[Starlord]

We are on season 4 of a British crime drama called Line of Duty.  Revolves around an anti-corruption unit called AC12 that investigates police corruption and wrongdoing.  It is one of the best written shows I have ever watched.  Really pays close attention to detail and tries to be very realistic about proper procedure and building criminal cases.

[death tribble]

Journey to the Seventh Planet

The UN exploration to Uranus runs into problems from a hostile alien who wants to travel to Earth and tries to manipulate people via their hopes and fears. Meh

 

Bruce Lee Martial arts Master

A hagiography of Bruce Lee talking to his family, friends and students like James Coburn. Nice little look at Bruce by those who knew him before his son's death

 

The Changeling

George C Scott takes over a house while mourning his wife and child and comes into contact with a ghost as a child was murdered on the property and wants recognition of this. The problem is that you never feel that George is in any danger. Still watchable.

 

The Blob

One of Steve McQueen's earliest works. Not as smooth as Magnificent Seven or Great Escape but ok as a jelly starts eating people and Steve tries to do the right thing and warn people. Worth seeing.

 

The Mad Room

A woman finds out that her brother and sister are due to be released from an asylum after murdering her parents twelve years previously. She testified against them in court. She is working for a rich widow and dating said widow's stepson wants to keep them ignorant of this. But complications ensue as the brother and sister need a room of their own to vent frustrations. Interesting little number.

 

Darkest Hour

Churchill comes to be Prime  Minister instead of Hastings as the Germans are invading Belgium and France. It covers the period around the Dunkirk evacuation and the sacrifice of the Calais garrison. Gary Oldman won an Oscar for his portrayal of Churchill. Worth a look.

[death tribble]

Werewolf 

This is a 1956 film where a guy has been injected by two unscrupulous doctors and thus becomes a werewolf under stress. It is not true to lore but it passes the time. The man is upset by what he has become, the doctors want to kill him, the town wants to stop whatever is killing people and his family want him back.

 

Hands of  Stranger

A concert pianist loses his hands in a car accident and a doctor replaces them with the hands of a murderer. This is one of several adaptations of the hands of Orlac, It has no-one of note in the cast. But the hands drive the pianist to kill.

 

Cat Girl

Loose remake of Cat People. A woman is cursed to become a cat and kill. The cat is question is a leopard. Barbara Shelley plays the doomed woman,.

 

The Man from Planet X

An alien comes to Earth as a planet comes through the solar system and will be close to Earth for a short while. A rogue scientist tries to control the alien and causes all sorts of problems.

 

Sea of Sand

Film about the exploits of the Long Range Desert Group. This is set just before el Alamein. The cast would be well familiar to a British audience particularly in the 70s. The trucks have to cross the desert to hit a fuel dump at a certain date as other groups are doing the same. Things go wrong but people sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

 

Dick Barton Special Agent

One of three Dick Barton films with Dick supposed to be on holiday but trying to track down a smuggling ring. It turns out that there are still some holdouts from the war still trying to fight it and now they are using germ warfare. Can Dick, Jock and snowy stop them ?

[Dr. MID-Nite]

On 6/24/2022 at 12:50 AM, Lord Liaden said:

 

If you aren't up to the latest episode (#6) yet, brace yourself. I'm not gonna spoil it, but honestly, I don't think I could find the words even if I wanted to. 😵

 

The fight....though brief...was awesome!

[mattingly]

On 6/25/2022 at 6:31 PM, death tribble said:

The Blob

One of Steve McQueen's earliest works. Not as smooth as Magnificent Seven or Great Escape but ok as a jelly starts eating people and Steve tries to do the right thing and warn people. Worth seeing.

 

And the best horror movie theme song.

 

 

[Starlord]

6 hours ago, mattingly said:

 

And the best horror movie theme song.

 

 

 

It is a catchy tune, I suppose.

 

It's no Halloween, The Thing or Fright Night of course...but it is quite a toe-tapper. 

[Joe Walsh]

Finished Deadwood S3 (HBOMax). Great series, very good season, unsatisfying "ending". Next weekend we'll see what they were able to salvage with the movie years later, but along with other fans we'll always wonder what S4 would have been like if it'd been greenlit back in the day.

 

Also finished S1 of Warrior (HBOMax). The setting is the real star for me. I was born and raised in the SF Bay Area, and this fictionalized version of SF in the 1870s does a good job of illuminating some of the very real racial conflicts from back then, as well as the ways in which local and national politics interacted with industry and the racialized population. On the other hand the show often struggles to present fight scenes that are equal to the cinematic quality of the rest of the show, and some fights are so dominated by the narrative and handled with no real cleverness as to lose my interest. Hopefully they'll do better in S2. That said, the fight scenes in the first and last episodes of the season are pretty good, and S1E5 is a joy for any fan of the Western genre. Still, I dearly wish they'd planned the big fight in S1E9 with a bit more intelligence.

 

 

[Ternaugh]

Three episodes in to season 3 of The Boys, and it's probably one of the greatest satires that I've ever watched. I have to let my 12-pack of Fresca chill before I binge the next three episodes tomorrow.

[csyphrett]

Watched the first Columbo movie from ABC. Anthony Edwards plays a fake psychic trying to fool the government into giving him a free ride. Columbo wrecks that for him by showing how the trick was done. 

CES

 

[Joe Walsh]

S2 of Only Murders in the Building is off to a fun start, as is S3 of Fresh Meat.

[mattingly]

[Ternaugh]

Freejack: A race car driver is grabbed at the moment of his death and transported forward 18 years to a dystopian 2009, where the plan is to use his body to host the mind of a recently-deceased billionaire. It's kind of fun to watch Mick Jagger as one of the hunters. (Amazon Prime)

 

Batman: Tim Burton's 1989 version, still one of my favorites. (Vudu/Movies Anywhere; also on Hulu)

 

The Bad Guys: Animated movie from Dreamworks about a bunch of criminal animals who attempt to change their ways. This one's a lot of fun. (Peacock)

 

Hot Shots!: It's "Top Gun" by some of the folks who made Airplane! Still fun, even if a few of the jokes are dated. (HBOmax)

[csyphrett]

It's Columbo night as Columbo works his magic against a director played by Fisher Stevens. Jeff Perry (Nash Bridges), Molly Hagan,  and Schiff from Law and Order were among the guest stars as Columbo starts grinding this guy's life apart. 

CES