What Are You Watching

[Jazzjet]

30 minutes ago, catesta said:

A Christmas gift from my wife. It was always funny to me but seems even funnier now. Richard Mulligan was a real comedic actor.

 

That was one of the funniest series ever with some great comic characters. I've just ordered Season 1 but other series are not easily available over here.

[jlhoots]

I'd like to try season 1 of Happy Valley. Concerned that I won't be able to follow the dialogue due to the accents. Any thoughts??

[catesta]

2 hours ago, Jazzjet said:

That was one of the funniest series ever with some great comic characters. I've just ordered Season 1 but other series are not easily available over here.

I agree. The cast and writing was incredible.

[A Lark Ascending]

1 hour ago, jlhoots said:

I'd like to try season 1 of Happy Valley. Concerned that I won't be able to follow the dialogue due to the accents. Any thoughts??

You shouldn't have any more problem than I have following films set in The Bronx (Hebden Bridge is the UK's equivalent of The Bronx). 

[Shawn]

Elementary - Season 3.  Started off a little clunky but found a groove.  

The X-Files - the new mini-series.  

 

[jazzbo]

Starting to rewatch Californication the Final Season on DVD.

[jlhoots]

3 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

You shouldn't have any more problem than I have following films set in The Bronx (Hebden Bridge is the UK's equivalent of The Bronx). 

Thanks

[A Lark Ascending]

Sinatra: All or Nothing at All (Part 1)

Documentary that went out over New Year on BBC4. Two great 2 hour slabs. Just watched part 1 over a couple of days. Mainly based around interviews with Sinatra and his family/associates plus a few egg-heads (warning - includes Terry Teachout who I recall is persona non grata around here).  Part 1 ends with the revival of his career with 'From Here to Eternity' and Capitol contract.

Interesting. But I wonder how independent it is. Bends over backwards to disassociate him from mob connections. I don't know enough about him to know if those connections were malicious rumour or based on evidence. Maybe part 2 will tell me more.  

[sidewinder]

On 26 January 2016 at 6:56 AM, A Lark Ascending said:

I do like the not very subtle references to Genesis and Peter Gabriel...a very funny send-up of the Gabriel/Kate Bush song last week. My favourite is the manager. "You've been offered £10 million to play a personal concert for William and Kate. I told them to f.o." (not a direct quote...just his style).  

That 'Spirit Level' song (his big solo hit) is obviously a spoof of 'Sledgehammer'. I assume that the 'Chinese Meal' protest song is a spoof of 'Biko'. Yep, the Kate Bush duet was damn funny !

Chinese Meal

Edited January 27, 2016 by sidewinder

[A Lark Ascending]

It's quite fun just watching who turns up in bit roles. Rick Wakeman was sat on the coach in episode 1 of this series - not sure he said anything. 

And you've got to admire Peter Gabriel for joining in during the last series, given that he's the butt of most of the humour. 

[A Lark Ascending]

Good Pern episode last night! Simon Callow wonderfully typecast. And the return of Mr Gabriel! 

Music Moguls: Masters of Pop Episode 2 - Producers

I was utterly enthralled by this. The principal talking head was Nile Rodgers and it mainly dealt with pop/rock production after I stopped listening (a bit at the start about Joe Meek, Spector and George Martin). It's knee-jerk for people of my age to grumble about factory pop but I ended up with a lot of respect for the craft of these people.

A wonderful section where Tony Visconti demonstrates how Bowie's 'Heroes' was built up layer by layer. Amazing what you never hear until it's pointed out. 

[jlhoots]

London Spy - episode 2

[jazzbo]

The 100, second episode of the season. I find this show entertaining. 

[jlhoots]

On January 26, 2016 at 1:02 PM, A Lark Ascending said:

You shouldn't have any more problem than I have following films set in The Bronx (Hebden Bridge is the UK's equivalent of The Bronx). 

I ordered it.

We'll see.

[JohnS]

Just watched Doctor Terror's House Of Horrors.  Not seen before, Tubby Hayes gets more screen time than I thought.

Earlier this week came across The Golden Disc. Features a few seconds of Phil Seamen (credited as Seamon).  Ronnie Ross is recognisable.

[BillF]

1 hour ago, JohnS said:

Just watched Doctor Terror's House Of Horrors.  Not seen before, Tubby Hayes gets more screen time than I thought.

Earlier this week came across The Golden Disc. Features a few seconds of Phil Seamen (credited as Seamon).  Ronnie Ross is recognisable.

I could nominate a few people for House of Horrors, but none of those would be included.

[sidewinder]

Saw the 'Dr Terror' on the box last night as well and recorded it. Great clip of the Hayes Quintet on that 'Voodoo' story. I remember when Trunk Records did that limited EP release of the music on a few hundred copies - it sold out in a flash.

Nice to see the film of Jimmy Deuchar on mellophonium - I assume that Roy Castle  wasn't actually playing on the soundtrack on trumpet, although recall that used to do trumpet in his Record Breakers 'act'. Fair bit of prominence too to Alan Ganley on the footage.

The special effects were pretty rubbish though - especially that crawling hand and the triffid. 

[Shawn]

I don't really care about the special effects in those movies, the actors and the overall atmosphere is what makes it for me.  I can forgive the low budget trappings if the story is engaging.  Dr. Terror's House Of Horrors was one of my favorites when I was a kid, I would watch anything with either Peter Cushing and/or Christopher Lee in it.  

That was the first of the Amicus anthology films, Asylum, Tales From The Crypt and From Beyond The Grave are also worth checking out.  That third title takes the same basic premise as Dr Terror but has Cushing as the owner of an antique store that sells cursed artifacts.  

 

Edited January 30, 2016 by Shawn

[sidewinder]

An amazing cast lineup in that movie - Lee, Cushing, Donald Sutherland, Michael Gough, Castle, Bernard Lee, 'Fluff' Freeman - and Tubby and co. I really enjoyed seeing it again and agree that the effects didn't hinder it too much. Amicus got a bit better in their later films in the 70s I think.

[A Lark Ascending]

BBC 4: Music Moguls: Masters of Pop (Episode 3)

Final episode on the role of PR. Ended wondering about all my ideas of musical value - you tend to be aware of the more blatant examples of hype but as a number of commentators mentioned, PR is only working when you don't see it. Covers from the way Hendrix's image was managed to break him in the US up to Taylor Swift today. Has you thinking about not just they way that PR promotes the careers of living pop/rock performers but also the way record companies manipulate image with their back catalogues of 'classic' artists in jazz, classical, folk etc. Interesting bit on how New Labour learnt many of its promotional techniques from studying pop PR. 

Otherwise still following Deutschland 83 (remains utterly improbable though gets a nice feel for the time), War and Peace (enjoyable but, as expected, quart into a pint pot - situations that develop over many, many pages in the book pass by in seconds), Spin (enjoyable though nowhere ear as good as Spiral [must be 'Vortex' next]) and The Good Wife Series 6 (which I'm also enjoying).     

[Jazzjet]

On 1/30/2016 at 6:03 PM, Shawn said:

I don't really care about the special effects in those movies, the actors and the overall atmosphere is what makes it for me.  I can forgive the low budget trappings if the story is engaging.  Dr. Terror's House Of Horrors was one of my favorites when I was a kid, I would watch anything with either Peter Cushing and/or Christopher Lee in it.  

That was the first of the Amicus anthology films, Asylum, Tales From The Crypt and From Beyond The Grave are also worth checking out.  That third title takes the same basic premise as Dr Terror but has Cushing as the owner of an antique store that sells cursed artifacts.  

 

I remember seeing Tales From The Crypt when it first came out. Those were the days when you got two feature films for your ticket and could go into the cinema at any point so you often saw the end of one film and sat through the whole programme so you could eventually see the beginning! Recently bought Tales From The Crypt (Joan Collins!) on DVD.

[page]

On 26-1-2016 at 7:45 AM, A Lark Ascending said:

She had a walk on role in the first episode of 'Brian Pern' last week (a Spinal Tap-like spoof on Prog-rock). Not great TV but good for a few chuckles. 

Suranne Jones along with Nicola Walker will always get me watching an unfamiliar TV series. Two of the most powerful British actors on TV at present.   

Thanks, I'll remember that one. It was a series regarding a train accident where she played someone who was at the train and helped the police in the investigation. I still can't recall and don't think I saw the entire thing.
 

On 29-1-2016 at 3:56 PM, jlhoots said:

London Spy - episode 2

I'm following too. I was intruiged the first episode, by episode 3 I felt horrified. Have seen 4 episodes so far, awful, awful, awful it makes me feel. Good series make you shiver, don't they?!

Saw the final episode of "Okkupert" ( Occupied) this past weekend. A political drama/thriller which was great. It takes place in Norway. I recommend it highly.

Before that
"Odyssey", also known as "American Odyssey". I guess that is a political drama/thriler series as well.

[Brad]

Haven't gotten around to it but Occupied is on my list to watch.

[jazzbo]

Alternating between Gotham Season 1 on Blu-ray and some X-Files episodes from Seasons 2 and 3 on Blu-ray. (The latter look really good!)

[A Lark Ascending]

Compelling story telling. Kept me gripped throughout - I liked the way it followed the arc of an investigation from its early uncertainties through the growing tensions as the scale of the issues became apparent. No unnecessary side-plots either.