What Are You Watching

[A Lark Ascending]

Peaky Blinders - Series 3

A bit slow to start to episode 1 but then exploded into life. The music is a huge factor in the feel of this series - even when a 20s jazz band is playing the music is rough, strained alternative rock, adding to the sense of menace.

Brilliant bit of audience manipulation tonight. The Shelby's are a bunch of murderous crooks; yet put them up against a bunch of stereotypical aristocrats and you can't help but root for them. 

[kinuta]

15 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

Peaky Blinders - Series 3

A bit slow to start to episode 1 but then exploded into life. The music is a huge factor in the feel of this series - even when a 20s jazz band is playing the music is rough, strained alternative rock, adding to the sense of menace.

Brilliant bit of audience manipulation tonight. The Shelby's are a bunch of murderous crooks; yet put them up against a bunch of stereotypical aristocrats and you can't help but root for them. 

Watched and enjoyed it too. Dig the hipster haircuts

[A Lark Ascending]

Excellent (lengthy) article here about acting in Britain (and more besides):

Why working-class actors are a disappearing breed

And utterly depressing forewarnings:

BBC may have to share licence fee with rivals

Interesting sentence here:

"Although Whittingdale has led the white paper process, the prime minister, David Cameron, and the chancellor,George Osborne, are understood to have played a key part in the decision-making process."

They seem to omitted the names of an antipodean media zillionaire and editor of the Daily Mail. 

Enjoy the BBC while you can - in a few years it'll have been asset-stripped with nothing left but Celebrity Dominatrix. 

Edited May 8, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[kinuta]

Rewatching Damages season one.

Superb.

 

[Matthew]

The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Season 1. Season one has some outstanding episodes, but overall, a bit dated.

[A Lark Ascending]

Started watching 'Follow the Money' (mentioned above by others) last night (stored on my digibox). Very enjoyable episode 1. 

It's such an institution that it's easy to overlook but this programme in its umpteenth series remains as hilarious as ever. Won a BAFTA last night.

BAFTA results were interesting:

"The BBC won a total of 14 awards, half of them for shows on BBC1. Channel 4 won six with another for E4, and two for ITV. Sky and Amazon took home one award each."

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/may/08/wolf-hall-director-says-bbc-is-under-threat

 

 

Edited May 9, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[Jazzjet]

23 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

 

BBC may have to share licence fee with rivals

Interesting sentence here:

"Although Whittingdale has led the white paper process, the prime minister, David Cameron, and the chancellor,George Osborne, are understood to have played a key part in the decision-making process."

They seem to omitted the names of an antipodean media zillionaire and editor of the Daily Mail. 

Enjoy the BBC while you can - in a few years it'll have been asset-stripped with nothing left but Celebrity Dominatrix. 

I've often wondered whether Tony Hall and the BBC chiefs would dare turning up at meetings with Whittingdale dangling a pair of handcuffs and a knowing wink.

I wonder whether Cameron and co are seriously misjudging the public mood on the BBC (as with other matters). I imagine a large amount of the audience for things like The Archers, Strictly, Attenborough, Bake Off etc are old and conservative.

[A Lark Ascending]

Indeed. 

I feel similar about the Beeb as over Europe. Constantly irritated by their conservative (small c) leanings, overall convinced they are forces for good.

I think they have misjudged the mood. They think they can slip this through while everyone is distracted by Europe. 

[kinuta]

The Good Wife

Sad to see it finish. No spoilers for those who haven't seen it.

They should give Lucca a spin off, like ' Better Call Saul'.

[jazzbo]

I agree, great actress! Another one of Britain's best.

[kinuta]

1 hour ago, jazzbo said:

I agree, great actress! Another one of Britain's best.

Magnetic screen presence, she owns every scene she's in.

[Shawn]

Any suggestions for British courtroom/lawyer dramas?  Now that The Good Wife has concluded I need to find something else to dig into, thought a change of country might make it interesting.  

I've seen the original House Of Cards trilogy.  

 

 

[alankin]

The Americans - Season 4

A bit more than halfway through this season.  An excellent series.  Matthew Rhys is impressive.

[kinuta]

4 hours ago, Shawn said:

Any suggestions for British courtroom/lawyer dramas?  Now that The Good Wife has concluded I need to find something else to dig into, thought a change of country might make it interesting.  

I've seen the original House Of Cards trilogy. 

 

 

 

The only ones that come to mind are Kavanagh QC and Silk but good luck getting hold of copies

Law & Order UK gave a fair to middling look at the legal side of law enforcement but doesn't really fit your criteria.

You mentioned House Of Cards which seems quite far from a courtroom drama so you would probably like Case Histories, if you haven't already seen it.

 

Edited May 10, 2016 by kinuta

[Shawn]

Yeah, I'm not sure why I mentioned House Of Cards.  Anyway, Amazon Prime (streaming service) has added a ton of British TV series in the past month or so (probably came along with their deal for the Doctor Who series) so I'll see if I can find any of those you mentioned.  

 

 

22 hours ago, jazzbo said:

I agree, great actress! Another one of Britain's best.

She's not hard to look at either.  

 

[kinuta]

1 hour ago, Shawn said:

Yeah, I'm not sure why I mentioned House Of Cards.  Anyway, Amazon Prime (streaming service) has added a ton of British TV series in the past month or so (probably came along with their deal for the Doctor Who series) so I'll see if I can find any of those you mentioned.  

 

 

She's not hard to look at either.  

 

See if BBC's The Intruders is on the list.

Weird and dark paranormal thriller that I found completely gripping.

 

[A Lark Ascending]

She-Wolves: England's Early Queens (BBC4)

Excellent three parter on some powerful medieval/Tudor women trying to get a hold in a world completely dominated by men.  

Edited May 11, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[jlhoots]

The Night Manager - episode 4

[Shawn]

20 hours ago, kinuta said:

See if BBC's The Intruders is on the list.

Weird and dark paranormal thriller that I found completely gripping.

 

Hulu has The Intruders.  I'm sure I'll eventually subscribe again (I tend to take turns with these different services) and will check it out then.  

 

[Jazzmoose]

I picked up the DVDs of my first ever 'favorite show', The Time Tunnel.  It's hard to believe now how weird TV was able to get back in the fifties and sixties.  I watched the first episode last night, and while it holds up about as well as something like this possibly could.  I'll stick to one episode a day at most; I think binge watching would be a bit much with this one.

[A Lark Ascending]

2 hours ago, Jazzmoose said:

I picked up the DVDs of my first ever 'favorite show', The Time Tunnel.  It's hard to believe now how weird TV was able to get back in the fifties and sixties.  I watched the first episode last night, and while it holds up about as well as something like this possibly could.  I'll stick to one episode a day at most; I think binge watching would be a bit much with this one.

That was a favourite of mine back in the mid-60s. History geek even at 10. Remember the Krakatoa episode for some reason.

********************

Excellent Peaky Blinders again last night.  

Edited May 13, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[JohnJ]

Watched all of the first season on the ANA flight to and back from Seattle last week.

Excellent, a great way to pass time on a long flight.

[Jazzmoose]

3 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

That was a favourite of mine back in the mid-60s. History geek even at 10. Remember the Krakatoa episode for some reason.

 

I never thought about how I got hooked on history, I'll bet this show was the reason.  And you're a year older than I am...

[A Lark Ascending]

21 hours ago, Jazzmoose said:

I never thought about how I got hooked on history, I'll bet this show was the reason.  And you're a year older than I am...

I was already veering that way - got obsessed with knights in armour at about the age of 6; from an early age I was always trying to fit 'olden days' things seen on TV into some sort of inter-relating pattern. 'The Time Tunnel' certainly fed the interest (even if it played hell with my chronology (or maybe helped me become more flexible skipping around it)). 

Seem to remember an episode set in the French Revolution too.

An English teacher got a light summer term in 1967 by making us all write a 'novel'. Mine was called 'The Stukatons' about a time travelling family. Now where did I get that idea from?  

Edited May 14, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[kinuta]

ABC have abruptly canceled my favourite soap, no more Nashville, not even a decent farewell, just left hanging.

What a bummer.