What Are You Watching

[duaneiac]

I've been watching some episodes of the old Thriller series.  It was an anthology series hosted by Boris Karloff.  It started out presenting stories more in the intrigue/mystery/suspense field -- kind of like what you might have seen on Alfred Hitchcock's series at that time.  The ratings were not so hot, so midway through the first season, they brought in some new producers and shifted the focus to stories of a more supernatural bent.

The episode, Pigeons From Hell, is regarded as one of the best of the series.  It was directed by John Newland, the creative force behind the series One Step Beyond.  It has some very creepy/scary scenes (especially for primetime TV in 1961), but also some absolutely gorgeous b&w cinematography and masterful lighting techniques.  These were skilled craftsmen to be able to create a high quality product like this in just 3 or 4 days of filming.  The acting is pretty good too.  If you do watch this, please do so late at night with all the lights turned off to get the best effect.

 

[jazzbo]

I'm enjoying Westworld a lot.

[jlhoots]

Madam Secretary

[kinuta]

8 hours ago, jazzbo said:

I'm enjoying Westworld a lot.

Me too, like the hosts, it's very well put together.

Have you seen The Young Pope yet? I think you'd find it very interesting.

 

[jazzbo]

Well put together.

That's not on any of my channels. I'll have to look into it. Thanks.

Edit to add: doesn't start in America for about four months.

Edited October 24, 2016 by jazzbo

[catesta]

Count me as a fan of Westworld. Ed Harris is great.

[kinuta]

Timeless

Boys own popcorn time travel yarn.

Complete baloney but great, fun entertainment.

[Scott Dolan]

16 hours ago, catesta said:

Count me as a fan of Westworld. Ed Harris is great.

Add me to the list as well. I subscribed to HBO specially BECAUSE of Westworld. 

Picked up a new show, and I'm bailing on another. Sunday's episode of The Walking Dead was it for me. They are out of ideas and will now rely on shock and gore. No thanks. 

[catesta]

Just finished watching Season 1 of The Knick. I like it.

[jazzbo]

Watching the SyFy series "Channel Zero: Candle Cove." Not bad for a SyFy series.

[A Lark Ascending]

Finished series 4 of 'House of Cards' last night. Wonderful drama. A year now to wait to see what happens next. Though real life is proving just as gripping (and frightening!).  

[A Lark Ascending]

Watched these intermittently on TV in the early 90s and always enjoyed them but, despite getting really hooked on Frasier, never got back to them. Found an inexpensive set online.

Interesting that even before Frasier appears on the scene the skewering of arty-farty/wannabee-intellectual pretension is there from the off, with Diane as the vehicle (later brought to perfection in the Niles Crane character). You always worry that the humour will have worn off with time but I found the first four episodes as funny and warm as ever. Should keep me happy over the winter.   

[jlhoots]

Bebe Neuwirth was good on Cheers.

[paul secor]

1 hour ago, jlhoots said:

Bebe Neuwirth was good on Cheers.

All of the actors on Cheers were good.

[A Lark Ascending]

Another one I missed when it came out:

First two episodes. Hard to pull off something so complex in just a dozen or so hours but I'm really enjoying this. Sensibly so far the focus is on the debates and discussions with the main military events alluded to through brief vignettes and references. Strong acting throughout - endlessly seeing faces and wondering where I've seen him or her before. I only have a general historical knowledge of the American Revolution so can't comment on how free it is with the facts - but so far it fits with what little I know.  

[page]

On 25-9-2016 at 7:30 AM, A Lark Ascending said:

Very moving - an unlikely ending but apparently based on reality. As a kid in the 60s living on the Changi RAF base I used to regularly visit a small museum about the Japanese occupation. One of those things that sticks in your memory. 

Yes, it touched me too. I saw it in the cinema. Quite impressive.

On 1-9-2016 at 7:22 AM, A Lark Ascending said:

 

Missed this in the cinema. Thought it was excellent. Really tense virtually from the off ('sell the bread, sell the bread'). All sorts of moral questions thrown up without presenting easy answers.

Yes, it was a thrilling one. It would not be my line of job I must say, I would be too soft to be able to make such decisions.

[jlhoots]

6 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

Another one I missed when it came out:

First two episodes. Hard to pull off something so complex in just a dozen or so hours but I'm really enjoying this. Sensibly so far the focus is on the debates and discussions with the main military events alluded to through brief vignettes and references. Strong acting throughout - endlessly seeing faces and wondering where I've seen him or her before. I only have a general historical knowledge of the American Revolution so can't comment on how free it is with the facts - but so far it fits with what little I know.  

My good friend, Kirk Ellis, wrote the screenplay & won the Emmy for it.

[alankin]

2 hours ago, jlhoots said:

My good friend, Kirk Ellis, wrote the screenplay & won the Emmy for it.

Nice!  My wife and I both enjoyed the series.

[A Lark Ascending]

19 hours ago, jlhoots said:

My good friend, Kirk Ellis, wrote the screenplay & won the Emmy for it.

From what I've seen so far, well deserved. 

[A Lark Ascending]

On 10/21/2016 at 9:49 PM, kinuta said:

Hypernormalisation - Adam Curtis BBC (2016)

An extension and further extrapolation on his previous documentaries.

Off the wall in part but engrossing . His recap of the Colonel Gaddafi story is especially interesting.

I had to break it into two days viewing

Thanks for flagging that up. I sat down to watch the first hour last night intending to split it in three and ended up watching it straight through. 

Utterly engrossing as you say - though I have a suspicion he has started with a theory and has then selected his evidence to fit. The Gaddafi story was fascinating (along with the parallel Syria story). For me the most interesting part was his explanation of how Putin and Trump deliberately destabilise through contradictory statements and outright lies so the audience loses its grip on 'truth'. You can see that at work in the Brexit crisis last summer - '£350 a week for the NHS' for weeks on end and then a complete distancing from the promise.

Part way through I realised Adam Curtis was also behind another documentary I'd been really impressed by - 'The Trap: What Happened to our Dream of Freedom' from 2007. Similar themes. 

[kinuta]

All his other documentaries are interesting and very well worth your time.

Luckily they are all available on You Tube.

Here's a list of the main ones, excluding The Trap.

Pandora's Box

The Power Of Nightmares

The Living Dead

The Century Of The Self

The Mayfair Set

All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace

Bitter Lake

[kinuta]

The Crown - Stephen Daldry, Philip Martin, Julian Jarrold and Benjamin Caron (HBO)

Although I think of myself as an anti monarchist, I was absolutely enthralled and rivetted by the first two episodes.

I don't think I've ever seen such high production values on tv. Top marks in direction, cinematography, acting ,incredible set design and location work.

Above all it was utterly realistic and believable.

 

[A Lark Ascending]

My initial thoughts with The Crown was 'not another royal hagiography'. But the reviews I've read have been glowing - apparently it was made without consultation with court flunkies. Will have to wait for a DVD to hire but quite fancy it now. 

Polish film about the Soviet massacre of Polish officers and intellectuals in 1940 and the subsequent cover up. Engaging. 

On the surface a gentle satire but quietly puts the stiletto in. 

Edited November 6, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[page]

The Collection


A series about a fashion house in Paris after WOII. Lots of intrige. I do like fashion, but there is more to enjoy, There is an opening tune with a singer I really like. I haven't discovered yet who she is.

[A Lark Ascending]

An interesting BBC doc on The Roundhouse in Camden. A place I've never been to - though the description of the inadequate toilet facilities in the early Pink Floyd/Soft Machine days makes me think I'd not have stayed long. Seems quite plush now.