What Are You Watching

[rdavenport]

I watched "The Girl From Ipanema: Brazil, Bossa nova and the Beach", a BBC documentary about the rise of Bossa Nova in Brazil around 1960. Interesting enough, but I never need to hear that tune again in my life.

Edited August 5, 2016 by rdavenport

[Shawn]

I've been binge-watching Top Gear on Netflix.  

[A Lark Ascending]

'The Secret Agent' (BBC1)

Can't say I enjoyed this a great deal. A worthy, well-filmed account of a 'classic' of literature but I kept going out of duty rather than compulsion. I read the book a long time ago - I recall it was a tough read (like I've always found Conrad). Perhaps too literary to translate effectively to the screen.

  

Really enjoyed the first three of these. Science for the viewer who was scared off science at school. I'm currently reading Bill Bryson's popular book on science so this re-enforces well. Superb photography in some strange places - those of a nervous disposition should not watch the ibex crossing a near vertical dam wall in search of salt. 

I like Brian Cox's delivery - really calm but bewitched by the wonders of the natural world. Failed politicians given TV documentaries should be made to watch him. They might learnt to stop shouting and waving their arms about all the time. 

Reliant on backed up programmes and things like the iPlayer for the next few weeks whilst the whole of BBC1, BBC 4 and great chunks of BBC2 are given over to egg and spoon races and the like.  

Edited August 7, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[kinuta]

Luckily the huge, 12 hour time difference makes it quite easy to avoid the Olympics.

Not that I'd bother even if they were shown during the day.

I had the same reaction to The Secret Agent.

[A Lark Ascending]

"Cold Feet"

Never saw this when it was mega-popular 20 odd years back  (though I still somehow developed a crush on Helen Baxendale). A frothy rom-com - sex amongst the Manchester yuppies - but very enjoyable and rather touching in places (though 'This is England', it ain't). Been through series one this week and just started 2 on the ITV 'on demand' channel - 24 days to get through the lot! With the usual channels I watch lost to the Olympics should fill in the gap before the autumn schedules start. 

"The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook" Episode 1

His analysis seems a bit glib - it wasn't about Thatcher, it was about us (our desire for consumer goods and our aspiration) - and he races through events (The Falklands in 30 seconds) but it's fun watching the events, clothes, hairstyles etc. The 80s still sound to my ears like the decade music forgot but it seems to be regarded as a golden age by others (based on the views of the younger colleagues I used to work with).    

 

Edited August 12, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[A Lark Ascending]

Virtually nothing but 'Cold Feet' over the last week or two - sentimental, improbable but utterly engaging. 

 

Genius of the Modern World - BBC4

Three part series fronted by Bettany Hughes about Marx, Nietzsche and Freud. Relatively familiar with Marx and Freud but Nietzsche I only know from his collisions with other things I've read/heard. Subsequently, despite an attempt on 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' when I was 18, I've only had a fragmented understanding of what he was about. This one gave a nice, potted account of his life, the developments in his thinking and the way his ideas were subsequently manipulated and distorted. I now see where D. H. Lawrence's assault on Christianity came from - recall being very troubled by his fury at compassion and meekness during my Lawrence phase in the mid-70s. Glad I didn't get hooked on Nietzsche as an 18 year old.            

Edited August 23, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[jlhoots]

Line Of Duty - season 3, episode 1

[A Lark Ascending]

The utterly heartbreaking last two episodes of 'Cold Feet' - pleased to see they avoided tying everything up at the end. Be interesting to see how they do the 'decade plus later' series due on TV soon.

'The Childhood of a Leader'

My first trip to the cinema in a while. Enjoyed this - slow moving, superb photography, engaging tale, strong musical score (Scott Walker...THE Scott Walker I discover on checking up). Not quite sure what it was getting at though - badly behaved children growing up in emotionally unstable homes and who subsequently learn to manipulate the adults around them might become dictators? As an historical-based film I thought it came off well - glancing at major events rather than trying to squeeze lots of big moments in; but as an analysis of the origins of dictatorship (even got a bit Freudian in places) it was pretty wide of the mark. Maybe that wasn't its intention. Anyway, it kept you brain ticking over trying to work out the allusions.   

Of course, it could have been all about The Donald. 

Edited August 27, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[jazzbo]

PBS broadcasts of the second season of Doc Martin. God I love this show.

[kinuta]

The Night Of

The final episode was excellent.

For me it was the best series I've seen since Happy Valley.

[A Lark Ascending]

On 8/28/2016 at 2:04 AM, jazzbo said:

PBS broadcasts of the second season of Doc Martin. God I love this show.

My parents used to love that. I've only seen the odd episode but found it very entertaining. The village it's based in - Port Isaac on the north coast of Cornwall - is a lovely place. Milks the Doc Martin connection for all it's worth these days (understandably). 

BBC 4 documentary about 'Pet Sounds'. Very enjoyable. Especially when they played with the faders and isolated parts of the tracks like the bass and, above all, the glorious harmony vocals. 

[paul secor]

I've been watching series 2 and 3 of the Swedish Wallanders recently. I had no idea, until I watched a set of interviews that was included, that Johanna Sallstrom, who played Linda Wallander in series one. had taken her own life. She had a haunted look in her eyes that I assumed was part of the role she was playing, but obviously there was more to it than the role. The producers tried to replace her with the characters of Isabelle and Pontus in series 2, but they were just pretty faces. The character of Linda returned in series 3, played by Charlotta Jonsson (the character almost had to return, given the circumstances of Kurt Wallander's health), but it wasn't the same.

Kinuta was right - "Krister Henriksson  is Wallander.

Kenneth Branagh is a British actor pretending to be him. No comparison at all."

I have no desire to see any of the Branagh Wallanders that I've missed.

[kinuta]

I don't think you're missing very much.

The final three episodes that appeared this year were borderline unwatchable.

[A Lark Ascending]

I gave up on Branagh after a couple of episodes of the first series. I've nothing against Branagh but just found them way too dour. I liked both the Swedish series but agree the later one was the most engaging. 

Been watching 'Victoria' over the last couple of nights. Not the sort of thing I usually watch - it's essentially 'Downton Abbey' with proper royals. Simple plot lines, pantomime villains, lots of frocks. Jenna Coleman looks very lovely throughout and not at all as I imagine Victoria. Enjoyable enough though I'll be glad when they get on to some proper history so I can start tutting. All palace intrigue so far. 

After seeing some very good reviews I've also been watching a very dark comedy series called 'Fleabag' about a rather disturbed young woman and her family/sexual relationships. Rather different and clearly heading somewhere very bleak. Gives the warnings of 'strong language and scenes of a sexual nature' a whole new meaning on prime time BBC.  

[soulpope]

15 hours ago, paul secor said:

 

Kinuta was right - "Krister Henriksson  is Wallander.

 

Krister Henriksson as Wallander + his labrador Jussi ....

[Brad]

I liked both Branagh and Henriksson and although I've only read a couple of the books, I think the Branagh version may have closer to the books.  Both were produced by the same Swedish production company. 

[A Lark Ascending]

None of them match the books (didn't expect them to). But one of the things that appealed to me about the Henriksson version were the story lines that are not in the books - the series had the confidence to evolve rather than just interpret.  

In the Branagh episodes I saw I felt he overplayed the dour side of Wallander. Perhaps suitable to the end when his illness takes hold but the book character is more rounded. I think I struggled with it being in English - we've become a bit used to hearing Scandinavian thrillers in Swedish or Danish  in recent years that all the British accents sound a bit odd. 

Half way through this - looks very dated but still makes for gripping television. Read the book a long time ago and watched the more recent film earlier in the year (which I also enjoyed). Like the leisurely way the story unfolds here though I'm still not sure I completely understand all the twists and turns. 

Surprised I didn't watch this when it came out (1979?). It was the sort of thing I'd have watched and I was back in TV watching mode after my student years. But I have no recollection of it. 

Edited August 31, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[Brad]

Tinker Tailor is one of the best things I've ever seen. I saw it when it first came out and proceeded to read all the books.  I own the DVD and easily watch it once a year. It's faithful to the book, which I've read a few times.  If you enjoy it, you must get Smiley's People, which is also outstanding.  

The series with Alec Guiness (who is Smiley) were the ones that LeCarre was happiest with. 

I didn't think the film version of Tinker Tailor was all that good; a big handicap was trying to tell the story in two hours plus it suffered in comparison to the TV series.  It couldn't fill those shoes.   

[jlhoots]

Line Of Duty - season 3, episodes 2 & 3

[A Lark Ascending]

16 hours ago, Brad said:

I didn't think the film version of Tinker Tailor was all that good; a big handicap was trying to tell the story in two hours plus it suffered in comparison to the TV series.  It couldn't fill those shoes.   

I can understand that if you know the book/early series well. I often react like that to films of books, films based on real historical events or remakes of earlier series. I watched the film TTSS many years after reading the book and without having seen the BBC series and the film engaged me fully. Context, as ever, has its impact. I had a similar experience with 'Suffragette'. Really enjoyed it but was talking with an old colleague about it a few weeks back. She'd taught the period at A Level (16-18 year olds) and had far more reservations.

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. 

 

[A Lark Ascending]

'Fleabag' (BBC various places)

Mentioned this a few days back - edgy, uncomfortable comedy with a dark undertone. Watched the last three episodes (30 mins each) back to back last night and the whole thing spiralled into something quite superb. A woman with an 'I don't give a ****' carapace coming apart at the seams - the last episode is searing. Really original comedy with some very well known faces in supporting roles - Bill Patterson, Olivia Coleman, Hugh Dennis. The episode in the 'mindfulness' retreat is priceless (only lacked the adult colouring books).

Highly recommended - it's on the BBC iPlayer for a while.   

Edited September 2, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[jazzbo]

Finished watching "Gotham" Season 2 on Blu-ray, started "Arrow" Season 3 on blu-ray. Feel a comic book show jag coming on.

[Brad]

On September 1, 2016 at 1:22 AM, A Lark Ascending said:

I can understand that if you know the book/early series well. I often react like that to films of books, films based on real historical events or remakes of earlier series. I watched the film TTSS many years after reading the book and without having seen the BBC series and the film engaged me fully. Context, as ever, has its impact. I had a similar experience with 'Suffragette'. Really enjoyed it but was talking with an old colleague about it a few weeks back. She'd taught the period at A Level (16-18 year olds) and had far more reservations.

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. 

 

I watched this on a flight home from Germany and, too, thought it was excellent.  Gripping. 

[jlhoots]

Finished Line Of Duty - season 3. Looking forward to season 4!!

[A Lark Ascending]

Marvellous. Don't think I've experienced this since reading it (with great reluctance!) at school 45 years ago. Know it mainly from the Britten and Purcell adaptations for the musical world. Very funny production - some moments of genuine laugh out loud (rather than the knowing tittering of the theat-ah). These Globe recordings are marvellous - very different from the big movie versions or grander theatrical productions (which I've also enjoyed), everything working from a plain stage with minimal props. 

On 9/4/2016 at 3:51 AM, jlhoots said:

Finished Line Of Duty - season 3. Looking forward to season 4!!

Easily one of the best series of the 2015-6 UK TV season....and it was a rich season. Have yet to spot anything exciting for 2016-17 but these things often appear out of the blue.  

Edited September 5, 2016 by A Lark Ascending