What are you watching now?

[BassWrangler]

@BassWrangler

Maybe I am showing my age,but I am also happy to see casts that look like real people,not all 25 year old models yelling "Hoo YAH!" and kicking 15 attackers into submission without getting a hair out of place or even winded.

The Brits seem to go for the best actors or actresses who are available at the time they are casting,with talent and availability being the prime concerns.

Yes, acting definitely is better than the average american TV series - at last those from our pma or networks.

[DCPatriot]

Just clicked on CONDOR...on Epix Network.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6510950/

A brilliant, young, idealistic CIA analyst finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that kills everyone else at his office. Can he, with no field experience, stay alive long enough to get to the bottom of it?

Excellent! 

[BassWrangler]

@BassWrangler

Maybe I am showing my age,but I am also happy to see casts that look like real people,not all 25 year old models yelling "Hoo YAH!" and kicking 15 attackers into submission without getting a hair out of place or even winded.

The Brits seem to go for the best actors or actresses who are available at the time they are casting,with talent and availability being the prime concerns.

Hey @sneakypete - looks like I was wrong about who is responsible for this show, 'Endeavor. It is actually PBS and Masterpiece Theater. Has all British cast, though.

[sneakypete]

Hey @sneakypete - looks like I was wrong about who is responsible for this show, 'Endeavor. It is actually PBS and Masterpiece Theater. Has all British cast, though.

@BassWrangler

Not far off at all. I watch a LOT of stuff on PBS,and don't let it "not being conservative PC" bother me a bit.

And I consider Masterpiece Theater to be the American version of BBC. LOTS of good series to view if you will just open your mind to it.

Frankly,I expect better than to see the blind PC bias of the left on display from the right. We are supposed to be the ones with open-minds.

[libertybele]

Watching "The Passion of the Christ".  We've seen it several times, and each time I catch different things that I didn't notice before.

In my opinion, this is one of Mel Gibson's best movies.  The first time we saw it at the theater, there was complete silence during and after the movie; no one even said a word on the way out.  As a Christian, how can you see this movie and it not have a profound impact on you?

[Smokin Joe]

Watching "The Passion of the Christ".  We've seen it several times, and each time I catch different things that I didn't notice before.

In my opinion, this is one of Mel Gibson's best movies.  The first time we saw it at the theater, there was complete silence during and after the movie; no one even said a word on the way out.  As a Christian, how can you see this movie and it not have a profound impact on you?

It is a powerful movie, and I agree, one of the (if not the) best of his movies

[Fishrrman]

Sat/Sun nights I watched a Russian film from 1994:
"Burnt By The Sun".

Hardest part was that it had embedded subtitles, that weren't English, so I had to dig up English subtitles which then were superimposed over the default ones. It was doable, but frustrating.

There's also a "Burnt by the Sun II", will watch that a couple of weeks from now.

[sneakypete]

Shameless airs it's final episode on April 11th,and you can bet I am going to be watching it with both regret and joy.

I have no idea how the writers managed to write this show for 11 freaking years before the Gallagher Gang ran out of story lines that shock,but damned if they didn't do it!

I was thinking Frank would have sunken as low as a human-being can sink by the time the first season ended,but damned if he wasn't finding new lows to experience right up to the end.

Gonna miss them,but nothing lasts forever. Not even the Gallagher's.

If you never watched this show,sit down,buckle up for the ride,and start in on Episode 1,season 1,and prepare to be both astounded and laughing at the same time. It IS  a wild ride.

BTW,for those of you desperate for a "Gallagher fix",there is a BBC version you can watch,but it just doesn't seem as funny to me. Probably because of cultural differences because it was a big hit in England.

[BassWrangler]

@BassWrangler

Not far off at all. I watch a LOT of stuff on PBS,and don't let it "not being conservative PC" bother me a bit.

And I consider Masterpiece Theater to be the American version of BBC. LOTS of good series to view if you will just open your mind to it.

Frankly,I expect better than to see the blind PC bias of the left on display from the right. We are supposed to be the ones with open-minds.

@sneakypete - you watching Endeavor yet? Looks like there is a Season 8 coming out later this year. Although calling these seasons is a stretch. Season 7 and apparently 8 are only 3 episodes.

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete - you watching Endeavor yet? Looks like there is a Season 8 coming out later this year. Although calling these seasons is a stretch. Season 7 and apparently 8 are only 3 episodes.

@BassWrangler

Not yet,but I will,and it will be first-class when it airs.

[BassWrangler]

@BassWrangler

Not yet,but I will,and it will be first-class when it airs.

I think you'll enjoy it. There was a little bit of "woke" they snuck in during the last season or two - but it wasn't enough to ruin the show, fortunately.

[Gefn]

I started watching the Ken Burns documentary on Ernest Hemingway last night. PBS)

It’s wonderful to see the old photos from the 1910’s and 1920’s. But as much as I admire Hemingway foe his writing, I’m not crazy about him as a person or a husband.

[goatprairie]

I started watching the Ken Burns documentary on Ernest Hemingway last night. PBS)

It’s wonderful to see the old photos from the 1910’s and 1920’s. But as much as I admire Hemingway foe his writing, I’m not crazy about him as a person or a husband.

He was a dedicated leftist. He openly sympathized with the Spanish Republicans i.e. Marxists during the Spanish Civil War. Hemingway narrated the documentary about the war "The Spanish Earth" (which I've seen several times) making no bones about whom he supported. He was also a big fan of Castro's Cuban revolution, and Castro had a statue of him built that stands in Havana harbor.
I never liked his style much. But many people did, so maybe it's me who lacks the proper appreciation of his literary worth.

[Fishrrman]

I scraped up a 720p copy of the early 60's film "The Story of Ruth", and will watch it this weekend...

[240B]

Watched the series 'Monk' on Hulu. It was very annoying.
The Monk character is an unlikeable mentally disabled psychopath.

The 'mysteries' are somewhat compelling but the 10-15 minute episodes of watching Monk deal with mundane nothing issues is hard to watch. Monk doesn't like dirt or trash. Monk doesn't understand a beach. Monk doesn't understand a bus or a taxi. Monk doesn't understand what a pet or an animal is. Monk will stop to clean up a mess while he is being shot at by a murderer. I GET IT! It's the same joke over and over and over and over, in between watching him abuse his private nurse which I assume is supposed to be funny, or something?

The overriding theme of the show is Monk trying to find the people who murdered his wife. This is supposed to be a big deal conspiracy. When he finally solves the crime it was a huge disappointment. Without saying too much, it is not any kind of an international cabal. In fact, being that it is the whole point of the entire series, it is simplistic in the extreme.

I watched it, sort of, while screwing around on the computer.  It is not something I could watch again.

[goatprairie]

Watched the series 'Monk' on Hulu. It was very annoying.
The Monk character is an unlikeable mentally disabled psychopath.

The 'mysteries' are somewhat compelling but the 10-15 minute episodes of watching Monk deal with mundane nothing issues is hard to watch. Monk doesn't like dirt or trash. Monk doesn't understand a beach. Monk doesn't understand a bus or a taxi. Monk doesn't understand what a pet or an animal is. Monk will stop to clean up a mess while he is being shot at by a murderer. I GET IT! It's the same joke over and over and over and over, in between watching him abuse his private nurse which I assume is supposed to be funny, or something?

The overriding theme of the show is Monk trying to find the people who murdered his wife. This is supposed to be a big deal conspiracy. When he finally solves the crime it was a huge disappointment. Without saying too much, it not any kind of an international cabal. In fact, being that it is the whole point of the entire series, it is simplistic in the extreme.

I watched it, sort of, while screwing around on the computer.  It is not something I could watch again.

Annoying. Yes and no. His problem is supposed to be humorous, and it does accomplish that from time to time. Not a huge fan, but I am somewhat of a fan.

[240B]

Annoying. Yes and no. His problem is supposed to be humorous, and it does accomplish that from time to time. Not a huge fan, but I am somewhat of a fan.

I agree. Some episodes were amusing, but some were unwatchable. Watching a grown man not understand simple basic concepts that every 5 year old can grasp is annoying to me. And the way he treated Natalie, even for a mental patient, was unforgivable. He used her as a pack mule and cheated her out of money every chance he got. This idea of 'pretending' that he 'doesn't understand' how to carry packages or how to carry money was over the top for me. This was very convenient for him. Odd how his 'disability' disappeared every time he was required to pay money. Then suddenly, he turned into a common bum scammer. Oh I'm sorry...money? I don't have any money...

I've dealt with real people like that all my life. They fake stupidity with the specific intent of avoiding any kind of work or responsibility. Many times it is all a scam.

[berdie]

Annoying. Yes and no. His problem is supposed to be humorous, and it does accomplish that from time to time. Not a huge fan, but I am somewhat of a fan.

The thing I notice about binge watching is that certain recurring themes of shows originally airing over several years are repetitive and annoying when viewed back to back. Monk is one of those shows. Law and Order SUV is another. Eventually I want to shout "Elliott take a chill pill! Olivia get over the constant angst over your past!"


But I still enjoy both shows.

[240B]

The thing I notice about binge watching is that certain recurring themes of shows originally airing over several years are repetitive and annoying when viewed back to back. Monk is one of those shows. Law and Order SUV is another. Eventually I want to shout "Elliott take a chill pill! Olivia get over the constant angst over your past!"


But I still enjoy both shows.

Exactly right. That's exactly it.
Watching Monk once in a while over the last 10 years, which I have done, it comes across as a cute innocent detective show about a mentally disabled dysfunctional genius. But when you watch the whole series back to back, the character Monk is really a jerk, who is intentionally using his "self created disability" to dodge employment, financial, and personal, responsibilities and to dodge life itself.

If the character did not have his written supernatural gift of observation, he would be in a mental institution somewhere bouncing off the walls. The people around him "tolerate" him only because they benefit from him. Without his 'gifts', they would chuck him in the nearest lake for being a crazy weirdo.

[berdie]

I agree @240B . Monk has as many or more annoying personality quirks than Sheldon on Big Bang Theory. Nobody would tolerate a close relationship with either. But both are amusing when viewed in television mode.

At least Monk hires his close associates for the most part...even if he "forgets" to pay them, lol.

[mountaineer]

Just clicked on CONDOR...on Epix Network.

A brilliant, young, idealistic CIA analyst finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that kills everyone else at his office. Can he, with no field experience, stay alive long enough to get to the bottom of it?

Excellent!

We faithfully watched this during its initial run, and loved it. There was supposed to be a second season. Not sure what happened.

[BassWrangler]

I saw this Australian film last night - Rams. You might like it. Free if you have Amazon Prime:

https://www.amazon.com/Rams-Sam-Neill/dp/B08SWCRJLC/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Rams&qid=1619458973&sr=8-2

[Sighlass]

@BassWrangler 

Subject: Rams Movie

So far so good, gotta go out and change a radiator on my truck... but 1/3rd in and liking it, thanks... Anyone else not got Amazon prime pm me, I will shoot ya a link to d.l. it.

[berdie]

Last night I watched a movie called "Remember". Christopher Plummer made in 2015 (?). A little slow moving but an interesting study about dementia and the hunt for Nazis.

If anyone else has seen it I would enjoy some feedback.

[BassWrangler]

Last night I watched a movie called "Remember". Christopher Plummer made in 2015 (?). A little slow moving but an interesting study about dementia and the hunt for Nazis.

If anyone else has seen it I would enjoy some feedback.

I saw it some time ago. It was OK.

[Fishrrman]

Last night watched a British/Australian tv move from the 80's called "Threads", about the aftermath of a nuclear war on Sheffield, UK.

Pretty good, actually, although some of it seemed to hinge on the concept of "nuclear winter" that now seems to be discredited.

It can be "found on the net" for downloadin', if you hunt for it.

[240B]

Watching Frasier.
Lots of similarities to Monk. Basically afraid of everything real in life.
Unbelievable obsession with wine and sherry. Crazy.
Every episode is flooded with wine. Would you like some wine? I'm having some wine.
Do you want wine? Let's have some wine. Wine wine wine wine wine...
Apparently the producers/writers think that wine equals rich, or something. I don't know.

It has every cliché sitcom schtick you can think of.
Any time anyone says anything, you know immediately what is going to happen.

Most of the episodes are about a 'misunderstanding' which is typical sitcom stuff.
Instead of just talking and resolving the situation, Frasier goes though huge convoluted schemes to resolve a simple problem.
Which is what all sitcoms do.

Frasier starts out as a kind of lovable chump. But he gets mean toward the end.
Starting at around season 7/8 he turns into a real bleep.
Hard to believe this guy was making 1.6 million dollars per episode.

But it is light and funny sometimes. It is a completely empty show.
But whatever. It kills time.

[sneakypete]

I am now trying to watch a series on Amazon Prime (it's available elsewhere,also) titled "Counterpart"

Part sci-fi with an alternate identical world,including identical people,and part criminal conspiracy. Excellent acting and actors,and and what seems to be excellent plots.

MY problem with it is I am still suffering from "Chemo Brain",and my short-term memory sucks. This makes it really hard for me to follow a plot where every character has an identical twin,and they usually seem to be working against one another. I lose track of which one I am watching at times,and this makes me confused.

About the only way *I* can enjoy it is to watch several episodes at one sitting because of my short-term memory. If I watch one episode and wait a week to see the next one,I am lost.

Not complaining about the show itself,though. Actually I was happy to find a series to watch that was more complex than child programming,or the typical sitcom for fools.

I strongly suspect it would be a VERY interesting program to watch for those of you who still have your wits about you,though. First-class acting all through it,and from what little I can retain,the writing seems first-class,also.

I also like the fact that there isn't a 20 year old super-model to be found in skin-tight pants and high-heeled leather boots shouting "Hi,You!" as she "karate kicks" several weight lifters into putty without breaking a nail or getting her hair out of place.

Most of the main characters seem to be over 50,which is age appropriate for the positions they hold in either alternate government.

Yeah,I do recommend you give it a try.

[catfish1957]

May be one of the last on earth to watch GOT.  Just finished season 1.  Pretty damned awesome.

[roamer_1]

May be one of the last on earth to watch GOT.  Just finished season 1.  Pretty damned awesome.

I STILL have not watched the final season.

[roamer_1]

I just got done with the newer Battlestar Galactica. Worth it, in a nostalgic way.

Lots of stuff over there at PeacockTV... Signed up for free, though I doubt I will need to go to the paid version. Lots of good old stuff for free.

Oh, and Ublock blocks their ads over there too.

[sneakypete]

May be one of the last on earth to watch GOT.  Just finished season 1.  Pretty damned awesome.

@catfish1957

You ain't just a-wooffin!

 I normally hate fantasy sci-fi,but around season 3 or 4 I was casting about for something new to watch,and decided to click on season 1,episode 1 of GoT to see what all the excitement was about,and ended up watching the whole damn season in one sitting.

And I got good news for ya. It gets better as it goes along.

I am still in awe that mere humans could manage to get all the actors/actresses,scripts,extras,scenery,etc,etc,etc all together to create such an immense masterpiece of visual story telling.
 

[BassWrangler]

@catfish1957

You ain't just a-wooffin!

 I normally hate fantasy sci-fi,but around season 3 or 4 I was casting about for something new to watch,and decided to click on season 1,episode 1 of GoT to see what all the excitement was about,and ended up watching the whole damn season in one sitting.

And I got good news for ya. It gets better as it goes along.

I am still in awe that mere humans could manage to get all the actors/actresses,scripts,extras,scenery,etc,etc,etc all together to create such an immense masterpiece of visual story telling.

It was really excellent right up until the last episode. I recommend skipping that and making up your own ending.

[Fishrrman]

Tonight I'll watch an old documentary on Dylan and some others (including The Band) -- "Eat the Document", which I scrounged up on the net.

Tomorrow night: old science fiction movie "It Came From Beneath the Sea"...

[libertybele]

"Classic Gospel" on PBS

About gospel's country roots...Gaither Vocal Band, Gatlin Brothers, Oakridge Boys

P.S. Enjoyed every minute of it.

   Good to see you posting again!   

[AllThatJazzZ]

  Good to see you posting again!   

@libertybele

Thank you. I swing by every so often.

[sneakypete]

"Classic Gospel" on PBS

About gospel's country roots...Gaither Vocal Band, Gatlin Brothers, Oakridge Boys

P.S. Enjoyed every minute of it.

@AllThatJazzZ

Oh,yeah! That is the original industrial-strength stuff! If it doesn't move you,you are made from stone.

BTW,IMO,you have it backwards. Gospel music was the original popular music. Prior to Gospel,all the music in the western world was either chants,or Hymns in Latin for the Catholic Church.

It was Gospel Music,flowing out of the church to "common people" that created the "music world" for common people.

[sneakypete]

  Good to see you posting again!   

@libertybele   @AllThatJazzZ

Yeah,I will happily second that one!

[Lando Lincoln]

May be one of the last on earth to watch GOT.  Just finished season 1.  Pretty damned awesome.

It is - after season 1. It gets a lot better from there. Epic

[verga]

I am now trying to watch a series on Amazon Prime (it's available elsewhere,also) titled "Counterpart"

Part sci-fi with an alternate identical world,including identical people,and part criminal conspiracy. Excellent acting and actors,and and what seems to be excellent plots.

MY problem with it is I am still suffering from "Chemo Brain",and my short-term memory sucks. This makes it really hard for me to follow a plot where every character has an identical twin,and they usually seem to be working against one another. I lose track of which one I am watching at times,and this makes me confused.

About the only way *I* can enjoy it is to watch several episodes at one sitting because of my short-term memory. If I watch one episode and wait a week to see the next one,I am lost.

Not complaining about the show itself,though. Actually I was happy to find a series to watch that was more complex than child programming,or the typical sitcom for fools.

I strongly suspect it would be a VERY interesting program to watch for those of you who still have your wits about you,though. First-class acting all through it,and from what little I can retain,the writing seems first-class,also.

I also like the fact that there isn't a 20 year old super-model to be found in skin-tight pants and high-heeled leather boots shouting "Hi,You!" as she "karate kicks" several weight lifters into putty without breaking a nail or getting her hair out of place.

Most of the main characters seem to be over 50,which is age appropriate for the positions they hold in either alternate government.

Yeah,I do recommend you give it a try.

Watched the first 2-3 episodes. GREAT show. I watch it while Vergette is at work, since it is not her cup of tea.

[sneakypete]

Watched the first 2-3 episodes. GREAT show. I watch it while Vergette is at work, since it is not her cup of tea.

@verga

I agree,but you REALLY have to pay attention to what is going on,or you are lost.

[DCPatriot]

After not being able to find a decent movie I haven't already seen on Netflix, out of boredom I clicked on 2 Netflix documentaries:

1) The Monster Next Door...about Ivan "The Terrible" Demjanjuk. who participated in the extermination of over 750K Jews at Treblinka and other Ukraine death camps.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8h16g1cVak

2) Son(s) of Sam...about David Berkowitz' killings of young teenagers in Queens and the Bronx.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICFZ1wS8Fuc

They were both very informative and enlightening...telling the story behind the headlines.

[BassWrangler]

I am now trying to watch a series on Amazon Prime (it's available elsewhere,also) titled "Counterpart"

Part sci-fi with an alternate identical world,including identical people,and part criminal conspiracy. Excellent acting and actors,and and what seems to be excellent plots.

MY problem with it is I am still suffering from "Chemo Brain",and my short-term memory sucks. This makes it really hard for me to follow a plot where every character has an identical twin,and they usually seem to be working against one another. I lose track of which one I am watching at times,and this makes me confused.

About the only way *I* can enjoy it is to watch several episodes at one sitting because of my short-term memory. If I watch one episode and wait a week to see the next one,I am lost.

Not complaining about the show itself,though. Actually I was happy to find a series to watch that was more complex than child programming,or the typical sitcom for fools.

I strongly suspect it would be a VERY interesting program to watch for those of you who still have your wits about you,though. First-class acting all through it,and from what little I can retain,the writing seems first-class,also.

I also like the fact that there isn't a 20 year old super-model to be found in skin-tight pants and high-heeled leather boots shouting "Hi,You!" as she "karate kicks" several weight lifters into putty without breaking a nail or getting her hair out of place.

Most of the main characters seem to be over 50,which is age appropriate for the positions they hold in either alternate government.

Yeah,I do recommend you give it a try.

Since you're not interested, send the 20 year old super models my way, LOL.

Seriously, though, Counterpart was great. I enjoyed the whole series, and how they do another season.

[corbe]

[libertybele]

I decided now that my soap opera "The Young and the Restless" which I have watched off and on since its inception, is back on to watch it. (One stinking hour of TV a day).  Except... Comcast strikes again.  Cable didn't work. We went down to their office and they gave us a new box to hook up, they forget to scan it, so we had to go back again, and it still doesn't work.  So after an hour on the phone and another half hour or so in drive time, they'll be out Sunday morning to fix it.  They went through all the dang COVID guidline crap (which I told them how I felt about it) as well.

Oh I so wish, hubby would cut the cable cord! We have a Roku box ... I would think that should have enough to keep him occupied, right?

[DCPatriot]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0hTmzISOlQ

The Woman in the Window -2021 NETFLIX

Julianne Moore

About The Woman in the Window:

In “The Woman in the Window,” a psychological suspense thriller directed by Joe Wright, an agoraphobic child psychologist befriends a neighbor across the street from her New York City brownstone, only to see her own life turned upside down when the woman disappears and she suspects foul play.

A stellar ensemble cast brings Tracy Letts’ screenplay based on the gripping, best-selling novel to life, where shocking secrets are revealed, and no one—and nothing—is what it seems.

Starring Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie, Wyatt Russell, Brian Tyree Henry, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Julianne Moore, “The Woman in the Window” is produced by Scott Rudin, Eli Bush and Anthony Katagas.

[sneakypete]

I am now watching Season 3 of "Brotherhood" on Hulu now. It's a mob story about Irish mobsters in New England. Good writing and good acting,even if the plots are basically the same ones we have seen for 50 years now.

After all,organized crime is organized crime,and the players are always motivated by greed,envy,anger,and a total lack of morality and reason. As usual,it is about "Me FIRST,BLEED YOU!"

[BassWrangler]

I am now watching Season 3 of "Brotherhood" on Hulu now. It's a mob story about Irish mobsters in New England. Good writing and good acting,even if the plots are basically the same ones we have seen for 50 years now.

After all,organized crime is organized crime,and the players are always motivated by greed,envy,anger,and a total lack of morality and reason. As usual,it is about "Me FIRST,BLEED YOU!"

Hey @sneakypete - did you ever watch "Band of Brothers"?

[roamer_1]

The Woman in the Window -2021 NETFLIX

A note to thank you on the arrangement of your recommendations @DCPatriot - That sort of thing is often unmentioned, but it is appreciated.
 

[DCPatriot]

A note to thank you on the arrangement of your recommendations @DCPatriot - That sort of thing is often unmentioned, but it is appreciated.
 

@roamer_1