Movies/TV worth watching (or at least discussing)

[acdevil]

Dissent!!

Spoiler!

Rachel going back to Shane came 100% out of the blue and was insane. For her to abandon everything she discovered about herself in the course of deciding to leave that jerk (the kindest word I can think of for Shane) made no sense. If we had a scene where Shane seemed to recognize her need to be a real person, not an arm ornament, and showed some desire to support her in that mission, I could have bought it but for her to just show up out of the blue at the airport and say, "it is going to be fine," made no sense at all. Not that it matters, there's about a 98% chance that Rachel and Shane end up in divorce court in 10 years (or less) after she has had a kid or two and Shane's wandering eye has turned to "newer models." That is unless Shane has not been killed in a bar fight or something... he had about the most punchable face I have seen in a long time.

Look, I loved Quinn and his path to forgetting about his iPhone and embracing the ocean was a nice diversion on a show full of depressing characters, but his parents ain't taking off on that plane without him. If he had been 18 and had presented the boat training as a "gap year" kinda thing, that might have happened, but the dude barely has a driver's license. No way.

Paula may be the most evil person on the whole show. When she tossed Kai's necklace in the ocean, symbolically severing all connection to him, I was rooting for her to be the person who got killed. And in what world does Kai not give Paula up to lessen his sentence? Paula is going to jail. Also, were we supposed to get lesbian vibes from Olivia? I could not tell. Was there a single moment in any episode where you did not hate Olivia?

Lastly, the moment Armond went on his bender in the finale, I turned to my wife and said, "He's going to go after Shane and get killed by the pineapple knife." Still, that was a mostly believable and correct ending to his story.

I wept at watching Belinda wave to a new set of guests. Anyone want to guess how much cash Tanya left her? Looked like at least $10 or 20k. Not enough to start a wellness center, but not a bad tip!

I have to agree with Jason here. I’ve felt like I’m the only person in the world that didn’t like White Lotus. Jason’s critiques hit the nail on the head for me.

In addition:

Spoiler!

while I thought the choice of Armond being the dead body, I felt like it was a bit of BS. They show the body being loaded onto the plane as the hook. My question is, if he worked at the resort, why would his body be flown off the island so quickly? That’s the only reason I didn’t think he it was going to be him.

Shane was certainly a jerk, but he wasn’t wrong at the beginning about the room. All of the bad things that flowed were because Armond screwed up the reservation and then tried to hide it and didn’t do anything to make up for it until everything had been set in motion.

We are supposed to believe that Connie Britton is a high powered rich CFO, yet they get a hotel suite that only has one bedroom and a pullout couch?

[budwom]

Befuddling to me how one can enjoy the pointless Blow 'Em Up epics and not like White Lotus...for some reason I enjoy watching human being more than CGI.

[Udaman]

We started watching “Kevin Can F**k Himself.” It’s pretty good and remarkably unique (never seen anything like this). Non spoiler warning - we almost turned it off after the first 5 minutes. Keep watching past that - until the first scene where the star is alone by herself.

It’s set in Worcester, MA and the accents are pretty believable (and not over the top).

Strongly recommend this show.

[JasonEvans]

Lisa Joy gets how to put interesting visuals on screen and she shows a lot of promise as a filmmaker... but her first movie, Reminiscence, is just too plodding through the middle third to be great sci-fi. Here is my 100-word review: https://flixchat.blogspot.com/2021/0...d-reviews.html

From writer/director Lisa Joy (HBO’s Westworld), Reminiscence is set in a future where climate change has caused the oceans to rise, leaving the rich living on dry ground and the poor up to their knees in water all the time.

[JasonEvans]

I have to agree with Jason here. I’ve felt like I’m the only person in the world that didn’t like White Lotus. Jason’s critiques hit the nail on the head for me.

I want to be clear, I did not dislike White Lotus. I watched the whole thing and found the aesthetics, acting, and characters to be really interesting... even if it was tough to find anyone to root for. I was right there with the whole thing right up until they started wrapping up everybody's storylines and then I started screaming, "whaaaat?!?!!" at the screen quite often.

It was daring filmmaking that did not take shortcuts or make obvious choices. I appreciate that tremendously and did not need a pat, easy to digest ending. I did, however, need an ending that made sense with what we had seen from the characters so far (especially Rachel).

Lastly, I am dying to see how they shot the... uhhhhh... "gift" that Armond left in Shane's suitcase. That sure looked like the real thing happening on camera. I'm sure it was some kind of prop or camera trick but I was still howling!!

[JasonEvans]

Befuddling to me how one can enjoy the pointless Blow 'Em Up epics and not like White Lotus...for some reason I enjoy watching human being more than CGI.

Then do not see Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings!!!

Review coming next week... it won't be good (also won't be awful).

[bundabergdevil]

Dissent!!

Spoiler!

Rachel going back to Shane came 100% out of the blue and was insane. For her to abandon everything she discovered about herself in the course of deciding to leave that jerk (the kindest word I can think of for Shane) made no sense. If we had a scene where Shane seemed to recognize her need to be a real person, not an arm ornament, and showed some desire to support her in that mission, I could have bought it but for her to just show up out of the blue at the airport and say, "it is going to be fine," made no sense at all. Not that it matters, there's about a 98% chance that Rachel and Shane end up in divorce court in 10 years (or less) after she has had a kid or two and Shane's wandering eye has turned to "newer models." That is unless Shane has not been killed in a bar fight or something... he had about the most punchable face I have seen in a long time.

Look, I loved Quinn and his path to forgetting about his iPhone and embracing the ocean was a nice diversion on a show full of depressing characters, but his parents ain't taking off on that plane without him. If he had been 18 and had presented the boat training as a "gap year" kinda thing, that might have happened, but the dude barely has a driver's license. No way.

Paula may be the most evil person on the whole show. When she tossed Kai's necklace in the ocean, symbolically severing all connection to him, I was rooting for her to be the person who got killed. And in what world does Kai not give Paula up to lessen his sentence? Paula is going to jail. Also, were we supposed to get lesbian vibes from Olivia? I could not tell. Was there a single moment in any episode where you did not hate Olivia?

Lastly, the moment Armond went on his bender in the finale, I turned to my wife and said, "He's going to go after Shane and get killed by the pineapple knife." Still, that was a mostly believable and correct ending to his story.

I wept at watching Belinda wave to a new set of guests. Anyone want to guess how much cash Tanya left her? Looked like at least $10 or 20k. Not enough to start a wellness center, but not a bad tip!

Disagree (except about Quinn). One of the show’s main themes was about the different ways privilege and status manifest— and how many of us compromise who we think we are to hold onto it. Rachel’s decision was 100% on theme and, at least for me, they dropped enough hints along the way that she was not the person she thought she was becoming.

[Nepos]

It’s set in Worcester, MA and the accents are pretty believable (and not over the top).

Wicked awesome.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

We started watching “Kevin Can F**k Himself.” It’s pretty good and remarkably unique (never seen anything like this). Non spoiler warning - we almost turned it off after the first 5 minutes. Keep watching past that - until the first scene where the star is alone by herself.

It’s set in Worcester, MA and the accents are pretty believable (and not over the top).

Strongly recommend this show.

As opposed to Julianne Moore (who I adore) on 30 Rock? Worst Boston accent ever.

[duke74]

Loving Ted Lasso more each episode. Last week paid homage to “Love Actually”…this week to “Notting Hill” - twice. My two favorite movies. (Yes, I’m a RomCom guy.)

[OldPhiKap]

Loving Ted Lasso more each episode. Last week paid homage to “Love Actually”…this week to “Notting Hill” - twice. My two favorite movies. (Yes, I’m a RomCom guy.)

So — you believe in Rom-Communism too?

Great new episode.

[duke74]

So — you believe in Rom-Communism too?

Great new episode.

Never. 😉

[mkirsh]

Loving Ted Lasso more each episode. Last week paid homage to “Love Actually”…this week to “Notting Hill” - twice. My two favorite movies. (Yes, I’m a RomCom guy.)

I love Ted Lasso so much! They somehow took a joke commercial character and “major league with soccer” and turned it into a funny and heartwarming show with a long list of amazing characters. And they constantly pull off very cheesy ideas like a tribute to Rom Coms but they somehow make it work. My slight worry this:

Spoiler!

I’ve really liked the fact that Ted and Rebecca have such a great relationship without it having to be romantic, yet I worry that Ted is the person on the other end of Rebecca’s banter chat. I hope the show has a good path for them that doesn’t devolve into the “will they or won’t they” rom com cliche

[OldPhiKap]

I love Ted Lasso so much! They somehow took a joke commercial character and “major league with soccer” and turned it into a funny and heartwarming show with a long list of amazing characters. And they constantly pull off very cheesy ideas like a tribute to Rom Coms but they somehow make it work. My slight worry this:

Spoiler!

I’ve really liked the fact that Ted and Rebecca have such a great relationship without it having to be romantic, yet I worry that Ted is the person on the other end of Rebecca’s banter chat. I hope the show has a good path for them that doesn’t devolve into the “will they or won’t they” rom com cliche

Agreed. My guess:

Spoiler!

it is either Coach Beard or Nate on the other end of the Bntr. I hope the implication that it is Ted is a head fake, like the “tie” they earned but lost at the end of Season 1.

[OldPhiKap]

BTW, if you have Peacock, Crystal Palace is on right now hosting Brenford.

Crystal Palace’s home stadium (Selhurst Park) is Richmond’s “Dog Track” in TL.

[Phredd3]

BTW, if you have Peacock, Crystal Palace is on right now hosting Brenford.

Crystal Palace’s home stadium (Selhurst Park) is Richmond’s “Dog Track” in TL.

I sure wish NBC would stop putting more than half the games behind a paywall. It makes it hard to be a fan. I'm happy to watch the pre-game and the halftimes to give them ad revenue the old-fashioned way. But I can't subscribe to yet another unique service to get just a single benefit.

[Skydog]

Don't know if this one has been covered, but watched a 1 hour and 18 minute movie on HBO Max last night called Shiva Baby. The whole thing takes place at a shiva, which is a Jewish mourning ritual. It is a comedy, but really it is so excruciating and so claustrophobic that it has to be seen to be believed. More like a combination of a comedy and a horror film. OMG. You don't have to be Jewish to appreciate just how painful the experience of the young lady in the middle of this story is, but some of the humor may resonate more with those familiar with these kinds of family members and friends. But everyone will feel the pain and appreciate the story -- just watch it and be prepared to either exhale or scream when it's done.

I appreciated what Shiva Baby was trying to do and I found it occasionally amusing. But the protagonist was so lacking in any discernible redeeming characteristics (not the profession - but her choice of an unappealing narcissist shallow worm and to continue after the situation and who was being hurt became viscerally clear) that it dampened the discomfort the piece was creating. I get that she was acting out but still. Same plot with flawed leads but with just a touch of self-awareness and I think I would have happily squirmed along with them. As it was I was just pulling for both of them to befall a nasty accident.

[lotusland]

Mrs Lotus and I just finished “Frank of Ireland” S1 and we were both surprised at how much we enjoyed it and how much we laughed each episode. I would describe it as an Irish “Dumb and Dumber” except neither of us liked those movies or Jim Carrey’s brand of humor. It’s a silly show that made me belly laugh every episode. Give it a try if you’re looking for a comedy. You’ll know after one episode if it’s for you.

[duke74]

I appreciated what Shiva Baby was trying to do and I found it occasionally amusing. But the protagonist was so lacking in any discernible redeeming characteristics (not the profession - but her choice of an unappealing narcissist shallow worm and to continue after the situation and who was being hurt became viscerally clear) that it dampened the discomfort the piece was creating. I get that she was acting out but still. Same plot with flawed leads but with just a touch of self-awareness and I think I would have happily squirmed along with them. As it was I was just pulling for both of them to befall a nasty accident.

Watched about a half. Hated it and her. Genug!

[Furniture]

Loving Ted Lasso more each episode. Last week paid homage to “Love Actually”…this week to “Notting Hill” - twice. My two favorite movies. (Yes, I’m a RomCom guy.)

Notting Hill is my favourite movie!!!