Movies/TV worth watching (or at least discussing)

[Skydog]

I've watched 4 episodes. It's well made and an interesting concept but also very violent, dark and emotionally depressing and getting more so each episode. I'm taking a break - not sure I need the bleakness. May or may not come back and finish it. If I do I will probably limit myself to one epi per week, cleansing my palate with some Ted Lasso or Only Murders in the Building in between.

[mkirsh]

I've watched 4 episodes. It's well made and an interesting concept but also very violent, dark and emotionally depressing and getting more so each episode. I'm taking a break - not sure I need the bleakness. May or may not come back and finish it. If I do I will probably limit myself to one epi per week, cleansing my palate with some Ted Lasso or Only Murders in the Building in between.

Just finished Only Murders in the Building and really enjoyed it! The “meta murder podcast” was well done and the three leads were excellent. Really fun show.

[cspan37421]

Just finished Only Murders in the Building and really enjoyed it! The “meta murder podcast” was well done and the three leads were excellent. Really fun show.

We finished it here too. Mixed feelings. It entertained, but storyline was really implausible - and got more so as it went on. Steve Martin was excellent despite playing it straight for most of the episodes (he does shine in some physical comedy in the last one). I felt Selena Gomez was pretty wooden in most of it. Martin Short was a bit restrained, but you still got what you would expect. In its favor, it was well paced, well shot, and mostly well-acted. But I won't be back for more if they offer it. I'll probably still be working on Its Always Sunny. Much to catch up on there. I'm late in S4. Also enjoying What We Do in the Shadows - just finished S1, and am developing my Nandor voice.

[mkirsh]

We finished it here too. Mixed feelings. It entertained, but storyline was really implausible - and got more so as it went on. Steve Martin was excellent despite playing it straight for most of the episodes (he does shine in some physical comedy in the last one). I felt Selena Gomez was pretty wooden in most of it. Martin Short was a bit restrained, but you still got what you would expect. In its favor, it was well paced, well shot, and mostly well-acted. But I won't be back for more if they offer it. I'll probably still be working on Its Always Sunny. Much to catch up on there. I'm late in S4. Also enjoying What We Do in the Shadows - just finished S1, and am developing my Nandor voice.

Love WWDITS. And I say “arise” in the Nandor voice when opening my laptop. Sneaky under-rated show. Didn’t love the original version as much as the fx show but the show is great (but in small doses - I find it hard to binge). I was an Always Sunny fan from the beginning but ran out of steam at some point. Need to go back and check out the later seasons.

[Rich]

Love WWDITS. And I say “arise” in the Nandor voice when opening my laptop. Sneaky under-rated show. Didn’t love the original version as much as the fx show but the show is great (but in small doses - I find it hard to binge). I was an Always Sunny fan from the beginning but ran out of steam at some point. Need to go back and check out the later seasons.

Has Taika Waititi done anything bad? It seems everything he touches has merit and is worth a watch. If you haven't seen JoJo Rabbit yet then I STRONGLY recommend it.

[SavDukeGrad]

Just finished Only Murders in the Building and really enjoyed it! The “meta murder podcast” was well done and the three leads were excellent. Really fun show.

We thoroughly enjoyed Only Murders in the Building as well! Agree that it was implausible, but still very fun and entertaining. That and Ted Lasso have been my favorite shows of 2021.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Love WWDITS. And I say “arise” in the Nandor voice when opening my laptop. Sneaky under-rated show. Didn’t love the original version as much as the fx show but the show is great (but in small doses - I find it hard to binge).

We saw the movie (which we thought was great) before the show was in production, and I had my doubts. Thankfully, we love both. It's not often that a movie spawns a show worthy of the original material. The only other one that I can think of off the top of my head that both were really good is M*A*S*H.

[LasVegas]

Finished Squid Game and while I understand why they did the final scene like that, I don’t like the direction. Other than that…..great show.

[JasonEvans]

The new Netflix (coming to theaters this week and streaming in November) film The Harder The Fall reminded me of something Quentin Tarantino would make... though the script isn't nearly as compelling as a Tarantino one. Here is my 100-word review: https://flixchat.blogspot.com/2021/1...ws-harder.html

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Finished Squid Game and while I understand why they did the final scene like that, I don’t like the direction. Other than that…..great show.

I have been curious to watch Squid Game but have been holding off as it sounds a bit too dark for my taste - I generally prefer shows like Ted Lasso and sitcoms. We just got an e-mail from my child's elementary school (grades pre-k through 5) that some kids are watching it and are now scared to play games like "red light, green light" at school. Who shows something like that to a little kid? SMDH.

[LasVegas]

I have been curious to watch Squid Game but have been holding off as it sounds a bit too dark for my taste - I generally prefer shows like Ted Lasso and sitcoms. We just got an e-mail from my child's elementary school (grades pre-k through 5) that some kids are watching it and are now scared to play games like "red light, green light" at school. Who shows something like that to a little kid? SMDH.

Yeah it’s pretty crazy. My wife is a first grade teacher and a lot of her students have seen it. Pretty bizarre.

DUNE tonight or tomorrow. Depends on if I have the time to invest on a Friday night.

[acdevil]

Finally watched Many Saints of Newark.

It was ok, not on par with the show though.

[brevity]

I have been curious to watch Squid Game but have been holding off as it sounds a bit too dark for my taste - I generally prefer shows like Ted Lasso and sitcoms. We just got an e-mail from my child's elementary school (grades pre-k through 5) that some kids are watching it and are now scared to play games like "red light, green light" at school. Who shows something like that to a little kid? SMDH.

Yeah it’s pretty crazy. My wife is a first grade teacher and a lot of her students have seen it. Pretty bizarre.

This is as good a time as any for a Netflix rant.

Netflix's unspoken business model is FOMO: fear of missing out. Unlike other streaming services, which showcase their new content on the main screen but are otherwise pretty agnostic about what the user chooses to watch, Netflix is hellbent on organizing its library by steering the user to particular shows. These are the 10 hottest programs, and we recommend them even if they're not your taste, and we'll even make a specific suggestion if you feel overwhelmed by all our content.

Netflix viewers pretty much fall in line, and for some reason feel compelled to talk about it, like they're Netflix show name droppers. I've observed a Three Week Rule: when something new comes out on Netflix, it's all people can talk about for three weeks, and after that everyone sort of stops. Last year I had the misfortune of having an HVAC problem during the Great Tiger King Hype of March-April 2020. The technician was chewing out my ears (and his mask) over this thing even after I mentioned I had no interest in true crime.

The good news is that once I become aware of the latest hyped show from enough disparate sources, I know I can ride it out over the next few weeks. SNL did a Squid Game sketch that will I'm sure will feel out of date by its first rerun, but I read it as kind of a public service for the rest of us. Enjoyable or not, I don't feel like I'm missing much here:



With all its archival and original content, Netflix is a plausible way to replace cable, but as a user of cable and a few streaming services that were free or discounted, I don't see the point. I'm also not programmed to ever feel like I'm missing out on things. Fifteen years of never joining Facebook certainly helped.

So, down with Netflix and Facebook! This is the new "I don't even own a TV."

[bundabergdevil]

Watched Dune tonight. Been a looooonnnnnggg time since I read the books so didn’t recall much at all. Thought the Baron was phenomenal.

[DU82]

Watched Dune tonight. Been a looooonnnnnggg time since I read the books so didn’t recall much at all. Thought the Baron was phenomenal.

Same here, on both counts.

[Skydog]

This is as good a time as any for a Netflix rant.

Netflix's unspoken business model is FOMO: fear of missing out. Unlike other streaming services, which showcase their new content on the main screen but are otherwise pretty agnostic about what the user chooses to watch, Netflix is hellbent on organizing its library by steering the user to particular shows. These are the 10 hottest programs, and we recommend them even if they're not your taste, and we'll even make a specific suggestion if you feel overwhelmed by all our content.

Netflix viewers pretty much fall in line, and for some reason feel compelled to talk about it, like they're Netflix show name droppers. I've observed a Three Week Rule: when something new comes out on Netflix, it's all people can talk about for three weeks, and after that everyone sort of stops. Last year I had the misfortune of having an HVAC problem during the Great Tiger King Hype of March-April 2020. The technician was chewing out my ears (and his mask) over this thing even after I mentioned I had no interest in true crime.

The good news is that once I become aware of the latest hyped show from enough disparate sources, I know I can ride it out over the next few weeks. SNL did a Squid Game sketch that will I'm sure will feel out of date by its first rerun, but I read it as kind of a public service for the rest of us. Enjoyable or not, I don't feel like I'm missing much here:



With all its archival and original content, Netflix is a plausible way to replace cable, but as a user of cable and a few streaming services that were free or discounted, I don't see the point. I'm also not programmed to ever feel like I'm missing out on things. Fifteen years of never joining Facebook certainly helped.

So, down with Netflix and Facebook! This is the new "I don't even own a TV."

I like the Netflix Top 10 feature. Its a good way for decent-to-very-good offbeat shows to become hits. Shows like Dead to Me, Unbelievable, Queen’s Gambit, Maid, Sex Education, The Chair, etc. owe their wide popularity to being in the Top 10. But then I like the smaller offbeat, quirky shows - many do not.

Other reasons I like it: 1. It gets me to try shows outside my usual genres. 2. Its making foreign language films and subtitles more acceptable in the US. 3. It is a good user review system. Being in the Top10 doesn’t tell you a lot. But staying there is decided by viewer word of mouth, not Netflix executives. If a show holds its position week after week it’s usually pretty good.

Also I actually like the 3+ week “water cooler effect.” Shows like The Undoing were more fun because I could talk with friends or come here to discuss the show and speculate on who did it.

Of course the majority of Netflix Top 10 shows have little to no appeal to me. But I find it a good place to start.

Of course I liked Tiger King so what the hell do I know?

[Acymetric]

Watched Dune tonight. Been a looooonnnnnggg time since I read the books so didn’t recall much at all. Thought the Baron was phenomenal.

I'm giving it a go this morning. I've never read the books and only have a vague sense of the plot, so I'm basically going in totally blind.

[bundabergdevil]

I'm giving it a go this morning. I've never read the books and only have a vague sense of the plot, so I'm basically going in totally blind.

How’d it go?

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Is there a Ted Lasso thread? I'm a late adopter. Almost finished with season one.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Is there a Ted Lasso thread? I'm a late adopter. Almost finished with season one.

There isn't a dedicated thread but we have discussed it a fair amount here. There are a few of us here who are huge fans. I would be fully supportive of and would actively participate in a dedicated thread if someone chose to create one. We would just need to be careful about spoilers.