Finished the 3rd season of Ozark on Netflix. Overall the show isn't as good as Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul but it's simlar and certainly worth trying if you like those shows.
That is next on my watch list if I ever get around to finishing up Westworld season 3.
First, Penny Dreadful City of Angels, which is a pre-WWII Los Angeles. Real interesting show that is blending film noir with some more supernatural Día de Muertos themes. Real interesting ideas going on here, and the actors are absolutely killing it. Nathan Lane is freaking awesome. Unfortunately my trial with showtimes about the end, so I will probably wait until the show has completed its run and then return to it then.
On the other side of things is the golden error of Hollywood/post war Los Angeles story - Hollywood on Netflix. It's terrible. At least the first episode anyway, although most of the reviews I've read put it in one of two camps: so bad it's good or just bad. I'm not sure if it's the dialogue or if the main character just can't act to save his life, but that was a really hard hour. Probably not going to go back to it.
Speaking of LA, I just watched Blade Runner 2049, which blows the original out of the water (probably an exagerration). Ryan Gosling>Harrison Ford as leading man in a film like this, but Ford as Rutger Hauer soliloquy-lite was great, though not as great as Rutger Hauer in the OG, which is better than anything in 2049. Anyway, still not amazing or anything, but at least there was some semblance of tackling Dick's themes, albeit still ignoring the Christian framing (beyond terminology); but at least there was a genuine technological framing here, unlike in the original, to replace it. The rebels felt awfully tacked-on just to make Gosling's narrative less bleak, though; and some sort of fake contrast to Wallace. Ultimately, the game is still the best Blade Runner.
I also finished re-acquinating myself with the Miyazaki films I've seen and meeting the ones I haven't for the first time, so here's my ranking of them from best to worst:
The Wind Rises>My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke>Spirited Away, Ponyo>Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa, Kiki's Delivery Circus>Castle of Cagliostro, Porco Rosso, Howl's Moving Castle. Am I forgetting anything?
Bear in mind that even his worst film is great, and in each tier of quality, there's no set order. The Wind Rises is perfect, and right up there with the other greatest animation ever: Tale of Tales. Those fucking earthquakes, man; they're like Winsor McCoy with a multi-million dollar budget!
And, thumbs up for a Windsor McKay reference. Always nice to see one. Very fair comparison at that.
I don't remember the original Blade Runner, but really enjoyed 2049. Maybe I'll check out the original soon.
robio said:You know I've never liked the original Blade Runner. I don't know if it's THE most overrated movie of the past 40 years, but it's up there. It's one of those movies that film teachers love showing off too, so I had to watch it a lot. Even had an English teacher that made me sit through it. As a result I've built a somewhat unrational hatred of it, and have just straight up refused to see 2049.
And, thumbs up for a Windsor McKay reference. Always nice to see one. Very fair comparison at that.
Perfectly understandable. Blade Runner fans can be insufferable, I can't imagine how annoying they'd be if they were also using it in a class!
And the movie was OK. Smaller scale than I expected it to be. Also very little character building, which is to be expected from a single 2 hour long movie, but it was disappointing nonetheless.
Foolz said:Speaking of LA, I just watched Blade Runner 2049, which blows the original out of the water (probably an exagerration). Ryan Gosling>Harrison Ford as leading man in a film like this, but Ford as Rutger Hauer soliloquy-lite was great, though not as great as Rutger Hauer in the OG, which is better than anything in 2049. Anyway, still not amazing or anything, but at least there was some semblance of tackling Dick's themes, albeit still ignoring the Christian framing (beyond terminology); but at least there was a genuine technological framing here, unlike in the original, to replace it. The rebels felt awfully tacked-on just to make Gosling's narrative less bleak, though; and some sort of fake contrast to Wallace. Ultimately, the game is still the best Blade Runner.
I also finished re-acquinating myself with the Miyazaki films I've seen and meeting the ones I haven't for the first time, so here's my ranking of them from best to worst:
The Wind Rises>My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke>Spirited Away, Ponyo>Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa, Kiki's Delivery Circus>Castle of Cagliostro, Porco Rosso, Howl's Moving Castle. Am I forgetting anything?
Bear in mind that even his worst film is great, and in each tier of quality, there's no set order. The Wind Rises is perfect, and right up there with the other greatest animation ever: Tale of Tales. Those fucking earthquakes, man; they're like Winsor McCoy with a multi-million dollar budget!
Okay I was waiting to see the original before this one, but reading this I'll cut straight to it (and then watch the original).
robio said:You know I've never liked the original Blade Runner. I don't know if it's THE most overrated movie of the past 40 years, but it's up there. It's one of those movies that film teachers love showing off too, so I had to watch it a lot. Even had an English teacher that made me sit through it. As a result I've built a somewhat unrational hatred of it, and have just straight up refused to see 2049.
And, thumbs up for a Windsor McKay reference. Always nice to see one. Very fair comparison at that.
Thanks Rob.
All that being said, the simplicity of the original's philosophical question is much better (what's it like to realise you're exist, but that you will soon cease to exist? Considering that's the robot's dilemma, surely it's irrelevent who is or or is not given that this is a big existential question for many humans, and indeed one of the many assumed-without-evidence fundamental differences people believe there are between humans and other animals) but it's limited to a short monologue, the rest is a lame whodunit or whoisrobotic. Ultimately, though, the only thing that's going to stick with me from 2049 is the shooting and music which are beautiful throughout; albeit derivative and as washed out as every other film made since digital post-processing. The OG only has a few scenes that are as pretty, plus the aforementioned monologue, going for it.
We've been watching the danish series 'the restaurant'. We've nearly finished the first season and I've told my wife I'm giving up on it. It's acted very well, it's a nice timepiece with great setting, a joy to behold. But there only ever happen bad things. It grinds you down. I've watched the last 3 episodes thinking 'the next one will the one in which something finally turns for the good', but it never does. It's such a shame.
SupremeAC said:We've been watching the danish series 'the restaurant'. We've nearly finished the first season and I've told my wife I'm giving up on it. It's acted very well, it's a nice timepiece with great setting, a joy to behold. But there only ever happen bad things. It grinds you down. I've watched the last 3 episodes thinking 'the next one will the one in which something finally turns for the good', but it never does. It's such a shame.
All the Danish films I've seen are very bleak. Especially the comedies.
We watched the film Anna Karenina with Keira Knightly the other day. It's a romantic drama set in Russia somewhere in the 1800's I presume. Visually it's very unique as much of it looks as if it's filmed on a set, with the characters sometimes popping 'backstage' to head to a new location, or sets being transformed in clear view. It's unique, but I found it straining as there's always a LOT happening on screen at the same time. And that transfers to the story as well: everything goes by fast, if your attention wanes for only a minute you'll have lost track.
All in all a unique experience, not sure if I'd watch it again, but then again, it features the wonderfull Keira Knightly, which is all a movie really needs.
Also, Netflix movies suck. We've watched a handfull of their own productions and they've all been horrible.
The original show always had three to five segments on an hour-long show, while these are just one-story told for 45 to 55 minutes. As a result, they always seem to add information That ultimately ends up not being relevant. Oh yes, and there are a lot of dramatic pauses. A lot of them.
Oh, and the show really misses Robert Stack as the host and narrator. They've opted to go without one, and I don't think it hurts the show per se, but it ends up missing out on that feeling of importance that Robert Stack always seemed to give it.
I enjoyed them but agree that they could benefit from having at least one more segment per episode. The Alonzo mystery is infuriating because it's obvious that a lot of people know what happened.
I’m going to have to check those out as I really enjoyed the original Unsolved Mysteries. Robert Stack’s voice is amazing.
travo said:I enjoyed them but agree that they could benefit from having at least one more segment per episode. The Alonzo mystery is infuriating because it's obvious that a lot of people know what happened.
Yeah, that episode was irritating. I suspect they know more then was said in the episode. It really felt like they should have been interviewing more of the people who are at that party to get some other perspectives of what was happening. at any rate, I'm sure they're hoping that someone at that party is going to step up and say something now and cooperate with something that's already known.
Watched the first four episodes of season three and really enjoying it as well.