Discuss and Rate the Last Thing You Watched (non-movies)

[Old_Hunter_77]

Silo

Have we talked about this one yet? Don't remember...
Anyways, it's pretty good- it's that kind of good TV where it's extremely sober and well-executed and proficient at moving plot forward and presenting situations and mysteries but it's almost too good? Like everybody takes everything seriously and everything is efficient, no wackiness or humor or silliness, no time for that. So you really gotta pay attention to what the hell is going on and care. If you're into that, give this show a shot.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I watched the series finale of Ted Lasso last night and I enjoyed the show, all of it, but it's a comedy and thus I really don't care about "plot" per se.
But something was annoying me about the show all season and I realized what it is- the show is very emotional and that is its appeal but a lot of the emotion is contrived and ill-defined. It sort of reminds me of Scrubs in that way. Like people start crying over the beauty of where they work? I can't explain it, it's just so freaking fake and stupid.

I understand that sentiment. It's similar to my sentiments in a previous post that this season went all in on the "Hallmark" moments, which only added to the feeling that it felt rushed, like someone yelled "wrap it up! Happy endings all around, due comeuppance for any ostensible villains, and redemption for any needing redeeming!" Still enjoyed it, but that much "feel-goodness" in the concentrated time they had to get it out felt very manufactured. Had the final season had maybe 4-6 more episodes to develop some of the subplots it introduced, I think it would have felt more natural (but that's a bias coming from someone who just wants 4-6 more episodes of Ted Lasso... and a 4th season.)

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Last night I watched the series finales of both The Marvelous Ms Maisel and Barry, and both leaned super-hard into what people both like and criticize about both shows, which I think is the way to go for series finale. Maisel especially was cloying and absurd, taking a lot of shortcuts to allow the title character and show creators a major victory lap but that's ok. I was a bit bothered by the inclusion of Lenny Bruce, I thought the way they last left him was beautiful and portraying the tragic downfall of someone who was an actual real person as a way to contrast with the fictional character's happy ending rubbed me the wrong way.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Arnold Netflix Documentary

First episode was insightful. I’ve known about a lot of the bodybuilding stuff from college days, but there was more here that delves into his motivation. The beautiful but poor village. The simple but brutal home life. It’s a pretty mesmerizing look into how one of the most determined people on earth achieves a vision to leave for a better life.

Barely started part 2 which gets into the movie stuff. There is some overlap though which is good, because that was a time when he had one foot in each pool. Will pick it back up tomorrow night.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Outer Range

Mystery box show about a mystery hole. What's in the hole? Where does it lead? It shows up one day in a Montana family ranch headed by Josh Brolin, who discovers it but keeps it a secret from the missus (lady from The Haunting) and his two good for nothing grown boys. The older one is a mess since his wife disappeared some months ago (and left him with a kid) and the younger one is a fuckup who wants to rodeo. They're also in danger of losing their land to this other family business next door, run by a dad and his not two but three - three, godammit - sons. They blonde too - as blonde as every snivelling bully in the world this side of the 90s. Now I don't know that either family ranch is better than the other or any more deserving of their tract of this here land but I know trouble when I see one of them towheads. Them Malfoys and Anthony Michael Halls of the world. They got a thing or two coming to 'em. You can find meanness in the least of creatures, but when God made man the devil was at his elbow. A creature that can do anything. Make a machine. And a machine to make the machine. And evil that can run itself a thousand years, no need to tend it.

Lost my train of thought there.

The soapy ranchy melodrama is whatever. But by the end of the first episode there's murder most foul, and somebody else falls through the hole, and I think that's a solid enough refreshment to watch the next one.

 

[Hawki]

Zootopia+ (5/5)

I loved this. Course you could probably infer that from the rating, but yeah. Rock solid.

Basically, it's a series of animated shorts between 10 and 20 minutes (closer to the former) in length, based in the titular city of the titular movie. Furthermore, each of them take place during the movie itself, and tie into it expertly. For instance, a scene may play out from the film (as in, literally the exact segment) then transition seamlessly (back) to the short. That by itself is quite impressive, but it also helps that the shorts themselves are well done. Some better than others, but still solid overall, and there were plenty of times when I burst out laughing. I won't go through each of them, but I'll start by saying that the final short is the best, that Sam is an adorable little cinnamon bun, and she needs to be in Zootopia 2.

So, yeah. Solid stuff.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Arnold doc. part 3.

Solid. Last part was the most revealing of course; the governorship struggles, family, diving deeper into his personal failures alongside the successes. Crazy to see how this larger than life figure that you idolized as a young kid 30+ years back has aged so much (which he also jokes about), but he’s still making the most of it.

 

[gorfias]

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney +

Sugary sweet and too cute for me but it is fun to see the principals of the movies on a TV show. It is overall likeable.

The characters do engage in some criminal behavior but it is alright, they're so cute!!

Spoiler

I saw this before GoG3 and it does something that is a problem for Marvel movies. It really helps to have seen this before GoG3. They're trying to do in their movies a thing that put me off their comic books: giving you an incomplete experience with the thing you want to enjoy if you didn't also experience another of their offerings you didn't want (ie Secret Wars back in the day: you collect Spiderman? Good luck following it if you didn't also read Secret Wars and the associated books cuz you better read Xmen and Hulk and Iron Man etc. too).

6.5/10

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

I'm half-way through The Last Thing He Told Me, a miniseries mystery with Jennifer Garner about her husband mysteriously disappearing and leaving her and his daughter to figure wtf is going on. AppleTV+
It's 7 episodes, each one is like 40 minutes, and it's very plot-driven, fast paced, no filler. So basically if you like Garner and a tight little mystery, it delivers.
Supporting cast includes Aisha Tyler and Nicolaj Costar-Waldou (Jamie Lannister).

 

[Ag3ma]

FUBAR (Netflix)

Arnold Schwartzenegger plays a near-retirement super-spy who has been concealing his job (he pretends to be a fitness equipment salesman) from his family. He's divorced from his wife, who he wants to win back, and has a somewhat distant relationship with his children. Then he's sent on an "last" op and - shocker! When he gets out in the field the operative he's been sent to rescue turns out to be his daughter, who has also taken a job as a super-spy and hidden it from the family too. So, can Arnie both pull of his mission and reconnect/reconcile with his family?

This is very tongue-in-cheek, comedy-action. The unit he works for is clearly OTT in resources in a James Bond sort of fashion. Schwartzenegger is still not a good actor, but you know what? He works. Despite all those grim 80s action movies, comedy is probably his real metier (and it's often more forgiving for the less talented at acting), as I think it probably suits his personality more.

I don't think this quite pulls off an unqualified success. The jokes and humour are decent, but not top rate. The action is good, the drama passable. There are some interesting characters un support roles, without ever being compelling. The spy caper stuff is hokum, but fine for the territory. All in all, it's pretty good.

 

[Baffle]

I've been watching some of the Channel 4 Untold series lately. The one about boy racers infuriated me. The one about Shien depressed and infuriated me. I'm watching the incel one now and fuck me it's so strange as an outsider.

Edit: this one's infuriating too.

Edit: oh god I'm so glad I was born so long ago.

 

[Gordon_4]

I've been watching some of the Channel 4 Untold series lately. The one about boy racers infuriated me. The one about Shien depressed and infuriated me. I'm watching the incel one now and fuck me it's so strange as an outsider.

Edit: this one's infuriating too.

Edit: oh god I'm so glad I was born so long ago.

So wait, what are these shows exactly?

 

[Baffle]

So wait, what are these shows exactly?

It's a series of fairly short documentaries on different subjects by (I think) independent journalists. They mostly tell us things we already know (although I guess this depends on what you already know), but it really does bring it home seeing it, and it's a bit of an insight into how other people live. Like, I knew fast fashion industry conditions were bad for the workers, but I didn't realise how bad. The ones I've watched (apart from the fast fashion/Shein one) are very UK focused.

 

[gorfias]

It's a series of fairly short documentaries on different subjects by (I think) independent journalists. They mostly tell us things we already know (although I guess this depends on what you already know), but it really does bring it home seeing it, and it's a bit of an insight into how other people live. Like, I knew fast fashion industry conditions were bad for the workers, but I didn't realise how bad. The ones I've watched (apart from the fast fashion/Shein one) are very UK focused.

I'm in the US. I'd be interested in seeing the one on Incels. Short of VPN, Any advice how I could watch would be appreciated.

 

[Baffle]

I'm in the US. I'd be interested in seeing the one on Incels. Short of VPN, Any advice how I could watch would be appreciated.

I'm pretty sure it's a VPN to get channel 4 in the US. This is it on YouTube if that's any easier:

 

[gorfias]

I'm pretty sure it's a VPN to get channel 4 in the US. This is it on YouTube if that's any easier:

DOH!

 

[gorfias]

I'm pretty sure it's a VPN to get channel 4 in the US. This is it on YouTube if that's any easier:

any chance this is a 4 year old thing? Might have been uploaded to US youtube

 

[Baffle]

any chance this is a 4 year old thing? Might have been uploaded to US youtube

View attachment 9009

I don't think so, it was released in November 2022.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Finished The Last Thing He Told Me and basically I'd say it's only worth the viewing if you're down for a zippy, well-paced suspense drama and/or really like Jennifer Garner. It's one of those things I enjoyed while it was on but then as soon as it was over I thought about all the plot holes, irrational character motivations and dangling thematic threads.

 

[gorfias]

I don't think so, it was released in November 2022.

Nope, can't see it in the US but it is what I fear, vilifying a group of sad, lonely guys that typically cannot get out of their way. The term simply means "involuntary celibate". They would like to have a relationship with a woman but for whatever reason, have always struck out.

There is a lot of hate out there, but that is not what they have in common that fits them into this group.

Elliot Rogers, for instance, is a famous mass murdering incel. He couldn't get laid, singled out young women and murdered them after claiming he would have vengeance upon them. He couldn't get laid because he was insane. Hard to make friends when you are a delusional paranoid lunatic as his male room mates described him.
On the other hand are harmless sad, lonely guys who could maybe simply use a few pointers, but also have it pointed out to them that for the vast, vast, vast majority of men, Hugh Heffner's fantasy playboy existence isn't real.

EDIT: This guy for instance. Can debate some of his ideas but he does not come across as a hater or violent.


Going to check out that video I asked about earlier.

And now, some sad news: