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

[Xprimentyl]

The Mick: S2:Ep1-20: Good / Great

It’s a shame this got canceled after only two seasons 1.) because it’s a good show, and 2.) it ends on a seriously jarring cliffhanger that just won’t be resolved now.

 

[gorfias]

Disclaimer, ep 1&2, Apple TV+

A mini-series (I think it's going to be like 7 episodes?) directed by Alphonzo Cuaron who directed three movies I loved- Gravity, Roma, and Children of Men- and starring Cate Blanchett, with Sacha Baron Cohen in a supporting role. A melodrama about a respected important woman whose dark past is revealed by a scorn victim so the premise kind of reminded of Tar.

So it should be my kind of thing but it's all a bit... too much. Multiple narrators, one too many moments of TV logic and tropes, a bit too much of Look At This Character Archetype going on. It feels like it can't decide if it's a for-serious DRAMA or an unintentional satire. It sometimes feels like an SNL spook sketch of what they think a Serious Prestige Drama is.

Which does seem like a lot of these limited series offerings from HBO/Apple/Netflix- the seem interesting, but then kind of come and go and are forgotten about, like everything Nicole Kidman was doing. Unfortunately, the power of Blanchett and Cuaron were not enough to elevate this beyond the trappings of this format so I won't be continuing.

I enjoyed and was even titillated by an episode, even at my age.
BUT:
It ends up being one of those, "if she'd only told people the truth in Episode 2, the rest of the series would have been unnecessary." But I guess she just couldn't.
And
It just has to have some mysandry at the end.

Spoiler

She comes full circle, from imagined evil manipulator to in reality the ultimate victim: the truth is, she was raped. She let that guy take naughty pictures of her at knife point. But she blames and divorces her husband cuz he was relieved that in fact, she had not betrayed him. Imagine the nerve!!! Of being relieved you'd not been betrayed!

The Penguin MAX series

I didn't much care for The Batman. Batman himself was unimpressive. They borrowed beats from Dark Knight and fail in comparison.

They take Collin Farrel's Penguin from that movie and give him his own crime drama series and it was terrific.

If you like crime drama, even if you don't like super heroes, you'd like this. We follow Penguin from as far down as being a lowly driver for the mob to.... well, becoming an arch Batman villain.

The show includes only 1 single Batman shout out. Very small. This isn't his show. It is Penguin's and they make him feel about as fleshed out as the other characters in the Dark Knight were. Highly recommend. A+

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Was fashion ever worse than in the 1970s? A collar that big (which is awful by itself) under a suit, just yuck.

80s way worse than 70s, IMO. Sure 70s was garrish but folks were trying to do something creative and sometimes it came out cool (i.e., black folks sometimes).

But the 80s was rolling up blazer sleeves and sock-less loafers with trousers and the infamous shoulder pads. Awful.

Anyways, some stuff I been watching:

Bosch into season 2
I been in the mood for TV that's like- solid, not too crazy, comfort food. Bosch was Amazon Prime's flagship show, real dad TV stuff, just a grumbly badass detective in the mean streets of LA who doesn't suffer fools. Each season is its own encapsulated story which I like.
Season 1 had trouble holding my interest because it involved a Se7en/Silence of the Lambs style crazy serial killer driving the plot and that stuff gets wearying for me. Season 2 involves more classic crime drama and corruption stuff like a hard-boiled detective novel and that is more my jam.

Agatha All Along
Leave it Kathryn Hahna to pull back into the MCU nonsense and while it was delightful at times it was also incredibly silly. They kind of ruined the impact of the character by giving her a tragic backstory and providing conflicting tones and thematic direction. This time the quirky loveable bad girl is played by Aubrey Plaza which is fine. A big MEH from me overall.

High Potential
Kaitline Olson (the one woman on It's Always Sunny in PA) stars in what is my favorite TV trend- quirky non-detective detectives. Here's she's like if you take a character from a late 90's rom-com played by Drew Barrymore and give her an comically high IQ and OCD impulses so that she is recruited to solve crimes and hilarity ensues. It's preposterous but Olson is one of our generation's all-time great comic actors so every stupid second of this nonsense is utterly delightful.

 

[BrawlMan]

Loving Arcane Season 2. Shit is getting real, real fast.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Loving Arcane Season 2. Shit is getting real, real fast.

I'm planning to watch the new episodes tomorrow night, as a sort of end of work week treat.

Of course I remember absolutely nothing from the first season, hopefully there's a good "previously on" preceding the first of the new eps.

 

[BrawlMan]

I'm planning to watch the new episodes tomorrow night, as a sort of end of work week treat.

Of course I remember absolutely nothing from the first season, hopefully there's a good "previously on" preceding the first of the new eps.

They'll bring you up the speed real quick.

 

[Xprimentyl]

High Potential
Kaitline Olson (the one woman on It's Always Sunny in PA) stars in what is my favorite TV trend- quirky non-detective detectives. Here's she's like if you take a character from a late 90's rom-com played by Drew Barrymore and give her an comically high IQ and OCD impulses so that she is recruited to solve crimes and hilarity ensues. It's preposterous but Olson is one of our generation's all-time great comic actors so every stupid second of this nonsense is utterly delightful.

You are correct; Kaitlin Olson is a rare and underappreciated gem in the world of comedy. High Potential is so next on my radar, I think I'm going to start it today, like, in the next hour or so.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

You are correct; Kaitlin Olson is a rare and underappreciated gem in the world of comedy. High Potential is so next on my radar, I think I'm going to start it today, like, in the next hour or so.

I think Hacks helped raised her profile outside of Sunny. Well, I'm at least thinking of my mother and wife, two women who are completely turned off by Sunny's whole vibe but love love LOVE Hacks (as do I) and when I told them about HP and said it stars "the daughter" from Hacks they got interested.

By the way I'm sure I must have talked up Hacks but, just in case- good god, y'all, watch Hacks!

 

[Xprimentyl]

High Potential
Kaitline Olson (the one woman on It's Always Sunny in PA) stars in what is my favorite TV trend- quirky non-detective detectives. Here's she's like if you take a character from a late 90's rom-com played by Drew Barrymore and give her an comically high IQ and OCD impulses so that she is recruited to solve crimes and hilarity ensues. It's preposterous but Olson is one of our generation's all-time great comic actors so every stupid second of this nonsense is utterly delightful.

Just finished the first season, and yeah, it's a lot of fun. More drama than I was expecting, but a pleasant mix with Olson's brand of comedy.

Now to track down Hacks...

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Just watched the most embarrassing thing of the year - the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. Tyson barely put up a fight. He was simply too old or too happy to cash a check (or both).

I'd say joke's on me but I watched the preceding three fights and they weren't half bad. Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano in particular was riveting as fuck. So not a complete wash.

 

[Gordon_4]

Just watched the most embarrassing thing of the year - the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. Tyson barely put up a fight. He was simply too old or too happy to cash a check (or both).

Wasn't that some kind of circlejerk exhibition match for charity or something?

 

[Casual Shinji]

Act 2 of Arcane Season 2.

Pretty darn good. Liked it better than the previous 3 episodes. Leaving us on that note till november 23rd though... you brutal fucks.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Wasn't that some kind of circlejerk exhibition match for charity or something?

Officially it was a professionally sanctioned boxing match. The only charity was Netflix gave an elderly Mike Tyson 20 million to show up.

He looked miserable as he was walking out and after two rounds he was clearly all tapped out. It became a game of elderly Mike ambling towards Paul for eight rounds of nothing and Paul lands three times the number of punches while clearly, desperately, trying not to KO Mike.

It was Rocky Balboa (2006) if Rocky had truly nothing left to show for and was just in it for the money.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Just watched the most embarrassing thing of the year - the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. Tyson barely put up a fight. He was simply too old or too happy to cash a check (or both).

I'd say joke's on me but I watched the preceding three fights and they weren't half bad. Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano in particular was riveting as fuck. So not a complete wash.

lol, the guys at work were all for Tyson because of his experience and that he'd been training really hard. I said he was going to get killed because there's no way a 60 year old can keep up with the reaction speed and energy of a 30 year old, no matter his experience or technique. It's good to be right.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

lol, the guys at work were all for Tyson because of his experience and that he'd been training really hard. I said he was going to get killed because there's no way a 60 year old can keep up with the reaction speed and energy of a 30 year old, no matter his experience or technique. It's good to be right.

Yeah all those clips of Mike viciously training were either bullshit or simply don't translate on the ring. If he did train it was just so he could last 8 rounds of 2 minutes against a YouTuber less than half his age. His legs were gone in round three. Paul was bragging he would KO him in four or five rounds and honestly he 100% could've and if he didn't it was a conscious choice to not make himself even more of a douchebag.

 

[BrawlMan]

Those who are big fans or interested in checking Hong Kong Cinema, need to check this out 33 minute video by Rossatron. He's got videos on Western films and Kurosawa as well.

​

 

[BrawlMan]

Loving Arcane Season 2. Shit is getting real, real fast.

Holy shit! This series keeps outdoing itself! 3 more episodes to got! Next Saturday can't get here fast enough!

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Loving Arcane Season 2 so far, but I do find it interesting how often they rely on slow mo and 2D animation. Did things get too expensive for season 2? In which case, great that they're ending with this.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Loving Arcane Season 2 so far, but I do find it interesting how often they rely on slow mo and 2D animation. Did things get too expensive for season 2? In which case, great that they're ending with this.

I don't think 2D animation is any less expensive. The amount of times they decided to go for a particular style - like the water marker sequence in Episode 6 - is probably not very cheap either.

Speaking of Arcane... Did they just introduce that big, burly, mutton chop guy this season only to do nothing with him? For how he was introduced in the first episode you'd think he'd play a bigger part in the story other than being in the background looking pensive. I mean, Maddie atleast gets that little moment where we all went 'Oh my god, Caitlin you slut!', but mutton chop guy... I don't even remember his name.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

I don't think 2D animation is any less expensive. The amount of times they decided to go for a particular style - like the water marker sequence in Episode 6 - is probably not very cheap either.

Speaking of Arcane... Did they just introduce that big, burly, mutton chop guy this season only to do nothing with him? For how he was introduced in the first episode you'd think he'd play a bigger part in the story other than being in the background looking pensive. I mean, Maddie atleast gets that little moment where we all went 'Oh my god, Caitlin you slut!', but mutton chop guy... I don't even remember his name.

2D animation isn't always cheaper (if anything I think it's supposed to be more expensive) but there were a bunch of montages that were essentially just animated slideshows. Very stylish and well done animated slideshows, but slideshows nonetheless. I'm pretty sure most of the time making a static image in 2D is a lot cheaper than making a static image in 3D.

Again, not saying it detracts from the show, but I do think it's a noticeable difference from the first season.

Also I do think they never mentioned shield guys name out loud, maybe in subtitles. I laughed out loud when they revealed he was an enforcer as well. I just assumed he's a name character in LoL or something.