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

[Xprimentyl]

I only seen 12 and 13 once and didn't love them like I do 11 but it has been since they came out that I saw them.

I highly recommend a re-watch of 12 and 13. Maybe not as big as splash as 11 since 11 was new and different, but if nothing else, they are more of the same; the on-screen chemistry stays solid with that lovable band of criminals. The "lost in translation" scene in 12 is worth the price of admission alone.

I group Ocean's 11 and White Lotus together because both feel like you're essentially just watching people being people and it feels real and organic; I could see anyone being totally bored with White Lotus or The Burbs, but I just love them. Similar to even Shaun of the Dead that I listed. If a zombie apocalypse actually happened (and you didn't know shit about zombies), you would just chill with friends or something and throw shit at a zombie that wanders into your yard just like Shaun and Ed do or like go to the pub and lock the doors and drink waiting for the whole thing to blow over. My friends and I went to BJs Brewhouse (that is like nothing but windows) after a game night during a tornado warning (all the employees in the back hunkering down) and just waited for the whole thing to blow over!

I'm kinda in a drought right now with stuff to watch, so I'm willing to give The White Lotus a go, at least for a couple of episodes. I mean, c'mon, I'm into On Cinema At The Cinema, the most niche, slow-burn, "you had to be there" comedy in the history of ever; I'm willing try most things comedy-drama/drama-comedy as long as it holds up to BOTH of those billings to an appreciable extent. (Sorry, still gun shy after Baby Reindeer...)

 

[Phoenixmgs]

I highly recommend a re-watch of 12 and 13. Maybe not as big as splash as 11 since 11 was new and different, but if nothing else, they are more of the same; the on-screen chemistry stays solid with that lovable band of criminals. The "lost in translation" scene in 12 is worth the price of admission alone.




I'm kinda in a drought right now with stuff to watch, so I'm willing to give The White Lotus a go, at least for a couple of episodes. I mean, c'mon, I'm into On Cinema At The Cinema, the most niche, slow-burn, "you had to be there" comedy in the history of ever; I'm willing try most things comedy-drama/drama-comedy as long as it holds up to BOTH of those billings to an appreciable extent. (Sorry, still gun shy after Baby Reindeer...)

Matt Damon with random Zeppelin lyrics

If you don't like the 1st couple episodes (hell, probably the 1st episode), you probably won't like it. There's not much "payoff" that the show is working towards. I recall the 1st season has this husband obsessed with trying to prove the hotel manager made a mistake and double-booked their room and the hotel manager is gaslighting him saying it was on the parents that booked the room IIRC.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Glad you beat me to it, because it mirrors my sentiments pretty well (speaking of mirror, gonna probably check out the new Black Mirror tonight). I guess there’s still a couple seasons planned, but it’s getting excruciatingly dull for all the meandering, jumping back and forth with little overall consequence to speak of, especially with character development. Speaking of, Shauna is just plain terrible. Shows an ounce of remorse after reading a letter proving she was in the wrong and then right back to her insanity. It could’ve all been wrapped up by now.


1923 was kind of similar in that it took all season to get somewhere, but it at least stuck the landing pretty well.

New Black Mirror is good! I'm pleasantly surprised it managed to be good after so long. I'm sure it helps that they just kind of pop into our lives every few years so it's a nice surprise never outstays its welcome.
Like every season, its has a couple of bangers and a few mehs, but that's ok!

We only have one last one to watch and we'll watch it tonight.

The only bad part about the season is I think the first ep is the best one. It's just really good! Does exactly what Black Mirror does best- depresses the ever living crap out of your soul because it feels way too real.

The one with Issa Rae is a lot fun but unfortunately it's the kind of episode that gets worse the more I think about it and as much as I enjoy her comedic work and writing (Insecure, really), she's just not a strong dramatic actress.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

New Black Mirror is good! I'm pleasantly surprised it managed to be good after so long. I'm sure it helps that they just kind of pop into our lives every few years so it's a nice surprise never outstays its welcome.
Like every season, its has a couple of bangers and a few mehs, but that's ok!

We only have one last one to watch and we'll watch it tonight.

The only bad part about the season is I think the first ep is the best one. It's just really good! Does exactly what Black Mirror does best- depresses the ever living crap out of your soul because it feels way too real.

The one with Issa Rae is a lot fun but unfortunately it's the kind of episode that gets worse the more I think about it and as much as I enjoy her comedic work and writing (Insecure, really), she's just not a strong dramatic actress.

Watched the first couple. Strong right out of the gate, straddling that line between satire and reality to an infuriating degree. Glad the second leaned more into the almost Twilight Zone-esque stuff, with a fuck yes rug pull of an ending.

A couple Easter eggs (tis the season):

Spoiler

The company Maria (Siena Kelly) and Verity (Rosy McEwen) worked for was Ditta, the maker of Honey Hugs referenced in the prior episode 'Common People' during one of Amanda Waters' commercial endorsements while teaching her class.

The number on the office building where Verity and Maria are working is 217, which is possibly a subtle reference to Stephen King's book "The Shining" where hotel room 217 were inhabited by the ghosts. The common topic of this episode and "The Shining" is the misperception of reality manipulated by a malevolent power.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Oh my God, I just noticed the guy who played Seth in Episode 1 of The Last of Us (Season 2) is the guy from Stephen King's Thinner.



This is the information my brain retains.

 

[Chimpzy]

Watched the season finale of Daredevil Born Again

Kind of a downer ending. Kingpin becomes mayor of New York and successfully turns the city into his personal fief, Frank Castle is captured, everyone who could oppose Fisk is either dead or cowed into submission, except for Daredevil and like half a dozen friends and allies. Overal, I liked this show. I don't think it's as good as the first season and a half of the Netflix show, but it's better than most MCU offerings post Endgame and I enjoyed the return to a more mature tone and character-driven storytelling.

The returning cast are still great in their respective roles, the report between Cox' Murdock and Bernthal's Castle being a particular highlight every time they're on-screen together, and Vincent D'Onofrio's Fisk is back to being a delightful villain after his imo kinda underwhelming role in Hawkeye and Echo. Tho the newcomers are no slouches either, with Michael Gandolfini's Daniel Blake being my favorite.

It does kind of bother me that the entire season is essentially setup for season 2, with few of the plot threads really getting resolved. It also runs into the same problem as the Netflix show in that, despite being part of the MCU (for real this time), it kinda exists in its own world and kinda has to, because otherwise raises questions about where all the other New York based superheroes like Spider-Man and Strange are considering what happens in this show.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Watched the season finale of Daredevil Born Again

Kind of a downer ending. Kingpin becomes mayor of New York and successfully turns the city into his personal fief, Frank Castle is captured, everyone who could oppose Fisk is either dead or cowed into submission, except for Daredevil and like half a dozen friends and allies. Overal, I liked this show. I don't think it's as good as the first season and a half of the Netflix show, but it's better than most MCU offerings post Endgame and I enjoyed the return to a more mature tone and character-driven storytelling.

The returning cast are still great in their respective roles, the report between Cox' Murdock and Bernthal's Castle being a particular highlight every time they're on-screen together, and Vincent D'Onofrio's Fisk is back to being a delightful villain after his imo kinda underwhelming role in Hawkeye and Echo. Tho the newcomers are no slouches either, with Michael Gandolfini's Daniel Blake being my favorite.

It does kind of bother me that the entire season is essentially setup for season 2, with few of the plot threads really getting resolved. It also runs into the same problem as the Netflix show in that, despite being part of the MCU (for real this time), it kinda exists in its own world and kinda has to, because otherwise raises questions about where all the other New York based superheroes like Spider-Man and Strange are considering what happens in this show.

I feel like an ass having watched this.
I knew it's pointless and useless to resurrect old shows. I'm the guy always going on about how important endings are, how we're suckers to get sucked back into endless sequels and franchising.
And yet I watched this crap like a sucker because I just like Charlie Cox and the Daredevil character. It had its moments but overall, yes, this season could have been an email.

 

[Kyrian007]

New Black Mirror is good! I'm pleasantly surprised it managed to be good after so long. I'm sure it helps that they just kind of pop into our lives every few years so it's a nice surprise never outstays its welcome.
Like every season, its has a couple of bangers and a few mehs, but that's ok!

We only have one last one to watch and we'll watch it tonight.

The only bad part about the season is I think the first ep is the best one. It's just really good! Does exactly what Black Mirror does best- depresses the ever living crap out of your soul because it feels way too real.

The one with Issa Rae is a lot fun but unfortunately it's the kind of episode that gets worse the more I think about it and as much as I enjoy her comedic work and writing (Insecure, really), she's just not a strong dramatic actress.

Just finished the new season. Really strong, one of the better whole seasons. I liked to see the return of the U.S.S. Callister, cool to see Paul Giamatti in a very dramatic role. Really liked Hote Reverie, reminded me of the better holodeck Star Trek episodes. But as many people online are praising the opener "Common People," I have to say found it to be the low point of the season.

That's no disrespect intended, it was a high bar. It was just very predictable, something that the other episodes avoided. And I get that was at least partially intentional, I mean we are watching it on a tiered subscription service. Not really trying to hide the jab at papa Netflix... a plus for the episode I thought. But even though it did come off more as "inevitable" rather than "predictable" and ADD to the overall atmosphere of melancholy... doesn't change the fact that you see it coming. That's when you should think about subverting expectations. But nope, just "yep, saw that coming." The second she started spouting ads, I knew exactly how that episode would end. And it did, save another half hour of depressing filler.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

Just finished the new season. Really strong, one of the better whole seasons. I liked to see the return of the U.S.S. Callister, cool to see Paul Giamatti in a very dramatic role. Really liked Hote Reverie, reminded me of the better holodeck Star Trek episodes. But as many people online are praising the opener "Common People," I have to say found it to be the low point of the season.

That's no disrespect intended, it was a high bar. It was just very predictable, something that the other episodes avoided. And I get that was at least partially intentional, I mean we are watching it on a tiered subscription service. Not really trying to hide the jab at papa Netflix... a plus for the episode I thought. But even though it did come off more as "inevitable" rather than "predictable" and ADD to the overall atmosphere of melancholy... doesn't change the fact that you see it coming. That's when you should think about subverting expectations. But nope, just "yep, saw that coming." The second she started spouting ads, I knew exactly how that episode would end. And it did, save another half hour of depressing filler.

I also kinda took it as a jab at a possible future for the medical industry, but yeah that shit was maddening.

 

[thebobmaster]

Watched the season finale of Daredevil Born Again

Kind of a downer ending. Kingpin becomes mayor of New York and successfully turns the city into his personal fief, Frank Castle is captured, everyone who could oppose Fisk is either dead or cowed into submission, except for Daredevil and like half a dozen friends and allies. Overal, I liked this show. I don't think it's as good as the first season and a half of the Netflix show, but it's better than most MCU offerings post Endgame and I enjoyed the return to a more mature tone and character-driven storytelling.

The returning cast are still great in their respective roles, the report between Cox' Murdock and Bernthal's Castle being a particular highlight every time they're on-screen together, and Vincent D'Onofrio's Fisk is back to being a delightful villain after his imo kinda underwhelming role in Hawkeye and Echo. Tho the newcomers are no slouches either, with Michael Gandolfini's Daniel Blake being my favorite.

It does kind of bother me that the entire season is essentially setup for season 2, with few of the plot threads really getting resolved. It also runs into the same problem as the Netflix show in that, despite being part of the MCU (for real this time), it kinda exists in its own world and kinda has to, because otherwise raises questions about where all the other New York based superheroes like Spider-Man and Strange are considering what happens in this show.

I feel like an ass having watched this.
I knew it's pointless and useless to resurrect old shows. I'm the guy always going on about how important endings are, how we're suckers to get sucked back into endless sequels and franchising.
And yet I watched this crap like a sucker because I just like Charlie Cox and the Daredevil character. It had its moments but overall, yes, this season could have been an email.

To be slightly fair to the show, while it was definitely a lot of set up for Season 2, I feel like that was partially due to the show having been massively overhauled partway through production, as well as a consequence of splitting up what was initially an 18 episode season. I think the last two episodes, which were the only ones that were completely redone from the initial storyline, are more of an indicator of what can be expected from Season 2, and given that they were easily the strongest episodes of the season, that is promising to me.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

On the other hand, I found Common People the best of the season because it was predictable. And the Callister sequel was fun but also the most boring because it wasn't really about anything (and also the longest episode).
But these are minor nitpicks and disagreements. I think it was either season 5 or 6 where I felt let down and figured the show was just going on too long by that point but I'm glad I was wrong and will always look forward to its return.

While I just in another post reiterated my disdain for non-endings and endless IP returns, Black Mirror doesn't count because it's an anthology show. They can always pop back into our lives every few years and give us a little somethin' something.

 

[Kyrian007]

On the other hand, I found Common People the best of the season because it was predictable. And the Callister sequel was fun but also the most boring because it wasn't really about anything (and also the longest episode).
But these are minor nitpicks and disagreements. I think it was either season 5 or 6 where I felt let down and figured the show was just going on too long by that point but I'm glad I was wrong and will always look forward to its return.

While I just in another post reiterated my disdain for non-endings and endless IP returns, Black Mirror doesn't count because it's an anthology show. They can always pop back into our lives every few years and give us a little somethin' something.

I totally agree about anthology shows. As far as I'm concerned, we need more of them. TV has moved on and the binge model has led to serial style being more profitable than episodic or anthology style shows. And maybe it is just my age, but I prefer episodic and anthology.

 

[Gordon_4]

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

This is one of those feel good, lazy watch shows. A fairly boilerplate lady detective story set in Melbourne around 1928 about a well to do flapper girl - Phryne Fisher - deciding to become a private detective after a rather entertaining time solving a murder with local policemen Det. Jack Robinson, his earnest but dopey constable High Collins and maid/companion/second in command Dot. Also along for the ride are ex-diggers Cec and Bert and the butler, Mr. Butler.

They're a colourful bunch; and honestly Australia in the 20s and 30s is a unique enough setting that you can find yourself swept up by the costuming and set design. Hell I think there was a big exhibition when the show finished somewhere in Melbourne that showed off all the period costuming and props.

Mostly show show survives on the gloriously over the top performance by Essie Davis as Phryne, matched against the taciturn but quiet warmth of Nathan Paige as Jack. I think I read somewhere that both actors were friends either before the show, or became fast friends during filming. Either way, their chemistry is really good. And honestly most of the other characters are a lot of fun too. I love Bert and Cec the most with their working class, ex-digger sensibilities. Bert even gets to be a member of the Communist Party.