kmc wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 4:50 am I am rewatching the series now because of this thread, and just landed on International Assassin (season 2, ep 8). This is exactly the kind of surreal entertainment that I need more of. Dream-like, horrific, moving, and hilarious is a tough combination to achieve, but they nailed it with this show.

eephus wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 12:02 pm The Leftovers is my favorite TV show of all time.

You think you have a handle on it after the first few eps, for sure after the 1st season.

You do not.

It's the only full realization of magic realism on television, at least that I've seen.

Carrie Coon belongs on TV Drama Mt Rushmore. And she doesn't even get going until late in Season 1.

This sounds fantastic, might have to pick it up on DVD.

I've been watching Who Killed Malcolm X? and can definitely recommend it.

Also binge listened to the MLK Tapes podcast (and then the RFK Tapes), both of which I can also highly recommend.

kmc wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 4:50 am I am rewatching the series now because of this thread, and just landed on International Assassin (season 2, ep 8).

That's right where I'm at. I don't walk away from this show lost in thought the way I do with some of the greats (The Wire, Sopranos, etc.) but it's darkly entertaining for sure.

Just kicked off another start-to-finish run of The Shield. No other modern drama has matched that narrative spine.

Peacock is streaming both the theatrical and unrated cuts of M3gan, which is the best killer doll movie since the OG Child's Play while also being the superior version of the Child's Play remake.

Wood Goblin wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 11:29 am He’s mine, too, though I love Chaplin and Harold Lloyd as well. And Arbuckle too.

You’ll occasionally see some contrarian insist that Chaplin was a hack, but he really was every bit the genius critics claim. The Circus is criminally underrated. It’s not as thematically rich as his more acclaimed features, but I think it’s his funniest.

The L&H silents aren’t all that special, and the one WC Fields silent short I saw was just awful.

Also awful: Harry Langdon, though maybe I haven’t seen the right films.

But yeah, Keaton was the man. He had an incredible visual imagination—one area where he definitely beats Chaplin. You can see how much the Roadrunner cartoons owe to Keaton.

Fresh Air today is a story on Keaton, some woman wrote a book about him.

Look like this was an interview with Dana Stevens. I read the book, Camera Man, last year. It’s excellent. It goes well beyond Keaton, too, into the milieu in which he worked. Not exaggerating: it’s one of the best cinema books I’ve read.

I really enjoyed Pokerface. Not cutting edge art, but thoroughly entertaining and funny tv.

Shrink on Peacock makes me chuckle.

Also do not for one second entertain the idea of watching the Ark. Don’t. It bad.

Jon

Am curious about Lucky Hank, set to premiere on AMC soon. Unfortunately we don't have AMC+ anymore, but . . .

It's based on the book Straight Man by Richard Russo, which I happened to read circa 2004, via a bookworm friend of mine who'd lent it to my then-gf. All three of us liked it. Sort of in the ballpark of Wonder Boys, in that it deals with an older prof type under some duress, trying to iron out some issues. I found it to be a well written tale--crisp prose, wry humor, and some good commentary about academia and the culture at large. It stood out to me because at the time I was reading few contemporary novels, and it reflected well on lit set in the then-present. Anyway, haven't seen any trailers/previews for the show, but Bob Odenkirk is in it, so am guessing they'll be playing it for laughs.

enframed wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 10:07 pm

jfv wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 2:43 pm

enframed wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 1:57 pm

"Where is my fucking fish? I would never be late. My cooks would never be late. How can the fish guy be late? It's why all chefs are drunks. It's because we don't understand why the world doesn't work like our kitchens."

Makes me cry every fucking time I see it.

One of those shows I keep reminding myself to watch but have failed to do so. Will remind myself again.

Also wonderful use of Eno's "The Big Ship."

I *finally* watched this (Roadrunner).

Stupid thing I noticed. At one point in the show, he wore a button-down shirt with a collar, and left the collar buttons unbuttoned.

I never button those buttons. My ex-boss always used to give me shit for that.

Fuck those buttons.

Kinda wished I was him for most of the movie, except that dead thing at the end.

That whole “are you happy?” montage certainly hits home, though.

Good show.