This month I continued sort of enjoying the highs and eye-rolling lows of Dexter and the starting-to-feel-played-out Archer. I watched the first two episodes of Bob's Burgers, which shows some promise, though the belly laughs aren't coming yet. I braved the first episode of Hemlock Grove (a Netflix original about werewolves that the Netflix algorithm insisted I would hate) and it could probably be interesting if it weren't so hammily acted. I also saw the first two episodes of Sword Art Online, an anime series with a preposterous premise (a game developer has enslaved thousands of players into an MMO and is forcing them to try to survive the tower. If they die in the game, they die for real!!1!11). It's fun so far, as it's just so committed to the idiocy. I saw but a single movie: It's a Disaster. It is hilarious. I loved the performances and relationships all the way through and by the end I truly cared what happened to the characters, despite the fact that it was just a bit of absurdist comedy.
And you?
Dallas Buyer's Club: I really effing hate when "based on a true story" movies villainize some government agency to enhance our sympathy for the hero, even when the hero can get plenty of sympathy without a villain. Any enjoyment I got out of the exceptional acting performances and intrigue from the AIDS crisis was practically wiped away from the irresponsible hatred of authority and science.
La Vita e Bella: Not as crushing as Schindler's List, probably because it remains charming and funny throughout. Still made me cry, though. And what a script.
Saw most of Cruel Intentions and The Way Way Back which my wife was watching. The former was stylish but poorly directed, leaving the ending a big who cares. The latter was a pretty cool coming of age story. Steve Carrell just keeps getting better as the years go by.
Not a lot of movies for me this month other than Frozen another thirty times and The Pirate Fairy a dozen or so times. Oh, and Word World seems to be the trinket's new favorite.
I did see The Lego Movie the other night and thought it was great. Will Arnett was funnier as Batman than he's been since Gob and, while I normally don't much care for one note actors, I am perfectly ok with Charlie Day playing Charlie Day in everything. Its also good to see Chris Pratt becoming a very rich guy this past year. It was a really fun nostalgia trip, while still being a good comedy.
Mrs. Hayes and I have been auditing a Sixties film class a friend is teaching here at the university. It's been an opportunity to revisit some films I haven't seen in a while, but to also expand my range. Somehow I'd never seen Godard's Alphaville or Masculin Féminin before, but I'd now count him as one of my favorite directors. He's had the opposite effect on Mrs. Hayes – after watching the aforementioned films plus Sympathy for the Devil she decided she absolutely detests his work.
I also finished all the episodes of Spiral currently available on Netflix, up through Season Five. If you're looking for an interesting foreign police/legal drama, I recommend it. I'm thinking I might start Helen Mirren's Prime Suspect series next.
Quick list: Maybe I'll come back.
Franco Zeffereli's Jane Eyre
The Aristocrats (A mini-series, not the documentary film about a joke)
The Forsyte Saga (mini-series)
The Pirate Fairy
The Jungle Book (re-watch)
Evan Almighty (re-watch)
Catching Fire
I picked exactly zero of these, but I was the one who wanted to finish both mini-series.
Evan Almighty didn't make much of an impression on me when I caught it on cable years ago. It should have dropped one or two crude jokes and a cuss-word or two and gone for the G rating. My kids really liked it. I found it annoyingly obvious at times and at some times passable. Unless I missed it, there was no use of the fact that the wife of the man making the Ark was named Joan. So they kept one joke restrained.
Also, I hate it that Bald Eagles in the movies have Red-Tailed Hawk calls. C'mon: the filmmakers went to the point to actually build an Ark, but they just swap out bird noises like that's not important.
At least no Great-Horned Owls making Barred Owl hoots.
I quite liked the Jane Eyre. I get that story, Wuthering Heights, and Tess of the d'Ubervilles all mixed up in my mind. I was surprised that the ending was upbeat.
The story did seem to go too fast though. There wasn't enough buildup of a relationship between the two. I don't mind the editing of the book, just the results of it. Also, 12 year-old Anna Paquin was one hell of an actress. I've never seen The Piano. Maybe I should.
I thought the movie looked really good and so I wanted to see what else Zeffereli had done other than Romeo & Juliet. I had already seen Brother Sun, Sister Moon, at least part, and couldn't get over the ridiculousness of it. I've never watched any Fellini, just caught snips, but I described BSSM as "Fellini for Hippies." Trying to sound learnéd.
* Divergent - It's sort of weird that "Dystopian post-apocalyptic life as high school parable" is a legitimate genre these days. This one has a lot less to stand on than others of its ilk. Woodley is decent, everyone else is collecting a paycheck. Linds assures me that the book is much better, but I'm reasonably sure that I'm going to take her word for it.
* The Wolf of Wall Street - Movies about horrible people doing horrible things don't often strike me, but this one did. It's engaging throughout, and plenty of train wreck (albeit gut-rottingly rich train wreck) to where Linds and I were riveted.
* The Bling Ring - More horrible people doing horrible things. Home invasion is high on my list of things that upset me, so to watch a bunch of teens rummaging through people's houses like they were their personal shopping malls, all the while getting off on celebrity-by-proximity, got to me at times. Unfortunately, the movie isn't incredibly deep in any other way.
Captain Phillips -- Both the Wife and I thought it was very good. A taut thriller that had has on the edge of our seats almost from the outset, even though I kind a knew how it was going to end.
Catching Fire -- I haven't read the books and now have seen both moview on DVD. It led up to the hunt quite well as you got a good sense of the stakes. Thought it ended way too abruptly. I'll watch last two versions on DVD but nothing I'm looking forward to.
Grand Budapest Hotel -- You know what you are getting into with a Wes Anderson film and this didn't dissapoint. Great sets, fun story. Not as good as Royal Tennenbaums but in top three of W.A. films.
The Shield -- This is what I watched over the winter riding my bike. I'm through season 5 and so will have to pick up last two next winter. Zack, what were your favorite seasons. Five is pretty good with Three and Four up there too.
House of Cards -- I was in and out of this as my wife watched. A little to cynical for me and
Most people would disagree with you on season four of The Shield.
Huh. I thought Four was good. Capt. Rawlings, Antown Mitchell. Army. All good characters.
Which season had Armadillo Quintero? That storyline still bothers me.
That was 2, right?
Yes, that was 2.
7 is probably my favorite season. 5 was decent but the finale of 5 was all-time good. 3 and 1 are probably next on my list, then 6, 4, and 2? Maybe an order like that.
You're right about that spoiler. Fersher.
I'm halfway through season 5 of Parks and Rec.
That is the very next episode in the queue. I'll watch tonight!
I should probably warn you that, despite the general good-ness of the characters in the show, Craig is completely awful. One of the worst characters on tv.
Maybe because you don't know guys exactly like him? 'Cause I do.
I enjoyed Craig in the beginning, but he's worn on me a bit. Linds still loves him, though, but I suspect that's because, like Spooky, she says she knew someone exactly like him in high school.
There are people like that? Ugh. That wouldn't help me like the character, though. He's completely wrong for the tone of the show.
I disagree. Every character is an exaggerated version of a real person, with the exception of maybe Ann, who strives to be normal while everyone else around her is crazy. The show's absurd on a regular basis, and so is that character.
Well, considering my opinion on Steve Carrell, I think we are likely to never agree on these types of too-over-the-top characters.
But, I agree that all the characters are exaggerations. I'm just saying that Craig's constant full volume is a grating contrast to everything else.
Your problem with Carell may have more to do with your read that he's over the top. He's very subtle in a lot of his work (including much of The Office). He and Billy Eichner have little or nothing in common as actors.
My read on Carrell is also only from the first three episodes of The Office, The 40 Year Old Virgin, and movie previews, so I don't think I'm too far off-base on my opinion of him based on my experiences. But then, this stuff is all basically subjective, ittn't it? I mean, that doesn't change the fact that you guys are all wrong about Craig, but still.
Basing your read on The Office on the first three episodes is completely ridiculous. Even the most diehard fans recognize that the five-episode first season is easily skippable, for all kinds of reasons.
Carell in The 40-Year-Old Virgin has a lot of subtle moments, but if you choose not to see them, there's really not a lot I can do about it. You have this habit of seeing a single over-the-top moment and applying it to an actor's entire catalog, which is not only off base, but quite disrespectful to what I've spent much of my life doing.
As for whether this stuff is all completely subjective, no, I wouldn't agree.
Craig is COMPLETELY AWFUL and I HATE HIM because he's MORE OVER THE TOP THAN A POODLE DRESSED AS DIANNA ROSS!
Yes, I've got no problem with Craig. He still cracks me up.
Truth be told, I enjoy Craig too. In small doses he's been a fantastic gag. And I don't know anyone like him.
Has anyone watched any of his show Billy on the Street? I love it. I've always been partial to shows where the interviewer just completely ruins the interview (the "science" panel on The Ali G Show is probably one of my favorite things ever), and Billy Eichner (the actor who plays Craig) just completely ambushes people in a fake game show. It's hilarious.
I think that's where he's worn on me. He's like Creed from the Office (albeit much, much, much* less funny) in that he's a character that should never have a storyline and should ideally jump out of nowhere for a gag or two, then disappear as if he was never there. They're starting to give Craig more and more space in every episode, which doesn't work, because he's a one joke character.
They seem to be wondering what happens if that joke is told in different contexts (ooh! he's a win connoisseur today! oh, today, he's an uncle throwing a birthday party!) and it turns out that the joke sounds just about the same.
I don't hate him, but like I said, it's wearing a bit thin.
* Imply thirty more "much"es here
I agree, for sure, that he shouldn't be at the center of stories unless they find new things to say about him.
Given they've found new things to say about everyone else on the show, I think they could easily do that.
Yes, but only if they make an effort to do so, and there may not be any plan to do so.
Twelve Years a Slave was very, very good. In fact, comparing it to Gravity is like comparing Meryl Streep to Sandra Bullock. Sheenie's father was very defensive about how that movie took so many artistic liberties because slaves weren't whipped and abused that often because they were valuable property. I don't think he realizes just how much he was brainwashed receiving all of his education in New Orleans.
I was really disappointed in the last season of Justified. The Crowes were completely uninteresting as villains.
I know I saw a few other things, but I'm blanking on them right now.
Yeah, seems to be a bit of revisionist history in the big easy, and I work for an institution responsible for rewriting some of that history.
Watched Gravity. I liked it, but for a movie that tried to portray things as accurately as possible there were enough little deviations that it kept pulling me out of the movie.
Continuing with Game of Thrones.
Caught up on season one of The Americans and now watching season two. Being barely familiar with the early 80s US-USSR conflict being depicted, I wonder how closely actual history will be followed and impacted. The first season was largely in its own bubble with Reagan getting shot the only piercing of it. This season the contras have entered the picture and I wonder how much or little impact will occur.
I haven't seen Gravity yet. I'm afraid I won't like it because
science.I plan to catch last night's GoT ep off a sketchy website tonight, but last week's show caught me a bit off guard -- didn't see that coming so soon.
Marvel's Agents of SHIELD has thrown several curves, red herrings, and Mannequin Bill Paxton at us, and I still tend to browse the internet on my laptop while watching the show.
Intelligence also ended up with plot twists and red herrings. More internet browsing time.
Adventure Time has been outstanding; looking forward to meeting Finn's dad.
Marvel' AOS really is swinging for the fences right now. I presume tie-in with Winter Soldier, which I have not yet seen. Not sure how survivable the newest twist is. I am assuming that good-hunk-turned-bad is some sort of trick, but not gonna be a believable trick.
I need to see the Thor and Captain America 2s, I think, to really appreciate what's going on on SHIELD
I think you'd need better acting to appreciate what's going on on SHIELD.
This. Also, better scripts.
I love Agent Colson, but when you get him and Bill Paxton in a scene together, there's more wood than a logging camp.
there's more wood than a logging camp.
#isthataeuphemism
no, but I've been watching too much Craig Ferguson not to expect that question 😛
As someone who spends a lot of nights alone and away from my family, binge watching TV series is pretty good entertainment. I have Amazon Prime (not netflix), so I can't access (for free) HBO shows (or Breaking Bad). Given those limitations, what should I watch next? I am going to go through the Arrested Development series (I've seen some of it), but I'm looking for recommendations.
If you have good virus protection and ad blocking, I can point you to where those limitations don't exist, if interested.
Tough to say, as I have two streaming services that aren't Amazon Prime so I'm not real familiar with what they have. What are you looking for? Is it important that it's either comedy or drama, or will they all work?
I prefer comedies. Basically, any over the air network series is available.
edit: That said, I'm amendable to dramas, too. Remember, I have not watched network television in at least 15 years.
"Justified" is on Prime, and only on Prime. I would highly recommend getting some Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder in your regular viewing.
I will second the Justified recommendation, and add that Louie is also on Amazon prime and it's one of my favorite things on TV and it has a great mix of comedy and drama and I recommend it very highly.
I'll pile on for Louie. It's got gut-busting moments and still manages to hit you out of nowhere with a story that means something. It's brilliant.
I'll third Louie
Starting May 21, you can watch older HBO shows using Amazon Prime.
Last night after queuing this post, I watched the first two episodes of American Horror Story. It's scary as hell, and I'm usually kind of beyond getting scared by TV and film at this point, as I've seen so many. What's impressive, to me, is that the supernatural is typically what scares me least, but between the acting and the incredible direction of the horror scenes (which are plentiful...this isn't a drama with a handful of scary scenes thrown in), it's working on me in a big way.
I've also seen the first five episodes of Comedy Bang Bang, a half-scripted bizarre talk show with one real guest and two fake ones. It's hard to explain without just asking you to see one, but I've laughed a lot.
I've been anxious to finally watch the third season of Game of Thrones, but I've had the same three-hour, subtitled movie at my house for a while now and it always seems like it's more daunting than I'm in the mood for. The move (Downfall) is also on streaming so really, I could have just sent it back a couple of months ago and I'd be well into GoT right now, but that's not what I did.
I went to The Grand Budapest Hotel this weekend and loved it which isn't shocking. I am really looking forward to watching it again soon. I also rewatched The To-Do List with J and our friend this weekend. It was even better on my second viewing I think.
Other than that, I've watched a fair bit of TV recently. The third season of Check it Out! With Dr. Steve Brule was brilliant. It was a brief run, six 12 minute episodes, but I was howling with laughter during every episode at least once. All three seasons are streaming on Adult Swim. I've also been thoroughly enjoying Review. I've missed the last couple of episodes because of my busy schedule lately, but I am definitely looking forward to catching up. If you like uncomfortable humor, there's plenty to enjoy about Review.
The Tim and Eric Dr. Steve Bruel segments are one of my favorite comedy bits of all time.
Oh I also saw Kill Your Darlings. About Allan Ginsburg, Kerouac, et. al. when they were at Columbia in the 1940's and the relatively true story of a cohort wo was complicit in a murder. Kinda arty but decent film.
I went to Heaven is for Real. It wasn't good. It was really rushed and really lost all the drama.