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Spoilers What's on TV?
- Thread starter Huntn
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Planet Earth Series- currently on BBC America, Incredible showcase of the planet many of us including myself take for granted. It makes me realize how much I've missed, making me want to head to a remote mountain lake, one not over run by the city masses. 
Planet Earth Series- currently on BBC America, Incredible showcase of the planet many of us including myself take for granted. It makes me realize how much I've missed, making me want to head to a remote mountain lake, one not over run by the city masses.
Is that the David Attenborough series? If so, I'm not surprised that you are awestruck.
Everything - and by that, I mean everything - that he has ever done is a triumph of ethics, and the most exacting professional standards, these are programmes which are superbly made with a profound respect for life, knowledge and learning - and are both utterly beguiling and utterly enthralling to watch.
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Yes David Attenborough. Incredible recordings of the intimate events in animals's lives. Just watched the episode with the tiny tree frog transporting its tadpoles individually on it's back up very tall trees in the rain forest to deposit each one in its own private bromide swimming pool. Then it has to make trips back to feed each one with its unfertilized eggs. I kept asking, how did they get those shots?? Oh, I've watched this when it first came out, but it's still fabulous. The most expensive documentary ever made I believe.
This may sound stupid, but this kind of a show effects me because I've always felt something special when I'm in the woods with only a few humans about, a spiritual feeling that makes me think that city dwellers miss out on something big when they don't have the opportunity to grow up, one with nature in an agrarian based culture something like I imagine primitive indigenous people experienced. The city despite having parks is like a wall between us and nature especially for kids.
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So bored of Homeland now. What started off as something super interesting (solider being converted, is it a good or bad guy?) fell apart so rapidly into an uninteresting series of "Muslims=terrorists". Only watching now because I'm hoping for a 24-like spin off with Fin (Finn?). If it doesn't pick up in a few episodes I'll skip the rest.
Who speaks of truth when invested in suspension of disbelief, escapism?
(I loved those movies, the first two. The 3rd one was getting repetitive, and the forth I don't want to think of, evidence that Spielberg had lost it, or badly misread what his audience expected.
Who speaks of truth when invested in suspension of disbelief, escapism?
But the escapism has to be somehow credible, or inventive, or, at the very least, enjoyable and exciting as well as having a bit of dash and flair and verve, and, that old word 'swashbuckling' in order for it to work.
And repetition seems to have become one of the begetting - and endlessly repeated - winds of the American entertainment industry. Are there no new tales to be told? Can money only be made through an endless repetition of the tried and truly tested?
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I agree we need new material!
Not just new material, but new stories.
When some of the biggest franchises are 'Star Wars' (episode whatever it is), or a new take on 'Batman', or 'James Bond', or 'The Hobbit' (not a big book by any stretch of the imagination) dragged out over God knows how many movies, I have to ask myself a few questions, such as: Is it that studios are afraid to invest in something new (and possibly terrifyingly unknown and thus, a bit of a financial risk), and therefore, simply want to keep replicating what they know has already worked, or, are there no new stories out there…..?
Fear of gambling on a failure, an age old story in movie making. Lord of the Rings, was 3 books, 3 movies, bravo!
But in the name of generating income on a known commodity, what was done to the Hobbit was a travesty. There are new stories, but in many cases the movie makers wait to snap up those wildly successful books because they believe this mitigates their risk, but I'm sure you are familiar with the concept.
Fear of gambling on a failure, an age old story in movie making. Lord of the Rings, was 3 books, 3 movies, bravo!
Oh, heavens, yes, I am indeed.
And I understand the fear or risk - but it makes for awfully boring movies, unoriginal, uninteresting, unchallenging, derivative tosh. What ever happened to the twentieth century's most challenging and stunning art form?
When I am abroad, or about to head off, or home on leave, I head into an excellent bricks-and-mortar bookshop and request book recommendations (as I do in my wineshop) - the old: "You guys (and gals) have some idea of the sort of thing I like, so recommend something new that you think I'd go for."
Now, they don't always get it right - but that is a risk I am prepared to take. Such is life - you can't like everything others do, even if they recommend it to you in good faith thinking that you might.
However, sometimes, they get it so right I am almost weeping with happiness; their hearty recommendation of Scott Lynch (I have yet to read a word of his anywhere that I dislike) falls into that category.
Walking through the local grocery store yesterday and there was a bargain bin with the Lonesome Dove 2 DVD set, the miniseries based on the 1985 Pulitzer Price winning novel. We've had a very unpleasant experience trying to obtain watchable home media for this series. First was the VHS which looked like utter crap. Then there was the first DVD put out by Hallmark, which looked like they copied it from the VHS. My wife took that back. I've got a Treasure Island (Charlton Heston/Christian Bale) like this that someone burned from the VHS copy.
Anyway, this one says "remastered" so I have fingers crossed it will be good. We will be watching it soon, (seen it before when it first came out) although my wife tells me it can be watched on Netflix, doh! But I enjoy the pride of ownership. Netflix pulls stuff as time goes by. I think they got rid of their Star Trek Next Gen, and that costs an arm and a leg to purchase on Bluray.
Anyway, this one says "remastered" so I have fingers crossed it will be good. We will be watching it soon, (seen it before when it first came out) although my wife tells me it can be watched on Netflix, doh!
But I enjoy the pride of ownership. Netflix pulls stuff as time goes by. I think they got rid of their Star Trek Next Gen, and that costs an arm and a leg to purchase on Bluray.
American Horror Story: Hotel right now. It isn't too bad this season. They have amped up the violence and sex this season though. Holy cow!
The Simpsons is daily viewing in my house for the little one. I usually arrive home during the daily showing and get scowled at for asking how she is!
I would normally describe mysel as a Simpson's fan, but this previous week I happened on an episode where Sideshow Bob murders, mutilates, and dismembers Bart multiple times and it was kind of disturbing. I could understand why parents would object to their younger kids watching.
So, your daughter is a Simpsons fan, is she? Excellent taste. It is a classic, clever, witty and very intelligent ad thoughtful social commentary expressed through the medium of a cartoon.
I would normally describe mysel as a Simpson's fan, but this previous week I happened on an episode where Sideshow Bob murders, mutilates, and dismembers Bart multiple times and it was kind of disturbing. I could understand why parents would object to their younger kids watching.
To be honest, I don't catch them all that often, but have been very impressed at the intelligence and sharp wit of the stories and social observation.
Trouble is she will sit and watch a rerun even if it's been on that week! I've even known her to watch it on +1 as there is nothing better on.
She used to be the same with HIMYM and BBT.
Now it's Simpsons and Scrubs.
Doing "Transporter: The Series" on Netflix. The storyline seems fudged in season 2 though. The storyline for a guest character makes little sense. Looking on IMDB, the episodes are in the correct order but it's still confusing.
They introduced a hacker named Julian in episode 6 of season 2, but then introduce him as a complete stranger in episode 9.
They introduced a hacker named Julian in episode 6 of season 2, but then introduce him as a complete stranger in episode 9.