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Post by Kimby on Dec 27, 2019 20:14:49 GMT
We’ve just finished CHERNOBYL, a five part HBO miniseries. Not a documentary because it uses actors and recreates scenes using a lot of CG imagery, but riveting nonetheless.
The lead scientist’s testimony in (kangaroo) court is in a class with Atticus Finch’s closing argument in To Kill a Mockingbird. And about as effective, sadly....
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Dec 28, 2019 10:07:50 GMT
Ooh goodo. I treated myself to the DVD of Chernobyl altho goodness knows when I'll get to watch it as Jeffers is in a Witcher binge....also Santa bought him the final series of Game of Thrones so he's commandeered the TV pretty much.....no biggie. I'd rather read anyway
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Post by monetsmum on Dec 29, 2019 8:31:55 GMT
I don't watch a great deal of TV but I've had a right binge this holiday. All 3 Series of Gavin & Stacey (never watched before) and the new Christmas Special. 2 series of Unforgotten, all 3 series of Detectorists (Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones) the new Worzel Gummidge (again Mackenzie Crook) interspersed with various Christmas/holiday films. Almost finished knitting a sweater, as I can't watch TV without something in my hands and I already ate too much food.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Dec 29, 2019 9:01:17 GMT
Ooh we all loved The Detectorists...I think that Worzel Gumidge was splendid, even tho it was a modern interpretation of the story. I had a love-hate relationship with the books as I child...I'd read too much Enid Blyton when I first learned to read and I think I expected all books to be as comfortable. If I remember rightly Worzel was quite a challenging character in the book and Aunt Sally was downright nasty...in this TV miniseries Worzel was much more likeable than in the book.....if you know what I mean.
The beeb will be showing Good Omens from mid January. Looking forward to that...and in a couple of days the latest series of Doctor Who starts...I think that if Jodie doesnt get some decent scripts she will be replaced before the year is out...with a man of course.
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 29, 2019 20:16:08 GMT
I need to check out Doctor Who again. I totally lost interest when the 'impossible girl' arrived and just stopped watching the show. So that was already 4 years ago, no?
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Dec 29, 2019 21:40:11 GMT
Yes...I think that the last Doctor that I really loved was Matt Smith. Peter Capaldi had his moments but Jodie is yet to impress. Largely because of the scripts and too many companions...
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Post by questa on Dec 29, 2019 23:10:32 GMT
I really loved Tom Baker's Doctor. I even knitted a scarf the same as his. Didn't know BBC actually made available a pattern for it so had to watch his movements to see which colour came next. I liked Tom for his constantly amazed expression as if he were just as confused as the rest of us.
Of course I was much younger then!
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 30, 2019 5:39:50 GMT
I adored The Detectorists & now I have two recommendations to watch Worzel Gumidge, so thank you Monetsmum & Cheery.
This evening I watched the last episode of The Morning Show & really wish I had someone to discuss its odd offness with. So many intriguing angles raised and hinted at, but there was something creatively lazy about the supposed resolutions. Also, and this was genuinely offensive, the women were all flawed in some kind of stereotypical "female" way, often behaving in ways that seemed inconsistent with their characters' setups -- this in a show packed with great roles for women. The only character who had any kind of consistent, real-seeming meat on her bones was Marcia Gay Harden's shark-like Maggie.
And I just finished watching episode one of Good Omens, and am totally charmed by it. I didn't even hate David Tennant in it, as his essential creepiness works well for his part, plus he seems to be having genuine fun with it and can channel a snake amazingly well. I almost didn't watch Good Omens because I loathed Michael Sheen so completely in The Good Fight, but I find him adorable in this show.
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Post by Kimby on Jan 1, 2020 20:03:08 GMT
We binged over the holidays on ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA, a Showtime "limited series" of seven episodes. It retells the true story of the 2015 escape of two convicted murderers serving life terms from a prison in upstate New York.
Benecio del Toro and Paul Dano portray the lifers, whose prison jobs entail working in the tailor shop. The civilian shop supervisor who abets their escape is Tilly, played by Patricia Arquette, a lonely woman married to a good but unexciting man.
The main performances are excellent, and there's a role for David Morse (of Treme and St. Elsewhere fame) as a compassionate prison guard who gets a bit too friendly with some of the inmates.
This film has a bit of a Fargoesque feel, especially the accent of the hapless husband, Lyle (Eric Lange). Besides a diversion mid-series to tell the back stories of the two killers and Tilly, this series kept us captivated for 7 hours.
Recommended.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jan 1, 2020 20:06:32 GMT
Just watched the first episode of the new series of Doctor Who and... it wasn't awful YAY!
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 4, 2020 14:15:39 GMT
I continue to enjoy the German series Alarm für Cobra 11 - Die Autobahnpolizei whenever I stumble across it. It uses humour, but not as much as say, Starsky & Hutch, but some serious shit goes down, too. And then there are the surprises. One episode in series 40 takes place at a nudist beach, but unlike most television series, they don't have strategic bushes or parasols blocking the view. The main character is a police commissioner of Turkish origin and his current assistant is a blond ethnic German. After 361 episodes, the assistant has been replaced by a new person from time to time. It is interesting to see how the star Erdogan Atalay has aged over the years. imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/1554/9YRqq9.pngIf this goes on long enough, he will end up looking like Inspector Derrick.
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Post by lugg on Jan 10, 2020 19:02:08 GMT
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jan 23, 2020 21:20:51 GMT
I had been putting it off...but I finally caved and watched Ricky Gervais' Afterlife. I'm really glad that I did. It's heartbreaking, funny, upsetting, hilarious and FULL of foul language. I coped (with the language...I hate the c word but it really is just a word)...both Jeff and I loved it. We guffawed a lot and cried quite a lot too...it is very moving at times.
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Post by Kimby on Jan 24, 2020 13:46:28 GMT
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Post by lugg on Jan 25, 2020 18:24:59 GMT
Thanks for the link Kimby - will have a look as I am sure I will enjoy it. My guilty pleasures at the moment are: 1. Series Two of Bancroft - I have pinched this review which is spot on Those who enjoy plausibility, coherent plotting and dialogue vaguely related to the way people speak in the real world may struggle to stay the course. But if you’re up for champagne-fountain-quantities of gothic camp disguised, rather thinly, as an ITV police drama, it is thoroughly recommended.2. I always watch anything with David Tenant who plays the / bad ? guy so well so really enjoying Deadwater Fell. Fluffy viewing perfect for when you are knackered. 3. Best Home Cook - note that the British word has been dropped. might not be the best cookery programme but its all Ive got at the moment.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jan 31, 2020 20:22:45 GMT
Endeavour is back on our screens on Sunday 9th February:)
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 31, 2020 22:21:58 GMT
There is a god!!!!!!!!
I mopily went looking for it last night, knowing even as I did that I was doomed to disappointment. But now -- now there is light on the horizon!
In a stupid attempt to console myself I tried to watch the first episode of the new season of Grantchester. After a few minutes, feeling the onset of boredom-induced coma, I stopped watching.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 4, 2020 2:37:43 GMT
~ and in more psychotically fabulous news, season five of Last Tango in Halifax is starting "soon" (according to the network as of today)
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Post by patricklondon on Feb 4, 2020 7:53:44 GMT
There is, as ever, talk (but nothing more definite yet) of new series for Dr Foster and Happy Valley, but it looks as though a new series of Gentleman Jack will get there first. Sally Wainwright is one very busy lady. My blog | My photos | My video clips | My Librivox recordings"too literate to be spam"
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Feb 4, 2020 14:41:17 GMT
Not watched Grantchester altho I did really love Ballykissangel when that was on our screens hundreds of years ago...did you ever see that Bixa?
Today we watched 2 episodes of The Stranger on Netflix. Quite enjoying it...good cast anyway.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 4, 2020 15:11:42 GMT
There is, as ever, talk (but nothing more definite yet) of new series for Dr Foster and Happy Valley, but it looks as though a new series of Gentleman Jack will get there first. Sally Wainwright is one very busy lady. I've never seen Dr. Foster, but I thought it was determined that Happy Valley was over forever. For that matter, Gentleman Jack wrapped up neatly at the end of its (so far) first & only season. Perhaps that was proactive wisdom on Sally Wainwright's part, just in case she ran out of steam on that particular character & plot. I was thrilled to realize that I'd never watched season four of Last Tango, consisting of two episodes which were presented as a Christmas special. Watched the first one last night, so am now even more primed for season five. I did really love Ballykissangel when that was on our screens hundreds of years ago...did you ever see that Bixa? Never even heard of it, Cheery. I just looked it up and will check it out because of your recommendation. When I googled it, I came across this article which might interest you: www.digitalspy.com/tv/a841842/ballykissangel-where-are-they-now-dervla-kirwan-steven-tompkinson/
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Post by Kimby on Feb 4, 2020 15:17:13 GMT
Not watched Grantchester altho I did really love Ballykissangel when that was on our screens hundreds of years ago.... In a similar vein, we really enjoyed Broadchurch when it was on, particularly the first season.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Feb 4, 2020 18:18:30 GMT
If you like Doc Martin and Hamish Macbeth then Ballykissangel is in a similar style...pretty inoffensive and cosy. I liked the early series a lot.
Does anybody remember Jam and Jerusalem? A lovely light comedy set in a west country village ...think Jennifer Saunders wrote it and was in it...as was Dawn French, David Mitchell and others...that was such a lovely series...about 10 years ago now!
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Post by patricklondon on Feb 5, 2020 7:42:50 GMT
Does anybody remember Jam and Jerusalem? A lovely light comedy set in a west country village ...think Jennifer Saunders wrote it and was in it...as was Dawn French, David Mitchell and others...that was such a lovely series...about 10 years ago now! Yes, it was quite fun. I still remember the scene where Charles Dance sent himself up rotten.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Feb 5, 2020 19:29:11 GMT
I was having an attack of the nostalgias
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 10, 2020 6:43:38 GMT
Thanks to Patrick, I have finally started watching Poldark. I threw myself at the first episode a few times but couldn't get into it. Then, the other day when I was desperate for a costume drama hit, I remembered that Poldark had often been mentioned in this thread. I have now watched three episodes and am of course avid for more.
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 19, 2020 16:19:44 GMT
There is a somewhat interesting French mini series at the moment based on a popular movie from 3 years ago. Since it is a "high concept" item, I fully expect other countries to do remakes. The movie was about a black couple -- he is from Martinique and his wife is from Senegal, the title being "He Even Has Your Eyes" (international title of "Il a déjà tes yeux.") The couple applies for adoption since they have been unable to conceive. What makes this different is that we have all seen white couples adopting children who are Asian, African, Latin American, etc., but in this instance, the black couple is offered a white baby. (Ha ha ha, that's what makes this a comedy.)
The mini series picks up 15 years later. After adopting, the couple had a natural child (which often happens) the following year, so we have the white and black brothers and the doting parents. But due to an incident (the father's biological father suddenly appears even though he left the mother at birth and disappeared), the white boy suddenly wants to find out who his biological parents are, just out of curiosity, not because he wants to leave his adopted parents. But this causes a lot of stress with his parents and even more with the African grandparents ("He's going to abandon us! We're going to lose him!"). So even though it is still a comic series, it is much less ha-ha-ha than the movie.
And it also makes us (white people) wonder why the idea of a black couple adopting a white baby seems so incongruous.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Feb 21, 2020 16:26:44 GMT
Really disappointed with the latest series of Death in Paradise. I havent really given the new inspector a chance to settle in I suppose...but so far I'm not really impressed. Shame as it's something that we watch together as a couple. Jeff's not happy either.
Endeavour has been pretty grim too...I haven't got into it at all so far.
Ricky Gervaise has announced that series 2 of Afterlife will be on Netflix in April. Excellent.
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 21, 2020 16:31:42 GMT
Oh, there is already a new inspector? The new Death in Paradise season has not reached us yet. But it's true that I never really felt that Ardal O'Hanlon really fit the part either -- it just seemed too contrived.
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Post by mickthecactus on Feb 21, 2020 16:36:44 GMT
I lost interest after the first series ended. None of the subsequent inspectors convinced me.
I think Endeavour has lost it's edge too.
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