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Post by Biddy on Jan 15, 2021 1:27:36 GMT
I am watching Mystery Road on Acorn. Good to see Judy Davis back in action. I also watched one episode of the new All Creatures Great and Small. I dont care for it at all. No depth to the characters at all - too vanilla!
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Post by Kimby on Jan 15, 2021 2:25:35 GMT
I saw promos for All Creatures Great and Small, and was reminded that we faithfully watched the old series on PBS, probably close to 40 years ago and loved it. I wonder if that version is still out there somewhere. I guess I’m far from the only one who I loved the original series: “Based on the best-selling books by James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small was one of the BBC's most popular drama series of the late 1970s and 1980s, and helped to set the format of the Sunday night drama on British TV. The series documents the adventures of James Herriot (Christopher Timothy), a newly qualified vet in 1930s Yorkshire. He arrives in the market town of Darrowby, to begin working for the practice of Siegfried Farnon (Robert Hardy) and his much younger brother Tristan (Peter Davison). The inexperienced but irrepressible Herriot faces a steep learning curve, treating farm and domestic animals in the straightened circumstances of rural Yorkshire in the '30s. The veterinary work involves cats, dogs and other pets, but is mostly focused on the local farms, which means lots of sick horses, pregnant cows and sheep with mysterious maladies, as well as tight-fisted and difficult to please farmers, and eccentric locals.” (Much more here: www.cinemaessentials.com/2018/02/all-creatures-great-and-small-tv-series-review.html )
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 15, 2021 2:46:41 GMT
I watched x 2 episodes of the first series of The Last Kingdom and really enjoyed it ...so thank you Bixa. I watched it with Em who is much more into this type of series than I am and she enjoyed it too but said the cinematography falls short of that in The Vikings. Not sure what others think re that Lugg, I responded to your post re: Bridgerton, but spaced out commenting on Last Kingdom's cinematography vs that of Vikings. I do feel that at first Last Kingdom feels stunted compared to Vikings, but Vikings started out breathtaking, with all that Irish landscape standing in for craggy Scandinavian splendor. But in fairness, Last Kingdom takes a little while to really get going, spending some slightly plodding time in scene/plot setting. Once it takes off, though, it will really grab you. I know in some of the later seasons I was thrilled by some of the drone sequences. I'd be curious as to Em's take on the cinematography in Les Misérables, which I really loved. I finished Bridgerton last night and have to say that it is wonderful entertainment. Of course it's a soap, but it knows it's a soap and does it very well. The handsome hero is about as handsome as he can be and the beautiful heroine is exquisite. They are both good actors who play their roles straight in a way that helps elevate the whole production. (Another special nod to Ruth Gemmell, the heroine's mother, who is wonderful.) I mentioned before that the series is based on a group of romance novels. Even knowing that, the scene where we first see the handsome young duke will take your breath away. It manages to take all the silly bodice-ripper book covers and distill them into a moment that just plain works. They pull off stuff like that all the way through, so that ultimately you feel a fondness for the show which winds up carrying you along. www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/12/10226515/bridgerton-netflix-cast-characters-actors
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Post by lugg on Jan 15, 2021 20:39:33 GMT
I'd be curious as to Em's take on the cinematography in Les Misérables, which I really loved. I will ask her ( Em) re Les Miserables ... but in the meantime , I am certainly going to watch more of Last Kingdom. As lockdown continues Bridgerton also beckons. Kimby - I used to love the original " All Creatures Great and Small" too. I've not seen the latest version though . In the meantime I continue to watch " This Is Us" ...heart wrenching again last night.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 16, 2021 6:43:46 GMT
I started series 4 of Black Mirror. The first episode was crap, so it can only get better.
I also watched We Are Who We Are about growing up on a NATO base in Italy. Just about all of the characters seem to have serious mental issues. The 14 year old boy has two mothers whom he loves/hates and the 14 year old girl is half Nigerian but her main problem has to do with gender identity. At the time of life when hormones rage the most, this is all very inconvenient. Not to mention that this is Italy and they're eating Domino's pizzas.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 16, 2021 21:38:21 GMT
The second episode of series 4 of Black Mirror was infinitely better. Directed by Jodie Foster.
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Post by whatagain on Jan 17, 2021 12:11:09 GMT
I tried to watch the last kingdom. I devoured the books and... well the series doesn't correspond to my imagination. So i could not watch it.
Arsene Lupin is making the buzz. My daughter watched it and loved it. Actor is Omar Sy, that i like a lot, the series is based on the fictiinal adventures of a french thief, written early 20th and considered as one of the precursors of detective books. Author is Leblanc i think. Lupin is as famous as Hercule Poirot here.
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Post by casimira on Jan 17, 2021 15:33:19 GMT
I tried watching Brigerton but it just didn't work for me. Given the positive reviews by many I really tried but after watching half an episode I lost focus and got bored.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 17, 2021 19:39:22 GMT
I tried to watch the last kingdom. I devoured the books and... well the series doesn't correspond to my imagination. So i could not watch it. Aww, that's a shame, What again. I dipped into the first page of that book & it seemed as though the tv show followed the plot closely, at least. It too me a while to get into the tv series, but then I really loved it. Last night I started reading my first ever Bernard Cornwell book, The Winter King: A Novel of Arthur (The Warlord Chronicles, book one). I tried watching Brigerton but it just didn't work for me. Given the positive reviews by many I really tried but after watching half an episode I lost focus and got bored. Different strokes! I think one of the reasons I was able to get into it was because a couple of reviews had already prepared me for the show's frothy tone. That kept me from expecting some kind of historically serious piece and allowed me to go with the fun plot.
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Post by casimira on Jan 18, 2021 14:10:04 GMT
I suspect that the costumes in Brigerton were a huge lure for you Bixa. It crossed my mind several times while watching the little that I did.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jan 18, 2021 15:42:25 GMT
We're watching Traces a murder-mystery/drama on BBC1 6 episodes altogether, number 5 this evening. Last night we watched the first episode of the ITV drama series Finding Alice according to The Times (couldn't get my usual Observer yesterday so Jeff got the Times...beggars can't be choosers) Finding Alice flips between psychological thriller, social comedy an a study of grief.
...No sooner has Alice moved into her high-tech home, than she emerges from the loo to find her partner, Harry, lying dead. Further bombhells follow as she visits the morgue, the coroner, her parents and Harry's workplace, and she and her daughter are visited by her inlaws and the police ...
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 18, 2021 15:55:13 GMT
There seems to be a snowball effect for Lupin, which is #1 in most of Europe and the United States but also in places like Vietnam. Apparently it hits all of the picturesque Paris buttons starting in episode 1.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 18, 2021 20:08:15 GMT
I suspect that the costumes in Brigerton were a huge lure for you Bixa. It crossed my mind several times while watching the little that I did. Not at all! Admittedly I like costume drama because of the costumes, but I truly dislike that period of clothing. (for women -- I don't care what men wear)
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 26, 2021 2:10:06 GMT
Well, I am still stuck in the 1825 fashion world (see above) because I am watching the 2008 production of Little Dorritt. This is another classic that I've never read, so there's that extra element of enjoyment from not knowing what is going to happen. (I'm about half way through the series.)
The acting in this production is really excellent, and that's taking into account how many of Dicken's characters are very broadly drawn. Claire Foy's eponymous role could be cloyingly sweet, but she makes the character quite real and touching. Tom Courtenay, as her father, is completely a delight to watch in terms of excellent character portrayal, even though his character is far from likeable.
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Post by lugg on Jan 26, 2021 20:53:50 GMT
A bit of a buzz about Its A Sin in my circle of friends/ family so I of course I went to watch. I hope that there are not too many spoilers in the link below. I am two episodes in and to say I am really enjoying it is an understatement. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/jan/22/its-a-sin-review-russell-t-davies-queer-as-folk-aids-channel-4Of course the writer / producer, Russell T Davies, is known to many on here and elsewhere ... he was a driving force behind the re-establishing of Dr Who; Years and Years; for developing Torchwood ; Casanova and Queer As Folk; and a personal favourite, Bob and Rose.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 26, 2021 21:03:19 GMT
Yes, I saw that article earlier. Obviously the subject is extremely relevant as the world faces a new disease that many people not only do not understand but which many people refuse to understand. Coincidentally, tonight I am watching a show interviewing many covid conspiracy theory fanatics. Apparently, 5G tracking devises are being injected along with the vaccine and masks are contaminated to make us sick if we wear them. And that's just the beginning...
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 27, 2021 19:23:38 GMT
Reading about covid-conspiracy crap makes me shake with rage. Apparently, all over the world workers in nursing homes & similar places are refusing the vaccine. Fire their asses! On a pleasanter note, I see that Lupin has been mentioned here twice (the first two posts here). Even so, it had flown under my radar until I read this very engaging article: The Musée d’Orsay and Stanley Kubrick: What ‘Lupin’ Is Made Of
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Post by lugg on Jan 28, 2021 21:03:38 GMT
Thanks for the link to Lupin and previous posts Bixa, it looks good.
I have now watched 4 out of the 5 episodes of It's A Sin and am holding back on watching the finale ...it is just so good that I don't want to finish it. but .. its so good I will probably watch it again.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 31, 2021 6:07:35 GMT
It's a Sin does look like an exceptionally good work. I am going to hold off on it until I'm in a better frame of mine for it, i.e., feel better able to deal with such recent history.
As an example of what I am able to deal with right now, I watched the first episode of All Creatures Great and Small (2020 version) tonight & was charmed by it.
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Post by mickthecactus on Feb 6, 2021 15:04:06 GMT
Mrs Cactus is a fan of Murder She Wrote and today it took place in London. The American producers used every possible cliche of how America apparently views us. Men wore bowler hats, tea was drunk at every occasion, people talked with Dick Van Dyke cod cockney accents. The murder was of some double agent involving MI5 and Jessica gets driven to the house of the head of MI5. In the house are suits of armour everywhere and Jessica gets asked to help solve the crime of course.
The police inspector's office has a Union Jack flag in the corner in place if the Stars and Stripes.
But the worst scene was at the end where they really went for it. Jessica was meeting someone in a small park. The person she was meeting was feeding pigeons, small children played, a boy waved a cricket bat, a nurse walked by pushing a pram, a policeman in a helmet walked through and in the background a red double decker bus was parked.
Aargh...
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Feb 6, 2021 15:41:48 GMT
Ah....Brexit Britain (ducks behind sofa)
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Post by mickthecactus on Feb 6, 2021 16:45:56 GMT
Strange place to keep ducks...
And it was donkeys years before Brexit....
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 6, 2021 17:06:04 GMT
The American producers used every possible cliche of how America apparently views us Now you certainly understand hww we feel about all of the series with scenes filmed in Paris. And the movies are even worse.
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Post by mickthecactus on Feb 6, 2021 17:23:16 GMT
The American producers used every possible cliche of how America apparently views us Now you certainly understand hww we feel about all of the series with scenes filmed in Paris. And the movies are even worse. Are they all wearing striped jumpers and berets with onions round their necks and accordion music in the background?
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 6, 2021 17:24:19 GMT
Pretty much so.
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 7, 2021 14:15:29 GMT
I have been watching the French series En Thérapie, which is an adaptation of the original Israeli series Bi Tipul, which has also been adapted in the United States, Portugal, Japan, Argentina, Russia. Poland, Croatia, Québec, North Macedonia, Netherlands, Czechia, etc. I don't think that I have ever seen a series that has been adapted by so many different countries. I'm sure that one of the reasons is that it is so cheap to produce. There is the therapist and usually just one other character, sometimes two, and just the office as the setting.
Nevertheless, I find it so intense that it is a relief that it only lasts 22 minutes. I can't watch more than one episode at a time. They are in sets of 5 episodes, one for each day of the week. The French version starts the day after the Bataclan massacre...
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Post by Kimby on Feb 7, 2021 15:22:28 GMT
Nothing new, but after finishing Season 3 of KILLING EVE, we’ve started watching season 10 of BOTH Shameless and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
We’d forgotten a lot of what happened in Season 2 of Killing Eve, so googled up a recap. A very detailed recap, which made us realize how over the top the story line is. But while it’s playing out episode by episode it works pretty well.
And the actress who plays Villanelle was nominated for a Golden Globe for Season 4...
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Post by lugg on Feb 7, 2021 19:04:52 GMT
Thanks Kimby - I had forgotten that I have to finsish series 3 of Killing Eve. It's a Sin does look like an exceptionally good work. I am going to hold off on it until I'm in a better frame of mine for it, i.e., feel better able to deal with such recent history I have now watched it x2 - the second time with Jack and Nadia - it is heart wrenching at times but ultimately up lifting. I suspect I will watch it again which is pretty unusual for me. Thanks for the info K2 re En Thérapie - sounds intriguing.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Feb 7, 2021 19:46:25 GMT
We watched It's A Sin last night. I was in floods of tears at one point. Great British pottery Throw Down tonight (like Bake Off but with potters) and Finding Alice
The lead actor from Brigerton was a guest on The Graham Norton Show. He just talked about all the sex. One of the enticing things about 'bodice ripping' dramas is the suppressed sexuality..the heaving bosoms, witty conversation and plotting. Having them shagging all over the place might be more accurate (who knows?) and aimed at the modern viewer, but I don't know if it's for me.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 7, 2021 23:03:03 GMT
We’d forgotten a lot of what happened in Season 2 of Killing Eve, so googled up a recap. A very detailed recap Kimby, would you by any chance have a link to that recap? Thanks. I have now watched it x2 - the second time with Jack and Nadia - it is heart wrenching at times but ultimately up lifting. I suspect I will watch it again which is pretty unusual for me. That is an iron-plated recommendation! I believe you have convinced me, Lugg. Thank you. shagging all over the place And up close & personal. It's on a par with Outlander in terms of ohmygodcantheydothatontv?! Readers of this tv series thread will by this time have figured out that I am self-soothing by watching only period dramas. (& yes, I did use that nauseating hyphenated term ironically.) Anyway, I'm always looking for more, more, more and here it is ~ Many of these have already aired: thevore.com/costume-drama-tv-series/And these are mostly those we can look forward to: www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/lifestyle/a31396697/period-drama-2021/
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