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What Are You Watching Now? - 2018


Athena

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I've decided to dump a couple of series - Hidden - the Welsh crime drama on BBC4, I got halfway through and started to watch Ep 5 last night (it finishes this weekend) and thought, this is so dreary and I really don't care what happens to any of the characters, so I switched it off.  Also gave up on Sharp Objects (Sky Atlantic), got fed up with the constant flashbacks and the endless roller-skating!  So that's gone too after 3 episodes. Has anyone else dumped any series?

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9 hours ago, Madeleine said:

I've decided to dump a couple of series - Hidden - the Welsh crime drama on BBC4, I got halfway through and started to watch Ep 5 last night (it finishes this weekend) and thought, this is so dreary and I really don't care what happens to any of the characters, so I switched it off.  Also gave up on Sharp Objects (Sky Atlantic), got fed up with the constant flashbacks and the endless roller-skating!  So that's gone too after 3 episodes. Has anyone else dumped any series?

 

I gave up on Sharp Objects after 2 eps - good acting, great scenery, didn`t care what was happening. :dry:

 

SKY Atlantic seems to have had a run of series which I gave up on - Mosaic comes to mind ( Sharon Stone as a childrens` book author oslt ? )

 

I`m watching Stitchers on SyFy ( stoopid title, but a fun, entertaining premise - a sort of whodunnit where someone gets ` stitched` into a murder victim`s memories to find clues ) and S2 of Professor T,  via Walter Presents. :)

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Oh yes Mosaic, I watched the first one, maybe two, and then gave up on that as well, in fact I'd completely forgotten about it.  Shame - as with Sharp Objects - a waste of a good cast and setting.

 

I also forgot about Picnic at Hanging Rock last night, not sure if I'll go back to it either.

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On 25/07/2018 at 9:50 AM, Madeleine said:

I've decided to dump a couple of series - Hidden - the Welsh crime drama on BBC4, I got halfway through and started to watch Ep 5 last night (it finishes this weekend) and thought, this is so dreary and I really don't care what happens to any of the characters, so I switched it off.  Also gave up on Sharp Objects (Sky Atlantic), got fed up with the constant flashbacks and the endless roller-skating!  So that's gone too after 3 episodes. Has anyone else dumped any series?

 

3 hours ago, Madeleine said:

Oh yes Mosaic, I watched the first one, maybe two, and then gave up on that as well, in fact I'd completely forgotten about it.  Shame - as with Sharp Objects - a waste of a good cast and setting.

 

I also forgot about Picnic at Hanging Rock last night, not sure if I'll go back to it either.

 

That's interesting. I have Hidden recorded. I've watched about one and a half episodes but never seem to find myself going back to it. Maybe I should give up on it.

 

And picninc at hanging rock is another one I'm not sure about. Again I've watched one and a half episodes, but it's not really doing it for me. It seems a lot of episodes for a story

Spoiler

with no resolution

 

I did enjoy Keeping Faith recently. Another welsh one - about a missing husband. They're repeating it right now I think. I thought Eve Myles was brilliant in it, and while it's a missing person thriller, it wasn't dreary or depressing at all because her character was so interesting.

 

Edited by ~Andrea~
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My feelings about Picnic exactly, I found the original film a bit of a drag, so goodness knows how they'll drag a series out for 6 episodes.

 

they've just started showing Keeping Faith here now (3rd episode tonight), enjoying it so far.

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I've been enjoying The Collection, based around a fashion house in Paris after WW2. Not being particularly interested in fashion, it's got enough intrigue to keep me hooked. Also Kira starring Sarah Lancashire, an actress I always enjoy watching. I'm a huge fan of the old Dad's Army series and they've been playing some black and white ones on one of our TV channels, that I've never seen before.

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I started and finished watching Married at First Sight Australia season 4. I was nervous about something and it was too hot to do anything else and I needed the distraction and so I binge watched the whole season :D Good stuff! 

 

I finished The Fourth Estate which I really enjoyed. 

 

I've now started watching Who Is America, and so far the episodes (2) have been hilarious! :lol: Good old SBC! 

 

On 25.7.2018 at 11:50 AM, Madeleine said:

  Also gave up on Sharp Objects (Sky Atlantic), got fed up with the constant flashbacks and the endless roller-skating!  

 

LOL at the endless roller-skating :lol:  Like you, I'm also somewhat annoyed by the flashbacks, but I'm still happy to continue with the series. :)

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On ‎27‎/‎07‎/‎2018 at 8:51 PM, Madeleine said:

Oh yes Kira was quite good, forgot about that one, it's a few months now since it was shown here.

 

Poldark finishes at the weekend, sob:(

 

We're often way behind here :rolleyes:

I love Poldark too, Madeleine, and will be sad to see it finish. I watched the original series years ago and have read all the books several times. One of my favourite series ever.

 

Just caught up on Series 2 and 3 of Broadchurch on Netflix. Highly addictive, 'kept me guessing to the last minute,' fare. Disappointed they're not going to make any more.

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I didn't watch the original Poldark (bit too young) although I have seen a few episodes when it's been repeated over the last few years.  I've recently started the 10th book on the series.

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  • 2 months later...
28 minutes ago, Ruth said:

We just finished watching Goliath on Amazon Prime. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of Billy Bob Thornton, but this man can act!! Great show. I'm also about to start watching series 5 of The Doctor Blake Mysteries.

 

Aw, lovely Doctor Blake. :D

 

I`m almost up to date with last season`s DC shows ( Arrow, Flash, Supergirl - have seen Legends of Tomorrow finale already ).

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Have been enjoying the Leeds Film Festival for the past 10 days or so, having indulged myself in a full pass.  Mostly been following the Cinema Versa (documentary) thread, with one or two asides.  Some great films (and a bit of dross too!). Rankings out of 5 stars.

 

Peterloo ****

The latest Mike Leigh.  Beautifully filmed, and a must see film.  Just a mite too preachy to reach the full 5 stars, and the history isn't quite as was documented in one or two places, as trying to establish a point., but is it ever?

 

What is Democracy? *****

Particularly relevant considering I saw this the day after Peterloo.  An examination of democracy, seen through the eyes of the American director, looking at its origins in Greece, modern-day Greece (financial crisis/immigration) and America.  A lot of talking heads, but absolutely fascinating stuff.

 

Rodeo *****

About the establishment of a democratic government in Estonia and the rollercoaster ride of the first couple of years, in particular trying to manoeuvre the Russian army out of the country, and survive initial financial crises.  Almost all in black and white, with contemporary interviews with some of the main protagonists.  Eye-opening and gripping.

 

The Raft ****

A retrospective look at an experiment undertaken in the 1970s when a group of eleven participants, of mixed race, nationality, religion, gender etc, took to a specially built raft that crossed the Atlantic from the Canaries to the Caribbean to examine how such a group handled confrontation and violence.  The results completely took the researcher by surprise.  The 7 survivors (they all survived the journey, I mean those alive today) take us through their experiences, enhanced by video taken on the journey.  Interestingly, all bar one of those alive today are women - the men are mostly the dead.  Another involving film.

 

Welcome to Sodom ***

Film set in Abogbloshie in Ghana, the largest electronic waste dump in the world, in particular looking at the lives of those who live off it, recycling what they can.  Smacks of the Victorian nightsoil workers - and the conditions are no better, probably worse.  Huge sense of human spirit though.  It became just a mite repetitive though - 10-15 mins more slimming would have, to my mind, made it even more powerful.

 

Genesis 2.0 ****

Starts on the New Siberian Islands in the Russian Arctic Ocean, with hunters searching for mammoth tusks in the tundra (and finding tons of the stuff).  The find of a well preserved carcass then takes a thread of the film off into an examination of some of the routes taken in 21st century genetic engineering and cloning - some of it very scary indeed.  The film doesn't lose sight of the hunters, and finishes with their departure from the islands, travelling 200 miles across Arctic waters in outboard driven RIBs with a fragile but heavy and precious cargo.  Took me into worlds and ways of life I've never even dreamed of, let alone explored.  As the blurb says, jaw-dropping, and actually very frightening in places as to where our world is going.

 

The Silver Branch *****

Profile of The Burren in Co. Clare, and one of the main protagonists of the Burren Action Group and its actions fighting government-led tourist development in the area (that split the community apart).  Absolutely stunning cinematography, and a beautiful, thoughtful film.  Admittedly seen through just the one set of eyes, but maybe all the better because of that, and certainly stronger.  I could go and watch it again tomorrow.  Currently runner-up in my best film seen in the festival.

 

Loveling ****

Family drama about a close-knit Brazilian family where the oldest of four children (all boys) is offered a contract to transfer school and play handball in Germany, and how they cope with this and other challenges and travails.  Actually, it very much focuses on how Irene, the mother, copes.  Moving, sensitive, and very funny in places, this was a lovely film that I could so relate to.  I only picked this up from a recommendation by another festival-goer, and was so glad I did.

 

Rodents of an Unusual Size ***

Documentary about the invasion of Nutria, a large beaver-like rodent, into the swamps of Louisiana, and how the local population have responded to it.  Nothing beyond what one would expect, but an interesting insight into local cuture and life, reiterating many of the conservation quandaries that are faced in the light of an invasive species taking control and potentially destroying a valued habitat.

 

In the Stillness of Sounds ****(*)

Profile of the work of sound engineer and biologist, Marc Namblard, who lives in the Vosges but worked in the wild around the world.  Thoroughly absorbing documentary on a subject that I find increasingly interesting (natural sound), seeing (or hearing!) the world from a completely different perspective to what we are used to experiencing.  I absolutely loved the involvement of his family - in particular his young daughter and the view of life he was able to provide her with, and her reactions to it (now that's what I call education!).  I was less struck with the sections where he works with a composer using the natural sounds to develop 'music'.  Sorry, but the originals were so much more beautiful and interesting.  A film I want to see again soon though, as there was so much to take in.

 

After Hours *

Martin Scorsese black comedy filmed in 1985.  A bit of a cult film, but went down like a lead balloon with me: horribly dated, highly mannered, and shot through with holes, I walked out half way through - one of the joys of a pass, you don't feel as if you've wasted your money.  Read the Wikipedia plot summary, and it just got worse.

 

Happy as Lazzaro ***

Italian drama examining the lives of a poor share-cropping family in southern Italy.  Appears to start off as a rather gentle, bucolic story, but tensions soon start to creep in, and then there is quite a dramatic shift in the middle of the film that sees a shift in time and place, adding a bite to the narrative, and what one starts to realise is quite an acerbic set of questions about modern society.  It's a bit laboured in places, but it was an intriguing film that kept me wondering to the end.

 

Dawn Wall *****

Documentary about the climbing of the eponymous route, regarded as one of the hardest routes ever put up, on El Capitan in Yosemite.  Absolutely mind-blowing filming and story, which also tells of the backstory to one of the climbers, Tommy Caldwell, who had survived a hostage crisis on a climbing expedition to Kyrgyzstan and the loss of an index finger in a DIY accident.  A superb film, possibly the best climbing film I've seen, and one of the best documentaries I've enjoyed to date.  My film of the festival.

 

This Magnificent Cake **

Belgian animation centred on the Belgian empire in Africa.  And that is about all I understood!  The stop-go animation was superb - worth seeing just for that - but the film itself (and its partner, Oh Willy) was otherwise largely incomprehensible to me.

 

Tanzanian Transit ***

Documentary set entirely on a sleeper train travelling across Tanzania, focusing on three of its occupants, telling their story through observation and conversation.  Two of the stories, that of Rukia, setting off to look for a new life, and William, a Masai living in Dar-es-Salaam and taking his father home, were rivetting, the other about Nyaga a charismatic preacher rapidly palled - it was predictable and repetitive. A film that I almost didn't see, but am glad I did.  Interrailing was never like this! (Although elements of it, not least the crowded trains, did played on the memory chords!).

 

Two or three to go, with the festival finishing tomorrow (Thursday 15th) night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by willoyd
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