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What Are You Watching Now? - 2015


Athena

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I've been catching up on Orphan Black.   They really should have shown it on TV.  Back to its best I reckon.

 

I`ve just finished S3, which BBC3 buried away in the 2am timeslot. It was jaw-droppingly good.  :D

 

I just looked up S4 info - HERE.  Excited already !  :blush2:

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Prepping to watch the 1st episode of season 5 of Homeland tonight. I believe this season will focus a bit on cyber terrorism. 

 

How was it? It doesn't air here until tomorrow night. Looking forward to it.

 

I'm also looking forward to The Apprentice which starts next week. :boogie:

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What did you think? I always find the first few episodes a bit difficult, because they just throw you into a completely new story and it takes a while to understand all that is going on.

 

Exactly. There`s so much new stuff being set up, it takes a while before you think `wow!`. 

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How do they compare against Tomas Alfredson's film (with Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, John Hurt)?

 

As much as I admire Oldman, Firth and Hurt's work, and as good as they were in what they were given....that version was so lacking. I hadn't seen it, so last night we watched it on Netflix.  Your question made me curious to compare. :)

 

It's not a fair comparison though, really.  The newer version is only about 2 hours.  The older one is a mini series 6 hours long, so has three times the amount of development time.  Watching the newer, Oldman version I'd have been hard put to tell what was going on, and who was doing it.  Names were not brought out, characters were not identified and the ending was totally different.  I absolutely cannot imagine in my wildest dreams

Smiley stalking up to the table of the "masters" and sitting down and gloating.....

If Smiley ever gloated, it was in an understated manner, and to himself. Only.

 

 

As mentioned, I very much like Gary Oldman's work, but here he seemed to be doing an impression of Alec Guinness, not George Smiley.  In a way I can't blame him, after all Alec Guinness embodied Smiley.  But it rang false. 

 

Those are soooo good.  :D

 

 A real pity they never adapted The Honourable Schoolboy. 

 

I have pulled the Karla Trilogy from the shelf, and it's my next read.  Husband has read all of the Cold War Le Carre's, and loved them. 

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I just got caught up with the most recent two episodes of Doctor Who and was flabbergasted to see someone I know in them! The guy playing Pritchard is Steven Robertson who I know from my acting days - I even typed some of his college work for him (he's very dyslexic and his voice recognition programme on the computer wasn't decyphering his thick Shetland accent very well) - he's such a nice guy and I love seeing him cropping up in things! :)

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As much as I admire Oldman, Firth and Hurt's work, and as good as they were in what they were given....that version was so lacking. I hadn't seen it, so last night we watched it on Netflix.  Your question made me curious to compare. :)

 

It's not a fair comparison though, really.  The newer version is only about 2 hours.  The older one is a mini series 6 hours long, so has three times the amount of development time.  Watching the newer, Oldman version I'd have been hard put to tell what was going on, and who was doing it.  Names were not brought out, characters were not identified and the ending was totally different.  I absolutely cannot imagine in my wildest dreams

Smiley stalking up to the table of the "masters" and sitting down and gloating.....

If Smiley ever gloated, it was in an understated manner, and to himself. Only.

 

 

As mentioned, I very much like Gary Oldman's work, but here he seemed to be doing an impression of Alec Guinness, not George Smiley.  In a way I can't blame him, after all Alec Guinness embodied Smiley.  But it rang false. 

 

Tomas Alfredson is one of the active directors I like most, even though I have only seen two of the five films he has directed. It's a shame Alfredson's animated adaptation of an Astrid Lindgren novel won't see the light of day. He'll now direct the adaptation of a Jo Nesbo's crime novel and, although it may be another good film, I fear he becomes typecasted to Bond and Bourne films; however, he seems very careful with what he chooses to do. 

 

I really liked Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but I'm not aware of its shortcomings when compared to the tv series or the book. Were there important events to the story not present in the film? I understand the limitations, and in these cases it becomes a game of how well the director chooses what to sacrifice. However, what you've put under spoilers shows that some things were not ignored, but wrongly adapted; if I had seen the series before, I wouldn't like that either. Do you think Oldman was asked to make an impression of Guinness, or was he intimidated by the role?

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Tomas Alfredson is one of the active directors I like most, even though I have only seen two of the five films he has directed. It's a shame Alfredson's animated adaptation of an Astrid Lindgren novel won't see the light of day. He'll now direct the adaptation of a Jo Nesbo's crime novel and, although it may be another good film, I fear he becomes typecasted to Bond and Bourne films; however, he seems very careful with what he chooses to do. 

 

I really liked Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but I'm not aware of its shortcomings when compared to the tv series or the book. Were there important events to the story not present in the film? I understand the limitations, and in these cases it becomes a game of how well the director chooses what to sacrifice. However, what you've put under spoilers shows that some things were not ignored, but wrongly adapted; if I had seen the series before, I wouldn't like that either. Do you think Oldman was asked to make an impression of Guinness, or was he intimidated by the role?

There was more NOT in the latest film than was in it.

 

Here is a link to a Guardian article interviewing Oldman. http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/sep/11/gary-oldman-smiley-tinker-tailor

 

I do not agree with the interviewers take on the 1979 versions Smiley/Guinness. I believe the 1979 version was true(er)to both the books and life. And even they left some out and interpreted.

Agree with you as to interpretation. The original was understated elegance, the newer version, I found (I hate to say it) Americanized/Hollywoodized.

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I really enjoyed Oldman's version of TTSS, but that's the only version I knew of before reading this thread, ha!  Now I'm curious to watch the others and perhaps read the book.  I had no idea it had existed before the Oldman version.

 

I just finished watching the newest episode of Criminal Minds and am about to end my night with this week's episode of the Big Bang Theory.  Bazinga! 

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There was more NOT in the latest film than was in it.

Here is a link to a Guardian article interviewing Oldman. http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/sep/11/gary-oldman-smiley-tinker-tailor

I do not agree with the interviewers take on the 1979 versions Smiley/Guinness. I believe the 1979 version was true(er)to both the books and life. And even they left some out and interpreted.

Agree with you as to interpretation. The original was understated elegance, the newer version, I found (I hate to say it) Americanized/Hollywoodized.

 

I'll watch the series and then I'll get back to you.

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