Off Topic The Review Thread

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There's a staggering volume of popular shows that I haven't been anywhere near and probably never will. I've never watched any of 'Game of Thrones', 'Sons of Anarchy', 'Breaking Bad', 'The Sopranos', 'Boardwalk Empire' and countless more. I doubt I ever will even though I'm sure many, if not all, would be decent viewing. I've just got series fatigue, I think. So many of them end up jumping the shark and you end up wondering why the hell you bothered. Both 'Line of Duty' and that female assassin show that I keep wanting to call 'Educating Rita' have just about outstayed their respective welcomes in my Snug.

A few years ago I mentioned to a work colleague that I'd never seen the 'Godfather' movies or 'Shawshank'. When I left the company those DVDs were my leaving gifts. Nice of them, but it hadn't occurred that there was a reason why I'd never seen them... I just can't be bothered and don't think I'm any the poorer for it.

It's a bit like when people try to make you listen to music. Music, much more than film, is deeply personal and certain material resonates with individuals in ways others will never understand, possibly because it can whisk them back to places and former circumstances and bring back some of the emotions felt at the time. Having some geek thrusting some Stereophonics B-side at your ears and watching on gormlessly whilst it means **** all to me is one of my most loathed experiences.

OK, and breathe out...
Watch breaking bad would be my advice
 
There's a staggering volume of popular shows that I haven't been anywhere near and probably never will. I've never watched any of 'Game of Thrones', 'Sons of Anarchy', 'Breaking Bad', 'The Sopranos', 'Boardwalk Empire' and countless more. I doubt I ever will even though I'm sure many, if not all, would be decent viewing. I've just got series fatigue, I think. So many of them end up jumping the shark and you end up wondering why the hell you bothered. Both 'Line of Duty' and that female assassin show that I keep wanting to call 'Educating Rita' have just about outstayed their respective welcomes in my Snug.

A few years ago I mentioned to a work colleague that I'd never seen the 'Godfather' movies or 'Shawshank'. When I left the company those DVDs were my leaving gifts. Nice of them, but it hadn't occurred that there was a reason why I'd never seen them... I just can't be bothered and don't think I'm any the poorer for it.

It's a bit like when people try to make you listen to music. Music, much more than film, is deeply personal and certain material resonates with individuals in ways others will never understand, possibly because it can whisk them back to places and former circumstances and bring back some of the emotions felt at the time. Having some geek thrusting some Stereophonics B-side at your ears and watching on gormlessly whilst it means **** all to me is one of my most loathed experiences.

OK, and breathe out...
Well, then there is no pleasing you
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To be honest I don’t watch much TV apart from sport (and now can’t remember what that was) and documentaries. I lose interest in series very quickly, as they are often transparently stretched out to immense length because the makers have hit upon something popular. Killing Eve is a perfect example - first episode was genuinely fun and different, downhill from there on, haven’t bothered since about episode 4 of that series because it is totally predictable. Same with almost anything. I really enjoyed the first half dozen or so episodes of the Sopranos, then it became a chore, especially knowing that it was stretched out for ever.

Films, which I mostly watch on planes (another receding memory) I tend to forget almost instantly, I literally can’t remember what I have watched two hours after getting off the plane, even if I liked it.

Of course Family Guy can go on forever and I will never tire of it.

You must have something that you would recommend to others.
 
Well, The Man in the High Castle was just about instantly binned, gave it 15 minutes. Occupied New York and San Francisco 1962 looked good, and I wasn’t bothered by the just about instant diversion from the source book. Sadly the script and acting were so bad that it proved unwatchable. Shame, I was looking forward to it.

Now I have to wait for the next series of American Gods.

I must be less fussy than you! The acting isn't the greatest in the first season (it does get better), but Rufus Sewell is great throughout IMO. Once I've finished this last season I'll get a copy of the book I think, to compare.

As you now have Amazon, give The Boys a go. You and your daughter may enjoy it. It may be about so-called superheroes, but it's as much about corporate corruption and greed, and protecting your "product" at any cost.

There's only one season, so far, but I found it enjoyable without it stretching the grey matter too much. I've also heard good things about Hunters, with Al Pacino although I've not got round to watching that yet.

If you're after something more long-term to watch, there's 8 seasons of Vikings on Amazon. Originally made by History channel, it loosely follows the exploits of Ragnar, starting with his rise to power, and then the raids on Northumberland and the East coast of England, through to Paris and the Med and further afield. Interspersed with some mythical parts and some of the goriest, brutal battle scenes I've seen. Highly recommended.
 
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I must be less fussy than you! The acting isn't the greatest in the first season (it does get better), but Rufus Sewell is great throughout IMO. Once I've finished this last season I'll get a copy of the book I think, to compare.

As you now have Amazon, give The Boys a go. You and your daughter may enjoy it. It may be about so-called superheroes, but it's as much about corporate corruption and greed, and protecting your "product" at any cost.

There's only one season, so far, but I found it enjoyable without it stretching the grey matter too much. I've also heard good things about Hunters, with Al Pacino although I've not got round to watching that yet.

If you're after something more long-term to watch, there's 8 seasons of Vikings on Amazon. Originally made by History channel, it loosely follows the exploits of Ragnar, starting with his rise to power, and then the raids on Northumberland and the East coast of England, through to Paris and the Med and further afield. Interspersed with some mythical parts and some of the goriest, brutal battle scenes I've seen. Highly recommended.

Have you seen Patriot, Steels?
 
No......not even been on my radar. Any good?

Coming to the end of the last season of Homeland, which has had it's ups and downs in terms of storyline, but been quite an enjoyable watch over the years.

Patriot is quite quirky and somewhat odd. but really good and well worth watching - some good tunes too. I really liked Homeland, but just lost touch with it after a while.
 
I must be less fussy than you! The acting isn't the greatest in the first season (it does get better), but Rufus Sewell is great throughout IMO. Once I've finished this last season I'll get a copy of the book I think, to compare.

As you now have Amazon, give The Boys a go. You and your daughter may enjoy it. It may be about so-called superheroes, but it's as much about corporate corruption and greed, and protecting your "product" at any cost.

There's only one season, so far, but I found it enjoyable without it stretching the grey matter too much. I've also heard good things about Hunters, with Al Pacino although I've not got round to watching that yet.

If you're after something more long-term to watch, there's 8 seasons of Vikings on Amazon. Originally made by History channel, it loosely follows the exploits of Ragnar, starting with his rise to power, and then the raids on Northumberland and the East coast of England, through to Paris and the Med and further afield. Interspersed with some mythical parts and some of the goriest, brutal battle scenes I've seen. Highly recommended.
I am notoriously fussy, but this was just odd, clearly had a lot of money spent on it, but.........one of those instant reactions, shared by my daughter.....

We tried a couple of episodes of Mad Men on Netflix last night . Have to say it looks absolutely fantastic, great clothes (hats!), cars and style, and the startling level of smoking and casual misogyny is genuinely shocking, and very accurate. It has the advantage of lack of graphic violence which the wife is not a fan of, so a family viewing event, though I suspect more for the ladies than for me, and my heart sank when I saw it runs to a trifling 92 episodes.
 
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I am notoriously fussy, but this was just odd, clearly had a lot of money spent on it, but.........one of those instant reactions, shared by my daughter.....

We tried a couple of episodes of Mad Men on Netflix last night . Have to say it looks absolutely fantastic, great clothes (hats!), cars and style, and the startling level of smoking and casual misogyny is genuinely shocking, and very accurate. It has the advantage of lack of graphic violence which the wife is not a fan of, so a family viewing event, though I suspect more for the ladies than for me, and my heart sank when I saw it runs to a trifling 92 episodes.

No graphic violence ?? Must be rubbish then
 
Actually, as you well know mate, there is no such thing as graphic, or at least realistic, violence and wounds on TV.

True mate......There’s generally a lot less blood from a stab wound than what they show on TV.....can be very hard to spot sometimes and sometimes gets embarrassing when you have to ask an assault victim to strip bare naked to check if he’s been stabbed somewhere and it’s been missed
 
Another series to watch - Narcos. Follows the story of the DEA trying to catch Pablo Escobar and the other cartels in Columbia. Even if it's not 100% realistic (although it has been co-written by two of the agents involved), it's a great watch.

Followed up by Narcos:Mexico - continuing the DEA fight against cocaine smugglers, this time (obviously) in Mexico.

You need to have a stomach for a lot of subtitles though
 
Another series to watch - Narcos. Follows the story of the DEA trying to catch Pablo Escobar and the other cartels in Columbia. Even if it's not 100% realistic (although it has been co-written by two of the agents involved), it's a great watch.

Followed up by Narcos:Mexico - continuing the DEA fight against cocaine smugglers, this time (obviously) in Mexico.

You need to have a stomach for a lot of subtitles though

Ive heard many good things about Narcos...it’s on my ‘must watch’ list.
Subtitles never bother me....some of the best films I’ve seen are Japanese/Russian/Chinese etc
 
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Ive heard many good things about Narcos...it’s on my ‘must watch’ list.
Subtitles never bother me....some of the best films I’ve seen are Japanese/Russian/Chinese etc

I went through a phase of watching a lot of Japanese and Korean horror/thrillers, and also a lot of Chinese/Hong Kong films by John Woo (before he became a Hollywood darling) and his contempories.

The US remakes of some of these films is almost akin to blasphemy - The Grudge, The Eye, Old Boy, Ring - none of them carry the same level of tension and horror as the originals.

The only really decent remake I can recall is The Departed, a remake of Infernal Affairs.
 
Ive heard many good things about Narcos...it’s on my ‘must watch’ list.
Subtitles never bother me....some of the best films I’ve seen are Japanese/Russian/Chinese etc

I really can't get on with sub-titles. It always seems to me I must be missing something in the acting if I have divert my attention to read the dialogue.
 
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I went through a phase of watching a lot of Japanese and Korean horror/thrillers, and also a lot of Chinese/Hong Kong films by John Woo (before he became a Hollywood darling) and his contempories.

The US remakes of some of these films is almost akin to blasphemy - The Grudge, The Eye, Old Boy, Ring - none of them carry the same level of tension and horror as the originals.

The only really decent remake I can recall is The Departed, a remake of Infernal Affairs.

My recommendations

Japanese - Battle Royale
Chinese - City of Life and Death
Belorussian - Come and See
Russian - Battle of Leningrad/Iron Fury

All worth a couple of hours of your time
 
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