What TV series are you currently watching?

[George]

[SimonNZ]

Hmm...I do recall hearing about that mini-series.  Not certain who is showing it here in the States though.

PD

p.s.  And you mean that real history isn't interesting enough on its own?!   

My usual cry when I watch historical dramas is "you already had a great story, you didn't need to invent stuff!"

This one actually sticks pretty close to the historical record, but focuses way more on romance than politics etc., which is why I call it soapy.

[Irons]

Hmm...I do recall hearing about that mini-series.  Not certain who is showing it here in the States though.

PD

p.s.  And you mean that real history isn't interesting enough on its own?!   

The makers of The Crown did not think so, PD.

[Valentino]

Downton Abbey. Again!

*Dons Tommy helmet. Ducks for cover.*

[Roy Bland]

[Biffo]

Downton Abbey. Again!

*Dons Tommy helmet. Ducks for cover.*

Last night we watched the Downton Abbey movie (again) on Netflix, mainly out of desperation. There was nothing on TV and nothing else of Netflix, Amazon etc that grabbed our attention.

[Todd]

Watched the collection of shorts put together by Neill Blomkamp.  They vary quite a bit qualitatively.  The short shorts - under ten minutes - are not really my thing, either being heavy-handed and bland satire or computer animated junk.  The longer flicks, at around twenty-ish minutes, though, are much better.  Rakka, with Sigourney Weaver, uses the same basics tools and plot devices as in Blomkamp's movies and every well-known sci fi flick ever, while Firebase introduces some of the same elements to the jungles of Vietnam.  The highlight is unquestionably Zygote, with Dakota Fanning, and it would make a splendid full-length movie to rival John Carpenter's The Thing.

[LKB]

Another party I'm late to: Twin Peaks

I remember the pie, the Log Lady, and not much else...

[LKB]

This suggests one of the latter incarnations. If you haven't seen Rod Serling's original, you might be depriving yourself.

[Karl Henning]

Love that iteration of Twilight Zone. Starts mighty strong with "Shatterday," great performance by Bruce Willis.

[Roy Bland]

This suggests one of the latter incarnations. If you haven't seen Rod Serling's original, you might be depriving yourself.

I have seen both and also more recent version has good episodes perhaps isn't at height of Serling's original.

[Karl Henning]

Still in Season 3 of Star Trek, TNG. Learnt just last night that David Rappaport (who had played Randall, the ringleader of the Time Bandits) had originally been cast to play Kivas Fajo in "The Most Toys." Rappaport attempted suicide after after a few days' filming, and was consequently replaced by Saul Rubinek. That is sad enough, but the tormented Rappaport persisted, and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on May 2, 1990 – just three days before "The Most Toys" aired. I learnt the details of this tragedy just now. the Rappaport footage for "The Most Toys" is included on the Blu-ray.

[SimonNZ]

Christmas break viewing:

[VonStupp]

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

We watched the stop-motion Rudolph last night. I forgot all about the loud and boisterous Yukon Cornelius - what a strange character!

VS

[Karl Henning]

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

We watched the stop-motion Rudolph last night. I forgot all about the loud and boisterous Yukon Cornelius - what a strange character!

VS

What a flash!

[milk]

we watch a little Mr Rogers every night. He has so much music on his show, even aside from the wonderful Johnny Costa who directs the music on the show and plays piano. Actually, I noticed that at some point in the 80s, Costa became much freer with his improv even on the opening theme. He does it differently every time and it's always a spontaneous joy. Also, the songs Fred Rogers wrote are genius, songs like "there are many ways to say I love you," "It's you I like," and "then your heart is full of love." But I wanted to mention tonight's episode from the 90s featuring Richard Stoltzman - another one of the many famous and fine classical musicians featured on the show over the years. (Yo Yo Ma, Hilary Hanh, etc.).

[Roy Bland]

[George]

[milk]

I was watching an old clip of Larry King interviewing him. He had a fascinating life ands career. Unfortunately, he'll always be overshadowed by questions about the death of Natalie Wood. The circumstances were quite fishy and I guess her sister believes him to be guilty.

[SimonNZ]

Watching it with the original British title "The Peacemakers". Both titles are a darkly ironic substitute for something like "Bystanders".

Superb, but unflinching.


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