What TV series are you currently watching?

[Karl Henning]

I watched the first episode of Foundation and I think so far so good.  But I'm still anticipating that spectacle and arrogant Hollywood writers will greatly depart from the source material and make it silly bombast... but we will see... I'll try to keep an open mind.

The Asimov book?

[George]

Enjoyed the first four episodes of this today with my girlfriend.

[david johnson]

Parasyte: The Grey, a Korean series.

[Iota]

Thanks. I'm probably going to be watching Dead Man's Shoes next weekend.

In the meantime I'm trying to figure out how to access the three-part series Meadows made after The Virtues called Gallows Pole, set during the Industrial Revolution:



BBCs iPlayer wont work from NZ, and it hasn't been released on dvd (or loaded anywhere obvious like YT)

I wish you luck in your search, Gallows Pole is well worth the effort. Hilarious at times but direct as ever, it's great suddenly seeing his unmistakeable style in an 18th century setting!

[DavidW]

The Asimov book?

Yes, originally published as short stories in a magazine it was later collected in one book called Foundation.

[Karl Henning]

Yes, originally published as short stories in a magazine it was later collected in one book called Foundation.

I first read the trilogy (at the time it was published as a trilogy) back in high school. It's still one of the Asimov books I still enjoy.

[steve ridgway]

I first read the trilogy (at the time it was published as a trilogy) back in high school. It's still one of the Asimov books I still enjoy.

Oh yes, I also enjoyed the trilogy in my teens .

[drogulus]

Oh yes, I also enjoyed the trilogy in my teens .

     I started my scifi phase in the early '60s with Asimov, Bradbury, Sturgeon, Clarke, Bester and numerous others.

     John Wyndham was a favorite. I watched The Midwich Cuckoos series and I thought it was well done.

[Karl Henning]

Vito Scotti in a comic episode of Thriller. I'm in heaven. @LKB @Pohjolas Daughter 

[Iota]

Incredibly powerful. The best thing by Shane Meadows I've seen so far, and the previous stuff I've seen has all been strong.

A model of economy and control in the scriptwriting and trust in the actors to "show, don't tell".


The Guardian's five star review:

The Virtues finale review – a drama so emotional it left you gasping for air
Difficult truths were delivered in the conclusion of Shane Meadows's tale of repressed trauma, with a final 20 minutes that was among the most intense passages in TV history

opening paragraph:

"Giving The Virtues a rating out of five feels like trying to pin a rosette on a tornado. Its writer-director, Shane Meadows, was already, with the film/TV series This Is England, a fearsome chronicler of ordinary lives racked by violence, addiction, exploitation and revenge, and of how those things can leave scars before their victims have turned 18. But the concluding episode of The Virtues (Channel 4) saw Meadows working on a new level, blending raw feeling and technical mastery to create drama that will live in viewers' minds for days, weeks, maybe years to come."

(warning: rest of review contains spoilers)

Yes indeed, absolutely overwhelming. Such an intensity and rawness I was almost relieved when it was over. It must surely take Stephen Graham some time to recover from acting like that? Thanks again for alerting me to this, there's nobody out there whose probing and commitment burns more incandescently than Shane Meadows.

Did you ever see Time with Stephen Graham and Sean Bean? Both are brilliant, as is everything else about it, well worth seeing.

It's on the iPlayer if you can access that.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p09fs2x4/time-series-1-episode-1

[drogulus]

     I keep getting side-tracked from The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. Now I'm on A Gentleman in Moscow and it's quite good. I really liked Ewan McGregor in The Impossible and Doctor Sleep and in this series he really (heh) shines.

[SimonNZ]

Yes indeed, absolutely overwhelming. Such an intensity and rawness I was almost relieved when it was over. It must surely take Stephen Graham some time to recover from acting like that? Thanks again for alerting me to this, there's nobody out there whose probing and commitment burns more incandescently than Shane Meadows.

Did you ever see Time with Stephen Graham and Sean Bean? Both are brilliant, as is everything else about it, well worth seeing.

It's on the iPlayer if you can access that.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p09fs2x4/time-series-1-episode-1

Glad you liked it. My friend has watched the extras on the dvd and tells me the original ending for the story of the sister in law and her mother is there, the one Meadows scrapped and reshot after the filming had officially wrapped. Apparently its still not a reconciliation, but doesn't go quite as dark, so I'm keen to see that.

I don't think I've seen Time, so will go looking for it. Thanks.

[Karl Henning]

"Dialogues With Death" on Thriller: Best use of a telephone on television? Maybe.

[Iota]

Glad you liked it. My friend has watched the extras on the dvd and tells me the original ending for the story of the sister in law and her mother is there, the one Meadows scrapped and reshot after the filming had officially wrapped. Apparently its still not a reconciliation, but doesn't go quite as dark, so I'm keen to see that.

I don't think I've seen Time, so will go looking for it. Thanks.

Thanks, that's really interesting to hear about the original endings. The fact that the drama ends on such a traumatic out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire moment (and not just for the sister-in-law I feel), having seemed to have offered a momentary foothold of sorts, at least for Joe, was another big part of its impact for me.

Here I couldn't help myself and am back in the saddle with the brilliant 'This is England '86' series. In the first five minutes four belly laughs and straight back under the Meadows dramatic spell. Brilliant characters/actors all, and the usual perfect marriage of actor and character that Meadows always seems to achieve. One of the few living artists I would unhesitatingly call a genius.

[SimonNZ]

Thanks, that's really interesting to hear about the original endings. The fact that the drama ends on such a traumatic out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire moment (and not just for the sister-in-law I feel), having seemed to have offered a momentary foothold of sorts, at least for Joe, was another big part of its impact for me.

I watched that original ending tonight (after watching Dead Man's Shoes with a friend). It's very different. Most notably it has no religious imagery or mention of religion. It would make for an interesting conversation about which ending you prefer and why.

One thought I offered to my friend was that after Meadows had made so many brilliant reconciliation scenes he finally thought that maybe some things can't be forgiven. Maybe sometimes you can't dig down into a person to find their humanity and to find the way that they too had been hurt.

[Iota]

I watched that original ending tonight (after watching Dead Man's Shoes with a friend). It's very different. Most notably it has no religious imagery or mention of religion. It would make for an interesting conversation about which ending you prefer and why.
One thought I offered to my friend was that after Meadows had made so many brilliant reconciliation scenes he finally thought that maybe some things can't be forgiven. Maybe sometimes you can't dig down into a person to find their humanity and to find the way that they too had been hurt.

An interesting thought, which certainly seems plausible. My own feeling was that as the drama had long since tipped over the edge of the abyss of madness, his instinct was perhaps to end it not with any kind of conciliatory epiphany or even neutrality, but to just push the dial even further, beyond 11 as it were, thus making it no kind of ending at all and thus reflecting life, red in tooth and claw as it can be sometimes. But who knows.

I was chatting with somebody yesterday about it, and was in the weird position of having waxed lyrical about how brilliant it was, then saying that actually I wasn't sure I'd recommend it to anybody, unless they were sure they'd be happy to dive into something that might be well out of many peoples comfort zones. I'm sure there must be many who would find it went beyond the pale for them. And I can imagine in some moods it might seem a bit too much for me to take, and I'd need to wait for the right moment.

[George]

Watching this show now, I'm up to Season 2, episode 2. I love the main character, played by Jean Smart, but the protégé is almost annoying. Maybe that's what they were going for, or maybe I am getting old. (Or both.) Anyway, worth a watch, even if I think it could have been a lot better. Why is it shows/movies about things, (standup, poker, etc) so often have very little of that actual thing in it? 

[Todd]

Watched a few episodes of The Walton Goggins Show Fallout.  Based on a video game I used to play along with my son a decade or whatever ago, and helmed by the less talented Nolan brother, this mostly cartoon ain't too shabby.  It's high concept, includes some almost thought-provoking ideas, and some slightly self-unaware thinky ideas - eg, multi-gazillionaire owned studio bankrolls gazillionaire producer in bringing up class issues - and it looks like the sleekest video game ever brought to life.  The violence is over the top, surpassing the game, and basically evoking and surpassing the best that Troma films once offered.  When Kyle MacLachlan is a supporting cast member, and when the perfectly cast Dale Dickey is involved, the viewer knows some good stuff will show up on screen.  And Goggins, as always, delivers.  When he is not on screen, the show chugs along dutifully and nicely enough, but when he chews the scenery, it lights up.  This here is some high gloss throwaway entertainment.  I don't know how the season ends and whether there can be a second season, but since Nolan the Lesser is involved, if there is more to come, I fully expect the Westworld precedent to be followed: a brilliant first season followed by exponential decay. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

"Dialogues With Death" on Thriller: Best use of a telephone on television? Maybe.

The title is certainly quite thrilling! 

PD

[Fëanor]

Watched a few episodes of The Walton Goggins Show Fallout.  Based on a video game I used to play along with my son a decade or whatever ago, and helmed by the less talented Nolan brother, this mostly cartoon ain't too shabby.  It's high concept, includes some almost thought-provoking ideas, and some slightly self-unaware thinky ideas - eg, multi-gazillionaire owned studio bankrolls gazillionaire producer in bringing up class issues - and it looks like the sleekest video game ever brought to life.  The violence is over the top, surpassing the game, and basically evoking and surpassing the best that Troma films once offered.  When Kyle MacLachlan is a supporting cast member, and when the perfectly cast Dale Dickey is involved, the viewer knows some good stuff will show up on screen.  And Goggins, as always, delivers.  When he is not on screen, the show chugs along dutifully and nicely enough, but when he chews the scenery, it lights up.  This here is some high gloss throwaway entertainment.  I don't know how the season ends and whether there can be a second season, but since Nolan the Lesser is involved, if there is more to come, I fully expect the Westworld precedent to be followed: a brilliant first season followed by exponential decay. 

Mostly on Todd's favourble nod I have watch the first episode of this series.  I must say I enjoyed it.  My initial reaction is that it's much less inane than I expected.