Favourite TV Series

Billy Baldwin took Ben Kingsley to acting school

 

Judging by ep3 and Tamsin Grieg's performance: it's a competition to see who can "out-Ben Kingsley" Ben Kingsley.

This woman is full of shyte.

 

One Day on Netflix, I know it’s a book and also a film but I hadn’t read or seen either, so it was new to me. A bit soppy (Think, a variation of normal people), but it’s got a brilliant soundtrack throughout and some great 80s/90s/noughties culture, it’s also clever the way it skips one year every episode, as you’re always left to guess what’s happened in between for a bit.

Spoiler: Spoiler

This isn’t so much a plot spoiler, but it will definitely spoil it to say it was bloody heartbreaking in the end, but inevitable once they got together with a few episodes left

 

I haven’t watched the film, but looked it up afterwards and I really didn’t like the look of it, it seems a bit more comedy like and the leads seem badly cast to me compared to the new series. At first I have to admit I didn’t think Emma was that well cast, I didn’t think it was that believable that Dex would be into her, but as the series goes on you realise the casting is in fact perfect. Even though you’ve read the book and know what happens I’m sure you’ll love it and it just builds and builds towards the end, there are some great peripheral characters too, and the soundtrack is incredible throughout. I’m not ashamed to admit that as a grown man, it might have seemed like I had got something in my eyes at a couple of points towards the end!

 

Just seen this. Excellent TV.

In ep 1, I found both characters grating and felt it was unlikely that he’d go for her, but their chemistry (and all round brilliant emotional and comedic acting) won me over pretty quickly.

Loved the single day format where plenty is left to the imagination.

Loved that the show wasn’t necessarily all about the day they met.

Loved the style, the dialogue and excellent supporting cast.

The best art hits you at a deeper level. This shows, without telling you, everything that’s important in life (and what seems like it is but isn’t).

Most of all, it’s a reminder to spend as much time on the former and as little on the latter.

 

We are half way through series 4 and planning to do the same. No spoilers please but I’m worried the conclusion to s4 is going to be something daft and unbelievable which will ruin the build up and kill the desire to watch the other 3 …but we’ll see !!

 

Not really the other three are very, very different to tone the s04 & each other.

 

The Gentlemen on Netflix has been quite enjoyable. Worth a watch, especially if you like Guy Ritchie films.

 

Agreed. It's Guy Ritchie, you know what you're going to get and it delivers.

 

agree it’s easy watching..his brother annoys me but, more importantly, Effy from Skins has still got it

 

Honestly astonished he lets his brother near a butter knife, never mind half the things he exposes him to!

 

Great summary, it’s definitely the first show in quite some time that I regularly think about after, whereas a lot of shows that might have still been enjoyable at the time are almost instantly forgettable. When I’m browsing Netflix and I see it on the menu I think to myself I wish I hadn’t seen it so I can’t watch it again, which is probably the best compliment I can give it.

 

Ark: the Animated Series has been surprisingly good. Talented voice cast, and clearly lovingly crafted. I was expecting a cheap cash-in but I am thoroughly enjoying it so far.

Not sure if it is available to stream in Blighty yet, but might be worth watching out for it.

 

Have watched the first three episodes of new Netflix sci fi series The 3 Body Problem.
First episode took a while to get going but really enjoying it now. I have heard a bit about the book(s) before (not read them) and read a bit about the concept itself, I suspect it has been westernised a bit for our consumption but regardless, been a good watch so far and looking forward to watching more.

 

Very different to the above, but I also enjoyed Coma on C5 last week. Really tense and atmospheric, couldn’t help imagining being in the main characters shoes.
Incidentally I once saw Jason Watkins walking to Pitstone Windmill with his partner and a dog. At least my girlfriend tells me it was him.

 

I tried the book - but found it a load of prenentious old w**k - the TV show really takes of in the 5th episode.

 

Shogun is excellent TV. Gripping with beautiful sets. Really feels like you’re being transported into the world and politics of 17th century Japan.

 

I was about to ask if anyone's watched this. Watched the first episode and wasn't instantly gripped.

Need to give it another go.

 

Returned to Foundation (Apple TV) recently after the first series disappointed me. In part that’s probably due to expectations I had through knowing the books so well, but also because it was pretty poor in places.

Series Two is a whole lot better, quite brilliant at times, though it remains uneven. Lots of spoilers here.

Spoiler

First the bad. Terminus is poorly imagined and the key reveal of Seldon’s first appearance in the Vault (the thing that in the books turns all expectations upside down) is squandered terribly. It’s also not possible to see how Terminus’s scientific dominance emerges while everyone is living in tents. There are boring alien creatures who seem very cross, but no ecosystem for them to have emerged from. It’s a mess and the Terminus characters, particularly Salvor Hardin (maybe the greatest and most subtle character in the books) is wasted. Hardin and later Hardin and Dornik are both reduced to dull Space Opera. Neither actor is able to convey the feeling that anything rides on their actions. Giving both of them special powers (yawn) only underlines the lack of imagination here as does the over-reliance on adventure and malarkey, killing people off and then bringing them back again etc.

Asimov doesn’t give the Second Foundation a back story, but it was reasonable to do so, could have been thrilling. However, it’s a very dull one here. It’s like an amateur theatre company stranded on an island. Pointlessly it ends with two main characters being put into cryosleep for 150 years to confront a character (the Mule) who should never have been mentioned this early on and who should never meet these characters. This wastes the spread of rumour about the Mule’s emergence that is so menacing and table-turning in the books.

So what was so good then? The fall of the Galactic Empire and the House of Cleons is only alluded to or briefly mentioned by Asimov. The writers have carved a brilliant story out of this, creating compelling characters like Demerzel and the three Cleon clones (Lee Pace is godly as ‘Day’) telling a superb game of thrones. It’s riveting in its imagination of Empire and its collapse. General Bel Riose, superbly acted by Ben Daniels provides another dimension, better than the books.

The other spot on realisation is of the Foundation’s religion. This is superbly played by Kulvinder Ghia as Verisof and Isabella Laughland as ‘Brother.’ They give the thing heart and you root for them.

And the whole thing looks fabulous.

Looking forward to Series 3.

 

Yeah, finished it this morning. Fantastic series.

Although it hasn’t caught on as much as Netflix expected, which is a surprise to me considering the absolute drivel they shovel out to their poor subscribers these days.

Thinky sci-fi with science in it is not going to attract the same audience that watches *insert yet another murder documentary series here* or *checks notes* “Love Is Blind”.

Don’t count on a second series.

 

I’ve been bingeing it today as well and very much enjoying it.

This story behind the making of it is pretty mental too:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-68705857.amp

Also tried episode one of Shogun, a bit like Nath I wasn’t as drawn in on it as I’d hoped, but the reviews are off the charts so need to stick with it.

 

So I’ve eventually got round to seeing what all the fuss was about for Peaky Blinders.

First series done, I’m just really quite underwhelmed by it all and doubt I’ll bother watching anymore.

 

My wife and I felt the same way when we watched it. Just didn't find it compelling and we didn't think it at all lived up to the hype.

 

I felt the very same after the first series and left it. A few months later I watched the first series again and it got me somehow. Exactly the same with Breaking Bad and the Ozarks, I had to re-visit both. Leave it a while.

 

I’ve left all three for ever, will that work?

 

You and the wife?

 

nah moog (left) & moog (right) in front of theyre self porteate by the artist "moog" (no relation) m8

 

The Mrs and I binged Baby Reindeer last night. Have to say it was nothing short of amazing. I'm usually one for nodding off if something is poor but this series just sucked me in until the finish. Well worth a watch on Netflix.

 

Incredible show, although there is a lot of controversy around certain people being outed as the people in it.

A lot of it is meant to be true, but if it isn’t then he’s certainly made certain people look very bad.

 

Just read about this.

Sounds a right barrel of laughs.

 

There's quite a few tbh

 

I have read a few articles today but hadn't realised people had been outed.