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<  Television  ~  It's Not TV -- It's HBO!

billyweeds
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 8:28 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 20618 Location: New York City
bartist wrote:
billyweeds wrote:
Ghulam wrote:
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HBO's "The Night Of" turned out to be excellent television. It was very well dramatized, had multiple foci of interest and many twists and turns in the story. Very worthwhile.



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Word.


We just watched the pilot. Outstanding. Sleep will not come easily tonight. At one point the young man tells the detective "I can't breathe." Spoke for this viewer as well.


Riz Ahmed, who plays the lead, is one of the principals in the new movie The Sisters Brothers. He's a great actor.
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billyweeds
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 8:30 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 20618 Location: New York City
Again the "critics" have nothing to say to me. There are two new Netflix series I sampled last night. One ("Maniac") is getting raves and the other ("The Good Cop") has been received in a decidedly meh fashion. Guess which one I loved and which one I am bailing on.

"Maniac" stars the amazing Emma Stone and the great Jonah Hill with support from the likes of Mike White and Gabriel Byrne. It's about people getting involved with a drug experiment. The critics are going nuts. I fell asleep within five minutes. It tells its story in a convoluted and pretentious way that left me totally cold.

Meanwhile, Josh Groban and Tony Danza charmed their separate and very diffferent ways into my heart in one episode in "The Good Cop." Groban plays a by-the-book lieutenant whose rogue cop father (Danza) is living with him as part of the terms of dad's parole. Murder investigations ensue but take a back seat to the byplay between the two odd-couple-style guys. It's not the most original show in the world, but IMO it's more fun than "Monk," which was created by the same guy, Andy Breckman. He's got the goods. So do Groban and Danza. I'm sticking with it.
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bartist
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 9:23 am Reply with quote
Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 6941 Location: Black Hills
I saw the trailer and had 2.thoughts -

It seemed pretentious, and maybe too much reliance on phildickian gimmickry. (phildickian is the adjective that has arisen in the past couple decades to describe any sci-fi plot line where characters find themselves spun into some alternative reality or virtual simulation....usually connotes a fairly dark and paranoid tone) Also, I sense another sci-fi show where too many ideas were hastily thrown together, so you have no time to fully digest.

And two, what happened to half of Jonah Hill's body? Guess I haven't seen him in anything since he lost a lot of weight. Impressive, even for someone who can afford the finest personal trainer.

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billyweeds
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 4:31 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 20618 Location: New York City
Jonah Hill has done some great work since losing the weight. He is wonderful in Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot.
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bartist
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 7:54 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 6941 Location: Black Hills
Oh I've got to see that. I knew of Callahan when I lived in Portland. He really knew how to let the "abled" know what to with patronizing crap. Jesus F Christ how did I miss this film? Looks like its digital release is in a week. Will report back over in Couch. Thanks!

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Ghulam
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2018 2:00 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 4742 Location: Upstate NY
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After a long time, we have a very worthwhile drama with a fine story based on Elena Ferrante's novel, "My Brilliant Friend". It is set in Naples and has English subtitles. It shows the violence, love affairs and power struggles in a lower-middle-class neighborhood where two elementary school girls who befriend each other have to grow up. Beautifully directed by Saverio Costanzo. The first of eight episodes was shown last night on HBO.



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billyweeds
Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2018 11:19 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 20618 Location: New York City
Escape at Dannemora is an excellent miniseries on Showtime. Directed by Ben Stiller and brilliantly acted by Patricia Arquette, Benicio Del Toro, and Paul Dano, it tells the true-life story of the prison worker (Arquette) who facilitated the escape of two criminals after having sex with both. Stiller's direction is flawless, inspired, and resonant, and IMO the best work he's ever done in front of or behind the camera.
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bartist
Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2018 12:37 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 6941 Location: Black Hills
Season two of Westworld continues with the narrative juxtaposition of different points in time and philosophical musings about consciousness, our sense of selfhood, and the human temptation to exploitation. And I like the casting, this season, of Elon Musk's ex-wife as a sexy robot. I think that's what is meant by "stunt casting. " Sorry to see Anthony Hopkins go - he seems most sincerely dead - but the Boy Ford robot will keep his soul presiding over the Story I expect. Just don't mess with Thandie Newton.

In the unlikely event anyone else here watches this, I'm only two episodes into it, so watch spoilers please.

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Befade
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 4:48 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 3784 Location: AZ
Escape at Dannemora is an excellent miniseries on Showtime. Directed by Ben Stiller and brilliantly acted by Patricia Arquette, Benicio Del Toro, and Paul Dano, it tells the true-life story of the prison worker (Arquette) who facilitated the escape of two criminals after having sex with both. Stiller's direction is flawless, inspired, and resonant, and IMO the best work he's ever done in front of or behind the camera.

I agree. Patricia Arquette made an amazing transformation. Paul Dano is good in everything. A couple of very talented murderers seducing a bored woman into a much more exciting life. Sigh........that would give anyone a panic attack. And her husband is still standing by her.

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Befade
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 4:49 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 3784 Location: AZ
Befade wrote:
Escape at Dannemora is an excellent miniseries on Showtime. Directed by Ben Stiller and brilliantly acted by Patricia Arquette, Benicio Del Toro, and Paul Dano, it tells the true-life story of the prison worker (Arquette) who facilitated the escape of two criminals after having sex with both. Stiller's direction is flawless, inspired, and resonant, and IMO the best work he's ever done in front of or behind the camera.

I agree. Patricia Arquette made an amazing transformation. Paul Dano is good in everything. A couple of very talented murderers seducing a bored woman into a much more exciting life. Sigh........that would give anyone a panic attack. And her husband is still standing by her.

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Ghulam
Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2019 1:19 am Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 4742 Location: Upstate NY
'
The season premiere of "Big Little Lies" on HBO lives up to the standard it set during its first season. It is very convincing and engaging. Meryl Streep is great in a supporting role. Andrea Arnold's direction is as adept as the superb work of Jean-Marc Vallee last season.

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Befade
Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2019 6:14 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 3784 Location: AZ
I think the only character I have any affection for is Jane. The premise that the 5 women have to keep a secret about how the abusive husband died doesn’t hold weight. Nothing amounted to murder. Everything else is engaging.

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bartist
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2020 1:28 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 6941 Location: Black Hills
Watched Chernobyl and [incoherent grunts of astonishment and fulsome praise...].

This may be the best docu-drama I've ever seen. In my brain, this will have a very long half-life.

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Syd
Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:38 pm Reply with quote
Site Admin Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 12887 Location: Norman, Oklahoma
I have HBO Max for a week, and not seeing any of the Oscar-nominated movies I wanted, watched "Miss Sherlock," the HBO Asian series featuring a female Sherlock and Watson (here Wato, referred to as Wato-San). The whole series is eight episodes long, and it there's a similarity in some of the plot twists, there's a very good reason, because there's an overarching meta-plot connecting them that comes to a perfect resolution involving someone all Sherlock Holmes series need (and it's not Irene Adler). Yuko Takeuchi is quite good and pretty bizarre as "Sherlock". I really like her look of glee when something gruesome perks her interest, and her insistence that Watson isn't her friend. (Actually she denies she has any friends, despite which she has at least five.)

Well worth watching, but don't expect a sequel unless it features Wato-San, because Yuko died six months ago, an apparent suicide. Maybe Wato-san can investigate.

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