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| billyweeds |
 Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 6:40 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Just getting in touch (streaming on Netflix) with Luther, the 2010-12 British police show with many, many twists--not the least of which is that the title character is a semi-sociopathic Sherlock whose "Watson" is a killer herself. Idris Elba is Luther, the character whose blackness has literally nothing to do with the plot (and that's so refreshing I can't begin to tell you). Ruth Wilson is Alice, the really sociopathic woman who killed her parents and the family dog but winds up Luther's sidekick and unofficial assistant.
The plot takes so many unexpected twists and turns that you have perpetual whiplash, and some of the turns are truly WTF. Also--be warned--the grisliness sometimes reaches Criminal Minds level. But the show holds--compels--your interest. And the acting is superb. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 10:25 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12894
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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I enjoyed the first episode of Neil de Grasse Tyson's sequel to Cosmos, including his heartfelt remembrance of meeting Carl Sagan when Tyson was 17. Tyson did take a lot of poetic license which is fitting because Sagan did too. (If you pass through the Kuiper belt, you'd probably see nothing at all. Pluto would be just visible to the naked eye if you were 1 AU away and it was near perihelion, and it's the brightest of the Kuiper Belt objects.
The animated tribute to Bruno wasn't quite as good.
I'm looking forward to next week, when he's tackling evolution and genetics. |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 10:34 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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I couldn't take my eyes off "Cosmos"--great presentation, lovely graphics. I had to switch from the NGeo channel to Fox, though, because of the intermittent promotions that sprawled on the screen.
Speaking of Fox, there were two new "Simpsons" episodes tonight, the first of which featured Daniel Radcliffe as the voice of a somewhat mentally disturbed falcon-loving student--I doubt that any other TV cartoon show ever had a stanza of Gerard Manley Hopkins quoted in full. The second one featured Sideshow Bob as the head of a Monsanto-type company producing genetically modified plants, with some sly commentary tempered by Lisa's speech about how such items may be good although their effects on humans are still unknown. My favorite line, though, was when a group of workmen in a museum were hanging a Calder piece and it fell on Bob, and one of the workmen shouted "To the Caldermobile!" and they all rushed off. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 8:47 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6949
Location: Black Hills
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I watched the Good Wife, thinking "arhh, I'm missing Cosmos," but soothing myself with the fact that Fox repeats everything a dozen times, so there will be slot when the tivo-less can catch up.
Since I spend a lot of time browsing Arxiv.org, aka Geek Central, to follow the history of loop quantum gravity (from Carlo Novelli's seminal 1997 paper onward), it seems like something that might be fun to watch. The more "meta" aspects of physics are kind of an intellectual vice with me. I recommend any of Lee Smolin's books for general readership, "3 Roads to Quantum Gravity" and "Time Reborn" are both good. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 12:09 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| Cosmos repeats are mostly on the National Geographic Channel, which runs it many times during the week. |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 9:02 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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Don't have cable, but hope there will be at least one repeat on Fox. Which I used to call "Faux," but now that they've managed "Almost Human" (which has created, along with a memorable AI character, the catchphrase, "Please don't scan my balls") and "Cosmos," and "House," and "Bones," am less likely to.
Watched the new NBC series "Believe" last night, mostly on the strength of it being directed by Cuaron, but it seems to be a preposterous and silly take on the supercute-child-supernaturally-enabled theme. Any interesting grittiness that could have arisen from the concept of a hardened convict appointed to look out for a little girl was instantly short-circuited with goofy sentimentality. "Rule of Two" perhaps, with that Keifer Sutherland thing (edit: "Touch") a couple years ago (which was considerably better). |
Last edited by bartist on Tue Mar 11, 2014 11:01 am; edited 1 time in total
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 9:21 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| Fox is still faux when it comes to their "news" programs, I think, but I give them credit for their entertainment programs, as you named, and let us not forget "The Simpsons," which tweaks and teases the Murdoch faction at every opportunity. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:13 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| It looks like TCM is showing William Powell movies today, including one of my favorites, "I Love You Again" (with Myrna Loy of course). Ah, to take a sick day--but even us temps have our responsibilities, especially when the boss is out sick. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 5:45 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Into the third and final season of Luther, and you know I love this series because I'm actually paying to see the final season on iTunes. Anyone dlsappointed (as I was) by Idris Elba's fine but dullish performance in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom has to see his great work in Luther to realize what an amazing presence he has. He was voted second-sexiest man alive by People Magazine last year. All I've got to say is: what dude could be sexier? Oh, and, yeah, he's a great actor, too. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 6:20 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6949
Location: Black Hills
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| I loved Carrie Preston on the TGW this past Sunday. The whole bit with the anti-Semite bear was hysterical. And it's going to be interesting to see if Peter fares better than Blagojevich in Illinois politics. He seems to have better instincts, and character, but the show keeps you guessing about all the skeletons (and women) in his closet. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| jeremy |
| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 6:53 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 6794
Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)
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I'd agree that Idris Elba's presence is a big part of the attraction of "Luther". I also enjoy the character Alice - it's unusual and refreshing to have such an unapologetic anti-hero in a lead role. I must admit to finding her quite (sapio)sexy.
I hadn't really picked-up on the Holmes and Watson analogy, but I think its apt. As with Holmes, we are very forgiving of the both leads character defects because of their effectiveness (cold and sure in Alice's case, and passionate and forceful in Luther's) and the fact they are, in this instance, working on the side of the angels. I don't know whether it's more of a British thing, it may even be a class thing, but the series invites us to revel in the characters' cleverness for its own sake. |
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I am angry, I am ill, and I'm as ugly as sin.
My irritability keeps me alive and kicking.
I know the meaning of life, it doesn't help me a bit.
I know beauty and I know a good thing when I see it. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 10:05 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| Excellent "Person of Interest" last night, reminding me again of why this is a great series. What other dramatic thriller raises such philosophical questions, balances life-and-death choices, brings up possibilities (both comforting and terrifying) about artificial intelligence and human efforts to "invent God"? And still makes me laugh in the middle of it all (poor John, first referred to as "the urban legend" and then as a sock puppet). There are some great writers in the TV world these days. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 12:06 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6949
Location: Black Hills
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Everything she said! Yeah, P of I was back in form last night, as Decima (with John Nolan at the helm) tries to kidnap a Zen janitor's retina in order to get at faster computer chips that will run the Samaritan AI and unleash the hounds of hell. And Root, aka Ms. Grove, is back in full mad-computer-high-priestess mode, getting her ear pierced along the way so as to resume stereophonic life. I thought some of her CPU-directed derring-do was a bit over the top, but I enjoyed it much as we enjoy John when he goes into a den of villains and tosses a dozen or so out the window. And yes, a good LOL at "the urban legend."
Ms. Groves has been referred to, by the Machine, as an "analog interface," which was a clever packaging of the philosophic implications of her character - she is essentially a Philip K. Dick character whose presence poses the question, and suggests answers to: How will humans change if they become merged with computers? |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 12:16 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| "P of I" is one of those shows that makes over-the-top work. All the characters are just a bit past believability, but that's why they're so appealing--you can depend on John and Shaw to deal with whatever they encounter, up to and including an apocalypse, and you know Finch will let them know when and where, and you know Root will do something wildly improbable that somehow succeeds. They have their setbacks occasionally, but these are people you know will get the job done. (Unlike anyone I know in real life.) |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 11:43 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12894
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| I finally got to watch the third season of "Game of Thrones," and, though I thought it dragged occasionally in the early episodes, the last few were very good. The last episode (the one after the Red Wedding) I thought was exceptionally well written and acted. I do wish George R. R. Martin would kill off Theon already. The plotline involving the Ironborn didn't work after he lost Winterfell, and by volume 5 they're crashing bores. |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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