Author Topic: Television tonight: what's worth watching?  (Read 333318 times)

ian

Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1125 on: 20 November, 2017, 09:40:32 am »
Was just getting into The Expanse (the acting seemed to get better) when it finished. Oh I hate that, but I remember that it's spread over about a bazillion books. Grumble.

Decided to watch the second series of Daredevil because I want to watch Defenders and it'll probably make no sense. For a superhero he gets beat up a lot. I'm worried he'll get a kicking from primary school kids in the next episode. Poor chap.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1126 on: 20 November, 2017, 10:58:53 am »
Anyone else watching Howards End? I'm sticking with it, despite my reservations after last week's first episode but it all feels a bit flat. Leonard Bast is portrayed as a bit of a weed, which doesn't seem quite right to me. And the lack of big hair continues to disappoint.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1127 on: 05 December, 2017, 09:55:29 am »
Since the man himself subscribes to the belief that there should be no such thing as a guilty pleasure, I'll come right out and say that I'm very much enjoying the new series of Dave Gorman's Modern Life Is Goodish on Dave.
Me too. The found poem he did the other week which included references to Take That had me in tears of laughter.
This week's episode (with the black cab) was truly inspired.  Gales of laughter at Legs Towers.

Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1128 on: 05 December, 2017, 06:45:01 pm »
Legion. A Marvel TV series that isn't marvelly at all. Stranger Things for adults and has some really innovative stuff. Excellent writing, editing and very little fluff.

mattc

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Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1129 on: 05 December, 2017, 07:10:42 pm »
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09hlz8b  Volcano Expedition - by Willard Price*

Not sure why I watched this, as the title was not inspiring ... But volcanoes are brilliant, aren't they! So we watched these, and we learned stuff, and marvelled at stuff.

(If anyone watched the "epic" adventures of Bear Grylls clambering round a welsh quarry with Rob Brydon and thought "hmmm ... and?"; watch the first one of these. Some proper scary clambering about, and with an actual scientific purpose.   :thumbsup: )


*joke for 70s kids https://www.bookdepository.com/Volcano-Adventure-Willard-Price/9781782950219
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Kim

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Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1130 on: 05 December, 2017, 07:14:26 pm »
Legion. A Marvel TV series that isn't marvelly at all. Stranger Things for adults and has some really innovative stuff. Excellent writing, editing and very little fluff.

I really enjoyed it.  Some concentration required, but it neatly avoids the frustration of either the "is this reality?" trope, or turning the whole thing into a puzzle for the viewer.  May contain Pink Floyd or traces of Pink Floyd.

Kim

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Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1131 on: 05 December, 2017, 07:18:42 pm »
*joke for 70s kids https://www.bookdepository.com/Volcano-Adventure-Willard-Price/9781782950219[/sub]

I think I read a whole shelf of those.  And all I can remember is that pumice floats and that tigers can swim.  I'm sure they weren't all buoyancy-related.  Oh, was there a witch doctor in one of them?  I'm sure it was problematic racial stereotypes all the way down, but that rings a bell...

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1132 on: 05 December, 2017, 09:01:24 pm »
I think the witchdoctor wasn't a real witchdoctor but a bent conservation worker dressing up to instill fear. Something like that anyway.  The scarier one was on some tropical island where The Baddy got his foot caught by a giant clam. And then the tide came in.
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Mr Larrington

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Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1133 on: 06 December, 2017, 04:10:45 am »
Did "Volcano Adventure" have a Scientist who had Been Hit on the Head as A Young Man and was thus prone to do silly things in the presence of molten lava?
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1134 on: 06 December, 2017, 11:00:10 am »
Tiger Adventure was my favourite... I must have read it at least a dozen times.

Hardy Boys by the truckload, too.  How disappointed was I (my Wikipedia find of the day) to discover that Franklin W. Dixon is not a real, nor indeed individual, person!

Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1135 on: 06 December, 2017, 11:27:28 am »
*joke for 70s kids https://www.bookdepository.com/Volcano-Adventure-Willard-Price/9781782950219[/sub]

I think I read a whole shelf of those.  And all I can remember is that pumice floats and that tigers can swim.  I'm sure they weren't all buoyancy-related.  Oh, was there a witch doctor in one of them?  I'm sure it was problematic racial stereotypes all the way down, but that rings a bell...
Should I be ashamed to say I read all of those?
Not sure if they were full of racial stereotypes or not. White man always gets his animal, that's the sole memory I have of them.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

mattc

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Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1136 on: 06 December, 2017, 12:18:16 pm »
*joke for 70s kids https://www.bookdepository.com/Volcano-Adventure-Willard-Price/9781782950219[/sub]

I think I read a whole shelf of those.  And all I can remember is that pumice floats and that tigers can swim.  I'm sure they weren't all buoyancy-related.  Oh, was there a witch doctor in one of them?  I'm sure it was problematic racial stereotypes all the way down, but that rings a bell...

Should I be ashamed to say I read all of those?

Not sure if they were full of racial stereotypes or not. White man always gets his animal, that's the sole memory I have of them.
Probably - but I know I'm not ashamed  ;D I was only 11-ish

Floating pumice is a strong memory. The other thing was how hovercrafts can fly waaaaay above ground (cos Hal drove one off a cliff). Is that still true??

[70s non-PC horrors aside, I suspect they're quite edukashunal books. I probably learned a lot of interesting stuff without realising at the time. Hopefully slightly more than from the Harry Potter books! ]
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1137 on: 14 December, 2017, 10:53:09 am »
Really getting into Witnesses: A Frozen Death on iPlayer.  Glad of the subtitles (it's in French) and completely flummoxed by it!  :thumbsup:

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1138 on: 14 December, 2017, 07:14:21 pm »
We’ve been enjoying that too. Looking forward to the final episodes this weekend.

Missed the first series when it was on C4 so need to catch up with that too.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1139 on: 14 December, 2017, 07:30:10 pm »
The Punisher on Netflix.

Every bit as good as it sounds.

Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1140 on: 15 December, 2017, 06:20:16 am »
We’ve been enjoying that too. Looking forward to the final episodes this weekend.

Missed the first series when it was on C4 so need to catch up with that too.

Despite plot holes big enough to drive a bus-full of corpses through, it's grimly enjoyable tosh, isn't it?  One thing's for sure, I'd be pretty uneasy about being under a French witness protection scheme...

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1141 on: 18 December, 2017, 12:17:18 pm »
Despite plot holes big enough to drive a bus-full of corpses through, it's grimly enjoyable tosh, isn't it?  One thing's for sure, I'd be pretty uneasy about being under a French witness protection scheme...

I'd be pretty uneasy about being a French cop working on a witness protection scheme!

Did enjoy it on the whole, but was bothered by the high number of collateral fatalities. If Sandra had let Max and Justin know the identity of the killer as soon as she was given the name, it would have saved a few lives. Max seemed resigned to losing her job by the end of it, but Sandra really ought to be facing some kind of serious professional misconduct charge too.

(click to show/hide)

Anyway, Spiral to look forward to next...
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1142 on: 18 December, 2017, 06:23:01 pm »
The League of Gentlemen returns tonight for a three-night run.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1143 on: 19 December, 2017, 10:32:47 am »
Hmm, it all went a bit flat at the end, but it was good until ep 7, I thought.

Anyway, Spiral to look forward to next...

Not seen any of the previous series, but heard good things about this... Do you think it's likely to be understandable as a standalone?

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1144 on: 19 December, 2017, 10:47:48 am »
The League of Gentlemen returns tonight for a three-night run.

...brilliantly treading the fine line between comedy and tragedy. I thought it was superb.

(Although some of the best gags were hidden in the background - eg “let’s call a spayed a spayed” and Pamela Doove’s shipping forecast, both of which made me LOL. Also: ACRONYM - genius.)
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1145 on: 19 December, 2017, 10:51:44 am »
Anyway, Spiral to look forward to next...

Not seen any of the previous series, but heard good things about this... Do you think it's likely to be understandable as a standalone?

Don’t know, haven’t seen it myself. We’ve got series 1-4 on dvd to binge on over Christmas, so we’ll save S6 until we’ve done those (obviously need to get hold of S5 as well).

I believe Mr Larrington is the resident Engrenages aficionado.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1146 on: 19 December, 2017, 02:06:12 pm »
The League of Gentlemen returns tonight for a three-night run.

...brilliantly treading the fine line between comedy and tragedy. I thought it was superb.

(Although some of the best gags were hidden in the background - eg “let’s call a spayed a spayed” and Pamela Doove’s shipping forecast, both of which made me LOL. Also: ACRONYM - genius.)
I did wonder where the Pauline Campbell-Jones sketch was going until the very end.  I liked the two (very grown up) teenagers from the video rental shop trying to flog pirate DVDs that hadn't moved on since the original series.  And, of course, Chloe amd Radclyffe being even creepier than ever.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1147 on: 21 December, 2017, 06:39:47 am »
The third episode was really back on form, and the purpose of the photo booth was revealed.

The little scene on the railway platform at the end suggests to.me that there may be more specials, but no more full series.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1148 on: 21 December, 2017, 12:49:39 pm »
I felt it went a bit flat after the first episode, but still had enough laughs to be worthwhile. Pretty obvious all along who was going to be behind the photo booth. The pathos of Pauline's storyline was quite poignant. Almost felt sorry for her in the end. Not so keen on the Edward and Tubbs storyline.

The scene on the station platform at the end was odd. Almost like they were saying, 'Yes, we know it's a bit shit but what did you expect?' I hope they don't bring it back again.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Mrs Pingu

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Re: Television tonight, whats worth watching
« Reply #1149 on: 21 December, 2017, 08:01:32 pm »
Woo, Spiral / Engrenages starts again on the 30th Dec :)
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.