Author Topic: Television tonight: what's worth watching?  (Read 333378 times)

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1550 on: 31 July, 2019, 09:11:58 pm »
Watching the last season of Orange is the New Black and it's much better than the last couple of seasons.

ian

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1551 on: 31 July, 2019, 09:19:02 pm »
Currently catching up with Stranger Things on Netlix. 

OK, I'm about 2 years late to the party, but it's an excellent hark back to 80s horror genre a la Stephen King and David Cronenberg.  The alarming thing is that for many "less mature" watchers, there is ample scope to be mystified by a lot of the cutting edge pre-digital technology that appears (what strange magic is this that they can make pictures in the dark by waving paper in water...)

Finally got around to it, I did kind of think it would fade after the novelty of series 1, but really still fun. It helps that I'm age-locked with the characters as an 80s kid. The parade of fashion in the mall episode I watched last night was priceless and when Howard Jones kicked in, I was gone. I also used to listen to Russians (and aliens) on SW.

ian

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1552 on: 08 August, 2019, 07:44:31 pm »
Got to the end of Stranger Things 3 and really, it's the perfect antidote to the crap Netflix often pumps out, and by far one of the best things I've seen on TV. It ought to labour under the weight of all that nostalgia, but it's so deftly written that it really doesn't, and unlike much of Netflix's multi-hour output, it doesn't suffer from the dire pacing issues or need to turn it into soap opera – it takes a lot from broadcast era tv with the story arc running in the background of self-contained episodes, each with a hook, rather than wallowing through episodes because, well, you have paid the subscription so you might as well. Even Operation Child Endangerment, which should and could have been a complete Scrappy-Doo, remained funny and on point.

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1553 on: 16 August, 2019, 08:57:15 pm »
Easy Rider (1969) on Movies4men, Freeveiw channel 40, 9pm.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1554 on: 17 August, 2019, 02:09:58 am »
Easy Rider (1969) on Movies4men, Freeveiw channel 40, 9pm.

Spook!  See elsethread for Peter Fonda news :'(
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1555 on: 17 August, 2019, 07:02:23 am »
Easy Rider (1969) on Movies4men, Freeveiw channel 40, 9pm.

Spook!  See elsethread for Peter Fonda news :'(

 :o

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1556 on: 18 August, 2019, 11:38:28 am »
Succession

New thing from Jesse Armstrong, half of the team behind Peep Show. Well, new-ish - we’re still catching up with the first series but the second series started recently on Sky Atlantic.

It’s superb. And absolutely nothing like Peep Show. My wife last night asked “Is this a comedy?” Interesting question. It’s a sign of how sophisticated tv comedy has become these days. It’s very, very funny. But it presents itself as a serious drama - in its production values, and the themes and topics it covers, and the quality of the script, and the cast...

Big Little Lies was similar, also very funny.

"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1557 on: 19 August, 2019, 04:08:07 pm »
Some cracking Fake or Fortune this series.  Philip Mould is a complete LAD, sashaying suavely in and out of the most chic European galleries and dazzling all-comers with his encyclopaedic knowledge of catalogues raisonnés.

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1558 on: 19 August, 2019, 04:40:14 pm »
Some cracking Fake or Fortune this series.  Philip Mould is a complete LAD, sashaying suavely in and out of the most chic European galleries and dazzling all-comers with his encyclopaedic knowledge of catalogues raisonnés.

Philip Mould is a complete something, that's for sure. "Lad" isn't the word that comes to my mind.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1559 on: 19 August, 2019, 06:12:44 pm »
Bendor Grosvenor is my favourite, mainly for his completely made-up name.

Philip Mould looks like someone who has half an eye on who will play him in the biopic. Benedict Cumberbatch, he hopes.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1560 on: 20 August, 2019, 11:55:33 am »
Also well worth watching is the Jack and Michael Whitehall episode of Who Do You Think You Are?

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1561 on: 20 August, 2019, 12:34:56 pm »
[Succession] presents itself as a serious drama - in its production values, and the themes and topics it covers, and the quality of the script, and the cast...


...and the music over the credits.

I haven't bothered catching up with S1. I wasn't too sure about S2 ep1 but I'm coming round to it after watching ep2, now having given up hope of any character showing any redeemable character traits.

Big Little Lies was similar, also very funny.

To my surprise (the subject matter wouldn't normally be my thing) I thought it was brilliant, and funny, and, again, the music was great.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1562 on: 20 August, 2019, 06:10:07 pm »
The music in Big Little Lies is particularly excellent.

given up hope of any character showing any redeemable character traits.

They are all utterly appalling excuses for human beings.

I wasn't sure about Matthew Macfadyen at first, especially his accent, but as the series has gone on, I've come to realise what a thoroughly masterful performance it is. Who knew he could do comedy?
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1563 on: 05 September, 2019, 10:09:59 am »
Getting into Succession even more now, but I still find the drama/comedy mix unsettling, especially because the last one had some very funny scenes (the whole 'active shooter' incident, and the eulogy for Mo Lester). I LOLed at Matthew McFadyen's 'Out of the way - executive coming through' as he barged underlings out of his way on his dash to to the 'safe room'. Maybe I'm just getting more attuned to the comedy.

I was thinking about how different it was from Peep Show for Jesse Armstrong - what a lurch - but at heart they both leave you squirming with vicarious embarrasment. Production costs are presumably a tad different though.

I knew I'd seen the Connor Roy character somewhere before and worked out, confirmed by IMDB, that it was Cameron, Ferris Buehler's mate. Ditto Roman Roy - not sure I've ever seen him before but it turns out he's Macaulay Culkin's brother.

On a different matter - the new Taskmaster series started last night. Yay!

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1564 on: 07 September, 2019, 07:54:38 pm »
On Taking Pictures (Freview 81),Hombre just started, a really good film.

Then after that, This sporting Life, which I haven't seen.

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1565 on: 08 September, 2019, 08:25:02 am »
Well, last night, but - The Rise of the Nazis.

Spine chilling stuff. So many parallels can be drawn between what was going on in the early / mid 30s in Germany and the manoeuvrings here in the UK today.

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1566 on: 08 September, 2019, 08:37:20 am »
Well, last night, but - The Rise of the Nazis.

Spine chilling stuff. So many parallels can be drawn between what was going on in the early / mid 30s in Germany and the manoeuvrings here in the UK today.

I've been watching a lot of Jonathan Meads documentaries at work (It has been slack) recently.
I enjoy his delivery.
He does one on the Nazis.
It is really, really depressing.

Auntie Helen

  • 6 Wheels in Germany
Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1567 on: 08 September, 2019, 09:15:47 am »
Well, last night, but - The Rise of the Nazis.

Spine chilling stuff. So many parallels can be drawn between what was going on in the early / mid 30s in Germany and the manoeuvrings here in the UK today.
Thanks for this info - my German partner and I will watch this from our coldy deathbed today!
My blog on cycling in Germany and eating German cake – http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk


Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1568 on: 08 September, 2019, 10:45:10 am »
I enjoy his delivery.
He does one on the Nazis.
It is really, really depressing.

I share your thoughts. OK, his purpose is to make it easy for us to draw parallels, but even taking that into account, the series of events he describes could be a storyboard for what is occurring right now in UK politics in terms of tactics, strategies, resetting norms of public discourse...

The somewhat anxiety-inducing background music adds to the darkness.

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1569 on: 08 September, 2019, 01:12:44 pm »
Scarborough on Friday night was good. Some corking one liners. Very Victoria Wood.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1570 on: 10 September, 2019, 11:09:55 pm »
This Sporting Life is on Talking Pictures right now. Directed by Lindsey Anderson ( was all his work in black and white?), starring Richard Harris. IMDB tells me William Hartnell is in it too.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1571 on: 11 September, 2019, 05:51:51 am »
Directed by Lindsey Anderson ( was all his work in black and white?)

If... is in a mixture of colour and black & white. Ostensibly because it was easier/quicker/cheaper to shoot some scenes in b&w, but I’ve always thought it was at least partly for effect, seeing as how the film is heavily influenced by the nouvelle vague and the likes of Godard.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1572 on: 13 September, 2019, 12:49:08 pm »
You could never accuse me of being merely 'behind the curve'; in this case, the curve has disappeared waaay beyond the horizon...  Mrs Legs and I watched half of the first episode of Life On Mars on iPlayer last night.

tiermat

  • According to Jane, I'm a Unisex SpaceAdmin
Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1573 on: 14 September, 2019, 07:11:26 am »
On Amazon Prime, Carnival Row.

Imagine Ripper Street mixed up with Penny Dreadful (plus a little bit of Upstairs, Downstairs/Downton Abbey) and you pretty much have it.  Well written, fantastic cast (Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevigne).

I may have annoyed Mrs T by referring to Mr Bloom as a hobbit, finding the best way to wind her up is to mix film/Tv gendres as displayed in one line "Isn't he a little tall to be a Hobbit?"
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

Re: Television tonight: what's worth watching?
« Reply #1574 on: 19 September, 2019, 01:42:28 pm »
Actually was on on BBC2 on Tuesday, we caught it on iPlayer last evening - episode 1 of Defending the Guilty. Probably a Marmite sort of programme, I loved it. All episodes currently on iPlayer
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)