|
Post by amber89 on Jan 14, 2022 1:02:21 GMT
Oh, I listened to the Icelandic series soon after it appeared. By just listening, I couldn't get a thing from it, so confusing! )
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jan 19, 2022 20:39:44 GMT
We watched Dragon Blade with Jackie Chan, Adriene Brody and John Cusack. It was surprisingly good. Since both of us has ADHD, the fact we watched the whole movie without getting bored was great. It was also a very dramatic part for Jackie Chan. Yes, there were martial arts scenes, but the point to the movie was Jackie Chan's character trying to get all the different peoples who used the Silk Road to get along and make it a safe road for everyone.
A Roman general and his legion come to the outpost where Chan's character is working. The general took the young brother of the current Roman leader after the leader killed all the others destined for the throne ahead of him. The leader shows up at the outpost with 10s of thousands of legionaire to kill his youngest brother, the general who saved the boy, and his legonaires. Chan's character tries to rally all the different peoples at the outpost, but the leader and his troops are too strong. He goes to extraordinary lengths to save the outpost and the people in it. If you're into that type of movie, we both thought it was a cut above the usual fare.
|
|
|
Post by bazookagoof on Jan 19, 2022 21:37:30 GMT
We watched Dragon Blade with Jackie Chan, Adriene Brody and John Cusack. It was surprisingly good. Since both of us has ADHD, the fact we watched the whole movie without getting bored was great. It was also a very dramatic part for Jackie Chan. Yes, there were martial arts scenes, but the point to the movie was Jackie Chan's character trying to get all the different peoples who used the Silk Road to get along and make it a safe road for everyone. A Roman general and his legion come to the outpost where Chan's character is working. The general took the young brother of the current Roman leader after the leader killed all the others destined for the throne ahead of him. The leader shows up at the outpost with 10s of thousands of legionaire to kill his youngest brother, the general who saved the boy, and his legonaires. Chan's character tries to rally all the different peoples at the outpost, but the leader and his troops are too strong. He goes to extraordinary lengths to save the outpost and the people in it. If you're into that type of movie, we both thought it was a cut above the usual fare. I'll see if I can get my wife to find it and perhaps we can watch it together. I know Chan has been aiming more towards dramatic roles this late in his career which is understandable; trying to do death-defying stunts while in your 60's is ridiculous. I have to admit I've put the brakes on seeing his later output since the last 20 movies he's done all sort of blend together. Back in the day the plotlines were fairly basic, but the execution and the action stood head and shoulders above anything else his competition could offer. On my own front, I've been introduced to the Canadian comedy series Letterkenny, and it's hilarious in an oddball fashion. The dialogue is rapid-fire (I recommend watching it with subtitles since it includes a ton of slang) and the situations are off-the-wall. Basically, a farmer, his best friend and the farmer's sister go about their daily routines while encountering a wide assortment of strange characters. I would post a sample, but there's tons of swearing.
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jan 20, 2022 19:44:06 GMT
We have Letterkenny in our favorites list but haven't watched it yet. I'll give it a try. We watch a lot of Canadian TV, and I wish we could get CBC. The closest we come is Acorn.
There are some martial arts scenes, and they are very choreographed, but we always knew they were choreographed, and since they weren't really the point to the movie, we were willing to overlook that. In fact, more apt were the scenes of a very injured Chan using his brain and resources because his body wasn't up to the job. If anything, the martial arts scenes were settings for what he used to be able to do. Lots of fighting and dying, and some extra violence, but it all fits in with the story, and they don't do a lot of the violence on camera. Again, the point is it was done.
|
|
|
Post by bazookagoof on Jan 20, 2022 22:36:38 GMT
We have Letterkenny in our favorites list but haven't watched it yet. I'll give it a try. We watch a lot of Canadian TV, and I wish we could get CBC. The closest we come is Acorn. There are some martial arts scenes, and they are very choreographed, but we always knew they were choreographed, and since they weren't really the point to the movie, we were willing to overlook that. In fact, more apt were the scenes of a very injured Chan using his brain and resources because his body wasn't up to the job. If anything, the martial arts scenes were settings for what he used to be able to do. Lots of fighting and dying, and some extra violence, but it all fits in with the story, and they don't do a lot of the violence on camera. Again, the point is it was done. I tried mentioning the movie to my wife and she was unusually terse with me, so I left the room to watch more Letterkenny. Still enjoying it, and the seasons seem to only be about 6 episodes each, running between 20-25 minutes. They do have a bit of continuity to them, so make sure you watch them in order. For the most part it's fairly random humor, but occasionally something happens and gets followed up on in a subsequent episode. Another amusing touch- although it features rural Canadians, they don't come off as country bumpkins. In fact, many of them seem to be extremely educated and sharp-witted. Still another amusing touch- although it's implied they are moderately successful running their farm, I watched an entire first season and have yet to see the main characters do any farm work. It seems they have plenty of time for shenanigans.
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jan 21, 2022 10:30:53 GMT
The Red Green Show without the country bumpkins Oh, and there was no swearing in the Red Green Show Sorry your wife was in such a bad mood The movie does have some subtitles, which I think added to the viewing effect. Your wife might not need the subtitles.
|
|
|
Post by bazookagoof on Jan 27, 2022 0:39:05 GMT
I'm into the fourth season of Letterkenny, and still enjoying it. Occasionally there will be an episode that plays a bit flat to me, or sometimes the reliance on flatulence makes me glance at my watch (this is rare, but one episode per season seems to feature fart jokes extensively) but the interesting part to me is that it's starting to remind me of the Odin's Tooth webcomic, as there are groups of assorted characters who could do just fine in their own spinoff. Many are so entertaining on their own that I look forward to seeing them whenever they appear in an episode.
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Jan 27, 2022 8:10:54 GMT
I've not heard of Letterkenny and am not sure it's on any of the channels we have, but I will keep it in mind. Glad you're enjoying it!
Aaaah Odon's Tooth - it seems so long ago since you last worked on that. Do you still miss doing it?
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jan 27, 2022 21:31:06 GMT
I haven't been able to find Letterkenny on any of the ROKU channels we get, but I'll keep looking. I'm sure I've seen it somewhere.
Ah, yes. Odin's Tooth. I miss that!
|
|
|
Post by bazookagoof on Jan 28, 2022 0:55:38 GMT
Letterkenny can be found on Hulu.
As far as Odin's Tooth goes, I do miss it. I've been puttering around with trying to do something creative, but haven't had much time to devote to it. I did have a friend who wanted to start a podcast, and I told him I would help if he figured out the logistics of recording (he lives in North Carolina, currently) and so far I think he's still planning it out. Another friend of mine wants to do something along the lines of a social commentary with a character remarking on things, and I said I can help if he plans out how he wants to do it exactly.
If he wants a webcomic-style format, I might resurrect some backgrounds from the Tooth and use them. But we still have to sit down and brainstorm about his specifications. That might happen next month.
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Jan 28, 2022 8:27:46 GMT
I'm glad you still have the creative juices flowing, even if they're just being held as ideas rather than you having the time/ resources to act on them. I'll look forward to seeing whatever you come up with next (if you show us of course!).
We've started watching a new BBC drama called The Responder, with Martin Freeman playing a troubled police officer whose moral compass is rather malfunctioning - he's up to his ears in it and has been tasked with partnering with a new recruit who wants to do things by the book. It's really good, but by golly it's stressful to watch - there's never a moment you can relax and think things will turn out okay! Martin Freeman's excellent in it, it's quite different to the stuff I've seen him in before.
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jan 28, 2022 21:52:57 GMT
I do wish those moral compass problem shows, etc. were approached a little differently. I can't explain it, but we've watch two miniseries about an Australian aboriginal cop working cases in the outback. Yes, he's aboriginal. Yes, he's imperfect. No, those aren't major aspects of the story line. The stories are so good, we binge watched the first one, Murder Road, and really enjoyed the second one, though it was much heavier than Murder Road. They were both so well done!
You mentioned podcast and it reminded me of a HULU original series we watched last year called Only Murders in This Building. It centers around a cast of characters involved in solving a murder in a Manhattan condo building, who make their quest for the solution into a podcast.
|
|
|
Post by bazookagoof on Jan 29, 2022 1:19:31 GMT
You mentioned podcast and it reminded me of a HULU original series we watched last year called Only Murders in This Building. It centers around a cast of characters involved in solving a murder in a Manhattan condo building, who make their quest for the solution into a podcast. I must admit, I don't care for podcasts. They're similar to talk radio DJs, and if you aren't following them on a regular basis, you aren't in on all the inside jokes. Besides, I'd rather listen to music instead of people talking. I've tried listening to various podcasts, and always walk away unimpressed. I've even tried a podcast that was story-oriented. There's a series called Wolf 359 which revolves around a crew working in a space station. Although it's meant to be a comedy, I made it through half a dozen episodes without laughing and eventually gave up. It just felt tired and derivative. The only reason I was willing to assist with this podcast is because I enjoy talking with this friend. He and his brother can come up with some scintillating conversations, and I'm willing to try to help them out if they can figure out the logistics.
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Jan 29, 2022 8:49:18 GMT
My husband listens to loads of podcasts on his commute and has been recommending stuff to me for years. Until the last year, nothing he suggested floated my boat and I found it hard to focus on listening closely enough to really follow stuff - I'd frequently realise I'd been thinking about something else for the last 5 minutes! But I've got into them over the last year or so, and like putting one on when I'm walking somewhere.
I've just listened to a really interesting series Jon Ronson did called Things Fell Apart, which tells stories of several people who have been caught up in culture wars over the decades, and how every aspect of our lives seems to have the power to divide us, whether it's mask-wearing or your views on cancel culture. It was fascinating to go back to the original events that had sparked it all off, and see how trivial or misunderstood it had been.
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jan 30, 2022 0:39:18 GMT
I had to google cancel culture. Never heard that before. I don't watch much about that sort of thing, which is probably why. It's an interesting phrase for something that isn't really new but is being applied in new ways. Speaking of which, the NH School Board is debating banning a book about the Holocaust. Maus. They say it has graphic nudity, but follow that by saying there must be gentler books about the holocaust the students could read Denial rears it's ugly head, and since they are a governing body, they can ban books in the schools. If they do, it will probably go to court, but nothing helpful has come out of any of our courts lately.
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Jan 30, 2022 9:07:56 GMT
Yes, let's find a nice soothing book about the Holocaust!
While Jon Ronson was making this series, he discovered that one of his books 'So You've Been Publicly Shamed' (an excellent analysis of the history of public shaming and how the trauma it causes has evolved with the internet) had been the cause of outcry after being put on a summer reading list with older students at a high school in Arizona.
Several parents complained, because in anaylsing numerous scenarios of social shaming, there is some small amount of sexual content - it's not gratuitous. There were plenty of other students and parents defending the book (most people who complained hadn't read it all of course, only the juicy paragraphs) and saying it encouraged self-awareness and compassion in social interactions, especially online, but I think the Principal's contract wasn't renewed after it.
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jan 30, 2022 20:05:44 GMT
People have hidden from what they couldn't handle, probably since the beginning of time. It's since we've had schools and libraries that influenced large numbers of people at one time that people have been all about not discussing anything they weren't totally comfortable discussing. This has led to banning books, and even to shaming girls for having a bra strap showing or the bottom of a slip showing. Grow up, people. We used to call the slip showing "snowing down south." Girls would just hitch up their slips around their waists to stop them from showing. We didn't refuse to have anything to do with girls whose slips showed! Same with bra straps. It's outrageous have fragile people have become about what's wrong with everyone else, as if there's never anything wrong with them
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Jan 31, 2022 7:50:15 GMT
Well, I reckon usually it's the people who have the most issues who go round having a go at everyone else - it's a good distraction from accepting and working on your own failings!
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jan 31, 2022 18:35:12 GMT
I think you're right. Why ban a book about the Holocaust unless it's something you don't want to have to discuss with your kids. If there's a picture that might show more of an emaciated body than you're comfortable with, it was even worse for the people with those bodies. History needs to be presented clearly and factually, not sugar coated so it doesn't offend anyone.
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Feb 1, 2022 8:40:13 GMT
The less we educate people about past wrongs, the less able parents are to help educate their kids on it too. So it's not just a matter of discomfort with a difficult subject matter, but with it being a threat to their self esteem. I've definitely seen some parents shut down topics because they don't want to look stupid, and can't just say 'I'm not actually sure, why don't we find out?'. Of course, we get that message time and time again in politics - of seeing people modelling never admitting they don't know something because they believe it makes them look weak, but just making something up or distracting with blather.
|
|