We watched 1 last night and it was fine. It was a simple revenge tale - we spend about 10 mins showing Wick's character, his loss, and his bad day that led to him being drug back into the underworld. It's a good exercise in showing, not telling. And it doesn't need to be any more complicated than that. As an aside, I feel like if the Russian had just said "John, my son made an awful, stupid mistake - what can we do to make it right" on the phone call, they could have worked this out "man to man".

It's a pretty short movie - like 100 minutes - and it feels like a discount John Woo movie: our main character spends the next hour going from set piece to set piece, against increasingly difficult odds, shooting bad guys until he gets to mini boss and then final boss. It even has the fairly formulaic - show he's increasingly badass shaking off the rust, then show he's unbeatable, then weaken him with an injury. Also, make him a likeable killer so you're rooting for him against the bad guys and even give him a partner in crime that he could lose. Go light on exposition so he seems mysterious but have him the man about town who clearly knows everyone and everyone knows him - basically make him a "women want him and men want to be like him" stereotype. Structurally it all makes sense.

The action sequences are a little bit of budget John Woo and I'm saying that as praise, not an insult. It is decently choreographed so it's not the "herky jerky" action sequences that have been standard since right around Daniel Craig James Bond (which was jarring and awful coming off of the artistic wire fu of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix trilogy). Though, even as someone who likes action movies, they get a little repetitive and indistinct from each other.

However, this felt like a self contained story, a simple revenge tale to spend an evening in a shadowy (exaggerated) underworld we never see and the good guy wins, the bad guys lose, and all is right with the world. I expect we're going to go all Rambo with this series where First Blood was a tale about a man suffering from PTSD who is put in an unfortunate situation. Somehow that became RAMBO, MASTER KILLER. I'm not clamoring to find out more about the underworld or the hotel or anything and I suspect that's what we're going to get in terms of world building over the next 2+ movies - the mystery is part of the appeal. Similarly, you get why he would do this, coming back for one last job because of his wife, and I'm sure the premises will be increasingly flimsy and complicated.

SI

One was fun, two was meh, three had no story at all and felt like a cash out.

That's kindof what I'm expecting and trying to decide if I want to watch the others. Like I didn't want my 100 minutes back from the first one - I was glad I watched it. Not sure I'll feel that way about the likely increasingly bloated sequels.

SI

Where are you streaming John Wick?

On that note, can we make it a habit when we bring up a movie or show for the first time, to say on which streaming service it's currently playing. There are so many around now, that I'm searching each service for a recommended show here, only to find out it's on one I'm not subscribed to.

Blu-ray collection.

Yes, I still buy BRs during sales like Black Friday. I like watching the specials.

John Wick 1 was a fun movie and one of few in that genre that I thoroughly enjoyed and would watch multiple times. Keanu is great in all of them.

I’m pretty sure I saw 2 and 3 on planes and they were fine… the kind of film I will watch when I’ve got nothing else to do for 5+ hours.

Peacock has it

The JustWatch app does a good job of telling you which service a given show or movie is on.

Thanks, I just downloaded this. I remember this app discussed earlier in this thread. I forgot about it until your mention.

Watching Clickbait and enjoying it, short mini series on Netflix that has some interesting, if at time predictable twists, but definitely a "one more episode" show for us

Entering week 11 or 12 of lockdown down here, I can't even remember. Seen so many shows. Ones we are still going through:



Nine Perfect Strangers - Still don't know where this one is going, but enjoying it more than I expected. I feel like the cast are (mostly) doing the heavy lifting, in particular Shannon/McCarthy/Cannavale.



Ted Lasso - I love this show. S2 apparently not getting as much love from some, but although the Xmas episode didn't do a lot for me I'm enjoying it as much as season 1, and it feels like the point it's been building towards for the first 1.5 seasons is here. So many great characters, like, there's not a single supporting character or actor that I don't love, they've nailed every role.


Chapelwaite - A few episodes in to this. It's a slow burn and I'm not sure if we will stick with it, but I haven't read the Stephen King short story behind this so I'm sort of interested to see where it goes.


Mr Corman - I guess I enjoy strange shows where I don't have any idea where they are going. That fits Mr Corman too through the 3 episodes I've seen. JGL is always good, and his hands are all over this one. Very quirky.

Trailer for the Wheel of Time TV show:
The Wheel Of Time – Official Teaser Trailer | Prime Video - YouTube

It is going to be hard to keep my expectations low after seeing this. It looks very good. Can't wait.

Oh God. I didn't think I could get more hyped. If this pays off it is going to be epic. I just finished listening to all the books over the course of several months. I just can't wait for this to come out.
The fandom is very split, btw. Loy's of criticism that it is too "woke." "tHe cASt IsN"t all whITe" crap.

Is this a mini-series or something that will go on for a while?

It'll be a series like Game of Thrones.

This. The first season releases November 19th, and they are already in the middle of shooting the second season. The plan I have heard is for eight seasons. There is also a "prequel" movie trilogy in the works.

Eight seasons should be enough for the exposition in the first book.

It's not the color of the characters, it's the fact that a big deal in the books is made of X race/nation having fairly homogenous characteristics. Particularly in the Two Rivers, where their isolation is a very noteworthy topic, and the fact that Rand looks nothing like the rest of the people there is Important. That's what I'm not sold on - the casting in the Two Rivers, a place that specifically SHOULDN'T be diverse - appears to be all over the place.

On a less serious note, there was no braid tugging, sniffing, or long shots focused on the style of dresses in this trailer. Doomed.

It just isn't that big of a deal. There are simple explanations for it, but in the end race was not a big character in the story. Jordan purposely made the races undefinable, as they are a blend of many centuries after our time (spoiler I guess). Rand still doesn't look like the others from Two Rivers, so that is still in the story. The how is not really important.

Actually after cutting all the descriptions of dresses, I am surprised it is more than three.

lol

The show looks really well done. And while incredibly difficult to convert, it might be better suited for TV. But I had to tap out on the books halfway through 5. Incredibly cool concept and I can understand why it's so beloved, but Jordan is not a good writer (brilliant and creative mind though). It's written like someone had to hit a specific word count.

I had considered doing the audiobooks where I can run it back at 1.5 speed or something. But there is too much inconsequential shit that doesn't advance the plot in the books to dedicate that much time.

Has anyone watched Sweet Girl on Netflix yet? I'm pretty much in on any vigilante movie you put out.

I love Ted Lasso but I'm not sure I enjoy where they are going with NAte.

Hand of God is really good. It is on Amazon.

The Untold series that Netflix is dropping is kind of like ESPNs 30 for 30. The story about the malice in the Palace is awesome, as is the story about the bad boys of hickey. This is a must see.

Watching "Turn". Somewhat interesting plot but enjoying the history even more.

Did not know Roger's Rangers worked for the Brits. I know the current Rangers trace their lineage back to them.

Did not know that Brit officers lived with civilian families. I guess this makes sense, much better than the barracks.

Did not know that captured Officers were treated so well. I would have gutted that one guy for just being a dick.

There was a scene where Brit major indicated (forget his wording) that slavery was not looked well on. Googled and the UK abolished slave trade in 1807 vs show's 1776 era. Will have to read more about this.

Didn't know about Gen Charles Lee who was competing with George Washington. I'll assume some liberties were taken here in telling the story. Will have to read more about this also.

I like the outfits, the soldier's uniforms and every(wo)man's wear.

Looking forward to "Wheel of Time".

I saw the trailer and I wasn't too impressed but ready for another major series.

"Turn" was very good.

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Watching Turn where bunch of Brit officers are drinking and singing a song ... which sounded very familiar!

This is why we have the third amendment.

For your Third Amendment pleasure:

https://twitter.com/jimamendments

That's amazing. How did you find that?

...been a fan for some time, he's hilarious.

Yeah that was a real dark turn last episode.

Finished Turn s3.

Still enjoying it but the storyline really sucked this season. Woodhull is really a terrible spy.

But I'm enjoying the history. Many times when something (non-Woodhull-and-gang happens), I google to check it out.

The (seemingly) slow change of Benedict Arnold. Washington proposing exchange of Benedict Arnold for Andre. Andre's hanging. There was a guy named Simcoe. Culper gang was real.

I do hope s4 has better writing.

Finished Turn s4. Much better than s3 where it seemed Woodhull was a bumbling spy.

I liked the Benedict Arnold arch. I knew he was a "hero" before becoming a traitor. And it is true what one of the scenes implied, if the outcome was different, he would be a "hero" now and Washington a traitor.

The King George was a little out there. As Mel Brooks said "good to be King".

Also made me (re)appreciate the French & Lafayette more. I guess we paid them back in kind by returning their country to them in WW2. But think I want to read more about Lafayette.

Liked the last episode where it told the story of what happened afterwards. More character building. Woodhull just asking for repayment of expenses seemed weird, I would have asked for more.

Overall, fun series. If you like revolutionary times history, check it out.

A couple of parts in this weeks Ted Lasso legit had me crying, and not in the laughing way. So good.

Mike Duncan of the Revolutions podcast just released a book on Lafayette called Hero of Two Worlds. It’s next on my reading list. Duncan’s series on the French Revolution was epic.

Watch "Shadow and Bone" on Netflix right now. Very enjoyable.

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Life isn't complete until you've seen "Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus"

Available on Amazon Prime!

Anybody interested in oddball horror should check out BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR.

It's a little bit insane, but in a good way. Catherine Keener is great in it, but somehow outshined by Rosa Salazar. If anyone saw the Amazon series, UNDONE (the rotoscoped series that had Bob Odenkirk in it), this is the same female lead of that. She was great in that, maybe even better here.

It is not totally unlike UNDONE, in that it's a pretty nuts premise, but the show reminds me more of something like NEON DEMON (the Nicolas Winding Refn movie) than anything else, but it's a lot more engaging than a Refn movie.

Check it out. If episode 1 is too weird for you, then you can get out easily.

For those who have read Wheel of Time, is it over the top science fiction or would a casual fan enjoy it?

I love GoT, King books, some sci fi, etc...but did not like watchmen and have no interest in Wanda Vision or anything too Sci Fi, if that makes sense.

Looking for a new book series to listen to.

I know its supposed to be a classic but not for me. Jordan's writing was too dry and stopped after the first book.

I'm sure he was good for his time but with GRRM and others, I found it "lacking". I am looking forward to the series though.

The Enders Game series. This is a fantastic read and there are several books in the series. Easy to read and extremely entertaining. Enders Game is easily my favorite Sci-Fi book.

I would listen to everything Brandon Sanderson has written before I listen to the Wheel of Time.

All of the Mistborn books are great. The Stormlight Archive is much better than WoT, IMO.

The Mrs and I binge watched the last 5 episodes of HBO's Mare of Eastown. It did not disappoint. Very good series. Some heartbreaking and intense moments in the story for sure.

Yeah we really enjoyed it too, one of the best shows of the year.



We went through 3 seasons of Mr Inbetween in like 2 weeks, amazing. I guess you could kind of compare it to something like an Aussie Breaking Bad, although the lead has "broke bad" already. Very, very Australian (Americans will need subtitles) and shot all around where I live which definitely added to my enjoyment of it.

Well I did watch this and it is pretty terrible. And I am always game for dumb vigilante action movies.

Paper tigers on Netflix was good imo


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Liked it also. Looking forward to next season of Cobra Kai. I really enjoyed seeing the old characters again last season.

Squid Game is a solid South Korean drama about financially bankrupt people playing childrens games for billions of Korean dollars. The losers are eliminated each game.

Really good show.

Caught The Wonder Years.

White kid Kevin Arnold replaced by black kid Dean Williams. Too soon to tell if this is a keeper but enjoyed ep 1 and the different POV.

(The Fantasy Island remake, not so much. Watched up to half of second episode and gave up)

Agreed Fantasy Island was pretty bad.

The first episode featured a woman using a flower to show how she masturbates.

Watched the Lion King live action on Disney. Not sure how I missed it the first time around but I enjoyed it. The CGI was pretty darn good.

Recently re-watched Witcher s1. Can't wait for s2!

Three episodes into Midnight Mass and it's got me hooked. The twist is great.

...

Now Episode 5 and it's brilliant if you have a bone to pick with organized religion.

...

Hamish Linklater is simply amazing in this role.

Yep. Was the most pleasant surprise I've watched in the last year.

Loving this also. We are five episodes in. Similar to Battle Royale, but less school kids and so far a much more developed plot.

My wife and I just binged this one. Depressing but very good. Kate Winslet is an incredible actress.

Dunno if those 2 are on US Netflix, but if they are:


1) Schumacher / Documentary on F1 great(est ?) Michael Schumacher which really, really hits you in the feels, does a good job putting his career in the context of F1 in general but also does not sugarcoat too much the fact the guy had his less than ideal (dirty) 'moments' on track.


2) Invisivble City / A short series (7 episodes) from Brazil that transports brazilian myths into modern time. Just a cool little series. A tad light on the characters but the story itself is really good and it's really well done in terms of setting the stage and introducing the mythical characters for people not familiar with them. A little bit like American Gods without the road movie aspect and the over the top theatrics.

Wife and I will finish MadMen tonight and are looking for a new show. Does Squid Game have subtitles?

It's dubbed.

Yes. I watch it with subtitles.

Enjoyed the Squid Game. It got better with each episode except for the very last. It was good they wanted to give a good post-mortem but it kinda dragged on.

Playing the marbles and the bridge episodes were fantastic.

Why has there not been more discussion about Midnight Mass? Planning to finish it tonight.

Watching "Y: The Last Man", up to ep4.

I like the premise but Yorick and his monkey is annoying as hell. Feel as if Agent 355 should just kick the hell out of him.

And the former President's daughter, yeah no, seeya.

We have the finale left of midnight mass. It is fantastic! We'll also probably finish it off today!

I'll watch it again. It was freaking awesome.

I finished Midnight Mass a few days ago and enjoyed it. A lot of times, these type of shows fizzle with their finales, but I thought they did pretty well with this one. Good acting and scenery overall. I have never seen the actor that played Father Paul before, but he was outstanding. I grew up Catholic and I thought he really nailed the speech patterns and non-verbal cues.


My only minor quibble was that the handful of scenes filmed on small boats in the water looked really fake to me and kind of took me out of the moment. The rest of the effects/costumes/scenery seemed top-notch, so I'm not sure why these stood out so much to me.

Has anyone watching "For all Mankind" from Apple TV? Curious if its worth a months subscription to binge.

House Of The Dragon | Official Teaser | HBO Max - YouTube

Cautiously optimistic.

I can't not see Matt Smith as the Doctor.

Finished second episode of Midnight Mass. The acting is good but plot is slow as molasses.

Don't even come back here with your 2nd episode complaints.

"How did the Doctor get a dragon?"
I want to be excited about this and the Amazon LOTR prequel, but I just can't. I really hate prequels. Go forward, not back.

Went to Netflix for another spin through Mad Men (the only "bingeworthy" tv series I've watched more than once) and it's gone! Oh no!

So went for Squid Games, two episodes down and it seems to be quite good, but it's not Mad Men.

Mad Men is on amzaon Prime. We just finished it.

Yeah, saw it listed there but couldnt see an option for ad free without buying the seasons. That's put me off for the moment.

yeah, there were ads.

AMC plus has Mad Men ad free.

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Mad Men also on AppleTV+

Get the justwatch app or justwatch.com. Set your streaming channels, and search for anything and it will tell you how and where it's available. No more surfing.

I thought Netflix paid a fortune to make Mad Men exclusive to them years ago.

I've been out on Netflix for awhile. Might sign up for Witcher season 2 and binge some stuff, but their selection is putrid. None of their original stuff interests me.

You don't like shows where rich girl dumps rich boy for the poor boy while poor boy is hunting lost treasure when rich girl's dad is looking for the treasure, too!

When I saw it was gone from Netflix I hit justwatch.com so knew it was on AppleTV and AMC+. It was adding yet another monthly subscription streaming option that put me off, got way too many as it is.

But maybe time to dump netflix and go to AppleTV until I've been through Mad Men, Foundation and Ted Lasso.

Don’t forget Mythic Quest!

What to Watch Instantly on Netflix? (and now all streaming services)
 

...

Saw Ally McBeal was available and watched last 2 episodes of the show. Brought back some memories but no, the series did not age well. There was a reference to a necklace made from the World Trade Center but I had thought the series ended in the 90's.

But do remember the dancing baby way back when.

Dancing Baby Screensaver. 1996 (original music) - YouTube

Alright, ep 3 was pretty creepy. Got my interest now

Finished it. Enjoyed it, similar to Wandavision, glad I got past ep2.

I can handle no one recognizing the disease. I also really like how they had the muslim characters.

But com'on. Not able to find some place to hide on the whole island is pretty incredulous (e.g. find a canoe). And some of the dialog & expositions were a tad too long.

Watching Knight's Tale with Heath Ledger. Seen it a couple times and catch it in bits and pieces flipping channels. Find myself still enjoying it.

Medieval knights + fun story line + contemporary music is a good combination.

Watching Only Murderers In The Building. 4 episode in, and I am really enjoying it. Last episode is out tomorrow.

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I just finished it and liked it. Worth watching for Steve Martin and Martin Short. Selena Gomez isn't a good actress but she doesn't detract too much. Good to see it got renewed for another season.

Only 3 years or so behind the curve (which is normal for me), I'm finally watching Santa Clarita Diet.

Worth a 3-season binge -- especially the first two -- due to the snappy writing alone. Timothy Olyphant surprised me with a departure from his usual brood-then-shoot-everybody role (not a criticism; that's usually why I tune in to watch him).

Warning: the series was canceled after 3 reasons and ends on a terrible cliffhanger, so avoid if unfinished stories induce too much anxiety. Or just stop after season two. You won't be missing much.

Well this is unexpected

History of the World Part 2 Show Coming To Hulu From Mel Brooks

I wonder how much Mel is actually contributing.

'Hitler on Ice' should do well with the MAGA crowd.

I agree about all of that. She comes off sort of wooden. At first I thought maybe it was the character she was trying to portray, but after awhile you can tell it was just her not being super comfortable. I would be fascinated to know the story of how she ended up in that role, not to mention with an Executive Producer credit. Also, Sting at one time was a pretty decent actor. Not so much now. Still, the show is more the story, and Steve and Martin just being great.

Re-watching Apocalypse Now and recognized Harrison Ford!

Dune dropped tonight, but I am waiting until tomorrow night. I cannot wait.

You got to watch Dune in the theatre - it's Hans Zimmer bro!

Ps - I just got back from the first show in my town.

Awesome. Going to watch it on HBOmax tomorrow. But will catch it in a theater next weekend.