TV Series - Reviews and Recommendations......

kingstongraham

briantrumpet said:

Tashman said:

I don't get the "can't understand it" comments (each to their own, I know) but I have never lived further north than Oxford and have no trouble understanding it. The first episode was quite hard to get into the story line but I thought it definitely got better from there. I haven't watched it all yet but it's worlds ahead of Trigger Point.

I didn't have a problem with The Wire... well, certainly not enough to make any of the story lines unintelligible. I think there's a risk if you switch on subtitles of not having to attune one's ears: on the times I've gone to a Shakespeare play, I'm always a bit at sea for the first ten minutes, but then it seems to sort itself out after that.

Fair play to you - but I'd say if you struggle with Martin Freeman talking scouse, you're going to struggle with Snoop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8zavPW3Bus

briantrumpet

kingstongraham said:

briantrumpet said:

Tashman said:

I don't get the "can't understand it" comments (each to their own, I know) but I have never lived further north than Oxford and have no trouble understanding it. The first episode was quite hard to get into the story line but I thought it definitely got better from there. I haven't watched it all yet but it's worlds ahead of Trigger Point.

I didn't have a problem with The Wire... well, certainly not enough to make any of the story lines unintelligible. I think there's a risk if you switch on subtitles of not having to attune one's ears: on the times I've gone to a Shakespeare play, I'm always a bit at sea for the first ten minutes, but then it seems to sort itself out after that.

Fair play to you - but I'd say if you struggle with Martin Freeman talking scouse, you're going to struggle with Snoop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8zavPW3Bus

Reminds me of how fantastic the acting is in that. Not sure I should enjoy the acting of a murderer as much as I did hers.

TheBigBean

Interesting that Snoop is played by Snoop and that she was busted for a drugs deal after staring in the Wire.

Pross

Tashman said:

I don't get the "can't understand it" comments (each to their own, I know) but I have never lived further north than Oxford and have no trouble understanding it. The first episode was quite hard to get into the story line but I thought it definitely got better from there. I haven't watched it all yet but it's worlds ahead of Trigger Point.

Had no issue understanding it either. Maybe I watched too much Brookside when I was first going out with my wife.

briantrumpet

TheBigBean said:

Interesting that Snoop is played by Snoop and that she was busted for a drugs deal after staring in the Wire.

Kinda reinforces one of the central points of The Wire. It's business.

They certainly took some bold decisions in their casting. I think it's probably my favourite show ever.

TheBigBean

briantrumpet said:

TheBigBean said:

Interesting that Snoop is played by Snoop and that she was busted for a drugs deal after staring in the Wire.

Kinda reinforces one of the central points of The Wire. It's business.

They certainly took some bold decisions in their casting. I think it's probably my favourite show ever.

Reinforces the lack of opportunity for black female actors with strong Baltimore accents. Certainly doesn't excuse what she did, but explains why she did it.

ddraver

She was a pretty big dealer before the show too to be fair.

briantrumpet

Just finished the post-Wire (also David Simon) Treme. Really worth the effort. A good review here: https://www.indiewire.com/2014/01/why-treme-is-better-than-the-wire-31592/

daniel_b

Finished watching Rules of the Game on iplayer, starring Maxine Peake, who is a fine actor.

It started ok I thought, got pretty dark, but then to my mind became a bit cliche/formulaic, and I was pleased to get it over with.

blazing_saddles

daniel_b said:

Finished watching Rules of the Game on iplayer, starring Maxine Peake, who is a fine actor.

It started ok I thought, got pretty dark, but then to my mind became a bit cliche/formulaic, and I was pleased to get it over with.

I steered well clear of this, after a quick visit to IMdB. Under 6 is an impressively low score for the BBC, even by today's woeful standards.
Imo, the best thing they have on their current books is Hidden Assets. The Irish Belgian answer to The Bridge and The Tunnel. I've only watched two of the six episodes so far, but I haven't yet felt the need to press the fast forward button.

Mad_Malx

Hidden assets was the best of the current bunch i'd say. Does have echos of the Bridge but that set a very high bar.
it's prob just me getting old but there is a lot of me too dross around just now.

Pross

blazing_saddles said:

daniel_b said:

Finished watching Rules of the Game on iplayer, starring Maxine Peake, who is a fine actor.

It started ok I thought, got pretty dark, but then to my mind became a bit cliche/formulaic, and I was pleased to get it over with.

I steered well clear of this, after a quick visit to IMdB. Under 6 is an impressively low score for the BBC, even by today's woeful standards.
Imo, the best thing they have on their current books is Hidden Assets. The Irish Belgian answer to The Bridge and The Tunnel. I've only watched two of the six episodes so far, but I haven't yet felt the need to press the fast forward button.

I've never relied on IMDB / Rotten Tomato ratings. There are far too many wannabee Mark Kermodes on there desperate to show everyone how high brow they are and that popular TV / films are beneath them.

ddraver

Everything on there is rated 7.1 isnt it?

pblakeney

ddraver said:

Everything on there is rated 7.1 isnt it?

Mostly in the 5.3 to 6.7 range from what I've seen.
Rare to get above 7 for mainstream Hollywood films/TV series.

TheBigBean

@ddraver did you finish the first season of Alone or give up in the end?

seanoconn

TheBigBean said:

@ddraver did you finish the first season of Alone or give up in the end?

He ran out of food and caught pneumonia.

seanoconn

Pross said:

blazing_saddles said:

daniel_b said:

Finished watching Rules of the Game on iplayer, starring Maxine Peake, who is a fine actor.

It started ok I thought, got pretty dark, but then to my mind became a bit cliche/formulaic, and I was pleased to get it over with.

I steered well clear of this, after a quick visit to IMdB. Under 6 is an impressively low score for the BBC, even by today's woeful standards.
Imo, the best thing they have on their current books is Hidden Assets. The Irish Belgian answer to The Bridge and The Tunnel. I've only watched two of the six episodes so far, but I haven't yet felt the need to press the fast forward button.

I've never relied on IMDB / Rotten Tomato ratings. There are far too many wannabee Mark Kermodes on there desperate to show everyone how high brow they are and that popular TV / films are beneath them.

I don’t read the reviews but weight in numbers tends to even out score reliability. Far more likely to find something overrated than under. It would be rare to find something under a score of 6 that would be worth a watch.

ddraver

seanoconn said:

TheBigBean said:

@ddraver did you finish the first season of Alone or give up in the end?

He ran out of food and caught pneumonia.

Ha ha,

I did yes. The last two were impressive.

The psychology of survival was the most interesting part for me. The Second place guy basically had everything down and then was just bored & sick of eating mice for 60 odd days (fair enough) whereas the winner seemed like he was expecting to be there for 600 days!

blazing_saddles

seanoconn said:

Pross said:

blazing_saddles said:

daniel_b said:

Finished watching Rules of the Game on iplayer, starring Maxine Peake, who is a fine actor.

It started ok I thought, got pretty dark, but then to my mind became a bit cliche/formulaic, and I was pleased to get it over with.

I steered well clear of this, after a quick visit to IMdB. Under 6 is an impressively low score for the BBC, even by today's woeful standards.
Imo, the best thing they have on their current books is Hidden Assets. The Irish Belgian answer to The Bridge and The Tunnel. I've only watched two of the six episodes so far, but I haven't yet felt the need to press the fast forward button.

I've never relied on IMDB / Rotten Tomato ratings. There are far too many wannabee Mark Kermodes on there desperate to show everyone how high brow they are and that popular TV / films are beneath them.

I don’t read the reviews but weight in numbers tends to even out score reliability. Far more likely to find something overrated than under. It would be rare to find something under a score of 6 that would be worth a watch.

That’s pretty much how I use it although I do read the reviews now and again to check whether my thinking is in line with things.

Under 6 for a BBC production is a definite red flag.

TheBigBean

ddraver said:

seanoconn said:

TheBigBean said:

@ddraver did you finish the first season of Alone or give up in the end?

He ran out of food and caught pneumonia.

Ha ha,

I did yes. The last two were impressive.

The psychology of survival was the most interesting part for me. The Second place guy basically had everything down and then was just bored & sick of eating mice for 60 odd days (fair enough) whereas the winner seemed like he was expecting to be there for 600 days!

It was a while ago that I watched, but I liked one of the others in the last four as well. The one who made a boat and a guitar.

There's eight seasons of it so far if you get hooked. One of the interesting things is that the contestants all watch previous seasons, so there is some form of evolution.

daniel_b

blazing_saddles said:

daniel_b said:

Finished watching Rules of the Game on iplayer, starring Maxine Peake, who is a fine actor.

It started ok I thought, got pretty dark, but then to my mind became a bit cliche/formulaic, and I was pleased to get it over with.

I steered well clear of this, after a quick visit to IMdB. Under 6 is an impressively low score for the BBC, even by today's woeful standards.
Imo, the best thing they have on their current books is Hidden Assets. The Irish Belgian answer to The Bridge and The Tunnel. I've only watched two of the six episodes so far, but I haven't yet felt the need to press the fast forward button.

Ah I didn't think to look, and we both think she is quite a good actor, though I think she was under utilised in this.

I shall have a look at Hidden Assets.

Currently trying to watch Trauma on All4 - only 2 episodes in, but pretty odd and underwhelming so far, not a patch on the other French series i have had the pleasure of watching - maybe it will pick up, but I have my doubts.

daniel_b

Finished the 6 episodes of Trauma - it was quite traumatic to be fair, acting and script not the best, should have been able to conjure up suspense in the way that spiral manages with ease, but was oddly lacking.
Far fetched plot line, if you can call it that.
Please to see the back of it, I don't think there will be a 2nd series.

blazing_saddles

daniel_b said:

Finished the 6 episodes of Trauma - it was quite traumatic to be fair, acting and script not the best, should have been able to conjure up suspense in the way that spiral manages with ease, but was oddly lacking.
Far fetched plot line, if you can call it that.
Please to see the back of it, I don't think there will be a 2nd series.

I see there are one or two interesting looking foreign series on the STV player, so also available on the Sky box.
2 seasons of Spring Tide, which is Swedish but the second series is a crossover with the Marseilles police involved.
Also Malaterra, which is the French version of Broadchurch.
There are others.

kingstongraham

Just finished The Outlaws, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Very silly.

briantrumpet

Part way through Red Dwarf, and there was a gag about up-skirting. Hmm... it got a laugh.

johngti

Reacher on prime is good fun. Very close to the feel of the books - absolute escapism (and violent)

seanoconn

johngti said:

Reacher on prime is good fun. Very close to the feel of the books - absolute escapism (and violent)

Reacher, murder she wrote on steroids. Alan Ritchson in the lead roll is certainly more convincingly than tiny Tom but it’s all a bit meh. The violence is a highlight.

ddraver

Man, the end of Alone, Season 2 is a bit of a roller coaster for the heart!

TheBigBean

ddraver said:

Man, the end of Alone, Season 2 is a bit of a roller coaster for the heart!

You're still going! They learnt from the first season. I think the winner was headhunted. Also, he is one of the few people to put on weight between med checks. Pretty stunning achievement.

ddraver

(think that was a different season, doesnt ring a bell)

It was the 'faith in god' thing that stood out for me. As someone who doesn't have faith and never has, it's interesting to see how much it can get people through very hard stuff. Perhaps it's not actually "god" but just his word for the strength that he has but...golly gosh jimminy smokes etc.

(the winner is/was a 50 yr old preacher, almost a Ned Flanders)