Watchable telly

[therealhantsram]

I'm just not artistic or creative but I am fascinated by the creative process and people who can create something unique and amazing out of nothing. For that reason I love Portrait Artist of the Year on Sky. It's great slow TV.

The missus and I also like picking our favourites then chastising the 'experts' when they pick a different winner. Fools.

[Reggie Greenwood]

1 hour ago, AndyinLiverpool said:

I've made it through 2 episodes of 1899. Because of my short attention span, I tend to look at other things - phone, computer etc - while I'm watching TV. 1899 demands my full attention for no reward. I don't want needy TV.

Unless there is needy shagging in it ? ?

[Bob The Badger]

On 05/12/2022 at 09:07, BucksRam said:

Be interested to hear your view when you've seen the last episode....

Oh, and well said re the subtitles. Do not watch this dubbed as it doesn't make sense due to the multi lingual cast (English, German, Portuguese, French, Danish, Japanese- maybe more?). Plus the dubbing isn't actually correct in some cases.   

I must admit that the 7th episode is the best and it's starting to make sense, so looking forward to seeing how the last one pans out this evening.

[Bob The Badger]

2 hours ago, AndyinLiverpool said:

I've made it through 2 episodes of 1899. Because of my short attention span, I tend to look at other things - phone, computer etc - while I'm watching TV. 1899 demands my full attention for no reward. I don't want needy TV.

How do you know there is no reward if you haven't given it your full attention when you yourself say it needs your full attention?

Riddle me that one Batman.

[AndyinLiverpool]

11 minutes ago, Bob The Badger said:

I must admit that the 7th episode is the best and it's starting to make sense, so looking forward to seeing how the last one pans out this evening.

Things should make sense earlier than the 7th hour.

[Comrade 86]

12 minutes ago, AndyinLiverpool said:

Things should make sense earlier than the 7th hour.

Not every story is linear in its telling. The English certainly isn't, with a critical insight not revealed until the penultimate episode that throws everything before and after into a whole new light. Perhaps it's just not for you rather than 'needy', or flawed?

[Stive Pesley]

1 hour ago, therealhantsram said:

I'm just not artistic or creative but I am fascinated by the creative process and people who can create something unique and amazing out of nothing. For that reason I love Portrait Artist of the Year on Sky. It's great slow TV.

The missus and I also like picking our favourites then chastising the 'experts' when they pick a different winner. Fools.

I have to say that this is about the only reality/talent TV I can bear to watch. Probably because the contestants are just nice gentle artistic types and not fame hungry tossers

That said - I also really like The Rap Game ?

[AndyinLiverpool]

1 hour ago, Bob The Badger said:

How do you know there is no reward if you haven't given it your full attention when you yourself say it needs your full attention?

Riddle me that one Batman.

I can't do it. Probably because I don't care enough. I get 'Lost' vibes and that's bad. As @86 Hair Islandssays, it's not for me. Haven't managed to convince Her Indoors, however, so will probably watch anothe episode after the football.

[Bob The Badger]

3 hours ago, AndyinLiverpool said:

Things should make sense earlier than the 7th hour.

Why?

It was still fairly entertaining.

I agree it was a tad Lostish and I got fed up with that. I also doubt I'll watch another season of 1899, but the ending was good.

I'd give it a 6.5, maybe a 7 because the ending improved it.

 

[Bob The Badger]

3 hours ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

Not every story is linear in its telling. The English certainly isn't, with a critical insight not revealed until the penultimate episode that throws everything before and after into a whole new light. Perhaps it's just not for you rather than 'needy', or flawed?

Agreed.

95% of Blair Witch was mediocre but they way they tied in the very beginning with the very end was genius imho and made the entire movie imho.

The Shining went from good to great because of the ending tying everything in. And the same could be said for Inception.

[BucksRam]

10 hours ago, Bob The Badger said:

Why?

It was still fairly entertaining.

I agree it was a tad Lostish and I got fed up with that. I also doubt I'll watch another season of 1899, but the ending was good.

I'd give it a 6.5, maybe a 7 because the ending improved it.

 

I thought they tied it together well but it oh so needs a season 2, which isn't yet confirmed.  Like you,  not fully convinced I'll be invested in a 2nd season. Depends what else is on when/if it comes out.

6/10 for me

[BucksRam]

And since I'm on this thread, finally got round to starting Yellowstone (Paramount+). Couple of seasons in but so far, it's brilliant. Costner in particular stands out, the guy can act. But it's full of great performances. 

[Bob The Badger]

1 hour ago, BucksRam said:

And since I'm on this thread, finally got round to starting Yellowstone (Paramount+). Couple of seasons in but so far, it's brilliant. Costner in particular stands out, the guy can act. But it's full of great performances. 

I first saw him in No Way Out and would give that a solid 8.5/10 maybe even 9. A brilliant film. Gene Hackman and Will Paterson were equally fabulous and it had a genius ending.

Then I saw him in Dances with Wolves and Field of Dreams, not sure of the order. And both would be in my all time top 50 films worth 9/10 minimum.

So yeah, he can act, he just picked sucky roles for a while. 

Actually, I was just about to hit post and remembered Robin Hood, which I was either way about and not sure he was that good. Too lazy to go and look what order they all came out in although I'm sure No Way Out came first.

I thought The Bodyguard was utter pony.

[BucksRam]

4 hours ago, Bob The Badger said:

I first saw him in No Way Out and would give that a solid 8.5/10 maybe even 9. A brilliant film. Gene Hackman and Will Paterson were equally fabulous and it had a genius ending.

Then I saw him in Dances with Wolves and Field of Dreams, not sure of the order. And both would be in my all time top 50 films worth 9/10 minimum.

So yeah, he can act, he just picked sucky roles for a while. 

Actually, I was just about to hit post and remembered Robin Hood, which I was either way about and not sure he was that good. Too lazy to go and look what order they all came out in although I'm sure No Way Out came first.

I thought The Bodyguard was utter pony.

Yep, agree with all of that ?? 

[Anag Ram]

Portrait artist of the year.

Someone paints a picture that looks nothing like the model then three pretentious prats eulogise about its energy and vibrancy.

My application is in the post.

[Mostyn6]

Got onto S3 of Handmaid's Tale.

Absolutely cruel and hard to watch, but so intriguing.

[NottsRam]

4 minutes ago, Mostyn6 said:

Got onto S3 of Handmaid's Tale.

Absolutely cruel and hard to watch, but so intriguing.

Never watched an episode, tempted to give it a go.

[Mostyn6]

11 minutes ago, NottsRam said:

Never watched an episode, tempted to give it a go.

It's tough. Very Intriguing and some would and have argued a veiled dig at the Islamic world.

[Premier ram]

Really enjoying Traitors  on BBC1

[May Contain Nuts]

On 06/12/2022 at 18:18, therealhantsram said:

I'm just not artistic or creative but I am fascinated by the creative process and people who can create something unique and amazing out of nothing. For that reason I love Portrait Artist of the Year on Sky. It's great slow TV.

The missus and I also like picking our favourites then chastising the 'experts' when they pick a different winner. Fools.

Oh god, PAotY, it drives me POttY.

I like it but I hate it, probably for the same reasons as everyone else. I only seem able to rant what winds me up about it though.

I don't think I successfully guessed which piece of art would win any of the episodes (top 3 I could get a few). I tried to listen to the judges comments throughout the show, take in what they did and didn't like and yet seemingly every time the winner was someone they'd expressed doubts about earlier in the episode. Suddenly though it's masterful, stunning, unique, emotive, challenging, like something they've never seen before, a clear winner.

...even though they've given Ellie Simmonds the hands of Andre the Giant (not a real example). Maybe that's empowering?

They never really explain their thought process behind the judgements with anything at all specific and so it always just feels like they've decided who they want to win quite early on, and then built up some pretentious narrative to suit their decision.

There was one scene where the Richard Ayoade lookalike stood there yapping away at one of the contestants about how one of the sitters hands not being in the same pose and not at right angles added - god I can't even remember what -  to the painting while she stared at him gone out, eventually she succumbed after he almost begged her to agree. That probably cost her the competition ?.

 

On 06/12/2022 at 19:51, Stive Pesley said:

I have to say that this is about the only reality/talent TV I can bear to watch. Probably because the contestants are just nice gentle artistic types and not fame hungry tossers

Broadly agree but then the 'arty types' can be irritating in their own ways.

The winner this year (spoilers, sorry) seemed a very gentle soul, but extraordinarily dull, twee and meek, difficult to talk to unless you were already ensconced in her world. You'd be surprised if she's ever had a conversation with another adult that doesn't surround her art in some form until Lenny Henry was thrust upon her, it seemed to rattle her.

...not that the final commission resembled (or captured) Lenny Henry in the slightest bloody way, but everyone pretended it did, because they had to, because that's art.

I get the impression (hah, art pun!) that a lot of the people in that world are the types of people who've been brought up in well-to-do families, encouraged from a very young age to follow their passion and allowed plenty of time, money and comfort  to get on with it unburdened by many of the worries faced by others.

Or perhaps that was just an opinion formed on the other finalist 'Binny' who painted her two sons (one resembled a young Meat Loaf) with equally daft names and dress sense who looked like they'd been allowed to live in a fantasy world all their lives.

 

On 07/12/2022 at 22:07, Anag Ram said:

Portrait artist of the year.

Someone paints a picture that looks nothing like the model then three pretentious prats eulogise about its energy and vibrancy.

My application is in the post.

Ahhh, but the point of the portrait is to capture their essence and personality, physical likeness is a secondary concern.

I actually get that to a degree, but yes, as you say it's when for instance they make out that an artist not doing a background, painting their boyfriend lying down at the top left of an otherwise blank cavnas is a 'powerful statement about how our lives are built on foundations that are barely there' that you remember just how much of it is complete and utter b*******.

It's b******* that perpetuates itself though, a multi million pound industry built on illusory qualities where if you're in, you're in and it doesn't really matter what you paint, it's worth tens / hundreds of thousands of pounds just because you painted it. Shove a paintbrush up your arse, pull it out and do a quick line sketch of Boris Johnson using your own excrement - that's got to be worth £200,000 of anyone's money, surely?

Edited December 9, 2022 by Kokosnuss