Watchable telly

[i-Ram]

On 11/03/2022 at 11:02, Bob The Badger said:

Crime from Irving Welsh came up here a few times when it came out.

Decided to avail ourselves of the BritBox 7-day free trial and watch it.

Dougray Scott was absolutely excellent and there were some interesting characters, especially the cop with an utterly impenetrable accent and Scott's (I think intentionally) OTT boss, played by bulbous-nosed Ken Stott.

One of the IMDb knocks on it was for random story lines that were irrelevant to the main story, but I think they added to it rather than distracted as can sometimes be the case.

If you liked the Prime Suspect series, then I suspect you will enjoy this.

7.5/10

From there and prompted by the usually highly-reliable IMDb with a 8.1 rating we went for Queen of the South.

I know why they called it Queen of the South because it's about as good as the Doonhammers (of course I had to look it up - who knows that? But what a brilliant nickname).

It felt like I was watching Dynasty or Dallas with swearing and drugs.

It totally screamed SOAP OPERA and was utterly implausible.

I'd had enough in the 2nd episode when the main protagonist was surprised to be told she was in Dallas after apparently driving 2,000 km in 4 or 5 hours and then crossing the River Grande without even noticing.

2/10

My wife and I watch all box series together. We generally have similar interests and taste but we are probably the furthest apart we could be on QotS. She thinks it’s really good, liking I think the fast paced nature of it. It’s Hollyoaks with loads more drugs and guns (and less honeys and gays); probably a good job I don’t critique TV and Films as a career. However, for my friends on here please believe me and Bob - avoid QotS like you would Syphilis.

[Bob The Badger]

1 hour ago, i-Ram said:

My wife and I watch all box series together. We generally have similar interests and taste but we are probably the furthest apart we could be on QotS. She thinks it’s really good, liking I think the fast paced nature of it. It’s Hollyoaks with loads more drugs and guns (and less honeys and gays); probably a good job I don’t critique TV and Films as a career. However, for my friends on here please believe me and Bob - avoid QotS like you would Syphilis.

Syphilis isn't so bad.

[Stive Pesley]

5 hours ago, Gaspode said:

Two episodes into the latest Killing Eve and I haven’t really got a clue what’s happening and not sure I really care to find out. The Beeb really have lost the plot - in more ways than one…..

When one of the major plot points was Villanelle repeatedly appearing to herself as God with beard in "visions" I pretty much gave up. I know it's an attempt at humour, but it's like a 12 year old wrote it. The humour in the first series was dark and clever. This is just lame slapstick

[NottsRam]

Watched the final ever episode of Gomorrah yesterday, for me the best drama ever.  I now feel like i've lost a pet and need a new one to ease the pain.  All suggestions are welcome.  

[BaaLocks]

On 05/03/2022 at 20:04, Bob The Badger said:

Mrs Badger is enjoying it, but I'm struggling with the fact that it's ludicrous and the acting is crap.

I didn't think it was so much the acting (Toni Collette is normally just excellent) but the script writing is shambolically poor. Makes you wonder how people look at the quality of the writing and say "yeah, let's throw some money at this"

[BaaLocks]

On 07/03/2022 at 10:08, therealhantsram said:

Loving this recommendation. Thanks so much.

The lead actor is incredible. The show rests entirely on his shoulders and he delivers perfectly.

Have to say the Beeb have been knocking it out of the park this winter. What with this, The Responder, This is Going to Hurt and Peaky Blinders... probably my 4 favourite dramas in the last year on any service.

All of those shows I'd highly recommend.

Loved, and i mean loved, Peaky Blinders up to now but this series is just trying too hard. Too many doffed cap references to Helen McCrory, too many loop back suggestions to plots gone by. I'm just hoping it's just taking time to warm up but feels like it has all gone up it's own bum a bit.

[Bob The Badger]

Just now, BaaLocks said:

Loved, and i mean loved, Peaky Blinders up to now but this series is just trying too hard. Too many doffed cap references to Helen McCrory, too many loop back suggestions to plots gone by. I'm just hoping it's just taking time to warm up but feels like it has all gone up it's own bum a bit.

I thought Gomorrah went a bit like that and Line of Duty definitely did.

Sometimes it's best to just say adieu. 

[Bob The Badger]

58 minutes ago, NottsRam said:

Watched the final ever episode of Gomorrah yesterday, for me the best drama ever.  I now feel like i've lost a pet and need a new one to ease the pain.  All suggestions are welcome.  

Yikes, I just saw your post after I posted.

If you're ok with subtitles (which clearly you are) check out the French crime series, Spiral. It gets crazy marks on IMDb and we've only watched the first 3 but looks very promising and according to my sister who usually has great taste, it gets better and better.

I'd recommend Narcos which is not far behind Gomorrah imho (especially the first 2 which are as good as anything), but I presume you will have seen that.

[NottsRam]

11 minutes ago, Bob The Badger said:

Yikes, I just saw your post after I posted.

If you're ok with subtitles (which clearly you are) check out the French crime series, Spiral. It gets crazy marks on IMDb and we've only watched the first 3 but looks very promising and according to my sister who usually has great taste, it gets better and better.

I'd recommend Narcos which is not far behind Gomorrah imho (especially the first 2 which are as good as anything), but I presume you will have seen that.

Thanks Bob, for me, Gomorrah stayed great to the end but its all about opinion.  Loads of people recommended Ozark to me and ive tried more than once but it's not for me sadly.  I will look out for Spiral and beleive it or not i have not done Narcos yet, its one of those i keep meaning to look at and never have.

[Stive Pesley]

15 minutes ago, NottsRam said:

Thanks Bob, for me, Gomorrah stayed great to the end but its all about opinion.  Loads of people recommended Ozark to me and ive tried more than once but it's not for me sadly.  I will look out for Spiral and beleive it or not i have not done Narcos yet, its one of those i keep meaning to look at and never have.

Ozark gets pretty ridiculous in terms of the storyline - but entertaining enough if you can get on with TV shows with zero likeable characters. Plus they did that thing of saying it was the last season. Got the end and then it's "coming soon - Season 5 PART TWO" ?

Spiral was fantastic - sad it's finished really, but has a satisfactory ending

Narcos is kind of like Ozark in the ridiculousness of the storyline, but you have to forgive it as it's all pretty much based on real events! At times this fact seems almost impossible to believe. Let's just say that being an extremely rich drug lord doesn't look like that much fun

 

[ketteringram]

22 minutes ago, NottsRam said:

Thanks Bob, for me, Gomorrah stayed great to the end but its all about opinion.  Loads of people recommended Ozark to me and ive tried more than once but it's not for me sadly.  I will look out for Spiral and beleive it or not i have not done Narcos yet, its one of those i keep meaning to look at and never have.

I tried Ozark. Made it through the first 7 episodes, and just gave up. Quite enjoyed episode one, but after that, just didn't care about any of the characters. Everytime I was watching it, I was wishing I was watching something else. So I did! 

[Comrade 86]

1 hour ago, NottsRam said:

Watched the final ever episode of Gomorrah yesterday, for me the best drama ever.  I now feel like i've lost a pet and need a new one to ease the pain.  All suggestions are welcome.  

You could check out Suburra - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7197684/ - similar feel and subject matter without quite scaling the same lofty heights. Also Romanzo Criminale - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1242773/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 - another very decent Italian series.

[Mostyn6]

There’s a new season of Last Kingdom on Netflix 

[NottsRam]

31 minutes ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

You could check out Suburra - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7197684/ - similar feel and subject matter without quite scaling the same lofty heights. Also Romanzo Criminale - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1242773/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 - another very decent Italian series.

Thanks, i have Suburra Blood on Rome ready to go on Netflix.

[TimRam]

On 14/03/2022 at 12:42, ketteringram said:

I tried Ozark. Made it through the first 7 episodes, and just gave up. Quite enjoyed episode one, but after that, just didn't care about any of the characters. Everytime I was watching it, I was wishing I was watching something else. So I did! 

Same with Another Life and Lost in Space. I saw them through to the end though. They seemed to be 'big budget' but both series eventually became a confusing mess of who was who and what plotline they were following.

Edited March 16, 2022 by TimRam

[BucksRam]

On 14/03/2022 at 13:11, Mostyn6 said:

There’s a new season of Last Kingdom on Netflix 

Waited for this one for a while.  Binged it.  Saddo that I am, I always like to see Aegelsburgh  (Aylesbury) as it's just 5 miles from me. 

[Eddie]

We've just watched the first 3 episodes of "Pieces Of Her" on Netflix.

Very good so far.

[Wolfie]

On 16/03/2022 at 09:28, TimRam said:

Same with Another Life and Lost in Space. I saw them through to the end though. They seemed to be 'big budget' but both series eventually became a confusing mess of who was who and what plotline they were following.

I tried both of these recently.

Another Life interested me because it's got Katee Sackhoff from Battlestar Galactica in it. After a couple of episodes, though, it felt like a bit of a cheap late-night Sci-Fi channel type of series - mainly script-wise, so I didn't bother with it. And now it's been cancelled, apparently.

 Lost in Space - after much nagging from my best mate about it. I just found all the characters annoying but most of all, it came across as a never ending lurch from one crisis to another. My mate did admit that the rest of it was a bit like that as well. I think I saw 2 episodes.

Edited March 17, 2022 by Wolfie

[Bob The Badger]

On 17/03/2022 at 14:31, Eddie said:

We've just watched the first 3 episodes of "Pieces Of Her" on Netflix.

Very good so far.

Worst thing I've seen in the last 12 months.

Dreadful script with so many plot flaws that I was almost exploding with indignation.

[Bob The Badger]

I Know This Much Is True - 9/10

This came out a few months before we moved back from the US so apologies if it has been talked about.

A close look at paranoid schizophrenia is never going to be fun, but this is especially dark.

But the acting is just mind-blowingly good, especially from Mark Ruffalo who plays a pair of twins, one of whom has serious mental illness and Rosie O'Donnell (who I really don't care for as a person) who plays a mental health advocate.

Ruffalo put on 30 lbs to play the mentally ill twin and looks totally different. I have no clue how they filmed the scenes when they were so close together. If you have watched the really good, The Deuce in which James Franco plays brothers, it's nothing like that. In The Deuce it was obvious how they had filmed it and they were never in the same close up shot together.

If you enjoy brilliant acting and a great script as well as seeing really difficult subjects dealt with in a sensitive, informative and skillful manner, then you will love this.

My only very minor quibble with this is that it could probably have been done in 4 or 5 episodes rather than 6. Having said that, I thought the 6th episode was redundant for a time and it turned out to be the best.

I'm surprised we only found this by accident on iPlayer because Ruffalo won an Emmy and Golden Globe for this role and I'd never heard of it until a couple of weeks ago.

We've now moved on to Top Boy from 2011. 3 episodes in and loving that we have 4 seasons to go at it because it's outstanding.