What are you currently watching?

[Brickman | 3,991]

On 10/17/2023 at 4:22 AM, avatar! said:

Wifey and I finished watching the original --

Some of the earlier and middle seasons are just sitcom gold, truly top of the class. I would say the last 3-4 seasons are disappointing - some good episodes, but mostly forgettable. Still, overall a great series. Have not seen the reboot.

Hands down my favourite sitcom. The writing was just so witty and so different from most of the other stuff at the time. The episode where Frasier is sick and Niles takes over has to be my favourite. It always has me laughing in tears.

Yeah the last few seasons weren’t so great, they definitely went a bit further than the needed to. I think 1 more season after Niles and Daphne got married would have been enough.

I watched two episodes of the reboot last night and thought it was decent. It obviously will never be able to beat the magic of the original but it does try to keep things that made the original good while also being modern (but not in an annoying way).

Frasier is now in a Martin type role and has to reflect on having a son that isn’t like him, which I thought was a great nod to the original.

[Link | 2,714]

I saw the new Miyazaki/Ghibli movie last night, The Boy and the Heron. It was excellent. Quite an adventure.

[doner24 | 1,196]

31 minutes ago, Link said:

I saw the new Miyazaki/Ghibli movie last night, The Boy and the Heron. It was excellent. Quite an adventure.

Can’t wait to see it. 

[Link | 2,714]

On 10/20/2023 at 9:28 PM, Brickman said:

Hands down my favourite sitcom. The writing was just so witty and so different from most of the other stuff at the time. The episode where Frasier is sick and Niles takes over has to be my favourite. It always has me laughing in tears.

Yeah the last few seasons weren’t so great, they definitely went a bit further than the needed to. I think 1 more season after Niles and Daphne got married would have been enough.

I watched two episodes of the reboot last night and thought it was decent. It obviously will never be able to beat the magic of the original but it does try to keep things that made the original good while also being modern (but not in an annoying way).

Frasier is now in a Martin type role and has to reflect on having a son that isn’t like him, which I thought was a great nod to the original.

What do you think of it near two months on and the season finale upcoming? I'd like to just watch it but I don't have its streamer. One of my few regular pop culture news sources was skeptical at first, but now offers high praise.

[Brickman | 3,991]

1 hour ago, Link said:

What do you think of it near two months on and the season finale upcoming? I'd like to just watch it but I don't have its streamer. One of my few regular pop culture news sources was skeptical at first, but now offers high praise.

I download it from the high seas every week and watch it. 

I am a huge Frasier fan as I said so I’ll try not to be too bias.

Overall I think it’s a pretty decent sitcom and does offer some great laughs. UK sitcoms are more my thing but there is just something I really love about the 80’s and 90’s US multi camera sitcom style and the new Frasier stays true to that format.

It had a bit of a rocky start and I think a lot of critics didn’t bother to give it a chance. By about the 4th episode it really started to find its feet and has always been funny and touching like the original Frasier. 

Kelsey Grammar and Nicholas Lyndhurst do carry the show (check out his 90’s UK sitcom called Goodnight Sweetheart) but the guy who plays Niles’ son is a great Niles substitute (obviously nowhere near the talent of David Hyde Pierce) and the actor playing Freddy does do a great job of playing a sort of Martin character but with a bit of Frasier cockiness.

The writing still has that Frasier wit but isn’t as strong as the original. They do mix in the old style with some more newer style comedy which I don’t think is a bad thing because they seem to be able to pull it off quiet well.

I think that as long as people go in with the expectation that this will never surpass the original Frasier they will find a good sitcom that isn’t trying to take itself too seriously and is just having fun. Whether that’s just one season or three or four. It does feel like the cast are just having fun with it and enjoying the ride.

That review you linked pretty much are my exact thoughts on the show too. I’ll be back for season 2 if it gets renewed.

[Link | 2,714]

7 minutes ago, Brickman said:

Frasier

Excellent writeup, thanks man. 

I've gotten a couple of letters from the ISP warning about torrents. Granted those were at my ex's house with Xfinity ISP which owns NBC (or vice versa) but I was put off of that. I know i could do VPN, but I don't even have a HTPC set up to watch filez on rn.

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

1 minute ago, Link said:

but I don't even have a HTPC set up to watch filez on rn.

Might want to look in to https://www.plex.tv/ it's worked great for me thus far.

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

1 minute ago, ZeldaFreak said:

Might want to look in to https://www.plex.tv/ it's worked great for me thus far.

Or rather https://www.plex.tv/register/ I forgot they do other stuff besides just the media server aspect, haha. That's what 99% of people use it for anyway.

[Brickman | 3,991]

1 minute ago, Link said:

Excellent writeup, thanks man. 

I've gotten a couple of letters from the ISP warning about torrents. Granted those were at my ex's house with Xfinity ISP which owns NBC (or vice versa) but I was put off of that. I know i could do VPN, but I don't even have a HTPC set up to watch filez on rn.

Ahhh damn. My ISP doesn’t seem to care and there was a case here that set the precedent that a studio can only charge you the price of the DVD as a fine.

The studio behind Dallas Buyers Club tried to sue someone a crazy amount and the court said nope just the cost of the DVD 

If you do go down the VPN route I heard Nord VPN is one of the best around.

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

1 minute ago, Brickman said:

Ahhh damn. My ISP doesn’t seem to care and there was a case here that set the precedent that a studio can only charge you the price of the DVD as a fine.

If you do go down the VPN route I heard Nord VPN is one of the best around.

Our ISP has tossed us warnings in the past for trying to yar har fiddle de dee our way to stuff, but yeah I just use a VPN whenever I do that now and that circumvents that issue. And yeah, I use NordVPN, I dunno whether or not it's the best, but it's pretty cheap and very convenient to use, working fine for me for a good few years now.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,545]

That was sweet

[JamesRobot | 5,804]

29 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

That was sweet

Was gonna mention this in the Die Hard thread.  Super fun.  

[fox | 1,667]

2 hours ago, JamesRobot said:

Was gonna mention this in the Die Hard thread.  Super fun.  

Pretty much Bad Santa meets Die Hard.  David Harbour is great

[Brickman | 3,991]

I watched I’m Thinking of Ending Things last night. 

I had heard average things about this movie, so didn’t give it much attention.

Then I saw @Sumez had said he loved it and we mostly like similar things, so I looked into it more. I hadn’t realised it was written/directed by Charlie Kaufman! This instantly moved it to the top of the list for when I had free time.

Forget what the reviews are saying, if you’re a Kaufman or Lynch fan you’ll love this movie. It is fantastic and the cast all gave a brilliant performance.

Jesse Plemons and Jessie Buckley were a great match and they never step over each other. Toni Collette is great as usual and I really don’t think there’s a role she can’t do. And David Thewlis is just doing what he does best, making you feel so uncomfortable while drawing you in.

Now I need to go read the book.

[Mega Tank | 964]

On 12/13/2023 at 12:12 AM, Reed Rothchild said:

That was sweet

Better than expected

[TDIRunner | 2,742]

I've been watching Fargo season 5.  Halfway through the season as of last night.  So far, I'm enjoying this season as much as seasons 1 and 2.  

[Brickman | 3,991]

1 hour ago, TDIRunner said:

I've been watching Fargo season 5.  Halfway through the season as of last night.  So far, I'm enjoying this season as much as seasons 1 and 2.  

Didn't realise it was finally out. I'll be getting onto it straight away!

[Sumez | 2,964]

2 hours ago, Brickman said:

Forget what the reviews are saying, if you’re a Kaufman or Lynch fan you’ll love this movie. It is fantastic and the cast all gave a brilliant performance.

It moved me so much I was in tears by the end of it. 

Charlie Kaufman is a genius, but I guess I could see this movie just flying over the heads of some people. 

[Brickman | 3,991]

10 minutes ago, Sumez said:

It moved me so much I was in tears by the end of it. 

Charlie Kaufman is a genius, but I guess I could see this movie just flying over the heads of some people. 

Yeah I definitely don't fault anyone if it went over their heads and couldn't quite piece together the meaning of things. Those calling it rubbish because they don't understand it are out of their mind though.

I'm going to give it a few months then probably give it a re watch. I'm hoping Criterion or someone similar picks it up and does a Blu Ray with special features.

[avatar! | 1,819]

1 minute ago, Brickman said:

Yeah I definitely don't fault anyone if it went over their heads and couldn't quite piece together the meaning of things. Those calling it rubbish because they don't understand it are out of their mind though.

I'm going to give it a few months then probably give it a re watch. I'm hoping Criterion or someone similar picks it up and does a Blu Ray with special features.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, I thought it was a very well-done film. I wouldn't mind watching it again, I loved the cinematography and overall vibe. However, I recall thinking the movie was "very good", better than Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but I'm not sure I would say it was "great" -- but then again, I should watch it again. I am curious how different the novel is and if it's any "deeper" than the movie?

[TDIRunner | 2,742]

20 minutes ago, Brickman said:

Didn't realise it was finally out. I'll be getting onto it straight away!

I knew it was coming, but I forgot about it until last week.  I was able to stream the first 4 episodes all in a row which was great, but now I'm caught up and I have to wait a week in-between episodes.  

Have you watched all of the previous seasons and the film?  Fargo was one of my favorite movies of all time, so I was super excited when they announced the TV series, and I've been following the show since the first season.  I consider the first two seasons to be some of the best television programming I've ever watched.  I also really enjoyed seasons 3 and 4, but not nearly as much as the first two.  Season 5 so far has been fantastic.  

[Brickman | 3,991]

14 minutes ago, TDIRunner said:

I knew it was coming, but I forgot about it until last week.  I was able to stream the first 4 episodes all in a row which was great, but now I'm caught up and I have to wait a week in-between episodes.  

Have you watched all of the previous seasons and the film?  Fargo was one of my favorite movies of all time, so I was super excited when they announced the TV series, and I've been following the show since the first season.  I consider the first two seasons to be some of the best television programming I've ever watched.  I also really enjoyed seasons 3 and 4, but not nearly as much as the first two.  Season 5 so far has been fantastic.  

Yep love the movie and was a bit hesitant when it was announced they were making a TV show. However, like yourself, I think the show is in the top of best TV shows I've ever watched too. Season 1 is some of the best TV drama ever written imo.

I've enjoyed all the seasons for different reasons and even their average seasons (like 3) are still miles above most TV dramas. 

Glad to hear that season 5 is great and is even up there with season 1 and 2.

[TDIRunner | 2,742]

3 minutes ago, Brickman said:

Yep love the movie and was a bit hesitant when it was announced they were making a TV show. However, like yourself, I think the show is in the top of best TV shows I've ever watched too. Season 1 is some of the best TV drama ever written imo.

I've enjoyed all the seasons for different reasons and even their average seasons (like 3) are still miles above most TV dramas. 

Glad to hear that season 5 is great and is even up there with season 1 and 2.

I actually preferred season 2 to season 1, but just barely.  If I were to rank them, I would say 2, 1, 4, 3.  It's too early to rank 5, but it feels like it might land between 1 and 4.  But to your point, even the "weakest" season is still fantastic and entertaining.  

[Brickman | 3,991]

2 hours ago, TDIRunner said:

I actually preferred season 2 to season 1, but just barely.  If I were to rank them, I would say 2, 1, 4, 3.  It's too early to rank 5, but it feels like it might land between 1 and 4.  But to your point, even the "weakest" season is still fantastic and entertaining.  

Yeah 1 and 2 are close but for me it so far is 1,2,4 & 3. Chris Rock was great in season 4, but it is tough competition against the cast in season 1 and 2.

[nrslam | 476]

Fargo is a favorite, but if pressed I'd pick the 1st season. Felt closest in tone to the movie. The dark humor of season 1 resonated best with me, too.