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Unsurprisingly, I love everything about Heartstopper: the stellar young cast (plus the invaluable Olivia Colman), the synth-pop soundtrack, the cotton-candy visual aesthetic, the careful treatment of the slipperiness inherent in adolescent friendship and romance (though Tao is officially, eventually paired off with Elle, I cannot help but read his jealousy and protectiveness of Charlie as being at least partially romantic).

Equally lovely is Alfred's review of the show, which I hope he won't mind me linking here: https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2022/05/12/on-the-modestly-epochal-heartstopper/

Under the Banner of Heaven on FX is really good.

The 'Banner of Heaven' investigation/thriller storyline with Garfield has been good, but the flashbacks and Mormon historical bits are less than compelling. And that Dan Lafferty actor makes me cringe every time he rants. I'm hoping Sam Worthington gets to do more in coming eps.

I love Dan Lafferty! That's Kurt Russel and Goldie Hawn's son btw.

I had no idea. He reminds me a lot of Aaron Eckhart. In fact, I was thinking they might have cast him looking for a young Eckhart/Mormony type.

He was the star of Lodge 49 and I think is in one of the Marvel shows or movies.

Wyatt’s in that? Might have to check it out

he was also in that Richard Linklater movie

Probably relevant to the interests of folks who post here.

https://defector.com/writer-x-offers-inside-look-at-bad-special-effects/?fbclid=IwAR1qzCPhHr7_K4w9PGDCjAhkk0bglc7KQL82718kxfTG-RmIrE6kerh5NEw

Just watched the Chip n Dale movie on Disney Plus. A fairly amusing Roger Rabbit retread, but the villain really weirded me out. Given what happened to the kid who originally voiced that character in real life, it felt tasteless, if not downright cruel, to portray him this way. If it was intentional and they were trying to make some kind of point (about Walt himself, perhaps?), it wasn't made very clearly.

Oh well. Some of the parody movie posters were funny.

New George Carlin doc is good.

I've watched the first half of the Carlin documentary (it's in two two-hour chunks) and yeah, it's very good. Deals with his earliest years all the way up to the late 70s when people were saying he'd lost it. Tons of great footage from all parts of his career, including a bunch of fascinating stuff I'd never seen. Looking forward to the second half, documenting his transition from comedian to shouty old crank.

second half of the Carlin doc had a number of little clips from... I won't say contemporary comedians, as it definitely leans into 90s so-called elder statesmen, and there's a possibly-unintended effect of realizing these guys (and they are guys) absolutely did not learn anything from Carlin's successful pivot

I think it would have been very interesting to get commentaries from female and non-white comedians (there were a few of each TBF: Chris Rock, Hasan Minhaj, Sam Jay) talking about what they learned from Carlin, or more critically, talking about the stuff he said that they'd never have been able to get away with saying. I don't think there's ever been a black comedian who dipped into actual cruelty and glee at other people's suffering the way Carlin did, except maybe Bernie Mac, and even then it was small-scale, not annihilation-of-the-human-race-LOL level.

Finished Made for Love season 2 and it's good (underrated?), but it felt weirdly crammed into 8 episodes when it needed 10. Lots of plotlines that were completely dropped. Maybe they had to stop filming due to COVID/budget or something?

How does it compare to season 1, Jordan? I was iffy on the first season but it had potential

I think it's a little better as far as playing with the ideas more, whereas s1 was more of a prolonged chase scene. Even though there are some unnecessary subplots (mostly the nun) and the end feels rushed, I still enjoyed it.

is anyone watching THE BABY

no, but I've been meaning to check it out. Any good?

Just want to take this chance to mention "The Baby" movie, from 1973, which is one of the weirder and creepy films I've ever accidentally stumbled on on TV late one night.

I watched the first episode of The Baby and it was kinda funny but I haven't watched another yet.

Finally watched season 1 of Stranger Things this weekend. It was OK, but I won't be returning for 2, 3, or especially not 4, which I gather each episode is three hours long?

All except the last episode, which is 7 hours, 67 minutes

I quit Stranger Things after Season 1, and just watched the second episode of Season 4, because it was on while I was at my mum's.

Was quite fun and hugely easy to fill in the blanks, so I might just skip ahead and miss the middle seasons. It was TOO LONG (one hour twenty) and some of it was rubbish but it's good knitting viewing.

One of the things I liked about it initially, the Close-Encounters/early-Spielberg style cinematography, seems to have completely flattened out though

I wanted to like The Baby, but my partner vetoed it after the dog died.

Also I was hoping it would be funnier?

Watched a bit of The Baby, but heavily dislike like the sexist trope that every female parent (or woman who works in pediatric care) is some kind of ghoul or idiot or Victorian nanny

I liked the first episode of The Baby. Somewhat surprised to hear a show written and directed entirely by women is sexist, but I don't think I've encountered any of the characters you're referring to yet.

Stranger Things is good to watch if you're zonked on cold medicine in my recent experience

I was starting to laugh about how much filler is in the newest (half!) season. You can really make things go a lot more episodes if you decide that 1. all the characters need to get together to solve things 2. two groups of characters are busy doing side quests across a half-dozen southwestern states or two different countries before getting together

I'm half expecting some u-turn where someone has to travel to china to check on the price of tea before they can confront the monster in the second half

part of why I have trouble with today's serialized blockbuster tv shows is that you know the final boss battle ain't coming to the season finale, and all of the middle episodes are mini-Video Game Objectives in getting there, some of which are more interesting in others.

on good shows, they navigate that well with good writing and stakes, on bad ones, you feel like "is this Waiting for Godot? dafuq"

i haven't seen the newest ST but season 3 had some of that with me

I laughed at the young actors pointing out that because of the Covid break and out of sequence filming they can look younger or older from scene to scene

reminds me of those Benny Hill sketches where he does the movies with shit continuity

Unsurprisingly, I love everything about Heartstopper: the stellar young cast (plus the invaluable Olivia Colman), the synth-pop soundtrack, the cotton-candy visual aesthetic, the careful treatment of the slipperiness inherent in adolescent friendship and romance ([show hidden text].

Equally lovely is Alfred's review of the show, which I hope he won't mind me linking here: https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2022/05/12/on-the-modestly-epochal-heartstopper/

― Les hommes de bonbons (cryptosicko)

Sorry I missed this. Thanks! I've watched the series twice.

Watched a couple episodes of "Stranger Things." Could probably shave several draggy minutes off by just cutting down on the number of times a character sees something off screen and mutters "guys, look at this ..."

Shame the effects are still terrible though. It’s like Buffy Seaaon 4 on a Close Encounters budget with Resident Evil CGI

I'm 2 eps in, I like it, but each episode is far too long.

Watched the first episode of Danny Boyle’s Pistol, his Sex Pistols series on Disney based on Steve Jones’s book. There’s a lot of inaccuracies that will infuriate a punk purist or even just someone with a passing acquaintance of the main elements of the Sex Pistols story. And both the McLaren and Westwood portrayals are appalling bad….But the Boyle montage style is quite effective and it is watchable - so will keep going.

Keep seeing bus shelter ads for that.

i feel like it will scratch a similar itch to The Offer, the kinda crappy Godfather series

ie i will watch it

I watched about 10 minutes of that and couldn't get any farther. I thought the straight-into-the-camera sermonizing of the We Own This City finale was the worst thing I'd watch all day but Pistol was stunningly bad.

Feel like Sid and Nancy already scratched that itch long ago.

Around the time I used to run into Susan Spungen at parties, but we weren’t supposed to mention her sister.

Pistols show reminds me to find out when the Rip It Up And Start Again doc is coming out

"Hacks" S2 has some funny moments, but the premise/narrative feels kind of forced to me this time around - as if it were a ltd. series that they're straining to find ways "keep going" in a second season. That said, things come together somewhat in Ep. 6 (the most recent one).

Pistols show reminds me to find out when the Rip It Up And Start Again doc is coming out

― papal hotwife (milo z), Tuesday, May 31, 2022

That is something I'm looking forward to

First episode of "The Bear" on FX/Hulu, about an over-qualified Chicago chef returning to run his brother's sandwich shop, was pretty good.

Killing It on Peacock is a lot of fun with some heart.

I had no idea Love, Nick existed. Cute, but from its sitcom beats to its characters' perfect hair it's everything Heartstopper.

First episode of "The Bear" on FX/Hulu, about an over-qualified Chicago chef returning to run his brother's sandwich shop, was pretty good.

I'm three episodes deep and yeah, it stays good. Lots of surprising cameos.

Also watching The Old Man on FX/Hulu — a seven episode series starring Jeff Bridges as the title character, a long-retired spy with Secrets (and two dogs who eat people he doesn't like) and John Lithgow as his former friend turned nemesis. Based on a very good book by Thomas Perry.

Three episodes in now, too, and "The Bear" is as good as anything else I'm watching these days. Acting, writing, casting, direction - all excellent.