Movies and TV shows (general recommendation thread)

[Rainier]

9 minutes ago, John Hjorth said:

 

@Rainier,

 

I'm sorry for a late reply here, I just try here to tell you, without the intent of being patronizing or condescending towards you, that to me, you are caught and trapped inside an eternal loop, a vicious circle, a reversed flywheel, because of the relation between cause and effect, the causal relation, causality!

 

Netflix originally was a Blockbuster disruptor, and the way you subscribe to Netflix [your personal behavior] is affecting you overall perception of of the service.

 

Netflix obviously also has other than IT nerds employed, i.e. psychologist, shrinks, 'playing' Netflix customers - in a 'good way' - the 'like' Netflix feature is a cognitive system, by which system can be trained for all individually come up with suggestions for what other similar stuff that you have already have viewed and liked!

 

Your casual, short term Netflix subscription behavior is depriving you from the advantages of this cognitive system to full extent, please try it out next time! 

 

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It's not that long ago I established a separate account on the households Netflix subscription for the Lady of House, and taught her how it's working - she has other entertaiment and informational preferences and needs than I, which I've set up for her on the TV and her fairly new personal new, low end iPad, which can easily pull it on our 1,000 Mbit/s fibre connnection, which a few years ago lifted me for an arm and a leg, to get it installed the way that fitted me, not to get the whole house clogged up which messy cables here, there and everywhere, my home offcice is the place where all such stuff is placed, serving also  as a prop tech engine room of the house.

 

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Edit :

 

AI overwiew from Google :

 

I don’t understand. Is this sarcasm?

[John Hjorth]

8 minutes ago, Rainier said:

I don’t understand. Is this sarcasm?

 

No, it's sincerely meant, with the best intentions in mind, ref. :

 

Quote

... Your casual, short term Netflix subscription behavior is depriving you from the advantages of this cognitive system to full extent, please try it out next time!  ...

 

[Parsad]

8 hours ago, John Hjorth said:

 

No, it's sincerely meant, with the best intentions in mind, ref. :

 

 

 

Sorry John, I have to agree with Rainier!  My Mom who lives with me loves Netflix and watches pretty much every movie/series on there...not matter how good or bad.  So I HAVE to subscribe monthly for her.

 

Me personally, I would do what Rainier does...subscribe only occasionally and then cancel.  Outside of a few of their unique productions, the majority of their stuff is garbage and the movies are generally available on Amazon as well.  Since I'm a Prime member, Amazon's streaming service is free.  I would rather subscribe to Apple's channel than Netflix!  Cheers!

[schin]

On 11/29/2025 at 10:17 PM, schin said:

 

I am watching this now and it's very well written and acted.  It's kinda like Big Little Lies.

 

I finished Your Friends and Neighbors. It has some interesting themes and multiple characters layers and arches, but I hate how they just "solve" the mystery neatly in episode 8 and all is well... or as well as it can be before Season 2.

 

It's still worth watching...At least, they didn't leave a huge cliff hanger for people to wait 2 years for.

[schin]

11 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

Pluribus is great TV:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22202452/

 

@Spekulatius - I'm undecided about this. I'm a big fan of Vince Gilligan -- cannot doubt what he wrote/created for Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.  I'm at episode 5 and there's threads and clues.. but, I hate to think it's going to be like "Sunny" or "The Good Company" -- where you keep asking for more... and then, it's episode 8/9 and it's WTF.

 

I appreciate slow burns..but, I need more 5 episodes in.

[Rainier]

13 hours ago, John Hjorth said:

 

No, it's sincerely meant, with the best intentions in mind, ref. :

 

 

Ok, I think I understand the sentiment and no offense taken.  But I’m probably an edge case and I don’t think I’m depriving myself of much. But even if I wasn’t an edge case (see my last point), I still wouldn’t subscribe to it perpetually. I make these claims based on a few facts/opinions.

 

1. I have a very large Blu Ray/4K collection. About 2,500 at this point. And I’m aware to a lot of people this probably sounds insane, but for about half of those movies I was able to utilize a specific method of buying over the course of a couple of years by which I acquired over 1,000 of those blu rays for either $1.00 or $1.25/movie. So from a financial standpoint there’s at least a ceiling on the insanity! So, for basically any movie that I consider to be worth watching again, I have a superior means of watching it compared to a streamer (whether you measure that as superior video quality from the disc or equivalent convenience with Plex).

 

2. Since we’ve always been big film nerds and because I prefer to own/watch 4K discs (due to bit rate, permanent ownership, and other reasons) and because I am cheap and watch for sales, I tend to keep a pretty close eye on new 4K releases and prices. So, I am essentially aware of every film being released on disc each month. To give a sense of that, there are anywhere from

50-150 new 4K SKUs released each month across all of the companies (both megacorps like Disney and Sony and boutique companies like Arrow or Kino Lorber). This takes maybe 10 minutes of browsing each month. So, it’s not as though I’m ignorant of what is being released that I might enjoy (so, I just act as my own algorithm).

 

3. Even though I am most concerned with physical releases, I am still aware of the meaningful releases from the major streamers. A few times a year I look at lists of what has been or will be released on the streamers and once there are enough for a particular streamer, I subscribe for a month and then cancel. Some of which I will purchase if they’re released on disc. 

 

4. I have realized that, as I get older, I have less and less tolerance for certain types of movies. This is probably directly correlated with the extreme reduction in free time as a parent compared to when we were childless. But part of it is, I think, because I’m simply getting older and more out of touch culturally with the newer strains of filmmaking/writing. So, it is very likely that I’ve already seen the vast majority of films that I will consider good or great, and it’s all just diminishing returns from here. Lucky for me, there’s a period of about 60-70 years of films that have a much higher probability for enjoyment for me (circa 1950 to probably 2015 or so). And of course there are still new movies that I enjoy, but the hit rate for me is much lower.

 

5. And all of that longwindedness leads me to the most important point. The vast majority of films and TV produced/distributed by Netflix are of very low quality (this is regardless of whether I think they’re “for me” or not). For every House of Dynamite, there are 20 generic AI written rom coms or plotless melodramas or bad action movies. So, I just don’t agree that it is worthwhile at all to have a perpetual Netflix subscription. And even for someone who is less into movies than me, I don’t really think it’s a great proposition. The average quality is just too low. Like I said, it had been a couple of years since we subscribed to Netflix. And apparently even that wasn’t long enough to accumulate enough good content for a month’s worth of watching. 
 

Like Parsad, I also have Amazon Prime Video by default because we use the shipping benefits. I also have a “free” HBO Max anccount because of our cell phone plan. So It’s not like I’m anti-streamers. But I wouldn’t pay for any of these streamers on an ongoing basis if they weren’t add ons with other services I am willing to pay for. 
 

Edited December 1, 2025 by Rainier

[Rainier]

Having said all of that, I thought A House of Dynamite was very well done (excluding one bizarre character moment). It was probably my most anticipated movie of the year. I thought Zero Dark Thirty was very well made, so I was very hopeful for this. It didn’t disappoint. I had also read Annie Jacobsen’s nuclear war game book earlier this year, and this movie scratched the same itch. 

[John Hjorth]

6 minutes ago, Rainier said:

Ok, I think I understand the sentiment and no offense taken.  But I’m probably an edge case and I don’t think I’m depriving myself of much. But even if I wasn’t an edge case (see my last point), I still wouldn’t subscribe to it perpetually. I make these claims based on a few facts/opinions.

 

1. I have a very large Blu Ray/4K collection. About 2,500 at this point. And I’m aware to a lot of people this probably sounds insane, but for about half of those movies I was able to utilize a specific method of buying over the course of a couple of years by which I acquired over 1,000 of those blu rays for either $1.00 or $1.25/movie. So from a financial standpoint there’s at least a ceiling on the insanity! So, for basically any movie that I consider to be worth watching again, I have a superior means of watching it compared to a streamer (whether you measure that as superior video quality from the disc or equivalent convenience with Plex).

 

2. Since we’ve always been big film nerds and because I prefer to own/watch 4K discs (due to bit rate, permanent ownership, and other reasons) and because I am cheap and watch for sales, I tend to keep a pretty close eye on new 4K releases and prices. So, I am essentially aware of every film being released on disc each month. To give a sense of that, there are anywhere from

50-150 new 4K SKUs released each month across all of the companies (both megacorps like Disney and Sony and boutique companies like Arrow or Kino Lorber). This takes maybe 10 minutes of browsing each month. So, it’s not as though I’m ignorant of what is being released that I might enjoy (so, I just act as my own algorithm).

 

3. Even though I am most concerned with physical releases, I am still aware of the meaningful releases from the major streamers. A few times a year I look at lists of what has been or will be released on the streamers and once there are enough for a particular streamer, I subscribe for a month and then cancel. Some of which I will purchase if they’re released on disc. 

 

4. I have realized that, as I get older, I have less and less tolerance for certain types of movies. This is probably directly correlated with the extreme reduction in free time as a parent compared to when we were childless. But part of it is, I think, because I’m simply getting older and more out of touch culturally with the newer strains of filmmaking/writing. So, it is very likely that I’ve already seen the vast majority of films that I will consider good or great, and it’s all just diminishing returns from here. Lucky for me, there’s a period of about 60-70 years of films that have a much higher probability for enjoyment for me (circa 1950 to probably 2015 or so). And of course there are still new movies that I enjoy, but the hit rate for me is much lower.

 

5. And all of that longwindedness leads me to the most important point. The vast majority of films and TV produced/distributed by Netflix are of very low quality (this is regardless of whether I think they’re “for me” or not). For every House of Dynamite, there are 20 generic AI written rom coms or plotless melodramas or bad action movies. So, I just don’t agree that it is worthwhile at all to have a perpetual Netflix subscription. And even for someone who is less into movies than me, I don’t really think it’s a great proposition. The average quality is just too low. Like I said, it had been a couple of years since we subscribed to Netflix. And apparently even that wasn’t long enough to accumulate enough good content for a month’s worth of watching. 
 

Like Parsad, I also have Amazon Prime Video by default because we use the shipping benefits. I also have a “free” HBO Max anccount because of our cell phone plan. So It’s not like I’m anti-streamers. But I wouldn’t pay for any of these streamers on an ongoing basis if they weren’t add ons with other services I am willing to pay for. 
 

 

4 minutes ago, Rainier said:

Having said all of that, I thought A House of Dynamite was very well done (excluding one bizarre character moment). It was probably my most anticipated movie of the year. I thought Zero Dark Thirty was very well made, so I was very hopeful for this. It didn’t disappoint. I had also read Annie Jacobsen’s nuclear war game book earlier this year, and this movie scratched the same itch. 

 

@Rainier,

 

Thank you very much for - after an exchange with me - to approach my original post exactly the way it was meant by me, sincere and with the best intentions, and followed by your thorough elaboration.

 

It's certainly interesting stuff from you for me personally to read. Thank you for being open minded towards me, and thank you for sharing above. I actually learn something from it. I'm personally 67 y.o., retired and with one leg in the grave, the other on a banana shell, still eager to learn, and eager to keep up!

[nsx5200]

Ran across this video that explains non-normal distributions that is prevalent in the world.  Here's a NotebookLM summary snippet:

"While many natural phenomena, such as human height, cluster around an average and follow a normal distribution, a significant number of systems in nature, technology, and society are governed by power laws. These systems are characterized by the absence of a meaningful average, a lack of inherent scale, and a much higher probability of extreme events than a normal distribution would predict."

 

 

I believe it's essentially the same concept covered by Benoit (fractal guy)'s book:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/665134.The_Mis_Behavior_of_Markets

 

and the underlying model that powers Black Swan events.

 

It also explains those outsized contribution by a few winners as seen in the investments made by Sequoia.

[Longnose]

Landman S2: Great! so far

 

Stranger Things S5 first 4 episodes. - Been great looking forward to the rest of them later this month.

[Parsad]

5 hours ago, Longnose said:

Landman S2: Great! so far

 

Stranger Things S5 first 4 episodes. - Been great looking forward to the rest of them later this month.

 

First two episodes of ST was a bit slow...but then it ramps up and takes off!  Episode 4 was possibly the best episode in the whole series with several easter eggs setting up the final four episodes!  Cheers!

[Xerxes]

This looks very interesting 

Hopefully release in Canada as well. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/dec/05/kill-bill-the-whole-bloody-affair-quentin-tarantino

 

[Xerxes]

On 12/4/2025 at 6:55 PM, Longnose said:

Landman S2: Great! so far

 

Stranger Things S5 first 4 episodes. - Been great looking forward to the rest of them later this month.

Everytime I tried watching Landman. 
it feels like Baywatch

 

Still painfully crawling through season 1, hoping there is an actual story somewhere 

[Spekulatius]

On 12/7/2025 at 7:35 PM, Xerxes said:

Everytime I tried watching Landman. 
it feels like Baywatch

 

Still painfully crawling through season 1, hoping there is an actual story somewhere 

The story is Billy Bob Thornton playing Billy Bob Thornton in Texas.

[Parsad]

23 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

The story is Billy Bob Thornton playing Billy Bob Thornton in Texas.

 

Billy Bob Thornton playing Billy Bob Thornton is always interesting!  Cheers!

[DooDiligence]

Tried watching Landman and I just can't. First episode started out good and then it went steadily downhill. Couldn't possibly be a more unrealistic depiction of oilfield operations. NTM, I can't stand 90% of the characters. Too bad since the subject matter would make a great series, if they'd just start at the beginning of the oilfield(s) (where there actually were a lot of unsafe work sites and serious accidents), and then roll it up to modern day. There's plenty of room to switch back and forth between field work, boardrooms and law offices. Oh, and nobody wears as many hats as Billy Bob's character. There's enough actual historical drama in the industry without resorting to blatant bullshit.

[Saluki]

We watched the first 3 episodes of Landman and it was pretty good, except for all the impromptu speeches. 

 

We just finished season 1 of Your Friends and Neighbors, and Palm Royale. Both were very good! 

[Xerxes]

On 12/11/2025 at 10:04 PM, DooDiligence said:

Tried watching Landman and I just can't. First episode started out good and then it went steadily downhill. Couldn't possibly be a more unrealistic depiction of oilfield operations. NTM, I can't stand 90% of the characters. Too bad since the subject matter would make a great series, if they'd just start at the beginning of the oilfield(s) (where there actually were a lot of unsafe work sites and serious accidents), and then roll it up to modern day. There's plenty of room to switch back and forth between field work, boardrooms and law offices. Oh, and nobody wears as many hats as Billy Bob's character. There's enough actual historical drama in the industry without resorting to blatant bullshit.

i managed to get to the finale of the first season. It sort of grows on you as your skin gets thicker. 
 

It would have been a great show without Baywatching it, and putting in random in your face wiki-explanationn about the o&g industry. I cannot stand cooper character. What a dork … sorry 

 

I think shows like 1883, 1923, Yellowstone and Mayor of Kingstown are Sheridan finest work. 

 

I am trying to like this one … trying so hard

 

that said Demi Moore and Don Draper dude were amazing. They had 10% of the content but outsize impact that more than made up for the Baywatch, o&g wiki lessons and Cooper dorkiness. 
 

new season has Sam Elliott; so..

[Xerxes]

I should add I had to fast forward scenes that had too much Cooper dorkiness 

[Xerxes]

Gemini 

Why landman has poor writing when compared to 1923 and Yellowstone ?
 

 

While all three shows are created by Taylor Sheridan, many viewers and critics have noted a significant "quality gap" between Landman and his earlier hits like 1923 and the early seasons of Yellowstone.

The consensus suggests that Landman suffers from a combination of over-extension, a shift in tone, and formulaic fatigue. Here are the primary reasons why the writing in Landman often feels "poor" by comparison:

1. The "Sheridan Fatigue" and Recycling

By the time Landman premiered in late 2024, Taylor Sheridan was managing over half a dozen active shows (Yellowstone, 1923, Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, Lioness, etc.).  

• Formulaic Writing: Critics have pointed out that Landman relies heavily on a "copy-paste" structure. It features the same "grumpy old man against the world" archetype (Tommy Norris vs. John Dutton) and the same "soap opera with action" pacing. 

• Lack of Freshness: While 1923 felt fresh because of its historical scope and the star power of Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, Landman is often criticized for feeling like "freshly made fast food"—it’s entertaining but lacks the depth and stakes of the original Yellowstone saga.

2. Tone: Gritty Drama vs. "Redneck Anime"

Landman leans much harder into a specific type of heightened, almost campy dialogue that some fans find "cringey."

• Dialogue Style: While 1923 uses poetic, sweeping narration and serious historical themes, Landman features Billy Bob Thornton delivering long-winded, cynical monologues about the oil industry that can feel "preachy" rather than organic. 

• Humor: Landman attempts more humor than Yellowstone, but it often lands as "locker room talk" or caricatures, making the characters feel less like real people and more like stereotypes. 

3. Character Depth vs. Caricatures

One of the biggest complaints regarding Landman is how it handles its ensemble, especially compared to the Dutton family.

• The "Beth Dutton" Problem: Yellowstone and 1923 have complex (if polarizing) female characters with deep backstories. In Landman, many viewers feel the women are written as one-dimensional "bitchy" or "idealistic" tropes, serving only to react to the male lead. 

• Single-Point Perspective: 1923 had multiple compelling storylines (the African safari, the boarding school, the ranch). Landman is very much a "one-man show" centered on Tommy Norris, making the world feel smaller and the stakes less epic. 

4. Direct Adaptation vs. Original Concept

• Source Material: Landman is based on the Boomtown podcast. Some critics argue that Sheridan struggled to stretch a non-fiction podcast about the Permian Basin into a long-form drama, leading to "filler" scenes and repetitive plot points about land rights and oil spills. 

• Historical Gravity: 1923 benefits from the inherent weight of history (the Great Depression, Prohibition). Landman deals with the modern oil industry, which lacks that same sense of "pioneer spirit" that made the Yellowstone prequels feel like prestigious television.

[DooDiligence]

That pretty much covers why I dropped it after 5 or 6 episodes.

[Xerxes]

20 minutes ago, DooDiligence said:

That pretty much covers why I dropped it after 5 or 6 episodes.

I think Sheridan may have just rented his “brand” while the script/production was outsourced, much like General Electric use to put his brand for dishwashers which were manufactured by a Chinese business. 

Demi Moore owns every scene she is in. That said the Rebecca character, corporate lawyer, is so just bad. Bad script. Bad acting etc 

[Spekulatius]

I think the first few season of a Yellowstone were good, then it faded in repetitions and stereotypes for me. I found 1883 and 1923 exceptional.

 

Land and first few episodes were entertaining but then I stopped watching it and don’t miss it at all . i think it was solely Billy Bob Thornton driving it but that’s not enough in the long run.

 

I agree  that Sheridan just rented out his brand here.

Edited December 21, 2025 by Spekulatius

[DooDiligence]

Went to see the newest Avatar movie today at the Landmark theatre in Coral Gables. It was OK. These theaters make any movie enjoyable. Notably, the preroll showed a trailer promoting the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy movie (due to release next April), and it looked friggin' fabulous. The graphics are stunning. I wouldn't be surprised if this does every bit as well as Super Mario did at the box office in 2023. Nintendo gettin' paid to show smash hit infomercials.

[John Hjorth]

I'm here not trying to become political.

 

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But between Christmas and New Year, I've watched - together with the Lady of the House - the British 'The Trump Show' produced by [British] Channel 4, streamed on DR TV [www.dr.tv].

 

I have to say, it's just awesome and factual! - but also breathtaking! It consists of three episodes in season 1, by now for 2025, sequels 'doomed to come' for the next three years, I think!

 

- - - o 0 o - - -

 

I've tried to register on the Cannel 4 wesite for access, unfortunately everyone outside UK are prohibited to register [ ] :