Movies and TV shows (general recommendation thread)

[Parsad]

6 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

It’s on Hulu in the US.

Das Boot didn’t do it for me and I skipped to other things after watching a few episodes.

 

I am currently watching “The Nightsky” and “Boys” (Amazon),  “Prehistoric planet” and “For all mankind S3” (Apple), “Tokyo Vice “ (HBO) and finishing “Stranger Things” ( Netflix).

 

Stranger Things started off a bit slow, but this first half ended with a bang!  I get a huge kick out of how the Duffer brothers get the 90's schtick and atmosphere so correct.  Cheers!

[Spekulatius]

4 minutes ago, Parsad said:

 

Stranger Things started off a bit slow, but this first half ended with a bang!  I get a huge kick out of how the Duffer brothers get the 90's schtick and atmosphere so correct.  Cheers!

Apple TV is the dark horse in streaming that not many are talking about. They don't have a lot of shows, but the ones they do have are very good. "Shining girl" is a great one for example.

 

 

I agree on "Stranger things". It's a cult show at this point.

[Parsad]

10 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

Apple TV is the dark horse in streaming that not many are talking about. They don't have a lot of shows, but the ones they do have are very good. "Shining girl" is a great one for example.

 

 

I agree on "Stranger things". It's a cult show at this point.

 

The one thing I find with all of the streaming channels now is that the percentage of quality programming has declined.  While each streamer has a bunch of quality shows that develop great followings, there is whole lotta crap being developed too!  It seems as though almost every actor in Hollywood, including fringe stars, now have their own production vehicle, series or movie on Netflix, Amazon, Paramount or Disney. 

 

Before, if you were a cable executive, you would have to try and fill your prime time slots, whether day or night, with winners, because you had limited slots.  Now, there is shit all over the place and I can't imagine that everyone watches all of this crap.  I'm lucky if I can find one good show/movie a week on each of these streaming networks!  Cheers!

[DooDiligence]

8 hours ago, Parsad said:

 

The one thing I find with all of the streaming channels now is that the percentage of quality programming has declined.  While each streamer has a bunch of quality shows that develop great followings, there is whole lotta crap being developed too!  It seems as though almost every actor in Hollywood, including fringe stars, now have their own production vehicle, series or movie on Netflix, Amazon, Paramount or Disney. 

 

Before, if you were a cable executive, you would have to try and fill your prime time slots, whether day or night, with winners, because you had limited slots.  Now, there is shit all over the place and I can't imagine that everyone watches all of this crap.  I'm lucky if I can find one good show/movie a week on each of these streaming networks!  Cheers!

 

I've spent quite a few evenings just watching trailers. The movie may suck but the trailer is usually good.

[Spekulatius]

8 hours ago, Parsad said:

 

The one thing I find with all of the streaming channels now is that the percentage of quality programming has declined.  While each streamer has a bunch of quality shows that develop great followings, there is whole lotta crap being developed too!  It seems as though almost every actor in Hollywood, including fringe stars, now have their own production vehicle, series or movie on Netflix, Amazon, Paramount or Disney. 

 

Before, if you were a cable executive, you would have to try and fill your prime time slots, whether day or night, with winners, because you had limited slots.  Now, there is shit all over the place and I can't imagine that everyone watches all of this crap.  I'm lucky if I can find one good show/movie a week on each of these streaming networks!  Cheers!

This is true - there is a lot of filler content (or maybe niche content) out there but does it matter? there is still more good content on aggregate than there ever was. I also love some of the niche content like Scandinavian crime shows. Recently watched an Indian crime show (Aranyak) just for the cultural background and loved it.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14167344/

Before streaming it was very hard to get access to this content and now it's easy.

[formthirteen]

Top Gun Maverick was really good. I'm a bit surprised that good movies are still being made. The movies during the pandemic have been mostly terrible. Did someone lock up all the good screenwriters?

 

Elon on Netflix:

Quote

Netflix is now "unwatchable."

…

Earlier this year it released “He’s Expecting,” a Japanese-language comedy drama about a man who becomes pregnant.

[boilermaker75]

22 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

This is true - there is a lot of filler content (or maybe niche content) out there but does it matter? there is still more good content on aggregate than there ever was. I also love some of the niche content like Scandinavian crime shows. Recently watched an Indian crime show (Aranyak) just for the cultural background and loved it.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14167344/

Before streaming it was very hard to get access to this content and now it's easy.

 

We recently subscribed to MHz. Haven't gotten to the Scandinavian crime shows yet because we have been stuck on the French ones.

 

Last two weeks we have been watching Cherif. If you get past the first couple episodes he tones done that shit-eating grin and he's a lot better. It is about an Arab police captain in Lyon. He knows all the old English crime/detective shows. So when something happens or he figures something out he will state "Columbo season 3 episode 5."

[Xerxes]

On 6/18/2022 at 11:27 AM, Blugolds11 said:

 

I actually liked 1883 better than Yellowstone, thought the storyline was better as well as the acting, it didnt seem like they were trying so hard for the cliché cowboy one-liners, Yellowstone seemed more like a soap opera to me, vs 1883 closer to something like lonesome dove.

 

Of course it helps when you have Sam Elliot as a main character in a western you're pretty much guaranteed not to suck. 

started watching 1883, very different than Yellowstone. Just finished the river crossing episode #4. 

[Parsad]

Have been binge watching The Terminal List on Amazon tonight with Chris Pratt.  Really terrific!  Probably Pratt's best performance and role.  Cheers!

[wescobrk]

agreed Parsad, I'm not usually a fan of conspiracies but I thought the Terminal list was very good. The action scenes were intelligent and realistic. It helps when you have a former Navy Seal as the author and a consultant on the set.

[LC]

The Bear on hulu - great season.

[rkbabang]

7 hours ago, Parsad said:

Have been binge watching The Terminal List on Amazon tonight with Chris Pratt.  Really terrific!  Probably Pratt's best performance and role.  Cheers!

I was just searching for this thread to recommend this. My wife and I watched the whole season in two days.  Excellent.

[Parsad]

15 hours ago, rkbabang said:

I was just searching for this thread to recommend this. My wife and I watched the whole season in two days.  Excellent.

 

Just finished watching all of them.  Sort of a blend between 24 and Reacher.  Was excellent!  Pratt was just fantastic in it!  

 

Cheers!

[Parsad]

I can't believe I had not seen "Whiplash" till now!  7 years after it was made.  In my top ten movies of all time.  Just amazing...thrilling...can't give it enough superlatives!  Cheers!

[Xerxes]

Finished 1883. 
impressed by the storytelling, landscape, horses, how unrelated this is to the Soap Opera Yellowstone and last but not least Elsa’ accent (southern I guess)

[Blugolds]

4 hours ago, Xerxes said:

Finished 1883. 
impressed by the storytelling, landscape, horses, how unrelated this is to the Soap Opera Yellowstone and last but not least Elsa’ accent (southern I guess)

 

Glad you liked it, I felt the same about Yellowstone, too much BS for me, 1883 to me was more of a "real" western. 

 

Always been a fan of westerns although they seem to be lowest on priority for movie/show producers...before Yellowstone/1883 when was the last western movie/tv series? They avg one like every 10 years (couple random no names) ...meanwhile they will make Fast and Furious 25 or some of those other names that are played out but guarantee a base number at the box office...westerns probably just dont put up the numbers...why take a risk producing a western that isnt as popular as it was in the 70's when they can just make (or remake) another show that has a chance of a better return. 

 

Been a while since there were good names:

Tombstone (one of my favorites)

Wyatt Erp

3:10 Yuma

Open Range (slow movie till the last gunfight)

Lonesome Dove (classic)

Unforgiven 

True Grit (didnt think it was great)

 Old Henry (I thought that was pretty good)

Quentin Tarantino westerns (thought they were decent but not typical westerns obviously)

Before that you'd have to go back to Dances with Wolves (one of the best obviously)

And then you're into the Clint Eastwood/John Wayne era

Outlaw Josey Wales probably my all time favorite.

 

Hoping if 1883 is a hit maybe that will increase, I'd like to see Elliot in more stuff, even though he is getting older he still nails the cowboy role IMO.

 

 

[Spekulatius]

@Blugolds11 Great list. My simple rule that every western with Clint Eastwood is good.

 

I disagree on the True Grit remake, I liked that one a lot.

 

Some newer westerns one that I really like are: “ Hell and high water” and I also think that “No country for old men” could count as a contemporary western. Then we got the “ Power of the Dog” (probably not everyone’s taste, but a great movie). I really enjoyed the “ Ballad of Buster Scruggs” novellas, but then again I am huge Coen Brothers fanboy (hence my liking of True Grit).

[boilermaker75]

1 hour ago, Blugolds11 said:

 

And then you're into the Clint Eastwood/John Wayne era

Outlaw Josey Wales probably my all time favorite.

 

 

 

 

The Outlaw Josey Wales, with those Colt-Walker revolvers, is also my all time favorite. I have probably seen it a dozen times and it doesn't ever get old.

 

Josey Wales: When I get to likin’ someone, they ain’t around long.
Lone Watie: I notice when you get to DISlikin’ someone they ain’t around for long neither

[Blugolds]

33 minutes ago, boilermaker75 said:

 

The Outlaw Josey Wales, with those Colt-Walker revolvers, is also my all time favorite. I have probably seen it a dozen times and it doesn't ever get old.

 

Josey Wales: When I get to likin’ someone, they ain’t around long.
Lone Watie: I notice when you get to DISlikin’ someone they ain’t around for long neither

 

 

I know I've seen it over a dozen times...tons of good one liners from that move..."how is it on stains?"...."Missouri boat ride" 

[Parsad]

10 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

@Blugolds11 Great list. My simple rule that every western with Clint Eastwood is good.

 

I disagree on the True Grit remake, I liked that one a lot.

 

Some newer westerns one that I really like are: “ Hell and high water” and I also think that “No country for old men” could count as a contemporary western. Then we got the “ Power of the Dog” (probably not everyone’s taste, but a great movie). I really enjoyed the “ Ballad of Buster Scruggs” novellas, but then again I am huge Coen Brothers fanboy (hence my liking of True Grit).

 

The Sergio Leone westerns are the standard!  For a Few Dollars More is #1 for me all time...then A Fistful of Dollars is #2...the landscape, gritty cinematography, Ennio Morricone's classic scores, superb Italians playing Mexican banditos, Clint's charisma, chewed off cigar and poncho, Lee Van Cleef's grit and voice, the clever but sparse dialogue, and the fantastic gunfights.  Hands down the best westerns ever made...everything else is a derivative!  

 

I love Westerns...probably seen almost every one ever made!  My father was a huge fan of them, and I watched many with him.  My love of Westerns has never been quenched.  When you see a character like "Stumpy" in "Rio Bravo", how can you not love the genre?

 

I agree, I wish there was a good one made every year, but unfortunately we don't get them enough, or the newer generations simply don't enjoy them as much.  A pretty good one that came out recently was "News of the World" with Tom Hanks...who surprisingly had not been in a Western until now and the small role he had in "1883". 

 

"Hell or High Water"...kind of a Western...was one of my favorites of the last decade.  The remakes of "3:10 to Yuma" and "True Grit" were good...different enough from the originals.  "The Revenant" was good, but very bleak.  "Django Unchained" and "The Hateful Eight" were fun and entertaining.  The Denzel "Magnificent Seven" was quite good too...the classic with Yul Brynner still rules.  "The Sisters Brothers" was really good.  One that I haven't seen yet, but I heard good things about is "Bone Tomahawk".   

 

Cheers!

[boilermaker75]

2 hours ago, Parsad said:

 

The Sergio Leone westerns are the standard!  For a Few Dollars More is #1 for me all time...then A Fistful of Dollars is #2...the landscape, gritty cinematography, Ennio Morricone's classic scores, superb Italians playing Mexican banditos, Clint's charisma, chewed off cigar and poncho, Lee Van Cleef's grit and voice, the clever but sparse dialogue, and the fantastic gunfights.  Hands down the best westerns ever made...everything else is a derivative!  

 

I love Westerns...probably seen almost every one ever made!  My father was a huge fan of them, and I watched many with him.  My love of Westerns has never been quenched.  When you see a character like "Stumpy" in "Rio Bravo", how can you not love the genre?

 

I agree, I wish there was a good one made every year, but unfortunately we don't get them enough, or the newer generations simply don't enjoy them as much.  A pretty good one that came out recently was "News of the World" with Tom Hanks...who surprisingly had not been in a Western until now and the small role he had in "1883". 

 

"Hell or High Water"...kind of a Western...was one of my favorites of the last decade.  The remakes of "3:10 to Yuma" and "True Grit" were good...different enough from the originals.  "The Revenant" was good, but very bleak.  "Django Unchained" and "The Hateful Eight" were fun and entertaining.  The Denzel "Magnificent Seven" was quite good too...the classic with Yul Brynner still rules.  "The Sisters Brothers" was really good.  One that I haven't seen yet, but I heard good things about is "Bone Tomahawk".   

 

Cheers!

 

@Parsad Reading through your list of great Westerns made me think of another great Clint Eastwood Western with Shirley MacLaine, Two Mules for Sister Sara. You have probably seen it, but if not you are in for a real treat.

[Blugolds]

1 hour ago, boilermaker75 said:

 

@Parsad Reading through your list of great Westerns made me think of another great Clint Eastwood Western with Shirley MacLaine, Two Mules for Sister Sara. You have probably seen it, but if not you are in for a real treat.

 

Not to turn this into a western thread but just thought of another classic that Ive seen a hundred times and was one of my favorites as a kid…EL DORADO

 

The DUKE

Robert Mitchum 

James Caan

 

RIO BRAVO was great…Ricky Nelson and Deano did a great job as well…

 

I’ll have to check out Hell or High Water and Bone Tomahawk. I saw the poster for the Hanks one but I guess I didnt see a trailer or realize it was a western…prolly have to check that out too…

 

 

 

 

[Parsad]

2 hours ago, boilermaker75 said:

 

@Parsad Reading through your list of great Westerns made me think of another great Clint Eastwood Western with Shirley MacLaine, Two Mules for Sister Sara. You have probably seen it, but if not you are in for a real treat.

 

Yes, seen it.  Shirley MacLaine was a beauty.  She stole many of the scenes from Clint...that's very hard to do!  Cheers!

[Parsad]

57 minutes ago, Blugolds11 said:

 

Not to turn this into a western thread but just thought of another classic that Ive seen a hundred times and was one of my favorites as a kid…EL DORADO

 

The DUKE

Robert Mitchum 

James Caan

 

RIO BRAVO was great…Ricky Nelson and Deano did a great job as well…

 

I’ll have to check out Hell or High Water and Bone Tomahawk. I saw the poster for the Hanks one but I guess I didnt see a trailer or realize it was a western…prolly have to check that out too…

 

 

 

 

 

Both were directed by Howard Hawks, thus the clever dialogue and charismatic takes of the stars.  I still have a mad crush on Angie Dickinson from what she looked like in Rio Bravo!  Look at this woman back in 1959!

 

 

I forgot to mention all of the westerns by John Ford...without him there would be no western genre.  "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" was his best western and arguably his best movie.  Cheers!

[Gregmal]

You’re missing A Million Ways To Die In The West.