What I've been watching lately
Jun. 28th, 2017 06:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
carbonelA very mixed bag via Netflix streaming and DVD.
The bad:
The OA
Someone on LJ/DW recommended this, which is why I watched the first season via Netflix. Oh, this is bad. So bad. Bad in the same way that Lost was bad, in that it feels as if the scriptwriters are just making it up as they go. It starts with a woman in a nightgown standing on the edge of a bridge with a substantial drop. She jumps, and is apparently totally unharmed. There are a series of flashbacks, and the final episode gets to the point where she was abandoned -- and there's no indication of how she got from lonely road to well-traveled bridge without any interim. Maybe there's supposed to be more plot in-between, but that wasn't the feeling I got. It's supposed to be about near-death experiences, but it's all just made-up woo.
Inception
Okay, this isn't actually bad. It was a blockbuster, and hugely successful. But it wasn't my cup of tea. I kept watching it from a meta point of view: "here's a fight scene" and "oh, here's another fight scene, and next we'll have a chase scene" and "oh, cool special effect." And there was a whole lot of the Eight Deadly Words.
The good (mostly):
Anne with an "E"
Another series I watched on Netflix. I mostly enjoyed this, though I side-eye a bit at the way it's plotted to ramp up the angst levels. In this story (spoilers!) Anne is sent back to the orphanage for stealing Marilla's brooch, instead of being threatened with not being able to attend a church picnic. And the final couple of episodes deal with the prospect of financial ruin as the result of a ship sinking (without insurance) and some bad choices. And I'm pretty sure a lot of the idioms used were not extant in the period the series is set. But Anne is pitch-perfect, and Matthew is much less of a cipher than he was in the books, and I'm looking forward to the next season.
Grace and Frankie
Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sam Waterston, and Martin Sheen. I don't usually watch shows for the actors, but in this case I'll make an exception. The initial premise is that there are two couples in their early 70s whose wives don't really get along. They have dinner together, and the men announce that they've been having an affair for 25 years, and are now divorcing the wives to marry each other. Much hilarity does not ensue. The two women end up living together, despite their exceedingly different everything, and manage to make a go of the (platonic) relationship. Very quirky, but doesn't trip my "sitcom, ick" button.
Also, a bunch of a nature documentaries narrated by David Attenborough. When I need soothing, there's nothing like bugs or polar bears or frogs.
The bad:
The OA
Someone on LJ/DW recommended this, which is why I watched the first season via Netflix. Oh, this is bad. So bad. Bad in the same way that Lost was bad, in that it feels as if the scriptwriters are just making it up as they go. It starts with a woman in a nightgown standing on the edge of a bridge with a substantial drop. She jumps, and is apparently totally unharmed. There are a series of flashbacks, and the final episode gets to the point where she was abandoned -- and there's no indication of how she got from lonely road to well-traveled bridge without any interim. Maybe there's supposed to be more plot in-between, but that wasn't the feeling I got. It's supposed to be about near-death experiences, but it's all just made-up woo.
Inception
Okay, this isn't actually bad. It was a blockbuster, and hugely successful. But it wasn't my cup of tea. I kept watching it from a meta point of view: "here's a fight scene" and "oh, here's another fight scene, and next we'll have a chase scene" and "oh, cool special effect." And there was a whole lot of the Eight Deadly Words.
The good (mostly):
Anne with an "E"
Another series I watched on Netflix. I mostly enjoyed this, though I side-eye a bit at the way it's plotted to ramp up the angst levels. In this story (spoilers!) Anne is sent back to the orphanage for stealing Marilla's brooch, instead of being threatened with not being able to attend a church picnic. And the final couple of episodes deal with the prospect of financial ruin as the result of a ship sinking (without insurance) and some bad choices. And I'm pretty sure a lot of the idioms used were not extant in the period the series is set. But Anne is pitch-perfect, and Matthew is much less of a cipher than he was in the books, and I'm looking forward to the next season.
Grace and Frankie
Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sam Waterston, and Martin Sheen. I don't usually watch shows for the actors, but in this case I'll make an exception. The initial premise is that there are two couples in their early 70s whose wives don't really get along. They have dinner together, and the men announce that they've been having an affair for 25 years, and are now divorcing the wives to marry each other. Much hilarity does not ensue. The two women end up living together, despite their exceedingly different everything, and manage to make a go of the (platonic) relationship. Very quirky, but doesn't trip my "sitcom, ick" button.
Also, a bunch of a nature documentaries narrated by David Attenborough. When I need soothing, there's nothing like bugs or polar bears or frogs.
no subject
Date: 2017-06-29 12:48 am (UTC)OA. I watched the first season and mostly enjoyed it, but I would never try to make the case that it's a good show. It had just enough of that earnest intensity that you find in projects that are essentially one person's passion project to help me glide over the ridiculous plot holes. (I mean, c'mon! If you were deathly allergic to one particular food, would you have a can of it in your pantry? Really?) I have no desire to see the second season.
Inception. Saw it in the theater, which is certainly the best way to appreciate the plethora of CGI effects. I remember enjoying it at the time, and then forgot about it completely. I think I experienced some of the same distancing sensation that you describe. It was much like watching someone else play a video game with exceptionally good graphics, but just enough plot to get the characters from one level to the next. *meh*
Grace and Frankie. I watched a few episodes of this, but couldn't make myself like it. Nothing about the characters seemed believable. They're all just one-sentence descriptions in somebody's very high-concept show idea. "You know, like the odd couple, but with OLDER WOMEN! And gay men! Think of the untapped audience demographics!" A sad waste of some very good actors.
no subject
Date: 2017-06-29 12:56 am (UTC)