Rather than hate on Children of Men more, I"ll take advantage of the braintrust here to see what you're staring at as you let your new year's resolutions lapse.
As discussed elsewhere, we're greatly disappointed in Downton Abbey. Actually, that's not true. We're getting exactly what we expect with Downton Abbey.
Broadchurch is really very good. It is, in my opinion, everything True Detective should have been and studiously isn't, despite everyone on the Internet wanting it to be.
We tried two episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and that just ain't my show.
Based on an appreciation for Doc Martin we tried some Hart of Dixie. Its heart is in the right place but it's just not very good.
There's some frickin' weird anime out there. Cranked through like 4 episodes of Planetes and thought it was kinda cheesy and weird, then put on an episode of Deadman Wonderland and realized that Planetes is Masterpiece Theater.
Enjoyed the first season of Damages but the 2nd really isn't grabbin' me.
Really miss Raising Hope and my Name Is Earl.
Louie is my favorite show right now. It's just so... different. I really like Louie CK's humor and the series is funny but also not stupid. And there are lots of great serious and touching moments too. Cinematography is also really good. Basically I like everything about that series.
Disclaimer: I basically only watch Netflix. Tried American ham. Stupid. Frankly, way too wholesome? Only got like 20-25 minutes in but I think that's long enough. Fourth season of breaking bad, great. Losing passion for American horror story. Saw Selma in theaters. Super conflicted reaction to it. Should caveat this with two things: 1) I literally had not even seen a trailer for Selma when I agreed to watch it, in fact I thought Selma was a band. 2) I loathe and abhor most dramas/tragedies. I don't need media to make me feel bad. So I was crying twenty minutes in and agree it's a great film in terms of how it demonstrates its subject and yeah, it probably didn't hurt for me to have to confront some of what happened. But I was mad that I went. Pissed. Hate getting to know characters only to see them die. I tried an episode and a half of flight of conchords. Can see the appeal but not in love. Eh, that's like, it. EDIT: I JUST WANNA REITERATE THAT WHEN MY FRIEND ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO GO SEE SELMA, I FIRST SAID "NEVER HEARD OF THEM" AND THEN "THAT'S A BAND, RIGHT?" Please, come on, this is comedy gold. (And then of course like an idiot I said yes and didn't realize what a mistake I made until OMG THE CRYING.)
I used to be such a big fan of movies, music, TV shows that made me "feel bad," but it seems like I just can't stomach it much anymore. I know what reality is like, and I'm pretty empathetic. Movies like that can just be too much! I saw Selma because my girlfriend really wanted to. It was a well-done film, but I too walked out of the theater feeling abused. I don't need media to make me feel bad.
There were honestly times when I kind of was thinking about walking out of the theater, but then I figured that black people had actually lived through this awful reality and persevered, and the least thing I could do was respect their struggle by watching all of it. I mean, I was already there, walking out seemed like it would just allow me to deny some of the horror I was seeing. Dr Who I straight quit because of the emotional manipulation, though. I mean, I think Selma, and its audiences' reactions to it, can open some interesting conversations about race, white privilege and guilt, and so on. I commented to my friend that "they come out with a movie about overcoming racism in some way every year so that white people can watch it, be upset, walk out of the movie theater and say 'Whew! Glad that's over!" and you know what, for some people, I think it does do that. I think some white people watch Selma and The Help and they're like "Well that was awful! That was truly, truly awful! Thank god it's not like that any more!" or, if it's a movie where a white protagonist "saves" or "helps save" the oppressed blacks, the white audience can in some way feel redeemed by this. I also feel like it's very important to be aware of exactly how awful black people have been treated by white Americans in our (rather recent) history. Theoretically, movies like this can help educate people who may not be aware of exactly how awful it was. They also can help give white folks a perspective into what daily life at least has been like for blacks. In that way, I think they can be valuable watching. However, a part of me definitely feels like, I didn't need to see that. I am aware of the struggle for equal rights and treatments that minorities have gone through and still go through. I try and stand up and speak up against racism, sexism, etc, when I see it. Part of me feels privileged for even feeling like, I didn't need to see Selma. I didn't need to see it? Who am I to say I didn't need to see what real people had to live through, not for 1.5 hours once, but every day for their entire lives? But then it brings to mind a Hubski conversation I had about inherent white privilege and how in my experience white people get "assumed innocent" and get away with a lot of crimes when minorities never are afforded this benefit of the doubt. I saw an article about this in NYC too, I'll see if i can find it. Another user disagreed with me about this phenomenon but did say something that struck with me which is it is not my duty to throw myself under the bus, to fuck myself over, simply because I enjoy privileges others don't. Which I agree. I am no good, to myself, to society, or to the causes I support, if I allow the system to beat me up simply because it beats up others and I disagree with that violence. So you totally didn't expect this but I think I needed to rant about Selma. Sorry :)
I agree completely. Movies like that are great, but I often think more white people should be exposed to films that force them (us, in my case) to face the present situation of racial divisions in American and say, "Well shit. Things might be better, but they certainly aren't great, and maybe I should be doing a little more about that." Because, you're right, it's too easy to have that ridiculous "Good thing we aren't racist anymore" mentality. But usually the movies that shed light on the current problems are things like documentaries, and don't get as much attention. I'm thinking of films like The House I live in, which isn't strictly about race, but certainly has a lot to do with it. I can't think of other examples right now. I'm interested in the conversation that ended in I think some white people watch Selma and The Help and they're like "Well that was awful! That was truly, truly awful! Thank god it's not like that any more!"
So you totally didn't expect this but I think I needed to rant about Selma. Sorry :)
No problem of course! These are great conversations to be having! it is not my duty to throw myself under the bus, to fuck myself over, simply because I enjoy privileges others don't. Which I agree. I am no good, to myself, to society, or to the causes I support, if I allow the system to beat me up simply because it beats up others and I disagree with that violence.
I'm interested in white privilege and white guilt. I try to be as educated and aware of racial issues and systematic oppression and racism today as I can be without investing huge amounts of time into reading and learning about it. I want to understand how I fit into the puzzle. I know I benefit hugely from white privilege, and surely I have played a part in subtle prejudices that pervade our society. So I take strides to change those things about myself, but I always end up feeling like, "There's so much to be done, and surely white people have a huge role to play in the doing, but what part of this fight is our fight?" I have a few black acquaintances who spend much of their time engaged in dialogues and activities centered on race in America, and they are very, very opinionated and passionate about what white people should and shouldn't say or do, what aspects of the battle white Americans have a right to participate in, etc. And I'm intimidated as hell by them, because I certainly don't want to piss people off or seem like an ignorant, offensive white guy sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong, or asking questions that I'll get bit for, but I also want to be part of the solution. White guilt is a weird and complicated thing. I may have just talked in circles.
On the last bit, I think being aware of being able to overstep your bounds is enough sometimes. I went to an environmental conference called "power shift" last year in pittsburgh. Most of the workshops I chose to go to were about the socio-economic issues that go along with the negative impact of environmental damage; all forms of urban waste disposal are exclusively placed in lower income areas, respiratory disorders are consistently higher in these areas due to the methods of waste disposal and that coal burning power plants and factories are zoned next to these areas. There was another concerning the displacement of native people in Alaska and Canada by fracking. The workshop that had the biggest impact on me though was one in which a panel that had worked to revitalize several through the building of coo unity center like urban garden and youth centers as well as solar gardens to aid residents in lower utility prices. The panel was a mixture of community leaders, who were POC, and outside activists who had come to help with the changes to theses neighborhoods, some white some not. In the discussion with those in attendance problem of privilege and trying to help a community or cause as an outsider came up. The gave the safe answer they gave was that one who is unaffected by the strive can only help in a positive way by helping to facilitate change in the direction the community has decided. After typing that out I don't know how much it relates to what you said but when I heard it it helped me find the line between wanting to help and speaking on something I haven't experienced.
Nick Offerman's book is pretty great, he actually studied with a Kabuki instructor at one point. The rest of my comment got cut off some how I have been feeling the same way lately, in fact when kleinbl00 mentioned Broadchurch it reminded me that it's a show that my wife watches. I just don't want to see it for the most part. Selma I feel can be given a pass (though I haven't seen it) because it's a historical drama. But a lot of the media seems to be centered around who can make the most horrific story and still get on the air.Saw Selma in theaters. Super conflicted reaction to it. Should caveat this with two things: 1) I literally had not even seen a trailer for Selma when I agreed to watch it, in fact I thought Selma was a band. 2) I loathe and abhor most dramas/tragedies. I don't need media to make me feel bad. So I was crying twenty minutes in and agree it's a great film in terms of how it demonstrates its subject and yeah, it probably didn't hurt for me to have to confront some of what happened. But I was mad that I went. Pissed. Hate getting to know characters only to see them die.
As a semi-old-timer, you might like "Halt and Catch Fire". Not a comedy, but it is aimed at nerds and geeks. Roughly tells the story of Compaq and the first IBM PC clones.
I like how they did that whole bit on the most efficient way to masturbate a room of men because that is exactly the kind of dumb bs you have to put up with if you're in the computing industry. It's still funny, but some people don't know how to let an anecdote go.
That scene was absolutely fantastic. I have the sense of humor of an adolescent. In scenes like those I'm never sure if the writer is making fun of people like me for laughing, but I don't care for a second. If there's a deeper joke to be in on, I'm fine being on the outside looking in.
Literally the only reason to watch that show is the final episode. My roommate had to practically tie me to the couch to force me through the first 11 episodes. It was really worth it in the end but I would not and could not watch it again.
I'm almost ashamed to say it, but I'm kinda fond of "Brooklyn Nine Nine".
Also the American version of "Shameless" doesn't seem quite as edgy as the Brit version, but I like it anyway. Wiliam H Macy stands out.
Recently saw the Black Mirror Christmas Special - excellent; I loved all the episodes of this series. Great stuff, don't let the weird first episode stop you from seeing the rest - there's only 7 episodes all up anyway, and they are all independent from each other.
Yes, fucked-up - but the whole point of that series is to be thought-provoking, I think; and judged on that basis, it succeeds perfectly.
I suspect the series would be a lot more well-known if that episode weren't the first one. Not easy to watch, frankly.
Because you like something silly or goofy? There is nothing wrong with having bad taste, so I will defend anyone else's with my own! The American Shameless is just a bit better than the British version imo, just because I understand the motivations of the characters more (i.e. NHS does not exist, how we gonna pay our bills?).I'm almost ashamed to say it, but I'm kinda fond of "Brooklyn Nine Nine".
Honestly, I can't bring myself to watch television as much as I used to. At least not serial based drama stuff. I mostly just stick with sketch comedy which leaves a bad taste in some people's mouths. Nevertheless here ya go! Key and Peele - This is actually my favorite for one Keegan Michael Key is from Detroit and studied improv with a lot of the people who teach me now, so I have a sort of bias. But it's also just original and funny. They build great characters together which make for great scenes. Recommended for: Substitute Teacher
School Bully
Comedy Bang Bang - Although I thoroughly enjoy this show, it's not for everyone, and definitely can get very meta about the internals of the comedy community. Referencing jokes from the podcast, as well as other projects Aukerman's been a part of (Mr. Show) Recommended For: Cake Boss Reggie Watt's beautiful music Funny people getting interviewed
Parks and Recreation - is a well written show, outside of the first season it really starts to let the characters grow (The first season of every show is an outlier imo) Recommended For: Andy's lines The Queen (aka Amy Poehler ) Treat Yo Self Jean Rafio (Ben Schwartz) and his sister Mona Lisa (who's actress Jenny Slate made a wonderful movie
last year, "Obvious Child) Bob's Burgers:
Loren Bouchard ( Dr. Katz, Home Movies, Lucy Daughter of the Devil) created this show. If you like his others, you'll enjoy this.
A weird family does weird things all while their dad who seems to be half way normal tries to hold it all together. Recommended for: Gene: It's the documentarian who hates Dad and puts wigs on cows!
Tina: Werner Herzog?
That is about it lately, I can't stand most modern television shows as cliche as it sounds especially with so much negative emotional manipulation through the power of editing to help spruce up the ratings.
I finally started watching West Wing while on the 30 hour flight from Sri Lanka. Got thru the first season. Pretty good - show / writing is just as you would expect an early Sorkin to be. The Newsroom (only seasons one and two) are better. If you haven't watched it, watch it now. I also just re-watched Community from start to end as a bedtime show with my boyfriend who hadn't seen it. So great and I had no problem watching the entire thing again. Perfectly short and sweet episodes with good characters, lighthearted and nostalgic sense of humor, etc. Another shitty funny show is IT Crowd. True Detective was good (but nothing that I'll remember in 2-5 years). I enjoyed it thoroughly. I wouldn't recommend it if you have been watching much Matthew McConaughey lately. There is such a thing as too much McConaughey. One of my all time entertaining shows to watching is a british conman show called Hustle. I love that show - not sure if it's actually good or not as I watched it maybe 6-7 years ago.
I recently watched Community for the first time in 2014. It was funny, easy to watch and perfect just before bed TV. Easy to consume and you could miss half an episode falling asleep and not be at a loss...The Newsroom (only seasons one and two) are better. If you haven't watched it, watch it now.
-I enjoyed West Wing quite a lot but I wasn't a big fan of Newsroom. It was okay imo. Now, True Detective, was a viewing experience I'll not soon forget. It was intense, well written and well acted. I enjoyed it.
Exactly! I put television shows in this category all the time and judge them differently. The boyfriend and I recently began watching The Wire before bed...biggest mistake ever. The reason? You don't end up going to bed.It was funny, easy to watch and perfect just before bed TV. Easy to consume and you could miss half an episode falling asleep and not be at a loss...
Binged on Helix for a few days. It's a SyFy original series, that honestly, isn't bad. It's about a CDC team investigating some messed up events in an arctic-based rare diseases lab reminiscent of the Wildfire lab from the Andromeda Strain. Some of the writing feels a tad lazy, but I like a few of the characters quite a bit, and there is a lot of intrigue. Backstabbers backstabbing backstabbers kind of stuff. I'll say this, the show at the end is very different from the show at the beginning, with significantly higher levels of suspended disbelief, but it's a fun ride. I'll be watching the second season hoping that they maintain some of the parts that I really liked about the first.
That shows annoys the hell out of me but I've still watched half of the first season. It's fun at times, but dear god the characters are stupid. It suffers from every character making illogical choices and doing things that a normal person in that situation would never do. Getting beyond that is hard at times. It reminds me of a failed show from the mid-2000s, Threshold.
Sometimes writers need characters to make poor choices. They can accomplish this by essentially creating a 'stupid ball' that gets passed around, causing them to make mistakes the character wouldn't otherwise. Helix is very guilty of having a large, easily spotted 'stupid ball.'
Don't know how everyone feels about Game of Thrones, but the new season starts on my birthday, which is pretty great. Last year my birthday was the same day as the ACT and Prom, so that was a little stressful. Hopefully some tasteful beheadings will be easier on me! I just burned through both seasons of Black Mirror, and I thought it was pretty good. First episode was a little fucked up, but it is what it is. Can't say I was a fan of "White Bear."
I think the only TV I have watched in the last six months is season 3 episode 1 of Saturday Night Live, which I looked up because I wanted an example of Dan Aykroyd playing Jimmy Carter. I was successful. Jackson Browne was the musical guest that night; Steve Martin hosted (poorly).
I had forgotten that Aykroyd played Carter. Weird. Those older episodes are really great because you can see what things they were trying out. The people from Second City and the Groundlings trying to make stuff fun to watch every week. I'm amazed it lasted as long as it has. Lorne Michaels has sold his soul to someone. There is a (VERY WEIRD) sketch somewhere of Al Franken playing Lyndon Larouche in one of those after midnight sketches that regular audiences would never want to see, its stuff like that the outskirts, that make SNL fun in my opinion.
Been watching a lot of anime. Aldnoah Zero just supplanted Escaflowne as my favorite mecha. I don't care if we were 'lied to' with the season 1 finale. I like the tactical explanations, and I certainly have no desire to watch 13 episodes with Slaine as the protagonist. Slaine is a worm. Also liking Your Lie in April. Great slice-of-life, though I'm not qualified to judge the music. Also, Terraformars. The 'science' is a bit over the top, but I'm willing to forgive a lot when it's about Mars. Also, just marathoned A Lull in the Sea, another slice-of-life–slash–romance. Which, I thought was a really interesting non-scifi. Just like Star Wars is really a western, A Lull in the Sea applies a lot of real-world village and xenophobia dynamics via strictly-unnecessary scifi/fantasy. I like it. Though I depressed myself rooting for a character I knew would end up alone. Such is life.
I've been watching Bob's Burgers. It's quite the lovable show. Gravity Falls is also tons of fun, but episodes come out so infrequently. Dammit Disney. My sis and I finished Korra a few weeks ago. What a horrible, HORRIBLE ending. Which sucks because seasons 3 and most of 4 were some of my favorite seasons in animation. We're also watching Aldnoah Zero, by the guy that made Maduka Maguca. It's not as good, obviously, but hell, it's fun. We've also gotta catch up on Jojo and Persona 4 Golden Animation. I stopped watching Game of Thrones, and the Walking Dead. I just realized I don't really watch TV, haha.
I went into Netflix watching Black Mirror recently with arguewithatree. Some of it at the beginning is really fun and creative if you don't take it seriously. Unfortunately it takes itself seriously. The series series is some the preachiest mixed-message tripe we've ever seen. We were talking earlier about how he was trying to write messages and they don't even sort of add up. Whatever. I'll welcome any new sci-fi. And then I went into Marco Polo expecting it to be total shit. Nothing looked good about it from the outside. And then... it turns out to be possibly my favorite show of the year. I'm only four episodes in currently, but Benedict Wong is fucking astoundingly good as Kublai Khan, like should be getting awards good. But the entire ensemble is spot on. The show is almost all a look at Mongolian culture and the politics of China between the Mongols and the Song dynasty. It mixes some action in really well, and the characters are deep and actually characters and enjoyable. Marco Polo is exactly what he should be in the show: he's a background observer. He is an interesting element to the Khan and his people, as an outsider, with outsider perspective. It's incredible. On top of all that, I went in really worried that it wouldn't do its homework in regards to the culture. That it would be built on stereotypes and tropes. And once again, I was fucking wrong. They add little things in all over and portray the culture, but don't beat you over the head with trying to teach you about it. It's just shown as is. I love it. I really, really love it.
I spend a good chunk of time watching Legend of Zelda speedruns on twitch.tv ... I've never been great at picking up TV series to watch, because my attention span is far too short to get invested fast enough. Maybe that's my fault, but it doesn't really matter. Watching livestreams feels more interactive, and I like seeing people develop a skill through some technical means. I think watching them improve efficiency, or use some exploit left in the game because of the programming gets me far more interested than the first half hour of a TV series could. But that's just me, and I'm probably missing out on a lot of good shows as a result.
I'm watching british panel and chat shows. A lot of it. Mock the Week, QI, Would I lie to You, Big Fat Quiz of the Year, 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Have I Got News For You, Backchat with Jack Whitehall and his dad... Yeah. I still have a fever though so no judging. Oh, and Historieätarna series 2 just ended which sucks because I love it and last time it was 1 and a half year between series. But next years christmas calendar will basically be "Historieätarna" Childrens version. That vill probably not make much sense to you sicne it is Swedish tv and Scandinavian tv traditions all over but I've already written it so there. I should be watching "Blå Ögon" because it is amazing but I haven't. (It is a political drama with right-wing extremists and an expy of SD, a swedish, racist right wing party as the bad guys. "Blå Ögon" means "Blue Eyes") Watched one episode of "The Fall". I like it so far. Not keeping up with the American tv I used to watch. Was watching Orange is the New black but the awkwardness of watching it with my parents got the best of me.
If you can handle subtitles, there's a really good Danish series called "Borgen". Based on the career of the first female Danish Prime Minister.
I prefer movies. The only TV show I've watched in my adult life was Twin Peaks and Lars von Trier's Riget. Few days ago I watched a documentary Paradise Lost. A disturbing story about 3 teenagers being sentenced for life (one of them for death) for murders of 3 boys on a very poor evidence with a lot of inconsistencies. Some DNA tests made few years ago freed all of them. A week ago I've been in a cinema with a friend. There were 3 animations played (two shorts and one full feature): Hedgehog in the Fog, Tale of Tales and Watership Down. I liked all of them, but the first and last mentioned one really stunned me, giving me shivers more than a few times and even few tears. Can't recommend you enough watching Hedgehog in the Fog. It's only 15 minutes but such a memorable video. I think you can even find it on YouTube.
Been watching attack on Titan and twin peaks with the person I've been seeing.
I've seen both before, attack on Titan has nearly intolerable amounts of empty dialogue but the plot is interesting enough to suffer through. I'm sure most people know twin peaks, it's just.a weird show that bounces between being the cheesiest 90's soap opera and a completely creepy supernatural tale. Right now I'm watching "bravest warriors" with my roommate. It's by whoever did adventure time and has some of the same voice actors from what I hear. It's not as subtle as adventure time and I don't like it as much but it's got the same humor. Phone posts make grammar and formatting a pain.
I'm sorry you didn't like It's Always Sunny. That's one of my favorite shows, but it definitely took me a while to warm up to it. I think it really picks up when Danny Devito comes on in the second or third season. I've started Bob's Burgers this year with my girlfriend. We're well into the third season of the three that are on Netflix. I really like it! It's an interesting kind of humor, and, as a huge fan of Archer, it's hard to filter out my experience with the show when Watching Bob's. But the show strikes me as very sincere. It doesn't rely too heavily on the absurd or the vulgar, and it makes me laugh while genuinely being a show about a family. I tried to get into a few anime shows (Sword Art Online, Full Metal Alchemist, Death Note), but try as I may, it really is not a genre that can hold my attention. Maybe I just don't get it, but I can't stop cringing.
I am the only person I know (in my age bracket) that had not seen The Sopranos. I'm only a few episodes in, and I'm enjoying it. Back in 2012 we crushed "The Fall" on Netflix in a couple days and I was really bothered with the way it ended and hearing that it may not come back. I was pleased to see Season 2 show up a few weeks ago. I plan to fire that up. The wife is a rabid Cougartown fan… and I will admit to watching, laughing, and even enjoying some of the moments. It's not winning any awards, but it's funny in a stupid brainless way.
Broadchurch, though I'm only 4 episodes in I've been loving it. Started watching it for David Tennant and stayed because it's a solid show. Currently with my roommates marathoning Parks and Rec, and I've recently been watching The League as a recommendation from a friend...and because we killed six seasons of Sons of Anarchy in about 8 days and don't have season 7 yet. That was a fun show to watch even if the characters made me so mad sometimes. Been meaning to work my way through some Ken Burns documentaries on Netflix too, but haven't gotten to that yet. OH! And I watched a Mike Birbiglia and a Bo Burnham standup last night. Love Birbiglia, he's probably one of my favorite comedians at the moment. I had never watched Bo but had only heard good things about him. Can't say I enjoyed his standup at all, it was very much hit-you-in-the-face with why you should be thinking this is funny and attempting to be meta without being clever about it. But voicing my dislike of him hasn't gone over well with...anybody.