Currently viewing - Recently viewed.

[spyderspyder]

Good morning.

Some notes on some of the programmes I've been watching...


"24"
An oldie, but one that I recently re-visited - I overdosed on Season 1, tried 2 & 3, then ditched it. However, I recently tried Season 06 and was so pleased that I picked it up again at Season 04...
(If that doesn't confuse everybody, I shall try harder next time!)

"24" is well written and produced, to a standard that allows one to ignore the physically impossible Bauer stamina (underneath the black T-shirt is a Clark Kent costume) and once you get beyond Seasons 1, 2 & 3, which seemed to have standard sub-plots of daughter and/or wife getting kidnapped and rescued... And kidnapped... And rescued...

...and the padding sub-plots concerning the family life and affairs of the president, and his wife, and his son, and his dog - all designed to stretch the story line to the 24 hours demanded by the title.)
There's too much happening. Instead of "24", I would prefer it to be titled (and structured) as "12" (or, at least, "18").

And why is Bauer only able to speak in a whisper, except when he's shouting? And he really ought to learn how to say "nuclear", instead of "nucular".


"Prison Break".
What started out as an intriguing story, with good character development, became hopelessly lost in its own convolutions.
By the half way point of S03, I no longer cared what happened to any of the characters, all of whom, had become nothing more than a bunch of nasty people doing nasty things to each other. I've ditched it.


Scrubs.
From the start, there was the promise of wit and humour, albeit wrapped in silliness; but I've reached S05, and the promise has still not been honoured. It's getting very tired. The principal characters have become completely, and embarrassingly, stupid, and just grate on the nerves. I'm beginning to suspect that it is written for 8-year olds, by 8-year olds. I will be ditching it soon.


Of the new programmes...

Trauma.
This is quite good: a bit messy in the earlier episodes, which seemed to have as many different short story lines as possible, probably to cater for the short attention span of it's main audience; but as it has progressed, it has some good and sympathetic character development, and is maturing well.


Human Target.
This is almost a remake of MaGyver! It started out as fairly mediocre stuff: cardboard characters (about whom one cared nothing) performing meaningless stunts (with confused choreography) but it is improving, slowly. It might stand up, especially if the writers give more care and attention to their craft, and have more respect for the viewers.
(Notice that the major action sequences are almost invariably shot in the dark, and in close-up - it costs less.)


White Collar.
This had promise: a fairly rich menu of characters with whom one can identify, an attractive style of writing, competent enough to allow one to ignore the improbabilities of the various scenarios, but...
I'm up to Ep. 07, and it still hasn't quite taken off. It's almost as if the whole crew, including the actors, finds it all a bit boring. Maybe by the end of the season there will have occurred some spark to lift it from it's weary plodding.


Cheers,
s.

[fitzstudio]

hi,
i'm new to this site but i'm a real tv serie addicted and i'm always looking for new stuff to see and those are the tv series i've seen in the last times that i liked the most and that are not so [YET] "famous"...
i hope being helpful for others like me always looking for new series

here's my list:

VEXED [GB] : is a comedy-drama, police procedural television series for BBC Two. Created and written by Howard Overman, the series stars Lucy Punch as D.I. Kate Bishop and Toby Stephens as D.I. Jack Armstrong, a detective duo with a fractious relationship. Jack is lazy and disorganised but charming whereas Kate is efficient and usually exasperated by Jack's way of doing things. The show also stars Rory Kinnear who plays Kate's husband Dan, with whom she is going through marriage counselling.

RUBICON [uS] : The series centers around an intelligence analyst at a national think tank called the American Policy Institute (API) who discovers that he may be working with members of a secret society that manipulates world events on a grand scale.

SHERLOCK [GB]: It is a contemporary update of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson. Una Stubbs appears as their landlady Mrs. Hudson, and Rupert Graves as DI Lestrade.

IDENTITY [GB] : is a British police procedural drama television series starring Aidan Gillen and Keeley Hawes, airing in the UK during July-August 2010. Concerning identity theft, the series was created and written by Ed Whitmore, a writer most noted for his work on the BBC's Waking The Dead and the acclaimed ITV mini-series He Kills Coppers.

THIS IS NOT MY LIFE [NZ] : is a 2010 New Zealand television mystery thriller airing on Television New Zealand's TV ONE channel on Thursday nights. Set in the 2020's, the show centres on Alec Ross, played by Charles Mesure, who awakes one morning to find that he doesn't know who or where he is, and doesn't recognise his wife or children. The story is set in the fictional town of Waimoana.

PARADOX [GB] : is a 2009 British science fiction police drama, starring Tamzin Outhwaite as Detective Inspector Rebecca Flint. Written by Lizzie Mickery and produced by Clerkenwell Films for the BBC, it was filmed and set in Manchester, England. Flint heads a police team played by Mark Bonnar and Chiké Okonkwo, working with a scientist played by Emun Elliott, as they attempt to prevent disasters foretold by images being sent from the future.

LUTHER [GB] : is a British psychological crime drama television series, starring Idris Elba as the titular character Detective Chief Inspector John Luther. A first series of six episodes was broadcast on BBC One from 4 May to 8 June 2010. A second series of two episodes has also been commissioned.

HAPPY TOWN [uS] : A period of peace following a series of unsolved kidnappings is cut short when a new crime has everyone talking in the small Minnesota town of Haplin. The townsfolk are convinced the crimes are committed by the so-called "Magic Man", a person whom Merritt Grieves describes as having "an ability that bordered on the mystical." Seven [Haplin townsfolk] vanished, never to be heard of again." As the series progresses it seems evident that the disappearances are related to town matriarch Peggy Haplin and an old German film she possesses titled Die Blaue Tür (The Blue Door).

PERSONS UNKNOWN : Diverse strangers find themselves stranded in a deserted town with no idea of how they got there. Security cameras are watching their every move, defeating their attempts to leave. Faced with physical, emotional and psychological challenges, the hostages must rely on each other to survive as their abductors sow mistrust and pit them against each other. Meanwhile, an investigative reporter begins to look into the disappearances of the missing people despite intimidation by those who apparently know their every move.

LOUIE [uS] : The series is loosely based on C.K.'s life, showing him as a comic on-stage, and depicting his life off-stage as a newly divorced father of two girls. Each episode features either two stories that may or may not connect, or a longer full-episode story (often consisting of numerous connected shorter pieces). The pieces are interspersed with shorter segments of stand-up comedy or, occasionally, conversations between Louie and his therapist.

I hope you'll enjoy 'em all as I did!
Cheers,
Fitz

[fredchirsty]

Recently i am watching the shows
Dexter
Amazing Race
The X-Factor (US)

These all are running shows and mine all time favorite...

[Vultural]

Profit - 1996 - 8/10

Influential series, years ahead of its time, canceled after four episodes.
Jim Profit rises to junior VP with Gracen & Gracen Corporation.
Profit is the quintessential corporate shark, with no emotion whatsoever.
By the end of the pilot, viewers grasp that blackmail, betrayal and murder are his casual tools.
(No need to go into the incest angle which was revealed before the first commercial break.)
Jim frequently addresses the camera, and, with a smile, describes targets and methods.
Charm and social graces mask a sociopath.
The look of this is sleek, time capsule dated, but always fabulous.
I LOVED this show when it first aired and lamented when it was canceled, though not surprised.
The US Bible Belt loathed Profit, calling it Satan In A Suit.  More reason to watch.
The DVD contains the pilot and series as shot (meaning the three episodes that never aired).
The final episode provides closure somewhat, so you are not left hanging.

Edited April 16 by Vultural

[Vultural]

MOZU - S01: Cries Of The Night - 2014 - 7/10

Furious J-drama, steeped in Noir. Endless cigarettes, rain soaked nights, mysteries, terrific villains.
You prefer comedy, romance, superheroes, or teens, this ain’t it.
MOZU translates as shrike, as in the bird that impales its victims on spikes or barbs.
In this case, the hitman and his trusty icepick.
While police investigate a terrorist bombing, they trespass into another agency’s pursuit of a corporate assassin.
Conspiracies surface, business and political treachery vie with flawed enforcement.
Twists abound, and several characters step deeper into doomed territory.
Scant light in MOZU. Good choice if you are the black-hearted type.
Know thyself.

A note about subs -
The most readily available subs are .ass files which some units cannot decipher.
I converted to .srt, removed overlapping titles which would not display, overhauled the syntax and grammar, Westernized the dialogue, and streamlined the length.
From “I intend to definitely be helping you,”  to  “I will help you.”
My .srt is on addic7ed = http://www.addic7ed.com/show/4727
Credit Miharu-Rush for original subtitles, and permission to convert.

Edited July 11 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Orphan Black: S01 - 2013 - 4/10

Unfortunately, I started this directly after finishing True Detective: S01.
A quality gap separates fare aimed for adults and fare targeting the YA group.
Several female clones learn of each others existence, of one conspiracy monitoring them, another in the shadows.
Personalities are as different as a writing room can devise, yet all clones share a lack of common sense.   
Leaving this viewer to wonder - who cares about shallow fembots?
Series also features whiney, young daughter in danger cliché.
When was the last time you saw a child whacked on North American television?
Confession:  I succumbed to hype, and thought gushing articles were on to something edgy.
As I advise others:  Know thyself.  Waste of my time.

Edited July 11 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Athena: Goddess Of War - 2010 - 5/10
AKA - 아테나: 전쟁의 여신

Disappointing spinoff of the ground breaking IRIS.
South Korean security branch, NTS, squares off against international energy terrorist cabal.
Poorly acted, wrong headed direction, and a script with more holes than a rat infested wheel of Swiss cheese.
The main lead is too young, and early on grins and mugs as if auditioning for teen boy band.  
A team captain is inept and foolish, as is a North Korean ex-elite agent.
Don’t get me started on the bane of K-dramas.  The tears.  Weeping, crying, sobbing like six year olds.
Yet these blubbering basket cases safeguard the nation.
There are exceptions, the chief being the rogue baddie who excels.

The director obviously knows action sequences, which are showcases.  With actors, he seems clueless.
As much as I blame the series director for foolish comic relief and histrionics, however, the main culprit is the ridiculous script.
Long, gorgeous episodes in Italy - for no purpose.
Two episodes in Japan, guarding a pop star - for no purpose.
Double agents exposed, and then the duped side shrugs and says, “Well, they’re sorry, so back to work.”
Initially, the main villains are USA agencies, which is a wonderful twist, only that thread is abandoned.
Stupid.
Mmmmm . . . wasted 20 hours on this goo.

Edited July 11 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Hollywood: A Celebration Of American Silent Film - 1980 - 9/10

One of the greatest documentaries about filmmaking, and the greatest documentary on the Silent Era.
Definitive, 13 part series about the rise, flowering, and overnight shattering of silent films.
Narrated by James Mason. Dozens of stars, directors, screenwriters, stunt men, etc ... were interviewed.
Film clips, stills, music. Historian or fan, this is a must!
Kenneth Brownlow interviewed surviving participants in the nick of time.  Now they are all gone.
Hollywood: A Celebration Of The American Silent Film aired in 1980.  It was scheduled for DVD release in 2004, then was withdrawn over legal wrangling over money by various estates.  On IMDB one can see the DVD box, which never came out.

All episodes available from time to time.  YouTube and other routes.
Copies from Laserdisc offer best quality.
Interviews with Brownlow indicate DVD release unlikely.

Edited July 13 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Devil - 2007 - 7/10
AKA - Ma-wang // 마 왕

K-drama about revenge.
Not the implacable, unstoppable, self-righteous vengeance of 99% of plots.
No, this factors the wages of revenge, the toll it takes on conscience, karma, and those around you.
Matching tarot cards are sent to police and victim, and the police hustle to identify and protect victim.
Luckily, a girl who works in a fortune parlor can explain what each card means - may not mean - plus, she is psychic!
Meandering puzzle plot that widens considerably midway, then tightens with little room for escape, as well as justifications for murders.
Exteriors appeared shot during spring as colours were often breathtaking.
Interiors more hit n miss, about the third of interiors rivaled cheap soap opera sets.
Romance elements, not too terrible.

Edited July 13 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Regency House Party - 2004 - 6/10

Reality based mini-series puts six ladies and four gents into the Regency era.
Great house, attractive clothes (though uncomfortable), bottomless alcohol.
Reflecting the era, the goal is for successful engagements, engineered by chaperones who will be well compensated.  Maneuverings, games, and emotional explosions fuel episodes.
There was a rush of these living-in-the-past roleplay shows a decade earlier.
Bathing facilities were limited, chamber pots were the norm,  shampoo had not been invented.
Nope, I am fine with my time period.
Enjoyable enough series.  Thank God I did not binge watch this six hour fest.

Edited July 13 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Yakou Kanransha - 2013 - 6/10
AKA - Ferris Wheel At Night  //  夜行観覧車

Full warning!  Female hormonal tornado.
Family moves into exclusive, posh community they can barely afford.
Straight away, neighbors regard them with disdain and belittle them numerous times.
At school, the daughter is bullied.  Across the street, a brutal murder.
No mistake, while seemingly a “chick drama," secrets and conspiracies increasingly predominate.
Perfect families, perfect neighborhoods, and those brittle, perfect facades that conceal so much.
Cleverly constructed to punch your emotional buttons.

Edited July 13 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Bridal Mask - 2012 - 6/10
AKA - Gaksital // 각 시 탈

Tremendously popular K-drama, set during pre WWII occupied Korea.
Resistance loner, wearing white and a traditional bridal mask, single handedly combats Japanese troops, police, and fatcat appeasers enriching themselves while their brothers bleed and starve.
Quality sets and costumes, luxurious production values, typical of K-dramas.
Several haircuts are jarringly wrong, however.  No males of that era had hair over the ears, especially military or police.
Nightclub shows strike me as a bit modern, as well, but perhaps not.
Real issue is the concept, Korean resistance.  According to Wiki (dubious source of info), strikes were the prevalent form, not armed confrontation.
Despite those quibbles, an excellent series, stained with blood, beatings, shootings, torture, and corrupt intrigue.
High body count in this one.

Edited July 13 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Testament - 1988 - 8/10

Outstanding seven part biblical series hosted by John Romer.
Archaeologist, scholar, historian, Egyptologist, and serious Bible reader, Romer wanders from Mesopotamia and Egypt, trailing Abraham.  Episodes show the gradual coalescence of Israel, the formation of the state, then the writing of the history - which became the Old Testament.
From there the splinter group of Christians, the spread and rise of the faith.
Romer is infectious, his love of the history and the land is apparent.  Most of the photography hails from digs across the holy land.

Edited July 13 by Vultural

[Vultural]

MOZU S02 - Wings Of Phantasia - 2014 - 7/10

After the sheer carnage that was MOZU S01, one might assume few characters survived for a second season.
This launched weeks after the first ended, so S02 was always in the cards.
The three leads returned and picked up the loose ends left unresolved.
More talky than S01, a pace below the pedal-to-the-metal action of S01.  Nevertheless, investigators probe deeper into the conspiracies.
The trail of absent family members are followed, as well as the truth of the dungeon of Omelas.
As with the first season, the sound design in this is outstanding.  From dark ambient to musique concrete.
Also, lest Shrike fans lost heart, the icepick abides.

Edited July 11 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Vampire Prosecutor - 2011 -  6/10
AKA - Baempaieo Geomsa  //  뱀파이어 검사



First season of wildly popular series.  More "prosecutor" than vampire, as the lead character employs his abilities to uncover bad guys.
Early episodes displayed a harder edge than later ones, though the story with so-called martial artists was a hoot.  Unlike most K-dramas, there was no romantic subplot - praise the Lord.
Typical of drama fare, the series was self contained, though a door was left open for subsequent series.
The finale concluded an arc, and loose thread from the opening installment.
Well worth tracking down.  Proper subs a must, consider joining translation forum, if necessary.

Edited July 13 by Vultural

[Vultural]

The Devil’s Whore - 2008 - 6/10

One of the members of FanEdit bounced this film across the board, and, curious, I chased it down.
17th century costumer.  Four part series of the English conflict between Cromwell and Royalist cavaliers.
I thought the show had nice production values, though rival hutong members declared it cheap and confusing.
Sketchy overview covered a lot of historical territory, from the vantage of a fictitious lady observing famous names making history.
Seemed like the bulk of the story was accurate (I checked Wiki), though shallow.
I was never involved nor interested.
Better for history buffs, unless cracking the research page isn’t beyond you.

Edited July 13 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Penny Dreadful - 2014 - 7/10

Season one of esoteric Horror, set in Victorian London.
Vampires, the Frankenstein creature, even Dorian Gray, all promenade through gas lit alleys, rat infested wharves, or hothouse atriums.
A good series for language buffs, as conversations are rich, arch, almost stilted.
Precise words, layered meanings, from drawing rooms to theatre boards.
The core of the narrative, the arc, is the classic quest.  A guilt ridden father searching for a stolen daughter.
He has money enough to create a team, who in turn, provide their own shadowed backstories.

For those concerned, the end of S01 will not leave you hanging.

Edited July 11 by Vultural

[Sachkin]

I watch Once Upon à time, Grey's anatomy and Downtown abbey

Grey's is not as good as before but OUAT and Downton ( Maggie is playing there) is réally good

[Vultural]

Ultraviolet - 1998 - 8/10

Outstanding six part series of secret government alliance of church and state ops.
Tight, clandestine battle against vampires engaged in finance manipulation, AIDS research, abortion clinics, biological warfare.
Especially dark series, matched with an intricate, intelligent script.
Creators admitted Ultraviolet was a one-off and they packed every idea they had into it.
With Jack Davenport and Susannah Harker (great-great-great granddaughter of actor Joseph Cunningham Harker, whose friend, Bram Stoker, used for Jonathan Harker.  Also a young Idris Elba as the hardassed Vaughan.
Definitely worth tracking down.

Edited July 11 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries - Season 01 - 6/10

Feel-good detective series set in 1920s Australia.
Phryne Fisher, rich, bored, decides to start her detective agency, and each week solves or helps the police solve a baffling case.
By chance, the main inspector is handsome and single.  Who’ve thunk that?
Vintage music, vintage cars, though no one would possibly call Miss Fisher’s morals vintage.
The lady does like her conquests.
Series is a programmer, but lacks the gore and cynicism of current crime fare.
Enjoyed it for what it was, though females around me swooned at the costumes.
As referenced, Miss Fisher is wealthy and her posh clothes reflect that.

Edited July 11 by Vultural