What are you watching?

[ACamp1900]

Maybe I'm just a philistine, but song and dance (at least in the way that Broadway does it) never enhances the story-telling, and can only detract from it. Now if the plot is secondary to an overall "experience", like a romance where the show pieces are designed to convey the arc of attraction > estrangement > reconciliation > union on a more visceral/ emotional level, then I can definitely see the appeal for women. But that's basically just a more high-brow version of the sentimental garbage that the Hallmark channel churns out.

So in conclusion... more like gayhammer90.

I can do some musicals,... Five a Guys Named Moe is a fav. I am picky however and I won’t touch Hamilton for some of the reasons you already touched on.

 

[gkIrish]

I like musicals and was in one in high school. If you like music, dancing, acting, and comedy in separate mediums I don't see why combining them is strange or boring.

 

[greyhammer90]

Maybe I'm just a philistine, but song and dance (at least in the way that Broadway does it) never enhances the story-telling, and can only detract from it. Now if the plot is secondary to an overall "experience", like a romance where the show pieces are designed to convey the arc of attraction > estrangement > reconciliation > union on a more visceral/ emotional level, then I can definitely see the appeal for women. But that's basically just a more high-brow version of the sentimental garbage that the Hallmark channel churns out.

So in conclusion... more like gayhammer90.

I guess it depends on what you subjectively determine is "enhancing" the story telling, but hard disagree. The songs and motifs are generally shortcuts to understanding a character's perspective and frame of mind in a way that is inherently more engaging/faster/empathetic than attempting to get it across via speaking.

A bad musical attempts to "songify" character traits or on stage action without taking full advantage of the opportunity given to provide further context and understanding, but a good musical does the opposite. Just using Hamilton as an example: Burr singing "Wait For It" immediately puts the listener in his shoes and makes an audience that is generally pretty frustrated with his political/personal inaction in a more sympathetic mood because the information given within makes his biggest character flaw make sense. That same phrase/musical cue throughout the rest of the production is used both to mock his character/foreshadow his future actions/to remind the audience of Burr's motivations. Add to this that there are about 25 of these lietmotifs running throughout the entire production, that they all are earworms, and that they frequently combine to create unexpected emotional payoffs, and the complexity of the writing is really staggering. I've listened to the Hamilton album a bunch, and just upon the recent Disney+ viewing realized that Philip Hamilton shown briefly performing piano exercises with his mother is doing a heavily modified version of the show's musical motif for dueling, which is a pretty great nod that his character is going to get killed in a duel upon manhood.

It's weird to me that you'll frequently write about the power of traditional Roman Catholic hymns during Mass in producing a mindset which is conductive to prayer and closeness to God, but would imply that the height of possibility with music as a story tool is a cheap emotional ploy on par with lowest effort tripe. But at least women can enjoy it. *tips fedora*

I won’t touch Hamilton for some of the reasons you already touched on.

He didn't say anything about Hamilton except that he doesn't like the creator on Twitter.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

It's weird to me that you'll frequently write about the power of traditional Roman Catholic hymns during Mass in producing a mindset which is conductive to prayer and closeness to God, but would imply that the height of possibility with music as a story tool is a cheap emotional ploy on par with lowest effort tripe. But at least women can enjoy it. *tips fedora*

[webm]https://i.imgur.com/rFtaH1D.mp4[/webm]

To be fair, I didn't hate The Greatest Showman, and I've got some nostalgia for White Christmas and The Sound of Music. This isn't something I feel all that strongly about, and was mostly just trolling. I'm happy to concede that you likely have a better argument here. I just don't like most musicals.

He didn't say anything about Hamilton except that he doesn't like the creator on Twitter.

Right. I haven't seen it yet, and I'll probably be forced to watch it soon and grudgingly admit it wasn't terrible.

 

[Luckylucci]

I grew up watching a lot of musicals as my father really enjoys them. Over time I started to develop an affinity for a few here and there. Really like some of the bizarre ones like Rocky Horror Picture Show and Little Shop of Horrors. White Christmas is my favorite Xmas movie.

 

[greyhammer90]

To be fair, I didn't hate The Greatest Showman

I would prefer you just say you don't like musicals and leave now.

I do think its funny that most examples that are being given for "I only like a few musicals and they are..." are movie musicals, which are typically the things that I have the most trouble with (animated films notwithstanding). There's a suspension of disbelief factor that has already stripped away most of the "realism" in on-stage productions and animated films that make music much less awkward for me as an audience member. Movie versions of musicals, particularly musicals originally built for the stage, don't have that built in advantage and I have a harder time getting "on board."

 

[zelezo vlk]

Whiskey a philistine lol.

I like Les Mis

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[Irish#1]

As a guy who unashamedly loves the shit out of musicals, I don't understand people who dislike them. It's basically a play, but with more complexity and talent on display. There are certainly bad musicals, but the use of musical lietmotifs and themes in good musicals mean that they can provide amazing emotional highs and lows that typical drama struggles to provide. If someone dislikes musicals, I can see why they wouldn't like Hamilton. But for me? Yeah Hamilton kicks ass. Great performances, catchy music with some all-time Broadway bangers, clever writing that treats you like an adult and only really opens up after repeat listens, plus its a great modernization of American history that packs a ton of information into its runtime. As a musical lover who also loves revolution-era history, its basically a bullseye for me.

Musicals should be seen on the stage. Those I don’t mind. Movie Musicals I stay away from and never watch them on TV.

 

[Irish YJ]

SPOILERS


S3 of Dark was entertaining but definitely not as good as S1 or S2. The one thing I really didn't understand was why there was no Jonas in the alternate reality Martha world. I also think they ignored a lot of the really interesting characters in favor of new ones (i.e. we barely saw Noah). Also teen Magnus and especially Franceska were essentially absent.

I did like how they explained or visualized various things we knew happened (i.e. Katharina was killed by her mom and that's how the necklace got there). I think I spent too much time on Reddit so some things that happened I basically expected and maybe would have been more surprised if I stayed away from forums.

Spoilers again

Mikkel never went back in that world, so no Jonas. And yep, like necklace part. It was one of the rare S1 like aspects that were good. Overall, I think they could have done better bringing the true origin narrative into the story sooner, instead of late in the game where it seemed rushed, and an easy way to wrap things up.

 

[Irish YJ]

So, my wife and I just started Dark over the weekend. We’re 4 episodes in and love it. Good recommendation on this one. Wouldn’t have watched it if I didn’t read the comments here.

But, I do have a question. Is it a different storyline each season or is their carryover from season to season?

It's all carryover, but the Ss do take on different levels with additional storylines. You'll understand as you continue. But enjoy S1. It's one of the best Ss of TV out there.

In terms of recommendations, next up for me will likely be Suburra: Blood on Rome. A bunch of folks have said it's really good. Also gets great ratings across the board from IMDB, Google, and RT. I'm told it's loosely based on true happenings (mafia, politicians, Vatican).

 

[gkIrish]

I watched Hamilton last night. I give it a solid 8.5/10.

The music was very good to excellent but suffered from the same problem that many musicals can't seem to avoid...3-4 slow songs that are meant to highlight the performers voices but end up just being boring. They should have just went with the Uncut Gems approach and kept the foot on the gas the entire show.

Lin-Manuel Miranda was the 4th best performer at best. I saw In The Heights on Broadway and thought he was much better there. The Aaron Burr actor and the Angelica Schuyler actress were incredible though. Also really enjoyed the Mindhunters actor as King George.

My biggest problem was the ending. It felt super rushed, but also it would have made more sense to end it right when he was shot by Aaron Burr. Instead they try to do one final song highlighting Eliza Schuyler Hamilton for some reason that made no sense to me.

 

[Irish#1]

Finished up the final episode of "WWII: Race to Victory". Highly recommend. The info on the dynamics between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin was very interesting Especially Churchill's insecurities. FDR has to be one if not the greatest prez we have ever had.

Alone lost another guy, who suffered from dehydration. He's got a freshwater lake right there and still meets his fate.

 

[NDdomer2]

Finished up the final episode of "WWII: Race to Victory". Highly recommend. The info on the dynamics between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin was very interesting Especially Churchill's insecurities. FDR has to be one if not the greatest prez we have ever had.

Alone lost another guy, who suffered from dehydration. He's got a freshwater lake right there and still meets his fate.

Don't you think it was something from the squirrel that made him sick?

 

[NDdomer2]

Home Game on Netflix, some of the craziest shit

 

[Irish YJ]

Started watching Suburra: Blood on Rome last night. Pretty good. 8.0 on IMDB. It's a prequel to the movie Suburra (which is also available on Netflix), which is based on a book about true events. More or less organized crime in Rome (normal Italians and gypsies), with politicians, the Sicilian mafia, and the Vatican sprinkled in.

I'm watching the prequel series before the movie. If you try it out..... If possible, do subs not dubs, or at least to start the series. Always good to get the feel of the character and their actual voice.

 

[ACamp1900]

Home Game on Netflix, some of the craziest shit

I’ve attended the Highland Games in Long Beach numerous times,... amazing stuff.

 

[Irish#1]

Don't you think it was something from the squirrel that made him sick?

That was my first thought, but they mentioned it was dehydration. Once you hit a certain level of dehydration, you need IV's to be able to recover. Hydrating yourself is too difficult for you to overcome the dehydration fast enough. At least that's what I'm told.

 

[NDdomer2]

That was my first thought, but they mentioned it was dehydration. Once you hit a certain level of dehydration, you need IV's to be able to recover. Hydrating yourself is too difficult for you to overcome the dehydration fast enough. At least that's what I'm told.

Sounds right, i just thought the dehydration came from the throwing up. It's amazing how the people tap out over the course of the show.

 

[BobbyMac]

My niece came over and started watching Warrior Nun on Netfix. I ended up watching all of it and I liked it.

So @ me if you must.

 

[Irish#1]

Sounds right, i just thought the dehydration came from the throwing up. It's amazing how the people tap out over the course of the show.

I noticed that there were several who were working on some pretty good shelters compared to past seasons. Build it with a fireplace and large enough to stockpile wood and the zero degree days can be managed, but it still comes down to the mental side.

 

[ACamp1900]

My niece came over and started watching Warrior Nun on Netfix. I ended up watching all of it and I liked it.

So @ me if you must.

My wife loves fantasy horror kind of stuff like that. I watched the first episode with her. Not my cup of tea at all but it wasn’t horrible either.

I’m still heartbroken about remaking Unsolved Mysteries without a narrator, re-enactments, spooky music and really any of the signature UM feel to it. They basically made a good true crime doc and slapped the UM brand on it.

 

[Irish YJ]

Totally into Suburra now after finishing S1 and starting S2. Great characters. I wouldn't call it great, but it's easily very good. I'm really looking forward to watching the pre-series movie, that is actually a sequel to the TV show. Makes me wish Netflix would finally add Gomorrah S3 and S4.

My wife loves fantasy horror kind of stuff like that. I watched the first episode with her. Not my cup of tea at all but it wasn’t horrible either.

Not my cup of tea either, but it's getting pretty solid reviews if we're using Netflix shows as a standard. I do like horror with a good plot, just not sure I can buy into the "kickass teen girl" stuff. Might turn it on while I'm big-cookin' this weekend and see how it goes.

 

[Irish#1]

On Alone there's one dude who has been real slow on building his shelter. He's building a small log cabin. Notching the logs so they lock in. Excellent idea, except he's put it off so long that it's starting to snow and he's only got three rows done. I think this is going to catch up with him.

 

[Luckylucci]

Halfway through S3 of Dark. S1 of Dark is some of the best TV I've ever watched. Truly one of the very best seasons of a show. S2 was also really good. But, I'm not gonna lie...S3 has been tough to get through. It just feels like they're stringing the story out to eat up time. It might be a little bit of fatigue from binge watching it but it feels like there is some manufacturing of the plot going on.

 

[Luckylucci]

I get it that it's science fiction, but most of it is based on premises you can somewhat buy into, or understand. That circular closed loop just defies logic and is too far outside the realm of possibility. You can't have a chicken or an egg, if you don't have a chicken or an egg to begin with.

Agreed.

Watching the last episode of season 3 tonight. But so far, it just feels empty.

Season 1 was without doubt my favorite single season of TV, ever.

I think the "mystery" aspect was revealed a little too earlier and now its about "just following along". Doesn't have the same revaltions as prior

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Agree here as well. I do like they made it easy to follow along but I find myself thinking enough already, let's get to the end of it.

 

[ACamp1900]

Disney XD is marathoning the new Duck Tales today so my youngest and I just ignored our responsibilities and took it in,...

It’s,... really freaking good. I’m like surprised how good it is. Ducktales is one of my top three favorite shows ever so I was totally prepared to compare and shit all over it. I’m very pleasantly surprised. I highly recommend for anyone who grew up with the Disney afternoon hour cartoons like I did. There are tons of Darkwing Duck and Tailspin references in it. It tied up lose ends in terms of who is exactly who in the Duck family, has much more of my boy Donald in it and is just really well made all around. It took an episode to get used to the new animation and voice acting but yeah,... Two thumbs up.

 

[goldandblue]

Halfway through S3 of Dark. S1 of Dark is some of the best TV I've ever watched. Truly one of the very best seasons of a show. S2 was also really good. But, I'm not gonna lie...S3 has been tough to get through. It just feels like they're stringing the story out to eat up time. It might be a little bit of fatigue from binge watching it but it feels like there is some manufacturing of the plot going on.

Yes, this is a fantastic show but you have to be completely focused on what is going on as there are so many characters (or are there?) times and dimensions.

 

[Irish#1]

Disney XD is marathoning the new Duck Tales today so my youngest and I just ignored our responsibilities and took it in,...

Sounds like a typical day for you.

 

[Bishop2b5]

My 9-year-old daughter loves Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry, but had never seen Foghorn Leghorn, The Coyote And Roadrunner, Tweety And Sylvester, Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam, Speedy Gonzales nor Pepe Le Pew. I got all of the old WB cartoons and we've been watching a little of each. She's loving them, I'm having a great time seeing so many of my favorites from when I was a kid, and it's great father/daughter time. She saw Rabbit Season, Duck Season for the first time and about died laughing.

 

[Irish YJ]

For those with Comcast (likely others too), and who like international series, Walter Presents is free through 07/19 (this Sunday).

Walter is basically a guy that handpicks Euro series for the streaming service as well as CH4/PBS programming.. Small catalog, but some good series. I watched Monster and River, two short series so far, and starting Though Shalt not Kill in a few. I've already seen 13 Commandments and wasn't a big fan (so you might want to avoid).