[locusjag]

Just finished watching a memorable short series.

Catch-22
Where: Hotstar in India, Hulu in US
Who to watch for: George Clooney, Hugh Laurie etc. The lead actor is brilliant but an unknown.
Why you should watch it: This is based on an antiwar novel and the entire mini series focuses on the evils of war. But the difference is, it focuses on the evils that one's compatriots bring to it!

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt5056196/

This is a rare series that had me laughing aloud and cringing in equal measure. Please don't miss out.
My rating: 5/5
Caveat: Contains nudity, watch tactfully at home

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by Coyote

The Grand Tour - A Scandi Flick

The latest from The Grand Tour is now out, featuring the trio driving 4wd sedans across Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

It really was a good way to spend 1.5Hrs in front of the TV.

Clarkson screaming "Hammond!!!" never gets old.

Can't wait for the next one

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Gosh, how could they do this to the prequel of LOTR.

With lots of difficulty, my wife and I watched until the middle of 3rd epicode... then my wife said Galadriel is few centuries old, yet she is acting like an entitled American teenager. This feels nothing like the epic LOTR was, feels like written by a bunch of teenagers. So, we stopped watching it.

Also, every strong character is now a female. Galadriel, Disa, Nori, Míriel, Bronwyn... and all the men tip-toe around them.

I am not deep into English language streaming video (Bengali streaming videos being our weakness), but JRR's classic is one of those hallowed grounds where trespassing filmmakers rush in, while angels fear to tread! So, I can appreciate your disgust. I had felt the same, watching the new avatars of Sherlock Holmes, one of our all-time favourite reads. That was one of the shows which turned me off English streaming videos.

[amol4184]

Watching Rings of Power and new GoT (HoTD) as the episodes release. With every episode the gap between two is widening. HotD is absolutely smashing, reminding of GoT of the yore getting better every passing moment while RoP is going downhill fast. Sad but true. LOTR movies such a bomb. The RoP feels like a lukewarm watery tea in the railways against Hyderabad's finest Nimrah cafe's tea.

The latest episode RoP felt like eternity. I lost the plot and started scrolling forums. Asked my wife what did I miss at the end and she says there was an idiotic scene with Orcs, nothing much.

SO very excited about HoTD though, boy they nailed it. 5/5.

[vibbs]

Dahan: Raakan ka Rahasya(Hotstar)

Been some time since I watched a Hindi series. A decent watch. Finished the whole series in 3-4 days. There are some obvious short comings (like eg. the village kids are a misfit and don't look anything like the rest of the villagers) but if you look past them, it's a decent watch.

The series was paced quite nicely and I felt all the cast did a decent job as well.

A one time watch for sure.

[IamNikhil]

Watched Delhi Crime Season 2 on Netflix.

Compared to Season 1, this season turned out to be a damp squib! The overall treatment of this season seemed quite amateur-ish, despite the same stellar cast carried over from the previous season.

Season 1 was the dictionary definition of "gripping". Literally goosebumps. Season 2 fails to excite and there are some obvious gaps in the screenplay. Also, found the finale to be extremely abrupt. The overall season just failed to make a mark, honestly.

[GTO]

Yuck! Was watching Hush Hush on Prime Video while gyming. What a tired show with tired actors & actresses. Total junk and best avoidable. Please don't follow the hype.

On the other hand, started "Mike" (on Mike Tyson) and quite liked the initial 2 episodes.

[locusjag]

Watching Rings of Power currently.

Here's the thing about Tolkien purists, who castigate the RoP series as having deviated from Tolkienian Canon - they're purists.

Metallica's own purists had initially denounced "Nothing else matters" when it came out, as an atypical ballad by Metallica. And look how far we've come, when the song has attained quite a status among all music lovers. Where are those purists now and do they even matter, when so many love the song today?

Besides, people forget that the happenings in Tolkien's Arda and Middle Earth preceding the LOTR and Hobbits weren't originally published by JRR Tolkien. He had sent letters to quench the curiosities of his readers, addressing the happenings in the ages before the Third Age. And after he passed away, his son took up those letters, added some of his own imagination to it and put together the Silmarillion.

What/whose Canon are we talking about? It's diluted with Christopher Tolkien's imagination anyway.

Amazon have booked the series for 5 seasons already. And I've put down anchor at my end, to make sure I relish it all.

I've watched LOTR and the Hobbit movies many times over. I've read and re-read the LOTR and Hobbit books many times over. I've even read the book on Hurin. I intend to finish reading "Silmarillion" and "Unfinished tales of Numenor". My favorite time-pass is watching YouTube channels where LOTR lore is discussed and analyzed thread-bare.

And I love RoP. It doesn't matter that RoP deviates from Tolkienian Canon. Yes, Galadriel was never a warrior, much less a commander in Gil Galad's army - but so what? We're getting a masterful visual spectacle and so much that was left unsaid by Tolkien and his son are being artistically explored by RoP.

Bring it on Amazon

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by locusjag

Here's the thing about Tolkien purists, who castigate the RoP series as having deviated from Tolkienian Canon - they're purists.

I am no Tolkien purist. I have not even read the books. Just watched the movies.

And I struggled to get past Episode 1.

Just does not envelop you in that magical world. Maybe next episodes might but i have kept it aside to watch when nothing else is available.

And as for Metallica, those purists who liked them when they did pre-black album music was what made Metallica well, Metallica. The Black Album really took them to newer fans and more money which is fine. But you should not let go of your earlier fans for that is the road you walked on

Me? My first 'tallica album was The Black Album .

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by locusjag

It doesn't matter that RoP deviates from Tolkienian

There's a core reason why book lovers don't love books being made into shows, especially fiction/lore books. Books get you to imagine the story in your own mind and every fan has his or her own imaginative version of the story unfolding in their own minds. In a movie/show, what you get to see is the director's viewpoint of imagining how the story unfolds. Some get it right; but then there's actually no wrong version.

Some decide to add their own touches, to make their mark. But even for those series/movies which are kept true to the book, you'll still find certain fans unhappy because they would have imagined it differently.

Also the visual medium is a different beast to conquer. One can stick to the story and still screw it up. One can make his own adjustments and still screw it up. I believe the RoP series suffers more from this 'problem'.

---------

And for that matter purists didn't like the Rings Trilogy or the Hobbits Trilogy (movies) either. On a personal front, I'm still unhappy that Peter Jackson kind of missed out the best moment/quote of the LOTR books. Before the movie came out (and even today), I can visually imagine the below scene perfectly in my mind. But I don't blame Peter Jackson at all

And in that very moment, away behind in some courtyard of the city, a cock crowed. Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of war nor of wizardry, welcoming only the morning that in the sky far above the shadows of death was coming with the dawn.
And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns, in dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the north wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.”

[dragonfire]

There is no problem if somebody wants to reimagine a classic. Look what Nolan did to Batman. It's the intend that matters. If the re-imagining is for making the story more interesting, it is not only fine, but great too.

But if some woke millenial with a pen sits down and on the pretext of making the classic more "inclusive" goes on to make a mess out of it, the "purists" (that's a strawman, BTW) definitely would have a problem with it.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by GTO

On the other hand, started "Mike" (on Mike Tyson) and quite liked the initial 2 episodes.

Mike has turned out to be binge-worthy ! And I don't even like boxing. Well-made biopic of a man who is truly one of boxing's greatest personalities, but also the most controversial. Trevante Rhodes got the role of his lifetime and has done full justice to it. Shows how it is very hard to escape a cruel upbringing + lack of education + bad company, no matter how successful you become.

Will give this series a 4 / 5 star rating. Watch it on Hotstar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWWQfrecwHQ

[GTO]

Originally Posted by amol4184

new GoT

(HoTD)

RoP

LOTR

Request to please type the full words so that everyone can understand, and people can also search reviews easily on the thread. Kindly avoid such abbreviations & short-forms.

Thanks for the support & understanding

[rst89]

Watched: The Bear
Where: HotStar
Review: The lead actor seemed similar and he was the the US series "Shameless"
Story line is good and interwoven, hard facts about running a restaurant business and sprinkled with individual story lines makes it a good watch.

Watched: The Scandi flick
Where: Prime
Review: The good old car show, liked the choices of the cars and some amazing footage of Scandinavia.

Watched: Joji
Where: Prime
Review: I guess most Malayalam movie end in tragic scenes, it's gripping movie with very good acting. I suggest to watch it.

Notable mentions are Rick & Morty, season 6. The plot is involving and the loose threads of non linear story from previous seasons are getting tied up.

Avoid Only Murderers in the Building S02, Selena Gomez shall ideally be replaced and story now is not that much intriguing.

[am1m]

Started watching 'Panchayat' thanks to all the recommendations on this thread, and must say a big Thank You to all who gave this series a good review! Am controlling myself from binge watching so as to save each episode for each day and not end it too quickly.

Such effective, simple storytelling and the music has been masterfully selected to add to the mood and narrative. This series reminds me of old classics such as Buniyaad and Nukkad.

And such excellent acting all around! Thank god for these new platforms that give all these new excellent actors a chance. Makes you realize what pathetic actors the majority of Bollywood and Hollywood 'stars' are and how much rubbish we have been forced to swallow to over the years when the only choice was big studios churning out their 'blockbusters'.