Whatcha Watchin’ (Season 3)

[‘The Boy and the Heron’ to Stream on Netflix Around the World - About Netflix]

https://about.netflix.com/en/news/the-boy-and-the-heron-to-stream-on-netflix-around-the-world

5 Likes

Just a couple of episodes in, but this is shaping up to be a fun Grecian tragedy.

1 Like

I just started and am loving it so far.

2 Likes

For those of us in the US, we’ll just have to watch it on MAX along with the other Ghibli stuff.

2 Likes

Do you have “The Grave of the Fireflies”? For some reason, Netflix doesn’t stream It.
isao takahata hotaru no haka GIF by Maudit

1 Like

No, it’s not on any streaming services here at all. I thought it was on MAX at one point… It’s odd that it’s not often included in Ghibli things.

1 Like

I would love to see a series made of some of the “Culture” novels by Iain M. Banks.

Just crossed my mind as I’m currently rereading “Use Of Weapons”, one of the darker ones.

(It’s Banks - they’re all pretty dark).

2 Likes

It’s not odd at all.

Seriously, do not watch that film unless you understand exactly what you’re getting into.

Yes, it was made by Studio Ghibli. Yes, it is a masterpiece. No, it is not like the others.

4 Likes

Oh, I wasn’t thinking it should be included because of how similar to the others it would be. (Dear goodness it’s not.) Just that it’s a Ghibli work and ought to be included to complete the catalog. And to expose more people to the piece of art that it is.

3 Likes

“What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber.” (The Devil Back Bone.)

Why ghosts always have unfinished business that leaves them trapped in our world? I just watched “The Parades”, a Japanese film with ghosts who cannot leave for whatever the other world is without resolving their emotional issues. It reminds me a little of “After Life”, a film by japanese director Kore Eda, which has a similar premise. There are even spiritual filmmakers struggling to make films to be remembered in both movies

[The Parades | Official Trailer | Netflix (youtube.com)]

[After Life (1998) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HQ] - YouTube]

5 Likes

It is funny because we have access to a lot of movies with ultraviolence but a cartoon with violence with consequences isn´t available for streaming. Maybe streaming executives think that cartoons are harmless little things just to sell dolls and their accessories, that cannot be shocking so as not to traumatize the audience at home. But I think this theory falls apart because of cartoons like Invincible.

4 Likes

I’m three episodes in and I can confirm, it’s excellent. Also, it’s really pissing off the anti-woke idiots, so I consider liking it to be my civic duty. This YouTube video cracked me up. (it’s satire making fun of the anti-woke idiots, so don’t be afraid to watch it)

7 Likes

I just finished episode 3 about 5 minutes ago. So far I agree with @iknownuurthing , it’s brilliant! I also haven’t read the book but I think that’s a bit of a bonus. It allows one to enjoy the story as presented with no preconceptions.

I fear the rest of my day is shot. :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Saw episode 5 last night and holy shit, the scene with the Judgement day ship in the Panama canal!!!

Shocked Tonight Show GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

4 Likes

I’ll get there in a bit, then I’ll read the spoiler text. :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Yeah, you’ll want go in cold on it.

3 Likes

Holy shit is right, that was something else. I dig the upgraded Eye of Sauron too,

Yeah, the rest of my day is shot, lol.

3 Likes

Just watched 3 episodes in a row. I’m not usually a binge watcher, so that should tell you something.

What I was genuinely blown away by with this series is the set dressing. I can seldom enjoy historical fiction on TV because the material culture is usually so off that it detracts from the story.

This is different. It’s by no means perfect, but they have clearly put a lot of work into setting the story in a particular time period and sticking to it (more or less). They very deliberately position themselves in the first decade of the 18th century from the first episode on. No vagueness: the Battle of Blenheim is mentioned in one of the first scenes as having happened recently and Queen Anne is mentioned in the second episode.

The clay pipes have the right bowl size for the early 18th century and are held and lit the correct way. The drinking vessels are salt glazed stoneware jugs, not tin tankards like in every other production, and the glasses and bottles are 18th century designs, if slightly simplified.

There are a few slip-ups (I spotted some lincrusta on a wall, a decidedly industrial product of the late 19th century, and a modern studio pottery jug) but they clearly gave the setting a lot more thought than most (even the studio pottery, which was out of focus, looked a lot like a period correct cobalt blue Westerwald stoneware jug, so it was chosen with care). Now if only there hadn’t been that bullwhip…

ETA: it’s also a good story so far. A bit in the vein of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel, but more YA, with action and female characters that actually have agency

5 Likes

I just watched the first episode of the documentary: Turning Point - The Bomb and the Cold War on Netflix. It was very affecting and I’ll be watching the 9 episodes I think. I’d be interested in what some of our more historically minded friends here think of it.

3 Likes

I’ve been watching American Idol. It’s a guilty pleasure, what can I say? Anyway, one of the contestants is Loretta Lynn’s granddaughter. You’d think she wouldn’t need something like this to get a shot, but maybe she does. She has a nice voice. Very different style from her grandmother, though.

2 Likes