What are you watching?

[hollywood]

"Heads of State" on Prime.  Pretty good popcorn film about nefarious forces trying to prevent the US and UK from saving NATO.  At points the plot gets so convoluted that the writers are forced to engage in extensive exposition. After that I would find myself saying, "So what? Let's get back to killing folks and blowing things up." Which happens. Filmed, IIRC, in France, Italy and Serbia.

[small h]

Sinners. It's good. It's not as good as you've been led to believe. Tries to do too much at once, almost succeeds. 

I love that it is set in Clarksdale, 'cause I've been there for the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival. 

Edited July 12, 2025 by small h

[StephanieL]

The American Masters episode on Marcella Hazan, which our own Rancho Gordo had a hand in.

[hollywood]

It's been around for several years but I finally got around to viewing the 7 episode series "Under the Banner of Heaven."  This is good stuff based on a true story exploring a murder case and a certain Mormon cult of extreme believers.  It resonates a bit with certain thoughts about the mentality of current cults like QAnon and various militias. Andrew Garfield and Gil Birmingham are excellent.

[StephanieL]

The Billy Joel documentary "And So it Goes".  The first part goes up to his Glass Houses album.  I've always enjoyed his music--when he was hitting his late 70s stride, I heard his songs on AM radio constantly--so I've been finding this really interesting.

[backyardchef]

Really enjoyed that first part @StephanieL

[StephanieL]

Did not know that Joel's paternal family were wealthy German Jews who had to flee the Nazis.

[Wilfrid]

Wednesday season 1, I thought, took a while to build from being odd and goofy to the really powerful last few episodes. Season 2 takes off at that level. I mean, I don't care about the Addams family or schools full of strange mutant students, but this is terrific television. And Steve Buscemi is going to be fun.

[small h]

Pugsley is the one to watch this season, sez me.

[hollywood]

You pretty much know what to expect with "The Naked Gun" but there are lots of smirks, laughs and fun among the repeated jokes.  It's hard to believe Ms. Anderson is 58 until you look closely at her face.

There are even a few jokes in the credits and one end bit after the credits.

Priscilla Presley appears somewhere in the mix but I missed her.

This marks 'Weird Al' Yankovic's fourth appearance in a Naked Gun feature.

Edited August 12, 2025 by hollywood

[Wilfrid]

On 8/8/2025 at 4:22 PM, small h said:

Pugsley is the one to watch this season, sez me.

I am amazed by Agnes DeMille.

[small h]

She is excellent. But hellooo! Joanna Lumley!

[hollywood]

Spike Lee's "Highest 2 Lowest" is seriously entertaining. It's packed with terrific stuff: acting by Denzel and Jeffrey Wright, appearances by Ice Spice, Rick Fox and Rosie Perez, music by the late Eddie Palmieri and his band, rapping by A$AP Rocky as well as some by Denzel, lots of looks at Lee's art collection including a wall full of Basquiat, great shots of New York and the Brooklyn Bridge and the title song soulfully delivered by Aianya-Lee Anderson.

[StephanieL]

Have you seen the Kurosawa original?

[hollywood]

I have not seen that one (High and Low), nor have I read the Evan Hunter (Ed McBain) novel on which both are based although I suspect that the broad moral dilemma is the same.

[Wilfrid]

These are great recs, Lee and the Kurosawa, thanks. And I have a stack of McBain novels but this looks like Evan Hunter.

[hollywood]

The McBain/Hunter novel (one of the 87th Precinct series) is entitled "King's Ransom."

[Wilfrid]

Oh let me see if I have it...

[Simon]

High and Low is one of Kurosawa's best, and it's still playing this week in the new 4K restoration at Film Forum.

[hollywood]

Haven't seen the precursor to "Nobody 2" but it's a fun film if you like violence, gore and humor.  It's like a mashup of National Lampoon's Vacation and a John Wick flick.  Sharon Stone shamelessly hams it up as a homicidal villainess who takes no prisoners.  Christopher Lloyd has aged into the role of grandpa.  RZA shows how you can take a knife (well, sword) to a gunfight. Tom Hanks' son Colin is convincing as a corrupt sheriff.  And Bob Odenkirk is always around to stir the pot.

[Wilfrid]

17 hours ago, Wilfrid said:

Oh let me see if I have it...

No. 

[hollywood]

Looks like your copy of "King's Ransom" got snatched up.

[StephanieL]

Currently watching a 4-part 30 for 30 series on the 1986 New York Mets, called "Once Upon a Time in Queens". Most of the first episode was a run up to the 1986 season, complete with the awful history of the team until the early 1980s (except for the 1969 and 1973 seasons).  I've always been a Yankees fan, but I remember that season well.

Observations:

• Some teams were still wearing their double-knit, beltless uniforms from the 1970s, and the Pirates had their old-timey square caps
• Stirrups! 
• No expansion teams (Marlins, Rockies, etc.) and no interleague play
• You could still barrel into the catcher as you ran into home plate
• In the age before social media, the players could really misbehave off the field 

Edited August 30, 2025 by StephanieL

[small h]

I started The Thursday Murder Club. The cast is great. It's also pretty boring, but kind of in a good way.

[StephanieL]

On 8/30/2025 at 12:46 PM, StephanieL said:

Currently watching a 4-part 30 for 30 series on the 1986 New York Mets, called "Once Upon a Time in Queens". Most of the first episode was a run up to the 1986 season, complete with the awful history of the team until the early 1980s (except for the 1969 and 1973 seasons).  I've always been a Yankees fan, but I remember that season well.

Observations:

• Some teams were still wearing their double-knit, beltless uniforms from the 1970s, and the Pirates had their old-timey square caps
• Stirrups! 
• No expansion teams (Marlins, Rockies, etc.) and no interleague play
• You could still barrel into the catcher as you ran into home plate
• In the age before social media, the players could really misbehave off the field 

Oh yeah--complete games by the starting pitcher were still routine.  No damn metrics.