Just use fast scroll! The season's over, so probably not many more comments.
Watched the pilot of King & Maxwell last night. It stars Jon Tenney, who I really enjoyed looking at in The Closer. Well, I'll probably keep watching it because I like looking at him, but I can't recommend the writing. It's about 2 disgraced Secret Service agents who set up shop as private detectives. There was nonsense like, hearing a suspect worked at a govt agency & w/in minutes coming back with a line, "He hasn't worked there for over a year." Yeah, right, like employment could be verified that quickly. Just several small things like that add up to annoyance.
Also, got The Good Wife from the library & I've just started in on season 2. I'm finding it highly entertaining.
If others here are as obsessed with Breaking Bad as I am , maybe we need a separate thread for its upcoming finale eight episodes ...
The show I most want to evangelise at the moment is Orphan Black, scifi/thriller I expected nothing from but turned out to be excellent, with a truly brilliant central performance by Tatiana Maslany (who I'd never heard of but is surely going places.)
So, wait, is the Breaking Bad that's coming up... does that follow the last episode I saw on Netflix? That episode I'm talking about is...
*****HERE COMES A BIG SPOILER. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE SHOW OR NOT MUCH OF IT, PLEASE DON'T READ*****
The last episode I saw had the wheelchair guy blow himself up and kill the Chicken Hut dude. Is that the last season that showed before what's about to come on now? Or is there one season in between them? If the latter, then maybe I get to see new episodes on netflix soon.
Y'know, in truth, I'm still only lukewarm about Breaking Bad. It still bugs me for all the same reasons and I still enjoy it for all the same reasons. Ultimately, I'll keep watching it because I enjoy the solid acting, and also because I would never risk missing some seriously fucking LOL moments like from Bob Odenkirk's scenes or like the scene with the wheelchair guy dinging out start/stop points to get his nurse to spell our profanities to the cops. I still laugh madly just thinking about that scene, good grief. I mean, that's in iTunes/monies territory for how much it makes me crumble into immediate hysterical laughter.
OK, so I basically don't watch TV except when I am stuck in a hotel while on the road, and I do 90% of my movie viewing on planes (which basically means I catch up a few times a year on long-haul flights). I once signed up for netflix for a month just because that was the cheapest way to watch a movie the family wanted to see. Last night I renewed the subscription for a month because I am on the road and there was nothing interesting on TV. I though, instead of channel surfing junk, I could watch something I want to see.
I have this feeling I am missing something. Netflix is famous/ubiquitous, right? What a lot of folk use to watch things these days? I thought it would be better than this. The interface online seems to make it hard to browse anything but their paltry recommendations. The selection seems limited. I told it that I fancied some sci fi - and it offers me, for instance, The Core and Terminator 2 and The Fly 2 and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Not that these are not sci fi, but they are not recent or interesting.
I think: hey, I keep hearing that Battlestar Galactica is good, I should....not available.
Hmm, I saw The Avengers and enjoyed it, that's been out quite a while now, maybe I'll veg out to a second viewing...not available.
Oh, Blade Runner can be re-watched any number of times...not available.
Wait, Solaris - I would settle for either version...not available.
OK, maybe I'll just go for comfort food and watch some old Star Trek episode...not available.
OK, maybe I should give up and look at German movies...I wanted to see Schlöndorff's The Ninth Day and never got around to it...not available.
Can't remember what else I tried - I put in several other recent or not recent shows and movies and almost all were not available.
They have Gattaca but I saw that for free on Crackle.
Ended up watching Robocop again.
Isn't this what is supposed to have replaced the Blockbuster store that used to exist a few miles from my house and that I happily used half a dozen times a year? Compared to that store (which would have had every one of the above titles), the selection seems crappy.
Am I missing something? Is there a better way to dig past its apparently mindless suggestions without trying to remember the names of shows to search for and finding most of them are not there? This is too much work. I can't even see a way of specifying that you'd like to browse TV shows rather than movies, or browsing by time period (e.g. show me 1950s movies).
Am I just being really unlucky with my selections (95% fail rate) or do they really not have very much? I am not about to embark on GoT - anything else I should be looking for??
Gp, the content providers definitely have their heads up their asses regarding streaming rights, but my netflix sub certainly has Battlestar Galactica and The Avengers available for streaming. Anyway, although it's easy to find stuff that's unavailable for streaming, there's also plenty worth watching that is.
The interface w/Netflix is pretty awful, even worse on my roku box. Apparently Netflix is toying with it, to make it easier for them to promote the movies they want to promote and limit the variety of random suggestions. I've been reading online about it, and Netflix is getting ripped publicly about it. But it doesn't sound like they're changing course.
They're also dropping a lot of tv shows from instant streaming, especially ones that are currently available to watch on regular cable. A lot of Nickelodeon cartoons are getting dropped. A lot of "reality TV" shows.
We're watching less and less on netflix, and I'm currently looking into dropping netflix and picking up the Amazon thing instead.
Hmm. @karg, maybe it's because I am in Canada right now that Battlestar/Avengers are not listed? I had assumed because it let me renew my US subscription from here it worked like Amazon, i.e. based on the location of your subscription. Anyway, that looks like a useful link, thanks! @jonah, glad I am not the only one who thinks it is terrible. @BT, will follow that link when I get home, it's not available in this region.
@kargatron, I started Upstream Color and was impressed. (For some reason the volume was really low on that stream - and I am watching in a laptop, so it was a slight struggle. When she got the carving knife out I decided it really wasn't quite what I was in the mood for anyway - I'll finish it another time. But I liked what I saw.).
Gp, glad you've sampled it. Primer is an all-time favorite, and UC is wonderful, and both reward multiple viewings (particularly the former, which probably even requires several).
I just picked up Netflix streaming in June, mainly for arrested development. I dropped it originally whenever they started charging for it in addition to any DVD by mail plans. I prefer their selection of DVDs vs streaming, but my wife has enjoying having an inventory of shows and movies ready to go. It also helps justify the use of our Apple TV, which otherwise has been a mixed bag since it's so tied into iTunes. I really wish it could stream Amazon stuff. (Well actually it can with Airplay if you have a fairly new Mac, but that is another story. )
Over the last few days we have been catching up with the recent Luther series in the UK on Sky Plus, with the last of the four to watch tonight. No spoilers, because I remember someone here, amc2?, saying they had watched earlier series. It is certainly more dark, in all senses of the word, than the previous series, and yes, that is possible. If you do get the chance to watch Luther it is worth it, certainly a far cry from run-of-the-mill detective stories.
I remember watching Luther many months ago. It didn't connect right away, but it definitely grew on me. I can't recall if Netflix just had the one season or if I actually watched a second season, too. I think it was just the first season.
Glad to hear about Luther - the wife and I loved, I mean loved, it and I await Season Three's migration across the pond with bated breath. Netflix has the 10 episodes comprising the first two seasons. Thanks for weighing in on The Bridge, Craig, had been wondering whether to add another show to the queue but it is a slow time right now.
Speaking of European originals, I haven't gotten to them yet but Netflix has a bunch - the Wallender series ( as well as the English re-do with Kenneth Branaugh), and we watched the first of a number of episodes by the Millenium/Dragon Tattoo production team about a female crime reporter that was rather good, Anneka something (will correct when I'm home).
Agree that Netflix is very annoying to deal with at times, especially on the Roku interface - the More Like This option I do find useful though - although you can log in on your computer and get the more comprehensive Search parameters and add to your Instant Queue from there. I'd say it's worth the $7.99 a month though - I've got more sci-fi/monster/action/BBC/foreign/Hong Kong crime movies and shows in the Instant Queue than I can possibly watch anytime soon. The awkward fact that most of these I will be watching by myself late at night doesn't help, but that's another story.
One of the highlights so far - the 15 episode Prime Suspect marathon we did one weekend.
I had a mission of rewatching all of Sopranos (started a couple days before Gandolfini died) so that basically monopolised my entire viewing time for a month. It was great to do but now Im waaay behind of all my other teevee.
Havent started The Bridge which Im excited about, havent watched any of the new Dexter season, need to catch up on The Killing (which is not as terrible as previous seasons .... YET), havent started my favourite hatewatch the Newsroom, I have some Teen Wolf to watch which wouldn't normally be my thing at all but I know some folks on the writing staff which is my only claim to Hollywood fame, Broadchurch first episode was promising need to watch the rest, The Fall is apparently good, want to rewatch last half season of Breaking Bad before it comes back for the end run, half way through Christopher Guests series Family Tree which isnt super hilarious but has its moments, haven't finished Top of the Lake, want to watch Rectify from Sundance, Borgen Season 2, a bunch of documentaries are backing up on Netflix and elsewhere, very motivated to get through Orange Is the New Black on Netflix since Ive heard so many raves and the first five episodes justify that, havent even finished new Arrested Development yet, theres a bunch more. Arrrrgh ..... !!
Well, I discovered last night that you can watch Torchwood in Canada - had vaguely heard of it but not seen it. Got through a couple of episodes. It was quite enjoyable.
GP, Torchwood is rather quirky and enjoyable - some fan I am, I hadn't realized that Torchwood is an anagram of Doctor Who, whence came the Captain Jack Harkness character first seen in Season One in "The Empty Child" ("Are you my mommy?", haven't shaken that yet), followed by other appearances as well. Most seasons of Torchwood and Doctor Who except the most very recent are on Netflix and Amazon Prime both. Major lovewatch for me. Got that trivia about the anagram from the Doctor Who wiki page which is a handy enough guide.
I liked Torchwood too and it does have a some crossover with Dr. Who.
Like the phrase Hatewatch, too. That most recently applies to watching a few episodes of Sleeper Cell with my wife. SO many plot holes and flat characters. The best I can say is one of the last episodes I saw had a main character trying to show an Afghani that not all Muslins are terrorists or fanatics.
Comments
Watched the pilot of King & Maxwell last night. It stars Jon Tenney, who I really enjoyed looking at in The Closer. Well, I'll probably keep watching it because I like looking at him, but I can't recommend the writing. It's about 2 disgraced Secret Service agents who set up shop as private detectives. There was nonsense like, hearing a suspect worked at a govt agency & w/in minutes coming back with a line, "He hasn't worked there for over a year." Yeah, right, like employment could be verified that quickly. Just several small things like that add up to annoyance.
Also, got The Good Wife from the library & I've just started in on season 2. I'm finding it highly entertaining.
The show I most want to evangelise at the moment is Orphan Black, scifi/thriller I expected nothing from but turned out to be excellent, with a truly brilliant central performance by Tatiana Maslany (who I'd never heard of but is surely going places.)
*****HERE COMES A BIG SPOILER. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE SHOW OR NOT MUCH OF IT, PLEASE DON'T READ*****
The last episode I saw had the wheelchair guy blow himself up and kill the Chicken Hut dude. Is that the last season that showed before what's about to come on now? Or is there one season in between them? If the latter, then maybe I get to see new episodes on netflix soon.
Cheers.
.... (for some distance)
Craig
@Netflix - C'mon, new episodes!
Imagine how much I'm gonna struggle with the names after being away from the show for that long.
Don't worry too much about names. Season 4 is the second half of book 3, so a fair number of characters are about to be killed off.
Of course a whole bunch more will replace them, and many of those have even weirder names than the ones you already...um..."know".
Craig
I have this feeling I am missing something. Netflix is famous/ubiquitous, right? What a lot of folk use to watch things these days? I thought it would be better than this. The interface online seems to make it hard to browse anything but their paltry recommendations. The selection seems limited. I told it that I fancied some sci fi - and it offers me, for instance, The Core and Terminator 2 and The Fly 2 and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Not that these are not sci fi, but they are not recent or interesting.
I think: hey, I keep hearing that Battlestar Galactica is good, I should....not available.
Hmm, I saw The Avengers and enjoyed it, that's been out quite a while now, maybe I'll veg out to a second viewing...not available.
Oh, Blade Runner can be re-watched any number of times...not available.
Wait, Solaris - I would settle for either version...not available.
OK, maybe I'll just go for comfort food and watch some old Star Trek episode...not available.
OK, maybe I should give up and look at German movies...I wanted to see Schlöndorff's The Ninth Day and never got around to it...not available.
Can't remember what else I tried - I put in several other recent or not recent shows and movies and almost all were not available.
They have Gattaca but I saw that for free on Crackle.
Ended up watching Robocop again.
Isn't this what is supposed to have replaced the Blockbuster store that used to exist a few miles from my house and that I happily used half a dozen times a year? Compared to that store (which would have had every one of the above titles), the selection seems crappy.
Am I missing something? Is there a better way to dig past its apparently mindless suggestions without trying to remember the names of shows to search for and finding most of them are not there? This is too much work. I can't even see a way of specifying that you'd like to browse TV shows rather than movies, or browsing by time period (e.g. show me 1950s movies).
Am I just being really unlucky with my selections (95% fail rate) or do they really not have very much? I am not about to embark on GoT - anything else I should be looking for??
For example, have you seen Shane Carruth's two great films, Primer and Upstream Color? How about the very clever Whedon-fest Cabin in the Woods that explains every film in that horror genre ever made? Or just let google do the research for you, e.g. http://www.indiewire.com/article/criticwire-titles-now-available-to-watch-on-netflix
They're also dropping a lot of tv shows from instant streaming, especially ones that are currently available to watch on regular cable. A lot of Nickelodeon cartoons are getting dropped. A lot of "reality TV" shows.
We're watching less and less on netflix, and I'm currently looking into dropping netflix and picking up the Amazon thing instead.
That may be another shitty content provider issue though. Hard to tell.
Craig
I'm looking forward to netflix getting more.
Craig
Speaking of European originals, I haven't gotten to them yet but Netflix has a bunch - the Wallender series ( as well as the English re-do with Kenneth Branaugh), and we watched the first of a number of episodes by the Millenium/Dragon Tattoo production team about a female crime reporter that was rather good, Anneka something (will correct when I'm home).
Agree that Netflix is very annoying to deal with at times, especially on the Roku interface - the More Like This option I do find useful though - although you can log in on your computer and get the more comprehensive Search parameters and add to your Instant Queue from there. I'd say it's worth the $7.99 a month though - I've got more sci-fi/monster/action/BBC/foreign/Hong Kong crime movies and shows in the Instant Queue than I can possibly watch anytime soon. The awkward fact that most of these I will be watching by myself late at night doesn't help, but that's another story.
One of the highlights so far - the 15 episode Prime Suspect marathon we did one weekend.
Havent started The Bridge which Im excited about, havent watched any of the new Dexter season, need to catch up on The Killing (which is not as terrible as previous seasons .... YET), havent started my favourite hatewatch the Newsroom, I have some Teen Wolf to watch which wouldn't normally be my thing at all but I know some folks on the writing staff which is my only claim to Hollywood fame, Broadchurch first episode was promising need to watch the rest, The Fall is apparently good, want to rewatch last half season of Breaking Bad before it comes back for the end run, half way through Christopher Guests series Family Tree which isnt super hilarious but has its moments, haven't finished Top of the Lake, want to watch Rectify from Sundance, Borgen Season 2, a bunch of documentaries are backing up on Netflix and elsewhere, very motivated to get through Orange Is the New Black on Netflix since Ive heard so many raves and the first five episodes justify that, havent even finished new Arrested Development yet, theres a bunch more. Arrrrgh ..... !!
Like the phrase Hatewatch, too. That most recently applies to watching a few episodes of Sleeper Cell with my wife. SO many plot holes and flat characters. The best I can say is one of the last episodes I saw had a main character trying to show an Afghani that not all Muslins are terrorists or fanatics.