Just watched

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    • Official Post

    The Death of Stalin

    I always love satire, so to find the maker of The Thick of It, In The Loop and Veep take a wrong turn here was very disappointing.

    Armando Iannucci is famous for his no holds barred, raw satire, but for me, Stalin just didn't work. In fact I gave up after 45 minutes as the film was so excruciatingly unfunny. Not even a snigger left my mouth.

    Springtime for Hitler (The Producers) and Inglorious Basterds did it right.

  • Watched "Churchill." It will not be a candidate for re-viewing. One of the very first scenes got a howl of rage from me, and I never recovered: as we approach the American military headquarters in England, we see the US flag, as expected, flying outside the headquarters building. But it is the 50-star flag adopted in 1960. It's hard for me to recover my sense of belief after seeing such a monumental screwup. Maybe it spoiled the whole movie for me, or maybe I just didn't buy Brian Cox as Churchill (he's played so many assholes in movies that it's hard to disassociate him from those roles). In any event, I was disappointed.


    "The Real Inglorious Bastards,"  is a fascinating short film, telling the true story of Fred Mayer, the real-life inspiration for Inglorious Basterds. Worth watching.

  • Definitely want to watch The Crown again. Have been watching Season 2 of Victoria, also excellent. Ed, I'm splitting my sides at the thought of your noticing the vintage of the US flag -- you must have a room-sized screen. Or very good eyesight.

  • It seems impossible, but there's yet another Hitler series on Netflix - and I'm watching it!


    Hope it doesn't give too many clues into my psyche, but our culture's dark fascination with the evil of the man is, well ... fascinating. What makes this series watchable is that the creators have actually dug up a ton of details I wasn't aware of. Did you know the young Hitler in the early '20's had a mentor? Who taught him to dress and to behave reasonably well in public? Said mentor saw him, chillingly, as a potential messiah for what was to become the Nazi philosophy (saw himself continuing to mentor, but that didn't work out). Lots of bits about the others, too: Hess, Goebbels, Himmler, et al.


    Sure wish I didn't like this crap so much.

  • Definitely want to watch The Crown again. Have been watching Season 2 of Victoria, also excellent. Ed, I'm splitting my sides at the thought of your noticing the vintage of the US flag -- you must have a room-sized screen. Or very good eyesight.

    Room-sized screen, relatively new long-distance lenses thanks to cataract surgery, and a passion for meaningless trivia if it's old enough. The flag, though, is a particular hot spot. I was around and functional when it changed, so seeing the bone-deep ignorance of hopped-up millennials trying to teach me my own life's history does, indeed, infuriate me. There was a WWII movie many years ago (might have been Catch-22) in which a khaki-painted 1955 Chevrolet came swooping into a 1945 military compound. Drives me nuts.


    And I always notice the flag.

    • Official Post

    It seems impossible, but there's yet another Hitler series on Netflix - and I'm watching it!


    Hope it doesn't give too many clues into my psyche, but our culture's dark fascination with the evil of the man is, well ... fascinating. What makes this series watchable is that the creators have actually dug up a ton of details I wasn't aware of. Did you know the young Hitler in the early '20's had a mentor? Who taught him to dress and to behave reasonably well in public? Said mentor saw him, chillingly, as a potential messiah for what was to become the Nazi philosophy (saw himself continuing to mentor, but that didn't work out). Lots of bits about the others, too: Hess, Goebbels, Himmler, et al.


    Sure wish I didn't like this crap so much.

    I'm also fascinated by Hitler, so much so that I'd like to get my hands on a copy of Mein Kampf.

    Imagine a world where Hitler didn't carry out those foul deeds, because let's face it. he dragged Germany up from the gutter.

  • It seems impossible, but there's yet another Hitler series on Netflix - and I'm watching it!


    Hope it doesn't give too many clues into my psyche, but our culture's dark fascination with the evil of the man is, well ... fascinating. What makes this series watchable is that the creators have actually dug up a ton of details I wasn't aware of. Did you know the young Hitler in the early '20's had a mentor? Who taught him to dress and to behave reasonably well in public? Said mentor saw him, chillingly, as a potential messiah for what was to become the Nazi philosophy (saw himself continuing to mentor, but that didn't work out). Lots of bits about the others, too: Hess, Goebbels, Himmler, et al.


    Sure wish I didn't like this crap so much.

    When the mentor took him on, the young Hitler needed to be taught how to dress and to behave in public? The mentor coached him in Nazi philosophy? I had assumed this revolting world view came straight from hitler's own twisted mind, but it sounds as if he was a street urchin schooled by this mentor in how to hate, dress, and wash his face?


    At this particular time in history, it is especially disturbing to witness another nation caught in the thrall of a pied piper, as Germany was. Perhaps even more troubling than the source of Hitler's driving force, is the question of how he bamboozled the country into following him into agreeing with his hateful rhetoric and either assisting or turning a blind eye to his unspeakable deeds.


    If the new Netflix series gives insight into these questions, then it could certainly have value.

  • "Hopped-up millennials" = "Young Whippersnappers?"


    Ed, have you started yelling out your window, "hey kid! Get off my grass!"?

    Living in Texas, I am authorized to take more direct action. You can bet they don't cross my lawn twice.


    "Young whippersnappers" is descriptive, but outdated. That's why, to stay in tune, I invented "hopped-up millennials." Kind of like a play on hip-hop. Get it?

  • Living in Texas, I am authorized to take more direct action. You can bet they don't cross my lawn twice.


    "Young whippersnappers" is descriptive, but outdated. That's why, to stay in tune, I invented "hopped-up millennials." Kind of like a play on hip-hop. Get it?

    LOL. It may be time for a new ad copywriter.

  • On a long flight this week, we caught up on a few films, two of which were definitely worth watching: Darkest Hour, with Gary Oldman depicting Winston Churchill in his early days as Prime Minister; and Victoria and Abdul, with Judi Dench as the aged Queen Victoria.


    Victoria's family and court so disapproved of the status conferred on her Indian Muslim teacher and friend that after her death, they tried to erase all records of the Queen's friendship with him. In September, Smithsonian magazine ran an interesting article on the non-fictionalized version of the story. In any case, the movie was colorful and charming, and Judi Dench brought her own verve to the role.

  • Judi: if she's in it, I'll watch it. Haven't seen this one yet, but will make a note.


    Other thing: we just finished a four-part Netflix British series called Collateral. Absolutely first-rate writing and acting. For enjoyment, my main criterion is: no clichés. This one rates a 100 on that score. Highest recommendation.

  • Judi: if she's in it, I'll watch it. Haven't seen this one yet, but will make a note.


    Other thing: we just finished a four-part Netflix British series called Collateral. Absolutely first-rate writing and acting. For enjoyment, my main criterion is: no clichés. This one rates a 100 on that score. Highest recommendation.

    Thanks for the tip on Collateral, Ed. We have been looking for a good new British series, and this sounds like it. Cue the popcorn!

  • Judi: if she's in it, I'll watch it. Haven't seen this one yet, but will make a note.


    Other thing: we just finished a four-part Netflix British series called Collateral. Absolutely first-rate writing and acting. For enjoyment, my main criterion is: no clichés. This one rates a 100 on that score. Highest recommendation.

    Just saw Episode One. We are hooked. Already wishing there were more than four episodes.

  • Judi: if she's in it, I'll watch it. Haven't seen this one yet, but will make a note.


    Other thing: we just finished a four-part Netflix British series called Collateral. Absolutely first-rate writing and acting. For enjoyment, my main criterion is: no clichés. This one rates a 100 on that score. Highest recommendation.

    Finished this short series, which left us wanting much more. I never liked David Hare in his younger days; either he has improved or I have grown into understanding. I hope he decides to expand this excellent series.