The Crap We Watch

[Zeb_Carter]

Speaking of Person of Interest...I saw this yesterday:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...ise-in-shootings/ar-AA9QONw?ocid=ansnewsreu11

The machine is always watching....

Yeah, I read this too. Thing is, that tech has been around for years. Somewhere in season eight or so of NCIS, they use something like that to catch a sniper who was kill Marine Corp. recruiters. NCIS is in it's twelfth season.

I very much like Person of Interest, though I enjoyed it more when it was an episodic "saving people" show than the recent twist with the other Machine/organization. I suppose it was inevitable, but it's much less interesting to me.

...

Yes the twist it has take is strange. They really needed to let Sarah Shahi go have her twins. So I guess the writers thought it a good idea to change the curve of the show to let her.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Here's another one I let slip by me when it first hit the airwaves...

Blue Bloods. I caught the first four season on Netflix and though how could I have missed this gem. It stars Tom Selleek, Donnie Wahlberg, and Bridget Moynahan...to name a few. This, in my opinion, is well written and acted.

Storyline

Blue Bloods follows the lives of the NYPD's First Family of Law Enforcement: the Reagans. Frank, the Police Comissioner and son of former PC Henry Reagan, must balance his duties of running the largest police force in the world and being his kids' boss. His daughter Erin is an Assistant District Attorney, son Danny is a senior detective and fellow Marine Veteran, and new Harvard Law grad turned cop, Jamie all swirl through this family drama and passionately defend their city from harm. The Irish-American family is deeply rooted in their patriotism, passion, and love of family.

Just an aside...can anyone name the second largest city police force in the world?

Oh, and Google got it wrong.

 

[Harry Leg]

I found the US version of Shameless very addictive. William H Macy is always good.
The UK show Utopia was pretty cool too.

 

[slyc_willie]

Here's another one I let slip by me when it first hit the airwaves...

Blue Bloods. I caught the first four season on Netflix and though how could I have missed this gem. It stars Tom Selleek, Donnie Wahlberg, and Bridget Moynahan...to name a few. This, in my opinion, is well written and acted.

Storyline

Blue Bloods follows the lives of the NYPD's First Family of Law Enforcement: the Reagans. Frank, the Police Comissioner and son of former PC Henry Reagan, must balance his duties of running the largest police force in the world and being his kids' boss. His daughter Erin is an Assistant District Attorney, son Danny is a senior detective and fellow Marine Veteran, and new Harvard Law grad turned cop, Jamie all swirl through this family drama and passionately defend their city from harm. The Irish-American family is deeply rooted in their patriotism, passion, and love of family.

Just an aside...can anyone name the second largest city police force in the world?

Oh, and Google got it wrong.

According to various sources, NYC is the second-largest police force in the world, behind Tokyo, with Hong Kong coming in third.

I've seen a few clips here and there about Blue Bloods (gotta say, for being 70, ole Tom is looking pretty good), but I have enough to watch as it is. And I just can't seem to take Donnie Wahlberg seriously.

I found the US version of Shameless very addictive. William H Macy is always good.
The UK show Utopia was pretty cool too.

I do like William H. Macy. But the show's subject matter is nothing I'd care to watch, personally.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

According to various sources, NYC is the second-largest police force in the world, behind Tokyo, with Hong Kong coming in third.

I've seen a few clips here and there about Blue Bloods (gotta say, for being 70, ole Tom is looking pretty good), but I have enough to watch as it is. And I just can't seem to take Donnie Wahlberg seriously.



I do like William H. Macy. But the show's subject matter is nothing I'd care to watch, personally.

Yes...I mistakenly stated "the world" when it should have read "the United States".

NYC PD is the largest police force in the US.

In the world it still might be the largest as other countries police forces are really national police forces, not a single(separate from all other police forces) metropolitan police force.

In the US, back in 1975, the largest police force in the US was NYC PD.

The second largest police force was the Air Force Security Police. Not a metropolitan police force true, but this was just in the US.

NYPD - approx. 32,000
AFSC - aporox. 30,000

Well at least that was the propaganda we were fed back then.

As for Donnie...I started watching Blue Bloods before I saw Donnie and Jennie and before I found out that he an his bro, Mark, were in that boy band. I never did follow current music, still don't.

 

[desertslave]

I'm glad your mother loved it. If it suits your beliefs, God rest her.

I've been seeing a lot of previews for Blacklist. Honestly, I've always loved James Spader, but there's something about the way the series is portrayed . . . I dunno. My gut is telling me that the hype doesn't live up to the actuality. I remember being enamored with Numb3ers when it first came out, only to be disappointed by the cardboard characters. A better take on the theme, in my opinion, was Alphas, but that disappeared.

Thank you for the kind thought.

Master and I both like The Blacklist, though it does have a few warts. I have to suspend my disbelief awfully high at times, and some character's motivations just don't make sense. It has some dull moments and odd convolutions. BUT Spader's dialog and pithy comments are priceless. He's the evil twin of his character on Boston Legal, who we liked even more. A few of the 'accessory' characters are fun, too. There's his driver/helper, a very sexy man if I say so myself; there's his 'cleanup lady' who has some great lines as well, and Parminder Nagra who always curls my toes.

We both like Blue Bloods, too. I get a kick out of seeing places I know, and the story lines are decent. It treads a line on being preachy at times, but it's not heavy-handed.

 

[Harry Leg]

I do like William H. Macy. But the show's subject matter is nothing I'd care to watch, personally.

I've found that great writing and great acting make the subject matter irrelevant. And Emmy Rossum is not only an amazing actress but also amazingly hot.

 

[Mattswanders]

My favorite of currently running television shows is "The Americans". It is in its third season on FX, but the first two seasons are on Amazon Prime. It is a period espionage drama from the early 1980s. Keri Russell(hottest living Mouseketeer) and Matthew Rhys are deep cover KGB operatives around DC. Their new neighbour is an FBI agent oblivious to the people he is chasing live across the street. It had an exceptional first season, and to my surprise, they have kept it up without major purges or tacky twists. You actually end up rooting for the Russians a little bit. For those of us old enough to remember, it reminds me of MacGyver, and Scarecrow and Mrs King. But, with smarter and hotter writing. NBC ripped it off this year but I hear their show is horrible.

 

[slyc_willie]

Yes...I mistakenly stated "the world" when it should have read "the United States".

NYC PD is the largest police force in the US.

In the world it still might be the largest as other countries police forces are really national police forces, not a single(separate from all other police forces) metropolitan police force.

In the US, back in 1975, the largest police force in the US was NYC PD.

The second largest police force was the Air Force Security Police. Not a metropolitan police force true, but this was just in the US.

NYPD - approx. 32,000
AFSC - aporox. 30,000

Well at least that was the propaganda we were fed back then.

As for Donnie...I started watching Blue Bloods before I saw Donnie and Jennie and before I found out that he an his bro, Mark, were in that boy band. I never did follow current music, still don't.

Tokyo's PD is definitely metropolitan, not a part of the country's national defense force directly (it's actually run much like the NYPD), so as far as the world goes, it's still the largest. But then, Tokyo's population is something like one and a half that of NYC, so it figures.

Donnie Wahlberg . . . i've seen him try to act on other shows and even a movie or two here and there. Unlike his brother Mark, who has quite a bit of talent, Donnie is just . . . Donnie. In some cases that's not a detriment. Tom Cruise is almost always Tom Cruise on film, and so are Clint Eastwood, George Clooney, and Brad Pitt. They each have their moments straying from their respective molds, but for the most part, people like to see such actors being "themselves" in whichever movie or show they're in.

Unfortunately for Donnie, being "himself" isn't much of a draw. But I would be interested in the show just for Tom Selleck.

Thank you for the kind thought.

Master and I both like The Blacklist, though it does have a few warts. I have to suspend my disbelief awfully high at times, and some character's motivations just don't make sense. It has some dull moments and odd convolutions. BUT Spader's dialog and pithy comments are priceless. He's the evil twin of his character on Boston Legal, who we liked even more. A few of the 'accessory' characters are fun, too. There's his driver/helper, a very sexy man if I say so myself; there's his 'cleanup lady' who has some great lines as well, and Parminder Nagra who always curls my toes.

I think the character Spader portrays on Blacklist is pretty much his gravy. In other words, it's the kind of character Spader loves to play. If he had more charisma, he would usurp Nicolas Cage as the 'Dark Prince of Hollywood' because he's so damn good at playing an anti-hero, which is essentially what Red is from my understanding.

Granted, Cage knocked himself from the Dark Prince pillar several years ago when he was on the brink of bankruptcy and decided to make quick and dirty movies like Season of the Witch and Drive Angry just for the cash, but I digress . . . .

Back to Spader: it seems to me he was heavy-handed the role and pretty much told this was his vehicle, his thing, and he's run with it. For James Spader fans, the show is probably a gold mine. But for those who want to see a little more substance, it falls flat.

I've found that great writing and great acting make the subject matter irrelevant. And Emmy Rossum is not only an amazing actress but also amazingly hot.

Nothing makes the subject matter irrelevant. I couldn't stand Roseanne because it was about a bunch of self-deluded white trash, and Shameless is just a more depressing version that adds the extra insult of trying to make the audience care about a family of self-defeating losers. No matter how good the acting, writing or dialogue, the setting ruins it for me. Just my opinion, yaknow.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

...

Donnie Wahlberg . . . i've seen him try to act on other shows and even a movie or two here and there. Unlike his brother Mark, who has quite a bit of talent, Donnie is just . . . Donnie. In some cases that's not a detriment. Tom Cruise is almost always Tom Cruise on film, and so are Clint Eastwood, George Clooney, and Brad Pitt. They each have their moments straying from their respective molds, but for the most part, people like to see such actors being "themselves" in whichever movie or show they're in.

Unfortunately for Donnie, being "himself" isn't much of a draw. But I would be interested in the show just for Tom Selleck.

...

Actually, and I have seen Donnie being Donnie all over the TV since I started watching Blue Bloods, he really doesn't play himself. I think he found a character here that works. Not defending, just saying. He seems to have risen to the level of those actors around him. He's actually very good. He is believable in his role.

I actually think his role in the Wahlburgers and Donnie love Jennie is his silly side. Except when he's with his mom.

 

[slyc_willie]

Actually, and I have seen Donnie being Donnie all over the TV since I started watching Blue Bloods, he really doesn't play himself. I think he found a character here that works. Not defending, just saying. He seems to have risen to the level of those actors around him. He's actually very good. He is believable in his role.

I actually think his role in the Wahlburgers and Donnie love Jennie is his silly side. Except when he's with his mom.

Okay, maybe I haven't been fair on Donnie. Hell, no matter the age, any dog can learn new tricks, right?

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Okay, maybe I haven't been fair on Donnie. Hell, no matter the age, any dog can learn new tricks, right?

Just ask me.

 

[slyc_willie]

Director's Cuts

I recently watched a superhero film fest on, I think, FX. They ran the first Iron Man, the first Captain America, the first Thor, and then The Avengers.

For the record, my favorite remains Captain America.

The versions they showed on the channel were the director's cuts, with each being upwards of half an hour longer than the theater versions. In all cases, I much preferred the director's cuts.

So why not just show those versions in the theater? I have a couple of theories as to why:

1) It's a marketing ploy. You already saw the movie in the theater, so why buy the DVD? Well, because it includes deleted scenes, of course . . . .

2) The theatrical versions are almost always around two hours long, following a supposed study or something that tells the production studios most viewers won't sit for longer than that without an intermission.

Either way, the reasoning sucks in my opinion. Give me everything, or don't give it to me at all.

 

[Handley_Page]

I

For the record, my favorite remains Captain America.

Serious Question, please, Willie.
What is it about 'Captain America' that grabs you?

The plot/s ?
The acting ?
The whole idea ?

 

[LesLumens]

Oh, Slyc, you haven't reached two big gems yet. Last year was awesome with Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy.

The only two story-based shows I'm watching are Agents of Shield and Better Call Saul.

Loved AOS from the very beginning -- even the slow episodes that most people weren't fond of prior to the crossover with Winter Soldier. As far as I'm concerned, the humor from Coulson could carry the whole show by itself.

Lately, his epic badass moments are just as good.

There's plenty of goodness coming from the rest of the cast, but Clark Gregg has simply owned that role since the moment he put on that suit.

Better Call Saul surprised me. I think it's knowing where the character ends up and seeing the pin pricks that bleed away who he could have been that makes it interesting to me.

 

[slyc_willie]

Serious Question, please, Willie.
What is it about 'Captain America' that grabs you?

The plot/s ?
The acting ?
The whole idea ?

Cap is the original paladin of comic books. Stalwart, standup, humble and confident. But he maintains a strong sense of humanity and genuinely cares for the people who follow him. He's a natural leader, intelligent, resourceful and doesn't hesitate to put his life on the line. That's what I love about the character.

The movie was very straight-forward, with the plot about as linear as it could get. But what I loved about it was how it incorporated the original concept of Captain America as a propaganda tool for the Allies (I have a reprint of his original first appearance, the cover of which shows him punching out Hitler) and mixed that in with the classic plots leading up to his final fight with Red Skull and being frozen in ice. I also got a big kick out of the Howling Commandos being the members of his special operations squad.

More than all of that, however, was Chris Evans himself. He is Steve Rogers. Much like Christopher Reeve's Superman, you look at Chris Evans in the outfit and holding the shield and can absolutely believe you are looking at Captain America, not just some guy wearing a star-spangled suit. Evans nailed the humility, the "little guy" spirit, and you could see him growing from the little engine that could into the locomotive that mows things down.

Oh, Slyc, you haven't reached two big gems yet. Last year was awesome with Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy.

The only two story-based shows I'm watching are Agents of Shield and Better Call Saul.

Loved AOS from the very beginning -- even the slow episodes that most people weren't fond of prior to the crossover with Winter Soldier. As far as I'm concerned, the humor from Coulson could carry the whole show by itself.

Lately, his epic badass moments are just as good.

There's plenty of goodness coming from the rest of the cast, but Clark Gregg has simply owned that role since the moment he put on that suit.

Better Call Saul surprised me. I think it's knowing where the character ends up and seeing the pin pricks that bleed away who he could have been that makes it interesting to me.

Guardians of the Galaxy was pretty damn good. I've always had a fondness for Rocket Raccoon since the Mike Mignola days, and loved how they portrayed him as a snarky smartass.

Haven't yet seen Winter Soldier. I am a little curious why Marvel decided to jump straight to one of Cap's most recent villains (Instead of, say, Baron Zemo or MODOK). Hopefully, I'll get caught up on that one soon.

I keep meaning to check out AoS, but I doubt I'd have the time to watch it.

 

[desertslave]

I got sucked into the comic book movies because of my kids, before my daughter learned to drive. I thought the X-men flicks were ok, was unimpressed by Fantastic Four, I'm meh about Batman (except Michael Keaton's version) and was spared Superman because neither kid was interested, or they went with their dad instead. I'm stupidly hooked on the Iron Man series, though. I'm so proud of RDJ for getting his shit together at last!

But so far, my absolute, favorite, "OMG I LOVE THIS" flick has been Guardians of the Galaxy. I went to see it twice in theaters (I never do that!) and even got Himself to watch it with me on Amazon. He rolled his eyes but laughed, too. I walked out of the first visit saying "there better be a sequel!"

Forgot to ask...are all the AoS episodes available to stream from somewhere? I caught a few early ones but lost track of it.

 

[MaryanneB]

There are very few tv programs that I really watch. The Goldbergs is one but the two at the top of my list are Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and The Artful Detective. These last two show on PBS and Ovation networks.

 

[sr71plt]

I think Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries are popular in Australia where they are set. I watch them on NetFlix DVDs, and am "so so" on them thus far. I don't get any fancy cable packages, so most programs others rave about are unknown to me unless I order them from NetFlix (which is where I'm following House of Cards and Damages). On TV itself, The Good Wife is about the only program I'll clear everything to watch. Something like the aforementioned Blue Bloods I'll watch if I'm doing something I want the TV running in the background for and there's nothing on my A-level list on. I was watching Gotham, but dropped out over the eyeball incident, already beginning to think the program was going over the top on gratuitous violence.

 

[LesLumens]

Forgot to ask...are all the AoS episodes available to stream from somewhere? I caught a few early ones but lost track of it.

The first season is on Netflix, and Amazon has them all.

I DVR the over air recording and then watch it again the next day on my season pass at Amazon

 

[lovecraft68]

I just started Supernaturals on Net Flix. Already got through the first two seasons and wondering why I waited so long to check this out, great show. Good mix of some campy fun, with some pretty creepy stuff thrown in.

The dialogue is great, Sam and Dean bicker just like the brothers they're supposed to be. Makes the show to me.

 

[CyranoJ]

The Marvel movies do a bang-up job of character work and humour. Only thing I notice about them -- and this was true in GotG, too -- is that I kind of feel underwhelmed by the actual action. There are some incredibly sophisticated digital spectacles, but there's no real sense of drama or suspense in them.

 

[lovecraft68]

The Marvel movies do a bang-up job of character work and humour. Only thing I notice about them -- and this was true in GotG, too -- is that I kind of feel underwhelmed by the actual action. There are some incredibly sophisticated digital spectacles, but there's no real sense of drama or suspense in them.

I agree for the most part

except for Winter Soldier, the action kicked ass in that movie, the first fight in the street between Cap and Bucky was fantastic...

I'm kind of a fight snob...I somehow mange to work them into erotic stories here....heh..

 

[CyranoJ]

Winter Soldier is the only one I haven't seen. I'll have to remedy that, I guess.

 

[MaryanneB]

I just started Supernaturals on Net Flix. Already got through the first two seasons and wondering why I waited so long to check this out, great show. Good mix of some campy fun, with some pretty creepy stuff thrown in.

The dialogue is great, Sam and Dean bicker just like the brothers they're supposed to be. Makes the show to me.

Good show. Cute butts too