Off Topic Film, TV and hell, even book recommendations!

Anyone watching THE TOURIST on BBC1 ...An Aussie drama..... quite captivating

 

Very reminiscent of the two Wolf Creek series, not to mention Murder in the Outback - based on the Peter Falconio story.

I do have an issue with the way it portrays the service station owner as a dirty, morose and unfriendly individual- in my experience they are nothing like that. But it's watchable - am just about to sit down and watch episode two...

 

Yes I like it....a number of the characters tend to be 'overblown' ...but it has real appeal

 

Florence Foster Jenkins on Netflix... A gentle true story, Meryl Streep, High Grant, David Haig. Very funny. Somehow I knew of the story but I'm not sure why. Set in NYC in 1944 and the protagonist is a patron of the performing arts and wannabe opera singer.

I also watched The Unforgivable with Sandra Bullock which is based on the 2009 Suranne Jones drama written by Sally Wainwright of Happy Valley and Scott & Bailey fame. A bit formulaic but SB puts in a wholly unglamourous turn and there's a helluva lot worse ways to while away a couple of hours.

 

Just binge watched it to the end. Unusual and unexpected ending.

I doubt there'll be a second series, but if there is I'll certainly watch it.

 

ahhh... havent seen the ending yet.....

 

Just read The Help by Kathryn Stockett. If you'll pardon the pun it is somewhat darker than the film, no less funny for it. Thing is, I read it in about three days when two weeks is my going rate this side of Marrakech... "unputdownable", I believe, is the term. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

 

I hated the first five minutes of this apolyptic black comedy..... . .and then loved it.... a great film with wonderful digs at conspiracy theorists, presidents, the media, scientists, anarchists and..... ordinary people

A must watch

 

I managed around 30 minutes then gave up - just not my cup of tea.

Went back to binge watching Spooks - a lot of episodes of which I had never seen before.

 

Sadly the film is more documentary than satire. Very, very, funny though.

It takes a while to get going, more than half an hour... then it just bursts into life, a stunning social satirical commentary not seen since WallE or Idiocracy. Well, well worth the perseverance... and for crying out loud make sure you watch to the very, very, end beyond the credits.

 

...yes....exactly!!!

 

Leap Year with Amy Adams and Matthew Goode is a wonderful Rom-com set in Ireland as rich "Anna" travels to Dublin from America to propose to her boyfriend on 29th February... and is beset with travel problems in the best Planes Trains and Automobiles tradition, paying "Declan" €500 to get from Dingle to Dublin. Funny, well acted and beautifully directed -stunning shots across Ireland- and criminally underrated. Proper feel good film. Yeah, I do have something of a crush on Ms. Adams.

 

Talking of Ireland ...we watched Belfast last week a semi autobographical story of a protestant family in a moxed street during the troubles.... very touching and gives a real human slant on ordinary people in those times

 

Been listening to Steptoe off and on. This one this morning:

 

One of the benefits of YouTube. I like dipping into these now and again -

 

Oh, yes. I have all episodes of ‘Round the Horne’, which I’m slowly working my way through. What surprises me is how brilliantly funny they are and not in a quaint way. You don’t have to be forgiving is what I mean, they don’t feel vaguely as old as they are.

 

I recently read the memoirs of John Simpson in which he described in some detail the risks he took to report film pieces for the BBC from the battlefields around the world. Staying in hotels that had no running water, electricity, or food some of the time, and dashing down to the basement when an air raid took place became a way of life. Along with his camera and sound men they would try to get as close to the action as possible, with every check point manned by a ragtag of armed personnel a potential danger.
As I see reporters on TV today having to put on flak jackets, I do appreciate what they do to bring us news that is as up to date as possible.

 

Hate to say it, ofh, but I think he is a thoroughly disreputable reporter. He skews, often downright lies, whatever is necessary to reinforce the establishment line.

 

Interesting thoughts andy. That certainly would not be true of his early days at the BBC when he refused to follow the established line that the organisation was taking. Did he change over the years? Possibly, but he still ploughed his own furrow, and makes the point several times that what he reported was not always what the government wanted the hear. Before the days of direct reporting film was sent back and went through the news editor in London, who did pull reports that were not helpful to the government, which rather goes against your view. The real point of my post was to point out the risks and conditions that reporters take to bring pictures into our homes.

 

Totally agree with the last point. Very brave, ofh.

I don't want to open a can of worms, and there is bound to be blame on both sides, but I find it strange that the Minsk agreements don't ever make a mention in western media reports. Putin's just a baddie, like Saddam and his WMDs was.
Neither charmers without a doubt, but I don't like the one-sided partial diatribe we are fed. And so many of our population just lap it up.
But the reporters on site do put themselves at great risk, I agree. Something I've noticed is the locations the reporters find themselves. All western reports are from west Ukraine, so all Ukrainians are fleeing west to Poland. Apparently. But of course the reality is that large numbers of Ukrainians are also fleeing east to Russia. But the BBC et al don't report on that because it does not fit in with the story the West is trying to tell.
The Cruise missile that was shot down and hit and damaged an apartment building was reported as a deliberate Russian attack. The Ukrainians shot the missile down ams it hit the apartments damaging them. If the Russians wanted to attack an apartment building it wouldn't be standing. But again, does not fit the story.
Simpson was lying about Crimea yesterday. Anyway... :/