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We watched Joyeux Noël over the holidays. A docudrama about the WWI Christmas cease fire. Very well done also. The commanders obviously didn’t approve. All troops involved on both sides were transferred to different sectors.

And both sides scheduled combats or shelling the following Christmases to make sure it did not happen again. I thought the movie was ok, I am not sure why they added Diane Kruger's character.
 
Eye candy in keeping with the season.

I thought he addition of her, and the entire opera storyline, detracted a bit from the real miracle of ordinary soldiers coming together and singing that they would like to buy the world a coke. Wait, that was the product placement version.
 
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Anyone watch the premiere of Avenue 5? I was pretty underwhelmed. Hugh Laurie is a delight to watch in his role, but overall, the humor seemed lacking.

In other HBO news, The New Pope continues its assault on the senses. I also can't shake the feeling that it's going to be revealed soon that John Malkovich's character is actually blind. There was no scene in that entire episode in which he was required to actually see anyone or anything.
 
Anyone watch the premiere of Avenue 5? I was pretty underwhelmed. Hugh Laurie is a delight to watch in his role, but overall, the humor seemed lacking.

In other HBO news, The New Pope continues its assault on the senses. I also can't shake the feeling that it's going to be revealed soon that John Malkovich's character is actually blind. There was no scene in that entire episode in which he was required to actually see anyone or anything.

I asked friends to watch Avenue 5 and let me know if I needed to add HBO or CBS (for Picard). The consensus was CBS. Disappointing because I love Laurie's work.
 
Anyone see the premiere of Curb Your Enthusiasm? Huge Larry David fan....it was pretty hilarious.
 
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I asked friends to watch Avenue 5 and let me know if I needed to add HBO or CBS (for Picard). The consensus was CBS. Disappointing because I love Laurie's work.
Laurie doesn't disappoint. There's a particular scene where he bounces back and forth between his English and American accents - I can't say why without revealing a spoiler - but the way he does it, even switching accents in the middle of a sentence, is just brilliant.
 
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@Marvin the Martian The early reviews on Picard are really tempting me. Sounds like it might be very good.
Yep, I will have to watch it. I am going to wait so I can watch all the episodes in one month membership.

It is ridiculous how fragmented streaming is. There is a series called 83 Whiskey I want to watch, but it is on some streaming service I never knew existed. That is a MASH set in Afghanistan. HBO was going to do The Mighty Eighth, but now it belongs to Apple. I have had a dream to never pay Apple a penny that will be shattered. Not every corporation in America can start their own streaming service, can they?
 
It is ridiculous how fragmented streaming is. There is a series called 83 Whiskey I want to watch, but it is on some streaming service I never knew existed. That is a MASH set in Afghanistan. HBO was going to do The Mighty Eighth, but now it belongs to Apple. I have had a dream to never pay Apple a penny that will be shattered. Not every corporation in America can start their own streaming service, can they?
Not really different than what the cable companies have done. You have to buy "bundles" -- i.e. subscribe -- to get the one thing you want.

I have to keep an eye on SWMBO or else we'd paying for 15 different streams. So far I've been able to hold the line on Netflix and Hulu, but the new Star Trek streams have given me some heartburn.
 
Yep, I will have to watch it. I am going to wait so I can watch all the episodes in one month membership.

It is ridiculous how fragmented streaming is. There is a series called 83 Whiskey I want to watch, but it is on some streaming service I never knew existed. That is a MASH set in Afghanistan. HBO was going to do The Mighty Eighth, but now it belongs to Apple. I have had a dream to never pay Apple a penny that will be shattered. Not every corporation in America can start their own streaming service, can they?

Yes, they can. And that's their goal. For everyone who complained about bundling of channels in satellite/cable, this is the aftermath. Every brand is a "channel" now. Great in that we have lots of choices and catered content for just about every interest, but bad that each one is its own payment with a lot of the same resulting clutter that satellite/cable bundling had.
 
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The New Pope episode 3 was brilliant. This show overloads your senses and beats you over the head, there is no doubt about that. You need to be prepared for this emotional assault. But this episode really moved the story forward, and had some great scenes. John Malkovich was brilliant. He's really eating up his character.

There was some good humor here and there, too, including a few meta scenes (most obviously, Sofia telling the new pope about how much he reminded her of the actor John Malkovich). There were also some turbulent scenes when characters were put into positions they didn't want to be in, and then broke away at the last moment. Pius' tear running down his coma-stricken cheek as Esther decided not to descend into prostitution was especially poignant.

You can't go into this series without some armor, because it's so brazen and in your face, but if you can survive the frontal assault on your senses, the story Sorrentino is telling is just as good as the first season.
 
Tonight was my last of the nominees for most of the major categories. Here’s my thoughts and now that Indiana is allowing betting I may just do so. I think this was the best year we have had in film in quite some time . There are four that I wouldn’t be upset if they won and last year I wasn’t thrilled with any of them, almost all based on true stories that we all knew, nothing very creative. This year was the opposite. So I think my favorite of the year was Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Close second was Parasite. Also would be more than happy for 1917 or Marriage Story to win. I loved Little Women and it was my favorite of the adaptations. Jojo Rabbit and Irishmen are next tier for me. Hard to go wrong with Scorsese, but he’s told this story often. Jojo Rabbit is pretty unique and well done. Joker and Ford vs Ferrari were both ones I didn’t really want to see and wouldn’t had they not been nominated. I liked Joker a bit better than expected but I thought Ford vs Ferrari was boring. People told me I’d like it even if I didn’t care about cars. They were wrong. It was fine, but in no way , shape or form do I think it deserved a best picture nomination.
Hoos, what were your three favorites?
 
Best actor. I liked all of the performances. I expect Joaquin Phoenix will get it as his role was the flashiest, I’d prefer Adam Driver or Antonio.
Best actress: Renee Zellwinger is a shoe in. Loved all the performances, especially Saoirse Ronan.
Supporting actor: All good, but none blew me away. I’d probably go with Brad Pitt.
Supporting actress: Laura Dern probably a sure thing.
IU shows some of the short categories and I’ll be seeing those in the next two weeks, but no one cares about them!
 
Tonight was my last of the nominees for most of the major categories. Here’s my thoughts and now that Indiana is allowing betting I may just do so. I think this was the best year we have had in film in quite some time . There are four that I wouldn’t be upset if they won and last year I wasn’t thrilled with any of them, almost all based on true stories that we all knew, nothing very creative. This year was the opposite. So I think my favorite of the year was Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Close second was Parasite. Also would be more than happy for 1917 or Marriage Story to win. I loved Little Women and it was my favorite of the adaptations. Jojo Rabbit and Irishmen are next tier for me. Hard to go wrong with Scorsese, but he’s told this story often. Jojo Rabbit is pretty unique and well done. Joker and Ford vs Ferrari were both ones I didn’t really want to see and wouldn’t had they not been nominated. I liked Joker a bit better than expected but I thought Ford vs Ferrari was boring. People told me I’d like it even if I didn’t care about cars. They were wrong. It was fine, but in no way , shape or form do I think it deserved a best picture nomination.
Hoos, what were your three favorites?

Really interesting thoughts, zeke. Your a total cinephile!

My three favorites were Parasite, JoJo Rabbit, and 1917. I find Once Upon A Time in Hollywood to be one of the most pointless movies I've seen in a long time. Some great performances, but for me, it's like much of Quentin's work, sound and fury signifying nothing. That, of course, means it will win. :>)

I wasn't enamored with Marriage Story either, but the performances are outstanding. Agree on most of the acting categories. It's a really interesting year.
 
Really interesting thoughts, zeke. Your a total cinephile!

My three favorites were Parasite, JoJo Rabbit, and 1917. I find Once Upon A Time in Hollywood to be one of the most pointless movies I've seen in a long time. Some great performances, but for me, it's like much of Quentin's work, sound and fury signifying nothing. That, of course, means it will win. :>)

I wasn't enamored with Marriage Story either, but the performances are outstanding. Agree on most of the acting categories. It's a really interesting year.
I am a cinephile. And I still much much prefer seeing a movie on the big screen instead of at home. I need the whole experience. I know people either loved or hated Once Upon a Time. Honestly, I think part of mine was that I just think Tarantino does such a great job of taking you back to a period of time. I loved the music too and his dialogue. I thought the scene with Leo and the little girl was brilliant. But honestly I know more people that hated it than loved it. Loved the little boy in JoJo and the humor!
 
Really interesting thoughts, zeke. Your a total cinephile!

My three favorites were Parasite, JoJo Rabbit, and 1917. I find Once Upon A Time in Hollywood to be one of the most pointless movies I've seen in a long time. Some great performances, but for me, it's like much of Quentin's work, sound and fury signifying nothing. That, of course, means it will win. :>)

I wasn't enamored with Marriage Story either, but the performances are outstanding. Agree on most of the acting categories. It's a really interesting year.
I wish I could keep up with movies the way zeke does. I'm all TV now.
 
I'm just going to keep going here.

Still not sold on Avenue 5 after the second episode, but it has promise. Some of the acting is phenomenal. Hugh Laurie is absolutely top of his game, and Lenora Crichlow and Suzy Nakamura (Cathy from TWW, @Marvin the Martian) are very good, as well. Josh Gad gets on my nerves, but I'm not sure if it's the actor, or just the fact that his character is so far over the top.

In episode 2, you can absolutely tell this is an Iannucci joint. A lot of the absurd events that befall the crew are the kinds of things you'd think of if you asked yourself, "What if Veep were set in space?" Now that the story is starting to come together, I think there is some hope.

Since I've already tagged you, Marvin, and speaking of streaming, did you notice that season 3 of The Orville wasn't ready in time for midseason, so it's going to be released later in the year on Hulu instead? I sure hope that's Hulu free. I'd hate to have to pay for Hulu in the same year I get sucked into paying for CBS.
 
I wish I could keep up with movies the way zeke does. I'm all TV now.
Oh I watch a lot of tv too. It’s kind of nice to have a job where part of it is just being here. I go from working to 16 hours a day to not having to do much unless something breaks. I’m a little OCD about movies. Going to start this season of The New Pope next week.
 
Oh I watch a lot of tv too. It’s kind of nice to have a job where part of it is just being here. I go from working to 16 hours a day to not having to do much unless something breaks. I’m a little OCD about movies. Going to start this season of The New Pope next week.
I forget, did you like The Young Pope? The New Pope is basically the same show, but on all the steroids.
 
I forgot to mention my favorite movie got no love from the awards and was barely a blip on the radar. I’ll remind people once it’s available online, but my fav movie of the last several years was called Waves starring Sterling Brown. It’s one of those better seen in a theater because of innovative cinematography, surround sound music, etc. But I was just blown away by it and saw many excellent reviews. Also really thought Just Mercy was well done and it’s still in theaters. Both Jamie Foxx and Michael B Jordan were excellent.
 
I'm just going to keep going here.

Still not sold on Avenue 5 after the second episode, but it has promise. Some of the acting is phenomenal. Hugh Laurie is absolutely top of his game, and Lenora Crichlow and Suzy Nakamura (Cathy from TWW, @Marvin the Martian) are very good, as well. Josh Gad gets on my nerves, but I'm not sure if it's the actor, or just the fact that his character is so far over the top.

In episode 2, you can absolutely tell this is an Iannucci joint. A lot of the absurd events that befall the crew are the kinds of things you'd think of if you asked yourself, "What if Veep were set in space?" Now that the story is starting to come together, I think there is some hope.

Since I've already tagged you, Marvin, and speaking of streaming, did you notice that season 3 of The Orville wasn't ready in time for midseason, so it's going to be released later in the year on Hulu instead? I sure hope that's Hulu free. I'd hate to have to pay for Hulu in the same year I get sucked into paying for CBS.

I am not going to get HBO just for Avenue 5. No one seems to love it. If it gets better, I may get it and binge all in one month.

I have Hulu so I am set for Orville.

I liked Ep 1 of Picard, though I wish I had researched Nemises. Like Ave 5, I will wait and binge it with 1 month of CBS.
 
I am not going to get HBO just for Avenue 5. No one seems to love it. If it gets better, I may get it and binge all in one month.

I have Hulu so I am set for Orville.

I liked Ep 1 of Picard, though I wish I had researched Nemises. Like Ave 5, I will wait and binge it with 1 month of CBS.
HBO has free weekends occasionally. Not sure how you find out when they are though.
 
I finally watched The Irishman. It would have been a great two hour plus movie, it was a very good 3+ hour movie. Everything after Hoffa disappeared could have been eliminated. There could have been some tightening before that. Still, I really liked it. Not as good as 1917 though.
 
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I forgot to mention my favorite movie got no love from the awards and was barely a blip on the radar. I’ll remind people once it’s available online, but my fav movie of the last several years was called Waves starring Sterling Brown. It’s one of those better seen in a theater because of innovative cinematography, surround sound music, etc. But I was just blown away by it and saw many excellent reviews. Also really thought Just Mercy was well done and it’s still in theaters. Both Jamie Foxx and Michael B Jordan were excellent.

Seen The Farewell?
 
I liked Ep 1 of Picard, though I wish I had researched Nemises. Like Ave 5, I will wait and binge it with 1 month of CBS.
I finally watched the premiere. I liked it a lot. Mostly, I thought it did a really good job balancing fan service and novelty. And the parts that were Trek were very good Trek, while the parts that were not-Trek were mostly solid not-Trek. I don't think they did quite as well blending the Trek and the not-Trek as they could have, but there were some really good efforts (the Data scenes, especially), and since it's only one episode, I'll give them time to flesh that part out.

Like you, I'll probably wait until the season is almost done, and then binge it all in one month. But I'm definitely looking forward to it. Already feels like a good cinematic apology for Discovery.
 
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  • The Pharmacist on netflix.....well made so far
  • H is for Hawk, so far it is pretty good
Was in Ann Arbor, would recommend the book store Literati....even though UM alumni are a little pretentious/insecure Ann Arbor is a nice town
 
  • The Pharmacist on netflix.....well made so far
  • H is for Hawk, so far it is pretty good
Was in Ann Arbor, would recommend the book store Literati....even though UM alumni are a little pretentious/insecure Ann Arbor is a nice town
Read the book H is for Hawk, different and interesting. I love Ann Arbor, along with Madison, my fav college town besides Btown. They have an art fair in the summer that is amazing.
 
I was thrilled with Parasite winning. I’m a big fan of creativity and unique storytelling. The other big winners were not a surprise. Good thing I decided not to bet this year, did worse than I have in a long time. 1917/is definitely more a traditional Oscar type winner.
 
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