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Movies, books, tv

Any good recommendations?
That's like saying "I'm hungry, what do you recommend I eat?" ;)

What kind of books, movies and TV do you like? If you're channel surfing, other than movies or sitcoms, what kind of shows will you typically stop to watch? What kind of non-fiction do you like to read (if any)?
 
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Started Sapiens this weekend. About halfway through, and I have to say, I'm not nearly as impressed as some others were. He raises a few interesting ideas (I especially enjoy his argument that modern political and legal structures and ideas are every bit as mythical as ancient stories of spirits and gods), but a lot of it seems like unsupportable grand philosophizing. And it's also unnecessarily long. He spends a lot of time repeating things he just wrote a few paragraphs earlier.
 
Started Sapiens this weekend. About halfway through, and I have to say, I'm not nearly as impressed as some others were. He raises a few interesting ideas (I especially enjoy his argument that modern political and legal structures and ideas are every bit as mythical as ancient stories of spirits and gods), but a lot of it seems like unsupportable grand philosophizing. And it's also unnecessarily long. He spends a lot of time repeating things he just wrote a few paragraphs earlier.
I really enjoyed the first half or so probably because it was just philosophizing on many parts of early human society that went unrecorded. The second half. Not so much.
 
I really enjoyed the first half or so probably because it was just philosophizing on many parts of early human society that went unrecorded. The second half. Not so much.
The parts I enjoyed were for the same reason, but the truth is, his grand points aren't really supportable. They are speculation at best.
 
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If you're into the lighter side of history (done by two comedians in an interesting format) check out The Dollop.

Especially if they are talking about baseball players.
I have loved this so far especially the Trump episodes.
 
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-watched Abstract on netflix: well made and interesting
-reading 6th extinction: easy read. side note: driven past big bone lick many times in ky and never bothered to look it up, but it mentions it the book. side side note big bone lick is by beaverlick, seriously it is..not that any of you know anything about that anyways
 
-watched Abstract on netflix: well made and interesting
-reading 6th extinction: easy read. side note: driven past big bone lick many times in ky and never bothered to look it up, but it mentions it the book. side side note big bone lick is by beaverlick, seriously it is..not that any of you know anything about that anyways
Well of course. Big Bone Lick is just a wee bit down the road from Beaverlick. It's right where Beaver meets Big Bone. You've gone too far if you end up at Big Bone Church.
 
Well of course. Big Bone Lick is just a wee bit down the road from Beaverlick. It's right where Beaver meets Big Bone. You've gone too far if you end up at Big Bone Church.
Where's Tainttown.

Asking for a friend.
 
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For those that watch, Bosch starts up for its "final" season next Friday. It isn't really final, they are moving Bosch from officer to private eye in the "new" series
 
For those that watch, Bosch starts up for its "final" season next Friday. It isn't really final, they are moving Bosch from officer to private eye in the "new" series
Will he get to keep his pension? That's what needs to be answered with this final season.
 
Will he get to keep his pension? That's what needs to be answered with this final season.
lol. at least they say he got his house from a movie deal and not being a cop. watched watched a few seasons and kind of got bored with it. i like it tho
 
lol. at least they say he got his house from a movie deal and not being a cop. watched watched a few seasons and kind of got bored with it. i like it tho
I like Bosch, a lot. But there are strange issues with every show. It took Jack Bauer 3 seasons to kill Sarah Clarke, and she almost had him several times. I always assumed it was the fact she's an IU grad (from St Louis). But then she magically appears as Bosch's wife and some bit actors kill her off. Does that mean Jack Bauer was a wimp, did she lose her skills (dying might do that)? Who knows.
 
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I like Bosch, a lot. But there are strange issues with every show. It took Jack Bauer 3 seasons to kill Sarah Clarke, and she almost had him several times. I always assumed it was the fact she's an IU grad (from St Louis). But then she magically appears as Bosch's wife and some bit actors kill her off. Does that mean Jack Bauer was a wimp, did she lose her skills (dying might do that)? Who knows.
Hilarious. I like it too. i didn't know she was an iu grad
 
Nevermind. I see now its dubbed. I can't deal with that.
You’re gonna miss out on Dark (captioned -german) then. Which is a true shame. Weirdest sci fi I’ve seen in a while. And for the rest of you I’m only one season in. Don’t ruin it.
 
Followup:

Read it today (Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun). It was every bit as good as Never Let Me Go.

Just as in his previous novel, about halfway through, the reader discovers what's really going on, and by the time it's revealed, the reader has already figured it out. I was actually a little disappointed, because I felt that particular twist was a little too obvious and cliché. But I later realized that was just me nitpicking what was clearly a masterwork of English literature.

If anything, it might be even better than Never Let Me Go, simply because there is so much more going on. The narrator is an AI, but the story is every bit as much about the humans the AI interacts with as the AI itself. So it's simultaneously a story that asks whether the young can truly understand love, a philosophical treatise on the role of humanity in a fully automated society, a meditation on how society might reorganize itself (not necessarily for the better) in a world in which most labor is no longer necessary, and an exploration of the lengths parents might go to in order to ensure that their children are accepted as the lucky few, the elite, even if that requires medical procedures that might come with severe risks.

It's part Brave New World, part Gattaca, part Romeo and Juliet, part Bicentennial Man. But for all the Huxley and Asimov, it's unmistakably Ishiguro. Although, slightly different. A little more upbeat than what might be expected from the recognized master of melancholy.

But it's not just a love story, or a science-fiction (like the previous book, just barely) novel, or a political statement. It's also, on some level, a religious experience. If Phillip K. Dick asked about electric sheep, one of the questions Ishiguro raises is, How does an android pray?

One of the interesting things Ishiguro does is describe how the narrator sees the world in a way that makes it clear she, as an AI, sees existence very differently than humans do. Her vision is compartmentalized, fragmented, almost like a wall of TV screens, but they sometimes blend together into a single view when she is focused on one important thing, only to break apart into many different views as she becomes disoriented. It's very effective in making the reader understand that he/she is not intended to read this book as a normal human, but as something other.

I have to admit, until last year, I was relatively unaware of Ishiguro's genius. He wrote that one book that I had a faint idea had been well-received and turned into a film. That was about it. But I was so blown away by Never Let Me Go, that I immediately put a hold on Klara and the Sun, and when I discovered that there were dozens of people ahead of me for the local library's three digital copies, I drove to B&N and bought my first new release hardcover since Harry Potter.

I have to say that this man is clearly one of the best authors of the past century. The Nobel was well-earned. Definitely a recommend. I read this novel in one evening, and immediately passed it off to someone else, and said, "Don't start this tonight, because it's too late, but read this; it's one of the best books I've ever read." If you haven't read him yet, please do. For me, I'm going to go back and read The Remains of the Day, that book I was only vaguely aware of until now. Then I'll probably read the rest of the Ishiguro oeuvre.
Just finished Klara and the Sun. I need to think about it. I have many questions about it (what was the bull representing, for example? is the resolution luck or something Klara caused?). I felt like I grasped what he was doing and trying to express in Remains of the Day (still my favorite of his) and Never Let Me Go, but his last two books have become tougher for me to interpret.

I agree he's one of the best authors in the English language of the last few generations. I prefer his work to the 60's and 70s era writers, for sure. I've always admired how Ishiguro examines his characters with intelligent empathy, no matter how flawed they are. That trait continues here.
 
Just finished Klara and the Sun. I need to think about it. I have many questions about it (what was the bull representing, for example? is the resolution luck or something Klara caused?). I felt like I grasped what he was doing and trying to express in Remains of the Day (still my favorite of his) and Never Let Me Go, but his last two books have become tougher for me to interpret.

I agree he's one of the best authors in the English language of the last few generations. I prefer his work to the 60's and 70s era writers, for sure. I've always admired how Ishiguro examines his characters with intelligent empathy, no matter how flawed they are. That trait continues here.
Good thoughts. After I let it settle, I think I decided I like Never Let Me Go better, but both books blew me away. I still haven't read Remains. I'm purposefully waiting for a long weekend when I can sit down and enjoy it without being interrupted.

I agree with your second paragraph whole-heartedly. I flatter myself to think I know a thing or two about the Bard's tongue, but the artistry this man weaves with the English language just leaves me dumbfounded. Even the most simple, straight-forward sentences are perfectly constructed to inject into the reader the exact feeling intended by the author. I am so glad he decided to write a couple of books that were speculative enough to show up on Sci-Fi lists, or else I might never have gotten around to reading him. Before Never Let Me Go, all I really thought of him was he wrote that one book (Remains) that got turned into a respected movie. That was it. I probably never would have gotten around to it if these last two novels hadn't come along.
 
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I binged Bosch season 7, I think it was one of the weaker efforts. The A story with Bosch was fine, the other story lines with J Edgar, LT, the Chief, his daughter, all seemed to struggle some.
 
I binged Bosch season 7, I think it was one of the weaker efforts. The A story with Bosch was fine, the other story lines with J Edgar, LT, the Chief, his daughter, all seemed to struggle some.

Shut up. Watched the first two episodes last night.

As this is the last Bosch season I don't want it ruined. Trying to figure out how this "gold bar guy" storyline is going to play out. As far as I'm concerned somebody can just put a bullet through his forehead.
 
Shut up. Watched the first two episodes last night.

As this is the last Bosch season I don't want it ruined. Trying to figure out how this "gold bar guy" storyline is going to play out. As far as I'm concerned somebody can just put a bullet through his forehead.
I did not put any spoilers but
this ain't the last season
 
I recommend Jeremy Clarkson's Farm on Amazon. It has his Top Gear humor and is an interesting look at farming. I suspect conservatives will really love his digs at regulations (even though they be British).
Fabulous. Been waiting for someone to say it’s worth watching. I will now
 
I recommend Jeremy Clarkson's Farm on Amazon. It has his Top Gear humor and is an interesting look at farming. I suspect conservatives will really love his digs at regulations (even though they be British).
I've been thinking of watching this. I will now. Also "Season" 4 of the Grand Tour (if it can be called that) is pretty cool as a totally non studio deal. 3rd episode titled conspicuously as the "Untitled Scotland Episode" is supposedly coming end of July. The plot of said episode has been (not very well) kept under wraps.
 
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I've been thinking of watching this. I will now. Also "Season" 4 of the Grand Tour (if it can be called that) is pretty cool as a totally non studio deal. 3rd episode titled conspicuously as the "Untitled Scotland Episode" is supposedly coming end of July. The plot of said episode has been (not very well) kept under wraps.
I just started the first episode.
 
I've been thinking of watching this. I will now. Also "Season" 4 of the Grand Tour (if it can be called that) is pretty cool as a totally non studio deal. 3rd episode titled conspicuously as the "Untitled Scotland Episode" is supposedly coming end of July. The plot of said episode has been (not very well) kept under wraps.
I have been through all the Grand Tours, they are really good. The Seaman episode was really interesting just because I loved Jeremy's boat. I cannot believe no one saved a single one of them from that war.

But they are getting old. I do not think many more are left in the tank :(.
 
I have been through all the Grand Tours, they are really good. The Seaman episode was really interesting just because I loved Jeremy's boat. I cannot believe no one saved a single one of them from that war.

But they are getting old. I do not think many more are left in the tank :(.
sadly i think you're correct. they've contributed a hell of a lot of great tv. the us road trip where jeremy's getting his tire fixed in the hillbilly gas station dancing to country music is such a wonderful clash of cultures scene. truly a classic series. i thoroughly enjoyed watching top gear and anthony bourdain around the same time.
 
Has anyone caught The Tomorrow War? Just released yesterday. It looks like it might be fun in a totally non-serious non-nutritional way.
 
Has anyone caught The Tomorrow War? Just released yesterday. It looks like it might be fun in a totally non-serious non-nutritional way.
I literally just looked it up looking for a fam friendly movie. Average reviews
 
I literally just looked it up looking for a fam friendly movie. Average reviews
She Who Controls the Remote sounded doubtful but cued it up to get a look. It starts out just like a Terminator movie. Good. She loves Terminator movies.
 
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Midnight Sky.

It was fvcking awful.

I'm usually fairly forgiving, as I know I'm hard to entertain, but try as l might l can't say anything good about this. Huge disappointment.
 
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