Television Today

[maryz]

Marilyne, I recognized Hesseman more for his voice than his appearance.  I don't remember anyone who could be Judd Hirsch - and IMDb doesn't list his character's name.  Hmmmm

[JeanneP]

I missed the film when it was on down town months ago. Picked it up at the library and watched it last night.  I liked it a lot. Try not to miss anything that has Helen Mirren in. called "Women in Gold"  Get it and watch if you can. the young man was very good also. And it was made in Austria I believe . Nice to see the area

[FlaJean]

JeanneP, we rented Woman in Gold several months ago.  Larry and I both really enjoyed it.  I would like to see it again.

[Marilyne]

Woman in Gold, is available on my free On Demand movies.  I will definitely put it on my watch list.  I also like Helen Mirren, and have enjoyed all of her films over the years. 

The oldies on TCM are the only movies I've watched in a long time.  Last week I saw Saturday Night Fever, from 1977, with John Travolta.  I thought it was even better now, than I did when I saw it back then.  Definitely a period piece, about what a segment of life was like in Brooklyn, in the '70's.  I always liked Disco music, and especially the Bee Gee's, so really enjoyed the songs and the dancing.  Travolta was so cute when he was a young man . . . I also liked him in Grease. 

[Tomereader1]

Actor Gene Wilder has passed, age 83.

[Marilyne]

Sorry to hear about the passing of Gene Wilder. I saw most of his movies, and liked them all. He had a unique comedy style. 

[FlaJean]

Marilyne, I always liked the Bee Gees, too.  John Travolta has a nice house in Marion County Florida where we used to live.  He can fly his big plane right to his house.  We could hear his big plane flying low over our area in the middle of the night when he was coming in from one of his trips.  We didn't have many planes flying over us in that area so would say "there's John Travolta".

[Marilyne]

We've been watching a very unusual series on Amazon, called The Man in the High Castle.  I'm sure some of you have probably seen it?  It's a science fiction story, based on the novel of the same name, by Philip K. Dick.  The story is an  "alternative history of the world, in which the Axis powers, (Japan and Nazi Germany), won WWII".  It's about what life would have been like in the USA, with many Americans in the Resistance movement.   It takes place in 1962. 

So far we've watched three episodes, and it's been a real thriller so far!  AJ likes it better than I do, but I like it enough to keep watching.  The main thing I like about it, is that it's totally different from anything I've ever seen!  The set decoration and photography is excellent.

[phyllis]

I've thought about that one, Marilyne, but then always pass on to something else.  I'll go back and try it on your recommendation.  I watched "The Magic of Belle Isle" with Morgan Freeman on Netflix the other evening.  A delightful, gentle story with Morgan Freeman and directed by Rob Reiner. 

[Tomereader1]

Oh, yes.  "the Magic of Belle Isle" is wonderful!  I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it.  I've watched it several times, and even once had it "locked" on my DVR, but had to retrieve some space.  I've watched one episode of Man in the High Castle.  Just no time lately to catch up and finish it. 

[Marilyne]

Phyll and Tome - The Magic of Belle Isle, sounds like a good one.  I've been looking for something to watch that's a total departure from murder, mayhem, detectives, cops and and psychopaths!  I love drama, but I'm really starting to rebel against all of the same old familiar characters that seem to show up in every detective story. 

AJ's favorite is Bosch. (Amazon)  I like it okay, but like Blue Bloods, and other police dramas, the stories are always predictable. I think that's why I'm liking The Man in the High Castle . . . very unusual story, with plenty of intrigue, but not so easy to figure out what's going to happen. 

FlaJean - I think you and Larry might like it also.  One thing that got my attention right away, is the show's theme song "Edelweiss", played during the opening credits. 

[FlaJean]

We'll have to take a look at that, Marilyne.  Getting desperate finding something new.

[maryz]

I just watched an interesting documentary on Netflix called "The Search for General Tso".  It's about the development of Chinese restaurants in the US - based sort of on finding out about the dish called General Tso's Chicken.  If you have Netflix, give it a look.

[phyllis]

maryz, that sounds interesting.  Tom and I used to eat at a nice Chinese restaurant close to us.  He always ordered General Tso's chicken and I ordered Kung Pao chicken.  The first time I tried it I made the mistake of eating one of those little red peppers.....I never did that again!!!  My gosh, those things are hot!

[Vanilla-Jackie]

I set the tv recorder to watch " Schindler's List " a few days ago....I sat and watched it through yesterday assuming I had watched it before several years ago, only I guess I hadn't, just caught glimpses of scenes....Well I found it hard to watch, oh I watched it all without turning my head completely away, but, I still found many scenes to be shocking, some that came out the blue, such as the game of shooting anyone who stood in the way as a target, and the reasons they gave just before shooting some of them......and the tossing and burning of the bodies......what a harrowing, yet realistic scenes of history, still hard to come to turns this was not fiction but factual reality......Oskar Schindler made a valuable difference to the next generation of Polish-Jewish, and the next generation that followed....
As hard going as this film is, I think everyone should watch it, and pray, that history never ever repeats itself like this again...I believe we should all be aware of the atrocities that took place.....

[Sandy]

I just watched an interesting documentary on Netflix called "The Search for General Tso".  It's about the development of Chinese restaurants in the US - based sort of on finding out about the dish called General Tso's Chicken.  If you have Netflix, give it a look.

I watching "General Tso's Chicken"  now and I
have to shut it off because my belly is aching for some....   



Sandy

[maryz]

It made me hungry, too, Sandy!

[FlaJean]

I agree, Jackie.  It was difficult to watch and to realize how very cruel people can be.  Six million innocent people.  There was also the terrible genocide of the Tutsi people in Rwanda in the 90s.  One million people.

[Marilyne]

I'm definitely going to "Search for General Tso" today, and find out what it's all about?  Sounds like a very enjoyable Netflix story/documentary to watch.

Jackie - Shindler's List is a powerful true story, and surely did deserve all of the awards that it received.  Another movie, along the same lines, is Sophie's Choice, starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline.  The story takes place in the 1950's, after the War, but there are many flashbacks of Sophie's memories of the Holocaust. It's available at most libraries, and also On Demand.

[Vanilla-Jackie]

Another tough film to watch, and I know I have seen it a couple of times through the years is...." The Killing Fields..." Again another fact based story of  atrocities..... This time it is about a couple of camera journalists who sneak out to the world footage of what is going on in Khmer Rouge, Cambodia....up to 2 million deaths of Cambodians....nearly a quarter of the then countries population....while they risk their own lives whilst doing this....

[maryz]

Vanilla, I've not watched The Killing Fields, but I have been to Cambodia and heard about and seen some of the areas involved. I hadn't thought about this movie, but it's one I think I need to watch.  Thanks for mentioning it.

[Vanilla-Jackie]

Maryz.....I dont know if that will make it easier or harder to watch, to have actually stood in parts of the area where it took place.....

[maryz]

Probably harder.   I just checked - Netflix doesn't have it on streaming.  I'll have to check elsewhere.

[JeanneP]

As usual. Public Television has taken over for the past 3 weeks. All weekend has been "Dalton Abbey" or repeats of Series of other shows. We have 4 stations and they are Pledging on the all.

[Sandy]

I have been watching "Halt and Catch Fire" on AMC  ...

The series is set in the Silicon Prairie of Texas,
starting in 1983, and depicts a fictionalized
insider's view of the personal computer revolution.

It is in its third season.   

I happened to start programming computers
back in the late 80's...   at the end of the
beginning of the "computer revolution" ...

I like this program perhaps only because
I am so familiar with that business,  and
find those that really worked at
the beginning were real mavericks!

Way out of my league,   as I was just
very fortunate to get into the programming
business (Coding,  as it is called today)
which allowed me enough money to raise
my family.     

(I was only ever a "worker bee"...    )

Today,  opportunities like what I had
are few and far between.    I am sure
glad that I am not trying to be a single
parent of four children in today's
world...

Anyhow,  I am really enjoying
"Halt and Catch Fire"   on AMC 

Sandy

[Tomereader1]

I watched and enjoyed the first two seasons, but have not gotten into this 3rd season. 

[Sandy]

I highly recommend watching it, 
since you also enjoyed the first two seasons ...  it is
continuing to keep my interest.   

I also loved "Mad Men"   which
"According to the show's pilot, the phrase
"Mad men" was a slang term coined in the 1950s by advertisers working on Madison Avenue to refer to themselves!

My only little taste of watching the history
of my lifetime  re-visited.    ( I was too
young to be a part of that,  but
really envy people who where )

Sandy

[Marilyne]

Sandy - I'm glad you also liked Mad Men.  I'm a huge fan, and have watched the whole series twice so far. (Plan to watch it again!)  The decade of the 1960's changed everything, and "MM" documented each and every important event.  I loved all the characters!  Peggy Olson, (Elisabeth Moss), was my favorite.  She had some unforgettable scenes over the course of the show.  I don't know if she ever won an Emmy Award, but I hope so?  I could go raving on and on, but will spare you.  Just saying . . . that "MM" is my favorite series/show of all time!

[JeanneP]

On Mad Men. I think i need to start out watching again from Series 1. I don't know which I missed seeing.  The library have all the DVD I think by now. I like the time it was. The 1960s.  I remember wearing lots of the same outfits. Thought I was chic then. Would feel awful in them now. I remember there was a lot of Smoking and drinking in those days. Also I worked in jobs like that and also a lot of Hanky Panky went on..   Now I think that Don was the only one who got a award.

[JeanneP]

Well Sad thing happened. So hard to give up  Tradition.  Saturday night at 6pm  30 years watching Lawrance Welk shows.  They have gone. Left Public Tel.  Many sad people around here. Retirement places put a letter to the Editor about it today. What will they do?