TC wrote: 31/05/23, 16:45:41 FUBAR - new arnold series on netflix. if you read the synopsis, you realize that on paper this sounds an awfully lot in the vein of true lies. you'd be right. it's a ridiculously over the top, tongue in cheek, self-referential, high action/family drama show. the thing is, it kind of works. similar to La Brea, which i've sang about here before, it knows exactly what it is and leans into it. it's silly, it's crazy, not at all realistic, but played entirely straight, and it just kind of works. starts slow and feels sort of stilted/tedious. your eyes will be sore from rolling them during the first episode. but either it settles in an gets better, or i surrendered to the rhythm of what the show was, but it started working for me almost immediately after that. again, it's goofy as fuck, but the humor fits and saves the show. i'd much rather see old arnie try stuff like this than try to pull off more "tough guy" stuff at his age (with the exception of King Conan, which should still absolutely be done so he can pass the mantle). it's trash TV and knows it. check it out.

s2 was more of the same, and i mean that in a good way. i thought it was quite entertaining. but, guess Netflix didn't agree, as the show has been canceled. so, you now have a two-and-done action comedy show you can check out if you like seeing Arnold's brand of fish-out-of-water humor.

TC wrote: 13/08/24, 16:47:35

TC wrote: 10/07/23, 08:29:31

wrapped season 2 over the weekend. man is this a great show. feels like it's really underrated. you should be watching this. so well written and well done all around. killer cast. even the mighty Pequod's Pizza gets a shout in this season. that ending was such a cliff hanger too! like fuck, we have to wait to see what happens now?? damn. love this show.

season 3 of The Bear was more of the same greatness for me. i saw a lot of people bitching that the show relies on gimmicks and shit like needle drops to carry it through, that it's not really a good show, it's an illusion, etc. i see that point of view, but i think you're missing the point - it's not about everyone developing as characters, and novel-era progression, it's about one guy of questionable mental health - who is therefore an unreliable narrator - trying to cope with not only who he's become but how what he does affects everyone around him. it's a fucking great show, and i thought this season, while more free-flowing and experimental-feeling, was at least as strong as the prior ones, just different (which was very welcome by me). don't believe the negativity.

whatever people thought of s3 should be erased with s4, which was fucking great. all the way around. feels like some of it was targeted at people that had issues with s3, but regardless, some very powerfully written episodes here, and the acting is off the charts. plenty of funny this season, but also plenty of heartbreaking moments. it's a really great show, believe the hype.

TC wrote: 04/04/25, 16:49:30 Squid Game - I thought I posted about s1 here, but can't find it, so maybe not? Anyway, s2 wasn't as good as s1 was, but was still pretty good. Curious to see where they go with this cash-grab extension. Done well enough to keep me hooked.

s3 was even worse. really fucking stupid. and the ending promises that it's only going to get more fucking dumb as it apparently moves to the US for some reason. they are going to milk this moment as long as they can, i guess. looks like the US version will star cate blanchett? weird.

TC wrote: 24/09/21, 13:30:57 Nine Perfect Strangers - wasn't sure where this was going so i haven't posted anything about it until it wrapped, but this was a really interesting show. essentially about a retreat using psychedelics as part of the treatment of various ailments. nicole kidman, michael shannon, bobby canavale, luke evans, regina hall, and melissa mccarthy in a not annoying role. stellar casting, well acted, and the last two episodes really change the pace of the show from "oh wow this is interesting" to "holy fuck, what the hell is happening" very quickly. stuck the landing, for the most part, though. recommended.

s2 of this show was really bonkers. really went for it in some ways, but some of the character plots were tiresome. i stuck in there, and the very ending seems to promise an extremely weird change of tone if it returns for s3. it was a big shrug of a season overall, even though i like the setting far better.

Going to go through a bunch more stuff, given my absence.

Mad Men - I never did watch this show when it was on and ran out of shit to watch, so figured I'd give it a shot. We ran through the entire run very quickly. Goddamn this show is great. I don't really get the ending, it kind of fell apart in the last few episodes for me, but fuck this was a great show. Hamm was fantastic as giant piece of shit Don Draper, and most of the supporting cast was great. I had no idea Elizabeth Moss was in this show. She was in nearly every episode. I know I'm late to the game, but it will likely be on any list of "Best TV Shows" you will see.

Gangs Of London - don't know how I missed this show when it came out. maybe I just felt overwhelmed with London gang shit, given how great Peaky Blinders was (is?). I don't know why I didn't watch it, but went back and watched the first two seasons (s3 isn't out over here yet) and godDAMN is this show great. starts out a bit shaky, but quickly finds its footing. cast includes GoT alum, Peaky alum, etc., so really great cast. extremely well acted, mostly. very well written. takes place in modern London. only gripe is that there seems to be absolutely zero police presence in London. fucking murders all the time, bombs blowing up, no police. although, maybe that reflects actual reality lol. anyway, great show. highly recommended.

Surface - thought I posted about s1 before, but can't find it. sort of a drama/mystery set up in s1 that ramps up to eleven in s2. it's pretty flimsy on the plot side, but the acting throughout is really good. it's entertaining, disposable TV. if you're looking for something interesting to watch while doing other things, throw this on and see how you feel about it. don't know if it will be a season 3, but i'd continue watching if it did.

Bad Thoughts - not really a "sketch show", more a collection of short films, some very thinly connected, from the mind of Tom Segura. some are more successful than others, but all them are funny. the ongoing arc of the video game developer (starting Robert Iler) is pretty goddamn hilarious. the giant dick gym is great too. and of course the Steven Seagal bit. i am happy for Tommy it seems to have worked, look forward to seeing what else he has in mind.

The Studio - was on the fence about watching this as i've kind of had enough of Rogan, but goddamn am i glad i did. this show is fucking great. it's a thousand miles an hour from day one and really dives into the "how movies get made" side of things. so fucking funny, and right in my wheelhouse. it ten brief episodes, it felt too short. i cannot wait for more of this show. some of the cameos are crazy. if you didn't check this out, you absolutely should. anyone as into movies as we are will love it.

Dept. Q - wasn't sure what this was going to be but heard good things so i checked it out. i really dug it! yes, another UK cop show, but very interesting lens presented here. it was really engaging filled with clever writing and some very dry, dark humor in parts. flew through it and hope it gets another season.

Your Friends And Neighbors - yes, another Jon Hamm-led show. yes, another very good show. ensemble cast fed this one, though. gave Hamm many different angles to bounce off of. the ending sets up more, which should be fun. i quite liked this, even though parts of it were pretty hard to believe. rich guy in financial trouble inadvertently becomes an art thief is a reductive way to describe this show, but accurate. check it out.

Mobland - Tom Hardy? Pierce Brosnan? Helen Mirren? and that's just the beginning of the recognizable faces in this cast. extremely well done show. Brosnan's absolutely over-the-top, whacked out character and performance absolutely eats scenery, and Hardy is exactly what you would expect from him, which is why anyone watched this show to begin with. it delivers. ending sets up a bonkers s2, which i hope it gets.

The Mortician - 3-party doc about, well, a mortician that is an absolute slimeball. you see his stories fall apart on camera when he felt like the mics were off. stop me when you've heard this before. anyway, some really crazy twists and turns in this story makes you unsure of where it's going, and it ends up being way bigger than you thought it was. you should watch it!

Murderbot - started pretty strong, got kind of tired by the end. the very end was extremely weird, not sure where this is going (it's apparently been renewed). parts of it were very funny, which i believe was the intent, and parts of it were very violent, which i welcomed. but at the end, i wanted it to be more in some way. can't really put my finger on it. it was fine, and it was very tight - keeping the episodes to 30 min was smart - so i'll continue, but not sure how they elevate this.

Untamed - eric bana vehicle, costars a chick from the oft-praised La Brea. another show that's ultimately about grief. they kept it tight at six episodes, and some of the twists you probably won't see coming (some you absolutely will), but i'll ultimately give it a "pro" here. i'd watch more, although i am pretty sure it was one and done. the setting of untamed Yosemite (while actually being filmed in BC) is the star here. just beautiful and sucks you right in. anyway, interesting twist on a detective show.

The Waterfront - i saw people saying this was the new Ozark, which was phenomenal, so i gave it a shot. couldn't make it past 10 minutes. it's fucking awful, with character writing that sub-daytime soap opera level. if any of you have seen this, somehow made it through, and can tell me it does inexplicably get good, i'll try again, but holy shit was what i saw bad. real fucking bad, and not in an enjoyable way, like the aforementioned La Brea.