Whatcha watchin?

[Nard_S]

When Sopranos first aired I was young and had young kids. I caught myself not being all that interested in it..Thought the psycho babble was over done  and there was too much non eventful things. I’m older now and on re-watch, I get it and it hits more home to me, theres humor and tragedy but metaphorically Tony is an Everyman in modern world. As an example, the marriage with Carmella is rather complex and nuanced as most marriages are, most episodic tv never gets as deep in the weeds as they did. 

[bigred90gt]

On 9/16/2024 at 10:12 AM, bladehunter said:

 

what am I watching now ? 

 

Mayor of Kingstown .. on Amazon prime.  And paramount. Jeremy Renner.  It’s about a guy who controls the prison in town via inside and outside influencers.  Gangs etc. and police.  Hard to explain.  And it’s a slow start.  But enough of a train wreck that we stayed hooked long enough to get into some meat.  But it’s not for the faint of heart.  It’s graphic. In soo many ways. Or I’m stuck in 1990s logic. Either way. Gauge it by that.  If you like violence. Gangsters and crime , mixed with enough philosophy to make you question things , it’s worth the watch.  Not 10-10 recommendation from me. But a solid 7 I’d say.  With potential to be an 8-9…. Depending on where they go with it.  

We have enjoyed that one. The first couple of seasons were really good. This latest one is kind of meh. 

[PedronNiall]

3 hours ago, bladehunter said:

Well said. But I must add.  I enjoy that the show lets us in on what most won’t realize , or admit.  That polite society IS kill or be killed.  Anytime somebody js making money.  Winning , etc. somebody is losing.  What holds it together is the unspoken law of reciprocity coupled with the law of value.  We will let others win , so long as we receive value for our loss. And are in turn allowed to win at a regular interval …. Example. “ Friday is payday “.  We lose life and energy all week in exchange for pay.  Which is a good enough value to then trade for more life.  Those who become rich , bend the rules to make the pay out weigh the work.  Which is killing in a sense.  

we are all 5-6 days from being tony . That’s a fact that most don’t want to admit. 

 

2 hours ago, bscinstnct said:

 

 

“we are all 5-6 days from being tony . That’s a fact that most don’t want to admit. “

 

An interesting point, and time frames in history uncover a great deal about what called a “psychopath” now,  and what is king or a queen of the past. 

 

Im reading a biography of Catherine de Medici. She was Italian born, her uncle was the Pope, she married the future king of France, her daughter married the king of Spain, and she ended up ruling France when her husband died. Oh and her daughter in law was Mary Queen of Scots. 
 

Incredible, and through this biography of one woman who lived in the 1500s, you get an entire education into the entire history of European kingdoms, battles, inner workings of ruling courts, and culture. 
 

But as it applies to this Sopranos conversation , lol, and your observations, blade…

 

We have to remember that abject violence and torture were the hallmark of how these “epitomes” and supposedly divinely determined leaders ruled. 
 

Besides the wholesale slaughter and sacrifice of millions of those in military service to fight in whimsical and ever changing alliances and objectives

 

torture and execution of the most extreme means (burning people, drawing and quartering, slow poisoning, 

 

were very commonly and casually employed by the leadership of these royal families and their appointed managers 

 

 

A great touch for all of these points is a watch of The Borgias, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Hell on Wheels, Succession, or any well-produced fact or fiction based show centering on those in power. Heck, the docs on PBS go into great detail about how messed up most in power are or become. The leaders of the French Revolution became despots themselves once they found themselves at the top instead of the old aristocracy and started jailing or killing anyone who'd ever slighted them. 

 

@bladehunter you are certainly right that many who are fascinated by what's on the screen don't realize or admit to themselves that it's all a reflection of human nature. @bscinstnct You certainly touch on something real as well. We have new feudal lords consolidating power & wealth and new serfs delivering food for barely enough to survive and training AI for even less, something like $0.08/hour here in the west. It's just a cycle repeating itself. Before it was the divine right of kings or providence or whatever else, now it is open callousness. The people at the top literally do not care what effect their pursuits have on those below and they always have the money to pay enough people to stand between them and anyone who would pester them with reminders of any harm they cause. 

 

I love sci-fi, but one of the hallmarks from books to shows to movies is that new technology simply leads to new gold rushes where those in power pay those with strength to make sure the flow is diverted to them. That and societies always finding justifications to imprison their own populations and kill those outside in war replay no matter how advanced they get. Same in high fantasy. Always when there is arcane power found that is capable of anything there are a frighteningly large number who immediately want to use it to gain power and subdue others. 

 

I'm definitely of the camp that art imitates life, because I've yet to see a show or film display any of the above tropes that outdo what's already occurred at many points in history. Another quirk of humanity is that we are appalled to read of atrocities and fictional ones that go too far are always received poorly, but put a stick in our hand and tell us it's us or them and we'll get to bludgeoning. The drive to survive is a mother. 

[bladehunter]

2 hours ago, bscinstnct said:

 

 

“we are all 5-6 days from being tony . That’s a fact that most don’t want to admit. “

 

An interesting point, and time frames in history uncover a great deal about what called a “psychopath” now,  and what is king or a queen of the past. 

 

Im reading a biography of Catherine de Medici. She was Italian born, her uncle was the Pope, she married the future king of France, her daughter married the king of Spain, and she ended up ruling France when her husband died. Oh and her daughter in law was Mary Queen of Scots. 
 

Incredible, and through this biography of one woman who lived in the 1500s, you get an entire education into the entire history of European kingdoms, battles, inner workings of ruling courts, and culture. 
 

But as it applies to this Sopranos conversation , lol, and your observations, blade…

 

We have to remember that abject violence and torture were the hallmark of how these “epitomes” and supposedly divinely determined leaders ruled. 
 

Besides the wholesale slaughter and sacrifice of millions of those in military service to fight in whimsical and ever changing alliances and objectives

 

torture and execution of the most extreme means (burning people, drawing and quartering, slow poisoning, 

 

were very commonly and casually employed by the leadership of these royal families and their appointed managers 

 

Oh yea. Those of us who study history know how short the modern time is. Tony was actually only 2-3 gen removed from a literal life expectancy of 30-40 years and the only way to extend it was to kill more and take more.  Even then it’s no guarantee.

 

which is why i admire the character.  He managed somehow to insulate his kids from his reality , at least to the extent that he educated them and gave them a shot.  If they took it or not is on them.  He’s more selfless than he’s given credit for.  

i think alot of times people don’t understand that choices exist, but without parental , or surrogate guidance , folks have no clue  how to navigate.  And by the time they do it’s too late.  A kid needs this by age. 10. At least. You can watch Tony force them into better choices than he made.  Exceptions exist. But we’re not talking about rebels. Tony is no rebel.  He’s opposite of a rebel. He’s simply damaged goods with two choices.  Be something. Or be nothing.  And for a driven mind , that’s not a choice.   

 

@PedronNiall

I think the only real example of someone breaking out of that life and really trying to be better is Michael Franzese … most leave it via snitch/protection scenarios. Which

just means they got caught.  So yes. Very very rare and unlikely.  

[bladehunter]

41 minutes ago, PedronNiall said:

 

 

A great touch for all of these points is a watch of The Borgias, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Hell on Wheels, Succession, or any well-produced fact or fiction based show centering on those in power. Heck, the docs on PBS go into great detail about how messed up most in power are or become. The leaders of the French Revolution became despots themselves once they found themselves at the top instead of the old aristocracy and started jailing or killing anyone who'd ever slighted them. 

 

@bladehunter you are certainly right that many who are fascinated by what's on the screen don't realize or admit to themselves that it's all a reflection of human nature. @bscinstnct You certainly touch on something real as well. We have new feudal lords consolidating power & wealth and new serfs delivering food for barely enough to survive and training AI for even less, something like $0.08/hour here in the west. It's just a cycle repeating itself. Before it was the divine right of kings or providence or whatever else, now it is open callousness. The people at the top literally do not care what effect their pursuits have on those below and they always have the money to pay enough people to stand between them and anyone who would pester them with reminders of any harm they cause. 

 

I love sci-fi, but one of the hallmarks from books to shows to movies is that new technology simply leads to new gold rushes where those in power pay those with strength to make sure the flow is diverted to them. That and societies always finding justifications to imprison their own populations and kill those outside in war replay no matter how advanced they get. Same in high fantasy. Always when there is arcane power found that is capable of anything there are a frighteningly large number who immediately want to use it to gain power and subdue others. 

 

I'm definitely of the camp that art imitates life, because I've yet to see a show or film display any of the above tropes that outdo what's already occurred at many points in history. Another quirk of humanity is that we are appalled to read of atrocities and fictional ones that go too far are always received poorly, but put a stick in our hand and tell us it's us or them and we'll get to bludgeoning. The drive to survive is a mother. 

Well said.   
 

and as an aside - I haven’t seen game of thrones but boardwalk empire is underrated. Huge Steve Buscemi fan here. Huge. Guys a regular Joe - another side note. There’s a documentary following his family tree that’s very very interesting.  He follows the path and narrates alot.  You see his mom and home etc. 

[bigred90gt]

Started watching Marco Polo recently on Netflix. We're about 1/2 through the first season. Its not a bad show. 

[Ripper212]

Strongly recommend Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War, an acted documentary on Netlix. Very well done and informative too. Lots of stuff I didn't know

[Nard_S]

On 9/25/2024 at 6:20 PM, Ripper212 said:

Strongly recommend Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War, an acted documentary on Netlix. Very well done and informative too. Lots of stuff I didn't know

Good one, thanks.

[imkirby34]

Got around to watching The Grand Tour: One For The Road on Amazon.  Nothing earth-shattering but if that's truly the last episode, I'm going to miss those clowns.  I still watch/listen to my Series 10-22 DVD's.  I was also glad to find out my Samsung TV's otherwise useless "TV Plus" has a Top Gear channel, so I watch the older episodes when they come up.

[aenemated]

On 10/7/2024 at 10:01 PM, imkirby34 said:

Got around to watching The Grand Tour: One For The Road on Amazon.  Nothing earth-shattering but if that's truly the last episode, I'm going to miss those clowns.  I still watch/listen to my Series 10-22 DVD's.  I was also glad to find out my Samsung TV's otherwise useless "TV Plus" has a Top Gear channel, so I watch the older episodes when they come up.

 

If logged in life; them three I've most surely spent the most time watching. There were tears in watching that last one. 

 

"I hope we've brought you a little bit of happiness." 

 

Mr. May; you surely did. 

[PedronNiall]

 

Really good watch if you're a 007, music, or documentary afficionado, or all of the above. 

 

 

 

Watched not too long ago as well. Fun seeing how big of a reach D&D has had via its art. 

 

Currently watching New Girl since I hadn't seen it all the way through. Only for weirdos. Clearly I have found my people. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bscinstnct]

8 hours ago, PedronNiall said:

 

Really good watch if you're a 007, music, or documentary afficionado, or all of the above. 

 

 

 

Watched not too long ago as well. Fun seeing how big of a reach D&D has had via its art. 

 

Currently watching New Girl since I hadn't seen it all the way through. Only for weirdos. Clearly I have found my people. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Think we watched like 2 episodes but saw this scene, was hilarious 

 

 

 

 

But the new show The Penguin is really good!

 

Hard to believe this is Collin Farrell

 

 

Edited October 15, 2024 by bscinstnct

[Nard_S]

33 minutes ago, bscinstnct said:

But the new show The Penguin is really good!

yeah, agree.

[PedronNiall]

 

Finally got around to this. Did not disappoint.

[imkirby34]

I figured what better way to celebrate the Yankees not winning the World Series than by watching "The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox" on Netflix.  LOL.

[Ripper212]

On 11/3/2024 at 12:44 AM, imkirby34 said:

I figured what better way to celebrate the Yankees not winning the World Series than by watching "The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox" on Netflix.  LOL.

Yup.  Perfect show to watch on what my son referred to as YED  -   Yankee Elimination Day

[me05501]

I've recently been working through Season 2 of The Old Man. It's good TV. 

[Nard_S]

YT has "Portlandia" episodes by the season available. I love this show.

 

Edited November 5, 2024 by Nard_S

[TiScape]

Most recently enjoyed Lioness and the Dodgers destroying the Yankees. 

[TiScape]

Just got done watching ‘The Hurt Locker’. Only watched it once ~15 years ago. Man, I forgot how god it was. 

[Nard_S]

Saw "Unforgiven" once again.  A favorite, top of game for Clint.

[bscinstnct]

On 11/6/2024 at 2:01 PM, TiScape said:

Most recently enjoyed Lioness and the Dodgers destroying the Yankees. 

 

no comment on Yankee 😡

 

but lioness is dope! Best special ops fight scenes by a mile 👍 and great development of plots and characters. Cruz rocks 

[Mrgreen36]

Tromio and Juliette.  

[TiScape]

Found one of my old favorites on MAX last night. ‘Biker Build-Off’, binged 4 episodes and went to bed at 4am.
Sad that industry has essentially died off. 

[TiScape]

On 11/13/2024 at 6:23 AM, Mrgreen36 said:

Tromio and Juliette.  

Is that the sequel to Romeo and Juliet? 

Edited November 14, 2024 by TiScape

[Mrgreen36]

On 11/14/2024 at 3:10 PM, TiScape said:

Is that the sequel to Romeo and Juliet? 

 

It's a Troma film.  My love for Troma started with the toxic avenger.  

[slocalifglfr]

On 11/4/2024 at 6:19 PM, Nard_S said:

YT has "Portlandia" episodes by the season available. I love this show.

 

The ordering chicken in the restaurant episode is classic. 

[bigred90gt]

On 11/13/2024 at 8:23 AM, Mrgreen36 said:

Tromio and Juliette.  

Man I havent heard that name in a hot minute. I have a friend who loved that movie back in the day. 

[TheChippinChirper]

Silo Season 2 just started back up and is a great show to watch on AppleTV

[me05501]

The Diplomat on Netflix is really well-written and engaging.