TV/Movies Megathread

[frunk]

Watched the first three episodes of Dirk Gently on Netflix. Amusing and entertaining, though I wonder if all those strings can lead to a satisfying conclusion.

It surprisingly does. I mean, they manage to tie it all together, whether it's satisfying or not it's another matter but it did work for me. Season 2 kinda lost the plot though - then the show got cancelled.

I agree. I haven't seen the second season, but the first worked way better than I expected.

[crazy canuck]

The Rain, great first season out of Denmark - brother and sister try to survive a virus carried by the rain.

[Savonarola]

Gearing up for the Woodstock movie I watched "Jazz on a Summer's Day" about the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival.  While it's a lot more yachts and pearls than what you'll find at the Woodstock movie; the film sets up the template that the Woodstock one follows.  Also, like Woodstock, the concert covers a lot of genres, in addition to jazz there's R&B (Ray Charles), Rock and Roll (Chuck Berry) and Gospel (Big Maybelle.)  The jazz covers multiple genres too; everything from Louis Armstrong to Anita O'Day to Thelonius Monk.

[The Minsky Moment]

Henry Grimes plays bass with Monk on that show, one of his earliest performances.  Years later, he disappeared and was presumed dead for nearly 2 decades before resurfacing and then resuming a relatively successful career.

The choices of what to include are interesting.  Monk was still considered far out but at the time had already developed the mystique that would land him on cover of Time (after being bumped temporarily by the Kennedy assassination) and get him a Columbia Records deal.  Including Chuck Berry makes sense - his performance made a splash there and is historically significant.  At the same time, this "jazz" movie compeletely misses performances by Miles Davis (months before the Kind of Blue session), Horace Silver, Duke Ellington(!), and Sonny Rollins.

[Eddie Teach]

Ray Charles covers a lot of genres.

[The Minsky Moment]

Ray can (could) play anywhere, anytime he wants.

[Savonarola]

Ray Charles covers a lot of genres.

In fact he's a real innovator in the modern sounds of country and western music.   

[Savonarola]

Henry Grimes plays bass with Monk on that show, one of his earliest performances.  Years later, he disappeared and was presumed dead for nearly 2 decades before resurfacing and then resuming a relatively successful career.

The choices of what to include are interesting.  Monk was still considered far out but at the time had already developed the mystique that would land him on cover of Time (after being bumped temporarily by the Kennedy assassination) and get him a Columbia Records deal.  Including Chuck Berry makes sense - his performance made a splash there and is historically significant.  At the same time, this "jazz" movie compeletely misses performances by Miles Davis (months before the Kind of Blue session), Horace Silver, Duke Ellington(!), and Sonny Rollins.

Just speculation on my part; but some of the performers not included might not have been happy with their performance and asked not to be included.  In the later Woodstock movie the Grateful Dead asked not to be included in the movie (by all accounts their performance was awful) as did CCR (which, by all accounts, but John Fogerty's, their performance was brilliant.)  Ellington, at least, (as I know you know) was a notorious perfectionist.

[Savonarola]

Monterey Pop (1968)

Documentary of the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, and the kick off to the Summer of Love.  While this doesn't have the reputation of Woodstock; some of the performers here were much better than they would be at Woodstock.  Janis Joplin's (then part of Big Brother) version of "Ball and Chain" is amazing, as is Jefferson Airplane's "Today," both much better than what they'd play at Woodstock.

This was also the first great meeting of San Francisco and Los Angeles bands.  Until then they regarded each other with suspicion (Frank Zappa wouldn't play because there were San Francisco bands in the line up.)

The concert was put on by Lou Rawls and John Philips, so the Mamas and the Papas were the closing act.  The Who gives a wonderfully raucous performance; but poor John Entwistle relegated to the shadows.  This is also the first major American appearance of Jimi Hendrix.  Pete Townshend destroys his guitar in the Who's set.  Jimi fucks his guitar and then destroys it; maybe I'm just repressed, but that was kind of disturbing.

[The Minsky Moment]

Just speculation on my part; but some of the performers not included might not have been happy with their performance and asked not to be included.  In the later Woodstock movie the Grateful Dead asked not to be included in the movie (by all accounts their performance was awful) as did CCR (which, by all accounts, but John Fogerty's, their performance was brilliant.)  Ellington, at least, (as I know you know) was a notorious perfectionist.

That could be true for Rollins - he was very particular and I'm not aware of any recording of his being released from that date.  Such a recording must exist, as I believe the Library of Congress has the whole thing.

Ellington released two albums out of the concert, although as was the case with the more famous 56 performance, many of the pieces were actually re-recorded in the studio.  However, I don't think it would have been a problem to identify particular live selections he approved of.

Miles also eventually released a recording from the concert several years later, and it's a very strong performance as would be expected.  Silver's session is also very good and was eventually released by the revived Blue Note. 

[Josquius]

There's a new series of Glow.
Very cool show.

[The Brain]

Inconceivable. Couple trying to get another baby befriend woman with mysterious past. Managed to keep my attention, but not immortal cinema. [spoiler]Note: there is some lesbian kissing and hint of lesbian sex.[/spoiler]

[Malthus]

Re-watched Over the Garden Wall. Holy crap, is that good.

It's like a cross between Dante's Inferno and Max Fleischer's early 1930s cartoons - with some grand opera and European fairy tales thrown in.

Easily one of the best modern Western cartoons, but by no means is this one for young children ... its very, very dark. Not in any obvious way, it is in no way gory or violent - it is just creepy as all hell. In a very quirky way.

Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in what animation can do.

[Tamas]

Re-watched Over the Garden Wall. Holy crap, is that good.

It's like a cross between Dante's Inferno and Max Fleischer's early 1930s cartoons - with some grand opera and European fairy tales thrown in.

Easily one of the best modern Western cartoons, but by no means is this one for young children ... its very, very dark. Not in any obvious way, it is in no way gory or violent - it is just creepy as all hell. In a very quirky way.

Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in what animation can do.

Is there lesbian sex, though?

[Malthus]

Re-watched Over the Garden Wall. Holy crap, is that good.

It's like a cross between Dante's Inferno and Max Fleischer's early 1930s cartoons - with some grand opera and European fairy tales thrown in.

Easily one of the best modern Western cartoons, but by no means is this one for young children ... its very, very dark. Not in any obvious way, it is in no way gory or violent - it is just creepy as all hell. In a very quirky way.

Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in what animation can do.

Is there lesbian sex, though?

It is sadly lacking in this respect.