TV/Movies Megathread

[crazy canuck]

New netflix show on the fall of Constantinople. one of those historical dramas with spots where historians given commentary.  Good stuff and surprisingly high production quality.

I thought of posting a curmudgeonly harsh review of that show earlier, but demurred. 

I have noticed that instead of straight-up history documentaries, the trend now in history shows is dramatic cut-scene costume dramas interspersed with historian soundbites.  Personally not a fan.

I would love a straight up documentary.  But I will take what I can get.  Plus watching cannons being fired is fun.

[Iormlund]

Probably as long as they are not being fired at you.

[Valmy]

Probably as long as they are not being fired at you.

That is one of the advantages of experiencing history second hand.

[Savonarola]

I watched a few episodes of Netflix's "Civilizations."  It's supposed to similar to the 60s era BBC documentary "Civilisation" narrated by Kenneth Clark; but rather than the story of the development of western art, it's more of a general introduction to art.  So they introduce a general topic (God, nature, the body) and show how it's interpreted in art across different cultures and end with a couple contemporary examples.  Clark's approach allowed him to go much more in depth (though only in Western art - and Western art that was outside the Iron Curtain for that matter); this version is more of a cross-culture "Greatest Hits."

As a surprise they had quite a bit on the art produced during the Age of Discovery by Portugal and her trading partners (mostly Benin and Japan) during the cross cultural episode.  I have seen that sort of art in Lisbon at the Museum of Ancient Art and Museum of Oriental Art; but nowhere else.

They also showed "The Last Supper" in the divinity episode without mentioning Dan Brown; so maybe the world has finally moved on.

[Josephus]

Probably as long as they are not being fired at you.

Wouldn't knock it till you try it.

Anyway, here's a diversionary true story.

When I was young I went to a school in Malta, run by a Catholic order of brothers who were very mean spirited. It was a fairly large school and we had very strict rules. One of them was the "out of bounds rules". We werent' allowed to leave school property during the school day. Well one day, at recess, we were playing soccer, as we all did, when one of us kicked the ball over the fence and into the valley down below.

Two of us, making sure the brothers weren't watching, climbed over the chain link fence and went looking for the ball in the valley. Amongst the brush, and trees, we found what we thought was the ball. It wasn't. It was very heavy. It was a cannon ball from the Turkish seige of Malta. We carried it back up, and with difficulty tried bringing it over the fence. We were caught by the prefects, who took us to see the Brothers.

the brothers were delighted to see the cannon ball, and put it on display in the front entrance, along with a previously unearthed fragment from a WW2 German bomb.  We, on the other hand, got suspended for a week.

[Valmy]

Wow. How have you never told that story before?

[crazy canuck]

Reminds me.  One day Josephus we definitely have to have a few beers so I can hear more of your stories.  You have had a very interesting life.

[The Brain]

Outlander has a domestic discipline scene of the romance variety.

[viper37]

Naked she is nothing special to you, but all dressed up, and she's hypnotizing you?  That's what you are telling us?  Anything else you want to share with us?   

There are nude scenes in Outlander??

Lots of them.  But they are less explicit than some of the Outlander books my mother read

[crazy canuck]

tmi

[viper37]

But the charge of cataphracts at Verdun was inspiring.

Languish always finds ways to make one smile on the rainiest days

[Josephus]

Reminds me.  One day Josephus we definitely have to have a few beers so I can hear more of your stories.  You have had a very interesting life.

"had" is the the operative word, yeah.

But for sure, I'd enjoy that. I have a niece out in Tofino, who's shacked up now with a very nice bloke. We're all counting on them getting married within a few years, so if that's the case a holiday on the west coast is in order for me.

[Duque de Bragança]

I watched a few episodes of Netflix's "Civilizations."  It's supposed to similar to the 60s era BBC documentary "Civilisation" narrated by Kenneth Clark; but rather than the story of the development of western art, it's more of a general introduction to art.  So they introduce a general topic (God, nature, the body) and show how it's interpreted in art across different cultures and end with a couple contemporary examples.  Clark's approach allowed him to go much more in depth (though only in Western art - and Western art that was outside the Iron Curtain for that matter); this version is more of a cross-culture "Greatest Hits."

As a surprise they had quite a bit on the art produced during the Age of Discovery by Portugal and her trading partners (mostly Benin and Japan) during the cross cultural episode.  I have seen that sort of art in Lisbon at the Museum of Ancient Art and Museum of Oriental Art; but nowhere else.

They also showed "The Last Supper" in the divinity episode without mentioning Dan Brown; so maybe the world has finally moved on.

Like this one?

Some examples can be found at the Musée du Quai Branly (musée des arts et civilisations d'Afrique, d'Asie, d'Océanie et des Amériques), within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower.

[Savonarola]

As a surprise they had quite a bit on the art produced during the Age of Discovery by Portugal and her trading partners (mostly Benin and Japan) during the cross cultural episode.  I have seen that sort of art in Lisbon at the Museum of Ancient Art and Museum of Oriental Art; but nowhere else.

They also showed "The Last Supper" in the divinity episode without mentioning Dan Brown; so maybe the world has finally moved on.

Like this one?

Some examples can be found at the Musée du Quai Branly (musée des arts et civilisations d'Afrique, d'Asie, d'Océanie et des Amériques), within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower.

That's it exactly; I'll have to check that out if I ever have some time to myself in Paris.

[Savonarola]

On the "Renaissance" episode they had on Damien Hirst (his studio had made some Medusa heads based on Cellini's "Perseus with Medusa Heads.)

Interviewer:  And was it difficult to cast these?
Hirst:  I'm really not sure, , you should ask the people who worked on them...





No, of course not; Damian instead insisted that, just like Cellini, he makes the technology chase him rather than chasing the technology.    It was wonderfully pretentious.