TV/Movies Megathread

[Oexmelin]

But then the experience of trying to adjust for other people is something the royals upper class people have never really experienced

[Admiral Yi]

Young Princess Anne was ok. She definitely had more flattering angles though.

I googled and she was one spicy meatball in her youth.  Then her teeth caught a growth spurt and never looked back.

[The Brain]

Immortals. Geralt gets caught up in a war between gods and titans. This movie is incredibly dark. As in you can't physically see what the fuck is going on.

[Syt]

Immortals. Geralt gets caught up in a war between gods and titans. This movie is incredibly dark. As in you can't physically see what the fuck is going on.

It was a weird movie in that it felt quite theatrical (as in a stage production) with its heavy stylization, but I thought some of the visuals were cool and interesting - which is kinda expected from Tarsem Singh.

[Sheilbh]

But then the experience of trying to adjust for other people is something the royals upper class people have never really experienced

Fair. But even the upper class have to adjust for royals.

[Syt]

Has anyone watched Swedish Dicks on Netflix, starring Peter Stormare?

[The Brain]

I started on The Revenant, but damn the insanely slow pace makes it hard going. I find myself checking my phone a lot. Moviemakers should know that slower doesn't make it more profound (or whatever they're going for here). Maybe I'll try again later.

[Syt]

I've finished Community. As has been mentioned, seasons 4-6 don't quite reach the heights of the first three seasons, despite flashes of brilliance. I still think they're good, and the first three seasons' exceptional quality makes them look worse than they are. I was skeptical at the start of season 1, but really enjoyed it once they leaned into the abdurd and weird.

I didn't mind Chase leaving the cast. He always seemed awkward and uncomfortable (which was arguably the point, and I'm aware of the drama behind the scenes), and I didn't particularly miss hid character when he died. Donald Glover leaving was IMHO a much bigger blow to the show dynamics, though you could make a point that it prevented the amazing Troy/Abed chemistry from going stale. I did like the addition of Jonathan Banks in season 5, though, even though (or because) he just reprised his Mike Ehrmantraut persona from BB/BCS. Paged Brewster and Keith David (who I love) didn't really do it for me in Season 6, and by that time the original, magical group dynamic was just gone for me. The season felt a bit like a slog. The final episode with the pitches for season 7 was a manifestation that the writers didn't know what to do with the show at this point - not that they were shy about commenting on their show before that point, usually through Abed's plot commentary.

One thing that stood out for me was that the show repeatedly (and I mean REPEATEDLY) acknowledged that the protagonists were seriously damaged goods, which made the bit with the fake psychiatrist trying to trick them into thinking that Greendale was actually an asylum quite reasonable for about 5 seconds. At the same time the show emphasized their humanity and connections and I grew quite fond of the characters and rooted for them.



I've finished three quite different comedy series this year.

1. Peep Show. Inspired be having watched all of QI this year, and wanting more David v (after watching Mitchell and Webb Look/Situation last year) and wanting more David Mitchell. A rather nihilistic show about the awkwardness of human relationships, inner demons, and being trapped in conventions, expectations and one's own petty mistakes. It was funny, but also a bit difficult to watch at times as it hit a bit close to home.

2. Schitt's Creek. The polar opposite; an escapist feel good story about a group of jerks who are forced out of their sheltered world to become the best versions of themselves. Very sweet and heartfelt. Over the course of six short season (I think it could have benefited from a 7th, as the plot of season 6 seemed too condensed/rushed) I fell in love with the characters, and shed a few manly tears over David's and Patrick's sweet romance. Characters I really disliked at the start (Moira, Alexis) became some of my favorite TV characters. Unusual for me, I got very emotionally attached to the show.

3. Community. See above (tonally between the previous two extremes).

[Eddie Teach]

Knightfall, about the Templars in 14th century France. Doesn't meet Languish standards for historicity, but it's ok drama.

[Josephus]

So yeah....Queen's Gambit, best thing I've seen in a while.

Question though: it made me wonder; Is chess still a thing? I mean I know people still play it, but I can't name you a grand master since, like, Kasparov. Do they still have headline-making chess championships and stuff?

[Admiral Yi]

Chess hasn't made the headlines since Fischer-Spasky.  Then a side note when Deep Blue beet Kasparov.

[frunk]

Chess is one of the more popular games to watch on Twitch.

[Admiral Yi]

How many players here, of any level?

[FunkMonk]

Yeah chess is actually very popular now because of streaming. Some of the grand masters who stream regularly get tens of thousands of viewers and tournaments get as many or more too.

[Liep]

That young Norwegian guy got a lot of press here when he kept winning.