Stuff on Netflix

[Harmony]

I'm not ashamed to say I watched the Wham! documentary.

It was just ok.  But it brought back a lot of memories.  I never really knew anything about how they got started - just 2 chums goofing around together and trying to play some music.  There was some nice footage of both the making of Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' and Live Aid.

It was also very interesting to see how much George Michael had to struggle to keep his sexuality a secret because his persona in Wham! was that of a lady's man.

[faizoff]

I started that documentary and haven't finished it. Still have about 30 mins left. For me I was a kid and my mom would turn up the volume on the radio everytime careless whisper came on. Interesting story about the production of that track. I wonder if the version recorded in Alabama is out there. That sax solo is pretty iconic and to think George Michael had the tenacity to dictate to those legendary producers that what they created was not what he wanted.

[Harmony]

Yeah, that was pretty ballsy of GM, for certain.  And he was right!

[Stadler]

I'm not ashamed to say I watched the Wham! documentary.

It was just ok.  But it brought back a lot of memories.  I never really knew anything about how they got started - just 2 chums goofing around together and trying to play some music.  There was some nice footage of both the making of Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' and Live Aid.

It was also very interesting to see how much George Michael had to struggle to keep his sexuality a secret because his persona in Wham! was that of a lady's man.

I always sort of chuckle (on one hand) and deeply wonder (on the other) about these types of situations.  I mean, on the (chuckle) hand, he fooled no one, but on the (wonder) hand, who was he hoping to fool?

What I would be most interested in is the division of labor between George Michael and Andrew Ridgely.  I've never really seen anything that elevates him (Ridgely) to even Art Garfunkel status.  What did he do?

There should be a band called "The Other Ones", with Garfunkel, Ridgely, Curt Smith and John Oates. 

[Harmony]

I'm not ashamed to say I watched the Wham! documentary.

It was just ok.  But it brought back a lot of memories.  I never really knew anything about how they got started - just 2 chums goofing around together and trying to play some music.  There was some nice footage of both the making of Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' and Live Aid.

It was also very interesting to see how much George Michael had to struggle to keep his sexuality a secret because his persona in Wham! was that of a lady's man.

I always sort of chuckle (on one hand) and deeply wonder (on the other) about these types of situations.  I mean, on the (chuckle) hand, he fooled no one, but on the (wonder) hand, who was he hoping to fool?

What I would be most interested in is the division of labor between George Michael and Andrew Ridgely.  I've never really seen anything that elevates him (Ridgely) to even Art Garfunkel status.  What did he do?

There should be a band called "The Other Ones", with Garfunkel, Ridgely, Curt Smith and John Oates. 

That's a good question and one that I had myself before watching the documentary.  Now - and I believe GM actually said this in an interview at one point - without Andrew, GM would not have existed.  Wham! certainly would've never existed.  GM was kind of a nerdy outcast.  AR was the outgoing one who pushed the band and ultimately GM into the spotlight.  AR developed the look of Wham! co-wrote a good portion of the early hits, and got them their first record deal.  But once GM got into his groove, he outpaced AR no doubt about it.  But AR also made some choices - like partying instead of working - that also contributed.  Once GM gathered speed with writing/performing, he quickly jumped into the production area of his music.  And the rest was history.  It also probably helped that he had some very close mentors in the industry - Elton John for one - who undoubtedly knew he was trying to live his famous life in the closet and was ultimately very unfulfilled on a personal level.

[pg1067]

Yeah, I'm all over this.  New trailer for Extraction 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y274jZs5s7s

It looks SOOOOO over the top.

Movie was fantastic. So over the top yet the action never felt boring. Batshit insane choreography and fight scenes. Extraction 3 has already been announced and I already can't wait.

I just posted this in the movie thread, but I watched the first Extraction over the weekend.  Seemed like a near carbon copy of the 2008 Rambo movie.  Definitely nothing special, but it won't deter me from checking out Extraction 2.  Hopefully they gave Golshifteh Farahani's character (Nik) more to do.

You won't be disappointed.

I watched Extraction 2 over the weekend.  It was solid.  Nik is such a badass character!  Apparently a third one is already in the works.

It was also very interesting to see how much George Michael had to struggle to keep his sexuality a secret because his persona in Wham! was that of a lady's man.

It was?  I obviously wasn't a fan, but I thought it was pretty obvious from the get-go that he was gay.  Then again, I went to high school with someone who scoffed at the notion that Boy George was gay, so....

There should be a band called "The Other Ones", with Garfunkel, Ridgely, Curt Smith and John Oates. 

There is a band (more of a novelty/comedy act, really) called Garfunkel & Oates, but SG and JO have nothing to do with it.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfunkel_and_Oates

[faizoff]

I started that documentary and haven't finished it. Still have about 30 mins left. For me I was a kid and my mom would turn up the volume on the radio everytime careless whisper came on. Interesting story about the production of that track. I wonder if the version recorded in Alabama is out there. That sax solo is pretty iconic and to think George Michael had the tenacity to dictate to those legendary producers that what they created was not what he wanted.

Found it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_C6GRj6LPY&ab_channel=bsedits

I think I know what GM was talking about. The released version is a lot punchier and imposing whereas this one is a mellow soulful rendition. I too think GM was right.

[mike099]

Just started the second season of The Lincoln Lawyer.  Solid series.

[Grappler]

The Fall of the House of Usher

This is fantastic - apparently it's the final series from Mike Flanagan, who created Haunting of Hill House.  I'm loving the show and how he tied in so many elements from Edgar Allen Poe's works into each episode.  Also, it's amazing to see Mark Hamill as a crime family fixer.   

Side note:  This was the production that Frank Langella was fired from for unprofessional conduct.  His replacement, Bruce Greenwood, has been outstanding to watch.

[ZirconBlue]

The Fall of the House of Usher

This is fantastic - apparently it's the final series from Mike Flanagan, who created Haunting of Hill House.  I'm loving the show and how he tied in so many elements from Edgar Allen Poe's works into each episode.  Also, it's amazing to see Mark Hamill as a crime family fixer.   

Side note:  This was the production that Frank Langella was fired from for unprofessional conduct.  His replacement, Bruce Greenwood, has been outstanding to watch.

For clarification: it's his final Netflix series.  He has a development deal with Amazon.

[Grappler]

The Fall of the House of Usher

This is fantastic - apparently it's the final series from Mike Flanagan, who created Haunting of Hill House.  I'm loving the show and how he tied in so many elements from Edgar Allen Poe's works into each episode.  Also, it's amazing to see Mark Hamill as a crime family fixer.   

Side note:  This was the production that Frank Langella was fired from for unprofessional conduct.  His replacement, Bruce Greenwood, has been outstanding to watch.

That was what I meant, I just forgot to say "on Netflix"   


For clarification: it's his final Netflix series.  He has a development deal with Amazon.

[gmillerdrake]

Shadow and Bone cancelled at Netflix. I kind of dug that show and was interested in where it'd go but apparently this is one of a handful that got the ax now that the strike is over.

[jingle.boy]

Me and jingle.daughter are pissed at this.  She loved the book series, and this is now the 2nd series that we were watching as father/daughter time that they've axed (Fate: The Winx Saga being the other).

Netflix can suck a bag of shrivelled dicks.

[ZirconBlue]

Shadow and Bone cancelled at Netflix. I kind of dug that show and was interested in where it'd go but apparently this is one of a handful that got the ax now that the strike is over.

At least there was some closure in Season 2.  They covered most of the original trilogy. 

[Grappler]

Watching the first four episodes of the final season of The Crown.  The episode detailing the final 24 hours of Diana's life is strange to watch, seeing a dramatized version of what likely played out. 

[SoundscapeMN]

Orion and the Dark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cScAQ2O26Y4

As a Charlie Kaufman fan, it doesn't seem exactly what Kaufman typically does, but at the same time, it doesn't look bad.

coming February 2nd.

[lightningbolt]

We just watched the Netflix documentary about the Challenger shuttle disaster.  I thought it was well done, but it is heartbreaking / infuriating subject matter.

[lightningbolt]

Society of the Snow was unbelievable.  It is about Uruguayan Flight 571 - the plane crash with the rugby team that had to resort to cannibalism to survive being stranded for 72 days.  I've seen Alive a million times and have read every book and article and have watched every documentary, so I was skeptical about the need for yet another take on this tragedy/heroic story.  However, this is far more accurate than the Alive movie and is super well done/while also being respectful.  I didn't really learn anything new from watching it, but wasn't expecting to.  I highly recommend this even if you've already absorbed a lot of content regarding their plight.

I'm fascinated by how they somehow managed to survive and save themselves.  The cannibalism is of course tied up in that, but it isn't something I specifically focus on that much (in contrast, my mother is obsessed with that facet of the story).  The tale of the two who hiked/climbed out without equipment blows me away.  A climbing expert led a team retracing their route for National Geographic back in 2006 and they had a hard go of it (with proper equipment, food/water, and being fully healthy / etc).  Unreal.

My Mom watched it as well and kept asking if I'd have frozen to death instantly and if I could have handled eating human flesh.  As Nando Parrado (one of the survivors and one of the two who climbed/hiked out to seek help) essentially said "If you had been there, you would have done the same thing as us."

[T-ski]

I'm not ashamed to say I watched the Wham! documentary.

It was just ok.  But it brought back a lot of memories.  I never really knew anything about how they got started - just 2 chums goofing around together and trying to play some music.  There was some nice footage of both the making of Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' and Live Aid.

It was also very interesting to see how much George Michael had to struggle to keep his sexuality a secret because his persona in Wham! was that of a lady's man.

I always sort of chuckle (on one hand) and deeply wonder (on the other) about these types of situations.  I mean, on the (chuckle) hand, he fooled no one, but on the (wonder) hand, who was he hoping to fool?

What I would be most interested in is the division of labor between George Michael and Andrew Ridgely.  I've never really seen anything that elevates him (Ridgely) to even Art Garfunkel status.  What did he do?

There should be a band called "The Other Ones", with Garfunkel, Ridgely, Curt Smith and John Oates. 

There was a band in the 80’s call The Other Ones, they had a semi-hit with the song “Holiday”.

[chknptpie]

Leave The World Behind was a trip. No clue whats happening and that just makes it that much more chilling.

[MirrorMask]

Leave The World Behind was a trip. No clue whats happening and that just makes it that much more chilling.

I felt it just didn't have an ending. So many setup and zero resolution. It's not that I wanted everything thoroughly explained, but ending the movie like that?

[chknptpie]

Leave The World Behind was a trip. No clue whats happening and that just makes it that much more chilling.

I felt it just didn't have an ending. So many setup and zero resolution. It's not that I wanted everything thoroughly explained, but ending the movie like that?

I can totally understand that! I was unbothered by it, couldnt tell you why. Maybe because I wanted the terror to end lol

[MirrorMask]

I watched the documentary about We are the World. Brilliant stuff!

Of course I knew the song and what it stood for, but I never realized what a logistic nightmare it was to put all of that together. Nowadays? everyone does their part at home, you organize a Zoom conference, everyone sends their files and that's it. But back then? everyone had to be there in person.

I didn't even know it was Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson to have written the song. I just assumed it was a random author that conceived the song upon request of whoever organize the thing, I didn't know it was mostly Michael Jackson's work (and Richie of course!).

Fascinating moment in time, I know nothing about Lionel Richie aside the fact that he exists, but I already have respect for him and what he pulled out. Going off the American Music Awards and straight into an all nighter to make anybody who mattered back then sing a song.... wow! also, his emotion at the end, remembering decades after the fact the magic that happened that night.... "Michael Jackson was right there singing. Bruce Springsteen was over there" etc.... and him being moved.... he knew he pulled off something historical.

Also, now we finally know why Bob Dylan finished into memes for his out of place blank stares  (it was a moment where only singers with higher voices would sing, so he remained silent, of course the internet translated that into him faking his way through it).

[jingle.boy]

Yeah, that was a good one.

[gmillerdrake]

Short Documentary on ‘American Gladiators’ was pretty cool. Those folks were abused physically and taken advantage of by not being paid crap.

Neat to hear the stories though.

[Grappler]

Short Documentary on ‘American Gladiators’ was pretty cool. Those folks were abused physically and taken advantage of by not being paid crap.

Neat to hear the stories though.

I really enjoyed that one.  I watched the 30 for 30, and many of the gladiators would not participate in that documentary.  But a bunch of them did give interviews for the Netflix one, which made it a lot more interesting to watch.

[Harmony]

I finished The Program this week.  Episode 1 kind of set the stage and I started off thinking...yeah this is definitely not right but how big of a problem is it really?

By episode 3 - holy fuck!  These kids were human trafficked while their own parents were extorted.  Plus in many cases the government PAID to traffic them.  And the men who started the criminal enterprise remain free to this day.  Plus they had heavy political ties to very famous politicians (to be fair, who likely didn't know the extend to which these kids were tortured but just wanted to cash in on it.)

I remember Dr. Phil had episodes where he helped parents kidnap their kid to be sent away to these WWASP schools.  I wonder how it feels for him to realize he is a human trafficker now?

[cramx3]

Short Documentary on ‘American Gladiators’ was pretty cool. Those folks were abused physically and taken advantage of by not being paid crap.

Neat to hear the stories though.

I really enjoyed that one.  I watched the 30 for 30, and many of the gladiators would not participate in that documentary.  But a bunch of them did give interviews for the Netflix one, which made it a lot more interesting to watch.

I enjoyed that doc as well.  Kind of crazy to see how they would work so much and then party so much too.  Almots like a fraternity type of group.  I loved that show as a kid and those things never crossed my mind.

[faizoff]

Started the first episode of 3 Body Problem by D&D of GoT fame based on a book I thnk. You see a few of the same actors from the show here too.  Very intriguing setup scifi setup so far. Got a good mystery vibe.  It's got decent reviews. I did like the first episode, though probably makes no sense.

[lonestar]

Watched the first two... Really good stuff, nice blended of mystery, drama, and a tinge if horror with great production.


Pretty sure I'll kill it by Saturday.

[hefdaddy42]

NCAA Tournament going on, so I have no time to watch it right now lol

[lonestar]

NCAA Tournament going on, so I have no time to watch it right now lol

Obviously not a Kentucky fan then 

[hefdaddy42]

NCAA Tournament going on, so I have no time to watch it right now lol

Obviously not a Kentucky fan then 

Absolutely not, but a couple of dear friends are, so that was fucking delicious.

[cramx3]

Started the first episode of 3 Body Problem by D&D of GoT fame based on a book I thnk. You see a few of the same actors from the show here too.  Very intriguing setup scifi setup so far. Got a good mystery vibe.  It's got decent reviews. I did like the first episode, though probably makes no sense.

Havent heard of this, but maybe something I shuld check out.

Started watching the Gentleman and while it started good, it's gotten quite boring and I am dropping out after 4 episodes.

[lonestar]

NCAA Tournament going on, so I have no time to watch it right now lol

Obviously not a Kentucky fan then 

Absolutely not, but a couple of dear friends are, so that was fucking delicious.

I know where your loyalties lie.. And am looking forward the potential UNC vs St Mary's match up in the sweet 16.