Kind of sad watching Biden's Address a few minutes ago. He looked spent and done.
I had wanted Harris to get the nomination in 2020 but ultimately I thought that after the disaster of the previous administration, what we needed was a nice, extremely principled man who could own up to his own mistakes and who had always tried to do what was right for everyone other than himself. After seeing him just now, I agree with the endless list of politicians and talking heads that his stepping out of the campaign was a selfless and Patriotic act. I'm excited to see what my home-girl Kamala achieves but I'm sad that it had to come about in this way.
yes! Apparently I will need a certain Reddit about it and there's also a bunch of break out online stuff about characters and ages etc., according to my nerdy partner (who wants to watch it all over again).
We watched it without all of that and found out about those sites after. They would have been handy. But we created our own way of keeping track. If you liked the jumps in Lost then you’ll like Dark.
Yes, I'm about to descend into Olympics Phase, too. Between my parents and me, we have access to NBC, USA, and Peacock, so I think we'll be doing a lot more specific viewing than in years past; we won't just be turning on NBC and watching whatever they're showing (in previous cycles they seemed to be showing women's beach volleyball for three hours every night).
This weekend we'll be heading to the North Shore of Lake Superior and I'm really looking forward to it -- crisp air, relaxed pace, and watching the lake. I tend to take the Great Lakes for granted until I see someone European on Tumblr marveling at their size and then I realize, Oh yeah, I live only three hours away from this.
I haven't spent any time on the Great Lakes but still marvel at them. Sounds like you're all set for a good vacation break. Two things: Tumblr rules, duh. And it was me -- I'm the one who told NBC they should be showing a lot of women's beach volleyball. I figure it's best to admit weakness when it's so obviously there.
I have Past Lives on my list! I did watch a bunch of Oscar films but I still have a few I haven’t seen. Thanks for the reminder!
Just wanted to mention something I am watching now which is definitely a good mental health break: the PBS documentary series “Disco”. I feel like we’re still living somewhat under the tyranny of the Disco Sucks riot and a lot of disco got swept away. I am ashamed to admit I fell for the anti-disco fever when I was a kid so watching this documentary has been a healing experience. It gives a historical foundation for events like the gay rights movement and then gets into the music. Really inspiring and a lot of fun to watch.
I found a Spotify playlist that highlights the music:
Well the documentary is about disco. It might not have happened without gay dance clubs in NYC. So they needed to ground that in history. I also am thinking right now of Charli XCX brat and everything we’ve seen the last few weeks. Very much bubbled up in the internet from gay culture. She’s dance pop. I should say I enjoy glam rock and its predecessors! But let’s tip our hat to disco and its predecessors (Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter being most recent example.)
Breaking out the knowledge. Nice, Lynn. Also, a bunch of bands that I love are rooted in disco vibes, so I'm all in. If you haven't checked out Tennis, get on that. Love them.
...nor would Messers Eno, Bolan, Hunter, Waybill, Johansan, Mercury, Reed, Osterberg (if you know, you know) and a couple of chicks named Quattro and Jet.
Husband and I are almost finished with Patriot. Thank you for that one! So much laughing out loud. We go back and forth, but I think Leslie is officially our favorite character, especially S2. Utopia is next on our list. We lost a lot of TV/movie ground when we lost power for 6 days after hurricane Beryl. Shout out to Tim and any other fellow anxiety/depression warriors and/or supporters for all the great recommendations.
Leslie is amazing. Such an incredible portrayal. I have walked around the house spewing Leslie lines a lot. "You shot me!...In my fucking FACE." "I'm flying here!" Etc. and forever, Leslie.
Peacock’s recent price increase announcement is no doubt tied to the Olympics coverage. I enjoy all the weird Olympic sports you don’t get to see otherwise. I am also excited that Homicide is finally coming.
It's going to entail me redirecting myself to Peacock, but I'm assuming it'll be worth it. And yes "Homicide" finally breaking the barrier and coming to streaming is great/huge news and I'm always down for a little Pembleton in the box.
Well, as I have quite a few times over the more years than either of us are willing to admit — I've got to disagree with you on the Olympics. For me, they're worse than watching paint dry or dry rot. Boring, intrusive and pre-empting things I'd actually LIKE to see, etc...
...but we had this discussion on Facebook in the time before time...
Now, the bit about people who go to offices not understanding that working from home isn't really a vacation, that one I totally get. I've been freelancing on and off over a roughly 20 or so year period and as the technology gets better and better, it's gotten to the point where working on-site is actually a disservice to my clients because my set up here is better than anything they could provide in terms of power, capability, software etc. That doesn't mean that I'm glued to the task chair from 8-5 but I probably end up putting more hours in (when I'm on a project) during a work day than I would in an office — some of those hours might be 6pm to midnight depending on when the inspiration arrives.
"So while it might be nice to be in Paris, I’m happy where I am, which is exactly the feeling one should get — confirmation happiness — after setting down new roots." And while it would be even nicer to be in Rome, Sydney or Edinburgh, we're in total simpatico on the "confirmation happiness" thing, it's something I'm definitely experiencing after moving here to Sacramento. Great food, people and a ridiculously happy dog!
Something I never in a zillion years thought I'd say or write is that I find myself less and less inclined to going to an actual movie theatre anymore. When I moved here, one of the things I decided that I would do is indulge myself to a ludicrous extent and splurge on a ginormous 4K TV so now, 12' from my sofa I have a 75" Samsung 4K OLED with a stereo pair of HomePod 2s on stands, streaming everything through an AppleTV 4K. Honestly, with this set up, going to an actual movie theatre is kind of a let down (especially with the picture mode set to "Filmmaker"). I know Toby is happy that I'm not leaving him alone for three to four hour stints to sit in a dark room where they don't serve his kind...
Changing picture mode is essential! Not enough people do it. Happy to hear you have confirmation happiness about SacTown and you and Toby are loving it. Also, yeah, that's a big TV.
Yeah the picture mode change is massive. Many people might not get "Filmmaker Mode" because it feels a bit dark if you're watching in a room with a bunch of lights on, but if you allow the room to be darker, it really does give you that immersive quality that you used to only be able to experience in an actual movie theatre. I love it — really can't wait to see Megalopolis in all its Ayn Randian glory(?) on this set up...
I've been gone quite a while, but does the Crest still show classics, etc.? It was a very distinctive venue, especially to see a film. I also remember the Tower Theatre (across from what was the original Tower Records) being a neat place to go as well.
Definitely lots of good places to eat in Sac, and when I visit it's great to see that hasn't changed. Sounds like you're in the right part of town for it, especially with the downtown makeover.
Haven't been to a movie theatre here yet, the lure of The Big Ass Television™ I mentioned above has Kept me with dog on my lap, much better snacks on my own leather couch for watching movies so far.
I've also got a massive film library that I've assembled over the years of classics and more modern films so, odds are, I've got something that's running at a local venue...
I hear that. There's no full-time classic house down here (RIP The Ken) but keeping an eye out for showings as sometimes there's something worth the bother. It's also a case of not seeing many new releases that interest me, but perhaps I'll go see something older I missed.
But our BATV gets plenty of work and the snacks are plentiful!
Yes on the Olympics. I've been keeping Peacock around on a "please don't cancel" rate for the Olympics though the other sports content (EPL, track, cycling, etc.) has been good. Can't think of anything non-sports I've watched on there beyond "Vigil" and not for lack of looking.
Very happy to have concluded the months of chaos and to be back in San Diego. We are enjoying eating out a lot because...we can. Lots of “We should just go there, already.” for sure.
Wouldn't mind going back to France and as a sign of how busy the year's been, totally missed this year's Tour de France, something I usually watch a lot during the July "sports desert". Maybe also overlooked it with Olympics coming up this month.
Always enjoy these posts, look forward to new lists! (Along the lines of the "one season" shows I did do the Prime deal for AMC+ so watching "The Ipcress File" and resuming "The Bureau" (which we found when watching the first time features our go-to Paris hotel.)
Ipcress File! Has anyone else seen this? I think I actually have this on physical DVD somewhere, from my full-time days. Also never watched "The Bureau" so these are great recommendations.
Ipcress File has interesting folks in it (Joe Cole, Lucy Boynton, Tom Hollander) and has some panache. I did find the Michael Caine film available to stream recently and it was neat to see it again.
The Bureau is a nice slow build. It's been hiding on Sundance for a while now.
Now if we could just find a way to stream the other seasons of Das Boot...
Caine actually did four Harry Palmer films, The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, The Billion Dollar Brain and Bullet to Beijing (about six or so years ago).
The last one is the only one not based on a Len Deighton book.
Just finished Furies on Netflix and really enjoyed it. Had a "Kleo" vibe going for it with the requisite badass babes and some awesome Paris location eye candy.
Watching it in French with English subtitles brought it all together.
I'm interested in your older British sitcom list. Monty Python remains my all time favorite comedy but not sure anyone would consider it a sitcom. Fawlty Towers, on the other hand
Dark is getting a lotta love. And yeah, MP would totally qualify because I'm really focusing on comedies, not just "sitcoms" so anything that produces a laugh qualifies and, wow, I've laughed a lot at MP over the many years.
I might be the only one that enjoyed Dark but the ending totally ruined it for me. I do try to “Enjoy the Journey” more now so still might be worth watching. I am enjoying “House of Ninjas” and “Bodies.” Great recommendations.
Yep, partner and her kids LOVED it to I have been bombarded by the wish to watch and yeah, they let me know that it's incredibly complicated (and actually works wonders on a second viewing). Looking forward to it but haven't been able to commit the time yet.
I would LOVE to know what you think if you ever get around to watching it. Maybe I was just in a bad mood when I watched the end. I appreciate that the show take risks- it just was a big miss for me that made me wish I hadn’t invested the time.
In some ways I'm so predisposed to be annoyed by messy endings but in others I just appreciate a big swing taken, even if it eventually misses. So we'll see! Will watch soon.
I didn't dislike it, it just became a lot more difficult to follow. I think it suffered from the thing a lot of time travel shows suffer from. They have these amazing premises that there is almost no way to completely believeably tie up and reach a satisfying conclusion. I don't remember being upset with the ending. It was more that it just got over-convoluted with the explanations as it got there. But I didn't watch it that recently. I do think that Season 1 was the best, and Season 2 was almost as good.
Kind of sad watching Biden's Address a few minutes ago. He looked spent and done.
I had wanted Harris to get the nomination in 2020 but ultimately I thought that after the disaster of the previous administration, what we needed was a nice, extremely principled man who could own up to his own mistakes and who had always tried to do what was right for everyone other than himself. After seeing him just now, I agree with the endless list of politicians and talking heads that his stepping out of the campaign was a selfless and Patriotic act. I'm excited to see what my home-girl Kamala achieves but I'm sad that it had to come about in this way.
The Dark is so very good. But you might need a spreadsheet to keep everything clear.
yes! Apparently I will need a certain Reddit about it and there's also a bunch of break out online stuff about characters and ages etc., according to my nerdy partner (who wants to watch it all over again).
We watched it without all of that and found out about those sites after. They would have been handy. But we created our own way of keeping track. If you liked the jumps in Lost then you’ll like Dark.
Yes, I'm about to descend into Olympics Phase, too. Between my parents and me, we have access to NBC, USA, and Peacock, so I think we'll be doing a lot more specific viewing than in years past; we won't just be turning on NBC and watching whatever they're showing (in previous cycles they seemed to be showing women's beach volleyball for three hours every night).
This weekend we'll be heading to the North Shore of Lake Superior and I'm really looking forward to it -- crisp air, relaxed pace, and watching the lake. I tend to take the Great Lakes for granted until I see someone European on Tumblr marveling at their size and then I realize, Oh yeah, I live only three hours away from this.
I haven't spent any time on the Great Lakes but still marvel at them. Sounds like you're all set for a good vacation break. Two things: Tumblr rules, duh. And it was me -- I'm the one who told NBC they should be showing a lot of women's beach volleyball. I figure it's best to admit weakness when it's so obviously there.
I have Past Lives on my list! I did watch a bunch of Oscar films but I still have a few I haven’t seen. Thanks for the reminder!
Just wanted to mention something I am watching now which is definitely a good mental health break: the PBS documentary series “Disco”. I feel like we’re still living somewhat under the tyranny of the Disco Sucks riot and a lot of disco got swept away. I am ashamed to admit I fell for the anti-disco fever when I was a kid so watching this documentary has been a healing experience. It gives a historical foundation for events like the gay rights movement and then gets into the music. Really inspiring and a lot of fun to watch.
I found a Spotify playlist that highlights the music:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2YTTPMIXernfN5aU807eGs?si=m2VBmOLlSGiKqaBw1SBrlw&pi=u-4y_zpLjJQ7W_
Nice! I think KB would LOVE this so we'll probably watch up here in Portland. Having the playlist just adds to it. Thanks Lynn!
I think Glam Rock was far more of an incubator for the rise of openly gay culture and the civil rights fights that followed...
Definitely both.
Well the documentary is about disco. It might not have happened without gay dance clubs in NYC. So they needed to ground that in history. I also am thinking right now of Charli XCX brat and everything we’ve seen the last few weeks. Very much bubbled up in the internet from gay culture. She’s dance pop. I should say I enjoy glam rock and its predecessors! But let’s tip our hat to disco and its predecessors (Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter being most recent example.)
Breaking out the knowledge. Nice, Lynn. Also, a bunch of bands that I love are rooted in disco vibes, so I'm all in. If you haven't checked out Tennis, get on that. Love them.
Ummmmm, no disco without Glam, the fashion the gender fluidity. even the overtly sexualized lyrics are all directly lifted from Glam.
Ok now it might be time to watch "Velvet Goldmine" again.
You absolutely should, if only for the music (the cover versions they used were spectacular — especially the Eno-esque 20th Century Boy!
As I said, room for both on the dance floor. Love glam as well but disco made everything more mainstream and thus more acceptable in the long run.
Well I don't know what to tell you. The documentary is enjoyable and the topic is disco.
Laughing. OK, everybody, there's room for both on the dance floor.
Not sure Mink DeVille would agree with that...
...nor would Messers Eno, Bolan, Hunter, Waybill, Johansan, Mercury, Reed, Osterberg (if you know, you know) and a couple of chicks named Quattro and Jet.
Husband and I are almost finished with Patriot. Thank you for that one! So much laughing out loud. We go back and forth, but I think Leslie is officially our favorite character, especially S2. Utopia is next on our list. We lost a lot of TV/movie ground when we lost power for 6 days after hurricane Beryl. Shout out to Tim and any other fellow anxiety/depression warriors and/or supporters for all the great recommendations.
Leslie is amazing. Such an incredible portrayal. I have walked around the house spewing Leslie lines a lot. "You shot me!...In my fucking FACE." "I'm flying here!" Etc. and forever, Leslie.
"The last time I did cocaine...was when that guy was talking."
One of the greatest scenes of the series. I was laughing so hard I couldn't watch.
You holding?
"The guy with the girl's name?" I really like the path Kurtwood Smith took with the character, showed great range over the series.
So true about KS. Knockout performance.
Peacock’s recent price increase announcement is no doubt tied to the Olympics coverage. I enjoy all the weird Olympic sports you don’t get to see otherwise. I am also excited that Homicide is finally coming.
It's going to entail me redirecting myself to Peacock, but I'm assuming it'll be worth it. And yes "Homicide" finally breaking the barrier and coming to streaming is great/huge news and I'm always down for a little Pembleton in the box.
These découpage missives of glued together re-posts sprinkled with daily life travails are truly the unsung ingredients of your Substack stew.
The vibe I get today is that of a ‘why me’ self reflecting Sisyphus who is at least in on the joke. Keep it up.
(Schoolmarm loved the embedded shout out.)
Always trying to make a good stew!
Well, as I have quite a few times over the more years than either of us are willing to admit — I've got to disagree with you on the Olympics. For me, they're worse than watching paint dry or dry rot. Boring, intrusive and pre-empting things I'd actually LIKE to see, etc...
...but we had this discussion on Facebook in the time before time...
Now, the bit about people who go to offices not understanding that working from home isn't really a vacation, that one I totally get. I've been freelancing on and off over a roughly 20 or so year period and as the technology gets better and better, it's gotten to the point where working on-site is actually a disservice to my clients because my set up here is better than anything they could provide in terms of power, capability, software etc. That doesn't mean that I'm glued to the task chair from 8-5 but I probably end up putting more hours in (when I'm on a project) during a work day than I would in an office — some of those hours might be 6pm to midnight depending on when the inspiration arrives.
"So while it might be nice to be in Paris, I’m happy where I am, which is exactly the feeling one should get — confirmation happiness — after setting down new roots." And while it would be even nicer to be in Rome, Sydney or Edinburgh, we're in total simpatico on the "confirmation happiness" thing, it's something I'm definitely experiencing after moving here to Sacramento. Great food, people and a ridiculously happy dog!
Something I never in a zillion years thought I'd say or write is that I find myself less and less inclined to going to an actual movie theatre anymore. When I moved here, one of the things I decided that I would do is indulge myself to a ludicrous extent and splurge on a ginormous 4K TV so now, 12' from my sofa I have a 75" Samsung 4K OLED with a stereo pair of HomePod 2s on stands, streaming everything through an AppleTV 4K. Honestly, with this set up, going to an actual movie theatre is kind of a let down (especially with the picture mode set to "Filmmaker"). I know Toby is happy that I'm not leaving him alone for three to four hour stints to sit in a dark room where they don't serve his kind...
Changing picture mode is essential! Not enough people do it. Happy to hear you have confirmation happiness about SacTown and you and Toby are loving it. Also, yeah, that's a big TV.
Properly, The Big Ass Television™.
Yeah the picture mode change is massive. Many people might not get "Filmmaker Mode" because it feels a bit dark if you're watching in a room with a bunch of lights on, but if you allow the room to be darker, it really does give you that immersive quality that you used to only be able to experience in an actual movie theatre. I love it — really can't wait to see Megalopolis in all its Ayn Randian glory(?) on this set up...
I've been gone quite a while, but does the Crest still show classics, etc.? It was a very distinctive venue, especially to see a film. I also remember the Tower Theatre (across from what was the original Tower Records) being a neat place to go as well.
Definitely lots of good places to eat in Sac, and when I visit it's great to see that hasn't changed. Sounds like you're in the right part of town for it, especially with the downtown makeover.
Haven't been to a movie theatre here yet, the lure of The Big Ass Television™ I mentioned above has Kept me with dog on my lap, much better snacks on my own leather couch for watching movies so far.
I've also got a massive film library that I've assembled over the years of classics and more modern films so, odds are, I've got something that's running at a local venue...
I hear that. There's no full-time classic house down here (RIP The Ken) but keeping an eye out for showings as sometimes there's something worth the bother. It's also a case of not seeing many new releases that interest me, but perhaps I'll go see something older I missed.
But our BATV gets plenty of work and the snacks are plentiful!
With the 100+ degree temps here of late (big change from cooler Sausalito) Ben & Jerry have been catering quite a bit here!
Yes on the Olympics. I've been keeping Peacock around on a "please don't cancel" rate for the Olympics though the other sports content (EPL, track, cycling, etc.) has been good. Can't think of anything non-sports I've watched on there beyond "Vigil" and not for lack of looking.
Very happy to have concluded the months of chaos and to be back in San Diego. We are enjoying eating out a lot because...we can. Lots of “We should just go there, already.” for sure.
Wouldn't mind going back to France and as a sign of how busy the year's been, totally missed this year's Tour de France, something I usually watch a lot during the July "sports desert". Maybe also overlooked it with Olympics coming up this month.
Always enjoy these posts, look forward to new lists! (Along the lines of the "one season" shows I did do the Prime deal for AMC+ so watching "The Ipcress File" and resuming "The Bureau" (which we found when watching the first time features our go-to Paris hotel.)
Ipcress File! Has anyone else seen this? I think I actually have this on physical DVD somewhere, from my full-time days. Also never watched "The Bureau" so these are great recommendations.
Yes! I loved the miniseries — but the original Michael Caine portrayal of Harry Palmer will always rule them all!
Ipcress File has interesting folks in it (Joe Cole, Lucy Boynton, Tom Hollander) and has some panache. I did find the Michael Caine film available to stream recently and it was neat to see it again.
The Bureau is a nice slow build. It's been hiding on Sundance for a while now.
Now if we could just find a way to stream the other seasons of Das Boot...
Caine actually did four Harry Palmer films, The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, The Billion Dollar Brain and Bullet to Beijing (about six or so years ago).
The last one is the only one not based on a Len Deighton book.
Dark looks like fun.
Just finished Furies on Netflix and really enjoyed it. Had a "Kleo" vibe going for it with the requisite badass babes and some awesome Paris location eye candy.
Watching it in French with English subtitles brought it all together.
Checking it out now...
...and after seeing they have an episode titled, "Namaste, asshole", I'm all in.
Ooooh. OK, adding to list. I*think* I may have seen a trailer. Not sure.
Dark is my jam. Love that show.
I'm interested in your older British sitcom list. Monty Python remains my all time favorite comedy but not sure anyone would consider it a sitcom. Fawlty Towers, on the other hand
Dark is getting a lotta love. And yeah, MP would totally qualify because I'm really focusing on comedies, not just "sitcoms" so anything that produces a laugh qualifies and, wow, I've laughed a lot at MP over the many years.
I might be the only one that enjoyed Dark but the ending totally ruined it for me. I do try to “Enjoy the Journey” more now so still might be worth watching. I am enjoying “House of Ninjas” and “Bodies.” Great recommendations.
Yep, partner and her kids LOVED it to I have been bombarded by the wish to watch and yeah, they let me know that it's incredibly complicated (and actually works wonders on a second viewing). Looking forward to it but haven't been able to commit the time yet.
I would LOVE to know what you think if you ever get around to watching it. Maybe I was just in a bad mood when I watched the end. I appreciate that the show take risks- it just was a big miss for me that made me wish I hadn’t invested the time.
Interesting, Carl - we felt Dark really stuck the ending. Different strokes etc etc!
In some ways I'm so predisposed to be annoyed by messy endings but in others I just appreciate a big swing taken, even if it eventually misses. So we'll see! Will watch soon.
Everyone I know loved Dark. Season 3 kinda went off the rails though.
I think they even liked the 3rd season, but there's a big nerd factor there so who knows!
I didn't dislike it, it just became a lot more difficult to follow. I think it suffered from the thing a lot of time travel shows suffer from. They have these amazing premises that there is almost no way to completely believeably tie up and reach a satisfying conclusion. I don't remember being upset with the ending. It was more that it just got over-convoluted with the explanations as it got there. But I didn't watch it that recently. I do think that Season 1 was the best, and Season 2 was almost as good.
See, this is just going to make me want to watch it. I see the conspiracy here, you guys. I see you!
Will probably start it after the Portland vacation.
You 100% absolutely should watch it! You won't regret it. And this is coming from someone who watches most shows based on YOUR recommendations!!!
Always good to switch up the narrative flow!