Transatlantic Cultural Exchange - TV and Films

[robertlouis]

As discussed with Dino, this new thread is a place where posters on opposite sides of the Atlantic can discuss and recommend the best of their respective TV and movie watching to each other.

I've commented before on what I find to be the unwatchability of a lot of American TV, not so much for the content, but the format, with its commercial breaks every five minutes. Here in the UK if it's on the BBC there are no commercial breaks, and on our commercial and satellite channels they come about every 15 minutes. So if I recommend anything from the UK or other European country's TV schedules, please watch it on DVD.

Over to you, folks!

[Dino Velvet]

I can play both sides of The Atlantic but I will start with American recommendations. I'll start with what I am into lately.

We have lots of good TV here. Look.

Louie Louie (TV Series 2010) - IMDb@@AMEPARAM@@http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjE5NDI3MDM3OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTk1OTE2Mw@@._ V1._SX93_SY140_.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@BMjE5NDI3MDM3OF5BMl 5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTk1OTE2Mw@@@@AMEPARAM@@SX93@@AMEPAR AM@@SY140 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1492966/)
Eastbound And Down Eastbound & Down (TV Series 2009) - IMDb@@AMEPARAM@@http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjAwNDU2NTM4Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzg0NTc4Mw@@._ V1._SX94_SY140_.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@BMjAwNDU2NTM4Nl5BMl 5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzg0NTc4Mw@@@@AMEPARAM@@SX94@@AMEPAR AM@@SY140 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0866442/)
Metalocalypse Metalocalypse (TV Series 2006– ) - IMDb@@AMEPARAM@@http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTIyMjkzMjg0Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjU0NDM1MQ@@._ V1._SX100_SY100_.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@BMTIyMjkzMjg0Ml5BM l5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjU0NDM1MQ@@@@AMEPARAM@@SX100@@AMEP ARAM@@SY100 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0839188/)
Breaking Bad Breaking Bad (TV Series 2008– ) - IMDb@@AMEPARAM@@http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNzk5NTA2NjE4OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjUwNjY1NQ@@._ V1._SX95_SY140_.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@BNzk5NTA2NjE4OV5BMl 5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjUwNjY1NQ@@@@AMEPARAM@@SX95@@AMEPAR AM@@SY140 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903747/)
Damages Damages (TV Series 2007– ) - IMDb@@AMEPARAM@@http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjA0NDgyNjAwN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTc3Mjc1MQ@@._ V1._SX100_SY134_.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@BMjA0NDgyNjAwN15BM l5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTc3Mjc1MQ@@@@AMEPARAM@@SX100@@AMEP ARAM@@SY134 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0914387/)
Criminal Minds Criminal Minds (TV Series 2005– ) - IMDb@@AMEPARAM@@http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjIxMzY3Nzk1OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDAxNjgwNA@@._ V1._SX95_SY140_.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@BMjIxMzY3Nzk1OF5BMl 5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDAxNjgwNA@@@@AMEPARAM@@SX95@@AMEPAR AM@@SY140 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452046/)
Sons Of Anarchy Sons of Anarchy (TV Series 2008– ) - IMDb@@AMEPARAM@@http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTAzNDU3NTg3MjheQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU3MDMzNjEwODI@._ V1._SX94_SY140_.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@BMTAzNDU3NTg3MjheQT JeQWpwZ15BbWU3MDMzNjEwODI@@@AMEPARAM@@SX94@@AMEPAR AM@@SY140 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124373/)
The Walking Dead The Walking Dead (TV Series 2010– ) - IMDb@@AMEPARAM@@http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTY0OTQwMTg4NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTkyNjg2Ng@@._ V1._SX94_SY140_.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@BMTY0OTQwMTg4NF5BMl 5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTkyNjg2Ng@@@@AMEPARAM@@SX94@@AMEPAR AM@@SY140 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1520211/)
American Horror Story American Horror Story (TV Series 2011) - IMDb@@AMEPARAM@@http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTM4NTg3MzEyNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjQzMDg3Ng@@._ V1._SX93_SY140_.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@BMTM4NTg3MzEyNV5BMl 5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjQzMDg3Ng@@@@AMEPARAM@@SX93@@AMEPAR AM@@SY140 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1844624/)

[doctor screw]

Doesn't the new season of "The Walking Dead" start this Sunday,or maybe it's next Sunday.

[Dino Velvet]

Doesn't the new season of "The Walking Dead" start this Sunday,or maybe it's next Sunday.

Sunday October 16. Grab it on the DVR.

[robertlouis]

Thanks Dino. Great start. We get most of these over here, some on terrestrial free to air/digital and others on satellite.

I'm a big fan of Damages and Breaking Bad, and I also love 30 Rock, Dexter, True Blood, Nurse Jackie, Curb Your Enthusiasm and like many others I mourned when Arrested Development was cancelled far too soon. The best US drama I have ever seen was Band of Brothers.

There has been a lot of fantastic drama here too, mostly on the BBC and Channel 4, so I'll compile a list of my current recommendations later.

I'm an admirer of your classic documentaries too, from which Ken Burns' magnificent Civil War is the standout. I've also enjoyed his series on jazz and Scorsese's brilliant history of the Blues. I'll recommend some UK counterparts later too.

My most frequently watched channel here is a BBC digital one called BBC4 which specialises in the arts and also seems to get some terrific European drama series, like the outstanding original Danish version of The Killing, the Swedish originals of Wallander, and the brilliant French cop series Spiral, all with subtitles but well worth watching.

More to follow.

[Dino Velvet]

Let me mention that BBC's Traffik finally came on DVD in the US in a nice DVD Special Edition. I enjoyed it very much. I also like Michael Douglas' Traffic.

[Dino Velvet]

It's around 10PM in LA. What time is it in the UK?

[robertlouis]

It's around 10PM in LA. What time is it in the UK?

6am. I was playing at a club in Cambridge last night and my set went down really well, so I've done a little chemical celebrating since I got home.....

[Dino Velvet]

6am. I was playing at a club in Cambridge last night and my set went down really well, so I've done a little chemical celebrating since I got home.....

Nice. What and how much have you had? I'm hitting the bong in a very serious manner myself and washing the THC down with a Coke Zero.

Congrats on a nice set. :cheers:

[Prospero]

Chemicals? What - aspirins? Or you drinking the bleach again Bob? Or Sanatogen?

[Prospero]

Here in the UK we can see most great american series either via the BBC, Sky (if we want t fund the Murdoch machine) ir illegally via downloads. I don't commend the latter route but recently I did get the whole of a series called friday Night lights - drama based around college football - which is said to be fantastic.

[robertlouis]

Chemicals? What - aspirins? Or you drinking the bleach again Bob? Or Sanatogen?

A combination of some mild moroccan and a very smooth malt, thanks, a 21 year old Springbank, one of my favourites.

[Prospero]

Sounds agreeable to me. And great to hear the gig was a smash. Where do they play folk in Cambridge these days?

[Dino Velvet]

My recent movie selections are all over the place. Everybody knows my love for Serbian Film. Watched the new Blu-Ray of The Exterminator the other night. Nice, violent Death Wish-type exploitation. Quarantine 2 was nothing to write home about but it was OK. This 1981 sickie named Nightmare also just came out on DVD. Fun gorefest well restored by Code Red.

http://www.horror-movies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/A-Serbian-Film-Poster.jpg

http://www.shuizmz.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/The-Exterminator-Blu-ray1.jpg


http://i2.listal.com/image/products/1000/B0053OXZFK/dvds/quarantine-2.jpg

http://imagekit.info/images/99350592365714018242.jpg

[robertlouis]

Here in the UK we can see most great american series either via the BBC, Sky (if we want t fund the Murdoch machine) ir illegally via downloads. I don't commend the latter route but recently I did get the whole of a series called friday Night lights - drama based around college football - which is said to be fantastic.

I refuse to buy anything from Murdoch, haven't done so for years, and get by with Freeview. As I said before, BBC4 is just wonderful, so it will doubtless suffer greatly in the current round of cuts at the Beeb while the stinking landfill called "reality television" continues to pollute our screens. :(

[Dino Velvet]

You guys fans of MI-5? Always thought about getting into that show.

There's some 1980's TV show with Helen Mirren that they keep advertising on KCET-TV. I forgot the name though. I think she's a detective but I could be wrong.

[Prospero]

I agree. It is a sadness that the BBC's masters feel they must compete for the mass audience and starve decent programmes of any funding. BBC2 is going to become the land of repeats. I resist Murdoch as well - but for me there are professional reasons also to bemoan the decline of the market for good documentaries. (It's my business and times are hard)

[Prospero]

MI5 - lol. That is the british intelligence agency for domestic issues. MI6 look after overseas spying.

[Dino Velvet]

MI5 - lol. That is the british intelligence agency for domestic issues. MI6 look after overseas spying.

Is the show any good?

MI-5 (TV Series 2002– ) - IMDb@@AMEPARAM@@http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTI5NzQ0ODE5NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMTc3Njk5._V1._ SX100_SY140_.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@BMTI5NzQ0ODE5NV5BMl5Ba nBnXkFtZTYwMTc3Njk5@@AMEPARAM@@SX100@@AMEPARAM@@SY 140 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160904/)

[robertlouis]

Sounds agreeable to me. And great to hear the gig was a smash. Where do they play folk in Cambridge these days?

All over. 3 clubs on Fridays, 2 on Saturdays, 1 on Sunday, 2 on Tuesday etc. I reckon there's more folk and acoustic choice in Cambridge with its 100,000 population than in London with its 20m. It's a great scene and of course all the musos know one another too.

BTW, I'm not too happy with the "folk" definition, as that still, and in some cases accurately, conjures up images of dandruffy blokes in jumpers singing interminable traditional ballads of 42 verses about something trivial that happened in the merry month of bleeding May. Yes, it's where it all started, it deserves to be cherished and preserved, but I prefer to be exposed to it as little as possible, if that's ok.

I'm an acoustic singer-songwriter performing my own material exclusively, and I draw across a very wide range of genres and styles, including rock, jazz and blues as well as the folk and singer-songwriter boxes. More Ron Sexsmith than Martin Carthy, if you will. Steve Knightley, perhaps.

[robertlouis]

MI5 - lol. That is the british intelligence agency for domestic issues. MI6 look after overseas spying.

Dino is referring to Spooks, now sadly in its final series. Meanwhile the appalling New Tricks gets recommissioned.

Dino, Spooks/MI5 is excellent. Suspend your belief for each 60 minutes and go along for the ride.

[Prospero]

I agree re music and labels. (I disagree re my little psting about sex and power. Pseuds corner indeed. I am stung).
On the issue of folk there is an infuriating piece of right wing trash in the newest issue of Standpoint regarding the "red roots" of folk music.

[Dino Velvet]

Dino is referring to Spooks, now sadly in its final series. Meanwhile the appalling New Tricks gets recommissioned.

So it's good, right? I just wanna watch some good TV.

[Prospero]

I know - Spooks is complellingly silly and watchable. Old tricks surely doesn't get exported across the water. And Dino, why is "Are you being Served?" so popular in the US?

[Prospero]

In short Spooks is great. Download all the previous series if you can.

[Dino Velvet]

And Dino, why is "Are you being Served?" so popular in the US?

I've never heard of it. You guys have great talent over there but we get Russell Brand, American Idol T-Shirt poof, and the character who replaced Larry King. I do like Hugh Laurie even though I've never seen an episode of House. Too far behind. He's funny on Leno and SNL though.

[Prospero]

Laurie is excellent - and also a pretty good musician. he made an album of New orleans jazz recently. He used to be part of comedy double act with a guy called Stephen fry who is all over UK TV now.
Are You Being Served? is a comedy from the 1970s that PBS churns out over and over (well they did last time i was in the US). It's set in a department store and its main character is a mincing gay man. Embarassingly bad.

[Dino Velvet]

Laurie is excellent - and also a pretty good musician. he made an album of New orleans jazz recently. He used to be part of comedy double act with a guy called Stephen fry who is all over UK TV now.
Are You Being Served? is a comedy from the 1970s that PBS churns out over and over (well they did last time i was in the US). It's set in a department store and its main character is a mincing gay man. Embarassingly bad.

I guess I didn't miss much then. I have a British buddy from the gym who told me a lot about Hugh Laurie. Guess he's a big fan.

[robertlouis]

So it's good, right? I just wanna watch some good TV.

Speaking of.... there's a wonderfully quirky but also very dramatic, sometimes darkly funny and clever series aimed initially at the younger audience that I would recommend very highly indeed.

It's called Being Human. If I tell you it's about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost, all twenty-somethings, sharing a ramshackle house in Bristol and set in the present day..... I believe it has minor cult status in the US too.

Three series so far with a fourth in production. Well worth getting the DVDs.

[kukm4]

Dino, have you had a chance to see American Horror Story (FX Wed.)
1ep aired so far.

American Horror Story only on FX - Family Portrait - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOugYXSfNow)

[Dino Velvet]

Speaking of.... there's a wonderfully quirky but also very dramatic, sometimes darkly funny and clever series aimed initially at the younger audience that I would recommend very highly indeed.

It's called Being Human. If I tell you it's about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost, all twenty-somethings, sharing a ramshackle house in Bristol and set in the present day..... I believe it has minor cult status in the US too.

Three series so far with a fourth in production. Well worth getting the DVDs.

This? Looks interesting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/beinghuman/

Being Human Promo - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifgNBT_0hSs)


I picked up a DVD of a TV Show called Dead Set. Very tense Zombie mini-series from several years back.

Dead Set Trailer - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OErUbThn4pg)

[Dino Velvet]

Dino, have you had a chance to see American Horror Story (FX Wed.)
1ep aired so far.

American Horror Story only on FX - Family Portrait - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOugYXSfNow)

I have it on the DVR and will watch it later tonight.

[robertlouis]

I agree re music and labels. (I disagree re my little psting about sex and power. Pseuds corner indeed. I am stung).
On the issue of folk there is an infuriating piece of right wing trash in the newest issue of Standpoint regarding the "red roots" of folk music.

Sorry about the Private Eye reference, didn't mean it but you did sort of set yourself up....

My friend Steve Knightley of Show of Hands wrote a powerful polemic a few years back about the disconnection between the English (not the British, but the English) from their cultural roots and traditions, and their eagerness to embrace imported culture at the expense of their own.

Called simply Roots, it contained two lines that went "I've lost St George in the Union Jack, it's my flag too and I want it back", which he found later had been lifted out of context by the BNP who were trying to use it on their website and even pirated it on to a CD. He had to take out three injunctions to stop them, and became a founding and still leading light in the group "Folk Against Fascism" of which I'm also a member.

And FWIW, folk or traditional music is above all the music of the people, never of the establishment, so inevitably it chronicles the struggles of the poor and the working class. Thank goodness that it does, or that key strand of historic memory would otherwise be obscured at best and totally lost at worst.

[robertlouis]

This? Looks interesting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/beinghuman/

Being Human Promo - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifgNBT_0hSs)


I picked up a DVD of a TV Show called Dead Set. Very tense Zombie mini-series from several years back.

Dead Set Trailer - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OErUbThn4pg)

Yes, Being Human is brilliant. Have you seen it, Prospero? Hopefully Libby will have, it would be right up her street.

[Dino Velvet]

Yes, Being Human is brilliant. Have you seen it, Prospero? Hopefully Libby will have, it would be right up her street.

Yeah. Libby and Sammi need to get in here and pretty this place up. I know they like movies too. I was talking about Chuck Norris films with Libby once. She held her own. I was impressed.

[robertlouis]

I was thinking about recent TV comedy in the UK, some of which has been excellent, but I'm not sure how it would play in the US, things like Peep Show, The Inbetweeners, Friday Night Dinner, Rev, Armstrong and Miller.

Have you seen or heard of any of them, Dino?

[Dino Velvet]

I was thinking about recent TV comedy in the UK, some of which has been excellent, but I'm not sure how it would play in the US, things like Peep Show, The Inbetweeners, Friday Night Dinner, Rev, Armstrong and Miller.

Have you seen or heard of any of them, Dino?

No but Peep Show sounds like fun.

[Dino Velvet]

Dino, have you had a chance to see American Horror Story (FX Wed.)
1ep aired so far.

American Horror Story only on FX - Family Portrait - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOugYXSfNow)


I have it on the DVR and will watch it later tonight.

Just watched American Horror Story. Pretty good and worth seeing.

[Stavros]

Dino, the tv version of Traffik was first broadcast on Channel 4, not the BBC. The main difference is that Pakistan is the source of drugs in the Channel4 version, where it is Mexico in the film; the relentless playing of the slow movement from Shostakovich's 8th string quartet overloads and mars the tv version, but the relationship between father and daughter is more disturbing than in the film. Benicio del Toro in the film is outstanding.

I am the worst person to ask about tv, a) the digital switch over means I no longer get tv anyway, which also means I have refused to pay the licence; and b) the quality of tv programmes in the UK is so poor they are not worth watching. At any time of the day the tv schedule is dominated by detectives; or programmes about collectibles/amtiques; or people buying a home; or the two main entertainment slots dominated by so-called dancing and singing competitions. There are few attempts at original drama, but when they are done there is nothing original about them -the scenes are all between 2-4 minutes in length, all of them are saturated by underground muzak; the dialogue is crammed with repetition, as in: Are you mad? Mad? What do you mean mad? Or, I am leaving you, Harold. Leaving? Why? Why now? The writers are morons, the viewers are morons, it is the McDonaldization of culture, you know what you will get when you turn on the set; and its worthless junk. Even Shameless is a caricature of itself and really just soap opera with swear words. The documentary as a genre is in collapse, Channel 4 has a series Unreported World which is so biased and prone to editing the truth out of its argument it should come with a health warning; or you know in advance what its going to say and what the tone will be, as with the BBC's pseudo-documentary on Muhammad; or the documentary is based on a radical idea -viz: lets send a well-known journalist, footballer, pop singer, comedian, politician, in a car across the USA, where he/she will meet strippers, homicidal policemen; tattooed prisoners on death row; mormons with 60 children, and so on, and so on, and so on. I can't believe anyone pays for this rubbish. Occasionally there is something funny, but its not worth wasting money on and it will be on YouTube eventually.

[Gillian]

Series one of 'Forbrydelsen' (The Killing) was recently repeated on BBC4. Over-hyped a bit but worth watching and vastly superior to its US remake.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdXsrRAuCwA/TYZfbtu2vlI/AAAAAAAAFXU/YZBhiHkMSJo/s1600/killing1.jpg

Forbrydelsen II is due on UK screens in November. Long live the Faroe Island sweater ... ;)

[Stavros]

Killing, killing, and yet more killing, detectives, forensics, and yet more detectives and forensics, how original! Isnt' there enough killing going on? How many people asked to think of a new tv programme would automatically think of a cop show, or a detective show, or a forensics show, or a psychological-profile expert show? Doesn't there come a moment when its time to say no, show me something else?

[timxxx]

Killing, killing, and yet more killing, detectives, forensics, and yet more detectives and forensics, how original! Isnt' there enough killing going on? How many people asked to think of a new tv programme would automatically think of a cop show, or a detective show, or a forensics show, or a psychological-profile expert show? Doesn't there come a moment when its time to say no, show me something else?

Agree with you 100%. Enough already with the maverick Cops/Scientists/Asshole.

Now for something else set in the Greek Australian community 'The Slap'.

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR3oRmwwPHJCYmJlHfoZ6fxrllnIbmOC _UJ1fRTo3rTTmqPKgkgAQ

The Slap (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZpupSPaqlM)

[Prospero]

Calm down Stavros! Did you actually watch any of the first series of The Killing? Don't lump the dumb cop shows like NCIS and CSI Miami, their ilk and anything involving murder or killing together. it is possible to make art with murder at its core. look at Shakespeare! Look at some of the Greek tragedies. Look at Marlow or the revenger tragedies. Look at he great masterpieces of film noir? Now i don't seek to compare The Killing with Shakespeare but it is is an ocean apart from the stuff you complain about. It had at its core very clever and very believable portrays of people in extremis. The grieving couple whose daughter had died was one of the finest pieces of writing for the small screen I've seen in a long time. The political sub plot, about city hall politics in Copenhagen, was also a rather sophisticated vehicle for exploring corruption and how politics sometimes works.

The same could be said of The Wire which I assume you also have not watched.

And yes it would be great if the time came when TV started to offer us something else - but the best of these crime shows (The Wire, The Killing, The Sopranos) is hugely to be preferred to endless cookery shows, strictly come dancing, big brother and hours and hours of house makeover shows.

[russtafa]

Dino i like 2 old UK tv series THE YOUNG ONES,ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE very funny

[Dino Velvet]

Calm down Stavros! Did you actually watch any of the first series of The Killing? Don't lump the dumb cop shows like NCIS and CSI Miami, their ilk and anything involving murder or killing together. it is possible to make art with murder at its core. look at Shakespeare! Look at some of the Greek tragedies. Look at Marlow or the revenger tragedies. Look at he great masterpieces of film noir? Now i don't seek to compare The Killing with Shakespeare but it is is an ocean apart from the stuff you complain about. It had at its core very clever and very believable portrays of people in extremis. The grieving couple whose daughter had died was one of the finest pieces of writing for the small screen I've seen in a long time. The political sub plot, about city hall politics in Copenhagen, was also a rather sophisticated vehicle for exploring corruption and how politics sometimes works.

The same could be said of The Wire which I assume you also have not watched.

And yes it would be great if the time came when TV started to offer us something else - but the best of these crime shows (The Wire, The Killing, The Sopranos) is hugely to be preferred to endless cookery shows, strictly come dancing, big brother and hours and hours of house makeover shows.

Thanks for the heads up on The Killing. I missed it the first time around and now will find a way to view it.

I know we are heavy with police shows in America. We like them here. I watch almost half of them. Criminal Minds might be the best one currently. That's a good show. Law & Order: SVU is so preachy it belongs on Lifetime Network or Oprah Channel. Crapola: SVU I tell 'ya.

[Bobby Domino]

Thanks for the heads up on The Killing. I missed it the first time around and now will find a way to view it.

I know we are heavy with police shows in America. We like them here. I watch almost half of them. Criminal Minds might be the best one currently. That's a good show. Law & Order: SVU is so preachy it belongs on Lifetime Network or Oprah Channel. Crapola: SVU I tell 'ya.

Dino, The Killing is real really good. The American version is heavy on the characters, each episode she finds clues & the twists and turns keep the plot moving. The lead is an unassuming chick, not the best mother or fiancée, has a new young a young skater-type partner. The series is well-woven. I think you'll enjoy it. It's set in Seattle so the overall feel is depressing.

I'm working on my list of TV series for y'all. I'm sure Dino will be familiar with most of them, since we're American and all....

[Dino Velvet]

I would love to get into a discussion with you British on Hammer Horror. Any Christopher Lee/Peter Cushing fans out there?

[mikelpo]

I thought the Chicago code was quality. Think they have pulled the plug after one series the bastards!!

[Stavros]

Calm down Stavros! Did you actually watch any of the first series of The Killing?

In a word, no, but I don't get the signal now anyway so its not important. I will make the ffort, one day. I watched The Wire, every episode, twice -its importance reaches beyond the murders anyway, as I think you would accept. But for the record, nobody is murdered in As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream, or the Sonnets.

[Dino Velvet]

I thought the Chicago code was quality. Think they have pulled the plug after one series the bastards!!

I watched the first half. It was OK but I lost some interest. It wasn't bad but there was just too much else to watch. I always have to have time to get my head right and watch some 1970-80s Horror.

[maxpower]

Well, between Dino and Robert, you've pretty much got all the good American TV nailed down, but I'll mention some of my favorites that haven't come up yet. Homicide: Life on the Streets - a great cop show from the 90's, set in Baltimore. The writers/producers of this show went on to make The Wire, and the character of John Munch got transplanted to L&O:SVU. The Shield - I think Dino has mentioned this show elsewhere, but it deserves another mention. Story of a corrupt detective leading a drug squad in South Central LA. One of the main writers is now responsible for Sons of Anarchy. Deadwood - a great western from HBO that was a great blend of fact and fiction. Carnivale - also from HBO, about a travelling carnival in the dustbowl during the depression. Basically a story about good vs. evil and dealt a lot with the occult. Both of those HBO series were cancelled before they were wrapped up, unfortunately. HBO's Rome was excellent, as was the John Adams miniseries. I am also a fan of True Blood, even though I am not into the vampire mythology thing. There was a Showtime series called Brotherhood which I liked quite a bit. It was about two Irish brothers in Providence, RI - one a state politician, the other a mobster. British actor Jason Isaacs portrayed the criminal, and was fantastic. Showtime also has Californication with David Duchovny, which I think is a good comedy/drama. Showtime also used to have a show called Dead Like Me, about the day to day life of grim reapers, who had to live among humans, and were given their daily souls to collect. Incredibly, it was cancelled in favor of the Kirstie Alley Fat Actress show. WTF? I am also a fan of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a very funny show on FX. Rescue Me on FX was very good also. Okay, obviously I watch waaay too much TV, so I will stop. I would like to agree with Robert, though, about Arrested Development being cancelled too soon, unfortunately not enough Americans "got" it. I had heard that a movie was planned, but I guess that fell through.

[Dino Velvet]

Well, between Dino and Robert, you've pretty much got all the good American TV nailed down, but I'll mention some of my favorites that haven't come up yet. Homicide: Life in the Streets - a great cop show from the 90's, set in Baltimore. The writers/producers of this show went on to make The Wire, and the character of John Munch got transplanted to L&O:SVU. The Shield - I think Dino has mentioned this show elsewhere, but it deserves another mention. Story of a corrupt detective leading a drug squad in South Central LA. One of the main writers is now responsible for Sons of Anarchy. Deadwood - a great western from HBO that was a great blend of fact and fiction. Carnivale - also from HBO, about a travelling carnival in the dustbowl during the depression. Basically a story about good vs. evil and dealt a lot with the occult. Both of those HBO series were cancelled before they were wrapped up, unfortunately. HBO's Rome was excellent, as was the John Adams miniseries. I am also a fan of True Blood, even though I am not into the vampire mythology thing. There was a Showtime series called Brotherhood which I liked quite a bit. It was about two Irish brothers in Providence, RI - one a state politician, the other a mobster. British actor Jason Isaacs portrayed the criminal, and was fantastic. Showtime also has Californication with David Duchovny, which I think is a good comedy/drama. Showtime also used to have a show called Dead Like Me, about the day to day life of grim reapers, who had to live among humans, and were given their daily souls to collect. Incredibly, it was cancelled in favor of the Kirstie Alley Fat Actress show. WTF? I am also a fan of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a very funny show on FX. Rescue Me on FX was very good also. Okay, obviously I watch waaay too much TV, so I will stop. I would like to agree with Robert, though, about Arrested Development being cancelled too soon, unfortunately not enough Americans "got" it. I had heard that a movie was planned, but I guess that fell through.

Nice contribution. Thanks.

The Shield is my favorite all-time cop show. Vic Mackey was the most crooked cop ever but I backed every one of his plays during the series. The season with Forrest Whitaker was about as tense as television can get.

Mackey proves Kavanaugh is softer than 2-ply Charmin here.

Vic Mackey Gets It In With Kavanaugh's Ex-Wife - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9XK3LFuZ_k)

This Guy - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL-0XQkMXoA)

The Shield "Pissing All Over Us" Scene - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTnjLNEVxYg)

[maxpower]

Yeah, season 5...great television. When it ended with Shane tossing the grenade, I was blown away (no pun intended). I sat motionless, staring at the screen, saying "What the fuck? What the fuck!"

[Dino Velvet]

Yeah, season 5...great television. When it ended with Shane tossing the grenade, I was blown away (no pun intended). I sat motionless, staring at the screen, saying "What the fuck? What the fuck!"

I was screaming at the TV too.

What happened with Shane and his family though... brutal.

I'd love to see what became of Mackey. Does he get his family back? Does he jump right back into the shit again missing the thrill of the hunt?

[maxpower]

I was screaming at the TV too.

What happened with Shane and his family though... brutal.

I'd love to see what became of Mackey. Does he get his family back? Does he jump right back into the shit again missing the thrill of the hunt?


Yeah, the fate of Shane and his family was very brutal. As much as he wanted to be Vic Mackey, he just didn't have the smarts. There's only one Vic. I think Vic's personal hell is to be stuck at a pencil-pushing desk job for the remainder of his career. The price of not going to jail.

[maxpower]

One funny thing I noticed in the last shot of the finale is that Michael Chiklis had permanaent dents in his flesh at the temples from the shades he always wore.

[Dino Velvet]

Yeah, the fate of Shane and his family was very brutal. As much as he wanted to be Vic Mackey, he just didn't have the smarts. There's only one Vic. I think Vic's personal hell is to be stuck at a pencil-pushing desk job for the remainder of his career. The price of not going to jail.

Vic Mackey is like a cat with 9 lives. Never count him out or underestimate him. He might outlive them all with guns still blazing. He made Internal Affairs his little bottom bitch. He also smiles standing over Claudette's grave while making Dutch Boy jokes at the funeral. Now, Dutch Boy is a scumbag and possibly becomes a serial killer himself then dies alone in a sanitarium.

[Yvonne183]

I think most US television shows are trash so I won't mention them. I watch foreign films, mostly French but I like this BBC show, fantastic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwZdRjEHZHY


And I like this film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoZ2kTlwKTk

I like this next film French/Belgium cause the girl in the film has a similar life as mine. her relationship to the guy she thinks loves her is like mine is to my BF, it's a kinda creepy relationship. So I can relate to the girl in the film and she is like me, a tgirl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SbGdec4iAU

[Dino Velvet]

I watch foreign films, mostly French

Here's some good French Horror.

http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/inside_dvd_box_art.jpg

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/uploads/frontiers030608.jpg

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/protectedimage.php?image=CoverArt/martyrs_UK_bd.jpg_25032009

[Yvonne183]

Here's some good French Horror.

http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/inside_dvd_box_art.jpg

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/uploads/frontiers030608.jpg

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/protectedimage.php?image=CoverArt/martyrs_UK_bd.jpg_25032009

Thanks, i will check them out. Right now I'm in a reading mood. But I'll look into your movies.

[Dino Velvet]

Thanks, i will check them out. Right now I'm in a reading mood. But I'll look into your movies.

You'll love them especially Inside and Martyrs. I like Frontier(s) but it comes out more like a French TCM gorefest with a NAZI father sitting at the head of the table.

[Bobby Domino]

The Killing (2011) – the entire season, or in UK terminology, SERIES, follows a police investigation and the personal lives of the cops & the suspects. Set in Seattle, dark themes tackling prostitution, political mis-dealings, statutory rape, child abuse, child neglect, adultery, drug abuse. Very compelling.


The Walking Dead (2011) – post-apocalyptic search for other survivors. Zombies!!! Production value is not that great, but there's energy and the story moves forward.


Breaking Bad (4 seasons) – amazing concept: terminally-ill High school chemistry professor who quits work and begins a career manufacturing meth for the entire Southwest USA.


Modern Family (2 seasons, currently running)– super popular sit-com about 3 inter-related families. Very well written. Haven’t seen too many shows, but whenever I do, it’s pretty funny. It keeps winning awards, so…


American Dad (6 seasons) – From the creator of “Family Guy.” Same animated concept but the Dad is a CIA a crazy CIA agent, paranoid of the terror threat & bent of killing Muslims, the wife is a flighty sexy home-maker, son & daughter, but what got me to keep watching was the Alien, Roger, that they keep in their house, who’s just a lush and loves disguises. Stoner humor & completely inappropriate. Watch the early seasons first.


Rescue Me (7 seasons, just ended this year) – follows a post 9-11 firehouse; Dennis Leary is the lead actor, producer, writer. If you like his humor, you will love it!!! I think it’s well written, funny and has lots good-looking women. It’s a look into NYC blue-collar life and the effects of 9-11 on firemen – lots of alcoholics. All the characters are great and represent different walks of life – Irish-American, Italian-American, Jewish-American, Latino, Black but all in a NYC-centric context.


Deadwood (4 seasons) – a Western, set in the 1880’s in an massively corrupt town. Excellent!!!


Friday Night Lights (6 seasons) – based on a coach leading his team to a championship under intense pressure from their small Western Texas town. Not many football scenes, mostly focuses on the characters – the students’ lives, the coach & his family, the town’s dynamics.


Game of Thrones (2011) – medieval, quasi-fantasy of Lords battling for territory & power. Violent & high production value. Starring Sean Bean but has an amazing cast and superbly acted. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED


Boardwalk Empire (2010, 2nd season strats in Sept) – prohibition in Atlantic City introducing Al Capone, Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano when they were all just beginning. Good production value and great acting. Steve Buschemi stars. Exec produced by Martin Scorcese


Big Love (2006, 4 seasons & counting) – follows a polygamist family in Utah. The lead has 3 wives, 8 children and is trying to keep his lifestyle under wraps but his corrupt extended family keeps pulling him into their mafioso politics


Twin Peaks (1990’s) – still need to begin watching it. But in the 1990’s it was a very addictive series about the murder of a young woman in a really strange town with creepy characters.


You guys already know about Dexter, Tudors, The Wire, & Mad Men...

[Gillian]

I would love to get into a discussion with you British on Hammer Horror. Any Christopher Lee/Peter Cushing fans out there?

We can't overlook 'The Vampire Lovers'. a Hammer classic with Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt and Madeline Smith. When I was just a wee boy, it was as close to porn as I could get ... :D

http://www.wrongsideoftheart.com/wp-content/gallery/posters-v/vampire_lovers_poster_02.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZarZFW3gWFk/TlZ00MitY_I/AAAAAAAABD4/4dnzsf5mYy0/s640/Ingrid-Pitt-19.jpg

[robertlouis]

Calm down Stavros! Did you actually watch any of the first series of The Killing? Don't lump the dumb cop shows like NCIS and CSI Miami, their ilk and anything involving murder or killing together. it is possible to make art with murder at its core. look at Shakespeare! Look at some of the Greek tragedies. Look at Marlow or the revenger tragedies. Look at he great masterpieces of film noir? Now i don't seek to compare The Killing with Shakespeare but it is is an ocean apart from the stuff you complain about. It had at its core very clever and very believable portrays of people in extremis. The grieving couple whose daughter had died was one of the finest pieces of writing for the small screen I've seen in a long time. The political sub plot, about city hall politics in Copenhagen, was also a rather sophisticated vehicle for exploring corruption and how politics sometimes works.

The same could be said of The Wire which I assume you also have not watched.

And yes it would be great if the time came when TV started to offer us something else - but the best of these crime shows (The Wire, The Killing, The Sopranos) is hugely to be preferred to endless cookery shows, strictly come dancing, big brother and hours and hours of house makeover shows.

Have you watched Spiral, Prospero, a French crime series which has now aired three separate sets of eight episodes on BBC4 with the same characters, dealing just as much with the machinations of French local and national politics as much as it does with extremely gritty crime? Until The Killing arrived, which imo set an entirely new benchmark for TV drama of any kind, not just crime, I would have said that it was the best of the bunch by a long way. Incidentally, the creators went out of their way to give emphasis to character development and plot by hiring stage actors more familiar with Racine and Moliere to ensure that viewers wouldn't be distracted by "stars". At the political level it outdoes The Killing in cynicism and bleakness. It's outstanding.

Recommended for you too, Dino.

[Dino Velvet]

We can't overlook 'The Vampire Lovers'. a Hammer classic with Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt and Madeline Smith. When I was just a wee boy, it was as close to porn as I could get ... :D

http://www.wrongsideoftheart.com/wp-content/gallery/posters-v/vampire_lovers_poster_02.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZarZFW3gWFk/TlZ00MitY_I/AAAAAAAABD4/4dnzsf5mYy0/s640/Ingrid-Pitt-19.jpg

Hammer always had the hot Gothic Babes with ample cleavage.

We were talking about the British film, Bronson. Bronson is actually directed by a Dane, Nicolas Winding Refn. He directed a great film named Valhalla Rising which is a real eerie journey. I also have Nicolas Winding Refn's Pusher Trilogy which I still need to see.

[robertlouis]

We were talking about the British film, Bronson. Bronson is actually directed by a Dane, Nicolas Winding Refn. He directed a great film named Valhalla Rising which is a real eerie journey. I also have Nicolas Winding Refn's Pusher Trilogy which I still need to see.

Winding Refn is also the director of the British spy thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy based on the John le Carre novel. It's received conflicting reviews here on HA, but pretty well universal acclaim in the press and other media here. I haven't seen it yet, but if you like his work, Dino, you should enjoy it.

[Dino Velvet]

Winding Refn is also the director of the British spy thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy based on the John le Carre novel. It's received conflicting reviews here on HA, but pretty well universal acclaim in the press and other media here. I haven't seen it yet, but if you like his work, Dino, you should enjoy it.

I've liked 2 of his films already so I'll give that a shot. Thanks Robert. Let's see if we can keep this thread rolling. I'll be back after my slab of dead flesh with mac and cheese on the side. I'll be high as a kite later and chatty as Hell. :cheers: