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Netflix recommendations

Goodness me, Sweet Bobby is quite a story. I’d never have guessed the outcome of that one.
I watched it, I felt like I knew the story already, I wonder if there was a different documentary about it at some point.
Or something very similar, anyhow.

It was good though, I do like watching that sort of con-person type thing, both documentaries and dramatisations.
 
I watched it, I felt like I knew the story already, I wonder if there was a different documentary about it at some point.
Or something very similar, anyhow.

It was good though, I do like watching that sort of con-person type thing, both documentaries and dramatisations.
The person who it turned out to be and the length of time it went on for is crazy.
 
The person who it turned out to be and the length of time it went on for is crazy.
Apparently it was the subject of a podcast a while back, which is probably why I was getting strong deja vu vibes while watching the documentary - I was already aware of the events.
 
For those who enjoy lavish costuming, operatic setups, plenty of historical Far East hack 'n slashing - but for once shot through with cynicism, irony, jokes and decent class politics - can recommend the Korean film Uprising - co-written and produced by Park Chan Wook. It all gets confusing at times as there's a lot of 16th century history in there not much known/taught in the West*, some of the characters are hard to keep track of and the time-flicky stucture is a bit tricksy, but overall - deeply satisfying. Warning tho: lots and lots of the subtitles seem to be missing. You COULD just lie back and marvel at how it all looks (mostly great) but if you want to know that the hell's going on, some focus and attention are needed.

* more on this stuff here The Real History Behind Netflix’s Korean War Epic Uprising
 
Apparently it was the subject of a podcast a while back, which is probably why I was getting strong deja vu vibes while watching the documentary - I was already aware of the events.

I remember the podcast though I can't remember which one. Baffling why the person did it.

Last night I binged all of Paranoid with indira varma. I enjoyed it although the perpetrators would definitely be let off on technicalities after all the detectives' failures to follow procedure!
 
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The film The Silent Twins was interesting.
I'm about halfway through it, I need to go to bed though as I have to be up early (for me).

So far it is coming under the heading of "weird and disturbing".
Certainly worth a watch I'd say if you're in any way interested in slightly surreal offbeat type stuff.
I'll have to see the rest tomorrow though, because films are too long
 
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I actually ended up staying up to watch it, loved it.
Very sad, be prepared to be moved and angered by it.
I loved the way that their writing was incorporated in terms of the surreal animated sequences (they reminded me very much of that period of surrealist eastern European animation in the late '80s/early '90s) dotted throughout the film.
It took me a little bit to get into it as it was told in a bit of a disjointed way, but I think that is supposed to represent their lives in a way?
But once I had given it some attention, I was hooked in for the duration.
 
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It was both the best and worst thing I've watched for ages. Some of the acting is terrible, the police boss at one point says "you don't play by the rules but you get results and I like that" but I still really liked it. It was total froth but I would quite happily watch another series of it.

they leave the whole "kid seeing spooky goat people" and do nothing with it. Just bizarre.

We watched this over the weekend. Absolute froth but entertaining enough to watch over the top of the notebook whilst doing other things. It doesn’t really get going until the fourth episode but it’s engaging enough until then, then it goes bonkers. Fight scenes straight out of Bollywood.

The “kid seeing spooky goat people” does get resolved.

She’s having flashbacks/nightmares of seeing her mother, Leena, and the rest of the crew wearing the goat masks before the Harwich job.
 
Finished a few recently.

Umbrella Academy - They try to make amends for the duff series three cock up by making a flatlining series four. Comes back to achieve nothing. These UA series are all very frustrating (though I think the first one might have been ok, can't quite remember). There is loads of potential, but any characters or developments that appear interesting get dropped as soon as they are introduced. The stories go nowhere, there is no plot weave, no foreshadowing, nothing means anything, no message, no reason for anything.
I can't understand why nobody looked at the script before committing it to camera.

Queen of Villains - Japanese pro wrestling biopic. Weird one. It's really hard to see what is 'real'. Obviously the wrestling in real life was fake, and it is known to be fake in the show, but this seems to continue to a blurred degree out of the ring and off camera. People don't appear to know about something that would have had to have been discussed before. It is never made clear and we never see wrestlers practice staged or fake performances. For instance we are shown the protagonist being taught to stab a fork in someones head, it's obvious a blood pack is used, but even in the 'how too' we don't see the trick or blood pack in the hand. . . .
I think they were trying to make / merge the ringside drama part of the biopic drama. I don't think it works. I get the impression that we don't really get to see what the wrestlers lives were really like. . . . which is odd, because it starts very much like that (first two, maybe three eps). Last few eps are just shouting and bad feeling.
Still worth a watch, and the rest of my family really really loved it. I preferred the sumo show Sanctuary (highly recommended).

Miss Day & Night - Tedious korean drama about a woman who transforms into an older woman by day and turns back into herself at night. My wife and daughter both loved it. The final 'will they won't they' seemed to just depend on "I do like you but let's split up" . . . why? "Ok now lets get back together". What? Same as the transformation which initially seems to hinge on a cat?? But quite why or how is not made clear. Then we see that it doesn't. Does she have to solve a murder? That didn't work either. It seems to have nothing to do with anything at all. It just happens, then just stops. Not even a vice versa style wish.
Clearly I am missing something, my family went goo goo bananas for it. . . . and it's not like I didn't like other south korean romance dramas (with a twist) Mr Queen was excellent as was Crash Landing on You. Both ridiculous, dramatic, romantic and funny and fun.
 
Finished a few recently.

Umbrella Academy - They try to make amends for the duff series three cock up by making a flatlining series four. Comes back to achieve nothing. These UA series are all very frustrating (though I think the first one might have been ok, can't quite remember). There is loads of potential, but any characters or developments that appear interesting get dropped as soon as they are introduced. The stories go nowhere, there is no plot weave, no foreshadowing, nothing means anything, no message, no reason for anything.
I can't understand why nobody looked at the script before committing it to camera.

Queen of Villains - Japanese pro wrestling biopic. Weird one. It's really hard to see what is 'real'. Obviously the wrestling in real life was fake, and it is known to be fake in the show, but this seems to continue to a blurred degree out of the ring and off camera. People don't appear to know about something that would have had to have been discussed before. It is never made clear and we never see wrestlers practice staged or fake performances. For instance we are shown the protagonist being taught to stab a fork in someones head, it's obvious a blood pack is used, but even in the 'how too' we don't see the trick or blood pack in the hand. . . .
I think they were trying to make / merge the ringside drama part of the biopic drama. I don't think it works. I get the impression that we don't really get to see what the wrestlers lives were really like. . . . which is odd, because it starts very much like that (first two, maybe three eps). Last few eps are just shouting and bad feeling.
Still worth a watch, and the rest of my family really really loved it. I preferred the sumo show Sanctuary (highly recommended).

Miss Day & Night - Tedious korean drama about a woman who transforms into an older woman by day and turns back into herself at night. My wife and daughter both loved it. The final 'will they won't they' seemed to just depend on "I do like you but let's split up" . . . why? "Ok now lets get back together". What? Same as the transformation which initially seems to hinge on a cat?? But quite why or how is not made clear. Then we see that it doesn't. Does she have to solve a murder? That didn't work either. It seems to have nothing to do with anything at all. It just happens, then just stops. Not even a vice versa style wish.
Clearly I am missing something, my family went goo goo bananas for it. . . . and it's not like I didn't like other south korean romance dramas (with a twist) Mr Queen was excellent as was Crash Landing on You. Both ridiculous, dramatic, romantic and funny and fun.
Great recommendations, can't wait to watch.
 
I'm going to go ahead and give "Sweet Bobby" a high rating . 8 year catfishing scheme.

You'll get no spoilers from me other than it's a great watch with a london brighton backdrop

We might have discussed this before if we're both interested in TV shows (documentaries and/or dramas) about confidence tricksters, but just in case you've not already seen it (or indeed for anyone else who might be interested), I'm giving a mention to The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman which is also on Netflix (at least on Netflix in the UK).
 
I don’t know that I can recommend Sweet Bobby, exactly. As a documentary, it’s terribly made, being an exemplar of “tell, don’t show” rather than the opposite. As a consequence, it’s pretty dull for at least 45 minutes. Plus it ends up being as depressing as fuck. But it’s still a worthy watch, just for the sake of the braveness shown by those willing to tell their story to the world.
 
Have still to see the final season, but get his take on it. It doesn't always follow up on developments.
It's a series of unconnected strands that start and go nowhere.
Series 4, does this worse than any other. You could remove every single 'plot' segment and it wouldn't make the blindest bit of difference. . . but then what is it if it all joins up? The best way to imagine it is perhaps as a loosely connected anthology of events . . except they flick between each story during episodes. I would actually have thought it was an exciting 'take' or premise if they had actually done away with a liner series and done it as an anthology. Good idea brain.

Last night I watched a Man Called Otto which as schmaltzy and heart string tugging as it was, was very enjoyable. There. . . . a recommendation.
 
Sweet Bobby almost broke me emotionally: there was an incredibly poignant contrast between the early photos looking happy and enjoying life and what happened to her. I had a very troubled night’s sleep after watching.
 
Apparently it was the subject of a podcast a while back, which is probably why I was getting strong deja vu vibes while watching the documentary - I was already aware of the events.
still not clear to me why it was done? Was it a grudge, envy, mental health issue? Maybe podcast talks about a motive more.
 
The problem with Sweet Bobby was that the rules of drama meant it became clear who it must be about half way through. Once you saw that Bobby himself was going to appear it pretty much could only the person who was being mentioned but not shown. Without their appearance it was only half a story and the interesting but they could address - the lack of redress for the victim - was barely touched on.
 
For those with kids, Family Pack is a watchable enough family adventure film. Borrows heavily from Jumanji, but with added French flair, and starring Jean Reno who is always good value. And on a tangent, If I reach 76, I’d be very happy to look as good as he does. Not a classic, but 6/10.
 
The problem with Sweet Bobby was that the rules of drama meant it became clear who it must be about half way through. Once you saw that Bobby himself was going to appear it pretty much could only the person who was being mentioned but not shown. Without their appearance it was only half a story and the interesting but they could address - the lack of redress for the victim - was barely touched on.
Yeah I guessed the Catfish too, once the way they disguised their voice became clear it was pretty obvious.
 
Decline and Fall

BBC adaptation of the Evelyn Waugh novel, featuring, among others, Stewart Graham and Eva Longoria.

Provides the sort of laughs that leave you creased up like an accordion - strongly recommended.
 
I was very much a fan of Rumiko Takahasi's manga during the 90s. The 90s anime adaptation of Ranma 1/2 was fairly unbearable. . . However netfix have had a go at it again, and this time it is much more faithful to the style and story of the original. It's just a shame that it has arrived now that I am in my 50s and not my 20s.
It's also a shame that Takahashi's superior Urusei Yatsura, also 'rebooted' in a similar more faithful anime adaptation, is not made/owned directly by netflix and may never be released on the platform in the UK (it is available on netflix Japan).
 
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