What are you watching?

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

I'm not. Watched it in its initial run, with no desire to ever see it again. 😄

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

I'm not. Watched it in its initial run, with no desire to ever see it again. 😄

Looks like it's on Youtube if you want to though

 

[Ent]

I sense a negative response there somehow, EA.

 

[Deimos]

Beyond B5 and City, Ellison wrote for a number of other shows, including two memorable episodes for the original Outer Limits: "Soldier" and "Demon with a Glass Hand".

Few will remember a series he created, 1973's The Starlost, starring 2001's Keir Dullea, which appears on many a "Worst Sci-fi Shows" list. Ellison was so disgusted with the budget cuts and general dumbing-down of the production that he washed his hands of the project, and insisted his name be removed.

I didn't know he wrote stories for O.L., but it doesn't surprise me. OL stories were always a bit dark if not downright disturbing.
I recognize the titles for both those episodes, and I'm certain I would have watched them when they aired.
But (like Gandalf) I have no memory of them; I would have to re-watch them or read a synopsis of the story.
And that is what I will do when I'm through posting this...look up both stories and read the "plots".

 

[Deimos]

A second anecdote related to that episode, this time not one I was personally present for, but told of by another fan:

Ellison had a well-deserved reputation for not suffering fools gladly. As Guest of Honor at another early con, he talked about the writing and production of City. During the Q and A, a guy got up and took issue with the idea of "writing" Star Trek, insisting the series was so uniquely great that the actors spontaneously improvised all the dialog.

My friend didn't repeat Ellison's white-hot reply, so you'll have to use your imagination.

If I didn't know better I would have said that anecdote was an urban myth (meaning the statement made by the fan).
That is so incredibly moronic... 🙄

 

[Halasían]

Starting a watch of China Beach (aka Vietnam M.A.S.H.) tonight.
Does anyone remember DVDs?

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

I still have a few hundred.

 

[Olorgando]

Does anyone remember DVDs?

I still have a few hundred.

It's too hot today for such strenuous activities like counting ... 🥵
I'm pretty sure that I have more than 200, but as I have several multi-DVD boxes (the Basil Rathbone / Nigel Bruce "Sherlock Holes" films series has 14), I only have a very vague notion what the exact total might be. And I don't even want to begin thinking about how many of them, especially in the boxed sets, remain unviewed ... 😟

 

[Tyelkormo the Fair]

I've started Watching the hunger games for the first time...a lot of friends recommended this to me over the years so I'm excited to see what's it about!

 

[CheriptheRipper]

I've started Watching the hunger games for the first time...a lot of friends recommended this to me over the years so I'm excited to see what's it about!

Right in time to watch the prequel releasing later this year, enjoy the movies 🫡

 

[Ent]

Does anyone remember DVDs?

Surely you jest.

I join our resident Curmudgeon in this arena...

Old series like 'Get Smart', 'The Munsters', 'Beverly Hillbillies' - the originals of Wolf Man, Creature From the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, Dracula... all the Star Trek and Star Wars... Sherlock Holmes... a great deal more.

The day will come when the TV is tossed into the garbage (or passed along to someone still enamoured of what it's current purpose is) and my collection is the only thing being seen in the Ent-cave.

As for now, though, the Ent's response to 'what are you watching' is: "whatever the ent-wife is watching". (unless she's sleeping... in which case I'm either writing, or reading, with a remote possibility of some old mindless affair being on in the background. Recently, Night of the Lepus with DeForest Kelley played the 'perfectly mindless' role for small bits of my time.)

 

[herlig9]

 

[CheriptheRipper]

Saw this yesterday.
Liked it quite a lot, didn't even miss the exclusion of the Decepticons or the usual suspect Megatron. Also mistakenly thought the Terrorcons would appear but I suppose that's saved for later because it's not like the Thirteen would appear already either.
Movie's set in 1994, follows up after 2018's Bumblebee and somehow is even better, grander.
I was very surprised to see a mystical artifact in a transformers movie not be the all spark for once 😂
Peter Cullen managed to sound like Liam Neeson (apparently he was supposed to be the voice of Optimus Prime way back when) which was especially surprising given that they modeled Prime after Cullen's facial features for the movie.
Seeing the Maximals in action was amazing 🥵
Soundtrack was cool, good ol 90s rap & rock.
It nicely sets the stage for future installments as well, quite unexpected post credits scene.
In conclusion, I think it's the best live action Transformers movie yet (although the intro on Cybertron from 2018's Bumblebee still reigns supreme) and thus a shame it's underperforming commercially and critically.
Also, the 1986 animated Transformers movie is still the undisputed 🐐🐐. My, what a movie that was.
A masterclass in writing dialogue.
Orson Welles on his deathbed hit different. And a proper soundtrack.

 

[greyssy]

Started watching The Last Kingdom just over a week ago and have absolutely loved it. What's worse is that I avoided watching the show earlier because I thought it looked like a cheap Vikings rip off. It's good to be wrong at times.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Finally -- after 7 years (!😳) Part 4 of this Perry Rhodan space opera miniseries has arrived:

You can see the previous installments here:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_mlnvK5nwZEzNLRw0iEmdh71RA65Sbgd&feature=share7

And if you're not familiar with the Perryverse, or (like me) not proficient in German, just relax and enjoy the CGI-candy.

Plus: possibly satisfying for people who wanted them to "fly the fell-beasts to Mordor". 😄

 

[Starbrow]

The new season for Only Murders in the Building is out!

 

[Ent]

Well, last night, being more mentally fatigued than usual, I chose as background fare Kingdom of the Spiders (1977), an early vehicle for William Shatner, the movie having entirely non-descript performances and unlikely sequences; and The Giant Spider Invasion (1975) which if I read correctly about its history after watching, somehow became one of the highest grossing movies of that year. (Well... consider the times, I guess.) It was less than spectacular in any of its effects and was impractical throughout.

One wonders, given Star Trek began in 1966, why Shatner and DeForest Kelley (with his Night of the Lepus, 1972), weren't able to put together a better showing given these were well after they'd had a good deal of exposure to acting by then.

But oh well - both Spider flicks served well as the sort of mindless fodder necessary for Huornish maintenance.

 

[Deimos]

Well, last night, being more mentally fatigued than usual, I chose as background fare Kingdom of the Spiders (1977), an early vehicle for William Shatner, the movie having entirely non-descript performances and unlikely sequences; and The Giant Spider Invasion (1975) which if I read correctly about its history after watching, somehow became one of the highest grossing movies of that year. (Well... consider the times, I guess.) It was less than spectacular in any of its effects and was impractical throughout.

One wonders, given Star Trek began in 1966, why Shatner and DeForest Kelley (with his Night of the Lepus, 1972), weren't able to put together a better showing given these were well after they'd had a good deal of exposure to acting by then.

But oh well - both Spider flicks served well as the sort of mindless fodder necessary for Huornish maintenance.

Bit of Deforest Kelly trivia (yes we have a trivia page but "Dee" is under discussion here, not there).

About 20 years ago I was watching (for the first and only time) the movie "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" (1956) with Gregory Peck.
Peck's character is a WWII veteran, returned home, trying to put his life back together. The story is partly told in flashbacks.
Peck's character has a flashback to a Pacific island where he is commanding a company in ground combat against Japanese soldiers.
One of Peck's men (and friend) is hit and goes down. Peck tries to save him, also calling for a medic.
Medic runs over, bends down to treat the man, then says, "He's dead, Lieutenant."

I sat bolt upright when I heard the medic speak. I replayed the scene (thank heavens for DVDs).
You can't really see the medic's face; Peck is the star after all, not some "extra" who has one line to deliver, so the camera is more focused on Peck.
Again... "He's dead, Lieutenant." And replayed a third time just to make certain of the voice.
The I fast forward to the end (movie was already starting to drag anyway)... and there he is in a scroll of about 20 "extras" (all uncredited as to their specific part) ... DeForest Kelly.

What a prophetic scene ... he plays a medic, and utters one of his most well known lines, in exactly the same tone and cadence, and to his commanding officer... and all this 10 years before he ever showed up on Star Fleet Command's doorstep.

(Well.... I thought it was kind of interesting, anyway....)

 

[Ent]

Bit of Deforest Kelly trivia

Good stuff… I had bumped into this tidbit when reading about Lepus the movie after watching it.
it’s always interesting to pursue history of some of the folk we predominantly know, more or less, for a specific thing or two they’ve done. Equally interesting to go back and watch some of the ‘finds’ we come up with. (Though Ive not watched Flannel Suit yet, though I’d heard about it before. I was never all that interested in Peck)

 

[Deimos]

Good stuff… I had bumped into this tidbit when reading about Lepus the movie after watching it.
it’s always interesting to pursue history of some of the folk we predominantly know, more or less, for a specific thing or two they’ve done. Equally interesting to go back and watch some of the ‘finds’ we come up with. (Though Ive not watched Flannel Suit yet, though I’d heard about it before. I was never all that interested in Peck)

I like G. Peck the actor (and that's as far as I'll go).... seen him in at least a dozen movies.
But TMITGFS was really rather depressing, and I was less than an hour into the story IIRC.. checked on the DeForest Kelly scene, tried to watch more and finally shut it off. I still have no curiosity about what happens or how it ends.

I guess my favorite GPeck role (the fav of many other folks as well) is Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.
It's nigh impossible to imagine anyone else in the role.
FWIW, it's one of the few movies made from a book that stays pretty true to the book, and the movie is really well made.
Score was great too...by Elmer Bernstein (and if you don't know who Elmer Bernstein is or how well he can score a movie, go here )
And Peck's Finch was spot on with the book Finch.

Movie was up for an Oscar for BP (when an Oscar nod actually meant something in movie making), but lost to Lawrence of Arabia.
Peck was also nominated for Best Actor (and won).
And Bernstein was nominated for best Original Score but lost (also to LoA)