What I Watched: Blind Spot, a show with zero likable characters, all of whom could have stood a great deal more development. Also, the lead character shaved her head between episode one and episode two, and nobody mentioned it, explained it, etc. – why??? On a positive diversity note, the heroine is played by an actual wheelchair user. You can go here for a litany of other scathing reviews.
The Guardian says: Ross Kemp is a rubbish, “put out to pasture” copper in this four-part thriller. He is accused of being corrupt by CCTV surveillance worker Hannah (Beth Alsbury), who – a year after witnessing a fatal attack – goes to the police when she thinks she sees the attacker commit another crime in the local area’s CCTV blindspot.
What I Read: The Dreadful Duke (The Bad Heir Day Tales Book 1) by Grace Burrows. If you read historical romance, you know Burrows; I like her work. As with most of the genre there are no surprises, but there is an easy comfort-read factor. Here is the blurb:
He’d rather carry hod in hell… Finn Cathcart, a successful sculptor, is having a fine time on the Continent cavorting with alabaster nymphs and marble goddesses (so to speak), when he’s informed that a ducal title awaits him back in England. The same family who disowned Finn’s father now needs an heir to prevent all their wealth from falling into the Crown’s greedy hands.
…She’d rather he did too. Wilhelmina Cathcart is the widow of the previous ducal heir, and she has no patience with fledgling peers who come grumbling to their honors. Mina has a daughter to raise, meddling family to manage, and no time to explain Mayfair society to a stubborn, backward, contrary duke… even if he is charming and a good listener. Mina and Finn are on the point of admitting a powerful attraction when an enemy close at hand threatens to ruin their hopes for a happily ever after. They will have to work together, and put aside both well-earned pride and treasured prejudices, if their shared dream is to bloom into a shared future.
What I Listened To: Easy On the Eyes by The Academic; Four Leaf Clover by Color Green; and Strangers by Microwave.
Thank you for playing Brain Drain! How are you, dearest ones? Darling DeadSplinterites, what’s going on? Please do share with us!
…no idea what he’s like in real life but ross kemp played a “hard man” on a soap called eastenders for a while & ever since seems to have been determined to get the world to take seriously that he really is?
…did shows where he went to dangerous places & talked earnestly to locals about gangs & wars while wearing flak jackets & such
…but…he never was an actor with a lot of range…so he suffers by comparison to…say…vinnie jones…who was something of a thug as a young pro footballer before he famously took a car door to someone in lock, stock & two smoking barrels…& these days is a bit of fixture in guy ritchie’s stuff?
…been catching up on a thing or two…but haven’t closed out the season for either shogun or warrior
…plus I keep getting sidetracked by shit like akala addressing the oxford union
…still…it’s the weekend…which reminds me…think someone might have mentioned john scalzi’s “kaiju preservation society” & if so thank you kindly because that was fun
You’re welcome 😉 I think you put the author on my radar to begin with?
I saw the first two episodes of the new season of Doctor Who. It continues the huge shift in tone that started when they introduced the latest incarnation with the Christmas special.
The new actor, Ncuti Gatwa, is a lot of fun, and show has ditched the mopey, naval gazing that the previous showrunner had dropped on the franchise. I think sometimes the new show gets a bit frantic and might wear thin over time, but so far it feels like it’s headed in a good direction and taking good chances.
Ncuti was pretty good in Netflix’ Sex Education.
He was fantastic as one of the Kens in the Barbie movie. I’ve never been motivated to watch Doctor Who but I saw the ads and was like “he is Kenough!!!” and might try this season.
I didn’t know that. I may see Barbie now. I think the people writing and directing Doctor Who recognize his talent and aren’t afraid to let him use it to full effect.
He stole the show in Sex Education.
I’ve been reading my latest niche recipe website:
https://kitchenoverlord.com/2013/08/12/edible-art-soylent-green-ration-crackers/
Which reminded me that I haven’t watched “Soylent Green,” or any number of Charlton Heston’s dystopian sci-fi flicks, in ages. Maybe that will be tonight’s assignment.
Still haven’t finished Fallout (no time.)
I finally watched the Martian (the I’m MATT Daaamon movie). Sure I’m almost a decade late, but there’s a huge gap from 2012-2018 in my pop culture thanks to unemployment, working round the clock OT and dealing with Cokehead Narcissist that helped cause that gap.
Talk about hard SF. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Making your own fertilizer and using it to make potatoes… I’m surprised that Matt the Martian didn’t look even more gaunt than say Tom Hanks in Castaway. Also, I think I’d be really sick of potatoes after 400 or so days of them, much like how I’d feel about ABBA or other disco music after listening to them for 400 or so days of them.
Also enjoyed that the character had to think shit (oof) out and do the work without histrionics that Hollywood seems to shove into a situation like this. Drama (as we know it) gets people hurt/killed and fucks everything up which is why I don’t like reality shows like “Survivor” as it doesn’t have anything to do with actual survival. Human survival is more dependent on working together towards a common goal not stabbing someone in the back (that’s how those kinds of assholes get killed.)
One thing I did like about the movie was how it focused on the ground support folks (similar to Apollo 13) who are critical to the success of any mission. At least it’s not all crew cut white guys (another thing that probably did piss off the MAGAt types that infest all our nations.)
I thought it was amusing that Sean Bean also died (well career death) in this movie as well.
Apparently, the authors of the Expanse have hinted that “The Martian” is part of their universe as well making Matt’s character the First Duster.
Oh, Sean Bean has died again. There’s a mini-miniseries (4 eps) called “Shardlake” based on an extremely popular historical fiction series. Bean plays Thomas Cromwell, of all people, and talk about someone who couldn’t be bovvered.
The only TV series I know of where he doesn’t die was Sharp, because he played the main character, Sharp.
The first movie had Daniel Craig (future 007) as a villain and this was just before Sean played the main villain in Goldeneye.
That was a well done movie. I appreciated how Weir also was open that in order to have a story he just handwaved away all of the dangers of radiation.
Also the toxic nature of the soil of Mars that we know about. Matt Damon’s character should also be suffering from heavy metal poisoning.
…I kind of liked it better as a book but maybe only because I read it first before there was a movie…& iirc damon didn’t get to be quite as sweary…might have coined the phrase “science the shit out of this”…& the author copped to having tried pretty hard on the “hard” bit of “hard sci fi” but there were a couple of things that snuck through under dramatic licence
…the electrolysis bit I think he said would have produced enough waste heat to have turned him into jerky so there’s a few bits he makes it through that would have done for him…but it’s still pretty great?
I also, very unhappily, was reminded of this last night:
Handsy, take it from me, you could be a little more gay and maybe leave the young women alone. This resurrected tweet was in reference to his poll numbers tanking. Who is polling? For…Mayor? Is anyone asking for this?
How much of that Grace Burrowes book was mystery plot? I get bored with mysteries and just want character development from my romance plots.
@brightersideoflife more than you would prefer, I’m guessing. I like the mystery to balance the romantic angst, but I have been where you are at various times as far a preference.
Yeah I suspected as much. I get annoyed even with the Napoleonic War spy subplots in romances novels typically.
I watched The Zone of Interest and holy fuck was that well done. It’s worth a watch for the sound editing alone.
Seriously a well done movie.
i havent watched it yet…on account of it hasnt released….but youtube saw fit to remind me as i totally forgot about it
will definitely watch that….i am in need of low brow silly fun
…wait…I think I know someone who plays some sort of tabletop game called that
…you may just have scored me some brownie points…thank you kindly
uhhh… anytime lol
…the box for theirs doesn’t say netflix like the one on the homepage but it’s this?
https://www.explodingkittens.com/
yup its that….but other than knowing the game exists i dont know anything about it
netflix seems determined to turn every game into a movie or series tho
and honestly….im okay with that
Our family LOVES the Exploding Kittens game. It is a blast.
I watched the new Roadhouse movie. Yeah, I went in thinking it would be awful so wasn’t completely disappointed. Connor McGregor was a fun villian but other than that…shouldn’t have been made.
I have 3 David Sedaris books lined up in the que but not reading very quickly.
Listening to the new Little Stranger colab song. I love it! Gospel rap? Who knew it could work so well?
I read book 1 of Zodiac Academy because it’s been popping up on my IG feed a lot. I hated it. I didn’t know that “bully trope” was a thing…a more accurate label is assault and sexual assault.
I’m slowly reading through The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart (book 2 of 3). It’s good fantasy. I’m only struggling because I’m not in the mood for it.
I read The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer. It was just so so.
I’m reading The House Witch (book 2) because The Princess of Potential (book 4) is free on Amazon Prime. 😂 I didn’t love the first book but a free e-book!? Of course I’m going to read the whole series now. Makes sense.
im still on the first book…..is not even a big book…..but i keep doing stuff thats…uhh…well…not reading…
i need like….48 hour days to get around to everything (tho admittedly…..i’d probably find stuff that isnt reading or watching movies to fill the additional 24 hours too…and then i’d need a 72 hour day…and well….you see where this is going)
READ
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. I liked American Gods, but I might have liked this a little more because there was more humor in this. But it’s similar to AG in that it mines the connections between the gods and modern society. Highly recommended.
LISTENED
I picked up a vinyl version of OMD’s The Pacific Age in Vienna, of all cities. Original German pressing (fun!) of my favorite album of theirs.
WATCHED
I’m now enjoying an Englishman in Seoul who is obsessed with riding his bike (looking at you, @farscythe). He has nicer bikes than I do, but he was one of the reasons I overhauled my old mountain bike to be a front-basket-sporting city bike with fenders. I even ended up buying some bike accessories from a South Korean company that he is riding friends with!