After reading everyone's views I will watch it to see how I like it. I have read the first book, but it was a while ago. The good thing with watching something at home is you can switch off without wasting the cost of a movie ticket if you don't like it.
After reading everyone's views I will watch it to see how I like it. I have read the first book, but it was a while ago. The good thing with watching something at home is you can switch off without wasting the cost of a movie ticket if you don't like it.
We enjoyed it. I think Coopers Chase was portrayed that way to please a US audience! But such places do exist, though the flats are much smaller and more functional. St Monica’s outside Bristol is one.
Yes, lots of differences from the book but it was still an enjoyable couple of hours.
This week I've been delighted for the return of Grey's Anatomy and have also been doing a binge watch of Professor T. Last week a friend put me onto George Clarke's Old house new home, which I've enjoyed very much. When we were first married we had an old house, a very tiny one, and enjoyed working on it very much. We now have a new-ish house and as much as I still love old houses, I don't think I'll be living in one again, just don't have the energy to do all the jobs that are needed!!
I've started watching season 3 of The Diplomat. Just as good as the first two. Sex, intrigue, politics. And a welcome diversion from the real life shit show of our government.
I've started watching season 3 of The Diplomat. Just as good as the first two. Sex, intrigue, politics. And a welcome diversion from the real life shit show of our government.
Ooh, thanks for the heads-up. I enjoyed the first two, especially $evilCJ.
Just watching the first episode. Rather slow and some clunky dialogue. A character saying “Parish Church Council” in full rather than PCC - clearly for the benefit of the audience.
It’s set in 1998 (judging by whT’s on the radio) but feels more like the 1970s. He can’t afford a freezer? Surely some oarishioner would have given him one. Happened to us in the 70s, a neigbour emigrated and gave us their chest freezer.
And the main character is very young to be a canon, surely?
Just watching the first episode. Rather slow and some clunky dialogue. A character saying “Parish Church Council” in full rather than PCC - clearly for the benefit of the audience.
It’s set in 1998 (judging by whT’s on the radio) but feels more like the 1970s. He can’t afford a freezer? Surely some oarishioner would have given him one. Happened to us in the 70s, a neigbour emigrated and gave us their chest freezer.
And the main character is very young to be a canon, surely?
I've read the books and am interested to see what the series is like, if I can figure out a way to watch it over here. The books are set in the 90s, but they do have a more old-fashioned feel to them. I think the actor cast in the lead role (Neville Longbottom Who Grew Up Hot, I believe?) is a bit younger than the book character is intended to be.
I found the books charming in a low-key kind of way, but the further I got through the series the more convinced I was that Rev Richard Coles really wanted to write a series of books about being a closeted gay C of E priest in the 1990s, and the murders are just a pretext. Which is fine, because I'm happy to read that, but if anyone is reading for a very plot-centric murder they'll find it frustrating. (I started tracking how late into the book each murder was discovered -- in one of them it's 100 pages into a 400-page book!)
Also, one of the books (not the first one that this TV series is based on) has a solution to the mystery that is dark enough to be quite jarring for the "cozy mystery" genre, which these books otherwise seem to fit into.
Good-but-not-great, but I will read the next in the series and hope to watch the TV show, though I don't expect it to be mind-blowingly good or anything.
I read the first two books. Preferred them to the Osman one because of their spikier dialogue and churchy setting. But the closet gay theme holds no interest for me, so I haven't read any more.
I thought the TV version was pretty terrible - the actors were all wrong for the characters.
Discovered This is Wonderland on YouTube in the last few days. It’s a Canadian courthouse drama set at Toronto’s Old City Hall, one of Canada’s busiest criminal courthouses until it was shut down (and courts moved to a new building) a few years ago. I’ve known about for a long time but never gotten around to watching it. Everything is a little over the top (perhaps necessarily so for a television audience) but nevertheless remarkably realistic in some ways.
I really didn't get on with the Richard Cole books, so don't think I'll bother with the series. We watched The Thursday Murder Club on Netflix last night. Very enjoyable in a light-hearted way. What we are really into though is the latest series of Slow Horses on Apple.
We also need to sort out our subscriptions. I don't think we watch enough TV to subscribe to both!
At the weekend and yesterday I had a binge watch on Netflix of the comedy/drama The Residence. A crime series following a murder in the White House. I just saw a brief Reddit comment saying it was tedious, but I enjoyed it very much. I'm a bit disappointed that it won't be getting a second series.
I should watch Wellington Paranormal again. Anyone else like it?
Husband and I have enjoyed the episodes we’ve seen, though we keep forgetting the show exists so I guess it’s maybe not the MOST engrossing show, but definitely a bit of fun.
We're enjoying the current series of The Celebrity Traitors (UK) and the associated Celebrity Traitors Uncloaked. We are currently up to date but out this evening so some major catching up will need to be done at the end of the week.
At the weekend and yesterday I had a binge watch on Netflix of the comedy/drama The Residence. A crime series following a murder in the White House. I just saw a brief Reddit comment saying it was tedious, but I enjoyed it very much. I'm a bit disappointed that it won't be getting a second series.
My wife and I really enjoyed it too, and we’re similarly disappointed.
We're enjoying the current series of The Celebrity Traitors (UK) and the associated Celebrity Traitors Uncloaked. We are currently up to date but out this evening so some major catching up will need to be done at the end of the week.
I normally never enjoy shows like The Traitors -- I find the contrived "reality-TV-drama" just doesn't do it for me, but our daughter persuaded us to watch this series as it has so many celebs whose work we enjoy and are familiar with. We are enjoying it, though I still don't think I'd like a regular series of ordinary people. The fact that these contestants are professional entertainers definitely makes it more fun to watch!
I’m very much enjoying The Celebrity Traitors but I also enjoyed the earlier ones, despite virtually never watching any TV at all let alone reality TV. The participants were generally very ordinary people, not flashy people like in other reality programmes, and it is quite lovely, and often hilarious, to watch their interactions.
I agree with @Heavenlyannie . I have watched the earlier series of The Traitors and still have mixed feelings about the participants being celebrities. If they are ordinary people you get more of their real stories and see them form relationships in what appears to be a more authentic way. The celebrities have their reputations and public faces to think of.
Still watching Murder Before Evensong. Warming up a little, although clearly the central mystery is how the central character became a canon despite being unable to pronounce ‘diocesan’ correctly.
I also live in hope that he will introduce a second facial expression at some point soon.
His mother and the snobby shop owner are still getting all the best lines.
I agree with @Heavenlyannie . I have watched the earlier series of The Traitors and still have mixed feelings about the participants being celebrities. If they are ordinary people you get more of their real stories and see them form relationships in what appears to be a more authentic way. The celebrities have their reputations and public faces to think of.
I think the counterbalance to that for me would be that I find it much less stressful to watch when the participants are all wealthy celebrities, playing for money to donate to charities (and they don't talk about their chosen charity, as is the case in some celebrity competitions, so even that doesn't seem very high-stakes). So it does feel more like a game. With ordinary people for whom the winning amount of money could well be life-changing, I think I would be very put off by watching people betray each other, knowing that most of them will walk away empty-handed when some might really need the money.
David Olusoga is a brilliant professor of history and he's utterly clueless here.
It heartens me to see different kinds of intelligence at work. His variety is useless when emotional intelligence, making connections,strategic thinking, and, above all, adaptability are needed.
But the outcome rests on his decisions in the final.
Entirely agree Boogie. He is one of my favourite historians but he has called everything wrong. Though after Claudia’s last challenge I think even he has sussed Alan now!
Entirely agree Boogie. He is one of my favourite historians but he has called everything wrong. Though after Claudia’s last challenge I think even he has sussed Alan now!
If he has it could be a very short programme. I wonder how they'll spin it out?
Not having watched any version of Traitors before, I'm not clear on how the final episode is supposed to go. (I know this series has fewer episodes than they usually do).
If they have only one more round table, with two traitors left, aren't the Traitors guaranteed to win, since the presence of even one Traitor left at the end means a Traitor win? Or will the final episode contain multiple round tables, or other methods for eliminating people?
Not having watched any version of Traitors before, I'm not clear on how the final episode is supposed to go. (I know this series has fewer episodes than they usually do).
If they have only one more round table, with two traitors left, aren't the Traitors guaranteed to win, since the presence of even one Traitor left at the end means a Traitor win? Or will the final episode contain multiple round tables, or other methods for eliminating people?
There’s another method in the last stage where they throw bags into a fire. If they glow red it means banish again, if green it means finish the game. Just one red means another go round.
(sorry for late reply --- I'm catching up after a minibreak in Poland)
Yes I am! And thanks for the reminder - saw 4 episodes before I went away, and must remember to watch the rest - really liked it!
(Tried (unsuccessfully) to keep up with some TV series while away as there was a smart TV, knew iPlayer didn't work abroad, but discovered More4 also doesn't, and even my sister's Netflix account wouldn't work in Poland (despite Netflix app on TV) as she has the basic version with adverts, which is not supported in Poland. So all we could watch was YouTube!)
I will have to look out for Riot Women, I'm in the market for some new watching!
Yesterday I watched a movie in Netflix. I suspect it won't appear in the international versions, but was a really enjoyable Australian film from 2022 and I suspect it flew under my radar because I'm still not doing cinemas. It is called A stitch in time and tells the story of Liebe who is an elderly woman who has lived with her partner for many years. He is an unsuccessful musician and she an amazing seamstress. He appears to be quite an unpleasant person, blaming others for his lack of success and mostly taking it out on Liebe. She reaches a point where she decides to leave him and goes back to her much loved former career as a dressmaker selling her wares at local markets. Through doing this she regains her self-belief, makes new friends and finds a family of caring people, that she would never had otherwise have met, through fellow stall holder and fashion designer Hamish.
It really was an uplifting tale, I finished the film feeling glad that there are good people in the world and loved the message that older people have value and still have much to share with the rest of us. I know this description probably sounds a bit PollyAnna-ish, but it was just a lovely slow moving film, well acted, with some famous Australian faces from way back and a nice way to spend an afternoon.
Just watched 'Inside Classical' on iPlayer - the National Orchestra of Wales with a Halloween-themed programme. As well as the obvious - Hall of the Mountain King, Night on Bald Mountain, Danse Macabre - there was a lot of John Williams too, including Jaws, ET and Hedwig's Theme. Oh, and there was some Arvo Part and the Doctor Who theme too!
Part of the fun was watching members of the orchestra dressed up in elaborate costumes. There was of course someone with a shark head on, as well as wizards, skeletons, etc. The Tin Man from Wizard of Oz was featured heavily, as was a harpist in a pumpkin and a spooky white-faced Elsa who'd definitely 'let it go' many times. My favourite, though, was a violinist who came as Cousin It - that took some bravery.
Comments
The Patti-centred episode is wonderful.
We enjoyed it. I think Coopers Chase was portrayed that way to please a US audience! But such places do exist, though the flats are much smaller and more functional. St Monica’s outside Bristol is one.
Yes, lots of differences from the book but it was still an enjoyable couple of hours.
Ooh, thanks for the heads-up. I enjoyed the first two, especially $evilCJ.
Just watching the first episode. Rather slow and some clunky dialogue. A character saying “Parish Church Council” in full rather than PCC - clearly for the benefit of the audience.
It’s set in 1998 (judging by whT’s on the radio) but feels more like the 1970s. He can’t afford a freezer? Surely some oarishioner would have given him one. Happened to us in the 70s, a neigbour emigrated and gave us their chest freezer.
And the main character is very young to be a canon, surely?
I've read the books and am interested to see what the series is like, if I can figure out a way to watch it over here. The books are set in the 90s, but they do have a more old-fashioned feel to them. I think the actor cast in the lead role (Neville Longbottom Who Grew Up Hot, I believe?) is a bit younger than the book character is intended to be.
I found the books charming in a low-key kind of way, but the further I got through the series the more convinced I was that Rev Richard Coles really wanted to write a series of books about being a closeted gay C of E priest in the 1990s, and the murders are just a pretext. Which is fine, because I'm happy to read that, but if anyone is reading for a very plot-centric murder they'll find it frustrating. (I started tracking how late into the book each murder was discovered -- in one of them it's 100 pages into a 400-page book!)
Also, one of the books (not the first one that this TV series is based on) has a solution to the mystery that is dark enough to be quite jarring for the "cozy mystery" genre, which these books otherwise seem to fit into.
Good-but-not-great, but I will read the next in the series and hope to watch the TV show, though I don't expect it to be mind-blowingly good or anything.
I thought the TV version was pretty terrible - the actors were all wrong for the characters.
Spoiler alert:
We also need to sort out our subscriptions. I don't think we watch enough TV to subscribe to both!
Husband and I have enjoyed the episodes we’ve seen, though we keep forgetting the show exists so I guess it’s maybe not the MOST engrossing show, but definitely a bit of fun.
I normally never enjoy shows like The Traitors -- I find the contrived "reality-TV-drama" just doesn't do it for me, but our daughter persuaded us to watch this series as it has so many celebs whose work we enjoy and are familiar with. We are enjoying it, though I still don't think I'd like a regular series of ordinary people. The fact that these contestants are professional entertainers definitely makes it more fun to watch!
(Daughter, who is home for two nights, got me to watch it for the first time last night. It was OK, but can’t say I would get hooked.)
I also live in hope that he will introduce a second facial expression at some point soon.
His mother and the snobby shop owner are still getting all the best lines.
I think the counterbalance to that for me would be that I find it much less stressful to watch when the participants are all wealthy celebrities, playing for money to donate to charities (and they don't talk about their chosen charity, as is the case in some celebrity competitions, so even that doesn't seem very high-stakes). So it does feel more like a game. With ordinary people for whom the winning amount of money could well be life-changing, I think I would be very put off by watching people betray each other, knowing that most of them will walk away empty-handed when some might really need the money.
David Olusoga is a brilliant professor of history and he's utterly clueless here.
It heartens me to see different kinds of intelligence at work. His variety is useless when emotional intelligence, making connections,strategic thinking, and, above all, adaptability are needed.
But the outcome rests on his decisions in the final.
Can't wait!
If he has it could be a very short programme. I wonder how they'll spin it out?
If they have only one more round table, with two traitors left, aren't the Traitors guaranteed to win, since the presence of even one Traitor left at the end means a Traitor win? Or will the final episode contain multiple round tables, or other methods for eliminating people?
There’s another method in the last stage where they throw bags into a fire. If they glow red it means banish again, if green it means finish the game. Just one red means another go round.
(sorry for late reply --- I'm catching up after a minibreak in Poland)
Yes I am! And thanks for the reminder - saw 4 episodes before I went away, and must remember to watch the rest - really liked it!
(Tried (unsuccessfully) to keep up with some TV series while away as there was a smart TV, knew iPlayer didn't work abroad, but discovered More4 also doesn't, and even my sister's Netflix account wouldn't work in Poland (despite Netflix app on TV) as she has the basic version with adverts, which is not supported in Poland. So all we could watch was YouTube!)
Yesterday I watched a movie in Netflix. I suspect it won't appear in the international versions, but was a really enjoyable Australian film from 2022 and I suspect it flew under my radar because I'm still not doing cinemas. It is called A stitch in time and tells the story of Liebe who is an elderly woman who has lived with her partner for many years. He is an unsuccessful musician and she an amazing seamstress. He appears to be quite an unpleasant person, blaming others for his lack of success and mostly taking it out on Liebe. She reaches a point where she decides to leave him and goes back to her much loved former career as a dressmaker selling her wares at local markets. Through doing this she regains her self-belief, makes new friends and finds a family of caring people, that she would never had otherwise have met, through fellow stall holder and fashion designer Hamish.
It really was an uplifting tale, I finished the film feeling glad that there are good people in the world and loved the message that older people have value and still have much to share with the rest of us. I know this description probably sounds a bit PollyAnna-ish, but it was just a lovely slow moving film, well acted, with some famous Australian faces from way back and a nice way to spend an afternoon.
I've just started season 3. As an ardent Wingnut I'm loving seeing Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford back together in this top quality drama!
Part of the fun was watching members of the orchestra dressed up in elaborate costumes. There was of course someone with a shark head on, as well as wizards, skeletons, etc. The Tin Man from Wizard of Oz was featured heavily, as was a harpist in a pumpkin and a spooky white-faced Elsa who'd definitely 'let it go' many times. My favourite, though, was a violinist who came as Cousin It - that took some bravery.