Community Movie Club

Anyone here watching Westworld or Better Call Saul? Both are airing the final episode of their respective seasons this Sun and Monday.

(Both are popular but pretty niche shows in that, there’s a dedication faction of folks such as myself who are all over these two series, ha!)

I haven't watched these, @Darnell? Have you watched the season finales? How was it? 

I started watching "The Sandman" yesterday, let's see how it goes! As soon as I have an opinion, I'll share with you! 

Any of you watching anything interesting lately @Michaela @ActionJackson @Mikkel @Liz? 

@Gabi Amaral oh buddy, you’re missing some excellent TV (of course, if they aren’t avail in your country, that’s not your fault, ha!). The BCS series finale was profound and just IMO. The Westworld season finale had some issues, but then again, it’s a harder show to fancy.

The Sandman is getting some good reviews so hopefully that sustains. I’m now watching Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men and will probably rewatch Breaking Bad to stay in that world a little longer.

@john.desborough How’d you like WoT? I’ve been a long-time fan of the books, and the show made me reread the last three books in the series.

I found the show to be occasionally incredibly cheesy, with lackluster CGI, and a plotline that jumped all over the place compared to the books. While that doesn’t make it sound as though I liked the show, I thoroughly enjoyed it - it was fun! I’m eagerly waiting for the second season 😄 I heard someone said that Brandon Sanderson had suggested thinking of the show as just a very similar iteration of the same Age. I liked that.

Ok, so Better Call Saul should come next on my list, @Darnell? I think they're on Netflix! Will check that! I'm almost done with sandman, it's cool but not sure I'm super into it! I still have four episodes to watch. 

It's kind of hard to find good book adaptations, @Mikkel! So, if you like the series, that's a good sign. What is it about?

What about you@the conservative? Haven't seen you here in a while!

@Gabi Amaral The Wheel of Time? It’s a pretty popular epic fantasy series. The original series consists of 14 rather huge books; the first 11 written by Robert Jordan, and the last three written by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan’s death in 2009 or thereabouts. My favorite aspects would probably be the sprawling plot and the worldbuilding.

I think I liked the books more at a younger age than I do now, and I’m not a hardcore fan of the books any more. (Although the nostalgia is strong indeed!) Still, they make for entertaining TV!

Have you run across any, like, really good book adaptations? 

@Gabi Amaral  yeah, I always recommend BCS but definitely read the series synopsis first to see if it’s even a topic/subject you’re interested in. I would also say that although it’s 90% a prequel to Breaking Bad, you should definitely watch Breaking Bad first because it’s also a sequel to that series.

Hmm...the HBO adaptation of "My Brilliant Friend" from Elena Ferrante is pretty good. However, you still miss a lot of details. Do you have any favorites? @Mikkel!

@Darnell Yes, so many people love Breaking Bad! I never even watched the trailer, but maybe I'll give it a go. I also wanted to watch Narcos! 

What about you @Grace and @the conservative? Have you watched anything interesting in the last weeks? 

Ooh I haven’t watched anything new lately, and this week I’ve been doing more reading actually as I’ve been to the beach quite a bit! 

Will keep you posted on what I get up to this week though, got a bit more time for TV again 😄

For those of you who enjoy documentaries and have been to Barcelona: I watched this documentary called 800 metres about the terrorist attacks in 2017, very interesting to understand what happened. They've done a thorough investigation, it's sad though. 

I also watched another documentary called "The Girl in the Picture" with an unbelievable story (very sad as well).

What have you been watching lately? @Darnell @john.desborough @Liz @Mikkel @Michaela 

@Gabi Amaral - lol.. the beach, the waves and the stars.. lol.. 

@Gabi Amaral I’m now rewatching Breaking Bad and am on the final episodes of the series. Will next up be watching The Rings of Power!

Has anyone started watching the new Game of Thrones series? I might start that this weekend 🤔

@Gabi Amaral I watched 800 metres, incredibly sad. I was working in Barcelona that day, not far from where it happened it was a very scary day so I was shocked to learn more about their original plan. 

I have had a very busy August with people visiting me, but now September is here I’m going to try to catch up on some of these awesome recommendations from everyone!!

@Grace I haven’t yet started but may after the full season has aired. I’m watching the other big high fantasy series that started airing this past weekend: The Rings of Power and I’m digging it a lot ATM. Super high production value that rivals HBO’s prestige TV value, everything feels lived in, excellent performances, likable characters and multiple perspectives all essentially facing the same thread.

That said, this is a mythology I fancy, as I also really liked The Hobbit and TLOTR trilogies, though I’ve never read any Tolkien books (I prefer watching stories in the fantasy genre over reading about them).

Ooh @Darnell you’re selling it to me, I did like The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings but they were soooo long! Feel like I can on board with a series, will give it a try!

Didn’t get round to watching the new GOT series but it’s still on the list! 

@Grace haha, yes, those trilogies are long and I’m still baffled by why I decided to buy the extended editions where each film is at least 3 hrs long multiplied by 6 flicks, ha! And yes, I agree with you that this series-style format works well for this mythology b/c you’re dealing with each episode being only an hour long released on a weekly basis. Also only 8 episodes in this first season with the first two having already aired. 

I do hope you watch it so I can find someone else to discuss it with, lol.

Omg you got the extended editions! 😱 Many moons ago I watched the trilogy in a day, that was hard going but it did make me appreciate the production and scenography of it all.

I will do my very best to start watching it, I’m doing that thing where I’m even procrastinating from watching TV 🤣

@Grace I hear ya! And I understand why ‘appointment TV’ works but I personally like to watch shows once the series is complete and I can watch it at whatever pace I like, which included some binging and some splitting episodes up across several weeks.

The Rings of Power is an exception both because I know and like this mythology from the films, and because it’s been hyped up for a few years now so a lot of anticipation is there. 

Lastly, what’s fascinating to me about this series is that it’s built on Tolkien’s appendices from the Second Age of the Earth and therefore is not a beat-for-beat replica of the source material. It’s like having all the broad strokes of how things got to where they were by the time of The Hobbit but the showrunners are free to fill in the plots, arcs, and even add new characters to the proceedings. This, to me, is more interesting than doing a direct adaptation.

@Darnell Yeh I agree, I’ve gotten used to binge watching series, or like you say being able to watch at a time that suits you. And when you really love a show it’s a killer to know you have to wait another week for the next episode! 

There’s a series on HBO that I really like called What We Do In The Shadows, it’s a mockumentary about a group of vampires living in Staten Island, they’ve just started series 4 and I’m waiting for all the episodes to come out so I can have a lazy Sunday watching that! 

Hey all! Thought I’d pop by to say I watched this yesterday

Really enjoyed it, had me crying quite a few times, very heart-warming 😍 

Anyone else watched any good movies lately? 

Oh @Grace, I love the trailer! Were you able to identify where they filmed it? 

My mom just started watching "Better Call Saul" @Darnell, so I instantly remembered you! She says she wants to watch "Breaking Bad" after. I think I'll do the same!! 

What about the other folks over here? Watching anything interesting lately? @john.desborough @Michael.Tanriyo @the conservative @Michaela 

@Gabi Amaral They talk about being in Peckham, London so guessing they filmed some of it there or at least somewhere similar in London 😅 I would recommend watching it, but get ready to have a cry 😆

@Gabi Amaral whoop whoop! Yeah, BCS is a great show and it’s cool beans that your mom likes it. Have you yourself started watching it yet?

@Darnell I haven't started because tmw I'll go on vacation and don't want to get addicted in any series now! Hehehehehe. Seriously, when I'm into a series, I can't stop watching! But I'll start as soon as I'm back! It'll be good to have my mom to talk about it (besides you!) 😄

have a great vacation @Gabi Amaral … i’ve been too busy with typeform projects for clients to make time for MY viewing pleasure but my little one and I have been rewatching ALL the Disney princess movies before bedtime … i think she is working us up to taking her to Disney or on a Disney cruise for her birthday in January