Netflix/Prime/Hulu Discoveries

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I just watched The Incredible Jessica James on Netflix. It's a movie starring former Daily Show correspondent Jessica Williams and Bridesmaid's Chris O'Dowd. The below has mild spoilers so feel free to skip if you don't want to be spoiled in ANY way. Just know that I highly recommend it.

I thought it'd be a simple, nice movie. It's true that it has a certain simplicity because of how natural the pacing and rhythm is, but it's more than that. I really enjoyed the film. It's about an African-American aspiring playwright who teaches at a children's theatre workshop and is dealing with a recent break-up from a long-time boyfriend. Williams really shines here and has great screen presence, and I really want her to get more starring roles. Chris O'Dowd is charmingly goofy but also convincing as a guy who would have his life together but due to an unfortunate life event is simply wading through crap at that moment in his life. Master of None's Noel Wells plays the best friend character who is also quite winning.

I really loved how natural the film was. I was expecting something unrealistically witty, sharp, twee, and maybe too hip because on the surface you see a New York City-based film about an twenty-something year old wannabe artist type. But it wasn't any of those things. The characters felt like real people as did the dialogue. The conflicts in the film were not overly dramatic ones but ones many people can relate to. I also loved the scenes with Jessica and the children as well as I believed the character loved theatre and her love for it made her believable that she'd be an effective and good teacher for the children. I think what I most appreciated about the movie is that the problems seem like every day human problems, but the writer/director James C. Strouse trusts his actors and his material enough to let it play naturally. To me, that is what made it absolutely compelling for me to watch.
 
Since there is no thread for TV in general, I'll ask here if anyone else is watching 12 Monkeys on Space?

This show is all sorts of (good) crazy. I have given up on trying to make linear sense of it and am enjoying just going along for the ride.
 
@Spun Silver Vera season 7 is coming to Acorn on Monday, 8/7! I'm very happy, even though I've just started season 6. I have more Vera to look forward to.

I watched the first episode of Mr. & Mrs. Murder on Acorn. It's an Australian mystery series, and it was quite funny. I really enjoyed it. A nice change from the bleak stuff. I also finished up Loch Ness last week. I really enjoyed that series and hope that there will be a second season. I thought it held together much better than the last season of Shetland, which I thought fell apart a bit at the end. I also finished Bordertown last week. I am not pleased that it ended on a cliffhanger. I wonder if there will be another season. And lastly, for those interested in Swedish series, I've been watching Beck on Hulu and enjoying it. It definitely has some very dark moments. I had to close my eyes and look away at a few points. It also has some lighter moments, which are nice.
 
Goodness, you have given me a long list. Thanks for the heads up about Vera! Yay!

I keep checking for Occupied and Wikipedia finally said another season is in production and will be out this fall IIRC, but I imagine it will take a while to reach Netflix. Still good news. Fall is almost here.
 
@Spun Silver Hinterland season 3 is on Netflix! I'm going to do a rewatch of seasons 1 and 2 because I think there is a thread running through all three seasons. I need to refresh, so I know what's going on.
 
Mr. Mac signed up for HBO Now so he can watch Game of Thrones. I am not happy about the extra money so I'm determined to get our money's worth by watching as much of their programming as possible. Today we watched War Dogs with Jonah Hill and Miles Teller. It was interesting but not as funny or engaging as I was expecting.

But it did inspire me to look up the true story it was based on. That story was :eek: And the film definitely whitewashed Miles Teller's character! Also, apparently there were 3 stoner dudes involved, not 2.
 
@Spun Silver Hinterland season 3 is on Netflix! I'm going to do a rewatch of seasons 1 and 2 because I think there is a thread running through all three seasons. I need to refresh, so I know what's going on.
Aha! A crack in your perfect memory of all these shows. Thank you. :) i was afraid to admit I couldnt remember the problems with the last season of Shetland. After all, I watched it a whole month ago.

Maybe we could trade our Cliff's Notes? :lol: Looking forward to more Hinterland.
 
Aha! A crack in your perfect memory of all these shows. Thank you. :) i was afraid to admit I couldnt remember the problems with the last season of Shetland. After all, I watched it a whole month ago.

Maybe we could trade our Cliff's Notes? :lol: Looking forward to more Hinterland.
I felt that Shetland couldn't stick the ending. The resolution seemed to come out of left field. I thought Loch Ness stuck the ending much better.
 
Different strokes for different folks. I thought ending of Shetland fine but ending of Loch Ness was totally anticlimactic. First five episodes of Loch Ness really pulled me in, but last episode just didn't work.
 
Just watched the last episode of The Handmaid's Tale last night. TV show of the year!

When I first read this book it forever impacted on my life, very powerful if you can track down Margaret Atwoods book. I'm enjoying using some of the phrases when I'm in certain situations (under his eye & blessed be the fruit, typically to take the piss out of people and situations).
 
For me "Hinterland" is one of the best (crime) series in recent years. I hope, there will be a fourth series.
 
Just got done binge watching "Dear White People" and I LOVED IT. It wasn't at all what I was expecting. (For some reason I thought it was a comedy featuring a stand-up comic. Don't know where I got that idea.) But it had really well-drawn complex characters and presented real situations with all their shades of gray. The writing was fantastic and the way they cut back and forth to show various characters view of the same events while still moving the story forward was interesting. (And not remotely confusing as this technique can be if not done well.)
 
I found more free movie and TV sites to share. I also found some wildlife cams where you can watch deer, eagles, cranes, owls, fish etc.

I figure the easiest thing to do is to add a link here where it all can be found instead of trying to add links to all the sites.

I added the links to my TV Schedule & More page. I figure if one gets bored with watching what's on Hulu and Netflix, then there's always other options on my TV page, and they're free! :lol:
 
Binged watched The Defenders on Friday and LOVED it!!! The choreography for Danny Rand improved so much! I really enjoyed the show but it felt a little short. I wanted more! :cheer2: My only real criticism of the show came at the very end of the final episode...


I wish if they were gonna kill of a character that they had the guts to leave them dead.
 
We've been watching Red Oaks on Amazon. It's a dramedy set at a country club in New Jersey in the 1980s. I must say, it's been a very welcome dose of comic relief after The Handmaid's Tale. Good acting, writing, period details. As someone who grew up during the 1980s, I'm like, "Yup." In last night's episode, the main character wore a red V-neck velour T-shirt with waistband. LMAO. ;)
 
Finished The Tick. It's very different from the Patrick Warburton version, but it's still hilarious. The tone reminds me of a more subtle Zucker Brother film , where there's a lot of absurdity going around but nobody really notices.
 
I loved the animated series, how does the live action version compare in terms of tone and humor?
 
Binged watched The Defenders on Friday and LOVED it!!! The choreography for Danny Rand improved so much! I really enjoyed the show but it felt a little short. I wanted more! :cheer2: My only real criticism of the show came at the very end of the final episode...


I wish if they were gonna kill of a character that they had the guts to leave them dead.


I had no idea what The Defenders was about. So I watched the first episode and looked for choreography thinking it was a dance show. :plush: FYI - it's not a dance show! LOL, I was hooked by the end and watched it. Then I decided to watch the series for each character. Jessica Jones - DARK! and now I'm on Luke Cage. Next is Daredevil and the last is the one I'm looking forward to the least. You've filled my nights with choreography! Ha ha ha!
 
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