On 02/06/2014 05:30 PM, ultrarishi wrote:
Suggestions come from all fronts. This is the first year we watched
the Golden Globes. We're glad we did because it gave us a heads up on
2 series we would have not known about otherwise. The NZ crime drama
Top of the Lake was excellent with an award winning performance by
Elizabeth Moss. That's available on Netflix streaming already.
Yes I watched that last year on Netflix. It was a good series. Had a
little problem getting a good HD stream for some episodes though.
The British series Dancing on the Edge we just started and it appears
to be very good as well. It is starring
Chiwetel Ejiofor, who is having one helluva year.
I'll look for that one.
Orphan Black was tremendous because of the many, many characters the
incredibly talented Tatiana Maslany is able to play seamlessly. The
writing is great as well.
I watched a few episodes and got tired of the shtick.
Ray Donovan is intense and gritty. Just our cup of tea. Didn't
overly pander like some cable shows with excessive tits and ass and
violence because, after all, it's cable and it's why people go there.
Just good story telling, excellent stars and writing.
Great show and I'll miss the next season. Didn't watch Homeland either
due to cutting the cable. Interesting take on the kind of person who
actually exists in Hollywood to "clean up" things after a big star blows it.
Big dissappointments are Intelligence and Almost Human. As well
produced as these shows are they fail to sustain our attention because
neither show has established a long arc in their stories. Shows like
The Good Wife or The Blacklist are much more involving because not
everything is tied up neatly. Things carry over the season, and that
delayed resolution hook's us. We like to kick around the dinner table
"what if" scenarios based on where we think the stories might be going.
I like "Almost Human" more for the comedy as other viewers do too
especially Urban's deadpan to Early's character's comments. This last
episode has the introduction of a longer arc. Urban was also perfectly
cast in "Dredd." I gave Intelligence a few episode but it quickly fell
into a formula rut.
One series which like "Breaking Bad" stands out but is not for everyone
is Kurt Sutter's "Sons of Anarchy". It should be a handbook for show
runners. Just when you though he couldn't take that show to another
level Sutter does. I got a particular joy out of identifying the clue
he provided in the show promo spot which provided the key points for
this last season. I'm looking forward to the final season next fall to
see how things are resolved and I'm not expecting a "Sopranos" finale
either.
My favorite thing about Netflix is the big FU they have given the
studios and the cajones they have shown to green light their own
material. Looking forward to Season 2 next week of the wonderful
House of Cards. Orange Is The New Black was fun as well.
