Thread "What are you watching right now?" in forum "Comic Talk and General Discussion *"

Posted at 4:02AM, Feb. 15, 2016

Right now I'm watching "Murdoch Mysteries" on Netflix.

It's campy, but surprisingly fun. It takes place around 1900, and they have all kinds of cameos from historical figures. They are always inventing things, like nightvision goggles or silly putty, it's very tongue in cheek. Great binge watching fodder.

Posted at 3:02AM, Feb. 16, 2016

Murdoch Mysteries sounds really cool ^_^

@Genejoke- You Philistine! XD

I'm currently going through the old anime series Hikaru No Go.
It's about a boy who becomes haunted by the spirit of an ancient Go champion called Sai when he uncovers an old antique Go board in his grandfather's attic. From then on Sai tutors him in Go and the kid becomes really interested in it and throws himself into the world of Go salons and schools, playing matches and tournaments.

It's strange for an anime about such a simple board game be so compelling, but it IS. I'm loving it. It teaches you about the Go culture in Japan and in surrounding countries as well as about the game itself. There's a nice simple plot progression to follow too with the main character getting better ad better at the game, unlike the stupid made up drama and ridiculously enormous stakes you get in animes about crappy made up modern games like Yugio or even the tournament anime that style derives from like Dragon Ball Z.

When I'm drawing this is the perfect kind of show for me to watch: heaps of episodes, lots of info to impart and simple visuals so I don't have to be watching the screen all the time, enough interesting knowledge that it keeps me alert and listening, and no hyped up ultra-contrived mega-melodrama to throw me off my rhythm and annoy me.

Its funny that the Japanese characters are all big eyed, blond and red curly haired, big nosed- but the other Asian people like the Koreans and Chinese are super stereotype "Asian". I didn't know Japanese were like that…

I don't know if you have to know Go to like the show. I don't know it well myself. I was taut it a few years ago by a guy I met in New Orleans so I understand the basics- It's just a mathematically simple territory capturing game, but can get very complicated when people know what they're doing.

Posted at 8:02PM, Feb. 21, 2016

The new X-Files isn't grabbing me, really. For the most part, it's a lot like the old series. I don't think it's fallen much…but the problems of a confusing/muddled "conspiracy" are still there. Kinda surprised; I expected that would be tightened up with these six eps, as that aspect of it is pretty much being reset.

The real issue is the characters and the…weird choices as far as how they've been reintroduced. I liked the third episode, about the Were-Monster. But mostly, I'm not digging the series at all.

There's one ep I haven't seen, and I think one more tonight…I've lost interest completely. I hate to be a hater but…well, there it is. Ah, well.

On the up side, Better Call Saul started up last week with Season 2, and the first episode was absolutely fantastic. Glad to have this one back at last!

Posted at 5:02PM, Feb. 22, 2016

I couldn't even make it through the first episode of the new X-Files. It all felt, I dunno, dumbed down and awkward. Sometimes a reunion just feels right, but other times it feels forced and unnecessary.

Posted at 6:02PM, Feb. 22, 2016

That first episode was horrible.

Posted at 12:02AM, Feb. 23, 2016

I've only seen one of them so far and that was the weremonster one. it was one of those great but terrible at the same time episodes. Great because it was light heareted and funny and it poked fun at itself. Terrible because it was a bit too absurd and comical in relation to the show as a whole. Some of the other similar episodes did the same thing but better. Ah well.

I'm still busy watching the old ones, currently on season 6. I took some time out and what a few episodes of the directors chair where Robert Rodriguez interviews other directors. Good stuff.

Posted at 11:02AM, Feb. 23, 2016

I agree with you, Banes. Watching last night's X-Files ending felt like I was fulfilling some sort of obligation. Too bad they tried resurrecting it; it just didn't happen for me.

I just re-watched Netflix's Happy Valley when looking for the name of the actor who shares a semblance with ozoneocean. Another gritty police/crime drama … I must be in some kind of phase; I'm really liking them.

Posted at 10:02PM, Feb. 24, 2016

I just had to look that up- James Norton. Sort of has a me thing happening. A little bit more squarish, but it's there. XD

In my continuing anime Odyssey I'm now going through Kids on the Slope, set in 1960s Japan. A boy moves to a small town and makes friends through his shared loved of jazz.
It's really nice, no magical stuff, no SciFi, pervy, cute stuff or anything else, just a realistic story about 1960s Japan. -With a lot of the boy-meets girl, highschool tropes though. Ah well. Seems good so far.

Hikaru No Go was good up until about episode 60. Till then it'd all been about the boy's slow progression as a Go player. At about episode 60 he loses his ghost companion and has a breakdown, turning into a "Shinji Ikari" (if ya know what I mean), for most of the last 15 episodes. Ruined the show. He redeems himself at the end but it was way too little too late.

Posted at 9:02AM, Feb. 25, 2016

Due to the revival,I've been binge watching all the old X-Files from Netflix. Been a long while.
Also watching, weekly:

Supernatural
Agent Carter
The Flash
Arrow
Shanarra Chronicles
Legends of Tomorrow
Elementary
Supergirl
The Magicians

Posted at 3:02PM, Feb. 27, 2016

On Netflix, finished watching last episode of Spiral, which was an unresolved cliffhanger. That's the downside of Netflix, you don't always know if there's another season to resolve the show.

Now I'm onto Hell On Wheels, which for whatever lame reason I thought was a biker show. Au contraire, it's about the construction of the Union Pacific RR immediately post Civil War. It seems they've attempted some authenticity with costumes, weapons, etc. Almost inspires me to read up and see how many characters are actual historical figures. Almost. Instead I'm just on a binge with this show.

Posted at 10:02PM, Feb. 27, 2016

Still ploughing through classic x files. On season 6 now, it's mostly new to me at this point, I remember a couple of episodes that I must have caught first time around.

Also watching…

The walking dead. The second half the series is (so far) a lot better than the first half which was tedious.

Arrow, that's usually entertaining.

The flash, which has been very strong this year.

The 100, which isn't really hitting the mark so far this year. Last season was excellent.

Grimm, always a but if cheesy fun.

Other than that…

I rewatched snatch the other day. Still a great film.

Reservoir dogs, I watched it for the first time since the 90s and I'd forgotten just how good it is. Still the best film Tarantino has directed.

Posted at 4:02AM, Feb. 28, 2016

My otaku friend showed me a couple of episodes of two new anime that look really good. Gangsta about gangsters reeally dark and a lot like Black lagoon and Gate which has the JSGDF invading a fantasy world. Very reminiscent of the old Sonny Chiba movie Time Slip where a group of JSDF troops including a helicopter and tank end up in 16th century Japan.

And for myself I'm still looking at Space Battleship Yamato 2199 the 2014 reboot of the classic series. They spared nothing for this and it shows. And the plot is so much more intricate with a lot of characterization. Yamato is a kind of war icon to the Japanese with the movie Men of the Yamato about the real life battleship. I hear Arpeggio Ars Nova will be adding Musashi and Bismarck to its ship mix.

Posted at 6:02PM, Feb. 29, 2016

Lucifer!

The lady cop is annoying, but her daughter is one of those rare actually cute kid actors, and the lead is fantastic at naughty.

Posted at 12:03AM, Mar. 1, 2016

Deadpool, it actually lived up to the hype. it's a blast, unlike mad max fury road which was good but failed to live up to the hype.

Posted at 8:03PM, Mar. 1, 2016

@Genejoke… Mad Max Fury Road was exceptionally great, hahaha, our tastes veer in different directions I think. ^_^

————

@Bravo- Gangsta starts off well, really well, but fails towards the end. What I mean of is that it starts of raw, gritty and strikingly original, but then halfway through the series it shifts gears and falls on to the straight line traintrack of boring typical anime tropes and doesn't get out of that again, just trundles right along on the cliché line, all the way.

*Spoiler*
You literally get bubblegum chewing schoolgirls who are super strong and kill or beat up everyone, no matter what their skill level, meanwhile commenting how bored they are and no one is enough of a "challenge". Very disappointing, considering the lead-up and the development of all the great characters and the power balance in the city etc.
From what I heard the company that produced it went out of business and that can be seen in the downward shift in quality of the show.

———–

I'm currently watching all of the Venture Brothers.
I only ever saw one episode of it, while I was in the US. I liked it but it just wasn't on here in Australia outside of cable and I can't be bothered with cable so I missed out.
It's a really cool show, I love it. Not as great as Archer or Bob's Burgers maybe, but certainly great in its own right. I love it as a take on the superhero genre as well as a cool parody of those '70s cartoons about scientist superheroes like Jonny Quest etc.
It's pretty cool the way it goes into the politics of super-scientists and their relationship with the US government as well as supervillians and supervillian politics etc, all in a very funny way, but it builds a more interesting and believable world than actual serious superhero shows!

Posted at 2:03AM, Mar. 2, 2016

I also hear that the new season of Durarara is really worth a watch. I'm still stuck with such a busy schedule I can't watch anything and only live vicariously through others.

Posted at 2:03AM, Mar. 2, 2016

Mad max looked great, had amazing stunts and some cool characters, but it was lacking. it felt hollow.

Posted at 4:03PM, Mar. 5, 2016

Watched the first episode of Hap and Leonard. Great stuff. I love the books by Joe r Lonsdale the series is based on and I was worried that the dialogue would be toned down. Luckily not, The offensive language is lar5fely intact.

Posted at 2:03PM, Mar. 11, 2016

The last witch.hunter hunter. I wasn't expecting a great film and I didn't get one. It's a passable nights entertainment though.

Posted at 3:03AM, Mar. 16, 2016

I've started watching the silly kids cartoon anime One Piece.
It's entertaining, surprisingly violent and brutal and badly drawn in a cute way- it reminds me very much of the original Dragon Ball cartoon, before DBZ when it got too serious.
It's reasonably addictive.

Also Pandora Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn.
I spotted right away this had Masumune Shirow influence. The title was an obvious clue, but then you see characters that are full cyborgs and some mentions of androids and things.
But unlike Shirow's usual stuff this is very, very saccharine, cutesy, sexual, and very silly. It's based on Shirow concept and created by someone else.
It's so weird to see obvious shirow ideas and concepts in it, mecha designs and things that are so him, but the treatment and attitude is a 180 from him.

I'm interested to see where it goes.

Posted at 8:03AM, Mar. 16, 2016

When I have time I'm slowly catching up on The Flash. Is that irony? I don't know any more.

Posted at 7:03PM, Mar. 21, 2016

One Piece is ridiculously brutal for something that looks and sounds so much like a show for young kids. And not brutal in a bugs bunny way either- an adopted mother of two young girls gets her arm crushed so that the bones twist and deform inside of it, then she's shot dead - the gun in her face blows away her head. In front of her kids.
Such a strange cartoon. I'm glad that wasn't around when I was a little kid!

I tried to watch Ted 2 last night. GOD that was AWFUL!! So formulaic and they hammed up those Boston accents way too much. Yuk! Not charming, silly and fun like the first one, just gross, heavy handed, predicable, and boring. I quit out of it halfway through.

Posted at 12:03AM, Mar. 22, 2016

I made it through Ted 2. One part was hilarious but the rest.. meh!

Have been watching daredevil season 2 when I can. Fantastic stuff. The best version of the punisher put to screen yet.

Posted at 2:03PM, Mar. 22, 2016

Agreed on Daredevil 2; it's awesome!

Posted at 12:03AM, Mar. 24, 2016

Currently watching Kid on the Slope (Sakamichi no Apollon), which actually translates as Apollo on the Slope. Recommended to me by Ozoneocean. Wonderful jazz anime with a soundtrack by Yoko Kanno (who did the music to Cowboy Bebop, and is a Goddess). I am loving it. It's a wish-fulfillment fantasy for jazz geeks.