Any good Netflix watches?

[handiacefailure]

On 12/8/2022 at 1:33 AM, BSR said:

Netflix debuted a gay romantic comedy series today, Smiley, and yes, I binged it all in 1 day.  Hey, when a series is good enough, sometimes you just can't stop.

Alex is a 32yo bartender in a gay bar who works out like it's religion yet complains that his (myriad) hookups never take him seriously.  Bruno is a buttoned-up architect who is 36yo but lives the life of a 60yo, and a rather dull 60yo at that.  When they meet by means of a voicemail mixup (too long to explain), the attraction makes them both weak in the knees even though they're totally wrong for each other.

Before you roll your eyes too much, yes, we've seen this story a zillion times before, but Smiley does put its own very clever and hilarious twists on the oft-used premise.  I'm really picky about comedies because most make me groan, very few make me laugh, but Smiley had me busting a belly laugh more than a few times.  We also get to see the ups & downs of Alex's biological family, his adopted family (his 2 coworkers Vero & Javi), and Bruno's adopted family (his best friend Albert).  Plus we get a couple of "right" boyfriends for our so-very-wrong-for-each-other duo:  Bruno starts dating Ramon, the best architect in his office, while Alex hooks up with the equally gorgeous and sculpted Ibra.

The comic chemistry between Carlos Cuevas (Alex) and Miki Esparbe (Bruno) is perfection.  I never really bought the sexual chemistry between the two, but maybe that's asking for too much.  As long as the two kept me laughing, I was happy.  All the other storylines are well-done and woven together quite skillfully.

8 35-minute episodes, mostly in Spanish with some scenes in Catalan.  If you can stand dubbing, i checked out a couple of scenes, and the English dubbing for Smiley is actually really good.  English subtitles are also available.  2 user reviews already on IMDb, a 9 & a 10.  I'd give Smiley a 10.

Thanks!!   It just came up as a suggestion and I have a four and a half hour flight tomorrow and downloaded all eight on my iPad.   Will help pass the time

[mike carey]

On 12/11/2022 at 2:03 AM, BenjaminNicholas said:

Bawling.  

Balling is an entirely different thing  

Picky, picky, picky!!

[+ poolboy48220]

A friend recommended Kim's Convenience a few days ago, and I'm already halfway through season 2.  It reminds me a bit of Schitt's Creek in that it takes a while for the main characters to develop and get you to like them.  

[pubic_assistance]

Binge watching "The Recruit" tonight. Very well done. Just the right amount of action wound around some good script writing / dialogue and solid acting. The lead: Noah Centineo is a cutie, besides being a good actor.

Edited December 17, 2022 by pubic_assistance

[MikeBiDude]

On 12/16/2022 at 9:45 PM, pubic_assistance said:

Binge watching "The Recruit" tonight. Very well done. Just the right amount of action wound around some good script writing / dialogue and solid acting. The lead: Noah Centineo is a cutie, besides being a good actor.

I’m hooked! About halfway through…it’s fun! And yeah Noah is easy on the eyes.

[handiacefailure]

Emily in Paris season three started today.   Watched the first couple episodes and it's been pretty good.   

[+ Lucky]

On 12/16/2022 at 9:45 PM, pubic_assistance said:

Binge watching "The Recruit" tonight. Very well done. Just the right amount of action wound around some good script writing / dialogue and solid acting. The lead: Noah Centineo is a cutie, besides being a good actor.

I really enjoyed The Recruit. Noah Centineo made the show with his charm.

[cany10011]

5 hours ago, Lucky said:

I really enjoyed The Recruit. Noah Centineo made the show with his charm.

I binged that show... is the CIA or DC jobs really that cut throat? I'm so glad I didn't take the job at the NIH. 

[pubic_assistance]

On 12/21/2022 at 11:46 PM, handiacefailure said:

Emily in Paris season three started today.   Watched the first couple episodes and it's been pretty good.   

Am I the only person who thinks Patricia Fields has lost her mind ? I used to work in ( and around) the fashion industry in the 90s. So the first seasons were exciting for me to see, with Pat's usual wild, daring in costume design.

Unfortunately this season was one train-wreck after the other. I found it distracting that people who supposedly worked at a high end style company looked like Circus clowns most of the time. I had a hard time letting my mind believe this was real life because of that. 

I DO still however want "Alfie" to fuck me. 😉

Edited December 28, 2022 by pubic_assistance

[liubit]

I just finished binge-watching Treason, a British mini series (5 episodes) about politics, spying, intrigue, action. Good plot with twists. Enjoyable. 

[MikeBiDude]

1 hour ago, liubit said:

I just finished binge-watching Treason, a British mini series (5 episodes) about politics, spying, intrigue, action. Good plot with twists. Enjoyable. 

Just watched #1 last night…looking forward to the rest if the episodes.

[MikeBiDude]

14 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

Am I the only person who thinks Patricia Fields has lost her mind ? I used to work in ( and around) the fashion industry in the 90s. So the first seasons were exciting for me to see, with Pat's usual wild, daring in costume design.

Unfortunately this season was one train-wreck after the other. I found it distracting that people who supposedly worked at a high end style company looked like Circus clowns most of the time. I had a hard time letting my mind believe this was real life because of that. 

I DO still however want "Alfie" to fuck me. 😉

Agree…just finished the season and found the “fashion” very distracting, and not believable in a work environment. I still watch for the excellent location photography of Paris…brings back memories of many trips there.

[handiacefailure]

23 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

Am I the only person who thinks Patricia Fields has lost her mind ? I used to work in ( and around) the fashion industry in the 90s. So the first seasons were exciting for me to see, with Pat's usual wild, daring in costume design.

Unfortunately this season was one train-wreck after the other. I found it distracting that people who supposedly worked at a high end style company looked like Circus clowns most of the time. I had a hard time letting my mind believe this was real life because of that. 

I DO still however want "Alfie" to fuck me. 😉

Fashion has been a little out there, especially Julien.   I still think it's a great show though and this has been my favorite season so far.   But I loved younger (HUGE Sutton Foster fan) and Sofia reminds me so much of Diana on Younger.   Anyone that watched Younger, knows this is the same writer.

Alfie is hot:)  Wonder if he'll be back in Season four now that she is back with Gabriel (who I think is hotter than Alfie).   I'd like to get fucked by any of the guys that Sofia sleeps with:)   She manages to find hot guys.

The one I really want is Nicolas:)   

[pubic_assistance]

34 minutes ago, handiacefailure said:

Gabriel (who I think is hotter than Alfie).   

Gabriel is the guy you date.

Alfie is the guy you let cum in your mouth and fuck you up the ass bareback.

Lucien Laviscount is so sexy...definitely more my type.

Edited December 29, 2022 by pubic_assistance

[handiacefailure]

Anyone watched "New Heights"   It came up as a suggestion but is from 2021 and see it listed as LGBTQ but I haven't heard any of my gay friends even mention the show.

[Njguy2]

1 hour ago, handiacefailure said:

Anyone watched "New Heights"   It came up as a suggestion but is from 2021 and see it listed as LGBTQ but I haven't heard any of my gay friends even mention the show.

Watched it earlier in the year.  Was an interesting spin on the typical gay storyline and how the "successful" son comes home to help run the farm.  If my memory is correct, the way they ended it allows for the potential for a season 2.

[samhexum]

I'm enjoying the final season of MANIFEST.

[BSR]

I hit a really bad Netflix streak of 3 awful series.  Avoid like a broken petri dish of Ebola:  Diary of a Gigolo (beautiful lead but so bad it was painful), Who Killed Sarah? (promising start but went so downhill), and The Girl in the Mirror (stupid, pointless, made no sense).  I stuck it out & finished all 3, hoping they would get better, even though I kinda knew they wouldn't.  They were so awful that I stayed away from Netflix for a month or so.

Fortunately I happed upon a couple of gems since.  Smiley brought me back to Netflix, and I kept the winning streak going with Alpha Males, 4 40-somethings each going through his own version of mid-life crisis:  when Luis's marriage fizzles out his wife leaves him for her personal trainer, Raul's girlfriend tells him she wants an open relationship, Pedro gets fired from his executive position and can't find work, and Santi's teenage daughter pushes him into exploring Tinder after his wife leaves him for her dentist.

If you're thinking of the Ray Romano's Men of a Certain Age, that series has nothing in common with Alpha Males except for the age of the lead characters.  MoaCA was a dramedy whereas AM is pure comedy, and the MoaCA threesome act like regular guys while the AM cuadrilla (foursome) are total idiots, albeit lovable ones.

I cracked up a ton watching these guys make utter fools of themselves.  Only minor problems with the show:  apparently this foursome became friends by playing padel together, but you don't really buy it because they're just too different; a gay character is introduced, which could have been a comedy gold mine, but then he just fades away; despite a serious dad bod and lack of good looks Santi has no trouble bedding every single Tinder hookup, usually on the first date (does that happen in the straight world??).

I gladly dismissed those quibbles, however, given how funny the show is.  10 30-minute episodes, very binge-able.  The English dubbing is terrible, but good English subtitles available.  I really hope Alpha Males gets renewed for a second season.

[curiousbynature12]

Has anyone watched Kaleidoscope, the heist series that was released on New Years Day and included Tati Gabrielle, Jai Courtney, Giancarlo Esposito, and Rufus Sewell?

It's supposed to be based on true events during Hurricane Sandy and you can watch it in any order of episodes titled after colors, but must end the season at the "White" episode.

 

[Njguy2]

On 1/4/2023 at 10:14 AM, curiousbynature12 said:

Has anyone watched Kaleidoscope, the heist series that was released on New Years Day and included Tati Gabrielle, Jai Courtney, Giancarlo Esposito, and Rufus Sewell?

It's supposed to be based on true events during Hurricane Sandy and you can watch it in any order of episodes titled after colors, but must end the season at the "White" episode.

 

Just started this series and with three episodes in this show is done quite well.  Few for episodes till I get to themWhite episode.

[Stormy]

Just watched Woman of the Dead, a German murder mystery and revenge show.  I liked it so much I made love to the TV.  My dog was apPAWled. 

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[BSR]

I just finished The Snow Girl, which I recommend, albeit with a caveat.  It's an interesting mystery about the disappearance of a 5yo girl, who wanders off without a trace during a holiday parade.  The first 3 episodes are about the disappearance, the search, and the impact on her parents.  In the last 3 episodes, we find out what happened to her, where she's been & what she's been doing all those years.

The storyline is interesting and original.  It's the first series I've seen that shows the life of the missing person.  Unfortunately, it suffers from one major flaw:  the protagonist.  She is a reporter who works on the story and becomes obsessed with it because she feels the police have abandoned the case, just as they abandoned her when she was the victim of a crime.  Unfortunately, that's all we ever learn about her -- no further character development, no other insight.  Instead of a fleshed-out human being, the lead is almost a cipher or a plot device.

Don't misunderstand, I enjoyed The Snow Girl, just didn't like the main character.  But if you know what to expect, it's probably easier to take.  Everything else about the series is worth your while.  6 40-minute episodes, with English dubbing & subtitles.

[+ azdr0710]

we watched "Glass Onion - A Knives Out Mystery" last night......very good/fun cast, very clever whodunit script, and cool cinematography.......a bit over two hours long, but quick-cut editing speeds things along  ......I guess this Knives Out thing is becoming a bit of a series.....filmmaker Rian Johnson deserves lots of credit for this......only minor complaint is that Daniel Craig trying to effect a Southern US accent was a constant silly distraction......

was originally in theaters for a while, but it's a Netflix production and is now on Netflix, so put it in this thread......

 

[+ RJD]

Watched “Unlocked” on Netflix the other night.  It’s a Korean crime drama about a woman’s life turned upside down when she loses her phone and it’s found by a dangerous man who uses it to track her every move.  There are two stories at work.  The first is the woman who lost her phone and is being stalked by the psychopath.  The other is a police officer investigating a serial killer who he suspects is his long-lost runaway son.  The psychopathic stalker and serial killer are the same person.  
 

Not the best movie, but interesting enough to hold my attention for two hours.

Unlocked

Edited February 22, 2023 by RJD

[Stormy]

I’m watching Borgen, a Danish political drama.  Watchable but not as good as the reviews