BSR Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 I binged Berlín last week -- loved it! Berlín was my (everyone's?) favorite character from Money Heist, so much so that they gave him his own series. Who knew that a sadistic psychopath could be so lovable?? Berlín is quite different in tone from Money Heist, much more tongue-in-cheek humor, plenty of laugh-out-loud moments before & even during the edge-of-your-seat suspense. Also, the prequel takes place before the protagonist is ¡spoiler alert! diagnosed with his terminal illness and shows a far more human and humane protagonist. The supporting cast is fantastic. Berlín assembles a motley crew to pull off a magnificent jewel heist, €44 million of jewelry from an auction house, and the chemistry of the ensemble cast is simply perfect. A very pleasant surprise was newbie Joel Sanchez, a model turned actor. When I heard this was his first acting gig, I thought, "uh oh, pretty but wooden," but he was terrific, totally held his own against decades-in-the-biz veterans Pedro Alonso, Tristan Ulloa, and Michelle Jenner. Alicia and Raquel are the only other two characters brought in from the Money Heist cast. Because Berlín was made years after MH yet supposedly takes place years before, you have to forgive the cognitive dissonance of the actors looking years older despite playing characters years younger. The ending leaves the door wide open for many more seasons of Berlín. I'm crossing my fingers hard for a Season 2. Maybe they can negotiate a group rate from a good surgeon, LOL liubit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSR Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 (edited) Despite poor reviews on Imdb, for some reason (code for: I thought the lead was hot) I decided to watch Jaguar, a limited series about a group of Holocaust survivors in 1960s Spain who seek to capture a sadistic Nazi doctor to bring him to trial. As I was watching, I was baffled by the poor reviews because I was really enjoying Jaguar: well-developed characters, intriguing plot, edge-of-your-seat suspense. I realized only at the end that the series was scripted for a 2nd season. Unfortunately, Netflix in its infinite wisdom pulled the plug. But even without its 2nd season, Jaguar is well worth watching. Edited January 28 by BSR Typo thomas and liubit 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handiacefailure Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Down Low with Lukas Gage is a good movie. Strange ending but Lukas is really funny and cmapy in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeBiDude Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 I looked to see if “One Day” on Netflix had been mentioned, didn’t see it here yet. Just finished this 14 episode (< half hour episodes for the most part) series. I really enjoyed it, albeit totally distracted by Leo Woodall. Even as the makeup artists aged him for the 20 years the show spans….he still looked good! 🤣 One Day (TV Mini Series 2024) - IMDb WWW.IMDB.COM 6h 34m | TV-MA + EVdude and + Lucky 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSR Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 (edited) Between Lands debuted recently, a limited series drama about a woman in 1960 Spain who marries for money. Not a life of luxury, mind you, just enough to save her family from homelessness. A solid series, definitely worth watching. Ten 50-minute episodes, English subtitles but no dubbing. It features a nice gay subplot. I wish they would do a sequel of just the gay characters because I'd love to see what life was like for gays in Franco's Spain. Edited March 28 by BSR Added a detail liubit, thomas and Wanderoz 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ poolboy48220 Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 I've been enjoying Three Body Problem. I read some of the books a few years ago, I'm guessing by the fact that I don't remember the books very well that I didn't think they were great. And likewise, I can't really gauge how closely it's following the books. leeper, Rod Hagen and MikeBiDude 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeBiDude Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 3 hours ago, poolboy48220 said: I've been enjoying Three Body Problem. I read some of the books a few years ago, I'm guessing by the fact that I don't remember the books very well that I didn't think they were great. And likewise, I can't really gauge how closely it's following the books. I knew nothing of the books, but I was completely enthralled with Netlix’s “3 Body Problem”. Really like it! Bought the first book for my Kindle yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ poolboy48220 Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 27 minutes ago, MikeBiDude said: I knew nothing of the books, but I was completely enthralled with Netlix’s “3 Body Problem”. Really like it! Bought the first book for my Kindle yesterday. I did a quick plot review on Wikipedia, I think the five young physicist cast members are all new characters, not in the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeBiDude Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 4 hours ago, poolboy48220 said: I did a quick plot review on Wikipedia, I think the five young physicist cast members are all new characters, not in the book. They touched on this in one of the “inside the episode” shorts that followed each episode. My understanding (and I could be wrong) is that some of the characters are from the book, BUT they aren’t the “Oxford 5” tight group of friends that Netflix portrays spending time together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshman Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 I have been watching 1670, a Polish comedy taking modern day life and placing it in the heart of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Gunpowder, a drama about the attempted destruction of Parliament in 1605 thomas 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liubit Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 On 3/28/2024 at 8:26 PM, BSR said: Between Lands debuted recently, a limited series drama about a woman in 1960 Spain who marries for money. Not a life of luxury, mind you, just enough to save her family from homelessness. A solid series, definitely worth watching. Ten 50-minute episodes, English subtitles but no dubbing. It features a nice gay subplot. I wish they would do a sequel of just the gay characters because I'd love to see what life was like for gays in Franco's Spain. Thank you for the recommendation, @BSR. Following your advice, I started watching it today and I am enjoying it very much. thomas and BSR 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Hagen Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 On 3/28/2024 at 9:40 AM, MikeBiDude said: I knew nothing of the books, but I was completely enthralled with Netlix’s “3 Body Problem”. Really like it! Bought the first book for my Kindle yesterday. Obama loved it. It's been in my Kindle since it came out....Sci Fi, even the best of it, is something I need to be pulled into reading, kicking and screaming. When I do read it, I'm sure I'll love it! liubit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liubit Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 On 3/31/2024 at 12:15 AM, Rod Hagen said: Sci Fi, even the best of it, is something I need to be pulled into reading, kicking and screaming Same here, @Rod Hagen Rod Hagen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ EVdude Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 On 2/19/2024 at 1:38 PM, MikeBiDude said: I looked to see if “One Day” on Netflix had been mentioned, didn’t see it here yet. Just finished this 14 episode (< half hour episodes for the most part) series. I really enjoyed it, albeit totally distracted by Leo Woodall. Even as the makeup artists aged him for the 20 years the show spans….he still looked good! 🤣 One Day (TV Mini Series 2024) - IMDb WWW.IMDB.COM 6h 34m | TV-MA Woodall is a dream boat. Enjoyed the series though didn’t anticipate episode 13! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirBillybob Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 (edited) Binged Ripley on Netflix yesterday and today. 8 episodes. Couldn’t stop, but nice way to wait out a nasty Spring snowstorm in front of the fireplace. Some Fargo-like elements added for humour, one in particular very funny. If you can get past Flynn at age 41 and Scott at age 47, though. Law and Damon were late 20’s. I don’t know how much Ripley ages thru Highsmith’s sequels. I do believe the plan is further adaptation. Edited April 5 by SirBillybob MikeBiDude and thomas 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSR Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 I know this thread is supposed to be for good movies/series on Netflix, but hopefully no one minds if I post a public service announcement: avoid Strange Way of Life like a broken petri dish of Ebola! I get the temptation: a short film by legendary Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, two great veterans Ethan Hawke & Pedro Pascal, a gay storyline, and an appearance by Élite heartthrob Manu Rios (he only sings the theme song, doesn't play a role). But eek! it's awful!! Clunky, awkward dialogue that sounds like it was written by an unprecocious high school student, a plot that never develops (even a 30-minute short can portray a full plot), it all feels like a golden opportunity that was foolishly squandered. Maybe it was the challenge of doing an English-language project, but another negative for Almodóvar fans is the short sorely lacks the director's signature style. No dark comedy, no oddball characters, no irreverence, this short might as well have been directed by ChatGPT. Do yourself a huge favor and stay the hell away. liubit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSR Posted 10 hours ago Share Posted 10 hours ago For fans of Carlos Cuevas (Merlí, Merlí: sapere aude, Smiley), he has another series on Netflix, 45 rpm, about a young man who moves to Madrid in 1960 to become a rock star and the record company exec who takes a risk on him, set in the context of Franco's ultra-traditionalist Spain. Cuevas does all his own singing, and gotta say, his voice is pretty good. I liked that it has a closed ending, i.e., resolution instead of some stupid cliffhanger in hopes of a Season 2. My only eensy complaint is that neither the sexy Cuevas nor Iván Marcos (the hot daddy record exec) take their clothes off nearly as much as they should 😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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