Watching telly ain't so simple anymore is it! Hundreds of channels and loads of platforms, a thousand programmes and countless ways to watch them anywhere in the house! It ain't 1969 anymore when Thunderbirds was a no-brainer!
So with so much choice you would think its easy to find things to watch. Alas, I struggle. Things I think will be brilliant turn out not so at all and some random stuff is really quite good.
Take for instance The Punisher on Disney+. It starts with a blisteringly good first episode where the anti-hero Frank Castle says very little but avenges aplenty for a whole hour dropping bad guys in cement by the dozen. If only it stayed that way. The Punisher starts to talk and everyone around him in the series likes to talk a lot as well. Too much gabbing and not enough Punishing has switched me off I'm afraid. Its a shame. Like Moon Knight, I'm done with The Punisher's yakketing.
And so I've moved onto something more random. Not Marvel. Just Jeff Bridges, who's chinny rasping voice always draws me in. His Obadiah in Iron Man was just great - "I'm deeply enjoying the suit!".
Anyway, Jeff Bridges stars in The Old Man on Netflix. He's old and gritty, like Clint in Gran Torino or Denzel in the Equalizer, and he isn't in the mood for faffing about either.
I'm about three episodes in and despite a lot of CIA folk now rabbiting on old Jeff himself is doing well in the less-chat-and-more-action department. We'll see how it pans out over the next few episodes.
Another series I've started and one that came recommended is The Peripheral. Its on Prime and so far so good. The next episode comes out Friday - the Power of the Rings slot! Starring the new Scarlett Johannsen, Chloe Grace Moretz, its a futuristic Sci Fi ride for sure. I likes it.
As for horror this week, I caught Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde last night. Starring Ralph Bates, he's always a draw for me for some reason. I think its his lack of facial expression and his brisk clipped speech that I enjoy. I was really sad to learn that he died so young, just 51 years old.
Tonight Talking Pictures TV are showing The Night of the Eagle at 9pm, a black and white slice of suburban witchery and voodoo I've seen a few times before. Renamed Burn Witch Burn in the USA it's based on Fritz Leiber's novel Conjure Wife. I've always liked the 1950's paperback gothic romance-style cover art for it, a sub-genre of books I used to collect.
Friday is another worthwhile rendezvous with endearing Caroline Munro. On the bill are The Outer Limits The Inheritors Part II, The Brotherhood of Satan, the Ghost of Sierra de Cobre and One Body Too Many.
I don't think I've seen any of those before so it will be interesting. Will you be watching readers in the UK? What's everyone watching around the globe?
Well, funny you should mention Viewers "around the globe"! Australia's ABC government network (Auntie to your Beeb) has had a long standing arrangement with the BBC. Specifically, we always get new Doctor Who episodes within 24 hours of "you Brits". Well, I just watched Jodi Whittaker's swan song as the Doctor in "The Power of the Doctor". 48 hours later I realised it was not only the last Jodi show I would ever see, but also the last new Doctor I would ever see on free to air TV.
ReplyDeleteYes, Disney+ has stitched up a global deal with the BBC that means the rest of the planet will now have to pay to see said good Doctor.
To say that the social media chatter amongst Aussie Whovians has been intense, would be an understatement!
So will you pay Looey?
ReplyDeleteNice cover on "Conjure Wife!" Although we have ROKU and lots of streaming channels on our TV, we often end up watching something from my still-gigantic DVD collection. I've learned the hard way that 9 out of 10 new programs/movies aren't worth spending a minute on. Don't like CGI f/x, and don't like PC drivel. And my memory is getting so bad, I can watch my favorite movies about once a year and enjoy them as if they were new! One channel on Roku, I forget which, just added some nice Hammer and other vintage Brit horror to the line-up, and since I never managed to snag any Hammer DVDs, those we will watch.
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