Curly's World

Well, I came in here to tell that Ive been watching The Wire for some time, but found out to my deepest surprise that we dont have a topic about TV shows and posting it under cinema thread would be a bit weird. So here goes - a completely fresh topic about things people love.

Nice topic! As I work in shifts, I can hardly watch TV series on a regular base. But I often buy them on DVD to watch an episode after my running training . The one I watch at the moment is "Buffy - The Vampire Slayer". Still amazing how Joss Wheadon uses vampires and demons to talk about teenage angst and the horror of puberty/growing up.

And five out of seven seasons are of pretty good quality (only the first and the fourth are weaker) and contain lots of great TV series moments. The musical episode is still one of my favourite series episodes of all times.

I ahve the entire musical episode on my Ipod. "It must be bunnies" still rock - and "walk through the fire" shows off that they could actually sing (at least well enough to justify the episode).
For those not in the know:
Go forward to 0:48 - this is the end song - AMAZING STUFF! But you have to listen to all of the songs - they are all great really.

I watched the series as a teen and in mid 20's and kept watching as spin off Angel (with David Boreanaz) took over the screen. I felt a total emptiness sunday afternoon after both of them stopped. They were as big a part of my life as Friends was so they are truelly missed - I have found some comfort in David Boreanaz current Show Bones which is more than amazing in my book.

Else I watch:
Lie to me - with Tim Roth

Criminal Minds (and the spin off criminal minds suspect behavior)

How I met your mother (currently on season 7)

House MD (Just called House here)

And I cut off watching some other shows and decided that was where I found time to do some work at night (or read).
I dont watch any of the CSI shows anymore - I watched 2 of them back in the day. I dont watch a lot of different sit-coms as well. My wife has a tendency to follow all those Desperate Housewives, and real housewifes of..., all kinds of danish soapy television as well, and that is when I leave the couch and go here.

When it comes to Buffy, I watch these episodes again from time to time:

The Wish S3 (Alyson Hannigan is the cutest vampire in the world)
Hush S4 (the silent film episode)
Once More with Feeling S6 (the musical)
Normal Again S6 (where it turns out that Buffy is a delusional girl in an insane asylum)

Of course, sometimes I just watch the entire series again.

In other news, I have watched the first season of Game of Thrones three times in a month now...

I finished watching the penultimate episode of The Wire's fourth season, so far the weakest (the most dull) imo (the season, not the episode), and started to think that it is in fact the strongest one after watching this episode. Wire isnt better or weaker from Sopranos, because both series belong, in theory, to different genres - Sopranos is officially a comedy incorporating serious subjects, while Wire is officially serious, but incorporates comedy elements, but both series, if you watch them closely, are in fact alike. The oldschool tragicomedy comes to mind where cruelty and laughter live in perfect harmony. Also, it is another US tv series or movie which I watch where the word "game" plays a significant role. Cops and badguys just pretend to be on good or bad side, but in fact they just choose some role to play and try to maintain the balance. In The Wire this false dichotomy reaches almost philosophical level, however it is cleverly hidden under the layer of another cop show with everyday police work, kids selling drugs etc.

In other words: great TV series!

I'm watching 24, since it was on sale. I'm entertained enough to stay up late.

24 is quite entertaining as long as you don't start to think about logic in story or the whole real-time concept. Once you start thinking about that, you'll discover lots and lots of flaws and irregularities that can easily destroy the whole fun. So do yourself a favour and turn off your brain when you go on watching.

Don't worry, at 2 in the morning my brain is not at its optimal.

I almost finished the Wire and my next choice will be Boardwalk Empire, because Ive heard good things about this show. On the other side Ive heard good things about Six Feet Under in the past, so I am cautious.

You didn't like "Six Feet Under"?

I watched only a half of the first episode many years ago and I already knew that this is a bad show. I can try if you wish, but probably I wont be able to recall a movie or TV show which starts that bad and becomes "great" later.

I would never judge a show from half an episode, but maybe you shouldn't give it a try if you disliked it that much. For me it's one of the greatest series made in the last years. On one level with "The Sopranos". In fact it deals with the same themes and even the dramaturgy is similar (maybe because both are shows of HBO).

Pater Alf wrote:I would never judge a show from half an episode

Cant agree. 30 minutes is enough to form an opinion about the TV show.

*Keeping very quiet over here about not liking Sopranos*

This weekI got the most depressing comment trying to be uplifting when a series ended and a female commentator said: "this was the last of Game of Thrones first season, but dont worry - Game of thrones will continue already next spring" Already!!!! Never have I had a moment where it was harder to find a fitting facial expression!
What am I gonna spend my saturday nights doing now??? For crying out loud I have kids, so I have no life saturday night, when there is no GOT!!

I started watching Boardwalk Empire. It is strangely addictive. On one side it is very Hollywoodish - lush cinematography, music etc. but also misplaced actors - Buscemi is himself indeed, but he is not a gangster, certainly (it is a problem of many character actors - they are always themselves, they simply cannot "act"). But I like to watch BE, even if everything is very predictable and strongly echoes Sopranos and Northern Exposure. On second side - I can't overcome a feeling that I'm facing something still inexplicable, but important - it is another HBO show where they (still to define who and why exactly and what is happening in US on psychological/sociological/filmmaking level) are mad about the word "game". It is another HBO quality TV show where they put "it's all just a game" concept into the mouth of one of the characters (episode 5 of season 1).

And now I remember that in recent movie I watched, the one I mentioned in cinema thread, with Denzel (from 2007), similar phrase is present also. Interesting.

Somebody recognizes this series?

Is it from "The Wonder Years"?

It was "Doogie Howser"...

I have become sort of addicted to "Murder She Wrote" series. Funny thing is that it is a series focused, in terms of target audience, on a rather old US citizens - pre-war born housewives, small-town crooked elites etc., but at the same time it is sort of forerunner to Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure, two defining US TV series which lead to origins of Sopranos and The Wire.

Anyway, Angela Lansbury steals the show.

I've been watching a Cinemax series called Banshee on HBO. I like it, basic rundown is a thief posing as a small town sheriff running the law his own way. Every episode usually has him beating someone to a pulp and breaking the law just to get things done...and at least one sex scene that my wife conveniently walks into the room for and gives me the same, "what the heck are you watching?" stare every episode.