Started last week on Channel 4. Almost skipped it because a conspiracy thriller involving a comic book graphic novel didn't sound too appealing to me. After just watching the pilot, I'm glad I didn't, though, because it's nicely weird and stylish in a very f**ked up way. Also, is this the first TV series in 2.40:1?
After long negotiations between Matt Weiner and AMC, Mad Men will continue for two (effectively three) more seasons with season 5 starting in March 2012. The final compromise is somewhat odd as it will result in the original broadcast versions being cut 2 minutes short and the full episodes being later available on VOD and DVD.
I've been watching some UK TV shows lately and now I'm in the mood for more. Any recommendations based on the these?
Doctor Who (2005) - Loved S5, didn't care much for S1-4 aside from the Moffat episodes. Sherlock - Liked the pilot, but didn't care much for the rest. Spaced - Meh. Not my thing. Skins - Loved S1+2, liked S3+4. Misfits - Loved S1+2.
Skins, Shameless, Being Human - are there any new shows on US TV that aren't remakes? I know it is nothing new as such, but that many at the same time?
The British photographer Seamus Murphy has made a series of short films to accompany all songs on PJ Harvey's new album Let England Shake. "The 12 films will feature still and moving images from a 5,000 mile road-trip Murphy undertook around England. He has worked similarly with still photography on journeys through America and Russia." (pjharvey.net)
Funny coincidence, because just a few days ago, I rewatched the two films that remain my favorites in this particular genre (although only one of them is covered in the discussion above). Both films were made in the '80s, and if bad hair and disco music is the first thing that pops in your mind, you couldn't be more wrong.
In both films, the performance is as important as the music and there is a physical awareness to it, a cerebral physicality, for lack of a better term, that is quite unique. BTW, favorite concert films doesn't necessarily mean favorite music. There are a good number of musicians I like more than the ones in those films.
I've never ordered from Amazon.ca before and just noticed that I have the following options for International Shipping to Germany:
- Standard International Shipping (averages 30-40 weeks) - Expedited International Shipping (averages 7-14 weeks) - Priority International Courier (averages 2-4 business days)
30-40 weeks? Is that some kind of joke I don't get? Has anyone any experiences with Amazon.ca shipping to Europe/Germany?
Btw, I would have assumed that someone accidentally wrote "weeks" instead of "days", but it is listed as such all over the place (checkout, help pages etc.).
As some of you know I grew up behind the Iron Curtain where censorship was a common occurence. So it especially angers me when a movie made in the '60s in the CSSR passed the communist censors, but cannot be released uncut today in the UK. Case in point: Frantisek Vlacil's Marketa Lazarova, which the BBFC required to be cut by 3sec for so-called animal cruelty according to British law in effect since the '30s.
In the '90s, Vlacil had been rediscovered as one of the important Czech filmmakers, and Marketa Lazarova is considered not only his masterpiece but one of the truly great movies of the '60s, with frequent comparisons to Tarkovsky.
All that course doesn't mean anything to the babarians with the scissors.
One of the finest science fiction movies ever, Fassbinder's Welt am Draht (DE 1973, World on a Wire), has been released in the UK in an English-friendly version. I briefly talked with Achim about the German release in the Whatya-got thread.
I'm using VLC Media Player 1.0.2 and want to use a subtitle file while playing a certain title from a regular DVD. Sometimes it works somtimes it doesn't and I can't figure out why. Any ideas?
More info: - When using the subtitle file together with another media file it always works. - If I just open a list of VTS*.VOB files instead of the DVD it works too, but there is a small (but annoying) hickup when VLC switches to the next VOB. - I tried to open the DVD both with and without menus (dvd:, dvdsimple:), but this doesn't seem to have any effect. As I said above, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't - regardless of opening mode. - If I got the subtitles working and navigate inside the title (e.g. chapter jump), the subtitles get lost.
When Joss Whedon praised another TV show in the past, it was usually worth to pay attention (Veronica Mars, BSG, Terminator: TSCC). But since he did disappoint me with his own lacklustre Dollhouse, I wonder if he can be trusted anymore? The latest thing he mentioned is "Glee" on Fox. Of course, since he is about to direct an episode there, it might be all self-promotional.
I have my mind now firmly set on doing a Hal Hartley marathon. It would be nice if someone else joined in, although I'm sadly aware that it is a bit unlikely.
For those of you with at least a slight interest in independent filmmaking but no knowledge of Hartley, I recommend Simple Men and Amateur as a starting point. Both movies are not too far off-center, and I think they can be enjoyed by an audience accustomed to a more traditional fare. Simple Men also happens to be my favorite Hartley movie. Of course, all the other movies are worth watching as well.
All of Hartley's feature-length movies are available on DVD, although there is usually only one release worldwide and there rarely are any fancy extras on them. At least, most of those DVDs are US releases, with the exception of Trust and Flirt, which have been released in Australia. There also seems to have been a French double edition of Trust/Simple Men, but it is no longer available and I know nothing about it.
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After long negotiations between Matt Weiner and AMC, Mad Men will continue for two (effectively three) more seasons with season 5 starting in March 2012. The final compromise is somewhat odd as it will result in the original broadcast versions being cut 2 minutes short and the full episodes being later available on VOD and DVD.