What we're watching!

Mary Jo

We Wenches are creatures of The Book, but we also enjoy stories in other formats.  Here's a selection of what we've been watching and enjoying on TV/streaming/movies lately. 

From Nicola:

I’ve been glomming on Killing Eve, which is a British spy thriller TV series where a female intelligence officer tracks down a female psychopathic assassin. It’s based on the Villanelle books by Luke Jennings which I haven’t read so I’m not sure how close the show mirrors the books, whether the book or the TV series is better, or whether it matters! The series has won multiple awards and been highly praised, not least because all the major characters are women and it’s written by women. It certainly has a different sort of take on the spy genre. It’s quirky and comical at times and the dialogue is funny and sharp. The obsession that both Eve and Villanelle develop for each other is fascinating to watch

I also went to the cinema to see Apollo 11 on the big screen as it’s that sort of film! I thought it was an amazing piece of documentary film making and was completely riveted by it. The way it’s put together with never-before-seen footage and audio is very immediate and the rocket launch quite nerve-wracking! It left me speechless and overwhelmed – stirring stuff.

As a follow up I watched a new documentary series about the solar system, The Planets, with Professor Brian Cox which was also fascinating.  Since they couldn’t go on location to Jupiter and Mars they filmed a lot of it in places like Jordan and Iceland, which I’ve visited, so that was even more fun!

 

Anne here:

I'm probably a bit behind most people in watching TV, as I don't currently have a TV and don't subscribe to any TV or movie service. But I do watch some TV shows on "catch-up TV" a free-to-air service from the ABC here in Australia, watching mainly British shows on my laptop. 

I enjoy crime shows of the serious-but-not-too-violent kind, and I've just finished watching Series 6 of Endeavour, which is about the young Inspector . This young Morse is a little bit sanctimonious, but then so was the old Morse, and I like this young one much better. I was found series #6 a bit challenging as it seemed to be heading down quite a depressing route. But without too many spoilers, I can say that the last episode was extremely satisfying, and I'm looking forward to the next series.

The other crime show I enjoy is Shetland, set in the Scottish Shetland Isles. I'm currently watching series #4. The various characters are portrayed and the crime stories are excellent. It's based on the series of books by Ann Cleeves, and Theo, one of our regular wenchly readers, recommended I read the books. The first one in the series is called Raven Black, and having seen the TV version of it, I'm finding the similarities and the differences fascinating. Thanks Theo.

Maybe I should also include this link — it's a scene from one of the Sharpe episodes, where wicked George Wickam (played by Douglas Henshall -- aka Jimmy Perez from Shetland) is in a duel with Sharpe.

I also enjoy a quiz/panel show called QI. QI stands for "Quite Interesting" and the questions are all about really obscure and bizarre facts, but the real appeal of the show is that all the panellists are comedians, and the show is largely unscripted and off-the-cuff, apart from the questions. It's funny, clever, irreverent, risqué and very entertaining. And almost every time you think you know the answer to a question, you're wrong -- because they're very cunning questions

Pat weighs in:

I just saw the movie Yesterday with Himish Patel as the lead. We don’t attend movie theaters much, but this was where our daughter wanted to go for her birthday, and the film seemed perfectly innocuous, so we obliged. Really, this is a movie for the whole family. We have some serious critics in our three-generational party and not one of them found anything wrong except the resemblance to  a TV character in a particularly cool scene I don’t want to give away. If you haven’t watched Once Upon A Time, the TV show, you have nothing to worry about. <G>

Essentially, Jack Malik, the protagonist, is a washed-up musician. He writes good songs, sings well, has done everything he and his manager know to do, and he’s ready to quit. The movie completely downplays the transition, letting it crop up in pieces through the film, but there’s a world-wide blackout, Malik is hit by a bus, and wakes up in the hospital in a parallel world where the Beatles never existed.

What follows is a fun morality tale encased in wonderful music and showmanship as he claims the Beatles music as his own and becomes a huge rock star. Did Jack fail on his own because of his looks? Because of his music? Should he make it rich based on music he knows—even if the world doesn’t—that he didn’t write? There’s a lovely romance woven in as well. It’s light and fun and uplifting, perfect summer watching—and you’ll leave the theater singing, which is how every good movie should end.

Susan here:

So many great choices on TV now, with great storytelling and fascinating characters - sometimes I need to watch less TV! My household is Guys (most have moved out and come home to visit), and that usually determines programming, so I end up watching shows that I wouldn't have tried otherwise.

That's how I became a huge Game of Thrones fan (and drink my tea from a "Not Today" cup, for you aficionados). The final season was intense, mythically powerful - and flawed, leading to great discussions in our GoT-watching family. The Guys also got me hooked on Stranger Things, a fascinating, brilliantly creative series that evokes the teen-centric adventure and supernatural movies of the 1980s. If it gets too ooky, I look away until I'm told that stuff is off the screen. Being raised by a pack of males has toughened me as a viewer and sharpened me as a critic and story thinker, though I don't have their tolerance for dark elements. That's all right, they don't have my tolerance for "Dancing With the Stars."

Lately we've been catching some British mystery series, making our way through "Shetland," which Anne also mentions here. I love its strong writing, great characters, challenging mysteries - just exceptional all around. FFavorite is Vera, which centers around a middle-aged female detective in Northern England, complete with complex mysteries, a strong regular cast, and a curmudgeonly main character who gets more interesting with every episode. No wonder Vera has been going for nine seasons!   

Thoughts from Jo: 

I prefer books, just simple written-word books, over other formats.

Audiobooks seem very "grab you by the scruff of the neck and drag you along” kinda things. They demand that you pay attention or you'll lose the narrative. It's hard to flip back a page or two, hard to skip the [Pick one: (1) explicit sex scenes, (2) explicit fights, (3) not-quite-riveting descriptive narrative.]

The visual formats seem  . . . overwhelming. 

Reading, I get to dial the speed of the story up and down. I can stop ponder or speed along. I can immerse myself or skim across the top like a waterstrider.  

Low-key TV is fine. I watch it on the small screen of my laptop where I can pause at will and all the visuals are there to remind me where I am when I come back. I watch screen while I’m splitting my interest with something else. Dinner, for instance. Or brushing the cat.

My cat has been groomed within an inch of her life over many an episode of Miss Marple.

But movies on the big screen seer my eyeballs and shriek in my ears. Too much. Too much. If I were part of a small pre-technological tribe, at Midsummer's Eve I’d be the one way outside the circle of orgiastic dancing, making dim sum and popcorn balls for the après-shenanigans and darting back and forth to put wood on the fire.

All this said, I do enjoy TV. I’ve been watching paranormal stuff lately, many of them on rewatch, because I'm thinking about Paranormals. No surprises in my picks, really, and nothing new to the screen: Lucifer, Constantine, Things, Supernatural, Dresden Files, Dr. Who, Travellers.         

Andrea's here:

I recently finished watching all the seasons of Endeavor, and have not yet found a new series that tickles my fancy (I don’t watch a lot of television, as books really are my go-to relaxation . . .as the other Wenches are raving about Shetland, I think I’ll give it a go.) That said, I've seen two wonderful movies in last month. Pat has already mentioned Yesterday, which I also heartily recommend. It’s a delightful, warm-hearted, feel-good movie, with a very clever script terrific acting (for me Lily James really stole the show.)

I also really enjoyed Booksmart, a coming-of-age film which takes the classic high graduation angst and the night-before party night and gives it a feminist twist. The smartest girls in the class are feeling that being the “nerds” and never partying in order to study has been worth it because unlike their slacker classmates, they’re going to top-tier schools. Then horror of horrors, they suddenly discover that other kids have all gotten accepted at cool schools, too while having a good time in high school. Determined to have one night of fun before they graduate, they decide to crash the cool party . . . and the fun begins. It’s hilarious—and be warned, a bit raunchy—as they run into their teacher working as Uber driver, and all manner of other mix-ups and mash-ups. The friendship between the two girls is more complex than it first seems, and explores modern teenage angst. All in all, I thought it was smart, funny and wonderfully acted.                                                

Mary Jo winding up:

I'm another who likes my entertainment light and not very gory.  We've been enjoying a new series suggested to me by a fellow Anglophile: Shakespeare and Hathaway. Set in present day Stratford on Avon, it features Lou Shakespeare, a former beautician, and Frank Hathaway, a slobby former police detective.  By the end of the first episode, they're partners in a private investigation agency.  Adding to the fun is their receptionist, Sebastian, a struggling actor who needs a day job, and loves going undercover in different roles. 

We've also been enjoying The Good Karma Hospital,which features a young female Anglo-Indian doctor who decides to go to India to work after a sad break up.  She's never actually been to India, and she finds herself working at a colorful hospital a dedicated staff and not enough resources.  Fun with a colorful cast of characters.  Lastly, we're waiting for Season 12 of The Murdoch Mysteries to be released in time to take on vacation.    

So that's what we've been watching.  What have you been watching that you enjoy?   

Mary Jo

Comments

[Sonya Heaney]

At the moment I'm in a "re-watch all Nineties sitcoms" mood.

I don't watch that much television, but I do love Vera. But then when hasn't Brenda Blethyn been brilliant?! For some reason I thought it wasn't being made anymore... No idea why...

I want to watch Killing Eve at some point, but I'm still angry at the show for giving my Ukrainian mother's quintessentially *Ukrainian* name (Oksana) to a *Russian* spy character. It's a slap in the face considering what's going on at the moment. :/

[Mary M.]

So much media, so little time! For me, if it's not on Youtube, I'm probably not gonna see it.

I got a call one day from my internet provider, wanting me to sign up for their cable TV service. I said, "I don't watch TV." "Um. You have satellite service?" "No, I. Don't. Watch. TV." "Oh." They haven't called me since.

It's not that I don't like visual and aural entertainment. It's just not possible to take it all in. Even audio books--I agree with Jo, it's too easy to get distracted and whap, you've missed a bunch and there's no easy way to backtrack--so I save those for long Interstate highway trips.

I keep thinking I'll turn on the TV (I still have a 19" with, bless me, VHS built in) or get to the cinema one of these days (I like some of the suggestions above, BTW), but then it just doesn't happen ...

[Binnie Syril Braunstein]

I don't have cable, so I'm pretty much limited to whats on broadcast TV. I like some of the British mysteries, e.g., Vera, Midsomer Murders (the original series), Grantchester, the Doctor Blake mysteries. On standard broadcast channels, I also tend to watch crime stuff (I was raised on it): Blue Bloods, Magnum PI, Bull, the NCIS franchises (which just included an appearance from Mac and Harm, of "JAG" fame), FBI, SWAT.Ransom. I generally can't do sitcoms. Ack. From way back when, I used to watch the original "Beauty and the Beast." I also liked Buffy, along with its Angel spin-off. And I enjoy cooking shows on PBS, especially Lidia Bastianich. In case any of you are wondering, I do find time to read a book at least every other day. I don't only watch TV. At this moment, I'm re-reading Mary Jo's Not Always a Saint, which is just as engaging as it was the first time around.

[Maryellen Webber]

I have finished watching the Endeavor series too. I also found it to be a bit depressing too. But I do agree that the last episode was the best one. Here in the US, the show lasted only 4 weeks. I was so sad when the final episode aired. I am anxiously waiting for Granchester and Poldark to air!

[Annette N]

I am a sucker for Antiques Roadshow. I do like Shakespeare and Hathaway. Mostly I am watching old TV shows, old movies or sports. I am not a fan of most of what is on TV lately.

I miss the days when there were television writers who created interesting plots. And there were actors who acted and did not get jobs because they had good hair.

I do watch shows on Acorn TV. It seems to me British TV people are more creative than we are here in the US.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Sonya, I don't blame you for being angry with your mother's name being misappropriated! There is a lot to be said for watching older sitcoms as an escape from this world.

[Mary Jo Putney]

I hear you, Mary M! In my first house, I was the ONLY ONE IN THE DEVELOPMENT who didn't have cable. Comcast just did not understand. *G* And the amount of material available to watch since then has grown enormously.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Binnie, I'm glad you're enjoying NOT ALWAYS A SAINT, but tell me about Mac and Harm!!! What are they doing these days? Married, yes, which of them left JAG?

[Mary Jo Putney]

At our house, if the first episode doesn't grab, we move on to something else. We saw one episode of ENDEAVOUR and bailed. We didn't like MORSE either--but we loved LEWIS. Murder mysteries with gloom and doom main characters just don't work for me. We watched two or three GRANTCHESTER, but again, the gloom and doom got to be too much. Yes, I'm a wimp. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Annette, we subscribe to Acorn also and I agree with you on Brit-style TV shows. I understand that Britbox is similar in doing British shows, but there's a limit to how many services I want to pay for!

[Mary T]

I read more and watch less TV than I used to. Due to physical disabilities, I'm becoming more and more of a shut-in. So anything that is a distraction, and keeps me off the pity-pot is a good thing.

But having said that, I do agree with Annette N above, in that I can't believe what passes for mass entertainment any more. I'm amazed at the number of reality shows (that have little to do with reality IMHO) that are out there. They seem cheap and lazy to me.

I do watch some news. Just enough to know what is going on. Cable news is way to needlessly negative. PBS has some pretty good shows. A lot of them are BBC imports. I like some game shows and I do seek out comedies that make me laugh because I feel good when I laugh.

[Quantum]

I mainly watch TV for news and documentary type programs. 'Gardener's World is a favorite and Brian Cox's recent series on 'The Planets', exploring recent development of our understanding of the solar system, was outstanding. Also sport. The women's world cup soccer competition has enthralled me. Women didn't play soccer when I was a lad and playing but watching them compete at the highest level has been very exciting and a real eye opener. Mustn't forget Wimbledon tennis either. The Djokovic-Federer final was stunning and finding that Serena Williams was mortal after all was sobering! Apart from that I'm still catching up with the Inspector Morse series on DVD. I expect I will move on to 'Endeavour' after that.

Though nothing beats a good audio book for relaxation!

[Teresa Broderick]

I like watching older shows. There are a couple of new shows I follow but much prefer past stuff. I'm re watching Tenko at the moment. It's old and probably a bit dated now but it's still as watchable as ever. Brilliant series. I also love Poiret and Miss Marple, Lewis and Midsomer Murders. I too found Endeavour a bit much even though I did watch it. Quiz shows are great. They keep 'the little grey cells' working:)
Very interesting post.

[Mary Jo Putney]

So true about un-real reality shows! The Brits and other members of the former empire like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, are doing the best entertainment for our tastes.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Quantum, I'd like to have seen Serena Williams get that last Grand Slam title, but she is, indeed, mortal. Still one of the all time champions.

As to audiobooks, Petals in the Storm is in the proofing process so it should be released in a month or two. (More like two, probably.) Siobhan Waring is now working on Angel Rogue, the last Fallen Angel book to go into audio. Stay tuned! I'll blog when they're ready.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Good writing and good acting don't age even if the clothing does. *G* I've not heard of Tenko--I'll look it up. Thanks!

[Kareni]

We have a TV here but the only thing it's used for is to watch DVDs and the occasional videotape. My husband does 98% of our watching while I might watch three or four movies a year. I've taken note of Yesterday as it sounds like a movie I'll enjoy (when it's out on DVD).

[Janice]

I have cable TV, Netflix streaming and dvd, and amazon prime. Lately I have watched and liked Jessica Jones (three seasons), Daredevil and Good Omens. All are very well written and acted, and the adaptation of Good Omens was done by the co-author of the book, so it's one of the few adaptations I've ever seen that didn't muck things up.

I find myself lately going back to those old black and white TV shows of the 1960s - Perry Mason, The Saint, The Outer LImits, and anything with Dick Powell in it.

I also have a largish library of favorite dvds so that I'm never without a good movie. Ones I go to over and over again are Sense & Sensibility; Cheerful Weather for the Wedding; Then She Found Me with Helen Hunt and Colin Firth; Cranford; North & South (the Gaskell series), Sapphire & Steel -- and anything Quatermass :)

I too have followed some of the Brit detective series - George Gently, Endeavour, Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, The Last Detective, Sherlock, and my all time fave, Scott & Bailey. I have dvd sets since these things come and go on the streaming services.

Here in LA we have hardly any bookstores left, but we do have a good selection of TV to watch. I also like local radio so most of the time there's a radio on when I'm home. I am particularly fond of the paranormal and folklore shows by George Noory in the middle of the night, and the old time radio shows on the weird little known stations.

[Mary Jo Putney]

The TV watching ratio is much the same here, with me watching very little. I agree with you that YESTERDAY sounds like great fun!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Janice, clearly you have eclectic tastes and an abundance of material to choose from! I'm intrigued by the old time radio shows from weird little known stations!

[Janice]

There are endless old time radio shows available for free as podcasts on the internet. One has only to google. My favorite site is called Down These Mean Streets; I just love the old detective shows. Then in LA we hear Carl Amari and Hollywood 360 late night weekends on 870 AM (it's syndicated), and Roy of Hollywood still plays old time radio sometimes on KPFK 90.7 fm, the last of the 1970s hippie stations :) There were some really super voice actors on radio. Somehow noir wears best for me; it seems timeless.

[Nicola Cornick]

I was riveted by the Brian Cox programme as well, Quantum. There was a lot of "new" science I hadn't previously heard and it was put across in a very accessible way although the ideas were mind-boggling: Jupiter marauding its way across the solar system getting closer and closer to the sun!

[Nicola Cornick]

Teresa, I am addicted to Midsomer Murders and will watch the episodes over and over again. I did enjoy Endeavour but it was very dark and sad. I still watched it because it was clever and compulsive but I wished there was a bit more hope and happiness in it! So many shows seem to be dark these days.