After finishing the long drag through Ballard, what a refreshing change to start on Dexter: Original Sin. 

Ballard constantly covered you with looong silences as one female stares with eyes of deepest understanding into the eyes of another female who has been "let down" by some male or other.

Dexter on the other hand, immediately plunges you into a world where people act with passion, for godsakes;  whether that passion is malign or positive, at least you get the feeling that the actors are alive, and even those who are soon to become corpses give the whole enterprise a go!!

It was risky to attempt a prequel, but for me the risk was well worth taking.

3 hours ago, giddyup said:

I gave this a try but quit after 15 minutes, Karen looks about 16 and has the obligatory black boyfriend/partner. Nah.

 

We stuck it through episode one and two, talk about long winded.... I was all set to turn it off but the 'trouble and strife' wanted to watch it through, in fairness it picks up  toward the end of two with a couple of twists so I guess we will finish it tonight.   

So little good stuff around I have gone back to and enjoying the heck out of 2013 series Banshee after 'she' has gone to bed, got the first series off TPB with subs which I need now.... 

 

How come they dont make stuff like this anymore?

9 minutes ago, Rimmer said:

So little good stuff around I have gone back to and enjoying the heck out of 2013 series Banshee after 'she' has gone to bed, got the first series off TPB with subs which I need now.... 

 

How come they dont make stuff like this anymore?

I went back and watched another 2013 series recently,  The Fall (TV Series 2013–2016) - IMDb 8.1

Very dark!

15 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

I went back and watched another 2013 series recently,  The Fall (TV Series 2013–2016) - IMDb 8.1

Very dark!

 

Thanks for this, I don't think we have seen it, I will search around and DL it 🙂

5 hours ago, oxo1947 said:

I tried to send it to you--DM---but  ASEAN doesn't take that format---- you can get it free at the usual places.... if you have a problem I can e-mail instead, John Grisham also has a new one out..."Camino Ghosts"

Thanks, I now have both downloaded!

5 hours ago, faraday said:

Washington Black TV series 

 

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt10059166/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh dear....I got this about an hour ago.

 

It's not worth watching for more than 5 minutes.

 

Really not very good: At all

😒

Just finished Godfather of Harlem season 4 and enjoyed it. I got it from TheRARBG.

Started watching The Gold, A group of Armed robbers successfully rob £26 million worth of gold from Brinks Mat in 1983 and the amazing thing is, the robbers did not expect the gold was there, just by acident they found it after not being able to get into the vault. Excellent series.

 

G'wed tv series.

Two seasons so far with a third announced.

Scouser comedy. Good fun.

 

G'wed - Wikipedia

 

 

New Jimmy McGovern drama this week.

 

 

On 7/23/2025 at 1:09 PM, Rimmer said:

So little good stuff around I have gone back to and enjoying the heck out of 2013 series Banshee after 'she' has gone to bed, got the first series off TPB with subs which I need now.... 

 

How come they dont make stuff like this anymore?

Like you I have not found much good stuff around which holds my attention, so as I mentioned before I go searching for older movies to download and watch and last night I downloaded "Manhunter" which I enjoyed. It starred William Petersen, and Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecter, before Anthony Hopkins took over the role.

 

The soundtrack on it was very good and the Iron Butterfly track of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" suited the finale so very well indeed.

 

I did download and watch "Planet of the Apes" starring Mark Wahlberg, a couple of nights ago and it seems that my memory loss due to my accident has proved to be a bit of a bonus as I can watch all of these old movies and not remember anything about seeing them previously!

1 hour ago, xylophone said:

Like you I have not found much good stuff around which holds my attention, 

I just binged Broadchurch ( with David Tennant and Olivia Coleman ).

Not sure why i skipped this ( probably thought it was a Downton Abbey type of thing ) but it was excellent.

 

Just started The Fall , Gillian Anderson of X-files fame stars as a promiscuous detective. Realised i had seen it before, when she got her kit off !, but am going to watch again as it gets good reviews and i can’t remember much more about it .

Bookish - Another easy watch with lots of twists.

On 7/22/2025 at 12:23 PM, blazes said:

I could apply these exact words to the Ballard series.  Ten episodes where 6 would have been more than sufficient.

 

Round about 2020, Michael Connolly initiated the slow death of Bosch by introducing this young female police officer in what at first was a passable novel.  

Alas, Connolly was selling out to the wokest of the woke.  Disappointing conclusion to what was an excellent career as a writer.  All the woke boxes on gender, diversity, equity and inclusivity are ticked in this slooooowww series.  There were so many scenes that were excruciatingly long  and did nothing to move the narrative on.   

 

 

 

Just finished Ballard.

 

I thought it was pretty good.

The only thing it needed was more Harry Bosch.

Dropping now.

A retired assassin reunites with her estranged son, but her dangerous past catches up with them, forcing them to go on the run together while uncovering a dark conspiracy that threatens their relationship.

 

 

Thanks for that Will, & for Unforgiven earlier.

 

It was on BBC last night apparently, so hopefully the ☠️ will have it later.

 

@Will27

 

 

On 7/23/2025 at 1:09 PM, Rimmer said:

So little good stuff around I have gone back to and enjoying the heck out of 2013 series Banshee after 'she' has gone to bed, got the first series off TPB with subs which I need now.... 

 

How come they dont make stuff like this anymore?

I went back and watched Queen's Gamit again. I think maybe I liked it even better the second time.

15 hours ago, Will27 said:

Just finished Ballard.

 

I thought it was pretty good.

The only thing it needed was more Harry Bosch.

After Ballard, I started watching Nikita, which came out in 2010, I guess, which also starred Maggie Q. It's okay, a little repetitive, a lot unrealistic, but just straight action, no social and cultural commentary.

On 7/22/2025 at 12:23 PM, blazes said:

I could apply these exact words to the Ballard series.  Ten episodes where 6 would have been more than sufficient.

 

Round about 2020, Michael Connolly initiated the slow death of Bosch by introducing this young female police officer in what at first was a passable novel.  

Alas, Connolly was selling out to the wokest of the woke.  Disappointing conclusion to what was an excellent career as a writer.  All the woke boxes on gender, diversity, equity and inclusivity are ticked in this slooooowww series.  There were so many scenes that were excruciatingly long  and did nothing to move the narrative on.   

 

 

 

But it's a drama for a different generation. I guess this is the sort of thing that Generation Z and maybe the Millenials like. So I just take that into consideration. It's like all the hullabaloo over Taylor Swift. I can't for the life of me understand it but I assume that's because I'm too old.

Last Surviving Cast Member of 'Hogan's Heroes' Passes Away at 89

 

 

Kenneth Washington, best known for his starring role on CBS's classic sitcom Hogan's Heroes, passed away on July 18. At the time of his death, the late actor was 89-years-old.

Born on October 19, 1935, Washington first entered the entertainment industry in the mid 1950s.

 

https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/last-surviving-cast-member-hogans-161750638.html

 

 

 

Someone (not me) might prefer Incognito over The Dirty Dozen or The Magnificent Seven because it delivers a modern, Filipino twist on the “team of outcasts” formula — tackling crime, corruption, and covert justice with local relevance and moral ambiguity. Rather than war-torn Europe or frontier towns, Incognito unfolds in present-day Philippine society, led by a private contractor navigating the murky space between state-sanctioned justice and freelance intervention.

 

The setup has promise. The series assembles its characters — disgraced operatives, fallen soldiers, loose cannons — into a high-stakes unit that operates in the shadows. There's a kind of reverse-heroism at play, one that gestures toward redemption, grit, and loyalty. On paper, it echoes the dynamics of elite ensemble films, but on screen, that resonance often dissolves into confusion.

 

One of the core issues is the character of the Contractor himself. Supposedly an experienced leader and strategist, he behaves in ways that no seasoned operations manager would realistically emulate. His decisions fluctuate between theatrically impulsive and bafflingly naïve. For a man entrusted with tactical missions against organized crime, he often acts more like a motivational speaker who wandered onto the wrong set.

 

And then there’s the dialogue. In relation to producing movies, no show like Incognito in my memory has deployed the word “team” with such unrelenting enthusiasm — to the point of near-parody. It’s as if the script treats team not merely as a theme, but as a mantra — repeated so obsessively that it begins to lose all meaning and instead draws attention to its own overuse. The repetition isn't just noticeable; it's disruptive. What should build unity starts to feel like branding, as if the viewer needs constant reminding that these characters are, indeed, in a team — whether their actions support that idea or not.

 

Beyond narrative structure, watching Incognito requires serious perseverance — not because the story drags, but because of the show’s hidden business model and the sheer time investment it demands. Commercial interruptions, inconsistent pacing, and immersion-breaking transitions are not just external annoyances. They bleed into the show’s rhythm, distorting scenes and displacing emotional momentum. This isn’t a slow burn; it’s an obstructed march, littered with pop-up detours.

 

To be fair, Incognito is ambitious. It wants to localize the covert-ops genre, to reflect Filipino realities through a lens of action and accountability. At times, it even gets close. But ambition alone can’t salvage what feels increasingly like a frustrating viewing experience — one that gestures at depth but is often undone by its own mechanics and repetition.

 

In the end, the show may find its audience — particularly those who are willing to overlook structural hiccups in favor of thematic resonance or national relevance. But for many, Incognito may ultimately feel less like a mission... and more like a test of endurance.

On 7/24/2025 at 6:14 PM, Jethro Tull said:

I just binged Broadchurch ( with David Tennant and Olivia Coleman ).

Did you watch all 24 episodes??

On 7/25/2025 at 10:31 AM, Will27 said:

Dropping now.

A retired assassin reunites with her estranged son, but her dangerous past catches up with them, forcing them to go on the run together while uncovering a dark conspiracy that threatens their relationship.

 

 

In the first 10 minutes she demolishes six big bodyguards, that was enough for me. When will this ridiculous Hollywood nonsense of portraying women as equal to (or better than) men in a fist fight end?

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

Did you watch all 24 episodes??

Yes, season 2 follows on from where season 1 left off, season 3 has a new event to investigate but occasionally revisits the original storyline from seasons 1 and 2.

 

I thought it was excellent, several suspects are created and keeps you guessing, as do the police, which one could have done the crime .

 

An age old format of murder mysteries but done with the Brit style of small town crimes.

2 hours ago, giddyup said:

In the first 10 minutes she demolishes six big bodyguards, that was enough for me. When will this ridiculous Hollywood nonsense of portraying women as equal to (or better than) men in a fist fight end?

It's hard enough to believe when it's a man TBH.

 

I'm all for a bit of entertainment but not when it gets into being ridiculous.

Unforgivable 

 

Just finished watching it.

 

Stunningly good.

 

Anna Maxwell-Martin was fantastic, as were all the main characters.

10/10...👍

 

 

 

Got a question for the crew about Unforgivable.

 

At the start, Tom assaults a boy at school & breaks his jaw.

 

It was never explained why he did this?

 

Anyone know?

I downloaded and watched a movie I had seen before, but I never realised how much I'd missed in it or indeed, how true it was.

 

The movie is called "Mr Jones" and it deals with the exploits of a Welsh journalist Gareth Jones and his trip to Russia in 1932 or thereabouts to investigate rumours of a famine, actually in Ukraine at the time, which was denied by Russia and others.

 

I won't go into more detail but if you haven't seen it, in my opinion it's a "must see" movie which has the work of George Orwell (Animal Farm) woven into it and the lies and doubledealing of an American journalist, based in Moscow, namely Walter Duranty, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting, which should have been revoked due to his lies and support of a corrupt regime.

 

It has English subtitles for the Russian speak and I downloaded it from the Pirate Bay.

Just watched the Assassin => liked it.

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt33246591/?ref_=ttep_ov_bk