What do you guys know about these new shows on HBO?
I can watch the trailers and read about them, but you guys are more tuned in than I am. What’s the word on the street? The only one I knew about was Perry Mason.
There are 7 that look interesting to me, 8 if you count Perry Mason. Speaking of which, I am liking Perry Mason. Now that we’re halfway through, what do you think?
*****
Also, for anyone who missed it yesterday, gwangung had a zoom reading of his play yesterday. Here’s the post where we talked about it:
Tickets were $5, I think, or whatever people wanted to give, but it is now available on YouTube.
*****
TRAILERS!
Tokyo Vice (coming in 2020, couldn’t find a trailer)
The Third Day (Fall 2020)
The Undoing (Fall 2020)
We Are Who We Are (sometime in 2020)
I May Destroy You (6 episodes in)
The Undoing (Fall 2020)
I Know This Must Be True
Perry Mason (4 episodes in)
BGinCHI
Perry Mason is good so far.
Excellent cast and it’s really nice to see LA (Bunker Hill, esp) in the early ’30s.
Don’t know about Tokyo Vice, but those are two of my favorite things.
If you have Prime, “Escape at Dannemora” is available there now (it was a Showtime production). We’re 2 episodes in and it’s excellent. Patricia Arquette’s performance is lights-out amazing.
WaterGirl
@BGinCHI:
I had not heard of Escape at Dannemora. Can you say more?
SFBayAreaGal
How much do you pay for HBO? If we get HBO it will push our cable bill over $150.00
greengoblin
I am hoping to like Perry Mason. So far, to me, every character is a cliched mess. I am hanging in there, though. Maybe seeing what others here think will help.
Craig
I really like Perry Mason. Shea Whigham has been on fire in all kinds of roles, and nails Pete. I like the way that we sort of know what’s going on, but I’m not sure that we do what the real picture is. Della is a great character. I really like Sister Alice.
BGinCHI
@WaterGirl: Prison escape series, written by Michael Tolkin and Brett Johnson (a Mad Men alum). Benicio del Toro and Paul Dano in it as well.
Very gritty and smart. A very provocative look at how prisons work, esp in terms of how the locals who work there are part of the story (without spoiling….).
NotMax
Zip. Nada. Rien.
Can’t budgetarily justify the cost of HBO on top of the costs other services. In fact, getting this close to axing cable TV altogether as that monthly fee is now bumping up against the ceiling of what I can comfortably afford.
lamh36
Haven’t had a chance yet, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about I May Destroy You. Plus I love Michaela Cole since Chewing Gum (another show u might want to check out, just to diversify your selections)
BGinCHI
@Craig: Give Shea Whigham all the awards, always.
BGinCHI
@lamh36: I heard good things too. Hopefully someone here has seen it?
WaterGirl
@SFBayAreaGal: I pay $15 a month..
SFBayAreaGal
The Undoing is based on the book You Should have known by Jean Hanff Korelitz.
According to Wiki:
The book tells the story of a New York therapist who discovers that her beloved husband has a secret and unfathomable life and may have been responsible for a murder. The book was published in eighteen languages. On March 12, 2018 HBOannounced that Executive Producer David E. Kelley would write and produce a limited series based on “You Should Have Known” (renamed “The Undoing”) to star Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Donald Sutherland, Noah Jupe, Edgar Ramirez and Lily Rabe, directed by Susanne Bier. HBO will air the miniseries in 2020.
Kent
I added HBO-Max to our Hulu subscription. I think it was $14.99 per month.
I’m liking the new Perry Mason. It’s much more in the flavor of Jack Nickelson’s Chinatown than the old Perry Mason. I like the lesbian Della Street. She steals the show.
BGinCHI
Slightly OT, because Netflix, but here’s a ranked list of all Netflix-produced movies (it’s gigantic).
This is good for finding things you might have missed.
WaterGirl
@Craig: I really did not like their Della Street at first, but she is growing on me.
SFBayAreaGal
Thanks everyone for the info about HBO costs.
BGinCHI
@SFBayAreaGal: I like Susanne Bier a lot.
I thought Kidman was the worst thing in Big Little Lies, sadly.
WaterGirl
@BGinCHI: @lamh36:
I had never even heard of that one until today, and it’s halfway through the 12-episode season. That’s what prompted me to ask about all these shows.
I have also never heard of Chewing Gum. Will have to check that out.
Kathleen
@SFBayAreaGal: Thank you for the heads up. I will definitely watch this.
WaterGirl
@SFBayAreaGal: That’s some star power right there.
Kathleen
@Kent: I got the Chinatown vibe too. Both are gritty.
Percysowner
Mostly I know that HBO Max (and Peacock) don’t want me to watch them because they won’t put an app on Roku. There is a dispute about how much they should pay Roku for carriage and since Roku has always been good to me, I’m siding with them for now. I already have Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix and a subscription to DISH, so It’s not like I’m hurting for things to watch. About the only thing I’d like to catch is Doom Patrol, but I’ll live.
Amalthea1
Long-time lurker here. Been watching I May Destroy You since the first episode, and have only amazing things to say about it. Sharp, funny, very nuanced look at consent and assault. It can be a really hard watch, though, because of the subject matter, so be warned going in. The episodes are also only 30 minutes long, so it ends before things get too overwhelming. I think it’s at the halfway point in the series right now.
?BillinGlendaleCA
Y’all need to turn off the TV machine and head to a somewhat dark place and see the NEOWISE comet, it’s on a limited engagement.
WaterGirl
@Amalthea1: Can you say a little bit about what it’s about, without giving the story away?
Kent
You can add HBO-Max to either Amazon Prime or Hulu. You don’t need to add it as a separate stand-alone app. Cost is the same either way.
NotMax
@Percysowner
Pretty good article about that.
Amalthea1
@WaterGirl: I’ll try. It’s about Arabella, the main character played by Michaela Cole, and her small group of friends who live/work in London. It’s a slight sort of mystery show, because of an event that happens in the first episode that leaves a lot of questions behind. So far, the rest of the show has been the aftermath/coping with that event, along with some flashbacks to before.
Sorry if that’s too vague, just trying not to give away too much!
Salty Sam
I just watched “ I Know This Much Is True” a few weeks ago. REALLY good, although painfully hard to watch in some parts.
WaterGirl
@Amalthea1: That’s actually really helpful! thank you
WaterGirl
@Salty Sam: Did you watch the whole thing or just one episode?
Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA)
@?BillinGlendaleCA: I’ve seen it already. ;)
Why can’t I embed a link? Aaggh. It’s at the end. Sorry.
I was going to go to the mountains or the lake for a darker sky, but there’s something about a hot, muggy Georgia Summer night that makes me hate the idea of leaving the house, so I just went a couple hundred feet down the street for about 15 minutes with my camera, my tripod and the Star Walk 2 app.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10223596862055166&id=1399092200&ref=bookmarks
Salty Sam
@WaterGirl: I binged the whole thing in a couple of nights. Highly recommended, but as I said, some parts are incredibly painful to watch. But, so is real life, at times…
WaterGirl
@Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA): Wow, that’s beautiful. You should submit your photos to On The Road.
WaterGirl
@Salty Sam: So it’s airing on individual weeks on TV, but you can also binge the whole thing at any time?
cain
I only do Netflix and Amazon.. I just cant to HBO. Netflix celebrates my people like no other. I will always follow Netflix.
lamh36
@BGinCHI: soon as I get a weekend off I’m gonna likely binge it.
I’m also thinking of binging the first season of The Alienist. The 2nd season is premiering tonight.
WaterGirl
@cain: Curious, can’t because of $$, or can’t because you don’t respect them?
I have HBO and Netflix, and I get Prime because I have Prime for shipping. But I refuse to pay for anything more, on principle.
Falling Diphthong
@BGinCHI: The presence of Rim of the World at the very bottom of that list gives me hope; thank you. (I was ready for it to be a guilty pleasure. It was not.)
lamh36
@WaterGirl: Michaela Coel is a force of nature! Chewing Gum is on Netflix still I believe.
(ugh been spelling her name wrong all this time…smh)
Michaela Coel: ‘If you don’t think racism exists, your trauma has made you blind’ https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/michaela-coel-interview
Obdurodon
@Kent: Stealing a show with Shea Whigham and Tatiana Maslany in it must be quite a trick. A hat trick, I guess. I wasn’t particularly going to watch this, but now I’m intrigued.
lamh36
@Amalthea1: cool. I’ve heard the same thing. I believe the show has a trigger warning for it’s content, right?
WaterGirl
@lamh36: Nothing coming up under “chewing gum” on Netflix. :-(
Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA)
@WaterGirl: Thanks! I’ve been considering submitting something to On the Road — it’s just been a question of which images to send and how to organize them. I’ll come up with something.
NotMax
@lamh36
Read the book. Rousing can’t-put-it-down whodunit.
TV series was a hot mess. Managed to slog through 1½ episodes before bidding it a not so fond adieu.
PJ
@Kent: You can’t watch HBOMax on Roku – there is no app for it due to the dispute between the two.
WaterGirl
@lamh36: How did your interview go?
lamh36
@WaterGirl: I can’t speak for Cain, but I can say that Netflix of all the streaming sites is the most diverse in content and has gone out of there way to put out content geared towards Black and other minority viewers with original programming.
Which they’ve been doing before the George Floyd murder and events before had other companies diversifying.
WaterGirl
@Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA): Sounds good. We have had the occasional hiccup with the form – twice in the last 2 weeks. Not sure what’s happening, so if your descriptions will be long-is, I suggest writing them elsewhere and then pasting them in to the form. That way if something happens, you’ve only lost 5 minutes.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA): I use StarWalk 2 as well, I went up to the Lockwood Valley about a 80 mile drive from here, was stunning. I shot at 16 and 50mm(APS-C) using my skytracker and stacking.
WaterGirl
@lamh36: That is something to support!
Maybe Hallmark will have 2 series with black protagonists this year. :-)
Salty Sam
@WaterGirl: I have HBO Max on my iPad. The whole thing is available.
I have a weakness for binge watching, and during lockdown, time to do it. I used to feel guilty for that, but got over it quickly.
BruceFromOhio
Struggling with what to keep and what to cut. Already doing Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, plus the AT&T universe cable package. We’re digging in the archives of each as we’ve either already watched or discarded the first-run ‘new stuff’. Every time I think I’m ready to cut the cable cord, something pops up to indicate otherwise. Mostly it’s being able to record stuff indefinitely. Currently working our way through Queen of the South, and will add Escape from Dannemora to the list. Thanks for the rec!
Amalthea1
@lamh36: I want to say yes; I mean, it basically HAS to. But I tend to glaze over until the actual show starts, so it may not actually have one. They do offer some resources related to the subject matter after the show, though.
Formerly disgruntled in Oregon
Not exactly on topic, but I finally got around to watching the 2006 film Children Of Men.
Holy shit. What a movie.
Not for the feint of heart, the film imagines a not too distant fascist Britain, where immigrants are forcibly sent to Gaza-style open-air prisons (“refugee camps”), and the human race has gone infertile (youngest person on Earth is a teenager). It is a harrowing film that barely holds back, with intense scenes of police and military violence towards innocents, etc., balanced with beautiful symbolism, very effective pacing, and an overall effect that made me ask if I’m doing enough to prevent this horrific vision of the future from coming to my home in the US.
With the events in Portland this past week, it’s scary – less than 100 miles away, Trump’s brownshirts are abducting random folks off the streets, brazenly, and against the lawful orders of our Governor. I’m so outraged about this, I might just have to give that much more $ to Democrats all over the US. We’re all in this together! We’ve got to stop Trump.
Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA)
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Sounds nice! I’d love to see!
I’m going to try to head to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park next weekend for Milky Way shots. Of course, weather forecasts here are kind of useless, so who knows.
Emerald
Well The Third Day is an absolute “yes” with me. I will watch anything with Jude Law. That trailer is giving me “Wicker Man” vibes.
As to HBO, it is flat worth the money. Consistently good original series and films (Wizard of Lies, por ejemplo) plus top movies, including older stuff. “Harriet” just dropped today.
I have Hulu and Disney Plus free for three months via a houseguest, and I’m impressed with the Disney content but quite mad at Hulu. They charge for their app and then include commercials??? I’m watching the few things I want to see on it (Hillary, Killing Eve and Handmaid’s Tale) and then I’ll concentrate on interesting stuff on Disney until it’s gone.
But I refuse to pay more for anything other than Netflix, Prime and HBO.
Brachiator
I don’t know anything about any of these shows. And I have HBO. Good to learn what’s up.
Still have not seen the new Perry Mason yet, but may give it a look.
PJ
@lamh36: Netflix’s strategy, since studios and networks first started pulling programming from them, has been to offer “something for everyone”. They took on massive amounts of debt in order to expand internationally and produce all of this programming, and there seems to be a massive amount of crap (what used to be standard TV or B or C-movie straight-to-video material) on it as well as good stuff, but they have actually been successful at providing “something for everybody”. Whatever your interest is or whatever your background, you can probably find something on Netflix that will interest you. (I don’t know if it is a coincidence or not in terms of their programming strategy, but Ted Sarandos, the chief “content officer” who is now co-CEO, is married to a black woman.)
HBO, for a variety of reasons, had fairly limited programming until it was purchased by AT&T in the Warner deal. It looks like they are going to ramp up production and try to reach new audiences but it will take them some time. Disney has a massive catalog (now including Fox/Turner titles) but I doubt they are going to start producing “edgy” fare. Apple seems intent on putting out the blandest possible programming, I guess so they don’t offend anyone who might otherwise buy a phone or computer, but it’s a terrible strategy if they actually want to make money on streaming. I don’t know what Amazon’s strategy is but it’s included with Prime, so I doubt most people are subscribing solely to watch their series, which also seem to be a mixed bag.
TL/DR: In the near term (next 5 or so years), Netflix has a clear advantage over their competitors because they have something for people of most backgrounds or interests. (Actually finding that something, however, I find to be difficult on the interface.)
BGinCHI
@Formerly disgruntled in Oregon: It’s a masterpiece. Amazing re-viewing too.
NotMax
Somewhat interesting graphs of streaming library comparisons by service.
trollhattan
Liked “The Night Manager” a lot, so will make a point to watch “The Undoing.” The cast alone would probably bring me in regardless.
Brachiator
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Do you need to get out of the city to get a good look?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA):
Heh, know the feeling, I also shot a Milky Way shot last night. I tried something different, I both used my sky tracker to get a longer exposure(30 seconds) and stacked. I normally do this for deep sky stuff, but I’d never done it with a foreground. It worked!
Old Dan and Little Ann
@?BillinGlendaleCA: I am am amateur sky nerd who was up near Gore Mountain in the Adirondacks this past week. One of the most beautiful night skies I’ve seen in years. No moon to make it even better. I can generally point out a satellite cruising overhead. I saw something that I would have thought was a satellite on Wednesday night @11:00 but it was Fucking moving at a speed I couldn’t believe. I pointed it out to my friend and told him I thought it could be the comet. Probably not, though. Lol…
NotMax
@BillinGlendaleCA
The plot is completely predictable.
:)
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Brachiator: I’ve seen some shots from an astronomer in the city, I’m not sure what he’s shooting with. If you want to see it with the naked eye, you’d need to get outside of LA. I went up to Frazier Park last night.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Old Dan and Little Ann: The comet doesn’t move any more than the stars, just a bright star with a tail.
cain
@BGinCHI:
I credit them for pushing the envolope on non-white based main characters. Never mind the original shows based in foreign countries – the korean stuff is pretty good from the ones I’ve watched.
WaterGirl
@Salty Sam: Whatever gets us through the day. Even better – for folks who have substance abuse issues – if it’s not alcohol or drugs.
Not saying you do have that issue, of course. Speaking generally.
Lee M Meade
@lamh36: This show is like nothing else on TV. The cast is astonishing. Cole herself leaves a hole in your soul with her blunt honest in your face portrayal. Hard to watch at times, but almost impossible to turn away. Great, great show.
trollhattan
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Here’s a Neowise image taken in northern Minnesota by a photo forum poster.
His night skies are a little better than mine. I have yet to spot the darn thing, much less photograph it.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@trollhattan: You need to get out of the city lights, I think I have a better shot than that one ?.
Bex
@Emerald: Agreed. I’ll watch anything with Pope Lennie in it.
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: Wow wow wow!
WaterGirl
@Bex:
Pope Lennie?
Anotherlurker
I binged all of Acorn TV’s new series, “Dead Still”. It is set in 1890s Dublin. The main character is a Memorial Photographer. It is very dark but very funny. It is a Shaftsbury Production, the same producers who brought us “Murdock Mysteries”. Needless to say, production values are nothing short of superb.
Juju
I enjoyed “I know this much is true”, but there are some very difficult parts to get through, but well worth your time. I keep falling asleep while trying to watch “ Perry Mason”.
I have been watching the thing about the Golden State Killer . I watched the first episode thinking it would be the only episode I’d watch, given the subject matter, but I have watched every episode so far.
Thats all I have
WaterGirl
For anyone who missed it yesterday, gwangung had a zoom reading of his play yesterday. Here’s the post where we talked about it:
She Devil of the China Seas
Tickets were $5, I think, or whatever people wanted to give, but it is now available on YouTube.
Luciamia
Can’t help. I cancelled HBO after Game of Thrones and the Deadwood finale.
Bex
@WaterGirl: The HBO series The New Pope with Jude Law as the first American pope, Pius the XIII. Two seasons (so far). If you like Italian surrealist cinema it’s for you.
Salty Sam
@WaterGirl: heh! Gettin into raven’s territory here, but:
Whatever gets you thru the night
It’s all right, it’s all right
It’s your money or your life
It’s all right, it’s all right
Don’t need a sword to cut thru flowers
Oh no, oh no
https://youtu.be/vjWebKavfuI
Poe Larity
We need a Tokyo Vice with Beat Takeshi closing out each episode in his wall murals.
WaterGirl
@Bex: Maybe not! :-) thank you
trollhattan
@Juju:
It’s been a ride to watch for those who lived in one of the areas hit during his seemingly unsolvable crime wave. A friend who is a victim is interviewed extensively in one of the episodes. Michelle McNamara was an amazing woman and Patton Oswalt is too nice for words.
So many stray elements that needed stitching together. The various law enforcement agencies sure didn’t compare notes.
NotMax
Strictly for fun as it makes mention of Mr. Mason.
;)
trollhattan
@Bex:
Speaking of Italian cinema, “My Brilliant Friend” is one of the best things I’ve seen recently. I assume the two seasons can be streamed and have no idea whether there will be season 3, but fingers crossed.
Old Dan and Little Ann
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Thanks.
Bex
@trollhattan: Thanks!
Brooklyn Dodger
@trollhattan: @trollhattan:
@Bex
I heard there was a third season coming and there are 4 books in the series so hoping they do them all.
Doug R
@Percysowner: I got Chromecast to get Disney+ for awhile. I can also rent and buy movies on Google play on my phone, then cast them on to my tv. $60-70 for the 4K version.
trollhattan
@Brooklyn Dodger:
Great news, thanks! Wonderful acting, compelling/disturbing story, impeccable cinematography. Has it all.
NotMax
@Doug R
On the vast, vast majority of TVs the difference between 1080p and 4K is barely, if at all, perceptible.
James E Powell
I’m watching Perry Mason, but I’m withholding a decision on whether I like it. I’m going to want some kind of payoff for all the mayhem.
HBOMax added a lot of movies, including – brace yourself – the original Godzilla movies.
Ruckus
I haven’t had cable for at least 15 yrs but I do have Netflix and watch it regularly. OK I see that HBO Max is a streaming service, not a schedule service, is $15/month, I’m going to give it a try. I’m canceling my DVD service with Netflix for next month, I seldom use it. That means my tv watching goes from
@lamh36:
I agree with this, it’s a very diverse source and much of it is very good.
trollhattan
@James E Powell:
There will be a considerable body count, something I don’t recall the TV series featuring at all.
We did have our first courtroom confession, but not in the resolve the plot at minute 50 fashion.
meander
When I read the book Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein earlier in the year, I wondered when it would be made into a movie or series. I’m glad they went with a series, because it’s a complicated book. And HBO seems a good network for it, because there is plenty of sex and violence.
The book is about an American who joins a Japanese newspaper in Tokyo and ends up on the crime beat. So he works on stories about the yakuza, human trafficking, random crimes, and more. It’s quite a good book, but bleak, as the human trafficking networks destroy a lot of people.
In the NPR Fresh Air Archive there is a great interview with Adelstein.
chrisanthemama
@lamh36: Binge-watched it on-demand–with captions to decipher the East End patois. Very addictive. Also “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark”, based on Michelle McNamara’s book about the Golden State Killer. Both very good. I need to get out more often.
l3000
fyi, acorn tv is doing 7 day free trial for binge of any shows. hidden season 2 drew me in. really liked the first season. wales. detective series. through prime, did i say?
WaterGirl
@meander: Happy to have your take on it!
janesays
@Kent: I may be mistaken, but I don’t believe you can access the Max Original programming through anything but the HBO Max app. I have it through YouTube TV, and I can watch all of the HBO-specific content on YTTV, but if I want to watch one of the programs exclusive to Max (ie the Anna Kendrick series, which is not available on traditional HBO), I have to watch it through the HBO Max app.
rafah
@PJ: I miss the interface they had during the DVD days. If I searched by topics or countries it would keep giving me new options, not just repeat the same three windows of content over and over. It was just so much easier to search for new stuff or browse. Now they make it so hard to find movies and shows that are not on their main lists, I don’t understand the thinking behind it.