So Much Fun: Lupin, Only Murders in the Building

Only Murders in the Building follows three strangers, played by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, who share an obsession with a true crime podcast. After a murder in their building, the three neighbors decide to start their own show that covers their investigation of the murder.

We were attracted to this by seeing Steve Martin in the ad. We've watched two episodes. It is clever and funny and the performances are great. Somehow it is like a throwback to the old murder mystery shows while being thoroughly modern. If you haven't heard of this, try it out. The first season of six episodes is on Hulu, with a second season in the works.

 

Lupin is a French mystery thriller series starring Omar Sy in the role of Assane Diop, a man who is inspired by the adventures of master thief Arsène Lupin. The first part, consisting of five episodes, is subtitled Dans l'ombre d'Arsène (In the Shadow of Arsène), referring to the primary character's inspiration. The series became the most-watched non-English series on Netflix.

A lot of people know about this one but we've liked it so much that if you are waiting to try it out, just jump in! It was recommended to us a lot of times but we had other things we had to finish first! Now the time has come and it was worth the wait. 

Omar Sy, Paris, and a crusade to redeem his father's reputation (tarnished at the hands of an evil millionaire, of course) are a combination made to please. We fell in love with Omar Sy in Intouchables, a movie I've pushed a lot around here. His charm and talent are undeniable and a pleasure to watch. I'd read and enjoyed the whimsical tone of the Lupin mysteries, a French series that ran long ago around the same time as the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. These mysteries only slightly intersect with those long ago tales, but the tone is the same — whimsical, ingenious, and Lupin (or Diop) always wins. Paris is almost another character because it adds so much atmosphere to the show.

Two seasons of five episodes each are on Netflix, with a third season in the works.

All In Good Fun: Taskmaster

This is a British comedy show that you can see here on YouTube. It is ostensibly a game show but really is watched for the comedy.

Taskmaster Greg Davies set a series of simple and bizarre challenges to five comedians who are the contestants.  The tasks – usually performed alone, but sometimes in teams – are funny and challenging.

The first season included such things as doing something that will look impressive in reverse, cooking a meal using ingredients representing every letter of the alphabet (this one had us looking up what begins with X), making a huge block of ice disappear, and drawing a picture while riding on the back of a trotting horse.

Part of the fun comes in listening to the contestants justify their methods and results — they are comedians, after all, and can get hilariously creative as they think outside the box.

We just finished season one and I'm delighted to see that there are eight more seasons awaiting us.

What We're Watching: Sneaky Pete

A con man (Giovanni Ribisi) on the run from a vicious gangster (Bryan Cranston) takes cover from his past by assuming the identity of his prison cellmate, Pete, "reuniting" with Pete's estranged family, a colorful, dysfunctional group that threatens to drag him into a world just as dangerous as the one he's trying to escape - and, just maybe, give him a taste of the loving family he's never had.

We saw an ad for this last weekend while watching Green Bay pound the Giants and were intrigued.

We were even more intrigued when we saw that Graham Yost from Justified was running it. Along with Bryan Cranston whose involvement sealed the deal. We were impressed that not only is he involved in producing it but he is not the star. Talented and willing to let someone else star. (Is there anyone who doesn't love that guy?).

The pilot was entertaining, smart, and hit the right notes. We're really looking forward to the series which will begin this week.

A Priest and an Imam Walk Into Amazon Prime

You've probably seen this already but we liked it so much when it came on during the Cowboys' game yesterday that I thought I'd share it.

It's rare to see an ad promoting true understanding that has such a light touch. Yes, they are selling something, but the bigger thing they are selling is understanding each other as people. Really perfect.

What We've Been Watching: The Good Place

At last, a new television show that is light, engaging, humorous, and makes you think. All while celebrating the virtues that lead to being good.

After a freak accident, Eleanor (Kristen Bell) wakes up to find that she died and wound up in The Good Place (as opposed to The Bad Place, of course). Hearing the long list of humanitarian behavior that led to her arrival is a surprise to Eleanor. Because the system, overseen by immortal Michael (Ted Danson) had a glitch that assigned her the completely wrong history. Eleanor was never very nice and always selfish which means she is in The Wrong Place.

Luckily, she's met her "soulmate" who was an expert in morality and ethics. He agrees to give her lessons to teach her how to be good. Naturally complications arise and we meet other Good Place neighbors who, though perfectly good, are dealing with their own dilemmas.

What all this leads to for the viewer is a refreshing change from the usual sitcoms. The show is being allowed to develop at its own pace and this lets us grow along with it.

One thing we especially enjoy is the mini-philosophy lesson which Eleanor learns and which is echoed in each episode's general plotline. You get a sense, albeit surface level, of different philosophical concepts of virtue and being good. Which is, in itself, refreshing.

It's not just high minded though. The humor is loopy, oddball and fun, in the best way possible. And the set design is deceptively simple but done with the sort of attention that makes me think of Pushing Daisies which was another favorite of ours.

The show was developed and is being run by Mike Schur who's known for his involvement in The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Brooklyn Nine Nine.

NBC has all the episodes available on their website. I think they're letting it grow through word of mouth, which is also refreshingly different these days. You need to watch them in order because it is one big story.

Rose pushed us to watch this because she wants it to keep going. It only took a few episodes for us to see why. So I'm pushing it too.

Take a look. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

(For a more indepth look, check out The AV Club's pilot review.

What We've Been Watching: Justified and Phil Rosenthal

I'll Have What Phil's Having

Phil Rosenthal, creator of Everyone Loves Raymond, takes a culinary of 6 cities around the world. This isn't a new idea. The Food Network thrives on it and Anthony Bourdain met mainstream America with such culinary sightseeing.

The difference here is Phil. He is a total nerd, but in the best, most lovable way. His enthusiasm is genuine and you can see why he has so many friends. When he looks at the camera with that intense, delighted gaze you wind up laughing in sympathy. And wanting to try all those restaurants he just visited.

We only saw the last of the 6-episode series, set in L.A., because I already was recording Castle in this show's time slot. (Off topic, Castle has finally hit their "we're done but don't know it yet" season. We'd kind of realized that but were still watching out of inertia.) Anyway, we kept forgetting to watch this show real time.

But what we saw made us eager to watch the rest of the series which is streaming on PBS.

Justified

Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens is reassigned to Eastern Kentucky after dispensing old style justice too publicly in Miami. The problem is that Raylan winds up in the childhood town he fled, hoping never to return. So in addition to the culture of poor, rural coal-mining towns, you've got some very interesting ghosts in Raylan's life.

We've slowly been sampling recommended shows and finding them lacking (Longmire - too predictable, like a 1970s cop show. Deadwood - so determined to be edgy that edge is all they've got; there's no one to genuinely care about.)

So I came to Justified with a certain amount of cynicism which just increased my delight at the excellent pilot. Smart dialogue, layered stories, multidimensional characters, and prodding the audience to make connections themselves. When I saw it was based on an Elmore Leonard story and that he was Executive Producer I understood why it was so good. That has held up through the first season. Every time we're surprised by the smart/stupid, bad/good characters who seem both cartoonish and realistic, I remind myself, "This is just like watching an Elmore Leonard short story."

It streams free on Amazon Prime.

What We've Been Watching: The Long Way Round ... and Down

We've been really enjoying a couple of travelogue style documentaries starring well known actor Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman. Both motorcycle enthusiasts, they came up with the idea of  a round-the-world trip.

Thus was born The Long Way Round. They set off from London, traveled through Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Siberia, over to Alaska, through Canada, North America and finished in New York. They took the Road of Bones in Siberia and saw wildfires in Alaska. When they could, they camped. Often they were welcomed into local homes. They also stopped often at Unicef projects and it was fascinating to see the many ways they help people around the world

In some ways this is similar to the Michael Palin trips which we've enjoyed watching over the years. However, you see this trip behind the scenes from the beginning of soliciting support through the cameraman not having his permits through support vehicles bogging down during floods. It feels a lot more real when you see a country "fixer" fretting to get them through customs after an 8 hour wait.

Naturally after we finished this we were happy to see that McGregor and Boorman had since taken another long trip, this time The Long Way Down from John O'Groats, Scotland to the tip of South Africa.

As in any such trip you see many aspects of Africa that make you feel closer to a place that is so far away and so very different. I have to say that I've never been particularly interested in Africa as a travel destination but after this I'd love to go to Botswana and Rwanda to see the animals.

Naturally a good deal of the fun is in getting to know Ian and Charley as they face challenges and rejoice in triumphs.

This is showing on Netflix and I know they have dvd sets for sale on their site (links are above).

I've love to see The Long Way go through Latin America. Fingers crossed!

Thanks to our friends Kim and Mike for turning us onto these great series. I'd have hesitated to bring these up since the trips took place several years ago except we've found that no one we mentioned it to has heard of it either. So I'm passing the word along ...

What We're Watching: Person of Interest

After last season's ending I really wasn't sure where this series would be able to go.

Having watched the first two episodes I can say that it was a fascinating job of reorientation to "the same old thing" of working the numbers to save people and simultaneously adjusting to the fact that our heroes are the hunted.

Most interesting of all was the strong moral statement in the first episode from the most psychopathic character. Just as I've mentioned before, it is a pleasure to watch a show that affirms so many of the values I hold.

Finch: In the face of such a struggle what do one or two lives matter?

Root: Every life matters. You taught me that.

We often see the greater good for the greatest number being held up as an ideal but this show repeatedly points out that we can't ignore each person, no matter how easy it would make our lives.

The second episode ended by strongly affirming free will.

Finch is struggling with how to convince someone to make the right choice, wondering if The Machine would give him a plan for manipulation. Root points out that "she" (The Machine) would tell him just what he taught it ... that each person must make their own decisions. As happened in the last season, we were left longing for someone to make the right choice, knowing that force would not have served in the long run.

All that with Michael Emerson and Jim Caviezel too. What a pleasure!

Firefly References on Castle

I was just thinking yesterday that I needed to rewatch Firefly. It's been a long time since I had a marathon. And then I came across this.




Yeah, it's been too long. I enjoy Castle, but I need the real thing.

Wait. That Guy is in That Thing? Now I've Got to Watch It.

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, seeing that Karl Urban was going to be in Almost Human piqued my interest.

As an aside, I notice that there were several comments about Karl Urban's looks (ok, ok, including mine) ... but none about Andre Braugher's excellent acting which is what makes me doggedly watch whatever he's in, in the usually vain hope that it won't be cancelled after the first four episodes. Luckily Brooklyn Nine Nine seems good to go for a while.

Back on topic, this made me look for a list I had of actors who will make me take a second look at a show or movie I'd never have considered otherwise. Hey. I told you already ... I make lists. Lots of lists.

This particular list seems embarrassingly long, but I'm going to share it anyway. It seems rather eclectic now that I'm rereading it several months after I first made it. Some of these are just plain American. I mean, really, Will Smith and Robert Downey Jr. are on everyone's list, am I right?

In no particular order except how they popped out of my pen and onto the paper:

1. Sam Rockwell
2. Paul Bettany
3. Nathan Fillion
4. Andre Braugher
5. Steve Carrell
6. Guy Pearce
7. Jim Caviezel
8. Alan Rickman
9. Tyrone Power (yes, you read that right)
10. Boris Karloff (and yes, you read that right)
11. Toni Collette
12. Will Smith
13. Rachel Weitz
14. Bruce Willis
15. Victor Garber
16. Daniel Craig
17. Scott Glenn
18. Robert Downey Jr.
19. Sean Bean
20. Emma Stone
21. Jesse Eisenberg
22. Benedict Cumberbatch
23. David Tennant
24. Karl Urban

Obviously this is a work in progress based on the fact that Karl is last on the list. I only realize these things when I've got to fight off an urge to see The Fifth Estate despite (and strangely enough, because of) Benedict Cumberbatch's weird wig. And then the list gets another name.

Who's on your list?

Quick Flicks ... and Some Dalek Trash Talk

Attack the Block

★★★-1/2

This one's been on my list for a couple of years and it was an unexpected delight in the same way that Pitch Black was. A good, solid monster movie with a basic puzzle to solve in order to rid oneself of the monsters. In this case, the twist is that the monsters are faced by a gang of young thugs in a council block (that translates to "the projects" in the U.S.). Thoroughly enjoyable if one doesn't expect too much from it and watching the young actors is a delight, many of whom were recruited from local acting schools.

I especially enjoyed the fact that you can tell the aliens are not CG. The young actors said that they were actually frightened during action sequences because they were acting with real, unpredictable "creatures" ... it both shows and enhances the film.

The director went to a lot of trouble to get the place right. He interviewed council block kids to find out what weapons they'd grab if aliens landed. They use real slang and at times I felt as if I were watching a foreign language film with the captions off. However, there was always enough understandable dialogue for context.

Cars 2

★★★

This was the only Pixar movie we hadn't seen so I finally bit the bullet and rented it. It wasn't bad, especially considering their true demographic is children and not me.

The animation especially was a delight, as always. We really enjoyed picking out how they had "auto-ized" famous landmarks in the cities around the world.

The plot was basic as was the dialogue, which was a disappointment considering the high standard Pixar has set for itself in those departments. However, for what it is, a movie for children, it is perfectly adequate.

Dr. Who - Doomsday (Season 2 finale)

We're gradually working our way through these and I was quite ready for Rose to be trapped in a parallel universe. She was fine, but I did get a bit tired of her. So it was all quite sad and so forth as she and the Doctor were parted.

But the real joy was watching the Cybermen face the Daleks. Hannah is far ahead of us in the show and had mentioned that the Daleks have some of the worst trash talk ever. Indeed. Here's a sample and I both loved it and cracked up simultaneously. Of course reading it just can't do the exchange justice since the Daleks continually scream their dialogue (in a robotic sort of way) and the cybermen have toneless robotic voices.

Cyber Leader: Daleks, be warned. You have declared war upon the Cybermen.
Dalek Sec: This is not war. This is pest control!
Cyber Leader: We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?
Dalek Sec: Four.
Cyber Leader: You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?
Dalek Sec: We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek! You are superior in only one respect.
Cyber Leader: What is that?
Dalek Sec: You are superior at dying!

Why Public Schools Should Teach the Bible

Roma Downey and Mark Burnett make the case that we can't be considered literate without a basic knowledge of the Bible as text in this Wall Street Journal editorial.

Have you ever sensed in your own life that "the handwriting was on the wall"? Or encouraged a loved one to walk "the straight and narrow"?

Have you ever laughed at something that came "out of the mouths of babes"? Or gone "the extra mile" for an opportunity that might vanish "in the twinkling of an eye"?

If you have, then you've been thinking of the Bible.

These phrases are just "a drop in the bucket" (another biblical phrase) of the many things we say and do every day that have their origins in the most read, most influential book of all time. The Bible has affected the world for centuries in innumerable ways, including art, literature, philosophy, government, philanthropy, education, social justice and humanitarianism. One would think that a text of such significance would be taught regularly in schools. Not so. That is because of the "stumbling block" (the Bible again) that is posed by the powers that be in America.

Read it all. Downey and Burnett, both TV veterans whose European educations included reading the Bible, came up with The Bible  docudrama for The History Channel to help demonstrate their point.

It is possible to dig into the Bible as a literary text, which I did when requested to read Genesis on my podcast. Granted, I occasionally would stray into personal commentary, but t'was all to the good since that's what I do for every book I read there.

The promoters didn't have a screener and I don't have cable, so y'all will have to give me your opinions after it airs. Here's the link for The Bible.

Latest Find: The Booth at the End

A mysterious Man sits at a booth at the end of a diner. People approach him because they've heard The Man has a gift. He can solve their problems: A parent with a sick child, a woman who wants to be prettier, a nun who has lost her faith. The Man can give these people what they want. For a price. The Man makes a proposition. In exchange for realizing their desires, these individuals must complete a task, return to The Man, and describe every step in detail. The trick is that these tasks are things that would normally be inconceivable to them. But The Man never forces anyone to do anything. It's always up to the individual to start - or stop. The Booth at the End asks the question: How far would you go to get what you want?

Seasons 1 and 2 are showing on Hulu now. Tom and I watched season one in one evening since there were only five 23-minute episodes. It was like a movie length show that way.

This is a fascinating premise that gives the writers opportunities to examine choice, free will, destiny, and similar questions. I was interested in the way that people's stories wound up being intertwined and the contrasts it showed in what everyone focused on once they were in the middle of trying to complete their tasks. I was also fascinated by The Man's relationship with The Book.

Rose turned us onto this although once I began looking around the internet I realized that this show has been intensely discussed by its viewers. And somehow I completely missed Joseph Susanka's column about it although I thought I'd read all his pieces.

That's ok, I don't mind coming late to the party and pointing the way for those who haven't come across it yet.

Do you know how insidious the music from Cheers is?

I mean ... do you?

Tom and I began watching Cheers from the beginning a couple of weeks ago, after I heard a Story Wonk Daily where they were talking about watching it as a textbook on how to develop "story." (Also, they love it.)

I watched it all when it was on (and before you begin adding on your fingers, I'll help ... 1st season: 1982). And so did Tom. But we'd forgotten so much. And it is like a stage play. A really well done, clever stage play.

It is fascinating to watch an episode an evening (streaming free - Amazon Prime) and see the actors become comfortable with their characters and the writers give the audience credit for intelligence ... and lean a little further with the subplots and side jokes.

The problem is that Cheers song. What an earworm (thank you German for such a descriptive term).

I find myself humming it. It pops into my head off and on all day.

I confessed as much to Tom.

Who's having the same problem.

Insidious. That's it.

Speaking of "Awake" ...

I completely approve of the penguin. Not enough of them on TV these days, especially helping solve crimes. And have I said that I feel sorry for anyone stuck in "blue filter" universe? They are always going to look sickly and tired.

And, did anyone else groove the way I did when Michael, held hostage in the mental ward, reassured crazy Gabe that his sister was free? Free to be happy, not held captive anymore, and so forth (I can't find the quote for this speech.)In other words, no grave can hold her.

Anyone paying attention to Easter that week could immediately see a parallel, which the blue-filter therapist points out by saying rather disparagingly that the world's major religions came up with eternal life for much the same reason (to fool themselves, she means. I say "Boo!"). But Gabe's relief and happiness for his sister are perfectly appropriate for any Christian who really "gets it."

Of course this was that That's Not My Penguin episode.

My Life in the Buffy-Verse: 3.11

My life in the Buffy-verse (by request) - season 3. Got this far and then had to stop to catch up on Awake. "Gingerbread" -- After two children are mysteriously killed, apparently as part of a cult sacrifice, Joyce (Kristine Sutherland) leads the town in a witch hunt - but all is not quite as it seems." As if we didn't know those kids were not what they seemed. Right.

Though I never really trusted Buffy's mother to handle the whole Hell-mouth thing well. And we can see that she doesn't really, deep down.

Flight of the Conchords: Robots

This is for Scott who hasn't had the pleasure of seeing the zaniness contained in The Flight of the Conchords.

For anyone else who hasn't seen the series: Bret and Jermaine try to achieve success as a band in New York City and develop an American fan base. Their songs are woven into the plot of each episode, often as music videos ... truly hilarious and what we're watching before bedtime during weeknights.

Couch Potato Report

How to Tame Your Dragon
Chosen by our movie night pals, this was a better-than-average Dreamworks animated feature which was quite enjoyable. If the kids were still small, this would have been playing nonstop for a while at our house. Grade: B-

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 2
 My personal afternoon viewing while I finish knitting the border on Rose's afghan. I must be about halfway through because (SPOILER!) Angel has just become Angelus. See, girls? This is why we don't do the nasty with a 200+ year old vampire, no matter how true our love is. I already knew this was coming because I watched Angel first. Still quite satisfying and, I must say, Drusilla does crazy almost as well as Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard.

Johnny Depp Gets His Own Back at Ricky Gervais for Golden Globe "Jokes"

We all remember Ricky Gervais's angry "jokes" from his Golden Globe emcee stint, right? Or at least we remember they happened (if you happen to be like me and not bother watching most awards programs.) One target was Johnny Depp

What happens when Ricky and Johnny meet up unexpectedly later?



This is from from Gervais’s new BBC show, Life’s Too Short, The show centers on little person Warwick Davis in his day-to-day life, complete with the frustrations he faces. Looks as if it is along the lines of Extras, which I enjoyed a lot.

This bit is cleverly done, almost uncomfortably so ... until the last words, which are a big payoff. Take the time to watch this.

Via Strange Herring.

Once Upon a Time ... On TV

We were so interested in the premise behind Once Upon a Time that we did something almost unprecedented (except for football or the world series) ... we watched it real time with commercials and all.

Because with The Amazing Race and The Good Wife being taped, I had no other options.

In case you missed the pilot, here's the Wikipedia synopsis to help out.

28-year-old bail bonds collector Emma Swan is shocked when Henry, the son she gave up for adoption ten years ago, turns up in desperate need of her help. Henry believes that Emma is Snow White and Prince Charming's missing daughter, who was sent away from the Enchanted Forest to be protected from the Evil Queen's curse. Emma refuses to believe a word of Henry's story but soon finds that his hometown of Storybrooke, Maine may be more than it seems. Because it's in Storybrooke that all of the classic fairytale characters are frozen in time with no memories of their former selves – including the Evil Queen, who is Storybrooke's mayor and Henry's adoptive mother Regina.

It had highs and lows (among the lowest ... Snow White in our world's hair ... this really is a horrible place!).

But overall we approved of the premise, the originality, and most of the execution. I liked the idea of the dual timeline and looking at what the fairy tale characters are doing in "real life."

We shall see ...

You can watch the pilot at the link, btw.