Tag: tv

Wow! Watch: Class Action Park @HBOMax #GoodWatch

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Class Action Park on HBO is a 90-minute documentary on Action Park, an amusement park in Vernon, NJ known for violating just about every regulation to which it was subjected. Gene Mulvihill founded the first modern water park — so far; so good — where the visitors to the park had total control over the “rides” (including speed boats) — ummmm — and supervised by teenagers, some of which were too young to work — wait; what? — who were operating on little sleep because they spent every night getting high and have sex with each other. The results were exactly what you expected.

But that’s okay. Our legal system would protect the visitors, right? Legally, the park was required to be insured, regulatory authorities could cite him for irregularities, and people could always sue for damages. Watch the show to see how all of that works out for the victims.

On July 8, 1980, someone died. It was the first of six deaths that occurred in the park. Despite the deaths and injuries, the park didn’t close until 1996, but it eventually reopened and still operates today.

I really enjoyed the show. As always, YMMV.

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Growing-on-Me Watch: Star Trek Lower Decks @StarTrek @CBSAllAccess #GoodWatch

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Star Trek: Lower Decks is CBS’s attempt to capture the magic of Rick & Morty without losing its target audience. That would seem to be a tough sell: trying to do something but tying one’s hands in an important aspect. It certainly started that way. It’s first couple episodes fell flat for me, but even Futurama had a boring first episode. All first episodes are set ups.

Five episodes in, it’s finally growing on me. It’s better than Star Trek: The Animated Series, which was ridiculous. (There was only one good episode, and it was good because the third act was ridiculously funny.) This doesn’t mean I’d ever re-watch and episode of Lower Decks, but it’s decently entertaining, and I’m already paying for it. The gimmick with this series is that its main characters are ensigns rather than ship captains and senior officers. However, the higher-ranked officers get far more attention than was initially advertised, so they don’t really stick to the gimmick.

I think CBS missed the mark on this one, but if it fills the gap between the other shows such that we always have Star Trek, I’m on board. A low production budget show to fill that gap may have been the idea. Besides, Lower Decks may get better.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to watch today’s episode. As always, YMMV.

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Good Watch: 1BR @Netflix #GoodWatch

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I don’t like horror movies. They’re ridiculous. This one’s a little different, and it works for me.

This isn’t a movie about an insane human with no superpowers that somehow gets up after getting stabbed in the neck. This is far more believable, and that makes it more enjoyable to me.

Per Netflix,

Seeking her independence, a young woman moves to Los Angeles and settles into a cozy apartment complex with a disturbing sense of community.

The community seems awesome, but it has a secret, and it doesn’t take long for Sarah to be forced from her comfort zone.

If you’re into horror movies, this may be too tame for you, but I liked it. As always, YMMV.

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The Smithsonian’s Restoration of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise #StarTrek #NCC1701 #TV

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Sundays are now lazy days for me. Going forward, I’m just going to re-post other people’s work or just do something silly. Today, it’s the Smithsonian’s restoration of the original model of Star Trek‘s USS Enterprise.

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Scary Watch: Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons @netflix #crime #prison #GoodWatch

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Holy shit! This is some scary stuff. Netflix’s series, Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons, is well-named series currently consisting of four four-episode seasons, with each episode about 45 minutes long. It doesn’t take long to get scary. They start with a prison in Honduras where the guards lock themselves out and leave discipline to the most dangerous of prisoners. They even arm them, and the “warden” is a convicted killer. The interview with the 19-year-old is heartbreaking, but not in the way you might think. He belongs there. Another guy claims he acted in self-defense but still says he wish he hadn’t killed the deceased. Prison is worth than death for him.

From there, it goes to a Polish prison that keeps prisoners in cells 23 hours a day, Mexico, and a couple of overcrowded prisons in the Philippines. That’s just season one. Season two moves on to an understaffed prison in the Ukraine, a prison in Papua New Guinea where constant food shortages create chaos, and an evangelical prison (!?!?) in Belize.

None of these prisons are in the United States, but the show nevertheless reminds me of three concerns I have. First, do whatever you can to stay out of prison. The notion of spending any time there is terrifying for most of us, and the rest of us are just naive. Second, some people truly belong there. I don’t want them roaming the streets and posing a threat to society, so lock them up and make it uncomfortable. Third, we can’t forget that even the hardest prisoners still retain their humanity, and prison often breaks them. I don’t want prison to be easy, but forgetting their humanity assures us that they’ll continue to be a threat once their time in prison is done. We can’t leave most of them in there forever, so I want them returning to society with the assumption that they have a chance to get their lives back on track. It’s a puzzle for which I don’t have the answer, and unfortunately, as with all other complicated problems we face, each of us tends to look at only one side of the story and refuse to budge when presented with criticism. When we pass that sentiment on to our elected representative, we assure that this puzzle will never be solved.

My first draft of this post was written after having watched the first season, and it included a statement that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to finish it. I’m currently halfway through season 3 and will watch all of season 4. I think I actually got hardened to the imagery after a while. Considering what these prisoners go through, and thus what they may be hardened to, the thought of their release is scary.

This is a very tough watch, but it gives you a lot of food for thought. As always, YMMV.

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Neat Watch: Brave New World @peacockTV #GoodWatch

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NBC Peacock offered their original series, Brave New World, free of charge last weekend. I liked it a lot. The episodes are between 40-50 minutes long, and there are nine of them. From the Peacock website:

In a utopia whose perfection hinges upon control of monogamy and privacy, members of the collective begin to question the rules, putting their regimented society on a collision course with forbidden love and revolution.

In a sense, it was a horror movie for me, but I don’t expect everyone to feel that way. This is probably best described as science-fiction, though it’s also referred to as Utopian or Dystopian. I think of it as trying to achieve the same sort of vibe as Westworld. It’s a different story, and they carve their own path, so I’m not accusing them of doing anything wrong. Among the show’s stars are three actors with whom I’m familiar: Alden Ehrenreich, Hannah John-Kamen, and Demi Moore.

There’s a scene near the end of episode 4 that really hits me. I’m not sure if this is the intention, but it basically says (to me) that you don’t need soma (their mood-improving drug) because there’s music in the world. I doubt that was the precise intent, especially in light of a scene in episode 5, but that’s at least close (or part of) what they’re trying to say.

Is it good? Yes. I liked it a lot and will watch subsequent seasons. However, there’s too much good stuff on Peacock, as well as the other streaming services for which I’m already paying, for me to add another bill. I’ll probably join for a month and spend a weekend watching season 2 and a couple of other shows.

Unfortunately, if you want to watch it now, you’ll have to subscribe to Peacock’s pay service. As always, YMMV.

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Neat Watch: High Score @netflix #VideoGame #GoodWatch

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Netflix has a new limited series called High Score. It’s the story of video games, and it’s fascinating. It’s 6, 40-minute (or so) episodes, and it gives you a great sense of how much video games have evolved. For example, I played the stand-up games in the arcade. Almost 20 years later, I was working on the patents that made Final Fantasy possible. Only 2-1/2 episodes in, and they’ve already covered all that ground. I constantly asked, “Where do they have to go from here?” Every episode, they showed an innovation that changed everything. As a result, you see just how far along video game technology and culture have come in about 40 years.

Even for someone who doesn’t play video games anymore, this was a neat show. As always, YMMV.

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[Yawn] Watch: The Business of Drugs @netflix #Netflix #GoodWatch

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This seems like my kind of show. Inexplicably, it isn’t. The show carves out the path that raw and refined materials take to bring illegal drugs from the fields to your dining room table. I don’t think I’m in a depressive state, but for some reason, the Business of Drugs just couldn’t keep my attention. I made it through two out of six, 40-minute episodes, and then I tapped out.

As always, YMMV.

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Good, Not Great, Watch: Devs @Nick_Offerman @fxnetworks @Hulu #FXonHulu

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To start, I want to say that I liked Devs, which is basically a Black Mirror episode spread out over a season. This post isn’t meant to slam it. The cast is a good mix of established actors and new (to me) ones, and I liked the writing and overall story line. There are however, two reasons I suspect are reasons why I didn’t have the same reaction as others.

First, it was built up. It’s difficult for any show to live up to the kind of hype this one was given. It almost always results in disappointment, which in turn taints your view of an otherwise good (or even great) show. I should probably tell you that it sucks, but that would turn you off to watching it. Instead, I’ll (honestly) say it was good.

Second (bear with and pardon my arrogance), I have an undergraduate degree in physics and often do some reading to keep some things sharp. While I’m far from qualified to work professionally in a lab, the issues raised in this show don’t wow me like they may wow others. They’re obviously interesting to me, which is why I can say I enjoyed the show, but I’m not learning about the concepts for the first time, and at one point knew a lot about it. My lack of amazement perhaps places a limit on my enjoyment that others may not have. Moreover, these ideas are the new thing among movies and TV shows. Been there; done that. That may apply for those without any science background at all.

Obviously, my perspective says nothing as to how much you’ll like it. I was certainly wowed by these ideas when they were first taught to me.

The season is 8 episodes, each of which is between 42 and 56 minutes long. As you know from past posts, I prefer shows with 20-25 minute episodes even if the total amount of content is the same, but I can certainly find time for longer episodes. I watched this season over the course of three days (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday).

I suspect that the average person would at least like this show but maybe love it. As always, YMMV.

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Surprisingly Good Watch: Umbrella Academy, Season 2 @AidanRGallagher @DavidCastanedaJ @ellenpage @emmyraver @justinhmin @katewalsh @Ritu_Arya_ @RobertSheehan @Tomhopperhops @SteveBlackmanTV @UmbrellaAcad @netflix #UmbrellaAcademy

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I wasn’t a fan of season 1 of the Umbrella Academy but found myself watching season 2 anyway. I’m delighted I did. There was something about this season that was completely different for me. I had much more sympathy for the characters (which snowballed as it went on) and was fascinated by the story. Unlike Agent Carter, I had an immediate, positive reaction to the heavy-handed political history that was on display (i.e., African Americans dealing with open, systemic bigotry; and women brushed aside as unimportant and non-threatening). Colm Feore was brilliant as Sir Reginald Hargreeves, but smartly wasn’t given a big enough role to overshadow the main players (who were also pretty damn good).

I also have a thing for alternate history. This season picks up from the cliffhanger from season 1, with the adoptive siblings being teleported back in time to the early 60s. I don’t want to spoil the story, but they get involved with a major historic event that they didn’t realize was part of their own history, while trying to stop yet another apocalypse that never happened in their timeline.

There were two things I didn’t like. First, the soundtrack. The music should have been appropriate for the period (1963). Second, episode 7 requires the characters behave quite stupidly in order to keep the season from ending after 7 episodes. I hate that kind of writing.

Don’t care. Great ending. Great season.

If, like me, you weren’t impressed with season 1, give this series another shot. They really got it right this time. As always, YMMV.

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