Friday, October 01, 2021

What I'm Watching


Ted Lasso

Of course. Who isn't? My kid sent me a PM asking, why is everyone losing their shit over Ted Lasso? Isn't it just a show about a soccer coach? I sent back, Ted Lasso saved my life.

I'm not saying it will save your life. I was extremely depressed and feeling generally hopeless, and this show is about persevering in the face of that hopelessness (and about a soccer coach), as well as being about people who do the right thing. Also it's funny. Also, the actor who plays Roy Kent is extremely hot. Also, lots of accents. You know I love dialectical English.

Season Two has started to deal with some darker issues, but I'm still watching. Free on Apple TV if you have a Apple device, or you can buy the season on YouTube.


Lupin

This is a French series, in French. I heard good things about it, but mainly I am watching it to practice my French. I am up to 524 days on Duolingo, and can understand about half of what's being said on screen. (I keep the subtitles on, but only check them when I get stuck.

It's also a pretty good show, at least so far, about the son of a Senegalese immigrant whose father was wrongly convicted of theft and who is trying to clear his father's name while being himself hunted by the French police, because he also makes his living as a 'gentleman thief.' His name isn't actually Lupin; apparently that's a name he takes from a book series he read as a kid. (I'm only on episode two.)

On Netflix.



The Darkest Hour

Not the one about Churchill. This is about two young software engineers who go to Russia to pitch an app to some business there and while they are in Russia aliens made of wave-form energy invade. Basically a horror-SF movie, but I enjoyed it. Very few Russian characters for a show set in Russia, but I did like the guy living in a Faraday cage with his cat in Faraday armor, that was fun.

On Netflix.


Law & Order: UK

Copaganda. Don't waste your time unless you're really interested in English dialects.

Free on Amazon if you have Amazon Prime.


4 comments:

Nanani said...

I'm guessing you aren't familiar with Arsène Lupin?
He's probably the most famous gentleman thief in French literature if not ever. Classic novels from the turn of the (last) century.
Being a francophone I sometimes get blindsided by things that just haven't actually filtered out to other spheres - Given that there's been anime loosely about this character (Lupin III) I really thought it was one of those universally known pop culture things.
I haven't watched the netflix series but this is just to say that it's not just a random book characer. They probably assume audience familiarity just like a story about a vampire would expect the audience to know the name Dracula.

delagar said...


French Lit is my weak spot, so yes, I'd never heard of Lupin. I've read a little Balzac (in English), and that's about it.

Now that I'm learning French, maybe I can fill some gaps!

nicoleandmaggie said...

If you get a chance, the Miyazaki movie of Lupin III (the half-Japanese anime thief who is the grandson of the original French Lupin) is extremely good. Castle of Cagliostro. All the other movies are of varying quality, some quite bad. I like the series a lot but it's definitely dated. I am going to have Lupin III's theme stuck in my head now.

delagar said...

Ooo, Miyazaki!