Thursday, May 27, 2021

Thursday Movie Picks #359: TMP Television Edition - Globetrotting (Scripted, Non-reality, Non-travel, Non-docu series)



Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five titles and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is TMP Television Edition - Globetrotting (Scripted, Non-reality, Non-travel, Non-docu series)

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Today's theme has a long subtitle because I wanted to be clear that it should not include Lifestyle/Educational/Travel type of shows nor Reality TV type shows. Basically your picks have to be scripted drama, action, thriller or whatever genre that has characters globetrotting that is they travel around the world to many countries (not just on some trip within America). Here are the 3 TV series I like. (My post today is sans TV Posters...I can't seem to upload any images. Anyone experiencing this problem on blogger today?)

Outlander (2014 - )
The series follows Claire, the Outlander in the story, a WW2 nurse who while in Scotland got sucked into an opening of some time portal and is spat back out in 18th century Scotland.
Yes this is about a time traveler but she also does travel around the world while she is stuck in the 18th century. The story starts off in Scotland but in the other seasons Claire would travel to France, Jamaica and America.

Patriot (2015 - 2018)  
An intelligence officer assumes a non-official cover in order to facilitate the purchase of a foreign election. An easy pick for today's theme are spy series because the characters are sure to do a lot of traveling. Now this series was a surprise because neither the title nor the plot particular interested me but it had good reviews so I gave it a watch and I like it. Patriot is a dark comedy drama thriller. Think spy drama and you'd imagine charismatic characters, undercover costume changes, cool gadgets and slick action. Not so much here. Nothing is really cool, it's more about the things that can go wrong will probably go wrong. The main character is probably a good undercover agent but he gets terrible support from his support team so he finds himself endlessly trying to fix one problem that is a consequence of receiving bad intel which only causes other unexpected problems that further need fixing. All of it is taking its toll and he is spiraling into depression and suicidal tendencies. That all sounds very bleak but its is also quirky and funny. And yes the main character does of course travel; he goes to Amsterdam, Milwaukee, Luxembourg and Paris.
 
The Flight Attendant  (2020 - )
A flight attendant, an alcoholic, after a night of heavy drinking wakes up in a bed in a hotel in a foreign country beside a dead man. Unable to remember what happened and fearful of being held up in a foreign country, she goes on to her next flight and does her job like nothing has happened until they land in New York and the flight crew is brought in for questioning by the FBI. This is another surprise because I had read the book this was adapted from and it had been more of a drama thriller, but this TV series totally change the tone of it making it more of dark comedy thriller but it still works well. Since the main character is flight attendant, travel is a given; she travels to Bangkok, Seoul, New York and Rome. This has been renewed for a second season so I'm looking forward to what new adventures or trouble the main character gets herself into.

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Thursday, May 20, 2021

Thursday Movie Picks #358: Cyberpunk



Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Cyberpunk

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This was quite tough. I had a general idea of what cyberpunk was but had to look it up just to be sure. So basically it's "science fiction sub-genre where the protagonists, usually antiheroes, are trapped in a futuristic dystopian society dominated by computer technology". I'm picking three of my most recent watches that fit the sub-genre.

Upgrade (2018)
After an attack that killed his wife also left him a quadriplegic, Grey is offered a secret experimental operation where he receives a chip implant that allows him to regain his mobility. Disappointed that the police investigation of the attack that killed his wife hasn't gotten anywhere, now secretly mobile, he begins his own investigation. I really really like this. Great story and the action is very slick. I highly recommend this if you like dark futuristic Black Mirror-esque type of stories.
 
Mute (2018)
Set in the same world as Moon (2009), a mute bartender goes up against shady characters to find his missing girlfriend. This is a disappointing spinoff sequel. The crime drama story is so-so but my main complaint is that the story just isn't that embedded in the futuristic tech world and thus the setting seems unnecessary. The story could have worked just as well set in the present day.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
 A current Blade Runner, K, discovers a secret that leads him to track the missing former Blade Runner, Deckard. Visually this movie is so stunning to look at. However, I don't feel as invested in the story and characters as I was in the 1982 Blade Runner.
 
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Thursday, May 13, 2021

Thursday Movie Picks #357: Period Dramas


Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Period Dramas

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This is one of those themes I do every year because there are just a lot of period dramas and new ones released every year. Today I'm simply picking 3 period dramas that I recently watched.

My Cousin Rachel (2017)
A young man believes his late older cousin's new wife is responsible for his death. But when she comes to visit him, he becomes enchanted with her. The basic premise is interesting and sorta reminds me of Doubt...it is the whole suspicion of a crime. However what Doubt does well is that the crux of the drama is that characters are tormented by their suspicion; if there is no crime then they are wrong to be suspicious or what if they are right, which is worst, that a crime has really be committed. My Cousin Rachel in that respect is lacking...the main character is naive and seeming fickle and flip flopping...he hates Rachel than becomes enchanted with her and then hates her again with very little inner turmoil for having even suspected Rachel for doing a deed that he can't prove.
 
Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017)
The movie tells the story of the relationship of A.A. Milne and his son Christopher Robin and the creation of Winnie the Pooh. I thought this was going to be super boring but it was really charming (the scenes of young Christopher Robin in the woods which became the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh) and also emotional particularly at the end. This probably makes a good cautionary tale for those parenting bloggers and instragrammers who overshare their children's lives.
 
1917 (2019)
Two soldiers are sent on a mission to deliver a message to stop a regiment from walking into a trap. I like it. It's this scary tense almost impossible mission that's cleverly filmed as if it is one long take which also makes the audience feel they're there in the thick of it. And I especially like the ending. After a grueling journey we're sorta start to believe that if the soldiers get to their destination and deliver the message that would be a great achievement, a turning point. But it's not really. It's just one message among many messages and many more battles to come.

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Thursday, May 6, 2021

Thursday Movie Picks #356: Oscar Winners Edition: Best Director


Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Oscar Winners Edition: Best Director

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Last week I made a super lengthy post. Today I'm keeping it short. Here are my three favourites.

A Man for All Seasons (1966)
I've picked this one a few times before. It's a great movie that swept several awards at the 1967 Oscars including Best Director for Fred Zinnemann.
 
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
I think Peter Jackson should have won for The Fellowship of the Ring since he shot all three movies at the same time, but it seemed that there was a lot more competition in the category at the 2002 Oscars compared to the 2004 one.
 
The Departed (2006) 
Mob movies tend to bore me but this tension-filled crime thriller directed by Martin Scorsese was interesting and thrilling with its twist and turns.
 
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