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A mixed bag last night, we watched the second celeb episode of Popmasters latest series, and it was enjoyable despite the poor performance by some. By mistake, we watched a Beach Boys story which was on Amazon instead of a new documentary of the BBs on Disney Plus. This was a docudrama made in the 1990s but it was quite good so we stuck with it. Mrs D is watching Dance Moms, a screeching banshee of mum rows interlaced with kids dancing, I go on my laptop. Better than her usual crime shows I endure.

DWD

Ok a slightly different one as it's a cinema showing so perhaps most might not be in a position to watch it. Last night we went to Star City in Birmingham to watch a low budget independent film called A Game of Two Halves. We are friends with the director and one of the producers and it's the director's first film. That said we didn't approach it with an attitude that "it'll be good because it's our friends".
The film itself is about a British Indian student getting a fellowship at university with overseas placement. He wants to go to the US but his girlfriend changes the form and he finds himself sent to Hydrabad. It's his first time in India and he hates it. He prefers fish and chips , doesn't speak the language and everything just seems grotty to him. His placement is to teach kids football but the "school" is little more than a bit of rubbish strewn wasteland. The kids live in pretty poor conditions but he's also introduced to his Uncle and Auntie who have a much more lavish lifestyle. Despite his misgivings he eventually warms to the poor kids.
It's a decent film , not perfect but then nothing is , no car chases or gunfights but worth watching. It does seem to highlight how difficult the film industry is to get into. The cinema was pretty sparsely populated and if it wasn't for knowing the director we probably wouldn't have known it was on.

It sounds like a Slumdog variant. Not my cuppa I am afraid.

DWD

To be honest I've never seen the Slumdog film so can't really compare although I didn't go out of my way to try and watch it. As I said I've known Khayam the director and Claire the producer for many years now which is how I heard of it. I've seen some films from this part of the world I've given up on so I know what you mean. The plot was such that it could have probably have been set anywhere really , Khayam is of Indian descent so just seemed natural I suppose.
Trailer
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10530672/

The trailer sparked my interest so I will look it up when it gets to the streamers. We have been to the cinema for ages now, we never see a film on that I would spend £30 for us to see.

DWD

I know what you mean. We probably haven't been out to the cinema for a decade now and can't really remember the last thing we saw. I don't know how they work out the prices either , some as you say are expensive but on friday I paid £23 for four tickets. Mind , my daughter's boyfriend brought some cokes and popcorn and that was a rip off.

We started the new Netflix series Eric. I do not normally like child abduction cases but this is a little different. Cumberbatch stars and he is a little irritating, I wonder if he is acting as he is always the same in each role. This is quite well done set in the 90s (I think) it captures the period well. A range of characters and a bit of bumming to get the tick box approval.

DWD

We enjoyed a Netflix film called Hitman. Mrs D had not been enthusiastic about it but our son said it was a good watch. The title is misleading as it is quite a good story, not what you think, based on true events. The female lead can be irritating but all in we enjoyed it.

We will also be watching another film called Old Dads which seems very funny from a clip I saw see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU01e6KjM2s

DWD

We watched "Taken 3" last night (Netflix) unusually for the third outing, it was very good, plenty of action, same actress playing his daughter, so the chemistry was there.

I am watching Tour de France Unchained on Netflix which is the second series of the behind-the-scenes documentary showing you the hardships of pro bike riding. This series is so well done it shows how these guys suffer and all the pressures the team faces taking fitness route terrain and race team tactics into account. It must be one of the toughest sports. I have always enjoyed cycling and I have watched the big three grand tours, The Giro d Italia, La Vuelta, and the Tour de France for many years. Even if cycling does not appeal this series is more about how it happens, the highs and lows of being a pro.

Incidentally, I read this week that Bradley Wiggins is potless and bankrupt now. Pro cyclists in the main are well-spoken good communicators and good sports. I never felt he was, his comments always were snarky and shallow and he was never a good ambassador for the sport. This is something you will understand if you watch this series.

DWD

dewaltdisney wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2024 8:08 am behind-the-scenes documentary

I tend to enjoy these types of programmes. I started with Drive to Survive and then the Nascar one. I see Netflix has a new series about the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, although, for some reason, Mrs d’A isn’t so keen to watch that one

I saw that Mrs D was not keen either She has been watching some megalomaniac called Abbie on Dance Moms which is infinitely better than the real Crime shows she normally inflicts on me.

DWD

I have just finished Clarksons Farm on Amazon. I watched an episode a week as I did not want to binge-watch the series and I have enjoyed them all. It had a lovely finale at the end with them all having a campfire meal. But the underlying fact of this series is the difficulties farmers have and the lack of support they get in trying to keep the nation fed. Everything is against them, the weather being both friend and foe. The mixed wheat and beans crop failed, I am not sure why as they glossed over that. Clarkson has done more for farming than anyone and the Kaleb Jeremy partnership is brilliant.

DWD

Just a heads up, I've been perusing the channel guides and apparently at 7.55 tonight there is a brilliant new comedy on channel 4. Unmissable...

wine~o wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 4:31 pm at 7.55 tonight there is a brilliant new comedy on channel 4

More “re-elect us and we’ll do this and we’ll do that…” If that’s true, why the hell haven’t they done any of those things already? They really do think we are stupid, although I guess a sizeable chunk of the population don’t really care. That fact that Sunak does think we are stupid is the biggest insult.