# Whatcha Watchin' (Feb '09) Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 31, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902 "2009-01-31T19:55:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/1 "2009-01-31T19:55:00Z")
As is my tradition, I am starting this thread a day early. [Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=499885) is a link to last month’s thread. Just came back from _Taken_. I went to the first showing and was surprised to see it was packed. I haven’t been to the theater in a while because there have been so few that I wanted to see. This did not disappoint - thoroughly satisfying action film. In ways it reminded me of the Bourne movies - quick fight scenes that were pretty realistic (most of the time.) ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/2 "2009-01-31T20:02:19Z")
Just saw _Slingblade_, which was brilliant. Also saw _Blood Diamond_; not bad, but not all that engaging. I plan to watch _Pi_ sometime this weekend, and I watched the first 15 minutes of _Zoo_ the other day (I’ll watch the rest of that after _Pi_). ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/3 "2009-02-01T01:14:10Z")
I watched _Journey to the Center of the Earth_ last night, and that was fun. James Mason leads the expedition as Professor Lindenbrook. Pat Boone’s lame accent is hilarious and they had to have him sing because he was a heartthrob at the time the movie was made. Arlene Dahl has to remove her stays: hubba, hubba! The rest of it is just a good time with bad science: interior oceans! dinosaurs! Atlantis!! Plus, the way they filmed the ride up the volcano is always a total _what the hell is **that** about_ kind of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/4 "2009-02-01T03:37:52Z")
Over the last few months I’ve been watching James Bond movies with my kids. We’re up to _Goldeneye_, which we watched tonight. Pierce Brosnan and Sean Bean were lovely. It’s been fun watching the stunts and special effects gradually improve, but the movies are steadily getting more violent and more explicit. I distracted my younger son during several scenes of this one - like when the woman killed her lover by squeezing him to death between her legs. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/5 "2009-02-01T03:42:29Z")
I am in the middle of Season 2 of \*\*Battlestar Galactica \*\*on Netflix. Frackin’ awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/6 "2009-02-01T03:57:48Z")
We just started watching _House_. We’re Netflixing and somewhere near the end of season 1. My husband and I don’t just talk about the show, we _argue_ about the show. We’ve argued about the ethical implications of the staff dining with pharmaceutical reps. We’ve argued about whether certain individuals are too hard on House. We’ve argued about whether Mr. Control Freak Business Dude is a legitimate choice for creating tension, or just a weak plot device. We haggle over the likely motivations for a smile, a wink, a putdown, a wince, a look between characters. We try to predict what’s going to happen next. We haven’t had such animated television-related discussion since\* Star Trek: Deep Space Nine\*. We’re losing sleep. This is a damn good show. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/7 "2009-02-04T20:54:17Z")
Just finished _Righteous Kill_, which I liked even if it was a little bit predictable. De Niro and Pacino did a great job, better than I’ve seen them in a few years. No scenery chewing. I did figure it out early - is that why it got all the hate it did? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/8 "2009-02-14T12:47:14Z")
Just finished _Max Payne_. It was even worse than I had anticipated. I originally had wanted to see it in the theater but found it was given bad reviews and decided to wait until it came out on DVD. I was wise to do so. Predictable, trite and all the words that go along with said descriptions. Even Mila Kunis, one of my current dirty-old-man crushes, couldn’t brighten the movie. She was totally wrong for the part and her character was a waste. (On the up side, she did make a few appearances in my dreams last night.) I do not recommend you see it, even as a mindless action film. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/9 "2009-02-17T00:53:06Z")
Finished Babylon A.D. Another one I wanted to see in the theater, another one that I’m glad I waited. It was just dull. I keep wanting Vin Diesel to do something good, but I guess I’m gonna be disappointed. I do not recommend you see it, even as a mindless action film. ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/10 "2009-02-17T01:12:31Z")
I saw _Coraline_ in 3D, loved it. I spent the weekend watching the _Bourne_ trilogy and found them entertaining. I also watched the first two _Friday the 13th_ movies and found them to be decent slasher flicks. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanTigerTamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@SuntanTigerTamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanTigerTamer)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/11 "2009-02-17T01:37:58Z")
Tonight, I will be watching **The Prestige** , as it was recommended so highly in another thread. Recently started watching **Fring** e and **The Wi** re. The Wire has me hooked, bad, and Fringe is merely OK. I don’t watch a ton of TV if I’m not at work, so if it stays OK I will bail on it and try something else. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/12 "2009-02-17T01:54:43Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Finished Babylon A.D. > > Another one I wanted to see in the theater, another one that I’m glad I waited. It was just dull. I keep wanting Vin Diesel to do something good, but I guess I’m gonna be disappointed. > > I do not recommend you see it, even as a mindless action film. Wasn’t it awful? I wish Vin Diesel would find something good to do, too. I watched the pilot of _Dead Like Me_ over the weekend. I wasn’t blown away by it, but I’ll give it a couple more episodes. I like Mandy Patinkin. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/13 "2009-02-17T02:56:27Z")
I just finished watching **The Visitor** , starring Richard Jenkins, who was nominated for an Academy Award. What a wonderful film! ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/14 "2009-02-17T03:13:32Z")
I saw _Frost/Nixon_ on Saturday. It accomplished the impossible – it made me feel sympathy for Nixon. It was a very good movie. Michael Sheen was great. The missus and I have also been Netflixing _Homicide: Life on the Street_. It’s just about as good as I remembered it. We’re in the third season. I keep meaning to start a CS thread comparing _Homicide_ and _The Wire_ – both crime shows set in Baltimore; some of the same actors; Clark Lewis from \*Homicide \*directed a \*Wire \*or two, etc. They’re very different shows, but I think \*Homicide \*holds its own in a comparison with _The Wire_. We also just Netflixed _After the Thin Man_. I liked the original _Thin Man_ a bit better, but any excuse to moon over Myrna Loy is all right by me. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/15 "2009-02-21T02:26:24Z")
Just finished \*Invincible \*. I quite liked it. I’m a sucker for chump-to-champ movies. This had a little of everything. Chump-to-champ, a cute little romance (Holy hell Elizabeth Banks is adorable), father-son bonding. It made me forgive Mark Wahlberg for Max Payne. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/16 "2009-02-21T02:56:33Z")
Just saw _Down by Law_ for the first time. Really well shot, like all of Jarmusch’s movies. Slow moving and mildly comic, but enjoyable if you know what you’re in for. Saw _The Dam Busters_ before that. World war 2 adventure first about the development of water skipping bombs that could be used to attack German dams, and then about the raid on those dams. A little dry, but the bombing scenes were tense. George Lucas copied them in the Death Star run is Star Wars. I’m still plowing through _Alias_, now on season four. It isn’t all that great, but it’s just good enough to keep me watching, which I kind of resent. It’s badly miscast. Jennifer Garner sucks as an actress, though Victor Garber is pretty cool. I think season 3 was probably the high point. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/17 "2009-02-21T03:28:45Z")
_Fargo_, over a period of about a week. I love the movie but it’s hard to take in one sitting. On one of the special features, they talked about having to truck in snow for some of the scenes – it was the second warmest northern Minnesota winter in 100 years. Filmmakers can’t catch a break, can they? But seriously, if you were asked to describe Steve Buscemi, wouldn’t you be able to come up with something better than “funny looking”? There’s the eyes, the forehead, the teeth. If he ever did want to commit a crime, he’d be ID’d and caught instantly. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/18 "2009-02-26T14:56:12Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > _Fargo_, over a period of about a week. I love the movie but it’s hard to take in one sitting. I like _Fargo_, but I almost can’t watch the scenes where they are kidnapping the wife, and where she’s being held prisoner. I finally watched _The Dark Knight_, and I’ll be in the minority and say that I didn’t like it very much. Maybe I’m just tired of Batman, or maybe the whole thing was too dark for me. I don’t enjoy watching elaborate, contrived psychological torture scenarios. I’m a Whedon fan, but I’m disappointed with _Dollhouse_. _Big Love_ is having a great season, and I’ve been enjoying _The Closer_ and _Flight of the Conchords_. I have the last four _Battlestar Galactica_ episodes queued up on my DVR, and I’ve been trying to get in the mood to watch them. I really hate the entire direction they have taken this series which I used to enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/19 "2009-02-26T15:28:09Z")
We just watched \*Guess Who’s coming to Dinner? \*We had never seen it before, but watching it in 2009 has some interesting quirks: - Discussion about half-white half-black children growing up to be President of the United States - Discussion about love and happiness against the bigotry of the world in the aftermath of Prop 8. It’s a really good movie, and seeing it while knowing what we know now is fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902/20 "2009-02-26T15:44:20Z")
I’ve just started watching _Gilmore Girls_, and I’m about halfway into the first season. I’m a fan of snappy dialogue, and though I don’t think it’s the most literate TV ever, it’s pretty damn good. Lorelai can be annoying as hell, but I’m enjoying watching her relationship with her mom develop. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-feb-09-thread/483902.md?page=2)