# Whatcha Watchin'? (Jan 09) Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 1, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474 "2009-01-01T16:45:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/21 "2009-01-10T21:29:01Z")
I’m on my seond viewing of _In Bruges_, which was recommended by several Dopers. Thanks! It’s going to be a favorite – it’s even better the second time. Last night I caught the repeat of the season opener of _Nip/Tuck_, at **Shayna’s** urging. I think I’ll keep watching. There was no Julia, and Matt seems to be making a nice character change. Haven’t decided if I’ll watch _Damages_ this season. I just don’t like the way it’s structured – too tricksie, like the flashbacks and forwards are compensating for the lack of a really engaging story. And I don’t like Rose Byrne. She shouldn’t have a chance against Patty Hewes. It’s not believable. _Big Love_ starts in a week, and I think _American Idol_ starts this week. Is there gonna be a fourth judge? ---
**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:** [January 10, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/22 "2009-01-10T21:37:38Z")
I’m looking forward to _Big Love_, and to the second season of _Flight of the Conchords_. _The Closer_ starts back up this month, too. I have _Burn After Reading_ and _Babylon, A. D_. to watch this weekend. ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/23 "2009-01-10T21:44:24Z")
So far this year, I’ve watched: Seasons 1 and 2 of Californication The only season of Undeclared. Another show that shouldn’t have been canceled so soon. Boy A The Rocker Season 3 of the IT Crowd And will be seeing soon (hopefully or for sure): Gran Torino Slumdog Millionaire Burn After Reading 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days Doubt Revolutionary Road And excited for new House and the Office. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/24 "2009-01-10T21:54:36Z")
I’m 2/3s of the way through a Lord of the Rings revisit. I’d originally seen only Fellowship and ROTK in the theatres–I was so disgusted with Fellowship that I skipped TT, and only saw ROTK because I was dragged to it. This time, I’m enjoying the films quite a bit. The difference? When I originally saw Fellowship, I had just finished reading the novels again to prepare. I was able to spot every significant deviation from the source material, and to take offense at it. This time, I can just watch the movies more or less as if I’d never read the books. It helps. 🙂 Other than that, I’ve just started working on seasons 4/1 of **Buffy** / **Angel**. (No spoilers, please!) I’m having a lot of fun with **Leverage** and **SW: The Clone Wars** , and **Monk** and **Psych** have both just come back for their winter/spring seasons. I’m also watching **Firefly** and **Doctor Who** as the mood strikes me. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/25 "2009-01-10T22:17:42Z")
My husband and I just watched the documentary [God Grew Tired of Us](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Grew_Tired_of_Us), and were deeply moved. It is a story about the Lost Boys of Sudan, told almost exclusively in their own words, and documents their experiences coming to the United States. One thing I appreciated the most is that the United States was not presented as a kind of panacea for the suffering of the refugees, and the film does a fantastic job of documenting their ambivalence about living and working in the U.S. I am usually intensely uncomfortable with films about such protracted suffering, but the filmmakers do an excellent job of underscoring the gravity of the situation without resorting to excessively shocking imagery. (The film is rated PG.) If you’re feeling down about your situation, this one is a good refresher course in gratitude–and it has some genuinely funny moments. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/26 "2009-01-11T00:38:11Z")
Finished season one of **Pushing Daisies** on DVD and caught up with the last of this season of **Dexter** on On Demand. Liked both - Dexter was solid and PD was appropriately quirky. Might be starting to burn out slightly on Bryan Fuller, though. This one seems a bit weaker than its predecessors and I’m not sure it has the dramatic legs to sustain the storyline. Have to see how the aborted season 2 did when it finally comes out. Just started **Battlestar Galactica 4.0** on DVD. Much as I like the show, I’m always falling behind on it and having to catch up on disc. Like the first two episodes pretty well, which is good because I thought most of season 3 was pretty weak. Then again season 3 started strong too, before sinking into the decent-mediocre range. After that I’m finally going to try to get through **American Gothic** on DVD, which I bought about a year ago. Looking forward to **Lost** and, eventually, **BG 4.5**. Otherwise I’m not currently watching any active TV shows. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/27 "2009-01-11T01:01:24Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > After that I’m finally going to try to get through **American Gothic** on DVD, which I bought about a year ago. I love that show. If your DVD set is the same as mine, the episodes aren’t in the correct order. It makes a difference. Here’s the correct viewing order: Pilot A Tree Grows In Trinity Eye Of The Beholder Damned If You Don’t Dead To The World Potato Boy Meet The Beetles Strong Arm Of The Law To Hell And Back The Beast Within Rebirth Ring Of Fire Resurrector Inhumanitas The Plague Sower Doctor Death Takes A Holiday Learning To Crawl Echoes Of Your Last Goodbye Triangle Strangler The Buck Stops Here Requiem ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/28 "2009-01-11T01:05:23Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I love that show. If your DVD set is the same as mine, the episodes aren’t in the correct order. It makes a difference. Yep :). I had started it ( maybe two years ago? ), was enjoying it, then found myself getting confused or distracted and stopped. In retrospect I think that is _exactly_ what happened to me. Stupid incompetent DVD producers ( I’m looking at you too, Judd Apatow! ). ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/29 "2009-01-15T16:09:22Z")
I’ve been on a kick with romantic comedies – _Someone Like You_ (which I think I’ve seen before but which I watched anyway – Hugh Jackman _and_ Greg Kinnear? I’m there), _27 Dresses, Lucky Seven,_ etc. – so for some reason decided to watch _The House Bunny_. I don’t know why I thought a movie about a major bimbo becoming housemother of a sorority filled with misfit girls would subvert the conventions of the genre or otherwise have fun with our expectations, but it sure as shit didn’t. It’s really, really bad. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/30 "2009-01-15T21:55:28Z")
_Barton Fink_ – and I’m sure glad I never saw the trailer; it gave too much away, as often happens with trailers. It’s really hard to choose a favorite Coen brothers film, and the more of them I see, the harder it gets. I haven’t seen _Miller’s Crossing_ yet, or _Burn After Reading_. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/31 "2009-01-16T04:14:22Z")
Lucky for me, one of the movies recommended in the dark-dramatic thread was on TV tonight – _In the Valley of Elah_. It was dark and dramatic, but Haggis (I hated _Crash_) needs to crank it back a bit. Is “subtle” in his repertoire? Does he have to hit us over the head and spoon feed us at the same time? I feel like I’ve been beat up, just like I did after watching _Crash_. Next time I’ll check to see who directed before I waste my time. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/32 "2009-01-17T00:16:39Z")
Finally finished Cashback. A mostly boring movie with a sweet moment at the end. I suppose that this is what happens when you take an artsy indie short and stretch it into a feature-length film. I can’t recommend it. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2009, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/33 "2009-01-17T23:31:02Z")
_Burn After Reading_ was okay, not my favorite Coen brothers film. Funny in a few spots. _Babylon, A.D_ was terrible. I’m a sucker for sci-fi, I like Vin Diesel, and I went into it with low expectations, and it was still awful. Choppy, confusing plot and bad dialog. I have _The Duchess_ and _The Dark Knight_ to watch this weekend. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/34 "2009-01-18T00:01:12Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Finally finished Cashback. A mostly boring movie with a sweet moment at the end. I suppose that this is what happens when you take an artsy indie short and stretch it into a feature-length film. I can’t recommend it. Huh. I liked it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/35 "2009-01-18T00:04:09Z")
After months of trying to finish it, I finally put down _Un Lun Dun._ Maybe it was aimed at too young of a crowd. Maybe it is a British/American humor thing - maybe if you liked Monty Python you would like this. I dunno, but it was never mildly humorous and seemed to me the author was just making up odd things because he was trying to make it silly for the kids. The final straw was when he introduced a character who had a bird-cage for a head - and the bird whistles instead of him talking. There seemed to be no reason for him having a bird cage for a head, other than the protagonist needed to catch a bird. I just don’t care what happens. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/36 "2009-01-18T01:34:44Z")
[Nelson Muntz] HA ha! **Khadaji** posted a book in the movie thread! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/37 "2009-01-18T12:18:13Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > [Nelson Muntz] HA ha! **Khadaji** posted a book in the movie thread! 😛 😛 Thanks for catching it. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/38 "2009-01-18T16:26:33Z")
I’m plowing through _Alias_ for some reason. It’s not great, but it’s entertaining enough that I’ll see it through. I was pleased to note that a lot of the things that really annoyed me about the first two seasons are gone from the third. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/39 "2009-01-22T16:55:55Z")
Just finished _Wanted_, a fast, action-filled fun ride. Perfect for what I watch DVDs for (I watch while on the elliptical.) I wanted to see this in the theater but was sick at the time, so I missed it. I remember people say that Angelina Jolie was too thin in it, and I have to agree. She did not look healthy. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474/40 "2009-01-22T21:50:19Z")
I just rediscovered a great show from my childhood - _Count Duckula_. Ever notice how the best 80s cartoons had ducks in them? I’m gonna watch _Saw 5_ tonight. It can’t be any worse than 4 was…can it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-watchin-jan-09-thread/479474.md?page=3)