Deadloch is
I have to say, there is programming here that makes January so much more tolerable. We start with the latest series of Traitors UK; then there’s the weirdly watchable blend of mid and melodrama that is Call the Midwife; and this weekend the new series of Death in Paradise (the show so popular that I no longer qualify the pleasure as “guilty”). It’s a very soothing entry to the new semester that gives me exactly what I can consume when my brain is fried.
Meanwhile, I’m trying to figure out how I can schedule in a screening of The Brutalist. It’s 3.5 hours which limits screenings whilst the length is tricky to fit into my diary, particularly at start of term and facing a few deadlines.
Is that Season 14, episode 1, or is more available somewhere?
You ain’t kidding. I really want to see this but have little hope my partner will a) have a big enough window, and b) will want to give that window up for 200+ minute, slow, art house/oscar-bait drama. She’s less interested in things that aren’t either craggy men riding horses or stuff going boom.
It’s S14.
And done with the second season of Mr. Mercedes, which had a quite satisfying ending, so… the fact that there’s a third season is puzzling. But we’re plot-committed now.
Jubilee (1978) - dir. Derek Jarman
Alchemist John Dee, played by Richard O’Brien (Riff Raff from The Rocky Horror Picture Show!!) summons the angel Ariel for his patron, Queen Elizabeth I. The angel transports them to a future, lawless London, ruled by gangs of punks with a decidedly queer, New Wave edge to them with names like Crabs, Medusa, and Amyl Nitrate. Western society has collapsed and is wholly owned by Borgia Ginz, a freakishly prescient Jeff Bezos-like billionaire played with absolutely scenery-shredding glee by Jack Birkett.
Jarman’s films usually veer into highly experimental, experiential, ‘art film’ territory. While Jubilee is one of his more straightforward, accessible films, there’s really not a lot of plot going on. There’s some business about Ginz coopting the punks’ music for the Eurovision contest, and appearances by folks like Brian Eno and Adam Ant, but a lot of it is edgy philosophical commentary and what would have then been shockingly frank scenes of sexuality, especially queer sexuality. If you’re given to that mindset, there’s a lot to like here, but the average viewer looking for conventional narrative will check out pretty quickly. It’s a pretty fascinating window into a particular time, and I was genuinely surprised (and a little depressed) on how the social criticism and satire are still, unfortunately, DEEPLY relevant here in 2025.
3 of 5 Flock-of-Seagulls hairdos and angry political manifestos
I’ve watched 4 episodes and agree with @Saregama it is hard to get into, very confusing, but it’s sorta got a flow going now so I’ll stick with it.
eta: Talking about The Agency.
Agree
Regarding “Black Doves”, I don’t want to like this, but I’m watching Episode 2. I fear I was the only one who was convinced Sam and Jason were the same character at least half way through the first episode.
I liked it LOL. All of it.
Similar looking but IMDb lists them as two different actors.
We recently started watching Suits for the first time, and are really enjoying it. It is very well written, with an excellent cast. We are in the early parts of the 6th season.
I’m not sure about the upcoming Suits LA reboot. I will give it a try, but I’m not sure if they can match the excellent cast of the original Suits.
O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization (1985) - dir. Piotr Szulkin
It has been a year since the nuclear holocaust has wiped out civilization. Anyone left was herded by whatever military was left to an underground shelter in the mountains, where the dregs of humanity grind through a miserable existence, trapped in a world of cold, damp warrens that’s slowly falling apart around them. In order to keep morale up, a myth of an Ark was created, that will collect the survivors and take them to space. Petty squabbles and power plays occur depending on what people have been promised on the Ark. The society is highly stratified, with the more ‘wealthy’ or former military living in relative comfort, while the masses are fed with processed starch block made from shredding and compressing old books.
That’s the general dystopian vibe, and the film plays out something like a cross between bitterness and hopelessness of Tarkovsky, crossed with the absurdity and deeply black comedy of Terry Gilliam. The world is perpetually backlit in cold blues and sickly greens, with only the barest touches of color to brighten things up.
Things proceed more or less as one might expect , but this piece has a lot to say about religion, capitalism (natch!) and the uselessness of authority.
The performances are quite good, and the dark humor keeps things from a bogging down too much.
Made in Poland just at the tail communism, there’s a pretty clear disgust with systems and authority that comes through loud and clear. It’s a fascinating snapshot of a particular place in the timeline.
3.5 out of 5 tins of beef off the black market.
After watching the final 2 episodes of Mr. Mercedes we started the first episode of The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, but had to stop midway cuz we old and we were tired
Gave up on Mr. Whicher after the first episode. Bit of a snore fest, with perhaps the fashion of the day (horrible haircuts, beard-styles, and outfits) being the most interesting / terrifying thing about it. Not sure how anyone got laid at the time, but here we are
We started The Diplomat, which we found intriguing enough to watch 3 episodes.
Our wind-down treat, however — and what a treat it was — was the first part of Planet Earth: Asia, Beneath the Waves. Absolutely stunning footage, as we’ve come to expect from the series, but the highlight was being introduced to the adorable creature that is the sea bunny. Much cuter than the beloved and ever-popular axolotl
Intriguing? I must’ve been in a generous mood when I wrote that. We canned it, finding the whole thing rather tedious. Neither of us are in the mood for a show about politics when there’s enough of that ish going on IRL, and the dialogue as well as Keri Russell’s character’s perpetual annoyance at everything certainly didn’t sway us to continue.
Instead, we started the Western series That Dirty Black Bag, which was far more entertaining. Not familiar with any of the actors, save for Aidan Gillen who is not nearly as sexy as he was in GoT (i.e. did not need to see him topless ), but just as creepy.
Finished the night with another stunning episode of Planet Earth: Asia.
Hope you don’t mind my sharing that with my brother who is in film.
By all means! I’m glad to know that anyone thinks my opinions worth considering.
I’ve been giving up on things left and right but did enjoy the 2nd season of the diplomat especially the last two episodes with Allison Janney.
We turned off the second episode of Deadloch last night because the out of town detective’s shtick was getting super tiresome. I feel bad because I know lots of people loved the show.