Do you have a film/series that is perfection for you?

[Pamela Jo]

For me it's Umbrella Academy. Usually with a film or series I think that's good, but I wish "fill in the blanks" was better. But the Netflix series kept me enthralled. I really liked Bad Sisters, but not as much. if someone had given me the blurb about Umbrella Academy I probably wouldnt even have watched-it sounded corny and unbelievable. No way would could I suspend disbelief. It's the visuals and images that make it and some great casting.
I am fascinated by how actors and directors can take a book that may not be that good and make the story live.

What film/series carries you away perfectly. You wouldn't change one thing.

 

[Vagabond Heart]

Adore Umbrella Academy.
But wanna chuck in Ted Lasso as well.
Mr Robot was brill cos it got weirder and more complicated with each season.
And for unadulterated weepy romance, Crash Landing on You.

 

[LJ Beck]

I also LOVED Umbrella Academy and Mr Robot. I loved The Witcher. I watched that series twice. For something different, Atypical. Oh and The Adam Project. So good.

 

[Trey]

I haven't watched those but was tempted, now I'll definitely take a look. I loved Killing Eve and Ozark. Also, the OA. Most of Breaking Bad but a couple of episodes (The Fly, for example) didn't do it for me.

 

[Hannah F]

I loved Killing Eve. Thought they had the perfect ending (on the bridge) but went on for a few more episodes. Loved Fleabag. I have movies I would watch again and again. One is Far from the Madding Crowd and totally different: Back to the Future and Indiana Jones 1-3.

 

[Trey]

I loved Killing Eve. Thought they had the perfect ending (on the bridge) but went on for a few more episodes. Loved Fleabag. I have movies I would watch again and again. One is Far from the Madding Crowd and totally different: Back to the Future and Indiana Jones 1-3.

I went to the cinema SEVEN times for Back to the Future. The box set now lives in a drawer in my lounge with some other treasures. Tried Fleabag but found it a bit to pushy. Maybe I'll like it again in the future. My daughter and I watched a lovely NFLX series in Spanish called Velvet which was so well acted and sounded just beautiful.
I recently did an interesting thing: listened to a book and watched the TV miniseries for it at the same time to compare how they'd done both (this was Behind Her Eyes, by Sarah Pinborough). I might try that again, it's a great way to see the difference between screenplay on screen and written word in books.

 

[Hannah F]

I went to the cinema SEVEN times for Back to the Future. The box set now lives in a drawer in my lounge with some other treasures. Tried Fleabag but found it a bit to pushy. Maybe I'll like it again in the future. My daughter and I watched a lovely NFLX series in Spanish called Velvet which was so well acted and sounded just beautiful.
I recently did an interesting thing: listened to a book and watched the TV miniseries for it at the same time to compare how they'd done both (this was Behind Her Eyes, by Sarah Pinborough). I might try that again, it's a great way to see the difference between screenplay on screen and written word in books.

I did that with Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist. Very interesting to see that alterations for the TV adaptation.

 

[Sedayne]

Not everyone's cup of tea, but Bojack Horseman taught me more about the human condition than anything else I've ever seen.

 

[Pamela Jo]

I haven't watched those but was tempted, now I'll definitely take a look. I loved Killing Eve and Ozark. Also, the OA. Most of Breaking Bad but a couple of episodes (The Fly, for example) didn't do it for me.

OH Yeah! Killing Eve. Not sure about the ending they settled on, but LOVE. Looking forward to trying Three Body Problem. Hoping they improve on the books rough edges.

 

[RK Wallis]

Back to the Future

Is there a greater movie? We had this discussion a while ago. I remember of group of Litopians claimed it was the best movie ever. Funny thread Amusement - Back to the Future is the Greatest Film Ever - Discuss.

I binged Breaking Bad (and Better Call Saul), Killing Eve (including the book) and Behind Her Eyes. I loved the movie Knives Out, watch it ad nausem and currently, I binging an oldie, House. Very predictable pattern, but the characters - fascinating.

 

[Peyton Stafford]

Very general question. Between family, writing, and day jobs, how do you find time for TV and film? Nevermind yoga and jogging...

 

[Pamela Jo]

I think what sparked this thread is character. I'm fascinated how good actors create them. If the film/series is better than the book does it come down to the actors making the characters live in a way the author couldn't? Killing Eve is a great example. And good actors, like Cillian Murphy, crave a character like Oppenheimer. A story with depth and complexity that they can get their chops into.

 

[Jonny]

A couple for me.

Back to the Future (although II was meh-ish I'll still take it) Original is still my favourite movie... like... evvvvuuurrrrr!
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. (Series 1 & 2)
The Office (UK version) Brilliant from start to finish - the last specials are sublime.
Star Trek (nearly them all) but Next Gen in particular.

 

[Sedayne]

A couple for me.

Back to the Future (although II was meh-ish I'll still take it) Original is still my favourite movie... like... evvvvuuurrrrr!
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. (Series 1 & 2)
The Office (UK version) Brilliant from start to finish - the last specials are sublime.
Star Trek (nearly them all) but Next Gen in particular.

I agree with all your choices. Auf Wiedersehen, Pet in particular is a real masterpiece. Every character so beautifully drawn. Clement and La Frenais wrote some wonderfully poignant comedies, didn't they? I feel like watching this again now, followed by a Likely Lads binge.

 

[Vagabond Heart]

Can I throw in a late bid for The Detectorists?

 

[Jonny]

I agree with all your choices. Auf Wiedersehen, Pet in particular is a real masterpiece. Every character so beautifully drawn. Clement and La Frenais wrote some wonderfully poignant comedies, didn't they? I feel like watching this again now, followed by a Likely Lads binge.

Yes. They are my favourite TV comedy writers. There's never a year goes by when I don't watch the two box sets of "Whatever Happened...." The Xmas Special is an all-time classic.

And early Auf Pet is some of the best writing with incredible characters and brilliant ensemble acting ever on the UK small screen. To juxtapose the site huts with POW Brits was so blimmin' clever.

And as if those shows weren't enough brilliance for two writers then there's Porridge.

 

[Jonny]

Oh and another late shout from me.

Life on Mars. I was gutted when it finished. The sequel, Ashes to Ashes, was good too but not as.

 

[Sedayne]

Yes. They are my favourite TV comedy writers. There's never a year goes by when I don't watch the two box sets of "Whatever Happened...." The Xmas Special is an all-time classic.

And early Auf Pet is some of the best writing with incredible characters and brilliant ensemble acting ever on the UK small screen. To juxtapose the site huts with POW Brits was so blimmin' clever.

And as if those shows weren't enough brilliance for two writers then there's Porridge.

I couldn't agree more, not to mention Spender, Lovejoy, Shine on Harvey Moon and the Porridge sequel Going Straight . Absolute genius!

 

[Sedayne]

Oh and another late shout from me.

Life on Mars. I was gutted when it finished. The sequel, Ashes to Ashes, was good too but not as.

Same here - although I actually preferred the sequel. Loved Alex Drake, and the ending had me blubbing.

 

[TimRees]

Law & Order. Brilliant writing combined with often extraordinary acting equals a vivid experience. Love both series, Law & Order and Law & Order Special Victims Unit.

Also, I'm a huge fan of Ridley Scott's work. Every film he's directed is a work of art. My personal favourite in A Good Year, a film I watch too regularly.

 

[mickleinapickle]

A recent mini series called, 'The English' blew my socks off. I caught it at the tail end of 2022 on the BBC, and it's now on Amazon Prime. Fantastic cast including Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer as the main stars. Rafe Spall as a brilliant bad guy, and two great veteran Irish actors: Ciaran Hinds and Stephen Rea. It's set in the latter years of the 19th century, and is described as a 'revisionist western'. An epic tale of love, revenge and power in the American west. A bit violent, so not for the faint hearted, and a tragic love story with a horrible revelation at the end. Highly recommended.

 

[Hannah F]

Law & Order. Brilliant writing combined with often extraordinary acting equals a vivid experience. Love both series, Law & Order and Law & Order Special Victims Unit.

Also, I'm a huge fan of Ridley Scott's work. Every film he's directed is a work of art. My personal favourite in A Good Year, a film I watch too regularly.

Bladerunner. The first one (not the recent sequel).

 

[Ed Simnett]

question/comment. For me movies are like books, beginning/middle/end in a crisp amount of time. I find too many shows end up being soap operas, with more and more side plots / character development (I watched a random episode of Mad Men once, I am not sure if anything happened). The old mini-series model of 3-4 60-90 minute shows (e.g. House of Cards, the 70s Tinker Tailor etc, and also the recent Chernobyl), can be very effective- which is sort of where True Detective and the current Reacher's are going (though to be honest I found the recent first Reacher exposed the weakness of the original premise, it felt like a long episode of Law and Order- the movies did a better job of being tight stories, with the wrong actor).

Of course some of this is perhaps subversively helpful- who can really argue after Game of Thrones and Succession that audiences demand a single protagonist who needs to be on the screen on the "first page" ;-)

 

[Pamela Jo]

A recent mini series called, 'The English' blew my socks off. I caught it at the tail end of 2022 on the BBC, and it's now on Amazon Prime. Fantastic cast including Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer as the main stars. Rafe Spall as a brilliant bad guy, and two great veteran Irish actors: Ciaran Hinds and Stephen Rea. It's set in the latter years of the 19th century, and is described as a 'revisionist western'. An epic tale of love, revenge and power in the American west. A bit violent, so not for the faint hearted, and a tragic love story with a horrible revelation at the end. Highly recommended.

I loved this one too. It started too slow and obscure for me, but then got rolling pretty well. It takes place in my country. I love it when a director does justice to the landscape and gets the feel of the history/people right. Especially since my next novel was going to be along this gothic theme. I want to evoke the same haunting feelings.

 

[Pamela Jo]

OMG Lovejoy. I have the boxed set. The dialog, the characters.... Pure Joy to make a bad play on words. Desert Isle. Boxed sets of Lovejoy, the Muppets, Spitting Images and 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Jonny now I'm going to have to go back and check out Auf Wiedersehn.

 

[TimRees]

And I have to mention Monk. What a brilliant series....

 

[Sedayne]

OMG Lovejoy. I have the boxed set. The dialog, the characters.... Pure Joy to make a bad play on words. Desert Isle. Boxed sets of Lovejoy, the Muppets, Spitting Images and 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Jonny now I'm going to have to go back and check out Auf Wiedersehn.

I second 3rd Rock From the Sun - perfect ensemble comedy.

 

[RK Wallis]

I second 3rd Rock From the Sun - perfect ensemble comedy.

speaking of comedy - Big Bang Theory.

 

[LJ Beck]

Obvious but Princes Bride! That and Blade Runner (original of course) are 2 movies I could watch over and over.

 

[Brooke]

been lurking around this thread for a while, so i might as well just say that Gravity Falls, although technically a Disney cartoon for kids, had some of the most engaging storytelling, compelling characters, and emotional stories that my little 12-year-old brain could handle. and i still love it today! call me childish, but that show and its fandom was an experience i'll always think of very fondly :]