Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

“In this country American means white. everybody else has to hyphenate.”

Beware of advice from anyone for whom Democrats are “they” and not “we.”

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

Books are my comfort food!

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

President Musk and Trump are both poorly raised, coddled 8 year old boys.

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

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Reader Interactions

108Comments

  1. 1.

    CJWhite

    I’ve been enjoying “Doc Martin” If you like geeky office comedy, you can’t beat the “IT Crowd.” Whenever I see one of the IT guys at work one of us always starts with; “Did you see that ludicrous display last night?”

  2. 2.

    Robin G.

    CJ: You have superb taste. (Though I hate Martin’s love interest.)

    I’ve been watching a lot of Waiting For God, ’cause I’ve memorized every episode of Golden Girls.

  5. 5.

    Comrade Baron Elmo

    I’m pretty annoyed with Netflix right now… 95% of my movie viewing consists of arty films, usually foreign (YEAH, I’m a film snob — wanna make something of it, nimrod!?), and all of a sudden Netflix seems to be passing on carrying a lot of these.

    I’m a big fan of the Criterion collection, as are numerous movie buffs, given that they put out (mostly) great, often obscure films in definitive editions. Used to, Netflix made a point of carrying the whole Criterion catalog. Suddenly they’re listing titles that have been out for friggin’ weeks as “DVD availability date unknown.”

    The late great Louis Malle has two new Criterions out, both out of circulation for years: Zazie Dans le Metro and Black Moon. Yep, you guessed it – Netflix isn’t bothering. But any mindless, vapid piece of Hollywood cack is present and accounted for, you betcha.

    Jesus creeping Christ on a windmill. I’m seriously considering ditching my account with these Philistines. Any of y’all know of a more culture-friendly mail-rental service out there? Help a brotha out.

  6. 6.

    EconWatcher

    Just finished flashforward, a series about the aftermath of a high-tech terrorist attack that causes the whole world to black out for two minutes and get a glimpse of the future. Although a couple of the episodes were irritating because of implausible subplots, overall good acting and engaging.

  8. 8.

    Dr J

    Discovered that 4 seasons of Madmen are now available for streaming. Also, the Swedish movies of the Millenium trilogy by Stieg Larsson can be streamed as well. Last summer I finally viewed all 7 seasons of Buffy. I think all of Joss
    Whedon’s television work is available.

  9. 9.

    Comrade Baron Elmo

    @t jasper parnell: Good choice, Jasper. GOOD choice.

    Here’s one from me: Le Corbeau, from Henri-Georges Clouzot, the same fiendish Frenchman who gave you The Wages of Fear and Diabolique. A peaceful rural French town becomes a powderkeg with the help of a few malicious anonymous letters. If you liked Haneke’s The White Ribbon, check this one out.

  11. 11.

    UncommonSense

    Season Three of Damages with Glenn Close and Rose Byrne is streaming now. I’d go back and catch up on Seasons 1 and 2 first, but this original FX drama features some of the sharpest writing and acting on TV.

  13. 13.

    Southern Beale

    We can’t watch subtitled movies at home. We fall asleep.

    Don’t know if it’s streamed but we got this on DVD: the old British series House Of Cards.

  14. 14.

    Raven (formerly stuckinred)

    Luther with Stringer Bell (Idris Elba) is pretty good if you don’t mind some ghastly violence. Maybe American crime shows are like this too but we don’t watch them.

  15. 15.

    different church-lady

    It’s been a while since we had a thread discussing new Netflix streaming discoveries.

    What? 12 minutes have gone by already?

  17. 17.

    Steeplejack

    Will put in an early plug for Jake Kasdan’s Zero Effect (1998), which will be available for streaming on August 26. A quirky, low-key comedy/mystery with Bill Pullman as a reclusive detective and Ben Stiller as his leg man/representative. Good performances from Ryan O’Neal and Kim Dickens, too. Trailer here.

    I had been searching for it for a long time and just recently bought a copy through an Amazon affiliated seller, so of course now Netflix streams it. Bastards.

  18. 18.

    the antibob

    “Winter’s Bone” is available. Powerful movie. Not sure about the portrayal of the internal workings of the hillbilly meth-cooking crime family, but the rest is dead on. Also, “Ride with the Devil” an Ang Lee movie from ’99. From a book, also by the same author. Although, for a movie about civil war guerrilla fighting, this one comes off as more of a drawing room drama. Interesting to observe the deevolution of personal hygiene since Ang Lee’s vision of the civil war.

  20. 20.

    Restrung

    Oh, great. I was just bitching about s3 of Damages not being up yet. Watched 1 and 2 in like a week.
    BSG just bummed me out. I wish they’d get West Wing into streaming.
    I’ve been watching David Attenborough’s “The Life of Mammals” series wile making dinner and tea before work. Not bad.

  22. 22.

    Jman

    It’s summer, go outside and play ya basserds. You want coronary heart disease? Fer chrissakes!

  24. 24.

    Threadkiller

    @Jman: It’s 105 here. Some of us will risk heart disease over heatstroke.

    Mesrine: Vince Cassel as legendary French gangster. Escaped maximum security 4 times. Plus Ludivine Sagnier gets naked.

    Carlos: Carlos the Jackal, with Edgar Ramirez. Brilliant and almost farcical – it’s amazing we built up this goofball to be the Greatest Assassin ever. For all the posing, he could (and likely did) fuck up a cup of coffee. Over 5 hours, but you won’ t notice.

    ETA: WTF? Moderation? I didn’t mention soshulism, even in connection with Carlos. FYWP.

  25. 25.

    Chris

    @Jill:

    The MI-5 Series

    Just watched one episode of that series the other day out of curiosity, having never seen Ian McDiarmid’s acting outside of Star Wars. Pity he was just in one episode.

  28. 28.

    klokanek

    Flame and Citron–excellent Danish WWII film, brilliant depiction of the kind of heroes war makes.

    Frida–for those who haven’t seen it, it’s available on streaming for the next two days, and it’s effing amazing eye candy and a great story.

    Wallace & Gromit: Loaf and Death–am I the only one who missed this when it came out? Almost as good as The Wrong Trousers (!), and made my baker’s heart go pitterpatter.

    Wild Target–excellent black humor, though uneven in some ways.

    Four Lions–stunning, stunning, stunning blackest humor about terrorism I have seen. A flipping tour de force. I have a thing for deeply vacuous characters (wolfpack-of-one brother in The Hangover, Jason Stackhouse in True Blood), and this movie is just chock full of them.

    Looking forward to adding others’ picks to my queue–thanks for the lovely thread!

  31. 31.

    MazeDancer

    Sports Night is now available for streaming. Such a brilliant series. Especially after about ep 3 when they, wisely, dumped the laugh track.

    But wonderful Aaron Sorkin writing. And what a cast: Josh Charles, Peter Krause, Felicity Huffmann, Robert Guilliame, Josh Malina, and some faces familiar to West Wing.

    Also enjoyed returning to ThirtySomething via stream. Holds up surprisingly well now, twenty something years later.

  32. 32.

    Supernumerary Charioteer

    If you like schlocky MST3K bait, I would recommend Taoism Drunkard or Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine.

    There are a hell of a lot of documentaries on there as well. Microcosmos,a French nature documentary focusing on insects and plants, was kind of amazing.

  35. 35.

    Wodwose

    “The Man From Nowhere’ – A great Korean action flick that has heart and addresses the problems of poverty and organ theft.

    ‘Sherlock’ – Steven Moffat’s (‘Coupling’, ‘ Doctor Who’) update of Sherlock Holmes is gripping, well-made and well-acted.

    ‘The War Game’ – Produced for the BBC in 1965 and promptly banned from viewing because it correctly points out that there is really nothing you can do to survive a massive nuclear holocaust.

    ‘FLCL’ (Fooly Cooly) – The greatest six episodes of anything ever produced about teenage angst and, y’know, robots. Features the superb music of J-pop band The Pillows.

    Plus I agree with pretty much every pick above. Good lookin’ out, money.

  36. 36.

    Joy

    @MazeDancer: I keep telling everyone I know to stream SportsNight. I think I watched all of the episodes 3 times now. I agree about the laugh track. I’ll have to check out Thirtysomething. It was like watching my own life when it was on t.v. twenty years ago.

  40. 40.

    Three-nineteen

    @Comrade Baron Elmo: Check out Greencine. The only potential problem is that it’s based out of San Francisco, so if you live in the east half of the country the DVDs take a while to get to you.

  43. 43.

    LM

    I streamed Party Down, both seasons, twice. It was a Starz show, about a catering firm mostly comprised of actors waiting for their breaks–a lot of comedy greats like Jane Lynch, Adam Scott, Ken Merino, Martin Starr. The latter plays my favorite character, a bristly geeky screenwriter manqué who deplores all sci-fi that’s not hard sci-fi. (There’s a hilarious scene where, catering a party with George Takei/Mr. Sulu in attendance, he rails about the Vulcan mind meld because he can’t find the scientific, ergo hard sci-fi, explanation and can’t bear to think Star Trek debased itself by relying on magic.) It’s a very funny, very sharp show by the folks who made another favorite of mine, Veronica Mars.

  44. 44.

    aliasofwestgate

    Naoki Urasawa’s Monster on Netflix. Probably my favorite anime to this date. It’s only available with subtitles, but its worth the bother for those who don’t like it that way. I prefer the japanese language myself, the voice talent tapped is second to none.

    It moves slowly around the middle of the 74 episodes but the payoff is insanely worth it. Then things start moving towards the climax as all the threads sown in those previous episodes get pulled together. Pure psychological thriller that i can’t recommend enough, and wish someone would distro on DVD. I LOVE Netflix forever for offering it via streaming, since Viz copped out on their DVD distro after 13 episodes.

    Nothing supernatural about the antagonist beyond his twisted genius, and that’s scary in and of itself.

  46. 46.

    Woodrowfan

    Am very disappointed that Netflix has stopped updating their Dr. Who library. But have enjoyed “Far Scape” and Mrs WF is watching all of the old “Mission Impossible” episodes in order..

  47. 47.

    Anya

    This is an open thread, right? In that case, did Rick Perry challenge the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to a duel yet? Or does he want them to prevail so that he can get ruptured? I am not that proficient in religion (any religion), so I can never keep track of their meaning.

  48. 48.

    drinking jim crow

    I second Man From Nowhere. Absolutely stunning.

    The Chaser is another gem like MFN, but a bit more frenetic and violent. Asian films right now are just amazing.

    Red, White, and Blue is an American indie that reminded me a lot of Chan Wook Park’s Vengeance Trilogy in spirit. It’s really great if you’re into that sort of thing. Simon Rumley is a director to pay attention to.

    Rule of Three is a low-budget indie that surprised me.

    Man on Wire and Dear Zachary are two excellent documentaries I streamed recently that really impressed.

  50. 50.

    Restrung

    so who has a Roku and who has the Sony thing that I got sold at Best Bye?
    How might one use the YouTube app with an account? There’s a login on the the screen, but if I can type one I sure can’t find where. Do I have to go to Sony? F!

  51. 51.

    karen marie

    This is going to be a great thread, I hope, with people offering up lots of stuff I haven’t seen yet!

    I am watching a BBC comedy series called The Worst Week of My Life. The first season is the week before the wedding of a couple (played by Susan Alexander of Coupling fame and Ben Miller). In the second season Mel is 8 months pregnant and the couple are supposed to move into her recently deceased grandmother’s cottage. I wouldn’t have believed the second season could be funnier than the first, but it is.

    If you enjoyed The IT Crowd, you’ll probably also enjoy another BritCom called Men Behaving Badly, although the first couple seasons are definitely better than the last couple (total of 6 seasons).

    That Mitchell & Webb Look, a British sketch comedy show, is side-splittingly funny, as are The Catherine Tate Show and Little Britain.

    Hyperdrive is a really really funny British sci-fi comedy series in which Nick Frost (swoon) plays the character of Space Commander Michael “Mike” “Lucky Jack” “Hendo” Henderson. Netflix also has another great BritCom featuring Frost and starring Simon Pegg called Spaced which, despite its name is not sci-fi. Netflix also has the Simon Pegg movie Hot Fuzz which I recommend.

    I was thrilled to discover several months ago that the American comedy series The Tick (starring Patrick Warburton) is available on Netflix. I only saw a couple episodes back when it first aired. It’s a shame it had such a short run. I thought it was really funny.

    Don’t miss A Bit of Fry & Laurie!

    Everything is Illuminated is a great movie, starring Elijah Wood and and Eugene Hutz. The sound track includes music by Gogol Bordello.

    So many great things to watch, so little time!

  52. 52.

    barrisj

    A thoroughly enjoyable police procedural from the UK is “Trial and Retribution”, written and produced by Lynda La Plante, the creator of “Prime Suspect”. Unlike most series of this genre, T&R devotes a significant part of each episode to the actual courtroom denouement of a solved crime, where the entire system of “justice” is skillfuly depicted as somewhat flawed, and not absolute in any sense of the word. A worthwhile watch.

  53. 53.

    Kerr Lockhart

    MEMPHIS – A current Broadway show live in front of an audience — this title hasn’t even been released on DVD yet.

  54. 54.

    Restrung

    Harry Nilsson didn’t write “Everybody’s Talking at Me”

    I learned that from surfing NetFlix and watching a biopic from 2006.

  57. 57.

    skippy

    am currently cycling thru veronica mars season 2, dexter season3, oz season 2, 24 season 6 and haven season 1. i alternate shows each disc…ie, disc 1 of veronica then disc 1 of dexter than disc 1 of oz, etc…then to disc 2. keeps the plot lines fresh but i don’t overdose on specific performances or tones of shows, keeping things interesting.

    weird, esoteric comedy/art house fans may enjoy “the saddest music in the world” by canadian director guy maddan. mark mckinney from kids in the hall, isabella rossillinni, in a musical story of depression-era winnipeg, featuring dismemberment, amnesia and dance numbers from around the world, in the style of a 30’s era film.

  59. 59.

    Dianne

    I agree on “Party Down”. I have watched both seasons more than once and always find it funny. Lately I’ve been streaming “The Larry Sanders Show” and John Oliver’s standup shows, which are excellent.

    Skippy mentioned “Kids in the Hall” — also available for streaming.

  61. 61.

    Jeff

    Netflix – best $7.99/month I spend.

    The Danish TV series The Kingdom was excellent.

    Best recent films watched:

    Don’t Tell Anyone
    Ink
    Let The Right One In

  62. 62.

    Talmage

    The “Good Guys” is surprisingly funny. I loved Bradley Whitford in the “West Wing” and wasn’t sure how I felt about him as a bumbling Texas cop, but warmed up to his character quickly. It’s not in the league of “Arrested Development”, but if you’re looking for a good, escapist, cop comedy, this definitely fits the bill.

  63. 63.

    Ellie

    It looks like people may quibble about the selection but are generally happy with the streaming experience. Am I the only person who finds it mostly a sucky experience? By and large I find the picture/audio quality – when I can watch at all – to be mediocre at best.

    For example, a couple of nights ago, I tried movie #1. It would play 3-5 sec, skip a chunk, play 3-5 sec, skip another chunk. Movie #2 had decent picture and NO audio. Not a peep. Movie #3 had okay picture but audio synching problems that made it unwatchable. I gave up at that point. I report each time and have gotten zero feedback from Netflix.

    I have actually been able to watch a few things, but it’s never been a good quality experience. Pffft.

  64. 64.

    A Mom Anon

    We’re watching all the seasons of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations in the evenings. I wasn’t sure I’d like it at first,but it’s really grown on me. My favorite parts are when he eats with the families of working class or poor people and how he avoids most of the touristy stuff in his travels.

    I also love The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,the Ken Burns miniseries. It cheers me up to see all those lovely places. It’s also a really good look at a big chunk of American history.

    We’ve been getting Breaking Bad via DVD subscription and now I’m hooked on that too(heh). I think we’re almost caught up to the new season.

  65. 65.

    Restrung

    second “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”
    It’s sappy, but beautiful and informative. I watch one when I feel like it. Queuing is cheap.

  67. 67.

    DaddyJ

    We’re currently stepping through Star Trek: TNG on Netflix streaming and the teenager is enjoying it, much to my surprise. My initial reluctance was based on memories of the cringe-inducing first season, but we survived the planet of the bouncy blondes (“we _run_ everywhere!”) and the planet of the tribal negroes, and we are well into the third season. Some fine writing on that show, particularly as you watch it evolve in sequence. The episode in which Data is declared to be Star Fleet property is a gem.

    I’ll second Doc Martin, although I am baffled that the travails of such a colossal jerk can be so compelling. My theory is that it’s entirely due to Martin Clunes thick-lipped, big-eared, overgrown-baby face. It makes him impossible to hate, and so the character is free to be the rudest tosser on the planet. Which is where the entertainment lies.

    @Comrade Baron Elmo: Facets Multimedia, in Chicago, has a huge library of art-house films you can rent by mail, although they do not offer Netflix’s turn-around time, price and convenience.

  68. 68.

    srv

    You might very well think that the Beeb’s awesome House of Cards (the series Netflix is remaking with Kevin Spacey) has returned to Instant, but I couldn’t possibly comment.

    Luther is so freaking good I got a UK VPN and streamed Season 2. And be prepared to jump like you haven’t since Alan Arkin flew across the screen in Wait Until Dark.

    Someone else had recommended the George Gently and Wire in the Blood – good recs, thanks!

    Foreign flicks: A Wednesday, The Aura, The Chaser (warning, violent scenes), anything by Johnnie To.

    @Steeplejack: thanks for discovering Zero Effect will be instant. Long time waiting.

  70. 70.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    9th Company, A story of a platoon of Soviet Airborne soldiers in Afghanistan.

    American: The Bill Hicks Story was on streaming, but now it is on disc only, wonder what happend, and will Netflix get it’s shit together and get better quality films for streaming?

  71. 71.

    srv

    @A Mom Anon:

    We’ve been getting Breaking Bad via DVD subscription and now I’m hooked on that too(heh). I think we’re almost caught up to the new season.

    Almost? Me thinks you aren’t going to be able to wait a year after you see the last two episodes.

    New episodes hit Amazon streaming at midnight after broadcast on Sunday.

  72. 72.

    Mr Furious

    “Winter’s Bone” (2010) is available to stream. Phenomenal movie . The two Oscar nominated performances (Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor) should arguably have been wins.

    “As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me.” Excellent German film. A twist on the typical WWII prison escape thriller, in that it’s a German soldier escaping a Siberian prison camp. Main character played by a German cross between Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson.

    “Downton Abbey.” A Masterpiece Classic miniseries from BBC. Season 1 is streamable, and Season 2 should come to PBS early 2012.

  75. 75.

    MazeDancer

    @Joy:

    Sports Night was my go-to DVD gift on warranted occasions, especially for people who never watched much TV.


    The Bucanneers         if you’ve seen Downton Abbey and remember all of Upstairs, Downstairs (both of which are grand stream options as well) yet want more Brit Period Costume sumptuous soap opera.

    Slings and Arrows, funny, but not fast-paced, comedy about a Canadian Shakespearean troupe.

    Arranged a very sweet movie, beautifully done, about what matters in life, through the story of two young women reconciling modern American culture with their different traditional backgrounds.

    Two fascinating arty docs: Helvetica, about the type face. And Between the Folds, about origami.

  79. 79.

    Ripley

    I get my media from other sources (ahem) than Netflix, but for horror fans a few recs:

    Confessions (2010, Japan) – an emotionally violent revenger; excellent, sad, and surprising.
    Trouble Every Day (2003-ish, France) – sex + experimental drugs = cannibalism. Brutal, well-acted (even by the massively unlikeable Vincent Gallo), but not for the gore-averse.
    Inside (2010, France) – absolutely terrifying, with literal gallons of blood and gore. Aside from that, a good story and Beatrice Dalle (also in Trouble Every Day) as the antagonist is both sexy and repugnant. Not a movie for expectant parents.
    A lot of people liked I Saw the Devil (2011, South Korea); I thought it was a bore although well-acted.

    These are true horror films – expect to be horrified and, at least on occasion, disgusted. Enjoy….

  80. 80.

    BGinCHI

    @Threadkiller: Right on.

    First Mesrine better than the second, but well worth watching.

    Carlos, just wow. A MUST see. Uses a kind of cinema verite to get at the way terrorists work from the inside without glorifying or ruining it all with Hollywood-style romanticism.

  81. 81.

    The Pale Scot

    @Ellie:

    Sounds like u need to upgrade your equipment, that’s what it’s like when the CPU can’t keep up with the video, how are you hooked up?

  83. 83.

    Ruckus

    @Ellie:

    So many people, including me, have a good experience with netflix streaming that I’d conclude that the problem may be in your internet connection speed. Do you watch on your computer or have a streaming box? If it’s on computer it may be your video card if it is old without a decent amount of memory. Or even your computers amount of memory or operating system if those are old/limited. Have you updated your browser? If you are using a streaming box it may be the wireless signal is not so hot.
    Hope this helps. BTW I use xp on a 5 yr old HP box with 2 gig mem and DSL at 1.2 download. Works fine.

  85. 85.

    Emerald

    Brothers, the Danish film from 2005, not the other two (haven’t watched those), will knock you flat.

    Two Danish soldiers captured in Afghanistan. One returns home, the other doesn’t. What are the consequences of the survivor’s choices?

  86. 86.

    300baud

    @Wodwose:

    ‘Sherlock’ – Steven Moffat’s (‘Coupling’, ’ Doctor Who’) update of Sherlock Holmes is gripping, well-made and well-acted.

    Thirded! We really loved it.

  88. 88.

    Misha

    I never watched Dollhouse when it was on the air, so I’m watching it now. What really gets me is that Netflix has The Secrets of Isis — not that it’s good, just that it’s deep, deep nostalgia for me. Now if only they would add Space Giants or The Man From Atlantis…

  89. 89.

    LarryB

    @Ellie: Go to speedtest.net and check your connection speed. According to Netflix, you need:

    a download speed of at least 1.5Mbps, 3Mbps for DVD quality and 5Mbps for HD quality for the duration of a film.

    Your experience sounds like mine before I dumped ATT DSL and went crawling back to Comcast cable for internet.

  90. 90.

    LarryB

    Oh yeah, and if there’s more than one computer in the house, make sure that your kids aren’t hogging the bandwidth from the other room. Multiple simultaneous streams really stress the connection.

  91. 91.

    srv

    @Ellie: As LarryB said, do a speed test. If that comes out OK, older PCs may be strained a bit – kill any other applications running ( Task Manager and running with less than 1GB or memory is sub-optimal.

    Some browsers perform better than others. We have an old PC with not much memory serving as a flix-server and have to kill everything and experiment with firefox vs chrome. For example, firefox starts skipping about 3/4ths through a movie – this is some buffering thing with local memory and we sometimes have to reboot to clear it. The netflix forums have other optimizations.

  93. 93.

    LarryB

    While we’re geeking out, I just finished The Guild. This series about pathologically dedicated WoW gamers may strike too close to home for some ( cough John cough). I thought it was painfully hilarious in a The Office/Larry David sort of way. One note: I was really confused at first by this title. Netflix shows 4 seasons, but only one episode plays per season. I finally figured out that The Guild first appeared as an internet series in 5 minute segments. Knowing that going in helps in understanding the show’s narrative rhythm.

  94. 94.

    Wil

    thirds on Zero Effect

    It has a great and memorable line that goes something like this:

    Zero (Bill Pullman) has a voiceover where he is describing how he, having no personality and no ability to interact with other humans, handles situations where, as a P.I., he has to interact with them:

    “I just watch what the people around me are doing, and try to do whatever it is they’re doing.”

    Or something like that.

    Reminds me of Republiklans, politicians in general, or corporate people.

  96. 96.

    CJWhite

    Karen Marie, that episode of “Spaced” where they pretend to have a shoot-out may be the best example of of a single episode of sit-com EVER. Thanks to all for the Stephen Moffet’s “Sherlock” recommendation. I love “Coupling,” so I look forward watching it.

    Robin G. you are the first person EVER to complement my taste in TV, turbo muchas gracias!

  97. 97.

    Dee Loralei

    Not on streaming, but I loved The Middleman with Matt Keeslar and Natalie Morales. A Sci-fi Chuck.

  98. 98.

    t jasper parnell

    Two documentaries “Hell on Wheels” the story of the 2003 Tour de France from the perspective of Eric Zabel and the rest of team Telecom. Not really focused on the race, although the scenes they do show are great, but on the riders suffering. “Rembrandt’s J’accuse” which is an in depth analysis of Rembrandt’s “Night Watch” by that guy who did The Thief His Wife and so on. I can’t speak to the historical accuracy but I can say that the reading of the painting is inline with the richness of Dutch visual language. Bonus Jim from the British Office plays Rembrandt.

  99. 99.

    JoyousMN

    Maybe it’s already been mentioned in the thread before, but we LOVED Firefly and the movie that ends the series: Serenity. Another Joss Whendon series that was wonderfully acted and the writing was great.

    Glad you’re watching Intelligence. We loved that series. Couldn’t get anything done till we’d gotten through it all. What an ending…

  100. 100.

    Randy Paul

    @Comrade Baron Elmo:

    I have succumbed to purchasing the Criterion Collection on BluRay or DVD twice a year when Barnes & Noble has their semiannual 1/2 price sale.

    I loved The Human Condition (pretty much anything by Kobayashi) and Gomorra.

  101. 101.

    Evelyn

    I’ll go ahead and replug Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. He can be kind of a jerk sometimes, but a lot of the episodes offer a really unique cultural perspective on different cities across the world.

  102. 102.

    Rick

    Agree with Mesrine, Carlos and Sherlock (series 2 just finished production & will air on the BBC in 2012).

    I recommend in no particular order with Netflix synopsis:

    A Prophet(Un Prophète)(2009) – French

    After refusing to snitch, 18-year-old Arab is thrown into a French prison, where the Corsican mafia rules with a firm fist. The obedient newcomer slowly rises through the organization’s ranks but soon begins to double-cross his superiors.

    As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me(So weit die Füße tragen)
    2003(German)

    After escaping from a Siberian labor camp in the wake of World War II, German soldier Clemens Forell makes his way toward his wife and children, traveling more than 8,000 miles over the course of three long years to reach his final destination.

    The Secret in Their Eyes(El Secreto de Sus Ojos) 2010 (Spanish) Argentina

    A startling discovery comes to light for retired Argentine criminal investigator as he pens a biographical novel about the unsolved case of a young newlywed’s brutal rape and murder years ago.

    Defiance (2008) (English)

    Story about four Jewish brothers who escape from Poland into the forests of Belarus during World War II to lead a band of resistance fighters and create a safe haven for Jewish refugees. The real-life sanctuary established by the Bielski brothers saved more than 1,000 Jews from persecution and death.

    Cautiva (2005) (Spanish) Argentina

    An Argentinean teen’s life turns upside down when a judge reveals that her real parents had “disappeared” for political reasons years ago. Suddenly, she’s ordered to leave the couple who raised her and move in with a grandmother she’s never known.

    Beaufort (2007) (Hebrew) Israel

    In the final days of the Israeli occupation of Lebanon, a band of soldiers prepares for the evacuation of a mountain stronghold called Beaufort. Their leader is 22-year-old Liberti, whose strict adherence to the rules puts the men in harm’s way. As the evacuation draws near, Hezbollah steps up its attack, testing Liberti’s mettle and the men’s allegiance to him.

    The Wages of Fear(Le Salaire De La Peur) (1953) (French)

    An oil company enlists four destitute drifters — Mario (Yves Montand), Luigi (Folco Lulli), Bimba (Peter Van Eyck) and Jo (Charles Vanel) — for a dangerous mission transporting volatile explosives across Central America’s treacherous terrain.

    4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile) (2007) Romanian

    In the last days of communism in Romania, college student wants to end her unplanned pregnancy. With help from best friend and fellow student, she seeks an abortion — which is illegal under the oppressive Ceausescu regime.

    Let the Right One In(Låt den Rätte Komma In) (2008) Swedish

    Twelve-year-old Oskar, the constant target of bullies, spends his time plotting revenge and collecting news items about the grisly murders plaguing his town. But things change when he meets a new girl named Eli, a misfit vampire who steals his heart.

    A Call Girl(Slovenka ; Slovenian Girl) (2009) Slovenian – Slovenian Girl is the more appropriate title.

    This insightful, allegorical drama follows a student, as she travels from a small town to the big city. A cynical and callous young woman, she uses the move to transform herself into a well-paid call girl. Her self-imposed isolation and guilt-free life end, however, when a politician client dies.

    The Nest(Nid de Guepes)(2002)French

    Ruthless members of three warring gangs who end up hiding out in the same warehouse. Although it’s gargantuan, the place isn’t nearly big enough for all their egos, grudges and baggage. Everyone’s jostling for control, and worse, they’re all armed with weapons to ensure they wind up at the top of the bloody heap. Who will end up in the seat of power?

  103. 103.

    Arclite

    Much of the good stuff has been mentioned (BBC Sherlock, winters bone, firefly, veronica mars) but here are a few i didn’t see:
    1. Let me in. This is the remake of the Swedish film. It is just as good and stars chloe moretz and the kid from the road – two of the best child actors you will see.
    2. Futurama. Need i say more?
    3. Star Trek. J. J. Abrahms reboot
    4. Spartacus Blood And Sand.
    5. Battlestar Galactica. Perhaps the greatest sci fi serial ever. Too bad Razor isn’t streaming too.

  104. 104.

    meander

    Just started Luther tonight. Quite good — Idris Elba is a force of nature and the villain in episode one is satisfyingly creepy. Also got into season 2 of Damages, which I enjoy for its complicated plot, excellent acting, high drama, New York setting.

    Stephen Sondheim’s Company is in the streaming collection. It’s a John Doyle production where the actors play all of the instruments, giving it stripped down music and some weird stage motion. The lead is superb, some of the songs sublime (but I dislike the actor playing April).

    Rivers and Tides is a thoughtful look at artist Andy Goldsworthy, who is known for his works that utilize nature and time.

    I second That Mitchell and Webb Look. Highly unconventional, often very funny. But I don’t really get Numberwang… And also second the Guild. Very funny and nerdy (and I’m not a gamer). Felicity Day is something special in that series, vulnerable, neurotic, witty.

    Berkeley in the Sixties is an excellent documentary about that wonderful and tumultuous city.

    Someone above mentioned Tampopo. A great film, but apparently legal disputes have kept it off of DVD in the U.S. A plea to the lawyers and those fighting over the movie: get your act together and get this gem back into the ‘stores’!

  105. 105.

    Ruckus

    @t jasper parnell:
    Watching Hell on Wheels.
    You are correct this is a great documentary because it shows what racing is really like day in and day out. It’s work, it’s blood, it’s hard and even the best have bad days and good days no matter how hard they try.

  106. 106.

    McKingford

    If you liked Intelligence, you’ll like Davinci’s Inquest. Probably my favourite tv series ever. It gets better through the years, but even the early stuff is really good. (Don’t know if it’s on Netflix, though…)

  107. 107.

    djheru

    Damn I loved intelligence. Until the last episode. MAN that was a muthafuckin’ letdown.

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