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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Strong Female Lead (Open Thread)

Strong Female Lead (Open Thread)

by Betty Cracker|  June 13, 20219:36 am| 109 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, TV & Movies

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Sometimes I feel like we don’t discuss TV and movies as much as we should around here. Let’s remedy that!

Did y’all watch “Mare of Easttown,” a seven-episode series that recently wrapped up on HBO? I thought Kate Winslet was terrific in the title role as a detective sergeant in a Philly suburban town who’s trying to solve a murder and get her shit together as a professional and also as a mom, gran, daughter, friend and neighbor.

I am also enjoying “Hacks” on HBO, which stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder. Smart plays a semi-washed up comedian/QVC brand pitchwoman in Vegas whose agent talks her into hiring a 25-year-old writer to update her comedic material. It’s good, though it can be super hokey in a way that clashes with the show’s cynical core. (Or maybe it’s cynical in a way that clashes with its hokey core.)

IMO, Smart (who is also in “Mare of Easttown” as Mare’s grouchy mom) is an underappreciated gem. Einbinder is a talented newcomer who I recently learned also happens to be the daughter of SNL’s Laraine Newman. She must look like her dad.

To wrap up the entertainment section, did y’all see “Nomadland,” and if so, what did you think? I just saw it a couple of weeks ago and thought it was amazing. I’m not sure anyone but Frances McDormand could have pulled off that performance — not even Meryl Streep.

What else is good on TV or at the movies?

Open thread!

ETA: I can’t believe I forgot to share this relevant info: the Westminster Dog Show is this weekend! Group judging followed by Best in Show starts at 7:30 PM ET on Fox.

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Reader Interactions

109Comments

  1. 1.

    cope

    June 13, 2021 at 9:46 am

    I’m trying to get my wife on board to give “Mare of Easttown” a try. She has some weird built-in resistance to trying things on streaming services unless she already wants to see it (Cruella). We’re both Kate Winslet fans so I am hopeful she’ll come around.

    What I personally am looking forward to is “Kevin Can Go F**k Himself” on AMC next week. It’s on their streaming platform tonight but that is one we don’t have. I’ve heard and read interviews with Annie Murphy and and it sounds intriguing.

  2. 2.

    swiftfox

    June 13, 2021 at 9:47 am

    Smart was overlooked on Designing Women. As for Nomadland, read the book.

  3. 3.

    arrieve

    June 13, 2021 at 9:49 am

    I didn’t like Mare of Easttown at first, but got sucked in (Jean Smart was a factor there) and ended up bingeing the last several episodes. They may have gone a little overboard on the local color, but as a portrait of a decaying small town it showed a side of this country we don’t often see on television (or at least I don’t.)

  4. 4.

    zhena gogolia

    June 13, 2021 at 9:55 am

    I’ve been eagerly awaiting “In the Heights.” I’m not ready to return to the theater, so I joined HBO Max. The sound quality is terrible. We’re watching the movie a half hour at a time, so we’re now halfway through. They cut the best song (“Sunrise”) and one of the best characters (Nina’s mother). There’s a lot of politics larded into the dialogue. And MARC ANTHONY IS IN IT BUT DOES NOT SING.
    So far the most charming part has been the cameos by Miranda as the Piragua man and Christopher Jackson as Mister Softee, but Jackson’s portrayal of Benny is sorely missed.
    As I said last night, where is Mnemosyne when you need her?

  5. 5.

    Suzanne

    June 13, 2021 at 9:55 am

    I really enjoyed Mare of Easttown. Kate Winslet, Jean Smart, and the other actor who played Mare’s best friend were all fabulous. I liked that Kate Winslet didn’t look all airbrushed.

  6. 6.

    zhena gogolia

    June 13, 2021 at 9:56 am

    @swiftfox:

    Check out Smart in the film A Simple Favor. A really nice little thriller with great performances.

  7. 7.

    geg6

    June 13, 2021 at 9:56 am

    Winslet, amazingly, got the Eastern PA accent absolutely perfect, IMHO.  Not an easy thing.  Especially for a Brit, who seem to do Southern accents well but rarely can handle other regional American accents without any telltale slips.  I loved “Mare of Easttown.”  Highly recommended.

  8. 8.

    Bruuuuce

    June 13, 2021 at 9:59 am

    I loved the remake of One Day At a Time. Thought it was funny, and informative (to someone not in that culture), and I cried more than once. With three strong women in the lead, even.

    I started watching Mom, with Allison Janney, but it was only a season or two and long enough ago that I need to go back and rewatch the parts I saw, now that the series is complete.

  9. 9.

    jeffreyw

    June 13, 2021 at 10:00 am

    Gomorrah is an Italian Soprano style series that isn’t bad. It’s on HBO Max
    For All Mankind on Apple TV is good. Two seasons so far, a “what if” movie where Russia gets to the moon first and sets off a furious competition in space.
    Ragnarok is on Netflix. Norse gods coping with the problems of modern life, sorta.
    Godfather of Harlem, I watch it on Amazon, I think it’s from the EPIX channel. Forest Whitaker stars as “Bumpy” Johnson. It provided the best definition of intersectionality I’ve seen. Releases one episode a week, middle of season 2 now.
    Also Amazon: Clarice, Agent Starling on the trail of another serial killer while going through some stuff.

  10. 10.

    MattF

    June 13, 2021 at 10:01 am

    I’ll just assume everyone has seen ‘Queen’s Gambit’.

  11. 11.

    Betty Cracker

    June 13, 2021 at 10:02 am

    Updated post to note that the Westminster Dog Show is today! We will be cheering on the boxers and Bostons.

  12. 12.

    Starfish

    June 13, 2021 at 10:03 am

    I feel like I am way behind. I am catching up on Schitt’s Creek. It was one of those things that was so popular that I was standoffish about it.

    I did not know what it was really about. It is about a rich family who gets all their stuff taken away and end up having to move into a hotel in a town that is owned by the family. Their weird rich people nonsense does not win them the friendship of the locals.

    Now I am understanding what some of these animated GIFs that we now use to communicate are about.

  13. 13.

    Betty Cracker

    June 13, 2021 at 10:04 am

    @MattF: Yes — it’s fantastic!

    @Suzanne: I love the non-airbrushed aspect so much.

  14. 14.

    band gap

    June 13, 2021 at 10:04 am

    I’ve been watching a lot of excellent foreign tv shows (with English subtitles if not English). Many have female leads. Examples:
    Rebecka Martinsson (Swedish)
    Blinded (Swedish)
    Loch Ness (Irish)
    Helen Dorn (German)
    Seaside Hotel (Danish)
    Vanished by the Lake (French)

  15. 15.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 13, 2021 at 10:06 am

    Mare of Eastown was great.  Neat to see something in Philly (Lived there for about 5 years).  The accent was close but not-quite-right, to my ears.  The way Winslet said “home” and “water” trying two staples of the infamous accent, felt a bit too forced and over-exagerated.

    We just watched Into the Heights and it was GREAT!  So much fun.  Great music, sets, costumes, humor, dancing and everyone is stunning.  Really great Summer Movie/musical.  It also had a wonderful celebration of immigrants and Latinx culture.

    We are currently watching Them (horror- Amazon Prime), Call My Agent (comedy- Netflix), Hacks, Full Bloom (flower arrangement reality show- HBO), Legendary (ballroom/vogue competition- HBO) and recently finished Exterminate All The Brutes (documentary- HBO).  All are excellent for different reasons.  We are also loving the Korean drama Crash Landing Into You on Netflix.  K-dramas are epic (often 20 or more, 90-minute episodes) with incredible cinematography, stunningly gorgeous actors, and a surprising amount of wit.  They really can make us cry one minute and bust a gut laughing the next.

    We really enjoyed PBS Masterpiece’s Atlantic Crossings and now my wife finally convinced me to start Band of Brothers which I enjoy so far, though it does get Spielberg-sappy at times.

    I didn’t get Nomadland at all.  I love bleak shit but the whole thing felt kinda pointless and painfully white.  Personally, I thought US Vs. Billie Holiday was a much better movie and Andra Day’s performance was far more impressive than McDormand (who I usually love- like in Olive Kitteridge).

  16. 16.

    Nicole

    June 13, 2021 at 10:07 am

    I liked Mare of Easttown a lot, too. I held off because I grew up not too far from that area and was afraid it would hit too close to home- I had a lot of friends who were working poor, and it did hit close to home and I enjoyed every minute, so there you go.

    I especially liked that the murder mystery is, ultimately, the least interesting part of the story, because the writing is so good the audience gets more invested in the characters’ journeys. Really well done.

    Oh, that accent. It is its own thing. I remember one of my 9th grade classmates stopping 1st year beginning French to inquire of our Philly-born teacher why he pronounced “water” as “wudder.” He promptly mocked our Central PA pronunciation of “waah-terr.” Heh.

    @zhena gogolia:  I’m sorry the sound has been so soft on In The Heights. I saw your comment yesterday and spent a little time googling to see if there was some setting you could adjust on your devices, but it seems to just be an ongoing issue with HBO Max.

  17. 17.

    Benw

    June 13, 2021 at 10:07 am

    weirdly I can watch streaming movies just fine, but can’t sustain shows. Even ones that get great reviews, I bail on 2-3 eps in.

    eta: I did watch all of Queen’s Gambit – it was great – so apparently I can manage mini- series :)

  18. 18.

    geg6

    June 13, 2021 at 10:09 am

    @Suzanne:

    Do you get the Sunday Pgh. Post-Gazette?  There was a review of a book about Pittsburgh I thought you might be interested in.

  19. 19.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 13, 2021 at 10:12 am

    @band gap: We loved Rebecka Martinsson.  Check out Beartown (HBO) for a similar cold, dreary vibe (though major trigger warning for sexual assault/trauma).

    For strong women leads also check out The Bridge (crime- Sweden), Borgen (politics- Scandinavia) and Mr Sunshine (historical drama/action/love- Korea).

  20. 20.

    zhena gogolia

    June 13, 2021 at 10:13 am

    @Nicole:

    We’re kind of ignoring it now, but it’s sad not to be able to hear the music distinctly.

  21. 21.

    WereBear

    June 13, 2021 at 10:13 am

    Did y’all watch “Mare of Easttown,” a seven-episode series that recently wrapped up on HBO?

    Loved, it, and will rewatch in the fullness of time.

    I have a thing about new series. Because at least half the time, I enjoy it, and then it gets snatched away: either cancelled, completely face-plants, or studio meddling ruins a good idea.

    So I only get into series that have some kind of track record.

    Science fiction fans with BritBox: the BBC adaptation of War of the Worlds, a few episode mini-series, was GREAT. Surprises and very good monsters.

  22. 22.

    Betty Cracker

    June 13, 2021 at 10:13 am

    @Starfish: I finally watched “Schitt’s Creek” during the pandemic, and now I belatedly get all the memes too. Catherine O’Hara is so funny. Well, everyone is! But especially O’Hara.

    @geg6: I’ve got an ear for accents, meaning I can usually place them with some degree of accuracy, but I can’t fake one to save my life. It always amazes me when someone pulls off an accent that well.

  23. 23.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 13, 2021 at 10:15 am

    @zhena gogolia: I thought the guy who played Benny was great.  I realize he was probably lip-synching but he nailed the movements/charm etc.

  24. 24.

    Mo MacArbie

    June 13, 2021 at 10:17 am

    Mind if I sports here? Pretty much all I watch is White Sox baseball, so that’s all I got. The broadcast team is pretty funny if you like that sort of thing, and there was a great moment a few days ago early in a game against the Jays. Jason Benetti was talking up the Sox pitcher, Lance Lynn, remembering a key moment from his previous start where he was cool under pressure. It went something like this:

    “And there’s just an air of [Pitch. Crack! Ball lands over the fence in left.] … confidence in the swing of Grichuk.”

  25. 25.

    Capri

    June 13, 2021 at 10:17 am

    I grew up in Delaware Co and agree that the accents were close but not 100%.  What makes it stick out, IMHO, is that the 2 English actors (Mare and her daughter) an the Australian actor (love interest) had accents that were all close in different ways. After seeing it, it struck me that the Iggles (i.e. Eagles for non-Delco folks) must not have agreed to be in the show as they had lots of local sports teams represented but not them. The one thing that rang false was when they were all watching a Penn State basketball game.  Villanova or St. Joes games maybe, nobody cares about PSU bball.

  26. 26.

    RandomMonster

    June 13, 2021 at 10:19 am

    We loved Mare of Easttown. Great writing, with genuine surprises and a good ending. We’re now watching Bryan Cranston in Your Honor, which I heartily recommend.

  27. 27.

    geg6

    June 13, 2021 at 10:19 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    Me too.  This one is really specific and hardly anyone except natives get it right (similarly, the Pittsburgh accent is one almost no one gets right).  I think of the one Winslett did as a Lehigh Valley accent.  Not exactly the same as a Philly accent, but closely related.

  28. 28.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 13, 2021 at 10:26 am

    For all the much deserved praise that Watchmen and Lovecraft Country got for illustrating the terror of White Supremacy in the US, Them actually does it far better imo.  Obviously Watchmen is super-hero/comics, Lovecraft is Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Them is straight up horror, but Them really captures and shows the all-encompassing oppressive terror of navigating a White Supremacist world for Black People.

    On a related note, Exterminate All the Brutes (HBO) is the best and most unflinching rebuke of White Supremacy/Colonialism that I have ever seen.  It doesn’t pull ANY punches on just how fucked up our world is because of racism.  And how America has played a key role in that equation since our very beginning.  It’s an extremely heavy, disturbing and angering watch, but an important one.

  29. 29.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    June 13, 2021 at 10:28 am

    Watched the first episode of Mare (partly out of curiosity, as we live in the area it takes place). No reason we haven’t finished it except that we just don’t have that many hours of TV watching per week. There’s a lot of backlog in our “To Watch” list.

    As for recommendations, we really, really like the new Equalizer version with Queen Latifah. I liked the righteous beating-up of bad guys in the Denzel Washington movies, but this totally-different take (also completely different from the original Edward Woodward version) is really satisfying on a whole other level. Plus lots of mother-and-teenage-daughter angst to deal with.

    But the thing I really want to tell you jackals about is Woman in Motion, a really excellent documentary about Nichelle Nichols and how she single-handedly defined the shuttle program by saving NASA’s recruitment efforts for a new generation of astronauts. She is so much more than a gorgeous talented actress.

    But she is that as well. She thought her career was going to be in musical theater. She sang with Duke Ellington, and in the closing credits we watch her record “Fly me to the Moon”.

    Sadly, three of her recruits were on the Challenger when it blew up, and she remained personal friends with her recruits. She lost it in that part of the interview.

  30. 30.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 13, 2021 at 10:29 am

    @Capri: I think if Winslet had just relaxed her mouth a bit and been a little more casual with it, she would have nailed it.  She was very close.

  31. 31.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 13, 2021 at 10:29 am

    I have been watching BSG (2004 version) and I am loving it. I am on the final season now. It has many interesting characters and many of them are female.

  32. 32.

    zhena gogolia

    June 13, 2021 at 10:34 am

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    It’s the hazards of listening to the same CD over and over again. You’re reluctant to allow anyone else’s interpretation into your head.

  33. 33.

    Betty Cracker

    June 13, 2021 at 10:37 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Thanks for the rec! I had no idea Nichols was so involved in the space program.

  34. 34.

    MomSense

    June 13, 2021 at 10:37 am

    I watched Scott and Bailey with Suranne  Jones who was in Gentleman Jack.  It’s a classic BBC police procedural but the three leading characters are all women and I think it adds a lot.

    I’m sitting with my mom and she has to wait to get her testing done because her BP was so high.  Even though we reviewed her meds with the pharmacy and the doctor, she didn’t get them last night or this morning.  I was ready to bust heads.

  35. 35.

    Feathers

    June 13, 2021 at 10:38 am

    Got Disney Plus for Loki. Did watch WandaVision first, which was a strong female lead. Loki is great, Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson (Mobius) as reluctant buddy cops is a weird pairing, but they have great chemistry. Mobius lets Loki ramble with a quiet fascination, and then makes an astute observation that throws Loki off balance. It’s like Columbo wandered into the MCU. Doing a Marvel chronological rewatch while I have the service, Star Wars to follow if I have the time.

    Disney came with a free week of Starz, so rewatched Miller’s Crossing and L.A. Confidential. Hadn’t seen either since they came out. Both held up. L.A. Confidential‘s weakness, that it sees the LAPD’s violence and lawlessness as a sort of boys will be boys, not incompatible with a functional justice system. It would be interesting to see a ongoing series on the LAPD, with attempts at reform every decade, each a major victory, but just as bad when we return.

    ETA Neither of these have female leads, but it’s what I’ve been watching.

  36. 36.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 13, 2021 at 10:38 am

    @zhena gogolia: Sure.  I get it.  Also, the whole time we were watching In The Heights it was hard to reconcile somebody else’s face on Phillipa Soo’s voice.

  37. 37.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 13, 2021 at 10:41 am

    @schrodingers_cat: Been meaning to get back into BSG.  We ditched it in season 3 I think (the union organizing season).  My wife had already seen the whole series but it was my first time.  We didn’t hate the season we were watching but so many other shows came out that we just sort of never picked it back up.  We’ve actually watched the first season multiple times.

  38. 38.

    JAFD

    June 13, 2021 at 10:47 am

    Grew up in the Delaware County suburbs, so I shall have to watch Mare just to pick out the locations.*

    Only thing of note I did this week was to work for Board of Election, NJ primary, Tuesday past. Was (as you’ll remember) hot humid day, 80F walking to Congress St Firehouse at 5 AM, nonstop from Mumbai or Tel Aviv gliding in through dawn. Ferry Avenue – main street of Lusophone North America – decorated for Portugal Day.

    Heat not good for peoples’ tempers – several people venting “I don’t care if I’m registered as Party A, I wanna vote for this Party B guy” and “Those new scanners – from Dominion – I don’t trust them.”  Little old lady wasn’t in book, so detailed explanation of provisional ballot procedures, in Portugese.  Another, who’d moved to next block, didn’t realize she was now in next precinct.  Almost had her persuaded to walk over to Riverbank Park pollingplace, when thundercloudburst, around 2 PM. Fire radio rest of day had many announcements “cars stranded in water on South Street”. Were almost at point where humidity would curl the paper enuf to jam machine. But we survived.

    From polling place workers viewpoint, great thing about paper ballots and scanners is that a Minus Válido voter can use the Audio-Tactile Interface while rest of us can keep sliding ballots in for scanning.  Minor problem is that ink from standard ballpoints gums up scanner, have to provide voters with Sharpies, keep them from walking away.  Had to count to doublecheck number of voters in precinct books, came to 555 in this.

    Heard NJ’s giving election workers additional $200 bonus – hazard pay ? – for this election. Will believe it when I see my check.

    Good news – WQXR.org’s broadcasting Live Concert, with Orchestra and Audience, Tuesday at 7:30 EDT

    https://www.wqxr.org/story/naumburg-orchestral-concerts-knights-june-2021/  for details

    Hope yo’ staying healthy, happy and hydrated !

    *BTW, if any of you remember the TV series Taxi, was dwelling near where the locations were shot.  Can tell you exact addresses for some,  First season, the company hadn’t arranged to hook up their trailers to main power, had a couple of dozen portable generators going, v. annoying

  39. 39.

    There are those who call me...tim... (Still posh)

    June 13, 2021 at 10:48 am

    “Loki” for sure. Also, we’re finally onto Hulu and I might start binging “Preacher” tonight.

  40. 40.

    zhena gogolia

    June 13, 2021 at 10:54 am

    Looking forward to this:

    'When you're alone and life is making you lonelyYou can always go…'Watch the first trailer for my new film: #LastNightInSoho. Can’t wait for you to see it in cinemas this October. pic.twitter.com/hA2wR2Ukl0— edgarwright (@edgarwright) May 25, 2021

  41. 41.

    zhena gogolia

    June 13, 2021 at 10:54 am

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    ? She wasn’t in In the Heights.

  42. 42.

    Mo Salad

    June 13, 2021 at 11:00 am

    Got in the first half of Bo Burnham’s “Inside” last night and the second half of England v. Croatia just now. Very happy with both.

    If you watch “Inside”, have your pause button ready and read the whiteboards.

  43. 43.

    Betty Cracker

    June 13, 2021 at 11:00 am

    @zhena gogolia: The trailer was way scary.

  44. 44.

    Arlene

    June 13, 2021 at 11:09 am

    Loved, Mare of Easttown as well. Geg6, Kate Winslet’s accent did not sound like a Lehigh Valley accent and I should know I live here. The Philly accent has a more nasal tone to it. If you listen to Ron and Gail Bennington on Sirius XM, they have the Philly accent perfected. Probably because Ron is a Chester native.

    I’ll second Hacks as well. Jean Smart is fantastic. I’ve loved her since Designing Women. Also, Band of Brothers is an excellent miniseries which I’ve watched several times. My husband worked with the daughter of Dick Winters, the main character in it.

  45. 45.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    June 13, 2021 at 11:09 am

    Mare of Eastown was great. After the 1st episode I thought they were somewhere in Maryland. One of the better finales I’ve seen. I realized after looking up Kate Winslet that I haven’t really seen anything in which she has appeared. I avoided The Titanic. I already knew the ending.

  46. 46.

    zhena gogolia

    June 13, 2021 at 11:13 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    Probably too scary for me, but it looks great!

  47. 47.

    zhena gogolia

    June 13, 2021 at 11:14 am

    @Arlene:

    I’ll again recommend A Simple Favor for all Jean Smart fans.

  48. 48.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 13, 2021 at 11:14 am

    @Old Dan and Little Ann: Check out the film Little Children.  Quirky, dark drama/comedy that Winslet starred in.

  49. 49.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    June 13, 2021 at 11:16 am

    @JAFD: Grew up in the Delaware County suburbs, so I shall have to watch Mare just to pick out the locations.

    As I mentioned, we’re in Delco, but I can’t begin to guess where the locations actually are or where they’re supposed to be. I’d never heard of Easttown so I looked it up on Google Maps. It’s up on the Main Line near Devon, which I would guess is a pretty ritzy area. Also not located in Delco. I don’t think it’s at all like the fictional Easttown in the show.

    My best guess if they’re actually using Delco locations is that it’s Darby or Upper Darby, and maybe their fictional Easttown is based on one of those places. But there’s this weird small-town thing going on where everybody knows everybody, including the cops and the people they’re arresting. That feels a little like Ridley to me (which is very close to me).

    But I’m not a native. I don’t really know every corner of this county.

    Also about the accent, I’ll take natives word for it that they got it right or almost right. But to me it doesn’t sound like what I hear in the WaWa.

  50. 50.

    way2blue

    June 13, 2021 at 11:16 am

    If you like detective series, ‘Vera’ on Acorn is great.

  51. 51.

    Doug R

    June 13, 2021 at 11:20 am

    I see someone talked about Watchmen, but no one mentioned that Jean Smart plays an important pivotal role in it.

    Highly recommended-stick through until at least episode 6-amazing.

  52. 52.

    laura

    June 13, 2021 at 11:25 am

    Anyone else watch Shtisel? Grama Malka and dream sequences – just hooked me.

  53. 53.

    debbie

    June 13, 2021 at 11:27 am

    @MomSense: 

    Hope they can figure out what’s making your mother’s BP go nuts. Pity you’ve needed to make yourself the “head” physician to get them to do their $#@$! jobs.

    Thought of you when I heard earlier this morning that Hanif Abdurraqib has a podcast Small Joys.

  54. 54.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    June 13, 2021 at 11:28 am

    @Old Dan and Little Ann:

    I realized after looking up Kate Winslet that I haven’t really seen anything in which she has appeared. I avoided The Titanic.

    I realized the same thing! Pretty sure the only thing I had seen her in pre-Mare was her episode of Ricky Gervais’ Extras (he’s an ass but it’s a really funny show with great cameos from every one from Diana Rigg to David Bowie to Ian McKellan… sorry, Sir Ian)

  55. 55.

    Betty Cracker

    June 13, 2021 at 11:28 am

    @Doug R: Yes! She’s amazing in that too.

  56. 56.

    TheronWare

    June 13, 2021 at 11:29 am

    Totally agree Mare of Easttown was excellent! I’m on my second season of Peaky Blinders and would recommend it.

  57. 57.

    zhena gogolia

    June 13, 2021 at 11:32 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Sense and Sensibility!

  58. 58.

    beth

    June 13, 2021 at 11:39 am

    Looking forward to Blindspotting starting soon on Starz.  It was one of my favorite movies of the last few years and the series looks to be focused on the female characters starring Helen Hunt and Jasmine Cephas Jones.

  59. 59.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 13, 2021 at 11:40 am

    @UncleEbeneezer: Season 3 lags in parts a bit but I only watch it on the weekends that kept me involved.

  60. 60.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    June 13, 2021 at 11:41 am

    @zhena gogolia: was that the Emma Thompson one? I saw that one. Not a big Austen fan.

    I have been meaning to watch Revolution Road, and I saw the ending of Titanic on TV, she was SPOILER ALERT floating on a door and blowing a whistle as I recall

  61. 61.

    laura

    June 13, 2021 at 11:41 am

    @debbie: That man is a stone genius! I found him when I went looking for the Popehat podcast and KCRW also has Henry Rollins on too! Check out more: https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/lost-notes/introducing-lost-notes-1980

  62. 62.

    Kristine

    June 13, 2021 at 11:42 am

    @There are those who call me…tim… (Still posh): @Feathers: A third for Loki, which according to some of the articles I’ve read may take a few interesting turns wrt his persona. Plus Tom Hiddleston–he’s so good in that role. And I did not recognize Owen Wilson. Amazing what a mustache and haircut will do.

    I can’t deal with anything new right now for reasons–the Marvel TV series don’t count–so I rewatch whatever fave movie comes up. HP, Marvel, Underworld, Resident Evil, John Wick. I wish the Perlman Hellboy would swing back around.

  63. 63.

    zhena gogolia

    June 13, 2021 at 11:44 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Yes, it stars Emma Thompson, but she also wrote the screenplay. It’s a brilliant screenplay — it is quite a free adaptation of the novel in terms of the actual lines the actors say, but nevertheless it feels very true to Austen. I love it. Directed by Ang Lee. The whole cast is brilliant, from Thompson to Winslet to Hugh Grant, James Fleet, Harriet Walter, Gemma Jones, Robert Hardy, Elizabeth Spriggs, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton, and the great Alan Rickman.

  64. 64.

    Betty Cracker

    June 13, 2021 at 11:48 am

    @zhena gogolia: I didn’t know Thompson wrote the screenplay! Agree that it’s a brilliant adaptation with stellar acting all around.

    Winslet was also good in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

  65. 65.

    Aunt Kathy

    June 13, 2021 at 11:48 am

    @swiftfox: I agree! I saw her in a later interview, and she came across as such a serious person, serious manner, that I thought, Holy cow, she’s good, to have played Charlene with such Joy.

  66. 66.

    zhena gogolia

    June 13, 2021 at 11:53 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    “The Holiday” is kind of fun.

    I just ordered a copy of Thompson’s screenplay plus her diaries on the making of the film.

  67. 67.

    There are those who call me...tim... (Still posh)

    June 13, 2021 at 11:56 am

    @Kristine: Owen. The Nose. Always look for The Nose.

  68. 68.

    raven

    June 13, 2021 at 11:57 am

    The Trial of Christine Keeler is really good.

  69. 69.

    Catherine D.

    June 13, 2021 at 12:01 pm

    FWIW, I have HBOmax on an AppleTV, and the sound is fine.

  70. 70.

    Jmgy

    June 13, 2021 at 12:04 pm

    For Jean Smart fans I highly recommend Fargo Season 2.

  71. 71.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    June 13, 2021 at 12:08 pm

    @raven: I missed that one. I haven’t seen it in years but I remember Scandal as being a really good movie.

    Just looking at that IMDB, I didn’t remember Ian McKellan as Profumo. That was probably the first time I saw him on screen.

  72. 72.

    MontyTheClipArtMongoose

    June 13, 2021 at 12:15 pm

    @swiftfox: martha logan is still my flotus.

  73. 73.

    MontyTheClipArtMongoose

    June 13, 2021 at 12:19 pm

    @Capri: i think the nfl is still sore with hbo over some bryant gumbel real sports story about concussions.

  74. 74.

    raven

    June 13, 2021 at 12:31 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: It’s brand new on HBO Max.

  75. 75.

    AM in NC

    June 13, 2021 at 12:31 pm

    Husband and I really liked Mare of Easttown, and thought Winslet, Smart, and Julianne Nicholson (Mare’s best friend) were all fantastic.

    If you are looking for a couple of other shows with great female leads/shared leads (and don’t mind foreign-language shows), check out Borgen (centered around the first female Danish Prime Minister); Beforeigners (Norwegian detective story + time travel); and Call My Agent (French dreamed about the entertainment biz).  All very different shows with strong writing, strong acting, and strong production values).

    Also, if you have not watched Underground Railroad (based on Colson Whitehead’s novel), watch it now.  Not easy to watch, because of the subject matter, but just visually stunning and incredibly, incredibly well done.

  76. 76.

    raven

    June 13, 2021 at 12:36 pm

    @MomSense: They are both directed by Sally Wainright as is Happy Valley. The vile kiler in Happy Valley is James Norton who was also the Vicar in Grantchester and the pimpy MD in the trial of Christine Keeler.

  77. 77.

    raven

    June 13, 2021 at 12:38 pm

    @AM in NC: When Winlset is holding Nicholson at the end of Mare it reminded me of the last scene in Happy Valley when the woman shot her own rapist son and Sarah Lancishire holds her on the steps.

  78. 78.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 13, 2021 at 12:42 pm

    @AM in NC: If you like Underground Railroad, check out Them on Amazon Prime.

  79. 79.

    James E Powell

    June 13, 2021 at 12:43 pm

    Mare of Easttown prompted a discussion on a podcast I listen to: Is Kate Winslet the best post-Streep actress? Not the biggest star, the best at acting. And of course Streep is and has been around the whole time, but by post is meant, whose career began after Streep’s.

    Frances McDormand was in the mix. Who else belongs there?

  80. 80.

    James E Powell

    June 13, 2021 at 12:44 pm

    @raven:

    Wow! Spoiler alert!

  81. 81.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 13, 2021 at 12:46 pm

    @AM in NC: Call My Agent is hilarious!  Truly one of the only shows I’ve seen in years that straight-up surprises me with laughs.  Probably our fave comedy along with Sex Education.

  82. 82.

    Sister Golden Bear

    June 13, 2021 at 12:47 pm

    @Suzanne:

    I liked that Kate Winslet didn’t look all airbrushed.

    She insisted on that. And forced them to back down when they tried to do it anyway.

    As reported in the New York Times, Winslet claimed that Zobel offered to edit a scene in which Winslet showed a “bulgy bit of belly”.

    Winslet refused and told Zobel: “Don’t you dare.”

    Winslet also said she sent back promotional material for the drama twice because she felt it had been airbrushed too much.

    Winslet said: “I’m like: ‘Guys, I know how many lines I have by the side of my eye, please put them all back

    @geg6:

    Especially for a Brit, who seem to do Southern accents well but rarely can handle other regional American accents without any telltale slips.

    I remember an accent coach for actors saying there was a lot of similarities between some English accents and Southern accents (due to English immigration to the South). The main differences being the speed of speech and the “Southern lilt.”

  83. 83.

    Betty Cracker

    June 13, 2021 at 12:53 pm

    @raven: “Happy Valley” is such a fantastic show!

  84. 84.

    Betty Cracker

    June 13, 2021 at 12:57 pm

    @James E Powell: Cate Blanchett!

  85. 85.

    E.

    June 13, 2021 at 1:02 pm

    Glad to see Call My Agent mentioned here a few times. By Season 4 the constant theme of reconciliation through breakthrough gets a bit tiresome in the week-to-week storyline but the show as a whole remains outstanding. Once the writers zeroed in on Andrea’s character she stole the show. Lot’s of great, great female characters. A really fun show to watch with a lot of talent and varied characters.

  86. 86.

    Leto

    June 13, 2021 at 1:19 pm

    Kate McKinnion is Kate Winslet on Mare. If anyone needs a quick summary of the show, just watch.

    Also: Wawa is life and Kate Winslet finally understands that.

  87. 87.

    Raven

    June 13, 2021 at 1:28 pm

    @James E Powell: Damn it! Sorry

  88. 88.

    mali muso

    June 13, 2021 at 1:41 pm

    Another fan of Call My Agent here. Hubby and I both speak French, so it’s one show that we like to watch with the original dialogue and French subtitles in case we miss any nuance (Parisian accents are so extra).  Another excellent French language series on Netflix is Lupin; season 2 just dropped.

  89. 89.

    Ramiah Ariya

    June 13, 2021 at 1:53 pm

    Mare of Easttown is the only show I have binged on, after “The Witcher” last year. Kate Winslet was phenomenal. As the show progressed I felt it dragged, since nothing seemed to be going anywhere, but then they made up for all of it in the end; and all those independent bits came together.

  90. 90.

    James E Powell

    June 13, 2021 at 1:57 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    Right. Cate Blanchett was also mentioned. A lot of discussion about the choices each one made as her career developed.

    For anyone who really liked Mare of Easttown, you have to check out the podcast, The Watch.  They interview Brad Inglesby the writer in one episode and Kate Winslet in another.

  91. 91.

    Mousebumples

    June 13, 2021 at 2:05 pm

    Late to the thread, but I really enjoyed the first 2 seasons of Pose on Netflix. (i believe the s3 series finale just aired but we have streaming services versus cable) Transworld play an important role in that show, and are played by trans actors, i believe.

    It illustrated a lot of things i had read and heard about the 80s in the LGBT community in a way i appreciated. So many tough people living through tough situations. I think many were loosely based on real people in that time and space?

  92. 92.

    sacrablue

    June 13, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    Absolutely enjoyed Kate Winslet as Mare but there were many other characters that nailed the accent way better than she did. I worked really hatd to lose it but still catch myself saying something like wudder.
    I almost lost it when Mare told the young cop to tell the EMTs to take the drug addicted brother of one of Mare’s friends to Riddle. The one thing my mother insisted on telling me regiarding her medical power of attorney was, “Don’t let them take me to Riddle”. Three years later on the opposite coast, i answered the phone only to hear, ” This is Dr. so-abd-so, of the emergency department at Riddle Memorial Hospital”…

  93. 93.

    TheflipPsyd

    June 13, 2021 at 2:29 pm

    I am a native Philadelphian now living in Delaware, but within walking distance to Delco. Was really fun to watch, for the story and to pick out locations. The accent was extremely well done and very close but is not a 100 percent match. Read an article when the show first came out that in order to have the accent, both parents must be native Delco residents themselves. And it’s interesting that Winslet is known for being good at southern accents since the Philadelphia accent actually is considered the northernmost southern accent. It has something to do with the way vowels are articulated.

  94. 94.

    Tazj

    June 13, 2021 at 2:36 pm

    I loved Mare of Easttown and I generally try to avoid shows that involve any realistic depictions of murder anymore. They’re too sad for me. However, as many others have said the murders weren’t really the primary focus of the show.
    I liked how the show dealt with themes of grief and trauma, things that are often expected to be swept under the rug and stuffed down in this culture so that no one will miss a day of work or make anyone else feel uncomfortable.
    I heard an interview with one of the writers and he talked about wanting to show the grace and kindness of the characters in the town and this was another thing I appreciated about this series.

  95. 95.

    VeniceRiley

    June 13, 2021 at 2:38 pm

    Co-sign on every show everyone mentions above. I’ll leave you with a warn off of George Clooney’s actor bait astronaut movie on streaming.

  96. 96.

    raven

    June 13, 2021 at 2:53 pm

    Of course the director of Mare is Craig Zobel from Athens, Ga.

  97. 97.

    zhena gogolia

    June 13, 2021 at 2:54 pm

    @Leto:

    That’s hilarious! (and I’ve never seen the original show)

  98. 98.

    MontyTheClipArtMongoose

    June 13, 2021 at 3:19 pm

    @James E Powell:  viola davis.

  99. 99.

    Betty Cracker

    June 13, 2021 at 3:27 pm

    @TheflipPsyd: The way they front their vowels reminds me a little of the South FL accent, which is counterintuitively more “Northern” in character than the North FL accent. (Examples: Janet Reno / Tom Petty)

  100. 100.

    Leto

    June 13, 2021 at 3:41 pm

    @zhena gogolia: we’ll stream it soon, but yeah that just left Avalune and I laughing hysterically. Murdur durdur is a new shorthand for us. We also giggled because they named checked our little borough.

    I know Dr Who isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the current Doctor is played by Jodie Whittaker. It’s the first time in the series history a woman has played the titular character, and I think she’s absolutely brilliant. If you’ve (universal you here) never watch it, it’s a great time to start.

  101. 101.

    Bodacious

    June 13, 2021 at 5:11 pm

    Anyone catch the series “The Great”? Starring Elle Fanning as Katherine the Great, it is bawdy but deliciously funny. Wasn’t a fan of Ms Fanning, but she won my heart.

  102. 102.

    Bonnie

    June 13, 2021 at 5:57 pm

    I enjoyed Mare of Easttown.  It had quite an interesting ending; but, it was a bit up and down throughout the seven weeks it ran.  I thought the first episode was so boring, that I slept through it the first three times I watched it.  I like mysteries and there are very few really good mysteries made these days.  But, the murder mystery was the best part.  There was some really, really good acting, especially Winslet and Julianne Nicholson.  I distinguished no accent at all; so am not sure what this Philly accent is that people talk about.  I am from the great Pacific Northwest.  I recommend it to those who didn’t see it and hope they appreciate the fine acting on display.

  103. 103.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 13, 2021 at 5:58 pm

    @Mousebumples: Check out Netflix’ documentary Disclosure if you want a great documentary about Trans representation in Hollywood.  Obviously much of it is atrocious shit from the past (some fairly recent) but it also really highlights some progress that has been made and lets Transgender voices tell why better representation is so important.  So there are also some really uplifting, heartfelt moments too.

  104. 104.

    UncleEbeneezer

    June 13, 2021 at 5:59 pm

    @Bodacious: The Great was fun except that it went for shock/gross-out moments way too much.  Still enjoyed though.

  105. 105.

    Groucho48

    June 13, 2021 at 6:09 pm

    I’d like to recommend Halt and Catch Fire. It was an AMC series now on Netflix. It centers around a group of folks who were in the middle of the computer revolution from the early 80s to the mid-90s. It starts out mostly focused on the male characters but the female characters get more and more attention until the show is very much focused on them. Great writing, great acting, interesting plot. One of my top 5 favorite series.

  106. 106.

    SuzieC

    June 13, 2021 at 6:40 pm

    @Suzanne:  So grateful for the recommendation from you all. I started binge watching Mare of Easttown and I love it. To add to your comments, Guy Pearce is sexy as Richard.

  107. 107.

    Feathers

    June 13, 2021 at 7:35 pm

    @way2blue:  I will up the votes for Vera. It’s basically Columbo as a cranky Irishwoman detective in Newcastle and Northumbria. Brenda Blethyn stars, with a rotating cast of underlings.

  108. 108.

    Kosh III

    June 14, 2021 at 10:36 am

    We are watching Lucifer, fabulous as always. Netflix

    Ragnarok, now in it’s second season is a slow moving but compelling story of am angst ridden teen who must come to terms with his being Thor, the world-ending battle with the Giants and environmental devastation.  It’s in Norwegian with dubbing.  Netflix

    The Upshaws, a sitcom starring Kim Fields, who has had one too many facelifts, Mike Epps and the always acerbic and hilarious Wanda Sykes.  Netflix

    Superman and Lois on CW is hitting it out of the ballpark.

    Don’t have HBO and don’t plan to have it until the next Thrones series shows up.

    Looking forward to the newest version of Dune in theatres this fall.

  109. 109.

    Tehanu

    June 15, 2021 at 4:29 am

    @James E Powell: ​
      Amy Adams. Did you ever see her with Frances McDormand in Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day? My favorite romantic comedy ever.

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