Point Blank discussion

What are you lovin' or a hatin' on film or TV right now?

Two things...I just started 'Black Spot' on Netflix, a French production based around murders in a logging community. The jury is till out, but it looks promising. I'm also enjoying 'The Deuce' on HBO. Created by David Simon (Homicide:Life on the Killing Street, The Wire, The Corner) and George Pelecanos, it depicts the seediness and grit of '70's New York City extremely well. Having grown up and lived most of my life in NYC, it makes me feel strangely nostalgic.

Hey Lawrence! It's great to have you in the group. I've got to be honest, with teaching and family and domesticity (an spreading myself thinly across social media!), I don't get to watch too much TV. But 'Black Spot' looks interesting.

I do LOVE, Bad Guys on Netflix. Totally cheesy. Not realistic. But just so damned cool!

I'm guessing Bad Guys is the South Korean production. Correct me if i'm wrong. I don't watch much television either, i'm burning the candle at both ends (and in the middle) as well. Most of my tv viewing is done during my commute...

Yeah - that's the one. It's stacked with tough guy lines!

Now added to my list...thanks.

"The City and the City". Based on the book by China Mieville. It is a miniseries (I think). Made by the BBC. Starring David Morrissey. It really is very good, if you are into that sort of thing.

No. I haven't read "The City and the City" yet. It is currently sitting in the pile of books that I have out from the library. So I will get there soon. It is meant to be very good.

Tom wrote: "A friend leant me The City and the City to read while I was recovering from an operation over summer and I promptly didn’t get around to reading it. Have you read the book Cordelia, and if so would..."

I watched The Wire religiously and it's on my Top 10 all-time television show list. Just curious, did you also watch Homicide? Another great show based on an excellent book, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.

After seeing many positive reviews online I finally got around to watching “Small Town Crimes” on Netflix and it’s pretty good. Modern with some nice nods to the classics. Not the type of movie that is going to make you say “WOW” but entertaining nevertheless.

Kurt wrote: "After seeing many positive reviews online I finally got around to watching “Small Town Crimes” on Netflix and it’s pretty good. Modern with some nice nods to the classics. Not the type of movie tha..."

I liked it too. Lots of shots of muscle cars and dusty roads, like a revision of the '70s . I thought it was pretty good - and something of a pilot episode feel to it. At least I thought so.

Has anyone seen Roma yet?

I think it might be a bit too worthy for me.

I'm currently watching "Stalker" by Andrei Tarkovsky. What a beautiful mindbender of a film.

I just watched The Highwaymen on Netflix. Thought it was a bit boring and a bit shit. A bit better at the end. Anyone else seen it?

I haven't seen The Highwaymen.

Criterion Channel just debuted today, and I'm salivating and all the terrific film noir I now have at the touch of a button.

I did watch The Highwaymen. I thought it was just ok. Kind of boring and I didn’t like how they handled Bonnie and Clyde. A few scenes saved the film from being a total bust for me. I expected more out of the Harrison/Costner combo.

Yes. It was like an attempt to remove the glamour from the couple, but it ended up feeling shifty and contrived.

Has anyone else seen 'How to Sell Drugs Online (fast)' on Netflix. It's flippin brilliant, buat only 6 30 minute episodes it's too damned short!

Anyone else watching 'Bad Blood'?

Watched the 1st episode and liked it, but haven't gotten back to it yet, mainly because my wife and I have started watching City on a Hill on Showtime. Two episodes in, and we're hooked. We also liked Ozark - a lot. At first, I called it a poor man's Breaking Bad, but that was unfair. It has turned out to be a solid drug crime show with a good story and really good characters. You'll have to let me know if I need to get back to Bad Blood.

I'm finishing up Don Winslow's The Border - it's a GREAT book, the 3rd in his Cartel trilogy, which FX is turning into a series. These are must-reads for crime fiction fans.

If drugs and crime are of any interest, I can highly recommend a non-fiction book called Underground Empire: Where Crime and Government Embrace, by James Mills. It details 3 operations by the US drug agency Centac. It's an older book, but it reads like a thriller, and is still pertinent today.

Hi Girard - I've just watched the first Ozark on your recommendation. It was okay - good enough to stick with it anyway.

The book sounds great - but I've got 'The Border' stacked up somewhere too - will definitely have to read it.

I loved Bad Blood, by the way. Both seasons have plenty of punch.

Hi, Geoff - I just finished The Border and was able to give it an unqualified 5 stars. My only wish is that a), it had a cast of characters, or b) that I had created one. There are lot of players and shifting alliances, at times difficult to keep track of. Please don't let that deter you!

It reminded me of my experience with LA Confidential, the first Ellroy I read. After a point, I was simply along for the ride, which was great. Re-reading it, I was better able to keep track of characters & connections. I'm a huge Ellroy fan; White Jazz might be my favorite. This Storm is in my TBR stack, along with Mark Bowden's The Last Stone, and Davies' Deptford Trilogy.

I'll get back to Bad Blood, based on your recommendation - thanks!

I was pleasantly surprised to hear on the podcast that Justin had watched Branded to Kill. This brings back great memories. I first saw this film on the big screen in the mid-90s when I was working as a projectionist at the Film Center of the School of the Art Institue of Chicago. We were running a week of Japanese noir films and Branded to Kill stood out among some other great films. I totally agree with Justin's review. Highly recommended.

Glad I'm not alone in my appreciation of Branded to Kill! It's a film that sears itself onto the brain. So many wild scenes, great soundtrack, impressive cinematography. It astounds me that it was edited in a day. . .

yeah, branded to kill is a riot...my fave japanese film-noir is high and low (1963) , d: Akira Kurosawa...it's excellent and a must see...-i just finished up season 2 of nighthunter (netflix)....it's ok, but i liked it...i'll be cautious with a recommend...

Saw the South Korean science-fiction movie "Snowpiercer" yesterday. Interesting how much it felt like a throwback to the dark, gritty and violent post-apocalyptic science-fiction films of the 1980s, I could very much imagine this being something that Paul Verhoeven could have directed between "Robocop" and "Total Recall". Even had a similar type of humour as him, right down to the fake commercials.

I must say I thought Snowpiercer, and the more recent hit from this director, were mediocre. The former became soporific and preachy about halfway through, a good idea without the creativity to encourage interest. The latter seemed more a straining for sensation, including the finale bloodbath, than a serious statement about class difference and the suffering it causes.

Snowpiercer's definitely a level more cartoonish and escapist than the director's previous movies like "Memories of Murder", "Mother" and even "The Host". I actually haven't seen "Parasite" yet.

I wager a lot of people in a group like this would only really like "Memories or Murder" and "Mother" anyway.

Hi all. I just wanted to say that I'm watching Giri/Haji on Netflix at the moment and it's freaking amazing, brilliant writing and a complex story - Japanese and British noir combined - I've never seen anything quite like it. I don't know if it's available in America, but if it is, I really recommend it. 10/10 so far!

I also watched and really liked Caliphate. It's a Swedish drama about Islamic terrorism. It starts slow but gets really good from about episode 3 onwards, and the ending isn't trite. It's definitely worth a watch. 9/10

Finally I watched White Lines - British/ Spanish noir from the writers of Money Heist. It's a noir/ whodunnit / romance, and as you can probably tell from the categorisation, it's a bit of a mess. It's enjoyable and infuriatingly, cheesingly awful in equal measure. 6/10

I just listened to installment number 50. What a treat. While it's on my to-do list, I haven't gotten around to Charles Williams yet. Also I agree with your assessments of John Thompson and Megan Abbot. Wonderful writers both, but this is not the thread for that. Here I have added Criminal to my Netflix list. The premise seems to follow a key feature of a show that was little watched, 20 odd years ago on NBC, Homicide: Life in the Street. On that show, there was little action, it was all about the investigation. The box or interrogation room was featured and used well in breaking down killers...and sometimes not.

I don't know why, but i'm beginning with Criminal: Spain. Thanks for this recommendation.

Hello Lawrence, Criminal has piqued my interest as well...I'll watch an episode this weekend and let's discuss next week...

Joe wrote: "Hello Lawrence, Criminal has piqued my interest as well...I'll watch an episode this weekend and let's discuss next week..."

Joe, I've watched the first two episodes of Criminal: Spain and have enjoyed the intensity of each. Let me know what you think.

Alright Lawrence, I'll do that right now, I'v got a couple of free hours...thanks for the recommend! -yes, i'll let you know...

I've been somewhat off the air. I'll probably watch one more episode this weekend.

Lawrence wrote: "I've been somewhat off the air. I'll probably watch one more episode this weekend."
Hi Lawrence, I watched the three Eps. of Criminal Spain...I liked it, it was fun...a lot of back & forth pysch dialogue that kept you on your toes...they could have expanded it easily with the sub-plots, like the ending where the jilted boy-friend detective double-crosses the head lady detective...there was a lot of ways they could have taken the story-line...I'll probably give Criminal Germany a go...thanks, again!