The Flight Attendant - HBO Max

 Dangrdafne review:

Holy Moly!!

What a show!!!

I never read the book this series is based on but if it is even half as good as this show, then it is incredible!

Kaley Cuoco as Cassie is absolutely mezmerizing in this role. So unexpected to me and so incredibly amazing. She had to hit all emotions and play a role I never thought I could see her in but I am so glad I did. I almost passed this up when I saw the first ads for it. But one day while on the treadmill I thought, why not? I can always turn it off if I don't like it. 8 episodes later... no I didn't walk for 8 hours but I was tempted... I was so happy I started this series.

I loved that I only figured out one thing in the mystery thriller and I loved more how they twisted and turned and tricked me all along the way. It is cleverly written, filmed and told to the viewer.

One of my favorite actors is in this show too, Michelle Gomez and she is now added to my list of people I would love to meet and talk to or at least thank for the joy she has brought me through her roles she has played. She is perfect but once again.

Rosie Perez, boy do I love her too. She plays her role with such vulnerability and at times it seemed like a quiet and small role but it is not and she doesn't let it be either. I know the series is coming back for a second season and I hope she is part of it. I need more of her on my screen and I really need to know what happens with her character, if they should decide to show us.

Zosia Mamet as Annie was spectacular. She went through the wringer as Cassie’s best friend. Her role is critical to the story and she played it perfectly. I must see what else she has been in. 

I am most grateful that the show is focused on women and all the power they hold in various ways. I was uncomfortable with all the alcohol use but it was imperative to the story. This truly was a great mystery thriller and everyone was perfect for the roles they played. 

4 paws!

Friday 80s Flashback for March 25, 2022

[The Theme of this Post is Talking Heads] -- "The name of this song is 'New Feeling.' That’s what it’s about." With those words, David Byrne introduces the first track on Talking Heads' first live album, The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads. The banter never improves, but do you really need stage banter when the performances speak so strongly for themselves? Released 40 years ago this week on March 24, the original double LP had 17 tracks, and that's the focus of this post's the embedded YouTube playlist. For your reference, the 2004 CD re-release expanded the track list to 33. 

On the original release, the first record was all about the original quartet's recordings from 1977 and 1979, while the second record featured the touring ten-piece lineup of 1980 and 1981. The songs are all from Talking Heads' first four studio albums: Talking Heads: 77 (1977), More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978), Fear of Music (1979), and Remain in Light (1980). There are live versions of previous singles such as "Psycho Killer," "Love → Building on Fire," "Life During Wartime," and "Take Me to the River" (their cover of the Al Green classic). The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads peaked at #31 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. And it also served as something of an in-the-moment greatest hits collection for Talking Heads. The band's popularity would surge in 1983 with the release of Speaking in Tongues.

Flashback: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads

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That's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

I'll see you in seven!

Friday 80s Flashback for March 18, 2022

[Forty Year Old Batteries] -- Forty years ago this weekend, on 3/19/1982, After the Fire released their fourth and final LP of new and original material: Batteries Not Included. You might recall After the Fire, or ATF, from their mid-1982 cover of the Falco hit, "Der Kommissar." That cover was supposed to be the lead single for their more or less in progress fifth album. However, After the Fire announced they were disbanding in December of that year. If you know this band only from their cover of "Der Kommissar," which was released as the sole new track on a compilation album of songs from three of After the Fire's studio albums, this album might surprise you. To me, it kind of comes off as the soundtrack to a science fiction movie. No, not that one, something more along the lines of a sci-fi rom-com B movie. Anyway, "Dancing in the Shadows" was a minor hit in the US. But I'm surprised "I Don't Understand Your Love" didn't get more airplay, or rotations on MTV. The music video is certainly entertaining. 

Flashback: After the Fire – Batteries Not Included (1982)

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That's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

I'll see you in seven!

Friday 80s Flashback for March 11, 2022

[Asia] -- Wikipedia indicates a release date of March 8. AOTY claims it was March 18. But they both agree with each other, and with multiple other sites, on the month and year. So, forty years ago this month, Asia released their eponymous debut album. Asia carried the supergroup concept from the 1960s and 1970s into the 1980s. Point of fact: Geoff Downes (keyboards), John Wetton (bass, vocals), Steve Howe (guitar), and Carl Palmer (drums) were already famous individually for playing in some of the biggest prog-rock bands of the 70s. But when they came together as Asia in 1981, the unique quality about their new supergroup was the fact that, despite their vast experience, none of them had ever played together in a previous band. It was truly a new experience for all of them. (Note: I don't have a specific reference for this; I just remember reading it in, of all places, a photography magazine back in the day.) And despite their sound owing more to the 70s than the New Wave that was taking over the radio, Asia's eponymous debut album not only peaked at #1 on US Billboard Album chart, it was the #1 album in the US for all of 1982. Their debut album also spawned two huge hits ("Heat of the Moment" peaked at #4 on Billboard Top Singles chart, and "Only Time Will Tell" was a top 20 hit). Other songs on the album achieved considerable radio play as well. Their sound was slick and muscular, likely due to Palmer's steady percussion and Wetton's driving bass. And while the music was majestic in scope -- you have to play at a grand level if you choose to name your band after a continent -- their lyrics tended to skew toward the cheesy and melodramatic. 

And yet ... I have to admit, with barely a hint of guilt, that this remains one of my favorite albums from the early 1980s. I even did my own sketches of that album cover!

Flashback: ASIA (1982)

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And ... that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

I'll see you in seven!

Doom Patrol Season 3 - HBO Max

 Dangrdafne review:

Well this was quite the long con (for lack of a better term). 

But worth it for the pay off at the end.

I loved the three characters who show up in Dead Patrol. I hear there could be a spin off for them and I’m in if it is the same actors. I know absolutely nothing about these characters but Brainwise does and when I said the actors seemed perfectly fit to the roles he agreed.  

Michelle Gomez was beyond perfection in her role this season. I adore her as is but I think I love her even more now. She is simply amazing in her roles and this one is no exception. Good, bad, both, don’t know… maybe it doesn’t matter. Watching her is worth every second of this season. 

I was worried when a few sections seemed very disjointed and not tied to the season but it paid off. Patience was definitely a virtue this season.  Especially during the Undead Patrol. Definitely not my favorite episode but needed to fill in the season long story. 

I loved how the season all intersected and each piece was needed to tell the story. At the end, I could see how thought provoking it all was and I was quite moved by each character and their growth. One thing I always look for in a show is the growth of the characters. It doesn't have to be huge or major but anything that moves the character forward works for me and keeps me interested. The best thing I can say now is... when does Season 4 air??!!

Before the last two episodes I had 3 paws for the season but after watching the final 2 episodes and seeing the full completed puzzle I now rate season 3 of Doom Patrol...

4 paws 

and

4 paws and a tail for Michelle Gomez 

Friday 80s Flashback for March 4, 2022

[Ambient 40] -- Forty years ago this week, Brian Eno released Ambient 4: On Land, the fourth and final entry in his ambient series. Oh, but if you want to get technical about it, Discreet Music (1975) was Eno's first foray into ambient music, so today's Flashback could be considered his fifth overall ambient collection. Anyway, the first two in this series –  Ambient 1: Music for Airports and Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror – were released in the late 1970s. The third entry, Ambient 3: Day of Radiance, was released in 1980. Although each record has a different focus, each one was meant to stand as a sound installation. According to Eno, "... the making of records such as On Land involved feeding unheard tape into the mix, constant feeding and remixing, subtracting and 'composting'" (Sound on Sound). I like that notion of composting rather than composing. I'll keep that in mind while this atmospheric audio takes root in my brain this weekend. It's exactly the soundtrack I need for doing homework. 

Flashback: Ambient 4: On Land

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That's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.

I'll see you in seven!

Titans - Season 3 HBO Max

 Dangrdafne review

My goodness I love this show. My first love is Ted Lasso but I’m pretty sure this is my second. And it couldn’t be more opposite. Or is it?

Yes Titans is incredibly violent and dark and angsty but at the heart of it is my favorite theme, making a family out of a rag tag bunch of folks. 

There was not one moment of this season that had me complaining or bored or irritated. I loved every second. 

I am especially enamored with Barbara Gordon, portrayed by Savannah Welch. Not only is she incredible in the role but she is truly from the disability community and what she brings to this role is the heart and soul of everything. She is simply marvelous. Every person should view her fight scene in the Lady Vic episode. It is incredible! She is incredible!

There are some new family members too and it was fun to watch Brainwise realize who they were and how they were being introduced to this version of Titans. I loved all the new characters and how they were woven into the story. I can't wait to see where we go in Season 4!

Remember I have no history with Titans or any baggage either. I do have knowledge from watching Gotham, Teen Titans, and other Batman movies/shows and it does enhance watching Titans and definitely never detracts for me. This season leaned a lot on Gotham history it seemed and definitely tied to the show many times. The biggest was one of the rooms shown in Wayne Manor, I would swear it was the identical room from the Gotham series. 

I hope you have watched the previous seasons and if you haven't, get to it! You can't watch this one without the other 2 and why would you want too :)

I will close with a memory I had while watching Brenton Thwaites this season and that was when he came on the screen in the first episode and I didn't know who he was going to portray, I turned to Brainwise and said "He's Dick Grayson isn't he?" I was 100% right and he is 100% the perfect Dick Grayson. He looks like him, he acts like him, he is him. I absolutely adore Brenton's portrayal and I am so glad the casting team found him and hired him. Honestly, I am grateful for each actor in this series, they are all amazing and perfectly matched to their characters.

4 paws