On gaming night, I watched:

Nothing.

What did you watch?

--
Let's go Brandon!

On 9/7/23 1:30 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:

> What did you watch?

Just soaps:

soaps: DOOL - OK, what was the point of bringing Jen Lilley's Theresa
back on the show, just to waste her in a scene/episode with Xander?! Did
Lilley insist upon a scene with Paul Talfer?!! 'Cos otherwise, the scene
made no sense!... Also, what the heck was up with Arianne Zucker this
episode?! She looked inexplicably different, but I couldn't figure out
why! Is she preggers in real life? Was her hair different?! WTH?!!...
Greg Vaughan is back as Eric - Sloan has a weird convo with EJ, and then
rushes to Eric to insist that they adopt now!! Ava Vitali is certain
that she remembers that Susan Banks was still alive after the crash
(then where is she?!!), but EJ sends a hitwoman to rub Ava out and a
struggle ensues between the hitter and Harris Michaels with Ava ending
up with the gun!
GH - Mostly just fallout from Sony being arrested. Cody continues to
fake being nuts, but later sneaks into Sasha's room, but after the EVOL
doctor dude had drugged her up. Alexis warns Nina what the consequences
will be if Sonny is sent off to jail. The surrogate undergoes the
"implantation" procedure for NuNuMolly and TJ.

On 9/7/2023 6:17 AM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
> On 9/7/23 1:30 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
>
>> What did you watch?
>
> Just soaps:
>
> soaps: DOOL - OK, what was the point of bringing Jen Lilley's Theresa
> back on the show, just to waste her in a scene/episode with Xander?! Did
> Lilley insist upon a scene with Paul Talfer?!! 'Cos otherwise, the scene
> made no sense!... Also, what the heck was up with Arianne Zucker this
> episode?! She looked inexplicably different, but I couldn't figure out
> why! Is she preggers in real life? Was her hair different?! WTH?!!...

Yeah, her hair was styled differently.

> Greg Vaughan is back as Eric - Sloan has a weird convo with EJ, and then
> rushes to Eric to insist that they adopt now!! Ava Vitali is certain
> that she remembers that Susan Banks was still alive after the crash
> (then where is she?!!), but EJ sends a hitwoman to rub Ava out and a
> struggle ensues between the hitter and Harris Michaels with Ava ending
> up with the gun!
>    GH - Mostly just fallout from Sony being arrested. Cody continues to
> fake being nuts, but later sneaks into Sasha's room, but after the EVOL
> doctor dude had drugged her up. Alexis warns Nina what the consequences
> will be if Sonny is sent off to jail. The surrogate undergoes the
> "implantation" procedure for NuNuMolly and TJ.
>
>

On 9/7/2023 6:17 AM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
> On 9/7/23 1:30 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
>
>> What did you watch?
>
> Just soaps:
>
> soaps: DOOL - OK, what was the point of bringing Jen Lilley's Theresa
> back on the show, just to waste her in a scene/episode with Xander?! Did
> Lilley insist upon a scene with Paul Talfer?!! 'Cos otherwise, the scene
> made no sense!... Also, what the heck was up with Arianne Zucker this
> episode?! She looked inexplicably different, but I couldn't figure out
> why! Is she preggers in real life? Was her hair different?! WTH?!!...
> Greg Vaughan is back as Eric - Sloan has a weird convo with EJ, and then
> rushes to Eric to insist that they adopt now!! Ava Vitali is certain
> that she remembers that Susan Banks was still alive after the crash
> (then where is she?!!), but EJ sends a hitwoman to rub Ava out and a
> struggle ensues between the hitter and Harris Michaels with Ava ending
> up with the gun!
>    GH - Mostly just fallout from Sony being arrested. Cody continues to
> fake being nuts, but later sneaks into Sasha's room, but after the EVOL
> doctor dude had drugged her up. Alexis warns Nina what the consequences
> will be if Sonny is sent off to jail. The surrogate undergoes the
> "implantation" procedure for NuNuMolly and TJ.
>
>

This is a two day catch up. I watched:

Ahsoka (Disney+) - "Part Four: Fallen Jedi" - Epic episode! Ahoska and
Sabine face off against Skoll, Hati, and Marrok. And once again they
ended on a cliffhanger. Next week's episode is getting a theatrical
release. But nowhere near me. :-(

What We Do in the Shadows "A Weekend at Morrigan Manor" and "Exit
Interview" - Final two episodes of the season. Everything gets wrapped
up and reset.

Night Court - "DA Club" - Still making my way through them and somehow I
apparently synced up with Ian, who liked this episode a lot more than I did.

Murder on the Orient Express (Amazon Prime streaming) 2017 murder
mystery directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, a
1930s detective based on the Agatha Christie novels. First up Poirot
solves a murder on a train. The victim (Johnny Depp) is a very bad man
and the train is full of suspects (too many to name). I hated the
resolution when I saw this in the theater. I thought on this second
viewing knowing how it all plays out it might be better. It wasn't. I
still hated the ending. I did get a bit of chuckle at the end when
Poirot gets invited to Egypt to solve a murder on the Nile. I recorded
this off of FXM, but it was in the wrong aspect ratio, so I broke down
and used some credits I had saved up to stream if off of Amazon in the
proper aspect ratio. At least it looked good.

Death on the Nile (4K disc) 2022 sequel which finds Poirot (Kenneth
Branagh who once again directs) on a boat with another batch of famous
Hollywood celebs to solve yet another murder. I liked this one much
more than the first one. I didn't realize this the first time I watched
the movie, but the character of Poirot's friend "Bouc" (Tom Bateman) is
in both movies. Watching back-to-back, I thought to myself, that guy
looks familiar, wasn't he in the first movie.

What Did You Watch? 2023-09-06 (Wednesday)

Ancient Empires S1E01 'Alexander the Great' (History Channel - DVR)
"The Greatest Conqueror and general in history, Alexander the Great of
Macedon built one of the largest empires ever seen in just 13 years."

A 2-1/2 hour documentary on, well, you can probably guess who.

What Did You Watch?

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On 2023-09-07 15:19:38 +0000, Arthur Lipscomb said:

> On 9/7/2023 6:17 AM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
>> On 9/7/23 1:30 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
>>
>>> What did you watch?
>
> This is a two day catch up. I watched:
>
>
> Night Court - "DA Club" - Still making my way through them and somehow
> I apparently synced up with Ian, who liked this episode a lot more than
> I did.

I'm still an episode ahead, as I've gotten through the episode ahead of
this one. But you're catching up!

> Murder on the Orient Express (Amazon Prime streaming) 2017 murder
> mystery directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, a
> 1930s detective based on the Agatha Christie novels.
>
> Death on the Nile (4K disc) 2022 sequel which finds Poirot (Kenneth
> Branagh who once again directs) on a boat with another batch of famous
> Hollywood celebs to solve yet another murder.

Both of these movies have been on my "list" for a while, but I keep
never getting to them because they are a low priority. I would watch
them if they "synced" up with my TV viewing schedule, but I think the
former (and maybe both?) is(are) on ad-supported TV now, and I won't
watch it that way! [shrug]

On 2023-09-07 15:24:22 +0000, Dimensional Traveler said:

> What Did You Watch? 2023-09-06 (Wednesday)
>
> Ancient Empires S1E01 'Alexander the Great' (History Channel - DVR)
> "The Greatest Conqueror and general in history, Alexander the Great of
> Macedon built one of the largest empires ever seen in just 13 years."

Wouldn't Ghengis Khan have something to say about that?!

> A 2-1/2 hour documentary on, well, you can probably guess who.
>
> What Did You Watch?

Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:

>Murder on the Orient Express (Amazon Prime streaming) 2017 murder
>mystery directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, a
>1930s detective based on the Agatha Christie novels. First up Poirot
>solves a murder on a train. The victim (Johnny Depp) is a very bad man
>and the train is full of suspects (too many to name). I hated the
>resolution when I saw this in the theater. I thought on this second
>viewing knowing how it all plays out it might be better. It wasn't. I
>still hated the ending. I did get a bit of chuckle at the end when
>Poirot gets invited to Egypt to solve a murder on the Nile. I recorded
>this off of FXM, but it was in the wrong aspect ratio, so I broke down
>and used some credits I had saved up to stream if off of Amazon in the
>proper aspect ratio. At least it looked good.

I despise this movie, starting with the mustache.

But there's something completely off with the way it's shot on high
resolution video or the video processing of those outdoor scenes with
the train stuck. I don't get it, but it looks awful.

I cannot make it more than 20 minutes.

>Death on the Nile (4K disc) 2022 sequel which finds Poirot (Kenneth
>Branagh who once again directs) on a boat with another batch of famous
>Hollywood celebs to solve yet another murder. I liked this one much
>more than the first one. I didn't realize this the first time I watched
>the movie, but the character of Poirot's friend "Bouc" (Tom Bateman) is
>in both movies. Watching back-to-back, I thought to myself, that guy
>looks familiar, wasn't he in the first movie.

I W/Qed this one and I think I'll continue to do so because of the
earlier one.

Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:
> On gaming night, I watched:
>
> Nothing.
>
> What did you watch?

Hey, thanks for asking!

Marvel Agents of SHIELD.
Season four, the one I’d (mostly) never watched before, about ghost rider,
and then the framework (virtual reality world).
I’d seen the ill-advised beginning of the season Ghost Rider episodes, but
not the framework stuff with the hot but evil android. Boy, howdy, the
writers and directors must’ve been smoking something good. And I bet no
matter how loaded they were they couldn’t possibly ever explain what the
hell was going on moment to moment.
There was a lot of good stuff in here, but there was also a lot of stuff
that wasn’t happening for any reason other than random plot advancement.

Anyway, now I’ve seen the entire series. I’m not sure how much more I will
watch because the outer space future stuff is coming up and I didn’t like
that the first time around.

>
> --
> Let's go Brandon!
>
>

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

On 9/7/2023 8:50 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>
>> Murder on the Orient Express (Amazon Prime streaming) 2017 murder
>> mystery directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, a
>> 1930s detective based on the Agatha Christie novels. First up Poirot
>> solves a murder on a train. The victim (Johnny Depp) is a very bad man
>> and the train is full of suspects (too many to name). I hated the
>> resolution when I saw this in the theater. I thought on this second
>> viewing knowing how it all plays out it might be better. It wasn't. I
>> still hated the ending. I did get a bit of chuckle at the end when
>> Poirot gets invited to Egypt to solve a murder on the Nile. I recorded
>> this off of FXM, but it was in the wrong aspect ratio, so I broke down
>> and used some credits I had saved up to stream if off of Amazon in the
>> proper aspect ratio. At least it looked good.
>
> I despise this movie, starting with the mustache.
>
> But there's something completely off with the way it's shot on high
> resolution video or the video processing of those outdoor scenes with
> the train stuck. I don't get it, but it looks awful.
>

It looks even worse in the wrong aspect ratio! I actually recorded it
twice. I think first on FXM which is commercial free then on FX which
had commercials. Without even knowing at first it was in the wrong
aspect ratio I watched the FXM version and it looked horrible. So then
I rerecorded it with commercials on FX and realized it was the exact
same image, now with commercials. But the Amazon version look really
good to my eyes. It was also broadcast in HDR10+. So they probably
helped as well.

> I cannot make it more than 20 minutes.
>
>> Death on the Nile (4K disc) 2022 sequel which finds Poirot (Kenneth
>> Branagh who once again directs) on a boat with another batch of famous
>> Hollywood celebs to solve yet another murder. I liked this one much
>> more than the first one. I didn't realize this the first time I watched
>> the movie, but the character of Poirot's friend "Bouc" (Tom Bateman) is
>> in both movies. Watching back-to-back, I thought to myself, that guy
>> looks familiar, wasn't he in the first movie.
>
> I W/Qed this one and I think I'll continue to do so because of the
> earlier one.

The sequel is much better, and it explains *why* he has the mustache. I
never read the books, so I have no idea if it's the same reason or not.
But I thought the reason for it was very well done in the movie.

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
> What Did You Watch? 2023-09-06 (Wednesday)
>
> Ancient Empires S1E01 'Alexander the Great' (History Channel - DVR)

I prefer the William Shatner Adam West version

> "The Greatest Conqueror and general in history, Alexander the Great of
> Macedon built one of the largest empires ever seen in just 13 years."
>
> A 2-1/2 hour documentary on, well, you can probably guess who.
>
> What Did You Watch?
>

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

On 9/7/2023 8:40 AM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
> On 2023-09-07 15:24:22 +0000, Dimensional Traveler said:
>
>> What Did You Watch? 2023-09-06 (Wednesday)
>>
>> Ancient Empires S1E01 'Alexander the Great' (History Channel - DVR)
>> "The Greatest Conqueror and general in history, Alexander the Great of
>> Macedon built one of the largest empires ever seen in just 13 years."
>
> Wouldn't Ghengis Khan have something to say about that?!
>
"one of". Alexander's empire was larger than the Roman Empire but
lasted for less than an eye blink. The show said it was 2 million
square miles in size. I looked up the size of the USA. 3.5 million
square miles. :P

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On 9/7/2023 9:28 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
> Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>> What Did You Watch? 2023-09-06 (Wednesday)
>>
>> Ancient Empires S1E01 'Alexander the Great' (History Channel - DVR)
>
> I prefer the William Shatner Adam West version
>
I'm afraid to ask.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>On 9/7/2023 8:50 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:

>>>Murder on the Orient Express (Amazon Prime streaming) 2017 murder
>>>mystery directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, a
>>>1930s detective based on the Agatha Christie novels. First up Poirot
>>>solves a murder on a train. The victim (Johnny Depp) is a very bad man
>>>and the train is full of suspects (too many to name). I hated the
>>>resolution when I saw this in the theater. I thought on this second
>>>viewing knowing how it all plays out it might be better. It wasn't. I
>>>still hated the ending. I did get a bit of chuckle at the end when
>>>Poirot gets invited to Egypt to solve a murder on the Nile. I recorded
>>>this off of FXM, but it was in the wrong aspect ratio, so I broke down
>>>and used some credits I had saved up to stream if off of Amazon in the
>>>proper aspect ratio. At least it looked good.
>>I despise this movie, starting with the mustache.

>>But there's something completely off with the way it's shot on high
>>resolution video or the video processing of those outdoor scenes with
>>the train stuck. I don't get it, but it looks awful.

>It looks even worse in the wrong aspect ratio! I actually recorded it
>twice. I think first on FXM which is commercial free then on FX which
>had commercials.

FXM -- at least the satellite feed -- has commercials, but the
commercial breaks tend to be twice an hour and they are usually careful
about where they break the movie. It's tolerable enough that I'll watch
commercials. But there are instances in which FXM screws up the aspect
ratio, I'll certainly agree.

>Without even knowing at first it was in the wrong aspect ratio I watched
>the FXM version and it looked horrible.

That stinks.

>So then
>I rerecorded it with commercials on FX and realized it was the exact
>same image, now with commercials. But the Amazon version look really
>good to my eyes. It was also broadcast in HDR10+. So they probably
>helped as well.

I don't know what HDR10+ is.

Are you set up to record from streaming?

>>I cannot make it more than 20 minutes.

>>>Death on the Nile (4K disc) 2022 sequel which finds Poirot (Kenneth
>>>Branagh who once again directs) on a boat with another batch of famous
>>>Hollywood celebs to solve yet another murder. I liked this one much
>>>more than the first one. I didn't realize this the first time I watched
>>>the movie, but the character of Poirot's friend "Bouc" (Tom Bateman) is
>>>in both movies. Watching back-to-back, I thought to myself, that guy
>>>looks familiar, wasn't he in the first movie.

>>I W/Qed this one and I think I'll continue to do so because of the
>>earlier one.

>The sequel is much better, and it explains *why* he has the mustache. I
>never read the books, so I have no idea if it's the same reason or not.
>But I thought the reason for it was very well done in the movie.

Branaugh doesn't wear the mustache as described by Christie. She doesn't
explain, just describes him as fussy and foppish.

Also, Christie committed a huge flaw with commerialization of the
character by introducing someone elderly for a continuing series of
novels and short stories, but then she'd later do the same thing with
Miss Marple.

I'm sure I've mentioned before that the Columbo character created by
Levinson and Link was elderly but then lucked out when they cast Peter
Falk in the television adaptation of their play Prescription: Murder.
The actor on stage was 70, then died while the play was on the road.
There was actually an earlier Columbo performed by yet another actor in
an episode of a television anthology series but I've never seen it.

If you are going to create a continuing character to be commercially
exploited in a series of novels, make him much younger.

In article <udd33f$32uok$1@dont-email.me>, Adam H. Kerman
<ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

> I'm sure I've mentioned before that the Columbo character created by
> Levinson and Link was elderly but then lucked out when they cast Peter
> Falk in the television adaptation of their play Prescription: Murder.
> The actor on stage was 70, then died while the play was on the road.
> There was actually an earlier Columbo performed by yet another actor in
> an episode of a television anthology series but I've never seen it.

Here's your big chance:

https://vimeo.com/530965907

Columbo was originally played by character actor Bert Freed, whom you
will surely recognize:

https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2021/04/01/chevy-mystery-show-enough-
rope

Fun facts abound on that page. For instance, L&L wanted Bing Crosby
for Columbo, but Bing was too busy golfing and taking it easy to do it.
The second actor to play Columbo was Thomas Mitchell (It's a Wonderful
Life), who did so in a stage play. This play was adapted as
Prescription: Murder, which cast Peter Falk as Columbo.

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
> On 9/7/2023 9:28 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
>> Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>>> What Did You Watch? 2023-09-06 (Wednesday)
>>>
>>> Ancient Empires S1E01 'Alexander the Great' (History Channel - DVR)
>>
>> I prefer the William Shatner Adam West version
>>
> I'm afraid to ask.
>

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326725/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

As Alexander the Great prepares for his battle against his great rival,
King Darius III, he must also face down his own war weary army and internal
rivals.

The year is 330 BC and Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia and one of
the greatest military minds of all time, begins his march through Persia.
Soon he will battle the Persian army in his first direct engagement with
King Darius III, a pivotal event in his journey to conquering much of the
known world. However, before facing his great rival Alexander must first
face down his own war weary army and dissent from his internal rivals.

Starring The Shat, and The Bat!

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>> On 9/7/2023 8:50 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>
>>>> Murder on the Orient Express (Amazon Prime streaming) 2017 murder
>>>> mystery directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, a
>>>> 1930s detective based on the Agatha Christie novels. First up Poirot
>>>> solves a murder on a train. The victim (Johnny Depp) is a very bad man
>>>> and the train is full of suspects (too many to name). I hated the
>>>> resolution when I saw this in the theater. I thought on this second
>>>> viewing knowing how it all plays out it might be better. It wasn't. I
>>>> still hated the ending. I did get a bit of chuckle at the end when
>>>> Poirot gets invited to Egypt to solve a murder on the Nile. I recorded
>>>> this off of FXM, but it was in the wrong aspect ratio, so I broke down
>>>> and used some credits I had saved up to stream if off of Amazon in the
>>>> proper aspect ratio. At least it looked good.
>
>>> I despise this movie, starting with the mustache.
>
>>> But there's something completely off with the way it's shot on high
>>> resolution video or the video processing of those outdoor scenes with
>>> the train stuck. I don't get it, but it looks awful.
>
>> It looks even worse in the wrong aspect ratio! I actually recorded it
>> twice. I think first on FXM which is commercial free then on FX which
>> had commercials.
>
> FXM -- at least the satellite feed -- has commercials, but the
> commercial breaks tend to be twice an hour and they are usually careful
> about where they break the movie. It's tolerable enough that I'll watch
> commercials. But there are instances in which FXM screws up the aspect
> ratio, I'll certainly agree.
>
>> Without even knowing at first it was in the wrong aspect ratio I watched
>> the FXM version and it looked horrible.
>
> That stinks.
>
>> So then
>> I rerecorded it with commercials on FX and realized it was the exact
>> same image, now with commercials. But the Amazon version look really
>> good to my eyes. It was also broadcast in HDR10+. So they probably
>> helped as well.
>
> I don't know what HDR10+ is.
>
> Are you set up to record from streaming?
>
>>> I cannot make it more than 20 minutes.
>
>>>> Death on the Nile (4K disc) 2022 sequel which finds Poirot (Kenneth
>>>> Branagh who once again directs) on a boat with another batch of famous
>>>> Hollywood celebs to solve yet another murder. I liked this one much
>>>> more than the first one. I didn't realize this the first time I watched
>>>> the movie, but the character of Poirot's friend "Bouc" (Tom Bateman) is
>>>> in both movies. Watching back-to-back, I thought to myself, that guy
>>>> looks familiar, wasn't he in the first movie.
>
>>> I W/Qed this one and I think I'll continue to do so because of the
>>> earlier one.
>
>> The sequel is much better, and it explains *why* he has the mustache. I
>> never read the books, so I have no idea if it's the same reason or not.
>> But I thought the reason for it was very well done in the movie.
>
> Branaugh doesn't wear the mustache as described by Christie. She doesn't
> explain, just describes him as fussy and foppish.
>
> Also, Christie committed a huge flaw with commerialization of the
> character by introducing someone elderly for a continuing series of
> novels and short stories, but then she'd later do the same thing with
> Miss Marple.
>
> I'm sure I've mentioned before that the Columbo character created by
> Levinson and Link was elderly but then lucked out when they cast Peter
> Falk in the television adaptation of their play Prescription: Murder.
> The actor on stage was 70, then died while the play was on the road.
> There was actually an earlier Columbo performed by yet another actor in
> an episode of a television anthology series but I've never seen it.
>
> If you are going to create a continuing character to be commercially
> exploited in a series of novels, make him much younger.
>

Jessica Fletcher says “hi“

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

In article
<215347919.715803492.152962.anim8rfsk-cox.net@news.easynews.com>,
anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:

> Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
> > On 9/7/2023 9:28 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
> >> Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
> >>> What Did You Watch? 2023-09-06 (Wednesday)
> >>>
> >>> Ancient Empires S1E01 'Alexander the Great' (History Channel - DVR)
> >>
> >> I prefer the William Shatner Adam West version
> >>
> > I'm afraid to ask.
> >
>
> https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326725/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
>
> As Alexander the Great prepares for his battle against his great rival,
> King Darius III, he must also face down his own war weary army and internal
> rivals.
>
> The year is 330 BC and Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia and one of
> the greatest military minds of all time, begins his march through Persia.
> Soon he will battle the Persian army in his first direct engagement with
> King Darius III, a pivotal event in his journey to conquering much of the
> known world. However, before facing his great rival Alexander must first
> face down his own war weary army and dissent from his internal rivals.
>
> Starring The Shat, and The Bat!

This pilot was shown on a series called Off to See the Wizard in 1966.
The Shat ran around shirtless for a lot of it.

A Friend wrote:
>Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

>>I'm sure I've mentioned before that the Columbo character created by
>>Levinson and Link was elderly but then lucked out when they cast Peter
>>Falk in the television adaptation of their play Prescription: Murder.
>>The actor on stage was 70, then died while the play was on the road.
>>There was actually an earlier Columbo performed by yet another actor in
>>an episode of a television anthology series but I've never seen it.

>Here's your big chance:

>https://vimeo.com/530965907

All right. I'll watch. Thanks.

>Columbo was originally played by character actor Bert Freed, whom you
>will surely recognize:

>https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2021/04/01/chevy-mystery-show-enough-
>rope

>Fun facts abound on that page. For instance, L&L wanted Bing Crosby
>for Columbo, but Bing was too busy golfing and taking it easy to do it.

He was not interested in coming out of retirement, no. There were other
well known older actors they tried to tempt as well.

>The second actor to play Columbo was Thomas Mitchell (It's a Wonderful
>Life), who did so in a stage play. This play was adapted as
>Prescription: Murder, which cast Peter Falk as Columbo.

The television adaptation of the play was several years later. Mitchell
was long dead. Falk worked out for them as he'd play the character for
the next three decades.

I think you may be right about that; the play name was changed in the
television adaptation.

On 2023-09-07 18:00:15 +0000, Adam H. Kerman said:

> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>> On 9/7/2023 8:50 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>
>>>> Murder on the Orient Express (Amazon Prime streaming) 2017 murder
>>>> mystery directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, a
>>>> 1930s detective based on the Agatha Christie novels. First up Poirot
>>>> solves a murder on a train. The victim (Johnny Depp) is a very bad man
>>>> and the train is full of suspects (too many to name). I hated the
>>>> resolution when I saw this in the theater. I thought on this second
>>>> viewing knowing how it all plays out it might be better. It wasn't. I
>>>> still hated the ending. I did get a bit of chuckle at the end when
>>>> Poirot gets invited to Egypt to solve a murder on the Nile. I recorded
>>>> this off of FXM, but it was in the wrong aspect ratio, so I broke down
>>>> and used some credits I had saved up to stream if off of Amazon in the
>>>> proper aspect ratio. At least it looked good.
>
>>> I despise this movie, starting with the mustache.
>
>>> But there's something completely off with the way it's shot on high
>>> resolution video or the video processing of those outdoor scenes with
>>> the train stuck. I don't get it, but it looks awful.
>
>> It looks even worse in the wrong aspect ratio! I actually recorded it
>> twice. I think first on FXM which is commercial free then on FX which
>> had commercials.
>
> FXM -- at least the satellite feed -- has commercials, but the
> commercial breaks tend to be twice an hour and they are usually careful
> about where they break the movie. It's tolerable enough that I'll watch
> commercials. But there are instances in which FXM screws up the aspect
> ratio, I'll certainly agree.
>
>> Without even knowing at first it was in the wrong aspect ratio I watched
>> the FXM version and it looked horrible.
>
> That stinks.
>
>> So then
>> I rerecorded it with commercials on FX and realized it was the exact
>> same image, now with commercials. But the Amazon version look really
>> good to my eyes. It was also broadcast in HDR10+. So they probably
>> helped as well.
>
> I don't know what HDR10+ is.

Most of us landlubbers don't have access to that - I know I don't:
Dolby Vision is as good as it gets on my end.

> Are you set up to record from streaming?

On Thu, 7 Sep 2023 18:00:15 -0000 (UTC), "Adam H. Kerman"
<ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

>Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>>On 9/7/2023 8:50 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>>Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>
>>>>Murder on the Orient Express (Amazon Prime streaming) 2017 murder
>>>>mystery directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, a
>>>>1930s detective based on the Agatha Christie novels. First up Poirot
>>>>solves a murder on a train. The victim (Johnny Depp) is a very bad man
>>>>and the train is full of suspects (too many to name). I hated the
>>>>resolution when I saw this in the theater. I thought on this second
>>>>viewing knowing how it all plays out it might be better. It wasn't. I
>>>>still hated the ending. I did get a bit of chuckle at the end when
>>>>Poirot gets invited to Egypt to solve a murder on the Nile. I recorded
>>>>this off of FXM, but it was in the wrong aspect ratio, so I broke down
>>>>and used some credits I had saved up to stream if off of Amazon in the
>>>>proper aspect ratio. At least it looked good.
>
>>>I despise this movie, starting with the mustache.
>
>>>But there's something completely off with the way it's shot on high
>>>resolution video or the video processing of those outdoor scenes with
>>>the train stuck. I don't get it, but it looks awful.
>
>>It looks even worse in the wrong aspect ratio! I actually recorded it
>>twice. I think first on FXM which is commercial free then on FX which
>>had commercials.
>
>FXM -- at least the satellite feed -- has commercials, but the
>commercial breaks tend to be twice an hour and they are usually careful
>about where they break the movie. It's tolerable enough that I'll watch
>commercials. But there are instances in which FXM screws up the aspect
>ratio, I'll certainly agree.
>
>>Without even knowing at first it was in the wrong aspect ratio I watched
>>the FXM version and it looked horrible.
>
>That stinks.
>
>>So then
>>I rerecorded it with commercials on FX and realized it was the exact
>>same image, now with commercials. But the Amazon version look really
>>good to my eyes. It was also broadcast in HDR10+. So they probably
>>helped as well.
>
>I don't know what HDR10+ is.

I would guess it's HDR with 10 bit encoding. Not sure what the + might
be for.

>Are you set up to record from streaming?
>
>>>I cannot make it more than 20 minutes.
>
>>>>Death on the Nile (4K disc) 2022 sequel which finds Poirot (Kenneth
>>>>Branagh who once again directs) on a boat with another batch of famous
>>>>Hollywood celebs to solve yet another murder. I liked this one much
>>>>more than the first one. I didn't realize this the first time I watched
>>>>the movie, but the character of Poirot's friend "Bouc" (Tom Bateman) is
>>>>in both movies. Watching back-to-back, I thought to myself, that guy
>>>>looks familiar, wasn't he in the first movie.
>
>>>I W/Qed this one and I think I'll continue to do so because of the
>>>earlier one.
>
>>The sequel is much better, and it explains *why* he has the mustache. I
>>never read the books, so I have no idea if it's the same reason or not.
>>But I thought the reason for it was very well done in the movie.
>
>Branaugh doesn't wear the mustache as described by Christie. She doesn't
>explain, just describes him as fussy and foppish.
>
>Also, Christie committed a huge flaw with commerialization of the
>character by introducing someone elderly for a continuing series of
>novels and short stories, but then she'd later do the same thing with
>Miss Marple.
>
>I'm sure I've mentioned before that the Columbo character created by
>Levinson and Link was elderly but then lucked out when they cast Peter
>Falk in the television adaptation of their play Prescription: Murder.
>The actor on stage was 70, then died while the play was on the road.
>There was actually an earlier Columbo performed by yet another actor in
>an episode of a television anthology series but I've never seen it.
>
>If you are going to create a continuing character to be commercially
>exploited in a series of novels, make him much younger.

On 9/7/2023 11:36 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
> Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>>> On 9/7/2023 8:50 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>>> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>>
>>>>> Murder on the Orient Express (Amazon Prime streaming) 2017 murder
>>>>> mystery directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, a
>>>>> 1930s detective based on the Agatha Christie novels. First up Poirot
>>>>> solves a murder on a train. The victim (Johnny Depp) is a very bad man
>>>>> and the train is full of suspects (too many to name). I hated the
>>>>> resolution when I saw this in the theater. I thought on this second
>>>>> viewing knowing how it all plays out it might be better. It wasn't. I
>>>>> still hated the ending. I did get a bit of chuckle at the end when
>>>>> Poirot gets invited to Egypt to solve a murder on the Nile. I recorded
>>>>> this off of FXM, but it was in the wrong aspect ratio, so I broke down
>>>>> and used some credits I had saved up to stream if off of Amazon in the
>>>>> proper aspect ratio. At least it looked good.
>>
>>>> I despise this movie, starting with the mustache.
>>
>>>> But there's something completely off with the way it's shot on high
>>>> resolution video or the video processing of those outdoor scenes with
>>>> the train stuck. I don't get it, but it looks awful.
>>
>>> It looks even worse in the wrong aspect ratio! I actually recorded it
>>> twice. I think first on FXM which is commercial free then on FX which
>>> had commercials.
>>
>> FXM -- at least the satellite feed -- has commercials, but the
>> commercial breaks tend to be twice an hour and they are usually careful
>> about where they break the movie. It's tolerable enough that I'll watch
>> commercials. But there are instances in which FXM screws up the aspect
>> ratio, I'll certainly agree.
>>
>>> Without even knowing at first it was in the wrong aspect ratio I watched
>>> the FXM version and it looked horrible.
>>
>> That stinks.
>>
>>> So then
>>> I rerecorded it with commercials on FX and realized it was the exact
>>> same image, now with commercials. But the Amazon version look really
>>> good to my eyes. It was also broadcast in HDR10+. So they probably
>>> helped as well.
>>
>> I don't know what HDR10+ is.
>>
>> Are you set up to record from streaming?
>>
>>>> I cannot make it more than 20 minutes.
>>
>>>>> Death on the Nile (4K disc) 2022 sequel which finds Poirot (Kenneth
>>>>> Branagh who once again directs) on a boat with another batch of famous
>>>>> Hollywood celebs to solve yet another murder. I liked this one much
>>>>> more than the first one. I didn't realize this the first time I watched
>>>>> the movie, but the character of Poirot's friend "Bouc" (Tom Bateman) is
>>>>> in both movies. Watching back-to-back, I thought to myself, that guy
>>>>> looks familiar, wasn't he in the first movie.
>>
>>>> I W/Qed this one and I think I'll continue to do so because of the
>>>> earlier one.
>>
>>> The sequel is much better, and it explains *why* he has the mustache. I
>>> never read the books, so I have no idea if it's the same reason or not.
>>> But I thought the reason for it was very well done in the movie.
>>
>> Branaugh doesn't wear the mustache as described by Christie. She doesn't
>> explain, just describes him as fussy and foppish.
>>
>> Also, Christie committed a huge flaw with commerialization of the
>> character by introducing someone elderly for a continuing series of
>> novels and short stories, but then she'd later do the same thing with
>> Miss Marple.
>>
>> I'm sure I've mentioned before that the Columbo character created by
>> Levinson and Link was elderly but then lucked out when they cast Peter
>> Falk in the television adaptation of their play Prescription: Murder.
>> The actor on stage was 70, then died while the play was on the road.
>> There was actually an earlier Columbo performed by yet another actor in
>> an episode of a television anthology series but I've never seen it.
>>
>> If you are going to create a continuing character to be commercially
>> exploited in a series of novels, make him much younger.
>>
>
> Jessica Fletcher says “hi“
>
....from the top of her hill of dead bodies.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On 9/7/2023 11:36 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
> Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>> On 9/7/2023 9:28 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
>>> Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>>>> What Did You Watch? 2023-09-06 (Wednesday)
>>>>
>>>> Ancient Empires S1E01 'Alexander the Great' (History Channel - DVR)
>>>
>>> I prefer the William Shatner Adam West version
>>>
>> I'm afraid to ask.
>>
>
> https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326725/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
>
I didn't ask!! I said I was AFRAID to ask!!!

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On 9/7/2023 12:11 PM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
> On 2023-09-07 18:00:15 +0000, Adam H. Kerman said:
>
>> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>>> On 9/7/2023 8:50 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>>> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>>
>>>>> Murder on the Orient Express (Amazon Prime streaming) 2017 murder
>>>>> mystery directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, a
>>>>> 1930s detective based on the Agatha Christie novels.  First up Poirot
>>>>> solves a murder on a train.  The victim (Johnny Depp) is a very bad
>>>>> man
>>>>> and the train is full of suspects (too many to name).  I hated the
>>>>> resolution when I saw this in the theater.  I thought on this second
>>>>> viewing knowing how it all plays out it might be better.  It
>>>>> wasn't.  I
>>>>> still hated the ending.  I did get a bit of chuckle at the end when
>>>>> Poirot gets invited to Egypt to solve a murder on the Nile.  I
>>>>> recorded
>>>>> this off of FXM, but it was in the wrong aspect ratio, so I broke down
>>>>> and used some credits I had saved up to stream if off of Amazon in the
>>>>> proper aspect ratio.  At least it looked good.
>>
>>>> I despise this movie, starting with the mustache.
>>
>>>> But there's something completely off with the way it's shot on high
>>>> resolution video or the video processing of those outdoor scenes with
>>>> the train stuck. I don't get it, but it looks awful.
>>
>>> It looks even worse in the wrong aspect ratio!  I actually recorded it
>>> twice.  I think first on FXM which is commercial free then on FX which
>>> had commercials.
>>
>> FXM -- at least the satellite feed -- has commercials, but the
>> commercial breaks tend to be twice an hour and they are usually careful
>> about where they break the movie. It's tolerable enough that I'll watch
>> commercials. But there are instances in which FXM screws up the aspect
>> ratio, I'll certainly agree.
>>
>>> Without even knowing at first it was in the wrong aspect ratio I watched
>>> the FXM version and it looked horrible.
>>
>> That stinks.
>>

To be clear, I didn't watch the whole movie. I only looked at a few
snippets and noticed the picture looked off.

>>> So then
>>> I rerecorded it with commercials on FX and realized it was the exact
>>> same image, now with commercials.  But the Amazon version look really
>>> good to my eyes.  It was also broadcast in HDR10+.  So they probably
>>> helped as well.
>>
>> I don't know what HDR10+ is.
>
> Most of us landlubbers don't have access to that - I know I don't: Dolby
> Vision is as good as it gets on my end.
>

Actually Dolby Vision is considered superior to HDR10+. No projector can
do Dolby Vision. I think very few can even do HDR10+. They are all
forms of HDR. HDR is an added signal that tells the TV (or projector)
the maximum amount of brightness or darkness any image should be at any
given time.

Basic HDR should provide a superior viewing experience over standard 4K
image and closer to what the director intended.

HDR10+ is basically HDR with even more information. It's from Samsung
and it's free but few companies bother to use it. I am glad that Amazon
streaming and Paramount+ (and maybe Hulu too) will often encode using
it, because I think there is a noticeable uptick in quality when it's
turned on. I rarely notice HDR, but I do notice HDR10+. It just pops a
bit more.

Dolby Vision is a propriety format that studios have to pay to use.
it's generally considered the best of the three (technically there are
other formats, but we don't talk about them. LOL). Just about any new
4KTV (unless it's a Samsung) will do Dolby Vision. Almost every new 4K
disc, and big budget Netflix show will be in Dolby Vision. My TV can do
Dolby Vision, but any movie or streaming show I'm watching that has
Dolby Vision, I'm almost always going to be watching on my projector.
Projectors can't decode Dolby Vision so it down converts it to basic
HDR. So I'm always pleased when something is in HDR10+.

HDR10+ is *free* so every studio really should add it on. But I guess
if they are doing Dolby Vision, and most TVs can decode Dolby Vision,
they must figure there's no need.

>> Are you set up to record from streaming?
>
>

No. I didn't know that was a thing that was possible. At least not
without some highly specialized equipment. And a way to get around
Macrovision. Wait, is Macrovision even still a thing? :-)

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
> On 9/7/2023 11:36 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
>> Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>>> On 9/7/2023 9:28 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
>>>> Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>>>>> What Did You Watch? 2023-09-06 (Wednesday)
>>>>>
>>>>> Ancient Empires S1E01 'Alexander the Great' (History Channel - DVR)
>>>>
>>>> I prefer the William Shatner Adam West version
>>>>
>>> I'm afraid to ask.
>>>
>>
>> https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326725/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
>>
> I didn't ask!! I said I was AFRAID to ask!!!
>

Geena Davis says to be very afraid.

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.