General chat – August 6

Here’s a new thread for general chat. I haven’t watched any Olympics yet – today was devoted to assembling a trampoline and what was allegedly a 90-minute job took us three hours!
We’ve been rewatching Halt and Catch Fire in preparation for season three starting soon. Has anyone else seen it? I don’t think it’s been on free-to-air in Australia, unfortunately. It’s a drama set in the computer industry in the 1980s and stars one of my favourite actors, Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies).
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110 Comments

  1. Tonga flag bearer.

    That is all.

    (I loved the mechanism behind the olympic flame cauldron, too, but really the opening ceremony was all about the incredibly attractive athletes)

  2. I tried to watch the opening ceremonies but they were boring. This is the first ceremony in many years that I found uninteresting and not worth watching. Maybe it got better later in the ceremony but I finally gave up and watched a few episodes of Primeval, a British series about anomalies which open into the past and though which dinosaurs and other extinct animals come forward to the future.

    I saw Suicide Squad and don’t want to spoil anything for those who are planning on seeing it so won’t write very much about it. It was fun although a bit disjointed at times. It was better than Batman vs Superman and was worth going to the theatre to see. My favorite character in the movie was Harley Quinn. If anyone sees it I would be interesting in finding out what you think about it.

  3. We watched 4 eps so far of Stranger Things and considering the genre, it’s actually good. It has mystery and suspense. Not sure I like Wynona Ryder’s acting though.

    • I find it hard to watch her and not think about her personal life.Plus it’s a pretty one-note role: shrill, bonkers mum. Luckily the kids in it are great.

      • I know, you just think about the embarrassing shop lifting. But then you forget about it with the pretty average acting. I think the story is the best thing about it. Two more eps to go.

  4. I am trying to watch the Olympics online, with no success. I will just have to make do with the snippets I find on Facebook.

  5. I found another SBS on demand Swedish series Spring Tide, well worth a watch for those who like murder mysteries and sub titles.

    Sorry to say I haven’t watched any sport, the older I get the less interested I am. Especially with all this cheating that goes on these days, how are we to know we are performing on their own merits.

    Disappointed Scott and Bailey are over already, this series didn’t go very long, not like the Swedish and Danish that give us 10 episodes.
    Looking forward to last two eps. of Spotless this week.

        • Bob I have finished and it didn’t disappoint. Completely different ending to what I was expecting though.
          Anyway they have left it WIDE open for the second series. Have to have one, can’t leave it like this.
          Please let me know, especially as I’m your new bff, if you notice when the 2nd series arrives, I have a bad habit of missing things like that.
          Thanks for the reco., thoroughly enjoyed it.
          Love SBS on Demand.

          • Dear bff.
            I know. Right?
            There is definitely a second season but no news on when. I don’t know that I can wait that long. What am I going to now?
            I am watching Jordskott but it is no substitute.
            I suspect that Springtide does not have that edge of dark humour.

          • You are right Spring Tide doesn’t have the edge of dark humour in fact no sort of humour but it is good.
            I couldn’t get in to Jordskott but will keep it there for one day when I am looking for something to watch and may go back to it.
            I went right through SBS and wrote a list of quite a few that I think I may like so will keep you posted if I come across any more good ones.
            Don’t forget The Bridge(Danish) and the Irish The Fall and The Secret. All well worth a watch.

  6. Dear Whoever was interested in Suicide Squad.
    Saw it. Really, really liked it (note: not love, love, love).
    I know they had to do a set up because there were so many characters to introduce – so I put up with that.
    Hated the Joker. Hated every minute he was on screen. Glad they cut his part down to the bare minimum. What a shame they didn’t cut him out completely.
    Apart from that, it was a rollicking good film. And this from someone who is not a Will Smith fan, but I am a sci-fi fan. The critics can go jump.

    • I was interested in what others thought about it. Your opinions are similar to mine. Not a fan of the Joker either. Most of movie fun and funny. Did you sit through the credits because there was more movie during the beginning of the credits?

      • We sat through the credits. And lo and behold, the start of two new movies.
        I might give the batman one a miss (unless they pull a rabbit out of a hat) but I’ll probably watch the other.
        They can’t be oblivious to the Joker problem and hopefully they will fix it, like obliterating him from the screen.

        • Saw it on Friday (btw, totally full cinema and we were not even in one of the Paris cinemas plus it was the late showing at 10.30 pm plus it was US version with subtitles in French).

          So. Where do I start?
          Oh, the Joker. I tried not to compare him with Nicholson or Ledger, but hell, was Jared Leto bad (I really liked him in Dallas Buyer’s Club plus he was pretty much of a teenage girl’s dream back as Jordan Catalano so I kind of have a soft spot for him). Not only the way he was written, but how Leto played his part. He is not a bad actor but he was all wrong for the character. And god, did I hate his ha ha ha. The Joker scenes were unfortunately needed for Harley Quinn’s back story, so I guess they tried to cut away nearly everything and left in some bits and pieces for Harley’s story to make sense to people who are not familiar with the comics – including myself.
          Speaking of which: Harley Quinn was by far my favourite. The actress did a phenomenal job and to me she was the highlight in the movie. I was kinda happy to know she will most likely get her own movie, but on the other hand that would mean we have to endure lots more of the Joker. 🙁 *cryface*
          Next up would be Viola Davis, she was such a ruthless Amanda Waller. She was really great and she looked like she’s normal, but hell, she’s more sadistic than any of her villain task force. 😀
          Will Smith was a surprise to me. I usually avoid movies with him. Same with Tom Cruise. I kind of do not enjoy their presence at all. But in Suicide Squad he did a good job.
          The rest was alright, it had some funny scenes and the movie overall was really entertaining and unlike the so-called critics I didn’t mind the lack of a huge story. That movie had no intention of having a huge story, it only should entertain. Which it did over the course of 2 hours.
          I shouldn’t get on it again, but, dear oh dear… the Joker. I can’t get over how bad it was. 🙁 Tbh, I thought that even the girl playing Enchantress did a better job. And wow, she was really, really, really bad. Not sure if she really lacks talent or if they gave the direction to usually look like she is suffering from seizures.Paired with the voice and her totally dead and expressionless face… well… at least she looked nice in her skimpy outfits.

          Regarding the critics again: I really feel the movie got bashed for no good reason. They did the same with Warcraft (which indeed was not a good movie to me personally but I know enough people who loved it, including my sister). If a popcon movie gets released I do not expect a big story. Nor do I expect for the story to make much sense. They should rate it for what it is. It’s dumb action with nice effects and it is made to entertain the masses. Where critics overpraise Marvel movies, they really hate on everything else not being Marvel/Disney. I can fully understand why some people think about big fat conspiracy theories.
          The thing is: I read German reviews as well for both Suicide Squad and Warcraft. And most of them were positive to neutral with some critique (yeah, some German reviewers were still hating the movies). But US reviews are really kind of harsh. Not sure why…

          Rotten Tomatoes:
          https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/suicide_squad_2016
          https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/warcraft
          See the Rotten score and the discrepancy with the audience score..

          Overall: Still liking Guardians of the Galaxy better. 😉 Cannot wait for the sequel. Starlord, man!
          Guess I am a bit more Marvel than DC.^^ Although, the Wonder Woman movie I want to see as well as Justice League did look nice. But Batman/Superman is not of interest to me. Didn’t really like the last 3 Batman movies and I passed on Batman vs Superman.

          • I agree that the critics were too harsh on Suicide Squad. I wasn’t impressed with either Enchantress or her brother. Too cartoonish and,yes, these are comic book characters, but the acting was very bad. I always read DC comic when growing up and am a DC fan but have not been impressed with the latest DC movie offerings. At least Suicide Squad was fun.
            Marvel is hit or miss with the last Fantastic Four movie being one of the worst movies I have ever seen.

      • I was never a big comic book fan. 😉 I haven’t read any of these comics. I was more into books as a girl.

        Still another week end to go until we can finally see Star Trek. -.-

        Btw, on the 24th GBBO starts its new season. CANNOT WAIT!!! Have recently watched Crème de la Crème. THat was mighty impressive. GBBO just with professional bakers… Butt not Mary Berry for the judging. And I missed the humour of Mel and Sue.

        • I hope it screens here, Zhee. Often they are years behind with GBBO, which is such a shame. And then I get scared to google what’s happening in case I get spoilt!

  7. I watched a few more episodes of “The Kettering Episode” and it starts to get more interesting BUT I’ve been fast forwarding through them because it is just very slow moving and if I don’t fast forward I start falling asleep.

  8. How is everyone going with their census? Woolif can’t get on, my mother can’t spk to anyone on the phone to send a paper copy…and I want to do a Xenaphon. I might give them my real name….daisy. 🌼 I’m not cosy comfy about a govt DEMANDING my info with my name and address when they have such a poor record of being open and honest. Also can they REALLY promise it will never be hacked? Then there is the $180 per day fine which is straight up intimidation.
    So I am thinking my religion might be Jedi Knight.

    Woolif just read someone tried for an hour, finally got on and did it, then it crashed and they were unable to save.

    • I did mine a week ago with no problems, got the confirmation email straight away.
      The system wouldn’t have let me on if it wasn’t allowed.

  9. We did ours a few days ago reading this would happen. The fine is only if you refuse to do the census, and I think there is a month’s grace. What a PR disaster. I wonder how many people still don’t have their 12 digit code or paper form.

  10. The guy from the census bureau was on tv promising the system cd handle it. Same guy who was saying we won’t get hacked. 😒

  11. In Perth tonight so I can watch Bach on Paradise Island. Good viewing. Wow Chad isn’t faking being a bottom hole. He’s a monster. 😈

  12. It took about twenty minutes to do this afternoon but this is a massive fail tonight. Never a more exciting time to be an Australian , right? Counting chickens that are never gonna hatch.

    They said the Titanic wouldn’t sink, too.

  13. Chad got rotten, was aggressive, pooped his pants and was a major wanker. He got kicked off the island by the host. Expect to see him on Dr Phil. He loves the attention and could really use a Dr Phil dressing down.

    • Some people are saying on facebook he was just acting and paid to get a reaction but I think he has serious problems, and calling that girl a one armed bitch was really mean, he just went too far.

  14. Working on my second jug. There a set…but the right is always bigger than the left. Boom boom. 😆

    When they are both dry, I will paint an underglaze. Now I am in unchartered waters.

  15. Speaking of babies. My mum has tasked me with going on line to find her a bf in Perth metro. So I have to check out the on line dating. Please feel free to weigh in, or offer up any randy grandads. No smokers. And has to be able to speak correctly. Think Brooke Forrester at 80 and match with that. 💖💖💖

  16. Did you see e latest joke doing the rounds on the Internet?
    The official results for the Census are in. The population of Australia is 2. The average income is $186 million.
    lol 😂

    • Good way to p*ss off an entire country. A lying govt demanding the people put their name and address on personal information, make threats of infinite fine (until you obey is infinite), make it difficult for them to do paper forms, make it really difficult to do internet forms, tell them it can’t be hacked, get hacked, shut down internet, then blame shift.
      If there was an election now…..

      • Woolif was filling out form for us both. I said put anything. 😛 There is NO reason they need our names and addresses to analyze data.

      • Personally the whole process took an easy 10 minutes. No issue for me about putting my name. I’m more worried about social media, which is why I don’t use it, and deny permission for the kids’ stuff to be used.

        Names and addresses have always been collected – no diff this year.

      • I was just going to say …
        I have always provided my name and address. No issue for me either. And it’s not like the government doesn’t know everything about me anyway.
        I worry more about Facebook. Did you know that it knows my browser history? How intrusive is that.
        And worse than that, it means that complete strangers can look at my Facebook account and see all.
        I think we are running scared of the wrong issue here. This is a media manipulation by Nick Xenophon and I’m not going to give the guy air (and you can include Pauline + and Darryn Hinch in that lot).

  17. Medicare and ATO have your names and addresses. Banks have your names and addresses. Not really a secret

    • My mother’s local club takes a copy of my Drivers license (name, address, dob) every time I go in and I’m not even a member. My choice to provide it or I can’t go in.

  18. I am getting extremely pissed off at the way Olympics results for Australia are treated on the evening news programs, even on the ABC. If a competitor doesn’t win gold, it is spoken of as a disappointment, or a failure, or a defeat…any word that means “hey, you let down your country.” Crap. Getting to the Olympics is an achievement. While a gold medal is probably everyone’s ultimate goal, getting a silver or bronze is not something to be sneered at. Some athletes who didn’t even expect to place in their event are ecstatic at winning any colour medal. We should be proud of all of them.

    I’m not gung-ho jingoistic about the games; I watch very little. But the attitude toward our athletes and the emphasis on the total number of medals by the media has me confounded. Not the best in the world? Shame shame, you didn’t do well enough.

    One of the swimming twins, both of whom “failed” today, said she didn’t need a gold medal to have a sense of self-worth. She’s right, and good for her.

    Ha, rant over.

    • Not watching but agree with your thinking Von. But then I am not about who got over the finish line 1st but did you look pretty while you ran. 😆😆

    • Sometimes the media put too much expectations on certain athletes. In sports winning is not guarantee. The media never learned from past mistakes. Always counting the chicken before they are hatched. They all gave their all but sometimes you get beaten because someone ran, swim etc a better race. Just getting into the Olympics team is an achievement.

      All athletes want to win but someone got to lose. And they are all hurting badly inside when they didnt do well. They dont need the media to rub it in their faces.

    • The commentators ruin it for me, so I mute them. I can see that a swimmer is coming last and resent being told they are “making their way through the field”.

      The poor Campbell sisters were built up so much by the media into a massive gold/ silver sister fantasy …..and they went like crabs….and had to face the mundanity of media music straight afterwards. The media isn’t my friend.

      • Muting is a great idea. I was watching one evening and the background noise was so loud I couldn’t hear the commentators. It improved the experience 100 fold.

  19. Part way through painting the underglaze. I’m thinking yellow for the flowers, although I like it left white too.

    • Could have yellow and white petals. I learned so much about creativity watching Ma$terchef this year , you know.

      • 😊😊😊 Yeah. Like a daisy. Good idea. The pottery lady said this is usually the bit where you get your fails.

  20. I only have yellow and blue atm, meaning yellow blue and green. You can’t tell but I started with a blue/green inside and at the top, merging to sky blue.

    • There are a couple of true crime shows starting at 6.30 on GEM tonight if you get the chance, btw.

      • Thanks. I will check out and rec now Off to have dinner in town with son & kids. 😊 Did you see that 48 where the rapists/torturer turned out to be Joseph Son the shoe thrower from Austin Powers?

  21. Well happy birthday to both of you, Littlepetal and Pandy!!

    You are doing well Daisy with the pottery. Do u get to glaze it now?

    I’m off to Bali this arvo with the husband, the 3 kids (almost 10, 7 & 5) and the inlaws! 8 days of sunshine. Aahh bliss!

  22. Gorgeous and sunny here today. Woolif is having a “mere male” morning.
    Poor old dear might as well be smoking pot. And that’s my thumb so maybe we are both poor old dears.

  23. Happy belated birthday to Littlepetal and Pandy! Hope you both had great days surrounded by loved ones.
    Love the cakes!
    Pandy enjoy your holiday to the U.S. coming up later this week.
    Love your pottery Daisy, very good effort.
    Still haven’t attempted our census.

  24. Started project 2. Lotus requested a cactus bowl. I have no idea how to tidy the rim bcoz if I flip it and remove the wok, it might collapse. I will have to let it dry but then you can’t add.

  25. Face it…I don’t do cutesy or warm and fuzzy…but I just can’t help but smile at The Middle. How heart warming was it tonight.

    • Daisy, I finally got to watch my recording of these eps. Loved them. The way they write Mike is great. He almost has an Aussie male personality, so laconic on top but the emotion is there, just don’t make too much fuss about it.

      Every Mother’s day episode in every season has hit the nail on the head. I’ve had every one of those Mother’s days. This one, with the scheme for everyone to pay it forward would be exactly the sort of thing I would come up with, and my family would react (individually) exactly as the Hecks did.

      I think this this is the first American show that accurately reflects Australain families. Weird.

      • What I adore about the Middle is 1. It’s funny, 2. The combination of awful/ratty and family warmth. They have a magic formular that get’s the blance between keeping it real but still leaving you with a smile on your face. They haven’t succumbed to pressure to play politics and make pc changes for the sake of it. They have just stuck to being a typical struggling family trying to do their best. They aren’t mean like Roseanne, or bad examples like Simpsons, or too sweet and goody-goody either.
        I usually watch an episode last thing before bed because it makes me happy. But Frankie is bad. 😊

  26. I have to make an embarrassing confession here, I went and saw the Ab Fab movie yesterday and both my friend and I enjoyed it!
    We laughed. There were a few tad over the top bits but that’s what you expect from them. It was just an extra long episode but typical great French and Saunders writing and it had all the British stars and more making appearances, sending themselves up.
    I can definitely see where others would not enjoy it. We went in expecting not to after all the bad reviews so were pleasantly surprised.
    We must be the only two that are giving it a thumbs up, not sure what that says about us. It was good to have a laugh though.
    Love Edina.

    • I went and saw it also. There were definitely some groan out loud moments but, overall I enjoyed it.
      I didn’t think the reviews were that bad. Certainly not as bad as the ones for Ghostbusters.
      It seems to have been put in the ‘could have been better but worth seeing’ category (which I would agree with).

      • I’m pleased you had a few laughs as well Bob. There were some cracker one liners. Some you had to be quick or you would have missed them.
        Overall worth the money.

  27. Finally Star Trek was screening in France. Saw it yesterday. My boyfriend and I both enjoyed it. And yes, I understand the comments earlier made about Chris Pine not being a James T. Kirk, but I think he is pretty good anyway. I don’t mind him and he is a nice eyecandy (much better looking than William Shatner back in his glory days!). Still, my eyes are all set on Bones. 😀 Mhmm, Karl Urban is a really good looking guy. *g* Plus he is perfect as a modern Bones and the bickering with Spock was superbe. Audience in the cinema was laughing a lot, unlike in the last Star Trek movie that took itself wayyyy too serious. I am NOT a fan of Simon Pegg (my boyfriend is, I guess it’s a Brit-thing or so) but I think the story was better thanks to the jokes and the overall humour. Although I really could have done without the Sulu goes gay-scene. That was too much. Same with the relationship between Uhura and Spock. But there you go, at least it was dealt in a funny way in the movie.
    Overall I really enjoyed it as a blockbuster movie. Munched a box of sugared popcorn during the movie (dear god, I felt sooo sick after all that popcorn…) and was giggling and happy to find some of the easter eggs. The uniforms of the USS Frnklin were looking a lot like the ones of Enterprise. And it was the first time that the story line with the Xindi was somehow acknowledged in the Star Trek universe. Oh, and the birthday scene… that was in an old movie as well, where Bones joins Kirk for a drink…
    That being said, I know, most people do not consider the new movies as Star Trek and they are indeed partially right. The spirit is missing, but that was actually in all movies before. Only the TV shows managed to bring the Star Trek spirit to life. The exploration etc…

  28. Hilary Clinton decided to send Donald Trump a letter to let him know how
    she felt about him.
    Trump opened the letter and it appeared to contain a single line coded message:
    370HSSV 0773H

    Trump was baffled, so he e-mailed it to Vanessa Trump and his children.

    Vanessa Trump and the children had no clue either, so they sent it to the FBI.

    No one could solve it at the FBI, CIA or NASA. They eventually asked Britain’s MI6 for help. Within minutes, MI6 cabled this reply::
    “Tell Mr Trump that he is holding the message upside down.”

    • Good one!
      If he ends up as President that will be the end of the world. I cannot believe he is this far in the race. It’s very scary.

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