TV, Movies and Covid19

[Rianne]

Preparing for long term Netflix, Prime etc. I'm guessing there won't be new episodes, TV series or movies. Too much face to face, kissing and touching. Getting ready to watch reruns, which isn't that bad.

 

[Aerides]

Mod note - moving to the Covid containment section, and changing title to Covid to be consistent with current site-wide terminology

 

[folivier]

Started watching St. Elsewhere yesterday. Had to laugh at the guy in his hospital room smoking a cigarette! And the nurses in the ER assisting the doctor. Doctor was the only one wearing gloves. Blood all over, no masks. Amazing how things have changed.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

We love Bob's Burgers, so I've been trying to get my (grown) kid to watch Last Man on Earth (Hulu), which I thought was brilliant and hilarious and insightful, with the lure that Kristen Schaal is in both. Man, starting it over was an eye opener, because it starts "in the future" in June 2020, with everyone but one person dead of a plague. It's...I don't want to say too much in case you watch it, but IMO it's one of those shows that can be hilarious and deep in the same moment.

 

[W2R]

I don't really watch TV or movies, but Frank does and he ordered CDs with all episodes of all seasons of The Wild Wild West in February, on sale for some reason, right after Robert Conrad died. So, he is enjoying those as well as his usual superhero shows.

Hopefully reruns will eventually inspire him to branch out and enjoy other types of shows that he doesn't normally watch right now. We enjoy variety and are listening to different youtube creators and different podcasters than we were listening to a couple of years ago. So perhaps he will do the same with TV.

I keep telling him that we need one of those superheros to combat this virus! Or Mighty Mouse.
"Here he comes, to save the day! That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way."

As for me, the new video game I have been anticipating will be released on Friday. 'Nuff said. I can play that 'till the cows come home and still want more time playing that game.

 

[target2019]

Pandemic series on Netflix was interesting.
https://www.netflix.com/title/81026143?preventIntent=true

 

[easysurfer]

Here are some TV episodes and movies that the Covid19 virus reminds me of:

Star Trek (original) - The Deadly Years - In the episode, strange radiation causes members of the crew of the Enterprise to age rapidly

Buffy The Vampier Slayer - Hush - In "Hush", a group of fairytale ghouls named "The Gentlemen" come to town and steal everyone's voices, leaving them unable to scream when The Gentlemen cut out their hearts. Buffy and her friends must communicate with one another silently as they try to discover why no one can speak and find whoever is murdering the townspeople.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) - The film's storyline concerns an extraterrestrial invasion that begins in the fictional California town of Santa Mira. Alien plant spores have fallen from space and grown into large seed pods, each one capable of reproducing a duplicate replacement copy of each human. As each pod reaches full development, it assimilates the physical characteristics, memories, and personalities of each sleeping person placed near it; these duplicates, however, are devoid of all human emotion. Little by little, a local doctor uncovers this "quiet" invasion and attempts to stop it.

On the Beach (1959) - In early 1964 (five years in the future), in the months following World War III, the conflict has devastated the entirety of the Northern Hemisphere, killing all humans after polluting the atmosphere with nuclear fallout. Air currents are slowly carrying the fallout south; the only areas still habitable are in the far reaches of the Southern Hemisphere.

 

[USGrant1962]

Pandemic series on Netflix was interesting.
https://www.netflix.com/title/81026143?preventIntent=true

Yes, very timely. For those that don't know, it is a docudrama based on the 2018-2019 flu season. It wanders into propaganda at times, but is overall well done.

It ends with the fact that ~1 billion people contract seasonal flu each year and up to 650,000 die. I think the average is more like ~500,000 people die from seasonal flu each year. After completing watching that the other night, it puts COVID-19 into perspective.

Reporters like to ask "is COVID-19 serious or overblown?" I suggest they embrace the healing power of and.

 

[target2019]

The Farewell is running on Amazon Prime.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8637428/

Plenty of subtitles, since much of the action is in China.

"A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies."

 

[JoeWras]

If you are a glutton for punishment, the move Contagion is worth a look. It is from 2011, after the swine flu pandemic.

You will find some of the scenes to be disturbingly realistic. You will find others to be completely ridiculous. Since the pathogen is 25% fatal, the movie brings a much darker tone than what we have today.

 

[cathy63]

Preparing for long term Netflix, Prime etc. I'm guessing there won't be new episodes, TV series or movies. Too much face to face, kissing and touching. Getting ready to watch reruns, which isn't that bad.

I came across this list of postponements: https://www.metacritic.com/feature/movies-and-tv-shows-delayed-by-coronavirus
They update it frequently.

3/19: Minions: The Rise of Gru will no longer open on July 3.

3/18: Conan will be the first nightly talk show to resume nightly full-length episodes (albeit in a vastly different format), beginning March 30. Many of the other late night hosts continue to post home-recorded segments nightly on YouTube, with Samantha Bee the latest to join that club.

3/18: Production on the upcoming Friends reunion special (HBO Max) has been delayed.

3/18: The just-released Vin Diesel movie Bloodshot will now come to VOD on 3/24.

3/18: GKIDS has canceled the upcoming theatrical releases of animated films Promare and Children of the Sea. The distributor hopes to reschedule the screenings, but Promare will now be released early on VOD and disc.

3/18: Showtime has decided to space out its inventory of completed new programming by delaying the starts of its documentary miniseries Love Fraud and Outcry. Additionally, new episodes of the currently airing Black Monday will now air one per week instead of two per week.

3/18: Many late-night talk show hosts are now taping monologues (or other short segments) from their homes nightly. View the latest from Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Trevor Noah, Conan O'Brien, and Jimmy Fallon.

3/17: Production has been halted on the current season of American Idol (ABC).

3/17: Lionsgate has postponed the theatrical releases of its upcoming films Antebellum, Run, and Spiral.

3/17: Apple will no longer release its upcoming Spike Jonze-directed documentary Beastie Boys Story in theaters next month as planned, though the film will still stream on Apple TV+.

3/17: April's Billboard Music Awards (NBC) will be rescheduled for a later date.

3/17: The following upcoming theatrical releases scheduled have been delayed indefinitely from their April and May release dates: Charm City Kings, The Painted Bird, The Personal History of David Copperfield, and The Woman in the Window.

3/17: Theatrical release of The Climb delayed from March 20 to July 17.

3/17: Disney has delayed the release of upcoming Marvel film Black Widow, which had been scheduled for 5/1.

3/17: The Soup (E!) will go on hiatus beginning this week.

3/17: ABC's daytime talk show Strahan, Sara and Keke will be replaced by news programming until further notice.

3/17: Filming on James Cameron's Avatar sequels has been delayed.

3/17: Birds of Prey, which was in theaters while theaters were still open, will now arrive on VOD next Tuesday (3/24), far earlier than originally planned. The same goes for The Gentlemen.

3/16: Uncharted, the upcoming film adaptation of the videogame series, will delay pre-production by six weeks (at a minimum).

3/16: CBS daytime soaps The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless will cease production on 3/17. They join the previously halted General Hospital on ABC.

3/16: The Today Show (NBC) will reduce its schedule to 7-9am beginning 3/17 (followed by two hours of pre-aired segments).

3/16: First Cow's limited theatrical rollout in March has been postponed. A24 will return the film to theaters later this year.

3/16: Production has been halted on the third Fantastic Beasts film just prior to the start of principal photography. The film's release date is not until November 2021, and has not yet been delayed. Warner Bros. also delayed production on the upcoming tennis drama King Richard, which was targeting a Thanksgiving release.

3/16: Fargo (FX) will no longer premiere on 4/19. The new start date is unknown (and a portion of the season has yet to be filmed).

3/16: Saturday Night Live (NBC) has postponed its next three scheduled episodes, beginning with the 3/28 episode, and will remain on hiatus indefinitely.

 

[Rianne]

Excellent list of pandemic movies. When I saw it, thought Wow, there's that many?


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_about_viral_outbreaks

 

[target2019]

Elton John - iHeartRadio Music Awards

The Rocket Man legend is leading the line-up for Fox Presents the iHeart Living Room Concert for America on Sunday (29Mar20) – the same day the cancelled iHeartRadio Music Awards were set to be broadcast.

He unveiled the initial bill of artists on Wednesday, when Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Billie Eilish, the Backstreet Boys, Tim McGraw, and Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong were all announced, and now fans have been given even more reason to tune in after rocker Grohl, Smith, and Cabello added their names to the hour-long event.

https://www.peoplemagazine.co.za/ce...join-line-up-for-elton-johns-big-benefit-gig/

On TV and Radio...
Sunday, March 29 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Fox

 

[Rianne]

Thanks! Will pop the popcorn.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

For those looking for feel-good escapism while stuck at home, I recommend Parks & Rec (maybe skip the disaster preparation exercise episode), How I Met Your Mother, The Office, The Good Place, and New Girl. Even if you've seen them, they're all good enough to rewatch.

If you need extra-strength escapism, watch We Bare Bears. It's a cartoon, and it's strangely addictive.

 

[W2R]

I don't really watch TV or movies, but Frank does and he ordered CDs with all episodes of all seasons of The Wild Wild West in February, on sale for some reason, right after Robert Conrad died. So, he is enjoying those as well as his usual superhero shows.

Hopefully reruns will eventually inspire him to branch out and enjoy other types of shows that he doesn't normally watch right now. We enjoy variety and are listening to different youtube creators and different podcasters than we were listening to a couple of years ago. So perhaps he will do the same with TV.

I keep telling him that we need one of those superheros to combat this virus! Or Mighty Mouse.
"Here he comes, to save the day! That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way."

As for me, the new video game I have been anticipating will be released on Friday. 'Nuff said. I can play that 'till the cows come home and still want more time playing that game.

Frank is finishing up his Wild Wild West binge watching and his favorite superhero shows have paused for a break (I think?), so he is looking for something else. I gave him some ideas from other threads on the forum, and hopefully something will catch his fancy.

But me? I am still LOVING my new low stress video game (Animal Crossing New Horizons), and playing it probably ten hours a day. I have barely gotten started and this game is still providing me with new surprises and quests every day. And get this for escapism: There is no death, theft, or betrayal in this game, no illness that cannot be cured with a cheap bag of medicine that is readily available, and you can spend all day fishing (in the game) if you want. The fishing is very realistic IMO. If you get tired of fishing, one of the major things you do is work hard to pay off your zero interest mortgage and home expansion loans (sounds like something I'd like? yeah LOL).

I haven't watched a TV show for months, maybe years. Not that there is anything wrong with watching TV! Maybe I'll do that some day too.

 

[Music Lover]

https://www.peoplemagazine.co.za/ce...join-line-up-for-elton-johns-big-benefit-gig/

On TV and Radio...
Sunday, March 29 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Fox

I was going to post this to let people know...we're looking forward to it.

 

[John Galt III]

Allowing myself to veg out and watch some stuff I would ordinarily skip right over while surfing. Found 'Touched by an Angel' that way. Very gently paced, attractively packaged.

 

[jollystomper]

By chance DW and I came across a documentary entitled "Still Bill", about Bill Withers ("Ain't No Sunshine", "Lean on Me", and many others). It was a refreshing "break" from everything around us. It also reminded me of true FIRE life. He entered the music business at a "old" age, made good music that meant something to him, and resisted efforts to mold him into the "flavor of the day", When he had enough he walked away in 1985 and has not recorded any new music since then. But he saved his money and is happy in his current simpler life with his wife and children. We recommend it.

 

[Brat]

Watching all the bad news about covid is depressing. I searched for music channels on Xfinity and found one with songs we like that is uplifting.

 

[W2R]

Watching all the bad news about covid is depressing. I searched for music channels on Xfinity and found one with songs we like that is uplifting.

That's a great idea! I am keeping a mental list of things to do (like this) that keep my mind off the news so I'll add listening to music, to my mental list.

In my opinion it's just not psychologically healthy for most people to listen to the news during a catastrophe like this virus crisis for more than a couple of hours a day. At least, it's not healthy for me, and it sounds like your experience is the same. If/when this is all over, I don't want to come out of it with a bad case of PTSD.

 

[ownyourfuture]

Here are some TV episodes and movies that the Covid19 virus reminds me of:


Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) - The film's storyline concerns an extraterrestrial invasion that begins in the fictional California town of Santa Mira. Alien plant spores have fallen from space and grown into large seed pods, each one capable of reproducing a duplicate replacement copy of each human. As each pod reaches full development, it assimilates the physical characteristics, memories, and personalities of each sleeping person placed near it; these duplicates, however, are devoid of all human emotion. Little by little, a local doctor uncovers this "quiet" invasion and attempts to stop it.

Great movie. You might be surprised to know there's been 3 more movies/sequels.

1978 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077745/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_134

1993 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106452/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_43

2007 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427392/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_39

 

[JoeWras]

Great movie. You might be surprised to know there's been 3 more movies/sequels.

1978 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077745/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_134

1993 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106452/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_43

2007 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427392/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_39

I heard about the 1993 version, didn't see it. Didn't know about the 2007 version.

In college, we watched the original at one of those $1 nites that organizations put on. Part of the viewing discussed the tacked on beginning and ending. We actually watched it as originally intended, then viewed the prolog/epilog.

Kevin McCarthy was great in it and has a cameo in the 1978 version.

Donald Sutherland, TO THIS DAY, still creeps me out over his performance in the 1978 version. Brilliant! Still get creeped out the thought of him pointing at me and screaming. One of those classic movie scenes so well done by an actor. Leonard Nimoy gets out of his spock box in the 78 version which way cool to see too.

 

[DrRoy]

How about:

Northern Exposure

Lord of the Rings trilogy (good for 12+ hrs)

 

[Music Lover]

If anyone's looking for "feel good" show, check out "Returning the Favor" on Facebook hosted by Mike Rowe.