Films, Actors & TV Shows

[honestone]

Thanks for the reply, and hopefully things will work out.

Apple has recently announced that they will be releasing new iMac and MacPro models within the next 6 to 9 months. No details on specifications yet, but I suspect that if you were to purchase a new one, it will be a huge upgrade over what you have now.

Onyx is not a "dangerous" product, but you just need to be careful when using it. Also, you must get the correct version of it, as there are distinct versions for each Mac OS. In your case, you would get Version 3.1.9, from here:

https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/onyx.html

My wife and I have actually been to London 5 times, and while it is a wonderful city (and a major world financial hub), we still prefer Seattle. In actuality, my favorite cities in Europe are Paris (how can anyone not like Paris!), Prague (beautiful city, and people are so friendly there), and Zurich. I really like Switzerland, and a lot of it reminds me of the Seattle area. In fact, the beautiful mountain range we have near Seattle is also know as the Swiss Alps of Seattle! Geneva is a nice place also. Fascinating that in Zurich, one sees the German influence, but in Geneva, there is the French influence. Mt. Blanche near Geneva is actually quite a nice place to visit, and in some respects, it reminded me of another beautiful spot in the US, Lake Tahoe in Nevada and California. If you have seen the movie "The Godfather: Part II", quite a lot of it was filmed there.

Regarding Wales, there has been a fascinating series on TV called "The Americans", and it is currently in its fifth season in the US (I am glued to my seat when watching each episode, and Episode 7 aired the other night (there are 13 this season, and next season will be the last, with only 10 episodes)). Previous seasons have been on British TV, but I of course don't know the TV channel "structure" for Wales. It's about this Russian "couple" (arranged marriage in Russia) who move to the US, to Virginia, in the 1980's for spying activities. The husband is played by Matthew Rhys, and he is originally from Cardiff, in Wales:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722629/?ref_=tt_cl_t2

What's truly fascinating is that he has a definite Wales accent, but in the TV series, you'd swear he is from the US, as he speaks perfect "American" English, without a hint of any accent at all! The other dynamics of the show are 1) they have two children while in Virginia, and there is always the struggle to keeping their spying activities secret from the kids (the daughter found out in Episode 10 during Season 3; the son is supposed to find out sometime this season), and 2) their neighbor across the street is an FBI agent, and he is definitely involved with the kids (his son in the series was recently dating the daughter of the Russian couple). To me, it is tied with "Breaking Bad" as the second best TV series ever. Number one was Season 1 of Fargo, and just like Matthew Rhys, one of the main characters in that series is played by Martin Freeman, who is a famous British Actor (starred in the Harry Potter movies). That series takes place in Minnesota, but again Martin Freeman speaks "American" English like a native! And just like Matthew Rhys, he is perfect for the part!

I'd better stop, as I could easily talk about movies and TV series all day long!

 

[Geggsy125]

That is excellent advice. Once again I am copying this to use as a guide for doing these routines. I really should think about getting TechTool. Like I said before I used to use it many years ago. I can't even remember when that was. I feel certain it was pre OSX days so that's going back some now. Later today I will definitely follow your Onyx routine and will let you know how I get on. I am going to wait until this evening when everything is quiet and I can give it my 100% attention.

I have downloaded the OS 10.11. link you gave and have also stored that image on a separate disc. I am hoping that I won't need it for a while. I am so happy with the system at the moment. Everything is working better than it did prior to the events of last weekend. i am also started to becoming minded to moving up to Sierra but I will probably hold off on that for a while yet as I have ongoing projects which need my attention and there is always that small risk.

Please feel free to chat about TV and Movies. I am an avid fan. I have already viewed the trailer for The Americans having had your recommendation and am very impressed. I had not heard of it so will look into it's availability over here. I totally adored Breaking Bad. I was very late coming to it and only saw the whole series this year. I watched it start to finish as a box set. It was fantastic and definitely in my top 3, or even top 2. I felt it had the magic mix of fantasy and possibility. It was astounding. I also felt no one could have portrayed Walter as well as Brian Cranston. A magical performance. Excellent also to read about Matthew Rhys. I live approximately 20 miles from Cardiff (which is a lovely city) and visit often. It is wonderful to see so many welsh actors appearing in roles globally. There seems to be an influx in the past few years. There used to be a time when it was limited to Richard Burton but now there are so many to choose from. A very good Welsh produced detective series made here in Wales is a programme called Hinterland. I am not sure if you would get that with you as it is very much a homegrown product. It shows Wales off extremely well.

I haven't watched the TV series of Fargo. I felt the film was so amazing I was worried that the series could diminish from that for me. Your mentioning of it has made me feel that i should put my concerns to one side and try to get hold of it. I also came very late to The Sopranos and Game Of Thrones. Both of which I loved. Game Of Thrones has many British and Welsh performers. I was so surprised when I was watching it as to how many there were and for most part they do keep their original accents. It is such a credit to Matthew Rhys's performance that you as an American are so impressed by his accent. I just take it on assurance that it is life like in such cases as I am not an expert per se. I would definitely notice British accents however and can spot the difference in dialect from within different locales.

It has been my turn to go on now. I too could talk on this subject all day also. I look forward to chatting again.

 

[honestone]

I am going to try and explain one more time regarding the Mac OS "files" that are involved in all this.

First, there is the "raw, bare" Mac OS file itself. That would be the original OS 10.11.4 file you downloaded. I'll ask again: did you get that from the App Store? I would suspect that is the case, and as I previously stated, that file, entitled "Install Mac OS X El Capitan", winds up inside your Applications folder. If you then either follow the automatic launching of that file, or subsequently launch it yourself, and complete the installation of OS 10.11.4, that file will be deleted/removed once the installation completes. If you need to do that basic installation again, you would need to re-download it from the App store. While there is nothing wrong with that, why not make it easier by first making a copy of that "Install Mac OS X El Capitan" file in another location, so that the next time, you could just launch that file from that other location and perform the installation, and it would not get deleted.

Second, that's good that you have the OS 10.11.6 Combo file saved somewhere. But again, that is not a full Mac OS X/El Capitan full OS installation file.

I hope that is clear now.

Yes, Breaking Bad was excellent. One of the actors in it, Bob Odenkirk:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0644022/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1#actor

plays that shady lawyer Saul Goodman. Well, AMC (they originally developed Breaking Bad) developed a spin-off/prequel series entitled "Better Call Saul":

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3032476/?ref_=nv_sr_2

and Season 3 just started airing two weeks ago. It is quite good, and it's interesting to see how Saul Goodman evolved. So far in that series, he is actually named Jimmy McGill. Another actor who was in Breaking Bad, Jonathan Banks (plays Mike):

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0052186/?ref_=nv_sr_1

is also in "Better Call Saul", and he is quite good also. There are other Breaking Bad "folks" in the series too.

Regarding Fargo, yes, the original movie is excellent. But, season 1 of the TV series Fargo, which came out in 2014, is also excellent (as was Season 2, and so far, Season 3). It has quite a few connections to the movie, although it takes place in 2007. This link contains information on all 3 seasons (Season 3 just began the other night):

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2802850/?ref_=nv_sr_1

By the way, Bob Odenkirk plays a sheriff in Season 1 of Fargo. It's fascinating that he looks different (via the makeup and all) than in either Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul, but one can tell it's him when he speaks his lines.

So, for the next 6 weeks, I have 3 enjoyable, consecutive nights of TV: Better Call Saul on Mondays, The Americans on Tuesdays, and Fargo on Wednesdays. I feel like a kid at a candy store with that!

And of course, Season 5 of"House of Cards" comes out on May 30th. Can't wait for that one, with Kevin Spacey at his best!

Finally, three prior excellent series that I enjoyed are "The Following" (starred Kevin Bacon, and was on for 3 seasons):

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2071645/?ref_=nv_sr_1

"The Bridge" (US version, on for two seasons, and starred Diane Kruger (she played alongside Nicholas Cage in "National Treasure"), and Ted Levine, who played Buffalo Bill in "Silence of the Lambs"):

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2406376/?ref_=nv_sr_3

and "The Killing" (US version, on for 4 seasons, but I only watched the first two. It takes place in Seattle):

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637727/?ref_=nv_sr_1

OK, enough!

 

[Geggsy125]

Thank you so much for pointing that out about the OS image. I had indeed jumped the gun. I briefly wondered why the download was so quick and the file info was smaller than I thought it would be. I have the original download archive (the installer did disappear as you said) so have made sure that the 10.11.4 and the update to 10.11.6 are placed in the same folder and stored away. Thank you again.

The heads up on the TV series are really valuable, thank you. I am checking the titles out already. Some I have heard of.

I am a big fan of Bob Odenkirk. After watching Breaking Bad I turned to YouTube and watched many clips of him. He is a very accomplished Actor and a very funny man with excellent timing. "Better Call Saul" will be another added to my "must watch" list, thank you. His role in Breaking Bad was amazing. I had to keep telling myself that I shouldn't be rooting for him (the same for Walter also). It's amazing how it turned our values on their heads.

I am also a huge Kevin Spacey fan. I have arrived at the point where if I see he is in a production then I have to watch it. I have seen the first few episodes of House of Cards and it was totally fascinating and chilling. It is strange to think of what goes on behind the scenes in the corridors of power. I don't think it is too far from the truth. I must try to see the remainder as I guess a lot has happened between where I left off and where it stands now. About a week ago I watched, yet again, K-Pax. Such an enthralling film. His credits are amazing and he has played a part in most of the landmark productions of the past few decades.

I am totally new to "The Following", "The Bridge" and "The Killing" so will definitely watch out for those. Kevin Bacon is excellent in most things. I saw a movie recently with him in called "Cop Car". Very suspenseful, chilling and beautifully performed. If you haven't seen it then I would recommend it.

I also forgot to thank you for the excellent news in your last but one message about the future update of the iMac. That certainly brought a smile to my face. I am very fortunate that it has only been the Hard Drive that has come to an end and not any of the other systems. It is most definitely in need of replacing. I didn't get a chance to have a go with Onyx last night after all as my son has visited. He will be leaving again today as he has an appointment in Bristol so hopefully I will be able to have a closer look before the end of the weekend.

 

[honestone]

You will really enjoy Bob Odenkirk in "Better Call Saul". I suspect that series will have more seasons, as I understand it is supposed to end "around the time" he appears in "Breaking Bad". And again I'll mention how good he was as the sheriff in the first season of "Fargo".

Yeah, I like Kevin Bacon also. I'll have to check out "Cop Car". There are two movies which I have always wondered why they never got enough recognition, but are very, very good: "Awakenings:", with Robin Williams and Robert De Nero, and "Murder In The First", with Christian Slater and Kevin Bacon. Both of them are based on true stories. For "Awakenings", the roles played by Williams and De Nero are definitely "different" than a y of the roles they had played previously. And for "Murder In The First", the ending is truly inspirational! In fact, I have shared that movie with a couple of the folks we get together with once a month, and they told me how much they enjoyed it.

Another good one with Kevin Bacon is the one made for HBO, "Taking Chance". It's about a Marine Lt. Colonel (Bacon) escorting a slain Marie Corporal across the US. Again. it was based on a true story. And of course there is his excellent performance in "A Few Good Men". I don't know why. but I can watch that movie over and over, and still enjoy it.

Ahh, Kevin Spacey. Trying to respond to the question "What was his best role" is almost impossible! But, if I was "pressured" for an answer, it would be a toss up between "LA Confidential" and "The Usual Suspects". He was superb in both of those. This link has all his 45 movie roles ranked:

https://www.pastemagazine.com/artic...evin-spaceys-movie-performances-worst-to.html

Of course "House of Cards", and "Recount", are not included, as they are not "truly" movies.

 

[Geggsy125]

I am really liking what you say about "Better Call Saul". It will be so good to see how he became what he became. I wonder if Vince Gilligan had thought of this prior to Breaking Bad? I was also to glad to hear that Mike is in it also as he was definitely one of my favourite characters. I was so shocked when he was shot by Walter. I really didn't think Walter would have done that but having said that he didn't have much choice I suppose.

It was so good you mentioning "The Awakenings". I thoroughly enjoyed that film. It ranks as one of my all time favourites. I remembering being totally enthralled but then so saddened as things started to reverse. A very emotional film. Especially with it being true. I was recently reading about the trials that happened and it was so frustrating for the medical staff. De Niro is excellent in it I agree and a completely different sort of role. I have an urge to watch it again now so will probably do so soon. "Murder In The First" completely slipped under my radar. I checked it out on IMDB after reading your recommendation and am amazed at the cast. It is a who's who of the top performers. I noticed on IMDB that there was an Amazon Prime button by it so when I get a chance later I am going to see what thats about and hopefully I will be able to download it to watch this evening.

I have been totally transfixed by the list of Kevin Spacey movies, Thank you so much for that. I didn't realise there were so many but also I didn't realise there were quite a few clangers. That's if the write up is accurate. I totally agree with their number 1 slot. I absolutely loved "American Beauty". A friend of mine had seen it and recommended I watch it. I didn't for ages but when I did I was astounded. It's totally captivating from the opening scene. I also agree with you regarding "LA Confidential" and "The Usual Suspects". I loved "LA Confidential". An absolute masterpiece of film making. The sets, make-up, costume. The performances were wonderful. Guy Pearce is an astounding actor. As I am with Kevin Spacey I usually am with Guy Pearce as in that if he is in a movie then I will watch it. He appears in a lot of mainstream American movies but also in Australian movies. The one that comes to the front of my mind at this time is "Memento". If I am correct it was one of Christopher Nolan's first films. Such an excellent concept for a movie and brilliantly crafted.

I just realised that I should check out Prime for the TV series tips you have given me. It is difficult in the UK when you don't have SkyTV to get access to anything. Hopefully soon and I anticipate my first outing with Onyx once the grass is mowed and the patio furniture oiled.

 

[honestone]

I know what you mean about getting "good" TV in the UK. Our son does not have that SkyTV service. For us, our cable/internet/landline phone provider is Comcast, and with the TV package that we have, we can get a lot of excellent programs.

For "Awakenings", it's refreshing to see such positive comments! Yes, De Nero's performance was excellent, but so was the performance by Robin Williams. As I mentioned, those roles for each of them were basically out of character, compared to anything either of them had done previously. But, they pulled it off in exquisite fashion! I've always wondered how De Nero got prepared to play that part, having a disease like Parkinsons. Another excellent movie and actor where something like that occurs is "Rain Man". To me, that might be Dustin Hoffman's best performance. It was definitely fascinating seeing him portray someone with autism. Wonder what he went through to train for that role?

Yes, "LA Confidential" was excellent too! While the actors you mentioned were superb, the one you forgot was Russell Crowe as Bud White. Believe it of not, that role for him is considered to be his best. I actually don't quite agree with that, as I felt he was truly super in "A Beautiful Mind" (by the way, that actor that played his classmate Sol, Adam Goldberg (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004965/?ref_=tt_cl_t6), is also in season 1 of "Fargo", and plays a somewhat key role). Based on a true story, Ron Howard exhibited what a fine director he is. But, Russell Crowe was still good as Bud White.

Finally, you definitely need to watch "Murder In The First". Just like you enjoyed "Awakenings", I am positive you will like it. As usual, Gary Odom (another excellent actor) was very, very good as the warden of Alcatraz.

 

[Geggsy125]

I do agree about Russell Crowe in “LA Confidential”. He, again, was perfect casting in it. I haven’t seen “A Beautiful Mind”! I should try to make the time to sit down and watch that as I am sure I would enjoy it. Ron Howard has made, in my opinion, some outstanding films. I didn’t realise “A Beautiful Mind” was one of his. There are many films I need to catch up on. I checked it out on IMDB along with Adam Goldberg and I noticed he was in the movie “Deja Vu”. I enjoyed that very much. It has a quirky retake on the detective genre which was excellent. I don’t want to give too much away if you’ve not seen it.

I do agree with you about Dustin Hoffman. He was spectacular in that film. The whole film was a pleasure from start to finish and has stood the test of time. I watched it again a few months back with my 15 year old son and he was completely transfixed with it.

I checked out the Prime service for viewing “Murder in the First” and it is available. I am trying to see if it will work on my Firestick so I can watch it on my TV and not the computer. I feel it would be unfair to watch it in a tiny window on the iMac with my cracked screen. It really does look an amazing film from what I have read. As soon as I have viewed that I will be watching “A Beautiful Mind”.

It was interesting to read about your son not having SkyTV. I had it several years ago but I found it to be very repetitive and very pricey for what it offered. I decided to leave them and found that to be a most unpleasant experience that I do not wish to repeat. I usually await box sets now or download when available. I invested some of the money I paid to Sky to pay in a Fibre connection for the internet. Far better use of the money.

Another movie that struck me was a film called “Remember” with Christopher Plummer. I do recommend that if you’ve not seen it.

 

[honestone]

No issue for me. Can we get an admin individual to "move it" to that location?

As far as Season 3 of Fargo goes, as expected, it is very good, so far. That first episode is a little "twisted", but in a Coen brothers sort of way, if you know what I mean. Can't wait until Wednesday, for Episode 2!

Now, for Russell Crowe, many of his movies are awesome, and also he has played many kinds of roles. For me, the "top" ones are:

LA Confidential
A Beautiful Mind
Gladiator
The Insider (teaming up with Al Pacino (also, Christopher Plummer was in it) was an excellent pairing!)
American Gangster
Cinderella Man

There are a couple of others that have been raved about: 3:10 to Yuma, and Robin Hood, but I have not seen them.

Ah, Christopher Plummer. Besides his most famous role in "The Sound of Music", he was in "A Beautiful Mind" and "The Insider", (both of them starred Russell Crowe, and in "The Insider", his portrayal of Mike Wallace (yes, that Mike Wallace from "60 minutes") was exceptional)), and "Inside Man" (slick, bank robbery movie, with Denzel Washington (another incredible actor)). I have always enjoyed his performances.

Too bad we are not closer, as I have "Murder in the First" both on a DVD, and on a download. For the download one, I can copy it to a Windows-formatted flash drive, and watch it on our 65" Samsung Smart TV. I've actually been doing that for the 3 series I mentioned previously. Yes, watching it on TV is much better than on a computer screen.

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Thanks for the heads up about Fargo Season 3, Hinterland, Better Call Saul & Kevin Bacon's Cop Car. I love Fargo, love what I've seen of Hinterland, loved Cop Car & love the few episodes I've watched of Better Call Saul!

 

[honestone]

Thanks for the heads up about Fargo Season 3, Hinterland, Better Call Saul & Kevin Bacon's Cop Car. I love Fargo, love what I've seen of Hinterland, loved Cop Car & love the few episodes I've watched of Better Call Saul!

If you liked Breaking Bad, then you'll also like Better Call Saul. I just watched Episode 3 on Monday evening, and it is getting more and more interesting. Also, watched Episode 8 of Season 5 of The Americans. That series just keeps getting better and better. And tonight, Episode 2 of Fargo. I'm definitely a happy camper with 3 straight nights of these enjoyable series.

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

I actually only watched a handful of Breaking Bad episodes ... I liked it, just when I took a break I just didn't go back to it ... that can happen with me ... happened with The Walking Dead & it happened with Dexter ... watched Season 1 then didn't go back.

But Better Call Saul got me in as soon as I heard the opening song, just brilliant music! Then his character & how he acts it out is just magic viewing! I love his shonkiness & his appearance & his bravado ... he's a likeable rogue indeed. The episode I watched last night was all about Mike, the guy in the booth. It had a totally different tone to the first few episodes. I probably wasn't totally into learning about his grisly past. I hope to stick with the show but once again I could go astray. It's difficult with a brilliant idea, to spin it out for so long, for season after season. Kinda milking it, maybe that's why I don't stay loyal like others ... M*A*S*H on the other hand is a series where each episode is usually a standalone tale & is likely why I'll never ever ever get tired of watching it.

I love how Ewan McGregor is playing the role of 2 brothers in the current series of Fargo, it shows how good an actor he is. The brothers are chalk & cheese. I have stuck it out with Fargo, I guess they just turn the whackiness knob up to 11 & keep it going & in doing so manage to keep me hooked too.

 

[honestone]

Yeah, Bob Odenkirk is excellent in Better Call Saul. And it's kind of neat that they keep bringing in more and more of the characters from Breaking Bad. Speaking of Mike (Jonathan Banks does a super job), he was key in Breaking Bad also.

As for Fargo, Season 3 is good, so far. But Season 1, for me, was easily the best. The performances by Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Martin Freeman, Colin Hanks, Bob Odenkirk, etc, were supreme. The storyline was perfect, and I found the connections to the movie brilliant. I especially liked Martin Freeman. He has a distinct English accent, yet he speaks perfect "Minnesota" English. And for a little guy, he was perfect for the part!

 

[Torry Cox]

I watched two or three episodes of Better Call Saul, and I can say that I did not really like it. A bit boring. Hut I adore Breaking Bad.