Have just started watching series one … it’s very good!
The Wire was recommended awhile back and last week I saw the first series DVD on Amazon for a good price, so I decided to try it out. Very impressed. I love the grittiness of it, that the actors all look like real people … and I totally l-u-r-v-e the groovy cool soundtrack.
Compared to Anne Tyler’s Baltimore, it’s quite unrecognisable.
casa azahar 
I haven’t seen The Wire or Baltimore. but I am going to see The Kite Runner today…..
LikeLike
Yay! Best thing that’s been on TV for aaaages (IMHO).
Meanwhile, I’m almost at the end of series 2 of the sopranos on your recommendation. Very enjoyable! 🙂
LikeLike
My favorite? Weeds… check out the video: http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/home.do
my kids got me hooked on it.
LikeLike
It’s so weird watching tv series after not having seen any at all for about 15 years. Checking out Weeds…
Glad you’re enjoying the Sopranos, Dan. I’m still waiting to see series 7 (are you reading this Arnie…? 😉 ).
LikeLike
are you looking for a good series to watch?
I LOVED Deadwood. and Firefly is pretty good too. and Carnivale….
LikeLike
My wife and I were big Sopranos fans. Saw it all on DVD, much of it twice. nursemyra, we loved Deadwood, too.
But az., you cracked me up with the reference to Anne Tyler! I’ve not only read all of her books, but I go out of my way to find old original paperbacks.
Also, The Wire’s creator, David Simon, was on the PBS Newshour recently explaining his thinking behind the program.
He feels most TV shows are there for the “haves” in society, that they give support and comfort to what we used to call “the establishment.”
His goal with The Wire is to be there for the disenfranchised, the “have nots.” It was a brilliant interview, and I was quite impressed with how he has developed the show, the progresion of themes from season to season.
My wife wasn’t a fan when we saw the first few episodes (inner city violence saturating so much TV here), but I may try to sneak a few more DVDs into the Netflix list.
Good post, az., combining Tyler and The Wire — gave me the old: !!!!
LikeLike
I’ve read most, if not all, of Anne Tyler’s books too and, until now, it was my only ‘connection’ to Baltimore. You’d honestly think that Tyler and Simon were writing about two totally different places.
Sounds like it was a very interesting interview.
I’ll also check out Deadwood. Gosh, so many series, so little dinero…
LikeLike
Re: “Balmer”; these movies, too:
Diner
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083833/
and Tin Men
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094155/
Levinson is great about his old hometown. Tin Men is one of my favorite comedies (love the product they are interested in selling at movie’s end, but, ssh for now).
And Diner is one of the best movies about 1950s America.
LikeLike
I haven’t even heard of The Wire, so now I’m going to go and find it here in Australia… somehow 🙂
and I loved Firefly…
LikeLike
I didn’t realise that Diner took place in “Balmer”, Ben (that’s what the locals call it? Kind of like “Trawna” for Toronto?). That is such an excellent film! I haven’t seen Tin Men, will keep my eye out for it at Fnac.
Okay, and now Firefly is also on my ever-growing list.
This reminds me of the time I got *stuck in Toronto* (or Trawna) for three months in 1997 – long story I won’t bore you with, for now – and because I’d been living in Spain for about five years there were tons of films I’d missed, since I refuse to watch dubbed films. And so I think I watched about 60 films during those three months, trying to catch up, most on video and some at the cinemas … it’s all rather a blur now as it really was too much to take in.
I also discovered that there were tons of tv series I’d missed and so I am probably one of the only people on the planet who never saw Seinfeld. When I was there they showed the final episode but I decided not to bother. However, I did get to see Father Ted there for the first time and totally loved it. 🙂
Trawna is a serious cinema town and they have (or used to have) these big old movie theatres with a balcony section (yay! love balconies!) that showed a lot of indie or older classic films. I got to see one of the most amazing films I’ve ever seen in my life at one of these revue cinemas called Sick- The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist. I’d have never even heard about it if I hadn’t been in Toronto then, when it first came out. Which is the one down side of living in Sevilla…
But hey – can’t have everything. Or so they say. Though I’ve never understood why not! 😉
LikeLike
I’d never heard of The Wire, or Firefly etc etc.
Father Ted though? 🙂 My older daughter loves it and so got the boxed set of the DVDs a year or so ago.
LikeLike
Firefly is great, but it’s kinda sad when you get to the end of the all-too-short first-and-only series. It was cancelled after only one series, and there’s not enough of it. Although the film tells you pretty much what was gonna happen in the rest of the series, so it’s not all bad.
az – you gotta see Seinfeld, and even better Curb Your Enthusiasm by the co-writer (who it turns out was clearly the comedy genius behind the whole thing).
LikeLike
No way – I’d rather be the only person on the planet who’s never seen Seinfield. 😛
LikeLike
Like Ed and Star Wars? Silly! Why not watch things if they’re good? Still – Curb is better so if you do give in, watch that instead…
LikeLike
Sorry az – you’re not the only one. Never even felt inclined to watch it.
LikeLike
az. re your 60 flicks in 3 months: I’m convinced I should be allowed to stay home and read then cook then walk the dogs then watch movies then do it all again. And again.
My problem has been convincing everyone else.
LikeLike
No, not quite like Ed and Star Wars, Dan. More like what Johnny said – I did see some previews and clips of the show but it didn’t look like my cup of tea somehow.
Do you also iron, Ben?
LikeLike
….hopped over from nursie. Lovely fan you’ve fronted her.
Love the Wire! Finishing up season 5…. started with season 1 in September. Best show I’ve seen in ages. I ❤ Omar…..
LikeLike
Hi twin, and welcome!
Wow, you’ve watched five seasons since September?! Now I have to figure out what ❤ means … is that a sideways heart?
Oh, and no spoilers please. 🙂
Amazon just has up to season 4 I think…
LikeLike
HBO on Demand. They’ve been showing a season a month starting in September. Season 5 started airing in January….
Don’t worry…….no spoilers. Mum’s the word. (and yeah….sideways heart)
LikeLike