August Media

Movies, Shows, etc

Dept. Q
Lots of chatter about this in July, all saying it was basically Slow Horses but in Scotland and with cops. Which was very accurate. But this was much, much darker than any of the Slow Horses seasons I’ve watched. And broader. In some ways funnier. And definitely more moving. Episode eight was a little flat, which had me leaning towards a B. But episode 9, the season finale, was nearly perfect, one of the better season enders I can recall watching.

A-

Apollo 13: Survival
I watched this doc after hearing that Jim Lovell had passed. Very well done.

25th Hour
One of many Spike Lee movies of this century I had never seen. As much a love letter to New York in the early days after 9/11 as a movie about a man spending his last day before heading off to prison.

Miami Vice
When this came out in 2006, between me having little kids and it getting mediocre reviews, I never bothered to see it. Recently there seems to be a revision of opinion about it, and I’ve come across several sources that claim it’s better than people think. They were wrong. The original TV show had major problems with dialog and story, but Crockett and Tubbs were always so cool you could get past this. This movie had all the same issues, maybe even bigger ones in the same areas, but failed to make Crockett and Tubbs seem cool. Like not at all. Which made this a rather laborious two hour watch.

Platonic, season one
I hadn’t heard of this show until season two premiered last month. That’s the problem with streaming services you bounce in-and-out of: if you’re not looking for a show, they can be easy to miss. Even one that got mostly good reviews. The dynamic between Rose Byrne and Seth Rogan was terrific. It takes a different path than Shrinking, for example, but still falls right into that funny/touching area that Apple TV+ does so well in. We’ll be jumping into season two at some point in September for sure.

A-

Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
A fascinating accounting of Springsteen’s most recent tour, from how the shows and setlists were put together, to how the band interacts during the show, and how that tour differed from just about ever other tour of his career. It is striking how age is now very apparent in Bruce’s body and voice. The final third of the show rams this home, focusing on how many of his most recent songs have tackled the subject of death, how that has become a big theme within his shows, and how he’s tied that back to songs he wrote 50 years ago.

A-

40 Year Old Virgin
I watched this after reading this great oral history that celebrated the movie’s 20th anniversary. Still holds up.

No Laying Up: Northern Ireland
Not sure I’ll ever make it to Northern Ireland, let alone Ireland proper. But I will have to force my arthritic hands to swing a golf club if I ever am there.

Shorts, YouTubes, etc

Why did France halt its invasion of Germany in 1939?
Not sure I knew the French crossed the border when the Germans were attacking east. Also, France gonna France.

Inside This Regenerative Ranch Built by Husband-and-Wife Co-Founders
Not sure I could ever live on a ranch, but if I did it would be a huge bonus to have a dope house like this.

Inside Sydney Architect’s Clever DIY Transforming Apartment
As a counter you have this, maximizing an extremely small space.

Inside My Backyard Office Cabin
I’ve said this before: I wish I had a career that could justify building a swanky office in the backyard. Blogging does not count.

Home Library DIY: domed ceiling, shelves, secret door, rolling ladder
I love our house. To be honest, though, my one quibble is that the modern, bright, farmhouse style does not allow for an old school, earth-toned book room like this. Amazing little project, although the dome is a little much.

I Went to the Tour de France… It All Went Wrong
A slightly dramatic title, but seeing the Tour in person is on my travel bucket list.

Dropping 2 metres a second in South Africa | HANSKOP
F*&k me!

We Put $1000 Parts on a Walmart Bike
Watch one damn video about bike repair and you get flooded by a ton of others. I have to admit, this was cool. I wish I had the mechanical abilities to overhaul my bike like this.

Crash Course on Vintage Toyotas From World’s Coolest Mechanic Shop | Shop Class Episode 1 w/ DECKED
Somewhat along those lines, it would be cool if I knew anything about cars. As I don’t, I either pay people to fix them for me, or buy cars that basically don’t need any tinkering.

Jason Sudeikis confesses the REAL inspiration for Ted Lasso to Jason and Travis
Not exactly breaking news but I always enjoy hearing Sudeikis talk about the process of creating Lasso.

Why Haribo Refuses to Expand Beyond Gummies
Of interest to my wife, who is a gummy bear fiend. Also, weird title, since they clearly show at least one product that is not a gummy.

Cincinnati…The Paris of America
Calling Cincy Paris might be going a little far, but the city does have some cool architecture.

Magic Gliss Mountain Coaster Ride (no brakes) | Andorra 🇦🇩
The World’s Longest Mountain Coaster Ride (no brakes) | 4K | Andorra 🇦🇩
Alpine Coaster Golm (no brakes) 4K | 2600m | Montafon 🇦🇹
Seriously, could you justify going to Europe just to ride these things?

Absurd gute Achterbahn mit Tunnel unterm Parkplatz!
And we segue into a traditional coaster…one that goes under a parking lot? Twice?!?!

How Much Longer Can War Prop Up Russia’s Economy?
Fuckers.

Wolf Rock Lighthouse maintenance visit and tour
Fascinating.

I Made a Floppy Disk from Scratch
Give this man a black belt in geekery.

Building a Watch From Scratch In Brooklyn
Although this guy might go to a whole other level of geekery. Building complex manufacturing equipment out of random, found items? GTFO!

Built Himself a Free House in the Mountains Alone
But this guy says, “Hold my beer,” and builds a house on his own using only relatively crude hand tools and, with only one or two exceptions, materials he harvested from the environment around him. Bonus points for the ASMR qualities of this vid.

So, we found this ruin
And finally I stumbled across this series and S and I quickly watched all their available videos. An insane project to rebuild an 800 year old home on overgrown terraces above the Amalfi coast. As you might imagine, it’s a far more complex project than remodeling an old home in the US.

The Mission: Run 100km before it’s too late
Some Beau Miles bullshit that just might make you cry.

I planted a forest four years ago
An update on some old Beau Miles bullshit and a reminder of what his next big project is.

The mafia is killing Italian football
Is this why the national team has stunk for the past decade or so?

The Longest tyre Roll in the world! WORLD RECORD??
This is equal parts silly and fun. I’m amazed it didn’t flip on its side at some point before it ran out of steam.

Bob Odenkirk Replies To Fans Online | Actually Me
How did I not know Odenkirk wrote the Matt Foley Motivational Speaker sketch until now?

Mr. Show | The Audition Sketch
The Odenkirk piece led me to this, which is an all-timer. I never watched Mr. Show but thanks to YouTube, I was able to knock out a bunch of sketches from its run.

Bon Jovi – The Acoustic Performance That Changed MTV
I remember how pretty much everyone, whether they liked Bon Jovi or hated them, was blown away by this performance. I forget if I saw it live, most likely not, but I do recall taped copies floating around our dorm hall and finding ways to watch in rooms that had a TV and VCR.

ICONIC Band ERASED ALL of Their MUSIC from EXISTENCE & Then DISAPPEARED Forever! | Professor of Rock
I have avoided this guy’s videos, because they drive me a little crazy. Especially all the CAPS in his titles. I mean, come on. But a brother-in-music forwarded this one, and while the list is all over the place and I’m not sure it makes any sense, it was interesting.

Car Content

1st Time DRIVING Lucid Gravity! Best. Car. Ever.
I have a friend who was supposed to get his Gravity three weeks ago. It’s been delayed three times as they try to fix a few issues before it is cleared for final delivery. If he ever gets it, I will need to schedule a visit to take a ride in it.

Photography

Kansas Border Project: Episode 7
The Canon 5D Classic – An Endless Roll Of Kodak Portra
This will make any photo better, instantly.

Podcasts

Good Hang with Amy Poehler
This pod debuted in May but I just got around to adding it to my pretty beefy podcast rotation last month. It is fantastic. Poehler is an American treasure. You should add it to your queue.