Movies, Series, Shows

US Open
Probably watched as much of the tournament this year as I’ve watched in several years. It was time well spent.

A

30 for 30: Shark
I LOVED Greg Norman when I was a kid. He was my first favorite golfer and until Tiger came along I was all-in with the Great White Shark. Over time I’ve come to think he is kind of a douche, a view that has been affirmed this year as he has spearheaded the new LIV tour.

This piece looks at his entire playing career with a particular focus on his most famous failure: the 1996 Masters. Even not being a fan of his anymore, it is a little uncomfortable seeing him sit down and watch his meltdown. I still think he’s kind of a douche, though.

B+

Commando On The Front Line
I came to this series in a roundabout way, but enjoyed it. It is a 13-year-old look at both the training process and then the deployment of Royal Marines Commandos during the war in Afghanistan. The series follows recruits through their training in Britain and then as troops that fight the Taliban. The series creator was embedded with the recruits/Marines, and there seemed to be very little censorship of what he was allowed to record/share.

What I found most interesting was how their training differs from American forces. I think that the British troops go through a combined basic training and special forces training, thus it takes 32 weeks (plus a three-week summer break) to earn their commando berets. While in the US you go through basic training and then go through special forces training separately if so inclined. Of course I could be totally wrong on that. It’s not like I’m an expert on these things.

Anyway, compelling show.

A-

Heat
In preparation for reading Heat 2, I went back and watched the original movie. I think I had only seen it all the way through one time. I think that’s because I didn’t like it as much as a lot of people did. I wondered if re-watching it would change that. It did not. It’s classic Michael Mann: great to look at with some amazing action sequences, but much of the dialogue and story have painful issues. Even at nearly three hours, it feels like big parts of the story have been skipped over in the name of brevity, which leads to several, “Wait, what?” moments. But that bank robbery scene is a classic.

B

Cobra Kai, season five
Solid but unspectacular. This season seemed to lack the highs that the first four each had. It also suffered as so many shows that stick around suffer: the cast is getting bigger, which means it is a tougher to get everyone on screen and develop deep storylines. This season also was less funny than any of the four that preceded it. It also lacked any real “Oh shit!” moments. The finale was good, but it felt like a season in which not a lot happened.

B

The Bear
I’ve written about this.

A+

Shorts, YouTubes, Etc

Every Piece Of Gear In An Army Cavalry Scout’s 72-Hour Bag
You watch enough travel packing and gear videos, plus a series about British commandos, and eventually The Algorithm starts spitting content like this at you.

Conan & Andy Help Freshmen Move Into College
Useful pointers for next year when we move M into her dorm.

Adventures of A+K
They are just about done with their Alaskan adventures.

Kara and Nate
The Algorithm finally decided to start suggesting other traveling couples to me. This was the first one other than A+K I checked out. They are funnier, a little more polished, a little less goody-goody. But they are also more capitalistic in their vlogging. Not sure I’m going to deep-dive into their old stuff but I will follow their new videos for awhile.

LPGA Skills Challenge at the Queen City Championship
Lots of really smart people in golf keep trying to figure out ways to “grow the game,” and their plans generally involve the Saudis and/or giving rich people even more money. But it is stuff like this, which is low in budget but high in fun, that makes the game more interesting.

WHAT IT’S LIKE FALLING AT GIANT MAVERICKS WITH IAN WALSH
Dude! Also, drones have made surf videos even more spectacular.

Peru’s Geography is CRAZY
The Algorithm has been bugging me about this for months. I finally cracked. Peru seems kind of dope.

Black Diamond Presents: Behind the Lens with Chris Burkard
The monthly “Sure, it’s a commercial, but it looks amazing” entry.

Norway and Sweden Compared
Not sure this really clears anything up. He should have thrown Finland and Denmark in to really confuse matters.

Big Sur, California: 1 Day Road Trip to Beaches, Waterfalls, Bridges and Elephant Seals
We went to Big Sur once when we lived in California. All I remember are lots of trees. We must not have hit the good spots.

One last run for the best hat ever made
Beau Miles bullshit. Watch your knackers!

Restorers Try to Get Lunar Module Guidance Computer Up and Running
I could have used a lot more detail but this is still a fascinating project.

GERMAN VERSION OF THE D-DAY INVASION FILM MADE BY O.S.S.
Fascinating. A film made by the Germans for people in Germany and occupied Europe to spin the Allied invasion of Europe as a moment of German strength. Then the US OSS took it, added some English voice overs, and showed it to American factory workers to motivate them to keep cranking out war supplies.

Omaha Beach From the German Perspective
The above video caused this to land in my feed. I’ve watched a couple of this guy’s videos and have decided I don’t like his style very much. I can’t put my finger on why, but something about them just doesn’t mesh with my preferences.

How We Survive LONG HAUL FLIGHTS!
We have a long haul flight coming up soon. I’ve been collecting tips anywhere I can.

(even more) season 6 bloopers | The Office
Always good stuff.

Audio Streams

93 WXRT
I learned in this breakdown of The Bear that the VoiceOver in episode seven was from the beloved alt/indie rock station WXRT in Chicago. I’ve added it into my Sonos favorites and listened to it a few times. It reminds me of Bloomington’s WTTS although with more new music and a more indie lean. I’m spoiled so the commercial breaks bum me out, although I understand their presence makes the existence of a station like this possible. I still wish there was something similar to Cincinnati’s WOXY out there for us music heads. As much as I love Spotify, there’s nothing like having a good DJ spool out the songs for you rather than relying on The Algorithm to do it.

Booth Review
I can’t find a link specific for this podcast/stream, but Kent Swanson and Scott Chasen’s breakdowns of KU football are really, really good. I don’t know much about the specifics of football, but they dive into the details in a way that should delight both football geeks and casual fans. This was their instant reaction to the Iowa State game.