#1 29-03-19 07:58:08

_redbird_

Member

Registered: 22-04-16

Posts: 388

What have you been into lately?

Books, movies, series, food, video games, sexy times things, websites...WHATEVER. What have you been interested in recently? One of my favourite things to do is talk about my interests, but I also like to hear what other people are currently digging. First I'll talk about my current interests though. 

Music - Ludovico Einaudi. He's an Italian composer who first released stuff in the 90's, but has gotten more recognition in recent years. I found him while listening to some instrumental music from Doctor Who and are pretty much obsessed now. Night, Andare and Life are three of my favourites from him. I'm also super into Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler atm. I love hearing them go from what is basically a sultry whisper to then just belting it out. Their voices are incredible and while I am driving my housemates somewhat crazy by playing them constantly, they are sublime and make me very happy.

Website - Neonflames. It's a site where you can create your own nebulas. It's ridiculously fun and relaxing and is best enjoyed on a big screen and also pairs well with Ludovico's music.  https://29a.ch/sandbox/2011/neonflames/

Clothing - This is probably one of the least sexy things to state on an IFM forum but  I cannot get enough of sensible trousers and button up shirts. My general style is a lot more conservative these days but I like to jazz it up with colourful shoes and socks. I also really, really love high-waisted checked pants (I'm probably sub-consciously channeling the Doctor there).  As Autumn is starting to hit I'm really excited to be able to crack out the various velvet and/or turtle necked things I have. I also recently ordered a stegosaurus bolo tie, so that will be nice and ridiculous. I like to think my style is a mixture of a sensible librarian mixed with an eccentric child.

Books - For the past year I've been pretty obsessed with Stephen King, and particularly love Dolores Claiborne and Gerald's Game. They came out around the same time as each other and despite having seemingly unconnected characters and timelines, there is an excellent moment in each book that connects the two and it's done brilliantly. Both books feature women as the main characters and narrators (one being questioned for murder and the other who is handcuffed to a bed after her husband dies suddenly) and they're both written wonderfully. They're fairly short novels but cover a lot in that time, and are hard to put down once you start.

Video game - Stardew Valley. It's a farming simulator but IT. IS. SO. MUCH. MORE. It's an indie game that was entirely created by one guy over 4 years and while yes, primarily it is a retro looking farming game, there is so much scope for adventure. Your character can go fishing, mining, foraging, raising animals (which you don't slaughter, just collect their products), contributing to the community, and of course making that sweet, sweet moolah from your crops. My favourite part though is that you can romance some of the townspeople and you have to maintain the relationships. Regardless on whether or not your character is male or female, you can date and eventually marry either sex and it's never an issue or even really mentioned. There's a strong focus on community and helping out where you can, and there's even an evil corporation you can choose to side with or take down. It has some of the most beautiful music, and is extremely relaxing. I've put in almost 300 hours on two different saves and I don't regret a second of it. It also features witches, wizards, goblins, fairies and mermaids (plus others) so there's really something for everyone.

Series - Russian Doll. Natasha Lyonne is basically my dream woman and she is particularly excellent in this series. A mind bending Groundhog Day set in New York. It is hilarious, and smart, and all round brilliant.

I'm also slowly chipping away at classic Doctor Who, but so far I only have up until the end of the second doctor's stint, and his run as the Doctor has the most missing episodes. I'm currently waiting on the animated release of The Macra Terror and are very excited for it, as the Macra also made an appearance in a 10th Doctor episode (Gridlock). So far I'm really enjoying classic Who, and as I'm a huge fan of Nu Who, it's awesome to see things from the old series that are referenced in the new series. Of the two Doctors I've seen, Patrick Troughton is my preference over William Hartnell (although I loved his portrayal too) but Patrick is just a bit more goofy and likable and better suits the late 60's shift towards being less repressed and uptight. I'm really looking forward to the third Doctor (partly because Jon Pertwee is ridiculously handsome, I must admit) but I'm also intrigued to see a rather action-ey Doctor for a change.  I've also been getting into Torchwood, and other than the super annoying way the show is shot, I'm really loving it. I met John Barrowman at a convention last year and he was ridiculously charismatic.

I'm absolutely obsessed with British crime dramas and have watched so many that they're starting to bleed into each other a bit, but some standouts are Happy Valley, Broadchurch, and One Of Us.

Movies - I've been on a big Barbra kick lately, and particularly love Funny Girl. She is absolutely remarkable in it and I constantly have "I'd Rather Be Blue Over You" stuck in my head and the scene where she sings that while skating around the stage is one of my all time favourite scenes in a film. I'd originally seen it a few years ago, but I had no idea that it was based on a real person which just adds to how awesome it is. I also love watching horror movies while home alone, and I particularly enjoyed Hereditary, Get Out, and Annabelle: Creation. The last one surprised me because the Annabelle films are pretty trash, and while The Conjuring films are OK, they're very derivative and are basically just weaker versions of much better scary films.

That's me for meow . As I said earlier, I absolutely love hearing what people are into, so please add your current likes and any recommendations for things. I will undoubtedly think of more stuff to add at some point. YAY THINGS!

Last edited by _redbird_ (30-08-19 03:29:24)

Miriam_R

Member

Registered: 22-01-18

Posts: 96

Re: What have you been into lately?

Love this little insight into the mind of the  beautiful Red Bird!
I cant thank you enough for introcuding me to Neonflames, such a time waster but so relaxing!

As for myself, really into Anne Rice as an author at the moment, little bit trashy but love the way she writes, so indepth!
Watching a fair bit of Game of Thrones, yes I am that person! Catching up before the last season. Also, After Life with Ricky Gervais, very dry and slow, but different.

Movies I find I dont have time for at the moment, but love older crime dramas from the early 90's, find them a little bit more intriguing and less predictable that more current ones and perfect for a glass of wine by the fire, as it is reaching that time!

Hugely into gardening at the moment, taking up most of my weekend, preparing my tiny little veggies for the winter as the weather has changed so quickly!

_redbird_

Member

Registered: 22-04-16

Posts: 388

Re: What have you been into lately?

Oh Anne Rice is absolutely my jam! Or at least she was when I was a teenager. I'm sure she's just as good as I remember though...

I'm also very keen for GoT, if anything just so I can have closure. It's such a consuming show, even if you aren't watching it, it's EVERYWHERE. I also really want to see After Life, I love Ricky Gervais' shows, and it looks interesting.

I really want to see your garden! Gardening is something I got into about 2 years ago, but I've neglected it a lot this past summer, so it's not looking the best atm

Thank you for also giving a little glimpse into the wonderful brains of Miriam. xo

Also, YES Neonflames is the absolute best.

Piper_A

Member

Registered: 26-03-18

Posts: 83

Re: What have you been into lately?

This is a cute thread!
This is more an always thing than an "at the moment" thing but I could just watch Brooklyn Nine Nine for days on end. Aside from Andy Samberg  being exactly my kind of funny, I also love the LGBTQIA+ and POC representation in the show. I also admit I absolutely dig watching Bob Ross haha, he's so relaxing to listen to!
I've also been doing a wee bit of gardening (I think Miriam inspired me) and have been keeping a balcony of sweet little pot plants. Watering them has become a nice little ritual for me and it feels good to nurture them and watch them grow!
I've been playing a bit more guitar than usual too - learning some Camp Cope songs that I really love. I'm a total amateur but playing and singing together makes me less focused on the imperfections in my voice haha.
Also I've been cooking a lot more! I've been trying to sneak tofu and spinach into everything I can. I got pretty lazy with making sure I was getting plenty of iron and protein for the last little while so I've been really forcing myself to pay more attention to it. I've always found it fun exploring the options of vegan cooking but lately I think I've been just that little bit more adventurous!
Music-wise I've been obsessing over weird throwbacks! I dont know why, but I realised recently how much I love a bunch of tacky old Kylie Minogue hits! So weird because it's not at all what I'm usually into, but I think the dancey nature of it has been helping perk me up when I need it.

Orgasm86

Member

Registered: 26-09-12

Posts: 314

Re: What have you been into lately?

Redbird, I've been playing Stardew as well! It's such a relaxing game - I just enjoy growing crops, fishing, talking to various townsfolk. It's my ultimate Chill Out experience lately.

Howland

Member

Registered: 19-03-15

Posts: 259

Re: What have you been into lately?

Yay things indeed! Here are some more things.

Horror movies: recently, I liked It Follows and A Quiet Place, although my judgment of the latter may be influenced by the fact that I got it bad for Emily Blunt (excellent here as always). Others from before: Cure, Pulse (both Japanese), Don’t Look Now, The Last Wave (but I’m sure all you Aussies know that one!).

British crime dramas: I’ve been watching The Tunnel, which is amusing because it has Stannis Baratheon as one of the detectives and Fleur Delacour as the other. It’s a remake (or at least season 1 is) of the excellent Danish show The Bridge, which makes an interesting comparison.

Doctor Who: I’m not into the pre-Christopher Eccleston Doctors, but I did like the Matt Smith/Amy Pond years.

Books: Most recently, Resurrection Man (Eoin McNamee), set during the Irish Troubles. Very moody and intense. Over the winter (that is, a few months ago) I read Gulag: A HIstory by Anne Applebaum, which was, um, rather a downer (but everyone needs to know that this happened). Just as chilling were the 200 pp. I managed to get through of The Great Terror by Robert Conquest, about the Moscow show trials of the 1930s. (It goes on like that for another 300. Stalin was a piece of work all right.)

Which makes it all the more remarkable that the movie The Death of Stalin (a comedy?!?) was in any way funny. The casting is brilliant: Steve Buscemi (as Khrushchev (!)), Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Palin, Jason Isaacs. Check it out.

Things are good.

_redbird_

Member

Registered: 22-04-16

Posts: 388

Re: What have you been into lately?

Oh Piper_A, I thought I couldn't love you any more than I already do and then you go and tell me that you like old Kylie!? Absolutely glorious. Also I'm so happy you're having fun jammy jams on the guitar! The lil' snippets I've heard of yours are awesome, I hope to hear more! Maybe you could learn an old Kylie song?

Orgasm86 HOW FKN GOOD IS STARDEW VALLEY!?! You're correct, it is insanely relaxing. I've recommended it to so many people but as I was quite resistant to it at first (I'm not a fan of simulation games much) I totally understand when people are skeptical about it. They're totally wrong of course, but I get it. Have you married anyone in it yet? I'm married to Maru in my first save because she was my definite favourite from the start. The part of the game I enjoy most is talking to people and learning more about them, but I also just really love pottering around my low-key farm and tending to my animals. The music is so beautiful, I sometimes just listen to the soundtrack on spotify.

Howland, I actually haven't seen The Last Wave, but when I looked it up I recognised some scenes from it. Don't Look Now is one of my favourite movies! Such excellent tension building, and Donald and Julie are perfection. I've seen The Bridge but not The Tunnel. Is one better than the other would you say?

I love these responses. Keep em' coming!

SethKindra

Member

Registered: 02-11-08

Posts: 116

Re: What have you been into lately?

Sometimes I try not to say out loud because I can find judgement about myself pretty hard. But I'll give this a try. Most of what I like depends on what time frame my mind is set on.

Music: At the moment it's mostly 80s-2000s Kiwiana music. Some of my favorites are from The Holidaymakers/Dave Dobbyn/The Exponents/Supergroove/OMC/Darcy Clay/etc. I'm complying a musical playlist for a special occasion.

Websites: No idea. Except for Google of course

Clothing: Havent really got the fashion gene these days, although I am trying out a tuxedo for the same special occasion.

Books: Havent read a lot of books lately, but am going to read The Rosie Project, I think it's called. I'm also reading a few cook books as well, and can make a few decent dishes. Halloumi and courgette fritters is my favorite so far.

Video Games: Sad to say, not a lot. Some are typical FPS sort of game, RDR2 is my favourite thus far. Although I have played a few non-violent games myself. One of my favorites is called To The Moon. Just be careful if you really want to play it or watch the walkthrough. Trust me, it will bring you to tears.

TV Series: An old one I want to see again is Quantum Leap, the guy who can leap in time and become anyone in any random order. Also the Pretender where a guy can assume a new identity and tries to right the wrongs for the people he cares about. New ones, Better Call

Movies: Was a fan of horror as a young man but havent seen much in years. Haven't been to the cinemas for a while, am planning to see Captain Marvell. Love seeing where heroines have their standing in the superhero world. Also like films that are close to historical events.

Theatre: Sideways. I love wine as much as beer. Although I was involved in a romantic comedy where I played a nerd-ish pharmacist who tried to go on Tinder but on every one of those dates he ends up getting cock-blocked. It was fun, though.

Hope it wasn't boring, it's all I could think of when I typed this.

Howland

Member

Registered: 19-03-15

Posts: 259

Re: What have you been into lately?

I've seen The Bridge but not The Tunnel. Is one better than the other would you say?

Well, I was in that situation myself until a few weeks ago, but now I can report that season 1 of The Tunnel is a pretty faithful copy (moved to England/France rather than Sweden/Denmark, obvs) of season 1 of The Bridge, so it was a bit anti-climactic (talk about spoilers!). But season 2 of the Tunnel seems to be different, and I just saw a very intense episode, so I would definitely recommend it -- although if you're not into GoT then that fact that Stannis Baratheon is the English detective will be that much less amusing to you. Also, if you are into Swedish TV, then check out Blue Eyes, which is also intense (more spy/political than police procedural, but still, lots of action and intrigue), and of course (?) the Danish show Borgen, which is The West Wing minus the humor, but plus the goddess Sidse Babett Knudsen.

ThatIndividual

Member

Registered: 16-07-15

Posts: 347

Re: What have you been into lately?

I watched After Life in one weekend. In hindsight, he really conveys both the depth of his loss and their love. The darkness of his loss just conveyed something’s I’d otherwise not be able to articulate. And it was a funny at times, but for me it was more compelling as a story of bittersweet suffering. He made me cry and I’ve probably gotten a little therapy out of it for my own past.

I’ve also loved watching The Magicians now that they’re back. I love that I can’t figure out how/why I don’t hate the clearly evil monster despite his possession of Elliot.

My music world has been turned upside down by funk. I don’t know how or why I didn’t discover James Brown sooner. It’s my way to discover something or someone new and rapidly delve into the “weeds”. Thankfully too I was turned onto Betty Davis from the music thread here - as well as so much other good music! It’s kind of sad how much music I’ve missed, but I’ve also got so much new music to enjoy for the first time! Tomorrow’s probably a Howlin’ Wolf day though.

My cat. I rescued him from homelessness and cancer. He’s been with me coming up on a year in May and he’s 6. Poor guy had/has some very thorny behaviors from his past, but I’m seeing him turn into a silly house cat more and more each day. He’s really started to soften up more recently.

Meta-this is a great thread idea! Good connection building stuff.

Last edited by ThatIndividual (04-04-19 01:54:07)

_redbird_

Member

Registered: 22-04-16

Posts: 388

Re: What have you been into lately?

Music: At the moment it's mostly 80s-2000s Kiwiana music. Some of my favorites are from The Holidaymakers/Dave Dobbyn/The Exponents/Supergroove/OMC/Darcy Clay/etc. I'm complying a musical playlist for a special occasion.

Video Games: Sad to say, not a lot. Some are typical FPS sort of game, RDR2 is my favourite thus far. Although I have played a few non-violent games myself. One of my favorites is called To The Moon. Just be careful if you really want to play it or watch the walkthrough. Trust me, it will bring you to tears.

TV Series: An old one I want to see again is Quantum Leap, the guy who can leap in time and become anyone in any random order. Also the Pretender where a guy can assume a new identity and tries to right the wrongs for the people he cares about. New ones, Better Call.

SethKindra I LOVE kiwi music! One of my favourites is definitely Dave Dobbyn and all of his various bands and projects (especially DD Smash). I saw him play last year at a pretty small venue in Melbourne and he was AMAZING!! He even played Outlook For Thursday which is my favourite song of his. The gig sold out and I'm pretty sure I was the only person who wasn't born in NZ there (although I'm half kiwi).  The air was electric and everyone knew every single line to every single song. It was pretty surreal. Have you seen Outrageous Fortune before? It loses its footing a bit after the third season but is a great lil' kiwi show about a family of criminals and it's where I found a lot of amazing music from NZ.

I'm not a huuuuuuge fan of FPS, however I do really love RDR2. The  story was really involving and the music is sublime! And egads, it looks insanely beautiful! Another favourite is Bio Shock. It's what got me into modern video games (before that, the most recent console I'd played was a Nintendo 64). I looked up To The Moon and it looks really beautiful, I will check it out and let you know how it goes. I love independent video games. Have you played What Remains Of Edith Finch? It's a quick little first person exploration game where you find out information about how the rest of your character's family died. It's nothing special, but really cute and pretty and weirdly dark and depressing too.

I LOVED Quantum Leap when I was a kid and actually wanted to track it down again. I love me some Scott Bakula

Last edited by _redbird_ (04-04-19 02:44:35)

_redbird_

Member

Registered: 22-04-16

Posts: 388

Re: What have you been into lately?

I watched After Life in one weekend. In hindsight, he really conveys both the depth of his loss and their love. The darkness of his loss just conveyed something’s I’d otherwise not be able to articulate. And it was a funny at times, but for me it was more compelling as a story of bittersweet suffering. He made me cry and I’ve probably gotten a little therapy out of it for my own past.

I’ve also loved watching The Magicians now that they’re back. I love that I can’t figure out how/why I don’t hate the clearly evil monster despite his possession of Elliot.

My music world has been turned upside down by funk. I don’t know how or why I didn’t discover James Brown sooner. It’s my way to discover something or someone new and rapidly delve into the “weeds”. Thankfully too I was turned onto Betty Davis from the music thread here - as well as so much other good music! It’s kind of sad how much music I’ve missed, but I’ve also got so much new music to enjoy for the first time! Tomorrow’s probably a Howlin’ Wolf day though.

My cat. I rescued him from homelessness and cancer. He’s been with me coming up on a year in May and he’s 6. Poor guy had/has some very thorny behaviors from his past, but I’m seeing him turn into a silly house cat more and more each day. He’s really started to soften up more recently.

Meta-this is a great thread idea! Good connection building stuff.

I'm glad to hear you found After Life nice and cathartic, as I'm sure that was the intention behind it. I'll definitely have to watch it soon, as I've had so many people recommend it to me. Ricky Gervais has made me cry many times before (both xmas specials for The Office and Extras DESTROY me).

I used to love James Brown until I worked in a cafe with someone who would ONLY play him and now I can't listen to JB at all. It's funny when you "discover" someone who's been around forever and you've always known but never really got into for some reason. I recently did that with Peter Gabriel. I only knew about 3 songs of his, and only really liked Sledgehammer, but now I'm flippin' OBSESSED. His album "So" is near perfection. I've had so many great suggestions from threads here, it's a pretty excellent source for inspiration.

That's so lovely to hear about your cat. I'm glad he has a loving home. It must be really rewarding seeing him change and adapt to life as a beloved companion. I was very much strictly a dog person until my housemate's cat moved in. He was a dumpster kitten when my housemate found him. He's 10 now and a total sooky jerk but is very cuddly and loving. There's something so lovely about hearing that contented little pigeon purr they do when they're particularly happy. I'm even okay with his complete lack of regard towards stepping on my organs and genitals to get comfortable. 

Thank you for contributing to the thread! I'm really loving getting to know you all better

viva

pretty pretty princess

Registered: 14-05-10

Posts: 4,113

Website

Re: What have you been into lately?

Waughhh I love this thread!! I'm so in.

Music -

Hmm I've been really enjoying stalking my friends spotify's lately. I usually only listen on my phone, but lately I've been back at Feck (yay!) and listening at work. The desktop app lets you see what your friends are playing! I love going through their inspirations. I've been pretty stressed as well since I don't really have a proper home at the moment so I've been smashing this massage playlist I found randomly through a facebook group one day. My go to "downregulate me NOW" song is (don't laugh at me) "I release control" by (stop laughing) Alexa Sunshine Rose w/ Beautiful Chorus. I'm also happily back in love (also yay!) so I listen to "our song" a lot <3 which is Valis Alps  - "Young".

Clothing -
Clothes are SO HARD! It's becoming winter here and winter clothes are my nemesis. They never fit right, stockings cut in and I feel I always just look like an awful bag. I found this amazing lingerie called Solstice Intimates that I'm obsessing over, and they make it to order, but I'm still hesitating cause I know not all of the styles will suit my body type. I emailed them to ask for suggestions, gave them my measurements and even sent them this picture of me but they never wrote back

Books -
Argh I dont know why I slogged my way through this novel for ages... it doesn't even bear mentioning. I started it because I love the author - Jacqueline Carrey's - other series, Kushiel's Dart. That series is about a parallel europe where love is sacred and courtesans are a high caste in society. There's 13  different 'houses' of courtesans, all dedicated to different kinds of sex from the most skilled courtesans in the world. So if you want a shy man or woman, you can go to Alyssum, if you want a fun and light sexual experience, you go to Orchis, and if you want a masochist to submit to you, you go to Valerian.   The main character is like a super-special masochist woman, and shes incredibly feirce and powerful too. It's a fantastic read! Unfortunately my current novel was not. But here's the kicker - I lost it yesterday after slogging eternally through almost the whole thing, and now I won't get to read those last 10 stupid pages UGH.

Video game -
I used to love Stardew! I loved playing without being too concerned  about power gaming. haha. it was kind of a practice for me in letting thing go and not trying to achieve everything in one day. At the moment I play Divinity with my boyfriend, and sometimes a little story game called Life is Strange, which is really atmospheric and interesting, about a kind of emo girl at a photography school in Oregon. The other day though I went to a friends house and we played a game on her ps4 called Detroit : Becoming Human and that was AMAZING oh my god. I cannot wait for it to come out on PC. SO freakin interesting, emotional, and intricate... it's about 3 different androids progressing on a storyline about their individual paths to sentience. I seriously recommend checking it out.

I wish I could play RDR2 maybe one day I will get ps4.

Series -
oh geez I watch everything, probably too much! I'm always comfort-working my way through Star Trek (next gen) though I hate the new Discovery with a passion. At the moment I'm properly watching a show called "Mozart in the Jungle" on Stan cause I have a trial membership. It's a really bingey series about the dramas and amusements of the New York Symphony and their wacky new avant-guard conductor. It's so good haha. But soon enough it will be GoT times... I've read and watched everything there is to read and watch, so this final season is a big event for me and mine. Happening so soon indeed - 17 april!!!!

Movies -
Haha the movies I watch are so embarrassing. I usually only watch one when I'm really sad or period. Usually borderline teen movies about time travel, princesses, ballet and/or christmas. My boyfriend is so amazing he watches with me and talks about them with me like they're real movies ;___________;

I love you guys.

_redbird_

Member

Registered: 22-04-16

Posts: 388

Re: What have you been into lately?

Waughhh I love this thread!! I'm so in.

Video game -
I used to love Stardew! I loved playing without being too concerned  about power gaming. haha. it was kind of a practice for me in letting thing go and not trying to achieve everything in one day. At the moment I play Divinity with my boyfriend, and sometimes a little story game called Life is Strange, which is really atmospheric and interesting, about a kind of emo girl at a photography school in Oregon. The other day though I went to a friends house and we played a game on her ps4 called Detroit : Becoming Human and that was AMAZING oh my god. I cannot wait for it to come out on PC. SO freakin interesting, emotional, and intricate... it's about 3 different androids progressing on a storyline about their individual paths to sentience. I seriously recommend checking it out.

I wish I could play RDR2 maybe one day I will get ps4.

Movies -
Haha the movies I watch are so embarrassing. I usually only watch one when I'm really sad or period. Usually borderline teen movies about time travel, princesses, ballet and/or christmas. My boyfriend is so amazing he watches with me and talks about them with me like they're real movies ;___________;

I love you guys.

Oh Viva I was hoping you'd add to this! Yay!! Also even though we are cubicle buddies I DIDN'T KNOW YOU PLAYED STARDEW!?! So, so cool. I find the main character in Life Is Strange insufferable but I really like the game and I sort of love to hate her. She reminds me slightly of myself as a teen though, so I think there's just a lot of moments that hit too close to home in terms of teenage pretentiousness and wankery. The second game is also really good and they thankfully don't try so hard to have "real teen lingo". The amount of times they say things like "biatch" and "hella" makes me cringe and laugh simultaneously. I didn't know Detroit: Becoming Human was out!! I must get onto that asap! Have you heard of or seen the various trailers to Death Stranding by Hideo Kojima? I'm so excited/confused by it. Something something Norman Reedus. Something something babies in little womb tanks? Invisible tar monsters? Mads Mikkelsen in a sewer? There's still no release date, but as they have at least three trailers out now, it's speculated that it will be late this year/early next year.

I LOVE that you watch those super shitty movies. I'm guessing you've seen A Christmas Prince and the like? So excellent. I also love that your gent watches them with you and participates in discussion about them. I refuse to watch movies with people if they're doing it begrudgingly. My secret shame movies that I watch when no one else is home  is shitty recent thrillers on Netflix. I've been surprised by a couple that were weirdly good though. Bad Match is seemingly just another Fatal Attraction rip off that ended up being a really interesting commentary on misogyny. Cam was another one that was also unexpectedly good.  Creepy and confusing though.

Last edited by _redbird_ (05-04-19 05:57:36)

Howland

Member

Registered: 19-03-15

Posts: 259

Re: What have you been into lately?

I recently did that [= became flippin' OBSESSED] with Peter Gabriel.

Really? I was a big Gabriel fan too, back in the day. I like So fine (that’s the one with “Red Rain” on it, right?), but my favorites have always been the second and third solo records (both, as is the first one for that matter, called “Peter Gabriel”; they’re the ones whose first tracks are “On the Air” and “Intruder” respectively). Also, as you may remember from the other thread, I'm a big prog rock fan so of course I'll be recommending you check out Gabriel's releases with Genesis as well, esp. Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (who says you can’t rock out in 7/4 time?). I also like Pete’s soundtrack albums Birdy and Passion, but since he doesn’t sing on them that might be a stretch.

viva

pretty pretty princess

Registered: 14-05-10

Posts: 4,113

Website

Re: What have you been into lately?

Woah redbird Death Stranding looks amazing. There's 4 trailers, lol! I'm meant to be studying but I just went down a full rabbit hole of youtube videos of people trying to figure it all out. I've never seen that done where a major actor is mapped to play the character in the game. I love Norman Reedus (duh) and Mads Michelson (I'm a hannibal obsessive from way back and the "new" show rocked my world) and all the weird baby stuff and the actual gameplay looks stunning.

I totally get how you feel about the girl in Life is Strange, ha! But it's so my teenhood - so american, chilly forest lands, pretension and all - I just fall right in. To be fair though I haven't played very much, but also I think I just love teenagers. They're so tortured, so bold and creative and anti-authoritarian, just so poingant! They are sexy, nervous, brave. They are brink people.

I wish I was better at playing games. I mean, now that I realise I don't have to play FPS, my skills arent a problem, I can really enjoy playing. But games take so long! Sometimes what makes them so enjoyable for veterans- the amount of content - sets a high bar for fledgling gamers.  The amount of time you have to put into story games to really get anywhere with the plot is daunting. Also gaming is so powerful, when I start I don't want to stop, and then I end up dry-mouthed and dizzy hours and hours later, totally disconnected from my body, ha. Any suggestions for how to get back in body after a big gaming session?

I forgot one show that been looming large lately in my personal mythology - the OA. Ahhh god the first season really did me. Her hair, her hair.. they are so good at filming her beautiful blonde hair. And the angels, the kidnapping, the dance that makes me cry, the spirtual sci-fi meets stranger things vibe... ah it was my favourite. Season 2 came out and I binged it in a day. Now ... I don't know how I feel any more ._.

smoothed

Member

Registered: 11-08-15

Posts: 606

Re: What have you been into lately?

viva, you look beautiful!

viva

pretty pretty princess

Registered: 14-05-10

Posts: 4,113

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Re: What have you been into lately?

Awww THANKS smoothed!!!

_redbird_

Member

Registered: 22-04-16

Posts: 388

Re: What have you been into lately?

Really? I was a big Gabriel fan too, back in the day. I like So fine (that’s the one with “Red Rain” on it, right?), but my favorites have always been the second and third solo records (both, as is the first one for that matter, called “Peter Gabriel”; they’re the ones whose first tracks are “On the Air” and “Intruder” respectively). Also, as you may remember from the other thread, I'm a big prog rock fan so of course I'll be recommending you check out Gabriel's releases with Genesis as well, esp. Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (who says you can’t rock out in 7/4 time?). I also like Pete’s soundtrack albums Birdy and Passion, but since he doesn’t sing on them that might be a stretch.

Yes it is the one with Red Rain on it!! There's a couple of filler songs, but for the mostpart the album is perfection. I'm slowly working my way through P-Gab's collection of solo stuff, then I plan to check out some more Genesis. Whew! So much to get through!! Thanks as always for your suggestions. I've loved several things you've recommended to me before.

_redbird_

Member

Registered: 22-04-16

Posts: 388

Re: What have you been into lately?

Woah redbird Death Stranding looks amazing. There's 4 trailers, lol! I'm meant to be studying but I just went down a full rabbit hole of youtube videos of people trying to figure it all out. I've never seen that done where a major actor is mapped to play the character in the game. I love Norman Reedus (duh) and Mads Michelson (I'm a hannibal obsessive from way back and the "new" show rocked my world) and all the weird baby stuff and the actual gameplay looks stunning.

I totally get how you feel about the girl in Life is Strange, ha! But it's so my teenhood - so american, chilly forest lands, pretension and all - I just fall right in. To be fair though I haven't played very much, but also I think I just love teenagers. They're so tortured, so bold and creative and anti-authoritarian, just so poingant! They are sexy, nervous, brave. They are brink people.

I wish I was better at playing games. I mean, now that I realise I don't have to play FPS, my skills arent a problem, I can really enjoy playing. But games take so long! Sometimes what makes them so enjoyable for veterans- the amount of content - sets a high bar for fledgling gamers.  The amount of time you have to put into story games to really get anywhere with the plot is daunting. Also gaming is so powerful, when I start I don't want to stop, and then I end up dry-mouthed and dizzy hours and hours later, totally disconnected from my body, ha. Any suggestions for how to get back in body after a big gaming session?

I forgot one show that been looming large lately in my personal mythology - the OA. Ahhh god the first season really did me. Her hair, her hair.. they are so good at filming her beautiful blonde hair. And the angels, the kidnapping, the dance that makes me cry, the spirtual sci-fi meets stranger things vibe... ah it was my favourite. Season 2 came out and I binged it in a day. Now ... I don't know how I feel any more ._.

Viva have you ever played any Telltale Games? They're morality games, so most of it is just you making choices about particular people and/or situations. It's surprisingly involving, and I've found myself feeling quite a few emotions whilst playing. My two favourites are The Walking Dead and Tales From the Borderlands. I think the second one would particularly appeal to you. It has an incredible soundtrack and it's genuinely really funny. I would find myself forgetting to play because I was so involved in the story. They're divided into 5 chapters, and I think each one takes about 2 hours, it's pretty similar to Life Is Strange in that way. Highly, highly very recommend.

I've been meaning to watch the OA foreverrrrrrrr. Have you seen the second season too? I've heard mixed things about The OA, but also people have seemed to be kinder to it, now that the comparisons to Stranger Things have died down a bit. I really loved Brit Marling's film Sound Of My Voice. It's really unnerving and weird but also really beautiful. And she is incredible in it. She plays a cult leader and it's very believable. I would almost certainly join her cult.

privignus

Member

Registered: 29-12-15

Posts: 607

Re: What have you been into lately?

I am in a space between losing interest in old films/novels/TV and finding new things I like ... humh.  Mostly I am trying to hang out with my friends in the evening and on the weekend!

For sexuality, I discovered Taryn at Ace in the Hole, a sex blog by someone who identifies as asexual and biromantic https://aceinthehole.co/ (where she ponders identities and behaviours and how sexuality is a rebel ... she has pegged Intenet acquaintances and likes vibrators enough to have a blog on them but still feels that asexual is the identity that fits best for her) and a series at a Canadian magazine called The Walrus with articles like "Teaching Teens How to Have Good Sex" https://thewalrus.ca/teaching-teens-how … -good-sex/  Some thinky talky people are getting upset that SCIENCE SAYS that young people are having less sex (ok, maybe not in one city in the antipodes ...) but maybe replacing painful, dangerous partner sex with solo sex and sexting and ... is not a bad thing?  Most people find someone and find a way to have good sex with them eventually.

And yay, new black hole photos!  I am still trying to understand how that works.

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Res est arduissima vincere naturam,
in aspectu virginis mentem esse puram

privignus

Member

Registered: 29-12-15

Posts: 607

Re: What have you been into lately?

And oh yeah, A Dark Room is a cool browser game that you can save so does not require hours of commitment at a time http://adarkroom.doublespeakgames.com/

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Res est arduissima vincere naturam,
in aspectu virginis mentem esse puram

SethKindra

Member

Registered: 02-11-08

Posts: 116

Re: What have you been into lately?

Music: At the moment it's mostly 80s-2000s Kiwiana music. Some of my favorites are from The Holidaymakers/Dave Dobbyn/The Exponents/Supergroove/OMC/Darcy Clay/etc. I'm complying a musical playlist for a special occasion.

Video Games: Sad to say, not a lot. Some are typical FPS sort of game, RDR2 is my favourite thus far. Although I have played a few non-violent games myself. One of my favorites is called To The Moon. Just be careful if you really want to play it or watch the walkthrough. Trust me, it will bring you to tears.

TV Series: An old one I want to see again is Quantum Leap, the guy who can leap in time and become anyone in any random order. Also the Pretender where a guy can assume a new identity and tries to right the wrongs for the people he cares about. New ones, Better Call.

SethKindra I LOVE kiwi music! One of my favourites is definitely Dave Dobbyn and all of his various bands and projects (especially DD Smash). I saw him play last year at a pretty small venue in Melbourne and he was AMAZING!! He even played Outlook For Thursday which is my favourite song of his. The gig sold out and I'm pretty sure I was the only person who wasn't born in NZ there (although I'm half kiwi).  The air was electric and everyone knew every single line to every single song. It was pretty surreal. Have you seen Outrageous Fortune before? It loses its footing a bit after the third season but is a great lil' kiwi show about a family of criminals and it's where I found a lot of amazing music from NZ.

I'm not a huuuuuuge fan of FPS, however I do really love RDR2. The  story was really involving and the music is sublime! And egads, it looks insanely beautiful! Another favourite is Bio Shock. It's what got me into modern video games (before that, the most recent console I'd played was a Nintendo 64). I looked up To The Moon and it looks really beautiful, I will check it out and let you know how it goes. I love independent video games. Have you played What Remains Of Edith Finch? It's a quick little first person exploration game where you find out information about how the rest of your character's family died. It's nothing special, but really cute and pretty and weirdly dark and depressing too.

I LOVED Quantum Leap when I was a kid and actually wanted to track it down again. I love me some Scott Bakula

Hey Red.

As a matter of fact, yeah I have seen Outrageous Fortune. Good series as well as the prequel Westside. It's pretty amazing how close to the era they got in terms of authenticity. And whenever you think of a OF or an WS episode, Hello Sailor just springs to mind. Use to love listening to Kiwi music growing up. E.G. Sweet Lovers by the Holidaymakers, Why Does Love Do This To Me by the Exponents.

Never got to play Detroit Becoming Human but judging by the weather today I admit to have a played Heavy Rain a couple of times. Made by the same guy.  Interesting about the amount of choices you made in that game. Loved the soundtrack too.
And I agree with Viva. Some games can be too long. One of my favorite games, Metal Gear Solid, is notorious not only for the cutting edge stealth playing but also for its looong cut scenes. Some of the time it's like both a game and a movie. Made by the same man who is making Death Stranding. Very intriguing trailers.
And the Edith Finch game looks interesting. I'll have to check it out.

BTW, Viv, you look gorgeous in that pic

viva

pretty pretty princess

Registered: 14-05-10

Posts: 4,113

Website

Re: What have you been into lately?

Priv it's always good to take some time to reconnect with the real world... although it's kind of sad that I've gotten to a place with smart phones where I'm realising that in comparison to spending my time on one, shows and movies are looking pretty innocent and healthy....

I cant believe we made something worse than tv for people! but of course we did.

Its funny, we used to critique tv as being bad because it numbed the mind and made people complacent... but is the hyper-awareness and oversaturation of the smart phone any better? When I am spending time on my smart phone, I think I'm relaxing, but lately I've been realising that I'm quite busy there. It's a place where I'm multitasking, devising strategies, comparing and contrasting values, scheming, and planning my time. Whether I'm on facebook, instagram, reddit, online shopping, or looking up specs/tech/other information, it's an active process and it's always being tweaked and refined.

Compare that to when I read or watch something - I truly relax. My mind opens and allows my focus to be taken away, off the stresses and constant improvement my brain is always trying to do. I think perfectionists are just IRL power gamers, tbh. And there's nothing sadder than a perfectionist who doesn't even have it all under control! just always striving.

So yeah I know we are always sort of talking about what more we could do... what more hobbies, what more exercise, what more skills, new languages, dance classes, practice the instrument you already have... but it's so hard when everything is effort and nothing is really "enjoy". Like even when I can run 20 minutes and that's amazing, I still don't just chill out and take pleasure in running around. I need to game my route, my outfit, my exercise-related food habits, my rewards, my motivation, my music and music listening tech, etc.

I try to conciously moderate this kind of thinking in all areas of my life, work and play, but it's definitely a challenge and I believe the change came for me around the time of smart phones. It's just this constant potential tool for optimisation, that never leaves my sight.  I think this tool changes even the most chilled out, non-ambitious folks into power gamers. It's just got everything there... there's always something you can be doing.

In a world like that, we really need our shows, books, sex, fun, staring at walls, times with nothing we are supposed to do at all. We need our unbracketed down-time, and we need it unplanned, unregulated. Released.

viva

pretty pretty princess

Registered: 14-05-10

Posts: 4,113

Website

Re: What have you been into lately?

And thank you Seth!! <3 <3
What's Heavy Rain like?