Watching Netflix Instant

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Last night when we were bloated, sleepy and regretting paying for 3 months of a gym membership I’ve used twice (maybe that was just me) we snuggled up and watched The Trip.

If you’re COOL (aka dorky lamebrain) you know that this movie is a truncated version of a six episode series that was on BBC. Both are directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Rob Brydon and one of the top 4 celebrities I’d sleep with*, Steve Coogan. You may remember this dream team from Tristram Shandy. Haven’t seen it? Well, if you’re into post-modern comedic adaptations of restoration era novels and/or Coogan holding and singing to a baby, that is the movie for you.

Anyhoo - The Trip. They edited the series down to about 2 hours. The premise is that Steve is writing an article about restaurants in the north of England and since his way younger girlfriend left him for a career in the US he has to settle for the company of Rob Brydon. They drive around the gorgeous countryside where there is much talk of the Bronte sisters, Coleridge and Kate Bush and eat amazing looking meals at a diverse group of restaurants. Don’t get it twisted, these dudes aren’t pals. Well - they sort of are but in that condescending, jealous, competitive way in which extraordinary people sometimes deal with each other.

It’s enjoyable and funny - good holiday weekend viewing.

*Michael Fassbender, Eric Bana, Michelle Rodriguez

Saxondale
Seasons 1 and 2

This series by Steve Coogan is about an ex-roadie who now runs a successful pest removal business and is required to attend an anger management class that takes place in the children’s section of a book store. Every episode starts there. He’s got a girlfriend he adores and who adores him back and unlike Alan Partridge he isn’t desperately clawing his way back on ‘top’. Saxondale is just trying to maintain. Maintain his cool, his business, his relationship, his comfortable middle class life.

He’s a Coogan creation so he’s an asshole and lacking in self awareness but he’s a man with such strong (complicated) principals that he is earnest and sweet and endlessly endearing. Also hilarious. When he isn’t being a fool Saxondale is a pretty smart witty dude.

It’s amazing to me that this has the potential of being a shitty Ullman-esque goofball sketch* where the joke is on him and the audience laughs at his expense. Instead he is taken seriously and performed with such nuance and commitment that he is a fully realized character with a rich internal life.

The other characters in the series are equally good. His harpy secretary is so well written and performed it’s worth watching just for their interactions. Season 2 becomes very sitcom-y in that the routine of Saxondale’s life is familiar and expected.

I was so happy that Coogie ditched the wig or the flat iron and let his curly luscious locks go free.

I wish there were more than 12 episodes in this series!

*don’t get me wrong, I spent many many hours watching and loving her show

I haven’t contributed to this blog in an unforgivably long time. Part of the reason for this is that I spent most of September traveling. One of the places I visited was Yellowstone National Park. It was a brief but memorable trip to Yellowstone’s back country, where I saw a grizzly bear and shared a camp site with rutting elk (that means mating). When elk are “in the rut” they make a sound akin to women screaming all night long. 

It was an amazing experience, and since getting home I have been obsessing over Yellowstone. Enter Netflix Instant Watch. This BBC special called “Yellowstone: The Battle For Life” is an awesome three part series that documents the wildlife through the seasons (including the screaming elk in “Autumn”). Each episode is a season, but they’ve skipped spring for some reason. Maybe Yellowstone doesn’t have a spring.  The animals who live in Yellowstone have bizarre and fascinating lives. I suggest you investigate.