La Casa de Papel (Money Heist)

[Drunk Monk]

Tara is a fan of this Spanish telenovela-esque heist series.  She watches it in Spanish and says it helps her keep her understanding up.  I wasn't really into it until Europe, particularly France and Italy, where it is wildly popular.  It's got this Dali angle - they all wear these surreal Dali masks - and that image is everywhere there now - billboards, buses, gazettes - inescapable.  So I've been watching it in English with English subtitles - which don't match at all.  It's an absurd plot - some criminals take over the Spanish mint with dozens of hostages.  Their plan is to print unmarked bills.  There's a criminal mastermind - the Professor - who has planned out every step in this soap opera chess game against the law.  I'm a bit amazed that they can milk this for two seasons.  Apparently it's the most popular non-English series on Netflix now - Netflix actually expanded it, converting the original 9 S1 & 6 S2 eps into 13 & 9 (they do this by long 'previously' intros which go nearly 10 mins with opening credits.  I don't particularly recommend this but it's reminding me of Europe and my kid.  

I want one of those Dali masks.

[Drunk Monk]

That was my Labor Day weekend binge. It was an absurd story from ever angle - dysfunctional romance arcs particularly the Professor and the head investigator & most of the women are in underwear a lot. But I got invested in some of the characters and it’s steady escalation of silliness enough to wonder how it ended and saw it through. I would’ve enjoyed more closure on some of the other surviving characters. Again, I don’t particularly recommend this, just that it’s very euro now. If you do watch it in English, use the English subs too. It’s two different translations and you’ll get much more out of it if you use both together.

[Drunk Monk]

[Drunk Monk]

Binging S3 this weekend.  S3E1 began with a scene in Firenze in front of the Duomo, plus Dali blimps dropping cash over Madrid.  Brought me back and hooked me right away.  It's as absurd as ever, even more so, but my guilty pleasure. It has ridiculous plot twists, plunges into sexual rants, great caricature characters, better sets, and that singular Spanish style. It's great to see the gang back together.  And now they have bank so they can afford blimps.

We saw several Dali mask cosplayers at SDCC50.  I need one of those masks.  I'd totally cosplay that.  I just need the mask, the red hoodie and some red trousers.  The Dali mask is becoming a symbol of rebellion in Europe, akin to the Guy Fawlkes mask from V for Vendetta, played up even more so in S3.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Dali>Guy Fawkes

[Drunk Monk]

Dammit. S3 ends in a monster cliffhanger.  




Bella Ciao!

[Greg]

Los Espookys waits for you.

[Drunk Monk]

This news got me super excited.  Ursula is the best character in LCdP
Iko Uwais is also involved.  Now if only our favorite Sith gets a cameo...

‘Snake Eyes': Ursula Corbero to Play Baroness in ‘GI Joe’ Movie Spinoff (Exclusive)

“Crazy Rich Asians” breakout Henry Golding stars in the title role
Beatrice Verhoeven and Umberto Gonzalez | September 26, 2019 @ 4:30 PMLast Updated: September 26, 2019 @ 4:37 PM
[img=588x0]https://www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Ursula-Corbero-Baroness-GI-Joe-Snake-Eyes.png[/img]

“Money Heist” breakout star Úrsula Corberó has closed a deal to play the Baroness in Paramount’s “G.I. Joe” spinoff “Snake Eyes,” an individual with knowledge of the deal exclusively told TheWrap.
“Crazy Rich Asians” breakout Henry Golding is set to play Snake Eyes. “Warrior” headliner Andrew Koji is playing Storm Shadow.
“Snake Eyes,” the third live-action film based on the “G.I. Joe” toy line, will focus on the origins of the fan-favorite character known for his masked face, black commando uniform and ninja training. Robert Schwentke, the director of “Red” and “R.I.P.D.,” is set to direct “Snake Eyes” for Paramount and Allspark Pictures, in association with Skydance. The film will be released on Oct. 16, 2020.
“Beauty and The Beast” screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos wrote the screenplay, and Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Brian Goldner are producing. Jeff Waxman is executive producing. Hasbro, and Skydance are co-producing, while MGM is co-financing.
The story centers on Snake Eyes’ origins where he tries to become a member of the Arashikage Clan, a ninja clan based in Japan. According to “G.I. Joe vs. Cobra: The Essential Guide,” the Arashikage worked as shadowy assassins for generations, using deception to earn their keep as ninjas, as well as developing a reputation for being able to perform impossible tasks.
Corberó is best known for her roles in the television series “Fisica o Quimica,” “Isabel,” “La embajada” and “La casa de papel,” which was acquired by Netflix in 2017 and was retitled “Money Heist.” She also starred in films like “Paranormal Xperience 3D,” and “El Arbol de La Sangre.”
She is represented by WME and Garay Talent.
“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” grossed more than $300 million worldwide back in 2009 on a reported production budget of $175 million, not including prints and advertising. The 2013 sequel “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Road Block grossed $375.7 million on a budget of $155 million. Channing Tatum, who played Duke in the first two films, was killed off early in “Retaliation” after complaining to Howard Stern how much he hated the role. Storm Shadow was previously played Byung-Hun Lee in “The Rise of Cobra” and “Retaliation.”

[Drunk Monk]

[Drunk Monk]

S4 is 8 eps, but really S3 & S4 are one season, cut in two.  4:1 is mostlhy filler. The arcs don't really progress that far from the cliffhanger that was S3e8, but then I was only half watching it, half dozing off.

[Drunk Monk]

I finished s4e4 so halfway through this season. I confess that I'm nodding off during it as it's been my going-to-sleep watch, which makes it harder to follow because I lose the subtitles and my Spanish es muy malo (watching the Spanish version now - better for the actors' delivery). It's still absurd but the style of it, the characters and the soundtrack keep me engaged. Everyone is so OCD psycho. And the soap opera personal dramas and romances are hysterical. One of my fav lines this season has been 'Don't fall in love during a heist'.

[Drunk Monk]

Back on the Heist. S4e5. I realize one of the things I enjoy about this show, aside from its absurdity (this ep has a ridiculous firefight set up by a grenade in an elevator), is its soundtrack. The opening theme, the incidental music, the end credits theme, are all banging. And then its references groovy tunes. 

This ep had Fuego by Bomba Estereo, a band that I was deep into back in 2011 (see http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...0#pid15680) but forgot about. I remembered the tune but couldn't remember the band name. Took a bit of webtective work, but I got it and it sent me back to that old Gaia thread here - what an epic event those were. Oh man, do I miss music festivals...almost as much as having a steady job.

I gotta dig out my ol' Bomba Estereo CD and see if it still rocks me. I haven't been listening to much music lately unless you count Stacy's piano practice. I haven't been driving which is where I listen to pop radio, CDs and memory stick playlists. But now, I'm only commuting once a week to my mom's so I've not been listening to much at all. Weird how the music just stopped for me. Fucking covid.

[Drunk Monk]

S4e6. OMG. Lost one of the best characters. Shot in the forehead. No coming back from that. 

I'm gonna binge the rest now. Only two more eps.

[Drunk Monk]

S4e7 was processing that death. Showcased what great actors are on the cast.
S4e8 was the season finale. Left on a major cliffhanger. Major. Checkmate, MF.

I'm gonna find my Bomba Estereo CD now.

[Drunk Monk]

I watched the Netflix doc - Money Heist: The Phenomenon. Do not watch this before seeing the show because it drops some major S4 spoilers. 

Nevertheless, it tells a great tale. The show was originally part of a Spanish network and it tanked during the 2nd season and was cancelled. Netflix picked it up as part of an international package, and didn't bother to advertise it at all. But it blew up. Internationally. It became their 2nd top TV series and one of the most popular in the world. The actors tell of how it changed their lives. They thought they were done and then all of a sudden, their social media start blowing up. What a ride for them. 

It's cool to see the actors out of character talking about their roles. The doc is heavily inter-spliced with parallel lines from the show, which probably doubles the length of the doc. There's some great BTS stuff on the making of some of the scenes too, like how all their gold bars went awry because they were made of foam and had to be submerged and then got soggy, or how they couldn't get the euro drop to work, or how the crowd ruined their shots at Firenze. It was a fun view if you know the show. 

Now I'm just waiting for S5.