30 thoughts on “Oh the Bad Movies & TV You’ll Watch 2!

    1. It is good, but halfway through the first season there was an episode so dark I quit watching for awhile (the one with the girl on the ship, her father the captain was pimping her out to the sailors). A realistic show but my God it can be gut-wrenching.

      1. I got as far as the illegal abortion that nearly killed the mother. I couldn’t watch after that- I have enough dark in my life as it is TYVM, and I really don’t need to do it for enjoyment.

  1. Bobs were worn by dress reformers quite early in the 19th century already (see e.g. Dressed for the photographer by Joan Severa), and in the 1910s, especially during WWI, became fashionable- at the time in America because of Irene Castle or so the legend says. But a lot of other famous people of the era also bobbed their hair. Examples are Polaire (I have postcards of her from before 1910 with short hair) and Annie Bos, the Dutch silent film star. I find it difficult to decide for that series whether it was exactly the sort of thing a political young lady would wear, or whether it would be already too fashionable and dashing by the time WWI happened, though.

    1. Yeah, the bob certainly existed pre-1920s — it’s just that it seems to have a been a very rare style worn by very specific women. My research looking at college women in the US (obviously a different country/demographic) shows that they really didn’t start bobbing their hair until 1920-21, and even then it was a BIG deal when they did.

      1. You’re right there. The character in the series is really politically active and progressive, so I think they used it to signify that. I looked into it and very short hair was definitely a thing among pacifists and anarchists so. I somehow thought they all looked like Rosa Luxemburg and that bobbed hair was for the demimonde but there you are. It seems accurate to me.

  2. Hawaii is pretty much of a yawner- got dragged to it as a kid and bored then, bored now when I recently re-watched it. Yep, polyester central… :-)

    Kingdom of Heaven wasn’t bad as an action movie although it played pretty fast and loose with the historical record and the plot was improbable in a number of places. I don’t know enough about the period to comment on the costuming but outside of the battle scenes, it’s a bit of a drag.

  3. The costumes generally aren’t anything to write home about in Call the Midwife (though I do love The London’s purple and white nurse uniforms), but you all should definitely give the show another chance. I honestly think it’s the best show on TV right now. All the characters are fantastic, and the storyline has really held up over all the seasons. I can’t recommend this show highly enough, and I’m excited to watch a new episode every Sunday.

  4. I agree with Rebecca, Elizabeth and Broughps — Call the Midwife is a good show, yes the costumes are often uniforms or nun habits but the middle and lower class clothing is perfectly done — and I think the stories are interesting. You can record it and ‘fast forward’ through the weekly births — I know that many people don’t like that part of the stories, but hey, it’s a story about midwifes, there has to be an occasional birth. Your site is very powerful and affects the viewing of many people. This season the nurses even got new “stylish” uniforms so I do believe the costumes are worthy of Frock Flicks recognition.

  5. When I saw the description on Netflix I thought Salem was going to be a serious show about the causes and impacts of the witch trials (a la the Crucible). Then I watched 5 minutes and it was oversexualized fantasy drek. I was genuinely disappointed.

  6. Mrs. Brown is a fantastic film! It’s such a different kind of love story. True, it’s pretty blah costume-wise, but story-wise it’s amazing.

    I totally agree about Parade’s End. It was so tedious and dull. I couldn’t get through it.

  7. I’m not sure the adaption of Parade’s End was so successful but it has a lot more texture and nuance (dramatically wise) than anything I’ve seen in Downton Abbey, for example. The costumes are gorgeous though, there’s even a copy of a Poirot coat in it!!

  8. I love Call the Midwife, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

    Salem is… beyond horrible. I didn’t know whether to gag or laugh uproariously over the two episodes I watched.

  9. The only thing about “PARADE’S END” that I actually enjoyed was Rebecca Hall’s performance as the cold wife. Otherwise, I found it hard to get interested in Benedict Cumberbatch’s growing obsession with the virginal and highly idealized suffragette.

  10. I’m not sure the adaption of Parade’s End was so successful but it has a lot more texture and nuance (dramatically wise) than anything I’ve seen in Downton Abbey, for example.

    I have to agree. I may not have loved “PARADE’S END”. But as a story, it was a masterpiece in compare to the mediocrity of “DOWNTON ABBEY”.

  11. I seem to be the only reader who adores ‘Parade’s End’ – characters, costumes, story, music, the lot! Perhaps reading the books helps when it comes to understanding the characters’ motivations (although the main explanation for all three leads’ behaviour is basically that they’re extremely maladapted people). It’s definitely not a casual watch or read, but for me it was well worth the investment.

    Costumes-wise, I really did love the clothes they dressed Rebecca Hall in, so I’ll hold out some hope that you might cover a few of them one day. :3

  12. I love Call the Midwife. It’s true the costumes are not exciting, but the show is great. I also loved Mrs. Brown. I wholeheartedly detest Salem–I expected to find something to like because I love gothic, horror, the history of Salem, and camp is a show commits. But there was NOTHING to like. Not even fun to mock, and that’s saying something.

  13. My cousin has been trying to get me to watch Call the Midwife for years. I saw 5 minutes of it and was totally meh. Ever since then I haven’t been able to muster up the drive to watch a full episode. I’m in the camp of people that loves Kingdom of Heaven. Mrs. Brown was a solid–if at times boring–movie. Judi Dench and Billy Connolly were perfectly cast. I never watched Salem, but it’s always been on my maybe one day list. I’ve never heard of Parade’s End before, but the dress Rebecca Hall is wearing in the picture you posted is absolutely beautiful.

  14. I always suppose Scott was so forced to shorten the Kingdom of Heaven so he cut off some essential parts. There is impossible to watch the movie in the cinema version and understand the plot😁

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