PineSong Posted November 29, 2023 Share Posted November 29, 2023 On 11/15/2023 at 3:14 PM, nabokovfan87 said: Hey hey everyone, I wanted to post a "Thanksgiving special" of sorts here in a few days. I'll grab the details and the link when I can, but....! It might not be one that everyone has access to, but it was uniquely special for me to enjoy when I saw it. Please feel free to post up your thoughts on the last selection. Really an enjoyable and interesting one. @PineSong you're on deck for December! 😁 Oh gosh. I just saw this! I will give it some thought and be back to post a selection before Dec. 1. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted December 1, 2023 Share Posted December 1, 2023 Okay, gang. I've pondered long enough and my choice for December is Chimp Empire, which is playing now on Netflix. I'm very interested in watching it myself because I'm interested in all kinds of creatures, but also because one of the directors was involved in the production of My Octopus Teacher, which was one of my favorite documentaries of the past several years. I know chimps are not going to be as peaceful as octopi, but hopefully Chimp Empire will be just as immersive and thought-provoking. Enjoy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted December 6, 2023 Author Share Posted December 6, 2023 (edited) If you're limited on time, I think episode one speaks volumes. It's a busy month, but it's also a very quick show and you can probably knock it out in ~2 nights or something. It's well done and it is one that I think is one of the better ones made of recent. I'll add more thoughts as I get through the other episodes, but for episode one... here we go! Ep 1: Spoiler The intro was pretty special. I like the narrator and the tone it adds to the show. It's profound and fitting. This is a very philosophical show and I enjoy that sort of weight and comparison with the intro to the show. The topic of male dominance, bonding, and the ability to do so as a through line on the series (but especially this episode) is something that actually helped me to understand the puppies, my pets, and some of the humans around me in some ways. I think the best way to describe it, when someone is trying to get your attention or being attentive, that the way you respond to those details matters. That is what some people will hold onto and notice. Watching the bond forming between the chimps, the older sister and the smaller newborn, is also a really interesting aspect. The balance of the mother being more experienced and then seeing the sibling "parent" so to speak. I'm sure some of us can totally relate to this! The rain comes and leads to more confrontation. The thought of "one day he'll need to fight back" is spoken by the narrator and sets the stage for what will come eventually. Either they bond and respect one another or it's going to be a situation of choosing sides and pushing into a confrontation between groups of male chimps. The scene cuts to Gus and his social anxiety and it's a roundabout way to quickly engage the viewer and demonstrate some of the things we all see on a weekly basis in our lives. That through point of trying, really trying to do something nice and be kind to someone and hoping that the "love" or bond is formed. It speaks a lot to where a lot of people find themselves in certain aspects of their life. Whether they are the person being asked to bond or the one trying to.... Overall, it's a really normal interaction from what I see or have experienced. The closing scene and seeing the very real emotions on Gus. Trying to talk to his friend, but they just aren't there. It's tragic and gutwrenching... no other words to describe it. You're just there, in that moment, unable to do anything and powerless to really console or help. "That's nature" doesn't seem like a fitting phrase anymore when you see something in those terms. Ep 2: Spoiler Well the universe just got a bit bigger with the introduction of the new group and the difference in their dynamics. It's a "different family" I guess is the analogy that fits the setup. It's nice to see the bonding and the closeness in this new group. The adopted young chimps is also really cool to see. Some animals won't take on anything that isn't their own children. They have that mindset of protecting the pack/group and I'm sure it's one of the reasons why the group is so strong. The chimp without family is tragic and hearing about how all male chimps eventually go through that stage is tough. He can't get the care he needs, the social ease that he needs, nor the protection. (and he's got parasites. 😞 ) Here come Garrison, go get him! Magic fruit time! 😂 Ep 3: Spoiler The battle is coming, I'm sure... The courtship scene is interesting. I imagine it took a while for them to actually make that happen, given the situation, but it's edited really well to "get to the point." The nap after, Herzog sleeping with his mouth open, too funny. It is kind of intense how quickly they hunt and get their prey. Lightning fast. It's pretty clear the way its portrayed that they spend more time and care more about who they share the meal with than the effort of getting the prey! It's interesting, the social dynamics and that sort of cafeteria lunch room or the office group politics type of behavior when you decide to go grab food out. Geeze. Wilson went bananas. It's back to that dynamic in the two groups. I would imagine the one with less of a power struggle is likely stronger because there isn't that aggression and drama in some situations. That was a big chimp though! (Gus to the rescue. 🙂 ) ...and here comes the big battle. She has had a bad day! Stuck up in the canopy now waiting and hoping. Thankfully they move on. Brave little Herzog being awesome for his mom was the highlight of the ep. Ep 4: Spoiler Jackson getting injured is definitely tragic. The situation that he's in where he has to defend his claim as the alpha, injured, is just a tough situation. I feel very empathetic for what he's going through. The westerners seem like such a larger, more cohesive group right now. Having the truce and the down time is really refreshing after all of the conflict and injuries. It's like the calm after the storm, and it seems to make the viewer focus on those quiet moments. And now it's a battle of helm's deep it seems. Jackson seems to have a broken wrist or forearm. It's a small bit of relief that he didn't die alone and had someone come to find him. Again, it's a tragedy given what happened and how it went down, but as the narrator had mentioned, he made a lot of enemies. The mixing of the groups is an interesting dynamic and it's good to see the baby chimp get her name. 🙂 Overall, I really do enjoy this look into the chimp culture and how things work. It was really well done. I was glad when I stumbled upon it and I was really glad to get a chance to revisit it with fresh eyes again. It's a "long movie" of sorts, but it's just enjoyable and broken into manageable chunks. Even if you don't want to watch the whole series, I think the first episode is really enlightening and it's good to be able to share that! Love the pick, looking forward to more like it. Edited January 28 by nabokovfan87 added notes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted December 27, 2023 Author Share Posted December 27, 2023 Let's go ahead and extend this one through January just to give people time to check out at least episode 1. It's been a busy month!!! If you already did see it, check back to that thanksgiving recommendation as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 I'm making progress through the episodes but finding it kind of scary. I'm immune to husband-kills-wife drama on Dateline but these chimps hunting monkeys and baby chimps being in danger has me uncomfy for sure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 How is it going everyone! Welcome to 2024. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted January 28 Author Share Posted January 28 Notes added above for me. Try to get through ep1 if you haven't. I hope everyone is doing well and healthy. For next month, I'll keep things a bit light and easy with my pick. I do have one amazing one stored in the bag for the future, but let's just go ahead and save that one. Thank you again to everyone who has been participating and anyone is welcome to join in if they feel like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted February 8 Author Share Posted February 8 For February. Let's go with this. It's an easy, quick episode. I understand not everyone may have this and I apologize for that. If you do, I highly encourage you to watch it. This is definitely family friendly and easy to enjoy. Platform: NatGeo (Disney plus) Show: Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins Episode: 03 - Swimming with Sharks On 12/28/2023 at 5:59 PM, PineSong said: I'm making progress through the episodes but finding it kind of scary. I'm immune to husband-kills-wife drama on Dateline but these chimps hunting monkeys and baby chimps being in danger has me uncomfy for sure. If you have any, feel free to post your thoughts on the show! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 On 2/8/2024 at 2:26 AM, nabokovfan87 said: For February. Let's go with this. It's an easy, quick episode. I understand not everyone may have this and I apologize for that. If you do, I highly encourage you to watch it. This is definitely family friendly and easy to enjoy. Platform: NatGeo (Disney plus) Show: Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins Episode: 03 - Swimming with Sharks If you have any, feel free to post your thoughts on the show! I just watched the trailer for Never Say Never --super! I will find a way to watch it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted March 8 Author Share Posted March 8 On 2/15/2024 at 6:13 PM, PineSong said: I just watched the trailer for Never Say Never --super! I will find a way to watch it! I will post thoughts tomorrow. I've been all over the place! Dogs have been a full time job and my tanks are even hurting because of it. SO..... We will get those notes for feb when we can, but I wanted to post March before it got too deep into the month and I forgot to again. This is an easy one, Youtube! Courtesy of a channel called biotopia This is much more of a journey in a natural habitat more than anything, but hopefully it sparks some thoughts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 On 2/7/2024 at 11:26 PM, nabokovfan87 said: For February. Let's go with this. It's an easy, quick episode. I understand not everyone may have this and I apologize for that. If you do, I highly encourage you to watch it. This is definitely family friendly and easy to enjoy. Platform: NatGeo (Disney plus) Show: Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins Episode: 03 - Swimming with Sharks This was really fun and I sort of had to pause when it got to a few scenes. It's absolutely geared towards a more younger audience and the idea being wide-eyed awe amongst traveling around to see some cool things. The idea of "you just have to go do things and go with the flow" is something I did for about 2 years. It got me out of my funk and it was a means for me to experience things I would absolutely say no to normally. It was a good way to get out of my shell. This episode in particular though is something that I admire. Whale sharks are some of the most beautiful animals on the planet and they are so unique, special. I cherish sharks, but I do especially cherish whale sharks. The net scene.... I love that she was there for him. It was a powerful moment because of how she acted and how she handled every aspect of the situation. It makes you pause, think about life a bit, and I really enjoyed that aspect of the episode. It was something I've never seen, someone describing what it's like to swim with the sharks and the power of their tail blowing you around in the water. Some fun little tidbits in there and I enjoyed it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted April 3 Author Share Posted April 3 April Selection, another one off of Netflix, simply because I think that one might be "easy". Show Title: Night on Earth Episode Title: Dark Seas (safe for all ages) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted April 3 Author Share Posted April 3 (edited) On 3/7/2024 at 10:25 PM, nabokovfan87 said: SO..... We will get those notes for feb when we can, but I wanted to post March before it got too deep into the month and I forgot to again. This is an easy one, Youtube! Courtesy of a channel called biotopia I do enjoy videos like this! I like being able to see the habitat and what's around it. It's a bit of a "zen exercise" because you just sit, observe, and then read the subtitles while the action happens. It's a break from all of the things and a narrow focus on just this moment.... I appreciate seeing the vegetation, how it's growing, and the context for the surroundings of the water that he is about to show the fish in. I chose this one specifically because of the color of the water. Green being a favorite color and seeing this habitat, I can only imagine it inspiring someone to scape a tank with a similar aesthetic. The green-blue can't help but add to those tranquility sensations and trying to zone out a bit. 🙂 It reminds me a bit of the kelp forest with the colors as well. Edited April 3 by nabokovfan87 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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