"Les Revenants" (The Returned)

[Russell Watson]

I can't remember if anyone here has ever mentioned this series or not
(the French original, not the US remake that ran on A&E). It's possible
that it was discussed (maybe even at length) and I just didn't pay
attention because it wasn't on my radar. Anyhoo, I started watching the
French version on Netflix tonight and it's pretty damn intriguing so far
(2 episodes in). Trying to catch it up so I can watch the remainder of
season 2, which is currently airing on Sundance and is 3 episodes in.

[Izzard]

"Russell Watson" wrote in message news:n36587$d7c$1...@dont-email.me...

Is it dubbed in English? I seem to remember someone saying it had subtitled,
(or I may have the wrong show). I can't watch subtitled shows. I think
that's what put me off watching it before. I love the English version. I
bought the book too, although I haven't got round to reading it yet.

[EGK]

I watched the first season of Les Revenants on Netflix and the first season
of the A&E version. The A&E version followed the French in general but
made a few major changes. Then A&E abruptly cancelled it and I lost
interest. I may catch the 2nd season of the original later on. And yes,
it's subtitled (for Izzard).

[Izzard]

"EGK" wrote in message news:4d3e5b1vohsodn1vv...@4ax.com...

Ok thanks, I'm out :(

[Russell Watson]

After seeing that this show has sparing usage of the word "fuck" and
some brief glimpses of upper body female nudity, as well as some fairly
graphic groping of the clothed breasts of the "returned" girl, Camille,
who is only supposed to be 15, I looked into the French network, Canal+,
which makes it. I was surprised to learn that it's considered a "premium
cable channel", which by description at least sounds like something
along the lines of Starz or whatever over here. Because it's pretty tame
compared to what it would be if one of those channels had made the US
version instead of A&E. Maybe what they call "premium" cable over there
is analogous to "basic" cable here? If so, that would make it more like
A&E, TNT, FX, USA, etc., which would make more sense content-wise. Just
struck me as funny because we Americans are often left with the
impression that over-the-air TV in Europe is much more lax than our
cable channels are.

[Russell Watson]

Never mind the above: it was that way through episode 5, but episode 6
had as much nudity as the previous five combined (including some dude
nudes I could have gone my entire life without) and a couple of fairly
graphic sexual encounters. They just didn't throw it all out there in
the first episode like most US shows would have done.

[Bruins72]

That kills it for me too. I hate subtitles. I spend too much time
looking at the text and don't pay as much attention to everything else
as I'd like.

[EGK]

I understand a lot of people hate subtitles and it ruins the experience for
you but it's all relative. I lost my hearing at age 16 back when hardly
anything was subtitled or closed captions except foreign movies. It was a
godsend when closed captions and subtitles became normal. They're even
offering real-time captions with glasses in a local movie theater near me
now. Sure they're cumbersome and it's not ideal but you adapt.

[Bruins72]

It's great that they're available. I just know how my brain works. I get
distracted too easily. I kind of get lost in little details that aren't
supposed to be what I'm focused on. For example, we took our kids to see
The Nutcracker last night. I kept finding myself watching what the
characters at the sides were doing instead of watching the main focus of
the scene.

[EGK]

I really do understand. That's why I said it's a relative thing. Lots of
people find it distracting just having subtitles on the screen when they can
hear the dialog just fine.
I have a cochlear implant now and can hear sounds but dialog is often like a
radio that's not tuned in. Other sounds and background music makes it even
harder for me to understand. Subtitles are a necessity for me.

[Bruins72]

I'm probably heading there. I've got a constant ringing in my ears
(mostly noticeable when it's quiet though) and when I went to the
doctors for it (is it an audiologist?) and they did a hearing test, they
said I've got some hearing loss due to noise. Obviously, it's not as bad
as what you're experiencing but I definitely have trouble hearing
dialogue at times. I tend to "flash back" 10 seconds or so every now and
then to listen to things again when they're not clear. I also agree with
you about how background music and sound FX are a bit too much. I find
that to be a case with so many tv shows and movies. I'm constantly
adjusting the volume because I need it up higher for dialogue but one
music or sound FX kick in it's too much.

[Russell Watson]

I think that last point is how a lot of shows are made and not your
hearing. I saw some movie a few weeks ago with my sister and niece, may
have been the Maze Runner sequel. I literally lost most of the dialogue
in the background noise. And I have better than normal hearing: when I
enlisted in USAF they made me take the hearing test twice because they
thought I was just randomly pressing the button the the first time and
accidentally timing it right to match up with the tones. After I did it
twice and they compared the results I assured them that I could indeed
hear something at those points and they assured me I can hear shit no
human is supposed to hear. I also have a very acute sense of smell. So
of course I'm myopic, though even that has not gone downhill as badly as
it does for most, as most people resort to bifocals by their late 40s
and I only have them as of my most recent prescription.

[Russell Watson]

Sorry to hear of your condition, but I am very happy that tech has
reached a point of making life a little easier for you. I have an uncle
who was deafened at age 4 as the result of an illness and who is now
nearing 80 who would have benefited greatly from some of these modern
miracles in his earlier life.

[Russell Watson]

I'm lucky in that I spot read at a glance so reading the captions barely
takes my eyes off the action. However, I wish they were all like the
German language version of "Das Boot" I originally saw in the theater,
where the subtitles were in the middle of the screen rather than at the
bottom.

[EGK]

On Mon, 30 Nov 2015 13:05:12 -0500, Russell Watson

Sorry to hear about your uncle. In some ways I was lucky that my speech was
already normal. I was 16 at the time and noticed from your remark in the
other thread I'm your age. That was in the 70's and closed captioning
didn't come along till the 80's for the most part. I lost my hearing due to
an overdose of antibiotics. I had knee surgery due to a football injury and
it got infected and almost killed me. I finally got a cochlear implant in
'89.

I think eventually stem cell and cloning research and things of that nature
involving DNA will allow regeneration of nerves and even limbs. Right now
it's still mechanical means or so-called "bionics" which try to mimic
natural function.

[Bruins72]

I hope the Air Force had you in a position to utilize that enhanced
hearing (the enhanced sense of smell can only be a curse). I'm betting
if you were in the Navy they would have had you as a sonar guy or something.

[Bruins72]

That's a great idea. I'd much prefer that.

[EGK]

I mentioned that some theaters offer subtitles now. They use special
glasses that get subtitles via a wifi signal. Regal theaters is the main
chain I know of.

You actually see the subtitles in the glasses not on the screen though it
looks like that. That means the subtitles show up where you're looking
rather than a specific location on the screen. Even if you look off to the
side, that's where the captions are. I thought it was a bit hard to get
used to and I lost the subs a couple of times briefly but overall it was
pretty cool for me.

[Russell Watson]

I always wondered how that works because I've seen dozens of CC movies
but of course not having the specs never saw the actual captions. In
truth, I don't know that I've ever seen anyone use them, assuming the
look somewhat like the 3D glasses?

[Russell Watson]

Holy crap! That's pretty gnarly. Antibiotics and other drugs can do a
number on you. I know people with rotten teeth and all sorts of other
maladies caused by medications they got when they were a kid. And yes,
being only 4 my uncle never really got the hand of speaking normally. I
learned enough signing to be able to communicate with him to some extent
but never a whiz at it. Kudos to my son and d-i-l that my 2-y/o
grandson, who can also already read at about a 2nd-grade level is also
learning ASL (just because they thought it was a good idea rather than a
specific known need), though hopefully the future developments you
mention below will render that mostly moot.

[Bruins72]

On 11/30/2015 4:06 PM, EGK wrote:

That's a great idea! Some of the things they're doing with tech these
days is really amazing.

[Izzard]

"Bruins72" wrote in message news:n3ka5c$if$2...@dont-email.me...

It is a good idea. I'm still out though.

[Russell Watson]

They tried to steer me to intelligence, because I did well on some tests
that involved ascertaining one's aptitude for linguistics. Apparently I
have some. However, as I have recounted here before, though probably a
long time ago, my military "career" was cut short by injury so it turned
out to be moot. Which sucked because I had never really even considered
doing anything else.

The smell thing actually doesn't equate to a jacked-up gakk factor,
though people usually assume that. It's really more of an ability to
discern the differences in odors as opposed smelling them more vividly.
It's almost like gradations of odors like tones of sound or shades of
color. When I first got married my ex-wife was amazed that I could
accurately sort my step-kids' clothes (they were very close in age and
the same size) and when I told her I did it by smell she thought I was
screwing with her, especially since we were talking about freshly washed
clothing. I said "You're their mother: you can't tell a difference in
how they smell, and smell their scent on their clothes even through the
soap scent?" I was surprised when she said no, and didn't really realize
until later hat most people can't do that. When I walk out on the porch
in the morning I can tell if deer have been in the yard the night before
because I can smell their pee, and if I get near snakes I can smell them
too. Reptiles have a distinct funk that I can detect over other odors.
I've been told that cranially I look more like a monkey than a person,
so maybe my genome isn't as different from a chimp's as the average
person's is!

[Bruins72]

Wow! That's pretty wild. My wife is big on being able to recognize
people's scents. She says our boys each have a distinct scent. She also
says the thing about our dogs, mostly the oldest one. She's always
smelling things that I don't. I've got a pretty dulled sense of smell
though.