#105 This Is Crossing The Streams (Bonus Ep12)

CTS Announcer 0:01

Looking for your next TV show or movie to binge? Well buckle up, grab the remote and settle into your couch for this special edition of crossing the streams. We're here to help you tune in and get the most out of those 50 monthly streaming channels you're currently paying for. So without any further ado, here's your host of crossing the streams. Jeff Dwoskin

Jeff Dwoskin 0:29

Hey everyone, it's Jeff Dwoskin. Great to have you back for another amazing bonus episode here on live from Detroit the Jeff Dwoskin podcast feed bringing you the best of our live show crossing the streams every Thursday in podcast form so that you can have it directly fed into your ears. You asked for it. We delivered what is crossing the streams if you're just jumping in right now. Have you ever asked yourself hey, what should I be watching right now? Or hey, I just finished watching what should I watch next while crossing the streams as the ultimate answer to that universal question. You need something to watch. You need something to bend you've come to the right place. crossing the streams provides all the answers. This podcast version posts three segments from our live show for you to enjoy. Of course you're welcome to join us every Wednesday at 9:30pm. Eastern time when we're live for one hour. We have over 60 episodes streaming right now on YouTube. We go live on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter every Wednesday at 9:30pm Eastern Time for an hour of goodness. Today I have three segments for you from our various live shows from Episode 23 This is a robbery from Episode 32. My octopus teacher and from Episode 51 The Handmaid's Tale, let's kick things off with my Octopus teacher brought to you by Tony Berardo. Take it away, Tony. It's your turn, Tony, we're going to talk about my Octopus teacher. This is about a teacher who becomes an octopus

Tony Berardo 2:03

grows six additional limbs now. Um, so this is an oldie but goodie. And I saw the content that you guys have been putting out and all the different things. And you know, again, I'm I like to talk about a vast amount of different crazy geeky things and also great movies. In actual fact, this was one thing because I'm a document like a documentary nut where I just love sitting back and just watching documentaries, like binging them. This was super interesting. Have you guys seen this? By the way?

Ron Lippitt 2:29

I saw I saw the beginning of it. And I love it.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:34

So let me tell you a first knew I knew an octopus in middle school, but she was really hansy

Tony Berardo 2:47

So first of all, let me tell you my fascination with octopus not occupy properly. It talked to her she wanted to know. But my fascination with octopuses for the past 1015 years, I've always been fascinated fact if you follow if you have Instagram, go to Octo nation at Octo nation, and you will see some crazy octopus shit. Like you've never experienced before. Like these things are alien, right? Like we know they're alien. And we know they're, we can't even understand them or comprehend them. But when you see some of the shit that goes on this Instagram page, there's so many different types of octopus and it's the animal is just incredible. It's magnificent. It's gorgeous to look at, but just the way they move. And what they can do is is crazy, I say that I build it up because you don't know going into this document. And that's what that is because you're going to get an hour and 25 minutes of not just this, this guy who just happens to go to South Africa every day in the freezing cold weather. And he just swims, you know, it takes a snorkel he doesn't throw on any gear, just a snorkel and some goggles and he just goes down and he goes in this, this ocean right outside his house, and he just swims and he looks around. And then he always documents it. So one day he decides to document his entire journey, you know, 234 hours, whatever. And he ends up finding this little tiny octopus. And this octopus, you could tell was a baby I would imagine. And it starts following them. And his fascination with the octopus turns now into instead of documenting his entire journey swimming now it's just solely to this octopus. Long story short, he goes back home and he looks at the footage. He's like, this is incredible. Like this thing, you know, has like a brain. Like it's learning and it's feeding off my emotion like he, you really dissect this thing apart. So he decides to follow this octopus for an entire year. And he documents the entire journey. So spoilers ahead. There's a lot of crazy, eight legged things that happen and including him defending off sharks, the octopus, and you know, he's capturing all this so you get a chance to see all this and see how the octopus lives and how it camouflages itself when it's you know, in danger. It's just an incredible story and you get attached to not just the guy, but also the octopus. And then by the end of it, there's just This this weird relationship that you should have if not you're dead inside but you should have this really incredible creature that we don't know really anything about. I forget his name but I think it's like something foster the guy who did it and I think he took the proceeds this film but when a lot of awards and he actually put it to the conservation and studying of octopus because that year journey that he did, some researchers have never seen an octopus do so it's pretty interesting to see him go through this journey but it's definitely worth the watch if he enjoy documentaries as a whole or enjoy good storytelling. This is part of it and I recommended on nice big TV if he got some lights or something background I go behind the TV because it's it's like an avatar style. Beautiful filmmaking So highly recommend Zach as well.

Jeff Dwoskin 5:45

I feel guilty last time I saw an octopus it was grilled and on my plate. I feel horrible. Now I feel

Tony Berardo 5:52

a couple seconds after I build that pika.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:02

I'm, I'm here to speak.

Zack Wiseman 6:03

It's like how intelligent these creatures are. And it's like, yeah, I want

Ron Lippitt 6:09

just a little wish to share their France. Supposed to be like dogs. They have the Intelligence of Dogs so you can train them and have them do tricks. But they also have beaks. Did you guys know that?

Tony Berardo 6:22

Yes, I did. Yeah, the most fascinating thing I got from it that I didn't even know. And I follow octopus like a lot. Maybe too much. There's this one scene where he takes a bunch of seashells at around the octopus. And he sees predators come in and he takes the shells and he turns them and he puts all of his eight legs over him. So now the shell is like a shield all around him and attack them. It's just it's it's crazy shit like that, that you know.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:48

I've had I've had that on my plate. Wish he had a show.

Zack Wiseman 6:53

Yeah, it's very, it's very cool. I like learning anything. And I'm like one of these smart people that tells everybody everything and when I learned someone's like, I didn't know that. But yeah, like when you learn that it's not octopods octopuses. What do you learn that like the they don't have legs? They have an arms around tentacles. They're actually just arms and then each one has like kind of its own like brain think do octopus. Oh, by the way. Yeah, dude, octopuses are so cool. And that documentary was one that I went into it looking for just knowledge on octopuses. And I actually fell in love with just the idea of it. Like this dude just loves this thing. And he just loves the ocean. And it's so interesting and slow, and actually really well done documentary. Everything that Tony said 100% Agree.

Tony Berardo 7:35

Yep, respect, and they taste delicious, too.

Jeff Dwoskin 7:43

That was awesome. I felt guilty about making a joke about eating an octopus after such a deep review. But I have to say I have seen it since and it is an amazing documentary. Highly recommend my Octopus teacher right now we're going to switch it over change it up a bit. Ron libbets going to talk about this is a robbery. If you listen to the live show, you know Ron has a thread where sometimes he just warns us up shows not to watch. This is one of them. But it's a great conversation to get you off the ledge of watching this show. Take it away, Ron, we're gonna go to this is a robbery. This is a robbery brought to you by the people who brought you the Irishmen so that it's a 15 hour movie.

Ron Lippitt 8:26

This is a robbery This is also a boring piece of shit is what this is. How many people have seen if you guys seen this movie, or this series?

Bryan Green 8:35

Watch it. I fell asleep in 15 minutes.

Ron Lippitt 8:38

I'm telling you, I this was this was that 300 page book where you're on page 120. And you're like I put 120 freakin pages in this. I've got to push forward to get through this thing. And then you still can't get through it. Like you're falling. You're falling asleep. You don't care. You're not rooting for anybody. And yet when you look at the meta score, and you look at Rotten Tomatoes, and all the reviews on it is across the board strong reviews, which calls into question Zack, who the hell is doing the reviews? And who are they calling to get the metrics for against this? They shouldn't be calling me. Right? So it's Listen, this is a robbery the world's biggest art heist for those you guys don't know what it is in 1990 Apparently, the biggest art heist in the history of the world happened at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. And it was at the time and even now still seen as the most brazen unbelievable art heist ever like incredible works of art were taken. I think it was 13 pieces total worth untold hundreds of millions of dollars. Price right and some and so here's I you know, I think I brought this up when when I did the review. I'm sorry. What was the Spanish heist movie? I show him forget money ice money ice. Thank you. I freakin love ice. I love the story of ice. I love the planning that goes into it. I rooting for the bad guys even when they get caught, I love all of the execution of a plan that leads to a heist of this magnitude. And honestly, when I went into this four part miniseries on Netflix, I really thought they were going to go into what could they possibly have done to execute on this heist, but that's not at all what the show is about. It's kind of like when I took astronomy at Michigan, that course was not at all what I thought it was gonna be about. This was math core, it's a math course. This is a stupid movie, four part series, one hour, each part about the theories of who took the paintings, and then going into the second moving into the third installments. They sent her in on the on the Italian Mafia, but it doesn't matter because there's no there's no connection to the heist or to the people, like the producers didn't create threads to make you interested in how the heist got to the mafia and how the mafia then, you know, did something with the highest and, you know, all of this just lead you nowhere, and you just didn't give a shit about it. This is really it's upsetting to me because this was directed by a guy named Cullen barnacle, who wrote and produced and directed it and how are you may know this guy because he's a 3430, documentarian, who write for ESPN, he actually cut his teeth, the big one he did for 30 for 30 was the I forget the name of it, but it's the Alex Rodriguez one where there was a bidding war between Boston and New York for Alex Rodriguez, which was an amazing 30 for 30 It's a really interesting one which connected all the dots and made you interested all time so I was really excited about this, this documentary, but again, it just it didn't cut it for me and I was I found myself falling asleep and not at all interested in this and here's the the epilogue to my review on this is that and this is not a wrecking anything. You know, DWIs Don't make fun of me for doing any kind of, you know, you know, recommending but they still haven't found these friggin paintings and they're no closer to finding the paintings. Then they were in the very beginning the first 10 minutes of freakin show. They don't they don't know where these paintings are. They're never gonna know where these paintings are. So there's powerbroker. There's just nothing. There's just nothing that helps you to sleep at night with this show. So, so listen, if you're interested in the heist, and the mechanics of the heist, and all the great things that make a heist possible, this is not your show. If you're interested in hearing about the mafia, and its loose connection to a heist that may or may not have happened 30 years ago. Good luck. I hope you enjoy the show. And that's, that's, that's my idea.

Jeff Dwoskin 12:30

So there's no, there's no conclusion there's no conclusion. What do you do with like art like that? Like is like you said, people are over your house and talked about

Ron Lippitt 12:40

that there's, there's no fences, no one can ever buy this stuff. The suggestion that they made a Netflix on the show was that the that the mafia would use it to get themselves out of jail, that they that they would offer to return some of these works to get the get their bigger kingpins out of out of prison. But even that never happened. Because no one knows what the frickin pieces are.

Bryan Green 12:59

I want to talk to a private detective who had nothing to do with this case, by the way, but we were talking about this case, because I had nothing to do with the case. But we were talking about this case, because I had watched an other another documentary on this this was far more interesting than the show that's on Netflix. And he had theorized and him his private dig buddies that theorize that this was cartel fund money, right? That's that this could end up in some in the cartel kingpins hands somewhere down in South America for exactly these purposes, that this could be used for leverage against an against or for a numerous different scenarios or opportunities. Right. Yeah. And to be hung in someone's house as kind of like a swinging, you know, swinging Richard type situation, like, look at what I did, or look at what I got, what I bought, would be the only type of

Ron Lippitt 13:43

I could see that yeah, because you can't you can't sell it, you can't You're right, you can't sell what I thought, you know, they were the original theory. This was actually more interesting, which they didn't pursue on the show was that the was at the IRA 1990, when the paintings were stolen, was the height of the IRA bombings and the all the resistance that was happening there. And I thought, or they thought that the IRA had taken the paintings that they were going to then sell back basically, to the United States in exchange for, you know, guns and money and access and all this stuff. But that turned out, you know, that never went anywhere. So it's just it's like, like I'm saying, it's just empty, there's no there's no connections, there's no strings, there's nothing to root for. And it just makes me wonder why they chose this as a as a topic to you know, I know, it's interesting. That was the biggest heist in the world, but the story they went after didn't help anybody. And that's that's it.

Zack Wiseman 14:31

Yeah, I agree. Ron. I watched that a while ago, and the show gets bored with itself after like three episodes. To the point where they start asking like that security guards like what's wrong with art? Is Art dead? Like this is what the show it goes from art heist to like, here's what mafia is. Here's a definition of Mafia to Hey, I wonder what's wrong with the art world today? Let's ask random human beings. It is such a boring, annoying show.

Ron Lippitt 14:56

Yeah, and this is you know, listen, Netflix documentaries are generally Well done but this is this is poor and I got to be honest this this really bummed me out because I invested a lot of time I was excited about it

Jeff Dwoskin 15:10

is this is a robbery for you now you can decide for yourself but don't let Ryan tell you he told you so. Hmm All right we got one more show to cover from Episode 51. guest host Jennifer Fishbein is going to talk to us about The Handmaid's Tale Take it away, Jennifer. We're gonna now discuss the hand maids tale.

Jennifer Fishkind 15:32

Thank you. So Handmaid's Tale is honestly one of my favorite shows. It's funny because most people like a lot of people who haven't seen it are like, well, it's just it's so disturbing. I don't think I can watch it. Yes, it is a very disturbing show like, Absolutely. It also it also it is redeeming there is some you know, taking back the power in it. For those of you guys who don't know, even any idea what it's about, it's takes place in a place called Gilead. It's part of United States that basically there was an environmental disaster, which led to most women becoming infertile. But there was a small number of women who still could become pregnant and they're forced to become handmades for the elite class. And they're basically owned by the elite class. And, you know, these women who who are fertile, if they do fight back, which a lot of them do, they're not killed, because it's more important for them to have them produce babies, but so they are basically harmed in ways that won't affect their fertility. It is it's very disturbing. You know, I don't want to go into too much detail about some of the, you know, the disturbing elements because it does kind of ruin the ruin parts of the show. But Elisabeth Moss, you know, who was in Mad Men, phenomenal on this show. She is I mean, first of all, she's I think she's an amazing actress. She is just a badass in the show, and she really feels it Joseph finds who I didn't realize was Shakespeare and love anyone see that movie?

Jeff Dwoskin 16:55

Yeah, I'm still saying it beats Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture, but go ahead.

Jennifer Fishkind 17:01

Um, I do agree with you on that. So he was totally hot in that in that movie. I loved him. He's so creepy in this movie, and disturbing that it's like ruined him for me, which, you know, isn't all that fair, but just doing a good job. He really he really has. It's at its fourth season, I found each season to be amazing. A lot of the reviews on the fourth season was that, you know, a little slower, not as good i It was a little slow. But it's it was it's amazing. It's definitely worth watching. Again, you know, it's based on the book of The Handmaid's Tale, which I think there's a lot of, from what I understand, because I'm not a huge reader anymore. There's a lot of differences between the books and the movies. But I'm trying to think like what I can compare it to what it reminds me of a little bit of zombies, Walking Dead Walking Dead, thank you a little bit of walking dead with walking dead. I, you know, when I first started watching that I was so focused on the zombies that you know, I could and I'm like, how am I? How many episodes are there of this and my husband's like, 110 I'm like, I'm never gonna make it with all the zombie killings, you know, but then the zombies to kind of become something of the background noise. And it more is about the characters and what's happening between the characters. And that's kind of how I kind of separated what was going on. Because, I mean, there's rape, there's kind of just awful things happen to these women. If you can't separate that it is it's it's hard to watch. It also has an empowering factor in it when they you know, they kind of take back the power and that's, you know, kind of also, you know, with like The Hunger Games, Movies, it's that same kind of feeling where you're like, it's super disturbing what they're doing to these kids, but it is redeeming.

Ron Lippitt 18:39

I have a couple of comments. First off, I've watched this series entirely now twice, which is really pathetic. I love them and still, and I'm just going to say one thing that's that's really shallow and then the other part that's my real comment, Yvonne Strahovski that's the shallow part is the hottest actress in Hollywood with hands down. If you guys don't know who this is. She plays the infertile upper class wife, who has to take on The Handmaid's Tale to bear children. The handmade rather handmade, but she's this Australian actress. I don't know what she's done. Other than than The Handmaid's Tale,

Jeff Dwoskin 19:11

but it had a big role in the final seasons of Dexter.

Ron Lippitt 19:15

Oh, ah, there you go. And that would make sense because I didn't watch

Jeff Dwoskin 19:19

that she was in Chuck did not do a lot of research the she's actually been

Ron Lippitt 19:26

I've only seen I just said I've only seen her Yeah, but so she is absolutely strikingly gorgeously beautiful and I just can't take my eyes off or the other. The other my real comment, though, is and out and out plays the super evil taskmaster character who aunt Lydia who punishes the bandits and I and she's won She's won multiple awards I camera. She is so powerful her every wonderfruit I've never seen her in anything before. She steals the show as far as I'm concerned just in terms of her acting and her character and the role that they have this this woman play just absolutely stellar. Stellar worth the price of admission, just that roll,

Jennifer Fishkind 20:14

I mean, completely evil. And the backstory for her was really fascinating. I found that episode, they went to a backstory of how she became who she is, was very fascinating. And I really enjoy actually all the backstories of the characters. I think it's very, like I think they do a really good job with that, but also just the relationships between the main character Jun and the people that she is living with, you know, like you said, Serena and you know, the colonel. But then also, Bradley Whitford who I thought was really good in this as well.

Jeff Dwoskin 20:45

Orion he was in the West Wing.

Ron Lippitt 20:47

Now Bradley Whitford was wasn't he also in get out? Yes, he was and get out.

Jennifer Fishkind 20:51

I mean, last week was one of my favorite shows, but only Madison.

Ron Lippitt 20:57

Right. I mean, that's the best of the best but

Jennifer Fishkind 21:00

one with what's his face? Chandler?

Jeff Dwoskin 21:03

General studio. Yeah. And the sunset strike.

Jennifer Fishkind 21:07

Yes. Which I actually liked that shot.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:09

Yeah, I really wish.

Ron Lippitt 21:12

I will just say this. And I don't know what's gonna end up happening. But Handmaid's Tale is at risk, as far as I'm concerned of going into lost territory, where it just doesn't know how to end. You know, it just ends up sucking. And I'm very, I will tell you, I'm worried for it.

Jennifer Fishkind 21:29

Well, with the end of season four, which I don't want to give it away. Give it away. I think they are starting to wrap it up, though. I mean, that felt there was some there was some some things that took place that makes me feel like they're there. They're probably going to be on there last

Ron Lippitt 21:44

season. I know what you're talking about. And I hope you're right.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:46

Yeah. It's always good when they can map out a decent finish. Because the book in the book only covers season one right after season one, correct me if I'm wrong, after season two, doesn't didn't just go into its own territory, or at least by I think it went pretty

Jennifer Fishkind 22:02

off onto its own territory. Like early on. I'm not sure I know. There's a it's a series though. I think there's if Jeff had to look it up. I think there's there's more than one book I think. I don't think it follows it doesn't follow the the books anyways. But I think they're I mean, I haven't heard anything. I know there is another season's coming out. And I'm gonna absolutely watch it. But I think

Ron Lippitt 22:22

I'm just curious. Jeff, Howard, Sally, if none of you guys seen even a single episode of this.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:28

I have. This is a when Jen introduced it in the beginning. That's kind of the reason I never saw it. It was. And this is, you know how like, you have those shows, where you watch with your partner. And then you have a show where you maybe watch by yourself when that person's not around. This is a show that my wife watches when I'm not around.

Jennifer Fishkind 22:50

Yeah, I mean, my husband doesn't watch it with me. But it was

Jeff Dwoskin 22:56

Jeff Z loves this show. He thought it was great. So I it's not that I don't think I would enjoy it. I just think there's some parallels to what is going on in real life right now. And I don't share more anxiety in my life.

Jennifer Fishkind 23:09

What's really interesting about it is like, when you start to see some stuff is going on right now. It's pretty far fetched, then you're like, huh, is it you know, like, like, you could see and they show you how they got to this point too, which is really interesting. You know, that they take you on the journey of to you know, how they got from point A to where they are at point z right now, and you're like, Well, God, I mean, I guess that that could happen.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:38

It is my understanding that everything in The Handmaid's Tale the book, which is based on was based on something that actually happened in history. Now they may have mash things together and change things. But I think most of the concepts were pulled from reality and created into a new tale. But I don't think any of this was say invented, which is interesting. All right, well, that was The Handmaid's Tale. Thank you, Jennifer and RON are two points of view. So you got The Handmaid's Tale to check out my Octopus teacher to check out and this is a robbery to avoid. That's a lot of information for one show. Ha, sounds like you got your homework. So go grab your favorite spot on the couch, grab the remote, cross your own streams, and we'll see you next time.

CTS Announcer 24:34

Thanks for listening to this special edition of crossing the streams. Visit us on YouTube for full episodes and catch us live every Wednesday at 9:30pm Eastern time. Now turn this off and go watch some TV. And don't forget to tell your family y'all be busy for a while.

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