Mario Lemieux fan 66
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- Nov 2, 2012
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She kinda looks like a troubled child. I doubt it was the best influence on Bourdain TBH.Bourdain's wife Instagram is the creepiest thing ever
The way he talks about the Parm in there makes you wonder if hes all there in the head.Massimo Bottura's episode of Chef's Table is one of my favourite episodes.
I'd do it chronologically:
A Cook's Tour
No Reservations
The Layover
Parts Unknown
Now, the first two are very similar - they both concentrate more on food exploration than anything else. They are also the ones that feature a more "naive" and edgier Bourdain. First one of the two is certainly starting to feel dated and can be corny at times. "No Reservations" is basically a mature remake of "A Cook's Tour".
"The Layover" changes the format a little, but is in the same vein as the two above. This one tries to get its viewer a bit more sense of the location along with food culture. The format is interesting if somewhat flawed (Tony being Tony actually makes jokes about the fake structure of the show often during it).
"Parts Unknown" is not a show about food or travel. It only uses local cuisines as a backdrop for much more serious sociopolitical subject matter. Tony you see here is a far cry from his earlier version. He is predominantly a listener here and he rarely is the one driving dialogue. I often got a feeling that Anthony is tired/disinterested throughout it. This show is certainly meant for a much more mature audience and it doesn't chase mass appeal. I found myself to be less interested in certain episodes than I was in others and I think that's perfectly normal. This is a deeply exploratory series.
If I had to pick my favourite among these four I'd say it's "No Reservations". It's more casual and Bourdain we see there connects with me more. It features some memorable humorous moments that I like a great deal.
Hope this helps and, trust me, you're in for a treat! I'm jealous.
Thank you very much! Great write up, very helpful. That makes for A LOT of episodes to watch...
You're right, the total episode count is probably around 300 or so.
"A Cook's Tour" and "The Layover" are both relatively short series. I believe they ran for 35 and 20 episodes each respectively. Both were available on Netflix Canada at some point. Not sure if they still are.
The longest one is "No Reservations" which has roughly 150 episodes.
"Parts Unknown" features around a 100 episodes, perhaps slightly less.
Holy crap, your knowledge of Bourdain's offerings is beyond compare. They should have included you in the CNN special about Bourdain.
His shows are my go-to, I often re-play various episodes from them. If you name a random episode I will probably have at least a vague recollection of which scenes/people it contained.
Bourdain has really made a connection with me. I don't really know why that is exactly, but what I'm certain of it wasn't about food or travel. It was something about his personality. I could often understand the context and his emotional state as many of these episodes were filmed. He wasn't very good at pretending while the lights were on, but that is what made him real to me. I saw when he was tired, frustrated, irritated. I could almost tell when lines were forced and meant nothing to him. This kinda thing is very rare to get a sense of with TV productions being as rehearsed as they are nowadays. His shows were also that, but he had this unique ability to emit his real feelings at any given moment while filming.
I really did like seeing him on-screen and I will miss him dearly.
Actually, it's thanks to you, from past versions of this thread, that I became more interested in Bourdain. I had nowhere near the depth of understanding of what made him so unique and so relatable. I liked his moodiness, so to speak -- he could be so broody and that made him all the more genuine. And that little smile he'd always have, ready to burst into a chuckle -- always liked how he found amazement despite so many travels and having seen so much -- he continued to marvel at things big and small.
Whenever I watch shows, be it news or travel or whatever is not too heavily scripted, I'm constantly asking myself -- why didn't they ask about this or that. With Bourdain, he almost always hit the target. He'd ask the questions I'd ask. It's uncanny. I would want to know the things he asked about. He saved me a few trips that way, lol. And I'm totally grateful that he gifted us with so many great moments.
This is the same clip you had posted initially, when I asked about what made Bourdain special. Zamir is a classic.
Everything Zamir was involved in from those clips, is a disaster. There is no gutter he hasn't been comfortably settled in and survived to tell all about it. Which makes him so endearing.
I looked up Zamir and found a heartfelt ode to Bourdain:
"Tony's death is a huge loss and I am devastated and heart-broken. He really convinced me that personal freedom and dignity are something we should never trade for anything. For me, he created what I can only define as an unbearable lightness of being through food and booze. He swept aside my negative stereotypes about street food. And since meeting him I learned to be bold and fearless in standing up for what I believe is right. Without Tony's presence and influence in my life Zamir Vodka would never have been conceived or realized. He was a man whose friendship enriched and enlarged my world and his loss is the world's loss.
"It can happen that you lose relatives or family members and one does not feel bitter — it's life and losses happen. But then there are people who are in your life with the same sense of family and understanding and their death brings shock and collapse, as if we had a shared DNA and their death is like a death within our hearts too.
I didn't realize he was capable of such depth of thought, with such eloquence. Guess he picked up a lot since first meeting Tony.
He has since moved to Buffalo and is writing an autobiography that he is dedicating to Tony. He's quite entrepreneurial, having created his own brand of vodka. God love him.
Zamir Gotta Remembers Friend, TV Companion Anthony Bourdain: "He Enriched and Enlarged My World"
Word to the wise, if your wife and kids ask you to watch A Wrinkle in Time do yourself (and them) a favour and fake a heart attack
Possibly the worst movie I've ever seen, -1,000,000/10
Wasn't expecting much, the usual dull numbness of Disney blah but this hit all the senses that make someone want to poke out there eyeballs and cut off their ears, I actually left and cleaned up the kitchen at one point as doing dishes was a better option than even sitting through that.What were you expecting from a Disney movie featuring Oprah Winfrey?
BTW watched Bitter Harvest yesterday. Such a bad movie depicting a very important part of history rarely seen in movies. Such a waste. It's full of clichés and stereotypes. It's also full of Hollywood looking actors full of makeup right in the middle of the soviet famine ...
Sounds good. Hows the overall production?Been watching Barry, a series featuring Bill Hader as a hitman who joins an acting class and strives to maintain his composure while continuing to be a hitman.
There is some blood and gore as you would expect with this type of storyline, however, it's odd enough to keep you interested. Kind of an innovative take on something that you wouldn't could have a lighter side. Found it entertaining.
Sounds good. Hows the overall production?
Been watching Barry, a series featuring Bill Hader as a hitman who joins an acting class and strives to maintain his composure while continuing to be a hitman.
There is some blood and gore as you would expect with this type of storyline, however, it's odd enough to keep you interested. Kind of an innovative take on something that you wouldn't think could have a lighter side. Found it entertaining.
I'd do it chronologically:
A Cook's Tour
No Reservations
The Layover
Parts Unknown
...
If I had to pick my favourite among these four I'd say it's "No Reservations"...
Killing Eve season 1: 7/10 It started very good but the season finale is weak /silly.