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“The guy was about your height” “Average height.” “Or maybe a little shorter.” “Or maybe… a little shorter” 
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Jan 26, 2022 18:05
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Columbo's first name confirmed as Frank after all?
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Jan 26, 2022 18:38
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I'm watching Most Dangerous Match and I just keep thinking about the woodchipper in Fargo.
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Jan 27, 2022 07:33
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El Fideo posted:Columbo's first name confirmed as Frank after all? Not really confirmed, but there's more evidence that his first name is Frank than there is any other name.
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Jan 27, 2022 19:12
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Yes because he offered the guy a nice egg in this trying time. I consider that firm proof.
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Jan 27, 2022 19:51
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Forgotten Lady was nuts. Def a top 10 contender for me. Lot of funny bits in it, dog eating ice cream, columbo skipping out on his test, the tree, etc. Plenty of great columbo lines too. Incredible supporting cast performances. And that ending!! Like of course there is the memory twist but the build up to that moment was so tense and you got these moody shots of columbo all dressed up 
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Jan 28, 2022 02:50
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Went back to the start. Say, this Spielberg kid's pretty talented! Actually, not kidding. That opening shot might have some rough edges, but turning what seems like a helicopter shot into a long interior tracking shot is pretty impressive, especially for the time. And he has great fun in the scenes with the shopkeeper-turned-blackmailer, like the ping-ponging camera as she and the killer clink glasses back and forth. Any chance to liven things up visually, he took. Falk nailed Columbo from the start. Apart from the black hair, he could have been dropped into the final season and played things the same. I did enjoy the later scene with the victim's wife, though - he's still polite and genial, but the rambling and absent-mindedness is gone and he's 100% focused on coaxing more info from her to nail the killer. That's an aspect that was missing in the later episodes I've seen outside of the moment when he traps the bad guy. Weirdly, the actual murder plot felt a little strained, probably because of having almost 50 years of quirky murder mysteries following it. A definite case where if the killer had just followed modern-day common sense and not volunteered a single word to the cops, he would have got away with it. But no, he had to jump in and tell them all the decoy avenues they should be looking at instead of him. Dumbass. Like having to remember to dial an area code rather than use the operator, it was a different time. Also, Spielberg as director, Steven Bochco as writer. drat, that's an A-list pairing!
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Jan 28, 2022 23:57
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Payndz posted:Weirdly, the actual murder plot felt a little strained, probably because of having almost 50 years of quirky murder mysteries following it. A definite case where if the killer had just followed modern-day common sense and not volunteered a single word to the cops, he would have got away with it. But no, he had to jump in and tell them all the decoy avenues they should be looking at instead of him. Dumbass. Like having to remember to dial an area code rather than use the operator, it was a different time. That's the whole point of Columbo's schtick. He presents himself as a bumbling cop who just so happens to have some evidence that could point to the culprit, and thus he makes the culprit think that if they can just come up with some story that makes sense of the evidence then this cop will nod along and go away. Everyone has a right to remain silent, but Columbo tricks people into thinking that speaking up will get them into less trouble. And remember, by the time Columbo came out there were a good 80 years of murder mysteries preceding it.
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Jan 29, 2022 10:11
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https://twitter.com/jfrankensteiner/status/1476398307865890817?s=21
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Jan 29, 2022 14:54
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Bobbin Threadbare posted:That's the whole point of Columbo's schtick. He presents himself as a bumbling cop who just so happens to have some evidence that could point to the culprit, and thus he makes the culprit think that if they can just come up with some story that makes sense of the evidence then this cop will nod along and go away. Everyone has a right to remain silent, but Columbo tricks people into thinking that speaking up will get them into less trouble.
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Jan 29, 2022 17:17
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^^^That's not how he rolls^^^ He deals with all these smarty pants arrogant fucks, acts stupid and then lets their egos gently caress them over. He should be on the 1/6 commission and get Trump to admit everything he's ever done. Somehow I expected sardine sandwiches, beef jerky, Vienna sausages and liverwurst. BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 18:06 on Jan 29, 2022 |
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Jan 29, 2022 18:03
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That dynamic is definitely handled better in some episodes than others, which also goes for the episodes where Columbo doesn’t really have any reason to be velcroed to the perpetrator other than “a hunch”, which makes him look like a lunatic.
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Jan 29, 2022 19:10
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The Spielberg first episode? Good, but like a dry run for the Robert Culp story that followed. Absolute perfection.  So many great moments (Columbo having nailed the golf pro before even saying a word to him and intimidating the poo poo out of a guy a full head taller stood out, with his golf swing the capper), and the noose getting tighter and tighter around Culp's neck played out so well. It was written by the two guys who basically made Mission: Impossible a success, so the writing being precision engineered wasn't a surprise.
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Jan 29, 2022 22:35
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It's really crazy how this rather formulaic by the numbers show really is and how many awesome actors they got to show up in it. It's a real testament to Peter Falk, the writers and the talent the producers were able procure to star in it. Fun Fact: I needed a last minute Halloween costume one year, busted out a raincoat I had, bought a couple of cigars and spent the evening telling everyone "oh, just one more thing". It landed OK for the most part and as a cobbled together low effort costume, overall it went pretty well. So if any goons ever find themselves in a similar bind, go as Columbo and remember me well.
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Jan 30, 2022 01:08
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Every single one of these is Columbo's true self, the one that's NOT putting on an act. I love the stealing the biscuit, only to save it for a midnight snack.
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Jan 30, 2022 01:08
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Payndz posted:Went back to the start. Say, this Spielberg kid's pretty talented! On set Peter Falk said "this kid's too good for Columbo"
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Jan 30, 2022 03:37
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Tunicate posted:On set Peter Falk said "this kid's too good for Columbo" So you're telling me you're making a movie about an amusement park that has real life dinosaurs? Well ain't that something. This really is the best tweet ever.
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Jan 30, 2022 03:46
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Tunicate posted:On set Peter Falk said "this kid's too good for Columbo"
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Jan 30, 2022 12:52
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Payndz posted:Read a Falk interview at The AV Club and he said in the episode he directed, he asked Spielberg the best way to set up some shots. I am just imagining that conversation going like Columbo interviewing a suspect.
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Jan 30, 2022 21:27
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Jose Oquendo posted:So you're telling me you're making a movie about an amusement park that has real life dinosaurs? Well ain't that something.
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Jan 30, 2022 22:44
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Payndz posted:Read a Falk interview at The AV Club and he said in the episode he directed, he asked Spielberg the best way to set up some shots. Like the Always Sunny podcast joke where "Spielberg" drops by to chat with them, but Falk actually did it, the absolute madman. Also
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Jan 31, 2022 10:28
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Had no idea there was a Columbo thread until someone in another forum pointed it out to me. I discovered the show about a month ago and it's probably been one of the best months of t.v. I've ever experienced. Others have mentioned this previously in the thread but I never realized how much a reliably entertaining formula could do for a show, and how much longevity it could have. So many of the shows that were big when I was younger like The X-Files, then later on stuff like 24 and Lost, they had some episodic elements but they also leaned heavily on a more serial nature where they wanted you to be able to follow storylines through entire seasons and beyond. And at the time that was treated as a step forward in the quality of t.v. entertainment and I suppose most people still think of it that way. Certainly the majority of successful shows today are serials, or at least partially serial. But with Columbo, the formula is so perfect and the guest stars so reliably excellent, there is a comfort level that I reached with it where I'm fluent in the language of the show and so it's kinda become like the background of my entire life. Get home from work and I have a few emails write, throw on an episode of Columbo while I do that. Every night as I'm winding down to go to bed, Columbo. Sunday morning when I wake up and don't feel like doing anything for a few hours, Columbo. I don't feel pressure to remember anything that's not contained in the episode I'm watching, and if I fall asleep during an episode I can pick it up right where I left off without any problems. And then of course, if I am in the mood to pay super close attention to every line and every facial expression, that's a totally rewarding experience too and each episode certainly will need to be watched at least twice to absorb all that stuff. I dunno man this may be one of the top 4 or 5 shows in t.v. history, it's just crazy to me that I could feel that way having only discovered it in my 30s more than five decades after it premiered.
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Feb 3, 2022 20:00
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There's a pretty short list of TV shows that I would consider timeless and Columbo is one of them.
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Feb 3, 2022 23:06
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May be a controversial suggestion but M*A*S*H was (is) that same way for me. Episodic, chillax tv after long days, that could also reward attentive engaged viewing when your mind is on that wavelength.
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Feb 3, 2022 23:21
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Basebf555 posted:
Oh, excuse me Mr. 555, I'm really sorry but just one more thing. You said that you come from home every night and watch the show while you write emails. Is that correct, sir? Well, here's the thing, sir, and you know...I just can't shake it. When I talked to you last week, you said that you worked in a restaurant and one of your duties was covering brunch. "Busiest shift of your week" you said, do you remember that, sir? You mentioned you made a lot of money on that shift if I recall correctly. Now...and here's the thing...how could you watch me solve crimes on a Sunday morning and still cover your brunch shift? And so forth. ... Also, I don't think that MASH really holds up that well but I'll put All in the Family down as a 70's show that can stand up against anything. Christ, some of Archie's diatribes and especially his gun rights speech on public access sound like modern mainstream GOP talking points and even some politicians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lDb0Dn8OXE
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Feb 4, 2022 00:10
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BiggerBoat posted:Also, I don't think that MASH really holds up that well but I'll put All in the Family down as a 70's show that can stand up against anything. Christ, some of Archie's diatribes and especially his gun rights speech on public access sound like modern mainstream GOP talking points and even some politicians. It bears repeating that there were plenty on conservatives who worshiped Archie Bunker and had no idea that Carroll O'Connor was a hardcore Liberal.
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Feb 4, 2022 01:51
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Just watch A Case of Immunity and oof, not a good one but it was so corny it makes up for it, ending with the King giving columbo a thumbs up
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Feb 4, 2022 01:56
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Snooze Cruise posted:Just watch A Case of Immunity and oof, not a good one but it was so corny it makes up for it, ending with the King giving columbo a thumbs up Trivia: one of the protesters outside the embassy was Jeff Goldblum
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Feb 4, 2022 02:25
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Trip report: 'Dead Weight' - the weakest of the episodes I've seen so far in terms of the story and the gotcha, but the killer was such a creepy gaslighting old gently caress, his downfall partially compensated. 'Suitable For Framing' - on the other hand, the gotcha in this was brilliant. The killer was a pompous, obnoxious toad even before he murdered his accomplice, and it seemed like he had a counter to every possible thing Columbo could hit him with. Until literally the last five seconds, where with an apologetic shrug Columbo utterly obliterates him. Fantastic. (The unspoken subtext was great as well: don't try to go over Columbo's head, because his superiors know how good he is, and will tell him.) Also, earlier I got my episode writers mixed up because I'm an idiot. Mea culpa.
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Feb 6, 2022 23:31
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Oh hey somebody found a lost episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnDe2u5M7e8
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Feb 8, 2022 03:19
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Gene Hackman Fan posted:Oh hey somebody found a lost episode: That's a great Jack Cassidy
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Feb 8, 2022 04:48
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they always seem to pick the worst actors in LA for the "random cop who gives columbo exposition at the crime scene role". The police commissioner one had a dude say his line 3 times because he kept flubbing it, there's of course the guy in the classical music one who delivers all his dialogue with his teeth clenched around a cigar and his thumbs in the sides of his pants. Just consistently awful.
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Feb 9, 2022 15:04
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Counterpoint: Jamie Lee as a waitress
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Feb 9, 2022 15:09
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Feb 11, 2022 02:40
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ThisIsJohnWayne posted:May be a controversial suggestion but M*A*S*H was (is) that same way for me. Episodic, chillax tv after long days, that could also reward attentive engaged viewing when your mind is on that wavelength. There's even occasionally some continuity although production vs airing order fucks with it sometimes. (The most explicit case with MASH is a runner in season 4 or 5 where the 4077 invent a new type of surgical clamp because Hawkeye and BJ need it for a common type of laceration they get, and the episode where they invent it aired like 3 weeks after a 2 parter where Hawkeye and Margaret go to show it off to another unit) There's definitely something to be said for the VCR and later DVD and streaming ages forcing TV to be a bit more aware of at least being consistent with character histories and backstories. And serialisation is a wonderful thing as well, but much like people decrying multi-camera sitcoms these days, I think it's more that there's a lot of BAD examples of formulas, which obscures how good they can be when they work. Columbo, Murder She Wrote, even poo poo like OG Law & Order, and sitcoms like MASH or Mary Tyler Moore have a general shape you can expect, which makes the details more pleasurable. And even the odd times where the shape changes a little can be lovely too
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Feb 11, 2022 04:00
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I found the worst episode of Columbo. it's Murder in Malibu. I can only conclude that given the subject matter it was intentionally made to be this bad and melodramatic.
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Feb 11, 2022 07:26
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Fate Accomplice posted:I found the worst episode of Columbo. panties
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Feb 11, 2022 13:48
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Unkempt posted:panties https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MffDpqfVyt8&t=84s Davros1 fucked around with this message at 16:36 on Feb 11, 2022 |
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Feb 11, 2022 16:32
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Columbo is great, but the one episode I saw where he basically sold the culprit to mob isn't one of my favorites. You are a detective, not a loving judge so do not go all Dredd on us.
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Feb 11, 2022 22:27
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If there's a lovely episode of Columbo, I honestly haven't seen it. Mind you, I didn't watch any of the reboots or poo poo that wasn't part of the original run so IDK about those but I found the reruns I used to watch in college to be pretty reliable. IIRC, there would be an All in the Family episode at 10pm, Taxi at 10:30 and then I'm pretty sure a Columbo at 11 every weeknight. We were in art school and would do our "homework" getting baked to that channel almost every night and it would carry us through 1am.
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Feb 11, 2022 23:43
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