Thursday Movie Picks - TV Edition: Con Artists
It's another TV theme at Wandering Through The Shelves and this week we're talking about con artists. I'm not gonna lie, aside from my first pick, NOTHING came to mind. I had to dig for these ones, but here's what I came up with.
1) Better Call Saul - When this show was first announced, I was convinced it wouldn't work, despite Saul being a very good character on Breaking Bad. Oh, how wrong I was. It was fantastic.
2) McMillion$ - Going the docuseries route with this pick. As someone who was quite young when the McDonalds Monopoly scam was going on, I didn't know the in's and out's of it so this series was fascinating to me.
3) Inventing Anna - I was familiar with this story before watching the series and Julia Garner was perfectly cast as this fake German heiress. I loved it.
I have heard of Better Call Saul and mostly good things about it but it's one I haven't gotten to yet. I haven't seen the other two, but I am familiar with the subjects both are based on.
ReplyDeleteLike you my first choice came to me instantly then I had to think about the other two.
White Collar (2009-2014)-Master conman Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) is paroled into FBI agent Peter Burke's (Tim DeKay) custody with the proviso that he uses his expertise to help the agency solve crimes. A sleek look, snappy pace and great chemistry between all the performers, including Tiffani Theissen as Burke's wife Elizabeth, Willie Garson as Neal's old friend and mentor Mozzie and Diahann Carroll as June the wealthy widow who provides luxury living for Neal in the guest room of her mansion, made the show compulsively watchable.
It Takes a Thief (1968-1970)-A show that in many ways served as a prototype for White Collar. Urbane thief Alexander Mundy (Robert Wagner) works for the U.S. government in return for his release from prison supervised by his handler Noah Drake (Malachi Thorne) for the first two seasons, Wally Powers (Ed Binns) for the third. Roaming the globe Al charmingly cons his way into and out of situations to recapture, usually by theft, items vital to American interests sometimes with an assist from his retired master thief father Alistair (Fred Astaire!)
Psych (2006-2014)- Shawn Spencer (James Roday) is a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department who along with his partner Gus Guster (Dulé Hill) cons people into believing he solves cases with psychic abilities when it’s really his observational skills and sharp memory that he relies on, all performed to mostly comic effect.
I've seen some of White Collar and Psych. All those USA shows look EXACTLY the same to me. Those, Burn Notice, Suits, they were all interchangeable to me.
DeleteI've only seen McMillion$ as that doc pissed me over how people got to win this only to get fucked over. I played the Monopoly thing a lot during those days and was always close as I knew I needed one piece to win some prize and never got it. McDonald's should never do that again. Just stick to the food. My niece and nephew love those fries though I only give them a little bit as I don't want them to eat too much salt.
ReplyDeleteSame. I remember playing that a lot as a kid too.
DeleteThe only one I’ve seen is Inventing Anna and I enjoyed it, very entertaining.
ReplyDeleteI agree! Great show
DeleteBetter Call Saul is suuuuch a good show
ReplyDeleteIt is!
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