As some of you may know, we do not subscribe to any televisions service (i.e. cable or satellite). In theory, we could pick up over-the-air broadcasts, but we really haven't missed TV that much. Or should I say, we haven't missed the ADS that much. For the past year or so, we've been renting a lot of TV shows on DVD. IMHO, it's the best thing since sliced... something or other. With something on the order of 35-70 hours in a season, a good TV show can bring you a lot more entertainment that a movie; you don't have to sit or FF through stupid advertising; you don't have to wait a whole week (or longer!) to find out what happened; and you can skip over any of the "dipisodes" (too silly) or "dripisodes" (too saccharine) that the producers all too often decide to throw in.
There are two down sides to watching TV on DVD, however. One is that, as with a good book, you can get sucked in and have a hard time preventing yourself from watching/reading one more episode/chapter, when what you really should be doing is going to bed! The second ish, is that your local video store can only carry so much, and their tastes don't always jibe with yours.
Ever since New Year's, I've been saying "we ought to sign up for NetFlix", "we ought to sign up for NetFlix", "we ought to sign up for NetFlix". So I finally got off my @$$ last weekend and signed us up for NetFlix.
Our first selections to arrive were Scrubs Season 1, the Battlestar Galactica miniseries, and Discworld: Wyrd Sisters. We watched Scrubs first. I liked Zach Braff in Garden State and had heard good things about the series. In general I dislike comedic movies and despise sitcoms; they are too often predicated on stupid person does something stupid and keeps @$#*ing up trying to avoid getting found out. Reminds me of the saying "hit rock bottom and kept digging." With this in mind, I have to say... I laughed my @$$ off. Great writing, great cast, great timing. I can't wait for Disc 2 to get here.
Showing posts with label pop culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pop culture. Show all posts
Friday, October 28, 2005
Thursday, April 28, 2005
TIWIW: Garden State
Technically, someone (i.e. Zach Braff) "wrote" this scene in Garden State, but it doesn't contain a single spoken word.
Andrew (Braff) parks his car, gets out, and spies a decapitated gas nozzle sticking out of the back. Without so much as a pause, he pulls out the nozzle and tosses it in a nearby dumpster.
It's perfect. You never see him being chased by an irate gas station attendant, or for that matter fueling the car. All you see is the aftermath and the character's non-challant reaction to it.
...Also, it doesn't hurt that the scene feeds into my own personal paranoia/OCD of repeatedly checking the side-view mirror to be absolutely, positively certain that I remembered to disconnect pump from car before trying to drive off.
Andrew (Braff) parks his car, gets out, and spies a decapitated gas nozzle sticking out of the back. Without so much as a pause, he pulls out the nozzle and tosses it in a nearby dumpster.
It's perfect. You never see him being chased by an irate gas station attendant, or for that matter fueling the car. All you see is the aftermath and the character's non-challant reaction to it.
...Also, it doesn't hurt that the scene feeds into my own personal paranoia/OCD of repeatedly checking the side-view mirror to be absolutely, positively certain that I remembered to disconnect pump from car before trying to drive off.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
iTunes New Music Sampler reviewed
"Blow It Out" by The Features
This one's like a cross between Weezer and The Cure. Despite the promising beginning, the song really doesn't go anywhere and the lead singer's squeaking voice quickly goes from quirky to just plain annoying.
"All At Sea" by Jamie Cullum
How this guy got a record contract is beyond me. He must be the song's writer. The tune itself isn't bad – something you might expect to hear from Michelle Branch. The down side is that this guy is about as good as I am when it comes to carrying a tune.
"Sunshine to the Rain" by Miri Ben-Ari
Yet another rap-over-sentimental-oldie tune. So unoriginal, you'll quickly hit the skip button to see what's next.
"Lonely" by Akon
What is this – the chipmunks? As a back up track for the kind of snoozy ballad that Motown is cranking out by the dozens these days. Makes you wonder how many of the R&B greats are spinning in their graves.
"Golden Touch" by Razorlight
A Beatles-esque beginning turns into a fun modern pop song. One of the best from the "album". I definitely will be adding it to my collection.
"Every Time You Go Away" by Brian McKnight
Remember those earlier comments about snoozy Motown ballads. Here's another one, 'though at least without the chipmunks track. Sample cheezy lyric: "I don't give a damn what my homies say." Puh-leeze.
"Bigtime" by The Soundtrack of Our Lives
Not a bad song, but another one that doesn't really go anywhere. It sounds so much like so many other rock bands today that I can't even come up with an appropriate archetype.
"Laura" by Scissor Sisters
It's sorta original, but once again it doesn't really go anywhere.
"She Said" by Brie Larson
Okay. Here's a song that you'd expect to hear on the soundtrack for the latest teen movie sensation. Far from original but, gods help, me I like it. Call it one of my guilty pleasures.
"Jus Anotha Shorty" by O'Ryan
O'Ryan? Should be "Oh, please". More Motown ballad crap.
"Sleeping with the Lights On" by Teitur
Teitur doesn't have Sting's voice, but this tune is very reminiscent of his more recent stuff (which is not necessarily a complement)
"Reach Out, I'll be There" by Michael McDonald
Wow. This cover may be a little too faithful to the original, but McDonald has a classic R&B voice that certainly does his predecessors proud.
"TKO" by Le Tigre
Girl punk à la Bif Naked or L7. Not the best of the genre, but still fun.
This one's like a cross between Weezer and The Cure. Despite the promising beginning, the song really doesn't go anywhere and the lead singer's squeaking voice quickly goes from quirky to just plain annoying.
"All At Sea" by Jamie Cullum
How this guy got a record contract is beyond me. He must be the song's writer. The tune itself isn't bad – something you might expect to hear from Michelle Branch. The down side is that this guy is about as good as I am when it comes to carrying a tune.
"Sunshine to the Rain" by Miri Ben-Ari
Yet another rap-over-sentimental-oldie tune. So unoriginal, you'll quickly hit the skip button to see what's next.
"Lonely" by Akon
What is this – the chipmunks? As a back up track for the kind of snoozy ballad that Motown is cranking out by the dozens these days. Makes you wonder how many of the R&B greats are spinning in their graves.
"Golden Touch" by Razorlight
A Beatles-esque beginning turns into a fun modern pop song. One of the best from the "album". I definitely will be adding it to my collection.
"Every Time You Go Away" by Brian McKnight
Remember those earlier comments about snoozy Motown ballads. Here's another one, 'though at least without the chipmunks track. Sample cheezy lyric: "I don't give a damn what my homies say." Puh-leeze.
"Bigtime" by The Soundtrack of Our Lives
Not a bad song, but another one that doesn't really go anywhere. It sounds so much like so many other rock bands today that I can't even come up with an appropriate archetype.
"Laura" by Scissor Sisters
It's sorta original, but once again it doesn't really go anywhere.
"She Said" by Brie Larson
Okay. Here's a song that you'd expect to hear on the soundtrack for the latest teen movie sensation. Far from original but, gods help, me I like it. Call it one of my guilty pleasures.
"Jus Anotha Shorty" by O'Ryan
O'Ryan? Should be "Oh, please". More Motown ballad crap.
"Sleeping with the Lights On" by Teitur
Teitur doesn't have Sting's voice, but this tune is very reminiscent of his more recent stuff (which is not necessarily a complement)
"Reach Out, I'll be There" by Michael McDonald
Wow. This cover may be a little too faithful to the original, but McDonald has a classic R&B voice that certainly does his predecessors proud.
"TKO" by Le Tigre
Girl punk à la Bif Naked or L7. Not the best of the genre, but still fun.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
[www] Les Chronicles du Shrek
Three of the more recent videos we've rented:
Le Pacte du Silence - Yes, this one's in French. And I suppose it might be intended as a suspense-thriller, but I didn't find it very much of either. Just an overwhelming feeling of ambivalence. If you're a Depardieu fan or want to exercise your comprehension Français... no, on second thought, you're still better off renting Jean de Florette and forgetting this one even exists.
Chronicles of Riddick - Okay, I really wasn't expecting much from this one and yet, still I was disappointed. There was the foundation for a classic sci-fi movie and yet it seemed to stumble at every turn. Don't get me started on the fact that this sequel contains another fire & ice planet with a breathable atmosphere. I've long enjoyed seeing Karl Urban extend his career, but the flat character of Vaako can't have helped him much. And Judi Dench? She apparently needed the paycheck. The "King Conan" ending screams that we haven't seen the last Riddick movie but, much like the second installment of Highlander, I'm not sure anything could rescue this franchise.
Shrek 2 - Funny movie, but Dreamworks is no Pixar. My first beef with Shrek is that it has no style, no soul. The animation is technically impressive, but it tries too hard to look "realistic"; the result is that you are continuously jarred by the bits that they don't quite get right -- particularly the facial expressions and lip movements. It's animation, stupid! The second failure of this movie was its plot, or rather lack thereof. Shrek 2 is really just a string of jokes loosely glued together; rather than injecting humor into the story, the writers injected story into the humor. And, as my dear bro-in-law* noted, the humor is very culturally centered; many of the jokes will be lost even just a few decades from now. My final beef is with the scene where pinocchio is revealed to be wearing women's underwear, a thong, in fact. This was simply not appropriate for the target audience, particularly given the duration and prominance that the joke was given.
* who can turn a phrase much more adeptly than I
Le Pacte du Silence - Yes, this one's in French. And I suppose it might be intended as a suspense-thriller, but I didn't find it very much of either. Just an overwhelming feeling of ambivalence. If you're a Depardieu fan or want to exercise your comprehension Français... no, on second thought, you're still better off renting Jean de Florette and forgetting this one even exists.
Chronicles of Riddick - Okay, I really wasn't expecting much from this one and yet, still I was disappointed. There was the foundation for a classic sci-fi movie and yet it seemed to stumble at every turn. Don't get me started on the fact that this sequel contains another fire & ice planet with a breathable atmosphere. I've long enjoyed seeing Karl Urban extend his career, but the flat character of Vaako can't have helped him much. And Judi Dench? She apparently needed the paycheck. The "King Conan" ending screams that we haven't seen the last Riddick movie but, much like the second installment of Highlander, I'm not sure anything could rescue this franchise.
Shrek 2 - Funny movie, but Dreamworks is no Pixar. My first beef with Shrek is that it has no style, no soul. The animation is technically impressive, but it tries too hard to look "realistic"; the result is that you are continuously jarred by the bits that they don't quite get right -- particularly the facial expressions and lip movements. It's animation, stupid! The second failure of this movie was its plot, or rather lack thereof. Shrek 2 is really just a string of jokes loosely glued together; rather than injecting humor into the story, the writers injected story into the humor. And, as my dear bro-in-law* noted, the humor is very culturally centered; many of the jokes will be lost even just a few decades from now. My final beef is with the scene where pinocchio is revealed to be wearing women's underwear, a thong, in fact. This was simply not appropriate for the target audience, particularly given the duration and prominance that the joke was given.
* who can turn a phrase much more adeptly than I
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
What we're watching [www]
A couple of nights ago, we rented La Dolce Vita. I'm sorry to say that I only made it 2 hours through the 3 hour "masterwork". Sure, Anita Ekberg has a very... um... enticing? screen presence, but she's not in much of the movie, is rather an airhead, and her segment is severely marred by the extremely creepy character "Frankie". Presumably, he was intended to look like a satyr with an extreme face lift; if not... . For the most part, however, the story felt very much like a version of Reality Bites for another generation -- amoral characters whining about life not turning out to be the paradise they expected. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Last night we rented the remake of The Stepford Wives. Overall, it was a mildly amusing way to waste 92 minutes. I haven't seen the original, so I really can't comment on which is better. The plot was pretty predictable and definitely lacking any suspense. The great cast – who doesn't like Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler and Christopher Walken? – almost makes up for the lack of script. Matthew, Nicole and newcomer Roger Bart are also all in the upcoming film adaptation of The Producers; hopefully that will be a much better film.
Last night we rented the remake of The Stepford Wives. Overall, it was a mildly amusing way to waste 92 minutes. I haven't seen the original, so I really can't comment on which is better. The plot was pretty predictable and definitely lacking any suspense. The great cast – who doesn't like Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler and Christopher Walken? – almost makes up for the lack of script. Matthew, Nicole and newcomer Roger Bart are also all in the upcoming film adaptation of The Producers; hopefully that will be a much better film.
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