Too Much TV

I like to imagine Jack staying off the island for an incredibly...

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:14:18 -0400

I like to imagine Jack staying off the island for an incredibly long amount of time, getting lazy, fat, etc. and finally realizing what a sad waste his life has become before going back. Granted, it’s not that different from what actually happened in the show, but amusing nonetheless.

In anticipation for Sons of Anarchy Season 2 I sat down and...

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:00:00 -0400

In anticipation for Sons of Anarchy Season 2 I sat down and re-watched Season 1 (I have terrible memory and frequently forget the details of shows and, thus, need to re-watch seasons before watching the next season). I was somehow worried that this show wasn’t good - almost no one that I know watches it. I was also worried that the attractive action/violence quotient of the show had somehow blurred my memory that it was a good show.

I can safely say, upon re-viewing, that Sons of Anarchy is an excellent show. Excellent acting, production, writing, and directing. I love the character development and the interplay between the family members. I’m really excited for season 2 now and can’t wait.

Unquestionably my favorite, current, show is Breaking Bad. I...

Tue, 05 May 2009 23:18:44 -0400

Unquestionably my favorite, current, show is Breaking Bad. I realize that I’ve said it before, but it can’t hurt to say it again, but I really enjoy this show.

I generally use epguides.com to keep track of what episodes are in a series since it’s rather reliable - but for whatever reason they aren’t updating the episode listing for Breaking Bad. This gave me a surprise when I saw a new epsiode on TV the other night, even though I thought episode 8 was the last episode of the season. I will happily enjoy the four more episodes that this season has to provide.

I feel like the conclusion of this season will have to come to a major head. Either Hank vs. his brother-in-law (the DEA agent, who has received a lot of air time this season) or his wife (to whom he’s lied to constantly and repeatedly). I’m excited to see in which direction the series will head, especially since there’s still (at least) one more season to come.

Of the new shows announced by NBC, there are only two that...

Tue, 05 May 2009 22:51:20 -0400

Of the new shows announced by NBC, there are only two that I’ll try: Community and Day One.

Community has some potential, for a comedy, with Chevy Chase playing a main character - but it’s hard to picture, exactly, who the show is trying to target and how well the comedy will play out. A sample video can be found in the NBC press release.

Day One, on the other hand, looks very similar to the UK series Survivors (which I mostly enjoyed). I figure it’s worth a shot, especially considering that post-apocalyptic shows are so hard to come by (and rarely survive, no pun intended).

I’ve been enjoying the new NBC show Parks and Recreation....

Tue, 05 May 2009 22:37:47 -0400

I’ve been enjoying the new NBC show Parks and Recreation. It cribs very heavily from the network’s sister show The Office but I can’t say that that’s a bad thing. The comedy is very similar but with an added layer of loathing and bitterness - while, at the same time, being much less fantastical. I’ve caught myself thinking about the show a few times now, after the fact, which is pretty rare for something so new.

I was really happy to see Aziz Ansari in the show (I’m a big fan of his work - both online and standup) and a few members from the Upright Citizen’s Brigade.

As it stands, this show has everything going for it, so I’m glad to see it get picked up for a second season.

I’ve finished Season 1 of The Shield and I’m making...

Fri, 01 May 2009 15:49:22 -0400

I’ve finished Season 1 of The Shield and I’m making my way through the second. This show was frequently recommended to me (possibly because I enjoyed The Wire so much). Although, The Shield is pretty much the opposite of The Wire in a lot of respects. The Wire is slow and deliberate, without much overt violence - whereas The Shield is a rampaging slaughter with many people dying - even within a single episode.

I think the show would’ve benefited by being more deliberate in its actions - as it is a lot of the pay-offs come very quickly and leave in an instant. As it stands I’m having the hardest time with the acting in the show - many of the lines feel very forced and I’m not impressed with Michael Chiklis. It’s hard figuring out who the show wants us to identify with (although, that’s certainly most of the pull of the show, to begin with) which can be a bit frustrating.

I plan on sticking with the show, for the time being, especially since I’ve heard many reports that later seasons get much better.

I finished Season 2 of Rome. I realize now that I had previously...

Fri, 01 May 2009 15:39:00 -0400

I finished Season 2 of Rome. I realize now that I had previously seen Season 1, but not Season 2 - so I was quite excited to be able to see it completely. I’m sad that there won’t be a third season of the show - and the finale seemed a little half-baked (a major character supposedly dying - off-camera - a lame trick for possibly extending the story at a future point).

It’d be interesting if they actually continued the story, since it would start to quickly encroach upon the realm of I, Claudius (perhaps that’s another reason why they opted to stop?).

Regardless, I thought it was an enjoyable series - mixing scant historical details with heavy fiction, creating a frequently-intriguing restul.

I’ve started to watch Rome again. This is either my second...

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:06:11 -0400

I’ve started to watch Rome again. This is either my second or third time viewing the series (I’m a little bit fuzzy but I’d definitely seen it at least once). I still really enjoy it. I also understand the political logistics a little bit better thanks to having listened to the History of Rome Podcast (and having recently watched some episodes of I, Claudius). I feel like Rome is probably cribbing pretty heavily from I, Claudius - which is fine by me, considering that it’s an excellent series to pull from.

While watching episode 6 of season 1 I thought I recognized an actor - playing a senator named Publius Servilius - from Amadeus. I have a little script that I use to determine these things but to no avail (he is, apparently, only in a single episode and thus doesn’t appear in the IMDB credits). I did some more poking and was able to determine that he actor was Simon Callow - and was, in fact, in Amadeus. I took a screenshot to compare the two. I’m rather proud of spotting him and remembering him - even though he’s nearly 21 years older when he played Servilius in Rome.

I’ve been catching episodes of Louis Theroux’s Weird...

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:29:16 -0400

I’ve been catching episodes of Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends, and they’re excellent. I feel like this is a much purer form of interview and documentary - especially since Louis integrates himself into these people’s lifestyles - and without casting a stone or insult (unlike the exasperating Da Ali G Show). All of the episodes are available online, which is just excellent.

I just started up In Treatment and I’m, unexpectedly,...

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:13:31 -0400

I just started up In Treatment and I’m, unexpectedly, enjoying it. The premise behind the show is simple: A psychotherapist (played by the excellent Gabriel Byrne) has an interview with a patient (four different patients, the fifth with his own therapist). The dialog can be rather contrived - but it’s mostly in a overly-satisfactory way rather than in a poorly-constructed way. I do feel compelled to keep watching, though.

I wasn’t sure after seeing the premier but Kings has kind...

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:54:22 -0400

I wasn’t sure after seeing the premier but Kings has kind of grown on me. I enjoy the plot and mostly enjoy the characters - the dialog is a bit lacking - but the mythos tends to make up for it. I like the fact that the biblical narrative isn’t too heavy-handed - it’s a solid mix between biblical lore, sci-fi, and Shakespere.

I also like Ian McShane in this (of course, I enjoyed him in Deadwood, as well). I’m interested to see where the series goes - I feel like it has potential and can absolutely go in either direction at this point.

I’m current again in Breaking Bad (Season 2, Episode 6)....

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:06:56 -0400

I’m current again in Breaking Bad (Season 2, Episode 6). This is one show that took me a while to get into. I tried watching Season 1 back when it was on and I found it to be just too dark and harrowing. I revisited it once the season was done and it really caught on with me - I’m now hooked on it in a big way.

The combination of nihilism, lies, and danger mix into a compelling experience that I love watching. Walt seems to always find himself caught in a mixture of impossible situations/lies that just breaks your heart while hoping to see some positive resolution. Absolutely one of my favorite shows that’s currently airing.

Finished Season 2 of Damages. I enjoyed this season, as well. I...

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:55:03 -0400

Finished Season 2 of Damages. I enjoyed this season, as well. I don’t think it was quite as compelling as the first season (possibly because they stuck to their very tried-and-true formula of deception, lies, and allusion). I was surprised at the quality of the cast this season - glad to see FX putting some serious resources behind their original content.

Finished watching The Sopranos the other day. I really enjoyed...

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:44:03 -0400

Finished watching The Sopranos the other day. I really enjoyed this series. Based upon my initial impression (“mobsters”/”mafia”) I was expecting the show to be more about crime, murder, etc. (sort of the hole that Oz got sucked in to) where it was much introspective (especially with regards to the protagonist, Tony Soprano). Of course all the introspection in the world (or, at least, over the course of the 6 seasons of the show) did little to abate his destructive tendencies. If there was ever a show that was going to be littered with dream sequences and sit-downs with psychologists I wouldn’t have guessed that this show would be it.

Overall I’d absolutely recommend the show to others - the vast majority of episodes were excellent (something like a 3:1 ratio of good to ‘ok’ episodes).

This is another case where watching the show rapidly on DVD is likely to have altered my perception of the show. I feel bad for those who had to waits years inbetween seasons - I can only imagine how the quality of the viewing experience must’ve diminished over those periods of time.

I had the opportunity to see Sliders for the first time recently...

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:47:03 -0400

I had the opportunity to see Sliders for the first time recently and I’ve been slowly making my way through the first season. It’s a great, humorous, low-thought, Sci-Fi show. Something fun to throw on when you want to watch something that doesn’t involve a lot of concern - and where the order in which you watch the episodes doesn’t matter a whole lot.

Just started watching the second season of Damages. I really...

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:53:31 -0400

Just started watching the second season of Damages. I really enjoyed the first season, lots of excellent back-stabbing (reminds me of a higher-quality version of the early ’90s show Profit). I was excited to see Timothy Olyphant join the cast, it’ll be interesting to see if his character has an interesting role to play (at least more-so than Ellen’s fiancee).

Finished up Season 5 of The Sopranos. I enjoyed this season. The...

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:44:00 -0400

Finished up Season 5 of The Sopranos. I enjoyed this season. The tension between Tony and Carmela provided some good drama to seed the season and I liked Steve Buscemi’s character pulling along the story line. The Sopranos has been pretty good about maintaining a certain level of quality throughout the series, which I appreciate - although it’s not as engaging as the first season was. I think one of the things that surprised me the most about the show was the lack of death amongst the main characters - there’s surprisingly little turnover (a couple characters per season, and most of them at the end - almost always the new characters that were introduced that season). I’m looking forward to starting and finishing the 6th season.

Just had the opportunity to see an episode of Venture Bros...

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:15:00 -0400

Just had the opportunity to see an episode of Venture Bros Season 3 in 1080p. It’s gorgeous. I fully approve of the move towards HD in animated programs. The recent Futurama movies, this season of South Park, and this season of The Simpsons (although, no amount of HD will make that show funny again) - it’s amazing how crisp the output looks.