|
Skins |
Jamie Brittain |
I watched about five minutes of this British high school drama and had to turn it off out of annoyance. |
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60 minutes |
| |
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This product was released around January 2007
by E4
|
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I consumed this around April 2010 |
| More:
Skins |
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Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 4/25/2010 10:13:36 AM |
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Sledge Hammer ! - Season 2 |
Alan Spencer |
Something about season two just did not click. The timing on the physical humor and the one-liners was consistently late. A bunch of the shows are take offs of other popular movies. "A Clockwork Hammer" is based on A Clockwork Orange and Max Headroom. "Play it Again Sledge" is Cassablanca. Sledge plays Crocodile Dundee in "Death Of A Few Salesmen". "Hammer Hits The Rock" is like Cool Hand Luke. "Last Of The Red Hot Vampires" is a vampire themed episode. "Wild About Hammer" = Fatal Attraction. "Vertical" is Vertigo. "Hammeroid" is Robocop. One absolutely glaring inconsistency is that season one ended with everyone being killed in a nuclear blast. At the beginning of the second season a message says that this takes place five years in the past. However Doreau and Hammer are partners whereas they meet for the first time in season one.
I noticed appearances by David Leisure ("Joe Isuzu"), Kurt Fuller, and Robert Moll ("Bull" from Night Court). |
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30 minutes |
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This product was released around 1987
by ABC
|
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I consumed this around February 2010 |
| More:
Sledge Hammer ! - Season 2 |
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Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 2/19/2010 6:58:34 PM |
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Gladiator Days: Anatomy of a Prison Murder |
Marc Levin |
This one hour HBO special was frightening but a
little disjointed. Troy Kell is serving life
without parole for the murder of James Cotton
Kelly. The woman who asked him to take care of
Kelly is interviewed as well. In prison Kell, now
part of a white supremacist gang, kills black
prisoner Lonnie Blackmon with the help of Eric
Daniels. Blackmon's brother is interviewed as well
a Daniels, now a born again Christian. Kell
stabbed Blackmon 67 times but the frightening
thing is his collected manner in interviews.
Gladiator Days: Anatomy of a Prison Murder
implies that we'll learn something about what
created the conditions for the murder of Blackmon.
Maybe it was Kell's upbringing. Maybe it was the
prison system that made him into a monster. Was it
race relations in prisons or the culture of
violence? How was the murder planned? All of these
things are touched on but they don't really tie
together. The special does a bad job of creating a
narrative that leads us to the murder of Lonnie
Blackmon. |
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60 minutes |
| |
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This product was released around 2002
by HBO
|
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I consumed this around January 2010 |
| More:
Gladiator Days: Anatomy of a Prison Murder |
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Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 1/31/2010 7:09:02 AM |
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Battlestar Galactica: The Plan |
Edward James Olmos |
"And they have a plan"
The Plan deals with the Cylon attempts to finish the genocide of humanity from the perspective of Cylon infiltrators in the human colonies. We
see all of their machinations in the context of the mini-series up to the Cylon truce with humanity. It's clear that Cavil devised the genocide and is
leading the charge to finish the job. As a leader he's demeaning, controlling, and abusive. He cares not about the feelings of his Cylons and doesn't
tolerate failure. As the genocide fails to reach completion Cavil grows impatient. A Six who failed to discredit Baltar is ordered to airlock herself.
We see the beginning of Two's infatuation with Starbuck. A Four kills himself rather than carry out an attack. We get a behind the scenes look at some
of the failures of Eight's attempts at sabotage. She tries to destory the water system, then fixes it. Then she fails to kill Adama. Five cannot
properly execute a suicide bombing. Doral's position is interesting. In the series he always seemed like a controlling figure yet here we see he has
less say in things. Cavil uses him as a suicide bomber on Galactica and for burying bodies on Caprica. Not exactly upper management work.
Cavil is remarkably committed to the genocide but others seem less so. Immense hatred of the human race blinds him to transformations in his Cylons.
Certain models of Two, Four, and Eight have started to have feelings for the human race. Some of those who were knowingly or unknowingly planted start
to enjoy human life. Cavil misses the growing fondness and the implications it has for the Cylon fleet.
Two is infatuated with Starbuck and he theorizes, after she flies the Cylon raider, that she has a destiny the Cylons should not interrupt.
Four has a wife he loves. The magnitude of Simon's role in The Plan almost exceeds that of the rest of the series combined. His model is
medically oriented - he's a medic in space and a team doctor on Caprica. On the ship he is more conflicted with himself. He has a personal side that
we hadn't seen from him. Married with a step child, he can't go through with a bombing that would harm them. He kills himself instead, leaving a
suicide note saying "death doesn't end love".
Eight is the soul mate of Tyrol. We find out that she knew who she was...at times. Somehow she alternates between being a knowing Cylon and being
somehow blacked out so that she didn't know she wasn't human. When she's back as a Cylon though she remembers her human experiences. "I'm happier when
I'm under. I'm happier when I'm human." She's not in control of herself though. In order to commit violence against the humans she has to "go
Centurion". It's the only way she can rectify what she is programmed to do with what she feels towards the humans.
Anders, though he doesn't know he's a Cylon, falls in love with Starbuck on Caprica.
Finally, it is another model of Cavil himself that begins to find himself changing his opinion on humanity. One of the more interesting parts of
The Plan is watching the beginning of the resistance on Caprica. Anders ends up leading his team against Cylon bases. After an attack a Cavil
model infiltrates the occupation. Slowly he comes around to the humans (against the wishes of a Simon). When Starbuck returns with a force to rescue
the resistance Cavil has the scope of a rifle keyed on her. He doesn't fire and I think that he chose to let her live. Back on Galactica, after he is
found out, he delivers the truce to the humans. His insight into the humans clashes with the Cavil that has been leading the Cylons on Galactica. He
calls the genocide a "temper tantrum". Both are airlocked with Galactica Cavil vowing to "box" Caprica Cavil. Based on the final season I would guess
that he succeeded in doing that. |
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2 hours |
| |
|
This product was released around 2009
by SyFy
|
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I consumed this around December 2009 |
| More:
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan |
|
Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 1/6/2010 7:24:46 PM |
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Rescue Me - Season 5 |
Denis Leary |
All of Tommy's ghosts - his grown son, his cousin, his brother, his dad - visit him during one of his drunken video sessions. Tommy's dad let's his ghosts, the audience and even Tommy in on the secret that is the basis for the entire series. Essentially, Tommy is such a good firefighter because he doesn't feel anything. When he cleans up the remains of a kid at a highway car accident it's clear that he's the only member of the crew that can emotionally handle the carnage. His drinking is his attempt to make himself feel. The binge sessions are like a shock to the system trying to bring out all of his repressed emotions. On a daily basis though he needs alcohol to feel alive. That's what makes the introduction of Kelly (Maura Tierney) works. His wife, Janet, has lost with him but she wants nothing of that past. After their son was killed she jettisoned Tommy quickly. Sheila at times wanted to get close to Jimmy through Tommy but now she just wants someone to have sex with. Kelly has lost a child and she wants to hold onto it. That's what Tommy needs. In the end Tommy's emotional numbness is used against him corporeally. |
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60 minutes |
| |
|
This product was released around 2009
by FX
|
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I consumed this around December 2009 |
| More:
Rescue Me - Season 5 |
|
Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 1/1/2010 6:16:15 PM |
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This American Life - Season 2 |
Ira Glass |
I'm sure This American Life could have done every one of its six television episodes on the radio (they're that good). Starting with the first episode, "Escape", it felt like Ira Glass and company found a story that wouldn't have been done justice over the radio. "Escape" is a story about Mike, a man who's health has so degraded that he can't sit up and can barely talk for any length of time. It would have been hard to convey his appearance with a breathing tube, typing with one finger so that a computer can output his words in robotic monotone. It would have been hard to understand the muffled talking when he took out the tube. The lack of talking for long stretches wouldn't have made sense on radio. Johnny Depp reading his typed out words at his request was cool enough to work in both mediums I suspect.
The second act of "Escape" dealt with inner city kids taking care of horses in the city. Again, the contrast between horses walking and a run down city might not have been as powerful if described. In "Two Wars" an Iraqi sets up an "Ask an Iraqi" booth in different parts of the country. The booth kind of reminded me of Ira Glass' desk in the first season. The second act of "Two Wars" is a man (the antithesis of my father if you knew him and his lawn) who won't mow his lawn.
In "Going Down in History" you have another two acts that are augmented by video: interviews with school kids during yearbook pictures and a man who creates WWII miniature scenes. In "Fighters" you have an action packed story of boxing "opponents" - boxers who are signed to fight because they are likely to lose. This was the most interesting and educational episode of the season. "Scenes from a Marriage" is about a young Asian woman watching her older white American husband stubbornly battle the legal system - and learn that maybe she could have a better life without him.
"John Smith", the 50 minute finale, is the most poignant of the episodes. It deals with half a dozen John Smiths from around the country at different ages. Again I think the video does the story more justice. You have to see the infant, the eight year old, the 23 year old, the man in his thirties, the father in his forties waiting for his son to come home from Iraq, the retired man and the deteriorating health of the last John Smith in order to see the contrast. It was a great episode showing each man dealing with different issues at different stages of his life. Absolutely great story telling. |
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30 minutes |
| |
|
This product was released around May 2008
by Showtime
|
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I consumed this around December 2009 |
| More:
This American Life - Season 2 |
|
Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 1/1/2010 5:46:34 PM |
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Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog |
Joss Whedon |
Neil Patrick Harris plays an aspiring super villain, Dr. Horrible, who is also in love with with a woman, Penny (Felicia Day), at his laundromat. Penny falls in love with Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion) instead. His self confidence battered, Billy aka Dr. Horrible, redoubles his efforts to gain acceptance into a villain society. There are three acts, each starting with Billy in evil scientist garb recording a video blog. Harris, who has remade himself with a bad-ass character shtick plays the earnest Billy quite well. It's almost like he recast himself as the young innocent character he's been trying to shed since Doogie Howser, M.D. His roommate, Moist (Simon Helberg), is a weak super hero who can only, as you may have guessed, make things moist. Nathan Fillion is awesome as the brash, heroic, strong, yet self involved super hero, Captain Hammer. His singing parts are by far the best parts of the 42 minute series. Being a little dumb plus a little too cocksure is always a recipe for humor. His three person fan club is pretty funny in its sporadic song appearances. If you haven't figured it out yet, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a musical. Every few minutes the characters break out into a balladic exposition of their feelings. The songs are geeky in a sort of Jonathan Coulton way, talking about love and superheroes with cleverness and sincerity. |
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14 minutes |
| |
|
This product was released around 2008
by Internet
|
|
I consumed this around December 2009 |
| More:
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog |
|
Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 12/19/2009 8:26:50 AM |
| |
|
|
Futurama: Bender's Game |
Dwayne Carey-Hill |
The third installment of Futurama's comeback is "Bender's Game". This one takes geek humor to a different realm. Instead of space and science geek humor Bender gets involved with Dungeons & Dragons, eventually getting transported to an alternate reality where he and the rest of the cast play out the Lord of the Rings script. There is a dark matter shortage which brings the villain Mom and her three idiotic sons into the plot. "Bender's Game" is one of the better long comeback episodes that Futurama has put out. They geeked it up big time. Bender going crazy, thinking he is a knight, is the key though. As with past episodes it's always funny to see Bender lose his mind and then committ fully to his hallucinations. |
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|
89 minutes |
| |
|
This product was released around November 2008
by Comedy Central
|
|
I consumed this around December 2009 |
| More:
Futurama: Bender's Game |
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Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 12/19/2009 8:06:56 AM |
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Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder |
Peter Avanzino |
Ecofeminists are trying to stop
Amy's father from plowing over a
tenth of the universe to create a
mini-golf course. "Into the Wild
Green Yonder" reminded me of the
Amazonian women episode of an
earlier season as it made fun of
strong women and dumb men. The humor
was probably the weakest since the
first comeback episode. A little bit
of the plot with Bender seemed out
of place as well. |
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|
89 minutes |
| |
|
This product was released around February 2009
by Comedy Central
|
|
I consumed this around December 2009 |
| More:
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder |
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Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 12/19/2009 8:05:05 AM |
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Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs |
Peter Avanzino |
Continuing on from Bender's Big Score the second Futurama comeback episode, The Beast with a Billion Backs, is a welcome improvement. It picks up where the first left off in terms of plot and merit. I think where BwBB improves over BBS is in the non-geek humor. Little gags involving personal interactions of the crew were lacking in the first installment. In this one they were very good, helping the viewer through the extended format. With a "four in one" episode format I still felt they could have gotten Zoidberg or Hermes a little bit more but overall they spread it around. A good second comeback effort. |
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|
90 minutes |
| |
|
This product was released around October 2008
by Comedy Central
|
|
I consumed this around November 2009 |
| More:
Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs |
|
Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 11/25/2009 6:28:58 AM |
| |
|
|
Mad Men - Season e |
Matthew Weiner |
At first I thought Don Draper was going to be more of a grown up. In the first several episodes it looked like he was going to turn it around, be a good
father and a better husband. But he reverts to his old ways, sleeping with a stewardess, having an affair with a school teacher. It's like philandering
is his safety blanket. Even with a new child he can't commit (the child birth scene where they put Betty under was another classic fun Mad Men
anachronism). He even gets careless leading to him getting drugged and robbed by a couple of teenagers. It kind of reminded me of when he tried marijuana in season one. Like he needed to be destructive. Don's game is getting a little old and season
three finds it catching up with him.
Things start to get more precarious. An English firm takes over at the end of season two and starts shaking things up in season three. Costs are being
cut. The crunch of globalization starts pressuring the once comfy Sterling Cooper. Pete and Ken are forced to share duties, prestige diminished. It's clear that the glamor of the job is waning.
The pressure seemed to wear down even Don Draper. He seemed like a bigger hard ass in meetings with Peggy, Paul and other creative types. He is even
forced into a contract in an attempt to get Conrad Hilton's business.
It will take a bold move for the group to control their own destiny. Don doesn't want to be tied down and leaders like Burt Cooper and Roger Sterling
don't want to be shuffled to the sideline. Talented forward thinkers like Pete, Peggy and Harry Crane can be cogs in a larger machine or part of
something new and dynamic.
Mad Men always reminds us that it is a period piece. There are always cultural and societal references spliced into the plot. This season is no different. Sal's homosexuality
becomes an issue, rather than a side show. Pete tries to get a customer into the "negro market" but butts up against racial
prejudice. Medgar Evers is murdered. John F. Kennedy is assassinated. The 60s were a time of great disruption in society and the advertising agency is
no different. They experience the same general uptick in the rate of change that the rest of the world feels. You can tell it worries them all.
Peggy shows again and again that she knows what women want because she is a woman. This is what propelled her from a secretary to an ad woman. Now it's what will separate her from her peers. Women want to be marketed to rather than to be marketed through the lenses of what men want. Like Pete with African Americans, Peggy sees a splintering of advertising away from the mass market. The idea of segmentation is growing in importance. She also starts to exert her independence. She knows she's good and forces Don to recognize that. She not only puts Paul Kinsey
in awe but leaves him and his Ivy League education in the dust. She dabbles in drugs, gets sex when she wants it, and lives the life of a single woman
in Manhattan. While her family and others are worried about her changing ways she is entering this new world of her own volition:
I have a job. I have my own office with my name on the door, and I have a secretary. That's you. And I am not scared of any of this...but YOU'RE
scared....Oh, my God...you're SCARED. Don't worry about me. I am going to get to do EVERYTHING you want for me. I am going to be FINE, Olive.... I
really am.
I've always seen the main theme of Mad Men as the decline of the male power structure. Don's interaction with Peggy combined with his marital
troubles show the increasing power of women. Don for two seasons has been been in charge, his talent and magnetism controlling everyone around him. Now
Peggy, under Duck's tutelage, is growing a spine. Betty, with some compromising information, is finally fed up and gains the upper hand in the
marriage. She even turns the tables on Don, flirting with another man. Even Joan, so obviously the more talented half of her marriage, exerts herself
over Greg, a failed doctor. You can sum up the change that has taken place with this exchange between Peggy and Roger in the season finale:
Roger: Peggy, can you get me some coffee?
Peggy: No.
|
| |
|
60 minutes |
| |
|
This product was released around Fall 2009
by AMC
|
|
I consumed this around Fall 2009 |
| More:
Mad Men - Season e |
|
Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 11/22/2009 11:58:14 AM |
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|
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The Prisoner |
Bill Gallagher |
The Prisoner is six hours of confusion leading up to a mildly predictable climax. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that The Village the characters of this six episode mini-series live in is a manifestation of something else. That's not a secret. So it's obvious that a revelation is coming at the end. The problem is that for five episodes things are happening that make little sense. I had the impression that I was watching a quarter season of Lost. In this case though, it being a mini-series - I could wait out the vagaries of the plot. Still, though the ending made sense, I felt like the rest of the show was wasted with too much complexity.
I'm not calling the sci-fi remake obvious. It still manages to pull you along as it unveils its mysteries. It is also impeccably shot. The Village, a sandy, desert-locked paradise with light colored, one story, cookie cutter houses, is intriguing. At the edges of town is a vast desert. Inside is a dungeon-like "clinic" citizens are taken to if they violate 2's rules (the protagonist is 6, everyone is named with a number). Buses, cabs and bicycles crisscross the Anytown USA downtown. It's a fun world to live in for six hours. |
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|
60 minutes |
| |
|
This product was released around November 2009
by AMC
|
|
I consumed this around November 2009 |
| More:
The Prisoner |
|
Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 11/20/2009 7:12:30 PM |
| |
|
|
When the Levees Broke |
Spike Lee |
Spike Lee's chronicle of Hurricane Katrina relies on interviews of survivors from different wards and parishes as well as important players for first hand accounts of a disaster that one pair of residents compared to Pompei.
Act I starts off with the preparations for the oncoming hurricane, the hurricane and the ensuing chaos. The Superdome and convention center were set up as shelters. Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco called for evacuation. The news reports were ominous, speaking of a giant category five storm. New Orleans wasn't caught off guard. Residents knew that if they stayed they would not be helped.
Rumors that levees were intentionally dynamited during 1965's Hurricane Betsy lead residents to think that levees were blown up this time
around. Both were untrue. In 1965 St. Bernard Parish, a mostly white area, was one of the worst hit parishes, debunking the rumor that levees were destroyed to divert the flood away from white areas. You can see though that there is a seed of distrust that will only blossom throughout the coming crisis.
There was evidence that things could get really bad. A study of what would happen if New Orleans was flooded (by a fictitious "Hurricane
Pam") did not bode well. It showed that 127,000 residents had no access to automobiles for an evacuation. It turned out the levees were not
strong enough. The Hurricane missed New Orleans but the levees broke under a category one hurricane anyway.
The rescue effort was led by the Coast Guard. However, many residents used makeshift boats - the "Cajun Navy" - to rescue people themselves,
transporting them to higher ground. Sean Penn was one prominent ad hoc volunteer pulling people out. While he didn't mug for the camera in
the first four acts of the documentary he was given extensive time in the fifth. The heat was oppressive, survivors said, as people were left
on rooftops or on interstates. The storm ripped the roof off of the Superdome so clearly the wooden shelter of single family homes had little
chance against wind and water.
In the days after Katrina many rescuees were left on interstates to wait for further evacuation. Some residents claimed they were stopped
from crossing into Jefferson Parish by police. Others were dropped at the convention center. Food, water and medicine were in short
order. Buses were slow to come to evacuate residents further. A kick ass general named Honore came in and got things moving at the convention
center. From there many residents were sent to the airport where they waited and eventually were shipped out all over the country. Often
times they weren't told where they were going or had no choice in the matter. Conflicts arose in other cities as displaced
residents were pushed to their limits. The extra people put a strain on local resources. Kicked out of their own city and looking to meet up
with family lead to a feeling that authorities didn't care (exemplified by Kanye West's statements on national television). The media dubbed them "refugees" rather than
"internally displaced persons". Some were placed in and then kicked out of hotels, FEMA stopped footing the bills.
Racial paranoia existed as law and order broke down. Emotions bubbled over for people stuck on interstates, in the convention center and the
Superdome. There were however, rumors and lies that exaggerated the situation to make New Orleans look like a war zone. There were looters
but the fog of war keeps us from knowing the extent to which they were looking for food and water versus those that were looking for luxury
items. Resources were being spent saving people rather than stopping looters. It seems that reports of violence were overblown.
After 5 days on the ground a CNN interview exposed the fact that FEMA did not even know people were being housed at the convention center.
The Bush administration was slow to respond. Bush's infamous "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" statement showed how clueless the
federal government was about what was going on. FEMA and Homeland Security didn't treat the situation as a disaster when the levees broke.
Brown, while incompetent, was scapegoated. The entire federal response was suspect. The contrast between Katrina and 9/11 was stark.
Condoleeza Rice, the administration's most prominent African American, was infamously caught shopping in Manhattan during the crisis. Though
I'm not sure what part she would have played in the relief effort it added to the perception that Bush did not care about what was going on.
There was a mandatory evacuation. Many victims refused to leave though, leading some to blame them for their plight. Mayor Ray Nagin was
portrayed in a mostly favorable light. He was faulted for failing to follow a pre-storm disaster plan. After the fact he was understandably
overwhelmed by the problem. Katrina was not comparable to 9/11 if you are talking about mayoral responses. The former covered 90,000 square
miles while the latter covered 16 acres. Nagin thought the calvary would come. It wasn't until a radio interview where Nagin angrily sounded
off that the federal response quickened. In general the documentary, the radio interview especially, made Nagin look a lot better than he did
from news reports during the crisis.
The talk turned to "justice not charity". A helping hand was needed but the underlying conditions in New Orleans make it difficult to
rebuild. Some residents felt they had a better opportunity in other cities. New Olreans didn't care about them. There was nothing left for
them. Crime caused by poor schools lead to no infrastructure for advancement.
In Act 4 the talk turned to recovery. Many of the interviews throughout the documentary were with musicians and performers. Shots of Mardi
Gras, the Black Men of Labor, and unique funeral marches were slipped into different parts. The rich cultural heritage - history,
religion, dance, music - of New Orleans was on display despite the tragic story that needed to be told. Debris removal was done by the Army
Corps of Engineers but it was done slowly. In interviews most residents expressed no confidence in the Corps' ability to fortify the levees
that failed the city for the next batch of hurricanes. Bodies were scattered everywhere. The deltas, it was claimed, have been irrevocably
harmed by human action and global warming. Further complicating the rebuilding effort was the fact that while the
wetlands around the city are important to the environment and the nation's energy supply the people get little compensation from the resource. Energy is drilled far enough off shore that royalties need not be paid to the state. Insurance companies have denied claims, saying the hurricane didn't damage houses, floods did. Developers
came in trying to buy land cheap. The ninth ward was getting bulldozed. Much of it wasn't getting cleaned though. Residents thought this was
an attempt to discourage people from coming back. Lifetime residents were being told not to come back by outsiders. An emotional toll of
"despair, depression, and anxiety" was exacted on people who saw their homes wiped out. Stress, grieving and suicide were after effects.
Despite all of this it is clear that the people of New Orleans as a whole want to rebuild. The levees need to be rebuilt but people don't
trust the Army Corps of Engineers to do it. When they settle back in they'll be sure to evacuate the next time a hurricane comes.
In an extra segment, "Water is Rising", Lee displays a photo montage of iconic shots. As big and bad as Hurricane Katrina was, it wasn't the
star of the film. The documentary focused on the human stories created by the disaster. |
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5 acts |
| |
|
This product was released around 2006
by HBO
|
|
I consumed this around November 2009 |
| More:
When the Levees Broke |
|
Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 11/13/2009 6:55:26 PM |
| |
|
|
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia |
Rob McElhenney |
Another solid season from "the gang". Mac and Dennis go "man hunting" a la Jean Claude van Damme in Hard Target. They try to sell gasoline out of barrels. Frank has tryouts for male and female models to grace a billboard. Dennis, of course, tries out. Green man makes an appearance as Dee tries to become a Youtube sensation. The waitress uses Mac to get into Dennis' apartment and destroy some incriminating tapes. Charlie is enraged. Mac and Charlie try to fake their own deaths and live on the streets in a two part episode after Mac's dad - who we've seen in past seasons - gets paroled. He just wants to get away from them though. An entire episode is devoted to determining who pooped Charlies and Frank's bed. Creepy Artemis makes an appearance. Dennis tries to sell his memoirs but needs to back up his story with real experiences. Somehow Sinbad and Rob Thomas factor into this. Dee has a heart attack leading the gang to worry about their health and health insurance. There's a flashback to the Revolutionary War and a home (invasion) makeover. The season ends with Charlie's play, "The Nightman Cometh", an absurd attempt to get the waitress to marry him.
This is the model It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia goes by; they touch on timely or important topics but don't really make a statement of any sort. Frank, Charlie, Dee, Dennis and Mac are too mentally challenged to be edgy so they stumble through important issues accidentally making a mockery of all that is sacred in the world. |
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|
30 minutes |
| |
|
This product was released around 2008
by FX
|
|
I consumed this around September 2009 |
| More:
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia |
|
Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 10/20/2009 6:13:21 PM |
| |
|
|
Peep Show - Season 1 |
Jesse Armstrong |
Peep Show starts off with a gimmick: you see the character who is speaking through the eyes of another character. It then doubles up on the Ricky Gervais style poor decision making main character. Mark (David Mitchell) has a steady job but his lack of confidence leads to poor decisions at work and with women. Jeremy (Robert Webb) is his freeloading failed "musician" roommate. His bad decisions stem from overconfidence. Mark chases his office coworker, Sophie (Olivia Colman), Jeremy their neighbor Toni (Elizabeth Marmur). He's also egged on by his idiot friend and coworker, Super Hans (Matt King).
This isn't the best of the uncomfortable sitcom genre. While it's not at the level of Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm or Ricky Gervais in The Office or Extras, Peep Show is certainly awkward. Like almost every show that comes out of Britain the first series is only six episodes so it's worth a look. |
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30 minutes |
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This product was released around 2003
by Channel 4
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I consumed this around September 2009 |
| More:
Peep Show - Season 1 |
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Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 10/14/2009 9:45:53 AM |
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Weeds - Season 4 |
Jenji Kohan |
Nancy Botwin just keeps moving up the food chain. As she gets closer to the source the stakes get higher. Her fuck ups will get her more jail time and her partners are more likely to kill her. Her family is on the run after last season saw Agrestic burned to the ground. Nancy's new partner, Guillermo (Guillermo Diaz), was the arsonist, showing just how far her new associates are willing to go.
Things get more sophisticated; Nancy is now running a front and interacting with smuggling operations. Doug and Andy strike off on their own ridiculous venture. Silas takes the next step in his drug world maturation, partnering up with an older woman to sell via a store front. Shane gets in on the ground floor. Albert Brooks makes a cameo as Lenny Botwin, Nancy's father in law and new landlord.
The show stays funny with Doug and Andy's money making schemes combined with Celia absolutely losing is under pressure. |
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30 minutes |
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This product was released around 2008
by Showtime
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I consumed this around July 2009 |
| More:
Weeds - Season 4 |
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Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 10/11/2009 6:33:52 PM |
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Rescue Me - Season 4 |
Denis Leary |
Rescue Me was a disappointing and disjointed in its fourth season. Maybe what killed the season the most were Tommy Gavin's love interests. Nona, the volunteer firefighter that apparently saved his life in the season three climax, and Valerie, a voluptuous woman with odd sexual problems, didn't really hold up to Janet, Sheila and other love interests Tommy has had in the past.
Franco runs into problems with Natalie after asking her to marry him. Her mildly retarded brother is used for some comic relief. If that was all the writers did with Richie it would be offensive but they actually develop a relationship between Franco and Richie that makes Franco and Natalie's problems more emotionally difficult. Lou's road to recovery with women is tripped up by his family. Another full time character, "Black Shawn" (Larenz Tate) , arrives as a ringer for the house's basketball team. Chief Feinberg (Jerry Adler) becomes the new chief of the house.
Death ends yet another season. Also, throughout the season there are three instances of firefighters losing parental figures. Upon further review this is an interesting theme to ponder in an otherwise weak season. |
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60 minutes |
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This product was released around 2007
by FX
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I consumed this around August 2009 |
| More:
Rescue Me - Season 4 |
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Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 9/23/2009 7:14:42 PM |
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Friday Night Lights - Season 1 |
Peter Berg |
There's a certain sadness watching an entire town devote itself to high school football. Businesses close for the football game. "Rally girls" bake cakes for the Dillon Panther starters. Sixteen to eighteen year old kids are fawned over at rallies and dinners by adults and peers alike. Coach Eric Taylor's (Kyle Chandler) job is on the line from day one. A loss and his family's bags need to be packed. Expectations are too high. Is it football or the kids that play that the town is behind?
Jason Street (Scott Porter) is the star quaterback. His future is tied up in a playing career that ends with a catastrophic injury. What is his life after the injury? His family cracks under the burden of his new life. His perfect relationship with Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) is ripped apart. Can he build a new identity?
Brian "Smash" Williams (Gaius Charles) and his football career are his family's meal ticket. He is good and brash but the pressure is too much. A bad game could mean the end of it all. It drives him to break rules and dishonor himself, his mother and his team.
Buddy Garrity (Brad Leland) struck me as one of the saddest characters. The owner of a car dealership, he's a big booster of the football team. Family is important but football rules in his mind.
Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) is the football player who wasn't supposed to be a star. Never expected to be in the spotlight, Street's injury thrusts Saracen into the brightest one of them all - "QB1" in a town where football is everything. Can he be the good natured boy who takes care of his grandmother while he's gaining fame. Can he grow into the position that Street occupied? Will he stay friends with his odd ball best friend Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemons)?
Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) can't escape thoughts that he couldn't protect his best friend on the football field.
Every kid - and they are kids - has his or her personality defined by football. Their own self worth is wrapped up in their performance on the football field.
The number of actual football scenes is a lot fewer than I would have expected. Entire game sequences are mostly avoided. The beginning is shown, a speech at half time, and then the final dramatic ending. While the game scenes aren't unbelievable I did have a problem with some of the play calls that set up big plays. Somehow the team is able to win a bunch of games with long last second running plays or Hail Marys that get behind the defense. Not the worst things you'll see in sports shows or movies but I would have liked to see a little more authenticity.
I don't want to imply that the show is all sad or that it was attempting to be dramatic while actually being delusionally sad. The sadness sneaks through good hearted fun, humor and real drama. The first season of Friday Night Lights struggled through ratings problems probably because it didn't fit into a perfect mold. It is a high school drama whose principal character is a middle aged husband, father and coach. Its characters act like stupid high school kids but the drama is still done surprisingly well. While the town seems to ignore the feelings and personalities of the kids involved for their own enjoyment there are plenty of adults - coaches, family, supporters - who connect with them. |
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60 minutes |
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This product was released around 2006
by NBC
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I consumed this around September 2009 |
| More:
Friday Night Lights - Season 1 |
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Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 9/21/2009 6:51:19 PM |
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Rescue Me - Season 3 |
Dennis Leary |
Season three sees the crew deal with their deepest emotional issues yet. The crushing weight of loss threatens to ruin them. Tommy breaks down constantly over the loss of his son. Janet will not forgive him for not protecting Connor and ends the relationship "for good". Lonely, she turns to Tommy's brother, Johnny. Lt. Shea, the crew's smartest, most learned member, must deal with being conned by a prostitute for his life savings. Suddenly the loss of his wife pains him more. Chief Riley loses his wife while she's still alive. She can't remember who he is as her mind deteriorates. Franco loses his daughter to an older girlfriend who doesn't think he creates a stable environment for Keela.
Watching Tommy cry, Lou stumble around in a drunken haze, Jerry search for help and Franco needing his little girl is jarring. Tommy is the tough guy. Lou is witty. Jerry is in charge. Franco is a ladies man without a care. They are all chopped down by their losses. Some will pull themselves up, others will sink deeper until there is no turning back. |
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60 minutes |
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This product was released around 2007
by FX
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I consumed this around 2009 |
| More:
Rescue Me - Season 3 |
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Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 9/1/2009 1:33:26 AM |
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Scrubs |
Bill Lawrence |
Scrubs gets a series-wide review because you can pick it up virtually anywhere. The few long plot arcs usually revolve around a relationship that JD or Elliot are in. It's a comedy with subtlety that you can also put on as background music and still enjoy.
One defining aspect of Scrubs is its use of day dream cut scenes. The show puts a lot of effort into sporadic sequences emanating from JD's brain. These scenes are sometimes less than 10 seconds long but always fully costumed. It's impressive.
We see the hospital through JD, a flaky, naive yet gifted and caring doctor he has a deep man crush on his best friend, Turk. He's a brash (yet, again, caring) surgeon who JD idolizes for his coolness (and blackness). The two have a tight geeky connection. Elliot is JD's on again, off again love interest. She is frightened sexually and completely neurotic. We are lead to believe that years of criticism from her mother has ruined her self esteem. Carla is the wise (Latina!) nurse who refers to JD as "Bambi". She was working at the hospital when JD, Elliot and Turk arrived. She, along with Nurse Laverne, is a gossip who constantly gives her opinion on what others are doing.
Dr. Perry Cox is JD's mentor. As JD idolizes Turk in his personal life he does professionally with Dr. Cox. Perry never ceases to beat him over the head with that fact. A rebel against hospital administration, he is gruff and blunt. He guides JD as he learns to walk but never lets up on him. "Newbie", as he calls JD, is constantly faulted for timidness and gets referred to by a woman's name at every turn. Cox is a father figure that won't give JD a hug - but not in a corny way. Jordan is Perry's ex-wife who gives it better than Perry. Whereas most of Perry's rebelliousness stems from wanting to help (there it is again) patients, Jordan doesn't care at all. Perry may hate everyone he works with but Jordan exposes the fact that he hates himself more.
"Janitor" is JD's nemesis, having targeted him for harassment from day one. Usually about once an episode he'll try to mess with JD; the torture ranging from mundane and juvenile to elaborate and insane. Bob Kelso, the (mostly) heartless chief of medicine is Perry's nemesis. Kelso demolishes little fish like JD and Elliot but has an almost symbiotic hate relationship with Perry. There are a slew of recurring lesser characters - "The Todd", Doug from the morgue - that add to the general goofiness of the show.
What I think makes the show impressive is that it will go the extra mile in any scene to make the gag work. Bringing in Jimmie Walker or a marching band for a 12 second cut scene illustrates that. Ultimately Scrubs is a show that is very funny but has a lot of heart. Most hospital shows are dramas that exploit death for phony seriousness. Scrubs adeptly works with that seriousness at times and then around most of the time when it is being a comedy. |
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30 minutes |
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This product was released around 2001
by NBC
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I consumed this around 2000s |
| More:
Scrubs |
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Posted by: Jeff Egnaczyk at: 8/24/2009 7:09:29 PM |
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