Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Television and Me
Tonight was a viewing night. We finished watching some cool Olympic events, Sasha went to bed and I launched Netflix. Three hours later, I'm posting a blog about it. Kind of odd to be making that kind of transition, when I should be sleeping, but I'll get there shortly.
It's important to start with the last show I watched, an older anime called Fruits Basket. An imaginative show that in 20 minutes introduces the main character (a high school girl) and all the hardships she had endured to this point and how she meets a family that turns into zodiac animals when hugged. Yeah, it's strange, but I had read the manga and wanted to see how it was animated.
And Fruits Basket is like nothing ever seen on American television. And I thought, "These are stories told in an awesome fashion that cannot be matched by what we produce here!"
Especially since, prior to Fruits Basket, I watched the intro to an episode of Last Exile, another anime series that is a little older. But instead of high school girls, it's huge flying ships that battle and the couriers that fly messages and all sorts of crazy things. Amazing story that I had seen before, but I enjoyed the intro enough to watch it and get the taste. Again, nothing to match it in our part of the world.
"If only we had stories like that!" I thought.
Then I remembered what I had watched right after turning on Netflix. Not an animated show. Nothing that wasn't filmed here in the good 'ol North American continent. (I think they flim in Canada.) The SyFy show Warehouse 13. Season three just became available on Netflix, so I finally could view it. And it took a supreme act of willpower to have only watched two episodes.
Warehouse 13 is a light modern science fiction show about items that gained supernatural powers due to the cultural significance of their owners. The first episode I watched started with Jimi Hendrix's guitar shooting out lightning and it went from there. I could have watched until the sun rose.
This is not a kind of story I have seen in Japanese anime or manga. Very American and very cool.
So as my mind went over this, the next question was how can I share this love of stories with the kids? I want them to get that same kind of thrill from a new story concept. To be able to appreciate all stories and enjoy telling them as well some day. Everything I watched tonight was too old for the kids.
But all of those stories I saw and appreciated required knowledge of previous stories to make sense. And thus my plan is to keep going forward with what I do now. Read to them a lot.
Bedtime involves books and that is something that Sasha and I will never change. Once those stories take root, be it the basic fairy tales, or the creatively silly Olivia books, Alya and Marcus will have the foundation to build an appreciation of latter books/shows/manga/graphic novels. And that will be cool to share with them.
Be seeing you.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Some Stops in the Vast Wasteland (Part Two)
Stops in the Vast Wasteland Part II
Sometimes posting can be hard work, but the joy of writing often returns once the first few letters appear on the screen. The big trick is being consistant in the process.
So I'm just going to hit a few shows that have been on the docket as well as a smattering of other quick hits. Look at this as the scattershot thought.
This past weekend was a Halloween & Project time. That drywall kitchen project is finally nearing completion as I was able to get the paint down and most of the molding up. Just a few more nails and we will have our kitchen back after nearly 5 months of various states of disrepair. The morel of this story - drywall is not difficult in general, but a pain to execute properly and time consuming in an annoying fashion.
On the fun side, we actually got our pumpkins carved and some photos are up on the Picasa picture album. Holly and Sasha did the good ones, mine is the tenticle mouth. No suprise there.
Oh and the kids haven't gone trick or treating yet, although they did help in carving smaller pumpkins. Alya really got into the cleaning and cutting. Marcus just gnawed on the top of the pumpkin after pulling down most of the DVDs. Pictures will be up tonight in the same folder.
***
In the realm of television, I finally got around to watching the new Christian Slater show "My Own Worst Enemy" (NBC - Mondays). While deleting the pilot from the DVR, I was a little torn about the show. The best description might be "24" meets "Chuck" with no charm and much lighter intensity. This is a show to let pass simply because it takes itself too seriously when the concept is so rediculous. Rent a Bond flick for better spy action, or Me, Myself & Irene for lowbrow (extremely lowbrow) split personality hijinks.
"House" (Fox - Tuesday) remains an extremely enjoyable show to watch. However, it seems to have broken a bit away from the medical mystery side of things to move into character study mode. The events arounds the patient are not as important as the events with the doctors and their lives. This makes the show not as much fun as last season, but perhaps that is just me. Still a fun watch.
The new show "Fringe" (Fox - Tuesday) follows "House" schedule-wise, but misses the mark a tad execution-wise. The show is basically the producers of "Lost" take on the "X-Files". An FBI agent gets caught up with mysterious happenings that revolve around something called "the Pattern" and a company by the name of Massive Dynamics. Each episode revolves around some sort of fringe-science - a telepathic cellphone network, cloning, shared memories accessed through regression, weird stuff in general. Fun show, but not outstanding.
"Bones" (Fox - Wednesday) is a show that brings back memories of the classic era of "Moonlighting" with the two leads having that same chemistry that Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd held in their show 20(!) years ago. Each show seems to be based on a body being found and the FBI bring the Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan and her team to figure out the crime. David Boreanaz (Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) plays the FBI agent who brings in the bodies and does the field agent work as Seeley Booth, while Emily Deschanel plays the title character. Boreanaz and Deschanel's interaction really make the show, but the supporting characters are put together quite well. If you've got room on the viewing plate, give it a shot.
Okay, that's enough tv for now. Then again, we probably all have too much tv already.
Be seeing you,
Jon
Sometimes posting can be hard work, but the joy of writing often returns once the first few letters appear on the screen. The big trick is being consistant in the process.
So I'm just going to hit a few shows that have been on the docket as well as a smattering of other quick hits. Look at this as the scattershot thought.
This past weekend was a Halloween & Project time. That drywall kitchen project is finally nearing completion as I was able to get the paint down and most of the molding up. Just a few more nails and we will have our kitchen back after nearly 5 months of various states of disrepair. The morel of this story - drywall is not difficult in general, but a pain to execute properly and time consuming in an annoying fashion.
On the fun side, we actually got our pumpkins carved and some photos are up on the Picasa picture album. Holly and Sasha did the good ones, mine is the tenticle mouth. No suprise there.
Oh and the kids haven't gone trick or treating yet, although they did help in carving smaller pumpkins. Alya really got into the cleaning and cutting. Marcus just gnawed on the top of the pumpkin after pulling down most of the DVDs. Pictures will be up tonight in the same folder.
***
In the realm of television, I finally got around to watching the new Christian Slater show "My Own Worst Enemy" (NBC - Mondays). While deleting the pilot from the DVR, I was a little torn about the show. The best description might be "24" meets "Chuck" with no charm and much lighter intensity. This is a show to let pass simply because it takes itself too seriously when the concept is so rediculous. Rent a Bond flick for better spy action, or Me, Myself & Irene for lowbrow (extremely lowbrow) split personality hijinks.
"House" (Fox - Tuesday) remains an extremely enjoyable show to watch. However, it seems to have broken a bit away from the medical mystery side of things to move into character study mode. The events arounds the patient are not as important as the events with the doctors and their lives. This makes the show not as much fun as last season, but perhaps that is just me. Still a fun watch.
The new show "Fringe" (Fox - Tuesday) follows "House" schedule-wise, but misses the mark a tad execution-wise. The show is basically the producers of "Lost" take on the "X-Files". An FBI agent gets caught up with mysterious happenings that revolve around something called "the Pattern" and a company by the name of Massive Dynamics. Each episode revolves around some sort of fringe-science - a telepathic cellphone network, cloning, shared memories accessed through regression, weird stuff in general. Fun show, but not outstanding.
"Bones" (Fox - Wednesday) is a show that brings back memories of the classic era of "Moonlighting" with the two leads having that same chemistry that Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd held in their show 20(!) years ago. Each show seems to be based on a body being found and the FBI bring the Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan and her team to figure out the crime. David Boreanaz (Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) plays the FBI agent who brings in the bodies and does the field agent work as Seeley Booth, while Emily Deschanel plays the title character. Boreanaz and Deschanel's interaction really make the show, but the supporting characters are put together quite well. If you've got room on the viewing plate, give it a shot.
Okay, that's enough tv for now. Then again, we probably all have too much tv already.
Be seeing you,
Jon
Monday, September 29, 2008
Some Stops in the Vast Wasteland (Part One)
Good Monday everyone!
Okay, Mondays are generally not good, but it’s here so one might as well roll with it, right? Otherwise you’re just dropping a few Valium, calling in “incapacitated” and waiting for Tuesday to show-up. Awesome.
So I’m kicking off this second week of blogs with a bit about what’s being watched in the BSer house these days. Naturally, I’ve got to break it down quickly, as this could go on forever.
Oh yeah, none of the shows for the kids. I know that Zoboomafoo is a cool show for my kids, but you shouldn’t be that excited about that.
Also, we do use the DVR extensively. With kids there would be no chance to watch any show that started before 8 PM, and those later starts would be in doubt, too. If there has been any device that has enabled my television watching, the DVR has been the big one.
So, here are the 30 minute shows Sasha and I watch together. They make us smile and laugh, generally leaving the world a little brighter for their existence. (Only a little though.)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS – Monday)
This is a comedy for those of us who are geeks at heart. Because, for once, the writers don’t try and stick a machete into that heart over and over again. The show uses multiple characters to cover all the stereotypes of geeks, instead of the typical lump-them-all-into-one mentality when these type of characters appear.
And maybe, just maybe people who don’t consider themselves geeks can watch and see that they too have a little bit of geek within. (Hey, fantasy sport players, I’m talking to you.)
How I Met Your Mother (CBS – Monday)
If the writers of Friends found out that a narrative doesn’t have to be linear, and that a story can be told with a beginning, middle and end, this show could have been the result. HIMYM tells a story with consequences, changes and a little playing with time. Worth watching for Neil Patrick Harris (yes, that’s Dougie Hauser) alone, but the others do a fine job keeping the show interesting. Best Monday night CBS show.
Two and a Half Men (CBS – Monday)
If any of these shows I list could be called a guilty pleasure, Two and a Half Men would get top guilt honors. The characters are Seinfeld-esqe in that you wouldn’t want any of them as your friend, but the situations are so amusing that one cannot help but laugh. That is, if you aren’t offended by mean humor without the sharp wit of early Frasier.
Honestly, if it wasn’t for Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer, this show wouldn’t be worth the time. Sheen plays a version of himself and Cryer hits spineless perfectly to make the show worth watching. It is a shame that the “half” portion of the show has very little impact any more. The price of having a good run, I guess.
The Office (NBC – Thursday)
We watch this. It’s very funny. Many people watch it. They think it’s funny, too. My only complaint is that the device of the documentary is the show’s weakness. But most other television shows have not sent me to the floor in laughter.
If you work in any kind of corporate environment, this show hits home far too often. Fortunately, it’s the kind of hit that makes one laugh with that tear of sadness, because you know it’s true.
30 Rock (NBC – Thursday)
The show 30 Rock hit the same season as Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Both shows had the number of minutes in the title. Both featured behind the scenes of a comedy variety show being produced. One featured a lot of cast members from West Wing along with the producer. The other had SNL cast and Alec Baldwin. Both were good.
But Studio 60 was a show we wanted to watch but never got around to actually viewing. 30 Rock was top of the list in shows to view. Fortune smiled on 30 Rock’s absurd sensibility and thus it remains on the air, winning several Emmys along the way and remains one of our favorite shows to watch.
So I’m stopping here for now. Next post may be the longer shows or might be something completely different. But I will return to television later this week.
Be seeing you,
Jon
Okay, Mondays are generally not good, but it’s here so one might as well roll with it, right? Otherwise you’re just dropping a few Valium, calling in “incapacitated” and waiting for Tuesday to show-up. Awesome.
So I’m kicking off this second week of blogs with a bit about what’s being watched in the BSer house these days. Naturally, I’ve got to break it down quickly, as this could go on forever.
Oh yeah, none of the shows for the kids. I know that Zoboomafoo is a cool show for my kids, but you shouldn’t be that excited about that.
Also, we do use the DVR extensively. With kids there would be no chance to watch any show that started before 8 PM, and those later starts would be in doubt, too. If there has been any device that has enabled my television watching, the DVR has been the big one.
So, here are the 30 minute shows Sasha and I watch together. They make us smile and laugh, generally leaving the world a little brighter for their existence. (Only a little though.)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS – Monday)
This is a comedy for those of us who are geeks at heart. Because, for once, the writers don’t try and stick a machete into that heart over and over again. The show uses multiple characters to cover all the stereotypes of geeks, instead of the typical lump-them-all-into-one mentality when these type of characters appear.
And maybe, just maybe people who don’t consider themselves geeks can watch and see that they too have a little bit of geek within. (Hey, fantasy sport players, I’m talking to you.)
How I Met Your Mother (CBS – Monday)
If the writers of Friends found out that a narrative doesn’t have to be linear, and that a story can be told with a beginning, middle and end, this show could have been the result. HIMYM tells a story with consequences, changes and a little playing with time. Worth watching for Neil Patrick Harris (yes, that’s Dougie Hauser) alone, but the others do a fine job keeping the show interesting. Best Monday night CBS show.
Two and a Half Men (CBS – Monday)
If any of these shows I list could be called a guilty pleasure, Two and a Half Men would get top guilt honors. The characters are Seinfeld-esqe in that you wouldn’t want any of them as your friend, but the situations are so amusing that one cannot help but laugh. That is, if you aren’t offended by mean humor without the sharp wit of early Frasier.
Honestly, if it wasn’t for Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer, this show wouldn’t be worth the time. Sheen plays a version of himself and Cryer hits spineless perfectly to make the show worth watching. It is a shame that the “half” portion of the show has very little impact any more. The price of having a good run, I guess.
The Office (NBC – Thursday)
We watch this. It’s very funny. Many people watch it. They think it’s funny, too. My only complaint is that the device of the documentary is the show’s weakness. But most other television shows have not sent me to the floor in laughter.
If you work in any kind of corporate environment, this show hits home far too often. Fortunately, it’s the kind of hit that makes one laugh with that tear of sadness, because you know it’s true.
30 Rock (NBC – Thursday)
The show 30 Rock hit the same season as Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Both shows had the number of minutes in the title. Both featured behind the scenes of a comedy variety show being produced. One featured a lot of cast members from West Wing along with the producer. The other had SNL cast and Alec Baldwin. Both were good.
But Studio 60 was a show we wanted to watch but never got around to actually viewing. 30 Rock was top of the list in shows to view. Fortune smiled on 30 Rock’s absurd sensibility and thus it remains on the air, winning several Emmys along the way and remains one of our favorite shows to watch.
So I’m stopping here for now. Next post may be the longer shows or might be something completely different. But I will return to television later this week.
Be seeing you,
Jon
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