Sunday, April 27, 2008

The WGA Strike Was The Best Thing to Happen to Canadian Television in the Last 5 Years


Let's see what's on Canadian TV. Well there's Hockey and then there are American Pay TV imports. I like Hockey, but love Big Love. And Dexter, and the last season of the Sopranos and the Glen Close legal drama 'Damages', and the fact that Intelligence may turn into a Fox re-make all simply because those pesky American writers chose to stand up for their convergent media rights!

Big Love, Thursdays at 10 on Global has got me. About half the first season has been broadcast with the wonderful tale of Bill Henrickson's brood, wives and hardware coming to a great conclusion. I tell you, to see Harry Dean Stanton and Bruce Dern chew up the scenery is fantastic and I would like officially to invite Jeanne Trippelhorn and Ginnifer Goodwin to join me in a plural marriage. With God and the Prophet's blessing, Cathie and I can make it work. Honest.

Oh, while looking for Big Love jpegs, I found this:


Also like to thank God and the Prophets that 30 Rock is back.

Review: King of Kong - A Fistful of Quarters


I don't play video games. Ever. If I did, I would be divorced, broke and possibly a ward of the province. I do keep up with things absentmindedly; which console is winning the 3rd gen wars and what games are fun, but my aversion to actually playing video games is purely a self defense mechanism. If I started say World or Warcraft, or Mario Kart, my muscles would atrophy and my vision blur in an addictive flurry of killing, clicking and point harvesting.

Which brings me to Billy Mitchell, Steve Weibe and the documentary King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. The movie portrays the many tribulations of a 2005 contest over who holds the most points in Donkey Kong. Compulsion and addiction go hand in hand and to watch the battle for Donkey Kong supremacy is personally very scary, but oh so entertaining.

Like most docs, this is best viewed as a DVD. Also like most docs, there is a strong agenda that is only explained and 'the other side' allowed to come out in the special features. There are a lot of special features - close to 90 minutes, with the history of Kong, and segments on each of multitude the truly strange , but true to life championship gamers. These characters have to be seen to be believed; it's like the best Christopher Guest ensemble piece taking a medication holiday.

Latest news on King of Kong is that it will be adapted into a feature film. Heads or tails on whether the adaptation will be a success. I remember the brilliant skateboarding documentary Dogtown and the Z boys was turned into a non-brilliant major motion picture, obscuring its source. Hope that doesn't happen to the bizarre denizens of King of Kong, so before this story is overshadowed as a Jim Carrey blockbuster, rent King of Kong. Now.

Rating: ****

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Haven't I Seen This In A Movie?

No, but really, doesn't this seem familiar? Like, maybe we've even seen multiple versions of it, in film form, from 1956, 1978, and 2007, to name but three?

I'm going to be keeping an eye on my cats for the next little while...

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Iron Man Trailer To Be Expanded Into Feature Film?!

Have I ever mentioned just how much I love The Onion? Well, how can I not, with contributions to popular culture like this?

If the video at that link doesn't make you laugh, you may be dead and just not know it yet...

Saturday, April 12, 2008

14th Hour Of Lost Season Four Getting Closer To Reality

Now it sounds like the fourth season finale will be a three hour affair, with the first hour airing in the middle of May, and the final two hours arriving two weeks later. It's still not official, but you can read what the rumours are right here.

There's also a very exciting trailer for the April 24th "return" episode to be found at that same link.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

13 Is Such An Unlucky Number Anyway

A rumour has surfaced at TV Guide's site which suggests that we just might get 14 episodes in Lost Season Four, instead of 13 (abbreviated from 16, by the WGA Strike). No firm word yet, but at least it's being considered/discussed by the show creators.

So we either have 5 more episodes in Season Four to look forward to, or possibly 6. In any event, the fun resumes just 2 weeks from tomorrow (Apr 24th)! What's not to like about that?

Monday, April 7, 2008

I Hate Heidi Montag

...and not just her, either. The entirety of The Hills can ROT IN HELL as far as I'm concerned.



Pardon my out of the blue rant - apparently the hormones have caused my wife to pick up worse than normal TV viewing habits. Everyone knows that you don't argue with a pregnant woman, especially one that has her mind set on something - and Ally has somehow become hooked on The Hills.

Why must she inflict that torture on my unborn child?

I know I sometimes like to go against the grain - I've been a proud follower of some less than popular shows in the past. Like my stint hooked on the first 9 or so seasons of Survivor (i still swear that season 1 is the bar they could never hold a candle to) or my defense of Bob Saget and his role on America's Funniest Home Videos (let's not go there again, ok? but new Saget truely is awesome). I just can't take this MTV "reality" shit!

Please, God, don't let her find any reruns of Laguna Beach!

How do you give a rating to something that has taken braincells that you will never get back? Oh well, at least the cast is easy on the eyes...

Thursday, April 3, 2008

NBC's Fall Schedule?

Click here and all shall be revealed.

Unless I screwed up the link, of course.

Heroes Returns But Origins Is D.O.A.

Big plans are underway for the third season kick-off of Heroes but those eagerly awaiting the promised Heroes: Origins mini-series may now begin crying in their beer.

Read all of the details here.