War of the Worlds

I finally saw War of the Worlds over the weekend on Cinemax. It totally took me by surprise but I actually got wigged out by a few scenes. When Ray and his daughter (Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning....ah, Cruise played Ray, not the daughter) took refuge in the crazy dude's basement (played by Tim Robbins) and the big eye came to do reconnaissance, the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up. Many viewers were critical of the ending but I thought it was well done. I suppose the critics would have preferred Spielberg tie everything up in a nice neat package. But, why not leave a little to the imagination. Now, don't get me wrong, it was no masterpiece. Even while my neck hairs were on end, I still managed to scream out a few "Cruise is a fucking douche!" rants. As long as you can put aside his bizarre public Scientology bullshit, Cruise can be believable as an actor. Probably the most annoying part of the film was when Dakota Fanning's character for some reason starts screaming hysterically, runs out of the basement and then reappears outside to scream some more. I wanted to slap her precious little child star face. When (not if) Mike and the guys come back to film more MST3K segments, this would be a good movie to goof on.

If you haven't seen WOW, give it a try, you might like it. And if you've convinced yourself that the movie sucks because it's too unbelievable, remember the lyrics to the MST3K theme song, "If you're wondering how he eats and breathes and other science facts, la, la la, just repeat to yourself, It's just a showwww, I should really just relax"!

American I-dull

I'm happy Taylor Hicks won, he deserved it. The season finale was, well...interesting. It was almost like you had to watch but for the same reason you watch a train wreck. First off, who thought Meatloaf would be good television? His seizure like singing and red hanky waiving were atrocious. What would you expect from a guy who just released "Bat Out of Hell part 3" as a way to keep his one hit record going. During the duet, I half expected to see Katharine McPhee blink out an S.O.S. message like a hostage videotape. Fortunately for her, Toni Braxton's lyric forgetting disaster with Taylor Hicks overshadowed the Meatloaf debacle.

And, it's good see Clay Aiken shake off that homosexual thing. Geez, could he have looked anymore like a twinkie-fisted bungjocky? Oh, and what about Mandesa in a red dress? All I could think of was her crashing through a wall screaming, "Hey, Kool-Aid!" American Idol attempted to re-create the memorable Kelly Clarkson moment at the very end of the season one finale. The fireworks at the crescendo of Taylor's final song were as predictable as Meatloaf's overacting. Toward the end of the season, AI was starting to get hacky with all of the family member crap. I found it interesting that most of the family members were totally absent early on in the season until their relative started to achieve some notoriety. As the finale got closer, I bet the family members were fighting like cats and dogs for tickets. I'm sure it was a real treat for the family member that got to sit next to a balling David Hasselhoff. He must have heard Clay was going to be there.

Baghdad ER

In this documentary, HBO captured the sites and sounds of the 86th Combat Support Hospital in the U.S. Army's Iraq medical facility. I heard in advance that this was a "must-see" documentary. Baghdad ER was very graphic as they showed the soldiers first moments as they entered the emergency room, mostly due to injuries related to improvised explosive devices (IED's). The level of commitment by the hospital personnel and the soldiers is beyond explanation. These are the true american hero's, not the juiced up baseball player that happens to hit a good fastball. Having a newphew in Iraq is tough enough, I can't imagine what it's like for the families of those shown arriving to the ER. The documentary was visually well done. There was not much as far as lead-up or follow-up which made it appear to be a quickly released project. It would have been nice to see more in-depth coverage of the staff in order to provide more personalization. For that reason, it was just an o.k. documentary. But, chances are we'll see many more in the future so they will likely provide greater background information. Unfortunately, there will be no shortage of patients, that's for sure. Hopefully Bush and Cheney pulled their heads out of the sand long enough to see the real effects of the war.

Documentaries!

There is something about the true feel of a documentary. They were the first reality shows. The first documentary I can remember seeing as a child was about fire and its effects on the human body. My parents made a point of sitting with me to watch it since, at that age, fire was as fascinating as Tonka trucks. I remember the show graphically covering everything from accidental house fires to people lighting themselves on fire for religious reasons. The footage was sickening and I couldn't sleep for nights. But, it was also fascinating and taught me a great deal about fire and why it shouldn't be taken lightly. The lives of the fire victims were chronicled as they struggled to survive. Documentaries can change your life. From Scared Straight (1978) to Defending Our Lives (1993) to Bowling For Columbine (2002), I learned something from each one. But, you should always remember that artistic privledges are usually taken utilizing the editing process. As long as you don't take the story as complete truth, documentaries can be eye opening and extremely entertaining. The Yes Men (2003) is one of my favorites but I don't now believe that the World Trade Organization is in bed with the devil. But, it did change my mind on some issues of social reform and the aggressive tactic of the WTO. Michael Moore makes terrific documentaries. Roger and Me (1989) is also one of my favorites. But, Michael Moore knows how to tell a good story, just not the whole story. But, that's o.k., keep them coming and I'll keep watching!

Welcome to my blog, what's it all about?

When I was 4 years old, my mom sat me in front of the television to watch Sesame Street and something in my 1,500 day old brain clicked. I knew that I belonged with television and television belonged with me. It was the beginning of a long, beautiful but sometimes frustrating relationship. I think of television not as a system of electronically communicated sounds and images but rather a way of life. Thirty-seven years and thousands of viewing hours later, I think I've learned a thing or two about television. When I decided to design a blog, I wasn't sure what to blog about. Before I could DVR through another crappy commercial, it came to me...TELEVISION. Why not, I think I have something to share. I will write about everything TV (as it will be known from this point forward). I will include topics about dramas, sitcoms, specials, movies, actors, actresses, and of course, the dopes that make up reality TV. I hope you find this blog to be informative, funny, and perhaps, a little over the top. I will tell it like it is, without fear of offending anyone. And if you're concerned that this blog already contains a lot of the word "I", guess what? Get used to it genius, this is my blog so "I" will play a prominent role. So, let the fun begin. I look forward to hearing from you once you read my reviews.