Category Archives: TV and movies

I like this deconstruction of “A Christmas Story”. I think it gets at the melancholy that underpins the movie without overdoing it. Think of all the despair that grinds through the movie. The horrible department-store Santa Claus. The Old Man, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

A catch-up item from last week: this NYT article on the show Mythbusters as science-teaching tool. To me, the value of the show is that it shows the thought process that one must go through to set up and then … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I love stories like this. Ralphie Parker and Brian Jones know what it’s like to want something. For Ralphie, the object of desire was an official Red Ryder, carbine-action, 200-shot, range model air rifle. (Go ahead, say it, “You’ll shoot … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Now hear this: If you are not a fan of A Perfectly Cromulent Blog, then you surely will not like Blog 9 From Outer Space, in which Pete proves beyond any remaining doubt that he really does know more about … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Houstonist has the details about the River Oaks Theater’s upcoming birthday celebration. River Oaks Theater turns 67 years old next month, and to celebrate, they are throwing two parties and inviting everyone. Landmark Theaters, who owns the property, will feature … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Have we seen the last of the TV theme song? TV themes, from The Beverly Hillbillies to The Brady Bunch to Cheers to Friends, conjure up memories of cozy nights, childhood bliss and a universal nostalgia for bygone days. But … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The season premier of Lost is tonight. I will not be answering the phone for the duration. And let us all once again give thanks for the bounty that is TiVo. If you want to get an idea of what … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This could be one of the best, or at least one of the best worst, series of blog posts for 2006. As Dave Barry didn’t quite say, movie badness is an issue Americans care deeply about. Pete Von Der Haar, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Now hear this: Pete says “Snakes on a Plane” is “simultaneously, one of the worst and best movies I’ve ever seen.” That is all you need to know. Continue reading →

I can’t wait. If you’d planned on spending the dog days of August working on your Lost theory – the one that explains everything from the polar bear to those parka-clad guys in last season’s finale – maybe it’s time … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I love this story about Star Trek fans filling the TV void with their own productions. From these Virginia woods to the Scottish Highlands, Star Trek fans are filling the void left in a galaxy that has lost Star Trek. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It’s a Star Trek memorabilia auction at Christie’s. The Oct. 5-7 auction will take place on the 40th anniversary of the debut of the legendary sci-fi television show, which spun off five series and 10 movies. When informed of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Advertising on demand. It’s an idea whose time has come. Tivo today has announced today the release of Product Watch. This new capability will allow users to select favorite categories or brands and TiVo will deliver ads that match the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I finally watched this week’s Lost on the TiVo over the weekend. Holy smokes! Click the More link to see the spoilerrific stuff. Continue reading →

The powers that be behind Lost have a new trick up their sleeve: An international, interactive game that will offer some information about the show. It will begin May 2 in the United Kingdom, May 3 in the U.S. and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I don’t usually venture into what I think of as Pete‘s territory, but when I see something like this, it’s hard to resist. A studio scout is in Dallas to get a better idea of what the area has to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Dwight notes the story about Disney making its shows available via streaming video on its website the day after they run as a service to fans may have missed them. There’s a catch, of course: you can’t skip the commercials. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You’ve seen the movies. Now, ready or not, here comes Star Wars – the TV show. The series will be set between episodes three and four of the film saga. It would cover the 20 years in the life of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’m not watching the Oscars, but I hear Reese Witherspoon won for best actress, so I am happy. Continue reading →

Don Knotts, known for many roles from Barney Fife to Ralph Furley and much more, passed away over the weekend at the age of 81. Knotts first rose to prominence in the late 1950s, joining Louis Nye and other comedy … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I don’t get out to see a lot of movies these days. I was never that much of a cinephile, and having a toddler around makes it even harder to find the time needed to sit through a full-length feature. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Via Mark Evanier, an article on Disney’s attempts to revive the Muppets franchise. As with many Hollywood comebacks, the saga of how Kermit is trying to leap back on top is a story of changing tastes and the eternal quest … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Unlike Jim, I’m happily engrossed in the current season of 24. It could all fall apart at any time, of course, and as Heather Havrilesky observes, “even when it’s firing on all pistons, it’s also uneven and dorky and campy … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Lost returned from holiday hiatus last night (it’s still on my TiVo – I was at the Rice-UH basketball game), and its creative team had some interesting things to say about the show’s existential future. “Basically, Lost is one of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Looking for a little antidote to Hollywood hype? Try the Film Threat Frigid Fifty and enjoy a few laughs at the expense of people who are mostly richer and better looking than you and I. Via Pete, who helped make … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Nice little piece on the fortieth anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas and its enduring appeal. Seems to me, though, that the pop culture historians have overlooked a simple and obvious part of the show’s draw: No doubt the humor … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Has enough time passed since this past Tuesday’s The Amazing Race that I can rant about it? I think so, but just to ensure complaince with the National Anti-Spoiler Act of 1997, I’ll put the rest of this post beneath … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Will we ever find out what those numbers mean on Lost? Maybe, maybe not. Those mysterious numbers on Lost (4 8 15 16 23 42) may be a McGuffin, according to series creator Damon Lindelof. “I think that that question … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Since I never get tired of blogging about Lost, let me finally point out this piece in the Statesman about my favorite show. “Lost” creators J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof started by plotting a “mythological roadmap” that answered the show’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I believe the proper response, upon reading this story of Earl Hickey of NBC’s My Name Is Earl and Hugo “Hurley” Reyes of ABC’s Lost as the slacker Everyman is “Dude. There’s like a thesis or something in that.” That … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Have the critics turned on Desperate Housewives? ABC’s hit is second only to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as television’s most popular show this fall, although several critics have taken issue with how its second season has begun. Joanne Ostrow of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Time for a little lighter fare: Amanda asks the question “What makes you laugh every time you see it, no matter how many times you see a movie?” I can think of several movies that always work for me, but … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I know that the ads shown during the Super Bowl are popular and all, but I’m not so sure about this. The NFL plans to pull together a half-hour show consisting of this year’s Super Bowl television ads for its … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Via Atrios, the Internet Archive has added movies and other “moving images” to its list of freely-downloadable files. You can get everything from government-financed war propaganda films to classic cartoons – I’ll be grabbing a copy of Falling Hare when … Continue reading → Continue reading →