So my facebook newsfeed has erupted recently with comments from all corners about A&E firing Phil Robertson, the patriarch on the reality show Duck Dynasty. I for one have never seen the show (nor do I really have any desire to), but the controversy piqued my interest enough to read through Robertson's interview with GQ (available here). After reading it's clear to me that this is a very stupid controversy. Let me explain:
Robertson's comments on homosexuality are not intelligent. They do not adequately or clearly explain a Christian perspective on homosexuality. He makes no argument that would convince someone that his worldview is an informed one. His comments are those of the stereotypical bible-thumping backwoods hillbilly with a lack of compassion for his fellow man and a lack of delicacy on what is a very delicate issue.
Let me be clear: I believe that homosexual acts are immoral. While I will not go into an in-depth discussion here, I will say that my belief is formed by scripture and my Catholic faith. Homosexuality is an extremely delicate topic to talk about and require a lot of nuance that isn't quite covered by the typically-used phrase "hate the sin, love the sinner."
Regardless of what you believe about homosexuality, it is clear that Robertson's comments do nothing to help understand the issue. His comments sound very unintelligent, though I was previously under the impression that he had to be a (at least somewhat) intelligent man to successfully create his business empire (or is that his son's? I really don't know). Conservatives who defend his comments are hurting their credibility in the homosexuality discussion.
The cry I hear everyone making now is "But he has a Constitutional right to free speech!" Certainly he does! He was well within his rights as an American to make those comments. The thing with free speech though is you still have to deal with the consequences of your speech. A&E is well within their rights to fire Robertson if they don't want to be associated with his comments. They are under no obligation to continue to employ him (I'm sure there are contract stipulations that allow them to terminate the business relationship if he says something that will hurt their image).
Now, do I think A&E should have fired him? From a business standpoint, possibly. The outcry of those obsessed with political correctness makes him a liability to the company, but at the same time his show is insanely popular. Also, his show is popular exactly because they are bible-thumping backwoods good ol' boys. This interview actually helps his branding more than hurting it. A&E seems to have made the decision that the liability outweighed the benefits of continuing to have him on the show. It's entirely conceivable that whenever their contract allows them to do so the family will jump ship to another network, and that is also their right to do so.
Bottom line is: there is nothing morally or constitutionally wrong with A&E firing Phil Robertson. He made comments, they reacted to them. They are not firing him for being a Christian, they are firing him for making public statements that they want to distance themselves from.
There is a bigger lesson here. Reality TV is popular because it is an escape from our lives into other people's lives. Often these people are larger than life characters who start to become like family to their viewers. I'm not talking about game shows, talent competitions, cooking shows, talk shows, or home improvement shows. I'm talking about the Here Comes Honey Boo Boos of the entertainment world. People find entertainment by feeling empathetic with these people, mocking these people, or just escaping into their world. There is very little redeeming value here when considering the opportunity cost. You could spend the time you would normally spend watching Duck Dynasty with your family or friends, reading a book, or watching a fictional show. Finding entertainment in watching other people's families is unhealthy and slightly perverse. You have real people in your life. You have fictional characters that can lead you to a much better understanding of people than the half-real people on the reality shows who only show you the parts of their lives that they (or the network) want you to see.
Reality TV gains viewership by appealing to the voyeurism that is within everyone to some degree. Fight back - don't watch it.
Showing posts with label Entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Entertainment. Show all posts
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Friday, December 13, 2013
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug review
Well, it's 3:20 Friday morning and I just got back from the midnight release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Seems like a good time to write a review!
There are no real spoilers in the following review, though my opinion may certainly influence your perception of the movie. Personally I feel that it is better to watch movies without reading reviews as they can unduly affect your enjoyment of the movie. If you agree with me, I'll just let you know my overall rating and you can skip the rest: 2 out of 5.
In a nutshell: I was very disappointed. The second Hobbit film does not live up to the promise of the first one. The number one complaint I had was that it was too absurd. The combat scenes in particular were just ludicrously unrealistic. With only two minor exceptions that I can think of, everything goes exactly right for the good guys. One of them can toss a weapon a few yards to one of the others who will then kill someone and toss it back in enough time for the first guy to kill someone else with it. Honestly, the orcs would have to be TRYING to be that bad at fighting. I know orcs are supposed to be numerous rather than skillful, but there's no way they're that bad (and there's no way the good guys are that good).
Another major complaint is that the characters are no longer likable. Even Bilbo, the hobbit we all know and love, is subject to corruption and shades of darkness. This is a fantastical story that requires a hero for us to be invested in. Due to both the absurdity of much of the movie and losing my interest in Bilbo I found myself not being immersed in the film.
The thing about the Hobbit is that (unlike The Lord of the Rings) the story actually already works pretty well for a movie. It's a hero's quest story with a linear narrative and a clear character arc for Bilbo. Peter Jackson destroyed the linear narrative and took away from Bilbo's story by adding characters and plots that are entirely unnecessary. The romantic subplot is particularly egregious in its absurdity.
There are a few things that I enjoyed in the movie. Smaug is quite good, as is the Master of Laketown (honestly, has Stephen Fry ever done anything that hasn't been excellent?). The Dwarven culture continues to be treated fairly well, but its treatment is balanced out by Jackson's elves, which are even worse than the elves in The Lord of the Rings.
By changing the story and adding superfluous story lines, the movie winds up losing the charm of the book. Jackson's hubris is shameful: it is clear that he thinks he can improve upon the masterful story telling of J.R.R. Tolkien. 2 out of 5 stars.
There are no real spoilers in the following review, though my opinion may certainly influence your perception of the movie. Personally I feel that it is better to watch movies without reading reviews as they can unduly affect your enjoyment of the movie. If you agree with me, I'll just let you know my overall rating and you can skip the rest: 2 out of 5.
In a nutshell: I was very disappointed. The second Hobbit film does not live up to the promise of the first one. The number one complaint I had was that it was too absurd. The combat scenes in particular were just ludicrously unrealistic. With only two minor exceptions that I can think of, everything goes exactly right for the good guys. One of them can toss a weapon a few yards to one of the others who will then kill someone and toss it back in enough time for the first guy to kill someone else with it. Honestly, the orcs would have to be TRYING to be that bad at fighting. I know orcs are supposed to be numerous rather than skillful, but there's no way they're that bad (and there's no way the good guys are that good).
Another major complaint is that the characters are no longer likable. Even Bilbo, the hobbit we all know and love, is subject to corruption and shades of darkness. This is a fantastical story that requires a hero for us to be invested in. Due to both the absurdity of much of the movie and losing my interest in Bilbo I found myself not being immersed in the film.
The thing about the Hobbit is that (unlike The Lord of the Rings) the story actually already works pretty well for a movie. It's a hero's quest story with a linear narrative and a clear character arc for Bilbo. Peter Jackson destroyed the linear narrative and took away from Bilbo's story by adding characters and plots that are entirely unnecessary. The romantic subplot is particularly egregious in its absurdity.
There are a few things that I enjoyed in the movie. Smaug is quite good, as is the Master of Laketown (honestly, has Stephen Fry ever done anything that hasn't been excellent?). The Dwarven culture continues to be treated fairly well, but its treatment is balanced out by Jackson's elves, which are even worse than the elves in The Lord of the Rings.
By changing the story and adding superfluous story lines, the movie winds up losing the charm of the book. Jackson's hubris is shameful: it is clear that he thinks he can improve upon the masterful story telling of J.R.R. Tolkien. 2 out of 5 stars.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
The Marvel Cinematic Universe
I'm not a huge fan of comic books or anything, but I have occasionally enjoyed reading through some of them. Mostly the comics I've read have been from Marvel, most often the X-Men but some other stuff too. I never got much into DC, though I am a fan of Batman.
In recent years Marvel Studios (and various groups associated with them) have been releasing films as part of what they call the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first film categorized in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was Iron Man back in 2008. Since then they've released seven other films, most recently Thor: The Dark World (which came out last weekend). I've been thoroughly impressed with the movies. I've enjoyed all of them at least reasonably, but what is more impressive is the way they are tying everything together into one universe.
One of the coolest things about comics in the DC or Marvel universes is how everything is connected and events that happen to one character or team can affect another character or team. That gives Marvel the ability to do overarching story lines. One good example that I loved in recent years was the Civil War story line which ran in Marvel comics from 2006-2007. I would love to see Marvel be able to do some sort of story line like that in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, the Civil War story line would be awesome in film! I actually have some hope after watching the trailer for Captain America 2 that they will be using a lot of the same themes.
As a side note, the X-Men are definitely my favorite team in the Marvel universe, but Marvel Studios does not have the rights to the X-Men. That being said, the X-Men movies are excellent as well (even X-3), though I haven't seen the Wolverine movie. I'm very much looking forward to X-Men: Days of Future Past as well, which is going to tie together the original trilogy with the recent X-Men: First Class.
Here are some of my thoughts on each of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, in order of my least favorite to favorite. Some small spoilers may be present, nothing too big.
8. Captain America: The First Avenger
The Captain America movie was the last film before The Avengers, and it almost feels as if they were just making the movie so they didn't have to introduce Cap in The Avengers. Most of the movie is set in WWII, but they soon forget about the whole "World War" thing and focus on a small team that is set against a big baddie who one could call a NINO (Nazi in Name Only). I really think the movie would have made more sense had they kept the focus on the Nazis as the bad guys. Also, Captain America is not that interesting to me. The most interesting thing about him is the fact that he gets thrown into modern-day America after fighting a war in the '40s. The whole fish-out-of-water thing really works for him and I liked him a lot better in The Avengers when they could show that. Also, the trailer for Captain America: The Winter Soldier looks really excellent. It'll be the next Marvel Cinematic Universe film coming out, in April of next year.
7. The Incredible Hulk
Oh the Hulk. The problem with the Hulk is that he is not interesting. Bruce Banner is interesting! The Hulk... not so much. The Hulk is invincible. He cannot be killed except by some sort of semi-omnipotent being (or the many theories of launching him into the sun or something). Superheroes need weaknesses to be interesting. Also, superheroes need personality to be interesting. The Hulk does not have personality beyond a desire to smash things. Because of this, any movie about the Hulk is only interesting when he's not in Hulk form. The Incredible Hulk actually did a very nice job of making me care about Bruce Banner (played by Ed Norton in this film, not Mark Ruffalo). In the end though, you can't make a movie about someone trying not to get angry or excited. I actually do think the Hulk was handled better here than in The Avengers (where he consciously decided to become the Hulk at one point). In the end though, the Hulk doesn't work as a protagonist. I don't even think he works well as a member of an ensemble. Where the Hulk shines is as an antagonist. Maybe we could see that develop in later movies, we'll see.
6. Thor
Thor was a good movie, but not a great one. Thor isn't all that interesting of a character to me in general. I think he's interesting in Asgard (or one of the other realms except Midgard), he's just a little out of place on Earth. I know, that's the whole point, but it just feels a little off to me. The movie did a very good job of introduction with everyone, but the execution just wasn't that great. The sequence of events on Earth could've happened anywhere, it basically just happened to be on Earth. All in all, a nice set-up but a lackluster execution.
5. Iron Man 2
4. Iron Man
3. Iron Man 3
I feel like I should talk about all three of these at the same time. The first Iron Man was groundbreaking. At the time it was the best superhero movie ever made (eclipsed later that same year by The Dark Knight). See, Iron Man is interesting. He (as a hero) is defeatable. There are many different ways he can be beaten, but he can also use both intelligence and the physical power of his suit to overcome obstacles. As a man, Tony Stark is also very interesting. He is clearly flawed in many ways. Over the course of the three movies he goes through some very compelling character development. The third movie in particular has some very humanizing parts (in particular his anxiety attacks). That and the fact that it has the best villain of the three (and the best climax) gives it the edge over the other two.
The original Iron Man was an excellent origin story. The parts in the cave and the break-out are awesome, as is just the whole concept of Jarvis and developing the suit. The final showdown is a little standard, not bad but not great. It certainly does end with a great line that really sets Iron Man apart from many superheroes. Iron Man 2 was good, but it did too many things that they had already done in the first movie. The villain was just another guy in a suit, and they had already done that in the first one. There certainly were some interesting things (like the Expo), but it just isn't as good when compared to the other two movies.
2. Thor: The Dark World
Thor 2 was awesome. I realize it just came out so I won't spoil anything. I saw it last Thursday evening and it reminded me how awesome these Marvel movies are in general. In fact, that's what led the wife and I to borrow Iron Man 3 and watch it (since we somehow didn't go see it in theaters). Thor 2 was able to build very well on all the characters from the original. Not needing to do exposition on the characters and on Asgard itself left plenty of time for actual character development (not just introduction, which is most of what we saw in the first Thor). In addition, earth was actually important in this movie, and what the human characters did had meaning and repercussion! Great characters, good action, and great humor. Go see it if you haven't, though make sure you've seen Thor first (and The Avengers).
1. The Avengers
The Avengers is what the first five Marvel Cinematic Universe movies were leading up to, and man did they deliver. Again, because it wasn't an introduction of any characters (maybe Hawkeye a little, but he was in Thor briefly) they were able to go straight into the meat of the story. Character development just pours off of the screen when you have all of these larger-than-life characters interacting. The final battle is simply epic. Great characters, great drama (Agent Coulson for example), a great villain, great humor, and great action make this simply a great movie. This is the kind of thing that until this movie people would think could only be done in a comic book.
In recent years Marvel Studios (and various groups associated with them) have been releasing films as part of what they call the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first film categorized in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was Iron Man back in 2008. Since then they've released seven other films, most recently Thor: The Dark World (which came out last weekend). I've been thoroughly impressed with the movies. I've enjoyed all of them at least reasonably, but what is more impressive is the way they are tying everything together into one universe.
One of the coolest things about comics in the DC or Marvel universes is how everything is connected and events that happen to one character or team can affect another character or team. That gives Marvel the ability to do overarching story lines. One good example that I loved in recent years was the Civil War story line which ran in Marvel comics from 2006-2007. I would love to see Marvel be able to do some sort of story line like that in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, the Civil War story line would be awesome in film! I actually have some hope after watching the trailer for Captain America 2 that they will be using a lot of the same themes.
As a side note, the X-Men are definitely my favorite team in the Marvel universe, but Marvel Studios does not have the rights to the X-Men. That being said, the X-Men movies are excellent as well (even X-3), though I haven't seen the Wolverine movie. I'm very much looking forward to X-Men: Days of Future Past as well, which is going to tie together the original trilogy with the recent X-Men: First Class.
Here are some of my thoughts on each of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, in order of my least favorite to favorite. Some small spoilers may be present, nothing too big.
8. Captain America: The First Avenger
The Captain America movie was the last film before The Avengers, and it almost feels as if they were just making the movie so they didn't have to introduce Cap in The Avengers. Most of the movie is set in WWII, but they soon forget about the whole "World War" thing and focus on a small team that is set against a big baddie who one could call a NINO (Nazi in Name Only). I really think the movie would have made more sense had they kept the focus on the Nazis as the bad guys. Also, Captain America is not that interesting to me. The most interesting thing about him is the fact that he gets thrown into modern-day America after fighting a war in the '40s. The whole fish-out-of-water thing really works for him and I liked him a lot better in The Avengers when they could show that. Also, the trailer for Captain America: The Winter Soldier looks really excellent. It'll be the next Marvel Cinematic Universe film coming out, in April of next year.
7. The Incredible Hulk
Oh the Hulk. The problem with the Hulk is that he is not interesting. Bruce Banner is interesting! The Hulk... not so much. The Hulk is invincible. He cannot be killed except by some sort of semi-omnipotent being (or the many theories of launching him into the sun or something). Superheroes need weaknesses to be interesting. Also, superheroes need personality to be interesting. The Hulk does not have personality beyond a desire to smash things. Because of this, any movie about the Hulk is only interesting when he's not in Hulk form. The Incredible Hulk actually did a very nice job of making me care about Bruce Banner (played by Ed Norton in this film, not Mark Ruffalo). In the end though, you can't make a movie about someone trying not to get angry or excited. I actually do think the Hulk was handled better here than in The Avengers (where he consciously decided to become the Hulk at one point). In the end though, the Hulk doesn't work as a protagonist. I don't even think he works well as a member of an ensemble. Where the Hulk shines is as an antagonist. Maybe we could see that develop in later movies, we'll see.
6. Thor
Thor was a good movie, but not a great one. Thor isn't all that interesting of a character to me in general. I think he's interesting in Asgard (or one of the other realms except Midgard), he's just a little out of place on Earth. I know, that's the whole point, but it just feels a little off to me. The movie did a very good job of introduction with everyone, but the execution just wasn't that great. The sequence of events on Earth could've happened anywhere, it basically just happened to be on Earth. All in all, a nice set-up but a lackluster execution.
5. Iron Man 2
4. Iron Man
3. Iron Man 3
I feel like I should talk about all three of these at the same time. The first Iron Man was groundbreaking. At the time it was the best superhero movie ever made (eclipsed later that same year by The Dark Knight). See, Iron Man is interesting. He (as a hero) is defeatable. There are many different ways he can be beaten, but he can also use both intelligence and the physical power of his suit to overcome obstacles. As a man, Tony Stark is also very interesting. He is clearly flawed in many ways. Over the course of the three movies he goes through some very compelling character development. The third movie in particular has some very humanizing parts (in particular his anxiety attacks). That and the fact that it has the best villain of the three (and the best climax) gives it the edge over the other two.
The original Iron Man was an excellent origin story. The parts in the cave and the break-out are awesome, as is just the whole concept of Jarvis and developing the suit. The final showdown is a little standard, not bad but not great. It certainly does end with a great line that really sets Iron Man apart from many superheroes. Iron Man 2 was good, but it did too many things that they had already done in the first movie. The villain was just another guy in a suit, and they had already done that in the first one. There certainly were some interesting things (like the Expo), but it just isn't as good when compared to the other two movies.
2. Thor: The Dark World
Thor 2 was awesome. I realize it just came out so I won't spoil anything. I saw it last Thursday evening and it reminded me how awesome these Marvel movies are in general. In fact, that's what led the wife and I to borrow Iron Man 3 and watch it (since we somehow didn't go see it in theaters). Thor 2 was able to build very well on all the characters from the original. Not needing to do exposition on the characters and on Asgard itself left plenty of time for actual character development (not just introduction, which is most of what we saw in the first Thor). In addition, earth was actually important in this movie, and what the human characters did had meaning and repercussion! Great characters, good action, and great humor. Go see it if you haven't, though make sure you've seen Thor first (and The Avengers).
1. The Avengers
The Avengers is what the first five Marvel Cinematic Universe movies were leading up to, and man did they deliver. Again, because it wasn't an introduction of any characters (maybe Hawkeye a little, but he was in Thor briefly) they were able to go straight into the meat of the story. Character development just pours off of the screen when you have all of these larger-than-life characters interacting. The final battle is simply epic. Great characters, great drama (Agent Coulson for example), a great villain, great humor, and great action make this simply a great movie. This is the kind of thing that until this movie people would think could only be done in a comic book.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
My top 10 TV shows
So I just wanted to do a fun post about my favorite TV shows. I've been procrastinating blogging like crazy, so this is a good way to get back into it. I'll probably do some more top 10 lists in the future on some others stuff, so stay tuned.
I really enjoy watching TV shows. What I mean by that is that I actually like sitting down and watching a season or entire series of a particular show. I'm generally opposed to just browsing channels on a regular basis because it pretty much just wastes time. Actually getting into a story is much more interesting. That being said, sometimes you just want to watch a comedy episode that stands alone without caring too much about an overarching story.
I'll first post my top 10 TV shows and a little about why I like each one. Afterwards I'll post the top 10 shows I'm interested in watching, and you can tell me if I missed anything. There are some shows that I would probably enjoy but choose not to watch due to nudity, such as Game of Thrones. There are too many quality shows without much nudity to justify spending a lot of time on shows with it.
So, my top 10 TV shows!
10. Futurama
Futurama (or Simpsons in space) is the only animated show to make it on my list. I considered South Park in this spot instead, but South Park is a little hit-or-miss with the offensiveness factor. South Park as a whole is funnier, but I just can't put it in the top 10 due to a few episodes that are disgusting. When I list Futurama here I mean the original 4 seasons. After coming back from cancellation Futurama just wasn't quite as good (the Family Guy syndrome). Futurama beats out the Simpsons because it just has more freedom when it comes to story (and hence jokes). Being set in the future and focused on a group of people instead of just one family means that Futurama was able to do some crazy episodes. Favorite character: Dr. Zoidberg.
9. The West Wing
I watched most of The West Wing (never finished it) while home from college in the summers, borrowing seasons from the library. Great characters and fantastic dialogue, which should be expected in an Aaron Sorkin production. I can't say I appreciated the politics of the main characters and the somewhat ham-handed way they handled conservatism, but this is a show that made me care about the characters and how they would handle the situations that arose. Favorite character: Toby Ziegler.
8. Prison Break
Gotta start off with a disclaimer: the first season of Prison Break only. Second season was good, afterwards I stopped caring or bothering (did they have more than three?). But first season? Holy cow. Amazing. The tension, the layers, the characters, the unknown. Just learning more about who these people are is amazing. Favorite character: hard to say, maybe Linc? Abruzzi?
7. The IT Crowd
British sitcom about the three members of an IT department at a large company. The interactions of the three characters create some truly absurd situations that have to be seen. This show is completely hilarious in every way. If you haven't seen it, you owe it to yourself. Favorite character: slight edge goes to Roy.
6. Jeeves and Wooster
Another British comedy! Jeeves and Wooster stars Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry as P.G. Wodehouse's famous idle rich man and his "personal gentleman's gentleman." Amazing characters and witty dialogue (on the part of Jeeves of course) are highlights in the many stories of Jeeves extricating Bertie from the horrors of the prospect of marriage to any one of a number of over-the-top women. This show is an example of how to adapt fiction to the screen well. Favorite character: it's Jeeves and Wooster. Each is only understood in the light of the other. Favorite minor character: Spode. No wait, Gussie. No, Madeline. Basically anybody around at Totleigh Towers.
5. Lost
Lost is the show I was into the most while the show was actually being aired. I remember watching the second season at a friend's house off-campus or in the TV Lounge in Trinity Hall and shouting at the TV in amazement at various points. Lost is a show that started off just about perfectly. Season one is definitely one of the best seasons of television ever made. The show faltered in the third seasons but managed to pick it back up after then, to the point where season six is almost as good as season two (and yes, I'm one of the few people who actually likes the much-maligned ending). Favorite character: Mr. Eko.
4. Arrested Development
The only American comedy on my list, I consider Arrested Development to be the funniest show ever made. The characters are amazing, the dialogue is hilarious, the recurring jokes are great, the hidden jokes are great. There are some cringe-worthy moments that some people don't appreciate, but definitely worth it in my opinion. Among the many quotable shows and movies, this is one of the most quotable (especially anything said by Gob). The recent season on Netflix after years of cancellation wasn't great, but I wasn't really expecting it to be. The original three seasons are incredible. Favorite character: Buster.
3. Band of Brothers
Band of Brothers is a ten-part mini-series made by Tom Hanks following Easy Company of the 506th regiment, 101st Airborne division as they experience WWII in Europe, including Normandy, Operation Market Garden, and the siege of Bastogne. Band of Brothers is warfare at its most realistic. Not for the faint of heart, but the way you are placed in the action alongside the men is incredible. I highly recommend it if watching warfare doesn't bother you. Favorite character: Winters. Couldn't really choose anyone else.
2. Sherlock
Sherlock is an interesting choice in that each episode is ninety minutes long, so basically a movie. Sherlock sets Sherlock Holmes in modern-day London and manages to pull it off very well. Holmes' eccentricities are played to the maximum, but it actually works. Only six episodes so far (in two seasons), but that's a lot of TV with the length of the episodes. Sherlock manages to be very intelligent while still fun. Favorite character: Watson.
1. Firefly
Firefly is hands-down my favorite TV show. They didn't even make a full season since it got cancelled pretty early on. This is an example of a cult show that is worth the hype. The network airing it really screwed it over by not showing the pilot and starting with the second episode (which didn't include much introduction). Ratings were not there, but man is this a great show. The premise is basically a western in space (trust me, it works) where the rebellion against the evil empire people failed. The show follows a ship just barely making ends meet by taking any kind of job (even legal ones) that'll keep them in the air. The characters are amazing, the dialogue is great, and the universe is fantastic. Firefly does an excellent job of showing a future that could actually happen, not the white-washed future of Star Trek. Great humor, great action, great plot lines that sadly do not get enough time to fully develop. Watch the show, then watch Serenity (the movie made after the show was cancelled). Favorite character: hard to say, either Mal, Jayne, or Simon.
Top 10 shows I'm interested in watching: (some of these I've seen a few episodes of, but not a season or anything)
10. Parks and Recreation
9. Alias
8. Mad Men
7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
6. Once Upon a Time
5. Twin Peaks
4. Fringe
3. Farscape
2. The Wire
1. Dollhouse
Thoughts? What did I leave off that I have to see?
I really enjoy watching TV shows. What I mean by that is that I actually like sitting down and watching a season or entire series of a particular show. I'm generally opposed to just browsing channels on a regular basis because it pretty much just wastes time. Actually getting into a story is much more interesting. That being said, sometimes you just want to watch a comedy episode that stands alone without caring too much about an overarching story.
I'll first post my top 10 TV shows and a little about why I like each one. Afterwards I'll post the top 10 shows I'm interested in watching, and you can tell me if I missed anything. There are some shows that I would probably enjoy but choose not to watch due to nudity, such as Game of Thrones. There are too many quality shows without much nudity to justify spending a lot of time on shows with it.
So, my top 10 TV shows!
10. Futurama
Futurama (or Simpsons in space) is the only animated show to make it on my list. I considered South Park in this spot instead, but South Park is a little hit-or-miss with the offensiveness factor. South Park as a whole is funnier, but I just can't put it in the top 10 due to a few episodes that are disgusting. When I list Futurama here I mean the original 4 seasons. After coming back from cancellation Futurama just wasn't quite as good (the Family Guy syndrome). Futurama beats out the Simpsons because it just has more freedom when it comes to story (and hence jokes). Being set in the future and focused on a group of people instead of just one family means that Futurama was able to do some crazy episodes. Favorite character: Dr. Zoidberg.
9. The West Wing
I watched most of The West Wing (never finished it) while home from college in the summers, borrowing seasons from the library. Great characters and fantastic dialogue, which should be expected in an Aaron Sorkin production. I can't say I appreciated the politics of the main characters and the somewhat ham-handed way they handled conservatism, but this is a show that made me care about the characters and how they would handle the situations that arose. Favorite character: Toby Ziegler.
8. Prison Break
Gotta start off with a disclaimer: the first season of Prison Break only. Second season was good, afterwards I stopped caring or bothering (did they have more than three?). But first season? Holy cow. Amazing. The tension, the layers, the characters, the unknown. Just learning more about who these people are is amazing. Favorite character: hard to say, maybe Linc? Abruzzi?
7. The IT Crowd
British sitcom about the three members of an IT department at a large company. The interactions of the three characters create some truly absurd situations that have to be seen. This show is completely hilarious in every way. If you haven't seen it, you owe it to yourself. Favorite character: slight edge goes to Roy.
6. Jeeves and Wooster
Another British comedy! Jeeves and Wooster stars Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry as P.G. Wodehouse's famous idle rich man and his "personal gentleman's gentleman." Amazing characters and witty dialogue (on the part of Jeeves of course) are highlights in the many stories of Jeeves extricating Bertie from the horrors of the prospect of marriage to any one of a number of over-the-top women. This show is an example of how to adapt fiction to the screen well. Favorite character: it's Jeeves and Wooster. Each is only understood in the light of the other. Favorite minor character: Spode. No wait, Gussie. No, Madeline. Basically anybody around at Totleigh Towers.
5. Lost
Lost is the show I was into the most while the show was actually being aired. I remember watching the second season at a friend's house off-campus or in the TV Lounge in Trinity Hall and shouting at the TV in amazement at various points. Lost is a show that started off just about perfectly. Season one is definitely one of the best seasons of television ever made. The show faltered in the third seasons but managed to pick it back up after then, to the point where season six is almost as good as season two (and yes, I'm one of the few people who actually likes the much-maligned ending). Favorite character: Mr. Eko.
4. Arrested Development
The only American comedy on my list, I consider Arrested Development to be the funniest show ever made. The characters are amazing, the dialogue is hilarious, the recurring jokes are great, the hidden jokes are great. There are some cringe-worthy moments that some people don't appreciate, but definitely worth it in my opinion. Among the many quotable shows and movies, this is one of the most quotable (especially anything said by Gob). The recent season on Netflix after years of cancellation wasn't great, but I wasn't really expecting it to be. The original three seasons are incredible. Favorite character: Buster.
3. Band of Brothers
Band of Brothers is a ten-part mini-series made by Tom Hanks following Easy Company of the 506th regiment, 101st Airborne division as they experience WWII in Europe, including Normandy, Operation Market Garden, and the siege of Bastogne. Band of Brothers is warfare at its most realistic. Not for the faint of heart, but the way you are placed in the action alongside the men is incredible. I highly recommend it if watching warfare doesn't bother you. Favorite character: Winters. Couldn't really choose anyone else.
2. Sherlock
Sherlock is an interesting choice in that each episode is ninety minutes long, so basically a movie. Sherlock sets Sherlock Holmes in modern-day London and manages to pull it off very well. Holmes' eccentricities are played to the maximum, but it actually works. Only six episodes so far (in two seasons), but that's a lot of TV with the length of the episodes. Sherlock manages to be very intelligent while still fun. Favorite character: Watson.
1. Firefly
Firefly is hands-down my favorite TV show. They didn't even make a full season since it got cancelled pretty early on. This is an example of a cult show that is worth the hype. The network airing it really screwed it over by not showing the pilot and starting with the second episode (which didn't include much introduction). Ratings were not there, but man is this a great show. The premise is basically a western in space (trust me, it works) where the rebellion against the evil empire people failed. The show follows a ship just barely making ends meet by taking any kind of job (even legal ones) that'll keep them in the air. The characters are amazing, the dialogue is great, and the universe is fantastic. Firefly does an excellent job of showing a future that could actually happen, not the white-washed future of Star Trek. Great humor, great action, great plot lines that sadly do not get enough time to fully develop. Watch the show, then watch Serenity (the movie made after the show was cancelled). Favorite character: hard to say, either Mal, Jayne, or Simon.
Top 10 shows I'm interested in watching: (some of these I've seen a few episodes of, but not a season or anything)
10. Parks and Recreation
9. Alias
8. Mad Men
7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
6. Once Upon a Time
5. Twin Peaks
4. Fringe
3. Farscape
2. The Wire
1. Dollhouse
Thoughts? What did I leave off that I have to see?
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Football: overrated and an occasion for immorality
Football is overrated.
I would say that that statement might be controversial, but really anyone with half a brain is pretty much forced to agree with me. Football is overrated on a consistent basis by fans who worship the game and the players.
This is fact. Many football fans actually do worship the game and the players (and some coaches). Football is the most important thing in these people's lives. I'm not using hyperbole here! There are people who would agree when I say that football is literally the most important thing in their lives.
That's incredibly sad.
I don't mean "that's sad" as in "look at those losers", I mean it as in "these poor people choose to immerse themselves in the world of football instead of finding meaning in their own lives." Many people would rather ignore the crap going on in their lives and just focus on a game that excites them. How terrible! Instead of living their lives and being in actual relation with those around them, they would rather sit on the couch, eat stuff, and watch something other people are doing.
Of course, this isn't just football, there are many forms of entertainment that people choose to lose themselves in. Football comes to mind today because I saw an advertisement for the NFL season starting up that said "It's ok to shed a tear." My first inclination was to roll my eyes but it made me think about the people who actually do get emotional about football returning.
Another sad thing about this situation: football is a great sport! I actually quite enjoy watching football and considering the strategy behind how it is played. I love sports that have an actual break in the action where new tactics can be thought out and then implemented (the other major one of course that comes to mind is baseball). I also loved playing football the few times I have in my life, though I can't say I'm any good at it. But I have absolutely no interest in being a football fan!
How could I be interested in being a football fan? The game is followed so rabidly by the people who worship it that it leads to all sorts of disgusting things. The behavior of pro football players is substantially more reprehensible than other pro athletes. The amount of vehicular homicide, rape, actual homicide, and other smaller crimes like dog fighting that happens is disgusting. This is what happens when men are worshipped as gods. They act as those there are no limits on what they can do. They act like this because society TELLS them there are no limits on what they can do.
Not only that, but these men are held up as role models to young boys. And what do they tell the young people who idolize them? "You can be whatever you want to be." A message that definitely sinks in when the people who tell you this are doing whatever they want to do. No wonder highschool boys start acting based on this message. A recent example is the Steubenville rape case.
When you are holding people who act immorally (or at best amorally) as heroes, this is the end result.
So what is the answer? Should you not like football? I would certainly not go so far as to say that. I also don't think there is anything wrong with being a fan of a particular team. But always keep in mind the level of interest that you have in this fallen institution. If you're a fan I encourage you to try to improve the football mindset by keeping your interest at a healthy level and not supporting those whose interest in unhealthy. Also, please don't support players for your team whose behavior is disgusting.
If you're not a fan, then don't be opposed to football for some stupid reason like "it's a stupid game about big men hitting each other". Be opposed to football because of its popularity as a religion and the behavior that it promulgates in our society.
I would say that that statement might be controversial, but really anyone with half a brain is pretty much forced to agree with me. Football is overrated on a consistent basis by fans who worship the game and the players.
This is fact. Many football fans actually do worship the game and the players (and some coaches). Football is the most important thing in these people's lives. I'm not using hyperbole here! There are people who would agree when I say that football is literally the most important thing in their lives.
That's incredibly sad.
I don't mean "that's sad" as in "look at those losers", I mean it as in "these poor people choose to immerse themselves in the world of football instead of finding meaning in their own lives." Many people would rather ignore the crap going on in their lives and just focus on a game that excites them. How terrible! Instead of living their lives and being in actual relation with those around them, they would rather sit on the couch, eat stuff, and watch something other people are doing.
Of course, this isn't just football, there are many forms of entertainment that people choose to lose themselves in. Football comes to mind today because I saw an advertisement for the NFL season starting up that said "It's ok to shed a tear." My first inclination was to roll my eyes but it made me think about the people who actually do get emotional about football returning.
Another sad thing about this situation: football is a great sport! I actually quite enjoy watching football and considering the strategy behind how it is played. I love sports that have an actual break in the action where new tactics can be thought out and then implemented (the other major one of course that comes to mind is baseball). I also loved playing football the few times I have in my life, though I can't say I'm any good at it. But I have absolutely no interest in being a football fan!
How could I be interested in being a football fan? The game is followed so rabidly by the people who worship it that it leads to all sorts of disgusting things. The behavior of pro football players is substantially more reprehensible than other pro athletes. The amount of vehicular homicide, rape, actual homicide, and other smaller crimes like dog fighting that happens is disgusting. This is what happens when men are worshipped as gods. They act as those there are no limits on what they can do. They act like this because society TELLS them there are no limits on what they can do.
Not only that, but these men are held up as role models to young boys. And what do they tell the young people who idolize them? "You can be whatever you want to be." A message that definitely sinks in when the people who tell you this are doing whatever they want to do. No wonder highschool boys start acting based on this message. A recent example is the Steubenville rape case.
When you are holding people who act immorally (or at best amorally) as heroes, this is the end result.
So what is the answer? Should you not like football? I would certainly not go so far as to say that. I also don't think there is anything wrong with being a fan of a particular team. But always keep in mind the level of interest that you have in this fallen institution. If you're a fan I encourage you to try to improve the football mindset by keeping your interest at a healthy level and not supporting those whose interest in unhealthy. Also, please don't support players for your team whose behavior is disgusting.
If you're not a fan, then don't be opposed to football for some stupid reason like "it's a stupid game about big men hitting each other". Be opposed to football because of its popularity as a religion and the behavior that it promulgates in our society.
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