I know for certain now how long a half-century is, for I have lived more than that and remember. I know how long 30 seconds are — long enough to tell you what I have to sell, long enough to trash a reputation. I could do the figures and find out how many 30-second intervalsContinue reading “The archive”
Category Archives: Watching
Addicts to addicts, dust to dust
The formula for making “bingeworthy” TV is very similar to what they used to get kids coming back to the Saturday afternoon serials in the 1930s or ’40s. Back then Commander Cody, or whoever the star was, would be wrestling for control of a small plane, say. The episode would end with the plane crashingContinue reading “Addicts to addicts, dust to dust”
The saga of Ozark is complete
Red said enough is enough as the closing credits rolled on the series finale of the Netflix show Ozark. It’s a brilliantly crafted drama about a family and organized crime, well acted, with sympathetic characters caught in one of those tangled webs we weave when we practice to deceive. The final seven episodes landed Friday,Continue reading “The saga of Ozark is complete”
‘Plan 9 From Outer Space’ and great art
‘Plan 9 From Outer Space’ and great art Now there’s an April Fool’s Day headline if ever a wiz there was. Plan 9 From Outer Space is on plenty of lists of the worst movies ever made, and it IS a bit of a train wreck in many ways. But still … That opening lineContinue reading “‘Plan 9 From Outer Space’ and great art”
Practice, man, practice
I have become a belated fan of Sparks ever since the closing credits of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season finale, which I wrote about the other day. The song “How Do I Get to Carnegie Hall?” has been an occasional earworm these past few days. OMG, is it catchy. And how do you get toContinue reading “Practice, man, practice”
Watching: Lenny and Midge
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is one of the best shows on television right now, and the Season 4 finale delivered one of the most riveting scenes yet in the story of a woman trying to crack the world of standup comedy in the late 1950s/early 1960s. The rest of this post has spoilers — it’sContinue reading “Watching: Lenny and Midge”
Watching: Stay Close
There’s a meme out there where Netflix says, “Hey you want to watch a 10-hour movie?” and the obvious response is, “Heck, no.” To which Netflix replies, “What if I split it into eight parts and you watch them one after another,” and the response is, “Damn you, I’m in.” Red and I watched theContinue reading “Watching: Stay Close”