October 08, 2006

Tv, Movie, etc

As we enter fall, tv is Full on . . .

On my media center PC


  • BattleStar Gallatica - yeah, I did not start watching this show until this summer and now I'm hooked.
  • Lost - was my favorite, but Battlestar's consistent story meant that it got priority. I was not impressed by the beginning of Season3. I am very worried that these guys have no plan and the show will burn out Xfiles style
  • Jericho - an interesting series about a small town after the US gets hit by nukes.
  • The Office - number 1 comedy/sitcom. In fact, the only comedy sitcom except Earl.
  • My name is early - not as good this season, so far.
  • Hustle - a BBC series brought over by AMC. Imagine a "ocean 11" style tv show. . .with a twist every episode (and definitely better then ocean 12.
  • 24. When it comes back in January, it goes to the top of the list.

My bookcase

  • The Ruins by Scott Smith - I have never been that creeped out by a Stephen King novel. Vampires, demons, devils - all very interesting. But foliage? now apparently - that is creepy!
  • Imperium by Robert Harius - who ever knew that Rome could be so much fun? This fiction book is a unstoppable read.
  • Beach Road by James Paterson. Enough for me to forgive the boring, over the top, cliched "Judge and Jury".
  • What is the worst that could happen by Donald Westlake. A funny, humors, awesome read.
  • The Messenger by Daniel Silva. The one book author that I will drop everything for . . .
  • The Traveler by John Twelve Haws. It is suppose to be a trilogy, and i'm patiently waiting for the next book.

    Posted by graberc at 07:45 AM

    March 14, 2006

    TV SHOWS

    What does the below list say? From what I have seen about TV. . .shows are good for the first few seasons but . .almost always they go to hell

    Top TV Shows (or TV shows that haven't let me down)
    seinfeld
    24
    Lost
    Buffy the vampire slayer
    Angel
    My Name is Earl
    Sopranos
    The Office
    Deadwood
    The Shield
    The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
    Desperate Housewives

    Bottom TV shows (or TV shows that have let me down)
    Seinfeld (DID YOU SEE THE LAST EPISODE???)
    Alias - it started out great, but with the Fall of SD6 -so did the show go to 'ell
    X-Files
    Stargate SG1
    CSI
    Chappell Show(crazy bastard cancelled the best show)


    Posted by graberc at 07:55 AM

    March 12, 2006

    Top Fifty movies

    The Matrix
    Shawshank Redemption
    Star Wars IV - New Hope
    Star Wars V - Empire Strikes Back
    Two Sisters
    Shakespear in Love
    Memento
    Downfall
    Dark City
    The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
    Indiana Jones - Raiders of the Lost Ark
    Indiana Jones - Last Crusade
    Silence of the Lambs
    The Pianist
    LA Confidential
    Crash
    Terminator 2
    Terminator
    Pirates of the Caribbean
    The Princess bride
    The Crow
    Aliens
    Kill Bill 1
    Kill Bill 2
    X-Men
    X-Men 2
    Back to the Future
    Back to the Future 3
    Gladiator
    Unforgiven
    Lethal Weapon
    LOTR Two Towers
    LOTR Return of the King
    LOTR Fellowship of the Ring
    Die Hard
    Die hard 3
    Desperado
    Lock Stock and two smoking barrells
    Batman Begins
    Meet the Parents
    Ocean's 11
    Spiderman
    Spiderman 2
    Shrek
    Grosse Point Blank
    The Fugutive
    Lord of War
    American Beauty
    Jurrasic Park
    Unbreakable
    True Romance
    Snatch

    Posted by graberc at 04:22 PM

    February 21, 2006

    Indiana Jones 4

    Looks like Indiana may be Speilburg's next movie. After firewall, harrison needs some dollars

    Indy4

    Posted by graberc at 06:46 AM

    November 20, 2005

    Munich


    Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values.

    Munich

    Posted by graberc at 07:16 AM

    October 01, 2005

    Serenity

    There was a point during the movie Serenity when I turned toward my wife, smiled, and said “I’m happy”. You must understand that Serenity’s success was not guaranteed in my mind. There is nothing I hate more then people who can sit through a movie knowing they would love it before, and come out singing its praise. I remember walking out of Star Wars Episode 3 (early this summer) and I overheard two guys saying “That was the best sci-fi movie ever”. I wanted to turn and ask “You did watch Star Wars right?” What was wrong with these guys? It blew my mind . . . but then I remembered Brand Equity and I let it slide.

    I am not saying I am entirely unbiased; I know enough about how the world works to know that man (and perhaps a few women) are inherently biased. Yet watching Serenity did not destroy what I had loved, the TV show Firefly. So many times I have been led astray (X-files; Matrix 2, 3; Star wars 1,2,3). In fact the last movie that worked on a larger scale was Lord of The Rings. I remember watching Lord of The Rings with a similar feeling “they did it right”, that is the same happiness I found during this movie.

    Firefly is a TV show that was ungraciously aired out of order, then cancelled. We can blame Fox for the short sightedness. Firefly featured a science fiction show about a bunch of smuggler types, and a few complimentary crew members. The show was different then other science fiction shows like Star Trek, Star Wars: no aliens, a Wild West theme, and the eerie quiet of deep space. Firefly featured a back story of a war between separatist and an Alliance who is looking to control. Take that and add a captain who lost his faith fighting on the loosing side of that war.

    Serenity manages to pick up the ball that Fox fumbled and run with it. It is an engaging space-opera from the beginning until the violent and bloody end. Instead of focusing on cool technology, big weapons, and a big bang this is a story ala 1984 and Brave New World. It is moralities tell about big government, control, and the fact there will always be people on the other side of that control looking to fight for their slice of the sky. It is because of this, not the science fiction, which Serenity works.

    Now I will hope that Serenity is a success and I will get to see the adventures of Mal Reynolds and crew sometime in the short future.

    Posted by graberc at 07:00 AM