You know what else I like, though I have seen no actual footage as of yet?
THIS.
Much Ado About Nothing, from Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon + Whedonverse alums + Shakespeare? One of my favorite of Shakespeare's comedies? Plus more original songs from Mr. Whedon? How will this not be one of the most awesome things ever?!
Answer: it will have to be the most awesome things ever. No other possibility.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Special Features: Commentary With (Insert Name of Actor Here)
Question: how often do you take advantage of the option on DVD (or Blu-Ray, I suppose) special features to watch a favorite movie or TV episode with commentary?
I've been aware of this option for about as long as I've known about DVDs of things I like, but until recently I've never really taken advantage of it. There are a number of reasons for that, I think, which I'll get into here.
One of the first times I ever watched anything with actor commentary was Serenity, which was awesome because it has the entire cast (and Joss Whedon). Of course the quieter folk like Summer Glau hardly said anything, while chatterers like Nathan Fillion and Mr. Whedon talked a lot, but still, it was fun. I should say that I only watched the movie with commentary after I'd seen it without many times. Maybe that's why I haven't watched much actor commentary for TV shows, though: there aren't that many TV episodes that I've watched often enough to want to watch with actors and directors talking over pivotal lines and scenes.
It makes some sense, then, that the first ep of TV I ever watched with commentary was "The Doctor Dances", one of my favorite Doctor Who eps about which I have already written. It had commentary from writer Steven Moffat, and actor John Barrowman. (I would have loved it even more if Christopher Eccleston had joined in, but I guess he doesn't do that much, which is too bad.) I had already seen the episode at least three times, and I like John Barrowman, so I gave it a shot. It was okay. Not earth-shattering, but there were some amusing and interesting things to be heard, especially from Mr. Barrowman. There was more interesting stuff in the commentary for "The Girl in the Fireplace" (also Doctor Who). Part of that was the dynamic between Sophia Myles and David Tennant, who were dating at that time, and a larger part of it was that David Tennant is just so charismatic and so much of a fan of the show.
So there's another criterion: the commentators have to be people from whom I'm interested in hearing more. I'm not usually all that excited about hearing just director or writer commentary, to be honest. Maybe that makes me some kind of a Philistine, but it's the truth. I think I'd make an exception for Joss Whedon, though - so when I go back and rewatch certain episodes of Buffy or Angel, if he does commentary, I'd give that a shot. He's usually very much worth listening to. But I haven't wanted to spend the time rewatching most of those yet, since there's so much new TV to watch. There's another factor in my decision, then: it has to be an awesome enough episode (or movie) that I feel like I can justify the time spent on rewatching it instead of moving on to some newer material. That was definitely the case for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which has the added draw of being the only thing I've ever heard of that has musical commentary from the cast, director, and writers. Seriously, if you liked Dr. Horrible and haven't watched it with commentary yet, you are missing out big time.
I'm disappointed that most if not all of the seasons of The X-Files don't have either Gillian Anderson or David Duchovny doing commentary. (I should go back and check to make certain no eps do have commentary with them.) I love to hear them interacting with each other in almost any circumstance, and to hear their musings on their show would be fantastic. It would probably be hilarious, too, especially since they say in interviews that they've forgotten so much of it. Heh. Unlike with Mr. Whedon, I really don't want to hear Chris Carter talk about his show, because I usually find him boring. Sorry, CC. As I said, I prefer actor commentary to any other kinds.
Now, as soon as my sister and I started to acquire seasons of The West Wing on DVD, we were eager to see which episodes might have commentary. I may have mentioned a few times that I love this cast and this show so very much. Any actor commentary would have to add another layer of awesome, right...?
...For the most part, so far, the answer is yes. I have watched every ep that has actor commentary on it of the DVDs that we own & have seen that is available. That means "In The Shadow of Two Gunmen", parts 1 & 2, "Noel", "Manchester" part 1, and "Bartlet For America." All of these have at least one of the main cast members as well as Aaron Sorkin (the writer) and Thomas Schlamme (the director) doing the commentary. I have to admit, sometimes Mr. Sorkin & Mr. Schlamme talk a little too much for my preferences, especially when they seem to drown out the cast member or members that's supposed to be doing it with them. That happened in ITSOTG part 2, which had Martin Sheen. He hardly ended up saying anything, and I highly doubt that was because he doesn't like to talk! That was disappointing. It felt like a missed opportunity.
Thankfully, though, that has been the exception rather than the rule. The others have been quite good, and they really added a lot to my enjoyment of the episodes. My favorite by far was the one I watched today: "Bartlet For America", with Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, and John Spencer. My sister and I literally squealed and jumped up and down when we got out the season 3 DVD set and saw that Mr. Spencer was participating in the commentary for this awesome, awesome episode. He was so utterly gripping and engrossing in his portrayal of Leo in this ep that it's absolutely no wonder at all that he won an Emmy for it. And he held his own with the other two commentators (which is to say, they all played off each other very well, not that they were actually competing). It was wonderful to hear about how much he enjoyed the episode, how much detail they put into the courtroom scenes and flashbacks, and how Mr. Spencer and Mr. Sorkin used their real-life experiences with addiction to inform the story. My sister and I also couldn't help being made very happy when we heard Mr. Spencer's thoughts on the relationship between the President and Leo - he agrees absolutely that it's the romance of the show. (Insert "awwwwww" here.)
By far the highlight of this wonderful commentary, though, is the very end. None of them say a word in the pivotal scene with Leo, the President, and the napkin. Then, as Leo cries at the end, it becomes very obvious that Mr. Spencer is crying as he watches, and the others are also deeply moved, if not crying themselves. Then the writer and director tell their star that he couldn't not get the Emmy after that, and their star turns around and tells them that every actor waits his whole career for material like that. And then I wipe the tears off my face, both from the scene and from their reactions to it.
That's how you do a commentary, folks. I hope the other TWW seasons' actor commentary episodes measure up at least most of the way to that level of greatness.
I've been aware of this option for about as long as I've known about DVDs of things I like, but until recently I've never really taken advantage of it. There are a number of reasons for that, I think, which I'll get into here.
One of the first times I ever watched anything with actor commentary was Serenity, which was awesome because it has the entire cast (and Joss Whedon). Of course the quieter folk like Summer Glau hardly said anything, while chatterers like Nathan Fillion and Mr. Whedon talked a lot, but still, it was fun. I should say that I only watched the movie with commentary after I'd seen it without many times. Maybe that's why I haven't watched much actor commentary for TV shows, though: there aren't that many TV episodes that I've watched often enough to want to watch with actors and directors talking over pivotal lines and scenes.
It makes some sense, then, that the first ep of TV I ever watched with commentary was "The Doctor Dances", one of my favorite Doctor Who eps about which I have already written. It had commentary from writer Steven Moffat, and actor John Barrowman. (I would have loved it even more if Christopher Eccleston had joined in, but I guess he doesn't do that much, which is too bad.) I had already seen the episode at least three times, and I like John Barrowman, so I gave it a shot. It was okay. Not earth-shattering, but there were some amusing and interesting things to be heard, especially from Mr. Barrowman. There was more interesting stuff in the commentary for "The Girl in the Fireplace" (also Doctor Who). Part of that was the dynamic between Sophia Myles and David Tennant, who were dating at that time, and a larger part of it was that David Tennant is just so charismatic and so much of a fan of the show.
So there's another criterion: the commentators have to be people from whom I'm interested in hearing more. I'm not usually all that excited about hearing just director or writer commentary, to be honest. Maybe that makes me some kind of a Philistine, but it's the truth. I think I'd make an exception for Joss Whedon, though - so when I go back and rewatch certain episodes of Buffy or Angel, if he does commentary, I'd give that a shot. He's usually very much worth listening to. But I haven't wanted to spend the time rewatching most of those yet, since there's so much new TV to watch. There's another factor in my decision, then: it has to be an awesome enough episode (or movie) that I feel like I can justify the time spent on rewatching it instead of moving on to some newer material. That was definitely the case for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which has the added draw of being the only thing I've ever heard of that has musical commentary from the cast, director, and writers. Seriously, if you liked Dr. Horrible and haven't watched it with commentary yet, you are missing out big time.
I'm disappointed that most if not all of the seasons of The X-Files don't have either Gillian Anderson or David Duchovny doing commentary. (I should go back and check to make certain no eps do have commentary with them.) I love to hear them interacting with each other in almost any circumstance, and to hear their musings on their show would be fantastic. It would probably be hilarious, too, especially since they say in interviews that they've forgotten so much of it. Heh. Unlike with Mr. Whedon, I really don't want to hear Chris Carter talk about his show, because I usually find him boring. Sorry, CC. As I said, I prefer actor commentary to any other kinds.
Now, as soon as my sister and I started to acquire seasons of The West Wing on DVD, we were eager to see which episodes might have commentary. I may have mentioned a few times that I love this cast and this show so very much. Any actor commentary would have to add another layer of awesome, right...?
...For the most part, so far, the answer is yes. I have watched every ep that has actor commentary on it of the DVDs that we own & have seen that is available. That means "In The Shadow of Two Gunmen", parts 1 & 2, "Noel", "Manchester" part 1, and "Bartlet For America." All of these have at least one of the main cast members as well as Aaron Sorkin (the writer) and Thomas Schlamme (the director) doing the commentary. I have to admit, sometimes Mr. Sorkin & Mr. Schlamme talk a little too much for my preferences, especially when they seem to drown out the cast member or members that's supposed to be doing it with them. That happened in ITSOTG part 2, which had Martin Sheen. He hardly ended up saying anything, and I highly doubt that was because he doesn't like to talk! That was disappointing. It felt like a missed opportunity.
Thankfully, though, that has been the exception rather than the rule. The others have been quite good, and they really added a lot to my enjoyment of the episodes. My favorite by far was the one I watched today: "Bartlet For America", with Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, and John Spencer. My sister and I literally squealed and jumped up and down when we got out the season 3 DVD set and saw that Mr. Spencer was participating in the commentary for this awesome, awesome episode. He was so utterly gripping and engrossing in his portrayal of Leo in this ep that it's absolutely no wonder at all that he won an Emmy for it. And he held his own with the other two commentators (which is to say, they all played off each other very well, not that they were actually competing). It was wonderful to hear about how much he enjoyed the episode, how much detail they put into the courtroom scenes and flashbacks, and how Mr. Spencer and Mr. Sorkin used their real-life experiences with addiction to inform the story. My sister and I also couldn't help being made very happy when we heard Mr. Spencer's thoughts on the relationship between the President and Leo - he agrees absolutely that it's the romance of the show. (Insert "awwwwww" here.)
By far the highlight of this wonderful commentary, though, is the very end. None of them say a word in the pivotal scene with Leo, the President, and the napkin. Then, as Leo cries at the end, it becomes very obvious that Mr. Spencer is crying as he watches, and the others are also deeply moved, if not crying themselves. Then the writer and director tell their star that he couldn't not get the Emmy after that, and their star turns around and tells them that every actor waits his whole career for material like that. And then I wipe the tears off my face, both from the scene and from their reactions to it.
That's how you do a commentary, folks. I hope the other TWW seasons' actor commentary episodes measure up at least most of the way to that level of greatness.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Oh, Switchfoot.
I don't think my love for Switchfoot will ever change.
Their newest album, Vice Verses, came out today, and it is glorious. As expected for a band that has been existence for a while, they have tried new things on this album while keeping what makes them essentially them - and it works very well. And as usual for Switchfoot, there are songs that call emphatically for us to wake up from our apathy, achingly beautiful worship songs, and songs where Jon Foreman and his bandmates grapple with the difficulties of this life.
Though every track is excellent, my favorites are probably "Afterlife", "Dark Horses", "Vice Verses", and "Where I Belong."
I've already listened to all twelve songs twice today, and I may well listen to a few more again. So good.
Their newest album, Vice Verses, came out today, and it is glorious. As expected for a band that has been existence for a while, they have tried new things on this album while keeping what makes them essentially them - and it works very well. And as usual for Switchfoot, there are songs that call emphatically for us to wake up from our apathy, achingly beautiful worship songs, and songs where Jon Foreman and his bandmates grapple with the difficulties of this life.
Though every track is excellent, my favorites are probably "Afterlife", "Dark Horses", "Vice Verses", and "Where I Belong."
I've already listened to all twelve songs twice today, and I may well listen to a few more again. So good.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Another favorites list
This time, I decided I would make a list of my favorite TV male friendships, since I've been seeing a lot of excellent TV with extremely compelling friendships between guys recently. (Some people ship these duos, I'm aware, but I do not. That said, as far as I'm concerned, you can feel free to ship them if it makes you happy.) Note: I am not including any father-son or father figure-son relationships on here, though I love many of those as well, because I consider them to be in a separate category.
The friendships I'm listing are in no particular order. Here goes.
WARNING: There will be some minor and major plot spoilers for Babylon 5, The West Wing, Sports Night, Life, and Twin Peaks contained within.
1. Londo and G'Kar, Babylon 5
Even though I said this list wasn't in any particular order, I think it's pretty much impossible for me to not put these two first. Who would have ever expected, at the beginning of the show, that these two would end up having a relationship that is at least as compelling as that of Delenn and Sheridan, if not moreso? Their evolution from cordial dislike, to enmity, to understanding (first G'Kar, then Londo), to deep and lasting loyalty to each other, is just plain beautiful. Much of the credit of course is due to Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas, and I was delighted to read an interview with Mr. Jurasik from after the show that revealed nothing but praise and warm feeling for his co-star. I think JMS really lucked out when he got these two for these two roles. The show would not have been nearly as awesome as it is without this relationship.
2. Jed Bartlet and Leo McGarry, The West Wing
It didn't take me very long after starting to watch this show to fall in love with this friendship. The two men obviously love and care about each other deeply (and again, IMO, this is entirely a non-romantic sort of love), and the two actors portray a lifelong friendship extremely convincingly. It doesn't surprise me in the least that Martin Sheen apparently still gets emotional talking about John Spencer in interviews today, because once again, it's pretty clear that they were close friends in real life, too. But oh, that scene in "He Shall, From Time To Time," when Leo confronts the President after Abby has revealed that he has MS - the shame on Bartlet's face, and the betrayal on Leo's face - kills me. And then the end of that episode, when the President is describing the characteristics of who to pick as your chief of staff! Then there's, well, pretty much all of "Bartlet For America," especially the end. I've already written about the scene with the napkin. Oh, Leo and Jed. I love them. Although I expect I'll be shipping Josh/Donna by the time that really starts to develop, I'm not sure I'll be more invested in them than I am in the President and his best friend.
3. Casey McCall and Dan Rydell, Sports Night
This is another pair for whom when you meet them, the characters have already been friends for a very long time, and this fact is very obvious in how the actors portray them. Throughout the show's brief run, the banter and mutual support of Dan and Casey are always some of the best things about each episode - although the rest of the cast & the dialogue are so fantastic that it seems almost a shame to single out the two male leads. Almost. In addition, as seems to be a running theme in this list already, theirs is the most compelling relationship to me on the show. Although I ship Natalie/Jeremy (they're so adorable!) and was greatly relieved when they got back together before the end of the show, and although I wished Dana and Casey could have made it work by then as well, it was the brief period when Casey and Dan were on the outs that was by far the most painful. I'm very glad that Mr. Sorkin did not draw that out. Their reconciliation in "April Is The Cruelest Month" makes that fantastic episode even more fantastic.
4. Josh Lyman and Sam Seaborn, The West Wing
Apparently Aaron Sorkin is pretty darn good at writing male friendships, because if you notice, he wrote for half of the ones on my list. Anyway, this one was brought home for me when my sister and I were watching "In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen, Part I" with commentary, and during the flashback scene where Josh comes to visit Sam, both Bradley Whitford and Janel Moloney commented - not really in jest - that Josh/Sam is the real romance of the show. So far, I'd say they're not too far off (although yes, I know Rob Lowe doesn't stay on the show for the whole run, which makes me sad, and I think the Leo-Jed friendship is more awesome). But it still makes me very happy to see how these two care about each other. As one example, I cannot help but echo Janel Moloney's "awwww" during that flashback scene, and when Sam tells Josh he misses him. (Incidentally, she seems rather a bit Donna-ish, which is just fine with me!)
5. Charlie Crews and Ted Earley, Life
This friendship is quite a bit different than any of the others on the list, since it began when the characters were both in prison, when Charlie (who was found guilty of murder, but who was innocent) saved Ted's (who was guilty of a white-collar crime) life while they were in prison. Still, they share much in common with my other favorites: they are fiercely loyal to each other, and look out for each other in any way that they can. I'm sure that if we had been given the opportunity to see more of this excellent show, this relationship would have continued to be a fascinating part.
6. Harry Truman and Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks
These guys are awesome. I love how it doesn't take each of them long at all to decide that the other is "all right". Harry doesn't always understand Dale's odd investigative methods, and Dale doesn't always approve of Harry's choice of women (or one woman in particular), but they will do whatever they can to help each other. Michael Ontkean is a fine actor and not at all bad-looking, but I fully acknowledge that the main reason I am so fond of these two is the awesomeness of Kyle MacLachlan's Dale Cooper. I may have mentioned once or twice that I think Dale Cooper is not only really pretty, but surely one of TV's best characters (which is why the end of the series upset me so much). Anyway, he and Truman have wonderful chemistry, and some of the best exchanges on the show - which is saying something.
I'm sure I will add to this list as I continue my TV-watching career, but these are the ones that stand out for now.
The friendships I'm listing are in no particular order. Here goes.
WARNING: There will be some minor and major plot spoilers for Babylon 5, The West Wing, Sports Night, Life, and Twin Peaks contained within.
1. Londo and G'Kar, Babylon 5
Even though I said this list wasn't in any particular order, I think it's pretty much impossible for me to not put these two first. Who would have ever expected, at the beginning of the show, that these two would end up having a relationship that is at least as compelling as that of Delenn and Sheridan, if not moreso? Their evolution from cordial dislike, to enmity, to understanding (first G'Kar, then Londo), to deep and lasting loyalty to each other, is just plain beautiful. Much of the credit of course is due to Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas, and I was delighted to read an interview with Mr. Jurasik from after the show that revealed nothing but praise and warm feeling for his co-star. I think JMS really lucked out when he got these two for these two roles. The show would not have been nearly as awesome as it is without this relationship.
2. Jed Bartlet and Leo McGarry, The West Wing
It didn't take me very long after starting to watch this show to fall in love with this friendship. The two men obviously love and care about each other deeply (and again, IMO, this is entirely a non-romantic sort of love), and the two actors portray a lifelong friendship extremely convincingly. It doesn't surprise me in the least that Martin Sheen apparently still gets emotional talking about John Spencer in interviews today, because once again, it's pretty clear that they were close friends in real life, too. But oh, that scene in "He Shall, From Time To Time," when Leo confronts the President after Abby has revealed that he has MS - the shame on Bartlet's face, and the betrayal on Leo's face - kills me. And then the end of that episode, when the President is describing the characteristics of who to pick as your chief of staff! Then there's, well, pretty much all of "Bartlet For America," especially the end. I've already written about the scene with the napkin. Oh, Leo and Jed. I love them. Although I expect I'll be shipping Josh/Donna by the time that really starts to develop, I'm not sure I'll be more invested in them than I am in the President and his best friend.
3. Casey McCall and Dan Rydell, Sports Night
This is another pair for whom when you meet them, the characters have already been friends for a very long time, and this fact is very obvious in how the actors portray them. Throughout the show's brief run, the banter and mutual support of Dan and Casey are always some of the best things about each episode - although the rest of the cast & the dialogue are so fantastic that it seems almost a shame to single out the two male leads. Almost. In addition, as seems to be a running theme in this list already, theirs is the most compelling relationship to me on the show. Although I ship Natalie/Jeremy (they're so adorable!) and was greatly relieved when they got back together before the end of the show, and although I wished Dana and Casey could have made it work by then as well, it was the brief period when Casey and Dan were on the outs that was by far the most painful. I'm very glad that Mr. Sorkin did not draw that out. Their reconciliation in "April Is The Cruelest Month" makes that fantastic episode even more fantastic.
4. Josh Lyman and Sam Seaborn, The West Wing
Apparently Aaron Sorkin is pretty darn good at writing male friendships, because if you notice, he wrote for half of the ones on my list. Anyway, this one was brought home for me when my sister and I were watching "In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen, Part I" with commentary, and during the flashback scene where Josh comes to visit Sam, both Bradley Whitford and Janel Moloney commented - not really in jest - that Josh/Sam is the real romance of the show. So far, I'd say they're not too far off (although yes, I know Rob Lowe doesn't stay on the show for the whole run, which makes me sad, and I think the Leo-Jed friendship is more awesome). But it still makes me very happy to see how these two care about each other. As one example, I cannot help but echo Janel Moloney's "awwww" during that flashback scene, and when Sam tells Josh he misses him. (Incidentally, she seems rather a bit Donna-ish, which is just fine with me!)
5. Charlie Crews and Ted Earley, Life
This friendship is quite a bit different than any of the others on the list, since it began when the characters were both in prison, when Charlie (who was found guilty of murder, but who was innocent) saved Ted's (who was guilty of a white-collar crime) life while they were in prison. Still, they share much in common with my other favorites: they are fiercely loyal to each other, and look out for each other in any way that they can. I'm sure that if we had been given the opportunity to see more of this excellent show, this relationship would have continued to be a fascinating part.
6. Harry Truman and Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks
These guys are awesome. I love how it doesn't take each of them long at all to decide that the other is "all right". Harry doesn't always understand Dale's odd investigative methods, and Dale doesn't always approve of Harry's choice of women (or one woman in particular), but they will do whatever they can to help each other. Michael Ontkean is a fine actor and not at all bad-looking, but I fully acknowledge that the main reason I am so fond of these two is the awesomeness of Kyle MacLachlan's Dale Cooper. I may have mentioned once or twice that I think Dale Cooper is not only really pretty, but surely one of TV's best characters (which is why the end of the series upset me so much). Anyway, he and Truman have wonderful chemistry, and some of the best exchanges on the show - which is saying something.
I'm sure I will add to this list as I continue my TV-watching career, but these are the ones that stand out for now.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
"When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur..."
And now, for a blog post about something completely different!
My family went up to Mount Rainier National Park on Labor Day. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and we had a wonderful time hiking Sunrise Nature Trail and absorbing the incredible natural beauty. (We got there early enough that it wasn't terribly crowded, too - always a bonus, especially on a holiday.)
Here's a small sampling of the 60+ photos I took:
I love my home state, so very much. It's a joy to be so close to such beauty. I couldn't help but be reminded of several hymns and praise songs while I was there, too.
My family went up to Mount Rainier National Park on Labor Day. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and we had a wonderful time hiking Sunrise Nature Trail and absorbing the incredible natural beauty. (We got there early enough that it wasn't terribly crowded, too - always a bonus, especially on a holiday.)
Here's a small sampling of the 60+ photos I took:
I love my home state, so very much. It's a joy to be so close to such beauty. I couldn't help but be reminded of several hymns and praise songs while I was there, too.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Ahh, TV obsessions.
I don't know that I've ever fallen so hard for a TV show as I have for The West Wing. That's not to say for sure that it's become my number one favorite TV show of all time, but it is to say that it's so good that I want to start rewatching it even before I've finished watching it all for the first time.
We're on season 3 right now, and I'm loving each new episode we watch. At the same time, I'd love to go back and watch all of seasons 1 & 2. I don't know if that's ever happened to me before. I mean, I've gotten into a show in season 2 or 3 and then started to watch the earlier seasons to catch up while still watching what's currently airing, but of course The West Wing isn't currently airing at all. It's just SO good that eps I've already seen have nearly the same attraction as the ones yet to come!
Then again, what does it mean that with shows like The X-Files, I blew through the DVDs as fast as I could (until I got to seasons 8 & 9, of course), just longing for the next one and the next one? I don't know. Maybe they're different kinds of shows.
We're on season 3 right now, and I'm loving each new episode we watch. At the same time, I'd love to go back and watch all of seasons 1 & 2. I don't know if that's ever happened to me before. I mean, I've gotten into a show in season 2 or 3 and then started to watch the earlier seasons to catch up while still watching what's currently airing, but of course The West Wing isn't currently airing at all. It's just SO good that eps I've already seen have nearly the same attraction as the ones yet to come!
Then again, what does it mean that with shows like The X-Files, I blew through the DVDs as fast as I could (until I got to seasons 8 & 9, of course), just longing for the next one and the next one? I don't know. Maybe they're different kinds of shows.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
A new (to me) favorite TV show
So, this past month or so, my family has been watching Sports Night on Netflix. Tonight, we watched the series finale. As usual when I reach the end of an excellent show - especially one that was canceled far too soon - I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it was excellent, and it brought me much joy, laughter, and too many quotable lines to count. It also introduced me to many fine actors and actresses that I'd either never watched in much of anything before, or only seen in brief guest-starring roles. On the other hand, it's over! And far too quickly. It really deserved more.
It's a stellar cast: Peter Krause, Josh Charles, Felicity Huffman, Robert Guillaume, Sabrina Lloyd, and Josh Malina (who has recently shot up to being rather high on my list of favorite actors), as well as some excellent guest stars. It's not just for people who like sports a lot, either. I'm not a huge sports person, though I'll watch a game with my dad if it's a team in which I'm at least faintly interested. But my mom pretty much hates sports, and she looked forward to each new episode of this show.
It has its minor issues of course: some plotlines & character moments that were frustrating or that I didn't really like, and some dialogue that bordered on frankly ridiculous in its snappy Sorkin-ness. (That's especially noticeable when you watch a lot of it in a row, interspersed with episodes of The West Wing.) But overall, I would highly recommend it to anyone who might be looking for a show with a fantastic cast, great heart, hilarious dialogue, and wonderful characters.
Here's a video that someone made to celebrate the show. It's goofy and cute, but don't let that fool you: the show itself is a comedy, yes, but with many moving dramatic moments as well.
It's a stellar cast: Peter Krause, Josh Charles, Felicity Huffman, Robert Guillaume, Sabrina Lloyd, and Josh Malina (who has recently shot up to being rather high on my list of favorite actors), as well as some excellent guest stars. It's not just for people who like sports a lot, either. I'm not a huge sports person, though I'll watch a game with my dad if it's a team in which I'm at least faintly interested. But my mom pretty much hates sports, and she looked forward to each new episode of this show.
It has its minor issues of course: some plotlines & character moments that were frustrating or that I didn't really like, and some dialogue that bordered on frankly ridiculous in its snappy Sorkin-ness. (That's especially noticeable when you watch a lot of it in a row, interspersed with episodes of The West Wing.) But overall, I would highly recommend it to anyone who might be looking for a show with a fantastic cast, great heart, hilarious dialogue, and wonderful characters.
Here's a video that someone made to celebrate the show. It's goofy and cute, but don't let that fool you: the show itself is a comedy, yes, but with many moving dramatic moments as well.
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