10 Things I’m Glad I Watched in 2014

The Media in Review post for movies gets a little long all ready (even in it’s short years), and it’s not all full of good things. So I usually spare commentary and  just do a list. But last year I decided to spotlight 10 things from it, and I’m doing it again, in no particular order.

1.  Jaws 2/3 (1978/1982): I know they get a lot of flack. Jaws 3, especially. And sure, the science is nonexistent, the effects probably didn’t even hold up then (Jaws 3, especially), and Dennis Quaid apparently didn’t even remember being in one of them (you guessed it, Jaws 3), but I had a blast. Jaws 2 made me care about the Brody family, and Jaws 3, made up for everything that was absolutely unreal by really following through on developing the Brody boys after the previous films. And if you’re going to accept the premise of a fact-defying, vengeful shark, they also manage to be reasonably suspenseful, too. I’ll wrap up with what I’m sure will be the most ridiculous film yet, Jaws: The Revenge, this year.

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What a ‘Crazy’ turnaround

I’ve been binge watching a lot of shows while racing to clean off my DVR now that I’ve finally decided to cancel cable, and I think by far the most enjoyable has, surprisingly, been “The Crazy Ones,” the CBS sitcom starring Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar as father-daughter ad executives. I say surprisingly, because I did not come away from the pilot with very good thoughts.  It wasn’t unfunny, but it looked very much like it was just going to Robin Williams stream-of-consciousness-ing his way from mark to mark as his character Simon  struggled to stay relevant and everyone else just tried to keep up.

But somewhere along the lines, it turned  itself around and is definitely my favorite new show of the season and in my top three for all shows currently airing.

The Crazy Ones: James Wolk, Hamish Linklater, Robin Williams, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Amanda Setton

10 movies I’m glad I watched in 2013

I’ve been looking over my list of movies on DVD/Streaming from 2013, and have weeded 43 down to a quick top 10 in no particular order, based solely on gut-reaction. I see a definite theme:

Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: A 45-minute science-fictiony comedy musical thing starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. The cast and creator Joss Whedon drew me to this, but it’s awesomeness keeps me coming back. A neat story, great characters and catchy songs.

The A-Team: I was five when the series ended in 1987, and it was never one of the things I watched in re-runs, but I adore this 2010 movie. There’s adventure, good plans (that come together), and just a teeny, tiny touch of love story, and is just overall a ton of fun.

Fall TV is almost here!

Last week, I spent a lot of time watching trailers and promos for the upcoming TV season, and I made huge list of things I’m going to try out, but really, it mostly all looks kind of lackluster. There are a handful of shows I really care about and am excited for, and most of the rest are only on the list because I like people who are in them. And apparently Disney, parent of ABC, owns my soul. I hope they keep it on a shelf next to Marvel and Lucasfilm.

The TV Guide website has a grid that puts ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and The CW programming head-to-head each day so you can better weep over a mass of shows that all happen at the same time (this is only a problem for me for a half hour on Thursday). It also has an alphabetized list that includes cable and premium channels and premiere dates. And lastly, there’s a calendar of premiere dates, so you can better appreciate just how crowded  Thursday, Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept. 29, are. For real.

I don’t know what y’all are planning to watch (or at least give a shot) but here’s my “If I had all the time in the world” schedule. It includes links to trailers and promos for most new shows on the list. All times are central time.