Winter is Coming

Busy, busy, busy, but a little time for T.V.:
*Game of Thrones (Season 2) - Good thing this season comes with a map at the end, because I obviously should have spent the last several months re-watching Season 1. I wish it were on instant! I would watch it all over again, and again.
*Nurse Jackie (Season 4) - Rehab is boring, and you know the stats are stacked against her, but the unraveling is still worth watching.
*Simpsons (Season 24) - Hippies and school humor a few weeks ago made all the mediocre episodes worth watching.
*Bob's Burgers - An entire show about a toilet?! These writers clearly understand their target audience well. I don't love the new time, though.
*Good Wife - I catch this every now and then still, but I'm not following it as closely as I was, just turning it on from time to time to watch the beautiful people.
*Parks & Recreation - Still nothing too exciting.
*Project Runway - Now that we're down to the final 7, it's sort of more interesting, but they always cut the most interesting people early, so mostly I just keep watching it to have something mindless to tune out at the end of the week.
I read Unnamed this month for book club about a man whose compulsion to walk unravels his life. I enjoyed the meditation on the power of the body and the mystery of illness. Since then, I started and cannot put down We Need to Talk about Kevin. It's so good! I did not expect it to be so well written and such a thoughtful turn-pager.

sNOw Day

PBS dominated my viewing the last couple months, which flew by before I could post anything! No snow days so far. Here's what I watched and read:
*Downton Abbey - I am totally hooked! Luckily, I didn't get any spoilers of the drama from across the pond this time around. I did thoroughly enjoy the Scottish countryside in the final episode, which was nice in HD. I had watched the second to last one on an old, little box (mother-daughter bonding time), and so the difference was fairly noticeable.
*The Education of Michelle Rhee (Frontline) and Inside Obama's Presidency (Frontline) - both of these were good recaps of coverage I think I've seen over the years, so not a lot new, but a nice review.
*The Untouchables (Frontline) - A biting look at why Wall Street bankers haven't been held accountable for illegal activities leading to the economic crisis. Incredibly well done, and it's nice to get people talking about this question again.
*Cliffhangers (Frontline) - A closer look at all the political posturing around the debt ceiling. It's hard to want to even pay attention to this story anymore even if you're a news junky, but it's worth understanding the personalities even if I still can't understand why they can't make a deal.
*The Revisionaries - When the Texas School Board politicized textbooks, I mostly heard about it through Colbert, so it was good to get the fuller story of what happened (and how it happened) through this Independent Lens documentary.
*Beauty is Embarrassing - Explores the wonderful imaginative world of Wayne White, hilarious artist extraordinaire.
*Soul Food Junkies - Hailing from the South, but vegan by the time I ate much soul food, it's interesting to hear more about this culinary tradition, especially debunking the "healthy soul food is an oxymoron" myth. It did make me really crave some hush puppies, though.
*Best Week Ever - It's back! I used to spend countless weekend mornings laughing at the prior week's pop culture news with some great comedians. It's lost a bit of its luster, but I am glad to see its return.
*Top Chef - I noticed some of the recent season on Hulu, so I watched a few but couldn't really get into it - too predictable and too many unappetizing sponsors.
*Project Runway - Also predictable and too many ugly sponsors. The stereotyping and constant product placement is starting to get to me this season. But at least Tim Gunn's still there.
*Parks & Recreation - Nothing remarkable (again), and getting a bit too sappy lately.
*30 Rock - So sad to say good-bye to this one, but happy they ended on a high note. I thought the second to last episode was supurb; they could have ended it there!
*Shameless (Season 1) - I tried to watch the British version of this at some point and could not understand a word of it! Lucky for me, there's now a pretty great American version with William H. Macy as drunkard dad of a family scraping by. It's a little unbelievable at times, but definitely still worth a watch, especially after it gets going. It's also always good to watch a comedy with more income diversity on the television.
*Skins (6) - Death overshadows a large part of this series, which felt too ADD, but hey, maybe that's kids these days.
*Portlandia (Season 2) - I hate-watched this while sick with a cough. Double yuck.

Alif the Unseen and American Ghost were both amazing reads by women authors that I found on various "best of 2012" lists. Alif the Unseen surprised me with its supernatural elements and insights into Islam, the Arab Spring, and the Internet. I look forward to reading some of her other works, especially the graphic novels as I felt like I could (haha) see everything in Alif the Unseen.

American Ghost fulfilled my promise to try to read something either written by or set in the place where I'm visiting for my annual Florida pilgrimage. It's a really great, honest read about racism in a white community in backwoods Florida and how the ghosts of our past haunt our present.

While I didn't make it any farther South than Miami, I did listen to the audio book of This Is How You Loose Her on my Florida trip as well. I heard him read once in Baltimore and loved listening to him, so I couldn't resist including him in my car on my way to Miami. I wish I had read it so I could savor it a bit more, because there was at least one point where I zoned out and missed something, but I loved the Spanish I'm always impressed with Junot Diaz's use of second person, prose, and complex character development.

Rewind

'Tis the season for travelling, a whole lot of holiday parties, and movies, so not much time for t.v. this month (winter months are pretty slow for new shows, anyway).
Boardwalk Empire (Season 2) - It got so gory this season, but I guess that's how it goes when there's a war. I am not sure how historically accurate it is, but I like how they intertwine veteran's day and fighting overseas into the corruption and casualties of prohibition.
Mad Men (Season 5) -The end of the season switched into high gear and the building plot lines play out nicely.
Girls (Season 1) - I loved this show so much that I was really happy to see the dvd show up in our collection and have re-watched every episode an embarrassing amount (maybe not as embarrassing as the things that happen on the show). It's so funny, and there are so many good lines that I never tire of.
Bob's Burgers (Season 3) - Hilarious holiday hijinks! Hooray!

In my travels and winter break, I had lots of time to read. I finished the Marriage Plot.  I learned from a friends about the rumor of a main character being based on David Foster Wallace. It's not a good sign when the rumor's more interesting than the book. While enjoyable, it did not seem to go anywhere. I had similar problem with The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears, which I really wanted to like - it's a rare thing to find an honest portrayal of gentrification in Washington, D.C. The pacing was just off, and the plot and characters just never really developed. Wonderstruck was a quick, snowy-day enjoyable young adult graphic novel. I read Ubik in preparation for seeing a play based on the book - a bit dated, much more complex than I expected.

Feastivities!

Mad Men (Season 5) - After a seemingly endless "very long wait," we finally received the first disc. The local video store supplied the next disc, alleviating us from another very long wait. I tried really hard not to hear any spoilers for this season, so while I knew a little (someone takes LSD), not a lot. There's a little less drama since you know the characters so well, but that's fine because they're all so interesting it's still fun to watch. So far, there's more humor than I remember from prior seasons, which more than makes up the difference in having a little less drama.
Tudors (Season 1) - This has been on the queue forever and I finally started watching it. It's ridiculous, but pretty to watch.
Too Big to Fail - There's something just way too distracting about watching really famous actors play famous people. Maybe this dramatization of a nonfiction story was news to others, but it wasn't to me.
Poor Kids (Frontline) - A devastating discussion with kids growing up in poverty in America. A harsh reminder of the plight of kids who go hungry and homeless in a country that can afford to house and feed everyone, if it had the political will to do it.
Bob's Burgers - Definitely missed during the baseball interruption, I was happy to have their wacky hijinks back in November. I missed the last episode, and am patiently waiting for it to come onto Hulu.
Simpsons - Hit or miss, as usual these days, mostly miss.
Good Wife - Lately I have felt like the 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. Sunday night TV is too much sitting and I resent having to watch the frantic last 45 minutes of The Amazing Race while waiting for the Good Wife. It has not been worth the wait lately.
Colbert Report - I really enjoyed his post-election bit, and with the holiday season upon us and the fiscal cliff nearing, it's nice to have him back from his break continuing to make fun of the insanity.
Parks & Recreation - I want to like the City Council bit more than I do; it feels like they are struggling to find new plot ideas.
30 Rock - A TV wedding fit for a feminist. I love you, Liz Lemmon!
Suicide Plan (Frontline)- An engrossing look at end-of-life choices and the entities and individuals who help people die when they decide they're done. Who knew that Party City's helium tanks provide an easy escape hatch for the elderly and terminally ill?
Dust Bowl - I am no history buff by a long shot, but I really enjoyed the second episode. The rabbit killing in the first episode was a bit tough to stomach. I thought the whole thing could have been edited down a bit into one episode, but it was a fascinating look at a time I knew very little about. I liked how much original footage and pictures were used, and that nearly the whole thing was narrated by non-experts - just regular people talking about growing up in the "dirty 30s."
Park Avenue: Power, Money  & the American Dream - - I cannot stop telling people about this biting documentary on Independent Lens. Just after the election, it was a well-needed reminder that money corrupts completely, and corrupts our political system especially. While the ads were the public face of the spending during the election season, the year-round spending behind closed doors, setting the agenda and drafting bills is really what we have to worry about. I saw another documentary this guy was involved in, "Casino Jack and the United States of Money," also worth watching.

Off-screen, I completed American Dervish for book club and loved it. It feels like a very sincere and honest look at the complexities of coming of age in an Islamic, immigrant family. It confronts the tension between Muslim and Jewish communities head-on, which I really enjoyed. I am also just a little ways into Euginides' Marriage Plot, which seems like an English major's wet dream, but I am not sure where it is going yet. I like being reminded of some of the academic references from my undergraduate years, although the ivy league component is a bit unfamiliar to me.

Boo!

Storm Patrol - Usually a treat reserved for snow days, winter came early this year with an unusual chilly hurricane justifying watching long hours of local news and excessive amounts of nail-biting weather updates and random people on the street. Hunkered down for an extended weekend,  I feel lucky that the extra days off involved a dodged bullet that allowed me to watch copious amounts of T.V.
Climate of Doubt (Frontline) - As the storm and election moved closer, it felt like a good time to stop and watch why we seem to be backpedaling on climate change, despite near-scientific consensus. despite islands sinking, miners getting trapped underground in the name of maximizing, and catastrophic storms becoming commonplace.
The Choice (Frontline) - As always, an insightful and refreshing biography of two candidates for public office that cuts through the excessive ads and spin.
Presidential and Vice-Presidential Debates - As someone with a love-hate relationship with politics, and aside from a couple chuckles about clever memes, let's all agree it's been a tense, uncomfortable political season.
Big Sky, Big Money (Frontline) - After watching way too many political ads in Florida and a bunch of local ads funded by out-of-state groups, I thoroughly enjoyed nerding out to some Trevor Potter and the twists and turns of tax-exempt funding of political ads. I thought they got a little too excited about the meth house lead in, and it's too bad they couldn't get more people to talk, but I guess that's how anonymous political donors are. The whole shell-corporation game's a fascinating, albeit disturbing, trend.
Race 2012 - A refreshing reminder of the role race plays in politics (well, unless you occasionally listen to Smiley & West on the radio, in which case you probably knew about this already...)
30 Rock - Oh, Tina Fey. You knew we would miss your Sarah Palin impression this presidential race and so you treated us to political humor on 30 Rock! Hooray!
Good Wife - This season's kind of "eh" so far. I think they need to introduce some new plot lines or something. I am getting tired of the same old characters doing the same things.
Parks & Recreation - Smooth sailing in Pawnee - nothing super exciting so far.
The Black Power Mix Tape (1967-1975) - Another storm watch, I missed this on PBS and was happy to see it added to Netflix Instant. I enjoyed the really great footage from Swedish television about aspects of the civil rights movement rarely addressed in American television, interspersed with rappers talking about its relevancy today.
Mindy Project - At someone's urging, I regretfully watched another episode of this show. Double ugh. I stand by my original review.
Call the Midwife - Ok, this is quite a bit darker than I expected. Who knew that they called the midwife when a baby gets taken from a carriage or when a man in an incestuous relationship is dying of cancer? Yeah, me neither.
The Baby Wait - A while before TeenMom2, how about hanging out with some dude dads who do not totally disappoint? Good idea! I think they must have made this 30 day wait law with a TV show in mind, because aside from a lot of drama, I am not sure what good it does!
Project Runway - Totally forgettable finale. Who won again? Who cares?
The House I Live In - A really damning documentary indicting the drug war, I caught a special free screening at local movie theatre, The Charles, but I believe it's coming to Independent Lens later this season.
Love Free or Die - I missed this at the Maryland Film Festival a year ago (but I did see the Pruitt-Igoe Myth there -- go watch it on Netflix instant! It's good!), so I am glad they had it on Independent Lens this year.
Simpsons and Bob's Burgers - Both shows make me excited for the fall season, but get interrupted by baseball so much, it's hard to remember they even premiered yet.
Wilfred - It's on Netflix now, too, so you have no excuses.
Dexter (Season 6) - Yeah, I devoured another season of it, even though it's super predictable.
I read Swamplandia on a recent trip to Florida, and really enjoyed it - as zany as the State in which it's set. The Infinite Wait is the newest release from Fart Party author Julia Wertz. I do not know if it's just because we're about the same age or what, but it's one of those books where you feel like you have a lot in common with the author, even when you don't, really.

Fall Frenzy

I'm in the midst of another hectic fall, so viewing time's been compromised. I am excited about the fall season starting on Sunday, and some things finally scheduled to come out on DVD (Mad Men!!). To keep things fresh, I'm also adding new color coding (a la Charm City Cineaste)!
Netflix
Hulu
Internet
Rabbit Ears
Book
*Party Down (Seasons 1 and 2) - Sitting on the queue for quite a while, this finally came up and I am not sure why I didn't watch it sooner (and why it never got renewed for another season). A really funny look at the folks working in the catering business in Hollywood, without falling into the trope of naval-gazing.
*Project Runway (Season 10) - Bon Voyage, Ven! I am glad he got cut before he could criticize babies for being fat. Also, I am not sure I approve of baby fashion. I guess they have to wear clothes (sort of), but how come they didn't have any dads with their kids? Are babies just some kind of fashion accessory for women?
*Misfits (Season 1) - The premise to this show seems totally silly and the plot does feel a bit thin at times, but it's actually a pretty good Hulu show. Just like with Skins, the Brits sure are good at juvenile delinquency.
*Frontline - Dropout Nation - This felt way too long and a bit indulgent. The principal and teachers featured on the show thought they had found some answer to this difficult problem but obviously hadn't. Even though it's a documentary, it feels fake to focus so much on a schools that's had a huge influx of private funds to so some intensive intervention work. That's not the reality in most of the country, and I would like to hear from those people in a year or two when the funds run out, they all get laid off, and another round of kids get left behind. It's an incredibly important national conversation and I wish Frontline had done a better job providing some context to the conversation.
*Wilfred (Season 2) - This show is hilarious and totally zany! I wish more people were watching it.
*Parks & Recreation (Season 5) - It's nice to have the bunch back early in the fall. So far, so good.
*The Mindy Project -Terrible! Is this cancelled yet? I'll hold out hope that PBS' Call the Midwife fulfills my female physician viewing this fall. Hopefully they'll be quite a bit tougher than Mindy. Ugh.
*16 & Pregnant - How did I miss this back in the spring? Another season of dashed dreams and disappointing dudes.

I completed and thoroughly enjoyed 1Q84, the new Murakami book. I loved disappearing into the world of two moons, an air chrysalis, little people, religious cults, and an assassin. A strange mix that only Murakami could narrate. I also just finished Gone Girl for my book club. I am not usually one for mysteries, but it's pretty well written. It's the first book I've read on a tablet and I have mixed feelings about the experience. I probably won't switch over entirely - a few features like the glare and not being able to flip through easily were annoying, but it is really nice when you're reading just before bed to have the page light up.

Look at that Leap!

*Olympics - It's the sports event for non-sports fans! Too bad those announcers take things so seriously. I don't want to understand what's happening in the event, I just want to marvel at it. It is nice that through the summer lull, there's always some random event on to watch. I could do without the sappy stories about triumph over adversity, too. Just get to the sparkly costumes already!

*Treme (Season 2) - Trudging through the second season sadness was tough. The show's tremendous, just so, so dark.

*Louie (Season 2) - The new season drags a bit in the middle, especially his tour with the troops. But the nuggets of comic genius had me laughing so hard I cried. Hilarious!

*The Hour (Season 1) - Hello, McNulty! Welcome back to my life. I only caught an episode of this on demand while on vacation, but I'm intrigued enough to add it to the Netflix queue.

*Wilfred (Season 2) - Another one I managed to see on demand, and am waiting patiently for new episodes on Hulu.

*Project Runway (Season 10) - As much as I enjoyed revisiting favorite designers in the All Stars last time around, it's nice to have the dynamic duo, Heidi and Tim, back. I don't usually pick someone to root for this early, but after last week, I'm rooting for Sojia. I wasn't crazy about her the first week.

*Good Wife (Season 2) - I got the first couple discs from Netflix, and am trying to block out time for a marathon session today to finish it (and hopefully this skirt I'm knitting).

*Frontline, Alaska Gold - More than you ever wanted to know about salmon in Alaska and the threat of a mineral mine. A good reminder that our paperless revolution may save our trees, but also increases mineral mining demands that destroy other natural habitats.

*Independent Lens, Strong! - This is one where the preview was more exciting than the documentary about an Olympic weightlifter whose heft puts her at an advantage in her sport. I think they needed a little more substance in for it to last that long. All in all, though, it was way better than the sappy Olympic spots. With the U.S. women winning so many gold medals, it was certainly a timely screening.