Cold, Dark Days

I spent this month going through some older things on my queue.
The Honourable Woman - I still haven't quite tied up all the pieces of this amazing show -- an intricate and involved story that captures interest.
Black Mirror - Just started these freaky shows about social media - done in the style of the Twilight Zone so each episode differs. So good, but so intense - definitely not good for binge watching, but good, twisted dystopian tales.
We Steal Secrets - I already knew a fair amount from a good Frontline, but this was a good review of it.
Nurse Jackie - This season focuses on the fall. You're still rooting for her, but you know she's got a long way down to go.
The Wire (Seasons 1-3) - I watched this in HD over the holidays but forgot to list it. I enjoyed revisiting this, I find I appreciate more of the details to it the longer I live in Baltimore.
Fresh off the Boat - A fun new sitcom with some 90s rap nostalgia! Just when I was lacking in the comedy department.
Top Chef - This comes in fits and starts on Hulu, so it's hard to stay engaged in the season but it's kept my interest into the final four.
Bob's Burgers  - It's the best! Community gardens, go-kart races, school elections, what's not to love?
The Nightly Show - I want to like this, but I can't get into the group discussion.
Being Mortal - Tough to watch, but worthwhile to think hard about final days.
SNL 40th Anniversary -  Some nice moments, but  probably not worth the time investment.
A Path Appears - Tough topics tackled by celebrities. I just couldn't hack it through all the episodes.
I finished the fantastic Fourth of July Creek - an unusual tale involving the rural midwest featuring a social worker. One of those stories that feels so true to life. It's been long enough since I saw the movie to appreciate Blue is the Warmest Color, a graphic ode to love - bittersweet and beautiful. I just began both Behind the Beautiful Forevers and The Savage Detectives while on a trip, and am not sure I will make it through either, even though they both seem really worthwhile.

Restlessness

Without John Oliver or Stephen Colbert, there's definitely a comedy void. I am looking forward to both Oliver's return as well as the premiere of Larry Wilmore's show. In the meantime, there's a few Oscar movies to watch and winter season starts, but mostly restless channel surfing moments on the couch.
Girls - I was so excited about this premiere - I watched the promo for it more than once, and it did not disappoint.
Togetherness  Seems like HBO's show for people who are too old to watch Girls (which includes me). Good pilot, but hard to say for sure whether it will stay funny or veer into sentimentality.
Evolution of a Criminal played the local film festival, but I missed it so I was really excited to see it on the Independent Lens line-up. This documentary is so well made, from a voice not commonly heard in the mainstream media - an ex-convict (but who's so much more than just that label).
Rich /Hill - This was a slow, meditative documentary on Independent Lens portraying a year in the life of kids struggling with poverty in Rich Hill, Missouri.
Gunned Down: The History of the NRA - A frustrating look at how the NRA's blocked gun control time and time again. It's interesting to learn the NRA started as a gun safety organization.
Charlie Rose - Up late one night, I caught a discussion about Islam and politics on this show and was very thankful that you can hear such thoughtful conversations in such challenging times.
Downton Abbey - I think I am only going to half-watch this season. It feels like they just keep replaying the same plot.
Bob's Burgers - I love this show so much. Tina, Jean, and Louise are awesome.
The Good Wife - Is it wrong that I kind of want Alicia to loose the election?
Without much on TV, and with cold days descending, there was a lot of time to cuddle up with good books. Lorrie Moore's so good at short stories, and Bark was really funny, interesting, and unique. I read Citizen: An American Lyric after seeing Claudia Rankine on the news. The work is raw and visceral - it's hard to read and hits a nerve, but it's worth reading because it hits a nerve that needs to be hit. I am only about a hundred pages into Fourth of July Creek, but it is really good so far as well - lots of unexpected twists even early into it.

A Fond Farewell

Colbert Report - a sad sign-off, but went out with a star-studded bang! While I will miss it, I look forward to the new spin off starting, the Nightly Show, and Colbert's return next year.
Top Chef - The new season in Boston's pretty good so far. They even said something positive about a vegetarian dish!
Bob's Burgers - You can't go wrong with a dark take on girl sprouts and their crazy cookie sales.
Broad City - Hilarious! This is the funniest show I've seen since Silicon Valley.
Fargo - Extremely well done - despite what you might think about a show based on a great movie, this does it justice. Billy Bob Thornton is amazing!
Californication - Put this on in the background for a bit, but it just feels very dated - I guess the early 2000's were a while ago now. Not sure why it was on for so long other than people missing the X Files.
Fleming: The Man Who Would be Bond - A great BBC short series that's quite a feast for the eyes.
Getting On (Season 2) - I was hoping for more from the second season, but this felt a bit re-played. Still funny, though.
Olive Kitteridge - Based on a book by Elizabeth Strout (I read The Burgess Boys a little while back), this was a pretty severe portrait highlighting Frances McDormand as the main character. Still, a bit tough to get through.
Hawking - Having seen the Hollywood version, I wanted to watch the real version that got a bit more into the science and knew I could count on PBS to do that.
Fronline - North Korea - Similarly, after seeing the fiction fantasy on VOD after all the controversy, I watched the PBS real deal, which was quite good. I am not always good about watching the Frontline about international stories, so I'm glad my interest was peaked.
As for reading, I got through The Bone Clocks but enjoyed the earlier parts of the book much more than the latter parts. I took a second crack at Inherent Vice and made it through this time, making me excited about the movie. It's a wacky ride, and I'm pleased I finally made it through a Pynchon. Finally, I don't usually mention podcasts, but who can resist commenting on Serial? A fascinating and detailed program about the young man who was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend years ago in the Baltimore area. I can never resist anything that shines a light on the problems of our criminal justice system.

Fall Premieres

*Good Wife - I found the story lines pretty interesting at the beginning of this season, but they're starting to feel a little played out now.
*Bob's Burgers - What, only two new episodes and it's November 4?! C'mon, I'm hungry for more!
*Simpsons - For the first time ever I am not really watching the Simpsons. I watched one episode and the opening credits redeemed it -- sort of.
*Blackish - I am usually not one for heartwarming ABC family comedies, but I heard someone compare this to the Cosby's so I checked it out -- definitely worth some chuckles, and worth applauding for taking on race issues head-on, it's not so great as far as sexism and homophobia goes.
*Last Week Tonight - I cannot stop laughing at the dog Supreme Court video. It is so hilarious!
*Project Runway - I finished out the season and was really happy with their choice. I thought the drama around saving the Detroit designer was a bit overwrought.
*Bully - Ok, this may seem awful to write, but for a movie called "Bully" why didn't they delve into much at all about the bullies themselves? I think we can do more about this issue than release some balloons into the air, but it takes wrestling with some more deep-seated societal issues than this documentary decided to review.
*Twin Sisters - Maybe I was too engrossed in my knitting to catch the subtleties, but just watch the preview for this one and you're good.
*The Trouble with Antibiotics - Frontline seems to be recycling a lot of stories this season, and this one just didn't really tell me anything new.
*Mad Men - Finally got around to seeing the new season when it came out on DVD. Not too interesting so far, but still good solid TV.
*The Source Family - Finally got around to watching this one weekend, and it's really as amazing as everyone says! What a fascinating story.
I loved Not that Kind of Girl and knew I would after enjoying the excerpt in the New Yorker. It was a really funny, quick read. I just started The Bone Clocks and it's good so far but I am trying not to read too much before I leave on my vacation tomorrow so I have something for the plane.

New Deal

Not much time to post lately, so here's the last couple months' viewing:
*Good Wife is back on for the new season, along with the comfort of Sunday night television rituals.
*The Roosevelts - the annual fall cold hit me around the premiere, so I managed to watch all 14 hours. The progressive themes impressed me, as did learning about how the Roosevelts formed the basis of the federal government we know today, but after a while, all the intimate details got to be a bit repetitive. A shorter version of the highlights should be created, because I think more people would have watched that.
*Last Week Tonight - John Oliver's tirades are starting to feel a gap that I think may be left by The Colbert Report but Colbert also had some good classic fun with papa bear's mercenary plan.
*Project Runway - For some reason, this season's pulled me in again, even with it starting to feel like hour long commercials for dolls and diamonds.
*Masters of Sex - I had this on the DVD list for a while, and with the awards started to really look forward to it. While it starts out strong, halfway through the season, it begins to feel overly dramatic.
*Happy Valley - British crime dramas tend to disappoint me, but this one and Top of the Lake are both superb. Both feature strong female leads along with gripping gritty details that felt very true to their location. They will give you dark nightmares, so be sure to block off 3 hours of daylight to finish the last three episodes, which beg for binge-watching.
*Spies of Mississippi and The Invisible War were both PBS docs I missed while on the television, so good to get the chance to catch them streaming. Spies of Mississippi lays bear frightening details of institutional preservation of segregation and worse in the deep South. The Invisible War should be required viewing for anyone considering joining the army.
In Zanesville deftly delves into a 1970s adolescent coming-of-age that felt very true to life. The last third of The Fault in Our Stars is worthy of the hype, but the rest was not so amazing to me. S Street Rising catalogs the author's struggle with addiction to crack alongside Washington, DC's similar struggle. It leaves one with a strong impression of the importance of journalists and amazed at the city's and author's parallel rebirth and restoration. Women in Clothes I picked up and read occasional snippets from before bed. It feels like a conversation with a very smart, dear old friend. Definitely a thoughtful contribution to the stereo-typically vapid world of fashion.

Road Rabbit

Too much travel and time outside to watch the tube much.
*Orphan Black - Loved the rest of Season 1!
*The Americans - I lost steam on this, and just have a couple episodes left but haven't been able to get to it.
*Last Week Tonight - John Oliver's done some great bits on this show. While Colbert seems to be starting to check out a bit, it's nice to have a new late night news show. Especially good to see a bit of an international bent.
*The Newburgh Sting - Fascinating and scary documentary about some folks swept up by an undercover agent.
*Louie - Really enjoyed a few of the episodes in this newest seasons - some especially great rants.
*Vicious - Watched a couple episodes of show; worth some chuckles.
I listened to Carsick on the road, and John Waters does not disappoint as a travelling companion. Burgess Boys filled a summer weekend in a cabin nicely.

O, Aereo, Aereo, wherefore art thou, aereo?

I lost my Aereo! Back to the regular rabbit ears with me.
*Orange is the New Black - Like a champ, I watched this within a week of its release. Great second season thanks to the strength of the supporting cast.
*Wilfred - New episodes did not disappoint. You would think this premise would wear thin after a couple seasons, but it's still pretty funny.
*Orphan Black - Got into this on a friend's recommendation. It's a really amazing combo of sci-fi/drama. Looking forward to finishing out season 1 and starting season 2 soon.
*The Americans - After noticing some good reviews on metafilter, I added this to the queue, and it really doesn't disappoint so far - a good drama!
*The New Black  - Maybe because I already knew so much about my home state of Maryland's quest toward marriage equality, but this one didn't interest me a lot.
*The Trials of Muhammad Ali  - Excellent documentary about pacifism and some interesting insights into Islamic traditions in America.
*Freedom Summer - Tough to slog through, but well worthwhile to see the inspiring bravery of those on the forefront of the struggle for civil rights.
*Last Week Tonight - John Oliver's always good for a chuckle - especially enjoyed his take on the world cup - he had the only spot on the sport that piqued my interest at all!
*Game of Thrones, Veep, Silicon Valley all ended enjoyable seasons recently.
I tried unsuccessfully to finish The Maid's Version, which is embarrassing because it's so short. But it was dense and I found myself not wanting to pick it up so I returned it when the third due date came around. I loved the beginning of To Rise Again at a Decent Hour but the middle part's hit a lag and it feels a bit too much like his last book.