An ongoing series on books, movies, and music I’ve encountered recently. Portrait of a Lady on Fire. 🔥 Watchmen (TV show). This whole limited series is something special, but the three-episode stretch of "This Extraordinary Being", "An Almost Religious Awe", and "A God Walks Into Abar" is spectacular. I went into this basically as a … Continue reading Media of the moment
Category: Television
The Last Dance
Pretty much inhaled the Michael Jordan docuseries The Last Dance on Netflix. As I was a mere lad during the Chicago Bulls’ extended championship run in the ‘90s, the series really added color and context to the on- and off-court happenings I wouldn’t have understood at the time. Though a Wisconsinite, I didn’t feel any … Continue reading The Last Dance
An ‘Unorthodox’ Harmony
It's good to know that even in quarantine, my old friend synchronicity can still visit me. I watched the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox after reading the review from Vox's Alissa Wilkinson and am so glad I did. Based on the true story of a young ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman fleeing her community in Williamsburg, it's just four … Continue reading An ‘Unorthodox’ Harmony
Obi-What Can I Be
I took the Statistical "Which Character" Personality Quiz from the Open-Source Psychometrics Project, which they describe as a “slightly more scientific but still silly” version of those Buzzfeed “Which Character Are You?” tests I mostly avoid. Here are my top five results, with the percentage of overlap in perceived personality traits: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars … Continue reading Obi-What Can I Be
On the magical realism of Mister Rogers
My now one-year-old and I have slowly been going through the episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood available on Amazon Prime. He’s generally not interested in extended screen time at this point, but Mister Rogers is one of the few figures he recognizes and enjoys. (Along with Alex Trebek. #proudpapa) There’s not much I can say … Continue reading On the magical realism of Mister Rogers
Favorite TV Shows of the 2010s
See also: my favorite books, albums, and films of the 2010s. I spent a lot more time reading and watching movies over the last 10 years than watching TV, but here are the 10 series I enjoyed the most. 10. Catastrophe. For keeping it (brutally) real. 9. House of Cards. For the pulpy thrills of … Continue reading Favorite TV Shows of the 2010s
They went back! On a ‘Lost’ retrospective podcast
Really enjoyed the SYFY limited podcast series Through the Looking Glass: A LOST Retrospective, which celebrates 15 years since the premiere of Lost in 2004. Hosted by Tara Bennett and Maureen Ryan—two television writers who covered the show's original run—the podcast consists of six episodes that examine Lost from different perspectives, including how it revolutionized … Continue reading They went back! On a ‘Lost’ retrospective podcast
What is utter sadness, Alex
Since coming home from the hospital with our baby boy, we've been alternating between several streaming shows to pass the hours that need passing. Current go-tos include The Office, The Great British Baking Show, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and The Wire. As much as I like all of them, none give me as much joy … Continue reading What is utter sadness, Alex
Perfect Bid
Remember Terry Kniess, the guy who made the perfect bid on the Showcase Showdown of The Price is Right? Someone made a documentary about the guy behind that bid, and it's surprisingly thrilling. Ted Slauson is a math whiz and The Price is Right superfan who's attended dozens of tapings of the show and even … Continue reading Perfect Bid
Queer Eye and Straight Guys
Karamo Brown of Queer Eye recently gave a free talk nearby, so I availed myself of the opportunity to see him in the flesh. He was the same as you see on the show, except this time he made himself cry. He got emotional as soon as the talk began because an old college friend … Continue reading Queer Eye and Straight Guys