Some short (and I mean short) reviews of TV & Movies

We recently watched the movie "Never Let Me Go", a movie based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. Although the plot is nominally sci-fi, it is so understated as to nearly escape the attention of the viewer. It is moving, beautifully acted, and heart wrenching. SPOILER: I do wonder if the Donors were indeed 'souless' in the sense it as used in the film, as the 'beautiful' art Tommy creates looks like infantile scribbles to me. Was that the intention of the scene?

After a long day at work Lis & I watched "I Knew it Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale" (aka Fredo from The Godfather). It was an entertaining tribute to him as an actor, but little else. As to Cazale as a person, we learned he was born in 1935, smoked a lot, died young . . . and that's it. The filmaker could have done a lot more with the material.

We also finished "The Ghostwriter". It would be a dang good movie if the plot made any sense. A former PM of Great Britain demonized and branded a war criminal for having 4 known terrrorists kidnapped & waterboarded? The UK allowing a PM to be brought up on charges by the (ridiculous) internation court? A consistent anti-American plot thread (literally)? Meh. Bleeding heart politics masquerading as art.

On the opposite end of the entertainment spectrum, we finished watching Survior: Pearl Islands. While we wanted Rupert to win it all, we were pleased that his pal Sandra took home the million dollar prize.

We also watched The Bachelor, Season One. Odd how the 'rose ceremony' had yet to earn its moniker (it was called 'invitation night' instead). Even more noticeable compared to this season (which we also watch): the average physical appearance of both the bachelor and the women has soared over the years. The 'winning' woman was yummy, but the majority . . . yikes.

Our love of The Amazing Race continues, although we've now run out of DVD's. To compensate we started Season One of The Mole. It's a great concept but executed a little sloppily. I hope in later seasons they've learned from their errors.

I've started watching The Streets of San Fransisco and have come away quite impressed. Ditto for the few episodes of The Phil Silvers Show (aka Sgt. Bilko) I've watched. Unlike many older sitcoms it seems well written and the humor is still fresh.

That's it for now. Tune in next time folks.