What We’re Watching These Cold Days
Juno – It felt overly “scripty” in the way that bad sitcoms with child actors who spout sassy comebacks feel. In addition, instead of the Iron-Ranger dialect that most Minnesotan films display, for some reason everyone in this film adopted a ultra-caz hipster slang vocabulary. I thought the casting was great. But even with the bonus of Jason Bateman & Michael Cera together in a film, I freely admit to being disappointed in the same way I was disappointed about “Little Miss Sunshine” – just because it’s an “independent” film with loads of sarcasm and a little tenderness doesn’t automatically make it award worthy. PS – I thought the music was great too. -J.M.
No Country For Old Men – As a squeamish viewer who needs to not only close my eyes, but also plug my ears when viewing violent films, I can honestly say that I only officially “saw” about three-quarters of this film, but I must say that even in my 3⁄4 view it is one of the more flawless flicks to hit the screen lately. The tension and constant pursuit throughout the movie became completely tangible and besides being a well-crafted and great movie, it also caused me the first film-induced nightmares of my adulthood. – No Country For Old Men – As a squeamish viewer who needs to not only close my eyes, but also plug my ears when viewing violent films, I can honestly say that I only officially “saw” about three-quarters of this film, but I must say that even in my 3⁄4 view it is one of the more flawless flicks to hit the screen lately. The tension and constant pursuit throughout the movie became completely tangible and besides being a well-crafted and great movie, it also caused me the first film-induced nightmares of my adulthood. - J.M.
Old Gregg – The Mighty Boosh is a British series about two friends who end up in increasingly bizarre situations that usually end with a fantastic musical number. In this clip from series 2, Howard Moon finds himself face-to-bits with the mysterious Old Gregg. Grab some Bailey’s (smooth and creamy…) and enjoy. - C.G.
Quarterlife – An interesting take on web TV from the creators of My So-Called Life. Some of the writing and shooting feels natural and offers another take on life in the mid-twenties, and it is one of the better produced web TV attempts that I’ve seen, but some of it comes off as 10th grade writing assignment, with a “not very real” aspect to it. In addition to watching the show, a fun game to play in each episode is: Can you spot the “hidden” promotions? - J.M.