The IT Crowd (season 4)
{3.5/5} “When I was eleven I broke the patio window and my mother sued me… She’s always been a very aggressive litigator.” In “The Final Countdown” Moss makes it onto a TV game show — he then discovers that there are perks for people who do well on the show. On the other hand, “Jen […]
Win Win
{5/5} “‘Mommy? Where’s Daddy?’ ‘He’s running.’ ‘From what?’” Mike is a lawyer who’s having a tough time making ends meet. He sees an opportunity when Leo, one of his clients who has dementia, needs a guardian. In his spare time Mike coaches wrestling, along with his friends Stephen and Terry. Then Leo’s grandson Kyle shows […]
Brave
{4.5/5} “But every once in a while, there’s a day when I don’t have to be a princess. No lessons, no expectations. A day where anything can happen. A day when I can change my fate.” If you’ve seen the trailer for Brave, you have an idea what it’s like — with a dash of […]
10 memorable short stories
A few years ago I wrote about 10 memorable science fiction and fantasy stories. Now it’s time for another 10. In terms of collections of related short stories, The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury and City by Clifford D. Simak are both 5/5. “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury (in The Golden Apples of the Sun) […]
Stand By Me
{4.5/5} “Vern didn’t just mean being off limits inside the junkyard, or fudging on our folks, or going on a hike up the railroad to Harlow. He meant those things, but it seems to me now it was more and that we all knew it. Everything was there and around us. We knew exactly who […]
The IT Crowd (season 3)
{4/5} “You best put seat belts on your ears, Roy, cause I’m going to take them for the ride of their life.” The highlight of season 3 is in “Are We Not Men?” when Roy and Moss pretend to know about soccer in order to talk to “real men.” In “The Speech” Jen wins employee of […]
Impossible Things
{4.5/5} “All it took was somebody walking past and stepping in a puddle, and the worm’s whole life was changed. Do you think things happen like that? That one little action can change your whole life forever?” Impossible Things was published in 1993. It’s a collection of short stories, mostly science fiction, by Connie Willis. […]
The Newsroom (premiere)
{5/5} “We stood up for what was right, we fought for moral reasons, we passed laws, struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbours, we put our money where our mouths were and we never beat our chest. We built great, big […]
The IT Crowd (seasons 1 & 2)
“Hello, IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again?” {5/5} The IT Crowd season 1, aired in 2006 {4.5/5} The IT Crowd season 2, aired in 2007 The IT Crowd is a British show that’s very funny. I’d seen season 1 a couple of times but somehow had never gotten around to season […]
America’s Got Talent (seasons 1 – 7)
{4.5/5} “One thing about our show is that we get to see these gems because there’s no other stage for them than ours.” — Sharon Osbourne America’s Got Talent seasons 1 – 7, aired in 2006-12 This show is, of course, extremely similar to Canada’s Got Talent. It’s the same format: Contestants get 90 seconds […]