What's John watching?

Jamie's School Dinners: This was the dinner ladies training camp episode; not sure where it fits in the series, as this was my first look at the show.

What an eye-opener! If this is the state of British school cafeterias, I weep for the students on this side of the pond. That pediatricians see many kids who are so backed up that they're vomiting half-formed feces is just beyond belief. Apparently, that's what a diet of "fizzy" drinks, chips (i.e., fries) and chicken fingers will do to your body; the saturated fat builds up around the colon to the point where nothing can pass. Can you believe that?

Overall, though, it was an inspiring show: that Oliver persevered despite the many obstacles is a level of public service that you don't often see or hear about these days. And that his cause is so important - in my opinion, and, clearly, his, anyway - is all the better. ¶ 11:45:00 AM (0) comments

Hockey Night in Canada: the Edmonton Oilers at the Carolina Hurricanes - Game 1: It was all about the goalies: Ward stood on his head, making those two fantastic glove saves amongst others, and Roloson's out for the series. I just knew the game was over when Conklin had to come out with five minutes left in the third, and him with no playoff experience.

So, who do the Oilers go with now? Conklin or Markkanen? ¶ 9:51:00 PM (0) comments

Cirque du Soleil's Quidam: Extraordinary! While I'd seen many aspects of the show as part of La Nouba, this was still a treat: first, we were so close to the stage! And the beautiful costumes... At one point, this cowled figure slowly arced across the dome of the tent with what must've been a 20-foot cloak hanging down below him or her; it was so eerie and ethereal.

And then there was the couple in that balancing act: so graceful, and such impossible poses. I don't know that I've ever seen a better example of how beautiful the human body is.

I've seen four of these shows now, and each one has been worth every penny (and they've all cost lots of pennies). What surprised me was how well a show can travel: the other three shows I saw were permanent, on stages built specifically for them. All this one had was a metal frame that arced across the tent, and yet, they were able to do such amazing things.

Now, if only I could get my new diabolo working... Those girls made it look so easy. ;-) ¶ 7:33:00 PM (0) comments

Titanic's Final Moments: Missing Pieces: A very interesting show: based on an expedition conducted last summer to the wreck of the Titanic, it documented the discovery of two consecutive pieces of the ship's double hull some distance from the main site.

I especially enjoyed the revised "breakup" theory that incorporated these relatively undamaged pieces with the shredded steel in the upper portions of the ship around the break. Basically, the story told by all that steel isn't consistent with the - albeit, dramatic - raising of the stern 30 degrees in the air prior to the break. The revised theory - and, of course, it's just a theory at this point - tells of a much swifter sinking, once the upper decks started to split.

Fascinating, and freshly horrifying. ¶ 11:08:00 AM (0) comments

Protocols of Zion (2005): So many absolutes; so much hatred. I've commented on how I feel about simple explanations once today; that's enough.

I had read something a few years ago about the employees of an Israeli instant messaging company with an office in the World Trade Center being warned not to go to work on September 11, 2001 - and was immediately skeptical, of course - but I had no idea how pervasive and emphatic this belief in Jewish involvement in the tragedy was.

The director, Marc Levin, did an admirable job of walking the line on this delicate subject, especially considering how reluctant whole communities of people are to talk about Israel and America. I'm reading The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy right now, and, even at this early stage, it's clear that there's more to the relationship between the two countries than is openly discussed.

Levin, however, doesn't try to cast any particular light on this, or on Israel's relationship with the rest of the Middle East. He simply takes the pulse of a wide range of Americans - pointing out some obvious exaggerations along the way - and should be commended for that achievement.

Some might take exception to that statement, and I guess the personal experiences of Levin and his father could be taken as a "See, we aren't the bad guys" line; but, for me, that's an important point: we need to bring the nature of humanity to this discussion, with all of its competing ambitions and unique motivations. Otherwise, the absurdity of these Zionist conspiracies can't be fully appreciated. ¶ 10:35:00 PM (0) comments

Too Hot Not To Handle: This HBO documentary was a bit sensational, but enjoyable nonetheless. See, even though I didn't agree with all that was presented, or how it was presented, I loved all the recommendations that came out of it: buying locally grown food, building more renewable-resource-based sources of power (e.g., wind, solar), hybrid vehicles, etc. The more people that latch on to those good ideas - for whatever reason - the happier I am. :-)

I guess the biggest problem I had with the show was the leap it made from "greenhouse" gases to global warming, using the ambiguous term 'contributing'. I would've liked them to spend more time explaining this contribution, and the extent of it. After all, these gases probably aren't the only factor contributing to global warming, and if they're in the middle of a pack of, say, five or six factors - I'm pulling these numbers out of my a** to prove a point - then leaving people with the impression that cutting back on the burning of fossil fuels by 80% will solve this problem is being disingenuous: tackling other factors might be more productive, or, and I think this is more likely, acknowledging that at least some of these factors are out of our control, and will obviously dampen any measures we implement.

Anyway, as I said, good recommendations, even if the presentation was dumbed down. I know I have lots more research to do on this subject - Michael Crichton has done a lot of work on the subject, I understand - and any show that tries to convince me otherwise with its nice, neat package just bugs me. ¶ 10:56:00 AM (0) comments

The Sting (1973): No sense bein' a grifter if it's just like bein' a citizen. So many great quotes in this one. If the story was a little tired - and it wasn't as tired in its day, if at all, I'd wager - the superb cast, dialogue and presentation more than made up for it. Everything, right down to the cut-scenes, score and sets - who had the wonderful idea for a carousel, I wonder - was just perfect. One of those pleasures to watch that's gettin' rarer and rarer, unfortunately. ¶ 4:00:00 PM (0) comments

Doctor Who: The Girl in the Fireplace: This was one of the best Doctor Who episodes I've ever seen; seriously, I'm putting it up there with Ghost Light on the all-time favourites list. I haven't seen anyone know the Doctor like Madame de Pompadour did, and yet it worked, incredibly well.

The clockwork horrors were like something out of a nightmare - making their entrance from under the bed so appropriate - and yet they managed to evoke pity at their end; well, in me, anyway: my wife - who, I'm happy to say, is enjoying Doctor Who for the first time in her life - found them utterly terrifying throughout, I suspect. :-)

Tennant was absolutely brilliant again; when Louis XV was the only person there to greet him on his final trip through the fireplace, you knew how the Doctor felt just by looking at his face. The writer's use of silence in this new series shows a subtlety I'm not used to seeing; it's really a talent showcase all-round now.

And Tennant's range of emotion was positively manic! So appropriate for a being of his age, I feel. Initially, I'd planned to compare the Doctor's roller-coaster of child-like joy to utter, but sadly, expected disappointment with Eccleston's moment with the tree-woman, Jabe, in The End of the World. On second thought, however, I think any one of Colin Baker's excellent performances would hit just as close to the mark. You just don't expect it from the inconspicuously-dressed Tennant. ;-) ¶ 9:53:00 PM (0) comments

Doctor Who: School Reunion: Who was that man playing Mr. Finch, and did they have him almost unhinge his jaw like that in the audition! Anthony Head made that episode: he was completely inhuman, and all the more terrifying than the computer-generated beasties for it.

I haven't seen the episodes surrounding Sarah Jane Smith's (Elisabeth Sladen) parting with the Doctor, but I have seen other abrupt partings that the show never really dealt with to my satisfaction; 'til now, that is. Their reunion was very believable - as was Rose's (Billie Piper) reaction - especially Sarah Jane's horror at learning that the Doctor'd never mentioned her to Rose.

K9 (voice of John Leeson) was funny too, although, again, I haven't seen many of the later Tom Baker era episodes with him; makes me wish all the more that BBC Kids hadn't skipped over his years in their recent run through most of the Doctor Who episodes; must've been a copyright issue.

Oh, and a final thought on David Tennant: Not since Jon Pertwee have I really felt the Doctor's age - in his world-weary sighs in Pertwee's case, but more in his eyes, and what he doesn't say in Tennant's case; his I used to have so much mercy line was just brilliant. ¶ 9:31:00 PM (0) comments