Television Obsession

Moving sucks. Deeply. I am currently sitting in a starbucks taking advantage of their wireless internet access because I didn't bother to get any at home until today. I got cable too - just because it's so cheap here. So that's exciting, even minus the DVR. Netflix seems cool, but it could never replace real tv for me. Philadelphia is very cute. My street is super cute. My apartment is insanely cute. I do find myself severely missing my friends. It's horrible. I feel totally bored, even though there's tons of stuff I have to do. Classes start on Tuesday. I saw some guy walking around carrying the Wharton guide we all got in the mail - it seemed kinda geeky to so obviously identify yourself. Luckily I think I am the last person people would automatically pinpoint as Wharton material. I should be able to blend in with all the Penn undergrads if I want.

There is a dark side to the DVR. I think it is the greatest television invention since cable, but unlike cable, it's really impossible to go back to regular tv. I just can't settle for something I vaguely want to watch, it has to be something I really want to watch. I can no longer watch any episode twice. My standards have become very high for my TV. And I don't think TV can really deal with it. During the regular TV year, when there was plenty of good original programming and I could barely keep up with all the shows I wanted to watch, the DVR was awesome. It was a world of plenty. Now, when I could really use some good TV to pack by, there are literally 3 shows a week to watch. (right now they are Joe Schmo 2, the 4400 and Six Feet Under.) Now that I am going to school and will be broke, I am ditching cable entirely and joining Nexflix. That whole rating movies thing is really addictive - I spent about 2 hours rating yesterday. I've realized that the next best thing to the DVR is DVDs.

On the TV and movie front: I saw "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster" with Jessie and Robert the other day. It was fantastic, despite the fact that it really had no particular narrative thread, and that it was apparently 2 1/2 hours long. I am particularly interested in Lars Ulrich since I imagine he is some relative of mine. My roommate once met him and got his autograph for me. It said "Amy - Keep on Rocking! Lars Ulrich." And I lost it. Anyway, go see the movie. Especially if you like Metallica at all - for me it was a total reminder that I actually secretly love them.

Oh, well, it turns out that (at least according to Television Without Pity) "The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan" is a hoax. It did seem extremely lucky that A. The filmmaker decided to film all of the behind the scenes and B. The filmmaker got such great shots of everything (including alternate angles when there was supposed to be only 1 camera) and C. That Johnny Depp would agree to be interviewed and D. That M. Night Shyamalan wouldn't sue Sci Fi for defamation. I have to say that it actually seems like an even better documentary as a mockumentary. It convinced me.

This guy I used to work with sent me an email about a documentary that aired on the Sci Fi channel called "The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan" that was kind of intriguing. Basically Nathaniel Kahn (who made that documentary I haven't seen, but heard was good, "My Architect") made a documentary on M. Night that was supposed to be a straight forward bio thing to promote "The Village." Luckily Kahn is the kind of documentary filmmaker who likes to keep the camera on all the time, and he started filming the process of making the documentary essentially from the start. And that's what the documentary turned into - a crazy journey on making a documentary about M. Night Shyamalan. I sort of idly started watching the documentary because I happened to be home when it was on, and then got totally sucked in. It's the kind of thing you rarely see on TV - complicated and interesting. I don't want to give away the buried secret - but I have to say that the filmmaker makes a good argument for his crazy theories. He's definitely kind of an asshole - he lies to almost every single interview subject, and basically has no respect for M. Night's privacy or personal feelings. At the same time, I was glad he was being an asshole, because he was getting such interesting stuff out of people. M. Night is famous reclusive, and he has this insane presence that is very intense and somewhat creepy - so even though I'm not a huge fan of his (although I've really liked the films I've seen) I was totally fascinated with him. I don't know if Sci Fi is re-airing the show, but if so, I would suggest that everyone see it. It's definitely the most interesting piece of TV I've seen so far this summer.

I should mention that I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 this weekend. Overall I think the film is going to appeal largely to people between the ages of 14-22 who will get really fucking pumped about hating the government and the military. I know that if I had seen this film at a formative age, I would have accepted absolutely everything he says and been totally blown away by the whole thing. Being slightly older and wiser, I can see how manipulative he is in his arguments. But, honestly, it doesn't really bother me. This is why: 1. Michael Moore is the left's answer to Rush Limbaugh and Fox News. And the left desperately needs an answer to all the right wing exaggerators out there, because the left generally attracts people who like to think in shades of grey, and can't bring themselves to make a strong and decisive statement. 2. Politics has always been at least 70% about propaganda. Fahrenheit 9/11 is clearly propaganda, but again, the right is always hurling propaganda at us, so why can't the left take a turn? 3. By it's nature, propaganda should affect people on an emotional level to really convince them. I think Fahrenheit 9/11, far more than any other Michael Moore film I've seen, is emotionally intense. I was literally in tears through at least three parts of the film. 4. The film is a pretty impressive piece of non-fiction filmmaking. Almost every shot is perfectly chosen, it's fast paced, tasteful when it needs to be (notably the 9/11 recap) and visually wrenching when it needs to be. I can see why the film got a standing ovation at Cannes. The whole "controversy" over the film is just kind of stupid to me - I mean, everyone's like "it's not truth, it's just his opinion, blah, blah blah" Duh, of course it's his opinion! It's Michael Moore, and he's never been known for an unbiased take on a subject. And it's clear in the film that he's making an argument - which is quite different from just presenting unbiased facts. I think that he really did an excellent job in making his argument - a far better job than the democratic party does, so I'm really glad he's out there getting attention and making so much cash at the box office.

We finally started the My So-Called Life marathon. I can see why critics were obsessed with the show. It has this (mostly successful) artsy component that critics always love. And the acting is almost entirely excellent. I wish there were a few more funny moments, since it's a pretty dark portrayal of high school, and it gets a little depressing. All that aside, the main reason to watch this show is the insane chemistry between Jared Leto (as the incredibly hot Jordan Catalano) and Claire Danes (Angela.) Jordan Catalano is a character that you totally remember from high school, but you hardly ever see in TV or movies. He's that guy that mostly ignored you, and everyone else, and walked around in his own pothead daze. And you thought he was really deep and romantic because he was kind of dumb and quiet. It's actually my favorite thing about the romance - that Angela's really smart and borderline geeky, and yet she's totally obsessed with this guy who's clearly kinda dumb. Having dated hot dumb guys over and over again, I definitely get it.

Joe Schmo 2 is still good. North Shore is getting crappier and crappier by the week. It now feels like a big waste of time when I try to watch it. The writing seems to be declining every episode, the acting is horrendous (See the previous post when I said that Hailey from the OC is the best actor on the show. Still true.) and the show just lacks any sense of complexity or irony. Every character always behaves stereotypically, and every dramatic situation is highly unrealistic and contrived. It does make me realize that the OC really is a gem of a nighttime soap opera. The OC goes over the top, but knows it. Anchored by Peter Gallagher's expressive eyebrows and Seth Cohen's quick wit, the OC is free to have drunken catfights that end up in the pool. It's a multilayered joy of a show. Not to mention that teenagers are just more fun than adults with jobs. Especially when the North Shore tries to create some sort of weird working class vs leisure class argument with its characters. It's bad, stay away.