Saturday, August 21, 2010

What I've Been Watching

My Doctor
Dr. Who (reboot): Seasons 1 &2 - Revisting the first season with Christopher Eccleston, I've loved the initial episodes all over again, but I've also finally let go of my first doctor. He won't be back, so I've made my peace with David Tennant. Matt Smith is still on the outs though.

Being Human - I just love British television. It's grainy (which reignites my 70s and 80s nostalgia), tends to feature more black people than US offerings, and gets directly to the point with six-episode or so seasons (generally). This show, about a ghost, werewolf, and vampire attempting to cling to their humanity, is well done and not at all corny like you'd expect. Actually, it's kinda dark.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Saw this one with the family on Friday. Really entertaining. Definitely in my top five of the summer. (Not hard considering this summer's offerings were pretty universally crap.)

The Expendables - Another family outing. This was required viewing for one who grew up on action (my mom is an action hound). Loved the 80s/early 90s explosion-laden, plot-lacking, big-dude-with-muscles action. Dolph Lundgren looks great.



Black Sunday & Bay of Blood AKA Twitch of the Death Nerve - I love my Italian horror, but sadly, had not explored the work of Mario Bava. Black Sunday was pretty standard to me, reminded me a lot of those old Corman movies with Vincent Price. Bay of Blood, on the other hand, was great. That beautiful coloring and cinematography with the signature Italian gore and atmosphere. This one also had a plot, which I am NOT used to. Seems like Bava, unlike my beloved Fulci, likes to pay attention to the story, too. Interesting that.

Venture Bros., Season 4.1 - Just amping myself for its return on September 12. It's my absolute favorite show on television, and I can't wait.

The Seven Doors of Death AKA The Beyond - People consider this Fulci's masterpiece, a successful union of his fondness for gore-heavy images and oneiric vision. I think a good many of his films succeed in this union, but I must say this one has one of the biggest WTF endings ever. Face-eating tarantulas, unexplained blindness, hydrochloric acid accidents, quicklime crucifixion punishments, time-space shifts, this film really does have it all. I watch it at least once a year.
(Do be aware that the former title usually refers to the edited US release except when released by Diamond Entertainment.)

Breaking Bad - Monica finally broke me. I succumbed to her constant rhapsodizing about how great this show is. I've only made it to season two, but she's right, it's pretty good. I'm still mildly freaked out about how much I'm gonna be destroyed when horrible things happen to my protagonist. It's bound to happen.

2 comments:

Foofa said...

I watched ep. one season one of Dr. Who last night. I am a Tom Baker fan and have hesitated for years about this new crop of Drs. I'll keep going though, not bad.

atrackbrown said...

Yeah, I'm not at all acquainted with the old doctors, but the new first season had some great episodes. Keep going and tell me what you think of "Father's Day" and the two-parter with "The Empty Child."