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By Phil, September 27, 2010

Southland; Complete First Season (Uncensored)
by King, Regina; Scott, Tom Everett; Hatosy, Shawn

Well, 7 great episodes anyway; apparently dropped by NBC with TNT possibly set to air the rest. But this is a better way to watch, fully uncensored so you can appreciate the true grittiness of some of the on the job dialogue.
What really impressed me was the shot on location cinematography and camera work. Much like FX’s late but sometimes way over the top The Shield – it takes you right there! From the sublime and super chic Bel Air neighborhoods to the worst of Los Angeles, you’ll get into the world of this impressively cast group of police officers and detectives. You’ll learn the nuances of their levels on the job and get a tentative look at what life can be like off the job.
I expect a little more character development is right around the corner but the last episode in this set certainly didn’t lack for drama. The African American female in the cast playing Lydia Adams is excellent (reminds me a bit of the Shield’s CCH Pounder) as is the rookie Ben Sherman (shades of the great cop with a veiled past a la Rick Shroeder’s character in NYPD Blue). Everybody seems real although no Latinos on the squad is a bit surprising.
In short – very good, multi-dimensional police drama with solid acting in a well-written series. Cinema verite, LA police style! Looking forward to the rest of season one or season two – whatever it may be called.

-Phil

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By Bryan, August 9, 2010

Gentlemen Broncos

Fifteen year old Benjamin (Michael Angarano) is an aspiring SF writer whose manuscript is ripped off by Chevalier (Jemaine Clement) his aging literary hero.  Getting his manuscript back is hilarious business as Benjamin also has to moonlight for mother’s custom nightgown business to make ends meet. Chevalier isn’t only person that wants Benjamin’s story. A local film production company is also trying to pervert his precocious novel. Gentlemen Broncos is a story within a story. Besides Benjamin’s quest to get his words back, we see his book, The Yeast Lords: The Bronco Years, envisioned by three different minds on three different budgets. Yes, The Yeast Lords is as funny/awful as it sounds. Imagine the rad doodlings of Napoleon Dynamite’s notebooks come to life. Brought to us  by the same creative team behind Napoleon Dynamite, Broncos hilariously spoofs pompous SF writers and their geeked-out conventions (both literary and hotel-bound). You’re allowed to laugh if you are a nerd. Come to think of it, you probably won’t get it otherwise. I laughed the covers off my paperbacks.

The opening credits are a buzz inducing collection of trash surreal SF paperbacks with the lettering altered. If you appreciate that kind of thing you might enjoy:

Good Show Sir: Only the Worst Sci-fi/Fantasy Book Covers
The name says it all.

Awful Library Books
Yeah, the worst books ever offered up to be chortled over before hitting the dustbin. All genres, but tends to lean to outdated nonfiction.

- Bryan

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By Amanda, July 3, 2010

NCIS: The Complete Series (up ’til now…)

I love my mother.  She is, in my humble opinion, the best mother in the world – except that sometimes, she watches weird things on TV.  For the longest while, my mom loved to watch Law & Order.  She even mastered the esteemed Da Duh sound effect and would use it in every day conversation.  Then one day I noticed she was watching a new show.  A show that she said was better than Law & Order.  Well Da. Duh.

So what show toppled L&O from its mighty perch?  Why NCIS, of course.  My Mom and Dad now know these shows so well that they can watch the first segment – before the credits – and tell you how it ends.  In their fervor, somehow they managed to addict me to the show as well, and NCIS (pronouned NIN-sis) is a part of my every day life.

Thankfully, NPL has the first six seasons on DVD.  When I first started watching on TV (on USA), I didn’t watch from the beginning, so I was very confused about how things came to be (it doesn’t help that I can be kind of OCD about reading/watching things in order).  Once I went back and got a more complete history of events, I enjoyed the episodes even more.

Who doesn’t like watching Abby outsmart McGee?  I thought Mark Harmon was the bees knees when he was on Chicago Hope, but his Leroy Jethro Gibbs is my favorite of his characters.  Also…I must admit, I have a teeny, tiny, almost miniscule really, crush on Tony.  But I’m smart enough to know that he’d totally break my heart, plus I like him and Ziva together, so I must find a way to soldier on without him (seriously, though, Tony, call me…).

NCIS is the number one show on TV for good reason.  Good writing, good actors, good fun.  Maybe my mom’s taste in TV isn’t quite as bad as I thought.

Oh wait, no.  She used to like Quantum Leap.*

Amanda

* Ok, I apologize to folks out there who actually liked Quantum Leap.  However, I’m still undecided if I’m apologizing because I don’t want to hurt your feelings or just because I feel sorry for you…

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By Amanda, April 24, 2010

Ok, here we are again, back for week #2.  Last week we discussed super great shows on HBO that are available at your Nashville Public Library.  This week, we’re moving on to shows on Showtime.

The Tudors
I’m not Henry VIIIth, I’m not.  But Jonathan Rhys Meyers is.  The show is full of court-intrigue, lust, violence.  Well-written and well-acted, if you can stomach a few beheadings here and there, this is the show for you.

Californication
A show about what you think it’s going to be about. David Duchovny stars as a man who is hopefully nothing like Duchovny in real life.  I haven’t made it through all of season one yet, so if you start now, we can watch it together.  Say it with me…awwwww…

Weeds
Another show about exactly what you think it’s about  And yet, this one has a heart buried underneath all that smoke.  Mary-Louise Parker is a down-on-her-luck mom who has to find some way to support her family.  What else was she gonna do?

So that’s the Showtime round-up.  Two weeks down.  One more to go.  Next week, we discuss shows on regular cable.  Same bat time.  New bat channels.

Amanda

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By Amanda, April 17, 2010

Week #1: HBO

Who here could stand to save some money?  That’s what I thought.  The NPL solution – get your cable TV shows here on DVD.  Why pay premium prices for premium channels when – with a little patience – you can get caught on up your all your favorite shows for FREE! (Unless, of course, you forget to turn them in on time – then, my friend, you are on your own.)

Don’t have any favorite shows, you say?  Well, then let me suggest a few from HBO that I’ve found enjoyable:

True Blood
Big shocker, I know, me being the PNRUFy fan that I am.  Very different from Charlaine Harris’s book series, but close enough to still be fun.  If you like your vampires with crawfish and murder, then check this one out.

                                        Entourage
Yeah. Oh yeah.   This half hour series follows fictional superstar Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his buds as they transverse the trappings of Hollywood life.  Come for the cute guys, but stay because Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) is one of the best scumbag agents ever.

Rome
Ok, who doesn’t want to watch a show with 500 characters who have very similar names?  All kidding aside, once you get worked out who’s who, these two seasons are filled with intrigue, lust, and betrayal.  Et tu, Brute?

So those are my HBO thoughts.  Tune in next Saturday, when I discuss Showtime and it’s viewing options.  (Then if you can wait 2 whole weeks, you get to hear what I think about shows on basic cable.  Awesome, right?)

So much TV, so little time.  Happy watching!

Amanda