The Reaping

I watched The Reaping last night. 
I was left with some questions, questions which get to the heart of the movie (that’s B-speak for “spoilers ahead”).
1.  Is the house in The Reaping the same as the house in The Skeleton Key?
2.  Why have none of my interns looked even remotely like Idris Elba?
3.  What accent where [...]

No, No, No

America, I tried to watch the American Experience on PBS tonight, because it was about Walt Whitman and I love me some Walt Whitman.
But it sucked.  I don’t know.  Maybe I just kept flipping over to the sucky parts, but here’s Whitman, who is this eccentric genius, but also kind of a smelly, annoying self-promoter, [...]

On Behalf of Jealousy

One thing I’ve noticed repeatedly is how many folks, in the face of criticism, especially criticism that has to do with how one has gone about achieving something that might be considered success, is that the criticizer is just jealous.
I don’t think it takes a genius to see what an effective means this is to [...]

Everybody Hollering “Goat”

I was perusing the photos from Church Secretary’s trip to Morocco and just dying at these pictures of goats in trees.  So, when I got to lunch and saw curried goat on the menu, I felt compelled to order it.
I must report that it was… meat.
It was kind of like a cross between pot roast [...]

Paranormal State About Does Me In!

They actually debunked things tonight!!!!
On the other hand, this poor woman is desperately in need of therapy and at least the psychic is trying to help.  But damn, I just don’t think ghost hunters are what she needs.
This episode is really sad, because this woman is just not well.

The Covenant and The Wicker Man

So, this weekend, I watched both The Covenant (The Butcher’s Elevator Pitch: The Craft for dudes!) and The Wicker Man.  Both were delightfully terrible.
The Covenant was so stupid I almost don’t know what to tell you.  I could give you the premise, but the whole thing is so predictable that telling you the premise would give [...]

Anansi Boys

I just finished Anansi Boys even though it arrived on my door step months ago.  I’ll be honest with you, my job has broken something in me, ruined my love of reading like a fingernail in my chicken salad wrap ruined Arbys for me.
I have a hard time reading for pleasure any more, of seeing [...]

Five Guys Burgers & Fries

Here’s all you need to know:
1 double cheeseburger
1 cheeseburger
1 order of fries
1 diet coke
2 people
16 dollars.
Who the fuck cares how good the burgers are?  For sixteen dollars, my burger better make sweet love to me.

The End of The Wire

I have a confession to make.
I stopped watching The Wire after Stringer Bell died. 
To me, those three seasons were perfect television and I just couldn’t get into the next season.  I watched the last few episodes of this season, though, like checking in on an old boyfriend you still feel fondly for, but more for [...]

Wednesday Night TV in Brief

1.  I missed the TAPS gang so much and last night was a great episode–where you could enjoy the hunt and laugh at the shenanigans and be all “Oh, I bet that was just a cat” later.  And my crush on Grant continues.  Grant.  It’s a sturdy name.  He looks like a sturdy guy.  Sigh.
2.  [...]

Paranormal State–the Blechaning

Tonight’s episode of Paranormal State has left me feeling a little gross.  I can’t put my finger on exactly why, because in general, I love ghost shows.  And tonight’s episode, about the mothman, should have been a sure case of demonic ridiculousness.
Instead, I think, it highlighted everything that’s wrong with the show–the blurry lines between [...]

The Second Hand Comcast Story

So, we were missing random channels from our cable package.  At the same time, our hippie neighbors decided to get basic, basic cable.  Whatever fix the Comcast dude had to do resulted in our channels all coming back and also appearing on the neighbors’ tv as well.
The neighbors, being good-do-bees, explained to the Comcast dude [...]

Return to Paranormal State

Did you ever see a TV show so bad that you thought, “Who in the world is stupid enough to watch this shit?” 
I feel that way about Paranormal State and yet, I must tell you, America, it’s me.  I’m watching it.
I don’t know why.
It’s terrible.  I mean, really, terrible. 
If you have a problem with ghosts [...]

African American Lives 2

I forgot that they were starting Skip Gates’s next round of African American Lives until I was half-way through Criminal Minds last night, so I missed some stuff.
But, damn, I love this series.
If you aren’t watching it (because it’s public television, and who thinks to watch public television?), the basic premise is that Gates takes [...]

Song of America

I’ve got “Song of America” on my iPod, which I am both really enjoying and kind of frustrated with.  On the one hand, I want to be introduced to songs I’m not familiar with when I listen to something like this.  On the other hand, there are songs I just would expect to hear, no [...]

The Orphanage

At the behest of John Lamb, the Professor and I went to see The Orphanage tonight.  I had this theory that I would be less scared because, not understanding Spanish, I’d be concentrating more on the words on the screen than on the creepy images on the screen, but apparently this director is big on [...]

Urgent Memo

To: John Lamb, Hispanic Nashville Notebook
From: Aunt B.
Re: The Orphanage
______________________________________________
AAAAAAaaaaiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaa–
aayayayaaaiiaiaiia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you trying to kill me?

Fellow Book Nerds, I Have Seen the Future!

And, I’m sorry to say, it wil be brought to you by Microsoft.
I’ll give you a moment for weeping and gnashing of teeth.  I know, but what can you do?  Some corporate giant is going to own your butt one way or another and unless the anarchists can consolodate power (ha), there’s not much you [...]

Sweet “Betsy”

I could listen all day to BR-549 singing “Sweet Betsy from Pike.”  I just love the way they say “Betsy” compared to all the other words in the song, which they let breathe naturally–first growing great big and then fading away.
But they sing “Betsy” like two short spikes of poetry.
I just like it.
I get used [...]

Law & Order

I happened to catch the original Law & Order last night.  They’ve made some changes.  Fontana’s gone.  Good riddance, really.  Some dude who looks familiar but I can’t place him is in.  He’s like a less genius eccentric Bobby and they tried to give him some backstory, but it’s Law & Order so who cares?
The [...]

Enchilladas

I made enchilladas with Mexican rice for dinner.  They were delicious.  And my mom did the dishes!  Hurray.
They complained yet again about an unlocatable smell.
It finally occured to me what they’re smelling.
And why everyone grows more and more hungry for snack foods the longer they stay here.
And why they become easier to get along with.
Damn [...]

In a Just World, This Would be NSFW, But As It Is…

Plimco got me thinking today about Correggio’s Jupiter and Io, which I think is one of the hottest pieces of art to ever have been created.  I think, for me, it’s her slight smile as she turns her cheek to his lips and the way you can almost feel the cool fabric against her leg [...]

Raising Sand

So, I’m listening to the Butcher’s copy of Raising Sand and I just have to confess that, though Allison Krauss’s unnerving ability to sing at just above a whisper kind of annoys me, this is the strangest, coolest album I’ve heard in a long time.  Plant’s voice is beautiful and, for those of you who [...]

American Gangster

The Redheaded Kid arranged a private screening of American Gangster for us last night.  I meant not to watch it, but I got sucked in.
*************SPOILER ALERT*******************
Now, I’ve read a few reviews of this movie, but none of them have pointed out what’s going to be apparent to anyone who watches HBO.  This movie is a [...]

They Say that Analyzing a Joke Kills It. We Can Only Hope.

Here’s a joke Mack has told in my presence 157 times (give or take 150 times).
Some tourists have been sight-seeing in a quaint Mexican village, but they soon have to get back to their tour bus, and so they approach the one person they can find, a little old man sitting in the village square [...]