I like ‘I Love You, Beth Cooper’ well enough, but I don’t love it (Movie review)
Remember that scene from “Election” when Tammy Metzler steps up to the podium and encourages the student body to just vote for whoever they want to, or better yet, don’t vote at all? You should, because it was the best scene in that movie.
Random plug for a good column: Life in the Cubicle by Dudley B. Dawson (Internet commentary)
As a student in the 1990s, my favorite genre of TV shows and movies was high school stories (the latest example of the “last day of high school” subgenre has recently arrived in the form of “I Love You, Beth Cooper”). And since I’ve entered the workplace, I’ve enjoyed the cubicle genre. (Newsrooms — with their
Sharks, creepy islanders and even a bit of surfing: It’s good to have ‘Beyond the Break’ back (TV review)
In the summer of 2006, I gave “Beyond the Break” a C+ in a review, ranking it behind its contemporaries “Falcon Beach,” “South of Nowhere” and “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” Now it’s back (The-N started running Season 3 this year after a very, very long hiatus; set your DVRs or check the Web site for times), and
‘10 Things I Hate About You’ saves the summer season (TV review)
I don’t think I’ve seen the Julia Stiles-Heath Ledger movie of the same name, or if I did, it made no impression on me. So I don’t know what the title means, but I do know I like “10 Things I Hate About You” (7 p.m. Central Tuesdays on ABC Family), the first good TV series of
‘Fate of the Jedi: Outcast’ a great launch of new ‘Star Wars’ series (Book review)
Aaron Allston has been among my favorite “Star Wars” authors since his “X-wing” Wraith Squadron books from about a decade ago. “Star Wars” novels tended toward the dour side at that time, but Allston brought humor and fresh characters to the fold.
It’s time we stop taking technology for granted: Hug your DVR today (TV commentary)
I’d like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to a wonderful piece of technology: the DVR. Now, I’m not saying it’s the greatest invention of all-time. But it’s at least in the top five, up there with baseball, the wheel, television and enchiladas.
Can we skip the rude looks? It’s just a movie (Commentary)
Do you ever go to a movie alone and feel like the ticket seller is giving you a rude look? A look that says, “Don’t you know movies are for couples or groups?” Maybe it’s just me.
5 random thoughts and observations (Commentary)
1. A lot of people use their baby as their Facebook profile picture. Wouldn’t it be awesome if an actual baby had a Facebook page? It would probably be more compelling than their parents’ pages.
My ‘Proposal’: This rom-com needed more character development (Movie review)
See “The Proposal” only if you are a romantic comedy kind of person. If you aren’t, this movie won’t convert you to the genre.
‘Make It or Break It’: Skip it (TV review)
For two weeks once every four years, gymnastics is the most popular sport in America. Like everyone else, I was drawn into the drama of whether Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin and the Americans would bring home the gold last summer.