In my fine tradition of watching TV shows and movies – and then writing about them – months or sometimes years after their release, I recently finished the final season of The Office (U.S.). I had seen many episodes of this show in re-runs and in random order over the
Continue readingTag: what i’m watching
wmtc: dirty wars: an important movie, marred by nationalism
Last night we watched “Dirty Wars,” investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill’s documentary film exposing the United States’ covert, lethal, extra-governmental operations around the globe. It’s an important film. Depending on your level of knowledge of the US, it may be eye-opening, or it may be shocking. If you have not yet
Continue readingwmtc: the tv detective mystery, where women are crazy and ex-husbands don’t kill
One type of TV show that I enjoy are detective murder mysteries. I don’t watch them all – that would be nearly impossible, Netflix carries so many – but I’m always looking for detective shows that I find absorbing. “Inspector Lewis” is probably my favourite. I loved “Prime Suspect“, Helen
Continue readingwmtc: "hide my ass" is far superior for vpn and wireless vpn
My adventures with VPNs, wireless VPNs, and other fun IP-address changes just keep getting better all the time. My new favourite addition is called HideMyAss – a stupid name, but a terrific service. When I last updated you on our awesome wireless VPN + Roku experience, we were using two separate routers
Continue readingwmtc: a kiss on the wrist: the absence of same-sex love on star trek as a measure of how far we’ve come
Earlier this year, I re-watched the original “Star Trek” series end-to-end on Netflix – a thoroughly entertaining experience – then decided to watch “Star Trek: The Next Generation” for the first time. It wasn’t long before I was completely hooked. The show has a lot to recommend it: compelling story lines,
Continue readingwmtc: more roku joy: post your pbs and nfb recommendations here
Roku has added an app for PBS! This means we watch music clips from Austin City Limits, and in the winter we’ll binge on American Experience history documentaries and American Masters biographies. These documentaries are consistently worth watching, and often truly excellent. On American Masters, we’ve recently seen “There But
Continue readingwmtc: thank you, jean stapleton
She was a great actor, a brilliant comedian, and the warm heart of one of the most memorable television shows of all time. “All in the Family” was a pioneering show, and she was an integral part of what it made it shine. She created a character that entire generations
Continue readingwmtc: we movie to canada: wmtc annual movie awards, 2012-13 edition
It’s time for the wmtc annual movie awards. For my silly rating systems, so far I’ve done:– Canadian musicians and comedians (2006-07 and 2007-08)– my beverage of choice (2008-09)– famous people who died during the past year (2009-10)– where I’d like to be (2009-10)– and last year, vegetables (2010-11). Yes,
Continue readingwmtc: roger ebert, 1942-2013
Who would have thought a movie critic could be so loved, and so missed? Of course, Roger Ebert was so much more than a critic. He was a model for the potential of criticism as an important contribution to art and entertainment. He helped audiences discover art and helped artists
Continue readingwmtc: another frontier: in which my star trek experience enters the 1980s
An historic moment in “what i’m watching” history: I’ve just seen my first-ever episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I finished watching Star Trek TOS, the whole series, in order. I was sad when it ended! I miss Mr. Spock! I want more! And after Star Trek-less week, it
Continue readingwmtc: rtod
Revolutionary thought of the day: “Mankind. Ready to kill. I wonder how humanity managed to survive.” “We overcame our instinct for violence.” — Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk, “Spectre of the Gun“, Star Trek, original air date December 31, 1969
Continue readingwmtc: updates: acupuncture, slow cooker, star trek
I decided to try acupuncture again. In October, I saw my nephew and niece-in-law who practice Traditional Chinese Medicine and other holistic healing methods. They encouraged me to use our small insurance benefit on more treatment, even though I can’t afford to continue it past that. I purposely started in
Continue readingwmtc: to boldly go: in which captain james t. kirk returns to my tv
I am so enjoying re-watching the original Star Trek series, in order, from the beginning, on my US Netflix/Roku. I half-dread writing about “Star Trek TOS”, because of… well, you know. The whole Star Trek thing. The whole sci-fi thing. If you read the “what i’m watching” and “what i’m
Continue readingwmtc: mr. monk and the loyal viewer
It’s a rare television show that gets me so engrossed in the characters that I actually begin to care about them. It takes great writing, great acting, and probably more than anything, great characters. I’ve just finished watching the entire series of “Monk,” which I’ve been watching end-to-end on Netflix.
Continue readingwmtc: early dispatches from movie season: graffiti mystery, legal murder
I can’t believe how much I’m loving having access to US Netflix through our Roku device. For the price of a new router and some easy-to-follow instructions, my leisure time has been hugely improved. This is close to what I’ve always wanted for TV and movies: true on-demand viewing. Among
Continue readingwmtc: now accepting suggestions for movie season
I hardly noticed the transition from Baseball Season to Movie Season this year. With the Red Sox having their worst season almost 50 years (1965), my tolerance for the nightly loss ran out some time in July. By August it wasn’t unusual for Allan to keep the game on his
Continue readingwmtc: in which my roku experience gets even more awesome: how to set up a wireless vpn
You may recall that we switched our internet provider from Rogers to TekSavvy in order to get more bandwidth, then dumped Rogers altogether by switching from cable to streaming. >We bought a Roku streaming device. And I fell in love with it. No more paying for dozens of channels that
Continue readingwmtc: tom davis deanimated at age 59
I’ve just learned of the untimely passing of a very funny man. Those of us old enough to remember the brilliant and subversive “The Franken and Davis Show” bits on the old Saturday Night Live may have sometimes wondered what happened to Al Franken’s less famous partner. Tom Davis died
Continue readingwmtc: what fans’ extreme reaction to bad reviews reveals
I noticed this story yesterday about some fans’ extreme reaction to negative reviews of an upcoming movie. As The Dark Knight Rises hits theatres this week, critics posting negative reviews of the Batman film have been flooded with a wave of online abuse and threats sent by fans. The final
Continue readingwmtc: celeste holm, 1917-2012
A grande dame of American acting died earlier this week. Celeste Holm, New York born and bred, was best known for her Academy Award-winning performance in Gentleman’s Agreement*, her memorable (and Oscar-nominated) role alongside Bette Davis in All About Eve, and for originating the role of Ado Annie in Oklahoma!.
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