Thank goodness for Public Access! I'm sure everyone has their favorite local gems; I watched a whole lot in college in RI. Specifically, a stupid show about morons and backyard wrestling (totally pre-jackass and current reality TV trends) called Travis Savage, and the unbelievable Daphne's Madhouse: a crazy Star Trek themed show where Daphne and her long haired friend always got prank called. Daphne's husband had a Kiss themed show but its name escapes me.

See, these two shows have zero information online. I was really hoping for a youtube clip from Daphne's but no dice. Those of you who've experienced its genius will just have to reminisce with me–and those who never saw it will just have to trust us.

Oh! And remember that creepy guy who used sexy stripper silhouettes to transition every scene in his talk show (which he wore a Star Trek uniform for)? Man, Providence was the place to be for Public Access in the late 90s. Today such shows are given world wide attention through youtube. Just view this weeks laugh…

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Posted on July 2, 2007

The Baby Human is a fascinating documentary show about the development of babies which originally aired on Discovery Health and is now available on DVD.

It's full of interesting scientific information made more than palatable because it's chock full of infants and toddlers learning to walk, speak and think. It's really enjoyable for anyone and pretty much a must see for those expecting or wanting kids.

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Posted on June 18, 2007

I must admit that my memories are a little foggy about this afternoon preteen fantasy show. What I do remember is this Evie is half human, her father is an alien that she talks to through a glowing triangle thing and, coolest of all! ever! she can stop time by putting her fingers together. Of course I can remember all that, the idea of being able to stop time was the most intriguing, daydream inducing fantasy since the idea that you could switch places with your twin.

But, since reading up on this favorite from my past, I've learned that Evie had a surfing boyfriend and an Uncle Beano. These things I don't remember, and they make me yearn for the series's unlikely release on DVD–you may laugh now, but previous wishes (like the day I'd see Criterion Collection release WR: Mysteries of the Organism, or Joysticks put on DVD) are actually now a reality, so I won't say never.

Take a look at the intro video, it really looks like a spoof of a television show by Paul Bartel.

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Posted on June 4, 2007

I recently praised another excellent adaptation of a Trollope novel, The Way We Live Now, and while He Knew He Was Right is second to that one, Bill Nighy's sleazy, cunning, charming and incredibly small performance (he's only in a few short scenes), is enough to recommend this.

Poor Louis is a man plagued by the rules of proper English society in the 1868. Eventually the vaguest hint of impropriety leads to jealousy, which leads to obsession, which leads to insanity, which leads to death. Is it too awful that the character is so miserable at by the end I just can't wait for him to die? Still, I'm making this sound much more horridly morbid than it is.

The supporting plot lines and characters offer sweet comic relief and spells of true romance. Like his other works, there are many men and women trying to cope with the various hassles of living in such changing times, and all their stories give a truly interesting insight to a unique period in history.

And Bill Nighy, honestly, you could just watch it for the twitch of his head.

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Posted on May 21, 2007

Every Monday night is Mystery Monday on BBC America. Usually this is a good thing for my DVR–especially when it stars the network's biggest heart throb, Robson Green.

Whether he's playing Tony Hill in Wire in the Blood, an infuriating clinical psychologist who solves murders by “getting inside the killers head” (usually accomplished by lining up salt and pepper shakers and making wild gestures in the air), or Dave Creegan, the obsessed homicide detective with a penchant for making things personal and not following the rules (usually at the cost of someone else's life) in Touching Evil, Green makes the cliche lovable and beddable.

These shows are entertaining; always featuring dramatic and gruesome murders with complicated and symbolic motives behind them–England truly must hold the world's most creative psychopaths in the world.

It's hard to pick a favorite between these two over the top mystery shows, but I think I slightly favor Touching Evil if only for the fact that his character takes his job so seriously he has the police hide his wife and children from him and never tell him where they are for their protection–and he lives with a bullet in his brain.

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Posted on May 7, 2007