The French Revolution is an informative and entertaining, if not entirely detailed account of the dramatic, fascinating and bloody French Revolution, which is why Bastille Day is celebrated (for the storming of the Bastille prison), which is why nearly everything on this week's picks is French.
A great introduction to one of the most interesting periods in human history. Curiously not airing on the History Channel anytime soon, it can be rented on netflix and is available on DVD.
A most engaging afternoon watch on PBS, the extremely likeable Jewish-Uncle-I-never-had Barry Lewis, and whatever-he-is David Hartman walk through various spots in New York while informing about the history and the future of these unique places.
There are seven episodes so far: Brooklyn, Central Park, Harlem, Hoboken, Newark, Queens, and the Bronx. Lewis is the heart of the show, while David Hartman tends to be goofy and awkward, my favorite example is in the Bronx episode: he's talking to a pregnant woman who works at a place called “the point” and he says to her, “So I see you are expecting. Tell me, what is the point?”.
This is a great show for learning about new places to see and nifty facts about places you've been. One of the best PBS offerings since I, Claudius in the 70s and Mystery!.
Called the dumbest TV show ever, and rightfully so. People (strangelyn mostly from my borough of Brooklyn) strip–to undies only–in front of their favorite music video for money.
The real charm (yes, I said charm) of the show comes from the cable access cheapness, no lame obviously written scripts, the things these people say are too inane to make it past script supervisor one.
All the dancers can be seen on their website as well. Look for “Lily”, I am not sure if she's a man or a woman, but she's the best dancer I've seen so far. It also boasts the laziest teleprompter reader of a host, but even she adds to the spirit of the show.
I don't care what people say, I don't even care that I hate his face, I think Roeper is a fine replacement for the late Siskel. I grew up on this show and surprisingly no one's done it better or even bothered to try. Although I do remember a Nickelodeon show where kids reviewed movies – the biggest film criticism on that show was usually that the dog catcher character was really really mean.
I don't always agree with the reviews but I appreciate the simplicity of a review show that doesn't try to appeal to the Mountain Dew demographic (yes, Henry Rollins I'm speaking to you). This is also the show that inspired me to start my blog, so it is most deserving of a spot.
This is just the type of miniseries that I have a weakness for. Four young “new money” American women in the 1870's journey across the pond to find themselves husbands during the London “season”.
Based on a novel by Edith Wharton, the characters are rich, fully formed, and interesting. The epic and meandering plot full of the drama of unhappy marriages and forbidden loves is a slice of life of the upper classes during a volatile and unique time in British history, when the idea of democracy was threatening the upper crust ways of life. Look for great performances by a young Carla Gugino, Mira Sorvino, and hunk of the week Greg Wise. Available on DVD, perfect girl night viewing.
Even though it took several episodes for me to be completely enthralled (they could not kill the preacher soon enough) Deadwood has become my absolute favorite drama on TV right now.
After an incredible season finale full of surprises and excitement, I await with baited breath the beginning of season three June 11th. This is a western for people that don't like westerns (like me) and what sets it apart from other HBO near-misteps like Carnivale and Six Feet Under (at least missteps in my opinion, I know there are a lot of fans of those shows) is the intelligent writing and most importantly its sense of humor – an attribute Carnivale would have benefited from immensely.
The acting is first rate with Ian McShane most deserving of all the accolades and hype he's received in the role of Al Swearengen. I hope more people start watching.
If you love adventure and/or Sean Bean you must watch. This is an enjoyable epic about Richard Sharpe and his sharp shooting men during the Napoleonic era in Europe.
Based on the novels by Bernard Cornwell that old guys and old guys only read – this is far more entertaining and accessible to the young and not guys than I thought. Full of intrigue and even romance, this is a great companion to the incredible (and previous Bricks Pick) Horatio Hornblower. Give it a chance.
A delightful, hilarious, and way ahead of its time show that I can never grown tired of. Great wacky scripts, superb guest villains – including Vincent Price and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Adam West is unrivaled in dead pan yet over the top acting.
For sale on DVD here; the movie is also quite amazing.
A very funny dark comedy starring Dylan Moran as Bernard the alcoholic curmudgeon used book store owner and his spacy assistant and neurotic best friend. The show goes off into bizarre and surreal plots with always clever and slightly mean spirited writing. Plays on BBC America and any fan of British Comedy who has not had a chance to watch yet should certainly get on it.
I have something to confess. I have grown a bit tired of the Daily Show. And The Colbert Report, which starting a bit rocky, has only gotten better and better. The video bits including his 80s music video, the 70s commentary on monorails, and any time he impersonates Wilfred Brimley, are stupendous.
I also feel it is a more open and tolerant show with guests from other points of views and beliefs. Plus he recently made Bush squirm at the White House Correspondents Dinner.