I used to have a friend who cut class. You know what happened to him? He died!
I've been celebrating this high-speed internet thing by watching a handful of TV shows that I've been wanting to watch for SO LONG. I feel like every other LJ comment I make is something to the effect of, "OMG, I neeeeed to watch that show!!" Over the past few days I've checked out: Mad Men, Life as We Know It, Freaks & Geeks, and I watched the premiere of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I also was able to finally catch up and watch the last two Greek episodes of the season, AND the first two season 4 Weeds episodes. Ahh, where to begin...
Mad Men- I've only watched the first episode, but it was definitely good. Not really my typical "type" of show - I tend to go for shows that are dangerously close to falling into the "guilty pleasures" category, and usually ones that feature a somewhat younger cast. I can see how this would be a show that critics would love - it's really well-done, and I was definitely entertained. But, having said that, I haven't yet fully been drawn into their world, and there are no characters that I've really "fallen in love with" right off the bat. I need at least SOME of the characters on a given show to be really likable (even if they are flawed) in order for me to stay interested, and I haven't found that yet with this show. Season one is free here OnDemand though, so I'll be continuing to watch for sure.
Life as We Know It- I like the idea of a high school show from more of a male perspective, and this really helped to make storylines that may have otherwise seemed cliche actually really interesting. The teacher/student thing has kind of been done though, and I didn't find that part to be all that believable. The storyline with Kelly Osbourne however (can't remember her name on the show...) I thought was really original, and I'm interested to see where it goes. But I must say, the narration bits bug the hell out of me. I'll probably check out the next few episodes on youtube and see where things goes - I'm a sucker for any sort of high school dramedy.
Freaks and Geeks- I LOVE IT. I don't know what else to say except that I'm already hooked, and I'm only three episodes in. This is definitely THE show that I'm going to be obsessively watching over the next week or so. I love the one-liners, I love the unique look at high school life, and I LOVE the characters. Linda Cardenelli is amazing - so real, so sweet, so pretty. And I like that the high schoolers on this show actually look like high schoolers, instead of like twenty-seven-year-old actors. It reminds me a little of My So-Called-Life with the whole girl-and-her-new-friends premise, but it's funnier, and maybe even more charming (MSCL is great, too though - I need to finish watching the first season!) But yeah - I see an addiction in my future...
The Secret Life of the American Teenager- So, I was intrigued by the title (so unnecessarily over-dramatic!) and the fact that it's by the lady who created 7th Heaven (which of course ABC Family mentioned in every single preview, in addition to name-dropping Molly Ringwald repeatedly). My mom randomly expressed a desire to watch it too (since when does she keep up with newly premiering shows??), so we taped it (SIDENOTE: How could I have lived without DVR up until now?!?). It definitely had a 7th-Heaveny feel to it in many ways, and it was just plain bad at times (Pregnant Girl taking Pregnancy Test: Life stinks!! Pregnant Girl's BFF: That's a funny thing to say in a bathroom! Giggle, giggle!). It also seemed to be trying a bit too hard to create these random, arbitrary pairings, and most of the characters fell pretty flat. It might end up being a decent so-bad-it's-good show, but it certainly didn't live up to my hopes thus far. And also, if a show is called "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," I really think it should be a little more seedy and representative of the way teens really think and talk. It seemed as if they were trying to shock us with "OMG, 15-year-olds are having sex!!", but that's hardly a new storyline for a teen-centered television show. I'd be far more interested in a show that actually does give a realistic portrayal of what this title suggests.
Greek was as good as always, and Weeds definitely wasn't the trainwreck I expected. I'd say it's on par so far with season 3 in terms of quality, although I do have a few gripes. I'll blab about all that in a later entry though.
ALSO, went to the movies today and did a double-feature: Sex and the City and Wall-E! It was a great combination, and I enjoyed them both. I dragged my mom along to SATC, and she seemed to enjoy it, too. I doubt she'll be renting the DVDs any time soon (she hadn't seen an episode prior to this), but it held her interest I think. I loved how it kept the classic SATC feel while still feeling like a feature film as well - HUGE success, IMO... and definitely one of the best tv-to-film transformations I've ever seen. Wall-E was really cute - I had a few complaints there, too, but it will certainly go down as another smashing Pixar success. And yes, I did get a little teary-eyed as usual...
Tomorrow I'm headed to Boston. Again. This time for two days. I need an August sublet, as well as a new place for Sept 1st (which is when my roommate's old lease runs out). The whole thing still stresses me out... I can feel the butterflies moving around in my stomach already. I guess it's nice that I'm getting a little more familiar with the city with each visit though - because today officially marks ONE MONTH from when I'll be moving. I'm sooo not ready - for work, bills, the real world, aggh!
Mad Men- I've only watched the first episode, but it was definitely good. Not really my typical "type" of show - I tend to go for shows that are dangerously close to falling into the "guilty pleasures" category, and usually ones that feature a somewhat younger cast. I can see how this would be a show that critics would love - it's really well-done, and I was definitely entertained. But, having said that, I haven't yet fully been drawn into their world, and there are no characters that I've really "fallen in love with" right off the bat. I need at least SOME of the characters on a given show to be really likable (even if they are flawed) in order for me to stay interested, and I haven't found that yet with this show. Season one is free here OnDemand though, so I'll be continuing to watch for sure.
Life as We Know It- I like the idea of a high school show from more of a male perspective, and this really helped to make storylines that may have otherwise seemed cliche actually really interesting. The teacher/student thing has kind of been done though, and I didn't find that part to be all that believable. The storyline with Kelly Osbourne however (can't remember her name on the show...) I thought was really original, and I'm interested to see where it goes. But I must say, the narration bits bug the hell out of me. I'll probably check out the next few episodes on youtube and see where things goes - I'm a sucker for any sort of high school dramedy.
Freaks and Geeks- I LOVE IT. I don't know what else to say except that I'm already hooked, and I'm only three episodes in. This is definitely THE show that I'm going to be obsessively watching over the next week or so. I love the one-liners, I love the unique look at high school life, and I LOVE the characters. Linda Cardenelli is amazing - so real, so sweet, so pretty. And I like that the high schoolers on this show actually look like high schoolers, instead of like twenty-seven-year-old actors. It reminds me a little of My So-Called-Life with the whole girl-and-her-new-friends premise, but it's funnier, and maybe even more charming (MSCL is great, too though - I need to finish watching the first season!) But yeah - I see an addiction in my future...
The Secret Life of the American Teenager- So, I was intrigued by the title (so unnecessarily over-dramatic!) and the fact that it's by the lady who created 7th Heaven (which of course ABC Family mentioned in every single preview, in addition to name-dropping Molly Ringwald repeatedly). My mom randomly expressed a desire to watch it too (since when does she keep up with newly premiering shows??), so we taped it (SIDENOTE: How could I have lived without DVR up until now?!?). It definitely had a 7th-Heaveny feel to it in many ways, and it was just plain bad at times (Pregnant Girl taking Pregnancy Test: Life stinks!! Pregnant Girl's BFF: That's a funny thing to say in a bathroom! Giggle, giggle!). It also seemed to be trying a bit too hard to create these random, arbitrary pairings, and most of the characters fell pretty flat. It might end up being a decent so-bad-it's-good show, but it certainly didn't live up to my hopes thus far. And also, if a show is called "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," I really think it should be a little more seedy and representative of the way teens really think and talk. It seemed as if they were trying to shock us with "OMG, 15-year-olds are having sex!!", but that's hardly a new storyline for a teen-centered television show. I'd be far more interested in a show that actually does give a realistic portrayal of what this title suggests.
Greek was as good as always, and Weeds definitely wasn't the trainwreck I expected. I'd say it's on par so far with season 3 in terms of quality, although I do have a few gripes. I'll blab about all that in a later entry though.
ALSO, went to the movies today and did a double-feature: Sex and the City and Wall-E! It was a great combination, and I enjoyed them both. I dragged my mom along to SATC, and she seemed to enjoy it, too. I doubt she'll be renting the DVDs any time soon (she hadn't seen an episode prior to this), but it held her interest I think. I loved how it kept the classic SATC feel while still feeling like a feature film as well - HUGE success, IMO... and definitely one of the best tv-to-film transformations I've ever seen. Wall-E was really cute - I had a few complaints there, too, but it will certainly go down as another smashing Pixar success. And yes, I did get a little teary-eyed as usual...
Tomorrow I'm headed to Boston. Again. This time for two days. I need an August sublet, as well as a new place for Sept 1st (which is when my roommate's old lease runs out). The whole thing still stresses me out... I can feel the butterflies moving around in my stomach already. I guess it's nice that I'm getting a little more familiar with the city with each visit though - because today officially marks ONE MONTH from when I'll be moving. I'm sooo not ready - for work, bills, the real world, aggh!