Posts Tagged ‘movies’

Before 2007 I wasn’t much of a TV-series person. My schedule didn’t really allow me to follow a specific time slot every week for a prolonged amount of time. Then came full season DVDs, downloadable TV-recordings and Internet TV; a series addict was born. Since then I have seen a respectable amount of series, some of which I would feel comfortable recommendingto others:

Ballykissangel

English catholic priest misplaced in picturesque Irish village. Dark haired temptress running local pub. Interesting characters and nice scenery.

Monarch of the Glen

Son turned urban returns to mismanaged highland estate to succeed father as laird. Colorful characters and beautiful landscapes. Based on the equally colorful Compton Mackenzie’s Highland novels.

LOST

City slickers with intriguingly interwoven pasts find themselves stranded on mysterious island with hostile natives and super natural phenomenae.

Ugly Betty

Regular girl, not entirely complying with fashion industry standards when it comes to looks, gets job with famed fashion magazine. Is the sole support for incompetent yet likable editor and has to struggle with everything from evil women with take-over plans and shallow fashonistas who do not appreciate her presence.

The existence of this series on my list puts a stain on my life long record of pure masculinity. However, it’s ironic view at the fashion industry and original take on comedy makes it a winner.

House M.D.

Bitter, “Sherlock Holmes-ish” doctor solves cases of diagnostic medicine by harassing his colleagues and playing unethical games. Hugh Laurie was better as Bertie Wooster and Edmund Blackadder than he is as House. Nevertheless, Gregory House’s dark, sarcastic world is fun.

Prison Break

Good guy trying to rescue less good, but ultimately innocent, brother from prison but incriminates himself by doing so in that he must involve a number of other inmates to make his plan succeed.. Interesting close-up on criminal minds and a disgusting ability to make me sympathize with some of the bad guys (not Theodore Bagwell).

Deadwood

Good guy and good guy’s sidekick comes to town to set up a hardware store but have to deal with a hardened set of locals during the gold rush of the mid-19th century.

Though politically incorrect, the scenes where Al Swearengen “enjoys” the company of his brothel employees while he recites his monologues are purely brilliant, and I believe, unique.

Rome

Middle class good guy and lower class slightly less good guy struggle to live their lives and become instrumental to the big events at the end of Ceasar’s reign. Splendid sets and costumes. Addictive.

Doc Martin

Socially blunt doctor from London withdraws to small village after developing an unfortunate disgust of blood. Arguably a disadvantage for a surgeon. Falls in and out of love with local school teacher. Fantastic interaction with strange local characters.

Northern Exposure

Recently graduated New York doctor arrives in Cicely, Alaska, to serve his four years of duty to the state of Alaska who paid for his education. Doesn’t like it but has to stay. Great cast of the most memorable, likable and weird characters you can imagine.

Twin Peaks

Typical US small town is awestruck by the murder of local girl Laura Palmer. Eccentric FBI agent arrives to solve case. The strangest pack of characters ever to be present in a TV-series. Highly likable, almost addictive, yet ultimately incomprehensible towards the end.

Monk

Multi-phobic ex-cop solves cases in true Poirot style – except Monk isn’t so disgustingly unlikable as Poirot. His failure to comply with society in almost every respect, renders him very likable indeed. Sidekick female assistants Sharona Flemming and later Natalie Teeger  in addition to Captain Leland Stottlemeyer and Lieutenant Randall Disher are also brilliant.

The character Doc Wilson in the film State and Maine introduced the world to the ill-forged statement: “never trust a man in a bow tie”. This entirely ground-less quote has since been embraced by all those who due to lack of ability are forced to wear regular neck ties or, worse still, cannot even manage that knot and avoid neck ties altogether.

The bow tie is a garment suitable for gentlemen only. Not only does it look dashingly good, it also demonstrates to the world that the wearer is in fact capable of tying a knot with a personal touch. The bow tie lends eccentricity to its wearer and earns lots of justified attention from women while at the same time it stimulates hatred and envy in the wearers male peers.

I buy most of my bow ties while traveling but have recently become aware of the Bow Tie Club, an e-commerce web-site with an excellent selection of bow ties and matching pocket squares for that final touch.

Go ahead and become a bow tie wearer!!!

Please read this article for instructions on how to tie a bow tie…

These are eleven comedies that I feel comfortable recommending!

• O’ brother where art thou: a modern take on the Odyssey
• Four weddings and a funeral: the hassles of getting married or not
• Austin Powers – International Man of Mystery: James Bond gone hippie
• Austin Powers – The Spy who Shagged me: Who does number two work for
• Austin Powers – Goldmember: Smoke and a pancake
• Monty Pythons’ The Quest for the Holy Grail: Watch the background as much as the foreground
• Monty Pythons’ Life of Brian: What life may have been like around Jesus’ time
• Hot Shots!: Top Gun rip-off
• Hot Shots! II: Rambo rip-off
• There’s something about Mary: carefull with the zipper
• The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: always bring a towel

Recommending films is always difficult as I may ultimately be held accountable for wasting two hours out of someones life. Although a risky business, recommendations can tell you something significant about the person who gives the recommendation. Hence, I put a few recommendations up on my blog.

• Hearts in Atlantis
• Simon Birch
• Finding Neverland
• Million Dollar Baby
• Ciderhouse rules
• Sliding doors

I am looking for a particularly powerful file deletion utility to wipe the remains of this tragic movie off the hard drive my media center PC.

Do not under any circumstances allow yourself to be tricked into seeing this film. Even the longest of life spans doesn’t allow for this utter and complete waste. I will borrow the words of Churchill: this is not a film to be put aside lightly, it should be thrown with great force.